Whole Foods Cooking

When the weather warms up we start making lots of salads of all kinds. They are easy to prepare, and can do double duty as a full meal or a single course. Spring brings a special assortment of lovely ingredients like asparagus and sugar snaps that lend themselves to being incorporated into salads. Whole Foods Spring Salads will give you some ideas -ranging from plants to seafood to grains-for making a simple salad into a pleasurable meal.

On May 14th and 15th, HBO is hosting The Weight of the Nation, a dramatic and compelling documentary series on the obesity epidemic in America. HBO created an unparalleled partnership with the National Institutes of Health, the CDC, the Institute of Medicine, Kaiser and the Michael and Susan Dell Foundation to bring this health campaign into being. The program is in four segments; Part 1: Consequences, looks at the obesity epidemic while examining health consequences; Part 2: Choices, looks at medicine's role; Part 3: Children in Crisis, takes a long look at the food systems and marketing geared toward children, and the disastrous state of our nation's school lunch program; Part 4: Challenges, looks at how the epidemic came about, and the ways that families and communities can take a proactive role in fighting back. In addition, the Great Cafeteria Takeover kicks off a special family segment called the Weight of the Nation for Kids and airs May 16th. For my review of the program, read on.

Did you ever make breakfast for your mom on Mother's Day? Most of us have stories and memories of doing just that, and as a mom I can remember my daughter taking the project very seriously and doing an amazing job of it at 8 years old. Mother's Day Brunch will give you some ideas -many of which are kid friendly-for a healthy and yummy, pampering and delicious meal for the woman who brought us here. Love you Mom!

I often recommend that my clients carry some sort of nutrient dense energy bar or snack with them so if they are stuck in a meeting, traveling or have to work late they can avoid making bad food choices. How often have you found yourself ravenously hungry and reaching for anything edible in sight? Processed food snacks can undo great habits, and they are available everywhere. If you are inclined, you can make your own delicious, nutrient rich food bars at home in about 10 minutes. My recipe for Raw Energy Bars offers 4 variations on the original theme and is chock full of superfoods like lucuma, maca and chia seeds. Raw Lemon Coconut Bars are lighter on the superfoods and more coconutty. Both are great for kids, great for grown-ups, and super easy to prepare.

I've been craving lots of soup lately. I suspect it's as much emotional as it is due to the rapidly shifting weather patterns we are experiencing in SoCal these days, with fog and rain being frequent visitors. We are in an escalated time, with lots of movement and not-always-comfortable challenges walking hand in hand with a sense of wonder at what an extraordinary time it is to be alive.  Soup is a grounding, soothing and comforting food that can carry us when our nervous systems are highly stimulated. As long as it's not laden with salt or excessive dairy, soup can help keep our central circuits open and humming. That's important for anyone who is in a helping, healing, service or teaching profession. We give a lot of energy out, so we need to take in as well. Soup can give us deep nourishment without weighing us down, and one of my spring favorites is Gluten-Free Vegetable Soup with Cellophane Noodles and Tofu. A meal-in-a-dish, this soup leaves me satiated and happy. For more ideas see Soups for Spring.

I have a sweet tooth that wants to be taken care of on occasion, so finding ways to satisfy it that are healthy -or at the very least not UN-healthy-has been an ongoing journey. These days I'm flirting with organic coconut butter and its applications are remarkable. My Dreamy Creamy Raw Coconut Cream "Candy" Recipe is the product of a rainy day session in the kitchen, and has a half-dozen variations ranging from Chai Spice to Lemon to Vanilla Nut to Chocolate. This simple recipe is great fun for kids, too. The only challenge is to not eat too much at one time: like fudge, this treat is very rich.

Who doesn't love a homemade muffin? My favorites are bursting with fruit and only slightly sweet, and I love making them on a slow Sunday for my family. Rhubarb Almond Muffins with Crumble Topping are scented with a bit of lemon zest and almond extract, and topped with a crunchy spiced crumble. The recipe can also be baked as a breakfast cake. Enjoy!

I've been playing in the kitchen with one of my favorite foods: coconut butter. Not to be confused with coconut oil, this rich and delicious blend of whole coconut is called coconut cream, coconut manna and coconut butter by turns. It is delicious spread on toast and in baking, and recently became part of the base for Raw Coconut Macaroons and Raw Chocolate Coconut Macaroons. Both of these recipes offer fun variations, including Chai Spice and Chocolate Mint

With warm weather coming in, who doesn't love a tall glass of lemonade on occasion? And for my friends who love a cocktail, we've got some great ideas for mixing original drinks from this delicious and naturally sweetened base. Agave Lemonade Recipes and Variations will keep you -and the kids- experimenting for days to come.

Yukon Gold potatoes make excellent latkes. They have a lovely yellow color and buttery flavor that other potatoes simply don't possess, and consequently make an excellent latke or potato pancake. Garnet sweet potatoes and Japanese yams also make wonderful  (although very different) versions of the same recipe.  These crisp and savory treats make great party food, brunch side dishes, appetizers and accompaniments for entrees.  Both Yukon Gold Potato Latke and Sweet Potato Latkes are well worth the effort of making them. And there is nothing like homemade Natural Applesauce to accompany them.

Photo Courtesy of Getty Images