A Mindful Approach . . . Learn to Live in a Body & Life you Love
Do you ever overindulge and then go on a serious detox to undo the damage? Instead of this food yo yo, wouldn’t it be great to get off this vicious cycle and get your body to its perfect weight and truly feel happier and healthier for life?
To keep my body energized and stay in the groove of life with a smile, I like to ‘crowd out my cravings.’
Crowding out my cravings means eating the healthier foods first so your body feels full and satisfied. Your body then says, “I’ve got all the food and nutrition I need”. Using this method, it’s much easier to avoid the endless temptations. I’m a bit of a geek when it comes to vegetables. Eating 7 to 10 servings of vegetables every day is my sneaky way to crowd out my cravings.
For most of my clients it’s a much harder task to get all your daily veggie servings in. The good news? I’ve got 7 quick, easy and delicious ways to sneak vegetables from zucchini to cauliflower into almost every meal.
1. PRETEND IT’S PASTA
“Spiralize vegetables like zucchini and carrots and use them as pasta substitutes,” says Inspiralized.com’s Ali Maffucci. Spiralizers are surprisingly easy to use and you can pick one up at Amazon for about $30.00 and they are so much fun. Here’s a link for my favorite spiralizer: http://amzn.to/2fSmVOV

2. SLICE + BAKE
Ingredients:
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1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
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1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
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1/2 teaspoon black pepper, freshly cracked if possible
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3/4 teaspoon salt
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1 teaspoon dried herbs or fresh herbs to taste, I suggest a garlic herb mixture but you could also go a dill or parsley route
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1 zucchini
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1 yellow squash
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1 onion, any color
Directions:
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Preheat your oven’s broiler and set oven rack to 6 inches below broiler
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Whisk together olive oil, vinegar and seasonings in bowl, set aside to blend. Slice the zucchini and squash as thin as you can (1/16-1/8″).
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Slice onion into thicker, arched slices, lengthwise.
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Add vegetables to oil and vinegar mixture tossing until evenly coated on all sides. You may need to do this in batches.
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Spoon into baking dish. Cover with aluminum foil. Broil for 10 minutes. Remove foil and broil until tender and browned on top, about 10 additional minutes.
Even the pickiest eaters will have a hard time passing these up. Take a mandolin or sharp knife and thinly slice zucchini, carrot, hearts of palm or eggplant, or opt for whole green beans or asparagus spears, coat them with a thin covering of olive oil and bake until crispy. You can even cut them with the spiralizer above. Delicious!
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3. MAKE A GREEN DRINK
Ingredients:
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1 Butternut squash
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4 cloves Garlic
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1 tbsp. Ginger, powder
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1/2 cup Sweet onions
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2 tsp. Thyme, dried
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1 can Coconut milk, light
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1 tbsp. Curry powder
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2 tsp. Nutmeg, ground
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1 tsp. Pepper
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1 Dash Red pepper flakes
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1 tsp. Sea salt
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2 tsp. Turmeric, ground
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1/4 cup Olive oil
Cook the squash until it’s soft. Put the squash flesh and all the other ingredients in a high-speed blender. Blend until smooth, heat and enjoy!
55 mins to make. Serves 4.
Coconut Curry Butternut Squash Soup is so simple to make and so delicious. It’s Vegan, Dairy Free, and Gluten free. Enjoy!
Check out my Green Drink Video on how to have all day energy with this amazing concoction.
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4. SLIDE THEM INTO SOUP
Soups are so easy to make and it’s so simple to slip chopped veggies into any. You can add pureed tomatoes, squash, cauliflower or potato. It will act as a non-flour, non-cream thickening agent. What’s more, you will get an added dose of nutrition. One serving, or 100 grams, of cauliflower contains 10% of your daily fiber, while one cup of tomatoes offers 32% of your daily vitamin C.
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5. SUB THEM FOR MAYO
Instead of using mayonnaise or Greek yogurt as spreads, mash avocado and use it in their place. To make the avocado creamier, use a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil or some Dijon mustard or even a tablespoon or two of lime or lemon, depending on what dish you’re making. Greens like spinach and kale can be made into pesto and spread on sandwiches, as can pureed vegetables like roasted red peppers or jarred artichoke hearts or even a spread like baba ghanoush made with eggplants.
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6. BAKE WITH THEM
Vegetables like Brussels sprouts, beets, fennel, sweet potato, kale and thinly sliced zucchini make great snacks when dehydrated. You can use a dehydrator, or pop them in the oven at the lowest setting until just beginning to turn golden. Toss with salt and enjoy, or pair with a healthy dipper like hummus or kale pesto.
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Do you find your life’s less than a celebration? Are you in serious survival mode, feeling like a hamster on the wheel and not really enjoying life? Feeling frumpy, grumpy, unhealthy with challenging hormonal symptoms? It doesn’t have to be this way. You can be empowered to thrive feeling happier and healthier than ever.
To make sure you don’t miss any of my powerful tips and tools, subscribe to my: Joyful and Delicious Newsletter (this is just a placeholder. We can come up with something clever).
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Big love for your best health ever,