Snacking

One of the main things that use to hinder my weight loss journey is snacking. Right in the middle of a snack attack, something came over me. I sat there and asked myself “why am I snacking”…yup! WHY?!

I believe snacking is more of a mental event than the actual snacking itself.
You sit on the couch, dig your hand in a bag or bowl of whatever and you completely zone out until your snack is gone. The funny thing is once it is gone you look at the bowl or bag that use to hold your snack and wonder where did it go! Now you feel cheated. You look around and somehow think someone helped you eat it. Your power of reason comes into play and you confess out loud “I ate the WHOLE thing”.

To be honest I’m still working on snacking but now I try to make it more meaningful. I can say that it use to really hurt my feelings when I took the time to measure out the proper portion and all, then sit in front of the TV and eat it in 60 seconds flat. I mean REALLY?! So you know what happens next don’t? Sure you do! You want MORE! The 1st commercial to your favorite show didn’t even come on yet for goodness sakes!

Okay let’s draw this down to a point. You cannot mindlessly snack and stay on your pursuit towards your weight loss goal. If you are an emotional eater you are snacking to divert your mind and attention away from a task or problem. Here are the reasons why mindless snacking won’t help you at all:

• the task or the problem will still be there!
• you’ve now made yourself numb to the actual sensation of being satiated, it is just a hand to mouth action.
• once you’ve realized there was no connection to the food mentally and it’s all gone, you want a do over, and you go back for more!!

What’s the solution? I’m going to keep it real with you. I know there are going to be days of the month when I’m more stressed than others, not because I have a “woman thing going on” but it is true for ALL people. Our stress level & hormones fluctuate from day to day. Just as unpredictable as the weather or stock market. Plan those moments! You know they are going to happen! I call it my “break glass in cases of emergency” moments. Make your snacking meaningful!! When I’m ultra stressed I want something either cold & creamy such as chocolate pudding or ice cream; or something savory and crunchy like peach cobbler with a crumbly crunchy top. Oh yes, I do go there during my “break glass” moments. The cold and creamy is a frozen banana in a food processor with cocoa powder, vanilla extract, and 2 tbsp of Greek yogurt. The savory & crunchy is diced peaches sprinkled with 2 Tbsp of granola thrown into the oven. It smells like cobbler and tastes like it too.

Lastly before you can EVER connect with your food, you must connect with your feelings! Write it down. Take voice notes. Use your laptop and make a video journal. Whatever you have to do to connect with your feelings and WHY you’re feeling that way. You owe it to yourself to do it. You owe yourself the effort.

Notice I didn’t say call someone and talk about it! Do this AFTER you’ve connected with yourself first. Why?! Because my darlings… Depending on who you call it just might intensify your feelings. How? Because they will share with you how to solve the problem or they just might dismiss your feelings, albeit unintentionally; their input may do more harm than good. Journaling your feelings will help YOU help YOURSELF! After you’ve connected with your feelings and you still feel it is a “break glass” snacking moment then have at it. Just don’t do it mindlessly. Make your snacking meaningful. Eat purposefully.

You’re Going to Have to Spend the Money

I am truly disturbed! I mean completely blown away! I’m angered! I’m outraged and downright disgruntled. I have heard this comment way too often “I cannot afford to eat healthy foods”.

Before I go into why this upsets me, let me just acknowledge some very valid points:
• if you live in a perceived economically depressed area the food choices are limited or the price is elevated.
• it is much cheaper to buy processed food than it is whole foods.
• most of us grew up eating processed and that’s what our palate enjoys.
• even if you switched to buying whole foods, it isn’t enough to feed a family bigger than 2 people.

Like I mentioned these ARE valid points and I get it. Why do I get it? Because I was one of the people who spoke loudly about those points. I am BEGGING YOU to have a change of heart!!

Here is why I’m angered, outraged, disgruntled. I went to the pharmacy to place a prescription for a family member. The pharmacist informed me that she runs out of a particular mediation very quickly & the order would be partially filled because she doesn’t have enough to complete the order. She informed me that original price of the medication is $430 for a one month supply. This equals to $3.60 for 120 pills. Even with insurance subsidizing most of the order I was informed that my total would be $150. When the pharmacist said the total for just the one prescription I saw stars!! This is a racket!!!! Highway robbery!

Do you realize this is a setup?! My point is to be proactive about your health and not reactive. We are not predisposed to illnesses however this is what the health care field & food industry would like for us to believe. I’m not naive to think that we aren’t born with certain illnesses, this we can all agree, we are born imperfect and have to deal with certain illnesses from infancy. Diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, chronic back pain, migraines, obesity, heart disease, arthritis are all preventable diseases.

Why did I call it a racket? The medication needed to alleviate the symptoms to these preventable diseases are there to help you “cope” with the problem not “cure” At $3.60 a pill for a one month supply of 120 pills x 12 months =$5200 for 1 prescription! Suppose you have more than one medication to fill, do you think the wonderful world of healthcare want you to stop using these pills? Think of the profit margin, think of the mass manufacturing… just think period!! Stop and think for one moment what’s really going on here. America is getting sicker and sicker by the day!! We are being brainwashed, hoodwinked and bamboozled!

Now lets look at the $150 co-payment or worse no medical insurance at all & you have to pay $430, that’s money gone! Just for you to cope not cure your symptomatic problems. Lets go to the store and spend $150 in Kale, Collards, Green Leafy Lettuce, Onions, Peppers, Brown Rice, Garlic, Tomatoes, cucumbers squash…just to name a few! They all have medicinal qualities; they are anti-inflammatories, they lower high blood pressure, lowers cholesterol, alleviates migraines, alleviates sinus pressure, aids in digestion, full of antioxidants that help prevent cancer. These foods are full of macro & micronutrients. This is nature’s medicine!!

You can pay for nature’s medicine over and over again and the benefits of using nature’s medicine over America’s medicine will always be the same! Nature’s medicine is designed to keep you healthy and make you healthier! America’s medicine is designed to help you cope while you continue to eat the foods that continue to contribute to your illness & possibly make you sicker. I won’t jump on the food industry soapbox right now. I’ll save that for another blog day.

The most chilling thought that ran through me today is there will probably come a day when I will be responsible for taking care of my elders in my family. I cannot imagine paying $400 for one medication and having to possibly pay for more medicine for me or others in my household.

Family, I beg you on bended knee to consider taking care of yourself right now while you have the money and the strength to do so!! It only gets harder as the decades roll in. In your 60’s , 70’s and 80’s your income will be reduced, your energy might be reduced as well, possibly making it impossible to take care of yourself properly. Why not be proactive right now?! Don’t give your money to the biggest racketeering industry in America. Invest in yourself by eating right & exercising. Go outside your community to seek cheaper prices if you have to. Aren’t you worth it? Is your family worth the effort? You owe it to yourself and your family!! You’re going to have to spend the money anyway!!! Why not spend on yourself and your family!

I’ve got to Walk on the Tightrope

I’m learning that this weight loss journey is a series of moments where I’m successful in balancing the aspects of my life. I mean really think about what I just said! In order to lose weight you must eat foods balanced in nutrients. You must also burn more calories than you take in, creating a calorie deficit. In essence you must get in a good amount of high cardio, pair that with quality strength training… but wait… You have life outside of your goals.
You’re probably a parent, a student, a caretaker, a spouse, a best friend, someone’s child, a sibling. Whomever you may be to someone, you still must balance that with who you are to yourself. Ah, yes! Who ARE YOU to yourself? Are you a critic or motivator? Are you a friend or foe to yourself? Are you positive or negative to yourself?
Where is your balance? How well do you walk on the tight rope? I’m here to tell you that it takes practice, it takes skill, it take resiliency and it takes persistence. I’m also here to tell you that you, yes I said YOU, can do it. You MUST DO IT in order to be successful! Will there be times when you feel that you can’t go another step? Yes there will be! Will there be a time when you feel like you’ve failed? Absolutely!! Will there ever be a time when you will fall? Yeppers!!! Will you stay down? You better NOT! As a matter of fact I command you, I demand you to not stay down! You must will yourself to move up and move on! Why? Because the tightrope is meant for the skilled and confident, the calculated and persistent. As a matter of fact,?have you ever seen anyone get on a tightrope that was not any of those things I mention? My answer is no. I’m sure yours was too! Get on the tightrope and keep trying until you can walk on it everyday and not fall off. Practice makes perfect… W

Easy Stir Fry basics

Contributed by: Donna Michele

Stir fries are a go to food at our house year ‘round but especially in the fall and winter when frozen veggies work their way into our diet more frequently.
Mise En Place is the most important thing in stir fry, have veggies and meat chopped to uniform size and all ingredients out and ready to use first. Stir Fry goes very quickly!
1. Get a thick bottomed pan good and hot (preferably stainless).
2. Add a high temp oil like coconut or canola.
3. Scramble eggs (an egg per person), season with salt and pepper as you go, set aside to add just before serving.
4. Add oil as needed, one Tbsp at a time, then frozen veggies (1- 1  1/2  cups per person) and cook til just softening, 1 – 2 minutes.
5. Add a bit more oil as needed, then aromatics like 1 Tbsp ginger, 1 TBSp garlic and ¼ onion per person. If these are frozen, cook till just soft.
6. Add warmed up rice(1/2 c per person) to pan then make well in center and add soy (1 Tbsp per person) and fish sauces1/2 Tbsp per person) (toasting the soy gives depth to the dish).
7. With a large spatula, cook and turn over high heat until hot through and beginning to crisp.
8. Serve immediately.
What I didn’t say above is that this goes for all Asian and Indian stir fries. If you haven’t tried Kadhai, start with my Indian Chicken Kadhai, and riff from there.

Veggie casserole

Contributed by: Donna Michele

Ingredients:

•  3 yellow squash
• 3- zucchini
• 1 medium sweet onion
• 10 plum or 5 medium tomatoes
• 2 tsp oregano
• 2 tsp basil
• 2 cloves roasted crushed garlic (or ½ tsp garlic powder)
• ¼ cup grated romano or parmesan cheese

Pre heat oven to 400 degrees. Thinly slice squash, zucchini, onion and tomatoes. Layer each into glass 8×8 glass baking dish, sprinkling spices and garlic on tomato layer each time. Layer until dish is mounded and or all veggies are used. Bake 1 hour covered at 400 degrees then sprinkle with cheese and bake uncovered until cheese melts and just begins to brown. Serve hot.

*This recipe is very forgiving, substitute, or just add, peeled sliced eggplant, winter squash, grated carrot, or other veggies according to what you have. Switch up the spices for variety; change to Mexican with cumin and roasted red bell peppers, or take it Asian with ginger and garlic and toss veggies in a splash of soy.

• Today

Indian Chicken Kadhai (stir fry)

Contributed by: Donna Michele

Ingredients:

1 chicken, cleaned and cut into pieces
1-2 Tbsp of coconut or canola oil
3 chopped onions
3 chopped green chilis
2 tsp garam masala
2 tsp freshly ground coriander
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp turmeric
6 med. tomatoes, diced
2 tsp. ginger paste
2 tsp. garlic paste
Plate and sprinkle with fresh chopped coriander just before serving.

Directions:
Heat oil in a wok or kadhai.
Add onions, and chilis, sauté til browning starts.
Add garam masala, ground coriander, chili powder and turmeric, toasting all.
Add ginger and garlic, cook til tomatoes soften.  Add 1/4 cup of water and bring the dish to a boil. When liquid thickens, add chicken.
Reduce the heat to medium, cook covered 10-15 minutes (til largest breast piece is cooked).
Garnish with coriander.

Tex-Mex Stuffed Peppers

Contributed by: Donna Michele

4 servings  Prep: 20 min Cook: 1hr Total: 1hr 20min

Ingredients:

½ c pine nuts
1 roasted bell pepper
2 lg garlic cloves
1 (14 ½ oz) can stewed tomatoes
¼ c vegetable broth
2 Tbsp chili powder
2 c cooked brown rice
¾ c frozen corn
2 plum tomatoes or ½ c salsa
½ chopped sweet onion
¼ tsp salt
4 large poblano or cubanelle, or 2 red, yellow or orange bell peppers
¾ c low fat shredded Mexican cheese blend

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Toast pine nuts in a skillet over medium heat, stirring often, about 8 minutes to lightly toast while the oven heats. Set aside for later use.
2. Combine the roasted bell pepper, garlic, stewed tomatoes with juice, broth or water, and 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons of the chili powder in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Process to a medium-coarse texture. Pour into a 9″ x 13″ glass baking dish and set aside.
3. Mix the rice, corn, plum tomatoes, onion, egg whites, salt, toasted nuts, and remaining 1 teaspoon chili powder in a medium bowl. Halve the poblano, Cubanelle or bell peppers lengthwise and remove the stems and seeds. Spoon about ½  cup of the stuffing into each poblano or cubanelle pepper or 1 cup into ½  half a bell and place stuffed side up in the reserved sauce in the baking dish.
4. Cover the dish with foil and bake for 30 to 45 minutes, or until the peppers are tender.
5. Remove the foil and sprinkle the peppers evenly with the cheese. Bake for 5 to 8 minutes longer, or until the cheese has melted. A serving is one poblano or cubanelle or half a bell pepper.

CALORIES 395 CAL FAT 17.7 G SATURATED FAT 3.8 G SODIUM 418 MG CARBOHYDRATES 50.2 G TOTAL SUGARS 13.4 G DIETARY FIBER 8.3 G PROTEIN 15.7 G

My Easy Moussaka (makes 4-6 servings)*

Contibuted by: Donna Michele

(*see Serving Stretcher below recipe).  Prep: 15 min Cook: 20 min Total: 35 min

Ingredients

1 sweet onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb lean ground beef
1 can (14 ½ oz. ) no salt added diced tomatoes
¼ c tomato paste
½ tsp. ground cinnamon
¼ tsp. ground allspice
2 eggplants. Peeled and cut into ¼ “thick slices (circular on lengthwise slices work)
7 Tbsp. olive oil

Sauce/topping
2 c. milk (1 % or higher milkfat)
3 Tbsps. Cornstarch
½ c. grated parmesan and/or romano cheese

Directions
Heat the broiler. Coat a 9″ x 9″ baking dish and a large baking sheet lightly with olive oil.
Place half of the eggplant on the prepared baking sheet and brush both sides with half the olive oil.
Broil 6″ from the heat, 10 minutes or until browned, turning once. Repeat w/ second half of eggplant.
While eggplant cooks, heat a large skillet coated with olive oil to medium-high
Add onion and garlic sauté 3 minutes, or til the onion starts to soften.
Add beef and cook, chopping & stirring often, til  beef  browns and is just cooked through(5 to 7 minutes).
Stir in tomatoes (with juice), tomato paste, cinnamon, and allspice. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes.
In a small saucepan whisk together the milk and cornstarch. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and cook, whisking, for 8 minutes, or until thickened. Remove from the heat and stir in the cheese. (This works with 1%, but not fat free milk!)
Layer half of the eggplant in the baking dish, then cover with half of the meat sauce. Repeat. Spread the cheese sauce on top. Broil for 3 minutes, or until just starting to brown.

*Serving Stretcher: Take it to 6 servings by adding double the tomatoes, and/ or by adding 2 broiled zucchini, 2 summer squash, or 3 c. par broiled sliced potatoes, ~calories and fat lower per serving than below.

Nutritional Info per serving Calories 341 Fat 19 g Saturated Fat 4g Sodium 339 g Carbohydrates 20g Total Sugars 10g Dietary Fiber 5g Protein 19g

Easy Lentil Soup/ Stew

Contributed by : Donna Michele

• 1 cup split red lentils
• 1 can of diced tomatoes
• 1 cup sliced mushrooms
• 1 cup shredded carrots
• 1 box of chicken broth
• 1 tsp cumin

Add all ingredients to soup pot, cook on medium heat 20-30 minutes covered, or until lentils are soft.  For stew, puree half the soup then return to the pot for thicker consistency. Leftover cooked turkey ham or chicken sausage can be added to the bowl when served, ¼ to ½ cup per bowl, top with soup.

Chilean Zucchini Stew (A good use for giant Zucchini)

Contributed by:  Donna Michele

 

Ingredients

• 1 large sweet onion
• chopped 3 cloves garlic minced
• 1Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 1 Tbsp. chili powder
• 1 Tbsp. cumin
• 2 giant zucchini, chopped
• 5 large tomatoes skinned seeded and chopped
• 3 cups or 5 or 6 ears of corn, roasted
• 1 can black beans, drained
• 1 – 2 cans chopped tomatoes with green chilies (to taste), or like amount of salsa
• 1 large container organic vegetable broth
• Fresh cilantro or crushed coriander

Directions In large stock pot saute onions and garlic in olive oil until onion is transparent. Add all other ingredients, top with stock and enough water to cover. Simmer ‘til thick and tender. Taste and season with salt, pepper, hot sauce or spices to taste *I like this served over brown rice or quinoa, with corn chips (as a dip), or just as stew with cornbread. Great topped with Yumm sauce when served over grains, top with any of: shredded cabbage, shredded carrots, flakes of nori and edamame with Asian salad dressing. Or try shredded (2%)cheese, (low fat) sour cream, cilantro, salsa, and/or avocado and the Yumm Sauce recipe. Really pretty served in glass bowls or mugs because of the colored layers.