Since then I have been pretty obsessed with this salad. I eat it raw like the recipe calls for or cook the greens if I am in the mood. I have made tweaks along the way but it seems to be fantastic every time! Some of you may think that it is insane to be obsessed with a salad considering it is just a vegetable but here are my very good reasons.

1. Brussels sprouts and kale are super packed with nutrients – much more than a high water green like lettuce. Definitely more bang for your buck!

2. Super easy to make. You can leave these veggies fresh in your fridge for a few days and not be stressed that they are going to go bad. When you are ready, just wash them and slice them as thin as you have time for. Eat them raw like the recipe says or throw them in a saute pan with a little olive oil. So easy and quick.

3. Cook up a big batch and it will last for days! Not only do they last fresh in the fridge but if you make a few bunches of each at a time, throw it in a pyrex and you have a vegetable for a few days of leftovers.

4. When you cook a vegetable or slice them super thin they digest better. Think about it – heating them or cutting them small makes less work for the gut. Rather than the bulk of a raw salad that is full of roughage, these vegetables go down a lot easier.

5. Flavor how you please. I tend to leave out the garlic and shallots based on my personal preference. The vinaigrette with the Dijon mustard and lemon juice is lovely but when I am in a jam I just use some vinegar and call it a day. You gotta make it work for you! You can add more vegetables, a protein, extra cheese or throw an egg on top – it is a great base for a lot of different meals.

6. If you dont want to make them in a salad simply roast or saute. You can roast Brussels sprouts with olive oil and salt or make kale chips. Or if you don’t have time to slice or roast, cut roughly, throw them in a saute pan with some olive and call it a day.

Make it work and get your veggies in!

The farm now has adorable pigs (I fed them slop, cheese and veggies!), chickens, bees are humming and rainbow carrots, rosemary, basil, garlic, greens have already been planted and much more is to come. Cannot wait!

So have I totally gone country? Do I want to become a farmer one day?

Quite honestly, no. I don’t think I am tough enough! Not only is it physically demanding, but the amount of planning and strategizing that goes into a bountiful farm is incredible. I am not sure I could pull it off! It will take a lot more education and experience for me to even think that I could do this as more than a 1-2 times a month hobby.

So why is it so important to me?

I want to take ownership of what I put into my body. I want to be aware of how things are grown and where my food comes from. Over the last few years it has become a priority that I know what I eating, where and how it is grown and how those foods will affect my health and lifestyle. My entire perspective has changed and I love how it makes me feel. I no longer believe in myths or fads and it is empowering for me to be a smart consumer and get more involved in the food system.

What steps can you take to get closer to where your food comes from?

First of all….look at your plate and ask yourself…what am I actually eating? Is it a vegetable? Is it a protein? What animal is that from? Is this a fat? Become more aware of what food groups your food falls into. It is a more difficult question than many realize….what do you eat every single day????

Second, what are the ingredients? If there is a condiment you love, cereal you have every day or you go to the same place for lunch like clockwork at noon – get a look at the ingredients of the foods you eat. Do you recognize the words? Are they whole foods or are they chemicals? Don’t judge…just start to notice what you eat on a daily basis.

Then ask yourself…how much do I really care about this at this moment in my life? Please don’t feel like you have to eat organic or local simply because it is trendy. Is it important for you to eat whole foods? Have you paid any attention to how the foods you eat affect your health, weight, energy, mood and stress levels? Maybe you are motivated to look into this a little deeper. Maybe you are not.

It is all about you. Making food and life and your routine work for you. For me, this is really important. I think about this stuff on a daily basis! Taking time out of my day to crawl in the dirt and plant eggplant makes me more connected to what I eat and that means something to me. You have to do what is right for you.

Will keep you updated on my farming adventures so stay tuned. Question of the moment…should I buy some overalls?

Why are cooked veggies so great?

It makes meal planning quick and easy. Instead of getting frustrated when vegetables go bad in your fridge because you didn’t get to them in time or being too tired to put a salad together for lunch or dinner consider cooking a bunch of vegetables (cook a lot!) on Sunday for the week. Put them in airtight containers and you have plenty of veg for the week with no concerns of anything going bad. On Sunday, I cooked 4 bunches of kale, two bunches of rainbow carrots and two bunches of broccolini – cook a lot so you have plenty of leftovers!

You can eat so many more vegetables! When you eat raw veg there is a lot of roughage which can cause bloating and discomfort – it is a lot of work for the gut to digest and break down raw vegetables. Cooking vegetables helps the gut out so it doesn’t have to work so hard. You are able to eat 2-3 cups of vegetables much easier. When you eat more vegetables not only are you getting more vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, but also you are filling yourself up with a low calorie food so you don’t eat too much. It is the key to weight control.

Nutrition becomes quite easy. A lot of folks get bored with a salad and chicken for lunch and are literally forcing the vegetables down to be “good” on their diets. This is not a sustainable plan. Eating vegetables prepared in a way you enjoy will make the experience pleasant and worth doing again. When you start eating several cups of vegetables a day you notice you are not craving junk, you see results and eating right actually becomes enjoyable and easy…imagine that!

So how to do it?

My advice to you is to keep it simple. Go online and find the most basic, simple way to cook a vegetable and then slowly get more fancy and creative. I love this write up on roasted vegetables – great perspective on keeping things simple! Get spices and herbs that you love, choose condiments you like and keep the flavors fairly simple so you can add protein, starches or other tastes throughout the week. A little olive oil and some salt go a long way.

Dork out, get overly dramatic and eat more vegetables. Try it…its fun!

First of all, be proud of yourself for sticking with it! Even if you are not losing the weight or gaining the muscle as fast or as “perfectly” as you think it should happen, feel good about the fact that you are creating good habits and you are on your way. Stay focused on the prize! Remember these things take time. I know that is not what you want to hear but please be patient and try to enjoy the ride.

Take a good long look at your diet. Are you eating enough protein? Getting your non-starchy vegetables in? Are you managing your portion sizes and eating ever 3-4 hours? How many calories are creeping in? It may be time to track your calories and double check yourself to make sure you are not overeating or undereating on calories and to make sure you are eating a day balanced with protein, fat and carbohydrates.

How intense are your workouts? Be honest. While the first step is to simply show up for a workout, eventually you have to step up the intensity. Consider increasing frequency of workouts (more days per week), duration of workouts (go for longer) or change up the resistance or speed (go faster, lift heavier). Any or all of these things will increase the intensity of exercise and create a change.

How stressed are you? Check in with your stress level at work and home. How is your sleep? How much alcohol are you drinking? What about water? All of these things affect your overall energy and stress levels. If your body is stressed it wont budge. It is that simple. How can you get your stress levels down? What is one change in your life that you can do to feel a bit better?

Still think you are doing everything right? It may be time to check in with your doctor. So many of my clients get stuck in a plateau and it does turn out that something is off with their hormones or metabolism. Working with a MD that you trust and feel comfortable talking to is a necessity. Be a proactive patient and figure out how to reach your goals.

Still feel stuck? Lets talk…we will figure it out!

It’s Friday so I thought I would check in and see how your week is going. Did the week get away from you? Are you crazy stressed and counting the seconds until the weekend? Or did you stay on a solid eating plan and get some workouts in? How was your sleep? How much alcohol did you drink? Did you do something fun this week?

These are just a few questions to ask yourself so you can stay accountable to yourself and keep you on track towards living the life you want.

Many of you will start to beat yourself up if you ate too much, drank too much, skipped to the gym or feel stressed. That isn’t going to get you anywhere. Quite frankly, being hard on yourself usually just makes the situation worse!

Let’s figure out a plan for success.

Food
If you are eating too much at dinner time or noticing you are munching on sweets all day, go to the market this weekend and pick up some protein rich snacks that you can have handy so you stay satiated throughout the day. Pick up some nuts, nut butter, yogurt, cottage cheese, animal protein of choice, beans or eggs. Cook and prepare them on Sunday so you have easy, on the go proteins throughout the week. Think frittata, bean or quinoa salad, turkey chili, roasted chicken and vegetables. Always have a plan so you can eat something balanced rather than junk food.

Exercise
Look at your schedule for next week and commit to one new exercise goal. Whether it is trying a new class, increasing the intensity or just showing up for workout. Put it in your calendar and make it happen.

Sleep
If you are not sleeping well, take a good long look at your habits and figure out what is going on. Consider setting an earlier sleep time for yourself, turn the TV and computer off earlier or make your bedroom more of a sanctuary so you actually want to sleep!

FUN
Go have some fun this weekend! That is the best way to decrease stress. Be good to yourself! Go on a hike, dinner with friends, hot date, movie, museum, shopping, go for a drive, go swimming, hang out with your favorite people, play your favorite sport, head out to the country, get a massage….just do something that puts a smile on your face.

If this week was not an ideal week for you, take some time this weekend to figure out what you could do to make next week better. Step by step, it will all come together.

Happy Friday!!!

Well I got nothing for ya. Argh.

The quicker you lose the weight the faster it will come back. The key to losing weight is to slowly but surely drop the weight. Lose it and never look back.

There is nothing sexy about this approach. I have no pill, magic drink or perfect food that you should eat. I know it is tough and annoying at times, but when you eat right, take care of yourself, put yourself first and get healthy you will feel fantastic.

Some of you probably saw in the news this week the latest quick fix weight loss remedy. Click here to read the article. I am begging you not to try this or consider this is a good idea. Tube feeds are for clinically ill patients with extreme circumstances. Also, none of these individuals are going to lose much fat. It is just not how science works. They will lose muscle and water first, which is what you want to keep. I know it is tempting because it sounds so easy and effortless, but with weight, health and nutrition, if it sounds too good to be true…well it probably is.

Here it is. The real deal. How to lose weight, keep it off and feel good for the long term. Join the club…you will like it!

Eat within an hour of waking and every 3-4 hours thereafter

Eat a protein and carbohydrate every time you eat

Eat just enough to keep you satiated for 3-4 hours. If you are gaining weight you are eating too much at each meal time

Eat whole, real food. Get all the junk and processed food out of your house! Avoid the sweets and junk at the office – just say no!

Do not drink your calories – drink water, water and more water

Move your body every single day – do something everyday to burn calories. As you get stronger and more active, incorporate a strength training routine and increase the intensity of your activity to keep challenging yourself.

Remember, everything in moderation – enjoy a nice glass of wine, drink that cocktail, get some fried goodies in your belly and splurge on dessert from time to time

Eat vegetables at least 3 times a day – half your dinner plate should be veggies!

Know what you are putting in your mouth. As you become more aware of what you are eating you will avoid the junk. If you cook at home, you can get rid of all the junk and know exactly what you are eating.

Be nice to yourself, give yourself and break and realize that it is FUN to be healthy and well.

It aint quick and it will take some getting used to, but you will keep the weight off and change your life for the better. Now that is sexy!

For many of us, we spend more time at work than anywhere else. Sad, but true. Our office – whether it is a cube, kitchen table, corner space with a gorgeous view, coffee shop, car, airplane or classroom – is a crucial space where we spend a lot of our time and behaviors and routines are established.

In the last few weeks, I have been asked to be a part of a few corporate wellness programs and it has been quite the learning experience. It is common slang to call the area where snacks live in offices, the “Diabetes Closet” – I find that quite disturbing. No wonder so many of my clients are having a hard time reaching their goals when there is candy, chips and junk food within a few steps of their desk! How can you resist? It is like asking a recently recovering alcoholic to start working in a bar – not an ideal situation.

So what can you do?

Step one: Figure out who is buying the junk food. Who is actually making the order? Talk to them and management and figure out if things can change. Instead of cookies, candy, chips and soda consider whole grain crackers, nuts, yogurt, fruit, veggies and seltzer water.

Step two: Realize that these foods are addictive in nature. You do not have to have a cookie every single day at 3pm. It is not necessary to eat pretzels and cheese crackers at 11am because you need something salty. You are eating it because it is there, it is free and you want to procrastinate working!

Step three: Get some coworkers on your team! Start a competition at work to get healthy. Get your friends at work on board to eat better and exercise so there is some accountability.

Step Four: Help me help you! Get a nutrition expert to restock your pantry, order different food for work meetings and create behaviors to support a healthy work environment.

Make money and get healthy at work….it is possible to live well at the office.

Make work work for you!

How much sugar have you eaten today? Do you know? Do you care to know?

There is a lot of new research on how sugar, specifically the monosaccharide fructose, is affecting our health. Dr. Robert Lustig, a pediatric endocrinologist at UCSF is spearheading a campaign that suggests fructose is toxic to the body and needs to be significantly decreased in our diet if not eliminated. Whether it is processed high fructose corn syrup, table sugar, honey or even fruit, these foods may have too much sugar for our metabolisms to handle. Click here to watch a lecture by Lustig called The Bitter Truth where he explains the science and research behind his theories. Note – it is 90 minutes long but for those of you who are interested in this, it is well worth it.

60 Minutes did a fantastic piece this week on the subject and it highlights many of the explanations of why we have such cravings. One segment shows how the brain’s reward center is stimulated with sugar, which explains why so many of us crave it and think we are addicted. In addition, research is showing how sugar may be the main culprit behind heart disease – we have believed it was fat for all these years but maybe sugar plays more of a role. Sugar is obviously connected to our current diabetes epidemic but now research is connecting sugar to specific cancers as well.

In the 60 minutes segment Lustig says “We love it. We go out of our way to find it. I think one of the reasons evolutionarily is because there is no food stuff on the planet that has fructose that is poisonous to you. It is all good. So when you taste something that’s sweet, it’s an evolutionary Darwinian signal that this is a safe food.”

This goes back to our innate survival mechanism doesn’t it? Your body is always trying to make sure you never starve in a desert – that is the number one priority of your body even though that is not on any of our minds. This is extremely important to remember when we wonder why we do what we do.

It is time to become aware. Do you know what you are eating? Do you want to know?

Do you know what foods you eat that have added sugar in them? What do you add to your coffee? What is in your cereal, bread, peanut butter or salad dressing? How many sweetened products do you eat each day?

Lustig has presented to the American Heart Association to create limits to added sugars we eat. For men he suggests no more than 150 calories (37.5 grams) and women 100 calories (25 grams). That is not a lot when looking at the average American diet.

How much added sugar do you eat? What could you live without?

The answer is….I do not know. It is true that when managing your weight it does come down to calories in vs. calories out. So how many calories do you need? Calorie needs vary a lot person to person based on activity level, height, age, gender, genetics, stress, inflammation, hormones and muscle mass. It is tricky to figure out!

There are a few things I do know when it comes to the calorie game.

- Spread your calories out throughout the day – eat within an hour of waking and every 3-4 hours thereafter. You do not want to overeat at one meal and take in too many calories at one time.

- If it ain’t broke don’t fix it. If you are eating in a way that is helping you reach your goals then keep doing what you are doing! Don’t over think things too much.

- If you are not reaching your goals lets do some digging. Take some time to figure out what is working and what isn’t. Consider logging your food and activity for a week and see if you notice some trends and habits.

- Know what is in your food! Do not waste precious calories on empty calories such as junk food or caloric beverages. Eat whole, real, nutrient dense foods to keep you satiated.

While I do not know a magic calorie level for everyone, I will say that 1600 calories per day seems to be a magic number for a lot of people. It is the most common plan I put my clients on – 4, four hundred calorie meals per day. This is not easy to do because 400 calories is a tricky number to hit – it seems too big for a breakfast or snack and way too small for a lunch or dinner. However, my clients who master the 400-calorie meal seem to have a successful experience.

Please note 1600 calories may be too small for someone with a lot of muscle mass, an endurance athlete or someone very tall or way too high for someone who is sedentary, has a low metabolism or is petite. This just seems to be a good place for many individuals to start to figure out how much they should be eating in a day.

Do you know how many calories you need? What is your magic number?

I have been reading BiRite’s Eat Good Food cookbook (yes I am a total dork who has a cookbook on her nightstand) and I took some of Sam’s great advice to start you with a pantry list. This is just to get you started – make it work for you!

Do you want to master your pantry list? Check out the class at 18 Reasons specifically on stocking your pantry. A great way to make your kitchen work for you.

Let me know what you think. Any additions? Would love to hear back from you. Have go-to proteins in your refrigerator and/or freezer and yummy meals are minutes away.

Starches:

Brown Rice
Whole Wheat Bread
Whole Wheat Pasta
Quinoa
Oats
Hi Fiber Cereal
Cous Cous
Tortilla

Tip: Go for organic and be sure to read the box or package. There should be no added fillers or extra ingredients.

Legumes/Beans:

Black Beans
Pinto Beans
Kidney Beans
Garbanzo Beans
Cannellini Beans
Lentils

Tip: BPA is often in cans – go for organic and choose companies with low BPA content

Broths/Sauces:

Vegetable Broth
Chicken Broth
Marinara Sauce
Boxed tomatoes (lower-no BPA)

Tip: Watch sodium content. Go for products that have very few ingredients. Also, consider making broth and sauces and freezing them.

Oils:

Olive Oil
Rice bran Oil
Grapeseed oil

Tip: Do not leave oil next to your stove top! Keep in a cool, dark place to prevent rancidity.

Fats:

Olives
Olive tapenade
Nut butter
Nuts
Seeds

Tip: An appropriate portion of fats is 2 Tablespoons or 1/4 cup

Flavor!

Hot sauce
Salsa
Pickles
Capers
Mustard
Vinegar (red wine, white wine, champagne, balsamic)
Sun dried Tomatoes
Cinnamon
Cumin
Oregano
All Spice
Salt
Pepper

Tip: Flavor is the key to success! What flavors and tastes do you love??? Always have them available so every dish will be delicious. Also, note that none of the foods in this category have calories. Go crazy with em!

Fish:

Anchovies packed in salt
Sardines in olive oil
Canned tuna packed in olive oil (look for third party certification like “Marine Stewardship Council”)
Wild Alaskan canned salmon

Tip: Take notice of where your fish is coming from and how it is processed.