The Cook & The Coach Blog

Parties and events: How to stay in control of your eating!

8/29/2014

How do you handle your food choices when you go party or an event? We see two typical responses from a lot of our challengers.

They stress out and experience anxiety about what they are going to choose to eat. They ask themselves a hundred questions like will there be healthy options, what should I drink, should I bring my own food, or what will people think if I choose the healthier options? These people usually end up not eating anything or very little.
The second group over indulges, usually because of a "screw it" mentality. They make a couple of less than desirable decisions and just let that domino into a whole bunch of bad decisions.

Here are 5 tips to help you not fall into either of these categories:

Change your mindset before arriving at a party or event and don't plan on being perfect. Go in with the mindset that you are going to eat or drink a few "unhealthy" things. That way when you do grab that piece of cheesecake or have that cheeseburger on a white bun you don't freak out and fall into category 2.
If it is just a dinner party or cocktail type event in the evening, focus on making the rest of your day rock solid. Get a healthy breakfast, lunch and couple of snacks in throughout the day. This will help you not binge on everything you see,since you aren't going into the event super hungry. Your body will also have been fed most, if not all, the daily nutrients you need so it won't crave certain types of food. As soon as those cravings kick in, it is a lot harder to say no to the fried mac n cheese balls....I'm talking from personal experience here.
If there is a buffet type food setup, there are almost always a few healthier options. I always like to scan the buffet and mentally rate the foods. I like to know what my options are before I just start grabbing everything at the beginning of the line. This way once you get to the end you don't have that urge to put extra food on your plate because "you really love chicken" or whatever that item is you can't resist. By figuring out the things you really want to have, you can avoid those items that are just "ok" and avoid overeating.

Another thing in regards to buffet type events is to have a balanced plate. By that I mean try to load up on non-starchy veggies and protein. Most buffet lines usually have hunks of meat and some sort of salad. Try to make those the majority of your plate. If you can avoid the pastas, breads, and rice. I would also encourage you to share a desert with someone.
Alcohol... Yeah this is a tough one for some to avoid or regulate. If you can do one thing I would encourage you to eat before you start drinking. As we all know alcohol lowers inhibitions and clouds judgement, so if you are 3-4 cocktails deep and then you hit the buffet line, chances are everything I mentioned above is going to go out the window.

I would recommend setting a number of drinks you plan on having ahead of time. If you struggle to say no when someone offers you another drink, I would recommend looking at cutting back in other areas. Alcohol is essentially liquid carbs, so if you are going to be drinking your carbs, avoid eating your carbs.
Don't be ashamed to make healthy decisions. I'm speaking from personal experience on this point too. It's funny how if you fill half your plate up with salad or eat a hamburger without a bun that you are the "weird" one. I've gotten looks and received comments from friends when I do these types of things, or if it is a potluck event and I bring a quinoa salad. :) I used to let it get to me, and let it make me feel like I didn't fit in. Now, I'm completely OK with being different because I am confident in the decisions that I make. Don't worry friends, if I see you at a party and you are chowing down on brats, french fries, potato chips, and brownies I'm NOT judging...I'm just trying to set an example! There is a better way.

So this weekend...try to implement just one of these things!
It's not about being perfect.
It's about changing little things here and there and changing your mindset!

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Sweet Potato and Beet Hashbrowns

8/27/2014

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Who doesn't love some delicious buttery hashbrowns, right? They are a guilty pleasure of mine when I go out for breakfast. Since I started eating healthier one food that I've cut out of my diet has been white potatoes. For me, I look at white potatoes as a treat in the form of french fries or hashbrowns. We've substituted sweet potatoes for our starch of choice, which is a healthier version instead of your standard white potato. This recipe was just a combination of what we had around the house, but was based on a dish that I had at a restaurant that did a beet hash with white potatoes.

On top of this dish I just included a couple of delicious poached eggs and an easy hollandaise sauce. If you have never made a poached egg, it is a lot easier than you might think! All you need to do is bring 4 inches of water to a low boil in a medium saucepan. Add 1 tbsp of vinegar to acidulate the water: this keeps the egg whites together so that it doesn't turn into egg drop soup. You will want to crack your egg in a small bowl to make sure your yolk stays together and that you can easily drop it into the water. If you are doing multiple eggs you will want to drop them into the water separately. Before you drop the eggs, the last thing you will want to do is swirl the water in your pot with a spoon, this will also help keep your eggs together. Once you drop them in the water, start the timer and cook for 3-4 minutes depending on the consistency of the yolk that you prefer.

Making a hollaindaise sauce does require a little bit of technique, the key is to have all of your ingredients ready, because once you start thickening your yolks, things will move fast. I just used this recipe and added 1 tbsp of stone ground mustard the same time that this recipe calls for adding the salt and cayenne. Hollandaise Sauce Recipe

Ingredients

Directions

1 sweet potato, grated
2 medium beets, grated
2 tbsp bacon drippings or butter
Salt and pepper

If you have a food processor with a grating attachment I would recommend using that to grate both the potato and beets. If not, you can use a regular box grater to grate them.
Transfer the grated beets and potato to the center of a old but clean towel. Twist the open end of the towel so that you wring out as much of liquid as you can. This will help crisp up your hashbrowns.
We used an electric skillet set to 350 degrees to cook the hashbrowns. You could also use a large fry pan over medium heat. Add your bacon drippings or butter to your pan, then add the grated potato, beet mixture. Spread out evenly in the pan, roughly a 1/3 of an inch thick.
Cook for 10 minutes, then flip the hashbrowns and cook for an additional 10 minutes.
Top with poached eggs and hollaindaise sauce. ENJOY!!!

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MADE FOR MORE...

8/20/2014

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I've been thinking about this blog post every since I came back from Las Vegas in June when we were down there for our annual Beachbody Summit event. The first training session that we went to while we were down there was put on by 2013 Top Coach Lindsay Matway. She has an amazing story of how she was a bartender in a ton of debt, had child out of wedlock with health issues, and going in the wrong direction in life. She then found Beachbody and a few years later she is making 7 figures and changing people's lives. If you want to read her full story you can head over to her blog, Lindsay Matway - About Me.

At the event she hosted, she had a handful of her top coaches come and speak and share their experiences. She also handed out this simple bracelet that you see in the picture above. On one side it says, MADE FOR MORE, and on the other side, SHINE 2014. The theme of the training was to SHINE. That we, as coaches (and people) need to be a light of good news and possibilities to share with people that are lost in their careers, lost with their health, or just need help figuring out who they are and that they are made for more. So, I've been wearing this bracelet ever since the event as a reminder that I can make a difference, and I need to let my light shine.

It is with the idea, that we were MADE FOR MORE, that inspired me to write this blog. The idea of this post has scared me beyond belief. One, I know people will question and doubt me. People won't understand and will question me. Two, I've never shared this before, and people probably have never thought of me as being this bold because my personality is usually pretty reserved. Lastly, by putting myself out there, I'm now responsible to follow through.

So what is it that has me nervous? I have a goal: I WANT TO CHANGE THE WORLD. Will I be able to change all 7 billion people in the world? Probably not, but I'm going to try. All I know is that it starts with one person, then two, then three and so on. My hope is then that those people will have an impact on their sphere of influence, and the ripple effect of that can reach everywhere eventually. For the longest time I had the mindset, that I'm just a blip on the radar that what I do doesn't matter. I think back to my 9th grade geometry teacher, Mr. Lasley, and every time I see him he has the same message for me that goes something like this; "SUEDBECK!!!, You could do so much more!" Up to this point he has always followed my career as a golf professional. Geometry came easy to me and I was one standout students, so I think he thought that I was capable of something far more complex and challenging than fixing golf swings. So, Mr. Lasley, I accept your challenge, I'm going to do so much more.

The one obvious area that Laura and I hope to have an influence is in nutrition and healthy living. Through Beachbody we have been given an incredible vehicle to promote a healthy lifestyle through proper nutrition and exercise. We get to work with people daily, and it is when we get messages like this that we truly know we're making some sort of difference!

"The best thing to come from this group has been that it has changed my way of thinking. I shop around the perimeter of the grocery store (as you said) consisting of mostly vegetables, fruit, and a small amount of meat/dairy. It feels good to eat fresh food! I enjoy the preparation and cooking of different meals than I am used to. It's been over a month since I've been to Subway, Culver's, etc, which I know is a great thing. I feel like I have a "plan" that I can continue with for the rest of my life."

I read things like this and I know I'm on the right track. I think it is so important to help people see the benefit in taking care of themselves through nutrition and exercise prior to having health problems. I truly believe the food we eat and the activities we do are the best medicine a person can use. I think our society has been conditioned to accept the fact that they will get sick and in that case there is a drug or surgery for their disease. I used to think that way too. Now I realize just how absurd that is because I've seen what the proper nutrition has done for me and the people I have worked with in our groups.

Another area that we hope to have influence is through the Beachbody Coaching opportunity. This incredible opportunity came into our lives and has changed the way we look at "work" and how we make an income. When Laura started we never thought this could be our full time job, but we've seen over the past two years that with just a little bit of consistency every day...this part time, home business can and will turn into something that's much bigger than either of us. Our goal is to completely replace both of our "regular" incomes with Beachbody incomes by next Summer/Fall so we can focus solely on helping people live a healthier life. By sharing this coaching opportunity with others and mentoring/coaching them....and helping them gain the freedom (financial, time etc...) THEY want is part of our goals! We LOVE our family of coaches on Team Fully Fit and want to help them reach their goals just as much as we want to reach ours.

Lastly and definitely the most important: our lives would not be what they are without our relationship with Jesus Christ. Sharing HIS love and who HE is through our words and actions...no matter what... is the most important thing in our lives. This can happen in so many different ways but honestly it all comes down to "getting the love thing right". Our pastor uses that phrase a lot and it resonates so much with us because there are many different ways you can love people...BUT loving them unconditionally, no matter their choices, is something we can't do in OUR power...it just won't happen. We need Jesus.

We also love the vision statement at the church we go to: We are a community with open hands, receiving from God all He wants to give, believing He wants to give us a lot. And with open hands we give it away, believing we cannot out-give God. It is through this receiving and giving that we can really make a difference. We know that if we can spread His love, people will change, communities will change, nations will change, the world will change...all for His glory and for the better.

I want to end with a story that I recently heard and a song that also ties it all together. Both talk about the importance that one individual can make on another individual. Far too often we look at all the problems we see in this world and we think that there is no way we can do anything, that the problems of this world are too big. But WHAT IF, instead of looking at these problems as a whole we each decided to do just a little bit, what kind of difference would that make?? You may not have the same passions as we do but I'm sure there is something that you are passionate about!! Find what that is and use it! You too, were MADE FOR MORE!

“Once upon a time, there was a wise man who used to go to the ocean to do his writing. He had a habit of walking on the beach before he began his work.

One day, as he was walking along the shore, he looked down the beach and saw a human figure moving like a dancer. He smiled to himself at the thought of someone who would dance to the day, and so, he walked faster to catch up.

As he got closer, he noticed that the figure was that of a young man, and that what he was doing was not dancing at all. The young man was reaching down to the shore, picking up small objects, and throwing them into the ocean.

He came closer still and called out "Good morning! May I ask what it is that you are doing?"

The young man paused, looked up, and replied "Throwing starfish into the ocean."

"I must ask, then, why are you throwing starfish into the ocean?" asked the somewhat startled wise man.

To this, the young man replied, "The sun is up and the tide is going out. If I don't throw them in, they'll die."

Upon hearing this, the wise man commented, "But, young man, do you not realize that there are miles and miles of beach and there are starfish all along every mile? You can't possibly make a difference!"

At this, the young man bent down, picked up yet another starfish, and threw it into the ocean. As it met the water, he said, "It made a difference for that one.”

― Loren Eiseley

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Chickpea and Swiss Chard Curry Soup

8/12/2014

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This soup was something we just threw together the other night as an attempt to eat something spicy to get baby moving a bit. The soup was delicious but didn't do it's job to help move along labor. You could certainly modify this to include whatever veggies you have in your house. We happened to have some swiss chard that we picked up from the farmer's market this past weekend so it worked out great.

Ingredients

Soup Ingredients

1 medium onion, diced
3 celery stalks, diced
3 large carrots, diced
1 bunch of swiss chard
3 garlic cloves, diced
2 15 oz cans of chickpeas, liquid drained
1 can coconut milk
8 cups water or broth
2 tbsp curry powder
1 tsp cayenne powder (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste

Quinoa Ingredients

1 1/2 cups uncooked quinoa
3 cups water or broth

Directions

In a large pot or dutch oven sautee onions, celery, carrots, swiss chard stems, and garlic for 10 minutes or until softened.
Add remaining ingredients and simmer for at least 30 minutes, 1 hour would be better.
Meanwhile cook your quinoa in another saucepan.
Serve soup over quinoa and could garnish with a little cilantro if you wish.

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Enchiladas with Black Bean Sauce

8/8/2014

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Growing up my mom used to always make enchiladas and it was one of our favorite meals. No offense to my mom but her recipe hardly resembled a traditional enchilada. They were delicious probably due to the cream of mushroom soup that she put in them, along with the hormel chili and white flour tortillas. To my mom's defense, she really didn't know how to use the internet to find a traditional recipe or a healthier option for making her recipe. She also didn't have much of a Mexican influence when it came to food. The closest thing we got to Mexican food was Taco Johns... :)

So I decided to take this favorite childhood dish, and eliminate the processed foods and add a couple more components. I really hope you all enjoy this because we certainly did. You could smear this black bean sauce on a car tire and it would be delicious.

Black Bean Sauce

Ingredients

1 15 oz can of black beans
2 tbsp tomato paste
2 tbsp honey
2 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper

Directions

Combine all the ingredients in a medium saucepan and cook or medium heat for 10 minutes. Then reduce heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes.
Add the mixture to a blender or food processor and pulse until it is mostly smooth but still has a few chunks left in it.

Enchiladas

Ingredients

1 lb ground turkey
1 medium red onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, diced
1 15 oz can of dice tomatoes
1/4 cup of tomato paste (I used the remainder of the can of tomato paste)
1/4 cup chipotle sauce, feel free to adjust to the spice level you want
2 tbsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
Salt and pepper to taste
6 whole wheat tortillas or corn tortillas
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Directions

In a saucepan, cook onions in a little olive oil for 5 minutes, until slightly softened
Add ground turkey and garlic and cook until turkey is slightly browned and cooked all the way through.
Add the remaining ingredients and simmer for 15 minutes.
To assembly spoon a small amount of the turkey mixture into the bottom of a 11 x 7 baking dish. The layer should just cover the bottom of the dish.
To assemble the rest of the dish, spoon about 1/2 cup of the turkey mixture in each of the tortilla shells. Spread it evenly across the tortilla, then roll up and lay in the pan. Repeat for all 6 tortillas.
Spread an even layer of of the black bean sauce on top of the rolled tortillas. Top with the cheese and bake in a 400 degree oven for 15 minutes.

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Dan's Focus T25 Results

8/6/2014

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We talk a lot about nutrition, changing habits, exercise, and recipes. So you might think we have always eaten healthy, or don't struggle with the same issues that you have. Wrong. As the picture above shows, I didn't always have a 6 pack and defined chest and arms. Believe it or not the picture on the left is actually after I had already lost 15 pounds. The first 15 pounds came off solely through nutrition and food using the Ultimate Reset, which is a 21 day program.

Prior to the Ultimate Reset I was eating pretty crappy food, with some good stuff mixed in every once in a while. After the Reset, I flipped that, I was eating mainly good food, with a little bit of crappy food mixed into my diet. That change I made with my diet was by joining one of Laura's Challenge Groups. This group put the pressure on me to make good decisions DAILY, because I knew at the end of the day I would have to tell the group if I ate chicken strips and french fries. It was that pressure that helped me start making better decisions.

Although kale and sweet potatoes can help you with a lot of things nutritionally, they don't help you build muscle. So the other piece of my transformation was doing a new program at the time called Focus T25. This program was created by Shaun T, the same guy that created Insanity.

One of the main factors that helped me stay on track was that this program was only 25 minutes. YES...you can get results without working out for hours at the gym. When I started this program in June, 2012, I was working as a golf professional, so I was right in the heart of my busy season. I was working 50+ hours per week, sometimes up to 80 hours/week. So the time piece was crucial for me to still get my workouts in, on top of my day job. Coming home after a 12 hour work day that started at 6:00 a.m., I faced the same conflicting thoughts on whether to workout or not...that you probably battle! There were definitely some days where I missed workouts and also other days where I just wasn't motivated.

The thing that got me to workout on on those days, was my commitment to the group I was a part of. Just like with my eating, I was being held accountable for my daily actions. The decision to do the workouts was already made for me. I didn't look at it as an option. I wanted to give this group all I had for 60 days and see what would happen to my body and how I felt. I focused on my nutrition with Shakeology and eating right. I did my workouts. I got results. It really is that simple. There isn't a magic pill or potion that I took to see the results I did. It came through those daily choices, and not viewing them as optional. In my mind, if I would have seen these choices as merely optional, then that would give me a way to get out of it with excuses or when I didn't feel like it.

The combination of a workout program you can fit into your day (Focus T25), proper nutrition,(including Shakeology), and having people that will hold you accountable for the decisions you are making (Challenge Groups), I KNOW is the best way to see the results you are after and ingrain lasting healthy habits. If this combination sounds like something you want to try the Focus T25 and Shakeology bundle is on sale this month and we have a group starting August 18th!! There are plenty of other programs that are proven to be successful as well, and we would love to help you find the the one that best suits your ability and lifestyle.

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5 Ways to Battle Your Sugar/Carb Cravings

8/5/2014

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I've found personally that one of the quickest ways to feel better and lose weight is to cut out your simple carbohydrates. The two places that these sneak into your diet is in the form of sugar or processed grains. I have pretty much eliminated these from my diet and have seen some amazing changes. When I do eat them now, it's amazing how they make me feel. I usually end up getting a headache and feel an energy crash within about 2 hours. I'm not a trained nutritionist but I'm pretty certain this happens due to a massive spike in my blood sugar, which then causes spikes in insulin. In the long term, this can lead to what is called insulin resistance...which in a lot of people will lead to weight gain and possibly type 2 diabetes.

So here are my top 5 tips for reducing your intake of sweets and those simple carbs that come in the form or pizza, pasta, and breads.

1. If you struggle with a sweet tooth, the first solution is to just flat out go cold turkey and get all things sweet out of the house or work setting. Knowing when these cravings typically come on is key to knowing when you need to distance yourself from sweets. Do you enjoy something sweet after meals or late at night? These two used to be my triggers and ice cream was my solution. Going cold turkey was my method when I first cut sweets out of my diet. Now I can regulate much better because I know to listen to my body. My sweets now are usually dark chocolate, so a much healthier alternative. If you are like me and struggle with the will power to say no, going cold turkey and eliminating these simple carbs from your pantry is probably the best way to avoid them.

2. If the cold turkey method isn't doable due to family or coworkers that aren't on the same journey as you then my second solution is to substitute. If you know you crave something sweet after a meal, and the candy dish at work is close by, bring a piece of fruit with you. Fruit is a great natural sugar, and although it still needs to be consumed in moderation, if the option is a chocolate chip cookie or an apple, well that this a pretty easy choice. I'm even a fan of dark chocolate, but make sure it is at least 70% cacao.

3. The substitution path also works great with your refined grains, pizza, pasta, white rice. Making substitutions to whole wheat pizza dough or a cauliflower crust, using whole wheat pasta, brown rice instead of white, or even better would be quinoa instead of rice. If you like your baked goods you can even go as far as using almond or coconut flour. These flours usually tend to be easier on a person's digestive system.

4. PLAN, duh you knew this one was going to be in here right. We talk about this so much....not because we can't think of better things but because we truly know this is the best way to stay on track and not be thrown off by temptations. When planning your day or week out, actually decide ahead of time where you will have that cookie or ice cream. Plan your meals out so that you don't get caught off guard. When we get caught off guard we usually resort to something easy and quick like a drive thru or picking up a pizza. This also goes for when you know you are going to be in tempting situations. If you are going out to eat with friends or happy hour with coworkers, do a little research beforehand! Pick out the dish you know you should get so that you aren't tempted to order other options when you scanning the menu for the first time in the restaurant.

5. Give in! Yeah you heard that right. I think one of the best ways to stay sane while living a healthier lifestyle is to indulge. By indulge, I don't mean that you should go on a massive sugar/carb binge. I mean go ahead and have something from time to time that would normally be a little off limits. You better make it GOOD too, don't just grab a Snickers bar, pick a nice dessert at a restaurant, go to Coldstone and get some ice cream, but keep it to the smallest size. The first half of a treat always tastes better than the second half anyways. If you don't believe me on that, consciously think about that next time you eat some sweats. Have some pizza, but go out for some nice fancy pizza, wood-fired, thin crust style pizza. If you are thinking, didn't he just say that we should go cold turkey? Then how does this fit in? The key here is making the decision to indulge a planned one and also one that is not convenient. So in order to get that ice you need to hop in the car, drive 2 miles, and wait in line to get it. If will power is an issue the key is to keep these things at an inconvenient distance from you.

I hope you can put at least one of these strategies into place immediately if you are one to struggle with simple carbs. Honestly I believe if people were to greatly limit these types of food, we wouldn't have the obesity epidemic that we do in this country!

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Parties and events: How to stay in control of your eating!

Sweet Potato and Beet Hashbrowns

Ingredients

Directions

MADE FOR MORE...

Chickpea and Swiss Chard Curry Soup

Ingredients

Directions

Enchiladas with Black Bean Sauce

Black Bean Sauce

Ingredients

Directions

Enchiladas

Ingredients

Directions

Dan's Focus T25 Results

5 Ways to Battle Your Sugar/Carb Cravings

The Cook & The Coach

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