Mostly tomatoes
I love my Mom’s stories of helping her Neapolitan family in the kitchen growing up—like using her tiny thumb to shape the gnocchi spread out all over their big kitchen table, or hearing my great grandmother Nona Teresa say that the bugs hiding in her garden-picked veggies were just “extra protein.”
My own childhood was fun in different ways—afternoons were spent at dance, Girl Scouts, swim practice, or basketball. I guess I didn’t yet realize what I was missing in the kitchen, because although I’ve always loved food, my bustling schedule and homework load kept me from discovering how much I would come to love cooking.
So like many kids of the 80s and 90s, we relied on a lot of convenience-based meals. Between school and after-school activities, it was easy to pop a frozen Healthy Choice dinner into the microwave while my Mom was constantly shuttling me and my two brothers between practices (Mothers are heroes).
We still did cook together—like homemade pasta, Italian pizzelle and biscotti at Christmas, plus other childhood favorites. And I’ve made up for lost time in the kitchen over the past 13 years as I’ve gotten increasingly involved in holistic nutrition.
I learned how to cook from my mom during visits home, from the Food Network before it became a reality TV showdown (Ina and Giada were my grad school thesis therapists), and from roommates I’ve had the pleasure of sharing a space with. Many of them sincerely valued home cooking, nutrition, and sustainable food systems like Community Supported Agriculture shares and our beloved NYC Greenmarkets.
As I dove more into Ayurveda, I learned the importance of eating freshly cooked meals for digestion and overall health—though I quickly came to realize how difficult this could be for an entrepreneur hopping all over NYC, a parent who wears many hats, or a modern-day person in general. So I’ve been refining ways to make seasonal, daily cooking feel simple and nourishing—without pressure or perfection.
Eating mindfully and seasonally has also helped me reconnect with food, nature, and my body in a really special way. Living in France has been inspiring in that sense, too—they really cherish their seasonal produce and slower pace of life. La vie est belle 🙂
Below are some simple, summer-inspired eats I’ve been enjoying during my favorite season, should it spark any insights or inspirations for your own kitchen concoctions—without taking up too much of your time or prescribing a strict meal plan.
Friendly food reminders:
- Take good care of yourself and your needs—health is a priority and a privilege.
- Take food posts and “What I Eat In A Day” content with a grain of salt—allow it to be a fun source of inspiration instead of a self-judgement spiral.
- Nourish yourself from a place of love vs a need to fix yourself. There is no perfect way to eat—what works for someone else might not necessarily work for you.
- Embrace exploration, flexibility, and a little mess in the kitchen. #messydelicious
If you’re traveling this summer, enjoy my Mind-body Travel Guide with holistic tips and products for digestion, nourishing habits, and mindset support on the go.
For what it’s worth 🙂
Peruse some of my ecological kitchen tools + holistic cooking essentials on Shopmy + Amazon.
(I receive a small commission.)
Breakfast
Also treats + drinks
Coconut yogurt + my tahini granola with stewed cassis berries + yellow plums—drizzle of lavender honey 
Muesli cookies with almonds, vanilla and cinnamon—similar to this recipe—sweetened with dates + applesauce, half the batch with dark chocolate chunks 
German cherry bread pudding—kirschenmichel—with fruit + nut bread 
Light and fluffy speculoos tiramisu from a Niçoise resto with some lovely yoga students—and side of decaf noisette, which is like a tiny cappuccino 
Watermelon—a summer essential; a hydrating afternoon snack; a pre-breakfast bite 
Chamomile ginger citrus tea—cooled for a refreshing herbal tonic, on repeat 
Matcha with almond milk, served cold—blended with vanilla, cinnamon + honey 
Salads
With sides + sourdough
Tuna salad with chopped carrot + cherry tomato, avocado, olive oil, balsamic, honey, lime, s+p—with toasted sourdough + chilled ginger chamomile lime tea 
Summer salad with cucumber, avocado, cherry tomato, green tiger tomato, mozzarella, and balcony-grown basil—dressed in balsamic + olive oil, served with baguette 
Caprese salad with balcony basil, alongside sautéed zucchini with garlic, shallot + white beans—topped with parmesan + served with sourdough 
Tomato salad with fresh goat cheese, olive oil + balsamic, s+p—with sourdough
P.S. If you’re an olive oil lover, I recommend Maraviglia’s from Tuscany—I did a retreat there a few years ago and the taste is incredible—or Le Lavandin’s from Provence.
Lunch + Dinner
Roasted + baked
Roasted summer veggies + herbs, topped with feta—easy + delicious 
Late spring roasted asparagus + zucchini with white beans sautéed in olive oil, shallot, and radish greens—topped with parmesan
More roasted asparagus (before the season was over!) zucchini + cherry tomato over whole wheat penne—with olive oil + parmesan 
Roasted cabbage + spiced cauliflower, green lentils cooked with garlic, boiled potatoes dressed in homemade pickle brine + olive oil—all topped with feta 
Herbed roasted cauliflower, tofu + leek with herby basmati rice, steamed green beans, feta, squeeze of lemon—next time I’ll make a lemon tahini sauce for it 
Roasted potatoes + aubergine with balcony thyme, 7-minute egg, goat cheese 
Tomato ricotta tart inspired by Julius Roberts—basically a rustic French pizza 
Eggs etc
Sautéed zucchini with scrambled eggs + ricotta—a simple + satisfying lunch 
Eggs + balcony thyme, sun dried tomatoes, feta, s+p, balcony basil, sourdough
Italia!
Favorites from Finale Ligure
Prosciutto, melone e mozzarella di bufala in Finalborgo—wasn’te expecting the more intense bufala flavor in this traditional Italian combo, but ended up enjoying it 
Classic Italian continental breakfast—I love the lightly sweetened cakes, muesli with yogurt and apricot preserves, and decaf cappuccinos 
Fritto misto = barely fried calamari, sardines, zucchini and carrot at a family-owned spot in Finale Ligure—don’t normally eat fried, but this was light + delightful 
Pizza—mozzarella, arugula, cherry tomato, grana padano cheese—simple + tasty 
Crema al limone + coconut gelato in Finale Ligure—not my typical order but refreshing—the day before was almond pistachio cream + passion fruit cheesecake 
Focaccia Genovese from a local gem for a delicious train lunch—one was mozzarella + mushrooms with parmesan, the other was mozzarella + stracchino cheese
Food to feel good
Cooking doesn’t need to be fancy or performative, and it can certainly both taste good and nourish you without being complicated—whether it’s a lovely veggie bowl shared with a friend, or a simple granola bowl enjoyed in silence in the morning sun.
If you’d like to go deeper into mindful eating and meal prep or seasonal self-care, I offer personalized holistic lifestyle coaching—intro calls are free.
What summer eats have been lighting you up lately?
Take good care,
S
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