Minestrone Soup

It's been pretty rainy here lately so, I thought I'd make some simple soul food to match the cozy mood! You can find the classic recipe online but I've tweaked it a little to match what I like! Feel free to switch out ingredients with similar Items that are more to your liking as well! This only takes about 45 minutes and is even better the next day.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 large onion, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 stalks celery, diced
• 1 large carrot, diced
• 1/3 pound lentils (cooked)
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 28-ounce can no-salt-added diced tomatoes
• 1 14-ounce can crushed tomatoes
• 6 cups chicken broth
• 1 15-ounce can low-sodium kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 cup shell pasta
• 1/3 cup finely grated parmesan cheese
• 1 rotisserie chicken, pulled and shredded 

Instructions

Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook until translucent. Add the garlic and cook about 30 seconds. Add the celery and carrot and cook until they begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Stir in the lentils, dried oregano and basil, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste; cook 3 more minutes.

Add the crushed tomatoes and the chicken broth to the pot and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer 10 minutes. Stir in the kidney beans and pasta and cook until the pasta and vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and add the chicken. Ladle into bowls and top with the parmesan.

Enjoy!

The Quick Fix

When people realize that their body wasn't what it used to be, they immediately turn to the "quick fixes," like miracle pills or extreme dieting. While these may work short term, they are by no means the final fix; People loose the weight in the first month and either plateau, become unhealthy, or gain weight back because they reverted back to old habits. So let me be the person to tell you,

It doesn't work.

There is no such thing as a final fix, and, as hard as that is to swallow, that doesn't mean you can't loose the weight you want to, or tone your trouble areas! Weather you're 28 or 82, developing good health habits is beneficial to all. The trouble is, you need to develop a habit, and that takes about 2 weeks. Here are a few tips on how to keep yourself on track for those first 14 days, and more. 

Tips for Your First 14 Days

• Throw out the sugary cereals, fruit snacks, cookies, candy, unnecessary carbs and anything else that might entice you. The first few days are hard
• Move. Every day. Go for a walk, jog, or anything you can do; Take the stairs instead of the elevator. Move for a minimum of 30 minutes
• Meal prep. I know that cooking after a long day or cooking early before work can be hard, but it's the little things (like coffee instead of breakfast, or McDonalds instead of a home-cooked meal) that make or break a habit
• Track your calories. Sometimes all it takes is being aware of what you're eating to drop those winter pounds
• Allow yourself ONE cheat day. No one is perfect, and we can only ignore cravings for so long (Track your calories for this day)
• Replace unhealthy foods with healthy alternatives
• Do this with someone for motivation, or leave motivational messages for yourself
• Don't let the cravings be stronger than you are

Strawberry Banana Smoothie!

• 1 cup strawberries
• 1/2 medium banana 
• 1/2 cup milk 
• 2 tbsp peanut butter 
• 10 cubes of ice

Blend and Enjoy!

Healthy Doesn't Mean Nasty!

Let me start by saying, healthy doesn't have to taste bad! I'm a foodie at heart and eating healthy has always been a challenge for me. Because of this, Ive leaned to make healthy, delicious, satisfying meals that I'll continue to share from time to time. Stay tuned for more of my recipes!

Peanut Butter Chocolate Protein Shake

This shake is both filling and delicious! Here are the ingredients:

• 4-5 oz water
• 1 scoop peanut butter chocolate protein powder (I use Progenex)
• if you don't have this, sub. vanilla protein with 2 tbsp peanut butter and 2 scoops cacao powder
• 1 tbs peanut butter (I really love pb guys)
• half of a medium banana, sliced
• 6-8 ice cubes
• about 5 oz of plain yogurt 
• 1 tbsp chia seeds 

Blend until you have a smooth constancy. If its too "watery" for you, add more ice.

"The Diets"

"Diet."

What a dreadful word. 

It's loaded with negative connotations, false promises and honestly, diets are downright awful. I mean, who wants to eat something that has a taste equivalent to cardboard? Pre-made "diet" foods are often either tasteless or terrible. Have you every had a Smart Meal that made you say, 

"Wow, I wish I could have another!"

I didn't think so. Or maybe your diet food is delicious! But you can only have 3 ounces at a time. I mean, does that sound like living to you? The best way to get confident about yourself, is to follow some simple directions.

1.  Stop calling yourself fat. Body image should only be conceived by YOU. Don't let another person tell you that what you have isn't something amazing and beautiful. 
2. STOP PAYING ATTENTION TO YOUR WEIGHT! I know that the scale can be daunting, but weight is just a number. Look at yourself in the mirror. You have exponentially more worth than what numbers on a scale will tell you. More often than not, you have more worth that you recognize in yourself. 
3. We all cheat when we eat. Don't feel guilty! Cheating every now and again will help you stave off unhealthy binges. I'm not saying that you should go all out and make it a buffet every other day, but once a week, take a day to eat what you want. Remember, Everything is good in moderation! (i.e. don't eat an entire pizza but you deserve a few slices, babe). 
4. Get moving! Not only do we want to burn calories but we need to exercise to keep healthy!
5. Get Motivated :) I find it motivating to leave myself little notes here and there to keep me on track. You can also work out with friends to hold yourself accountable!
6. Portion and prep. Portioning in restaurants is a little off... food is supposed to energize you! Not put you in a food coma. A very general food rule when trying to loosing weight and build muscle is to eat 4 times a day. (Look for portioning in a separate section of the blog).
7. Be patient. Results wont happen over night, but consistency is key. Take progress pictures every 2 weeks and watch yourself improve.