Did You Travel Over the Holiday Weekend?
We love to visit West Michigan this time of year. Our oldest daughter lives in a charming town on Lake Michigan, surrounded by beach towns and amazing food. One of our favorite restaurants, Pennyroyal Café & Provisions, is just a short drive away. It’s owned by a semi-finalist for the James Beard Award and offers a relaxed garden dining experience with beautifully crafted, affordable dishes.
This year, we enjoyed a memorable 4th of July dinner there — and I came home on a mission, recreate one of their dishes.
Garden-Inspired Zucchini Gnocchi Pesto
With the zucchini ripening fast in our home garden, I set out to recreate the dish we had at Pennyroyal: Zucchini Gnocchi with Pesto. While mine may not win culinary awards, it turned out flavorful, nourishing, and deeply satisfying.
Here’s my spin on it — a gut-friendly, microbiome-loving, dairy-free pesto made with ingredients known to reduce inflammation and support gut health.
🌿 Microbiome-Loving Pesto Recipe
- 1 cup fresh basil (from the garden if you can!)
- ½ cup sunflower seeds (less fat than pine nuts, equally tasty)
- ½ cup cold-pressed flaxseed oil (for no-oil, sub with tahini)
- ¼ cup nutritional yeast (for that cheesy, B-vitamin boost)
- Juice of one lemon
👉 Blend until smooth. Add a splash of water if needed to thin.
🍝 Toss with gnocchi, swirl into pasta, or spoon over lightly steamed veggies.
Victory Garden Update
There’s something magical about leaving your garden for a few days and returning to a burst of new life. While we were away:
- Our first okra pods emerged
- Zucchini and cucumbers were plentiful enough to share with friends
- Tomatoes are just starting to blush
Inside, we’ve been growing purple radish microgreens — a powerhouse of anthocyanins, which are antioxidants that help reduce inflammation, support heart health, and boost recovery from stress.
🪴 Want to grow your own? Check out my Instagram post from July 1st for a simple how-to! If you do not follow my instagram account, please click on that follow button, and join me almost daily as I post new recipes, tips for the garden, health tips, and me in the kitchen teaching you how to be the healthiest version of you.
This month’s session is on July 21st and we’ll dive into the healing power of anthocyanins — including a hands-on microgreens-growing demo!
💻 PBNSG (Plant Based Nutrition Support Group) is a virtual community with over 800 members, classes, and plant-based support. I host the “Foods That Fight Pain” group every third Monday at 7PM ET.
Membership is just $10/month. Join us here.
🌱 Upcoming Events
🗓 Asheville VegFest — October 5–6
I’ll be speaking at Asheville VegFest this fall! This city is magical in October — come for the festival, stay for the mountain air and changing leaves. Learn more about Asheville VegFest
🚢 Health Optimization Vegan Cruise — February 2026
Planning your winter travel? Join me on this fully vegan cruise to Cozumel and Grand Cayman. Think: daily plant-based meals by top chefs, wellness speakers (including me!), and even dessert with every meal.
We lost 8 pounds last year — while eating the best food ever.
🛳 Cruise Sign Up | More Info Here
⏰ Deadline to book: September 12th.
Here’s a brief video about the cruise, me and a few other speakers from last year as we take you a visual trip to see some of the things we did during the last trip. It truly was an an amazing trip.
