[dt_sc_hr_invisible_small]Shakshuka is a middle Eastern dish traditionally made with poached eggs in tomato sauce and spices. In this clean version, it features egg whites, onion, spinach and spices. Perfect breakfast option![dt_sc_hr_invisible_small] [dt_sc_hr_invisible_small]Ingredients:

•1 onion

•1 lb bag of spinach (fresh or frozen)

•1/2 tsp paprika

•1/2 tsp cinnamon

•1/2 tsp coriander

•2 tsp cumin

•Salt to taste

•1 tbsp oil

•Egg whites (depends on size of skillet)

1. Dice the onion.

2. Heat skillet and add onions and spices. Cook until onion is soft.

3. Add spinach and allow all to cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

4. Make spaces in the spinach to hold the egg whites so they don’t run all over. Cook on low-medium heat until eggs are cooked thoroughly.

5. Remove skillet from heat and serve. 4 egg white is 1 meal serving.[dt_sc_hr_invisible_small]

[dt_sc_hr_invisible_small]Bring together traditional root vegetables in this new way for an exciting and delicious festive dish.

Ingredients:

•2 red onions, diced

•2 cloves of garlic, chopped

•2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed

•1 lb carrots, cut into 1 inch pieces

•1 lb beets, peeled and cut into wedges

•1 lb celeriac, peeled and cubed

•Zest of 1 lemon

•Zest of 1 orange

•2 tbsp chopped fresh thyme

•2 tbsp chopped fresh savory

•1 tbsp chopped fresh tarragon

•Salt and pepper

•1/2 tsp ground coriander

•Cooking spray

1. Heat oven to 375 F and coat large casserole dish with cooking spray.

2. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, spray with cooking spray then add onions and garlic. Sauté until soft and starting to brown, about 10 minutes.

3. Transfer this mixture to a large bowl then add sweet potatoes, carrots, beets, celeriac, lemon zest, orange zest, thyme, savory and tarragon. Season with salt and pepper and toss. Spoon into casserole dish.

4. Bake for 1 hour, or until vegetables are tender. 1/2 cup serving is one side.[dt_sc_hr_invisible_small]

I have received many emails and text messages today from those of you who thought or hoped they would do better than they have been doing. I want you all to think for a moment about where you are right now. Are you in a good place both mentally and physically? If you have been a Shark or even a Snail this week then continue on and continue to be amazing! If you have been struggling or frustrated with what the week has become for you – stop beating yourself up and finish out the week strong.

Many clients have celebrated the First Seder and found themselves falling prey to temptations around the table. Other clients are away and indulging in temptations that surround the beach, some are eating Easter bunnies before their time. What you have to do is just stop for a moment. Think about what you have done and where do you want to go AND ALWAYS STAY WITH THE POSITIVE THOUGHTS:

Whatever has happened between Sunday and yesterday can’t be changed. What can be changed is what you do from Today until this coming Sunday – MAKE A DIFFERENCE! Whether you are home or at the beach, go right back on program. Have your clean meals and snacks. Remember that right now, today, tomorrow and the next day are about being happy! Not about what you can and can’t eat. Do what is going to make you happy.

Don’t throw the rest of the week away because you have Easter on Sunday or because you are going out this weekend. It’s better to salvage the next couple of days and then have a Cheat Night. You will feel so much better if you are super clean Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Cheat on Sunday – if you are really good, clean and on program – you may even make this into a maintain week!

OF COURSE YOU FEEL HORRIBLE, YOU JUST CHEATED FOR MORE THAN ONE DAY – If you feel horrible, bloated and heavy the very worst thing you can do is prolong getting back on. Don’t do the – “I will go back Monday!” Do it right now. Yes, it will be hard because not only do you feel bloated, heavier and horrible but now you will feel hungry on top of it.  But I can promise you that if you get through the next couple of days on program – you will FEEL AMAZING BY SUNDAY! You may not be at your lowest numbers but you won’t feel like you do today. The longer you wait to go back on program – the harder it will be. Jump right back into your meals and snacks today and by the weekend you will be so happy you did.

Right now you can change your week from a Weight Gain to a Maintain. You may feel like you can’t, but I promise you if you go right back on 110% you will be amazed at how fast it comes off. It’s new weight and it will come right off if you go right back on program. You won’t lose weight but you will end the week where you started.

Stop focusing on the WHY DID I DO THIS AGAIN! This is all part of life. We have holidays and vacations and things that we want to celebrate and enjoy. You need to realize what is important – it’s not about you going off, it is about you going right back on. That’s the key here – the faster you go back the quicker you feel better. The faster you go back on – the faster the weight comes off. The longer you wait, the harder it is. Two or three days off doesn’t mean the whole week is gone. It just simply means you stopped, you enjoyed and now you pay the price and go back on 110%. And if you finish out the week amazing and enjoy a Cheat on the Weekend –  then you may even feel that sometimes the price is worth paying.

MAINTAIN:

 

If you want to have a Cheat Meal on any of the nights of Passover then you must stay clean all day and only go off at night. If you choose this option you will have a Maintenance Week. All other days must be clean and on program. You can only do this if you give up your Cheat Day and replace it with cheat meals for the week.

 

Remember, when you go off at night it doesn’t mean you have to eat everything in sight. In fact, a great way to enjoy is to take a large spoonful of everything you like. This way you get to taste everything but you won’t over do it. Sometimes a taste is all you need to feel satisfied and not stuffed.

 

*If you are going away on a trip during the holiday week it might be best to plan to maintain to limit your confusion and stress. Many of us start a vacation with the best intentions but when we get there we can’t stay in control. Eat clean all day then treat yourself to one off meal, dessert OR drinks. If you do this you should give up your one Cheat Day and have only cheat meals throughout the week when you need them. REMEMBER: It’s a meal, dessert or drinks each day. Not all three. Choose what works for you and stick to it. You can still enjoy everything about your trip and be able to come back and get back on track. You can even switch it up each day and choose which option to cheat with (drinks one day, meal the next, etc.).

 

If you decide you want to keep this Passover Holiday a Weight Loss week then you must stick to only one day cheat day. On the remaining day(s) that you celebrate Passover you can incorporate some of the suggestions below to keep you on track and stay true to your holiday traditions.

 

 

 

Shakshuka is a middle Eastern dish traditionally made with poached eggs in tomato sauce and spices. In this clean version, it features egg whites, onion, spinach and spices. Perfect breakfast option!

 

Ingredients:

•1 onion

•1 lb bag of spinach (fresh or frozen)

•1/2 tsp paprika

•1/2 tsp cinnamon

•1/2 tsp coriander

•2 tsp cumin

•Salt to taste

•1 tbsp oil

•Egg whites (depends on size of skillet)

 

1. Dice the onion.

2. Heat skillet and add onions and spices. Cook until onion is soft.

3. Add spinach and allow all to cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

4. Make spaces in the spinach to hold the egg whites so they don’t run all over. Cook on low-medium heat until eggs are cooked thoroughly.

5. Remove skillet from heat and serve. 4 egg white is 1 meal serving.

 

 

Bring together traditional root vegetables in this new way for an exciting and delicious festive dish.

 

Ingredients:

•2 red onions, diced

•2 cloves of garlic, chopped

•2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed

•1 lb carrots, cut into 1 inch pieces

•1 lb beets, peeled and cut into wedges

•1 lb celeriac, peeled and cubed

•Zest of 1 lemon

•Zest of 1 orange

•2 tbsp chopped fresh thyme

•2 tbsp chopped fresh savory

•1 tbsp chopped fresh tarragon

•Salt and pepper

•1/2 tsp ground coriander

•Cooking spray

 

1. Heat oven to 375 F and coat large casserole dish with cooking spray.

2. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, spray with cooking spray then add onions and garlic. Sauté until soft and starting to brown, about 10 minutes.

3. Transfer this mixture to a large bowl then add sweet potatoes, carrots, beets, celeriac, lemon zest, orange zest, thyme, savory and tarragon. Season with salt and pepper and toss. Spoon into casserole dish.

4. Bake for 1 hour, or until vegetables are tender. 1/2 cup serving is one side.

 

HOLIDAYS…. As we head into another Monday we look ahead and see Passover / Easter and Spring Break approaching fast. It’s only 2 weeks away and will be here before you know it. Whatever you do this is not the time to “WAIT” until after the Holiday/Break to get back on program. In two weeks you could lose 5lbs instead of gaining 10lbs. In two weeks you can feel a little lighter and healthier then you do today. What you have to do is just get right back on program or continue on your path… because when the Holiday and Break arrive you don’t want to feel bloated and heavy. You want to go into the Holidays feeling like you can enjoy without guilt. You can enjoy without worrying about adding pounds onto the extra weight you put on the last two weeks. Just don’t fall into the feelings of “I will just go back on program after the holiday” – wrong attitude! The right attitude – You should always be following. Even if you are busy and you are preparing and you know you will be cooking and baking more – you have to remember your first thought in the morning is to follow your program and you do it the very best you can each day. Always remember 80-20 is better than 50-50. And 4 great days with 2 not so great days and 1 cheat day is better than 7 straight “off” days or 7 straight “cheat days”. So even in your busiest time, with holidays, kids, and preparing – you always try to do your best everyday. While some weeks will be amazing and perfect others will be “okay” and that’s always better than “horrible.”

SCALE – IS THIS YOU? BE AWARE – of what you are doing and how it’s affecting you. Sometimes I see that clients go on the scale and they are amazed that it either went up or they didn’t lose. They will tell me that they had a hard challenging week and it was tough to stay on course or they know they had “off” days but they did the best they could. But then they step on the scale on “weigh in” day and they are disappointed that it didn’t go down. Like how the scale is going to reflect the stress and pressure you had on you the past week but it wouldn’t count in your weight because it feels bad for you. Just so we are all clear – the scale is not magic and doesn’t have feelings. It doesn’t care whether you had the most stressful challenging week – it doesn’t give you points for being a little good or better than you could have been. If you eat too much it’s gonna show in your numbers. The scale doesn’t have a brain and it’s not going to deduct numbers because your boss was mean or your kids were driving you nuts or because you wanted to eat dinner with your husband/wife or hang out with your friends. No it’s not going to be less because you wanted it to be or because you didn’t do as terrible as you could have. The scale is going to reflect exactly how you treated yourself that week. If you were 100% on program then it will go down, and if you were not great it’s probably going to stay the same as the week before, and if you over did it – it’s going to be higher. The only time the scale shows a temporary increase that is not real is on two occasions – after a weight workout because your muscles are swollen and you have not released the lactic acid (this usually disappears within 2-3 days after the workout) OR after a Cheat day when your body is processing all the new food but in return working harder than it did the day before your Cheat Day. BOTH of these will only work in your favor and go down lower than before if you are back on program after the Cheat Day and if you do not eat more because you exercised. Keep the process simple. If you are on 110% you will lose – if you are having some good and bad days you will maintain (which is always better than a gain), and if you are cheating all the time it will go up. You know what you are doing and how well you are doing it – the choice is always yours.

Sometimes it’s really hard to stay focused all the time. That’s why we have Sharks and Snails and while you may be one or the other you can always be both – just don’t be a Slug!

Sharks – My Sharks are on all the time and always see results and usually make everything look effortless. While I can assure you most of them suffer and text me as much as the next person, the bottom line is they are always on. They love and embrace the six days on and one day off and they love and embrace how they feel and look. Food is fuel and Cheat Day is exciting. That’s who they are and they love being sharks.

Snails – Then I have my snails and they are usually on they move a little slower. Whether it’s because of social life or just because they are happy moving along slowly – they are happy and always in the right direction. It just takes them little longer to get there. They are always happy with their process. They own it if they were “off” and celebrate when they are “on.”  They live with the six days on and one day off but sometimes their six days tend to be a little more of healthy or a little extra. While every snail is different the most important thing is they are happy and embrace being a snail. They love the consistency of who they are and how they live.

Sharks/Snails – some of you are very good at being both. You are Sharks some days (most of the time when you have to be, like right before a vacation), and other days you are snails and you are fine with always being on and incorporating a little extra motivation and determination when you need it while living and moving at a snails pace when it suits you.

SLUGS – The one thing you don’t want to be is a SLUG! A slug doesn’t move it just sits there stuck getting bigger and bigger. The process of growing may be slow or fast but either way it’s happening. The slug wants to move – it even sees where it wants to go but it just doesn’t have the motivation or determination to get there. Compared to a slug the snail is a marathon runner! Why would you be a slug? Because it’s easy to be a slug. It’s easy to get stuck and just keep sitting, and talking about what you want and thinking about what you want but when it comes to putting it into motion it’s just too much effort. It’s always going to be easier to do nothing but it’s never rewarding. It will always be easier to talk about how much you want it without putting the effort and work in to get there. Once you are a slug it’s not so easy to get out of it. It takes a lot of effort to get things moving and get re-motivated. It’s so much easier to sit and watch TV and eat treats then it is to plan, prepare and do the right things for your body and mind. Simply put, it’s easy to eat and it’s hard not too. It’s easy to sit and it’s harder to keep moving.

If you are a Shark or a Snail be happy and own it, and if you are a Slug or turning into one – you need to get moving and have your body start catching up to what the mind wants. We all have choices in life of how we want to live and what we want out of life. At the end of the day you are the only person who can make your life amazing. You are the only person who can make yourself happy, healthy and feel good. We are here for you, will guide you and give you the tools – but it’s still up to you to stay on your path and work hard everyday to become the person you want to be and live the life you want to have.