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If you’re looking for a homemade side to go with some grilled meat then this is wonderful recipe to try. It’s filled with wholesome carbs, fiber and loads of real food nutrition.
This recipe is a great way to enjoy protein-filled quinoa. Winter squash combined with celery, onion and parsley makes a healthy and comforting side dish.

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What You Need
Serves 10
2 yellow onions, diced
4 celery stalks, diced
4 carrots, diced
2 cups diced squash, butternut or any other fall or winter squash
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 Tablespoon pure maple syrup
dash of freshly ground sea salt
zest and juice from 1 lemon
2 cups filtered water
1 cup quinoa
4 sprigs of parsley, finely minced
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Place the onions, celery, carrots and squash in a large bowl. Mix in the oil and syrup, then sprinkle the salt and lemon zest. Mix until well combined and then place on a shallow baking dish. Cover the dish and bake for 40 minutes. After 40 minutes remove cover and cook for another 15 minutes.
3. While the vegetables are in the oven, put the quinoa and water in a saucepan, cover and bring to a boil over medium heat. Cook for about 25 minutes over low heat, until the water is absorbed.
4. Combine the vegetables and cooked quinoa together with the lemon juice and parsley. Serve warm or chilled.
Nutrition
One serving equals: 95 calories, 1g fat, 19g carbohydrate, 2.5g fiber, and 4g protein.
I hope that you get a chance to give this recipe a try this week. Remember that I’m only a call or email away to assist you in all things fitness. And if you are not yet one of my prized clients then call or email me now to set up your first workout – I’d love to help you achieve your best body ever!

If you could live a longer, healthier life by taking a small pill each day, you'd do it wouldn't you? You’d be crazy not to! With this fact in mind, the incredible growth of dietary supplements makes sense. It's estimated one out of every three Americans currently takes some sort of nutritional supplement each day. According to government statistics, more than $11 billion is spent each year on vitamins and minerals in the U.S. alone!
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This extreme interest in health and nutrition is, unfortunately, fueled by false advertisement. The Internet, television, and product labels make claims not backed by science, fooling millions and reaping a sizable paycheck. And in America, supplements are regulated by the Food and Drug Administration the same way that foods are, not as if they are medications. This means supplement manufacturers aren't required to back their claims by science.
In your quest for fitness, don't be fooled by these three myths surrounding the use of nutritional supplements.
Myth #1: “More Is Better”
If vitamins, minerals, botanicals, and herbs are good for you and available over the counter, they must be safe to take in high doses, right? Science has proven otherwise. You feel a cold coming on so you pop the vitamin C pills and lozenges to ward it off, but too much of certain vitamins and minerals can be dangerous. For example, when you overdose on vitamin C, your body loses its ability to absorb copper; too much phosphorous and your body can't absorb enough calcium; vitamins A, D, and K can build up to toxic levels when large doses are taken; too much vitamin A will put you at risk for osteoporosis; vitamin E may increase your risk of stroke; and iron your risk of heart disease. And you thought those supplements came with no risks.
When choosing a multivitamin and other supplement, look for ones that contain no more than 100 percent of each ingredient and be careful of combining a multivitamin with another vitamin supplement.
Myth #2: “A Supplement Will Make Up for My Unhealthy Diet”
Hate vegetables? Drink too much caffeine? Like to skip breakfast? Well, be wary of relying solely on supplements to make up for your nutritional deficiencies. Your body is better able to absorb nutrients from real food, so supplements should only be taken as icing on your healthy cake. Besides, relying on supplements to fill in nutritional gaps can put you at risk for the overdosing dangers mentioned above.
With a healthy diet that includes plenty of fruits, vegetables and lean proteins, you’ve got little room for the need of supplements. Eating a healthy well-rounded diet will also provide millions of phytonutrients unavailable in supplement form. It also helps your supplements be more effective when you do take them, as supplements are made less effective when taken on an empty stomach.
Myth #3: “I Can Trust the Claims of Supplement Labels”
Many supplement containers describe the health benefits their ingredients aim to provide. These range from increased vitality to improved disease immunity. Great as these claims may sound, they are not backed up by significant, proper research. They are, however, great marketing tools that will pull you in and trick you right out of your money.
It isn’t surprising that the claims of supplements aren’t proven by anything other than anecdotal evidence. Recently, independent research found that 30 percent of products labeled as multivitamins do not include the ingredients in the amounts listed on the labels and occasionally contain dangerous ingredients.
If you haven’t yet become one of my valued clients then now is the time! I’d like to show you how a consistent, challenging exercise program will dramatically transform your body – once and for all!

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Here’s a salad high in protein, low in carbs and big on flavor. It’s a hybrid of egg and tuna salad and the result is creamy, satisfying and nutritious. The crunchy bites of tangy pickle are fantastic.
This recipe is great to pack for lunch to keep you on track with your healthy eating throughout your workday. Enjoy!



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What You Need
Serves 4
1 (6oz) can albacore tuna, in water, drained and flaked
4 hard boiled eggs, chopped
¼ cup pickles, chopped
¼ cup plain Greek yogurt
1 Tablespoon fresh parsley, minced
½ teaspoon sea salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
4 butter lettuce leaves for serving
Instructions
1. In a large bowl combine the tuna, eggs, pickles, yogurt, parsley, sea salt and pepper. Mix well until creamy and fully combined.
2. Chill the salad for 20 minutes and then serve on the large lettuce leaves. Enjoy!
Nutrition
One serving equals: 117 calories, 5g fat, 1g carbohydrate, 1g fiber, and 16g protein.
I hope that you get a chance to give this recipe a try this week. Remember that I’m only a call or email away to assist you in all things fitness. And if you are not yet one of my prized clients then call or email me now to set up your first workout – I’d love to help you achieve your best body ever!

​You wake up each morning with every intention of eating “good” today.
You’ll skip the drive thru line on your way to work. You’ll refuse to get fast food with co-workers at lunch. You’ll boycott the vending machine in the mid-afternoon. And you won’t even think about having dessert after dinner.
But then your cravings kick in…
Your friend drops by with a big fluffy muffin and a latte for breakfast. A group of co-workers invite you to that greasy spoon down the street for lunch. Cake is passed around at the mid-afternoon staff meeting. And after dinner your honey surprises you with a bowl of your favorite ice cream.
You tell yourself that tomorrow will be different.
Tomorrow you won’t give in to food cravings.
But then tomorrow comes with its own special circumstances, and cravings get the best of you once again.
Why Do Food Cravings Always Win?
Let’s face it, we live in a world where food temptations are everywhere…which leads to cravings, which leads to eating things that you shouldn’t, which leads to pounds gained. Again. And again. And again. Until you’re so fed up with your body that you don’t even know where to begin to get yourself back on track.
Stores display the most tantalizing junk food items right where you could easily reach them. TV commercials for greasy, fattening foods portray them so scrumptiously that you literally salivate. Sugary snack items have full-page, glossy pictures in your favorite magazines. And as if all of these weren’t enough, the people in your daily life are another (constant) source of food temptation.
To make matters worse, you’ve been conditioned since childhood to have a positive association with the act of indulging in your cravings. You use food as a reward. You use food as a source of emotional comfort. You use food as a way to relieve stress. And quickly these associations and uses of food become habit. A habit that’s not easily broken.
New Technique to End Food Cravings
Food cravings don’t need to have the upper hand on you anymore. Here’s how you can fight back using your most powerful asset: your brain.
Remember that your mind is an amazing thing. Once your mind is made up about something it’s nearly impossible to change it.
Try This Powerful Mind Exercise: Imagine that you are peacefully floating down a river on a raft. The sun is shining, birds are chirping, and you are having a fun, relaxing time. You feel wonderful about the river because it’s making you feel happy.
Now change perspectives for a moment. You’re now in a plane flying over the river and the raft. Instantly our eye is drawn to an enormous rocky waterfall. Then you look back to the person floating on the raft, having a wonderful time, headed straight for the treacherous falls.
With this new perspective of the river, do you think that you’d agree to get on a raft and take your chances floating toward the falls? Laughable, right? You’ve seen the hidden danger of the river. You know it leads to pain and suffering.
Now your negative association (watery death) with the river has replaced your initial positive association (relaxing fun).
This is the key to overcoming food temptations and putting an end to food cravings: building negative associations in place of existing positive ones. I’ll break this process down for you in two steps:
Step One: Create a STRONG Negative Association with Unhealthy Food
You may not have realized it, but up until this point you’ve placed unhealthy, fattening foods on a pedestal in your mind. As long as the wrong foods are on that pedestal you’ll continue to give into your cravings and will continue to gain fat.
Take the wrong food off that pedestal by listing off everything negative about them…
✓ These foods make you unhealthy.
✓ These foods cause weight gain.
✓ These foods drain your energy.
✓ These foods kill your confidence.
✓ These foods lessen your quality of life.
✓ These foods damage your love life.
Every time that you feel tempted to eat an unhealthy food, focus on your list of negatives. Kick the junk off the pedestal and put something healthy in its place.
Step Two: Create a STRONG Positive Association with Wholesome Foods
Now that your mental food pedestal has been cleared, put truly wholesome food items on it. Juicy fresh fruit, crispy vegetables and savory lean meats are the place to start.
List off the things that you love about healthy food...
✓ These foods make you healthy.
✓ These foods promote fat loss.
✓ These foods boost your energy.
✓ These foods build your confidence.
✓ These foods improve your quality of life.
✓ These foods enhance your love life.
I encourage you to immerse yourself into the world of healthy, wholesome foods. Browse the aisles of your local natural foods store. Stroll through a farmer’s market. Pack healthy snacks to bring to work. Clear your kitchen of junk.
Use the technique above consistently and you will soon find that healthy, wholesome foods are your favorite. And craving the wrong foods will be a thing of your past.
Call or email me today and I’ll get you started on a fitness program that will change your life and your body forever!

​Who needs fast food when you have delicious soup at home? Making a large pot of homemade soup will set you up for days of healthy quick meals!
This soup is filled with nutritious ingredients like fresh kale and pinto beans which lend savory flavors and wholesome fiber. Swapping out a heavy meal with a light cup of this homemade soup is a fantastic way to reduce your overall calories for the day and to help you make progress towards your fitness goal.
What You Need
Serves 10
1 cup dried pinto beans
1 large yellow onion
1 Tablespoon olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups filtered water
2 bouillon cubes
dash of freshly ground sea salt
dash of freshly ground pepper
2 bay leaves
2 teaspoons dried rosemary, crushed between your fingers
5 large carrots, diced
2 bunches kale, chopped
Instructions
1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add the beans and cook for 60-90 minutes. Drain and set aside.
2. In your soup pot heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and cook for 5 minutes.
3. Add the cooked beans, water, bouillon, salt, pepper, bay leaves, rosemary, and carrots. Simmer for 15-20 minutes. Add the kale and cook another 15 minutes or until kale is tender. Add more water if needed.
Remove the bay leaves, add more salt and pepper if needed.
Nutrition
One serving equals: 112 calories, 2g fat, 20g carbohydrate, 7.3g fiber, and 6g protein.
I hope that you get a chance to give this recipe a try this week. Remember that I’m only a call or email away to assist you in all things fitness. And if you are not yet one of my prized clients then call or email me now to set up your first workout – I’d love to help you achieve your best body ever!

Talk to 10 people and you'll get 10 different opinions on the best way to get fit.
One will tell you to attend an aerobics class. Another will swear by jogging.  Yet another will tell you that dance and biking worked for them.
The truth is that there's really only one effective way to get fit. Before I get into the details, it’s important that we agree on the definition of 'fit'.
Too often thin is mistaken for fit, and that's not what you should strive for.
When someone is thin, but has very little muscle tissue, they aren't truly fit.
Here’s why thin doesn’t equal fit:

• Their body fat percentage will be higher than ideal—even though you won't see a lot of fat on them, if their muscle percentage is low then fat percentage will be higher.
• Their resting metabolism will be low, since little muscle is present to burn calories at rest.
• Their body won't be functionally strong, which will lead to injuries and frustrations.

So how does one get truly fit? It’s this simple: Resistance Training.
Resistance training is when resistance is used to challenge your muscles in order to gain strength and endurance. You could do this with traditional weights, exercise bands, medicine balls, cable machines, sandbags, kettle bells or even just using your own body weight.
Consistent resistance training has the following side effects…

• Strength and muscle tone
• Cardiovascular capacity
• Speed, Agility and Flexibility
• Resistance to injury and disease

If that’s not enough to convince you that resistance training is the only way to truly become fit, then read on…
Top 9 Benefits to Resistance Training
1. To Build Muscle and Gain Strength: Don’t worry, ladies. This does NOT mean that you’re going to ‘bulk up’ or look too masculine. What will happen is that your arms, tummy and legs will become tighter, leaner and more defined.
2. To Lose Fat: When it comes to losing size, all that you want to see go is fat, not muscle. Strength training ensures that you maintain and grow those muscles and only lose fat.
3. To Build Strong Bones: The older we get, the more important our bone density is. A good strength training program is one of your best defenses when it comes to osteoporosis.
4. To Alleviate Anxiety, Stress and Depression: Sure there are plenty of pills out there that claim to give these benefits, but you and I both know that strength training is more wholesome and effective way. And besides, who really wants pharmaceutical side effects?
5. To Sleep Better: Here’s another pill you can stop taking once you start strength training. Study after study have proven that strength training improves sleep.
6. To Improve Chronic Back Pain: If you are one of the millions across the globe who suffer from back pain then you’ll love the benefit of lowered pain.
7. To Improve Insulin Sensitivity: Today diabetes is a huge threat. Minimize your risk by improving insulin sensitivity through regular, challenging strength training.
8. To Improve Good to Bad Cholesterol Ratio: Here is yet another pill that you could potentially stop taking while on a strength training routine. Blood pressure and heart health are of utmost concern, so why not give yourself the advantage of a strength training routine?
9. To Raise your Metabolism: This helps to reduce body fat and to keep that body fat off, even on the days that you aren’t able to exercise. Pretty awesome, right?
A solid resistance training routine will tone your legs, lift your buns, strengthen your core, and will result in inches and pounds lost.
If you’re ready to begin your body transformation then feel free to reach out to me.
Call or email me today and we will get you started on the exercise program that will reshape your body once and for all!