1. the uglier the better. Not sure where I first heard this, but it’s true.
2. the softer/mushier it is, the faster you need to use it. But too soft and mushy and it could be bad inside. The harder ones that have no give will need to spend some quality time on your countertop before they can be cut and used.
3. check under the stem (the little brown nub at the top) and if it’s green, it should be green and ripe inside. If it’s brown, no go.
4. to prolong the life of an avocado/slow the ripening process, put it in the fridge once it feels soft enough to use. I’ve eaten ones that have spent a few days in the fridge.

Once you’ve found some good ones, make yourself some guacamole, avocado toast, or whip it up with some fruit into a smoothie bowl.

Still the easiest, best grain-free chocolate chip cookie recipe in the game. Now vegan, too!

Cookies for dinner, anyone?

Seamus Mullen posted a tip for making this 7-minute egg perfection on instagram a few days ago, and after listening to him on the Rich Roll podcast yesterday I was inspired to make ’em. I put ’em on top of a kale salad with shallots and leeks that had been cooked in ghee and hot sauce.

Perfection, indeed.

But let’s back up to the podcast for a second. If you or anyone you know/love is dealing with a medical condition, struggling in a bad cycle of pain > medication > helplessness, etc… have a listen. Seamus and Rich both know a lot about health and wellness and overcoming disease, and it’s not only inspiring to hear their stories, but you’ll probably learn a thing or two as well. I know I did.

http://www.richroll.com/podcast/seamus-mullen/

Now, to make the eggs!

Boil a pot of water, drop your eggs in, set a timer for 7 minutes, then plunge into a bowl of ice.

Done. Perfect gooey yolks.

So I like to spoil him on Saturdays, as best I can, with a solid, homemade breakfast. Sometimes I make eggs and bacon, sometimes I make smoothies — I try to vary it up a bit — but this past weekend I made us acai bowls.

I’ve made acai at home before using these delicious frozen packets, but this time I added goat milk yogurt, almond butter, and strawberries to the base… and topped it with raw almonds, chia seeds, and hemp seeds. Chia seeds are great for extra fiber and omega-3 and hemp seeds are a complete protein. They have a natural blend of omega-3 and -6, as well as other antioxidants, amino acids, fiber, iron, zinc and magnesium — pretty good for something that doesn’t have much of a taste. (Read: throw them in and on everything!)

Brian had no idea all the goodness he was eating, and he actually licked his bowl clean — well before I did, too — which made me so happy.

Healthy homemade breakfast with my husband and the travel section of The New York Times? Dreamy.

I love the crunch and substance that nuts add to any salad, but bonus here: sunflower seeds are a great source of vitamin E (to help with inflammation and prevent cardiovascular disease) and magnesium (which calms your nerves and muscles).

Other times I like to challenge myself — make something I’ve never made before — pick a recipe with lots of ingredients ’cause the playing and measuring and perfecting of the flavors is soothing. I find cooking to be truly therapeutic.

Making these lamb chops with greens and salsa verde was one of those times. It was the first time I ever made lamb at home and it definitely won’t be the last. I don’t know why we always gravitate towards chicken, steak, and bacon, because lamb is delicious, too. I guess because it’s easy. It’s familiar. It’s going the breakfast-for-dinner route.

It’s fitting, then, that this recipe is from Seamus Mullen, from April’s Bon Appetit, because he is someone who has never taken the easy route. Those close to me know that Seamus, the award-winning chef, restaurateur, and cookbook author, is the reason why I went to see Dr. Lipman, who helped him get off all of his medicine and cure himself of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). He’s the reason I believe that health begins in your gut and why I no longer eat grains or sugar, and instead focus on healthy fats. He’s also one of the reasons why I am sososoclose to getting off my arthritis medicines.

Last year at this time, when I first met Seamus, and later, first went to see Dr. L, I was taking 14mg of prednisone (steroids) a day; now I am taking 4.

Four is so close to zero. But I still have a ways to go. Good health (and more specifically for me right now, getting off my medicines) is a marathon, not a sprint.

Seamus recently spoke at Mind Body Green’s Revitalize 2015, and in his talk, he mentions hearing about Ari Meisel, who cured himself of Crohn’s disease through a combination of diet and exercise. He said he saw Ari’s story and said to himself that if he can do it, I can do it. That sentiment resonated with me because the same thing happened when I first read Seamus’ story; I said to myself that if he can do it, I can do it. And I am so close.

If you watch the video (he starts speaking at minute mark :23) — and I hope that you do — you’ll hear him talk about making a plan with Dr. L for how they were going to get him better. He says that for the first time, “I went from being a patient to an active participant in my well-being.”

I love that — an active participant. So many of us (wrongly, in my opinion) believe we can go to the doctor, get some medicine, sit back, and let it work its magic. Poof, you’re better. But it doesn’t happen that way — at least not in my or most peoples’ cases.

So, Seamus, this one’s for you. Thanks for the inspiration (and the delicious lamb).

After countless acai bowls, both at home and overseas, I finally mixed it up and the outcome could not have been better.

Use whatever fruits and vegetables you have in the fridge — it’s a great way to use up odds and ends actually — just make sure you have something like an avocado and/or almond butter, so the base is thick and creamy. If you cringe at the idea of slurping an avocado, not to worry, it barely messes with the flavor while still adding a beautiful texture.

I snuck in lots of powders and supplements, too, just like I would in a smoothie I would drink out of a cup. Bee mana and The Beauty Chef’s Glow powder are two of my most recent favorites.

Then, top it off with whatever fun goodies you like. I used hemp seeds, yogurt chips and cacao nibs for this one. Next time, I’m going to add chia and flax seeds, and maybe some chopped up almonds and walnuts, too.

I made them just moments before we went to our friends Noah and Marissa’s place for dinner Friday night, and everyone loved them. I bet his 8-month-old daughter Eden would have loved ’em too, should she have tried. Maybe in a few years.

All you need is about 15 minutes, some strawberries, dark chocolate and butter. If you wanna be wild (like me), sprinkle some jimmies on top, too… cause the only thing better than dark chocolate-covered strawberries are dark chocolate-covered strawberries with jimmies on top.

They’re even better than I remembered… and so easy to make.

Basically take every nut and seed you have (I used almonds, walnuts, cashews, sunflower seeds, flax seeds, chia seeds, dates and coconut) and grind ’em up (I used my Vitamix, but you can use any food processor). Then mix that with a melty pot of coconut oil, almond butter, honey and vanilla… then freeze.

Luxury awaits.

And you’ll hopefully never eat a pre-packaged bar again

The official recipe is on Against All Grain’s blog… but you should tweak and play using your favorite nuts and seeds and make it your own. I smushed lotsa Enjoy Life grain-free, dairy-free chocolate chips in mine cause I wanna… enjoy life.

Next stop: Bangkok. Everyone recommended (and raved about) Nahm — it’s one of the world’s 50 best restaurants! — but I thought the food was way too spicy. And I like spicy food. But this was so spicy I couldn’t eat as much as I wanted to. These rice cakes covered with blue swimmer crab with peanuts and pickled garlic were delicious, and reminded me of the spicy tuna rice cakes we get at Catch (and elsewhere) back home, but I could barely get them down. My mouth was on fiya. HOT, HOT, HOT. (And for those wondering, you apparently can’t ask them to turn down the heat. It is what it is, as they say.)

It wasn’t just the food that was hot, either. We walked around Chinatown in Bangkok one night — eating so much fantastic, and fantastically cheap street food — when it was about 90 degrees and sweltering outside. We stopped in one place for spare ribs and Brian ordered a Thai iced coffee — in that mug I’m using to cool down — and it was one of the most deliciously sweet cups of coffee I’ve ever had. I am far from a coffee connoisseur, but I drank a lot of it on our trip (thank you, jet lag!) and this was by far the best. I wish I remembered the name of the place so I could pass it on… but perhaps  you can find it/figure it out based on that money exchange sign hanging above our heads?

Then we went to Koh Samui, a small island off the coast of Thailand, where we had the best breakfast buffet either of us had ever seen. The whole W Retreat was a dream, and the breakfast buffet was the bright red cherry on top. Just look at this fresh, raw honeycomb! They had a massive cell that they’d cut a piece from, that you could eat however you like. I put half in my yogurt and the other half I ate straight cause it was that good. If I wasn’t scared of bees, or lived in an apartment building, I would get my own.

Elsewhere in Thailand, we had coconuts and fruit smoothies on the beach after we rode elephants. I drink a lot of coconut water here in New York, but they taste so much better on an island. No exotic, tropical vacation is complete without coconuts.

And the fruit! My goodness, the fruit. Truly nature’s candy. This dragonfruit/yellow watermelon platter was part of breakfast at the Chedi Club in Bali. Funny that they serve it with lime segments, as if it needs any added sweetness. I also had dragonfruit sorbet when we were walking around Ubud, and that was tremendous. All the fruit there just tastes… better.

This was our last lunch of the trip… at Nihiwatu, on the beautiful Indonesian island of Sumba. I had whatever the special salad of the day was (bottom right) and Brian had the chicken caesar salad… and again, the fresh watermelon with lime on the side. I would say it keeps you from needing or wanting any sweets for dessert, but I’m pretty sure we had ice cream anyway.

When on your honeymoon!

>> Which was the best advice we got. Do it all. See it all. Don’t think twice about any of it. <<

The trip was a dream and this is just a tiny glimpse of it. Any questions or need/want any recommendations… just ask! We were in Rome, Bangkok, Koh Samui, Singapore, two places in Bali, Sumba, then Frankfurt, Germany on the way home.