Naturally Savvy™: Organic Recipes & Health Challenges Support Couples in the Journey to All-Natural Living

The Short Version: All-natural living is a choice anyone can make, but many don’t know where to begin. On Naturally Savvy, you can learn how to take control of your health by maintaining a satisfying and nutritious diet for you and your family. The website’s podcasts, books, recipes, and challenges motivate readers to make instrumental changes in how they purchase, prepare, and consume food. Nutritionist Andrea Donsky encourages her health-conscious audience to read food labels, invest in organic ingredients, and keep harmful chemicals out of their bodies. With in-depth health discussions, Naturally Savvy raises consumer awareness about proper nutrition and empowers couples to lead healthier lifestyles together.

Growing up, we called my dad “the cookie monster” because of his talent for making desserts disappear overnight. His sweet tooth was never satisfied. He drank a glass of sweet iced tea every morning and a glass of soda every night. He always said he’d rather enjoy life eating what he wanted than live a few years longer eating salads.

Then he started having chest pains. After a two-day heart attack, he ended up in the hospital, and those late-night snacks didn’t seem so worth it to him anymore. That was when my dad got serious about his health, and my mom was right behind him.

My parents did a lot of reading and began a diet that was mostly vegetables, fruits, and fish. They both started paying attention to what they put in their bodies and found they felt better as a result. My mom has become the food police in our household, keeping my dad from backsliding and encouraging my brothers and me to change our eating habits, too. As for my dad, nowadays the cookie monster says, “Sugar is poison” and mixes himself a smoothie.

Andrea Donsky, Co-Founder of Naturally Savvy Media, answers common questions about leading a healthy, all-natural lifestyle.

Oftentimes, the support of a partner and the love of a family can motivate someone to change their lifestyle for the better. Getting healthy isn’t something my dad could do alone, so it’s something we all did together.

Andrea Donsky, Registered Holistic Nutritionist and Editor-in-Chief of NaturallySavvy.com, emphasized the importance of tackling healthy lifestyle changes as a unit. “Once one person takes the lead, those healthy habits trickle down to the rest of the family,” she said. “It’s great when your partner supports you in getting healthy, and you can do it together as a team.”

She co-founded Naturally Savvy Media in 2007 to inform and enlighten readers about healthy living. The site’s healthful recipes, videos, and articles highlight natural and organic foods, providing tips that make it easier for families to make better decisions at the grocery store, dinner table, and beyond.

Over the years, Andrea has made numerous television appearances in the US and Canada to spread the word about healthy eating habits to average individuals. She’s also written three books and hosts a weekly podcast to share her insights as a nutritionist, mother, and organic food advocate. A firm believer in whole foods, she encourages health-conscious people to read food labels, make incremental diet changes, and embark on a healthier way of life.

“At the end of the day, I want to empower people to understand their bodies and help themselves get healthier,” Andrea said. “Food is medicine. By changing the way you eat, you can take control of your health.”

The Naturally Savvy recipes section

is a great place for couples looking to get healthy together. The practical tips and mouth-watering recipes help families put together a gratifying and nutritious meal.

The blog informs readers about what to eat (and what not to eat) with plenty of simple recipes to choose from. In an article about perfect date night foods, the blog suggests eating celery, turmeric, and ginger to feel energized, calm, and upbeat on a date. Also check out these six healthful cocktails to prepare for your date to enjoy while you cook up something special and all-natural in the kitchen.

1. Strawberry Banana Panini

Recommended by Naturally Savvy, this Strawberry Banana Panini recipe looks ridiculously delicious. The whole grain bread, fresh fruit, and drizzle of honey combine into a memorable bite to share with a date.

Who could resist this sweet grilled sandwich?
Photo by CKatz of Cusinicity.

You can make the fruity sandwiches together within a few minutes and then dig in while it’s still warm.

This is a light and refreshing meal for health-conscious daters. Plus it’s a great opportunity to whip out your panini maker! The hands-on prep makes for a great date activity with a satisfying end goal.

“It’s so easy to make if you have a small panini maker ready to go,” writes Catherine Katz, Ph.D, Founder of Cusinicity. “And so YUMMY!”

2. Zucchini Sushi Rolls

Did you know you can substitute healthful zucchini noodles in your pasta dishes? All you have to do is cut zucchini into thin strips with a mandolin or vegetable peeler. That’s a game changer. Another innovative way to use these nutritious zucchini noodles is for Zucchini Sushi Rolls.

“This zucchini sushi takes it to the next level,” Steph Davidson writes, “replacing rice with vitamin-packed veggies.”

This light dish, made with zucchini, carrots, cucumbers, avocado, and cream cheese, is a healthy snack or appetizer to make for your partner or your family. Rolling all the vegetables together could be fun to do as a team.

The fun prep is also a good way to get your kids more involved in the kitchen. They can add their own vegetables and roll it up tight like a sleeping bag. Simple! Whether you’re making a healthy starter for a dinner party or a ready-to-go snack for a lunchbox, zucchini sushi rolls are an inventive and tasty treat for any occasion.

3. Tomato, Olive, & Basil Pizza

On Naturally Savvy, healthy eating is never bland — it’s delicious! The site’s Tomato, Olive, and Basil Galette, aka healthy pizza, is sure to have your mouth watering as the roasted vegetables and gruyere cheese become a gooey pile of goodness.

You can make the dough in seconds using a food processor. The recipe calls for the one-third of a cup of white wine, which means you and your date can open up a bottle to enjoy while the pizza bakes. Piled with fresh basil, ripe tomatoes, pitted olives, rich marinara sauce, and the cheese of your choice (just a sprinkle), this dish is crammed with luscious flavors.

In addition to recipes and information, Naturally Savvy offers 10 Healthy Challenges for couples to take on together. The challenges push people to make small yet impactful changes in how they consume food.

The Scary Seven Challenge encourages participants to avoid the following seven harmful ingredients: high-fructose corn syrup, trans fat, artificial colors, artificial flavors, artificial sweeteners, monosodium glutamate, and preservatives. By cutting out these common food additives, you can lose weight and improve your health with real, all-natural foods.

Andrea said it’s all about doing what you can to feel your best from day to day. “If we can help someone make one healthier choice, we’re happy,” she told us. “We’re all here to make a difference and help people any way we can.”

Whether you’re eliminating gluten from your diet or learning more about genetically modified organisms (GMOs), Naturally Savvy advocates for making meaningful lifestyle changes to get healthy in the long-term. You and your partner can take on the blog’s challenges as a team to support one another on your journey to all-natural living.

“We have amazing challenges focused on diet and health,” she said. “The challenges help people to empower themselves to read food labels and know what’s in these products.”

Drawing from her expertise as a health professional and a mother, Andrea has written informative books about healthy eating and the importance of reading food labels. Her two ebooks focus on grocery shopping for kids and families, explaining the label lessons that lead to healthier food purchases.

Available in hard copy on Amazon, “Unjunk Your Junk Food” offers healthful alternatives to sweet treats, so cookie monsters like my dad can satisfy their sweet tooth without consuming artificial ingredients. Jessie, a reviewer on Amazon, praised it: “I really enjoyed that each chapter included reasons someone might be craving certain foods and that each food type gave information about harmful food additives.”

“Pick up this little book by three ‘health and wellness advocates’ whose website, NaturallySavvy.com, promotes organic living.” — Newsday’s review of “Unjunk Your Junk Food”

Co-hosted by Andrea Donsky and Lisa Davis, the Naturally Savvy podcast puts out weekly shows about the benefits of a natural, organic, and GMO-free lifestyle. The co-hosts interview top health experts in the field and discuss eating trends and relevant issues affecting health levels worldwide. The educative shows warn against harmful chemicals in everyday products and recommend all-natural and vitamin-rich alternatives for consumers.

By teaching the basics of good nutrition, Andrea gives people the tools to get healthy on their own and create a diet that works for them. This can have a lasting impact on the health of an individual and their loved ones.

“When you take responsibility for your own health, it impacts everybody in the family,” Andrea said. “It’s important to get everyone on board with making healthier choices.”

My dad’s health scare was a wake-up call to my entire family. Even though we teased him for his junk food diet, we didn’t realize how serious a problem it was until he ended up in the hospital. Suddenly the consequences of unhealthy eating became all too real. Now my dad shops exclusively at Whole Foods and swears by turmeric and cinnamon. My mom’s new nickname for him is “the health nut,” and we’re all glad to support his new outlook on food.

If you want to keep healthier eating habits and become more in-tune with your body’s needs, Naturally Savvy can help you learn how to make smarter food purchases and informed health choices. The blog’s comprehensive recipes make eating healthier more accessible, easy, and fun for singles and couples everywhere.

Whether you’re looking for a nutritious date night recipe or a clear explanation of what food labels mean, Naturally Savvy can help you improve the health of everyone at your dinner table.

“We look at ourselves as a bridge between the natural and the conventional,” Andrea said. “We’re all in this together. If Naturally Savvy changes one person’s decision, then we’ve done our job.”