Clean Eating, Detoxification & Anti-Inflammatory Recipes & Lifestyle Blog - The Healthy Apple

Recipes Curried Squash Soup

Recipes Roasted Beets + Onions with Blood Oranges

Recipes Garlic + Ginger Celebration Squash with Sesame Seeds

Soups Curried Squash Soup

Recipes Roasted Beets + Onions with Blood Oranges

Veggies Garlic + Ginger Celebration Squash with Sesame Seeds

I started The Healthy Apple, in my early 20's, to share all I was learning about healing myself from more than two dozen chronic health issues. Just before my 40th birthday, I closed that part of my journey and began a new chapter. I'm now bringing consciousness and beauty to everyday life at AmieValpone.com.

Rest assured, you can still access the resources and information gathered here on alternative medicine, living an anti-inflammatory lifestyle and understanding the multitude of mind body connections.

Thank you for your ongoing love and support - you've given me the courage to believe in myself. I look forward to seeing you at AmieValpone.com.

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Recipes Garlic + Ginger Celebration Squash with Sesame Seeds

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Mind Body How to Cultivate Self-Acceptance

Mind Body Unraveling // The Highly Sensitive Empath

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There are quite a few vegetables I don’t buy ver

There are quite a few vegetables I don’t buy very often. Fennel is one of them. I love it but it’s not an everyday veggie for me. So, earlier this month while walking around the produce aisle of my food store, I decided to buy a bulb, slice it up + enhance the anise flavor by roasting it until super tender. It became a lovely little side dish for dinner.

The following day I had the idea of turning this roasted veggie into a soup. I tossed it into my high-speed blender with a bit of water + sea salt. It was heavenly.

This is sort of how I eat. I tend to saute or roast a veggie one night + then my creativity starts soaring the next day with what I can do with it. So, here you have it. If you find yourself in a cooking rut, reach for an unexpected veggie, roast it one night then turn it into a simple soup the next. For me, it feeds the soul to keep exploring new ways to use my leftovers. Otherwise, I tend to open my fridge and get bored looking at sad, soggy leftovers. You get the picture.

To roast the head of fennel, I removed the stalks + discarded the stem. Then, I sliced the bulb into ¼-inch slices. I laid the slices in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet covered with parchment paper, rubbed them with olive oil + sprinkled a bit of sea salt on top. These roasted at 400 degrees F for 30 minutes or until the fennel was very tender.

To make a soup from here, I dropped the roasted fennel slices into a high-speed blender with water + sea salt. More water yields a thinner soup so depending on how large your bulb of fennel is, you can wing it.

Use the leftover fennel stalks for a simple salad + the fronds for garnish. They pair really well with thinly sliced celery, olive oil, sea salt + a squeeze of fresh lemon or lime juice. I like to toss all of this together and let it sit to “marinate” for about 15 minutes, then toss again + serve.
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I had this wild idea to attempt to make a bread sw

I’ve taken a bit of a break from the pottery whe

I’ve taken a bit of a break from the pottery wheel throughout the last few months to create without a spinning wheel + solely with my bare hands. While I love the wheel (and I will hop back on it at some point), I was really craving pieces that were a bit more rustic without the precision + symmetry of my bowls on the wheel.

I’ve been wanting to create a few plates for quite some time to use in my photoshoots + to showcase new recipes but I somehow became a little factory with plates of all sizes. Some platters. Some saucers. Some salad plates. Some dinner plates. Some teeny tiny ones for sea salt + spices. It’s been really soothing + meditative. I’ve loved it.

And so, I thought I’d share a sneak peak of my mini production line, haha. Some of these pieces have yet to be fired, which are called greenware while others are stoneware, pieces that have been bisque fired. I’ve created two videos here to show you the difference between greenware + stoneware. I talk more about this process + the two stages of firing in the article titled, “Pottery” in the Creative Living section of my website, AmieValpone.com if you’re into it.

I’m excited to share what these plates look like when they’re glazed, fired again + ready for use. Stay tuned!
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I make a batch of fresh tomato sauce at least once

I make a batch of fresh tomato sauce at least once a week. Tomatoes, of course, are always included but the other ingredients vary week to week. I like to switch up the variety of tomatoes, as well. Sometimes I combine cherry and grape varieties. Other times, heirloom or plum. It’s fun for me. I enjoy tossing a handful of ingredients into a pot, letting them simmer for a bit then dipping my wooden spoon into the sauce in hopes all the flavors are dancing nicely together.

Tonight’s sauce includes a handful of red bell peppers for a touch of sweetness. There’s a squeeze of tomato paste, some garlic, paprika and a surprising guest: coriander. It’s a simple sauce that’s lovely spooned on top of veggies, roasted chicken or anything your heart desires.

Enjoy.

Bell Pepper Tomato Sauce

Ingredients
1 Tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 large yellow onion, peeled and diced
1 ½ teaspoon sea salt, plus a pinch
1 Tablespoon tomato paste
1 teaspoon paprika
½ teaspoon ground coriander
4 medium garlic cloves, peeled
2 pounds beefsteak tomatoes, quartered
1 pound red bell peppers, seeded and thinly sliced
Handful fresh basil

Method
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Sauté the onion with a pinch of sea salt for 10 minutes or until very tender, stirring often. Lower the heat to medium-low. Add the sea salt, tomato paste, paprika and coriander. Cook for 1 minute, stirring regularly. Add the whole garlic cloves, tomatoes, bell peppers and basil. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer for 30 minutes or until the vegetables are very tender. Remove from the heat. Set aside to cool for 5-10 minutes to cool before transferring to the blender.

Transfer to a high-speed blender and puree until smooth. Season to taste. Serve warm.

Store leftovers in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 1 month.
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This recipe needs no introduction. You’ve seen m

I have two quart-sized Ziploc bags filled to the b

I have two quart-sized Ziploc bags filled to the brim with cards I’ve received throughout my years in NYC. The bags are worn + quite frankly, outdated. They’re the old school 2005 Ziploc bags that clearly aren’t as cool as the ones I use to freeze leftovers in 2024.

This is one of the cards. It’s from my mom. She sent it to me a few years ago when I was going through unbearable treatments + felt so defeated. I found this card while cleaning out my old 2023 planner last week. I must have stuck it in there to remind myself of this beautiful message when I needed a little lift.

I thought about adding it to my card collection but instead, I tacked it up on one of my Inspiration Boards (you can read about these boards on my website, AmieValpone.com). Something about the words really lifted me up for many reasons.

The first thing that came to mind when I ripped open the envelope + read this card was about the concept of beauty + how we’re so heavily programmed that beauty looks like perfection or that it’s all about external appearances when beauty, true beauty, is all about our relationship with ourselves.

The second thing that came to mind was about how lost I felt while healing because healing the mind + body is not a pretty process. There’s a lot of disgust as the body rids itself of the toxins that manifested as symptoms. There’s even a lot of disgust as the mind rids itself of the self-hatred, shame + anxiety that kept the body in a state of turmoil for decades. I can only speak to my own healing journey but I wish that while I was in the depths of it, I had something to reassure me that healing is not supposed to be beautiful or pretty or easy or anything like that. It’s the squeeze before the transformation.

So, this post is for any of you who may feel defeated. Those of you who are suffering. Or ready to give up on something that feels too much - too heavy to handle. My best offering is to not get lost in the mind’s loops of disgust, shame and self-hatred when going through challenging times but to realize that life has a wild way of making us stronger, more beautiful humans after we’ve hit rock bottom(s).

Keep going. The beauty is on the other side.✨

I’ve been intimidated by gluten-free baking for

I’ve been intimidated by gluten-free baking for most of my life. Up until a few months ago, I preferred cooking over baking. But, something changed recently.

I can’t really put my finger on the day but my little trips to the food store have had me skipping over my usual lingering down the tomato sauce aisle, pulling me into the baking aisle. If you’ve baked from my cookbook, Eating Clean, you know I’m a simple baker. There’s no all-purpose flour, no xanthan gum, no binders, no hard-to-find ingredients. The baking is basic. My digestion can’t handle complicated baking with a trillion ingredients or additives. It doesn’t work for me. I’ve learned to see it as a blessing in disguise.

I use one to two flours per recipe and that is it. These flours ain’t cheap and it’s exhausting to have multiple bags sitting in your pantry if you’re not using them within a few months. So, I like to keep it simple.

My gluten-free flours of choice are: almond flour, coconut flour, oat flour + every once and awhile chickpea flour. Basic, yes. There’s one ingredient in each of these flours. They’re not interchangeable because they each have their own personality so getting to know them is a bit of a rollercoaster. They’ve all intimidated me like a mean girl on the playground so I’ve kept my distance. But, you know, I’m a bit of a badass in my kitchen so I just sat with my fear and blew right through it. That pretty much sums up my life. Walking through fears + enjoying the liberation on the other side.

Anyway, I’m sharing this because I have a feeling you’re in for some baking recipes these next few months. Maybe not but I think it’s leaning more towards maybe yes.

I’ve been working on a muffin recipe for breakfast that’s hearty + filling + also tastes wonderful without any added sugar. It’s sort of a lovely combination of a muffin, a scone and a popover. They’re big because I like a big breakfast with a good amount of fat + protein + of course, flavor. These muffin-scone-popovers are quite fabulous. I made them for the third time this morning, shifting a few ingredients here and there. I think they’re just about ready to share.

Stay tuned for the recipe!

So many of you loved the fennel tea recipe I share

So many of you loved the fennel tea recipe I shared a few weeks ago, which inspired me to share a simple fresh rosemary tea that’s equally as wonderful for digestion.

All you need is water (I suggest filtered) and a few sprigs of fresh rosemary. It’s worth noting that rosemary leaves can vary from sharp and needle-like to feathery soft and wide. I prefer the latter. It’s taken me years to realize I don’t need to purchase rosemary that requires a sharp knife to slice through it.

Rosemary is quite piney so start with a few springs (or even just one sprig) and work your way up depending on how strong you’d like your tea. I like it strong so I use 3-4 large sprigs.

Here’s how to make it.

Fill a large pot with 8 cups of water. Add the rosemary sprigs and submerge them in the water. Cover and bring to a boil on the stovetop. Remove from the heat and set aside, covered, for 5-10 minutes depending on how strong you’d like your tea.

Remove the cover and ladle the tea into serving glasses with a sprig of rosemary, if desired. Serve warm.

Store leftover tea in a sealed container in the refrigerator for 1 day. Discard rosemary springs before storing.

Enjoy!

I’ve lived in six apartments throughout my two d

I’ve lived in six apartments throughout my two decades in Manhattan (not including a tiny air mattress on Wall Street + a very small couch on the UES I crashed on for three months until I found a place to live). Each apartment I’ve inhabited has faced either the back of the building or the side, which meant sunlight didn’t come around often. Or at all.

I recall moving into my Chelsea apartment many years ago + while my bedroom was in the back of the building, it was flooded with natural light in the spring and summer for about two hours in the late afternoon. Those two hours of pure, natural sunlight shifted my mood in ways I can’t really describe. It was the sunlight that made me realize I had been living in darkness for so long, hiding from life for so long, depressed + unwell for so long.

It’s interesting isn’t it? Sometimes we don’t realize we’re even in a dark place until some light creeps in unexpectedly. I’m grateful for that apartment - the sunlight showed me what was possible on the other side of depression, grief + pain.

Fast forward to this apartment + I’m finally facing the street! The natural light in this loft is magical. It shifts ever so beautifully with each season + sort of dances along my white walls. I love it! Facing the street also means a few more horns honking, but I’ll take it.

This view is one you’ve seen in the videos on my website + throughout some of my Stories. I’m in my kitchen, back pressed against my refrigerator. I’m facing the front of my loft, where my little creative nook sits off to the right. I take photos like this often but rarely do I post them. Until now. This week I thought about how this home truly reflects so much about me + how it’d be fun to share this view with you throughout the year. This way, I’m not the only one seeing the light dancing on my walls. So, we’ll call this photo: winter.

There’s a bundle of fresh greens sitting in water right in the heart of my kitchen. A few twiggy branches hang nearby. Burnt orange roses (my favorite color) from a bodega shine through in the mirror’s reflection giving this front room another dash of orangy color…

Continued in comments below.

I have this thing for tomatoes. I’m sure you’v

I have this thing for tomatoes. I’m sure you’ve noticed.

I have quite a few tomato recipes, mostly in soup or sauce form, so I thought I’d skip the extra step of pureeing them for once and simply roast ’em whole.

To make this more of a meal, I’ve added some oomph from slivered almonds and whirled them around with fresh basil to make the most luscious mousse that resembles pesto – but on a whole new level.

The recipe is up on AmieValpone.com.

Enjoy!

41, you feel wonderful. Little did I know I’d fe

41, you feel wonderful. Little did I know I’d feel even better at 41 than I did at 21. What a treat!

Stronger, healthier + so ready to receive everything that’s headed my way this year. Let’s do this 41. ✨

Today, I’m excited to launch a new section of my