For those of you who need a little extra boost, which I know that I do, adding some uber high quality nutrients to your daily smoothies can make all the difference in terms of sustaining your energy throughout the day, along with your mood and brain power. Not all products are created equally, and I’d like to share with you my fave boosters, which are all of course non-GMO, gluten free, vegan, contain no added sugars, and are jam-packed with fiber.

Here are some of my personal FAVORITES:

NanoGreens: Kid and adult friendly greens. Simply, delish.

NanoReds: Each scoop contains 10 servings of colorful reds! Awesome Wellness Berries.

NanoMinerals: Awesome for athletes and those who want to replenish electrolytes..

NanOmega: Packed with vegan essential fatty acids to boost brain function and support a healthy nervous system!

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Check out what Dr. Laurie is eating throughout her pregnancy and beyond, and click here to take an insider’s sneak peek into her fridge, as featured in Well+Good NYC magazine along with tons of other foodie faves.

”Thanks to your awesome explanations and positive reinforcement, I hope you are as proud as I am of the food selection I brought to work today”

Check out these Delicious Brain Boosting Snacks!

- Breakfast Smoothie

1 scoop VegaLite powder, 1 scoop ground flax seed w/ blueberries, 1 cup frozen strawberry/raz/blueberries, 1 cup frozen pineapple chunks, and unsweetened vanilla almond milk.

Office Snacks
- 1 Green Apple
- 1 Pomegranate
- 1 carton of blueberries
- Yogi Green Tea
- 1 bunch of Bananas
- Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk
- Barbara’s Flax seed and Granola High Fiber Cereal
- Barbara’s Peanut Butter Puffin’s Cereal (for breakfast later this week w/ a banana)
- 2 slices Ezekiel Whole Grain Sprouted Bread
- 2 slices of Applegate Farms Smoked Turkey Breast
- Avocado
- Tomato (will add this to the above 3 and make a sandwich w/ some mustard I bought in France)
- 1c Quinoa w/ mixed veggies that I added bits of dried apricot to

Check out Paleo on the Go, my favorite, super easy online ordering and delivery service providing you and your family with your favorite PALEO-friendly meals.

Tweet me @drlaurieND and receive your FREE copy of my Paleo-friendly handout!

Grocery shopping one of my fave markets @eataly!

Discover the fructose content of common foods, beverages, sauces, and even sugar substitutes in our infographic “Fructose Overload.” Use the embed code to share it on your website.

Discover the fructose content of common foods, beverages, sauces, and even sugar substitutes in our infographic “Fructose Overload.”

Here are some easy snack ideas to include in your party for Game Day, seeing that you are a savvy snacker these days:

·       Baked kale chips (tear off fresh kale leaves into bite sized pieces, place on a baking tray with some olive oil, sea salt, chili flakes; mix it all together and spread evenly on the pan for ~10 min until golden brown in a 350 deg oven); black or green olives; grilled and roasted veggies; fresh fruit like berries with Greek yogurt dip sprinkled with cinnamon; air-popped popcorn drizzled with truffle oil and sea salt; boiled eggs; sushi rolls filled with brown rice, avocado, cucumber, carrots.

·       Make sure that your ‘chips’ are made with a few simple ingredients and try to purchase whole grain tortilla chips if you can! Baked corn chips and flax or rice crackers are great options.

·       No Super Bowl party is complete without a creamy dip, but heavy cheese or sour cream don’t need to be your dips’ base. Here are some lighter options: hummus, roasted eggplant spread, guacamole, salsa, Greek yogurt dip (add fresh herbs and spices like garlic, dill and lemon juice), black bean dip – and of course, tons of crunchy veggies to go with them!

·       Go nuts! Adding a variety of nuts to your spread is an effortless way to incorporate some healthy and filling protein and fat to the menu. To add a touch of portion control, try nuts with shells like pistachios, or cacao dusted almonds for those with a sweet tooth.

·       Don’t get delivery: make it in your kitchen! While you might be tempted to order in a few pies from your local pizzeria, making pizza at home can be a much healthier but still delicious option, since you control the ingredients. Add toppings like BBQ Chicken, veggies, garlic – get creative! If you’re crunched for time or just not in the mood to cook, you can pick up a healthy pizza from the frozen food section of the grocery store.

·       Crunch on some crudités: perfect to pair with healthful dips, or just to munch on their own. Colorful raw veggies are packed with fiber and bulk up your plate: carrots, cucumber, bell pepper strips, grape tomatoes, celery sticks, mushrooms, cauliflower, broccoli, yum!

·       It’s all about the shrimp: the players on the field aren’t the only ones who benefit from filling up on lean protein. You and your guests will love the extra energy and low cal pump that shrimp bring. Perfect to dip into some spicy cocktail sauce and fresh lemon! Shrimp can be grilled or steamed for different flavors.

·       Choose a more colorful chili: this simple dish can feed dozens of hungry guests. Depending on how you prepare it, it can be loaded with fiber, protein and veggies like bell peppers, onions (but shhh don’t tell!). Depending on who is attending, you can whip up a veggie chili or add ground turkey breast, and top with sliced green onions, low fat cheese or sour cream, chopped tomatoes. Corn muffins match this dish well!

·       Sliders and minis: you can still serve everyone’s favorite meat-centric dishes, and keeping the portions small provides everyone with the tastes they crave without overloading on the calories. If you prepare ahead, you can create bite-size nibbles, kabobs, plump shrimp and tiny sandwiches. Try ground lamb, which is nutrient rich and packed with nutrients and flavor, topped with salsa and avocados or guacamole. How about turkey meatballs, grilled chicken drumsticks or chicken sausage pieces with toothpicks! Mini burgers can be topped with wilted spinach and caramelized onions.

·       Sip smart: while beer commercials might try to sway you otherwise, remember that you don’t want to drink all of your calories. Here are some festive concoctions that will keep you hydrated: mint and green herbal teas, sparkling water with lemon, lime and orange wedges.

·       Sweets: you don’t have to serve that store-bought football-shaped monstrosity of a cake to cater to your guests’ sweet tooth. Try brownies filled with antioxidant-rich cocoa powder, perhaps topped with a green avocado topping. Even better, fresh fruit skewers for dessert, with strawberries and blueberries to accompany your sweets.

Some Delish Recipes!

Buffalo Hummus 
Makes 3 cups

Ingredients:

2 cans (15.5 ounces each) garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup tahini (sesame seed paste)
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup water
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 Tablespoon Franks Red Hot cayenne pepper sauce
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Instructions:

Blend ingredients until smooth. Serve with bean chips, carrots & celery sticks.

Almond Butter & Chocolate Popcorn

Makes 6 servings

Ingredients:

6 cups air-popped popcorn
4 Tablespoons dark chocolate chips, melted
2 Tablespoons natural almond butter, warmed

Instructions:

Place popcorn on baking sheet. Drizzle with chocolate and nut butter. Let set in fridge for 10 minutes. Enjoy.

Here are some of my upcoming classes that YOU can get involved with at the stunning JCC Manhattan’s Culinary Studio. Come get your hands dirty and learn some healthy recipes, figure out how to integrate some fresh new ingredients into your diet and ways that you can keep your family healthy and savvy in the kitchen. Learn some key tips from Dr. Brodsky herself, as she explores Food as Medicine. You will have a blast…

Healthy Tummies: Eating for Energy

Healthy Eating for a Happy Heart

Harnessing your Brain Power through Food

Many more to come… Stay Tuned!

Today we decided to splurge on lunch and spoil the staff, with in my opinion, the city’s BEST new restaurant for the health-savvy New Yorker. Hu Kitchen is known for its quality, HUman food that comes from all natural, clean sources, which is what makes it taste so special. Those who follow the Paleo lifestyle will be sure to adore these mouthwatering dishes, including their uber fresh salads, juices and protein bowls.

Sesame Kale Salad topped with Goji Berries: Huge Hit

The aroma from this meal was literally captivating; calling people over from their desks, as the hungry staff surrounded the table in line ups and feasted their eyes on nothing but colorful, healthy food.

Check out our Protein-rich Quinoa Bowl Bar: Filled with the world’s HEALTHIEST toppings

Each person got to create their own Quinoa Bowl with their own toppings and goodness. Most of the staff learned about and tasted quinoa for the first time today… For those of you who are new to this grain, Quinoa is a protein-rich grain that is not only super filling, but is also a great substitute for carbs like rice and pasta to switch it up. Quinoa (pronounced keen-wah) can be flavored to match anything your heart desires, whether it be Mexican, Italian, Greek, Indian; I even make a sweet blueberry maple almond quinoa for breakfast that is out of this world!.

Meaty mushrooms were a HUGE hit, and were so tasty that I had to have seconds… They served an organic grass-fed (and grass-finished!) ground beef that you can absolutely taste the difference when compared to your regular BigMac slop (sorry to say). Miso chicken was super juicy and moist, along with a bright orange creamy textured root veggie mash (carrots, sweet potato, squash) that blended in perfectly atop the quinoa. There was a slew of crunchy veggies to accompany the soft quinoa, like beets, jicama and carrots. Additional yummies to top off your bowl included almonds, black and white sesame seeds, fresh mint, basil and cilantro leaves, diced onion — a major way to cleanse your body post-detox!

Needless to say, there were no leftovers and we are ALL craving more of this Humanely DELICIOUS food again for next week. Let’s see if we can pull it off!