Thoughts, Ideas and Info
You know it's coming. You know you've recently made a commitment to yourself to nourish your body with healthy foods. Foods that serve you well. Yet, you know it's coming. The parties. The offerings. The friends. The family. The temptations. The explanations. The choices. How will you navigate through this so that when you reflect on the memories the focus is on the actual holidays and not the shame of over-indulgence?
These are simple to make, tasty, and filling. All-in-one meal too! Here's what I did:
Ingredients:
7-9 small Zucchini
1 pkg cream cheese, softened
1tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp Basil
Marinara sauce
4 cups Mozzarella
Small Pkg. of Pepperoni
Preheat oven to 425*F.
Slice zucchini in half lengthwise. Place on lined baking sheet. (I used a silicone liner.)
With spoon, slightly scrape out some of the zucchini to create a well for the cream cheese mixture.
Mix cream cheese and spices to spread on slightly hallowed out zucchini halves.
Top with marinara, shredded mozzarella and pepperoni. Bake at 425* for 18 min. Serves 8
Varieties of Protein
It is well established that protein is an essential macronutrient that we need and it is even argued that it is the most essential nutrient because we can’t make it on our own. We need to eat protein. While it is nice to keep things simple, I want to expand a little on the benefit of eating a variety of protein sources.
Growing in my health and fitness has been a lifelong journey. I spent most of my years fairly sick and did not consider myself athletic at all. When I was younger I was active, but by the time I was in high school my health had taken a big hit. In my early 20’s I had accumulated a number of diagnoses.
I use this fudge for intermittent fasting. I like to have one piece of fudge and a cup of tea in the morning. It helps prolong the fasting period. The recipe and process is simple. Read about my experiment with fasting to learn more.
Many challenges to implementing a new way of eating start in the mind. Outside forces may seem strong, yet it is your internal dialogue that has the most power. You imagine a social gathering and see yourself as being “that person” who is high maintenance and annoying. The question of what choices you will make in this perceived state of judgement arises. It is in this moment you need to give yourself permission to make your new way of eating a priority.
Growing up I was taught to “love others as you love yourself”. This is a wonderful ideal, but it skipped one essential step: How was I to love others when I couldn’t love myself? I truly hoped that if I loved others enough, I could get away with not loving myself. You will not be surprised to learn that it didn’t work.
My childhood was filled with plenty of play and bike riding. I did gymnastics and synchronized swimming. I enjoyed these things, but did not consider myself a hard core athlete. From an early age I had a sensitive tummy, which was attributed to my sensitive soul. Because of this, I stressed about many things. In high school, the tummy trouble increased significantly with my parents' divorce. I went through celiac testing and other gastrointestinal tests only to determine Irritable Bowel Syndrome. I would focus on removing dairy for awhile, but would still get sick with diarrhea. I was no longer interested in sports. I couldn't trust my tummy and how it would react. I moved on and figured I was more of an artistic type. I didn't like how this was controlling my life, but I didn't know there was anything I could do about it.
