Lemon and Apple Pasta Salad

15-20 minutes

4 servings
240 calories per serving
Vegan, gluten-free

Ingredients
4 cups of sugar peas
1 cup gluten-free small noodles
3 red apples
15 fresh basil leaves
1 lemon
2 tbs coconut oil
Sea salt
White pepper

Directions
Boil water, cook the whole wheat (grain) pasta as directed, drain, then set aside to cool.
Steam the sugar peas 8-minutes, then set aside to cool.
Zest half of the lemon (cut out little strips of the outer layer of the peel). Press the lemon and set aside.
Slice the apples into long and thin pieces. Place in a bowl, add the 2 tbs of melted coconut oil, juice from the lemon, the zests, salt and pepper.Toss together with the basil leaves, sugar peas, and pasta. Enjoy.

Emotional Eating

Everyone comfort eats now and then. Sometimes it is in small ways, such buying an ice cream cone as a pick-me-up after a stressful day at work or nibbling on chocolate when you are hormonal. While small doses of stress eating aren't necessarily physically dangerous, they can quickly develop into a habit. This habit can lead to weight gain or prevent you from losing weight. Comfort eating is particularly problematic when it is the primary way you calm and soothe yourself. The good news is that there are ways to stop comfort eating before it harms you physically and emotionally. Listed below are 3 common questions about comfort eating.

How Can I Tell if I am Emotionally Eating?
There are 4 tell-tale signs of comfort eating.

1. You eat when you are not physically hungry. Consider how long ago it was since you ate. Was it 3 hours ago or a half hour? Is your body sending you any clear signals that you are hungry? Is your stomach grumbling? Are you low in energy?
2. It is hard to find food that satisfies you. For this reason, you don't stop eating when you are full. You may find yourself scavenging for food or eating things you don't even like.
3. Cravings are triggered by an emotion such as anger, anxiety, or boredom etc.
4. Comfort eating has a mindless component to it. You may not enjoy or taste the food because you are eating it mechanically, as if in a trance. Imagine sitting in front of the TV mindlessly popping chips into your mouth. 

Why is Food so Comforting?
There are many reasons food can be so seductive in moments of stress.

• Biology.  When you are stressed out, your body is flooded with cortisol, a stress hormone, which makes you crave carbohydrates, sugar and fatty foods. Food is soothing due to the chemical changes it creates in your body. Chocolate is an excellent example.  Chocolate boosts the "feel good" neurotransmitters and chemicals in your body that make you more alert and excited.
• Tune Out. Eating can be distracting. It can take your attention away from whatever is bothering you emotionally.
• Beliefs. You may also be conditioned to believe eating can ease pain. Many media ads push the therapeutic value of food.  For example, a commercial may urge you to buy a particular candy because it will bring you "bliss" or "happiness."
• Convenience. We enjoy things that are easy and convenient. Vending machines and fast food restaurants are always close at hand when you are fretting.
• Entertainment. It is difficult for many of us to deal with boredom and anxiety. Preparing food and eating it can be entertaining and fills gaps in time.
• Good Vibes. Emotional eating may be linked to your childhood. Perhaps home baked cookies or macaroni and cheese automatically trigger positive or comforting memories from the past.

How can I Stop Emotional Eating?


Thankfully, you can break the habit of emotional eating. It takes practice and finding creative, new ways to calm and successfully soothe yourself. The goal is to rewire your brain to identify non-eating behaviors as comforting.

Step One: Be Aware.
Much of emotional eating is so unconscious that it happens automatically or below your awareness. Before you jump into changing this behavior, keep a journal. Write down where and when you stress eat. The office? Late at night? When you are alone? Are there any patterns that you notice? Every time you eat, ask yourself how physically hungry you are on a scale from 1-10. If you are a 6-10, it's likely that you are physically hungry. A 3, for example, would signify that you are stress eating.

Step Two: Replace.
If you take out stress eating, you have to put something in its place. Write down a concrete list of all the healthy, non-calorie related activities that give you a quick pick-me-up on a tough day. Here a few simple examples.

• One-Minute Fix:  Sip black tea. A study in the journal of Psychopharmacology found that subjects who drank black tea experienced a 47% drop in their cortisol levels, the stress hormone that makes you crave food, compared to 27% among the subjects who drank a placebo.
• One-Minute Fix: If a foot rub would hit the spot better than a snack, try self-message. It can be as simple as sitting down, taking off your shoe and placing your foot over a tennis ball. Rub your feet, one at a time, over the top of the ball until they feel relaxed and soothed. According to the study in the International Journal of Neuroscience, self-massage slows your heart rate and lowers your level of cortisol .
• One-Minute Fix: Mindless eating soothes raw nerves by numbing out emotions. Munching gives you a moment to zone out from daily commotion and stress. Instead, actively choose a healthy way to clear your mind. Try a quick breathing exercise. Slowing down your breathing can trick your body into thinking you are going to sleep, which in turn relaxes your body. Close your eyes. Stare at the blackness of your eyelids. Slowly breathe in and out. Count each time you inhale and exhale. Continue until you get to 10. 

Step Three: Practice!
There are many ways to calm yourself without calories, such as journaling, meditation techniques, connecting with others, self-message, distraction, guided imagery and ways to pamper your senses. Try out these techniques when you aren't craving food so you get them down pat before you really need them! You wouldn't want to learn how to swim in rough water. Nor do you want to learn the art of soothing yourself without food on a very stressful day. With practice, you can end emotional eating.


(Credit: DrOz.com)

Eating for best long-term results

I get so many people who want to eat clean but don't know where to start. How many servings a day! What is a complex carb, is Corn a vegetable? So hopefully this will clear the air just a bit! Tosca Reno the author of the Eat Clean Diet calls her meal plans, cooler plans! She has different cooler plans based on the type of results you want to get. So today I am focusing on Cooler plan #2, which is for steady weight loss and maintenance once you goal weight is reached. So this is basically the plan I stick to year round at this point! This will give you a good idea of what to eat and when!




What is it? This IS EATING CLEAN! Do this year round for steady, healthy weight loss. But this plan can also be used for maintenance. Here's why: when your body begins to approaching its set point (its genetically predetermined healthy weight) you will find that weight loss will stop or slow.

The occasional treat (glass of wine, piece of chocolate, ect) is permitted in limited amounts. Unhealthy sugars and fats are not recommended.

How it works:
Follow the eat clean principles as listed below
What to do:



Eat more- eat six small meals each day.
Eat breakfast every day, within an hour of rising.
Eat a combination of lean protein and complex carbs at each meal
Eat sufficient (two to three servings) healthy fats every day.
Carry a cooler packed with clean foods each day.
Depend on fresh fruits and vegetables for fiber, vitamins, nutrients and enzymes.
Adhere to proper portion sizes.

What to Avoid:
Avoid all over-processed foods, particularly white flour and sugar.
Avoid all chemically charge foods.
Avoid foods containing preservatives.
Avoid artificial sugars.
Avoid artificial foods such as processed cheese slices.
Avoid saturated and trans fats.
Avoid sugar loaded beverages, including colas and juices.
Avoid or do your best to limit alcohol intake.
Avoid all calorie dense foods containing little or no nutritional value. I call these anti-foods.
Avoid super sizing your meals.



Complex Carbohydrates from Fruit and Vegetables:
6 portions each day. A portion is:
1 cupped handful or a piece of fruit such as berries, grapefruit, melon, apples and mangoes.
2 cupped handfuls of vegetables including broth based/vegetable puree soups.



Complex Carbohydrates from whole grains and starchy carbohydrates:
2-4 portions each day. A portion is:
1 scant handful of high-protein, sugar-free cold cereals, such as clean muesli or granola.
1 handful of cooked cereal
1 piece of whole grain bread or wrap (Sante Fe tortilla wraps from Costco are a great option)
1 handful sized serving of sweet potato, yam, banana, corn, carrots or squash

Lean Protein
6 portions each day. A portion is:
1 cup or handful of dairy products such as low fat soy, almond, hemp, rice, or skim milk, cottage cheese, kefir, yogurt cheese or plain fat free sugar free yogurt.
1 scant handful of raw, unsalted nuts (also a healthy fat)
2 tablespoons of all natural nut butters such as almond or peanut butter (also a healthy fat).
1 palm sized portion of lean meats
good quality, sugar- and chemical- free protein powder (hemp, soy or whey).

Beverages:



2-3 liters per day of fresh water with no sodium
Clear herbal tea (unsweetened)
Black coffee in moderation
Green/Black tea

Sweeteners: Use in moderation. Avoid Artificial Sweeteners.
Agave Nectar
Maple Sugar Flakes
Rapadura Sugar

If you would like even more support please sign up on he right of the page and I'd be glad to provide you with daily motivation and support to help you accomplish your health and weight loss goals! I have lost 30 lbs to date with clean eating and regular exercise. No starvation just healthy whole meals. As you can see above this picture is an idea of some of the foods that I enjoy on a regular basis!!! I would be glad to add you to my weekly newsletter!!!


Have a great day!

Heather's Roasted Cauliflower Mash

This twist on mashed potatoes is made with a non-starchy veggie, no cream and butter—and yet, it's every bit as yummy as your traditional mashed potatoes.

Total Time: 50 min.

Prep Time: 5 min.
Cooking Time: 45 min.
Yield: 8 servings, ¼ cup each

Ingredients:
1 (2-lb.) cauliflower, cut into small florets, discard stem
4 tsp. olive oil
1 tsp. sea salt
¼ tsp. granulated garlic (optional)
2 Tbsp. low-sodium organic vegetable broth

Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 400° F.
2. Wash cauliflower and pat dry.
3. Place cauliflower in large baking pan. Drizzle with oil; toss gently to coat. 4. Season with salt and garlic.
5. Bake, stirring halfway through, for 40 to 45 minutes, or until tender.
6. Place in food processor; add vegetable broth. Pulse until smooth.

Nutritional Information (per serving):
Calories: 46
Fat: 3 g
Saturated Fat: 0 g
Cholesterol: 0 mg
Sodium: 319 mg
Carbohydrate: 5 g
Fiber: 2 g
Sugar: 2 g
Protein: 2 g

P90X/P90X2 Portions (per serving)
1 vegetable

Body Beast Portions (per serving)
2 vegetables

Frozen Yogurt Cupcakes

These strawberry-banana flavored frozen yogurt cupcakes are a perfect sweet treat and less than 100 calories each!

Total Time: 4 hrs. 20 min.
Prep Time: 10 min.
Cooking Time: None
Yield: 12 servings, 1 cupcake each

Ingredients:
3½ cups nonfat plain Greek yogurt
2 Tbsp. raw honey
6 medium strawberries, pureed
½ medium ripe banana, pureed
36 dark chocolate morsels (about 2 Tbsp.)

Preparation:
1. Place 12 silicone baking cups on a baking sheet. Set aside.
2. Combine yogurt and honey in a medium bowl; mix well.
3. Place 3 Tbsp. yogurt mixture in each baking cup.
4. Top evenly with strawberries, banana, and 2 additional Tbsp. yogurt mixture.
5. Top each cupcake with 3 morsels.

6. Freeze for 4 hours, or until firm.
7. Remove from freezer 10 minutes before serving.

Tip: You can make this recipe using silicone baking cups, a silicone muffin pan, or a regular muffin pan. When using the regular muffin pan, to remove cupcakes, dip the bottom of the pan in hot water for 20 seconds.

Nutritional Information (per serving):
Calories: 63
Fat: 1 g
Saturated Fat: 0 g
Cholesterol: 5 mg
Sodium: 24 mg
Carbohydrate: 9 g
Fiber: 0 g
Sugar: 8 g
Protein: 7 g

P90X/P90X2 Portions (per serving)
1 single snack

P90X3 Portions (per serving)
½ carb/grain
½ protein

Body Beast Portions (per serving)
1 protein
½ fruit

21 Day Fix Portions (per serving)
1 yellow container

5 Cinco de Mayo Recipes That Scream Fiesta!

    Cinco de Mayo—a holiday we celebrate primarily to, well, celebrate! Usually abound with tortilla chips and dip, a myriad of taco choices, and those oh-so-tempting margaritas, it’s easy to stray away from the healthy path on this day. Fear not! We have five (or should we say “cinco”?) fiesta-themed Shakeology recipes that will allow you to partake in the festivities while leaving the calories behind!

Piña Colada

• 1 serving Vanilla Shakeology
• ½ cup water
• ½ cup 100% pineapple juice
• ½ tsp. coconut extract

Strawberry Tango

• 1 serving Greenberry Shakeology
• 1 cup water
• ½ cup fresh or frozen strawberries
• ½ cup fresh or frozen mango

Strawberry-Watermelon Surprise

• 1 serving Strawberry Shakeology
• ½ cup water
• ½ cup    diced watermelon
• 2 Tbsp.  chopped fresh mint

Mojito

• 1 serving Tropical Strawberry Shakeology
• 1 cup water
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh mint leaves
• 1 Tbsp. fresh lime

Sweet and Spicy

• 1 serving Chocolate Vegan Shakeology
• 1 cup unsweetened rice milk
• 2 tsp. pure maple syrup
• ½ tsp. cayenne pepper

For the best taste experience, use a blender and add ice. The more ice, the thicker it gets. Feel free to use any kind of milk or milk substitute (almond, rice or coconut milk)—the more milk, the creamier it gets! Enjoy!

Stuffed Sausage Jalapeno Poppers

Ingredients:
Recipe makes 12 servings
1 ground beef or turkey
1/2 pound ground pork sausage
1/4 onion
1 tomato
6 mushrooms
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1 pound large fresh jalapeno peppers, halved lengthwise and seeded
1 (8 ounce) bottle Ranch dressing (optional)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
Place sausage in a skillet over medium heat, and cook until evenly brown. Drain grease.
In a bowl, mix the sausage, cream cheese, and Parmesan cheese. Spoon about 1 tablespoon sausage mixture into each jalapeno half. Arrange stuffed halves in baking dishes.
Bake 20 minutes in the preheated oven, until bubbly and lightly browned. Serve with Ranch dressing.

Tip: 

You can also wrap the jalapeno after it has been filled with bacon. It changes it up a bit for something different. 

You can also use turkey bacon or turkey sausage for lower fat and calories, along with Greek cream cheese for added protein. 

I add vegetables in mine: tomatoes, garlic, onion