False Start...

     
 "If you focus on results, you'll never change~but if you focus on change, the results will come."
I like that one...it's very true. I have a confession.... I got a bit of a false start on the Whole30 challenge. I had a SUPER stressful/emotional weekend, which, I am realizing, kinda drives me to be careless about what I consume. SO...stressful weekend behind me+ renewed vigor and motivation=new day, and a new challenge! I'm ready for it! I have successfully cut so many things out of my diet that the only thing left that "triggers" a binge is nuts. So....for the rest of this thing, nuts are out. They are super addictive to me.
 I could have kept going, pretending like I didn't "fall off the wagon" but that wouldn't be very honest....and I am trying to get everything out in the open, for one, so I don't deceive myself, but also for everyone else out there that STRUGGLES with food....I get it. I SO get it. It's really really hard sometimes to maintain discipline in that area of my life. And I know sooooo many women who struggle with a food addiction of one kind of another. I don't think it's any coincidence that Satan tempted Eve with FOOD. Pretty crazy. All we can do is keep trying! Anyways, I hope ya'll have a good day and I'll see ya back here with my (nut free) food journal later today. Happy Tuesday!

Carnitas!!! and the Whole30 challenge

First of all, I'm not a huge pork fan. But I saw this recipe on Kait's Primal Kitchen blog, and I knew I HAD to make it. In the crock pot ALLLLL day....5am~5pm. A quick blast in a hot oven to make them crispy....so so so good. So, if you're in the mood for some delicious PIG, make this recipe! 

This is what I made with them. Twice. Cabbage, onions, tomatoes, guac, salsa and lots of carnitas. Mmmmmm......

So, on to the challenge I told ya'll about the other day. Starting yesterday (because it was October 1st, and why NOT start a challenge on the first day of the month, I ask you???) several of my clients, and whoever else I could recruit (because believe me, I try to recruit everyone for stuff like this....it's THAT good) and I started the Whole30 challenge. The Whole30 is a 30 day challenge to eat ONLY whole foods~organic/pasture raised/wild meats and seafood, lots of vegetables, some fruit and some great healthy fats like avocado and coconut products. The challenge eliminates all foods that must be processed in order to consume them~dairy products, anything made from grains, all sugar, etc. It's such a GREAT challenge because it "resets" your body~eliminating all cravings for all the crap that you just.can't.stop.eating. I LOVE it! So many people have experienced such fantastic health benefits from eating this way....I just can't give it enough props! Anyways, if you are at all interested in joining the challenge, check out the website and read about it for yourself. I will be posting my food journal for the next 30 days (as regularly as I can) so you can see what it might involve. It's not hard. It's goooooood!!! I will also be posting recipes for good food! Have a great Sunday!

Surprise veggie box....

Happy Thursday! 

Yesterday, one of my clients brought me this awesome box full of vegetables from her garden!

So I made this:

Ground Beef, Sauteed brussels (why is there an "s" at the end of that word?)  sprouts, beets, carrots and broccoli with zucchini "pasta" tossed in (homemade) pesto. 

Pesto Recipe:

1 large bunch of basil (i use trader joe's)

2 handfuls spinach or arugula

3-8ish cloves of garlic (depending on your taste)

1/2 c.(ish) extra virgin olive oil

salt

Put greens and garlic in the food processor...process until finely chopped. Stream in olive oil until desired consistency is reached. sprinkle in a little salt, pulse one more time....good to go! Instant magical vegetable~topping sauce!!!!

Have a great day! I will be posting about a challenge later today.....

I'm Back!!!

"The chief cause of failure and unhappiness is trading what you most want for what you want right now." ~Zig Ziglar

I have been MIA (from blog land) for quite some time now. During this time, I have taken a step back and really tried to assess where I am in this business of mine and where I want to go. What I have come up with is this: While I LOVE the fitness aspect, and of course I think exercise is super important, I think this country is in a nutrition crisis, and I feel REALLY passionate about that. I took some time, got my Nutritionist certification, and am now available to do nutritional consulting alongside my personal training. Technically, before, I wasn't really "allowed" to talk about nutrition as a personal trainer. Now, I am. And talk about it I will!

I am taking the "PALEO" approach to nutrition now. Paleo refers to the "Paleolithic" era...aka caveman. Not that we all need to eat/live like cavemen, but just taking an approach to nutrition that is natural and sustainable. Lean, pasture raised meats, lots of fresh vegetables, some fruits and healthy fats such as avocados and coconut. Research shows that our ancestors were fit, lean and healthy eating what they could hunt and gather off the land. The agricultural revolution is when everything started to go downhill, health~wise. Disease and degeneration came because in the reduction of good nutrition in favor of cheap, quick meal solutions. And our nation's health started to decline. The Paleo lifestyle brings back vibrant health and high energy levels because of whole, nourishing foods. 

I am extremely passionate about educating my clients about good nutrition. Especially when it comes to children. I want to empower women to make healthy choices not just for themselves, but for their families as well. I think so many times we feed our children "filler"(often times processed foods)~even while maintaining a strict healthy diet for ourselves~but it's so detrimental to their development. I have been guilty of this in the past, but I changed my thinking....I don't want to feed my children anything that isn't going to do something FOR their body in a good way. Protein for muscle building, vegetables and fruit for vitamins and minerals and nuts and avocados for healthy fats and brain development. It is a little more expensive, but so worth it down the road! 

I am also going to try listing my food journal for a while....so ya'll can get an idea of what a healthy Paleo~type diet looks like. 

Meal 1: 2 eggs over hard, cooked in coconut oil, black coffee

Meal 2: ground beef and lamb with pasta sauce over spaghetti squash, sauteed zucchini and yellow squash

Meal 3: arugula and spinach salad with carrots, onions, fennel, 1/2 avocado, can of tuna, sesame oil and rice vinegar

Meal 4: carne asada salad: cabbage, carrots, onions, carne asada, salsa, 1/2 avocado+ lime

Snack: a few handfuls of nuts

Sugar Withdrawl

Below is a link to an article on sugar withdrawls. If you read it, check out the comments below it, too. Super interesting, other people's experiences cutting out sugar. Makes you realize how damaging it really is to your body.
http://howtothinkthin.com/freedom.htm

Salads are Forever......

Good Morning! (afternoon, evening, whatever......)
As most of you know, I am a HUGE fan of salads. I crave the cold crunchiness of them. Even in the middle of winter.  Mmmmmm......anyways, I have started making the suggestion, in attempts to have my clients add more vegetables into their diets, to have at least one big salad every day. Usually for either lunch or dinner, but I have been known, on more than one occasion, to have a big, delicious salad for breakfast. But, that's besides the point. The point is, to add more vegetables to your diet, and I really don't think there's a better way to do that than to get creative and make a salad you can look forward to every day! There are SO.MANY.OPTIONS. of what you can put on a salad. You can do a Mexican salad with black beans, chicken, bell peppers, onions, salsa and avocado. An Asian salad with bean sprouts, steak or chicken, cashews, carrots, bell peppers, onions, cabbage, and a spicy peanut dressing. A Nicoise salad with tuna, tiny potatoes, hard boiled egg, green beans, tomatoes and a red wine vinaigrette. A buffalo chicken salad with spicy buffalo (hold the butter) chicken tenders, celery, carrots, onions and homemade blue cheese dressing. (which is sooooo easy, and soooo much better than store-bought dressing)
So, those are just a few ideas to get the wheels in your head turning about all the delicious salad options. Below, I am going to put together a salad "mix and match" for you to print out and keep handy. :)
See how many colors you can get in one bowl! (P.S. I eat my salads out of a (smallish) mixing bowl)

Bottom Layer Options (choose one or mix two or more)
~spinach
~romaine or green leaf lettuce
~shredded cabbage (green AND purple)
~baby lettuce mix

Mid Layer Options (one thing that is really helpful and saves time is to chop up a whole bunch of vegetables at one time, and put them all in a big container in your fridge, so you can just dump them on your bottom layer)
~carrots~onions~cucumber~bean sprouts~jicama~sugar snap peas~bell peppers~tomatoes~mushrooms~
~celery~zucchini~artichoke hearts~hearts of palm~broccoli~cauliflower~alfalfa sprouts~microgreens~beets~avocado~ANY vegetable you like!

Add a Fruit 
~chopped apple~orange segments~1T.raisins or dried cranberries~

Add some Protein
~Chicken~Lean Steak~Fish~Hard Boiled Eggs~Cottage Cheese~Spiced and Grilled Tofu~Pork
~Black Beans~Garbanzo Beans~Edamame~

Add some Crunch (just a little bit~a little goes a long way!)
~2T. chopped nuts~1T. sunflower seeds~ground (golden roasted) flaxseed~pepitas (pumpkin seeds)~

Top With a Dressing
Basic Vinagrette:
1 minced clove garlic
1-2 T. dijon, brown or whole grain mustard (whatever you like or have on hand)
2T. vinegar  (red wine, white wine, balsamic, white balsamic, applecider etc.)
2T. extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

VARIATIONS:
~to balsamic vinaigrette, add 2T. orange juice, add oranges and almonds to your salad
~to red wine vinaigrette, add 1t. oregano and use to top a Mediterranean~type salad
~to apple cider vinaigrette add 1 T. OJ and 1t. honey and 1/2 t. curry powder, add apples and raisins to your salad

*Salsa on it's own or mixed with 1T. ranch makes the perfect dressing for a Mexican salad
*Creamy Cilantro and Avocado Dressing~Puree in a blender till smooth: 1/2 ripe avocado, 3/4 c. packed cilantro, 1/2 c. greek yogurt, 2 chopped scallions, 1/4-1 whole garlic clove (depending on how much you like garlic), 1-2 T. lime juice, 1/2 t. salt
*Homemade Blue Cheese Dressing:1/4 c. lite sour cream, 1/4 c. lite mayonnaise, 1/4 c. blue cheese crumbles, buttermilk or milk added to desired consistency, garlic powder, salt and pepper to taste (whisk all together)

AND here is a link to Eating Well Magazine's really great article on Power Salads!!! http://www.eatingwell.com/healthy_cooking/quick_healthy_cooking/secrets_to_making_power_salads

I hope this helps some of you get at least a *little bit* more excited about adding more salads to your diet!
Have a great day!

HAPPY MARCH!

It's March 1st, so that means, for those of you who are accepting the challenge to go for the entire month without sugar and flour....today is the day! I am super excited, because I have been slowly losing control over my cravings myself, and it's nice to have something to get me back on track. I am excited to challenge myself and I hope those of you who are doing this are too. Think of it as being empowered to have control over our cravings, instead of being deprived because we "can't" have something. We choose to make better choices for our bodies, instead of being at the mercy of our cravings. (I am totally speaking to myself, here:) Anyways, I hope you have a fantastic first day of March!