Today we’re talking about food! I’m sharing some of my favorite summer meals that are quick, easy, delicious and totally fat loss friendly!
In today’s episode I talk about the relationship between deprivation and temptation. Basically, the more you deprive yourself, the less you create fat loss friendly meals you actually enjoy, the more likely you are to be tempted by EVERYTHING. The less you’re enjoying your fat loss friendly foods, the lower the bar for something to tempt you.
So, if you can enjoy your food more, you’ll be less likely to overindulge in treats that just aren’t worth it!
Don’t miss today’s episode for some of my absolutely favorite summer meals that are flavorful, easy, affordable and fat loss friendly! Recipes & resources are below.
Within one of my Fat Loss Fast Track groups the other day we were talking about the deliciousness, versatility & ease of cauliflower. We were sharing our favorite ways to use it and I thought, I’ve got to put together a blog with my favorite cauliflower options! So, here we go! Seven of my favorite ways to prepare cauliflower!
Not only is cauliflower tasty, versatile and easy, it’s also incredibly fat loss friendly! Dude, does it get better than that? It’s probably my 2nd favorite veggie after brussels sprouts. Sorry cauli, brussels will always be my #1!
Cauliflower belongs to the family of cruciferous vegetables. While that’s perhaps a helpful trivia fact, it doesn’t mean much to the average Joe. Here’s what you need to know about cauliflower:
It’s fantastic for detoxification
It helps with hormone balance and menstrual regularity
It can act as an anti-inflammatory (this is important for all of us, whether you feel inflamed or not)
It supports bacterial balance
It’s a great source of fiber
It’s loaded with vitamins & minerals
Maybe you don’t like cauliflower and that’s okay. First and foremost: don’t eat foods you don’t love, period. I’m not trying to talk you into eating something you don’t love. In fact, that breaks my most important food rule: eat foods you love that love you back.
However, before you write off cauliflower, check out these different ways to prepare cauliflower because you might find one you really love!
The sky is really the limit here in terms of how you prepare it and the types of things it can be incorporated into. I’ve used cauliflower in tacos, salads, pizzas and so much more.
So here are some of my favorite ways to prepare cauliflower. If you’ve got one I didn’t mention, let me know in the comments!
Of course you don’t have to get fancy! You can eat it raw with guacamole or chop it to throw into salads or tacos. Use your imagination & have fun with your food, just don’t forget: eat foods you love that love you back!
Today we’re talking about some of the best vegetables for weight loss & how they make fat loss easier!
We start off by exploring how you can determine which vegetables are the most (or least) fat loss friendly and then we take a closer look at cruciferous & allium vegetables and the ways they support fat loss.
Allium vegetables & cruciferous vegetables support insulin, metabolism, detoxification & much more. They are certainly some of the very best vegetables for weight loss.
Allium & cruciferous vegetables contain sulfur. In this episode we talk about the incredible benefits of sulfur including:
Insulin production
Detoxification
Cell health
Metabolism
Allium vegetables are also great sources of chromium which supports blood sugar balance & insulin sensitivity.
We also talk about the importance of including some raw cruciferous vegetables in your diet & explain why there are additional benefits to raw consumption.
Sometimes you just need something sweet & creamy, right? Maybe even a little chocolatey? I’ve got you! This chocolate chia pudding is not only easy, delicious & fat loss friendly, but it doesn’t have added sugars like maple syrup and honey that are in most chia recipes.
I’m a huge fan of chia seeds but I’ll lead with this caveat – if you’re picky about textures, always blend your chia seeds in a blender. Otherwise, they’re fairly tapioca-esque. If you blend them, it’s more pudding-like. If you decide to throw them on your salad raw (unsoaked), you’d better have some dental floss. I don’t recommend that. They won’t taste like anything & they’ll be indefinitely wedged in your pearly-whites. You’ve been warned!
As far as why I love chia seeds: they’re nutrient powerhouses! Chia seeds pack in protein, fiber, fat, vitamins, minerals & antioxidants. Winning! They’re a perfect example of nutrient density. Foods that are nutrient dense are often some of the most filling foods we can eat. Works for me!
Chia seeds do have omega 3s, but most of them are in the form of a particular omega 3 we’ll call ALA. I wouldn’t count them as “a good source of omega 3s” because we really want to emphasize the omega 3s known as EPA and DHA. But still, some omega 3 is better than no omega 3!
Most chia pudding recipes use honey or maple syrup but I like to keep the sugar super low and the tiny bit of banana and date (per serving) does the job without going overboard.
I won’t hold you in suspense anymore! Let me share my most recent chocolatey chia pudding recipe!
Chocolate Chia Pudding
(Makes 2-3 servings)
Into the blender, add all of the following:
1 1/4 cups unsweetened almond milk (here’s the brand I buy)
1/4 cup chia seeds
1/2 ripe banana
1 pitted date
1 tbsp cocoa nibs or unsweetened cocoa powder
Blend until smooth, transfer to a small bowl and refrigerate overnight.
(I know. I’m not a food photographer. Trust me. It’s tasty. Someday my food pics will improve but that day isn’t here yet!)
Personally, I’ll have this as a dessert in lieu of starchy carbs at dinner (due to my fat loss goals). If you’re someone who likes to have carbs before a workout, this would be a great option!
If you haven’t already, don’t miss my 100 fat loss meal ideas with dozens of incredible (simple) recipes! They’re totally free! Just click the button below.
The other day on Instagram I shared a picture of my first attempt at paleo cauliflower soup. I had skimmed a few recipes online but they had too many steps. I’m a simple girl. I want to eat delicious food but I don’t want to spend an hour in the kitchen and be left with a sink full of dishes.
Fast, delicious, simple and fat loss friendly, please. Is that too much to ask? Nah. I don’t think so.
Anyways, I recently stocked up on cauliflower rice from Trader Joe’s and I wanted to make some soup. I’m not much of a soup person (I guess I always thought it wouldn’t fill me up – this totally does!) but I was feeling a touch of the blues and decided on creamy, warm, fat loss friendly soup.
(Now, if you’re about to pout about not having Trader Joe’s cauliflower rice, there’s no need. The two ingredients are cauliflower and salt, so if you’ve got those, you’re in luck. You can chop up your raw cauliflower and put it in the blender, you can roast it and then blend it or you can buy frozen cauliflower, let it thaw a little & toss that in the blender. Any will do!)
I’ve made 2 super fast paleo cauliflower soups so far and if I whip up new ones, I’ll add them here.
Curried Cauliflower Soup
1 bag Trader Joe’s cauliflower rice (see note above if you don’t have this)
1 clove garlic (you can cook this first if you don’t like the sharpness of raw garlic)
1 slice cooked bacon (don’t put this in the blender)
1 sprig rosemary (don’t put this in the blender)
Add the cauliflower, butter, oil, bone broth and garlic to the blender and blend until smooth then transfer to a pot. Add the crumbled bacon slice & sprig of rosemary. Let simmer on low for approximately 30 minutes.
Another idea that I’ve done in puree form but not soup form would be to add either carrots, parsnips or sweet potato. All 3 of those are wonderful when paired with cauliflower.
If you haven’t already, definitely download my totally free 100 fat loss meal ideas! I’ve put together a list of delicious, simple fat loss friendly meals and recipes. No strings! I hope you’ll check them out!
