Marissa Vicario

Recent Blog Posts

Keep Bone Strength Top of Mind at Any Age

I just celebrated my birthday and consequently, I've been feeling some aches and pains of late that I'd never felt before. A visit to the chiropractor and an X-ray revealed some stress on the bones of my lower back resulting from years of living an active lifestyle and some slight scoliosis. This brought to the forefront that while keeping my mind, skin, digestive tract, immune system and many … [Read more...]

Make Like a Turtle and …

Miss me? If you're wondering where I've been, I was on a beautiful, restful vacation! Hence my blogging took a short hiatus. I admit it -- I used to be one of those people who never shut down. Every vacation away from the office meant I was still tied to my Blackberry and even though my out of office responder was on, my brain refused to turn off. When emails came in, I would obsessively respond … [Read more...]

Jailing Judgment: Judging My Own Health

I'm on the homestretch of the Inner Mean Girl (IMG) Cleanse and this week was all about jailing judgment. I'll admit, I got off to a slow start with this one. Judgment comes naturally to me. Like breathing, it just feels right. The truth is, I judge myself all the time and recent life events have really tested this toxin. I'm a health and wellness coach and I've mentioned this fact in almost all … [Read more...]

Bethenny Frankel Dishes the Skinny on How to be Naturally Thin

Looking radiant in red, Bethenny Frankel wowed a crowd of hundreds of New York women who showed up hoping to get the "skinny" on how to be Naturally Thin and unleash their Skinnygirl Chef at last night's Learning Annex event, Skinnygirl Cooking for Your Naturally Thin Life. Ever since I first saw Bethenny on the first season of The Real Housewives of NYC, I've been a fan of her authenticity as a … [Read more...]

Parking the Perfectionist

Week 4 of the Inner Mean Girl Cleanse was a no-brainer for me. I'm a recovering perfectionist and although agreeing with myself not to be perfect often gnaws at me, I live a fulfilling life knowing I'm working smarter and getting more of the things I love accomplished rather than working harder at being perfect. Sure, there are those things in life that have to be just right, but I've learned to … [Read more...]

Make Mine a Personal Pizza: Homemade Gluten-free Vegan Pizza

Ok, ok - I promise to drop the pizza talk after this post. With all my pizza blogging these days, I coincidentally found a vegan pizza crust by Namaste Foods at Whole Foods so I thought I'd try my hand at homemade gluten-free, vegan pizza. The crust was simple to execute: Combine the mix with oil and water Mix with a hand blender Spread mixture on a pan to at least 14 inches Bake for about … [Read more...]

Locavore for a Day at the Good Food Festival

Everytime I turn around, it seems there is another food festival in NYC celebrating fresh food and local farmers. The more the merrier because events like these are exactly what this city needs to raise awareness for sustainability. My boyfriend scouted today's event, The 1st Annual Back to Basis Good Food Festival in Gansevoort Plaza co-hosted by Basis and the Feed Foundation. The gathernig of … [Read more...]

Grey Day Go Away: Comforting Curry Cashew Casserole

Yesterday was a grey and rainy day in NYC and there is nothing better on those days than comfort food. Since he's British, my boyfriend loves a good "curry" so I figured I would whip up a simple vegan curry casserole. This meal is hearty enough for a hungry boyfriend and healthy enough for me -- filling and fueling for my early-morning, extra-challenging Boot Camp workout. This recipe is adapted … [Read more...]

A Better (Veggie) Burger

Having been a vegetarian for almost 20 years, I've had my share of veggie burgers. I used to rely religiously on the soy-based Morning Star Farms or Boca Burgers, especially for quick brown bag lunches that I bring to work. That was then. The basis of any diet, especially a special diet, should be whole foods. Too often, vegetarians and vegans make the mistake of replacing the animal products … [Read more...]