10 Kid-Friendly Snacks

Most kids are picky eaters and I know a lot of moms struggle with getting their little ones to eat healthy. One tip is getting them involved in preparing and cooking snacks and meals. If they are part of the process, it's likely they will want to taste the end result. Also, exposing them to as much variety as possible, especially when it comes to veggies, is key. Try putting a small serving of a fruit different veggies on their plate. Every little bit they do eat helps them acquire a taste for healthy foods.

Kids love snacks. But generally they like those of the refined carb variety (Goldfish, anyone?). Here are 10 healthy and yummy snacks that are sure to be a hit with kids and adults alike!

RecipesStephanie RomeJuly 21, 2015snacks, kid-friendly, gluten free, dairy free Comments

Gluten Free Pizza

When people choose, or are instructed by their doctor/nutritionist, to start following a gluten free diet, it's common for them to feel like all of their favorite foods are being taken away from them -- pizza, pasta, sandwiches, muffins, cereal, cookies, beer, etc. While I completely understand how it can feel this way at first, I love providing my clients, friends, family, etc. with recipes that are delicious and naturally gluten free, as well as surprising them with ways to make their favorite gluten bomb foods sans gluten! This recipe is a perfect example of one of those surprises! Gluten free pizza? YES. While there are a few ways to make gluten free pizza crust, using polenta is definitely in the top three. It's pretty much fool-proof and hardly takes any time or effort. The nature of polenta is that it firms up and becomes quite dense when cooked. This is perfect for our pizza-crust purpose as the goal is to be able to cut it and hold your slice with your hand without it falling apart on you. While it looks like there is a lot to do in this recipe, it's really quite simple. If you're proficient at multi-tasking, you could have your pizza on the table in 45 minutes!

RecipesStephanie RomeMay 15, 2015main dishes, lunches, gluten free, kid-friendly Comment

The Ultimate Raw Chocolate Paleo Protein Balls

I have to admit, most bliss balls I've tried are a bit disappointing. They look great, but when I buy one and eat it, it's just not that good. Not sure what the deal is, but rather than trying to figure it out, I decided to try my hand at making my own to see if I could step up the game a little. Not to toot my own horn or anything, but these are pretty damn delicious.

RecipesStephanie RomeMarch 20, 2015snacks, desserts, paleo, vegan, gluten free, dairy free, kid-friendlyComment

What is the Paleo Diet? + Sweet Potato Cookie Recipe

I'm sure y'all have heard of the Paleo diet by now. It seems to be the latest health trend / buzzword. You may be wondering, though, what actually does the Paleo, or caveman, diet entail... I get asked this question a lot so I thought I'd write what I know about it and also hook you up with a delicious and Paleo-friendly cookie recipe in case you want to jump on board the caveman train.

In a nutshell, the Paleo diet is about eating in a manner similar to how our caveman ancestors did before the agricultural revolution. This means eating unprocessed meat, saturated fats (from animals, avocados, coconuts, etc.), non-starchy veggies, nuts/seeds, eggs, and a little low-sugar fruit. It also means eliminating any food that arrived since farming and processing began, about 10,000 years ago -- stuff like grains, legumes, dairy, vegetable oil, etc.

Recipes, NutritionStephanie RomeFebruary 26, 2015desserts, snacks, paleo, gluten free, dairy free, anti-inflammatory, fall/winter, kid-friendly, holidaysComment

Five Favorite Clean Desserts

From time to time (every night?), I like to indulge in a bit of sweetness. Most often, however, I don’t have the time or energy to whip up something fancy. When it comes to making an at-home dessert, I have three main criteria: 1. it doesn't require me to turn on the oven, 2. it doesn't entail too much prep work or clean up, 3. it's made from real foods without refined sugar or any other nasties. I want it to be simple, clean and sweet-tooth-satisfying without being loaded with a bunch of heavy ingredients devoid of nutrients. That’s not too much to ask, is it?

Free from gluten, wheat, dairy, eggs, and refined sugars, these are my five favorite plant-based (and mostly raw) desserts which are all guilt-free ways to treat yourself when the sweetness craving strikes.

I’ve broken them down into categories: Easy, Easier, and Easiest. Easy recipes involve a bit of pre-planning and/or delayed gratification while the easiest recipe is for when you need that sweet hit immediately!

RecipesStephanie RomeSeptember 23, 2013desserts, gluten free, dairy free, kid-friendly Comments

5 Must-Try Smoothies

I've had some really nice feedback on my recent post How to Turbo-Charge your Smoothie (thank you!) so I figured it might be helpful to showcase five of my current faves to get you started with your newly-purchased Awesome Extras.

Here goes...

Skincare You Can "Eat" and a Raw Cookie Recipe

I recently organised a little 'party' to showcase an organic, local, and hand-made skincare range which I love, called Vanessa Megan. I invited about ten girls over to have a play with some of the products and hear first-hand from Vanessa why it is so important to feed your skin with natural ingredients instead of all the harsh chemicals found in most products on the market today. Vanessa Megan's motto is: "You should never put anything on your skin that you wouldn't eat." LOVE THAT! Her products are 100% natural and organic, free from mineral oils, SLS's, parabens, PEG's, artificial preservatives and fragrances. Not to mention, they smell and feel divine! The night was lots of fun and very informative. I think it served as a good catalyst for the girls to go home and read the labels on all those (probably expensive!) products in their bathroom cupboards. Also known as the Bathroom Challenge! I did this challenge a few months ago and was completely astounded by how many toxic chemicals and synthetic ingredients were in my beloved beauty regime. When we spray and lather these chemicals on ourselves every day, they undoubtedly seep through our skin (our largest organ) and directly into our bloodstream. I know many of us take such care with what we put in our mouths but few of us think twice about what we are putting on our skin. It's all going to the same place - into the bloodsteam! The first step to a beauty detox is self-education so I would definitely recommend reading labels and checking for the Big 9, as per the Bathroom Challenge. For those other ones you don't know (and probably can barely pronounce!), this cosmetic database is brilliant for searching a product or ingredient and learning about safety ratings and other health information.

Creamy Avocado and Cacao Smoothie

This is a smoothie I made on the weekend and put up for all my (50! Getting there...slowly but surely!) 'gram followers. I love experimenting with smoothie ingredients, and Saturday and Sunday mornings are really my only time as it can take a couple of blends to get the right combo. My kitchen cupboard is seriously overflowing with superfoods - every time I read about a new one I have to buy it - so it's just a matter of pairing the right ones together so that the end result doesn't turn into some revolting shade of green-y brown. This one is a winner.

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