Did you know that certain foods can help you reduce your cravings for sugary junk?
This carrot and sweet-potato soup is naturally sweet tasting, so it keeps you satisfied and lessens your need for bon-bons and frosted doodle-dums.
Click on the video to learn the ridiculously easy formula for this multi-tasking soup (hint: it’s the same formula I used for this popular “Two Soups, One Recipe” video.)
What helps you stay satisfied and steer clear of “treats” that deflate your energy and productivity?
Go Feed Yourself is almost ready and I’m SO excited. This soup formula is included, along with videos on how to easily and quickly chop without cutting your finger off. Make sure you get on the list here because I’ll be announcing a special offer next week to my readers only!
If you’re like most, you’re trying to eat more vegetables to counter all the damage you did last month.
In my world, eating healthy food, like veggies, does NOT mean you have to sacrifice indulgence.
Enter my new obsession: Roasted Broccoli.
I had it at one of my favorite restaurants, The Dressing Room, over the holidays and fell in love. The tiny broccoli florets soak up the olive oil and become so tender and the little leafy tops get nice and crispy. I was sad when I ate my last one (and that I had to share with the whole damn table).
So the next day I went home and made my own batch to have all to myself. Muahahahaha!
This is a GREAT dish for the lazy cook. The broccoli roasts quickly (about 15 min) and all you need to add is olive oil and salt. It tastes gourmet but it’s so freaking easy (and good for you!).
So now I’m sharing it with you, along with a nice easy lemon-dijon dipping sauce. Click the video below to see how it’s done:
Make it this week – you won’t be sorry!
Recipes
Ingredients – Broccoli
2 bunches of broccoli
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp sea salt
Ingredients – Dipping Sauce
4 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
grated zest from about 1/2 of a fresh lemon
Directions – Broccoli
1. Preheat oven to 475.
2. Cut broccoli into bite-sized florets. The smaller the floret, the faster they will roast and the crispier they will get!
3. Place in a large bowl, add olive oil and salt and toss until broccoli is well coated.
4. Layer broccoli in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper (or aluminum foil).
5. Roast in oven for about 15 minutes, until edges of broccoli start to brown.
6. Serve right away!
Directions – Dipping Sauce
1. Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and whisk with a fork until well combined and creamy. Enjoy!
Everybody is talking about resolutions and goals this week.
Sadly, they are probably the same goals they were talking about this time last year and the year before that. You’re lucky if you even remember your resolutions by March, let alone stick with them.
Determined to make your big goal stick this year? You might want to try keeping your mouth shut.
Why You Should Keep Your Goals to Yourself
Have you ever told a friend or family member something you are going to do and they commend you simply for announcing your goal? Like, before you even do anything?
You: “Starting Monday, I’m going to work out/drink green juice/journal/meditate every day.”
Friend: “Wow that’s great! Good for you!”
It feels good right? Getting that recognition? That little supportive boost?
Well, that boost can also mean that your goals don’t stand a chance.
Derek Sivers points out in his TED talk that “telling someone your goals make them less likely to happen“.
Psychological tests have shown that when people congratulate you on your goals, you feel a sense of satisifaction as if you’ve already achieved them. So you don’t work as hard to reach them. Check out the 3-min video below:
So if you must tell someone, tell it in a way that won’t give you any satisfaction (i.e. “you need to be on my ass about getting to the gym 5 days per week!”)
What do you want to achieve? What’s the one big thing that will propel you forward – in your health, your career, your relationship? Write it down. Get at it.
Then, come back and brag to us about it later.
What do you think of this approach? Have you noticed that high you get when you tell someone your big goals (before you’ve achieved them)? Do you think that the accountability that comes along with announcing your resolutions is crucial for your success? Leave a comment and let me know what has been essential for you to reach your goals (but don’t tell me your goals!).
Earlier this month I posted my healthier version of peppermint hot cocoa on Facebook and Twitter and it’s gotten a lot of comments so I thought I would share it with you as a wee holiday treat.
So I made this quick video for you yesterday while wrapping up the videos for my upcoming digital cooking program, Go Feed Yourself! Click the video below to check it out:
Enjoy! The peppermint tea is great for digestion and calming your stomach while the cacao powder gives you an antioxidant, magnesium (and caffeine) boost. Ginger tea is a bit spicier but also goes great with chocolate.
If you would like more info about Go Feed Yourself! and to be the first to know when it’s ready, make sure you are on the list (I will be offering a special pre-launch price only to my readers in the first week!)
I keep getting asked for links to my favorite healthy recipes, so I decided to put my most popular cooking videos and recipes in one handy-dandy resource list.
Click here to check out my new Recipe Resource Page that I made for you so you can find delicious and easy recipes all in one place!
It’s broken out by most popular videos, 10-minute dishes, vegan dishes, and even gluten-free dishes.
Feel like cooking for yourself is a pain in the ass?
So did Karie Hill. She knew that home-cooking is almost always healthier (and cheaper) than dining out or microwavable food, but when her financial coaching business started taking off she couldn’t be bothered to prepare herself a good meal.
Feeding herself felt like a chore, so she stopped doing it! As a result, her energy took a nosedive and she felt foggy and sluggish, especially in the afternoons.
Karie needs to be ON for her clients, so skipping meals and picking up a fast cheese plate at Starbucks simply won’t do.
So we got together for a Virtual Pantry “Intervention” to see how we could shift Karie’s routine to get her feeding herself focus-boosting foods in MUCH less time than she thought. The goal: healthy meals in 10 minutes or less. Really.
Check out our convo below – one week after I snooped around in her pantry via Skype and customized a week’s worth of recipes. Find out:
What misconceptions Karie had about preparing healthy meals for herself,
What tasty focus meal she LOVED that took her 8 minutes to make from start to finish, and
How this shift in her way of preparing food has kept her energized and focused through the mid-afternoon slump!
Click the video below to check it out.
3 Hassle-Saving Ideas to Get You Feeding Yourself Fast!
These are 3 of the time and hassle-saving shifts I recommended to Karie that helped her get in and out of the kitchen and back to making shit happen.
1. Stop Trying to Do it Perfectly
I suggested that Karie get over her idea that in order to eat well, she had to do it perfectly. For example, she used to buy dried beans, then have to soak them, then cook them into a soup, burrito, hummus, etc. That simple fact kept the dried beans in her pantry and not in her belly!
What’s better, canned beans that are inferior to dried beans that you use to make healthy dishes, or superior dried beans that hang out in your cabinets? Just look for a brand that has BPA-free lining, like Eden.
“I made a black bean soup the other day that normally would have taken me hours, and it took me 25 minutes for 4 days worth of lunch!”
2) Stock Up on Frozen Goodies.
Also in Karie’s idea of “perfect” eating was lots of fresh produce. I agree, fresh produce is best. But if it’s sitting rotting in your fridge because you can’t be bothered to make something with it, what good is it? I suggested that Karie pick up some frozen green vegetables for backup.
Frozen veggies are usually frozen at their height of freshness, so they are almost as nutritious the fresh stuff. Broccoli and spinach are my go-to frozen friends (and I use them to make delicious dishes like this).
So, if Karie gets invited out to a last minute dinner, she doesn’t have to worry about all the fresh produce going bad in her fridge.
3) Keep It Simple, Dammit!
Ever get to a recipe you saved and when you’re ready to make it realize you’re missing two random ingredients, like beaver’s whiskers? Then you give up? These are the things that keep you from cooking. Just. Freaking. Cook.
Instead of looking for interesting, elaborate recipes, just cook food simply.
For vegetables, stick to methods like steaming or even blanching (cook in a few inches of boiling salted water for only a few minutes until they turn brightly colored, then drain). Then make them interesting by adding toasted nuts, a flavored oil, or a super-easy dressing.
For example, you want to try kale? Instead of following 18 steps from fancy recipe, why not just steam it then drizzle it with a nice flavored oil or simple dressing? My favorite is with toasted sesame oil and sprinkled with sesame seeds. Delicious and takes two seconds.
What simple shifts can you make to your eating routine?
These are all part of the principles I used to create Go Feed Yourself, my digital cooking program for fast meals that keep you focused. It will be ready in January 2012 – want to be the first to know? Click here to get on the list.
If you watched the video, you’ll remember Karie mentioned her favorite dish that took her 8 minutes from start to finish. Click herefor that delicious Tempeh Reuben recipe. Mmmm, barbecue sauce…
This thing is addictive, even if you are a meat-eater! Read below for one of the delicious recipes (especially if you’re a condiment-lover) that takes less than 10 minutes to make: the Tempeh Reuben.
Tempeh is a cake or patty of fermented soybeans – kind of like a firm veggie burger. The fermentation makes it’s high protein content much easier to digest than tofu or regular old soybeans (which I never recommend eating!)
High in protein and fiber, vegan, and cheap – this is a great meat alternative that can take on any flavors you cook it with. Find it in the refrigerated aisle, usually near the pickles, hummus, miso, and weird fake vegan meats.
Tempeh Reuben
Ingredients
2 slices sprouted grain bread
1 tbsp olive oil
4 oz tempeh
Dijon or stone-ground mustard
barbecue sauce (like Annie’s brand)
raw sauerkraut (like Bubie’s brand)
Directions
1. Toast bread.
2. Heat olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add tempeh and pan-sear for 2-3 minutes on each side, just enough to heat through.
3. Add barbecue sauce to a small bowl, add tempeh, and toss to coat.
4. Spread one slice of toast with Dijon mustard.
5. Layer 2 tbsp of sauerkraut on top of the mustard.
6. Place “barbecued” tempeh on top of sauerkraut, top with second slice of bread. Slice in half and enjoy with a side of green salad.
If you missed the last few posts, this week I’m taking a basic pot of plain old quinoa (BO-ring!) and morphing it into new healthy dishes all week using pantry staples. Click here to check out Day 1′s video to see why I chose quinoa and how to make it.
On Day 2, I made Quinoa Fried “Rice” with Broccoli, Carrots, and Cashews.
OnDay 3, I morphed those suckers into a Hot Quinoa, Flax, and Walnut Breakfast Porridge.
And on Day 4, we kept it simple by adding the quinoa to a big-ass pot of homemade Butternut Squash Soup.
Today we’re getting a wee bit fancy, though the process is still easy and super-fast: Curried Quinoa-Chickpea Cakes. They are kind of like curry-flavored veggie burgers.
Click on the video to check it out:
Ok now it’s your turn. How else would you take this basic, nutritious quinoa and make it un-boring? Leave your idea in the comments section below!
1 15-oz can of chickpeas/garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1/3 cup light coconut milk
2/3 cup breadcrumbs (or almond meal)
1 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 cup cooked quinoa
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 cup toasted sesame oil for pan-searing
Directions
1. Add chickpeas to a large bowl and smash with a fork (or if you’re not too lazy to clean your food processor, like me, it would be easier to smash them in a food processor!)
2. Add coconut milk, breadcrumbs, curry powder, nutmeg, and cumin. Stir until well combined.
3. Stir in the quinoa and salt.
4. Mold into 10 mini patties.
5. In a large saute pan, heat sesame oil over medium heat. Add cakes to the pan in batches (no crowding, everybody should keep their hands to themselves!). Saute until there is a nice golden sear on the bottom. Flip and repeat on other side. Transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate when done.
6. Garnish with chopped avocados, mango, cilantro, or top over a green salad.
If you missed the last few posts, this week I’m taking a basic pot of plain old quinoa (BO-ring!) and morphing it into new healthy dishes all week using pantry staples. Click here to check out Day 1′s video to see why I chose quinoa and how to make it.
On Day 2, I made Quinoa Fried “Rice” with Broccoli, Carrots, and Cashews and on Day 3, I morphed those suckers into a Hot Quinoa, Flax, and Walnut Breakfast Porridge.
Today, I’m keeping it simple. I made a big ass pot of soup on Sunday (while watching Mad Men on my MacBook on the kitchen counter) – I’m just going to make that soup a heartier, higher-protein dish by adding the quinoa to it. That’s it!
Click on the video to check it out:
For the Butternut Squash Soup, I basically took this formula for soup and used roasted butternut squash for the main ingredient.
Roasted Butternut Squash Soup
Ingredients
2 medium-sized butternut squash
olive oil
1 large onion, diced
2-3 carrots, sliced about ¼-inch thick
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
½ tsp cinnamon
about 4 cups chicken broth (or water or vegetable broth)
fresh herbs, like sage (optional)
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Slice squash in half, lengthwise, and scoop out the seeds.
3. Drizzle 1 tbsp of olive oil on a baking sheet, place the squash cut-side down and move them around to coat in olive oil. Pierce the skins a few times with a fork.
4. Roast squash in the oven until tender, about 30-40 minutes.
5. Take out squash, let cool.
6. Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large pot.
7. Add onions, salt, and pepper and saute for 2-3 minutes. Add carrots and saute another 2-3 minutes.
8. Scoop out roasted squash from skin with a large spoon and add to pot along. Add cinnamon, broth, and bring to a boil.
9. Lower heat to a simmer and cover for about 20 minutes.
10. Remove from heat and puree the soup with an immersion blender. (If you don’t have an immersion blender, remove the veggies with a slotted spoon, puree them in a blender or food processor, then add back to the pot).
11. Taste, season with salt and pepper if needed. Add fresh herbs and serve! (really good with toasted pumpkin seeds on top!)
If you missed the last two posts, this week I’m taking a basic pot of plain old quinoa (BO-ring!) and morphing it into new healthy dishes all week using pantry staples. Click here to check out Day 1′s video to see why I chose quinoa and how to make it.
Yesterday I made Quinoa Fried “Rice” with Broccoli, Carrots, and Cashews. Click here to watch me make it.
Today, I’m morphing those suckers into breakfast. Instead of oatmeal, I’m using quinoa to make a delicious, healthy and super-fast breakfast porridge with flax and walnuts.
Click on the video to check it out:
Recipe: Hot Quinoa Breakfast Porridge with Flax and Walnuts
Ingredients
1 cup cooked quinoa
1 cup almond milk
2 tbsp raisins
Dash of ground cinnamon
2 tbsp ground flaxseeds
1 tbsp chopped walnuts
pinch of sea salt
1 tbsp maple syrup
Directions
Bring quinoa, almond milk, raisins, cinnamon, walnuts, and ground flaxseeds to a boil.
Lower heat and cook for 5 minutes, or until creamy.
Add sea salt and maple syrup to sweeten, if you’d like.
This recipe and all of the recipes shared this week will be included in my upcoming digital cooking program, Go Feed Yourself!. To be the first to know about it, sign up here.
"Heather really helped me to get on track with my goals…my relationship with food is completely new… feel more energized, alert and happier… she has truly inspired me and my business has also improved as a result." – Anne L., Therapist, New Canaan, CT
Tempeh Reuben
