30 Healthy Snack Ideas to Bust Through Cravings + a Kale Chip Recipe
Have you ever had those days when cravings hit and you just want to eat everything in sight? Cravings happen even to the healthiest of us. Often, when a craving hits in the afternoon or the evening after dinner, we get the urge to snack. Snacking can be a bad habit to get into, because the snacks we choose are often junky, nutritionally void, and high in calories, sugar, or fat. I call this the "Snack Attack!" and it can sneak up on you like a ninja. There are many different reasons why cravings sneak up on you such as having a lot of stress in your life, lack of sleep, restricting certain foods from your diet too long, or maybe your body is lacking certain vitamins and minerals. It is key to try to identify what is causing your cravings and try to get to the root of the issue. But, I realize that it may not always be easy to pin point exactly what is going on when life gets busy.
So it's up to us to outsmart our cravings before they get the best of us. The trick to snacking without piling on the pounds is to find healthy alternatives to the regular snacks you might normally reach for.
Usually, when we get a craving it is for either something sweet (chocolate!), savory (potato chips!), creamy (ice cream!), or crunchy (crisps!). Obviously, my examples are foods you shouldn’t eat all the time if you want to be trim and healthy. But that doesn’t mean you have to fight your cravings for the rest of your life. Instead, you just need to substitute.
Next time you get a craving for something sweet, why not try:
fresh organic berries like blueberries, strawberries, and raspberries
apples and almond or sunflower butter
no sugar added dried fruit and raw almonds or walnuts
green or fruit protein smoothies
banana “ice cream” (peel a banana, freeze, blend in a food processor, top with nuts, berries or unsweetened shredded coconut)
dates stuffed with almond butter or other nut butter, and top with unsweetened shredded coconut
1 tbsp organic dark chocolate chips or Enjoy Life (soy, dairy & nut free) chocolate chips
For your savory cravings, try these healthy alternatives:
hard boiled eggs with salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, and salsa
olives, pickles, and pickled vegetables, such as carrot, daikon, beets, and lotus root
homemade hummus (download my free 3-Day Detox to get this recipe)
kale chips (recipe below)
sweet potato chips
zucchini chips with freshly made salsa or guacamole
Sauerkraut (this will also knock your sweet craving right out!)
chopped avocado and tomato with sea salt and pepper
Your creamy cravings can be met by eating:
smoothies
dips and spreads, like hummus and baba ghanoush
puréed soups
puddings made with avocado, or mashed banana
mashed sweet potatoes
coconut milk
Finally, don't cave and reach for the Pringles, when you can eat these crunchy (but still healthy) snacks:
apples
frozen grapes
rice cakes
organic non-GMO popcorn (use coconut oil and sea salt to pop in a covered pan)
carrots (particularly the sweet, organic baby carrots)
celery and nut butter
raw, unsalted nuts like cashews, almonds, Brazil, and walnuts
small handful raw sunflower or pumpkin seeds (about 1 tbsp)
Don’t fight your craving. Instead, listen to what it is your body wants specifically and choose the healthier option that will be good to your waistline.
Make sure to keep plenty of these delicious healthy snacks around the house so you don't get in a pinch and grab something you will regret later. Another great way to avoid snacking is also to keep your trigger foods out of the house. When you do decide to splurge on your favorite treats, make sure you only buy as much as you are going to eat right at that moment. That way the bag of treats won't unexpectedly call your name from the kitchen pantry.
Kitchen tips and tricks:
Pre-cut veggies for quick snacks. Store in airtight, glass containers in the fridge. Make sure to cover celery, carrots and radishes with water so they don't dry out.
Freeze a few bananas to have on hand for an ice cream snack later in week.
Never waste another avocado. Put ripe avocados in the refrigerator to stop the ripening process. They can be stored for up to a week in the fridge.
Measure out and baggie up your nuts and dried fruit ahead of time so that you don't go back for seconds or thirds.
“You cannot change your destination overnight. You can change your direction.” - Jim Rohn
Kale Chips
Ingredients:
1 bunch lacinato kale
Olive oil
Sea salt
Directions:
Heat oven to 350-375 degrees, depending on your oven. The kale chips burn quickly, so keep the temperature on the lower end if your oven tends to get hot or have hot spots.
Clean kale and remove the thick stem by folding each leaf in half lengthwise and cutting it away. Make sure kale is quite dry.
Pour a bit of olive oil into a dipping bowl. Dip your fingers in the olive oil and massage over each kale leaf, front and back.
Arrange kale on several baking sheets making sure not to crowd the leaves. Sprinkle sea salt over the top.
Bake for 5-7 minutes, keeping an eye on the chips to make sure they don’t burn. Turn the chips over and then bake for another 5 minutes more. You may need more or less time depending on your oven. The chips are ready when they are bright green and haven’t turned brown yet except maybe at the edges.
Add some flavor by sprinkling smoked paprika, garlic, ginger, cumin, or curry on before baking.
Comment below and tell me some of your favorite craving fighting snacks!
Want to learn more about how you can stop bloat from happening?
Want to reduce inflammation and lose fat for good? Start by downloading our free guide: 5 Easy Steps to Beating Belly Bloat!
We are Chris and Amber, a husband and wife team dedicated to helping you improve your nutritional and personal fitness habits for a better lifestyle. If you have issues with bloating, inability to lose fat, brain fog, or are in need of a proven nutrition and fitness plan to get you out of a rut, then sign up for our 28-Day Beat Belly Bloat Program today!
Makeover Your Health With the Elimination Diet
When I first started on my health and fitness journey about 4 years ago, I started experiencing uncomfortable and embarrassing digestive issues which was starting to drive me crazy! I had never experienced these issues before or at least I never noticed because of all of the junky nutritionally void foods I was dumping into my body the many years prior. I was determined to figure out the foods that where working with and those that worked against my body in order to lose weight and be healthier. When you realize that your digestion is much less than optimal and you feel terrible, it is time to do something about it. I got to that point and started noticing that I had symptoms like gassiness and belly bloat that started happening frequently. I knew I needed a reliable way to find out WHY this was happening and, more importantly, WHAT was causing my discomfort. That’s when I found out about the Elimination Diet.
The Elimination Diet is the approach I use in my 28 Day Beat Belly Bloat program to help my clients figure out which foods they are sensitive to so that they can eat mindfully, keep their digestive symptoms at bay and start losing weight. About 80% of your immune system is in your gut and is considered the “second brain” in your body, so it is important to keep it healthy and keep things running smoothly. It's also been discovered that if your body is in a constant state of inflammation, it can prevent you from being able to lose weight.
In the elimination diet, you start by eliminating common culprits of digestive upset and common food allergens. You dial down your daily meals and snacks so that you are only eating real, nourishing foods that will not hurt your gut. In fact, you can begin to heal your gut with a proper elimination diet. The categories of food to eliminate are:
Grains – The foundation of the Food Pyramid for decades, at one point the government suggested we eat 6-11 servings of grains per day. It has now been discovered that many people have a hard time digesting grains, including corn.
Processed Foods – There are many toxic chemicals (like MSG, artificial colors, and flavorings) and other undesirable ingredients (like GMOs, trans fats, and high fructose corn syrup) in processed food that can impede digestion and even cause disease.
High Glycemic Foods – Large amounts of starches and added sugars can feed a bacterial overgrowth (small intestinal bacterial overgrowth aka SIBO) and other gut dysbiosis problems.
Gluten and Fructans – Found in many grains, gluten has been found to be one of the causes of leaky gut syndrome and autoimmune diseases. Fructans are found in FODMAPS (short-chain carbohydrates) and can also feed those bad bugs in your gut.
Soy - Over 90 percent of all soy grown is genetically modified and is wreaking havoc on our bodies. Many people can't tolerate soy but have no idea because they eat so much of it on a daily basis via processed packaged foods. Soy phytoestrogens cause infertility, breast cancer and hypothyroidism. It contains high levels of phytic acid which reduce absorbtion of calcium, magnesium, copper, iron and zinc. Soy foods contain high levels of aluminum, which is toxic to the nervous system and the kidneys.
Hydrogenated and Partially Hydrogenated Oil – The top offenders are corn, soy, safflower, canola and vegetable oils. These can cause inflammation throughout your body and destroy your health.
Feedlot Meats and Dairy – Meats and dairy from the conventional food system are full of hormones, antibiotics, and even poisons such as arsenic. These animals are sick and stressed form living in confined polluted spaces.
Eggs, Peanuts, and Shellfish – All are common food allergens.
Gut Irritants – Caffeine and alcohol can wreak havoc on your gut. Avoid these while you are healing.
The Elimination Phase
All of the commonly known gut-irritating foods we talked about above will be eliminated for an initial 14 days. This is so we can allow enough time for food allergens and other gut-irritating foods to fully get out of your system and your symptoms to go away. Make sure to write yourself a list of all the foods you can and can't eat during the elimination period so that you are very clear on which foods you need to avoid. It's very easy to forget and slip up on the foods you are used to eating. It's important to stay on track during this time so that you can really figure out which foods work best for you!
Then, you will gradually reintroduce these foods back in your diet one at a time to see how your body reacts. With certain food, you may notice reactions from it immediately and with others you may feel the effects a day or so later. It is important to keep a food reaction journal during this time so that you can pinpoint exactly how you are feeling both mentally and physically. The entire elimination could take up to 35 days or so depending on how many foods you introduce back in. The great thing about the elimination diet is that it can be tailored specifically to your personal needs with your health coach or practitioner. In my Beat Belly Bloat program we start with only 28 days and then my clients have the freedom to add in extra foods if they would like to. I think this is more manageable for clients and their busy lives!
The Reintroduction Phase:
For two weeks, follow the elimination diet without any exceptions. It is best to have your meals and snacks prepared ahead of time because you don’t want to risk eating foods that may be cooked with unapproved ingredients. If you do eat any packaged foods, you will need to check the labels very carefully for hidden ingredients such as soy, dairy and gluten.
After you have completed the 14-day food elimination diet, you will now start to add foods back in one by one. Introduce one allergenic food in two days increments for 3 meals per day (morning, noon, and night). You will then go back to the strict elimination diet for the next 2 days and monitor how you feel. Take notes on how you are feeling before, during and after the reintroduction. If you notice a server immediate reaction from a food, you can stop there and go ahead and remove the food from your diet and go back to the elimination diet.
Below is the schedule I use during my program with clients who do a general elimination diet of the top known allergenic foods. Follow the schedule below to keep track of what days you will reintroduce each food. Log your food during the elimination and reintroduction phases so you can go back and use it as a reference point.
During this time you will need to document how you are feeling, both during the two reintroduction days and the two days following it. Take note of any headaches, muscle aches, constipation, gas, bloating, low energy, mood swings, fatigue, foggy thinking, etc.
Day 15: Gluten
Day 16: Gluten
Day 17: Back to elimination diet
Day 18: Back to elimination diet
Day 19: Dairy
Day 20: Dairy
Day 21: Back to elimination diet
Day 22: Back to elimination diet
Day 23: Soy
Day 24: Soy
Day 25: Back to elimination diet
Day 26: Back to elimination diet
Day 27: Corn
Day 28: Corn
Day 29: Back to elimination diet
Day 30: Back to elimination diet
Day 31: Eggs
Day 32: Eggs
Day 33: Back to elimination diet
Day 34: Back to elimination diet
Day 35: Discuss
Eventually, you will come up with an eating plan that your body will love. Everyone is different and finding your own unique way of eating to feel good will change your life.
If you think the elimination diet might be just what you need to jumpstart your health and relieve annoying belly bloat, then click the button below to grab my freebie 5 Steps to Beat Belly Bloat!
Sources:
Dr. Mercola - http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/12/04/soy-dangers-summarized.aspx
Dr. Axe - http://draxe.com/canola-oil-gm/
Dr. Mark Hyman - http://drhyman.com/blog/2012/01/27/inflammation-how-to-cool-the-fire-inside-you-thats-making-you-fat-and-diseased/
Eat Wild - http://www.eatwild.com/basics.html
*Heizer, W D., Southern, S, McGovern, S. The Role of Diet in Symptoms of Irritable Bowel Syndrome in Adults: A Narrative Review. JADA 2009; 109: 1204-1214
CalorieLab - http://calorielab.com/news/2011/01/01/big-8-food-allergies/
The Truth About Your Salad Dressing + a Healthy Swap Recipe!
I have a confession to make...I used to drench my salads in ranch and Caesar dressing! Not only did I cover my salads in these thick fattening dressings, but I also poured it over chicken, pizza, wraps, and quesadillas. Does this sounds familiar to you? The thing is that for a long time I wasn't aware that there was anything wrong with these dressings. I mean, I thought I was doing the healthy thing by choosing a salad and what else do you put on top of a salad? Creamy dressing, duh!
I'm not hating on salad dressings because they are high in fat, I hate on them because they are FAKE! That's right! These creamy delicious dressings are full of artificial flavors and colors, they are also loaded with sugar, salt, chemicals such preservatives and thickening agents, and rancid refined oils such as GMO canola and soybean oils that are high in inflammation causing Omega 6 fats. Who knowingly wants to eat chemical-filled fake foods that will wreak havoc on your health and your gut? Not this girl!
Once I realized what I was putting into my body and the destruction I was doing to my health, I started reaching for healthier salad dressing options that taste even better than those high calorie nutritionally void dressings. The amazing part is, I can make them at home in minutes and I don't have to worry about bad calories, excess sugars and rancid fats because I know exactly what is going into my dressing! I realize that life gets busy and you may want more of a convenience option, so you can also go for a healthier option like Tessemae's salad dressing which you can grab at Whole Foods.
Below is a super healthy recipe that you can whip together and enjoy on your favorite salad tonight! This dressing not only tastes delicious but it also has amazing health benefits such as: natural detoxification from the lemon and apple cider vinegar, fights inflammation with olive oil, boosts your immune system with garlic, orange and thyme. Let me know what you think!
Need some healthy salad ideas?
What's your favorite healthy salad dressing swap? Share your recipe below!
Guiltless Chocolate Chia Pudding
Do you ever have those days when all you want is a delicious chocolate treat but you are agonizing over it because you are trying to lose a couple pounds? Well agonize no more because I am going to share a guiltless Chocolate Chia Pudding recipe from our 10-Day Spring Detox to bust those cravings! You will actually want to gobble this treat up because it is loaded with rich nutrients and antioxidants! Chia seeds contain healthy fats like Omega-3's, protein and fiber to help keep you full and keep things moving smoothly, and antioxidants which protect your body from free radicals. Raw Cocao also contains antioxidants and has more than 300 phytochemicals, including vitamins, minerals, and nutrients such as: fat, carbohydrates, fiber, iron, zinc, copper, potassium, phosphorus, calcium, magnesium, and sulfur.
Chocolate Chia Pudding - Serves 3-4
1 1/4 cups unsweetened almond or coconut milk 1/4 cup chia seeds 1 tablespoon raw cacao powder 1 tsp cinnamon to taste 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 1/2 tablespoon raw honey or a few drops of stevia
1. Combine all ingredients well with a whisk and pour into a glass jar with lid. Shake it up and mix further if there are still clumps in the bottom.
2. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours, stirring once an hour to keep from clumping
3. Serve topped with dried fruit, sunflower seeds, cacao nibs, or unsweetened shredded coconut.
What's your favorite guiltless dessert?
3 Ingredients to Kick PMS & Cramping to The Curb!
Recently, I got a little personal with everyone on our newsletter and shared for the first time out loud that I haven't had a normal period in over a year and a half - some of them lasting 2 and a half weeks or longer! Trust me, It is as awful as it sounds! Luckily for mine and Chris's sanity, I started to detox all areas of my life - starting with a 10-day whole foods detox and cleanse first, followed by continueing a diet of clean whole foods, then my beauty products and cleaning products, plastics, etc. - and in a pretty short amount of time after I dropped over 6lbs of fat, the sugar cravings stopped, my stomach got flatter and my hormones started balancing out! For the first time in over a year and half, I had a normal 5 day period without PMS, minimal cramping - I'm talking only a couple hours on one day(!), and no lower back pain! It was shocking and exciting for me to feel so good after months of discomfort, pain and flat out annoyance.
During that one evening when I did experience some cramping, I decided I wouldn't take any over the counter meds to ease my cramping...that was my crutch before and it doesn't fit in with my life detoxification any longer. I was going to ease my pain naturally! So today, I'm going to give you my super awesome recipe for dealing with menstrual cramps and PMS in a safer, relaxing and more natural way!
Instead of picking up the pain meds, I reached for some of my favorite daily detoxification tools: Epsom salts, lavender and peppermint essential oils and made an relaxing PMS detoxing bath! Soaking in the warm bath for about 20 minutes soothed my aches, pains and left me super relaxed the rest of the evening. Here is what you do:
- Fill bath tub with very warm water, not scolding
- Add in 1-2 cups Espsom salt
- Just before getting in add 8 drops lavender essential oil and 2 drops peppermint essential oil, then swirl water around
- Light a candle, play some calming tunes, soak and enjoy for about 20 minutes
Soak up the benefits:
- Lavender essential oil – Calms and supports normal hormone levels. It also produces calming and relaxing effects on the body which can be used to relieve cramping, stress and anxiety.
- Peppermint essential oil - Makes you feel cool, relaxed and energized, reduces inflammation, helps ease cramping, and may help balance hormones.
- Hot Epsom salt bath – The magnesium-sulfate from the Epsom salts is absorbed through the skin and help reduce water retention and bloating. It reduces inflammation to relieve pain and muscle cramps, relieves stress. The heat from the water also heats up the body causing toxins to get sweated out.
Do you have any favorite natural remedies to relieve menstrual cramps or PMS?
The 24-Hour Detox
Don't you just wish you could hit the reset button after an off week or a wild weekend? Maybe you ate a bunch of junk food too many nights in a row or had a few too many drinks at happy hour. You feel bloated and gross, joints are achy, and you flat out feel off balance.When you have a bender of a week, weekend, heck even a month or year...don't worry, we've all been there...you are depriving your body of vital nutrients that it needs to support your main detox organs - the liver, gall bladder, colon and kidneys. Our bodies are already experiencing toxic overloaded from the many toxins we come into contact with on a daily basis which it makes it harder for our detox organs to do their jobs and excrete toxins naturally. This overload is why we start feeling so bad and it shows up in the form of many awful symptoms that are often unexplainable!
WHERE ARE ALL THESE PESKY TOXINS COMING FROM?
The toxins that come in from outside sources such as those junky nutritionally deficient foods we eat and the many boozy beverages we had in excess are called exogenous toxins. You also accumulate even more exogenous toxins from air pollution - both indoor and outdoor, pesticides on our food and sprayed in the air, chemicals from beauty products we use on our skin, as well as cleaning products we use in our home and even the mercury dental fillings (amalgams) in your mouth. Each year, the number of chemical toxins that we are exposed to dramatically increases because currently there is no system set in place to regulate the amount and type of chemicals that companies can use in their products. Over time, these excess toxins build up in our body and create a heavy toxic burden.
If it's not bad enough that we are storing all of these toxins from our environment, our bodies are also trying to deal with the endogenous toxins that are created from inside our bodies - such as sex hormones, neurotransmitters, folate, iron, etc.
TIME FOR A DETOX!
Detoxing and cleansing occasionally is essential to keep our internal ecosystem balanced by removing the buildup of toxins that are wreaking havoc on your health. It's important to keep our detox organs running smoothly so we are able to excrete toxins efficiently. When our body is balanced, It's easier for you to manage your weight because your metabolism and digestion will be stronger, you will also have clearer glowing skin as well as stay healthier because your immune system will be stronger.
Unfortunately, detoxing has become such a fad and there is a ton of misinformation out there so people often believe that they have to starve themselves by fasting or juicing in order to detox. But that's simply not the case! You can start right now just by eating delicious nutrient-rich detoxifying foods!
NUTRIENT-RICH DETOXIFYING FOODS
- Carrots, garlic, onions, eggs and salmon to support Glutathione production
- Brazil nuts are rich in Selenium which helps your body recycle and produce even more glutathione. Just two a day provides your body with all the selenium it needs.
- Flaxseed provides Fiber to help your digestion move along. If your bowels aren't moving then toxins will build up in the colon creating a more toxic environment.
- Carrots, eggs, and salmon contain essential B vitamins
- Cilantro to assist with the removal of heavy metals
- Grapefruit provides fiber, it's packed with vitamins and nutrients that will help to replenish the nutrients that your body needs in order to repair damaged cells in your body, and may promote weight loss
Now these are just a taste of a few great foods for detoxifying your body, there are tons more that you can incorporate into your diet daily!
THE 24 HOUR DETOX
This is a quick 24 hour detox modified from Alisa Vitta at Flo Living that will help get you to bounce back and reset your body! Use the detox as a guide, you will ultimately have to decide on the right portion sizes that you need in order to fuel your body. Just remember, THERE'S NO STARVING IN DETOXING! If you feel like you need a 48 hour detox, then you can just repeat this meal plan for the 2nd day. Make sure you are drinking a lot of water throughout the day to help flush out toxins!
Breakfast:
- Hot water with the juice of one lemon on an empty stomach
- Green apple with sugar free sunflower butter
Mid-Morning Snack:
- Green smoothie:
- blend romaine lettuce, 1/2 inch ginger, cucumber, celery, juice of 1/2 of lemon, 1 Tbsp coconut oil
Lunch:
- Raw fennel celery, and apple salad
- 1/2 fennel head, cored and sliced thin
- 1 rib of celery chopped
- 1/2 chopped apple
- Juice of 1/2 of a lemon
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 Tbsp ground flax seeds
- Toss all ingredients together
- Cilantro and onion omelet
- Whisk together 3 organic eggs, 2 tbsp fresh cilantro, sea salt and pepper
- Oil pan with 1/2 tbsp coconut oil, add 1/4 cup chopped onion and cook for a couple minutes
- Add remaining ingredients into pan. Cook thoroughly, lifting edges of the omelet and tilting the pan to allow the uncooked egg mixture to flow underneath and cook evenly.
Mid-Day Snack:
- Melon in season or Grapefruit (choose one)
- 2 hard boiled eggs
Dinner:
- Asparagus, onions & Garlic
- Chopped and roasted at 425 degrees with coconut oil, with salt and pepper
- Salmon
- See recipe below
- Carrots
- Steamed with cinnamon
Dessert:
- 2 Brazil nuts
- 2 dates
Garlic Dill Salmon - serves 4
- 1 pound salmon
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp dried dill weed or 1 Tbsp fresh
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice
- ½ tsp onion powder
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Rinse fish and put into a 9x13 baking dish. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Sauté garlic in olive oil for 2 minutes. Add dill, lemon juice, and onion powder and pour over fish. Bake in preheated oven for about 15 minutes, basting with remaining sauce after 7 minutes. Do not overcook. Fish is done with flakes easily with a fork. Enjoy!
7 Ways to Kick Your Cold to The Curb Naturally + Garlic Chicken Sweet Potato Soup Recipe
Tired of the winter yet? Despite the many ice burgs that we have to jump over to get around the streets of New York City these days, Chris and I still love snow! We are actually heading to Vermont early Friday morning to go snowboarding with friends for the weekend.
But as much as we love snow, cold and winter, we also have to face the facts that it is cold and flu season. If you aren't already, it's a great time to start eating homemade soup and bone broth to keep your body warm and your immunity strong. I was down for the count last week, first with a bad cold, then a 24 hour bug. It all really snuck up on me and I wasn't prepared for it. But as soon as the symptoms hit, I started eating as many healing foods as possible! I think for the first time in years, I resisted taking any cold or flu medications. I still had all my yucky cold symptoms, but I let my body have the rest it needed and go through the motions naturally. I've been so accustomed to heavily medicating myself anytime I feel bad, and I often overlook the power that natural remedies have!
Next time you are sick, try these 7 natural ways to kick your cold to the curb:
- Take a break from the gym and daily life to let your body fully rest. As much as we all hate to get out of our routine and slowing down, sometimes it's necessary for good health!
- Drink delicious teas like organic green, peppermint, ginger, and eucalyptus. Add in fresh ginger, turmeric, raw honey and lemon.
- Start the day by drinking warm lemon water in the morning to get some of its antiviral benefits. I even made this amazing sweetened raw apple cider elixir from Delighted Momma that tasted amazing! I subbed orange juice in for the fruit juices she suggested, for added vitamin C.
- Use more antimicrobial foods like organic cold pressed coconut oil, coconut flakes, cinnamon, lemon, ginger, raw honey and garlic. These foods have antiviral, antifungal and antibacterial properties that kill bacteria and viruses in our bodies.
- Get high amounts of vitamin C, which is an antioxidant, through natural and supplemental sources to help speed up recovery.
- Gargle with warm salt water every few hours to help relieve sore throat.
- Drink homemade meat stock and bone broth to help sooth and heal your gut lining to boost your immunity. I posted recently about how far off we've strayed from the traditional cooking methods of our ancestors. They would use not just the meat but also the bones of animals to make nourishing meals to cure the common cold and flu as well as many other digestive and physical ailments. Broths are great to keep on hand and in the freezer at all times. You can drink them on their own, I love broth with lemon, salt and ginger, or make a delicious soup in minutes, like the recipe below!
Garlic Chicken Sweet Potato Soup
2-3 serving
- 10-12 oz organic shredded chicken
- 4.5 cups homemade bone broth or meat stock
- 2-3 steamed medium sweet potato cut into chunks
- 2-3 cups organic kale
- 4 cup organic spinach
- 4-5 cloves chopped organic garlic
- Season to taste with cumin, ginger, and pink Himalayan salt
Precook shredded chicken and steam sweet potato ahead of time. Turn burner on high to medium-high heat. In a large pot add broth and let it come to a boil. Add kale and garlic, then reduce heat to medium-low heat. Once kale is cooked well, add in remaining ingredients and cook for another 15-20 minutes.
I hope that you all are staying healthy this winter! Leave us a comment below and tell us what some of your favorite cold busting home remedies are!
3 Ways To Avoid Holiday Weight Gain
TGIF! The week has almost come to an end and before you know it we will all be preparing our Thanksgiving feast! Do you have your menu and Turkey Day activities planned yet? For the past few years it's a tradition for us to wake up early to watch the Macy's Day Parade in Central Park, then go back home to cook and of course watch football. But that usually means we don't actually eat until late afternoon. Once all of our mess is cleaned up, the day is just about over. So this year we decided that we would skip the live parade and opt to watch it on TV that way we can have our Thanksgiving lunch and still have the entire day to do whatever we want! Movies, workout, walk in the neighborhood...the possibilities are endless!
Chris and I are still trying to decide what delicious food we want to eat on Turkey day. Last year we chose recipes from my Clean Eating Thanksgiving Pinterest board to make us a pretty healthy meal. We will probably do the same again this year because it all tasted really good and without a lot of guilt! I realize that we are lucky, in a sense, because we have total control over our menu and can make a healthy meal without the fuss of our relatives. The downside is that we are not with our relatives and we of course miss them a lot during the holidays! So I wanted to give you some clean eating holiday tips to help get you through day!
- Make some of your own healthy side dishes! Vegetables and sweet potatoes are pretty easy to prepare especially if you don't have to make a ton for the whole family. Find a few of your favorite holiday side dishes, swap out some of the less-healthy ingredients for healthier options {like replacing butter with coconut oil} and make a few portions just for you to enjoy!
- Choose your splurge! You don't have to feel deprived on Turkey Day in order to stay on track with your goals. Find one or two items that you REALLY love {like pumpkin pie with whip cream, a dinner roll, or stuffing} and enjoy a healthy serving with your meal.
- Turn your "I can't" into "I don't want to"! When your family or friends are lovingly pushing deserts in your face, tell them {and yourself} " I don't want a second helping of pumpkin pie" rather than say "I can't have the second helping of pumpkin pie". Telling yourself "I can't" will leave you feeling deprived and powerless, and will probably result in your giving in at some point. When you tell yourself "I don't" you are empowering yourself to make the decision because you know it will hinder your goals and are no longer restricting yourself because it is an active choice. Click here to read more on this topic.
I hope these tips help you get through the holidays without unraveling all your hard earned work! Don't worry about what your loved ones will think or say about your lifestyle choices, just remember that you have to do what's best for YOU and your goals!
What are some of your tips for avoiding holiday weight gain?
Immune Boosting and Gut Healing Bone Broth
I don't think you're ready for this gelly...
Your grandmother was right when she said to drink chicken soup to cure a cold or flu but she was referring to homemade bone broth and meat stock not chemical filled Campbell's or Progresso. Our ancestors were in the know and made gut healing broth out of the bones that came from the meats that they ate, nothing went to waste! But in the land of factory farming and processed food factories that practice faded out and chemically powders took its place for convenience purposes. I don't know about you, but I will take the extra effort along with the wonderful benefits over convenience any day! Bone broth and meat stock are great for supplying magnesium, calcium, glucosamine, amino acids arginine and glycine, collagen, other trace minerals, and much more. It aids in digestion, helps with achy joints, heals the lining of your gut to help boost your immune system and prevent diseases, sickness and leaky gut...just to name a few of the many benefits.
Talk to your local butcher about getting animal bones or use the carcass of a whole roasted chicken. Any bones, head, neck or feet will do! I can usually find organic necks and backs at Whole Foods throughout the week. These can be frozen until you are ready to use them. Also another great time to stock up is right after a big holiday like Thanksgiving or Christmas because they will most likely have an overflow of turkey necks and backs, and will be sold even cheaper than the already low price!
Broth or stock can be used to make delicious soups, to cook your vegetables in for added nutrients, to boil your rice or quinoa, make sauces or gravy, or you can drink it alone from a mug throughout the day.
Classic Bone Broth
Ingredient:
- 2-3lbs of bones, preferably organic, free-range/pasture raised
- 4 quarts cold filtered water
- 2 Tbsp organic apple cider vinegar, Braggs brand
- 1-2 tsp sea salt
Optional:
- organic garlic, onions, celery, carrots and parsley
Instructions:
To make broth in your slow cooker or stove top in a stock pot:
Soak 2-3lbs of bones in 4 Qts cold water with 2 tbsp organic apple cider vinegar for about 30 minutes, this will pull the minerals out of the bone.
After soaking bring water to a boil and skim the gunk and fat off top of the broth with a spoon for the first hour. Add 1-2 tsp of sea salt, I use pink Himalayan salt.
Then, leave alone to simmer for the next 12-24 hours. For the last hour of simmer add in your favorite vegetables, I add organic garlic, onions, celery, and carrots. Add parsley and other fresh herbs for the last 10 minutes if desired.
Strain out the bones and vegetables, I use a sheet of cheesecloth or a nut milk bag (these are great because you don't waste as much and can wash the bags to use over and over!) to catch anything left behind.
Let cool and either store in wide-mouth mason jars to keep in the fridge or freeze to enjoy later or go ahead and use the broth as a base to make a huge pot of your favorite soup to eat throughout the week! Broth will last up to a year in the freezer and 5-7 days in the fridge. If you use the freezer, make sure to use wide mouth jars and leave about an inch or so extra room at the top so the jars do not crack. I also like to put the lids on loosely when I first put them in the freezer and then tighten the lids once the broth is frozen solid.
*If making a meat stock you can cook your whole chicken in the slow cooker first for a few hours and once done, remove and debone meat, then throw the bones back in the pot and add more filtered water to cover if need and continue cooking for 12-24 hours.
Leave a comment below telling us your favorite way to enjoy bone broth?
Resources:
Sally Fallon - Weston A. Price Foundation "Broth is Beautiful" http://www.westonaprice.org/food-features/broth-is-beautiful
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I Am Awakened!
Welcome to Awakened Nutrition! I am so excited to be able to connect you here!
My name is Amber, I am originally from sunny Florida and I now live in beautiful Brooklyn, NY. I moved up to NYC in September of 2008 and at the time I was a vegetarian and the heaviest I had weighed in my life.
I met Chris, the love of my life, while working together at a boutique hotel in lower Manhattan. By this time I had started eating meat again, but my diet was far from healthy. Chris was also working as a part-time personal trainer and I eventually went to him for help with my weight. He explained the importance of a healthy diet which consisted of having protein, healthy fats and complex carb with every meal, and advised me to eat 5 to 6 meals per day. This wasn't like the diets I was used to where I expected quick weight loss results, this was a healthy way of eating where I could expect gradual and safe weight loss. He then went into the importance of having a consistent weight training and cardio routine. He had to reassure me that weight training would not “bulk” me up, but that it would create lean muscle that would turn me into a fat burning machine! I took all of the wonderful information he gave me, as well as information I read from magazines and fitness websites and started on a NEW journey. I eventually lost 17lbs and got into the best shape of my life!
In July 2011, I started my blog Exsoycise and started to share my soy-free health and fitness journey. My goal has been to show others that eating healthy foods does not have to be difficult or boring; it can be an easy process and taste delicious at the same time!
Over the last year and a half of blogging, I realized that I wanted to do so much more than just blog about my own health and fitness journey. Comments and emails started pouring in from various social media websites, and text messages from friends started coming through on my phone, everyone was asking me for health, fitness, and weight loss tips. I realized that without even knowing it, that I was a health coach! I knew my passion alone did not qualify me to be a health coach, and because I wanted to have the chance to help even more people achieve their health goals, I decided it was time to go back to school!
I am currently enrolled at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition and am now coaching clients! During my training at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition, I have been trained in more than one hundred dietary theories and studied a variety of practical lifestyle coaching methods. Drawing on this knowledge, I will help others create a completely personalized “roadmap to health” that suits their unique body, lifestyle, preferences, and goals.
When I am not blogging and studying, I am creating new healthy recipes, exploring New York City with my love, and working on my own health goals!
Awaken Your Health Today!
When was the last time you talked with someone about your health and received the personal attention you deserve?
It’s rare for anyone to get an hour to work on their nutrition and goals with a trained professional. As a Health Coach and Personal Trainer team, we create a supportive environment that will enable you to achieve ALL of your health goals. Amber has studied all the major dietary theories and use practical lifestyle coaching methods to guide you in discovering which approach works best for you and Chris is an NASM Certified Personal Trainer and has been training at one of the top health clubs in NYC for the last 4 years.
Most approaches to nutrition dwell on just calories, carbs, fats, proteins. Instead of creating lists of restrictions and good and bad foods, we coach our clients to create a happy, healthy life in a way that is flexible, fun and free of denial and discipline.
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