Marissa Vicario

Recent Blog Posts

Lentil Burgers for Company

With my restrictive diet, I've always struggled with a tasty and impressive main course to make for dinner guests who may not share my eating habits. Last night, I dared to make lentil burgers for a friend who came over for dinner. I've always shied away from these protein-packed patties because I thought they were too complicated. In fact, they are not!  What you'll need:  3 cups … [Read more...]

DIY: Cashew Milk

As most readers know by now, I'm super-obsessed with smoothies but also avoid dairy. To make my smoothies creamy, I often use store-bought almond milk. Although it is less processed, this is one of the few packaged foods I still use, mostly to save time, but I always feel better when I make my own. One of my favorite dairy alternatives is cashew milk and I came across a quick and easy recipe to … [Read more...]

Beat the Heat

Temperatures are climbing toward 100 degrees and while I'm happy warmer weather is here, I also know the importance of keeping cool in scorching temperatures. Take a peek at my list of obvious and not-so-obvious tips for staying cool. Of course, hydration tops the list, but do so with plain water and more of it than usual. Don't like the taste of water? Try adding some fruit like fresh berries, … [Read more...]

Get Kitchy With It: A Guide to Stocking a Healthy Kitchen – Part II

Yesterday, I left you with a list of my favorite ingredients I always keep on hand in my kitchen. Today, I'm completing the healthy kitchen series with a run-down of my favorite kitchen gadgets. You don't need a lot of expensive tools to create a healthy meal. I started with a steamer basket, some hand-me-down pots and pans and a George Foreman Grill. The more I cooked, the more I added and I'm … [Read more...]

Get Kitchy With It: A Guide to Stocking a Healthy Kitchen – Part I

If you think making a home-cooked meal means a time-consuming trip to the store, expensive ingredients and slaving over a stove – all after a long day at the office, think again.  In this two-part series you'll get a handy list of everything you'll need to stock a healthy and sustainable kitchen. My  guide to stocking a healthy kitchen is a simple list of ingredients and gadgets you’ll … [Read more...]

The Most Exciting Salad Ever

With the weather heating up, I've been eating plenty of salads these days, and I'll be the first to admit it's easy to get stuck in a rut with these leafy green meals in a bowl. They can seem boring at times. But that just wasn't the case with the salad I made today. What made today's salad so special is that I spiced it up and loaded it with the vegetables I love. The finished product displayed … [Read more...]

One of Those Days

Ever had one of those days? A string of unfortunate events yesterday, including a crashed hard drive (back it up, people!), left me feeling a little low. These are the times when it can be tempting to practice self sabotage and eat an entire pint of Ben & Jerry's or we can choose to surrender to self care. I used to choose the former, now I choose the latter. One exercise I do with my clients … [Read more...]

Sprouted Grain Croutons

If you've ever had to throw away half a loaf of fresh bread after a couple of days because it was going stale, you may understand the heartache this can cause. At my house, we often buy a half loaf of the homemade sprouted grain bread at Whole Foods and still can't seem to finish it. I was about to dump the remnants in the trash again tonight when I felt inspired as I unpacked my dandelion greens … [Read more...]

Cooking for One? Buckwheat Noodles with Spicy Almond Dressing

When I first moved to NYC, I existed on a junk food vegetarian diet: pizza, Subway, chocolate chip cookies and McDonald's french fries (I'm not kidding!). One of my favorite nights in was to make a pot of Mac-n-Cheese for dinner and settle in on the sofa for some reality TV. While I still have a weakness for reality TV, I've transformed my Mac-n-Cheese meal into something more healthful but … [Read more...]