Either way… you should totally make this dish and dig in. : )  I’ve adapted this recipe a million times from many different recipes, and can’t remember it’s origin, so if it looks familiar to you… speak up and I’ll give credit where credit is due. : )

Chicken Apple Sausage:

• 2 pounds of ground chicken, turkey, or a combo of both (go for organic)
• 8-10 TBL Chicken Broth
• 8-10 TBL Apple Juice
• 1 apple chopped up
• 1 onion chopped up
• a few cloves of garlic pressed (I use a ton…. love garlic!)
• Blend of spices 1tsp each: Garlic Powder, Minced Onion, Cinnamon, and Cayenne to taste.

Mix it all up and cook it in a skillet with a little coconut oil.

Chicken "sausages" cooking in a little coconut oil

Apple Slaw:

• 1/2 small head of white cabbage sliced thinly
• 1/4 small head of purple cabbage sliced thinly (and if you suck at cutting cabbage like I do… buy it in a bag and save yourself some grief : ))
• 2 apples chopped up

The above should give you a BIG BOWL cabbage… enough for at least 6-8 servings.

• Juice of 2 lemons (1/4 cup-ish?)
• Same amount of Raw, Unfiltered Apple Cider Vinegar (I like  Bragg’s)
• Blend of spices 1tsp each:  Garlic Powder, Cinnamon, Mustard Powder
• Possibly salt and pepper to taste

Mix it all up!  The longer it sits and marinates, the better (always more yummy the 2nd and 3rd day!)  Before eating, chop up a heap of green onions and cilantro and mix it all up.

My Happy Sunday Night Dinner...

Did you try it?  Whatcha think? Let me know below!

While this summer has been a blast, it’s been perhaps my most chaotic I’ve ever experienced.  And then throw in a move to San Francisco (smaller place, but triple the rent…..)  now you’ve got a recipe for falling off the wagon.

In the midst of the craziness, and not having a functioning kitchen, cooking pretty much went out the window.  Luckily, I’m a big fan of eating out at restaurants where I can actually find healthy food.

And that’s exactly what I’ve done all summer long.  Minus the 1 or 2 FroYo’s (okay… more like 1 or 2 a week…but who’s counting?), I found some great restaurants and a whole bunch of tips and tricks I’d like to share with you.  During the next blog I’ll dig into restaurants…

But first: The tips and tricks…

Hungry?  Lets Pig Out!

If you’re ravishing hungry… it don’t really matter… you’re going to eat the house and ask for extra cheese on top and you know it.  So first things first, don’t let yourself get that freaking hungry.  I wrote a great article about measuring your hunger and fullness levels here… make sure to check it out.  But for now realize that getting too hungry is a recipe for disaster.

Do your research.  

Pick all your favorite restaurants, and few  close to your home and your work.  Get online, download the menu and make your decisions BEFORE you get there!  When you already have a plan of action in your head, set and ready to rock… it’s amazing how easy it becomes to stick with your choices.  I’ll be sharing all my favorite restaurants in part two of this article.

But I don’t wanna eat healthy at a restaurant!

Okay Party People… decide what your goals are right now.  I can’t tell you how many people use going out to eat as an excuse to have a food party ALL THE TIME.  If you are going to tell me your goals are to lose/maintain your weight, but you refuse to at least attempt to order a decently healthy meal, then your goals must not be that important to you.

I hear it all the time:  “I can’t eat at my favorite Mexican restaurant without eating a basket of chips and a frozen margarita before my meal”.  Are you kidding me?  I think that’s probably the biggest problem right there.  We think going out to eat always has to equate to a  party…. “eating whatever we want and how much we want of it”.  And then you call me frustrated that you can’t lose weight.  (I love you… but you drive me crazy sometimes…. )

Just hear me out:  If you want to lose some weight (or maintain your size), you don’t have to give up eating out, you just have to make smarter choices!  Let going out to eat be about the people you are with, the atmosphere, and sticking to your goals.  And you might even be shocked when that seemingly “boring grilled chicken salad with dressing on the side” ends up tasting like heaven!  Woo Hoo!  You enjoyed eating out with great people AND your meal was still delicious!  It’s amazing what happens when you put your attention on the good!

If it’s going to be a free-for-all-food-party… a little goes a long way.

All of the above assumes that you are actually wanting to make “healthier” choices while going out to eat.  If every time you go out to eat, you feel it needs to be a free-for-all….hey…. more power to you.  But one thing I’ve adopted that might serve you too… is when I’m going out to eat and I know it’s going to be a free-for-all, I plan accordingly all day and also the next day by consuming a lot less food.  By doing this, I’ve essentially staggered my calories out and at the end of the week, everything should all pan out on the scale.  Or, you can do what I did for my birthday dinner… eat whatever you want, but don’t overdo it.  Here’s what my B-day dinner consisted of:

• one glass of champagne (generally not a fan… but this stuff was good!)
• one glass of red wine
• Warm Deviled eggs topped with bacon and aged Provolone
• Baked Oysters covered in bread crumbs and cheese (almost like it was swimming in Clam chowder soup…so good!)
• Bone Marrow with salsa Verde (this is by far my new favorite!!!)
• Burger with caramelized onion, cheddar, and bacon  (Oh yeah, baby!  Happy Birthday to me!)
• Chocolate Creme Pie with cocoa nibs and sea salt
• Upside down peach crisp with bourbon ice cream and brown butter caramel sauce (words can’t describe….)

Okay… if you take all that in… that looks like a FREAKING TON OF FOOD.  But… here’s what it really looked like:

• one glass of champagne (finished 1/2…. I just can’t get into champagne)
• one glass of red wine (finished it all and wished I had more : ))
• Warm Deviled eggs topped with bacon and aged Provolone (had one… which is like 1/2 an egg, equivalent to one decent sized bite, or two very small, polite bites)
• Baked Oysters covered in bread crumbs and cheese (had one…same size as deviled egg)
• Bone Marrow with salsa Verde  (had one small piece of toast topped with marrow…again, 2 “polite bites”)
• Burger with caramelized onion, cheddar, and bacon  (cut it in half, ate 1/4, shared the other 1/4 with friends, and took the 1/2 I didn’t eat home to sit and rot in my fridge…finally threw away this weekend : ))
• Chocolate Creme Pie with cocoa nibs and sea salt (1 bite)
• Upside down peach crisp with bourbon ice cream and brown butter caramel sauce (I would be lying if I said 2 polite bites… I know I gobbled up at least 4-5 bites of this heavenly yumminess!)

I was able to enjoy a slew of really amazing food, none of which really fit into my Clean and Lean Protocol, but I still was able to maintain my weight, AND enjoy an amazing evening out with my friends.  And sometimes, that’s the healthiest thing you could do… relax a little and enjoy a great evening out with friends and family.  Being mindful of your atmosphere, friends, and food, and fully grateful that we even get to do these cool things in the first place!

Now, truth be told, I’ve found some great restaurants serving healthy foods and it’s been a life savor this summer, but I’m REALLY ready to clean it up again, start cooking, and jump into my favorite way of eating, which follows my Clean and Lean Protocol.  It detoxes my body, stabilizes my blood sugar, increases my energy, and makes me feel great.  And although I’ve done great job of maintaining my weight this summer, I bet I’ll drop a few pounds going through the Clean and Lean… great!

Plus, now that I have an almost functioning kitchen, I spent the whole day cooking up a few different concoctions to prepare for my week.  I almost forgot how grounding, nurturing, and calming it can be to , to cook life-giving foods.  Check out my newest favorite:  Chicken Apple Sausage with Apple Slaw.  O.M.G.  Too bad those restaurants can’t cook as good as me. : )

What tips or tricks do you have up YOUR SLEEVE when it comes to eating out?  Share below!!!

Plus it’s delicious. Most of the sugar comes from the cup of frozen blueberries (or frozen mixed berries), but as most of us already know, blueberries are an incredible SUPERFOOD POWERHOUSE, and in my opinion, should be eaten routinely for its health-protecting properties.

First I’ll list the ingredients, and then I will go into detail about some of them.

• 1 ½ – 2 cups of Trader Joes Essential Greens Veggie Juice (read labels!  This is the one that only has veggies!  No fruit here.  This is not like the Odwalla superfood, or the Naked green juice.  This juice is just veggie juice.
• 1 Big heaping tsp of powdered greens.  I use Amazing Grass.  You can find it at Whole Foods.  Of all the green powders I’ve tried, this one surpasses them all in nutrition (read:  no fillers), and taste.  I would have never thought a green powder could taste this good!
• 1 Big heaping Tbl of ground flax (did not use in the video)
• ½ cup to 1 cup of frozen blueberries (or mixed berries)
• 1 or 2 scoops of Whey Protein Powder (right now I’m using WholeFoods brand, Natural Vanilla Flavor)
• ½ cup yogurt, or one container of Bio-K, or Keifer (Did not use in the video)
• Sweeten with stevia if needed

Blend it all up and enjoy! It can be big, so sometimes I divide it into two glasses, and give one to my sweetheart for his afternoon snack.

Depending on how much of each of the ingredients you use, you’re looking at appx:
Calories:  300-400
Fiber: 8-12 grams
Sugar:  13-19 grams
Protein:  30-45 grams
Fat:  5-8 grams

It can be split into two snacks, or eaten as one meal.

Why on earth would that be important?

There are a lot of reasons for weight loss resistance, from emotional/compulsive eating, to food allergies, to dysbiosis, to hormonal and neurotransmitter imbalances.

But the one thing that can be the most dramatic in helping with weight loss and improving your health is learning how to stabilize your blood sugar.

And how do you do this?  Through the foods that you eat.  Take a look below at all the tasty snacks, and start eating!

• 1 ¼ cup whole strawberries and goat cheese
• 1 brown rice cake and organic nut butter
• 1 serving Ak-Mok cracker with tuna salad or chicken salad
• ½ medium baked potato with buffalo mozzarella cheese and fresh salsa
• 3 cups air popped organic popcorn and mixed nuts
• 1 cup raspberries and goat cheese
• 1 slice buckwheat or millet bread with ¼ avocado, and chicken salad
• 1 cup organic, plain, goat milk yogurt, ½ cup strawberries and crushed walnuts
• 1 slice rice bread, nitrate free turkey, lettuce, tomato, and mayo (canola based)
• ½ medium sweet potato and nitrate free chicken sausage
• 2 small corn tortillas, melted buffalo mozzarella cheese, avocado, fresh salsa
• ½ grapefruit and sunflower seeds
• ½ cup hummus with raw veggies
• ½ a red pepper and fill it with 2-3 tbsp of hummus
• One can sardines and cherry tomatoes on red leaf lettuce
• Celery sticks spread with almond or peanut butter
• 1 or 2 oz mix of:  almonds, pistachio nuts, Brazil nuts, macadamia nuts, pecans  or walnuts
• 1 apple and 2 Tbsp almond butter
• ¾ cup blueberries with tamari roasted almonds

• Small hand full of blueberries mixed with cherry tomatoes, 2 oz Swiss cheese cubed (or another hard, white, raw farmers cheese). Add a dozen tamari roasted almonds
• ½ a sweet potato with turkey slices, tsp butter
• ½ a sweet potato with cottage cheese
• 1 slice Ezekiel 4:9 bread toasted.  Add 1 Tbsp almond butter and sliced strawberries on top
• Hard Boiled Egg and raw veggies
• Sliced tomatoes and 1-2 oz of farmer’s cheese or other cheese.  Sprinkle with flax or olive oil.
• 1 cup real, whole, plain yogurt topped with flax or almonds.  Add ½ cup sliced fruit.

Question for the day:

What great snack Ideas can you add to this list?  Share them below!

Miguel and I set the intention to get to the grocery store and to shop for food for the week, then cook most of our food, and then pre-package it all into single-serving containers to make our life easier this week.

Well, we didn’t get to the grocery until 7pm.

I didn’t start cooking until 8, but in a few short hours it was over: our first Sunday night cook-off of the New Year.

Here’s what we made (by the way…these dinner ideas originated from your bad-ass 6am Los Gatos Bootcamp instructor, Kat. Very tasty…)

Turkey Meatballs with a tomato and veggie sauce.

Not using much of a recipe…here goes:

• Mix 2 pounds of ground turkey with egg whites (1/2 cup?), dried basil, oregano, 6-7 cloves of minced garlic, salt (little), and ¼ cup or less of tomato paste.
• Pat them into balls and place on baking sheet.
• Put in the oven at 350 and cook through, somewhere between 30-45 minutes.

For the sauce

• Sautee onions, mushrooms and peppers in a little olive oil until onions become opaque

• Add tomatoes (fresh or canned…I used 4 cans), a little basil pesto, more of the same spices I used in the turkey meat, can of garbanzo beans, broccoli, and cauliflower (you can add just about any veggie you want here…and don’t be shy…use a ton!)

• Let the flavors simmer together and cook until the broccoli turns bright green and ala dente.

Miguel wants to eat it with a whole wheat pasta. I’ll eat it with spaghetti squash underneath, or just as it is.

Salsa chicken with veggies, black beans and corn.

Salsa Chicken with Black Beans and Corn

(this is my new favorite dish!)

• Spray a pan with Pam
• Season the chicken breast (this time I used Spike, garlic powder, and some new weird one I found at Trader Joes)
• Cook the chicken almost all the way through
• Add the salsa (I highly recommend Mrs. A’s Salsa Buena. Their local here in Los Gatos and might be the best salsa I’ve ever tasted) and let cook longer
• Add the veggies (whatever you want. I used mushrooms, red peppers and onions)
• Add a can of corn and can of black beans (or more if you’d like)

We (read: “I”) cooked all the food, and then portioned everything out into containers so we are fully set for the week! I’m so excited! I was able to work my butt off today without stressing over what to eat.

The big question is will we keep our momentum up and do it next Sunday? You’ll have to stay tuned to find out!

Barley was added because it compliments the taste of beef. It is also very nutritious: whole barley has more fiber per gram than oat bran and it is rich in Vitamin A, folate, calcium and magnesium. The  remainder of the vegetables in the recipe provide a nice harmony to the end result, which is one of the most filling and satisfying 500 calories that you will come across!

Prep time: 25 minutes (overnight cooking)

Difficulty level- EASY

Servings: 4

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 lbs. London Broil cut into 1″ cubes, fat removed
• 1/3 cup whole uncooked barley
• 1 large onion, cut into 1″ squares
• 1 large tomato, chopped
• 4 large celery stalks, chopped
• 4 large carrots, chopped, or a large handful of baby carrots
• 4 tbsp whole flax seeds or 8 tbsp ground flax
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 beef bouillon cube
• 3 cups water
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste

INSTRUCTIONS:

Preheat the Crock Pot to 300-degrees F (medium)

In a large skillet or wok, brown the cubed steak and minced garlic in half of the olive oil, just until the outside is brown (leaving the inside raw). When the beef is browned, add the water and bouillon cube to the skillet. bring to a boil, then pour the mixture into the Crock Pot.

With the remaining oil, stir-fry the onion, celery and carrots in the skillet on medium high heat for 5 minutes, then transfer to the Crock Pot.

Add the remaining ingredients to the Crock Pot, cover and simmer at 300-degrees F (medium or low) overnight (7-8 hours) or on high for 4-5 hours.

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION:

• Calories (k/cal) 512
• Protein (g) 54
• Carbohydrates (g) 31
• Fiber (g) 10.4
• sugars (g) 9.6
• Fat (g) 19
• SFA (g) 4.1
• MUFA (g) 8.9
• PUFA (g) 4.0
• Omega-3 (g) 2.2
• Omega-6 (g) 1.6

• 2 lbs. ground chicken or beef
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 2 can Rotel tomatoes
• 15 oz. can of kidney beans, drained
• 15 oz. can navy beans
• 15 oz. can pinto beans w/jalapenos
• 15 oz. can whole kernel corn, drained
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp. pepper, optional
• 1.5 cups water
• 1 pkg. ranch style salad dressing mix
• 1 pkg. taco seasoning mix
• top with cheese&chips, optional

Brown meat and drain. Add all ingredients except cheese and chips. bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes.

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: about 3 minutes per batch

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup flaxseed meal
• 1 cup vanilla whey protein powder
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 packet stevia
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup oat flour
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon macadamia nut oil or coconut oil *optional
• 1 cup plain yogurt
• 2 eggs

In a mixing bowl, combine the flaxseed meal, protein powder, baking soda, stevia,salt, flour and cinnamon and stir well to combine.

In a large skillet or griddle, pour the oil and set it over a medium-high heat.

While the oil heats,whisk the yogurt and eggs into the flaxseed mixture, making sure there are no dry pockets left.

When your skillet is hot enough that a drop of water will skitter across the surface, pour or wipe the excess oil out of the pan.

Scoop the batter with 1/4 cup measure into the pan. Cook the first side until bubbles start to show in the batter and the bottom edges begin to dry, about 1 minute. Then carefully flip the pancakes and cook the other side for 3 seconds to 1 minute, until they are cooked through but not too brown.

Serve with fruit compote or the topping of your choice.

I top my chili with avocado, cilantro, and fresh lime juice. This makes a hearty meal or a small snack!

Prep time: 15-20 minutes

Cook time: 30-40 minutes

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 yellow onion, finely diced
• 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1.5 pounds ground turkey or chicken
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 2 tablespoons chili powder (Miguel can’t do spicy, so I have a mild chipotle mix I use from Pampered Chef that gives it great flavor sin caliente!)
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin (I’ve been known to use a Tablespoon…I love this stuff)
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon (again…I’ve been known to use a whole teaspoon)
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon salt

(a note about all the spices…I often times add other random spices and delete others when I don’t have them.  So my chili never tastes the same.)

• 2.5 cups low sodium fat-free chicken broth
• 1 cup dark beer (of course, I never have a beer in the house…so I’ve been using extra chkn broth)
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 can (15.8 oz) kidney beans, drained
• 1 can (15.8 oz) black beans, drained
• 1 can (16 oz) diced tomatoes with mild green chilies (miguel can’t do heat…I use the no chili version)
• 1 cup colored bell pepper, seeded and diced
• 1 small zucchini or yellow summer squash, sliced into half rounds (I use an entire zucchini AND an entire yellow squash)
• 1 cup kale, stemmed and chopped or torn into bite size pieces (use an entire bunch of kale…great way to get LOTS of extra greens/nutrition in by using more!)
• 1 carrot, grated (I use a whole cup)
• 1/4 cup cashews, chopped
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1-2 tablespoons fresh lime juice (optional)

In a 4-6 quart saute pan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and saute until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the turkey and cook until browned, for 5-6 minutes. Add the oregano, chili powder, cumin, cinnamon, cayenne pepper, and sale, saute for 2 minutes. Pour in the broth and beer. Stir in the tomato paste. Add the kidney beans, balck beans, tomatoes, bell pepper, zucchini or squash, kale and carrot. Bring to a simmer, reduce the heat to low, cover and cook for about 20 minutes stirring occasionally. Add the cashews and cook for 5-7minutes. Add the cilantro and lime juice, if using.

YIELD: about 8 servings (12 cups plus extra broth)

Ingredients:

1 small to medium spaghetti squash

(4-6 ounces or 2-3 kg)

Seasonings to taste

Prep time:  2 minutes

Cook time: 1 hour plus 20-30 minutes cooling time

Preheat the oven to 375F (195C, gas mark 5).

Pierce the squash several times with a heavy pronged fork or sharp knife and place it in a baking pan. bake for 1 hour or until the flesh is tender when lightly pressed.

Remove the pan from the oven and let the squash cool for 20-30 minutes to avoid burning when you cut and seed it. using oven mitts, cut the squash open lengthwise and scoop out the seeds with a spoon. Use a long fork to pull the strands free and place them in a bowl. Season the squash to taste.

YIELD: 4-6 servings (about 5-7 cups)