The Work I Do
I truly love the work I do. And I especially love hearing from all of my viewers and followers across the country. I love that they are inspired by my…
No One Should Be Surprised by This One
Honestly, I feel like I have written this blog a hundred times before, but here I go again. I recently read two articles that sent my blood pressure soaring. And…
This Season
With the interminable election season behind us, we now deal with the aftermath; who is disappointed, scared and apprehensive and who is thrilled with the results. The good news is…
What I Eat in a Week
I am having a passionate love affair with Stanley Tucci’s new book, “What I Ate in a Year.” He is a smart, articulate, passionate-about-food, clever writer who charms with every…
Cooking from the Heart
As the holidays come on the horizon in all their twinkling glory, we think about cooking. I confess that I always think about cooking, but that’s me. My passion for…
Food | GMO | Lifestyle | Uncategorized
Wanna Greens, A Game-Changing Green Vegetable
Not a day goes by (hardly) that I am not messaged, emailed or DM’d about a revolutionary new product that will change the way we think about food, nutrition and…
Be Useful…Use Your Voice; Take Care of Each Other and Vote
We live, day to day, in what can only be called a grand experiment. Our founders were sure that a government by and for the people could succeed. Are we…
An Ode to Healing
There’s a lot of talk about this thing called healing. We use it like it’s a cliché, like ‘it is what it is’ or ‘just saying’ but in fact, healing…
Fig Cake with Crumb Topping
This recipe has been tweaked and prodded to create what I think is a pretty yummy cake. Makes 8-10 servings Crumb Topping: Preheat oven to 350 F and lightly oil a 10-inch round baking dish. Whisk together the oil, coconut sugar, vanilla, salt and lemon juice and zest. Mix in…
FinaMill…Part Deux
I have been cooking all my life, well, almost. I fell in love with the rhythm of the kitchen at the tender age of 4, watching my mother, grandmother and…
The Mystery and Magic of Puglia
It was October and the weather was amazing; perfect autumn, cool at night and warm during the day. We were in Puglia filming my TV series in various locations. I…
How I’ll Spend My Summer Vacation
It will be steaming hot this summer, ‘punishing,’ I think it’s being called; as summer is known to be these days. Since it gets so warm and often muggy globally,…
An Ode to Sunday Lunch
When I was a kid, meals were considered sacred time. I always joke that if you weren’t at the dinner table, you’d best be dead. No excuses mattered. Not late…
Well, This Is Frustrating…
It’s the season of seashells and balloons. We long to hang outside and take vacations, big or small. We savor every second of the long days and warm nights, making…
Visions of Summer
It’s May and I don’t know about you, but winter and spring where I am, have been grey and rainy to a degree that everyone is stir-crazy and longing for…
Having a Purpose
I think a lot about the future, even as I am maturing by the minute. Who knows how much of the future I will see? But what I see worries…
Freshly Ground Spices and Wellness
I confess that I am not much for gadgets. They have always been categorized in my mind as “just another thing to clean” when I am cooking. I use my…
Fall In Love with Cooking Again and Again
I love pots and pans. No; let me correct that. I adore pots and pans. My husband gets more anxious when I walk into a kitchen store than into a…
Why Can’t We Do Better?
I was sitting in Charles De Gaulle airport, leaving Paris, heading to Rome for work. As usual, I ordered an espresso and my lovely Robert, a tea. Since we were…
Getting By With a Little Help…
It’s February and for so many of us, that means resolutions often as a recommitment to wellness. In my case, at the end of each year, I take a look…
Food Noise?
I am all about food…and wellness. I love the communal, sensual nature of preparing luscious, healthy foods and enjoying them with people I love. As an Italian, we always joke…
I Left My Heart In Rome
It’s no secret that I adore Italy and that my Italian tours and adventures are very close to my heart and give both my husband and me enormous pleasure…enormous pleasure….
Are We Just Going to Talk About It Again?
For some of us, the season of ‘peace on earth’ and ‘goodwill to all’ are little clichés that get written on Christmas cards and social media posts. Once the tinsel…
Regenics…a Medical Wellness Company
It’s no secret that I am all about food and natural healing. I am of the mind that wellness begins in the kitchen and that Mother Nature is our best…
My Mother…Mamma Mia
I don’t often write about my mother except in terms of the kitchen. She taught me how to love the magic of the heart of the home. It was the…
The World’s Tiniest Fresh Vegetable Takes Healthy Eating to a New…and Yummy Level
When I first heard of GreenOnyx, I had no idea what I was in for. I was told it was a ‘revolutionary product;’ a game-changer.’ I have heard that before…about…
Feeling Grateful and Letting Go
As we move into this glorious month; the month that kicks off the holiday season and allows us to deny the reality of a long, grey winter ahead, we begin…
The Importance of Fitness
I was at the gym the other day, sweating through one of my favorite, rough and tumble classes when the instructor yelled out, “Now is not the time to slack…
Nightshades and Our Wellness
I have lived a vegan, macrobiotic lifestyle for more than forty years. I came to this lifestyle through severe illness and using a rather rigid approach to eating, was able…
Regenerative Agriculture?
Regenerative Agriculture? Conventional, locally grown, CSA, organic…and now regenerative agriculture. Is it just another buzzy term for us to navigate as we try to shop and vote with our dollar…
I Can’t Believe I’m Writing About This Again…
Recently, I posted a photo about the smoke event in the Northeast from wildfires in Canada. I was working in Rome and was so sad to see this in my…
Magnesium and Your Brain
Brain care supplements are really having a moment, but are they worth the hype? Many of us think of this as a concern as we age, but brain health should…
Listening to Each Other
As many of you know, I am a huge fan of Arnold Schwarzenegger. Since high school (yup, I worked out to his vinyl exercise album, the chart of the moves…
You and Your Blood Sugar
My friend and brilliant macrobiotic teacher, Dani Mayor in Barcelona recently wrote a wonderful article on hypoglycemia and how many of us it affects; its impact on our daily wellness…
Flourless Chocolate Cake
This yummy recipe is really rich-tasting so a sliver does the trick. It’s super easy and the results are soooooooooooo good. Makes 8-10 servings 7 ounces non-dairy dark chocolate bars, chopped 1/2 cup olive oil or vegan butter 1 cup coconut sugar 1/2 cup arrowroot powder 1/2 cup unsweetened oat…
Why You Don’t Need a Book to Cook
Cooking has gotten a bad rap in the past decades. From Betty Friedan to talk show hosts telling women that they’re better than the kitchen, we have moved away from…
Gladiator Stew
I made this delicious grain dish with one of my favorite chefs, and dear friend, Chef Gioacchino Nocera from Bosco de Medici vineyard in Pompeii. He and I made it on my show and while I worked with him on it, I may not have it exactly as he did…
An Ode to Stepping Away
It’s February, the month dedicated to hearts, from health to romance. I thought I would take the opportunity to talk to you about my thoughts. On December 20, my lovely…
As the New Year Begins
As 2023 begins to fade from our memory and 2024 looms large, shiny with promise and hope, let’s try something new or at least something we may have forgotten about….
I Just Can’t…
I was reading the NY Times (as I do most mornings before I begin my work for the day) and saw a headline that made my heart skip a beat…for…
Remembering When and Living in the Now
It seems so long ago, those days when a friend would ring and ask if I had time to meet up for a coffee or a quick lunch. During the…
Cooking Now…Again
There are certain kitchen rhythms that I will always associate with these past months of the pandemic. Pot after pot of what we consider “comfort food”: millet soup with red…
The Sicker We Get, the Happier We Are?
Watching an hour of television at night makes me feel sick. There. I said it out loud. It’s not the programming so much as it’s the Big Pharma ads during…
This Chef’s Life
It’s been a long time since I was in a kitchen full time. Most of my days now are spent testing recipes, writing articles, planning and teaching cooking classes, serving…
Is Fried Food Really That Bad For Us? Really?
Yes, really. According to a study published in BMJ (formerly British Medical Journal), frequent consumption of fried foods can lead to a serious outcome: early death. Yup; you read right…early…
Fending off Disease with Fiber
My husband, who I adore, loves Time magazine. Yup, good old fashioned Time magazine. I’m not such a big fan but every now and then, I see an article that…
Are We Really Standing Up to Cancer? Really?
I am at it again, ranting about cancer and the fact that we continue to “wage war” on this disease but yet, what are we accomplishing? It’s the time…
Your Kitchen Is Your Pharmacy
We live in challenging times. Our political system is in upheaval; our food supply is under assault by big business interests who care only for profit, not for quality. Our…
What’s Being Vegan Got to Do with It?
I will admit that I have been on something of a long rant these days as I watch junk food being peddled to us as real food and the accompanying…
Our Little Ones
It’s Childhood Cancer Awareness Month and Childhood Obesity Awareness Month so let’s talk about our kids and their wellness, shall we? I’ll start this article by saying that I…
What’s Going on with Our Colons?
What’s Going on with Our Colons? The news was big…and somber…and apparently, shocking for many people, including experts. A new study, published in the Journal of The American Medical…
The Three-Day Detox
Can you feel like a new person in just 3 short days? Can you undo the damage you did over the holiday season? This 3-day plan can put your feet…
Perimenopause and You
Perimenopause and You I get asked about this life condition a lot so I thought I would take the time to do some research and get you some good information…
Our Smoothie Culture
I have a very specific opinion on smoothies. You may hate it; you may rant at me for it, but here goes. We finally put kale…in all its crunchy, nutrient-dense…
You and the Flu
Every year around this time, the bombardment begins. Every expert pushes each and every one of us to get a flu shot like our lives depend on it. It starts…
Imagine a World without Soda
My husband and I travel a lot for our work, as well as with family and for pleasure. We see a lot of sights…and stop at a lot of rest…
Actually, This Is the Sharpest Knife in the Drawer!
I love my knife. There; I said it in my outside voice. I love my knife the way women love their shoes…with all my heart. The affair began about…
The Power of Sublime Porcini
There are some things that you just can’t live without…great olive oil, sexy shoes, fresh garlic, juicy grapefruit, loyal friends, tulips in the spring and porcini mushrooms. Growing up…
Eating with the Seasons: Summer
Just to take us back to the dreamy, leisurely days of summer…yum! Summer Now we’re talking. Summer. It’s my season. Sure, I love Christmas and all that goes along with…
How the Heck Did We Get Here?
I think a lot about food. I guess that’s obvious, right? The other day, my husband and I were driving on the highway, passing billboard after billboard for food…
Paleo-Should We Really Eat Like Cavemen?
I have to say that of all the dietary extremes we humans adopt on our quest for health and fitness, the Paleo or caveman diet concerns me the most. I…
Saturated Fat
As we celebrate our tickers, I thought I would take a look at one of the ingredients that seems to cause us so much grief. We are told that…
Cooking for One…You’re Worth It
In the kitchen, one can be a lonely number. There’s leftover fatigue or the sad bowl of cereal for dinner – again-rather than cooking. On top of that, spending time…
Glorious Garlic
Glorious Garlic I didn’t cook with garlic until I was about 10 years old. My mother, you see, didn’t like it. I know, right? An Italian cook who didn’t like…
S-l-l-l-o-o-o-w-w Cooking
There’s something about the fall that makes us crave long-cooked, hearty dishes. They seem to comfort us as the days shorten, the nights grow longer and the frost is definitely…
Eating with the Seasons: Autumn
We live in a great country where we can get any fruit or vegetable at any time of the year. That’s good news and bad news for us. It’s good…
O-o-o-o-o-o-h, Onions
As the weather cools, we turn our attention indoors. We move from the outdoor sizzle of the weather to the indoor sizzle of our skillets. For some of us onions…
The Care and Feeding of Our Breasts: Series Post 2 of 2
Could it be that the key to minimizing our risk of breast cancer begins in the kitchen? While I have talked about this for years, research is beginning to prove…
The Care and Feeding of Our Breasts: Series Post 1 of 2
We hear about it every day. Women are diagnosed with a cancer that attacks the very symbol of our womanhood. From the rich and famous to the not so much,…
Women’s Health and Fitness Day
It’s a big day in my world–bigger than a lot of the days on which we celebrate various conditions and causes. We’re celebrating women’s health and fitness. Today we ask…
Eating Well on a Budget: Series Post 2 of 2
Let's continue our conversation of what seems like an impossible mission of stretching your dollar to get healthy food on a budget. VegetablesThis is a no-brainer. Veggies are inexpensive and…
Back to School-for the Big Kids
It’s true-70% of non-athlete college students gain between 10-15 pounds their first semester, and it just grows from there. Yikes! While my days as a college student are long behind…
Label.ology: General Tips for Reading Labels
How to Read a Label10 Tips 1. Ingredients are listed in order of their proportion in the product. So for me, the first three ingredients are the most important. They’re…
Label.ology: Reading and Understanding Vitamins and Minerals
How to Read a LabelLesson 4 The next part of the label reveals the vitamin and mineral content of the food item you are considering. The FDA requires listings on…
Label.ology: Reading and Understanding Ingredients
How to Read a LabelLesson 3 Let’s talk ingredients. We see the lists on packages and sometimes they read like Russian novels. How could all those substances be in one…
The Art of Canning
It’s that time of year. Your seeds have sprung into full-grown plants laden with the fruits of your labor. While much of your garden bounty ends up on your table–and…
Label.ology: Reading and Understanding Calories, Fat, Protein, Sodium…
How to Read a LabelLesson 2 The next part of the label includes information concerning fat content and type, amount and type of carbohydrates, protein, sodium, fiber, and sugar. It’s…
Label.ology: Reading and Understanding Serving Sizes
How to Read a Label Lesson One At the top of the label you will see the serving size or the number of servings that the nutrition information is based…
Label.ology: How to Read a Label
I know–duh, right? Don’t you just pick up the package, turn it over, and read? Yes, but you may not know what exactly you’re seeing. It’s complicated. We are bombarded…
Olive Oil and Your Heart…A Healthy Combination
There’s a lot of talk these days about olive oil. There are people who would have you believe that it’s an unhealthy ingredient in your diet. These experts, many of…
One reason Italians live so well… lentils!
I admit it. I am completely obsessed with lentils, as are most Italians. I always say that if we could make a delicious lentil gelato, we would! Green, brown, yellow,…
The Farm Markets Are Coming! The Farm Markets Are Coming!
Depending on where you live, it’s still on the early side to trek to the weekly farm market in your town. But it’s certainly the time to get your hands…
Bagged Salad: Should We or Shouldn’t We?
It’s important to understand all the stuff that’s in what you buy. Then and only then can you can decide if you want it in your food, on your body…
Going Meatless
We post some very cool social media with daily healthy tips, yummy recipes and some interesting information about our food and making healthier choices. But now? Oh, yeah, baby….
Let Them Eat Kale
There are two types of people in the world…those who eat greens and those who should. You can laugh, but it’s true. In my book, leafy greens are…
The Dairy Myth
Doesn’t it seem that for most of us we often have weight loss on our minds? We’ve been told that milk and other dairy products can be helpful in the…
One Healthy Thing – Let’s Do This
As we move forward into these next days, let’s challenge ourselves with lifestyle choices that will result in real radiant health. Everyone tells us that being healthy is easy (including…
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