Joy-Full Health

25/10/2024

I tweaked one of my favorite recipes for Halloween Fun!

Buffalo Chicken Stuffed Jack-O’- Peppers

Ingredients:
12 ounces cooked chicken breasts, chopped or shredded (2 Leaner Leans)
1/2 cup (1.78 oz) raw celery, chopped (1 Green)
1 cup (4 oz) reduced fat sharp cheddar cheese, divided (1 Lean)
3 tbsp reduced fat cream cheese (3 Condiments)
1/4 cup Frank’s hot sauce (4 Condiments)
1/4 cup light ranch dressing (2 Healthy Fats)
4 bell peppers any color, each cut in half from stem to base tops and seeds removed (8 Greens)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Slice the tops of the peppers, horizontally creating a “lid”.
Remove the seeds and membranes. Carve a Halloween face. Bring a pot of salted water to boil. Carefully immerse the peppers in the boiling water and cook for 1-2 minutes. Remove and place in baking dish. Set the pepper lid aside.
In a separate bowl, combine chicken, celery, 1/2 cup cheese, cream cheese, Frank’s hot sauce, and ranch dressing in a large bowl. Stir until combined.
Stuff your peppers with the chicken mixture. Then top with 2 tbsp of cheese per pepper.
Bake without the top for 10 minutes or until cheese is melted. Remove and replace pepper lid. Enjoy!

4 Servings – 1 stuffed pepper
1 Lean, 2 1/3 Greens, and 2.33 Condiments per Serving

24/10/2024

Who else loves Olive Garden's Zuppa Toscana? Here is a healthier version that is so yummy!! This colder weather is making me crave soup 😋

Zuppa Toscana 🍜

Ingredients:
4 slices turkey bacon
1 ½ pounds Italian chicken sausage
4 cups cauliflower (cutting florets in half is necessary)
½ cup scallions
4 cloves garlic
4 cups chicken stock
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
2 cups kale
1 ½ cup reduced-fat plain Greek yogurt
3 tablespoons Parmesan cheese
Directions:
In a large pot, cook the turkey bacon until crispy. Drain any grease, set aside. Add the sausage, breaking it apart as it cooks. Once the sausage is browned and crumbled, remove sausage and drain of any grease leaving a Tbsp to sauté the scallions, add to bacon.
Add the scallions to the pan; sauté until translucent, add garlic, sauté until fragrant. Add the bacon and sausage back into the pot. Stir in the stock and cauliflower, season with salt and pepper and simmer for about 10 minutes or until cauliflower is tender.
Add kale and yogurt. Combine on stove until just heated through (do not boil). Top with Parmesan cheese when serving.

4 servings; per serving:
1 lean, 3 green, 3 condiments

14/10/2024

My clients have been asking about all things Pumpkin Spice. Here's a yummy idea! If you haven't tried kabocha squash, now is the time to find it in many grocery stores. It usually sells out fast, so don't wait until you want to make your "pumpkin" recipes!

Kabocha Squash Yogurt Parfait

INGREDIENTS:
•1 kabocha squash ~ 1 cup (4 oz) cooked and mashed (2 Greens)
•2 tbsp Walden Farms Maple Walnut Syrup (1 Condiment)
•½ tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice (1 Condiment)
1/2 tsp cinnamon (1 condiment)
•2 tbsp unsweetened almond or cashew milk (⅛ Condiment)
•4 oz low-fat plain Greek yogurt (⅓ Leaner)
•½ ounce chopped walnuts (1 Optional Snack)
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Cut Kabocha squash in half and scoop out the seeds; place cut side down on a lightly greased baking sheet or baking sheet lined with non-stick foil. Bake for 45 to 60 minutes or until tender. Wait until cool to touch and scrape out the flesh. Mash with a fork. Measure out 1 cup and place in a small bowl. Reserve the rest for another use.
Mix 1 cup squash, maple syrup, pumpkin spice, cinnamon, and milk until combined. Layer half of the squash on the bottom of an 8 ounce glass.
Then layer 1/4 cup of Greek yogurt. Then the other half of squash. Then 1/4 cup of Greek yogurt.
Top with walnuts.
Makes 1 Serving.
Each serving:
•1/3 Leaner
•2 Green
•3 Condiments
•1 Optional Snack
Add an additional 2/3 Leaner (such as 4 ounces of chicken or turkey breasts) and 2 Greens to complete your Lean and Green Meal

06/10/2024

What do these words by Thich Nhat Hanh mean to you?

“Thinking prevents us from touching life deeply. I think, therefore I am really not there.”

For me, it resonates deeply around my quest to stay in the present moment which includes a daily meditation practice. The more present I become, the more I realize how not present I am.

For what it's worth (and those who hang out with me, work with me, or get a weekly coaching check in phone call from me are already rolling their eyes because they know what's coming 🙄)....

Incorporating a meditation practice is life changing. I could write a book (in fact, I am in process😉), but for now I will just give you a loving nudge to start with 5 minutes each morning, first thing.

Begin by sitting in a comfortable chair, put on some white noise or a fan or something that is nothing - not music or anything associated with regular thought. Focus on that sound while you breathe. When your mind wanders, and it will, gently bring it back to the fan. That's it. Start with 5 minutes. Then go to 10, then 15.

15 minutes of quieting your mind every day will change your brain. And your life. ☺️

02/10/2024

It's Wacky.Wonderful Wednesday!

Wacky, because I structured my work schedule to check in and connect with all of my clients on Wednesdays - which makes for a busy and FULL day. Wonderful, because I genuinely care about each of them and love the opportunity to celebrate wins, trouble shoot issues, create a plan for life after reaching weight loss/wellness goals, and encourage.

If you know me, you know my jam is to lift others. I'm a born nurturer, so this coaching gig is a great fit. What my clients likely do not know is how much they inspire me and continually remind me to stay focused on my personal goals and/or jump back on the path when I slip back to old habits. Which I do. And that makes me human 🤣.

If you want a coach who lost the weight and kept it off with no problem, I can hook you up. Seriously, I am blessed with stellar partners that have it all figured out and to whom I can wholeheartedly recommend. Message me and I'll connect you.

If you want a coach who started down this wellness journey 9 years ago carrying a ton of food.body.weight baggage and is down in the trenches working alongside you, someone who will lock arms with you, never give up on you, and listen & laugh with you...
...if you are looking for a coach whose mission it is to teach you how to love your amazing self toward health and wellbeing, rather than punish, and condemn yourself ..... I'm your person.

This is day 2 of a deep and real re-commitment to myself. I'm still down 12.5 lbs since March (when post surgery rehab began) and damn proud of myself for maintaining that with so much lifey.life going on.

30/09/2024

18/09/2024

YUMM!

Ginger Tzatziki Chicken Wraps 🥬

Ingredients:

For the Chicken Marinade:
36.4 oz Chicken Breasts, diced ~Yields 24 oz cooked (4 leaners)
1/4 Cup Soy Sauce (4 condiments)
2 tsp Ginger Powder (4 condiments)
4 tsp Olive Oil (4 healthy fats)
1/4 tsp Pepper (1/2 condiment)
For the Tzatziki Sauce:
1/4 Cup (.92 oz) Cucumbers, finely diced (1/2 green)
1 Clove Garlic, minced (1 condiment)
1/2 tsp Dill, dried (1 condiments)
1/4 tsp Salt (1 condiment)
1/4 tsp Pepper (1/2 condiment)
½ Cup (4.4 oz) Plain Greek Yogurt, low-fat (1/3 leanest)

For the Wraps:
6 cups (9.96 oz) Whole Romaine Lettuce Leaves (6 greens)
3/4 cup (2.75 oz) Cucumbers, sliced (1 1/2 greens)

Directions:
Mix marinade ingredients in a bowl or zip lock bag and allow chicken to marinate for at least 30 minutes.
Mix Tzatziki Sauce ingredients in a bowl and allow flavors to marry together for an hour or two.
Assemble chicken on kabob sticks and grill or bake/cook. Place several cucumber slices in lettuce boats followed by chicken and top with Tzatziki sauce.

Makes 4 Servings -
Per Serving:
1 Leaner, 2 Vegetables, 3 Condiments, 1 Healthy Fat

02/08/2024

You can begin by simply taking one step in the direction that you want to go. And remember to notice the little things that bring you JOY in the journey.

21/07/2024

Look for the joy, they say.

Well, sometimes joy seems simply impossible.
I get it, believe me.

So, if joy feels like a galaxy away, start with

𝕠𝕟𝕖
𝕥𝕚𝕟𝕪
𝕥𝕙𝕚𝕟𝕘

you can feel a grateful for.

Focus on that feeling. Then go through your day looking for other little things that cause you to FEEL a little bit of goodness.

I promise you that if you will start each day on a mission to find the little.happy.things, how you experience your life will begin to turn around.

Find the tiny thing, sit in the better feeling for as long as you can, breathe it in deep, envelope yourself in the better feeling, marinate your soul in love and gratitude for this moment right now.