What is a Nourished Life?

A nourished life is one lived with intention—where food, rest, connection, and joy are honored equally. It’s a life rooted in presence, guided by care. One that feeds the body with real, vibrant food—and the spirit with beauty, meaning, and warmth.

So, what does a nourished life look like? It takes on many forms—but at its best, it includes, good health and joyful movement, a circle of friends and family, chosen or inherited, a safe, comforting place to call home, access to delicious, whole foods, a sense of purpose and curiosity, a soul that feels content, connected, and spiritually fulfilled.

It’s not about perfection—it’s about tending to what matters most. It’s the salad and the slice of cake. The walk by the sea, the table set with love, the small rituals that become sacred.

Latest Recipes

Tomato Shallot Confit with Whipped Ricotta

Tomato Shallot Confit with Whipped Ricotta

Our Saturday ritual consists of a walk to our local farmers’ market, and coffee and breakfast at a favorite restaurant. I often find that the farmers’ market dictates our menu for the week, with the lush fruits and veggies in season inspiring me. This Tomato Shallot Confit with Whipped Ricotta is no exception.

Living Well

Meditation

Some Thoughts

Loving-Kindness Meditation

Loving-Kindness Meditation

The loving-kindness meditation, is a practice rooted in Buddhist traditions that involves cultivating feelings of love and compassion and offers a profound and beautiful way to invest 10-15 minutes daily. I frequently wrap up my workouts by lying...

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Simple Mantra Meditation

Simple Mantra Meditation

When I delved into the practice of meditation, a shroud of secrecy surrounded the process, prompting questions about the necessity of ceremonial initiation and associated fees. I firmly believe that meditation should be an accessible skill taught...

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Polar Nights and Northern Lights of Tromsø

Polar Nights and Northern Lights of Tromsø

Since I was a child listening to my mother’s stories about the boats that would weave their way through the fjords to bring letters and necessary goods to little towns and villages up north where Santa lived, I have wanted to visit northern Norway. This Christmas, I did.

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Meditation in Snow and Silence

Meditation in Snow and Silence

On this bitterly cold day across most of the United States, I come to you from Bergen, Norway, where I am spending the Christmas holiday with family.

One Christmas while in the Colorado mountains, I was overwhelmed by the season – too much emphasis on buying the next big thing for gifts, frantically shopping, cooking, sending out cards, and ensuring everything was perfect. I took a walk in the woods to clear my head and breathe. I thought I’d reshare this post I wrote when I emerged from that walk.

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Life In Portugal

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Latest Blog Posts

Spinach, Berries, and Quinoa Salad

Spinach, Berries, and Quinoa Salad

This Spinach, Berries, and Quinoa Salad is more than a pretty plate. The combination of tender greens, juicy berries, nutty grains, and heart-healthy fats hits all the right notes—sweet, tart, crunchy, creamy.

Loving-Kindness Meditation

Loving-Kindness Meditation

The loving-kindness meditation, is a practice rooted in Buddhist traditions that involves cultivating feelings of love and compassion and offers a profound and beautiful way to invest 10-15 minutes daily. I frequently wrap up my workouts by lying on the floor and...

Simple Mantra Meditation

Simple Mantra Meditation

When I delved into the practice of meditation, a shroud of secrecy surrounded the process, prompting questions about the necessity of ceremonial initiation and associated fees. I firmly believe that meditation should be an accessible skill taught in schools,...

Jalapẽno Cheddar Cornbread

Jalapẽno Cheddar Cornbread

Not Your Grandmother's Cornbread Recipe, But Close Jalapeño cornbread has been a favorite in my kitchen for as long as I can remember. My love for it began as a child during visits to my Mexican grandmother in San Antonio, where she taught me to make sweet cornbread...

Macho Salad With Cornbread Croutons

Macho Salad With Cornbread Croutons

Cherry Creek Grill is one of my favorite restaurants in Denver. I make a point of eating there whenever I’m in town. I always order the smoked salmon appetizer—probably the best smoked salmon I’ve ever had—and the Macho Salad, minus the chicken, since I eat a...

Southern Honey Cornbread

Southern Honey Cornbread

Cornbread: A Taste of Tradition My cornbread memories take me back to camping trips and barbecues. This southern staple, however, has its roots in Native American cuisine, where cornmeal was a dietary essential. Over time, cornbread evolved into the moist, hearty,...

Welcome!

I’m Eva Marie, a cook, traveler, and an integrative nutrition and brain health coach. This is my little nook where I share my recipes, travel experiences, and stories. I’m so glad you stopped by to have a look around.

 

Healthy Choices

Spinach, Berries, and Quinoa Salad

This Spinach, Berries, and Quinoa Salad is more than a pretty plate. The combination of tender greens, juicy berries, nutty grains, and heart-healthy fats hits all the right notes—sweet, tart, crunchy, creamy.

Tomato Shallot Confit with Whipped Ricotta

Our Saturday ritual consists of a walk to our local farmers’ market, and coffee and breakfast at a favorite restaurant. I often find that the farmers’ market dictates our menu for the week, with the lush fruits and veggies in season inspiring me. This Tomato Shallot Confit with Whipped Ricotta is no exception.

Nectarine and Orange Salad: A Refreshing Summer Recipe

The vibrant colors and flavors of the season are everything I want on my plate on these hot summer days, and this Nectarine and Orange Salad delivers those healthy and tasty vibes in spades. It’s a beautiful salad with sliced nectarines, oranges, red onion, goat cheese, and pumpkin seeds.

Vegan Spaghetti Squash With Spinach Basil Sauce

How wonderful it is that nature provided us with spaghetti squash, an unprocessed, gluten-free, grain-free, and dairy-free option to pasta. I’m in Portugal, where I love all the organic fresh produce I find at our local farmers’ market. I took advantage of the abundance of squash to make an easy and healthy meal. Vegan Spaghetti Squash With Spinach Basil Sauce is a delightful combination that delivers a delicious and nutritious dish.

Spicy Red Curry: A Quick and Nutritious Meal for Busy Days

In the whirlwind of our busiest days, when it feels as if every minute counts, I find solace in the kitchen. It's a sanctuary where I conjure up...

Delicious Vegan Sofritas Recipe: High-Protein and Gluten-Free

Delicious Vegan Sofritas Recipe is a delicious high-protein, gluten-free, and vegan option that can win over the staunchest of meat aficionados. It’s a tantalizing medley of onions, peppers, aromatic chilies, cumin, and sweet and smoky paprika. This vegan Sofritas recipe is perfect for those seeking a flavorful and satisfying plant-based meal.

Refreshing Nectarine and Watermelon Salad

Discover the benefits of a Refreshing Nectarine and Watermelon Salad, featuring nutritious ingredients like dates, walnuts, and goat cheese, with a tangy balsamic dressing. Perfect for a refreshing and healthy meal.

Fresh and Easy French Potato and Peapod Salad

This French-style potato salad is delicious on its own, served on a bed of greens, or used as a side dish with a protein. The crisp pea pods give it a fresh flavor, and the dressing is filled with bright-tasting herbs and mustard.

Quick Pickled Red Onions

Pickled red onions can add a bit of tang and some pretty pink to so many dishes. Add some slices of jalapeños and you will give this wonderful condiment a bite of heat. A staple in most Mexican kitchens, pickled red onions can be a delicious addition to tacos, quesadillas and enchiladas, but they are also wonderful on scrambled eggs, avocado toast, fish dishes and salads. Not as sweet and my Red Onion Marmalade, but they are interchangeable and I always have a jar of at least one of these on hand at all times.

Picante Pinto Bean Soup: Nutritious Vegetarian Fare

A quick and easy Picante Pinto Bean Soup. It’s healthy and hearty, and can be served vegan, with cheese and sour cream, or over rice.

Lemon and Caper Cauliflower Steaks

Cauliflower is a little like tofu, it's a convincing imitator that can be prepared in ways that are usually saved for proteins, like fish or meat....

Vegan Mushroom Bourguignon

I would toil away late into the evening in the back of my little store, in the kitchen with an apartment electric oven and limited supplies. After...

Crisp Asian Salad with Tofu and a Peanut Dressing

This crunchy and cool salad that is made up of two kinds of cabbage, celery, carrots, and topped off with precooked tofu or chicken is a wonderful main course dish. It’s easy to make ahead of time and the peanut dressing is so divine.

White Bean Puree with Kale and Balsamic Onions

As a vegetarian, if I showed up at someone's house and they served this to me for dinner, I be thrilled. So often vegan and vegetarian meals are...

Creamy Zucchini and Potato Soup

Seventy degrees one day and the next, we have two feet of snow, but it's not a problem as we have no place to go. One day seems to blend into...

Roasted Pepper, Artichoke and Cannellini Bean Salad

Life at my day job as a Realtor has been roller-coaster of changes by the hour since our town has gone into lock-down mode. I had a conversation...

Arugula, Sweet Potato and Quinoa Salad

This is a nutrient dense salad made with spicy arugula, sweet potato, quinoa (a complete vegan protein), and dried cranberries. I like to serve it on individual plates but you can also toss all of the ingredients into a large bowl and serve it family style.

Peanut Noodles Primavera

If you’re looking for a quick, healthy, and incredibly versatile dish, this Peanut Noodles Primavera is the answer. I like to think of it as a...

Roasted Squash, Red Onion and Pomegranate Salad

The quiet was as soft as could be, with only the occasional sound of the kitty's paws padding along the wood floors, so it was a perfect morning to...

Nicoise Salad

The Nicoise Salad is one of the great French culinary concoctions. It is simple, fresh tasting, and a nutritiously power-packed dish. It is a wonderful salad to make for a buffet table or pot-luck, as it allows people to take the ingredients that suite their particular diets and preferences.

Lemon Jewel Couscous

Looking for a side dish with bright and fresh flavors? This Lemon Jewel Couscous is great hot, cold, and at room temperature. It can be served as a...

Thai Green Curry

On a private beach in Thailand, a green curry simmered in a pot over an open fire. It was served as part of an incredible lunch spread on an epic...

Southwest Butternut Squash Soup

November has been a historic and wild month for us Americans. The political scene has made for an emotional rollercoaster and a myriad of...

Potato Asparagus Salad

A delicious and healthy potato and asparagus salad with a great mix of veggies, fresh herbs and a savory vinaigrette spiked with some lemon zest to give it a little pop of unexpected citrus.

Provincial Tomato and Canellini Bean Bisque

Rustic and provincial dishes are very appealing to me. I enjoy the rough edges and textures. This tomato soup has all the right elements; smooth,...

Farmer’s Salad with Polenta Croutons

On a recent trip to Denver's Union Station, my mother-in law ordered a wonderful salad at Mercantile Dining and Provision. The ingredient that...
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