Often with the new year comes a change in your eating habits. Whether it is part of your resolution for the next year or you are just trying to cleanse your body of all the sugar you enjoyed over the holidays, a healthier menu finds its way into most homes. The best way to make this healthier eating habit stick is by finding recipes that are healthy, delicious and easy. You need foods around the house that are easy to make and store so when your tummy grumbles you can make th

There are so many things to love about this recipe. It is hard to know where I should even start. The flavors are bold while still staying very simple, the texture is both crispy and creamy, and the acid from the vingrette cuts through the richness for another layer of flavor. The simplicity of the recipe is another huge advantage. It is perfect for a weeknight. The flank steak takes about 15 minutes to cook and while that is happening you can throw together the vinegrette in

I have to admit that I am not a big fan of watermelon myself, but it is a summer staple so I have been playing around with it a bit this summer. The more recipes I create, the more that I am enjoying it. So now I'm actually eating watermelon sometimes. I never thought that would happen. I've always loved the synthetic watermelon flavor in gum or candy, but not the fruit itself for some reason. One of the things that I like about watermelon is that it has a subtle flavor so it

I know you can eat chicken salad all year, but I always crave it in the summer. The Waldorf chicken salad is a pretty classic style of this dish. I like to put it on an open faced bagel with a good piece of cheese on top and toast it for a chicken salad melt. It is also delicious on some greens as a salad. If the nuts and fruit aren't your style when it comes to chicken salad give something else try. Avocado and goat cheese with the chicken would be delicious. You could even

Ever since I lived in Italy for the summer I have been in love with bruschetta. Now maybe it had to do with the fact that tomatoes in Italy taste truly amazing even when eaten plain, but there is something about this blend of flavors that I truly enjoy. It isn't just me. Every time I make this bruschetta people ask for the recipes and it’s so simple. There are very few ingredients in it, but each one packs so much flavor. This is obviously best when tomatoes are in season

We are trying to eat more meatless meals in our home this summer. Mostly to ensure we are getting enough vegetables, but also because there are so many delicious things to make that don't have meat in them. I know not everyone loves tofu, so you could skip that part of this recipe. You can either just do the vegetables or add shrimp or chicken to the dish instead. By changing the protein, the cooking time of the dish will change as well, so just keep that in mind. This recipe

This is a flavor packed sweet potato recipe that I make every summer. I often make it for the 4th of July and it gets gobbled up. Not only is it easy and filled with flavor, it can also be enjoyed both cold or warmed, so really this is a great year round dish. It is based on a Bobby Flay recipe that I found years and years ago. If you don't like vinegar, cut back, because this is a vinegar forward dish. Feel free to sub in red wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar as well if yo

With a 20 month old and a growing business I love easy dinner ideas as much as the next person. I recently put this one together for a client. Nothing groundbreaking here, but delicious and great for any time of the year. You could do these in the oven or on the grill since they are wrapped in foil. Feel free to play with the ingredients too. These would be great with some fresh rosemary and balsamic vinegar topped with a little goat cheese. Yum, I have to try that now. My mo

This was a recipe that I created many years back. Well before becoming a personal chef. Since then, my family takes it upon themselves to throw this together for every family occasion throughout the summer. It is a recipe that fits many dietary restrictions, which makes it perfect for a summer or football potluck. Many people do not like coleslaw or at least the flavor of the sauce. I am one of those people that is very particular about my coleslaw. Since I love cabbage and

Chuck roast is a great cut of beef for feeding a larger group on a smaller budget. You can generally get a 3-4 lb roast for around $15 and it would feed 4-6 people. This is a good cold weather cut of beef. The braising makes the meat fall apart and the fat throughout adds a bunch of flavor to this dish. Chuck roast can be cooked in so many different ways. Another favorite of mine is the Mississippi Pot Roast. Look it up if you haven't tried it before. This is just one yummy

My recipe research for my clients recently led me to this Creamy Tuscan Salmon dish. So far it has gotten rave reviews. I even enjoy it and I'm not a big fan of salmon. You could also make this dish with shrimp or chicken and it would be delightful! One of the great things about this dish, besides the amazing flavor, is how simple it is and everything take place in one pan. It is creamy and a bit decadent but it also has it's healthy side. There is the salmon and spinach and

I love a good stuffed flank steak. The stuffing possibilities are endless and it is a great alternative to flank steak with a sauce over top (which is generally the other way I enjoy flank steak.) If you want a flavor packed stuffed flank steak recipe check out my Marinated Stuffed Flank Steak , where I stuffed the steak spinach, red peppers and provolone. Using the flank steak to create pinwheels is even easier and quicker than stuffing it. I loved all the fresh basil that f

There are so many wonderful things about summer foods. First, we get to enjoy so many fresh ingredients with all of the fruits and veggies that go straight from the farm to our homes. Or better yet, straight from the garden. Farmers markets are filled with delicious food that you just can't get the rest of the year. Those strong, fresh flavors mean that cooking can be simple. Just let the ingredients do the talking. Second, food helps to define a lot of the fun activities we

The first time I created this recipe I used shaved asparagus in it. While shaving the asparagus can be time consuming, you don't need to even blanch it because the shavings are so tender. You just shave it, mix together the rest of the ingredients and you are done. I recently had a client ask if I could use a different vegetable in the salad instead so I tried the broccoli rabe. I have to admit, I generally don't like broccoli rabe. It is too bitter for me. But I loved it in

This recipe came about when I had a client request a grilled peach salad and with summer peaches around the corner, I thought this was a great time to share it. My client had previously had a grilled peach salad that she loved, but could not tell me what was in it. So I started searching through the internet to see what other people were throwing in their grilled peach salads. I came up with this delightful combo and topped it off with my Bacon Balsamic Vinaigrette. I must ha

I love roasting vegetables both at home and for my clients throughout the year, although I do it a little less in the summer. During the warm months I prefer the grill if I can get it. Roasting helps to bring out all the delicious flavors in the vegetables while with ruining the texture and making them mushy. Roasted vegetables also keep well, which is important when I am cooking for clients. I suggest you roast up a big batch of this cauliflower when you have time and then y

This is a blog post that is near and dear to my heart at the moment. My husband and I are currently preparing for our first child to arrive sometime in the next couple weeks. (Which also explains why it has been so long since my last blog post.) As part of that preparation I am filling the freezer with meals that we will be able to easily enjoy with every little effort, once our little one arrives. My goal is to have 24 nights worth of dinners cooked. I figure with a night

St Patrick's day has always been one of my favorite holidays. Not just because corned beef is one of my favorite foods, it is also because of the way my family would celebrate it every year. My grandmother was always decked out head to toe in green. I don't just mean the way people normally do, she would have on a bright green wig, green stockings, green shoes with curly toes and a green top. Every year she would change it up a little and maybe add some green eyelashes, but n

I love making Christmas cookies. I don't mean the sugar cookies that you cut out with cookies cutters and then decorate. I have made them a handful of years and my decorating is horrible. I have been told so on a number of occasions. For this and other reasons, I prefer picking out 3-5 different cookies to make every Christmas that don't involve decorating. The last couple of years I have been repeating a recipe for Brown Butter Spritz cookies because they are so popular. I