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In honor of Saint Patrick's Day - Let's Eat Green!

Posted on March 17 by
in Blog
The color green is associated with heart and lung health.
 
Green also helps to cleanse the liver and detox!
 
So after your celebrations today, you may want to eat some green produce! ????
green foods
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Mini Mediterranean Frittatas

Posted on March 08 by
in Blog
Get a taste of the Mediterranean at breakfast with these mini frittatas! Make a batch over the weekend and reheat each morning for a quick and filling breakfast on the go.
 
Ingredients
 
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 cup zucchini, quartered lengthwise and then sliced into ¼-inch thick wedges
1 cup baby bella mushrooms, roughly chopped
⅓ cup red onion, finely diced
2 cups spinach
¼ cup Kalamata olives, pitted and chopped
½ teaspoon dried oregano
6 large eggs
½ cup milk or nondairy milk
Black pepper to taste
¼ cup crumbled feta cheese or goat cheese
 
 
Directions
 
Preheat oven to 350˚F and lightly oil each well of a muffin pan with olive oil.
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat, then add zucchini, mushrooms and onions. Sauté for 2 minutes, stirring to ensure even cooking.
Reduce heat to medium-low and add spinach, olives and oregano. Stir to combine and cook for 2 minutes or until spinach is wilted.
Remove skillet from heat and allow vegetables to cool slightly.
In a large bowl, whisk eggs, milk and black pepper. Add cooked vegetables and cheese to egg mixture, and whisk until combined.
Scoop ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons egg mixture into each muffin pan well. Place pan on the middle oven rack and bake for 20 minutes.
Allow to cool for 5 minutes before carefully removing mini frittatas, using a table knife to loosen the edges.
Enjoy immediately or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. When ready to eat, reheat in the microwave for 30 seconds. Serves 5.
 
Nutrition Information
Serving size: 2 mini frittatas
CALORIES 128; TOTAL FAT 8g; SODIUM 211mg; Net CARBS. 3g; PROTEIN 9g
mini med frittata-83b58b8b
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What Am I Hungry For?

Posted on February 28 by
in Blog
One of my favorite topics when working with clients is not the latest vitamin or mineral and definitely not calorie counting. It is much closer to your basic need for survival—hunger. Learning to identify, manage, and honor hunger is a very important part to feeling energized and focused, as well as managing weight. 
 
When you let yourself get too hungry it’s much easier for your inner Cookie Monster to take over and you’re likely to overeat at meal or snack time. However, when you learn to identify true hunger, eat to manage hunger levels, and honor your body when it is hungry, you’ll learn one of the secrets to long term weight management. 
 
If interested in learning more about using hunger and fullness cues to manage your energy and weight, contact me for a private consult. 
 
 
What Are You Hungry For?
Housewife thinking

"Hunger is your compass! It is a positive feeling to be hungry at different points of the day; as it is a healthy response to satisfy your hunger. There is an internal debate with food that occurs in most of us. We can talk ourselves into anything we want in life. It just so happens that we have opportunities with food every day."
- Suzie Solenberger, MS, RD

When you sit down to a meal you want to be hungry, but not ravenous. Going to a table ravenous will only increase the likelihood of overeating or binge eating. One of the best ways to prevent overeating or binge eating is to understand your body’s hunger and fullness cues. Then learn how to respect and honor them.

The top three principles of hunger management include:

1. Identify foods that satisfy (or satiate you)
2. Recognize the difference between the desire to eat and actual physical hunger
3. Learn when to stop eating once no longer hungry

Steps to implement these three principles:

Step 1: Keep a food log.
Journal what you eat and note how hungry you were before and after your meal. How long did the snack or meal sustain you? Take a test:
  • Test 1: Eat a 1/2 cup of oatmeal topped with blueberries and cinnamon. Note how long this meal keeps you full and satisfied.
  • Test 2: Eat a 2 egg vegetable omelet topped with salsa and sliced avocado. Now note if you are satisfied and how long this holds you over.
    •  

Identify how your environment influences what you eat, how fast you eat, how much you eat, etc.

Step 2: Ensure a balance of carbohydrates, protein, and fat at each meal and snack.
Generally speaking, you’ll be satisfied if you have a balance of adequate carbohydrates, protein, and fat in a meal.
Having adequate protein with healthy fat at meals and snacks will help ward off hunger. Eating quality carbohydrates with protein and fat will help with the fullness sensation.

Step 3: Pay extra attention to hunger and fullness sensation.
  • Keep a food journal and use the hunger and fullness scale in the next article to rate your hunger and fullness.
  • Ask yourself these questions when keeping your hunger and fullness journal:
  • When was the last time I ate? Was it less than 2-3 hours ago? If yes, then was my meal balanced with carbohydrates, protein, and fat?
  • Am I really hungry, or do I want to eat out of habit?
    •  
Hunger or Habit?
food journal

Learning to decipher between hunger and habit is a huge step in breaking free from diets and learning to listen and honor what your body needs. Using a food journal and recording hunger and fullness cues is a great way to start identifying if you’re eating out of hunger or habit. Rate your hunger level before and after every meal. What did you discover? Hit reply and let me know.

0 - Extremely Hungry - You are empty, extremely hungry, maybe even dizzy, and could eat anything.
1 - Very Hungry - You are very hungry and even irritable.
2 - Hungry - You have strong physical signals to eat.
3 - Physically Hungry - You have the first physical signs to eat; this is a great time to start planning to eat a meal or a snack.
4-6 Neutral - You do not feel hunger or fullness.
7 - No Longer Hungry - You do not feel hunger or fullness and probably still want to eat some more.
8 - Full - You feel a small sensation of fullness, are satisfied, and unable to be enticed for more food.
9 - Very Full- You cleared your plate and are now physically uncomfortable.
10 - Extremely Full - You just ate a feast and are miserably full.
Featured Recipe
BBQ Chicken Flatout Flatbread Pizza
BBQ-Chicken-Flatout-Flatbread-Pizza-300x200
Serves 2
  • 2 Flatout ® Flatbread wraps
  • 1/2 cup OKB or Primal BBQ sauce
  • 1/3 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
  • 1/3 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
  • 6 oz. grilled chicken breast, torn into pieces
  • 1 tablespoon red onion
  • 1 tablespoon cilantro
  • Avocado oil
    •  
 
  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
  2. Lightly oil your baking sheet
  3. Put 2 tablespoons of BBQ sauce on each flatbread and spread evenly on the flatbreads.
  4. Sprinkle both cheeses over the flatbreads.
  5. Mix the remaining BBQ sauce with the grilled chicken and place on pizzas.
  6. Top with the diced onion.
  7. Bake for 5 minutes.
  8. Sprinkle the cilantro on top and serve.
    9.  
 

“You better cut the pizza in four pieces because I’m not hungry enough to eat six pieces.” Yogi Berra
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Gut-Brain Axis

Posted on February 24 by
in Blog
Brain fog, anxiety, depression and inability to focus can often be connected to diet.
 
The gut-brain axis describes how the gut and the brain interact and talk to and influence each other. That is why your gut is sometimes called your ‘second brain’.
 
A healthy gastrointestinal tract that has diversity of friendly bacteria is essential for normal brain function and well-being.
 
Eat plants (fiber) and probiotic foods/supplements to create a healthy gut-brain connection.
brain
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