Family friendly recipe: Meatballs with Veggie Noodles Recipe

One of my main goals in life is to show you and everyone that HEALTHY EATING CAN BE (AND SHOULD BE) DELICIOUS). So i’m making it a goal to share more of my awesome, nutritious and super yummy (yet easy) recipes for you to enjoy.

Today I’m sharing my Meatballs and Veggie Noodles recipe - which is allowed on most detoxes (like my signature 10 day detox) and is both PALEO and KETO “approved”. (I always share this recipe in my Summer & Fall 10 day detox and my clients LOVE it, and for my Winter version where we omit nightshades, I offer it with a vegan cashew cream instead of tomato sauce).

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My Favorite Everyday Smoothie Recipes 2.0

By popular demand, and as a follow-up to my Beginners Smoothie Guide, today I'm sharing my go-to favorite green smoothie recipe that I make for myself almost every morning.

All my green smoothies are PACKED with antioxidants, anti-inflammatory nutrients, fiber, vegan protein and deliciousness. They make a filling and delicious breakfast that will keep your blood sugar stable, rev up your metabolism, and serve as a great tool for weight loss.

Read more for my delicious EVERYDAY GREEN CHIA SMOOTHIE BOWL recipe (+ 2 more of my favorite smoothie bowl recipes).

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My Favorite Superfood Smoothie Bowl

By now you probably know of my obsession with: smoothie bowls, sweet potato, dark chocolate/cacao and superfoods in general. So it’s probably no surprise that this recipe, which combines all of the above, is one of my favorites (that I make at least once a week).

See my delicious, vegan, protein and superfood-packed CACAO SMOOTHIE BOWL recipe below.

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Easy, Delicious, Vegan, Superfood Kale & Sweet Potato Curry

Today I’m sharing my newest recipe - a result of playing around with my organic dark leafy greens, attempting to find the best added sweet flavors to neutralize the slight bitterness of the greens, and I came up with this amazingly flavorful, nutritious dish.

Kale and Sweet Potato are two of my favorite SUPERFOODS, and they pair perfectly together.

This recipe is:

  • Extremely healthy and gut-friendly, packed with fiber and wide variety of nutrients

  • Vegan, gluten-free, and refined sugar-free

  • Ideal to prevent cravings as it contains all the different flavors to satisfy your palate

  • Comforting, warming, and filling (even without the optional protein addition)

  • Super easy to make – can be done in 3o minutes and all in one pot

  • Great for meal prep lunches and dinners; leftovers taste even better (keeps well in fridge for 3 days, tops 4)

Check out my recipe and give it a shot!

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3 Easy Low-Glycemic Snacks to Satisfy your Sweet Tooth and Support Weight Loss

When we’re spending more time at home, suddenly we find ourselves in the kitchen grabbing for a snack that we don’t really need. We mindlessly grab a handful of the not-so-healthy stuff that is insight – the chips/crackers, kids’ cookies, those chocolate covered almonds, etc.

And we KNOW this habit is not supportive of our health goals.

That being said, a small snack once a day is not a terrible thing, and we can make peace with it. We can even use snacks in our favor so that we then have a slightly smaller meal for our next meal.

But in order for the snack to work in our favor, it needs to be eaten consciously, sitting down, and the snack needs to contain fiber, healthy fats and protein (and no processed junk) in order to keep our blood sugar balanced.

With that in mind, I wanted to offer today 3 EASY snacks to satisfy your mid-afternoon sweet craving. Snacks that are healthy yet satisfying and will keep your blood sugar balanced, which supports weight loss. They’re also HIGH-PROTEIN, VEGAN and relatively LOW-CARB. Lastly, they’re super easy (require minimal to no prep) and are totally family/kid-friendly.

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Create Your Own Healthy Macro Bowl

A macro bowl (aka buddha bowl) is my daily go-to dinner, which I make using leftovers (or things I “batch cooked” earlier including grains/beans/veggies), some fresh greens, seeds and/or avocado, a healthy sauce, and I’m good to go.

I love these bowls because they are BALANCED, EASY TO MAKE, ADJUSTABLE/VARIABLE, FILLING and usually, totally Instagram worthy.

While there are tons of variations, I wanted to offer an easy GUIDE to help you make your own macro bowl for a quick, easy, healthy meal. Plus, I’ll share one of my favorite go-to recipes.

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Easy, Delicious Protein-Packed Vegan Burgers (perfect for freezing)

Having easy pre-made healthy options for a quick dinner (such as pre-cooked frozen healthy foods that I can heat up in a minute and serve with a salad) are key for me to stay healthy. Especially now, during these new stay-at-home times when we’re limiting our supermarket runs, batch-cooking and freezing healthy staples IS A LIFESAVER.

So i wanted to share one of the recipes that i commonly make in big batches and freeze. This recipe is:

  • Dairy-free

  • Gluten-free

  • Oil-free

  • Soy-free

  • Packed with fiber, protein, B-vitamins, iron and more

  • Super flavorful

  • EASY TO MAKE and freezes well

Check out my blog for my recipe - both in english and spanish.

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THE BEST HEALTHY, EASY & DELICIOUS BANANA BREAD RECIPE

Right now that we’re all spending more time at home, we need home activities that are fun, healthy and easy. Even better, something that can be done with the kids. And baking banana bread fits that description perfectly.

My Banana Bread is:

  • gluten-free (optional grain-free, too)

  • dairy-free (optional vegan, too)

  • no processed sugar

  • moist, flavorful and perfectly sweet

  • super easy and kid friendly (can be done with just 1 bowl)

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Your New Favorite Anti-Inflammatory Superfood Drink

If you haven’t tried golden milk yet, you’re missing out! It’s a creamy, hot, milky (yet dairy-free) drink that’s delicious and PACKED with nutrients. It’s like a “warm liquid sunshine in a cup.”

READ MORE for my super easy, delicious and nutritious recipe - which adds some superfoods to help boost digestion, balance hormones and relieve stress.

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Healthy Holiday Hummus

I’m a big fan of hummus for many reasons including it’s:

  • creamy delicious taste

  • ability to pair well with many foods & versatile nature

  • amazing nutritional benefits - especially it’s GUT friendly properties (I’ll go through these below)

And today I wanted to share a new, easy and super healthy version of my homemade hummus that I tried this week and am loving - and is perfect for your next family Holiday dinner/event .

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Healthy GATORADE replacement: A "water essence" recipe for you and the kids

It amazes me how many people - even those that live a healthy lifestyle - still drink Gatorade (and similar electrolyte drinks) despite all the chemicals and sugar they contain. So it dawned on me that most people don’t realize the amount of sugar and chemicals in these drinks, and the fact that it may be doing your body more harm than good.

So what is a better alternative? Read more for an easy homemade “electrolyte water essence” recipe that will quench your thirst and prevent dehydration (which is cheaper, way healthier and just as effective).

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The Secret Ingredient for a Creamy Low-Glycemic Smoothie

Green smoothies can be the ideal breakfast when prepared right.

One of the most common mistakes is adding way too much fruit , which can actually reverse many of the benefits of your smoothie. Too much fruit can spike your blood sugar, then lead to a blood sugar low two hours later, not to mention it will make your smoothie a calorie (and carb) bomb. So the key lies in keeping your smoothie LOW-GLYCEMIC while still making it delicious and filling.

HOW? There is one ingredient that I find can be a game changer to make your smoothie nice and thick and creamy without having to add all that fructose. And when you add a vanilla or chocolate flavored vegan protein powder, you won’t miss that banana at all!

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The Best Matcha Green Tea Latte

This amazing Matcha Latte recipe has a ton of health benefits, including:

  • helps detoxify your body

  • boosts your metabolism

  • enhances weight loss and fat burning

  • promotes hormonal balance

  • good for gut health

  • give you an energy boost (without the jitters)

  • it’s filling and delicious!

I make it with dairy-free almond milk (I use my homemade almond milk) though you can also use oat milk, cashew milk or coconut milk; all three work great. It’s free of refined sugar, yet still has a slight sweetness, and has an amazingly delicious creamy texture. I also add collagen that’s amazing for your gut, hair, skin and nails (and adds a bit of protein) and MCT oil (that helps you burn fat). What’s not to love?

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A Wholesome Recipe For Anyone - Lentil Vegetable Soup

One of the biggest challenges to healthy eating is finding THE TIME to cook, especially for all of us working long days.  So one thing I preach is the principle of “cook once, eat twice.”

One of the easiest, healthy dinner recipes that is great for leftovers is a lentil and vegetable soup. Its nutritious, filling, and something that can be served for the whole family. Find some time in your Sunday to cook the soup (and you can multitask while it cooks!), and then you can have it once or twice more during the week, depending on how many you’re cooking for.

Lentils are filled with protein and fiber,  which fill you up quickly, and have the added benefit of lowering cholesterol and balancing sugar levels. Lentils are also good sources of folate and magnesium, contributing to heart health. And lastly, as a relatively low calorie food, they are great for weight loss, especially when combined with vegetables!

So I’ll share with you a recipe that I make very often and highly suggest you try:

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Easy, Delicious Dinner for a Perfect Sleep

Dinner is one of the hardest meals for many of us. At the end of the day, we’re tired, we want something comforting, but are lazy to cook up something elaborate (and often we just don’t crave something too elaborate).  And there is a reason for that. Your body usually craves a simple meal that is easy to digest, simple yet comforting and balanced.

Before bed, you want a meal that will help keep your blood sugar stable so that you sleep better and burn more fat and promote weight loss (if that’s a goal).

A dinner that is EASY-TO-DIGEST is also key to not disrupt your sleep. You need your body to rest while sleeping (and not be working overtime to digest your dinner).

You also want to look for foods that help promote restful sleep.

READ MORE to get my favorite super easy dinner recipe that promotes great sleep and is, of course, delicious and healthy.

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The Perfect Healthy Entertaining Recipe: Sweet Potato Bites 3 Ways (for the omnivore, vegetarian & vegan)

I love entertaining, but it can be tricky to keep everyone happy with your choice of food/appetizer, while also keeping the preparation fairly easy.

For me its key to have a healthy “Balance with Mariana” approved dish, while also pleasing everyone else, including the guys who need something a bit more substantial after a few gin tonics.

 I’ve come up with the PERFECT entertaining appetizer recipe that’s fairly easy to make, yet seems super “gourmet” and of course, it’s DELICIOUS. The only part that takes long (the pulled pork) can be done the day before. And I use the same base ingredients to make 3 different appetizers – one to please vegans, one to please vegetarians, and a third version to please the omnivores (probably the majority, so make extra of these!).

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February Love Food: Beets

Many times people fear beets because of their sweetness and high sugar content, but by cutting them out of your diet, you’re missing out on all their awesome, healthy-boosting properties.

And actually, beets can help you stay slim, have balanced hormones, balanced energy, and more.

READ MORE to learn more about the awesome benefits, HOW to eat beets, and get my super easy hormone-balancing juice recipe.

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A Happy and Healthy Thanksgiving: 5 healthy tips for a guilt-free holiday + Pumpkin Pie recipe

Thanksgiving is about GIVING THANKS; a time to be with loved ones and celebrate all the awesome things in life. AND it's about delicious comforting food. Who doesn't love Thanksgiving food, pumpkins (or ayote), wine, and family time?

Problem is, many of us health-conscious people simultaneously dread the aftermath of waking up bloated and feeling heavy the next day, and possibly even gaining weight in just one weekend.

Luckily I've discovered that doesn't need to be the case. IT IS TOTALLY POSSIBLE TO ENJOY A HEALTHY THANKSGIVING, while staying guilt-free. Of course indulging a bit (because indulging is OK once in a while), but if you balance it out with some healthier (and even more delicious) recipes, and a few more tips (that I share with you today and in other past blogs), you can fully enjoy the holiday without any negative consequences.

HERE ARE 5 TIPS THAT I PERSONALLY PRACTICE, then check out my blogs for more tips and recipes for a Healthy Thanksgiving

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Coconut Yogurt Chia Pudding Parfait with Papaya Jam

The combo of gut-friendly probiotics and healthy fats from the Coconut Yogurt, together with the omega-3’s, protein, fiber, iron and magnesium from Chia Seeds, makes this Papaya Coconut Chia Pudding an extremely nutrient-dense, easy-to-digest, metabolism-boosting and filling breakfast. This will keep you full more than any cereal, breakfast bar, oatmeal and more than most smoothies!

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I'm a Health Coach. Here is What I Eat in a Day.

As a certified holistic Health Coach (and barre teacher), I practice what I preach; I live a healthy lifestyle and get my daily fill of greens.

Making smarter, healthier food choices is tough at first, but it gets easier with practice and consistency, and I strongly believe that everyone can change the way they eat to feel better inside and out.

I still sometimes struggle with balancing my long days of work, social life, and making time to cook, not to mention that my sweet tooth keeps me from having a perfectly healthy diet.

But I strongly believe in finding a good BALANCE that works for you, while always prioritizing your health and making sure you’re getting the highest quality ingredients on your plate possible.

I’ll take you through my typical day of meals.

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