Week 1 of the 30 Day Challenge is complete!  Hopefully everyone is on track, doing the best they can, pushing the unhealthy foods off the plate and replacing them with healthy, delicious foods.  

This way of eating does not have to be labor intensive by any means.  The key to success is the planning.  If you have your food ready to go for the week, you don't have the "think" about what to eat.  

Roast a batch of potatoes, white and or sweet, it doesn't matter, maybe roast some chickpeas since you already have the oven on for the potatoes, (to roast chickpeas all you have to do is drain, rinse, and put them in a ziplock bag, put whatever seasoning you like, shake them up and pop them in the oven with the potatoes--of course they won't take as long so watch them so they don't burn), and while you're roasting the potatoes, cook up a batch of rice or quinoa.  

Put the potatoes in a ziplock when cooled, you can also do the same with the chickpeas and rice.  Take a look at the buddha bowls above and throw everything together.  It's really simple.  Chop up some vegetables, drizzle a dressing over everything or put a dollop of hummus in the middle of the bowl and you're done.

Or, just take a potato that's already roasted, open a bag of frozen veggies, while you reheat the potato in the microwave, heat up or steam the frozen veggies, put them on top of the baked potato, pour a sauce on top and dinner is done.

Remember, we are trying to eliminate all processed foods, meat and dairy for 30 days.  The closer you can stick to these guidelines, the bigger the results you will get.

Remember, try and start your lunch and dinner with a big salad or loaded vegetable soup.  The more vegetables you eat, the more vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and FIBER you will be getting as well as you will be filling up with the lower caloric foods.  This is how you EAT MORE FOOD AND LOSE WEIGHT!!

Here are some ideas for this week:

BREAKFAST:  
Overnight oats with fruit
Cream of Wheat with fruit
Tofu scramble
Green smoothie (Greens, ripe banana, berries and water or Almond Milk)

LUNCH:

For anyone that's been through one of my classes, I am forming a Support Group--we will meet at my Watervliet office on Saturday morning, March 7th at 10:00.  We will share ideas, recipes and help each other over whatever barriers we may be having.  I will also be doing a whole food plant based cooking demonstration--everyone can sample the finished product!

If you would like to attend this Support Group, the cost will be $10.  Please RSVP as I have limited space available.

I hope you are trying some new recipes--I encourage people to find 5 or 6 recipes they really like and just rotate through them.  Remember, there is no calorie counting, weighing or measuring foods when you eat this way.  Eat when you're hungry and stop when your full.  Listen to your body--there is NOTHING more intelligent!

​Have a wonderful week--and remember, any questions or concerns, drop me a line!

I've said it before and I'll say it again....eating a Whole Food Plant Based "diet" is not just about eating lettuce!!  You have an abundance of vegetables, whole grains, fruits and beans to choose from--sometimes there are so many choices that people begin to feel overwhelmed.  

Let's face it--most of us cycle through 5-6 different meals each week.  Of course, they are usually centered around a "meat"--for instance, a steak dinner may consist of baked potatoes, steak and a vegetable.  A chicken meal may include rice and a vegetable.  Spaghetti night might be spaghetti, meatballs and a side salad.  These are the dishes most of us grew up with. 

What I'm saying is we change all that.  We look through different recipes, (and there are an abundance of them!!), choose a few to try, find the dishes we really like and cycle through them.  Eating this way, however, does require effort on your part.  Meal prepping is a life-saver for anyone eating this way.  Having the healthy foods on hand and having some of the prep work done ensures you will have a successful week!

If you are doing the 30 Day Challenge with us, there are recipes in the previous blogs--choose from there or just simply google Whole Food Plant Based recipes, or use the word Vegan, and you will be inundated with choices!

This isn't rocket science.......when you eat the foods your body needs, i.e., vegetables, fruits, whole grains and legumes, your body will thank you in ways you won't believe!!

Need more personalized help?  I have different option plans available:

One on one sessions

• 12 week program: (First visit one hour, following 11 weeks 30 minute sessions) $225
• 6 week program: (Same as above, but for 6 consecutive weeks)  $125
• You decide how many visits: (One hour visits)  $40

I will also be offering a Group Session once a month which includes 2 Saturday morning sessions from 10-11:30, the cost for this is $50.

Once learning about a WFPB diet, I will be offering weekly Support Group meetings which will be held for an hour where we can help and encourage each other, share recipes, tips and tricks, and have a cooking demonstration.  The cost for the Support Group meeting--$12. (I will require at least 5 people to hold the class)

All of these meetings will take place in my Watervliet office--however, you do not have to be a patient to register.  Drop me a line and let me know if you are interested.  

Take back control of your health and LOSE WEIGHT WITH A FULL PLATE!

  When people think about "healthy eating", the first words they like to say is, "it's too expensive to eat health".  This is the BIGGEST MYTH out there.  

Let's think about this.....what's the most expensive food people buy in the grocery store?  It's meat.  When eating this way, meat is off our plate.  The foods that should take center stage on your plate are the starches--potatoes, rice and beans.  And guess what--they are dirt cheap!

When we "re-learn" how to come up with delicious meals using starch as the star, you will absolutely save money on your grocery bills--especially if you are cooking for a family.  Potatoes and rice are very filling--starting your meal off with a bowl of vegetable soup (homemade and very inexpensive to make) or salad, then have the entree such as a loaded baked potato, stir-fry vegetables over rice, or rice and beans, you have a healthy, delicious meal which did not take hours to prepare.  

I like to have foods prepped and ready to go for week-night dinners--potatoes roasted or baked, veggies chopped and in containers, a pot of soup made, have a sheet pan of roasted vegetables ready to go,  etc.  When your veggies are prepped and ready to go, you can throw a salad together in no time, you can whip up a stir fry, or just use frozen vegetables, they take less time to cook!  

At the end of the week, you can make what I like to call a Buddha bowl, where you put your left-overs in a bowl all together as pictured above, drizzle some kind of sauce over everything and you have a delicious dinner made with all your left-overs.  Absolutely delicious!

This  does take a little planning--you need to decide what you will be eating for the week, shop for the food, prepare as much as you can ahead of time, and week-night dinners are on the table in no time.  By planning ahead, you don't have to come home hungry and tired and wonder what you're going to make for dinner.  When you have the healthy foods ready to go, there is no temptation to order out!  Fail to plan, plan to fail.......

So, let's come up with a weeks worth of food:

BREAKFAST:  Oatmeal sprinkled with cinnamon and topped with fruit, (fresh or frozen)
                      Banana oat pancakes (make several, put in refrigerator and pop in the toaster to reheat) topped with fruit
                      Hashbrown veggie stir-fry
                      Over-night oats (different than cooked oats)
                      Cream of wheat topped with fruits
                      Tofu breakfast scramble

LUNCH:          Soup (homemade)
                      Salad (giant)
                      Chickpea salad sandwich
                      Bowl of chili
                      Air fried potatoes 
                      Veggie wrap

DINNER:       Loaded baked potato
                     Rice topped with steamed veggies and a sauce
                     Portabello mushroom pizza
                     Rice and beans
                     Taco casserole
                     One pot creamy pasta
                     Spaghetti and "meat" sauce

And remember, you don't necessarily have to eat "breakfast" food for breakfast or "dinner" food for dinner. When you are eating the right foods, you can eat them any time of day you want to.  There are no "rules"!  Make extra so you have left-overs, it takes just as much time to make a small portion as it does to make a large portion.  Save yourself some time in the kitchen.  

Here are the recipes:
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Here's to 30 days of healthy, delicious eating!  Remember, when you eat the right foods, the weight will come off--not to mention, the need for prescription drugs will drop.  

So, if you choose to follow this eating plan and are taking blood pressure medication or medication for diabetes, PLEASE inform your physician--for those people that jump in with two feet and really follow the guidelines closely, you may need to have your doctor reduce your dosage fairly quickly.  Please closely monitor your blood pressure and blood sugar.  

I'm  hoping you where able to clean out your kitchen and have stocked your shelves with whole foods such as potatoes, rice, beans and lots of vegetables and fruits--fresh or frozen makes no difference.

You can dip your toes in slowly, or jump in with both feet--whatever works for you.  You can simply change one meal at a time, one day at a time, or completely change your diet overnight.  

The guidelines for a whole food plant based diet are:

• No animal products--meat, poultry, fish, dairy or eggs
• No highly processed foods--anything in a box, bag, or carton with an ingredient list a paragraph long
• No oil--yes, that means olive oil!

Foods you will eat in abundance:

• Vegetables--starchy (potatoes, squash) and non-starchy (peppers, lettuce, onions, cabbage, broccoli, etc.)
• Whole grains--brown rice, quinoa, wheat, oats, rye, barley
• Fruits
• Legumes--beans, peas and lentils

No need to count calories or measure your food.  Eat from the above list, eat when you are hungry, stop when you are full and the weight will come off. 

Exercise is optional--it's a bonus, it keeps our heart pumping strong, works our muscles which in turn feeds our bones keeping them strong, keeps us flexible, and tones us up!  Everyone should try and get at least 30 minutes of some kind of exercise every day.  A brisk walk is perfect!

I've already mentioned this, but if you haven't done this yet, try and get some potatoes roasted for the week, make a big batch of some kind of whole grain like brown rice and make a big pot of soup that will last you for the week so you can throw these foods together quickly and make meals in 15-30 minutes.

BREAKFAST:  Oatmeal with fruit
LUNCH:  Soup and salad
DINNER:  Baked potato topped with vegetarian chili and a side salad

Here's the recipe for the chili and soup:

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