Back on the wagon

So, it turns out that the only thing worse than getting fat, is getting fat again. Which is bound to happen when you go back to your same old tricks. No excuses, just the reality that life happens and sometimes that leads to a lack of focus, and plates piled too high and full of the wrong things. So back on the wagon again (hopefully without breaking it) and more new healthy recipes coming soon! 

Purple Chocolate Shake

If you're looking for a super fast meal, try this tasty beverage on for size. While not quite as low sugar as most of our recipes, it's still pretty reasonable in the scheme of things, and you'll be surprise to know the real secret purple ingredient is not a sugary fruit mess—and it'll still give you almost half your daily requirement of Vitamin C, some potassium, vitamin A and fiber. Trust me, Sunny D's got nothin' on this "purple stuff."

You'll need:
1 scoop of a chocolate protein shake mix
1/4c fat free ricotta
1c cold water
1c ice
a handful of raspberries
1/2c chopped purple cabbage (yes, really)

Simply add all the ingredients to your blender to combine, and enjoy a full glass. This bad boy is packed with about 27g protein, and enough fiber to stave off hunger for several hours. Bottoms up!

Food-Free Indulgence

A while back, at the prompting of a friend, I read the book, "Breaking Free from Compulsive Eating" by Geneen Roth. Now, I am not a fan of self-help books usually, but I do enjoy reading about nutrition and the science of food, so I was pretty easily swayed into this. It was actually a pretty good read—a lot of it was spot on, while some of the uber self-help-ish exercises were a bit much for me. But there was one exercise that I thought was a total no brainer, easy enough to actually do, and good enough to share.

The premise is this: if you overeat, chances are, you use eating as a relaxation technique. You're not good at giving yourself a break, permission to relax, and you don't want others to see you doing nothing. But eating, well, hey—ya gotta eat! No one would fault you for taking a lunch break, right? Or a dinner break? Or a snack break, I mean, if you're hungry, right? So food quickly becomes our only allowable indulgence. The only thing we can do to take a break without looking lazy or feeling like a slacker.

But there are a million ways to take a break, and indulge, take care of yourself, relax for ten minutes, without stuffing your face. So as Geneen Roth recommends, write a list of the many other things you could do to treat yourself—sans food. Here's mine:

Do yoga.
Or just stretch and breathe, even if only for ten minutes.
Walk the dog.
Take a nap.
Read a magazine.
Take a bubble bath.
Lay out in the sun (with sunscreen of course...)
Paint my nails.
Give myself a home facial.
Enjoy a cup of tea in absolute silence.
Listen to a podcast.
Go for a walk alone. Yes alone. Not even with the dog.
Garden.
Get a massage.
Go to the gym.
Go to a park and people watch.
Write in a journal or blog.
Do something creative (but non-work), like photography, painting or drawing.
Listen to music.

Give myself a pedicure.
Light candles and meditate for 10 minutes.
Call a friend and catch up.


All of these things can take 5 minutes, or half an hour. The best part is, you choose when, where, for how long. And don't feel guilty about it. In fact, you'll probably feel awesome about it. Because it's good for your soul, and good for your waistline. Let me know what your alternative indulgences are!

Dodging the Camera

If you're reading this blog, you've likely done this many times before.....you're at a family gathering, your snap-happiest family member breaks out her camera phone and wants you to smile like you're thrilled to have your current weight captured on film and spread across facebook like wildfire. What she doesn't know is that, while you love the time with your family, and would love a way to remember it, all you can think about is how fat you'll look next to your petite cousin or your stick-figure sister, that you feel like a stuffed pepper in this damn outfit, and all you really want to do is duck into the bathroom for a few minutes until the flashes die down. (Or go home and put on your comfiest pajama pants...whatever.)

We've all been there. But I want to share with you this perspective from another blogger. Thanks to her, no matter what my size, next time I will do my best to man up, and enjoy the opportunity to have my favorite moments captured—with me in them.

Fat-Free Dill Pickle Dip

I LOVE PICKLES. The salt can be killer on a diet, but as long as you're not eating 6 whole pickles a night, you can get away with this. Plus, this is a great party food (as most dips are)—you know no one else is going to bring the same thing, and you'll have something you can eat without regretting it.

8oz. pkg fat free cream cheese or neufachtel
2 T. fat free plain greek yogurt
4 dill pickles, chopped
3T. dill pickle juice
1 tsp. dried dill
salt and pepper

Let the cream cheese soften a bit. Simply mix together all of the ingredients and refrigerate overnight. Serve cold, garnished with some extra dill. Great with celery, carrots, or turnip chips.

You probably won't want to make a whole 27g meal out of this, but it’s perfect as a high-protein, low fat, low carb snack!

Tuna Salad Wraps

I’ve been on an unseasonable tex-mex kick, but hey—it tastes good and it’s healthy, so I see no reason to ignore the craving! These tuna wraps are a way-healthy spin on fish tacos. A little kick and a little crunch go a long way.

4 large leaves iceberg lettuce
1c. cabbage, thinly sliced
1 can of solid white albacore tuna
2oz. fat free shredded cheddar
1 scallion, chopped
pickled jalapenos
Frank’s hot sauce

Prep all of your ingredients, and then build these just like you would a taco—pile each leaf of iceberg lettuce with an equal amount of the ingredients, a couple jalapenos and Frank’s to taste. Recipe makes two 27g servings.

Cilantro Cabbage Salad

Cabbage is an uber-healthy vegetable to work into your diet—and even more so if you can squeeze in a few different types. They're all high in fiber, low in calories, and totally fat free. Eat it steamed, and it could lower your cholesterol. Eat it raw, and get a little dose of cancer-prevention. Here, we're going with the latter:

1/2 head of green cabbage

1/2 head of purple cabbage

cilantro
1/2c chopped walnuts

juice of 2 limes

salt and pepper

Slice the cabbage thin and chop roughly into 2" length pieces. Add the walnuts and a bunch of fresh chopped cilantro, or 2 to 3 T. of this prepared stuff, which I like to keep on hand in case of emergency. Squeeze in the juice of two limes, season with just a touch of salt and pepper and toss until all the cabbage is well coated. 

I had a big bowl of this as my vegetable, along side my entrée—in the interest of full disclosure—a piece of pizza. (Crustless at least, and the filling cabbage did keep me from digging back in for a second slice!) But if you’re gonna be awesome and healthy, enjoy this with whatever high protein option you can scrounge up: cottage cheese, a piece of fish, whatever ya got.

This salad also keeps pretty well. Cabbage is hearty and the lime juice will keep it crisp and bright for a day or two in the fridge. (Try it with a piece of cajun-seasoned fish on day two.) Enjoy!