Marissa Vicario

Recent Blog Posts

The Perfect Weekend

What constitutes the perfect weekend has changed a lot in recent years. It used to be that hitting up all the NYC hot spots was what I was after. Now, it's all about lots of rest, a good workout and healthy food. Oh, yes, things have changed! After a later-than-usual Thursday night at The Kooks concert, all I wanted to do was stay inside out of the cold on Friday night. I offered to cook up some … [Read more...]

It’s a bodyheart thing

I had the rare opportunity to participate in the bodyheart program last month during it's one-day stop in NYC.  As is so typical of me, I scheduled my shoot smack-dab in the middle of a jam-packed day full of meetings that even more conveniently followed a late-night arrival home from a weekend trip to Chicago. Whew! Just writing that exhausted me (a good reminder to slow down ... )! But I … [Read more...]

Food Find: Tempt Hemp Protein Powder

My twice weekly kettlebell sessions with my personal trainer, Cindy Lai, are not your average workout. They challenge my body in a way that I haven't felt challenged by a workout in a long time. But as I always tell my clients, exercise is only part of the equation. Diet is the other. I certainly eat well but I thought I could benefit by being more conscious of my protein intake. As someone who … [Read more...]

How To Make Veggies Taste Better

I cannot even believe I just wrote that title! The truth is, I love vegetables and think they taste great. But, I've been reading a fabulous book by Kathleen Flinn called The Kichen Counter Cooking School and have discovered that perhaps not everyone shares my sentiments about veggies. The fact is that when many people think of vegetables they think of soggy, overcooked, tasteless pieces of food. … [Read more...]

Drink Your Hemp Milk

There are some foods that I'm guilty of ignoring and hemp is one of them. Yes, I know that hemp is one of the most nutritionally complete and sustainable food sources on the planet. So why am I not eating more of it? I had to get all Health Coach on myself. The main reason was that I didn't know what to do with it. Sure, I sprinkled it on my salads from time to time but it was often an … [Read more...]

Food Find: Harmless Harvest Raw Coconut Water

I don't buy many packaged foods unless I'm absolutely certain I trust the ingredients. When it comes to coconut water my preference has always been to get it from a young Thai coconut. But, they can be time-consuming to open when the craving for coconut water strikes. I was overjoyed when I found Harmless Harvest 100% Raw Coconut Water. It tastes so much more like fresh coconut water than some of … [Read more...]

10 Reasons to Eat More Plants

When I was 13 I read the book Meat is Murder and refused to dissect a frog in my eighth grade science class (it caused quite the stir, I will say). Ever since then, I have eaten some kind of vegetarian, vegan or pescatarian diet. More than 20 years later, I haven't missed an ounce of meat. In many ways, I feel that eating this way is how I was born to eat. Since I've learned to do it the right … [Read more...]

Words of Wisdom from Dr. Weil: Control the Breath to De-Stress

I had the pleasure of attending yet another Institute for Integrative Nutrition Conference yesterday (what can I say, they really look out for their students and graduates!) where I heard the latest from Integrative Health Specialist, Dr. Andrew Weil on the subject of inflammation. It's the low-level, undetected, un-noticeable internal inflammation that is a precursor to disease and among the top … [Read more...]

Big Apple Crumble

Lately, apples are everywhere I turn and I've been taking full advantage as if you couldn't tell from my healthy Halloween post. Earlier this week, while eyeing the apples on my kitchen counter, I decided to cook up an apple crumble sans refined sugar. Here's the delicious treat I ended up with: Big Apple Crumble Preheat the oven to 350. Cube an apple and toss the pieces onto a lines baking … [Read more...]