Lisa Rutledge, RD Blog

Whole Wheat & Sesame Crackers

November 26, 2025 No Comments

I have always wanted to try to make my own crackers and thought the upcoming holiday parties would be the perfect time to try. Of course, the recipe had to be easy and contain ingredients I already had in the house. After a brief google search, Martha Stewart’s whole wheat and sesame crackers peaked my interest. They were easy to make and tasted great (a kind of savory shortbread cookie). Unfortunately, they did not hold up under the pressure of slathering them full of toppings. (Keep you eyes peeled for the cheese ball recipe that knocked the socks off everyone who […]

Recipe

Hearty Sausage and Mushroom Sauce

October 3, 2025 No Comments

I love a thick, hearty meat sauce when the weather gets cold. I also like saving money and sneaking in more vegetables to meals. This hearty sausage and mushroom pasta sauce satisfies both! Since mushrooms have such a hearty taste and have the same texture as ground meat, they blend perfectly with the sausage meat. By using the mushrooms, you can use less meat and save money. By using sausage, the meat is pre-flavored and quick to whip up. Of course, you can use any pasta you prefer- long noodles, penne, rigatoni (my personal favorite), whole wheat, even gluten […]

Recipe

Creamy Rapini Linguine

April 10, 2026 No Comments

This creamy rapini linguine dish was a recent creation from our kitchen. We love rapini but sometimes struggle to create a dish that is well balanced without too much tartness. We also tend to eat a lot of broccoli- which can get boring. So to change things up a bit (and use what we have in the fridge) our cream sauce got a makeover! Another vegetarian recipe: Easy Peasy Dahl Soup Rapini also goes by the names broccoli raab or rabe. It is a cruciferous vegetable and although it may look similar to broccoli, it is more closely related to turnips. It is slightly […]

Recipe

Easy, Fiber & Protein Packed Granola

April 3, 2026 1 Comment

In this easy, fiber & protein packed Granola you can use any nuts or dried fruit that you like (or have on hand). I happened to have sliced almonds and cashews but you could try pecans, walnuts or anything else. I love coconut, which it why I included it. If you don’t or have another tasty ingredient, throw it on in! You may be tempted to leave out the oil or sugar but think twice. The sugar caramelizes while slow roasting and the oil turns the mix crunchy with a great bite. Adding the dried fruit at the end […]

Goal Setting, Healthy Living

When reaching for the stars is a bad idea

March 19, 2026 No Comments

Setting goals can be useful when we want to make a change- whether it be to our eating habits, activity levels or other areas of our lives. However, setting a goal that is not realistic can actually be more harmful than helpful. Actually reaching your goals is more important that the goal itself. Reaching Your Goals It is only natural to want change to happen right away but most changes take time. Focusing only on the end result and thus only on long-term goals does not help us to trudge through the rough parts of change because we won’t see the […]

Cravings, Healthy Eating, Healthy Living, Mindful Eating, Recipe

The ONLY secret ingredient you will need this year

March 1, 2026 2 Comments

I have an amazing recipe I’d like to share with you that has been inspired by my recent social feeds. It contains a secret ingredient that helps squash food cravings and cut down on portions, both of which help with weight management! But first, a little background on what I saw on my feeds that stirred up some emotions and motivation to share this secret ingredient. First I scrolled past what looked like a dessert, but the description indicated it was a protein cake mixed with protein whip cream topped with protein pudding for someone’s breakfast. Then I saw a […]

Cravings, Emotional Eating, Healthy Eating, Healthy Living, Mindful Eating, Relationship with Food

Mindful Eating Series with The Grounded Therapist (#2)

February 20, 2026 No Comments

Mindful Eating can be helpful in so many different aspects of healthy eating: it can help naturally reduce portion sizes (if you tend to over eat due to emotions or mindlessness), it can help reduce emotions that can lead to eating when not hungry and improve confidence in food choices. It does, however, take some practice to truly work. That is why actively taking part in activities that increase mindfulness are integral and is how/why this series came about! Here is what Rachel, the Grounded Therapist, had to say about Mindful Eating in Part 2 of our series: I really wanted to […]

Recipe

[Recipe] Easy Oven Doughnuts

February 14, 2026 No Comments

Easy Oven Doughnuts 40 mins Serves 12 large OR 12 medium + 12 small Ingredients: 2 3/4 cups flour 1/4 cup cornstarch 1 cup sugar 1 tbsp baking powder 1 tsp salt 1/2 tsp nutmeg 1 cup buttermilk 8 tbsp melted butter 2 eggs + 1 yolk Cinnamon sugar topping: 1 cup sugar 2 tsp cinnamon 4 tbsp butter Instructions: 1. Preheat oven to 400oF. 2. Whisk together all the dry ingredients in a bowl then whisk together all the wet ingredients in a separate bowl. 3. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir until the dough starts to […]

Advice on Specific Foods, Healthy Eating, Healthy Living

Why Heart Healthy Eating isn’t as Bad as You Think

February 8, 2026 No Comments

February is Heart Month! If you’re thinking this has something to do with chocolates or roses, think again! This national campaign has been going strong for more than half a century. The goal is to raise awareness (and donations) for the Heart and Stroke Foundation and highlight the risks of heart disease and stroke. Coming from a nutrition background, we used to talk about avoiding eggs and cutting down on fat to help reduce risk for heart disease. Oh, how the times have changed. The most recent recommendations released are the Dietary Guideline for Americans by the USA Government. Interestingly, these guidelines […]

Mindful Eating

Mindful Eating Series with The Grounded Therapist (#1)

January 27, 2026 No Comments

This time of year you can’t glance at any social media feed without being bombarded with (bad) advice on how to lose weight/be healthy/shape up. There IS an alternative to all that diet & clean eating crazy speak: Mindful Eating. I understand that it can be a hard to understand concept- so I have embarked on a project to help you understand what it is and how it can help you and (perhaps more importantly) how you can start practicing it today. This is a collaboration between myself and The Grounded Therapist. I met Rachel Dougherty, The Grounded Therapist, through a […]