2 SUPER BOWLS FOR GAME DAY

Check out these deliciously healthy WINNERS!

Colorful Vegetarian Chili

The vegetable juice adds a nice flavor to this simple recipe. Be sure to get one with no added sugar. After it has cooked about 4 minutes, taste it, and adjust the seasoning to your liking.

Makes 6 servings

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons oil of your choice
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 large onion
• 1 pound carrots
• 3 small bell peppers ( use any color or combination)
• 1 cup frozen corn
• 1 can black beans drained and rinsed
• 1 can navy or cannelloni beans drained and rinsed
• 1 can vegetarian re-fried beans
• 1 large can crushed tomatoes
• 1 16 ounce jar vegetable juice (spicy is fine too)

Chili seasoning blend of your choice or:

• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 2 teaspoons coriander
• 2 teaspoons cumin
• Salt/ Pepper and hot sauce to taste

Method:

Crush and mince garlic.  Chop onion.  In a heavy sauce pan saute in oil the onions and garlic until onions are transparent.  Be careful not to burn the garlic.

Chop all remaining vegetables into fork size pieces.  (Remember that they will shrink a little after cooking.)

Add the remaining vegetables, beans and tomatoes and juice. Stir this all together adding the seasoning to taste.  Bring it to a boil and then lower the heat so you have a steady but low simmer.  Let this cook ½ hour, then taste and season again. 

Chili can cook on very low heat for a up to two hours, or be served as is.

Crock pot option - After onions and garlic are sauteed, simply add the rest of the ingredients with them to a crock pot.  Cook 4 hours on highest setting.

Serve immediately, freeze after it cools, or store in an air tight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Amazing Salsa

This deliciously healthy (and easy) salsa recipe is a real SUPER bowl! 


1 jar of your favorite salsa

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 cup frozen corn (thawed)

1 cup finely chopped cilantro (rinse well before chopping)

2 chopped green onions

Method: Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Chill and serve.

Transition Time

When is all this energy coming?

Our amazing bodies function on the fuel we give them. Every one's normal is different. If your usual diet is full of nutrient-dense, high fiber foods, detoxing might not be noticed. If you are LEAPING in from a typical diet of heavily processed foods, you will likely experience detox symptoms. The changes are for the good. They mean something wonderful is happening...

Bye-bye toxins  

You are stirring up a system that has been sluggish for a long time. Impurities will start circulating through your lymphatic and digestive systems. They may even move through your skin. 

The nutrient-packed, high fiber LEAP foods cleanse your system. Drinking 1/2 your body weight in ounces of water each day moves the nutrients in and the toxins out - as you are probably noticing!

Typical detox symptoms:

• Headaches
• Diarrhea or constipation
• Digestive pain
• Food cravings
• Trouble sleeping
• Fatigue
• Runny nose
• Irritability

The more prominent the 5 LEAP foods are in your diet, the stronger your detox may be. 

This won't last long. As you transition to a predominately whole foods, high fiber, low sugar, nutrient-dense diet you will see vitality increase quickly. You will LOVE the lightness and sense of accomplishment you get by eating these fabulous foods.


Tips to speed the process along:

• Eat more great food - Aim for 100% whole foods and eliminate processed foods completely.
• Move - Exercise and yoga support the work of your lymphatic system.
• Good bugs -Take probiotics as a supplement or in (plain) yogurt or kefir to boost digestion.
• Sleep - Let your body rest and heal. Aim for 8 hours each night.
• Brush your skin - Dry skin brushing stimulates the lymphatic system.
• Breathe - Lots of aerobic exercise brings life-giving oxygen into your blood.

Here are a few things to bring your attention to:

• You are washing and watering your body with every sip of water.
• You are bringing life giving proteins and vitamins to your blood and cells as you eat these good foods.
• You are introducing fiber to absorb cholesterol and waste as it moves through your digestive system.
• You are consuming insoluble fibers to push the waste for elimination.
• You are rebooting what fuels you - sugars, stimulants and chemicals out, REAL life giving food in!

Congratulations!

Getting Ready for the LEAP!

The LEAP begins tomorrow. Here are some tips to help you get started. Be sure to post your progress, questions, and thoughts as they come up. This will be fantastic, but also an adjustment. Be sure to observe yourself, do your best and let it happen!

The Plan:

Each day you must strive to eat all of the foods listed below. You must also drink 1/2 your body weight in ounces of water. The foods on the list are among the most nutrient dense on the planet. That means high nutritional value and compared to the calories they contain. Eat them raw whenever possible. You will see the most benefits if you eat a lot of raw fruits and vegetables whenever possible.

Green Vegetables - Eat at least 2 large servings of any green vegetable. The BEST are dark green leafy items like kale, spinach, Swiss Chard, and collard greens. Others like broccoli, Brussels sprouts, asparagus and beans are the next best, followed by starchy green veggies like peas and Lima beans.

Salad - Eat one very large salad full of dark greens - romaine, spinach etc. and other raw vegetables each day. You will benefit most if this is NOT HEAVILY DRESSED. Use a small amount of dressing or a good healthy oil like flax seed oil and some vinegar or lemon. 

Fruit - Eat three raw fruits every day. These can be frozen fruits as well if they are not in heavy syrup or cooked.

Beans - Eat at least 1/2 cup of beans everyday. These can be in the form of soup, in pasta, re-fried, as hummus or even in chili. Try to have them without added sugars or fats.

Nuts - Eat at least 1/4 cup of raw nuts everyday. 

Shopping List:

At least one shoe box sized container of either romaine, Spring mix or spinach. 

Several cans of low sodium black, pinto, kidney or white beans and chick peas.

Several cans of vegetarian baked beans. You can certainly get other kinds but watch the fat and sodium content.

Pick up dried beans if you have the time to prepare them. (Watch for help on that this weekend.)

Lots of good fresh fruit - apples, pineapples, bananas and all sorts of citrus. You can get frozen berries as well and use them in smoothies. Try to get the berries and apples organic whenever possible.

Raw nuts - pick up a bag or two of what you really like. Trader Joe's has great nuts at good prices. Raw almond butter or any RAW nut butter counts as well. One tablespoon is about all you will need.

Green Veggies - Look for organic dark greens at Whole Foods - the price is very good for what you get especially on collard greens and chard. You can find broccoli at any store now at a good price. You can also find lots of frozen vegetables that are very good - avoid sauces.

Buy yourself a nice big water bottle and keep it filled a lot. Drink it down, and fill it up all day!

More to come on meal planning etc.

Here is an idea for tomorrow:

How about a nice smoothie for breakfast? Use one banana, and another fruit of your choice. Add some greens and blend with a non-dairy milk, water and ice. Feel free to have your coffee and toast later, if you even still want them!

For lunch have a nice big salad with lots of veggies, or stuff it all in a wrap with some hummus. Dip a few more veggies in hummus as a side instead of chips.

For dinner have some chick peas on a nice size salad, and a big helping of broccoli or string beans along with your usual meat or fish. If you are a vegetarian add a baked potato or yam.

Before bed cut up another piece of fruit and enjoy it with some almonds and a nice cup of tea.

It's that easy. Add the foods you want along the way. You may find you don't need to. 

Your body will be thanking you!!!

That's it. I will elaborate more on each item and share ideas in blogs to come.

Join in the GUIDED LEAP for a customized plan with maximum results, weekly recipes, meal ideas, accountability and more. 

The cost for this program is $30. Contact me for details veggiecoach@gmail.com.

Tomorrow-

What to watch for as you begin...

29 DAYS TO LEAP INTO HEALTH!

February, a perfect month for transformation - nice and short.


By February we see what our New Year's Resolutions are really made of - or should I say, what we are made of. Did we mean it? Can we do it? Do we even remember what they were?


This year is even better. It's odd. It's Leap Year. It's slightly imperfect, and interesting... just like us.


This February join in the 29 Day Leap Into Health Challenge. 


The 29 Day Challenge has the benefits of a cleanse without any deprivation.  You actually have to eat all of the foods on the list each day. You can easily lose weight, feel better and form habits completely without 'dieting'. Here is how it works:


Each day be sure you eat all of the following foods -


One very large (raw) salad
Two large servings of greens or green vegetable - cooked or raw
Three pieces of raw fruit
1/4 cup of raw nuts
1/2 cup of beans


To this list add 1/2 your body weight in ounces of water. (If you weigh 150 pounds drink at least 75 ounces of water.)


That's it!


As you practice this each day, less healthy foods get crowded out. You will notice changes in your body immediately. By March 1st, just in time for Spring, you will be on your way to a new level of wellness, more aware of what your body really wants, and full of energy!


Watch for more information. I'll also be offering a Guided 29 Day Mastery version featuring menu ideas, health information, recipes and support through free conference calls several times each week. 


Spread the word! Through this page and on our fan page, we'll create a community of support to help you Leap into Wellness for 2012.

Are you in?

Harmony for the Holidays

'It's the most wonderful time of the year', at least that's what the song says.

Why not? It is a time of giving with a focus on children and family. Happy sounding songs fill our radio stations, and we hear the sounds of bells, even at the mall!

Unfortunately too many women dread these months. I was listening to friends stress about the stress even back in October. May it not be so, especially when it comes to food.

Why not stand back and create the possibility of a fully conscious, empowered, joyful holiday season?

Join us as we create a community of positive, focused individuals ready to embrace the next 6 weeks with gusto. Here's how:

• Subscribe to this blog, for quick tips, recipes and strategies for managing your growing to-do lists.
• Pop over to Embrace Health Today and click the link for Harmony for the Holidays. From there you can sign up for a free 30 minute coaching conversation to help you navigate the tempations and mind games, holiday fare stirs up!
• Share what works for you right here or on our Facebook  fan page

Together we will see wonderful results!

Best One Yet

Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead

Do not let the not-so-attractive title fool you. I have seen a lot of scare 'em straight food movies, but nothing beats this. Joe Cross does an amazingly realistic and entertaining job reeling the audience into his quest and his pain. Along the way he artistically educates us about the connection of what we eat and our health. He is a successful, big spending Australian who embodies exactly what the title says. He is a radical type of guy at the end of his rope. Here is the trailer.

He comes to America and meeets with Dr. Joel Fuhrman. As you may recall Dr. Fuhrman coined one of my favorite phrases - 'nutrient density'. He is the author of Eat to Live and a nationally known nutrition expert. Under Dr. Fuhrman's care, Joe goes on a 2 month fresh juice fast to clean himself up. He does this while traveling the USA interviewing and trying to inspire people along the way.

The film documents his own, at times very painful, journey.  Just when you think it is over you will meet an unlikely character that is sure to inspire you.

Here is the link to watch it free online: http://www.hulu.com/watch/289122/fat-sick-and-nearly-dead.  I hope you will invest the hour and a half. It is well worth it.

NEED MOTIVATION?

Need a little push towards the 28 Day Challenge???

Education and awareness are powerful motivators. Learn about your body. Pay attention to what you put into it.
This video will help in a very short time:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KNCGkprGW_o

Remember our 28 Day Holiday Warm-Up Challenge is as addition to your usual diet.
Sure it may crowd out some or all of your typical daily intake, simply because there is so much food. See how you feel in just a few days. You may just get hooked!

Do your best. Find a partner. Give it a try.

We can help. Follow us here or on Facebook or Twitter. Share your questions and your progress. We are happy to help!

Have a happy healthy weekend!

Patti

Let the 28 Days Begin

Start the 28 day challenge this week!


We started yesterday. Remember it is all about adding nutrient dense foods to your menu everyday.


1 large salad
1/2 cup beans - hummus, soup, in sides etc.
3 pieces of fresh fruit - no dried or juice
1 oz. of raw nuts
2 large servings of greens - all leafy greens, broccoli, brussel sprouts etc. steamed or raw.


Eat these everyday along with what you normally eat. Let the 'old' food be crowded out by these nutrient dense wonders.


Here was my day yesterday:


Green smoothie - kale, banana, organic apple, soymilk, water and ice
A large salad and bowl of black bean soup for lunch
1/4 cup raw walnuts and sunflower seeds
A huge plate of sauteed turnip greens with garlic, sun dried tomatoes, and a few strands (literally) of left over pasta for dinner.

I was full, energized and finding I was not in the mood for one more fruit. already am noticing a real sensitivity toward sweet foods. They just are not as attractive.


Sunday night we had a store bought pizza crust piled HIGH with steamed kale, onions, garlic and artichokes and a big salad of spinach, arugula, and mizuna...delish!

Take a moment and share a typical day for you. What are you observing about yourself as you put this into practice?

BRING ON THE HOLIDAYS!

28 Days to a Wellness...just in time!

It is only October and I have already heard the proverbial woes about the approaching holidays. "How will I handle Halloween?" cried my dear friend at our latest Wellness group meeting.

What? Are those Snickers, Twizzlers and Pretzel M&M's that powerful? You bet your life (and the candy industry's billions) they are!

As the slippery slope begins October 31st, rounds the corner at Thanksgiving glides ever-so innocently through December's parties and crashes violently into the Christmas-Hanukkah-New Years crescendo, many of us will fall victim yet again. When the scales are tipped toward nutrient poor, calorie laden choices our bodies are not satisfied. We are not really 'fed'. Our cravings and hunger persists as our bodies keep looking for real food.

Can this year be any different?...Absolutely YES! You can form a life-changing habit in just 4 weeks.

Now is the time to add to our diets nutrient dense foods. These are the foods most rich in phyto-nutrients, enzymes, minerals,vitamins and plant proteins - the very building blocks of healthy cells, blood and tissues. Nutrient dense foods are super low in calories compared to the amazing power they possess.

Try this 4 week challenge:

Simply eat each of the 5 sets of foods on this list everyday and watch what happens:

1 large fresh raw salad
1/2 cup beans
3 fresh fruits - whole fruits not juice
1 ounce raw nuts or seeds
2 large servings of raw or steamed greens - spinach, kale, collards, broccoli, brussel sprouts etc.

It is a lot of food. It may crowd out some of your less healthy choices. Good! Let it happen. Make these building blocks the priorities in daily food choices. Observe, explore and become aware of changes in your energy, health and taste.

Sign up for this blog feed and stay tuned here for updates, comments and support. Watch for posts with shopping lists, menu ideas, recipes as well as articles turning you on to the benefits of these amazing foods.

Take the plunge...feed yourself real food. In no time your thriving body will tell you what it really wants.

Feel the power as you kiss those junk food 'haunts' good-bye!

Am I hungry?

My husband called me two weeks ago and with an odd combination of sadness and conviction in his tone, "You are going to be buying a lot less food. This is going to transform everything."

Although I have been trying out Geneen Roth's eating guidelines from her book Women, Food and God for several months now, Tom was just getting a 'taste' of it. Her first and I believe over riding guideline is simply 'Eat when you are hungry' and 'Stop when you are satisfied'. Although this sounds easy, just below the surface lies a whole world of unexplored behaviors. The practice brings you into amazing and often unwanted awareness.

Step one is to create a hunger scale:

Many of us are not in touch with ourselves enough to know when our bodies are hungry - not our eyes, or mind (emotions), but our real live stomachs.

To create a scale, start by not eating breakfast one morning or skipping lunch one day. In other words let yourself get really hungry. Keep drinking water though, so you do not mistake thirst for hunger.

 When you are completely empty and almost weak with hunger take time to really observe what this feels like.

 Where do you feel the sensations? What does your stomach feel like, your throat, your legs, your arms, your head?

On the 1-10 scale we are creating this is considered a 1. It is empty on the gas tank, bottomed out, very hungry.

From there try to understand what a 2, 3, or 4 might be. You can certainly experiment with this process again and again to create a real accurate awareness.

 Consider 5 satisfied, 6 very satisfied, and anything over that approaching stuffed. A 10 is Thanksgiving when you were completely off the rails.

Once you have this down, try it. Only eat when your body is hungry. If you eat when it is not, simply observe, try not to judge and simply be curious as to what you are feeling and why. Is it boredom, loneliness, avoidance? Keep practicing. See what comes up. Be sure to stay aware.

Next, stop when you have had enough. Observe again. There will be a lot here too. Watch and see the social and emotional things that keep us eating. Try separating yourself and the food at this point. It is very hard. Just breath and observe.

Try this practice for a few days and let us know what you see.

Cheers.