back to basics | mindfulness + gratitude + food
Earlier this month, we kicked off the “Back to Basics” series. This week, we’re taking on my fourth food rule: practicing mindfulness and gratitude around our food and, perhaps more…
Earlier this month, we kicked off the “Back to Basics” series. This week, we’re taking on my fourth food rule: practicing mindfulness and gratitude around our food and, perhaps more…
Cook from scratch?!? But that’s so much work…. Last week, we kicked off the “Back to Basics” series by talking about whole foods and how as a health coach, I…
It’s almost January 1st, 2023! Have you ever set a goal and thought, “I’ll start [tomorrow/next week/next month/next year]?” Well, here’s a true test of this approach. This coming Sunday…
Cooking from scratch at home is a huge part of most people’s health journey—and it can feel incredibly stressful to even think about. Where to begin? “We all have to…
[W]e’ve lost ground in other [health] areas, and a lot of them are a function of the fact that we don’t have a very healthy lifestyle in our nation. Particularly…
What does “healthcare” mean to you: symptom management or disease prevention? I’ve been listening in on the Lifestyle Medicine Summit 2021 this week—I know, there are just so many online…
My nest is an empty nest. It’s been that way for almost a month now. I’m a confirmed completist and definitely believe in a Chinese expression that was commandeered by…
Yeah, yeah. I know: it’s pumpkin spice season. Pumpkin everything season: seriously, when did Halloween decorations start appearing before the first day of school?!? But I’d like to put in…
“Uggghhh. I know cooking from scratch is better for me, but it’s just so hard!” When I ask people why they don’t get back to the kitchen and cook from…
Ever tried to make up a recipe—only to have it fail completely? (I swear this is where bad 70s hippie food came from: people making stuff up without any background…
For some reason, when my kids were little, they invented a kohlrabi monster, who lived in the (then unfinished) basement of our house. It did have the effect of keeping…
I suspect that there will be a lot of lessons learned from the Covid-19 pandemic, and as a health coach, I’m hoping that one of them will be that we…
As cases of COVID-19 begin to multiply, there’s a lot of panic around putting in supplies for self-isolation and/or being quarantined. (I learned a new German word for this behavior:…
This website’s blog page holds more than 300 posts: that’s a lot of writing about nutrition and health. And most of the posts boil down to a few basic Integrative…
does your kitchen feel overwhelming? Looking to improve your health this year? Feel like you need to shift your eating style? Not sure what and how you “should” be eating?…
I’m on vacation this week, trying to practice what I preach and keep boundaries around my family time, so no musings for you this week! Instead, just a quick reminder…
To everything there is a season…. Some of you might know where in the Bible that line comes from. And I know at least half of you went there: turn,…
Thanks to a long, cool, wet Spring, this year’s peak produce season is about two weeks behind schedule, and the sense that the long-awaited tomato season is probably going to…
As summer winds down, I’ve been thinking a lot about how the recent changes in our family life are playing out in the kitchen. My daughter spent her first summer…
how do you eat an elephant? As we plunge into the second half of 2019 (whattt? how is that possible?), I find myself reflecting on the first two quarters of…
When my husband took his job at University of Michigan, we had just bought a house in Southern California—and I mean that literally: the morning of the day he found…
In scrolling through my calendar recently, I came across a few dates of note: May 2 is the 4th anniversary of when I officially established my practice although it’s been…
Spring is here—which in Michigan means the temperature still dips below 40ºF and yet the upper limits (in the 60s) are starting to show up more often than the dips….
One of the principles of Integrative Nutrition® is the idea of bioindividuality: what is healthy for one person may be toxic to another, whether we’re talking about secondary foods (what…
what’s for dinner, mom? For a working woman, that one innocent question at the end of the day can cause a lot of stress. (Yes, yes, I know men cook,…
‘Fess up: did you binge watch the first season of Tidying Up with Marie Kondo on Netflix? Because yeah, I did. And I read the book in 2015. I saw…
what happened? That’s right: I’m baaack! Thanks to everyone who reached out and said, “What happened? Are you alright? I didn’t see a new blog post last week!” Yeah, I’m…
“I fed my sourdough this morning.” “What? What sourdough? Who’s got sourdough? I want some!” “Liza got it for me.” “Oh! That reminds me, Liza, can I get some more…
If you’re a working mom … ha, what is the opposite of an oxymoron? I mean, if an oxymoron is a figure of speech that combines two seemingly opposite ideas (living…
Airbnb has been around since 2008, and as usual, I’m a late adopter—this summer’s trip to Scotland was my first time taking advantage of it. From Edinburgh to Inverness to…
When I was growing up, it seemed as though my vacations never lined up with those of my parents, who taught at a small liberal arts college. There may have…
Join me Tuesday, January 16 at 5:30pm at Argus Farm Stop on Packard for a hands-on introduction to meal planning. Argus is a next-generation farmers’ market whose mission is to…
As I mentioned last week, explaining what I do as a health coach can be difficult: while the profession is certainly growing, it’s still an alien concept for many. I…
Have you downloaded the Fl!p Your K!tchen Thanksgiving 2017 recipe packet yet? If you have and you have questions about the recipes or the strategy that will help you cook…
This is the final post in the SOLE food series, in which we stepped away a bit from primary foods nutrition and focused again on secondary foods, the ones we…
This month, we’re stepping away a bit from primary foods nutrition and focusing again on secondary foods, the ones we put in our mouths. As you find your way on…
This month, we’re stepping away a bit from primary foods nutrition and focusing again on secondary foods, the ones we put in our mouths. As you find your way on…
Fair Food Network, the awesome non-profit where I work part-time as a contractor, has been growing in leaps and bounds since I started there eight years ago. When I reduced…
I’ve always felt that September is, in an odd way, the start of a new year, and so it was nice to hear this confirmed by Lisa Woodruff of Organize…
As I like to say, there are no mistakes or coincidences in the Universe, only miracles. A very special guest post arrived just as we are scrambling to pack our…
A few weeks ago, I was tickled by a comic strip in The Guardian about “mental load.” Yes, it’s sexist, and it generalizes (a lot), and yet, based on the engagement a…
It’s a gray early Sunday morning in Ann Arbor—even I sleep in most Sundays (sometimes even as late as 7am 🙂 ), but today is my first 5K—nope, just walking—and…
Back in the 90s when I was working for a caterer in Boulder, CO, one of my coworkers also hailed from Vermont. The two of us would often talk about “back home.” Jordan,…
This week finds me back in Los Angeles, where we lived for four years before moving to Michigan. It’s odd to be back. I can’t say I’ve missed driving here, and…
Thanks to Crazy Wisdom Journal for covering the release of Fl!p Your K!tchen and to the Crazy Wisdom tea shop and store in downtown Ann Arbor for carrying the cookbook! You can pick up…
Where do you stand on making New Year’s resolutions? Do you set them each year and achieve at least part of them? Do you set them and never think about…
As I get older, I feel the pull of the seasons more and more strongly, and the words of Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 feel more true each year: “To every thing there is…
One of the fundamental principles of Integrative Nutrition® health coaching is that we are not only nourished (or toxified) by the food we put in our mouths—our secondary foods; we are…
You can now order Fl!p Your K!tchen! More details about the book can be found on the blog. And check out this beautiful video created by Christian O’Grady and Victoria Zegler of…
This is the eleventh of a 12-part series titled “Baby Steps.” On the first of each month, I post 1 tiny step toward better health that you can take every day…
do you need a new cooking/eating + life style? Have you decided (or have you been told) that you need to change your cooking + eating style – eat more…
Part of my Fl!p Your K!tchen™ system encourages you to minimize the amount of food wasted in your household. There are plenty of ways to “flip” your ingredients, but if they’ve…
Seventeen years ago, I spent Labor Day in labor: Happy 17th Birthday to my firstborn! This year, I’m spending Labor Day weekend on the final revision of Fl!p Your K!tchen. If my…
Ever since we lived near (actually, right next door to!) the farmers’ market in Torrance, I’ve loved supporting local small farmers. Moving to Ann Arbor gave me the chance to…
Join me for the launch party of my Fl!p Your K!tchen book – I can’t wait to share it with you! Signed copies will be available for purchase. If you preordered, you…
This is the seventh of a 12-part series titled “Baby Steps.” On the first of each month, I post 1 tiny step toward better health that you can take every day…
do you need to develop a new cooking + eating style? Have you decided (or have you been told) that you need to change your cooking + eating style – eat…
Yesterday, I had the extreme pleasure of sharing an hour on the phone with Andrea Catherine Bachman of Grounded Here, LLC. We had a great conversation about who we are,…
FL!P YOUR K!TCHEN How to cook 21 meals a week from scratch (without spending your life in the kitchen) Cookbook, cooking class, and time management tool all in one, Fl!p…
A big shout-out to all the dads and all those who act as our dads: thanks for all you do! So why is it that for Mother’s Day, we expect…
Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms and all those who act like moms! I hope you are completely spoiled today – my day started with a blissful hour of…
This is the fifth of a 12-part series titled “Baby Steps.” On the first of each month, I’ll post 1 tiny step toward better health that you can take every day…
What’s New + Good? Lots! In fact, so much that I couldn’t wait to share some of my good news about the progress of the cookbook and express my gratitude…
Mother’s Day is May 8 – and Mom doesn’t want more stuff she has to dust! Show your love by getting her a hands-on cooking class or sign her up for…
Well, nobody could accuse me of being a pro triathlete…but I sure can prep meals like one! Check out my appearance in “How to Prep Your Meals Like a Pro Triathlete”…
If you’ve ever been curious about what it’s like to work with a health coach, here’s an awesome peek into a (star) client’s side of the health coaching equation! I wasn’t…
Do you need to develop a new cooking and eating style? • Have you decided (or have you been told) that you need to change your cooking + eating style…
When I was studying at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition, I often envied my single, childless classmates: as we were introduced to a large number of dietary theories – from…
Drum Roll, please! The Fl!p Your K!tchen cookbook is now available for preorder – at a special price! Part cookbook, part cooking class, part time management coach, Fl!p Your K!tchen will teach you…
Registration is now open for the 8th Anuual Homegrown Local Food Summit, which will be taking place Monday, February 15 at Washtenaw Community College. This year’s theme is “Local Food…
Lots going on with the cookbook these days – first and foremost, the pre-order page will soon be available! In the meantime, deepest appreciation to my village: creativity coach Chad…
The new Crazy Wisdom Community Journal is out…and I’m in it! Check out “Intentional Leftovers” on p. 66 of the January – April 2016 issue. Thanks again to Christian and Victoria at FYT Productions…
I’ll be offering more hands-on cooking classes and a reprise of the Fl!p Your K!tchen menu planning workshop in January – you can see the full list on the Events page. The…
Fl!p Your K!tchen, the cookbook, will be published in time for the Holidays in 2016, and there are a number of ways you can come along with me on the publishing journey!…
Woohooo – my Fl!p Your K!tchen cookbook will be published in time for the Holidays 2016! Why am I telling you this a year in advance? Because there’s something you can…
As I mentioned in a previous post, 2016 is going to be an exciting year for me: I’m dropping down to part-time at my day job to focus on growing…
PLEASE NOTE THAT REGISTRATION FOR THIS EVENT IS NOW CLOSED. JOIN US IN APRIL FOR OUR SPRING MINI-RETREAT. Full price – $200 per person 3/4 price – $150 per person…
Join me at Knight’s Family Kitchen for our fall cooking classes – we meet the first and third Wednesday of every month! Classes run from 6:00-8:00pm – arrive at 5:45…
I’m thrilled to announce a new collaboration with Knight’s Family Kitchen! Happy for the opportunity to reach a broader audience with my services in partnership with Angela Knight, who is…
This fall, we’ll be revisiting some basics and welcoming a new guest chef, Andrea Ridgard of Grounded Here Ayurveda + Yoga! Details and registration available at Simply: Home Cooking. Want…
What does Autumn mean to you? How do you prepare for the season with its ever-shorter days and the hibernation instinct lurking around the bend? This year, I’m collaborating…
My husband travels to China on a regular basis – not only does he teach and write about Chinese literature, art history, and visual culture, he still has family in…
I’m thrilled to be offering a new workshop in collaboration with Hands of Light Energy Healer Lucinda Kurtz from 11am-6pm on Sunday, May 3 – it promises to be a energizing…
…one of the biggest barriers we’re facing, in terms of people eating healthier food, is that most Americans don’t know how to cook that well. It is absolutely possible to…