One of the most useful cookbooks I have come across this year so far is The Ultimate Meal Planning for One Cookbook. Written by culinary instructor and recipe developer Kelly Jaggers, it contains 100 recipes for those who frequently dine solo — or often need to prep single-serve, ready-to-go meals for work, school or travel excursions. I was so impressed…
Weight loss is often the “clickbait” for starting one’s wellness journey. But for healthy changes to be sustainable in our lives, we need a deeper purpose beyond being thinner. This is why any tricks we try to speed up this process — especially before special occasions like a wedding, high school reunion or a vacation — end up being quick…
Have you had a joy-filled July? I sure have! But it’s good to be back in front of the computer crafting this week’s blog. One TOPS member had requested I find out nutritional information on alligator while I was in New Orleans earlier this month. And lucky for me, it ended up being on the menu of the first restaurant…
I have now officially been a part of the TOPS crew for six months. And thanks to all of you, it’s been an overwhelmingly positive experience so far! I very much appreciate all the feedback and questions sent via email or posted weekly on the blog and social media. So keep the comments coming, because I read each one, plus…
I don’t know about you, but I’m certainly ready for some “fun in the sun”! Thankfully, my current travel plans in the months ahead involve going to a couple lakeside communities for writing assignments. This also means I’ll be dining out quite a bit. Being vegan, it’s a struggle sometimes to find a variety of plant-based options when I’m on…
Modifying meals to meet multiple dietary needs in one household can feel like a perpetual struggle. Even for those living solo, having to come up with substitutions for familiar recipes to better suit current nutritional goals may take more time than can be spared on a daily basis. The five swaps below are simple to execute; plus, they’ll help you…
Spring is here (or quickly approaching). This means there will be a steady increase in the variety of locally-grown and -produced foods that will be at local farmers markets and many grocery stores over the coming months. If you’ve got a little extra cash or free time to put to good use, consider stocking up on more produce, dairy, bread…
The March/April 2022 issue of TOPS News, “Plant-based Power: One-Pot Recipes” includes four vegan recipes I created. These dishes are a few of my ‘go-to’ entrees when I want a warm homecooked lunch but don’t necessarily want to be stuck in the kitchen for over an hour making one. Occasionally, the most effective way to reinforce positive eating habits is…
Like many of you, I try to incorporate active movement into my daily schedule. But as we all know, life happens. Which usually means, once or twice a week, my workout will get bumped to a different time than I originally planned. Sometimes, this is no big deal. But there are other days that then necessitate a shift in when…