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December 19, 2024

Easy Holiday Baking and Cooking Substitutes

Holiday meals are about bringing people together, but when some guests have food sensitivities or allergies, it can feel like a challenge to make ever

December 12, 2024

Doorstep Dining Done Right

‘Tis the season of parties, buffets, Christmas cookies and oodles of joyful gatherings that include delicious, even healthy, food. At the same time,

December 5, 2024

Post-Thanksgiving Mini Reset

Thanksgiving may have left you feeling a little too much like the stuffed turkey centerpiece. If you’re ready to shake off the sluggishness before m

November 28, 2024

Savor, Stroll, and Stay Thankful

Thanksgiving. A time to enjoy the company of loved ones, share stories, and of course, indulge in delicious food. Here’s a tip to help you savor

November 19, 2024

Gobble Up These Thanksgiving Preparation Tips

Thanksgiving is a time for gratitude, gathering, and indulging in an amazing feast. However, hosting can sometimes feel more like a marathon than a ce

November 14, 2024

Mediterranean Feel-Good Soups for Fall

As we transition from fall into the holidays, staying mindful of our health goals can help us enjoy the season without feeling run down or overwhelmed

November 7, 2024

Healthy Eating FAQs and Answers

Before I get into this week’s topic, I must first retract a statement that I made last week about Mr. Non-Compliant. I stand corrected, as he did NO

October 31, 2024

Mr. Non-Compliant’s Birthday Fest

This week Mr. Non-Compliant (aka my dear hubby) celebrated a birthday. He flaunted his morning non-compliance by leaving the EMPTY cinnamon roll box o

October 24, 2024

Not a Vegetable Fan? Read This

It’s not just kids that wrinkle their nose at a plate of green stuff. Lots of fully-grown adults feel the same—inclined to hide their Brussels spr

October 17, 2024

How Safe is Your Cinnamon?

I’m a huge cinnamon fan. I shake it in my coffee, smoothies, muffins, stewed apples, and of course, pumpkin pie. Years ago I mixed it with a little

Tips to Stay and Get Back on Course

There are those times when we are consistent and persistent with a good habit, and positive results aka success, elude us. This may be the case with your health and fitness, your work, and your life.

What then? What next? Do you revert back to an old way of thinking and doing? Do you get depressed and eat an entire bag of chips or carton of ice cream?

Sometimes. Sometimes, we simply feel like giving up and wallowing in our misery. Then, suddenly, we hear that little voice that says, “Wait! Keep going. Have faith and keep moving forward.”

And so it goes—the rollercoaster of life.

If you’re feeling like eating the chips or ice cream, WAIT! Here are some tips to help you not commit dietary suicide in 15 minutes or less. In other words, here is your HOPE.   

*If you’ve been following a solid routine of exercise and eating nutritionally sound and are not seeing results on the scale, remember that time is necessary for your body to shift. Is there another way to measure the benefits of your new routine? Has energy, blood pressure, sleep quality, mood, self-esteem, attitude, ANYTHING improved? I’d bet big money that SOMETHING is better. And kudos for eating foods that are higher in nutrition and moving your body. Success in every way.   

*Look back on how you were doing with your program two, three or six months ago. What’s gotten easier? What’s a habit now, that wasn’t then? Don’t act like it’s no big deal that you used to eat two vegetables a day and now you eat three. This is progress!

*Let’s say you spent a weekend binging on food, drink and non-activity and feel downright crummy. Do the next right thing. Drink a glass of water, take a walk, eat a spinach salad (even if you have to get it from the grocery salad bar), roast a big pan of vegetables for a snack, call your friend to meet you at Zumba, schedule your workout plan for the week ahead then do ten push-ups. Do the next right thing.

*Remember this is about progression, not perfection. We all have days, even weeks, that come apart at the seams from time to time. Wallow for 5 minutes, then listen to your favorite music that lifts your mood and shifts your attitude. Change your state. Movement helps immensely!                           

*Set up a time to have a free chat with me. Sometimes all it takes is another perspective to get you headed in the right direction. Here’s the deal: you tell me the “elephant” in your life that is keeping you stuck and I’ll help you get out from under his really big foot. This is what my research and coaching session is about. My curious mind wants to know: What is your elephant?
CLICK HERE to book your chat 

 “When a train goes through a tunnel and it gets dark, you don’t throw away the ticket and jump off. You sit still and trust the engineer.” –Corrie Ten Boom

Veggie Protein Stir Fry

Here’s a quick and easy recipe using Beyond Meat meat substitute that is so tasty, my Mr. Non-Compliant never knew it wasn’t ground beef! I’ve made it for several of my Kitchen Coaching classes and it’s gotten rave reviews. You can find Beyond Meat products in many local grocery stores.

Veggie Protein Stir Fry

• Fresh or frozen vegetables cut in similar size pieces (red sweet pepper, carrots, broccoli, etc., the more colorful the better)
• 1-2 cloves minced or pressed garlic
• Lawry’s Seasoned Salt or your favorite seasoning, to taste
• Extra virgin olive oil, enough to coat the pan
• One package of Beyond Meat, The Beyond Burger

Sauté your choice of vegetables in extra virgin olive oil. Once the vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes, add the garlic and The Beyond Burger. Break apart the “burgers” so they are in crumbles and mix with the vegetables. Cook for another 5 minutes. Season to taste. Enjoy as is, or top pasta, brown rice, or make a lettuce wrap with some Romaine lettuce leaves. The quantity of vegetables and Beyond Burgers you use will depend on how many people you’re feeding. One package of The Beyond Burger has two patties (2 servings), each containing 20 grams of plant protein, no soy or gluten.

Post Kitchen Coaching Tips

I recently held a kitchen coaching class, which meant a fun evening of food, learning and laughs. Some takeaways:

  • Make a crock pot full of soup on the weekend so that you have leftovers for the week.
  • Whether you are cooking for one, two or five, make extra. Package the portion you’d like to have for another meal before sitting down to eat, so the extras don’t accidentally disappear.
  • Store your olive oil in the refrigerator to keep it from going rancid. Since it will solidify, keep a small bottle at room temperature so it doesn’t delay your cooking. Rancid oils and foods produce free radicals in the body that over time may contribute to disease. (This  is  why you should not overheat oil, since the same process happens.)
  • When choosing fish, choose wild-caught varieties. A couple reasons: these are typically higher in omega-3 fats (a good thing), and lower in pesticides and toxins, than farm-raised.
  • Keep hard boiled eggs on hand. These make a great snack, breakfast on the go, and offer extra protein when added to a salad. If peeling them is a problem for you like it is for me, you can buy them already boiled and peeled! Any leftover chicken, beef or fish may also be slightly warmed and added to a bed of greens.
  • Toss vegetables with extra virgin olive oil and Lawry’s Seasoned Salt or salt and pepper, then sauté or roast. Any combination of vegetables will work, cut in similar size pieces. Sauté for about 10 minutes or roast at 425 degrees F for about 25 minutes. Adjust time according to your liking.
  • Using chicken or beef bone broth for any recipe adds more nutrients and protein than regular broth. You could certainly make your own. I buy organic bone broth because that’s what works for me.  

The best part is knowing that there are lots of us in community practicing habits that lead to better health. Support along this journey is vital in order to make it a lifelong habit. If you have a friend who could use help, please forward this email to them.

Celebrate doing just a little bit better! Perfection? Well, I burned some of the roasted squash in Kitchen Coaching class. Next time I’ll do better.

“The seminar about making healthy meals is very informative. I learned a lot of ways to make healthy meals in a short period of time. This is perfect for my sometimes busy schedule.”–Markia

A Safari, One Thing, and a Surprise Recipe

I often compare our health journey with being on safari.

Now, this is only a guess since I have never been on safari. What my wild imagination leads me to believe is that being on safari is so expansive, it must be a challenge to know where to begin; like figuring out how to improve our health.

There is SO MUCH! Here’s the good news…

Over the past year I’ve been developing a program for people who want to:

• Feel healthy and amazing in their bodies
• Lose weight while not sacrificing the foods they love
• Stop overeating and start having a love affair with food again

As I’m in the last phases of market research for this program, and because YOU have chosen to be a part of this community, I am offering you a very special opportunity.

In exchange for allowing me to interview you about your most desired health transformation, I’m offering you a 30-minute complimentary coaching call.

As a THANK YOU for your time in helping me with market research (yes, I’m talking to YOU!), I’ll be gifting you with laser-focused, specialized coaching on your specific area of health transformation.

We’re all in this together, and we’ll make a great team! CLICK HERE to schedule our call!!

We will spend a total of 50 minutes together, and you’ll leave the call with a clear path to gaining the health goals you desire most. You’ll know exactly where to begin on your “health safari!”

When you know the ONE THING you can do to make the most progress in the least amount of time, you will feel more at peace with where you are right NOW.

I’m excited to speak with you SOON! CLICK HERE to book your call today!

Here’s a quick and easy recipe using Beyond Meat meat substitute that is so tasty, my Mr. Non-Compliant never knew it wasn’t ground beef! I’ve made it for several of my Kitchen Coaching classes and it’s gotten rave reviews. You can find Beyond Meat products in many local grocery stores.

Veggie Protein Stir Fry

• Fresh or frozen vegetables cut in similar size pieces (red sweet pepper, carrots, broccoli, etc., the more colorful the better)
• 1-2 cloves minced or pressed garlic
• Lawry’s Seasoned Salt or your favorite seasoning, to taste
• Extra virgin olive oil, enough to coat the pan
• One package of Beyond Meat, The Beyond Burger

Sauté your choice of vegetables in extra virgin olive oil. Once the vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes, add the garlic and The Beyond Burger. Break apart the “burgers” so they are in crumbles and mix with the vegetables. Cook for another 5 minutes. Season to taste. Enjoy as is, or top pasta, brown rice, or make a lettuce wrap with some Romaine lettuce leaves. The quantity of vegetables and Beyond Burgers you use will depend on how many people you’re feeding. One package of The Beyond Burger has two patties (2 servings), each containing 20 grams of plant protein, no soy or gluten.

Bon Appétit!
Carol