A Day in the Life...

A lot of my clients ask me what kinds of foods I eat on a regular basis. I wanted to share with you what I ate today.

Firstly, I have to say that I try my best to be an intuitive eater, which means that I honor my hunger, fullness, and satisfaction signals. This means that I don't eat "100% healthy" all the time, but that I try to eat mostly healthful foods because they make me feel good, and I only eat the foods I truly enjoy. It also means that if I'm craving Cold Stone ice cream or pizza, guess what? I eat it! I just try to really focus on the food as I eat it, taking small bites that I savor and listening to my body when it says it has had enough. Am I perfect at this? No. I'm still learning what intuitive eating means for me, but I am much farther down the path than I was a few years ago.

I read recently that there are two ways to become a more mindful eater that have really helped me:

#1 Take a few breaths before each meal to center yourself and be grateful for the food you are about to eat. It might help you slow down and actually enjoy and pay attention the food, instead of wolf it down while you watch TV or play on the computer.

#2 Love your food. If you love something, you pay attention to it. You don't eat it standing up in front of the fridge, and you don't use it to abuse your body or as a way of ignoring your emotional needs.

Secondly, I aim to eat mostly natural and unprocessed foods. I still eat out (more on weekends) and sometimes rely on convenience foods when I don't have a lot of time, but for the most part I really enjoy whole foods. In fact, I crave them. It doesn't mean that I have a ton of time to cook, however. I spend about 20 minutes over the weekend planning meals for the next week, and I try to cook double recipes so I can refrigerate or freeze them for later. I then shop at a farmers market and Trader Joes and/or Whole Foods every weekend. Having food in the house is essential; otherwise, it would be far too easy to eat out for every meal. I actually bring my lunch to work 4 days a week, enjoying lunch out with friends on most Fridays.

So here's what I had today, in case you were curious! All fruits, veggies, dairy, and meat were organic. Also, I don't measure my food, but here is an estimate just so you have an idea if you wanted to prepare it yourself!

5:30 a.m. - banana with ~ 2 tsp. almond butter

5:40 a.m. - 7:30 a.m. - 1 hour walk/jog with the pups; P90X Chest and Arms

7:40 a.m. - smoothie made with 1 scoop Sun Warrior chocolate raw vegan brown rice protein powder (Amazon.com), 1 T raw hempseed powder (Whole Foods), 1 T peanut butter, 3/4 cup frozen blueberries, 1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk)

(I haven't tried the vanilla yet - I get the chocolate flavor, which is sweetened with stevia)

9:00 a.m. - Kombucha (yes, I still have a few left!)

10:30 a.m. - 1/2 sliced cucumber with sea salt

12:00 p.m. - Leftovers! Salad made with romaine, onions, avocado, and Bragg's Organic Healthy Vinaigrette; Crockpot Turkey with Bulgur and Feta leftovers (see this post) and iced tea

3:10 - 6 oz Greek yogurt with almonds, fresh raspberries, and stevia after a 15 minute walk

6:15 - Tuna salad (chunk light tuna, olive-oil mayo, grain mustard, diced onions, relish, sea salt, pepper) on top of a bed of spinach with Skinny Crisps and cilantro-jalapeno hummus from a local vendor

7:00 - glass of merlot with a few episodes of True Blood

Water: approximately 100-120 ounces of mineralized, clean water

Supplements: Dr. Ben Kim's Greens, Carlson's Fish Oils, Carlson's Cod Liver Oil, HMF Forte probiotics, Douglas Labs CoQ10, Pure Encapsulations MSM powder, Standard Process Antronex and Allerplex (for allergies I have to my dogs)

Sunlight: 1 hour in early morning, 15 minutes at 3 p.m. (for vitamin D)

As you can see, I try to eat often (every 3-4 hours) based on hunger. When I exercise a lot, as I have been doing lately in my 3rd month of P90X, it's especially important to fuel my metabolism and honor hunger when I feel it. I never focus on calories or worry too much about serving size. I serve myself lots of veggies and reasonable portions of protein and healthy fats, and if I am still hungry when I finish the food, I serve myself a bit more of what I'm truly craving. Let me know if you have any questions!

*M*

Healthy Fudge

For those of you who know me well, this is one of my all-time favorite dessert recipes...and it's super healthy! I love having this frozen fudge in my freezer as a great alternative to ice cream or packaged desserts, and even my discerning husband is a fan. I got the recipe from Dr. Ben Kim's website, which I'm a huge fan of, and I've tested it with clients and seminar participants with great success. It's high in healthy fats and uses natural sweeteners instead of high fructose corn syrup, like what can be found in many packaged desserts. Don't be afraid to use a little unrefined coconut oil; studies show that it's actually heart healthy and really great for your skin.

You can get really creative with this recipe. I added shredded coconut, almonds, and walnuts, but you can do dried fruits, other types of nuts (like macadamias), or even pretzels (Greg's idea). The resultant fudge is very dense and delicious. It only takes a small piece (try 1/4 - 1/2 of a "muffin" if made in a muffin tin) to satisfy a sweet tooth. Feel good that you're eating something that's both delicious AND healthy!

Healthy Raw Fudge

Ingredients

2 cups raw almond butter (only $4.99 at Trader Joe's)

1/4 cup raw cocoa powder, sifted to remove lumps (I didn't have raw powder when I made it this time, but I did have cocoa/maca powder and it works well)

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons liquid honey (I used honey and agave syrup because I ran out of honey)

1 heaping tablespoons unrefined, raw coconut oil, melted (optional)

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 teaspoon coarse sea salt

Optional:

Nuts

Shredded unsweetened coconut

Dried fruit

Pretzel pieces (try spelt or whole wheat)

Instructions

Here are (most of) the ingredients, all lined up:

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Stir until smooth. Here are some of the steps, broken down a little bit. First, the almond butter (2 cups is basically the whole jar):

Next, the cocoa:

And the vanilla (I hardly have to measure for this recipe anymore, but you might want to grab a measuring spoon):

Here is what it looks like all stirred up:

You can stop here, or if you're like me, you like to add extra goodies. Here's the shredded unsweetened coconut:

Almonds and walnuts (basically leftovers I had in my cupboard that add texture):

Here it is, all stirred together:

Now, spoon the batter into square or circular muffin tins and pop the tin in the freezer. You can also put it in a glass or metal casserole dish, but I like the tins because it makes it easier to pop out fudge pieces and serve.

Make sure to keep this fudge frozen, or it will revert back to its more liquid, batter-like state. Use a sharp knife to cut the frozen pieces, and you have an instant healthy, delicious dessert that serves 24-48 (depending on the size of the pieces) for about $12 in supplies. That's $0.25- $0.50 per serving...far cheaper than Cold Stone! Enjoy slowly and mindfully, paying close attention to each bite.

*M*

The Breakfast Post

I have been taking photos of my breakfasts for the last few weeks in efforts to share a few unique ways to have a healthy, satisfying, and delicious meal in the morning. Some of these recipes take longer than others, but I've added a few tips to save time. I try to use sprouted bread from Ezekiel because it is less inflammatory on the gut than plain whole wheat, since it is made using sprouted wheat and not wheat flour. I also love whole spelt bread, which is soft with a hearty flavor. It also has more protein than regular whole wheat bread.

#1 Ezekiel toast with almond butter and sliced bananas

Pretty simple...toast the bread, spread the almond butter, slice the banana. Done.

Here's another version, using an Ezekiel sprouted bun instead of toast:

#2 Steel cut oatmeal

This oatmeal is made using the recipe found at Dr. Ben Kim's website here with a little twist. Instead of cooking it stovetop, I put the oats (after they were soaked and the soaking water was removed) in a crockpot with the same amount of water as in Ben Kim's recipe. No slaving over the stove, and the oatmeal is hot and tasty in the morning! Just be sure that your crock pot doesn't run hot.

Here is what steel cut oats look like. They're the least processed form of whole oats, so they are the best choice in my opinion:

Soaking the oats during the day before putting them in the crock pot at night:

Cook overnight (1 cup of water per 1/4 cup dry oats) in the crock pot, and here's what you get:

Add fresh or dried fruit, honey or stevia, cinnamon, walnuts, flaxseed, or any combination for flavor and a balance of nutrients. I don't recommend eating just oatmeal with fruit because it lacks protein and fat and will likely not satisfy you longer than a few hours. This is my bowl of oatmeal, with the mix-ins:

#3 Brown rice cakes with peanut butter, bananas, and ground flaxseed

Can you tell I absolutely LOVE bananas? They're my favorite fruit. When berries are in season, I certainly mix it up with raspberries, blueberries, and blackberries...but bananas are truly my favorite.

#4 French toast and a veggie scramble (weekend breakfast)

First, make the French toast dip. Friendly eggs:

Mix in organic milk or unsweetened almond milk, as shown here:

Dip Ezekiel or spelt bread in the egg mixture and cook on the griddle:

While the French toast is cooking, make an egg scramble using mushrooms and onions (along with any other fresh veggies you might have on hand):

Here's the final product! Of course, I added bananas (because they're my favorite) to some cashew butter on top of the French toast. You can also use agave nectar or real maple syrup and real organic butter, but I'm telling you, any sort of nut butter is delicious:

The best part of all of this? Leftover French toast to heat up in the toaster oven the next day!

#5 Spelt cereal with almond milk

Get this spelt cereal at Sprouts or another health food store. I prefer almond milk to homogenized milk (raw milk would be best, if you can get it), and I add walnuts for healthy fat and some protein. Add fruit like strawberries, blackberries, or even peaches. As always, I adore the banana:

Here's what the spelt flakes look like:

#6 Hempseed protein shake

This is one of my favorite breakfasts, and it's chock full of nutrients and flavor. I love using hempseed powder because it has a lot of protein (11 g) and an incredible amount of fiber (14g):

Here's what I used:

4 T hempseed powder

1 T almond butter

1/2 cup frozen blueberries

1/2 cup frozen raspberries

1 cup unsweetened almond milk

Stevia

Ice

(You can also use cocoa powder, yogurt, or even ground flaxseed!)

Add all ingredients to the blender:

Blend until smooth and enjoy!

#7 Ezekiel English muffins with avocado and hard boiled egg

Spread avocado over a toasted English muffin (try the Ezekiel brand - yes, they even have English muffins at Whole Foods) and slice hard boiled eggs on top. Serve with salsa. Really filling, satisfying, and delicious:

#8 A new PBJ

Three ingredients: sprouted bread, raspberries (smashed), and almond butter. A deliciously healthy twist of that familiar PBJ:

The most important thing is that you eat something for breakfast, even if these ideas don't strike your fancy. If you do, you'll get your metabolism kicking while fueling up with healthy foods that will give you energy to face the day! Enjoy :)

*M*