A friend recently recommended this recipe to me. I'm always looking to add good, hearty soups to the mix as fall sets in. I will confess I was pleasantly surprised by this one, in spite of her glowing reviews I had some serious reservations.
Country Cabbage Soup 2 pounds ground beef, cooked and drained 2 cans (28 ounces each) stewed tomatoes 1 medium head of cabbage, shredded 2 large onions, chopped 6 celery ribs, chopped salt and pepper to taste Once you've browned the beef (and drained it) in a large pot, add in the remaining ingredients (except salt and pepper). Bring these to a boil. Then reduce the heat and simmer it for about 25 minutes, or until the veggies are tender. Season to taste. A couple of side notes. First off, I couldn't find stewed tomatoes so I used fire roasted tomatoes. The liquid yield is a bit lower so it was less soupy, but super delicious. Second, I had a yellow onion and a red onion . . . use what you have. Third, the most brilliant thing you could do for this already super easy recipe is throw it in a slow cooker once you've browned and drained the beef. Seriously, you'll be the smartest person in town that day!
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Milk & Cookies
Fries & Ketchup Mac & Cheese Pork & Beans Bacon & Eggs These are things that go together. Do you want to know what else goes together (spoiler: if you don't you should stop reading now . . . this isn't really a rhetorical question after all)? Exercise & Nutrition If you want to really get your jam on, you should pursue this relationship further. Figure out how exercise and nutrition are working out in your life. Are you making active choices in regard to either of them - or are you haphazardly rolling through life? The secret is when you combine this dynamic duo you will get staggering results. Name your goal and I will explain to you how these two work together to help you achieve that end. If you are growing in this area I'd be glad to help you develop a plan to progress. Perhaps it's changing something simple - like adding 20 minutes of cardio, or dedicating time to lifting, or choosing to decrease processed foods. Starting somewhere is the key. Hit me up to learn more! As we head into fall and the schedule fills up with evening activities I head back to my go-to crock pot dishes. This is one I found a few years back and I love to add it to the mix for it's variety. It's not every day your recipe calls for a roast and raisins!
This is a dish I make work for me, not against me! If I don't have lots of time, I skip the searing. If I have time to mix up the French Herb mix, as to have it on hand at a later date, then I do (recipe below). If I want the meat like a roast then I cook it for the shorter duration. If I want the beef truly falling apart I will cook for the longer duration and, usually, even longer! I love to serve this on top of mashed potatoes or rice and served with a side of greens of my liking for the day. Beef in Pomegranate Sauce 2 pound beef roast of choice sea salt olive oil 1 onion, halved and sliced 4-6 garlic cloves, chopped (I always use 6 . . . or more!) 1 cup unsweetened pomegranate juice 14 ounces fire roasted diced tomatoes 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar 1/8 cup pure maple syrup 1/2 cup golden raisins 2 thick pinches marjoram 2 thick pinches thyme 2 thick pinches savory 1 thick pinch basil 1 thick pinch rosemary 1 small pinch sage 1 small pinch fennel seeds (combined these make French Herb mix, which I never have, so instead I just add these amounts of what I do have on this list. If you do make the mix, use a teaspoon of it for this recipe.) Salt the beef and allow to rest while heating the olive oil in a pan. Sear the beef on all sides. Pour a dash of oil in the base of your crock pot. Add onion and garlic, stirring together with oil. Place the beef on top of the onion and garlic. In a bowl, mix the remaining ingredients together. Pour over the beef. Cook on low for 8-10 hours or high for 4-5 hours. French Herbs 3 tablespoons marjoram 3 tablespoons thyme 3 tablespoons savory 1 teaspoon basil 1 teaspoon rosemary 1/2 teaspoon sage 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds Recipe from Gluten Free Goddess Remember how we talked about choosing in advance how you were going to finish out the Whole30? Now is the time that you need to stand firm on those choices. I encourage you to take some time today to reflect and write down what your experience has been like. It is easy to backslide when we don't keep our experience at the forefront of our minds - and we all know our minds are full enough without having to constantly remind ourselves of what we gained. Writing these things down gives you something tangible to come back to when you are second guessing whether making hard commitments to your nutrition are worth it.
I get it. It is so much easier to eat whatever you feel like whenever you feel like it. It is so much easier to just eat without thought. Yet, when we commit to feeding our bodies well - as you have over the past month - we get a glimpse of what living with a healthy diet feels like. Quite literally. You experience more clarity in your day, longer lasting fullness due to consuming nutrient dense foods (which means less grazing and smaller portions), perhaps a decrease in irritable bowel symptoms (which can include bloating, gas, cramping). These are things that once we've experienced life without them we'd rather not go back to having them. So prepare yourself for the onslaught of temptation that is just around the corner. Arm yourself with the facts about your experience and stand strong in your choices. You can choose to continue to feed your body like this on a regular basis. It can be your new normal. However you do have the freedom to add non-compliant foods into your diet as well. Just remember, be aware of the foods that your body does not do well with and create healthy boundaries around them. You have the rest of your life to hammer out and perfect these details. Just take a few baby steps today to insure you remain on good nutritional path! As a coach I field all sorts of questions. I thought I'd take some time to answer the most common questions I hear for you . . . the masses.
How many times a week do you workout? This is by far the top question I get. My answer will probably shock you - in the terms you are asking, I workout three times a week. Getting to this number has been a journey for me! When I began going to Quinn's Gym I went twice a week. As I advanced in movement and metabolic capacity I increased my attendance to three times a week, then jumped to five times a week. In the past years, I have spent seasons of working out six days a week or even eight times a week when hitting two-a-days. You probably wonder what has changed that I now only workout three times. Well, I have learned - both through further education and personal experience - that three times a week in the garage is enough. By enough I don't just mean sufficient, I mean it is abundantly enough. Anything over three times a week in the garage and I actually begin to see deterioration in movement and strength gains. I am left zapped and often fighting off perpetual soreness and minor ailments. Three times a week in the garage gives me the chance to train my body in strength movements and cardiovascular capacity so that I can live a full life outside of the gym. I take the time freed up by not being in the gym to do other "workouts" - trail riding, hiking (especially with difficult terrain), and trail running are a few of my favorite activities outside of the garage. Getting to this number has all been a part of coming back to my goals time and time again and asking the question, am I making choices to have the life I want? Are my routines building up or destroying my quality of long-term wellness? When I realized my workouts were not aiding, but actually tearing me down I had to take an honest look at my approach. What do you do for workouts? A typical day in the garage looks like any day in a Frank Fitness class or personal session. Two of my three days I do strength work - which varies based on the strength cycle I'm in. Right now I'm doing a Front Squat and Shoulder Press cycle. Then, the third day, I'll pick a strength move of choice for "fun" - it could involve the barbell, kettlebells (like Turkish Getups), or even bodyweight work (like pull-ups or push-ups). Once the strength piece is finished I hit a good conditioning set. My aim is to keep things fresh and varied - both in duration and movement. One day I aim for a sprint workout (6-12 minutes), another falls in the mid-range (12-18 minutes), and then one endurance workout (18-30 minutes). All these choices help me stay strong, heart healthy, and fully functioning. How much sleep do you get? I preface this with, everybody's body is different and as such sleep needs vary. The important thing is giving your body the opportunity to show you how much it sleeps. This means getting to sleep early enough to allow yourself to wake up on your own accord (i.e. without an alarm) for a couple weeks. A challenge for sure, but worth it! I have found that I need nine hours of sleep - which obviously falls on the longer side. However it is what I need to function well, so I make a concerted effort to get my 9 hours every night. When I don't get them all in, I try to make time in my day somewhere to compensate. What does your nutrition look like? My goal is to keep it as simple as possible. The reality is, in addition to being a coach, I am a busy mom. My diet consists of whole foods and my aim is to keep processed food out of my belly as much as possible. I try to fill myself with so much goodness that I'm not hungry for junk. That said, I do eat foods many people dub as "bad" foods. I like a bit of dairy (mainly Greek yogurt, cream, butter, and a tiny bit of cheese), I eat some grains (I have a French toast weakness and I enjoy good granola in my yogurt), and I definitely partake in Peanut Butter M&M's and Twizzlers (especially when they're fresh)! These are exceptions though, not the rule. My diet is dictated by eating foods that sustain my body's nutritional needs (not just building muscle but, even more importantly, healthy functioning organs). This necessitates lots of healthy carbs - fruits and vegetables - to get the natural (not fortified) vitamins and minerals I need. A normal day might look like this:
And while this isn't a common question, it is a common response after these questions, so let's address it . . . Wow, that's great for you, that would never work for me! Actually, you're wrong (insert bomb drop). I know it's scary to deviate from what you've been told and believe. However, have you ever asked yourself why you believe what you do about how fitness is achieved? If you really boil it down, it is the fitness industry. Their job is to sell you fitness, therefore it is an industry. By nature, industry's motive is making bank. What happens is, instead of assessing the reality of what we are experiencing (feeling overworked, broken down, stressed out, and insufficient), we keep believing what we're being told. If we will consume more we will be happier and better off. In this case, if we add protein shakes, recovery supplements, and more workouts then we will finally reach our destination . . . majestic unicorn. However, if we dare to quit buying into the industry we might see we've been caught in a sneaky little rat race. We might realize we don't need protein shakes and supplements to aid recovery! We really just need a day or two of rest! We might understand that chasing the #fitspo is perpetuating the nagging feeling that we are insufficient. The belief that if we sweat more, work harder, and don't give up we will attain our dream body. Does what I say bother you? Does it make you feel like you wouldn't be doing enough? Does it make you roll your eyes at me? Good. Think about that. The truth I have found - through education and experience - is that this rat race lifestyle leaves me worn and, literally at times, broken. My body cannot keep up at those rates. So I have made the conscious choice to choose life. Which has brought me to the answers to above. Got more questions that I didn't address? Or new questions that these thoughts and perspectives made you think of? I'd love to get down to the nitty-gritty with ya! Shoot me a message or find time after class to chat it out! You guys, I would be keeping a wonderful secret from you if I didn't share this recipe with you! This is such a delicious and nutritious fix - you should add it to your regular rotation. Plus, you know me, I love things that are versatile and this recipe is just that. It is perfect for using as a base for your protein or reheating for breakfast and topping with an over easy egg. It is just so yummy. Added bonus, red cabbage packs a powerful nutrition punch! Check this out: On to the recipe . . .
Sauteed Red Cabbage 1 large yellow onion, thinly sliced 4 slices of bacon, chopped 1/2 head red cabbage, thinly sliced 2-4 tablespoons apple cider vinegar 1 teaspoon rosemary 1 teaspoon salt 1 green apple, cut in matchsticks or diced In a large saute pan on medium heat, brown bacon pieces. Remove bacon to a plate and set aside. Saute onion in remaining bacon grease. Stir in sliced red cabbage and cook until beginning to soften. Stir in apple cider vinegar, rosemary, and salt, cooking until cabbage is really soft. Stir in apple and cook until apple is desired tenderness. Serve topped with pulled pork or shredded chicken. Also delicious topped with homemade ground sausage or eggs. If you're feeding more than just yourself you've immediately jumped from straight forward cooking to complicated cooking. Trying to fix meals that make everyone happy can be a real challenge. One person loves broccoli, another can tolerate it, and another dry heaves if you make them eat it. We know trying new things can be a battle! You just never know if they'll love it or hate it. Not only that, when they hate it you've now got an exuberant amount of produce to be consumed. That's why I love this super, simple solution: the scrambler. The scrambler is made by taking 3-4 vegetables and fixing them together. This allows you to put some safe foods your family likes in and also add in 1 or 2 new ones, or even ones that not everyone is in love with. It's also a great way to let people try new things without tons of complaining and waste.
So choose your veggies. Add a tablespoon of cooking oil (olive oil, bacon grease, ghee) per pound of vegetables. Then, season them with some salt and pepper (or any other seasoning of choice). Then you can saute, roast, or grill them. Also, be sure to make an extra large batch of your scrambler as it makes for awesome leftovers! Scramble an egg in, add some diced chicken, or homemade sausage and you've got yourself multiple meals from one dish! Here's are a few mix-ups I really like:
Give it a shot and don't be afraid to try different combos! You may find the kitchen just became a happier place! One of my absolute favorite things is to make extra veggies with my dinners. Especially roasted veggies. Then for breakfast or lunch I heat them back up in a skillet and do one of two things.
Our first thought when we prepare to make a nutrition change is, "ugh, I won't be able to eat my . . . " Instead of dwelling on the deemed loss, today I want you to dwell on the gains. Sit down and make a list of the things you are excited to add. You read that right, make that brain work for you and flip your train of thought. Take each of those negative thoughts captive and replace them with a positive one. Does that sound so elementary? The truth is our thoughts are a huge battleground. If we can control what's happening in our head it is much easier to make the rest of the body follow. Honestly there are so many things to be gained. Here's a short list for me:
A few years ago I was bamboozled into watching a documentary. My husband kept saying we needed to watch it and said his co-worker swore it was an amazing movie. It's called, "That Sugar Film." Friends, the title itself had me shying away. I was well into my fitness journey, had already transitioned our nutrition and thought I had things pretty on point. Then we watched the documentary. Mind. Blown. This is what happened.
As a family we used to watch a movie every Saturday night, rotating which family member made the movie selection. Hubby had talked about this movie for over a month and nobody was jumping at the opportunity to watch it. First off, it sounded boring! Second off, we were already eating really clean. Third off, just ugh. So as his selection approached we knew we were going to be forced into viewing it. To appease all of our dreading hearts we fixed a fun family dinner together and the youngest two took care of dessert (because we did dessert on Saturday night as a treat). One whipped up some killer peanut butter cup shakes while the other made homemade whip topping. Can I say . . . ah-may-zing! We plop down for the viewing with our cupful of yumminess and prepare to endure the suffering of yet another of Dad's documentary selections. This was a bit of the the beginning of the end and coming to a new place of understanding. We learned about sugar on a whole new level. The intricate way it hijacks your system, the detrimental effects it has on our wellness, and the power of eating nature's bounty! What I didn't expect was how angry I would feel. So angry. Corporations who have weaseled science in their favor to keep their industry booming. Heads of operations that know the ill effects and shamefully indoctrinate the uneducated into believing a lie. I could not comprehend how greed could run so deep that you would willfully lead people into disease and illness just to keep your pocket deep and fat. Watch the movie, it is so educating and, actually, quite entertaining. For me though, it made me realize we are really up against Goliath. When we set out to pursue our health we are fighting against so many things. The corporations who want you consuming their products - products known to lack nutritional value and lead you into physical ailments. The corporations that want you to take their drugs to make you well instead of eating and exercising to keep you well - to get that easy quick fix. Here's the thing, in the long run these are all things that are going to decrease the quality of your life. Which brings me around to a conversation that's been happening a lot more often in the garage. When you are consistently putting in physical work and aren't seeing the change you want you end up asking yourself, "what's going on here? Why am I not seeing the gains for all my hard work?" Which ultimately brings you to nutrition. Which immediately feels like sitting in the bottom of the deepest, darkest well you can ever imagine. This is a fair feeling because there is so much stacked against you. All these businesses that want you to eat crap, to be sick, to not care because it keeps them in business. They're in your face, they're in your pantry, they're the bulk of the grocery store, they're everywhere telling you to just take the easy route (and they yummy route). We HAVE to be educated to be able to change. Period. We will never change if we don't know better. Why would we? Build your knowledge and use it as your power to pursue your wellness. To get off the drugs. To move better. To be healthy. To quit dying the silent and slow American death served to us on a plate. Diabetes. Heart disease. High blood pressure. Obesity. |
AuthorMy name is Tiffany and I am the owner and trainer at Frank Fitness, a garage gym. I provide workouts to increase/maintain cardiovascular wellness and build strength. My goal is to help athletes maintain life-long wellness. Archives
January 2018
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