(You have the chance to win her cookbook at the end of this post!)
As I chatted with Ellie, I was able to watch her live on video which was super cool! You may see the video of Ellie chatting with me below.
Isn’t she so warm and kind? I was a little star struck!
I was told I had 15 minutes to talk with Ellie about healthy eating and jotted down a bunch of the questions you guys submitted for me to ask her. You may see the questions I asked in the video below, along with a summary of her answers since I know that videos sometimes don’t show up the best, depending on your internet connection.
- What are your tips for great skin?
Ellie says that so many things go into having good skin, including sleeping and eating well. She says that the research is really strong saying that foods that are rich in antioxidants and healthy fats are great for your skin. She also tries to stay out of the sun.
- What are your thoughts on high-protein diets? Is getting enough protein a concern of yours?
Ellie said that protein is important, but emphasized that there are a lot of great non-meat sources for protein, including grains, nuts, dairy and beans. Ellie said that one cup of milk has as much protein as an egg, adding that people may be eating more protein-rich foods than they realize. She encourages people to look at all the ways to get protein into your diet, including those from non-meat sources.
- What is your go-to easy meal to prepare on a hot summer day?
Ellie said she loves putting out a spread of salads and different nibbles, including a bulgur salad, sliced tomato drizzled with olive oil, shrimp cocktail or anything cold or room-temperature.
She also mentioned a recipe for a pita pizza made in the toaster oven that sounded fantastic!
Start with a whole wheat pita and tear it in half, spreading the two halves with ricotta cheese. Add sliced grapes on top and place the pita pizzas in the toaster oven until the edges of the pita get a little crispy. Then drizzle honey and lemon juice over the cheese and grapes, adding a sprinkle of fresh basil at the very end.
- What does your workout regimen look like?
Ellie said she has a “minimum” in her head of doing something active three days a week and loves to take her workouts outside. She lifts weights, does yoga at least once a week, runs, and loves spinning as well as biking, walking and hiking outside.
- Do you have any tips for healthy eating while dining at a restaurant?
Ellie recommends picking a restaurant that specializes in preparing food with local produce or has a chef that leans toward healthy cooking. She often checks the menu of a restaurant she’s planning to visit online before she goes, so has an idea about what to order ahead of time. Ellie also tries not to dig into the bread basket right away, but says that if she really wants the bread, she waits to eat it until after her entrée is delivered.
- What is your favorite indulgent dish?
Ellie said she is more of a savory person than a sweet person and loves warm, crusty bread and butter. She also loves French fries!
- If you could offer one piece of advice to someone who is just beginning their healthy living journey, what would it be?
Ellie said, “Don’t worry about being perfect.” She encourages people to stay as close to the healthy track as possible, but says not to get down on yourself if you slip up.
***
My interview with Ellie was set up by the California Table Grapes Commission and they wanted me to pass along the word about the opportunity for one of you to win $5,000 simply by submitting your idea for a healthy snack made with grapes! No photo is necessary to enter the contest – just your healthy grape snack idea, which you may submit via the Grapes from California Facebook page.
And now for the giveaway!
Comfort Food Fix and Green Black Red Giveaway
One PBF reader will win the following two cookbooks:
- Comfort Food Fix, Ellie Krieger’s beautiful cookbook featuring 150 delicious comfort food recipes that are lower in calories and fat
- Green Black Red, California Table Grapes’ cookbook, featuring recipes ranging from fresh salads to rich desserts
To enter this giveaway, simply comment below, telling me why you’d like to win either one of these beautiful cookbooks.
I’ll randomly select a winner tomorrow.
Good luck!
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I would love to win because I really like Ellie and her cooking style! I always watched her show on Food Network! 🙂
I would LOVE to win her cookbooks because I am a new wife who enjoys entertaining and wants to make comforting dishes for guests, but I never want to compromise health!
I always enjoy finding new and healthy recipes. Both of these books look great!
What a neat interview! She did sound very nice and down to earth – she has a great radio voice! I’d love to win this cookbook because I’m a wife-to-be and am looking to start learning how to cook a satisfying meal for both of us that’s also healthy
Comfort food with less guilt, who wouldn’t want it?
Great interview Julie!! She is so down to earth and practical. I would love to win one of her cookbooks to see what her recipes are all about!
New cookbooks are my favorite!
I would love to win one of those cookbooks because I’m always looking for new ideas when it comes to cooking healthy!
I’d love to get a bunch of new recipes to try, now that I’m cooking for myself all summer!
Help! I need new dinner ideas! e
As someone who temporarily went off the healthy track and is looking to get back on it, I’d look some new healthy meal/snack ideas!
These cookbooks are pretty fun because I really like Ellie, and I like that pita/grape recipe (and am looking forward to trying it).
I am a big fan of healthy cooking and eating.
It is one of my inspirations for living a good life.
Since I just moved in a new apartment in Montreal and have a boyfriend who is as freak as me for health cooking and healthy food discoveries, I would LIKE to have these amazing books in my empty kitchen cabinets
🙂
I just got married and would love to try some new recipes for me and my hubby!
i am living on my own starting in august when i start medical school and i would love to have a cook book to inspire my meals while remaining healthy!
I would love to work on making some new healthy meals, especially with yummy grapes!
I’d like to win because I love trying out new recipes, and I’m collecting new cookbooks!
you can never have enough cookbooks 🙂 especially healthy food cookbooks
I absolutely love her! I have one of her other cookbooks and I love it. I would love to get this one as well.
My husband and I are about to move into our first house and one of our top goal is to start a healthy eating routine- these cookbooks can help!
Great giveaway!! I’d love to win because I’m always searching for ways to make healthy foods into inspiring meals. I would love to try some of her recipes!!
I love Ellie Krieger! My mom, sister, and I use her first two cookbooks as staples now and had a lot of success losing some weight and getting healthier because of Ellie!
Being in college I feel like I make the same few healthy recipes over and over again. I would love a chance to learn some new ones!
I’m getting married in five months and I am not the best cook.I’ve just started trying out new recipes and I’d love to have a few cookbooks to learn from!
Id love to win Ellie’s cookbook! I am really glad you were able to ask her about her healthy skin because I am always saying how her skin is beautiful. Maybe if I follow some of her cookbook recipes my skin will look better any my psoriasis will get under control!
I am just graduating college and moving into a new apartment…I would love to start cooking some healthy meals!
I’m always looking for a way to eat comfort foods in a healthier way so her cookbook would be fantastic!! 🙂
Who doesn’t love healthy comfort food?! 🙂
I am a college student and have been wanting to eat much healthier meals. I usually look up recipes online however a concrete book would be wonderful!
I love exploring new cookbooks! Usually I get recipes from lovely blogs like yours, but sometimes it’s nice to sit down and browse a beautiful cookbook and tab new recipes to try. Thanks for a great giveaway!
I’m a huge fan of Ellie and all her great ideas for healthy eating! I’ve recently lost 75 pounds and would love to check out new recipe ideas to incorporate into my life! And comfort food, YUM!
I would love the GreenBlackRed cookbook. I love my salads with grapes!
I’d love the cookbooks because I am about to move out of my parents’ house and into my own place, so I am excited to start cooking more meals on my own and try new recipes!
I would love to win the cookbooks bc that recipe for pita pizza looks delicious!!
I would love Comfort Food Fix! who doesn’t wish all comfort foods were healthy and good for you =)
I fell in love with Ellie’s food philosophy when I randomly caught one of her shows on PBS years ago. The comfort food fix book sounds so cool and would be a great way to appease my family’s traditional dinner wants and my healthy needs.
Ellie is one of my go-to people for healthier recipes of some of my fab foods. I would love to see the recipes in her cookbook
I would love Ellie’s book! She’s a great model for inspiration to cook delicious, yet healthy dishes!
I am always looking for healthy ways to eat. I also want to be a good example for my son
I love Ellie’s recipes! I always go to her page on Food Network’s site when I want a healthier version of a dish.
I can always use new healthy recipes 🙂
I would love to win these cookbooks because I’m always looking for new recipes to try. I’m also a huge fan of Ellie. I have her cookbook The Food You Crave and everything I’ve made from it has been fantastic!
I’ve seen recipes from Ellie in different places on the web and would love her cookbooks!
I would love to win this because Ellie is WONDERFUL! (And because I’m moving in with my boyfriend this summer and he doesn’t cook so I’d love to learn more recipes!)
I’m always looking for new savory, hearty, and healthy recipes to try. I was born and raised in Texas, so I like to balance southern comfort food with a healthy twist!
•Green Black Red sounds like the perfect summer cookbook inspiration!
I am always on the lookout for new, easy, and healthy recipes!
I’m always looking for great cookbooks to add to my little growing cookbook collection, and both of these look like they would be wonderful! I have never really made any grape-based recipes so I would be interested to try some out.
I have really gotten into cooking in the past couple of years and I am always searching for new recipes! I’d love to check out these cookbooks for some new inspiration!
I would love to win these cookbooks. I don’t think I’ve ever cooked with grapes so I would like to see what kind of recipes are in that one!