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October 9, 2025

🥣 Warm Foods to Take the Chill Off Fall

As the Midwest air turns crisp and daylight fades earlier, it’s natural to crave warmth — both in what we wear and what we eat. Fall invites us to

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Food, Health
October 2, 2025

A Star Ingredient for Flavorful Meals

In last week’s blog, I wrote about a variety of spices that add warmth to fall dishes. I had a question from a reader about how to use star anise. S

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Food, Health
September 25, 2025

Fall Spices That Warm the Season

As the air turns crisp and leaves begin to scatter the sidewalks, many of us automatically think of pumpkin spice. It seems to be in everything from l

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Food, Health
September 18, 2025

When Healthy Habits Don’t Add Up

You exercise regularly. Your plate is full of colorful fruits and vegetables. You’ve swapped fried foods for lean protein, cut back on sugar, and ev

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Health, Hope
September 11, 2025

How to Eat Healthier at Any Restaurant

Eating out doesn’t have to derail your health goals. Whether you’re grabbing a bite at your favorite local diner or trying a new international bis

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Food, Health, Hope
September 4, 2025

Mr. Corn Visits Indiana

It’s that time of year again when my dear cousin, Roger, visits from Florida. He visits now because the sweet corn is amazing here in Indiana. For y

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Blog
August 28, 2025

7 Late Summer Wellness Tips

The nights and days are cooler. Darkness comes earlier. The sky looks like fall. I even saw some leaves in Michigan that had turned brilliant red. How

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Blog
August 21, 2025

What to Do with All That Zucchini

Yesterday, my friend Lisa presented me with a zucchini that looked as though it had taken growth hormones. It was gigantic! She told me that she grate

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Food, Fun, Health
August 14, 2025

Echoes of Summer

Can you feel the shift? The days are steamy–yet the calendar is getting a bit crowded with commitments that pair better with the cooler days of

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Food, Fun, Health
August 7, 2025

August Anxiety. Sunscreen vs. School Bells

This time of year, I feel a mixture of emotions. On the one hand, summer is in full swing. The flowers are thriving, temperatures still soar, and ther

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Family, Health, Personal Development

A Summer Meal with a Kick

July 28, 2022
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Food, Health

While many of us would like to add more vegetables to our diet, it can be challenging to come up with new ideas.

Discovering main dishes that are vegetarian or vegan that taste good and are satisfying can seem impossible.

I know because I’ve tried.

Then there’s the mindset struggle that if we can’t go “all in” eating vegetarian, why bother at all?

Any time you can increase your vegetable intake, it’s a good thing. It doesn’t have to be all or none.

Creating new habits takes time, patience, and perseverance. If it’s too complicated, it probably won’t happen.

Perhaps you could add one vegetarian meal every 2 weeks, or even once a month. Work your way up to once a week if that’s something that is important to you.

This is the perfect season to try recipes that are loaded with fresh vegetables.

Today I’ve included a recipe that is quick and easy. I used baby bella mushrooms that were already washed and sliced, which cut down on prep time.

The recipe makes 4 tacos. A side salad would be the perfect accompaniment.

Spicy Mushroom Tacos

Serves 4

These vegan tacos have a kick, so if you’re not a fan of spicy foods, cut back on the cayenne or omit. 

Ingredients

  • 1 lb. mixed mushrooms (such as baby bella, chanterelle, oyster and/or crimini), coarsely chopped
  • 2 Tbsp. avocado oil or extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
  • 1 Tbsp. dried oregano
  • 1 Tbsp. onion powder
  • 2 tsp. garlic powder
  • 2 tsp. ground cumin
  • 2 tsp. organic cane sugar
  • 1¼ tsp. kosher salt or 1 tsp. table salt
  • ½ tsp. cayenne pepper or to taste
  • Warm small corn tortillas, salsa, store-bought vegan sour cream (optional), sliced radishes, halved cherry tomatoes, chopped cilantro, and lime wedges (for serving)

Directions

Place a rack in middle of oven; preheat to 400°. Toss mushrooms in oil and lime juice. In a small bowl mix together oregano, onion powder, garlic powder, cumin, sugar, salt, and cayenne. Add seasoning mixture to mushrooms and toss until well coated. Spread mushrooms out in a single layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet or stoneware and roast until golden brown, 20–25 minutes.

Build tacos with tortillas, mushrooms, salsa, vegan sour cream (if using), radishes, tomatoes, and cilantro. Serve with lime wedges for squeezing over.

 

If you try the recipe, let me know what you think. My quality control team gave it a “thumbs up.”

Looking for specific ideas or have challenging dietary restrictions? Shoot me an email. If you’re struggling with getting and/or staying on track with a healthy lifestyle, I can help with that too.

Much love,
Health Coach Carol

“Everything that is great in life is the product of slow growth; the newer, and greater, and higher, and nobler the work, the slower is its growth, the surer is its lasting success. Mushrooms attain their full power in a night; oaks require decades. A fad lives its life in a few weeks; a philosophy lives through generations and centuries.”—William George Jordan

Spicy Mushroom Tacos

July 27, 2022
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Main Dishes, Recipes

These vegan tacos have a kick, so if you’re not a fan of spicy foods, cut back on the cayenne or omit. 
Serves 4

Ingredients

  • 1 lb. mixed mushrooms (such as baby bella, chanterelle, oyster and/or crimini), coarsely chopped
  • 2 Tbsp. avocado oil or extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
  • 1 Tbsp. dried oregano
  • 1 Tbsp. onion powder
  • 2 tsp. garlic powder
  • 2 tsp. ground cumin
  • 2 tsp. organic cane sugar
  • 1¼ tsp. kosher salt or 1 tsp. table salt
  • ½ tsp. cayenne pepper or to taste
  • Warm small corn tortillas, salsa, store-bought vegan sour cream (optional), sliced radishes, halved cherry tomatoes, chopped cilantro, and lime wedges (for serving)

Directions

Place a rack in middle of oven; preheat to 400°. Toss mushrooms in oil and lime juice. In a small bowl mix together oregano, onion powder, garlic powder, cumin, sugar, salt, and cayenne. Add seasoning mixture to mushrooms and toss until well coated. Spread mushrooms out in a single layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet or stoneware and roast until golden brown, 20–25 minutes.

Build tacos with tortillas, mushrooms, salsa, vegan sour cream (if using), radishes, tomatoes, and cilantro. Serve with lime wedges for squeezing over.

Are They Eggs or Just Eggs?

July 21, 2022
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Food, Health

In an effort to help those who are allergic or choose not to eat chicken eggs, this blog’s for you.

And if you love chicken eggs, biscuits and gravy, and Eggs Benedict, this blog’s for you.

There’s something for everyone. 

Last week I visited a local eatery that offers a beautiful menu of vegan and gluten-free options, along with regular fare.

Harvest Room in Munster is a winner. It was there that I learned about Just Eggs. Just Eggs is an egg substitute that looks and tastes like scrambled eggs.

Just Eggs was so yummy, I went on a search. I found Just Eggs at Whole Foods. 

I made “egg” fried rice with red pepper, Vidalia onion, leftover rice, and Just Eggs. It was delicious.

The main ingredients of Just Eggs are water, mung bean protein isolate, and expeller-pressed canola oil. The “less than 2%” ingredient list is a bit lengthier.

Mung beans are one of the best plant-based sources of protein. One serving of Just Eggs provides 5 grams of protein. A chicken egg has 6 grams.

While it is desirable to eat real food most of the time, it’s a challenge.

Just Eggs is a processed food with some questionable ingredients when it comes to “is it good for you?” I think most people would be fine eating them sometimes.

All things in moderation.

If you crave eggs and are looking for a vegan option, you may want to give Just Eggs a whirl.

Then we have Mr. Non-Compliant, who loves biscuits and gravy and Eggs Benedict.

The most amazing biscuits and gravy, according to him, are to be had at Viola Café in Three Oaks, Michigan.

They are only available Friday thru Sunday, and it’s best to get there early before they run out.

Biscuits and gravy at Viola Cafe

He is quite fond of the Eggs Benedict there as well. It’s all good at Viola Café.

All things in moderation.

Much love,
Health Coach Carol

A positive attitude and a sense of humor go together like biscuits and gravy. — Dolly Parton

Lipstick on a Pig

July 13, 2022
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Food, Fun, Health

For any of my new blog followers, cauliflower is one of the few vegetables that I’m not fond of. 

I’ve tried it all sorts of ways. Readers have sent me their very best recipes that make cauliflower “to die for,” convinced that theirs will be THE ONE.

And yes, I’ve tried cauliflower rice with various seasonings. We are admittedly huge REAL rice fans. 

But WAIT! Come to think of it, I do like some cauliflower pizza crusts, but that’s sort of cheating.

At any rate, I keep trying. I want to like it. My Mr. Non-Compliant husband is not a fan either, which causes less stress at mealtime.

This week I have been focused on eating a variety of fruits and vegetables that aren’t part of my usual routine, so I brought home a very beautiful head of organic cauliflower.

Like a mini multivitamin that grows in the garden, cauliflower contains some of almost every vitamin and mineral that we need.

It contains fiber, antioxidants, and is a great low-carb alternative to grains and legumes.

What’s not to like?

UGH! I think this is one of those icky childhood foods that has lingered into my grown-up years.

My mom was a fabulous cook, however when she prepared vegetables, they were sometimes boiled to a fatal state. All the butter and salt in the world couldn’t season the cauliflower enough for me to enjoy it.

That being said, I tried it another “new” way to see if I would kind of like it.

Super Simple Roasted Garlic Cauliflower

After rinsing the head of cauliflower, cut it into florets, remove the thick stem portions, and slice it very thin. Arrange in a single layer on a stone pan (or your favorite roasting pan), drizzle with extra virgin olive oil, add salt, pepper, and about 4 cloves of minced garlic. Toss. Roast in a 400° F oven for 25-30 minutes, until golden brown, flipping the florets about halfway through.

You got it. I camouflaged the nothingness of this vegetable with garlic. I enjoyed it, even though my pores were somewhat oozing of garlic scent. 

When Mr. Non-Compliant tried it, his comment was, “It’s like putting lipstick on a pig. It’s still a pig.”

So, there you have it. Maybe another day I’ll try it again. If you love this vegetable, I applaud you. Fortunately, there are loads of other vegetables that I love to make and eat.

Mr. Non-Compliant does pretty well with most of them.

May you find pockets of rest and relaxation during these brilliant summer days.

Sending you love,
Health Coach Carol

“I just found out that cauliflower waffles are a thing now and I just want to say that if anyone ever serves me a cauliflower waffle I will immediately call the police.”—Sarcastic Mommy/Facebook

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