Figsinmybelly

So…I got married in October 2017 (!). It was a blast, and one of the highlights from the wedding was making all of the desserts. I wanted to document what I did so that I can look back and remember my method. And maybe this will inspire/help some of you out there who are interested in baking for a big party.

It was actually quite doable and fun. Using the FREEZER and prepping over a week before the big event was a huge help. Also helpful was having an excel doc or google sheets doc to organize the planning and do some math conversions.

I tried to keep the desserts simple – no fondant or excessive frosting or design. I also tried to keep with traditions and did a tiered cake for a fancy look, and I had the same cake in sheet pan form to make it easier to serve the masses. My favorite types of desserts are classic, simple, and homemade looking. So I went for the naked cake look (frosting between cake layers only) for the main cake.

Here’s what I made (guest count was ~70-ish people): Continue reading →

I am a member of a community of health and dietitian bloggers called The Recipe Redux. The Latin “redux” means to revisit or reinvent, and the aim of The Recipe Redux is to reinvent the idea of healthy eating with a taste-first approach.

Each month, members of this community receive a unique recipe challenge. This month’s challenge is: Grab your nearest cookbook and ReDux the recipe on page 201, 17, 217 – or any combination of the number ‘2017.’

December is a month of entertaining, rich foods and lots of desserts. I work with a group of dietitians at a hospital and we have been eating baked goods like crazy. It’s getting a bit out of control, but we are enjoying ourselves and still taking the stairs over the elevator when we can and eating our veggies…

…and speaking of veggies…For this month’s theme I chose the My New Roots Cookbook page 217, a roasted parsnip recipe with lots of fun and festive accouterment – pomegranate seeds, chopped mint and fresh za’atar. Continue reading →

I am a member of a community of health and dietitian bloggers called The Recipe Redux. The Latin “redux” means to revisit or reinvent, and the aim of The Recipe Redux is to reinvent the idea of healthy eating with a taste-first approach.

Each month, members of this community receive a unique recipe challenge. This month’s challenge is: Naturally Colored Holiday Treats and Trimmings. Holiday feast season is upon us. But there’s lots of room on the table for brightly-colored, nutritious foods. Show us your sweet or savory, naturally-colored/naturally-dyed holiday fare.

For this month’s Recipe ReDux post, I was inspired by a dish I recently ate at Jack’s Wife Freda in New York City. The spiced beet dip on the “shares” section of the dinner menu is Continue reading →

I am a member of a community of health and dietitian bloggers called The Recipe Redux. The Latin “redux” means to revisit or reinvent, and the aim of The Recipe Redux is to reinvent the idea of healthy eating with a taste-first approach.

On the 21st and 22nd of each month, members of this community receive a unique recipe challenge. This month’s challenge is: Good Gut Health. With cold and flu season upon us, the best defense may be good gut health. Since much of our immune health begins in the gut, show us your healthy, delicious recipe to bolster gut health. 

Gut health starts with eating a diet rich in plant-based foods. In other words, make sure you are getting in at least 5 servings of fruits and vegetables daily, making at least half the grains you eat from whole grain sources, eating beans and legumes regularly, and including nuts and seeds in your diet. All of these foods are rich in fiber, vitamins and minerals, and healthy fats.

Pairing fiber-rich foods, also known as foods with prebiotics, with probiotic-rich foods like dairy (yogurt, kefir), apple cider vinegar, or fermented foods (i.e. miso, kimchi, sauerkraut, kombucha) helps keep your digestive tract healthy.

Smoothies are a great way to pack in nutrient dense and gut-healthy foods. Continue reading →

I usually tend to cook vegetarian meals at home mostly out of ease – I find it is easier to throw together vegetarian staples than think about where the meat I am buying comes from and how long from when I buy it do I have to cook it.

Every once in a while, though, I feel the urge to cook something with meat, fish, or chicken. There was chicken breast on sale at my local food co-op, so I took advantage of the deal and decided to make an Indian-style chicken curry for dinner.

This chicken curry is full of onion and spices and tomato, and the finishing touch is a stir-in of room temperature (to avoid curdling) yogurt. *This dish could easily be made vegetarian by using cooked chickpeas instead of chicken, just add them in when the recipe says to add in the tomatoes and yogurt. 

And since I was going all out with this recipe, I made a homemade flatbread to go with the curry. The flatbread contains milk and butter, which makes it tastes rich and delicious. You could also serve the curry with rice.

If you are craving some Indian-inspired flavors, try this recipe. It’s great for a weekend or weeknight meal, and even for entertaining friends.  Continue reading →

I am a member of a community of health and dietitian bloggers called The Recipe Redux. The Latin “redux” means to revisit or reinvent, and the aim of The Recipe Redux is to reinvent the idea of healthy eating with a taste-first approach.

On the 21st and 22nd of each month, members of this community receive a unique recipe challenge. This month’s challenge is: Sheet Pan Meals. We love throwing ingredients together on a sheet pan and roasting for a simple sheet pan dinner. They make busy weeknights a bit more manageable. (And clean-up isn’t bad either!) Show us your healthy take on a sheet pan meal.

September is here, fall is upon us, and we can all start to use our ovens again without overheating the entire house.

This sheet pan meal uses a quick source of protein (chicken sausage), a hearty starchy vegetable (winter squash), and a leafy green (kale) to create a balanced meal that goes from oven to table in 30 minutes. Continue reading →

I am a member of a community of health and dietitian bloggers called The Recipe Redux. The Latin “redux” means to revisit or reinvent, and the aim of The Recipe Redux is to reinvent the idea of healthy eating with a taste-first approach.

On the 21st and 22nd of each month, members of this community receive a unique recipe challenge. This month’s challenge is: Rise and Shine with a Savory Breakfast. Show us a healthy take on eating a protein-packed savory or dinner-inspired dish for breakfast. 

If I make myself breakfast on a weekday,  I usually tend to lean toward my sweeter go-to’s like oatmeal, yogurt, or nut butter on toast with fruit. I like eggs and avocados and bagels, but sometimes those foods feel like more ‘work’ before I even get to work.

So for this month, I am bringing back an old savory favorite, the tofu scramble. Continue reading →