Here we are in week two, and I am super excited to share some recipes that I enjoyed and some general glowing up takeaways from this past week!
One of the biggest things I learned this week and was reminded of, is that when you want to start a new habit, you have to find something to anchor it to, This week I wanted to incorporate journaling as a new habit to see how I would like it, but was kind of inconsistent with it this week.
I picked up the a new journal called "Burn After Writing" love the title btw haha My thought was I would journal in the mornings, as I typically wake up earlier so I have some time to enjoy my morning and get into my day before getting ready for work. The issue is, I just kind of assigned journaling to the morning, which is very broad. Reflecting back and seeing why I was inconsistent with it, is because I didn't anchor it to a habit I already consistently had in place in my morning routine.
If you start a new habit, find a consistent part of your routine you can anchor it to, and you're much more likely to have more success sticking with it!
So with that said, I am going to try adding in journaling after having my morning coffee. It's the perfect space to add it in, and will allow me to wake up a bit more beforehand with having my coffee first lol
Mindset Shift- Focus on Shape VS Weight
Another thing I wanted to share that I heard this week is a mindset shift. If you are working on losing weight- don't focus on the weight (such as the # on the scale or # of lbs you want to lose or gain), focus on the shape- and the weight will follow. Shape is included in not only how you look physically, but also how your clothes fit, your strength and your endurance.
Often we get discouraged by a # on the scale or the distance in our journey in terms of how much weight we want to lose, but that takes time- especially if you want this to be a healthy, sustainable journey that lasts.
Asking yourself, does this support the shape I want to be? when you struggle with making a choice on something is a great way to reframe too!
So if you are just starting out, I challenge you to put the scale away at least for a month! Focus on your shape, and depending on your overall goals, weight loss or gain will be a byproduct of that.
Next, up let's chat about another smoothie I have been loving....
Once Spring and Summer hit, I generally have one smoothie a day. I feel like it's such a great and easy way to get in some additional protein, fruits and greens.
Strawberry Banana Coconut Smoothie
Ingredients
Kite Hill unsweetened plain Greek style Yogurt (I'm mostly dairy free now, you could also use plain Greek yogurt as well)
3/4 cup frozen strawberries
1/2 frozen banana
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 tsp coconut oil
1/2 cup unsweetened nut milk
1/2 cup filtered water
Directions- add all ingredients to high speed blending. Blend until well incorporated and enjoy!
**Make sure to use frozen fruit, it will keep your smoothie nice and cold and give it the best consistency.
Making Sexy Swaps...
I've also been loving making pasta bowls as well! Typically I have a bowl with pasta for lunch and if I'm making something like this for dinner, I will do the lower carb options. I like having most of my complex carbs during the day when I need them the most for brain power and energy.
But yes, in case you were surprised- you CAN live a healthy lifestyle and still eat pasta. I'm going to show you how to enjoy it in a healthy, yet delicious way using what I call sexy swaps. What exactly are sexy swaps? Sexy Swaps are food swaps that allow you to enjoy the foods you love, while still crushing your glow health and wellness goals!
I think pretty systematically when it comes to building a sexy swap meal. I want meals to be easy, delicious and help us reach our goals. So we're going to divide this into categories...bare with me while I geek out for a moment and categorize this lol But I think this will help you more easily build your meals and see that you have so many ways to switch things up!
Step One- Your Pasta Base
Pasta Swaps: Banza (chickpea pasta)- this one is my fave! high protein and fiber, brown rice- rice form or pasta, lentil, quinoa or black bean pasta.
Low Carb Options- zoodles (aka zucchini noodles), spaghetti squash, shirataki noodles or "miracle noodles", cauliflower rice,
Step Two- Protein
Vegan- hemp seeds, tofu, tempeh, legumes
Lean Animal Protein- shrimp, scallops, fried or poached egg (or even egg whites for fried rice), turkey or ground chicken for meatballs, chicken
Step Three- The Sauce
Your sauce and spices will always level up and change up healthy cooking options. Learning this component of cooking is essential! Once you get this down, there are so many options!
Sauce Options
No salt added tomato sauce- season with Italian seasoning, a little salt and pepper, garlic and onion powder
Simple olive oil (no more than a tbsp!) fresh herbs like basil, fresh garlic and a squeeze of lemon is so fresh and delicious
Bitchin' Sauce- this is dairy free and comes in SO many flavor options- like pesto, chipotle, traditional, cilantro chili, Bombay, heat and Carmelized onion.
Hummus- this is a fun way to make a creamy pasta sauce as well that is low in calories and fat. My fave brand is Cedar's and I love their Red Pepper Hummus
Bragg's Liquid aminos and Coconut aminos- great for asian stir-frys
Balsamic vinegar and olive oil is also a great combo for an Italian style bowl
Step Four- Veggies
greens like spinach and kale
bok choy
tomatoes
bell peppers
mushrooms
carrots
brussel sprouts
eggplant
asparagus
green beans
snap peas
onions
broccoli
cauliflower
zucchini
summer squash
scallions
And of course if you want to add a little extra on top like fresh basil or cilantro, nutritional yeast, or my fave dairy free alternative at the moment is Follow Your Heart Vegan Parmesean...so good!
If you want to learn more about Sexy Swaps, and have a whole bunch of recipes to help you stay on track with your nutrition, check out Cooking Is Sexy! It's my eCookBook and my go-to nutrition guide! In it you will learn how to continue to enjoy all the foods that you love and how to change your relationship with food and thinking certain things are "off limits".
Well that will do it for Week 2! Thank you for being here and along my journey. I'm so blessed to share what I've learned and what I continue to learn along the way with you all!
Until next week!
xxo,
Katie
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