Growing up, my sisters and I ate a lot of casseroles, baked chicken, and occasional corn dogs or frozen pizza. My mom was a full-time teacher and I can only imagine how she managed as well as she did. Speed and ease were always of the essence. For that reason, I think this salad would've appealed to her, just as I think it will appeal to many of you. It's quick, only requires some minor chopping, and is pretty enough to make you feel like you've created something great — all in under a half an hour.  

This week marks the first time I will be celebrating my birthday as a gluten-free, dairy-free, and refined-sugar-free person. Friends have expressed their condolences, staring into space with looks of pity (or is that horror?) as they imagine a birthday without a "real" cake. Me, on the other hand, I'm feeling energized and ready to pile my plate with a tumble of biscuits, strawberries, and cream. It's strawberry shortcake season!

If you ever wanted an excuse to start talking about yourself in the royal "we," here you go: we humans are not just human — we're also made up of about 100 trillion microbes that live on our skin, in our mouths, and in our guts. In fact, Michael Pollan says that when you count them all up, we're really only 10% human. What's more, studies are finding increasing evidence that we need these microbes for everything from helping us digest our food to feeling less stressed at work.

This week at The Forest Feast, I needed to use up some chard from the nearby farmer's market, so I cooked up a big skillet Tortilla Espanola. This dish is usually made with just potatoes and onions, but I like to add some greens — it becomes almost like a crustless quiche. The addition of the colorful chard lightens the dish a bit, but is still quite filling. I like that this meal is made in a single pan and works well for breakfast, lunch or dinner! 

This six-ingredient salad right here has been my lunch for the past week — and it's looking highly likely that I will have it again next week! Made with a simple lemon-miso vinaigrette, this combination of tender kale, chewy farro, and nutty chickpeas holds up very well for several days in the fridge. All I have to do come lunchtime is scoop a portion into a bowl. With some orange segments and a slice of toast on the side, this easy lunch keeps me happy all afternoon.

Sometimes food can be so beautiful. These beet and goat cheese "jewels" are simply made by layering those two ingredients. The trick is that the beet coloring — from both golden and red beets — seeps into the goat cheese, which is what gives the terrine that beautiful, varied shading.

We've all heard how blueberries are powerful antioxidants and how quinoa's health benefits stretch beyond its trendiness, but do we really know how to integrate all these "super foods" into a complete and sustainable diet? Enter Longevity Kitchen. This cookbook brings it all together, thoroughly explaining these doctor-recommended ingredients and helping you build a healthy (and tasty!) diet that works for you.

Q: My husband is going back to school in the fall and we have two young kids, so we've decided that we'll try switching our main family meal to breakfast rather than dinner to try and keep us connected. I know we can have family time over bowls of cereal, but it would be nice to make it a little more special as often as possible.

Weeknights can be tough dinner nights. Weeknights when you try to squeeze the gym in after work? Even tougher. 

Gelatin is made from animal collagen, but that doesn't mean vegetarians and vegans have to miss out on gelatin-based sweets like panna cotta, mousse, and jellies. Here are some great alternatives and tips for cooking with them.