How to love your salad

Kick-ass snack: Spicy Roasted Chickpeas

Creating a Juicy Life: Juicing 101

Juicing is pretty popular now with celebrates, normal folk and moms in the know– with good reason. Today I’m gonna talk about the benefits of juicing and make it easy for you to start juicing this weekend.

• Why juice?
• What do I need to get started?
• Get Going Green Juice recipe

Why Juice?

Some people swear by juicing and have all but replaced their morning cup of coffee with a glass of vibrant green juice. The kick you get from that glass of liquid love is impressive. It’s no wonder– freshly made veggie juice is loaded with vitamins and minerals, enzymes, phytonutrients and chlorophyll– a powerful blood cleanser. What’s the difference between juicing and blending? Well, juicing removes the fiber while blending mixes it all together. When the fiber is removed, it’s less work for the body. The body gets a break from heavy digestion and can absorb the nutrients quickly (that’s the theory). All of those nutrients nourish your ever-regenerating cells and help reduce inflammation. Reducing interior inflammation is always a good thing.

How do I get started?

First, you need a juicer! In my opinion, the most important thing to consider when purchasing– how easy it is to clean!  I know you’re busy and let me tell you from experience, if it’s a pain to clean, you’re not going to use it! I like the Breville Juice Fountain Plus because clean up is a snap. Well, not a snap, but it’s not terrible either. Next, consider how much you want to spend… between $75 and $150 will get you a nice one. If that number is taking your breath away, just remember appliances always go on sale.

As a novice juicer, there are a few things to keep in mind:

1. Start with mild vegetables, like cucumber and celery, and incorporate the more pungent vegetables, like kale, chard or cabbage in smaller amounts.
2. Go easy on the fruit. Fruit can be used to sweeten green juice and make it more palatable, especially in the beginning. However, when you remove fiber, your body processes sugar more quickly. Green veggies tend to be very low on the glycemic index and so it’s not much of an issue. Fruit juice, while awesomely nutritious, still has a lot of sugar.
3. Wash those veggies and fruits! Carefully wash both organic and conventional produce to remove bugs, dirt and pesticide residue.
4. To stretch your juicing dollar: push the pulp through the juicer a second time, incorporate cheaper greens such as romaine lettuce and be on the look out for unused veggie parts to juice, like broccoli stems.

Get Going Green Juice (serves 1)

• 1/2 of a cucumber (peeled if not organic)
• 2 stalks celery
• 4-5 leaves kale
• 1 granny smith apple (cut in half or quarters)

Put everything in juicer. Voila!

Try to find a health food store that makes fresh green juice to get ideas and try new combinations. For more on juice, check out Kris Carr’s new juicing book: http://crazysexyjuice.com/

Get dinner on the table (almost) every night

Life is hectic and sometimes the last thing we feel like doing is making dinner after a long and busy day. The drive-thru can be tempting, but I know you can make an even better tasting meal (and one that is MUCH healthier) if you commit to getting into your kitchen and cooking. Now, I’m not talking about ah-mazing meals—I’m talking about quick and nutritious dinners that require minimal effort and minimal cleanup (anyone else hate doing dishes as much as I do?). An important first step is to shift your thinking from the-dreaded-cooking-chore to cooking as an act of love you show yourself and your family. Here are three ways to make that healthy, homemade dinner happen (almost) every night. This one goes out to all the parents out there:

Be prepared: this might be the most important strategy for maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

• Plan out weekly meals, if possible. If it’s a challenge to plan out all seven nights, then just plan 3 or 4 around your busiest days.
• Freeze 3 or 4 things each month. There are lots of healthy casserole and soup recipes out there. Set aside just one day each month to make four dishes for the freezer. You’ll thank yourself later.
• Keep your pantry well stocked with canned beans, tomato products, and stock in a box
• You’ll save loads of precious time if you don’t have to wash and chop everything each night of the week. If you have the time on the weekend, dice some onion and other basic veggies and store in containers.
• Have that salad bowl ready (or sliced veggies and dip for kiddos)

Think quick + easy. Have 3 or 4 healthy go-to meals that can be made from the pantry and freezer in 30 minutes, or less

• Pasta w/sauce, veggies and beans: sauté one onion & 2 cloves of garlic, add 1 jar of pasta sauce, add one can of white beans (drained and rinsed). Bring to a bubble. Three minutes before serving, add two or three handfuls of baby spinach. Yum!
• Omelet w/veggies: eggs are always easy, just be sure to include some veggies
• Quesadillas: what kid doesn’t love cheese? Bump up the nutrition by adding black beans, corn and some baby spinach.
• Fish-in-a-packet has to be the easiest preparation around. Have you tried it yet?

Have store-bought meals in the freezer or pantry, ‘cause life happens! If you plan ahead for those crazy days, you can avoid the dreaded drive-thru.

• Frozen pastas, like ravioli or tortellini (look for ones made with organic cheese)
• Healthy mac and cheese, like Annie’s brand (they even sell whole wheat pasta). To bump up the nutrients sauté onion and zucchini and add to the cheese sauce.
• Frozen pizza. Get plain cheese and top with veggies from the fridge.

Hey! Let’s keep the conversation going. Share a tip in the comments below for getting a healthy dinner on the table.

Weight loss for the long haul

How would it feel to lose weight for the last time? What would life be like without obsessive calorie counting, guilt-ridden desserts and endless nights zoned out in front of the tv?

Imagine eating a piece of chocolate cake and feeling fully satisfied. You’re able to savor each bite, because you’ve silenced that nasty inner-mean-girl who always insists on feeling guilty. Are you ready for that kind of joy? Can you handle conflict-free eating?

Master these five strategies and you will be well on your way to long-lasting, sustainable weight loss and joy-filled meals.

Eat a whole foods, plant-based diet

Don’t confuse a plant-based diet with a vegan or vegetarian diet. Plant-based simply means that most of your plate is filled with fruits, veggies and whole grains. Plant foods are typically lower in fat and calories and higher in filling fiber than meat, dairy, and processed foods while providing loads of essential nutrients. Avoid products with high-fructose corn syrup, trans-fat or a long list of unpronounceable ingredients.

Make healthy, real food, substitutions

To create that healthy, whole foods diet you need to recreate your old stand-by’s. Can you throw back a bag of potato chips in one sitting? Try a whole foods substitute of Kale chips, sweet potato chips or beet chip. Love ice cream? Try banana ice cream or homemade popsicles.

Be prepared

Plan out your meals and snacks in advance so that you don’t have to rely on fast food, vending machines or ingredient guessing.

Add in to crowd out

Don’t deprive yourself by taking away foods you enjoy. Adding in new healthier choices will naturally crowd out some of the less healthy food.

Find your soul food

Friends & family, exercise, spirituality and a satisfying career feed us. Lack of soul food creates over-reliance on edible food. A must-do if you struggle with emotional eating.

What about you? Are you ready for conflict-free eating? What’s your favorite healthy food makeover (or what do you want to see made-over)? Tell me in the comments below.