Another day, another dolla. You guys asked for more, so here it is. What I Ate!

I've been making this recipe for years. I've shared it with countless people: I make it at workshops, some variation of it is always included in my nutrition programs, kids have tried it and loved it. You should make it.

One of my more popular posts was when I revealed the foods in my kitchen. There's just something about seeing what other people eat. I, for one, have always loved to rummage through the fridges and cupboards of other people. Does this make me sound like a feral animal or a psychopath? Eh. I do it not with judgment, but with curiosity. I just love seeing what people eat! (And definitely for information gathering when working with clients. Did you know this is something I do?)

One thing I try to get across to people is that nutrients within a food are important—but how your body assimilates those nutrients is arguably more important. Because if your body isn't able to extract the nutrition from a food, then it's really not "nutritious,” is it?

So I don't know enough (anything) about exotic cuisine to determine whether or not the title of this recipe is accurate, but let's go with it. This salad is a tasty trifecta of sweet and savory and spicy.

I made it on a whim when we were grilling burgers and I realized that we had nothing to go with them because my 2 year old had eaten all the sweet potato fries I baked up. #parenthood.

What should I eat before and after I exercise? Do I need specific snacks? I get this one a lot. More so lately, for some reason.

My answer to this question is basically my answer to everything: you have to experiment and see. Just as there's no one diet that is appropriate for everyone (shock of all shocks), not every person will do well with the same fuel surrounding exercise. It depends on the type of exercise you do, the intensity, the duration, your goals, your lifestyle, your health status, etc.

Last week in my newsletter I mentioned I'd be writing some blog posts in response to my frequently asked questions and issues I see in my practice.

Headaches are a common complaint amongst my clients and program participants, so soon I'll be sharing with you my favorite tried and true natural remedies for headache relief. But today, we dig in a little deeper.

MARCH. It's here! The beginning of this month got me thinking about my birthday, which got me thinking about Saint Patrick's Day (because that's my birthday), which got me thinking about this frosty mint goodness.

We are closing out the second week of my current group of Eat to Achieve, and my peeps are diving in DEEP. They are doing the hard and messy work. They are putting themselves out there on our private Facebook group. They are sharing successes and asking for support. They are seeking out progress, not perfection. They are GETTING IT.

Seeing as I’m a functional nutritionist, I’m sure it comes as no surprise that I often get asked about diets. Under the “diet umbrella” comes inquiries about calorie counting, food portioning and food tracking.

Based on what I’ve seen with group nutrition participants, individual clients, and my own food transformation, I’ve formed a pretty strong opinion of the above topics. Today I will share them with you.

Between Facebook feeds and trendy lattes, turmeric is sure you be on your radar. It's totally the spice of the moment, and you've no doubt heard about its magical healing powers (immune booster, digestive aid and pain reducer). All hail the mighty T, amiright?!

Christmas week was the greatest. We had so much fun, spent time with so many of our favorite people. Last year I was in a sleepless fog and barely registered what was going on. This year we have a toddler who decorates trees, sings Christmas songs and loves Santa. I am totally the sappy, cheesy, sentimental parent right now. But this year was just so, so awesome.

A few years back I swore off deodorant. It was a vice I clung to for far too long because, well, I didn't want to be stinky. I'm crunchy enough as it is.

But once you've learned something, you really can't unlearn it (try as you might). I had known for awhile how bad antiperspirants and deodorants can be, so eventually I had to give them up.

"What can I bring?" — Erin. "A salad." — Everybody, all the time.

It's most likely due to the fact that I was a vegetarian for 20 years. Or the fact that I'm pretty particular about what I eat. Or that I've got food sensitivities and no one knows what to feed me. Or maybe people really just need someone to bring a salad.

This concoction is so simple that it barely warrants a recipe, however it's such a tasty treat that I couldn't not share. I've been whipping this up every day for the past couple of weeks for the fam. Hattie is a spice junkie, so she just loves it. She really thinks she's a superstar drinking out of her own straw.

This is a pretty basic recipe—energy balls turned protein bars (with the help of some collagen powder), playing up the flavors of the season. I used canned organic pumpkin to make these, but you can absolutely use fresh pumpkin (roasted and pureed), or even sweet potato or butternut squash.

We're ready for a reboot at Homestead Holt (this seems to be a typical for me this time of year, as evidenced by this 2 year old blog post). While summer doesn't officially end until September 22 (our anniversary!), the week after Labor Day marks the start of fall for many of us. Fun is over, time to get back on track (read: stop housing rosé on the reg).

This time last year I ate pesto. Lots and lots and lots of pesto. I remember it well because it was Labor Day week. We were on vacation, but it wasn't really vacation because we had a 3 month old that never, ever, ever, ever slept.

When I lived in Santa Barbara, California, there was a cafe on the mesa where I set up shop just about every day. I did school work, I nursed hangovers, I met people. This cafe sold a special type of iced coffee that was like no iced coffee I'd ever had. They called it "Brazilian Iced Coffee" and claimed it was brewed cold. It was delicious - smooth and a little sweet. The sad thing was, back in 2005, nobody else sold this special potion, so when I headed back east it was time to part ways. Like my penchant for Gucci sunglasses, I left Brazilian iced coffee back in SB.

Are you starting your day with a bowlful of inflammation?

Your immune system recognizes foreign invaders (pathogens, bacteria) and fights them off in a process called inflammation. Immune cells produce cytokines and oxidants, which wipe out invading organisms and damaged tissue. This process is good and necessary for our recovery and health. However, problems arise when your body is constantly fighting off offending situations (chronic stress, poor diet, unregulated blood sugar, gut issues)—leading to widespread inflammation.