Eat, Recycle, Repeat

Who doesn’t love a good shake? Be it a frozen treat, pickup line, dance move, or a really good throttle of your shampoo bottle to get the last bit of lather – I love shakes. Give me a chocolate milkshake and we’ll be friends for life. This recipe has been kid-tested, friend-approved. And my friends [...]

I’m wrapping up two weeks of hosting my mother and youngest brother on their first ever overseas trip. Like me, Japan was the first foreign country they have ever traveled too. I’ve been chef, tour guide, laundry maid, pseudo-translator, allergy-friendly checker, plan-maker, and general battleaxe, as Fred Mertz would say. We’ve been touring for a [...]

There is nothing so gratifying and uplifting as being shown that you are loved. For both of my grandmothers, providing a meal was their way of showing how much they cared about us. This tradition of showing love through cooking has passed down to me. When I cook for you, I want to feed you, [...]

If you can get enoki mushrooms in your area, these make a great side dish. While my sister was visiting, we had them as a bed for lamb chops in coconut sauce, a stuffing for nori rolls, a topping for soup, and on their own. Mary came up with the name – Angel Hair Mushrooms. Delicate, crunchy, [...]

Have you signed up for the whole foods yaki imo giveaway yet? Win a customized box of whole foods goodness from Japan! Check it out here. At the end of the day, simple food tastes best. These baked apples convey the essence of fall, the warmth of a family hearth, and they take about 3 [...]

Let’s talk about Lazy Sunday Mornings. They are essential. Weekends should be relaxing, restorative, and reinvigorating. On Saturday mornings I like to get things done: workouts, school club activities, farmers markets, errands, cleaning, and the like. But Sunday mornings are all about enjoying the moment. Sunday mornings are for hanging out in your super soft [...]

I hope you have a fun Halloween full of laughs and thrills. We had a great Halloween party with our International Club at school, where I debuted my homemade costume as a Spelling Bee. Tonight I’ll enjoy a special treat: This is my sweet potato soft cream in a roasted kabocha shell, drizzled with coconut [...]

Fridays are sometimes tough teaching days for me. Even on the good days, they require almost double the energy for the rest of the week. So today I woke up and decided to write #100 awesome things about today, turning it into a good day just by virtue of my focus on good things in [...]

Friends, I am in need of a mea culpa. I’m going to do my best and go for brevity. I sent people junk food. Packaged, junk food. It may be from Japan, and it may be super cute, but this was the final wake up call. I like to send care packages, and Japan is [...]

Just…make these. Fudgy Sweet Potato Truffles 1/2 c mashed sweet potatoes* 1/2  of a medium avocado (about 1/3 c if diced) 2 T cocoa powder 1 T coconut oil, melted & cooled slightly stevia, to taste, optional – 10 drops for bittersweet 15-20 for a little sweeter Combine all ingredients in a small food processor [...]