Grilled Brussels Sprouts with Garlic & Bell Pepper

Grilled Brussels Sprouts with Garlic & Bell Pepper

Grilling season ain’t over yet!!! You guys know I’m a HUGE fan of two things:

  1. Brussels sprouts
  2. Easy recipes (bonus points for those with little to no clean up!)

It doesn’t get much easier than this one! Annnnnnd – it’s freakin’ good. Eating for fat loss SHOULD be delicious! You should enjoy every single meal. Food is good and life is short! If brussels sprouts aren’t your thing – don’t eat them! It’s that simple! Identify what foods YOU love and eat THOSE! It’s not enough to get physical satisfaction from your food. You have to get emotional/psychological satisfaction, too. Otherwise, as soon as you finish the last bite you’ll be trolling through the kitchen looking for “something else” even though you aren’t physically hungry.

I build my meals around foods I love. Here are some of my personal faves:

  • Coffee (yeah, this counts. I’m never giving it up)
  • Bacon
  • Salmon
  • Beef
  • Bison
  • Brussels sprouts
  • Chicken thighs
  • Almonds
  • Apples

You should have a similiar list and make sure to find foods that work for your lifestyle that you really, really enjoy.

Enough already, right? The recipe. It’s so freakin’ simple. Let’s do this.

Grilled Brussels Sprouts with Garlic & Bell Pepper

  • Raw brussels sprouts (for the love of God, please don’t use frozen)
  • 1/2 red bell pepper, cut into strips
  • 3-5 cloves of garlic, whole (this doesn’t mean 3-5 bulbs. That’s different. That’s for vampires. 3-5 individual cloves, depending on how much you love garlic. We’ll be grilling these whole. Not chopped. You can obv chop them if you don’t want to nosh on a delicious grilled clove. Personal preference rules)
  • 2 tbsp melted butter
  • Salt & pepper to tasteFire up your grill! If mine is on medium-high, that’s around 500 degrees. That’s what I roll with but just adjust your cooking time accordingly.
    Chop the stem-end off your sprouts and then cut them in half. Remove any loose outer leaves.
    Grab a big piece of tin foil.
    Lay those brussels on the foil and add the chopped bell pepper and garlic cloves.
    Drizzle the melted butter over the veggies.
    Add salt and pepper. I don’t love pepper so I’m pretty sparing with it. On the flip side, I love me some salt! I probably add a couple tsp of salt.
    Fold it up into a foil pouch.
    Place it on the grill and close the cover.
    I choose to cook mine for 10-12 minutes because I like my brussels still kinda crunchy. If you want them softer, cook them longer!
    Voila! Eat up!

grilled brussels sprouts

I love the way the brussels get a little charred on the grill, even when in foil. And I love that there are so few dishes and almost no clean up! If you don’t have a grill or you want to make this in the dead of winter, no worries! More often than not, I saute my brussels in a skillet. Or you could bake them in the same foil pouch. So many options! Do what works for you!

Q&A 11: The Best Foods for Fat Loss

Q&A 11: The Best Foods for Fat Loss

In this episode I’m answering the question “what do you eat for fat loss” and identifying the best foods for fat loss. We talk about meal ideas, recipes and how to adjust your meals to combat hunger, cravings and low energy. However, it is important to emphasize that the best foods for fat loss are fat loss friendly foods that YOU love. My favorite fat loss foods are irrelevant if you don’t love them. So while we’re talking about my favorite fat loss foods, this is only meant to be a starting point for you to cultivate your own list of fat loss foods so you can identify your unique best foods for fat loss.

Listen Now! Just hit “Play”

Download Episode

Breakfast Ideas:

Lunch Ideas:

  • Cabbage salad
  • Rotisserie chicken
  • Salmon spread
  • Salmon cakes

Dinner Ideas:

  • Brussels sprouts with bacon
  • Broccoli soup
  • Mashed cauliflower
  • Cauliflower rice
  • Crockpot Roast
  • Fish
  • Steak
  • Burgers without the bun
  • Paleo Shepard’s Pie
  • Everyday Paleo’s Chili Verde
  • Sweet Potato Nachos

Snacks:

  • Beef jerky
  • Protein bars
  • Almonds
  • Macadamia nuts
  • Raw veggies
  • Hormone free cheese

Recipes:
Cilantro-lime cauliflower rice

Nom Nom Paleo’s Cabbage Salad
Salmon Cakes
Breakfast recipe collection

Chipotle Chicken with Cauliflower Rice

  • 1 head of cauliflower
  • Coconut oil
  • Fresh lime
  • Cilantro
  • Coconut milk (I used the boxed stuff, not the canned)
  • Salt
  • Chicken thighs (you can use breasts but thighs are more moist)
  • Chilis in adobo (canned)
  • Green chilis (canned)
  • Red onion
  • Garlic (fresh)
  • Cumin
  • Extra virgin olive oil
The first thing you need to do is marinate your chicken. I marinated mine for about 6 hours but nex time I’ll do it overnight for even more intense flavor. So, minimum: 6 hours. Maximum: overnight.
To create your marinade: Put the following ingredients in your food processor or high powered blender:
  • 1 can of chilis in adobo
  • 1 small can of green chilis
  • 1/2 red onion (I sliced it a few times before adding it in)
  • 4 garlic cloves
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 2 tsp salt
Blend well. Once it is blended, add to the mixture 1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil and blend again.
Place your chicken in a baking dish (or you can use a gallon size ziploc bag) and add the marinade. Let sit for AT LEAST 6 hours while refrigerated.
Alright – before chow time you need to make your cauliflower rice. Add your cauliflower florets to a food processor and pulse until it is shredded and a small, rice-like size.
In a large saute pan, add 1 tablespoon of coconut oil. When the oil is melted and the pan is hot, add your riced cauliflower. Let that sit over medium heat, stirring occassionally for about 3-5  minutes. Then add:
  • The juice of 1/2 a lime
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
  • 1/4 cup coconut milk
Cover and let simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring occassionally.
While your cauliflower rice is cooking, remove your chicken from the marinate and chop it into bite-sized pieces. Heat 2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil in a large saute pan and add the chicken, cooking thoroughly.
Top the cauliflower rice with your chicken, some of the sauce from the pan and garnish with avocado or guacamole! Enjoy the heck out of it! I certainly did! ​
Paleo Ice Cream – This one is so good I reserve it for once every couple of months
  • 1 can of full fat coconut milk
  • 5 pitted dates
  • 1.5 cups unsweetened vanilla almond milk
  • 1 vanilla bean (slice in half and scrape out the insides. Discard the pod)
  • 1/4 cup enjoy life chocolate chips (or fruit/topping of your choice)
Place coconut milk, dates, almond milk and vanilla bean seeds into a high powered blender until smooth. Stir in chocolate chips. Place mixture in refrigerator for a couple hours. Once it’s cold, add it to an ice cream maker and follow machine instructions. (I usually let it churn for 20 minutes). You can do this without an ice cream maker by putting it in the freezer and stirring a couple times an hour, it just won’t be as creamy. It will still be delish!
Chocolate Avocado Mousse – I enjoy this a few nights every week!
  • 1 ripe avocado (peeled and pitted)
  • 2 teaspoons cacao powder (unsweetened cocoa powder is fine, too)
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon stevia extract
  • 1/4 cup fresh raspberries
Using an immersion blender, blend the avocado, cacao, vanilla & stevia. Top with raspberries. Feel free to add stevia or cacao until it meets your tastes. Some people prefer it richer/sweeter – these measurements are what works for me.
Baked Apple with Pecans – I enjoy this several nights each week!
  • 1 large apple
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 tsp stevia
  • 1 tbsp butter
  • 1 once pecans
Chop your apple into bite size pieces. Toss with cinnamon, vanilla & stevia. Put in small baking ramekin. Top with butter and pecans. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes.
Chocolate/Nut/Banana Chia Pudding – This could be breakfast or dessert, depending on what you add. If you do it for breakfast, omit any fruit if you’re looking for maximum fat loss.
  • 1/4 cup chia seeds
  • 1 cup almond or coconut milk (unsweetened)
  • 1 tsp cacao powder (or unsweetened cocoa powder)
  • 1/2 ripe banana
  • 1 tbsp almond or cashew butter
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
Add all ingredients to a blender and mix well. Transfer to a small bowl and refrigerate overnight or for at least several hours. Don’t skip this step! The chia seeds need time to absorb the liquid.
(You could make this a mocha breakfast treat by skipping the banana and doing 1/2 cup coffee and 1/2 cup almond milk instead of the full cup of almond milk).

Other Resources:

Episode 007: Carbs & Fat Loss – Timing Matters
Episode 009: Carb Spillover – The Way You Eat Carbs Is Making You Fat
Q&A 2 – What Is Your Carb Tolerance?
Q&A 5: Bulletproof Coffee
Q&A 6: How To Make Breakfast a Fat Burning Meal

Against All Grain
The 21 Day Sugar Detox Cookbook
Slim Palate
Carbohydrate Strategies for Sustainable Fat Loss

Support the Show
Subscribe in iTunes
Subscribe in Stitcher

Did you find this episode helpful!? Let me know on facebook or by commenting below!

What I Ate Wednesday {WIAW}

What I Ate Wednesday {WIAW}

Many of you found my last WIAW post helpful so I thought I’d do another one. Do you guys enjoy these? Would you like to see more of them on the blog? Lemme know! You know I kinda like you guys and want to give you what you want!

Breakfast was modified bulletproof coffee. Now, let me be clear that there is NOTHING “magical” about bulletproof coffee. It is not the magic fat loss bullet. If you love it, if it satisfies your hunger & increases your energy while moving you towards your fat loss goals – go for it. I happen to really love it because it’s tasty and keeps my hunger at bay for many hours. But you can have fantastic fat loss results with chia seed pudding, bacon & eggs, frittatas, etc. This is just a breakfast that really works for me. I did an entire podcast episode on bulletproof coffee so be sure to check that out if you wanna know more.  In this cup: Kicking Horse coffee blended with MCT oil, Kerrygold grass fed butter, 1 raw egg yolk and a tablespoon of raw cacao. I find that it is easiest to blend with an immersion blender to avoid having to temper the glass blender with hot water.

IMG_0453 2

Around lunch time I was craving brussels sprouts but didn’t have any leftover meat so I decided to throw in a couple eggs and a slice of bacon. I chopped up a bag of brussels sprouts and sauteed them in the bacon fat before added three eggs. I stir around the yolk (without breaking it) so that the whites cook but the yolk stays a little runny. You could easily just mix it all up like a stir-fry to make it a bit easier/faster.

IMG_1014

I felt the need to snack mid-afternoon so I had a small handful (about 10) macadamia nuts. Gotta be careful with nuts because I can easily overdo it and mindlessly munch for 20-30 minutes. No bueno. I portion out a serving and move right along.

Dinner was the all-star meal. I made Everyday Paleo’s chili verde and served it over mashed cauliflower. The chili was a bit time intensive (more than usual for me) but it will easily make enough for several meals and I love that. Leftovers are key! To mash my cauli I just steam up the florets from 1-2 heads and when they are tender enough to be split with a fork I drain the water, add a couple tbsp of butter and blend with my immersion blender. Add a bit of salt and voila! So yum.

IMG_1107

I didn’t eat anything after dinner because I was totally satisfied but I did enjoy a cup of blood orange tea with unsweetened almond milk. Sometimes I want something sweet or creamy after dinner but I know my body doesn’t need more food. Tea is a pretty standard go-to for me.

I really want to emphasize that eating for fat loss SHOULD NOT mean being hungry all the time or eating foods you don’t love. I always choose foods I really enjoy and look forward to eating. I don’t spend hours in the kitchen and I rarely experience hunger. Focus on finding whole foods you love and really be mindful and present during your meals.

What I Ate Wednesday (WIAW)

What I Ate Wednesday (WIAW)

I have been getting a lot of requests lately to do a #WIAW or “What I Ate Wednesday” post here on the blog! I have to admit that my meals aren’t usually all that fascinating but I’m more than happy to share them  here in case they are helpful for you. I’m gonna take it a step further and not only tell you what I ate but why I made that particular choice.

5:15am – After meditation and some quiet time I made a huge glass of water with apple cider vinegar and lemon juice. I don’t do this every day but after drinking wine and having apple streudal on New Years Eve, I’m still feeling a little puffy. This helps me detox a little bit and I don’t mind the taste. It’s 20 oz of water with 2 tbsp of both lemon juice and apple cider vinegar.

IMG_0057

7:20am – I’ve been reading and writing for a while and now I’m ready to eat! Bulletproof coffee is always on the breakfast menu. All I do to make it is blend high quality (low toxin) coffee with grass fed butter and MCT oil. I avoid carbohydrates in the morning because that helps me stay in fat burning mode (you can read more about that here) so the healthy fats in bulletproof coffee satisfy my hunger and send my energy levels through the roof. Plus, I happen to think it tastes amazing. I have been trying to eat a little protein in the morning as well so I also had a pork/maca “muffin” – recipe courtesy of Mary, The Paleo Chef. I am adding the protein in because I tend to workout pretty intensely and want me to make sure I’m eating enough to recover properly.

2014-09-23 09.25.13-1

 

IMG_5560

10:30am – Tea time! I enjoyed a mug of hot apple spice tea with a little unsweetened almond milk while taking a break from writing.

12:30pm – Time for lunch! To stay in fat burning mode and create the ideal hormonal environment for it, I still avoid carbohydrates at lunch. Today I made a quick scramble of eggs, bacon, salmon & avocado. Super nutrient dense, super energy dense and totally delicious. It will absolutely help me power through my workout later on!!

2014-01-24 06.45.27

2pm – Pre-workout cup of coffee. Nothing special, just plain, black coffee. I have nothing against stevia or unsweetened almond milk, but I was in the mood for black today.

6:00pm – Oh my favorite meal of the day!! On the menu: coconut/cayenne crusted chicken thighs with steamed broccoli. This is super easy and really delicious. I take finely shredded coconut and add salt, pepper and cayenne pepper. Dip my chicken thighs in eggs then into the coconut mixture. I add them to a skillet with a few tablespoons of coocnut oil and let them cook through on both sides.

IMG_0066

 

I didn’t have any carbs with this dinner but don’t worry, I didn’t miss out! I made a super easy dessert (but it looks terrible in the pic so we’ll skip that). I took 1/2 cup of canned coconut milk and added 1 tsp of cacao powder and a few drops of stevia. I mixed it well, just with a spoon, and then added 1/2 cup of fresh raspberries for my little dose of carbs. Yum!!!! It was so good and really easy.

That’s my day in a nutshell! Let me know in the comments or on facebook if you like these types of posts and want to see more of them!

Start Here To Reach Your 2015 Weight Loss Goals

Start Here To Reach Your 2015 Weight Loss Goals

You have to do more than wish for weight loss. You have to do more than think about it. And you have to do more than have one “clean” eating day a couple times a week. If you want more, you’ll need to act and act consistently. Want to reach your 2015 weight loss goals? You’ve got to carefully choose the highest impact behaviors for you, narrow it down to the most important one or two and then get your butt to work.

But sometimes it can feel so daunting! What should I eat & when? What should I avoid? How important is exercise? What IS most important? We read dozens of different recommendations and most of them are conflicting. We become consumed by analysis paralysis. There are so many options and we don’t know which course to take. Been there, done that. Wasted lots of time along the way! If my results were measured by how much I’ve thought about weight loss, clean eating and intense exercise – oh man – I’d be the leanest, strongest woman on the planet!!!

The good news is that we are over complicating it. At the end of the day, nothing you read matters. Nobody’s recommendations about the “right way” and “wrong way” are relevant to you. The ONLY thing that matters for you is what works for YOU and what YOU will consistently do. What makes you feel great? What kinds of habits or behaviors will you actually look forward to? Which give you energy? Which make you feel strong and powerful? What will you actually DO? CONSISTENTLY!!!!

Consistently [kuh n-sis-tuh nt-lee] adverb – constantly adhering to the same principles, course, form.

Constantly. To the SAME principles. Not getting distracted by the next new thing and trying it after a few days. Please, no more dieting ADD – looking at the latest, greatest approach from some random person’s point of view and deciding “oooh! shiny thing! I’ll try that!”

This doesn’t require creating a long list of rules and, with military precision, checking them off a list each day. Here’s a simple approach to finding, and doing, what works for you.

Each morning, set aside 5 minutes. Sit down with a pen & paper and think about where your life currently is and where you want it to be. Lets say you’re currently 180 lbs but would like to get to 150. That’s the point at which you can fit into your sexy jeans and feel good about yourself. Now write down 2 things you can do today to help you move from point A to point B. Not 20 things you need to do this month. Just two things you can (and will) do today.

When I first started out on my weight loss journey they were things like:

  • Pack my meals and snacks to bring to work
  • Get to bed on time
  • Eat vegetables with every meal
  • Make sure that breakfast is fat & protein based

As I’ve progressed throughout my journey, my 2 things often include things like:

  • Meditate daily
  • Eat only when I’m hungry (I get tempted to eat when I’m bored or procrastinating)
  • Eat more fat at breakfast (this remains super important to me)
  • Journal my hunger/mood/cravings/energy

There is always something you can do to move towards your goals. You can stop worrying about the perfect plan or which set of advice is right and which is wrong. Just act. Pick something that is important to YOUR success and do it. Do it every day. Keep identifying small steps you can take towards your goal and practice, practice, practice.

I recommend keeping at least 1 of your 2 target items the same each day (until they become effortless or until they no longer produce results) so that you can make it habitual and part of your daily life.

If you feel like you’re ready to take this on – if you feel like 2015 is the year you’re going to crush your goals and get healthier than you’ve ever been – you’re EXACTLY the person I want to work with. I’m going to be working one-on-one for a FULL YEAR with only 15 individuals. We’re going to talk every single week. We’ll set goals, we’ll establish how to measure and monitor them and then we’ll adjust every single week. We’ll determine what works for you and what doesn’t. We’ll work with what you love, what you hate, what your life requires and what your major obstacles are. We won’t give up. I’ll provide education, motivation, inspiration, and, most importantly, constant, ongoing support. If you’re ready, check out all the details. I’m accepting applications for just another couple days. Get yours in now

Don’t give up. Don’t get frustrated. Just keep moving!

Download a free chapter from Chasing Cupcakes.

Enter your first name and email below and I'll send over chapter nine from my best-selling book. 

Thanks! Check your inbox.