Edible Holiday Gifts

The holidays are coming. What better gift than something homemade from your kitchen? I had a super fun time Saturday demonstrating how to create Edible Holiday Gifts at the Cascade Park Community Library. Here's a look-see....

Curried Lentil Soup

Peppermint Hot Cocoa

Apricot Chocolate Trail Mix

The participants

Food Chronicles 2014

After a tumultuous start to my year...it didn't keep me from sharing my passion for food with YOU. Thanks for inviting me into your homes, offices, schools, etc. Here's a look back at some of the deliciousness of 2014! I'm looking forward to making more food memories in 2015.

Chrisetta Mosley © 2014
Culinary Goddess

Health 100: Food and Your Health -- Fall '14

I'm so blessed to have an employer, FamilyCare Health Plans that embraces my passion and doesn't see it as a threat! They want me to continue doing what I love! I have the best of both worlds.

2 days, 3 lectures, 100 students

There's so many reasons I love visiting campus and sharing my passion for food and health with students. High on that is when they want to take a photo with me or have me sign their cookbooks. Priceless.

Harvest Healthy Snacks with Chrisetta

It had been a while since I held a cooking presentation, but I was back at it again at one of my favorite spots on Saturday. I had the pleasure of whipping up Harvest Healthy Snacks at the Cascade Park Community Library. As always, it was a great time. I'm so blessed to share my passion for food with YOU.Here's a look at the delicious fun!

On the menu:

-Fuji Apples with fresh squeezed lime juice and sprinkled with chili powder
-Fresh popped popcorn with honey butter, dried cranberries, and sliced almonds
-Apple Fennel Salad

A part of the Family!

So proud to be a part of the family!

I've been self-employed, out and about in the community; sharing my passion for food and health for the past six years. In August, I accepted a full-time position with an awesome, growing, local health plan. I knew if I ever returned to work for an organization it would have to be at a place where their values lined up with mine. I found that place -- FamilyCare Health Plans. They've been proving themselves over and over. Today, I was featured in the October Employee Newsletter. You can read more, here >>>


NEW EMPLOYEE SPOTLIGHT

Chrisetta Mosley—touching lives in and outside of FamilyCare
Chrisetta Mosley joins our Navigation Services team on the front lines of
member navigation, fulfilling members’ every need, from changing PCPs to
inputting referrals and authorizations. Chrisetta’s first foray into healthcare, however, was back in the ‘90s, when she held several roles at Providence Health & Services here in Portland.

After years in the Seattle marketing scene, Chrisetta has returned to
Portland, and has since made a splash as a budding cookbook author. Her
journey to local fame began with a realization. “I’ve been overweight my
entire life...There comes a time when you just can’t do [it] anymore.” From
then on, her mission was clear: to regain control of her life. Through hard
work and determination, Chrisetta lost 170 pounds and recorded her weight loss journey on a blog: Farewell Fatso! But Chrisetta thought, “I can do more than this...maybe there is something else [I am] meant to do.”
Chrisetta’s passion for cooking had her creating and photographing
healthful dishes at home. The pictures on her blog created a buzz at her
local gym, and she was soon compiling the dishes into her first cookbook, Bringing Cooking Back.

The success of her cookbook caught the attention of a professor at Clark College in Vancouver, WA, where Chrisetta was also teaching cooking classes at a local food market. Chrisetta was asked to develop a second cookbook, strictly for students at Clark College. This is now the third year that Shop, Cook, Eat: Outside of the Box with Chrisetta Mosley has been a required textbook for Clark’s health students. Chrisetta has been touching lives in and around Portland, and we’re happy she’s here continuing the
mission at FamilyCare. Please welcome Chrisetta Mosley to the family.

*NEW EMPLOYEE MEET-AND-GREET CONTEST
The 5th person to introduce him/herself to Chrisetta Mosley will receive a free casual day. Chrisetta will write names on a Meet-and-Greet Contest sheet and present it to Communications once all ten slots are filled. The winner will be notified via email. Chrisetta is on the 13th floor. Let’s give her a warm welcome!

Catering by Chrisetta: United Way Retreat

Today, I catered breakfast and lunch for 60 United Way employees. Since they requested a simple, fast lunch we opted for box lunches. Here's what I came up with for a menu:

All orders included their choice of cookies or apple, chips, and a beverage

- Albacore Tuna Salad Sandwich on Multi-Grain
- Roast Beef Sandwich on Dark Rye with Horseradish
- Turkey Avocado Sandwich on a Ciabatta Roll (most ordered)
- California Veggie Sandwich on Multi-Grain
- Waldorf Chicken Salad
- Albacore Tuna Salad
- Chopped Santa Fe with Lime Vinagrette
- Asian Chicken Salad with Lime Ginger Sauce (most ordered)

Shh...Before today I never catered box lunches. Instead, of shying away from the opportunity I jumped at it. Hey, you have to do something for the first time, at some point. As the saying goes: "Fake it until you make it." 

Meatless Monday: Strawberry Spinach Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette

Today is Meatless Monday! What is Meatless Monday? "Meatless Monday is an international campaign that encourages people to not eat meat on Mondays to improve their health and the health of the planet."

Here's a delightful Meatless Monday recipe for you to try:
 
Strawberries are in season! This is a delicious way to enjoy them.

Strawberry Spinach Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette

Ingredients

1 bunch fresh spinach
1 cup sliced fresh strawberries
1/2 cup sliced almonds
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons honey
1/2 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt and ground black pepper to taste

Directions

1. Combine the spinach, strawberries, and almonds in a large bowl.
2. Stir the balsamic vinegar and honey together in a bowl; slowly stream the olive oil into the mixture while whisking continuously. Season with salt and pepper.

Drizzle the dressing over the salad just before serving.

Recipe and photo by Chrisetta Mosley

shop.prep.cook

I'm excited to offer a new service to those who are serious about taking control of their health and wellness. It all starts in your kitchen with healthy, made from scratch meals.

I realize that some of you are too busy, some of you need new recipe ideas, and some of you may just not know where to start.

I can help! I'll come to your home raid your pantry and fridge with you, figure out what foods your like to eat, and prepare a grocery list with you. See the attached flyer for all the yummy details.

"Cooking at home in your very own kitchen using fresh, whole ingredients is the most important thing you can do for you and your family's health."

Hire me to help you shop.prep.cook. 

Outside of the Box: Cookin' with teens

Wow. Just when I think it can't get any better it does. Last night, I hosted a cooking demo for teens at the Cascade Park Community Library.

The youth and teens are our future. And, I'm proud and honored to help them make better, informed food decisions. I tell you -- it's the most AWESOME feeling, to look around the room at young enthusiastic faces and see their bulbs shining brighter and brighter as I introduce ingredients and talk techniques. My message is simple: Any and everything that is in a box or package can be made at home using fresh, whole ingredients.

To drive home the point, I whipped up a few healthy favorites -- Blueberry Banana Kale Smoothies, Cashew Whole Food Energy Bars, and two types of Brown Bag Popcorn (Parmesan and Honey Butter).

They were amazed at how easy these goods were to make.  When I asked them the burning question at the end of our time together..."Can you do this?" They all eagerly answered "Yes." Will you do this? Again they answered "Yes." Music to my ears.

Thanks again for having me, Linda Landi,Teen Librarian and Teresa Torres, Branch Librarian. And to the teens that came out thanks for a delicious fun time! Happy Shopping, Cooking, and Eating!