Last week, yours truly, the Clean Eating Coach, blogged about how important it is to create a Thanksgiving meal plan in advance if we’re serious about eating clean and avoiding unnecessary weight gain. It’s easy for any of us to create a less than healthy meal that’s full of fat, sugar and calories that can unknowingly pack on the pounds.  Doesn’t it sometimes feel like ignorance is bliss if we really don’t know how many calories something has?

The great news is that the pre-planning I mentioned can make all the difference once the holiday is over, your clothes still feel comfortable and you haven’t gained weight!  And there’s a way to prepare your Thanksgiving meal that is simply delicious — a clean eating version of Thanksgiving where you don’t feel like you have to give up flavor and enjoyment.

One of the key components to making this all happen is to shop early and have a comprehensive list. There’s nothing worse than starting your Thanksgiving shopping the day before, not having a clear idea of what you need,  and having to make repeated trips to pick up things you forgot.  I definitely have done that in the past, that is, before I got hip to the power of holiday meal planning and keeping a budget in mind. Large crowds make just-in-time shopping inefficient, not to mention that there’s less selection and it can cost more if you’re not exactly sure what you need.

I’ve made a short video with some tips on how to make the most of your Thanksgiving shopping trip and get into action now. With a week to go until Thanksgiving, there’s still plenty of time to make your list, check it twice and get what you need without the hassles of the crowds.

What will you do to get into action right away and get set with your plan?  When will you do your shopping and how will doing it in advance help save you time and money?

Filed under: Food Shopping, Healthy Meals, Meal Planning, Thanksgiving, clean eating | No Comments

On Wednesday, November 18 at 12:30 pm ET I’m happy to be a guest on “Feel and Look Fabulous with Irina.” You won’t want to miss this fun, engaging radio show that’s all about helping you keep the pounds off during Thanksgiving!

Ever notice that it’s so easy to overeat during this time of year when there’s a  bounty of food in front of us? I sure have been guilty of that in the past, but with a little pacing and some clean eating cooking tips and ideas, any of us can turn out a delicious meal that doesn’t have to pack on the pounds.

During the radio show, yours truly, the Clean Eating Coach, will be sharing tips on healthier versions of traditional Thanksgiving meals, the importance of clean eating, the best cooking techniques to reduce risk of weight gain, and suggestions on creating healthy leftovers after Thanksgiving dinner.

It’s going to be great fun and you can even call in live and ask questions! Join us and get your Thanksgiving, healthy meal plan in gear, before it’s too late.

You can check out more details here about Feel and Look Fabulous with Irina including the call in number for the show:  http://budurl.com/kdac

Filed under: Food preparation, Healthy Meals, Holidays, Meal Planning, Thanksgiving, clean eating, weight gain | No Comments

Are you ready to plan and prepare a clean eating Thanksgiving meal? Take it from me, The Clean Eating Coach, that Thanksgiving dinner doesn’t mean you have to consume an outrageous amount of calories and eat like there’s no tomorrow.

In fact, there’s a way to plan a beautiful and delicious Thanksgiving meal that’s all about high quality ingredients and manageable portion sizes that won’t have you struggling to button your pants!

With an idea to keeping our Thanksgiving dinner all about clean eating, I’ve already mapped things out.  For inspiration, I’ve turned to the November/December issue of Clean Eating Magazine, my mini-bible. They have the most sumptuous menu planned but with healthier versions of some of your favorite meals:

• coconut cardamom sweet potatoes instead of sweet potatoes covered in marshmallows
• Spiced pumpkin mousse instead of calorie and sugar-rich pumpkin pie
• garlicky Green beans with roasted chestnuts instead of green beans cooked with ham
• Mushroom and leek stuffing with whole grain bread instead of white

This is just a sampling of a few clean dishes that you can create. I encourage you to pick up the most recent issue to get the full scoop.  They even include ideas to help you plan in advance and figure out what dishes can be prepped before Thanksgiving arrives.

And there are lots of other great resources to create a healthy Thanksgiving meal using clean foods. I’m also a big fan of realsimple.com and they’ve got loads of ideas for a healthy Thanksgiving meal. To me, the focus should be on planning ahead.  It’s hard to keep things healthy if you’re only starting to make your list the day before.  If you get in gear now, you’ll avoid big crowds at the store, can determine what things you can prep in advance and you’ll save money too — no last minute purchases!

What’s your plan to create a clean eating, healthy Thanksgiving meal? How are you pre-planning to avoid last minute stress? What will you do to avoid holiday weight gain?

Speaking of avoiding holiday weight gain, be sure to join me on Tuesday, November 17 at 8 pm ET for my free call, Clean Eating During the Holidays: Outwit Holiday Overeating. Click here to sign up! http://bit.ly/109omL

Filed under: Food preparation, Healthy Meals, Meal Planning, Overindulging, Thanksgiving, clean eating, weight gain | 1 Comment

Clean eating can easily be kicked to the curb during the holidays. You know how it goes…you go to a holiday party, you’re overwhelmed by the spread of food and you dig in without any notion of what and how much your eating!

Can you say post-holiday weight gain?

The good news is that it doesn’t have to be that way! We can all thoroughly enjoy ourselves during the holidays AND manage to emerge in January feeling our best.

The key: clean eating and meal planning that focuses on healthy and fresh foods. In fact, there are super simple ways to prepare yummy holiday dishes and treats that don’t have to be full of calories and fat!

Join me on Tuesday, November 17 from 8-9 pm ET for a fre*e call on how to outwit holiday overeating by beginning with the end in mind. I’ll be sharing all my secrets to help you embrace clean eating during the holidays.

Take it from me, The Clean Eating Coach, you won’t want to miss this fun, engaging and informative call!

You can get more details and register here: http://bit.ly/109omL

Filed under: Healthy Meals, Holidays, Meal Planning, Thanksgiving, clean eating | No Comments

Take it from me, Wendy Battles, the Clean Eating Coach, that cleaning up your diet by eating more whole, unprocessed foods and cleaning up your home, by throwing away old things that no longer serve you, both contribute to better health.

Although I’ve been practicing clean eating for quite some time, and find it easy to make the time to plan, shop for and prepare healthy meals made with fresh, whole foods, keeping things organized at home has been another story.   For years, I’ve been in varying levels of disorganization that have left me feeling anxious, overwhelmed and less than healthy.  I would spend my fair share of time thinking about my piles of paper and clutter, I’d obsess over how I could get on top of it once and for all, and I’d easily fall into a state of overwhelm.

I’ve had clients like this before who struggled with eating cleaner foods but found the task so overwhelming that they never progressed very far.  Together, however, we’d find ways to simplify the process and break down the steps to creating a clean eating lifestyle that sticks. 

It was the same thing for me with getting organized. First I had to decide that I was ready, willing and able to make some changes. Then I hired an organizer who helped me create simple systems that work for my life.  And after consulting with someone who built me a proper desk, cabinets and workspace, I’m finally unearthing, throwing away and organizing years worth of  clutter.  This is all about a clean working space that helps me be more productive, focused and ultimately, healthier. What a concept! My whole life feels lighter and less burdened by the combination of clean eating and a clean workspace.

And you know what else? All the worrying and anxiety that kept me focused on what wasn’t working, has freed me up to be a lot more creative in the kitchen.  I’m having big fun creating delicious clean eating recipes that are feeding my body and soul. Who knew that cleaning up one’s space could have such an impact on other parts of one’s life.

What about you, what parallels do you see between clean eating and de-cluttering your own space? How do both of these initiatives help you to create a healthier lifestyle?

Filed under: Healthy lifestyle, Optimal Health, Whole Food Nutrition, clean eating | 1 Comment

To say I’m enamored with quinoa is probably an understatement.  This delicious, gluten-free grain is a staple of our clean eating lifestyle.  Barely a week goes by when I don’t make up a batch and turn it into a healthy side dish or main dish — quinoa southwestern stew,  quinoa breakfast porridge and quinoa w/pesto are a few of my favorites.  It’s almost always part of my weekly meal plan.

Quinoa is super easy to make, quick cooking and takes on the flavor of almost anything you add.  Plus it’s low-fat, low-cal and high in protein, to boot! Not bad for an ancient grain from South America.  It honestly is a treat to make and eat and beautifully supports clean eating. And since I try to avoid wheat, it’s the perfect grain for me.

Check out my latest video that I’ve put together chock full of information about quinoa and a super simple recipe you will love.

Do you get inspired about what you can make with quinoa? Here’s the recipe so you can get into action right away!

Quinoa Tabouli

Makes 4-6 servings

1 cup quinoa
2 cups water
1 1/2 cups fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
2 medium tomatoes, finely chopped
1/4 cup lemon juice
zest of 1 lemon
1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

1. Combine quinoa and water in a saucepan and bring to a boil, then let simmer, covered over medium heat for 15 minutes until most of water has been absorbed and quinoa is tender.
2. Remove lid, stir once, and continue to simmer until all water is evaporated and then let coo.
3. Stir in parsley, tomatoes, lemon juice, zest and olive oil.
4. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

What’s your favorite way to enjoy quinoa? How does it support your clean eating lifestyle?

Filed under: Gluten-free, Grains, Healthy Meals, clean eating | 3 Comments

The only way I know to stay on track with clean eating and make wise food choices, is to consistently prepare my own food.  I’m a planner at heart and meal planning is a simple yet powerful practice that makes all the difference in whether Bruce and I eat cleanly during the week.

I pretty much have our meal planning routine down to a science. I usually plan things out on Saturday mornings, hit the store in the afternoon and get busy in the kitchen starting either Saturday night or sometime on Sunday. This past weekend, I didn’t make it the store until Sunday, but after the Jets game (darn, they lost to Miami again), I put on my favorite music (Pat Metheny Group…love jazz) and commenced to cooking up a plethora of delicious and healthy dishes.

Here’s a look at what I made this week:

• Slow Cooker Meal: Turkey Soup with Sweet Potatoes & Kale — I made this recipe up as I went along.  I bought a boneless turkey breast and added in organic chicken broth, sweet potatoes, kale, brown rice, onions and a variety of spices. The flavor is fantastic and it’s warming this time of year. Plus I love that there are greens in it.
• Bean and Sausage Gratin: I love this recipe that I found years ago on realsimple.com.  I used antibiotic-free chicken sausage, fresh fennel and sage.  It’s super easy and so tasty.  I made it gluten-free by using g-f bread crumbs.  Instead of Swiss chard, I substituted fresh spinach.
• Jamaican style oatmeal: This is one of my favs thanks to Clean Eating magazine.  I’ve blogged about how good this is. I adapted their recipe a bit and made it my own.
• Garden egg scramble: This is another winner of a recipe from Clean Eating magazine.  I love that it only uses egg whites and it’s delicious with sun dried tomatoes — they are so flavorful.  I added portabella mushrooms and asparagus too. We’re mixing up our breakfasts with the egg scramble and oatmeal.
• Sauteed baby bok choy: I saw it at the health food store on Sunday, it was so beautiful and fresh. I sauteed it lightly in toasted sesame oil. So quick, so delicious.
• Sauteed collard greens: I love eating greens and I love how easy they are to make.  I sauteed two bunches of collards along with onions, walnuts and raisins. Yummy!
• Later in the week, I’ll make some brown rice pasta with pesto.

So think about it, lots of greens — spinach, kale, collard greens and bok choy — along with root vegetables, low-fat protein, and whole grains.   We usually have a salad with lunch and dinner for added greens. If this menu doesn’t scream clean eating, I don’t know what does.  Nothing overly processed, all natural ingredients and whole foods — the way I love to eat. 

Plus we’re focused on a water challenge. I’m chronically dehydrated so I’m focusing on drinking lots of water everyday.  To make it fun, Bruce and I challenge  each other to meet goals — for example, 24 oz by 11 am.  Just helps me stay on track.

When all is said and done, we have more energy and we feel more satisfied eating clean foods. Less snacking going on too.  It’s a great start to the week and the combination of clean eating and meal planning can’t be beat.  Take it from the me, the Clean Eating Coach, if I can do this, so can you!

What about you, what’s your plan to ensure a week of clean eating meals that helps you feel your best?  What have you already made that’s clean, easy and delicious?

Filed under: Greens, Healthy Meals, Meal Planning, Water, clean eating | 2 Comments

One of the cleanest, healthiest breakfast foods we can eat is oatmeal. Oats are whole grains, in their natural state, bursting with fiber and complex carbohydrates to keep up energized and feeling our best. Oats are low in calories and fat yet have the power to fill us up and keep us going all morning long.  Clean eating made simple.

Today is National Oatmeal Day, the perfect time to reflect on simple ways to build more oatmeal into your diet in creative and interesting ways that go beyond adding water to instant oatmeal — boring!

Why not embrace National Oatmeal Day and commit to eating oats more often? Oats are heart healthy and can help lower your cholesterol. Just recently, I wrote a post about a delicious variation on oatmeal that is super flavorful with fresh pineapple, coconut and almonds. Yum!

Here are a few ideas to get you into action:

• sweeten with agave nectar or pure maple syrup, two clean eating sweeteners
• add dried unsweetened fruit like cranberries (but only fruit juice sweetened) or raisins
• toast nuts and blend in for a rich flavor
• add your favorite spices likes cinnamon, nutmeg or ginger
• add a dollop of canned pumpkin for a yummy seasonal spin

What’s your favorite way to enjoy oatmeal and what do you do to jazz it up and keep it interesting? How does eating oatmeal support your health and a clean eating lifestyle?

Filed under: Breakfast, Cholesterol, Grains, Healthy Meals, Oatmeal, clean eating | 1 Comment