Tina Marinaccio MS RD CPT

Tina Marinaccio MS RD CPT Based in Morristown New Jersey, and also serving Manhattan, and boroughs of NYC. Telehealth services are available

Improving quality of life through long term lifestyle changes; consultant dietitian, detox diets, weight loss, integrative nutrition therapy, cooking instruction and demos, motivational wellness speaker My name is Tina Marinaccio, and I am a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist and Foodie Gourmand, providing Corporate Wellness Solutions, Private and Group Cooking Instruction, Cooking Demos and Classes, and Nutrition Counseling in Integrative and Functional Medicine Nutrition Therapy.

08/26/2026

Broccoli stalks called ☎️ — they’re tired of being thrown out while the florets get all the Instagram fame 🥦💅

This Jersey Girl Registered Dietitian doesn’t do food waste.

Blended those “trash” stalks into a creamy, sulforaphane-packed anti-inflammatory soup that’s basically a hug 🤗 to your immune system — and yes, it’s fancy enough for shooters to impress guests at your next gathering while secretly using up pantry scraps 🍲✨

Jersey girl math: stalks + pantry scraps = zero waste, maximum flavor, and your immune cells doing a little happy dance 🧬

Check out the recipe below because broccoli stalks deserves better PR 🥦👏

Broccoli stalks are an excellent source of the anti-cancer nutrient sulforaphane, same as the florets
Sulforaphane stimulates your body’s detox systems - And I’m always including phytonutrients to keep my amazing body detox systems, including liver, kidneys, lymph, GI tract, and sweat glands primed and ready to face daily toxin exposure

💡 Registered Dietitian Tip: Cutting the broccoli stalks and letting them rest 30 minutes before sauteeing will help maximize the sulforaphane

✅ Toasting the flour and butter gives the soup a richness, creaminess, and a nutty flavor

Creamy Broccoli Soup
Makes about 4 cups

1 tbsp good olive or avocado oil
2 cups broccoli stalks, peeled and sliced
Optional: Other greens you have in the frig – e.g. Italian parsley leaves, leeks, sliced celery
1 generous pat grass fed butter
1 tbsp organic whole wheat flour
2 cups stock – veggie, chicken, or beef, or any stock of choice
S&P to taste


-Sauté broccoli stalks and optional veggies in oil until soft
-Stir in butter pat and whole wheat flour
-Let flour roast in butter until it begins to toast and get brown, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes
-Add stock, simmer to thicken, about 2 minutes, and puree to desired consistency with a hand blender
-S&P as desired

-Serve in a bowl or as soup shooters
-Optional – Garnish e.g. Nduja, scallions, sour cream, yogurt, or crème fraiche
⭐️ Soup Shooters are a fun yet elegant and healthy party appetizer!


08/25/2026

POV: Meal prepping doesn’t have to be complicated when you have a stocked pantry. 🥘 🤌
This spicy coconut 🥥 curried braised beef goes into the oven (or Instant Pot) in 15 minutes tops.

I always keep canned tomatoes 🥫 and coconut milk in the pantry, and green and red curry pastes in the frig.

Curry pastes are a delicious all-in-one spice chock full of anti-inflammatory nutrients – So no measuring out a bunch of spices, which can take time and be expensive. 🍛

Anything in the onion/garlic/shallot 🧅 family I consider a “pantry” staple because they are so long lasting on the countertop.

Got fresh basil 🌿 right outside my door on the deck!

When meats go on sale, I stock up, portion, off and freeze

For this dish, I pulled chuck steak from my freezer – A cheaper cut, but definitely needs some TLC by way of time, but once you sear it – it cooks all on its’ own with no babysitting

So, all in all, this is a pantry meal, as freezer, frig, long lasting counter top veggies are all things we can stock up on when they go on sale to pull together quick meals on a budget when time is short.

Spicy Coconut Curry Beef
1.5 pounds of chuck steak*
1 shallot, diced
Handful fresh basil
28oz can tomatoes
15oz can coconut milk (I used light because the beef is a fatty cut)
2 tbsp red curry paste
Optional garnish – sliced green onion
-Preheat oven to 250 degrees F (or higher if you have a slow oven)
-Brown chuck steak in a dutch oven medium high, all sides, and remove
-Sauté shallot and basil in dutch oven
-Add tomatoes, coconut milk, and red curry paste to dutch oven
-Be sure to incorporate the red curry paste
-Cover Dutch oven and bake 4 hours, or until meat is falling apart
-Serve as a stew or over rice, like a Thai Jasmine Rice and/or veggies
-If using Instant Pot, instead of oven, pressure cook one hour, let pressure release on its’ own

*I also added 2 short ribs today that I had in the freezer – Just an option – The bones add flavor

08/13/2026

Rome, and Italy for the matter, has a way of ruining pasta for me anywhere else but there or my own kitchen.

I had the best pasta ever on a recent Rome trip – A creamy briny sea urchin sauce on al dente bucatini, so had to recreate it at home!

Dietitian Hat On: Sea urchin is a significant source of iodine, omega 3’s, and B12. Cooking pasta al dente as in this bucatini dish helps slow down the release of sugar into the bloodstream, so not only does al dente create a beautiful texture, it puts the breaks on blood sugar, leaving you with balanced energy and insulin levels

Dietitian Hat Off: The texture of the al dente bite with the pure briny creamy sauce that clings to the bucatini is a perfect combo!

Sea Urchin Bucatini Ingredients:
About 8oz/250g fresh sea urchin
1/4c EVOO
1 tbsp grass fed butter
2 cloves chopped garlic
1 cup chopped Italian parsley leaves
1 cup dry white w**e
1-2 tbsp heavy cream
10oz bucatini cooked al dente, 1 cup pasta water reserved
Salt and Pepper to taste
Chives garnish

Procedure in reel!

08/10/2026

🍅 Grew the tomatoes. Sliced the tomatoes. Toasted the baguette, Spread swoops of real mayo, Fresh garden basil, S&P topper– And it’s Garden to Beach!

🏖️ As a New Jersey based Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, nothing screams summer like local tomato sandwiches for the beach!

🥬 No lettuce - 🧀 No cheese, please!

🍅 These organic home-grown heirloom tomatoes lived their best life in my backyard just 12 hours ago

🍕 Hands down beats the soggy $15 boardwalk slice with the paper plate blowing in the wind!

🥖 Try this sandwich and don’t forget the napkins!

08/06/2026

🍅 When your garden drops 5 lbs of tomatoes overnight…
Batch freezing marinara from my NJ garden heirloom tomatoes when they’re all ripe at once so future wintertime me has only to thaw and heat on a busy weeknight for pasta, meatballs, chicken, or eggs in purgatory

🍅 Unpopular opinion: No need to add sugar! Cook down until tomatoes concentrate-Heirlooms are naturally sweet so low and slow is all you need.

🍅 No jarred sauce comes close to from scratch, and as a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, I’ll take naturally sweet over “added sugars” any day.

🍅 Bread-dipping while it simmers is not optional — it’s quality control. 🍞

Recipe below, or paste link for more tips on my homemade marinara, including how to convert this recipe if you are using canned tomatoes!👇

Whether canned or fresh, cooking down tomatoes provides an excellent source of lycopene – protects skin from UV rays and men from prostate cancer, and lowers heart disease risk

https://tinamarinaccio.com/easy-heirloom-tomato-marinara/

Easy Heirloom Tomato Marinara
Makes 2 quarts
Ingredients:
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
2 Vidalia onions, chopped
1 head garlic, chopped
2 cups loosely packed parsley leaves
1 cup loosely packed basil leaves, rough chopped
½ cup fresh oregano leaves, rough chopped
16 cups rough chopped heirloom tomatoes, stems and core removed
¼ tsp hot chili flakes (optional) or ½ tsp fresh ground black pepper
1 tsp fine sea salt
½ cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano (optional)

Procedure:
Sauté onion in extra virgin olive oil over medium heat
Add garlic, continue to sauté until onion and garlic begin to caramelize, about 5 minutes
Add parsley, basil, and oregano, stirring to combine
Allow herbs to roast, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally
Add tomatoes, chili flakes, and sea salt
Simmer uncovered over medium until volume reduces to about half, as excess liquid evaporates, about two hours, stirring every 15 minutes
Remove from heat, and stir in Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
Use as desired, or pack into storage container to refrigerate or freeze for future use

08/04/2026

🍞 Breakfast of the summer, no recipe required!

As a NJ dietitian, I work with clients to move away from cloyingly sweet breakfasts that spike insulin, and can make you feel unwell and cause cravings later on
The lineup:

🍞 Sourdough whole grain crisp – no waiting for the toaster!
🧀 Generous fresh ricotta schmear
🫐 Blueberries, pressed in so they don’t go rogue
🌿 Fresh basil garnish – I LOVE the combo of blueberries and basil!
🍯 You can do a small honey or balsamic glaze drizzle, but I like mine naked

Sweet meets savory meets “wait, this took 60 seconds?” 🤯

Protein, fiber, antioxidants, with a slow burn to keep you energized!

SAVE this for your next lazy morning breakfast or afternoon snack that still wants to feel a little gourmet 🍞✨

08/03/2026

🐉 Went on a first date with dragon fruit. Here’s my honest review:

👀 Looks: 11/10, absolute showstopper, hot pink and covered in scales – a tropical and somehow prehistoric look on the outside, with soft white citrusy flesh speckled with small black seeds on the inside that gave it a unique texture

✅ Compatibility: Easy to get along with! The peel slipped right off!

🍎 Nutrition: A great catch - high in fiber, magnesium, antioxidants, and felt very hydrating

🙋🏻‍♀️ Verdict: Solid, easy on the eyes and palate kind of fruit I’d recommend as an addition to a fruit plate with some berries vs. a stand-alone snack. The unique texture is what makes it - flavors are subtle. Dragon fruit blue it’s budget on its’ looks!

⁉️ Have you tried dragon fruit? Am I wrong? Tell me in the comments!

07/30/2026

🍅 Unpopular gardening opinion: stop waiting for “fully ripe” or the squirrels will beat you to it every time

As your NJ gardener + Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, here’s the harvest secret nobody tells you – You don’t need to leave tomatoes on the vine until they’re fully red. In fact, waiting that long is basically an open invitation for animals to get there first or splitting when there is inconsistent watering

Here’s what to look for instead:
🍅 The “blush” stage — the tomato starts showing a blush of color (pink, yellow, purple, or light red depending on variety), even if most of it is still green-ish
🌱 The easy release test — if it comes off the vine with barely a twist, it’s ready. Fighting the plant means it needs more time
⚠️ Splitting — if you see cracks starting, pick it NOW. That tomato is telling you it’s done waiting

Bring them inside, remove stems, put in a pan, and cover with parchment — tomatoes naturally produce ethylene gas, which means they ripen themselves.

Never put them on a windowsill!

Moral of the story: pick early, cover, let the tomatoes do their thing, and beat the squirrels! 🍅🏆

07/29/2026

🐐🧘‍♀️ Breaking dietitian stereotypes one downward dog interrupted by a goat standing on my back at a time

Today is not about what’s on your NJ Registered Dietitian’s plate

Sometimes wellness is:

🐐 Laughing at twin baby goats as they dismantle my hair bun and eat my hair tendrils like spaghetti
🧘 Remembering to breathe (this is a tough one for me!!!)
💛 Lowering cortisol in a new way
🤣 Letting barnyard animals share your yoga mat

Yoga isn’t just stretchy pants and green smoothies — it’s proven to help with stress, anxiety, and mood. Mental health IS health - baby goats just happen to be the messenger

The twins can interrupt my savasana anytime 🐐✨

Thanks to in Glenwood New Jersey and Keith and his crew for supplying the goats!

07/28/2026

🥪🌊 POV: You’re a Jersey girl who’d rather pack a cooler full of sandwiches than pay $20 for a soggy boardwalk slice

As your friendly neighborhood NJ dietitian, I’m here to say “beach hangry” is a real diagnosis and the only cure is showing up with a sandwich the size of your forearm to tide you over until supper

Get it? TIDE 🌊 🏖️ you over? 😂

Here’s my zero-waste, zero-regret beach lunch formula:
🍞 Use up yesterday’s leftover Italian bread or your bread of choice
🥒 Pile on any veggies from the frig – I added leftover steamed spinach, plus pickled radishes from my NJ garden haul, garden heirloom tomato slices, and fresh garden basil
🧀 Don’t forget the protein to keep you feeling satisfied! This protein packed sandwich has chicken salad, plus little bits of leftover mortadella, prosciutto, and provolone
🍅 Sprinkle with a little red w**e vinegar, or balsamic glaze, and EVOO for extra flavor. I opted for balsamic glaze because I already had the pickled radish, and the balsamic glaze adds a little sweetness to balance out the salty cured meats
🥑 Not in today’s sandwich, but if I had some ripe avocado, you know that would be piled in!

Moral of the story: your fridge scraps + a little creativity = a slammin’ sandwich that saves you $$$ to spend on the boardwalk

The sandwich advice you never asked for may be your best beach eats yet!

Save this formula for your next beach day!

Address

Health Dynamics LLC
Morristown, NJ
07960

Telephone

+19739786022

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Tina Marinaccio MS RD CPT posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Shortcuts

Share

Category