Kitchen Staples For Clean Eating

What's in your kitchen? The answer may be the key to unlocking your weight loss and fitness potential. So start making some smart swaps. You have to transform your kitchen to transform your body.

 There are a few staples you'll want to work into the mix as you start to transition away from processed food into clean eating choices.

At the Stove:

• Extra Virgin Olive Oil: Use it to saute veggies, and for baking, instead of butter. I also brush meats with olive oil, stir fry with it, and drizzle it on pasta. Use it sparingly. Don't act like a celebrity chef and swirl it into the pan!

• Cooking spray: I use an olive oil spray or a canola oil spray.  It's super convenient to coat a pan before cooking eggs, limiting calories. You can also spray it on chicken before grilling. Spray bottles like "Misto" are available at culinary stores and allow you to spray your own olive oil. 
• Coconut Oil: It's light, heart healthy and gives great flavor to stir frys. Flavored varieties are useful for baking. Remember, it's a "good" fat, but it's still a fat. Limit quantities of all oils.

In the Pantry: 

• Switch to whole grain flour: Or at least try to alter some of your baking recipes with half whole grain, half white flour. There's an excellent variety of whole wheat flour called "white" whole wheat, which is a softer grain and it's not so gritty.
• Choose whole grain pasta: It's a little nutty, but if you cook it a little longer, it won't be tough. Boil it in chicken broth or vegetable broth for a naked sauce option. Toss it with parmesean cheese and add veggies. Remember, a serving size is the size of your fist. 

A fist-size serving of pasta.

• Old Fashioned Oats: Move over instant oatmeal, this is an excellent energy source and whole grain. Eat 1/2 cup cooked with Stevia and berries on top.
• Brown Rice: Brown rice isn't stripped of its outer fiber layers like white rice. It gives you more fiber and more staying power in terms of delivering even energy to your body. 
• Beans: Dried, or canned, keep a supply of lentils, black beans and kidney beans to make a protein rich salad, side dish or soup. 
• Onions: Have them on hand for soups, stews, salads, and stir fry. I love to season ground meat with onions, making meatballs juicy and flavorful. 

On the Shelf: 

• Stevia: It's an all-natural, zero calorie sweetener that doesn't spike your blood sugar like honey or agave syrup. Use it in place of sugar in the same ratios. 
• Spices: Eating clean doesn't mean giving up flavor. Choose a flavor profile like Italian, or Tex-Mex, and spice up your food. Italian flavors include basil, oregano, and red pepper flakes. Tex-Mex includes cumin, chili powder and cilantro. Experiment with flavors that make you happy. Make your own spice mixes like seasoned salt.
• Salt: Toss some in water before boiling pasta or cooking rice. 

In the Refrigerator: 

• Hot Sauce: Delicious on eggs or in soup. 
• Low sodium soy sauce: For stir fry or to add flavor to brown rice.
• Vinegar: For homemade salad dressing. 
• Minced garlic: For everything!
• Parmesean cheese: Excellent on eggs, pasta and whole grain cheese bread.
• Eggs: I eat two a day, usually scrambled with veggies.
• String Cheese: This is an awesome source of lean protein. I eat 2 at a time to get 16 grams of protein. 
• Greek Yogurt: My children whine that this is the "secret" ingredient in everything I cook. I agree. I use plain Greek yogurt and flavor it to suit my needs. Use stevia to make it sweet, or seasoned salt and herbs to turn it into dip. 
• Natural Peanut Butter: Peanut butter shouldn't have added hydrogenated fats or chemicals. Look for one with peanuts and salt. It must be kept in the refrigerator so it won't spoil. 

In the Fruit  and veg Drawer: 

• Apples keep well, and I always have lemons for squeezing on fish or turning into salad dressing.

Someone decorated the lemons in my fruit bowl.

• Pre-packed, pre-washed spring mix or romaine lettuce is convenient for quick salads.
• Portobello mushrooms make an easy base for a veggie pizza. 
• Avocado makes an excellent salad dressing base or sandwich spread. 

Snacks: 

• Keep nuts available, but limit the portion size on these good fats.
• Beef jerky: I found a lean, all natural product here in Nebraska with no preservatives. It's called Beef Bark. Find it at www.beefbark.com. It travels well and comes in dozens of flavors. 
• Whole grain crackers: Find a cracker with 5 ingredients or less and eat the proper serving size. 

Planning for The Feast

When it's cold outside, I want to bake to stay warm. When I bake, I want to eat. Mostly, I just want to smell cinnamon in my kitchen or wrap my hands around a mug of spiced chai tea. So how do we enjoy the season, without being a spoiler?

I think it's about keeping it all in perspective. One warm fresh baked pumpkin snickerdoodle cookie is delicious. The entire pan will leave me feeling crummy.  I think the key to nutrition and fitness success is to indulge--with limits. We run into trouble when every night, is dessert night. I remember a time several years ago when the meal wasn't finished until I had dessert--after lunch AND dinner. After age 40, those 100 calorie cookies catch up with you.

So faced with a buffet of holiday treats,  decide what you want most and throughly enjoy some of it. Then, make healthy decisions the rest of the week. If you know Aunt Rosemary's blueberry tarts with whipped cream are on the menu, and you wait all year for them-- eat clean the rest of the day--getting in those vegetables and lean protein.

At my gym we call this a "Free Day," a time to enjoy the proper portion size of the foods you love.

It's also important to contribute something to the feast that you know will sustain you and not leave you in a food coma. When people tell me they failed in the nutrition department because they ate what was served--I always ask, "What did you contribute to the meal?"

Take along a new veggie dish, a Greek-yogurt based dip, or a really beautiful side dish you'd be proud to share.

Here's a recipe for a colorful, hearty salad made with pomegranate and an ancient Italian grain called farro. You can find it at Trader Joe's or in the health food section of most grocery stores. Wheat berries are a good substitute. This serves up nicely as a side to turkey. In fact, I just made this with a pork tenderloin which I stuffed with apples, poblano peppers and sweet potatoes.

Slice the pomegranate into quarters and gently nudge out the berries. If you do this in a bowl of water in the sink, it makes clean up easy. The white pulp will rise to the top of the water.

Pomegranate Farro Salad

3 cups water
1 ½ cups farro or wheat berries
3 tbs balsamic vinegar
1 tbs pomegranate molasses
¼ cup olive oil
5 cups arugula (optional)
4 cups romaine
3 stalks celery, chopped
2/3 cup sliced green onions
½ cup pomegranate seeds (peel and clean the fruit)
½ cup roasted unsalted almonds, chopped

Bring water to boil. Add farro, return to boil. Simmer 25 min. Peel pomegranate.
Whisk vinegar, molasses, ½ tsp salt, ¼ tsp pepper in bowl. Drizzle in ¼ cup olive oil, whisk well. Add remaining ingredients, including cooled, drained wheat. Serving ¾ cup. 175 cal, 27 carbs.

Feeds 8, easily.
 Pomegranate molasses adds a tart element to the bold taste of balsmic vinegar and really completes this dish. Lighten it up by adding greens to the grains. If you're taking this to a party, add the greens when you get there, and toss throughly.

Get Moving
After that holiday meal, or before,  plan an activity which involves moving. My husband's Uncle Ed used to make everyone put on thier winter coats and go for a post-dinner stroll after dinner. It was a Thanksgiving tradition.  Get your regular exercise on holidays. It's good for stress relief. Most fitness centers offer holiday hours and it's a good break from the kitchen to break a sweat.

Don't Blow Calories on Booze
Alcohol calories quickly add up. And when we drink, we feel more free to eat everything in sight. Suddenly, it's ok to binge on the entire bowl of giant cashews. Know your limits and stick to it. Chase a beer or glass of wine with a glass of water. Alcohol also inhibits fat burning. So if you're serious about maintaining weight or losing body fat, booze is your worst enemy. It actually negates the effectiveness of your workouts.

Be Thankful
We are all thankful for something. If I focus on my "haves" I think I'll be healthier, happier and more able to manuever the "have nots." Plus, no one wants to be around a negative Nellie.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Is it Hunger? Or something else? Emotional Eating 101

No one wants to talk about it. It's about that bag of kettle chips that disappeared without a crumb or a trace, or the box of Girl Scout cookies that's missing an entire sleeve. When I see a super-clean food log from a person who hasn't lost a pound in a month, I know what's going in. It's not rocket science.

It's emotional eating, emotionless drinking or even just mindless eating. Do you eat, or drink-- when you're bored, lonely, stressed or sad?

Stop, think and ask yourself: "Do I want this? Am I hungry?" What's the real reason you head for the chocolate drawer or the bottle of wine?

Workplaces everywhere are loaded with baked goods, candy jars and leftover party food that your co-workers want to get rid of--just bring it to work! And before we know it, because it's there, we'll consume an extra 1,000 calories a day to just be polite, social, or busy. It seems like every social gathering, meeting or coffee has an endless supply of food involved.  Some day, keep track of the nibbles, bites, tastes and snacks you have outside your daily meals. You may be amazed at the calories you can down.

And if you're trying to lose excess pounds you need to think of food in a new way:

We eat to fuel. Food is fuel. It's not a way to stuff emotions. We don't have to "treat" ourselves or reward ourselves or our children with food. We're not dogs or circus animals.

If you're trying to clean up your diet, and cut out emotional eating, you have to find something to do with those emotions you're feeling. I get that. This is not easy work.

It might help to keep a little journal and write down your true feelings and frustrations. Don't turn to food or booze as a bandage. It may make you feel better initially, but then you just beat yourself up later for going down that path. If you have a significant amount of weight to lose, it can be extremely helpful to seek the help of a licensed counselor or therapist to get to the root of your food addiction.

Willpower is like a muscle. The more you exercise it, the stronger it gets. 

Every time you pass up that plate of pastries on the secretary's desk at work, you get a little bit stronger. You know there's a healthier option waiting in your lunch bag. Keep practicing that will power, and it will soon become automatic.

Here are some ways to work through those cravings or times you want to "eat" through your emotions:

1. call a friend

2. clean a drawer

3. organize your beauty products

4. sweep your floor

5. write an e-mail or letter to someone

6. do 20 push ups

7. do 20 sit ups

8. walk your dog

9. read a book

10. find a new recipe

11. prep your food for tomorrow.

12. have a cup of herbal tea

13. help a neighbor

14. chew some sugarless gum

15. text a friend, a coach or a fitness buddy

Changing our habits takes time and work. Know that you have the ability to change. You're hardwired for it. You just have to tap into it and practice it. 

Can you enjoy junk food and the calorie-laden foods you crave? Absolutely. There's room for a proper portion size of anything, once in a while. It's what keeps us balanced and happy. It's called your "free day"--to enjoy the foods you don't eat all the time. And then, it's back to the business of being a conscious eater.  

Food is fuel. Fuel on!!

Chili Weather

I could eat chili for breakfast. It's one of my favorite foods. It includes all the food groups, has a ton of flavor, travels well in my lunch bag and is extremely satisfying. This recipe keeps it lean because after you brown the meat, you drain it in a colander and then rinse it with water. When you return it to the pan, you add in all the spices and flavor. This recipe freezes well and you can turn it into chili-mac, by spooning it over cooked whole grain macaroni.

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Chili From Scratch

1 ½ lb lean ground beef or lean ground turkey

1 onion diced

1 tsp olive oil  

1 can diced tomatoes with juices

4 large garlic cloves chopped

3 tbs Chili Powder

2 tbs Cumin

½ tsp to 1 tsp cayenne pepper

2 cans low sodium beef broth without MSG

1-2 cans Chili Beans (medium seasoned)

Salt to taste

Brown ground meat in a frying pan. Drain the meat in a colander then give it a rinse with water and let it drain. Add the olive oil to the pan and saute the onion and garlic until soft.  Return the  meat to the pan. Add dry seasonings, beans, tomatoes and broth. Bring it all to a boil and then simmer for up to an hour, adding water if it’s too thick. Season to taste with seasoned salt. Freeze in portion sized batches.

Serving size ¾ cup

Protein: about 21

Carbs: about 20

Calories 175-200 per serving

Please Tell Me What To Eat!

I hear this from friends at the gym all the time.

"Please just tell me what to eat!" 

Once, I spent hours creating a detailed meal plan for a student at the gym-- complete with recipes, based on his weight loss goals and taste. He swore to me that he loved to cook and would make whatever I told him to eat. Twice, he asked me to do this. And wanting him to succeed, I took the time to create this meal plan.

I handed over the packet, explained it to him and then, I never saw him again.

Whole Grain pasta with homemade sauce

Maybe he was overwhelmed. Maybe he wanted me to make it so difficult for him that he was forced to quit his fitness journey because he just couldn't be successful. While I second guess myself all the time about the "meal plan man"--I've learned some valuable lessons.

People don't want to be TOLD what to eat. As a certified nutrition coach, I give folks lots of options about what they can and should eat. But there is so much flexibility, choice and variety in available foods that I don't want to take the joy out of simple eating. I've learned that basic guidelines, in many cases, are better than detailed plans. And then, I offer recipes to keep it fun and flavorful.

So.. what SHOULD you eat?  For starters, none of us eats enough vegetables. They're loaded with fiber, not calories. They fill us up and give us nutrients we simply can't get in processed foods.

• Eat something green every day--three times a day. Spinach, romaine lettuce and kale are my favorites. Kale and spinach blend nicely into a smoothie. Chop those greens, wilt them and roll 'em into scrambled eggs. Order veggies at restaurants without butter. 

• Eat lean protein like fish, ground turkey, lean ground beef and chicken. The average man needs about 20 grams of protein or less per meal. A woman needs about 15 grams. What does this look like? It's about the size of a deck of cards or slightly smaller.

• Eat whole grains like brown rice, whole grain pasta and whole grain bread. Whole grains contain energy-providing carbohydrates. Carbs are not bad! Carbs fuel our bodies. Just eat the right portion--about a cup of cooked pasta and 3/4 of a cup of cooked rice, per meal. And avoid "refined" carbs, which are processed foods stripped of nutrients. 

• Eat lean dairy like Greek yogurt, cottage cheese and yogurt smoothies. Dairy does double duty because it has carbs to give you energy and protein to build muscle and keep you full. Many times Greek yogurt with berries is one of the small meals I eat each day.

• Eat a small portion of "good fat" every day, like 20 almonds, 2 slices of avocado or a touch of olive oil. 

• Eat two fruits a day. Fruits with skin give you more fiber and take longer for your body to break down. Berries are low carb, which means you can have a larger portion. 
  

Finally, eat often, eat small. I subscribe to the nutrition plan that allows me to eat every three hours or roughly 6 times a day. Always eat a whole grain carb with a portion of protein, plus veggies. This can range from a turkey sandwich on whole grain, to tuna salad in a half pita, or an apple and two pieces of string cheese. 

I'm not going to tell you what to eat...exactly. But you get the picture!!

Soup's On

The cold north wind is blowing. Cool September rains are creating mud puddle obstacles on the walk to school. I've pulled my favorite leather boots out of the attic. And it's football season. That can only mean one thing: It's soup weather.

On the food satisfaction scale, soup is right up there-- in my opinion. I think I could eat it every day and never get tired of it. When I was a kid, September meant my Italian Nonna always had a pot of minestrone going, full of zucchini, tomatoes, greens and other fresh vegetables. We'd sprinkle it with a good dusting of grated parmesan cheese and dive into it.

She'd usually serve crusty Italian bread on the side, along with chunks of cheese and marinated olives. That truly was clean, homemade eating.

Being somewhat of a soup snob, I tend to shun canned soups because they're thin, fake tasting, loaded with sodium and flavorless. Plus, it's so easy to create a steaming pot of soup yourself. It freezes well and you can eat it a couple days in a row with a sandwich or salad on the side.

Here's a recipe for Confetti soup which features black eyed peas. I looked for frozen ones, but settled for canned beans. They were just fine after I drained them and rinsed them with water.

Black eyed peas have decent protein and fairly low carbs. The fiber in them makes the soup satisfying and you can certainly add meat to the soup for flavor or an added protein boost to help build lean muscle. The kale adds a ton of vitamin A and bold flavor.

Confetti Soup:

one cup chopped onions
1 yellow or red bell pepper, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
2 cups finely chopped kale
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp cumin
1/8 tsp crushed red pepper
2 cans fat-free chicken broth (no msg)
2 cans black-eyed peas, rinsed and drained
optional 1 lb ground turkey, cooked rinsed and drained.


Coat a large pot with cooking spray. Add onions and peppers, cooking for about five minutes on medium heat. Add kale, chili powder, cumin and red pepper. Cook and stir for about 2 minutes, until kale is bright green Add broth, black-eyed peas and turkey meat. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Simmer for ten minutes and serve.

Makes 6, 1 cup servings. 151 calories, 9-15 gr. protein with turkey, 26 carbs.
Recipe adapted from the booklet, "Evelyn's Essentials."

Snacks vs. Treats, Let's Eat!

Somebody, set me straight here. When did "snacks" become "treats"? Who says that when we eat between meals, or give our children a snack, it needs to be "junk" food?

Forget the cupcakes, chips and gummy fruit snacks. That stuff gives our blood sugar a major spike and then drops us like a lead balloon. Highly processed food doesn't leave us full or satisfied. It's food with almost no nutritional value. That means your body can't use it. Your body doesn't even recognize it as real food.

In fact, any food that your body can't "use" for energy right away, is stored as fat. Kindergarten students don't need a 400 calorie glazed donut as a birthday treat. You say, "it's just one day, one birthday." But when there are 30 kids in class, that's 30 extra donuts a year for each kid, and each birthday.

Save those "treats" as a "once in a while" food, not a main-stay, every day staple.

Snacks and treats aren't interchangeable.  Just like adults, children run better, and think better on real nourishment versus greasy chips, caloric cookies, and "fruit" snacks made entirely of --you guessed it, empty calories, refined grains, and sugar.

Thank you Michelle Obama. Even though school kids everywhere are quietly cursing her.

 I hear it at home.

"We can't buy 'Gushers' at lunch anymore. And no more of those big cookies!' they cry. I've heard the President's wife's name muttered more at my house than her husband's name in the past 6 months. I quietly smile.

Thanks to her efforts and new USDA guidelines, snacks in federally funded school food programs are getting a massive makeover this school year and it's probably a good time to examine what we're feeding our kids at home too. The USDA says any snacks now sold in schools which receive federal funds for meals have to follow strict guidelines that call for low sodium, low fat, low sugar and low calories. Individual snacks can be just 200 calories or less and they must contain 50 percent whole grains.

You can no longer buy a regular soda or even a breath mint in a public school under the new guidelines, which are pretty harsh. But so is the harsh reality that one in 5 American 4-year-olds is obese, according to the World Health Organization. One in five.

Our bodies are made in the kitchen at home, or in some cases, in the drive through. 

So here are some ideas to get yourself and your children some healthy mini-meals your bodies need.

Some favorite snacks in my kitchen:

• Apple Slices and a piece of string cheese. You get the good carbohydrates, natural sugar and fiber of the apple plus the protein building, staying power of lean cheese. You can keep apple slices fresh in a lunch bag by sprinkling them with lemon juice. We keep a bottle of lemon juice in the fridge just for this purpose.

• Homemade Trail Mix: Fill a container with pumpkin seeds, mini dark chocolate chips, Wheat Chex cereal, cranberry raisins, peanuts or almonds. It's filling, whole grain, and includes healthy fats for growing brains.

• Yogurt: There are plenty of perfect portion sizes for kids. Look for those with low sugar content and top the yogurt with whole grain cereal and berries.

• Quesadillas: take a whole grain tortilla, sprinkle it with shredded cheddar cheese, fold it over and toast it in a frying pan. Serve them with salsa. 

• Lite popcorn or air popped popcorn. This is an easy and satisfying whole grain. Sprinkle it with seasoned salt or grated parmesan cheese. 

• Beef jerky: there are some natural ones out there with low fat and no nitrates. They give you a tasty protein fix that keeps you fuller, longer. 

If you like baked goods, bake your own so you can control the ingredients. Make oatmeal cookies, add mini chocolate chips, experiment with whole grain flour, replacing half of the refined white flour in recipes.  

And yes, once in a while, HAVE A TREAT. 

Peanut Butter and Jelly Makeover

There's nothing like a good old fashioned P.B. and J. sandwich once in a while, except a healthier, cleaner, version.

If you and your children want the best possible nutrition, there are a couple places to take aim that you probably haven't considered.

What's in your peanut butter? Really, it should include nothing but peanuts and salt.

Yet most jars of peanut butter contain hydrogenated oil to make it thicker and more spreadable. Even some labels that claim to be "natural" include hydrogenated soybean oil or cottonseed oil to change the consistency. Many peanut butters include sugar or molasses, which we also don't need. Some brands add chemicals  too, to preserve the product and give it an endless shelf life.

Hydrogenated oil is basically a liquid oil that's chemically changed into a solid fat. Once solid, that fat has new artery clogging capabilities as a saturated fat. Over time, and depending on the rest of your diet, hydrogenated fats can lead to heart disease. Saturated fats raise total blood cholesterol and LDL cholesterol, (the bad kind).

So what's a nut butter lover to do? Read the label. There are natural brands that contain just peanuts and salt and they're not super expensive. In fact, my favorite one is a big store generic brand and it's the cheapest one on the shelf.

When you buy natural peanut butter, there's a layer of peanut oil on top. Just take a butter knife and stir it up. Then store the jar in the refrigerator to keep it fresh and thick.

Peanuts provide a cheap decent source of monounsaturated "healthy" fats. Why gunk it up with saturated fat?

Adults should enjoy one serving of healthy nut butter or nuts each day including walnuts, almonds, pistachios, pumpkin seeds or flax. The serving size is roughly two tablespoons. If you eat more than that, you're getting more fat than you need. Even healthy fat, is still fat and you'll gain body fat if you eat too much.

What's in your jelly? Or should we say jam?  Just remember, simpler is better when it comes to fruit spread too. Look for the whole fruit varieties with no added sugars and avoid high fructose corn syrup. Choose spreads sweetened with fruit juice. Read the label.

Next, check out your sandwich bread. Is the first ingredient--whole wheat flour? It should be.

Whole-grain whole wheat flour is full flavored containing vitamins, minerals and protein. It's more nutritious because it contains the whole wheat grain, which has fiber in it. White bread is just made with the inside of the wheat grain which is ground, bleached and then enriched with chemicals to try to bump up the nutritional value. So when something says "enriched" or "fortified"--all the good stuff was taken out, and then replaced artificially.

Whole grain breads have good carbohydrates which break down more slowly in the body, keeping you fuller, longer and delivering better fuel and energy for your work outs.

When you eat whole grain bread, brown rice, whole grain wraps and whole grain pasta, your blood sugar stays at a more even keel than the white flour counterparts of those foods. So you don't experience the spikes and crashes of eating refined carbohydrates.

Products made with enriched or refined white flour break down more rapidly in the blood stream and act like sugar, giving the body a quick burst of energy, before sending blood sugar levels plummeting again. Those foods include white bread, white rice, pasta, and potatoes.

Ditch the spongy white bread. Enjoy the real natural flavor of peanuts and fruit.

Give your P.B. and J. a makeover. And enjoy.

Peanut Butter Balls

1 cup natural peanut butter

1 cup honey

3 cups old fashioned oats

1 tsp ground cinnamon

½ cup mini chocolate chips (optional)

Combine honey and peanut butter. Add cinnamon and stir in chips and oats. Form into quarter sized balls and freeze on a cookie sheet. Once frozen, store them in a container or freezer bag in the freezer. Thaw before eating.

About 40 cals each.

Your peanut butter doesn’t need anything but peanuts and salt. Check the label. If it has added sugar, oil, preservatives and fillers, ditch it. After you open and stir it, natural peanut butter must be refrigerated. If you’re going to eat dessert on your free day, make it something wholesome and homemade. Enjoy!

Pizza Please!

Eating with fitness in mind doesn't mean you never eat the foods you love. The key is to turn the flavors you crave into dishes you enjoy without added calories and fat.

When we eat for flavor, we're satisfied and happy. When we don't get the satisfaction of flavors we enjoy, we continue to eat and overeat in search of that food that "hits the spot."

Eating well doesn't mean we have to eat bland cottage cheese and hard boiled eggs--although I'll tolerate both.

Because my Mom was a great Italian cook, I'm constantly in search of satisfying cheesy, saucy dishes that create that comfort food feel without weighing me down. Did you know you can turn almost anything into pizza? When you create your own pizza you control the ingredients and you're not stuck with some greasy mystery meat soaking the crust with grease.

Whole grain flat bread pizza

Just try it. A large portobello mushroom is an excellent base for a gluten-free pizza. Remove the stem, scrape the gills out with a spoon and brush with olive oil.  Add tomato sauce, turkey pepperoni and a sprinkle of mozzarella or parmesan. Sprinkle on Italian seasoning or chopped fresh basil.

 Microwave it for 2-3 minutes covered, or bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

Create pizza on pre-made whole grain flat bread, or whole grain English muffins. They're the perfect portion size for keeping carbs in check and enjoying more traditional crust. Pair it with a homemade Caesar salad and you have a tasty winner for dinner.

My latest summer food find is usually free. Friends at work and the gym offer boatloads of zucchini, their gardens overflowing with the baseball bat sized squash.

zucchini pizza

Here's a delicious way to get my pizza fix without a starchy carbohydrate overload.

Zucchini Pizza: 

Slice a large zucchini squash into rounds about 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick

olive oil

small can tomato sauce

1 onion diced,

1/2 red bell pepper chopped

fresh basil or Italian seasoning

pinch, red pepper flakes

1 lb. ground turkey meat, cooked, drained and rinsed with water

Shredded mozzarella cheese

grated parmesan cheese

Prepare meat sauce by browning turkey in a frying pan. Drain off fat in colander and rinse the meat with water.

This is truly the key to removing lots of fat from all ground meat, including beef for chili. Cook, drain, and rinse. You're going to put all kinds of flavor back into the pan in the next step.

Return the meat to the pan and add touch of olive oil, diced onion, red pepper, basil, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper to taste, and a pinch of red pepper flakes. When onions are soft, add the tomato sauce. Simmer 20 minutes or more. 

Place zucchini rounds on baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray. Brush each zucchini slice with olive oil. 

Spread meat sauce thickly on each zucchini round and sprinkle lightly with cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for about 20-30 minutes or until pizza is tender-crisp and cheese is melted. 

It's a recipe that'll even have your kids saying, "Pizza Please!"

Maddie loves Italian food

Fit On The Road

Life doesn't stop so you can get fit.

So how do you travel with fitness and food in mind? You have to plan ahead and make the best choices possible while on the go. Between summer vacations and business trips, there are plenty of temptations to pack on the pounds and take a vacation from your fitness goals.

Michelle Pierson should know. She's traveled for work about every six weeks for the past year. The technology project manager and mother of two tries to focus on the big picture when she travels.

Michelle Teaching Strength Training

"Just because I'm on the road should't mean I sacrifice my healthy lifestyle and throw everything I've worked for out the window," said Michelle.

Michelle took up kickboxing and strength training two years ago and now shares her passion and talents as a coach and instructor in her free time at FXB Midtown in Omaha. She said her own mother had diabetes, high cholesterol and high blood pressure and she doesn't want those illnesses to be a part of her own health picture.

Waiting to board her plane home to Omaha after a recent 5-day business trip, the upbeat and motivating coach shared some travel tips and advice.

• Take along healthy options. Michelle always packs protein bars and almonds. That way she has a quick and easy source of protein.
• Split meals with colleagues, or if you're on vacation, split a dish with a family member. 
• Take time to go to a grocery store and fill your mini-fridge with Greek yogurt, string cheese and carrot chips.
• Choose fresh salads at restaurants.
• Chew gum and drink lots of water. Skip the alcohol. 

Michelle said many times she's locked in back-to-back meetings and food is catered in. "If they have wraps, I'll eat the meat and veggies only. Yesterday, they ordered in deep-dish pizza, so that was a protein bar lunch for me," she said.

She tries to avoid refined carb temptations like pastries and cookies that are often offered as afternoon "snacks" in those long meetings.

"They just make you feel like garbage later," she said.

Michelle said she'll take a quick break to grab a protein shake or yogurt to keep her going instead.

She allows herself a "free" day to eat whatever she wants just once a week and said she didn't want to waste her free day on pizza in a conference room. She laughed that the "coach" in her never takes a vacation.

"I do try to encourage those I travel with to make healthier choices. 'Do you really want another handful of those wings?'" she'll ask co-workers.

Michelle also works exercise into her road trips, waking up before meetings and hitting the hotel treadmill or elliptical for 30 minutes and lifting free weights following the schedule at her home gym.

"I really try to stay active. I'm not spot on all the time. I'm human. I fall off my wagon," she admitted.

She said it's not always easy to take your fitness journey on the road, but it's certainly not hard.

"Don't give up. This is your journey and you have to own it and make it your own," she said. 

Families need a similar plan when vacationing too.

Randby kids enjoy clam chowder and crab cakes in Florida.

• Pack and plan healthy snack mixes with nuts and dried fruit.
• Bring along homemade, whole-grain muffins or cookies free of hydrogenated fats. 
• Find a grocery store and stock up on veggies, fruit and breakfast options like eggs, whole grain English Muffins and yogurt.
• Enjoy local flavors but keep portion sizes small.
• Bring along lean beef jerky.
• Prepare your own food when possible. 

My family even packs lunches to take on day trips when hiking or touring amusement parks. Turkey wraps travel easily in an insulated lunch bag with an ice pack. My husband carries the backpack and the kids love a picnic. On a five day vacation, we'll plan just two dinners at restaurants opting to pick up local ingredients and cook our own food. It helps with the vacation budget and our waistlines!


 Julie's Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Muffins

2 cups whole grain flour

2 tsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

1 over ripe banana

1/2 cup natural peanut butter

2 tbs olive oil

½ cup brown sugar (optional)

1 cup Stevia

1 large egg

¾ cup milk

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line mini muffin tins with foil cupcake papers or spray with cooking spray.

Combine flour, baking powder and salt in a small bowl. Mix oil, peanut butter, brown sugar, banana and Stevia in a large mixing bowl until creamy. Add egg and milk. Mix until smooth. Add flour mixture to peanut mixture; beat until blended. Stir in chocolate chips. Spoon batter into prepared tins, filling ¾ full.

Bake 12-15 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.  Mini muffins: 110 cals, 3 gr.protein, 12-15 carbs, 7 gr or less of sugar. 

Your Sweaty Friends

It was my first 5K and I was dragging at the half-way point. This petite woman running on my left with a pink baseball cap kept encouraging me. Who talks during a race? Who can even breathe, I thought.

I learned she was a marathon runner, with a spunky attitude and positive energy that gets things done. Then I found out what drove her. She was a breast cancer survivor who wanted to be as healthy as possible for the race of life. It was pure inspiration knowing that if Tina survived breast cancer and could run long distances, I could finish the next mile and a half.

An Accountability Partner Keeps You Going.

When I told her it was my first race, she hung with me, every step of the way. She could have breezed past and made better time. But she didn't. She stayed with slow poke in the slow lane and we crossed the finish line together.

That was about 5 years ago and Tina--that woman in the race, became my accountability partner. Also known as a friend! I actually tracked her down after Race For the Cure and asked if we could run together. I was inspired by her story, and I also wanted to learn how to run, train and pace myself.

In the beginning, we ran a couple times a week. When you know your friend is on your doorstep at 7 a.m. to accompany you in exercise, you don't leave her hanging. We used to joke that during our 3 or 4 mile runs, we would exercise, but also solve the world's problems with our endless banter.

I've run lots of races since then and improved my times. I admit, I've been known to talk to complete strangers and encourage them in races. I try to be an accountability partner to friends, because I know it matters.

So who is your accountability partner? Is it a spouse, a girlfriend, the guy in the next cubicle? Having a partner on a fitness journey, or even a coach or trainer to hold you accountable can really be the key to reaching your goals and finding sweaty success.

Me and Megan

I have noticed that friends or spouses who sign up for group exercise classes together lose more weight and keep it off longer because they create a level of expectation for each other. They're also more likely to share common interests, like healthy cooking and an active lifestyle. You essentially are a reflection of the people who occupy your time.

An accountability partner is someone you don't want to let down. It gives an added layer of pressure to accomplish things you might never do on your own. If I'm on the treadmill by myself in the basement, I'm probably just giving the bare minimum amount of effort. No one will know but me.  But kickboxing on a gym mat surrounded by 50 friends, I'm kicking it into gear.

I worker harder as part of a team. You've probably seen the acronym: T.E.A.M.

Together Everyone Achieves More. It's a little corny maybe, but so true.

Megan and Me

And I've learned that sweaty friends, are the best kind to have.

Veggies Unveiled

Your mom fed you smelly canned peas once and you haven't tried them since. Just the thought of spinach on your tongue makes you gag and the only vegetables you'll eat are corn--swimming in butter, and french fries. You'll eat salad on occasion, but only if there's ranch dressing involved.

We need a veggie intervention.

Eat colorful vegetables. Red cabbage is the star of Asian Slaw

After a couple years of marking friends' food logs with a red pen, I can tell you across the board, most people have a veggie void. They just don't eat enough. Maybe they don't want to bother with washing, cutting, and peeling. Or something in their childhood triggers the "ick" reflex.

Veggies are worth the bother. Think color. You'll hear nutritionists say to eat the rainbow-- green broccoli, red cabbage, blueberries. That's because colorful produce is loaded with phytonutrients. What the heck are those? They're natural chemical compounds--only found in fruits and vegetables. These natural chemicals work with other nutrients to keep our bodies operating at optimal levels, fighting cell breakdown, regulating hormones, keeping us healthy. Plus the fiber keeps all systems moving smoothly.

O.K., how many do you have to eat? The general guideline among health experts is 5 a day. 2 servings of fruit and 3 servings of veggies will get you in the ball park of feeling energized--giving every cell in your body the proper fuel it needs.

Research recently published in the British Medical Journal looked at more than 65,000 people's veggie intake. What's the magic number? That study found 7 servings a day of produce significantly cut the risk of dying from cancer and heart disease and veggie eaters lived longer overall.

Don't suddenly stuff yourself with 7 servings of produce. Your body has to get used to the idea or you'll be a bit of a gas bag.

Add vegetables like kale to eggs.

Start slowly and ramp it up. At breakfast, saute some chopped spinach in a pan with at touch of olive oil before scrambling your eggs. Put the eggs on top of sliced raw tomato. Save some veggies from the night before and toss them in the pan in the morning with your omelette. This takes less time than waiting for a sugary toaster pastry to pop up out of the toaster.

For snack time, take your veggies to work. Bag up some sliced red bell pepper and dip it in natural hummus. Red pepper is sweet and crunchy and fills you up. Add snap peas to your wraps or turkey sandwich and put it in your chilled lunch bag.  Eat a salad every day. Add sliced radishes, or shredded carrots. Most of these veggies come pre-washed and bagged, so they're super convenient.

Put dark leafy greens on everything and try kale.

Make a salad you haven't tried before--like broccoli apple slaw, or Asian slaw.(see recipes below)

To steam vegetables, put an inch of water in a pot and bring it to a boil. Place a metal steamer basket in the pot, and put your veggies on top. Put a lid on it and steam for a few minutes until the produce is tender crisp. All veggies are delicious with a squirt of lemon juice or brush them with olive oil and lemon juice, salt and pepper, or fresh herbs.

A steamer basket keeps veggies from getting soggy.

Roasted Brussels sprouts are a favorite at my house. Wash them, then remove the stems and loose outer leaves. Slice them in half and brush with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Sprinkle on some salt and pepper and tiny pieces of real bacon.  To roast any vegetable, bake in a pre-heated oven at 375 for about 15-20 minutes. Always brush them with olive oil or hit them with cooking spray first.

Experiment with roasting veggies. Just make sure the pieces are about the same size so the broccoli doesn't burn before the onions are cooked. Baby red potatoes, onions and fresh minced rosemary make a delicious roasted combo.

Stir frying is another way to meld all those flavors together. Give everything a good chop, preheat your oiled pan, and keep those veggies moving. Add some low sodium soy sauce, fresh grated ginger and garlic too. Toss in a little chicken broth at the end, along with your cooked meat, and call it dinner.

Soon, you'll be on your way to 7 a day!

What's your favorite way to eat veggies? Please, share your ideas and recipes with me in the comments section.

Apple Broccoli Slaw

Apple Broccoli Slaw

½ bag broccoli slaw or rainbow salad, coarsely chopped

½ cup dried cranberries

½ cup apple juice or white grape juice

1 gala or honey crisp apples, washed, cored and diced

Juice of one lemon

Sprinkle of sugar, Splenda or Stevia.

Combine chopped apples with lemon juice. Add chopped Broccoli slaw ( I take it out of the bag, and chop it all again to make it easier to eat.)

Add fruit juice and combine. Top with cranberries. Add sweetener to taste.

This is an awesome side salad or veggie with any protein. My children love this and don’t know it’s broccoli. It’s really good next to salmon, grilled chicken or turkey.

Serving size, one cup.

Carbs, approx: not counting broccoli, 16

Calories: about 75

Asian Slaw

4 cups shredded red cabbage
1 cup shredded carrots
1 small red onion chopped
1 cup shelled edamame (it comes frozen)
salt and pepper
1 1/2 tsp rice vinegar
1/3 cup fat free may or plain Greek yogurt
1 1/4 tsp sesame oil
1/2 tsp sriracha chili sauce
1/4 tsp sugar or Stevia
Low sodium soy sauce to taste
Asian noodles, peanuts or sunflower seeds

Toss chopped cabbage, carrots, onion and edamame in a bowl. Season with pepper. Whisk together vinegar, mayo, sesame oil, chili sauce and sweetener until smooth. Taste and add soy sauce as needed. Pour dressing over slaw and toss to combine. Top with crispy noodles or peanuts before serving. 1 cup serving is about 80 cals, 8 carbs.

Cook Once, Eat Three Days

So many times people who want to lose weight will say, "I don't cook," or "I hate cooking," or "I don't have time."

There is nothing more important to your health than taking time for something that is truly going to sustain you and fuel your body all week long--and really for the rest of your life. You don't need a bunch of fancy kitchen stuff to cook, just a bit of time and a passion for food and flavor.

Eat real food.

 If you have a family, there's even greater reason to cook. How will your children know how to make healthy choices when they grow up if they never see you in the produce section or in front of the stove? What recipes will you pass down to them? I run into overweight college students all the time who live with this void. They never learned to cook so they move from one drive through to the next.

There's a reason 68% of Americans are overweight or obese. They're eating out too often and not taking charge of their nutrition. They're eating highly processed food that has little nutritional value and comes in a bag, box or can. We need to eat real food, as close as possible to the way it grows out of the dirt. It's called "clean eating."

 One in 5 American 4-year-olds are obese. And I'm quite certain they're not doing their own grocery shopping. They eat what adults feed them. 

 You simply can't lose weight if you're eating calorie laden restaurant food several days a week. You must cook or at least be willing to spend a few minutes planning and prepping each week. If you're not prepared, you will fail when it comes to choosing healthy options.

So how do you make it simple and tasty? Start by planning ahead. On your day off, plan at least three meals and go grocery shopping. If you're going to dirty a pan anyway, make more than you need, and freeze a portion for next week. Better yet, cook once--and eat something different for three days.

Here's one way to do it. On Sunday, grill a bunch of chicken breasts. Brush them with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. For Sunday dinner, we'll have grilled chicken, with brown rice and grilled zucchini. Well brush fresh peach halves with honey and sprinkle them with cinnamon and put those on the grill too. That's pretty basic and delicious.

A Grilled dinner

On Monday, I cut up half the leftover chicken, add chopped celery, plain Greek yogurt, salt, pepper and a splash of cooking sherry and turn that chicken into chicken salad. You can mix it with cooked whole grain pasta or serve it on whole grain wrap with raw spinach, or stuff it in a pita with a side of fruit. Or skip the bread and put it on a bed of salad greens.

Chicken Salad with Greek Yogurt

 Tuesday, we turn that chicken into enchiladas by adding black beans to the chicken, some cumin and chili powder, and folding that into low-carb tortillas. Place in a pan sprayed with cooking oil. Top them with a canned enchilada sauce, chopped fresh tomato and a little shredded cheddar.

Chicken and black bean enchilada

Each of those meals takes about 10 minutes to prepare once the chicken is cooked. Slice a cucumber and tomato and add a splash of vinegar, salt and pepper for a side summer salad, and you have a meal.

If you're running a kid to a ball game or swim practice, roll up chicken wraps with some light mayo, snap peas, shredded cheddar and lettuce. Wrap it tight in foil to keep it together. I can't tell you how good this tastes when I look around and see families dining on congealed fake cheese nachos from the concession stand.

You don't have to stand in front of the stove for hours, wearing an apron and yielding a whisk. But in order to succeed on a weight loss journey, you have to do the work: The planning, shopping and chopping. Work smarter, not harder. And eat, to live.

Chicken Three Ways:
Grocery list:

6-8 chicken breast halves
brown rice
zucchini
peaches

cup, plain Greek Yogurt
whole grain pita bread or whole grain pasta
fresh spinach
celery

can black beans
low carb tortillas
can enchilada sauce
shredded cheddar
avocado

extras:
cucumber
tomato
snap peas
fruit for side dishes
salsa
rice wine vinegar
spices

Salad Dressing Undressed

Summer's fresh flavors and colors offer endless crunchy possibilities when it comes to vibrant, flavorful salads.

So why do you cover your greens with high fructose corn syrup, soybean oil, sodium benzoate, calcium disodium EDTA, and propylene glycol? Yum!  It sounds disgusting really. But many of us eat preservative filled, sodium rich, calorie-laden,  bottled dressing everyday and never think twice about it.

That's exactly what was in the bottle of lite poppy seed salad dressing I pulled off the grocery store shelf recently.

 Balsamic vinaigrette is light and flavorful.

So let's go ahead and "undress" salad dressing. It sounds sexy, doesn't it?

You want dressing to complement your veggies, not overpower them or coat them in a bath of goop.

Think oil and vinegar.Together it's called vinaigrette.

.

 Now if that age old combo of red wine vinegar and oil doesn't strike you as delicious, think outside the box. There are dozens of types of vinegar on the store shelf, or you can easily create your own flavored vinegar.

 Salad dressing should really be just two main ingredients. An acid and an oil, plus seasonings and herbs. The "acid" is a vinegar or citrus juice. The base is oil, preferably olive oil which is a healthy fat--excellent for your heart. Extra virgin olive oil is the purest form. It's the first press of the olive and has the richest content of healthy fats.


Recipes To Make your Own Flavored Vinegar

Experiment with rice wine vinegar. It's very mild and pairs nicely with soy sauce, a touch of sesame oil, olive oil, fresh grated ginger, a squirt of lime juice and spices for a salad with an Asian flair.

Red wine vinegar is a little more harsh on the tongue, but can be tamed with water, and fresh herbs like oregano and basil.

My favorite dressing is a Caesar style with fresh squeezed lemon juice, lots of minced garlic and olive oil, plus salt and pepper. Top it with freshly grated Romano cheese.  Or use orange juice, skip the garlic and cheese and top it with dried cranberries for a sweeter version.

Balsamic vinegar whisked with olive oil makes an earthy, bold dressing for summer greens.

To make any dressing, simply blend ingredients with a whisk or toss them in the blender. You can even pour all the ingredients in a small glass jar and give it a good shake. Then store in the fridge and bring to room temperature before serving. The general ratio of oil to vinegar is 3:1. Three parts oil, to one part vinegar. Depending on the flavors and balance you're looking for, adjust. I tend to go a little easier on the oil.

If you're making a large salad for your family, drizzle the dressing around the edges of the bowl using as little as possible, then use tongs to toss and distribute the dressing evenly. You don't need to use much to bring out the true natural flavor of your veggies.

For creamy dressings, experiment by mashing an avocado to form the base of the dressing, then mixing in water, lemon juice and herbs. Plain yogurt also makes an excellent creamy base when you add chives, onions, fresh herbs and spices from your pantry.

Naked salad with just a hint of dressing. Now THAT is sexy.

Minty Watermelon Cucumber Salad

4 cups cubed seedless watermelon
1 medium English cucumber, halved and sliced
3 green onions, chopped
handful fresh mint, chopped
4 tbs balsamic vinegar
4 tbs olive oil
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

In a large bowl, combine watermelon, cucumber, onions and mint. Whisk vinegar, oil, salt and pepper. Pour over salad and toss to coat. Serve immediately or refrigerate up to 2 hours.
6o cal, 3/4 cup serving, 9 gr. carbs.

Just Start

Your skinny jeans aren't so skinny anymore. In fact, you wish you could just zip them closed and still be able to breathe. You saw yourself in your cousin's wedding photos and wondered when you started to look like that. It's time for a change in your fitness picture. So you start walking every day and starve yourself. After a week, you're a raging pain in the butt and no one can stand to be around you.

You're soon back to your old habits. Downing the coffee. Convincing yourself that diet pop is OK because it has zero calories.  You're eating whatever crap leftovers your office buddies dragged in from their weekend parties. Dining out is the norm rather than an occasional treat. You're too tired to exercise, grocery shop or plan a meal.

And the vicious cycle continues.

Here's the deal. We're like rubber bands when it comes to habits--we want to stretch back to our original shape and size.  It takes planning, will power, and downright determination to make changes that'll last for the long haul.

So give yourself a break and give it time. Set yourself up to succeed in this new lifestyle. Start with a natural cleanse: by removing sugar from your diet and drinking water. No--you don't need a fancy cleanse product.

The average American eats 152 pounds of sugar a year. Yes, read that again. That's 6 cups of sugar a week, or 42 teaspoons a day, according to the group, Health Promotion In Motion. Just paste those donuts on your rear end already.

Start by removing blatant sugar from your daily diet and fill in with two fruits a day. Fruit has natural sugars so you don't want to eat unlimited amounts. But it's also loaded with fiber and vitamins you can only get from eating real food.

Then turn that diet pop habit into water habit, aiming for at least 90 ounces of water a day. Put a slice of lime in it, or lemon, or cucumber.

So much of the sluggishness we feel is actually dehydration. Did you know that just a 2-percent drop in dehydration can zap our energy, create enormous fatigue and make us think we're hungry?

Carry a water bottle around like it's your part time job and chug away. It'll fill you up, make your skin look great and give you energy to exercise. Water is a natural lubricant and pain reliever, cushioning your joints. Every cell in your body needs water to thrive and make you feel energized.

I'll drink to that!