Salad Happy

On Sunday I decided to turn over a new leaf after an unbelievably indulgent holiday (think cocktails and champagne and appetizers every night mixed in with a few nights of pizza and caviar). Oh yeah, we did it up at the Berner household. My favorite diet to date to feel tighter and lighter in just a few days is paleo. It's a lot of eggs and protein and veggies. I  like to focus on the things I can eat rather than the things I can't (dairy, gluten, grains, beans, soy, added sugar, corn, alcohol...). Yeah, it's a lot but I swear it works and my skin is better, my bloat goes away and I sleep like a baby. Well, I always sleep like a baby but the other stuff is good! I'm going to the Turks and Caicos in 2 weeks with Riley (I know, tough life) so I want to look extra trim. To jump start my health kick, I went with a meal delivery program called paleo delivers. It's expensive but I'm on the second day and so far so good. Next week I'll continue my diet but I needed to ease into the cooking after a long vacay with my mom prepping every meal (thanks mom!).

 

For those of you wanting a complete lifestyle change, check out the Whole 30 program. It's a little stricter than paleo as it doesn't allow you to make things that are "subs" for things like paleo pancakes and treats. There are some absolutely amazing transformation stories on their site.

 

Anyways, no matter what diet you're on, I bet you salad is allowed (unless you're doing phase 1 of dukan or atkins). I am extremely uncreative when it comes to prepping my greens so I turn to pinterest for help. Below are a few that look amazinggg that I am definitely going to try. I also found a line of salad dressings, sauces and marinades called Tessamae that is approved for Whole 30, which basically means it's good stuff and very natural and healthy. And they taste delicious! (link) I got the southwest ranch to make a take on chicken salad. I'd love to hear about your new year's resolutions, diet tips and favorite salads!
 

 Kale, Avocado, Tangerine and Sesame Salad



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Kale Rainbow Detox Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette

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Kale and Brussels Sprout Salad with Cranberries & Toasted Almonds

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Bistro Salad with Roasted Vegetables

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Triple Berry Kale Salad with Fresh Strawberry Vinaigrette

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Honey Chipotle Chicken Bowls with Lime Quinoa

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Kale and Fig Salad with Creamy Avocado Dressing and Hemp Seeds

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Honey Crisp Apple Salad with Candied Walnuts and Cider Vinaigrette 

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Raw Kale and Brussels Sprouts Salad with Tahini-Maple Dressing

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Tuesday Treats: Paleo Pancakes

As many of you know, I go through paleo phases where I'll go a week here or there or a day here or there following the paleo diet guidelines. I am a huge foodie so paleo for life just doesn't work for me. Burrata and fresh baguette is just too delicious to give up forever! I came across this recipe for paleo pancakes the other day and am hooked! They are so easy to make and require few ingredients. They are the perfect, balanced breakfast or snack. I like to put almond butter on mine for a meal complete with protein (eggs, almond butter), good fat, omegas and carbs (banana). I'd love to hear from you guys about your favorite healthy recipes too!

 

 

 

Makes 4 (I usually cut this recipe in half and make one big pancake)

- 1 banana

- 2 eggs

- 1/2 teaspoon of chia seeds

- 1 teaspoon of cinnamon

- 1 pinch of sea salt

 

1. In a medium bowl, mash the banana to a smooth texture. Add the eggs and whisk thoroughly until the "batter" is fully combined. Add chia seeds, cinnamon and sea salt

 

2. Heat a pan over medium flame and grease with coconut oil or other paleo approved method. Ladle the batter into the pan and cook for approximately 60 seconds per side ( I like to keep them on a little longer)

 

3. Serve with almond butter or vanilla agave syrup and berries

 

Recipe via

 

 

 

 

Have a Healthy Weekend!

It usually takes me about 3-4 days to really commit to a diet/health kick. If I cheat on day 2, I am so far gone I have to wait another month to start again. I am on day 3 right now and am feeling great. I picked up a Green Guru smoothie from green&tonic in Greenwich, which was delicious! If you haven't been, there are locations in Greenwich, Cos Cob, Darien, Mamaroneck and Armonk and they have 4 options for cleanses and one includes food (score!). They have chia puddings and salads and soups and great cold pressed juices and smoothies. Are you guys fans of green juices? I may be a total weirdo because I love them...  Below is the recipe for the one I had today - you have to try it! I'd love to hear from my readers your favorite healthy recipes and favorite places to get healthy smoothies and juices - help a girl out!

via

Green Guru Smoothie

-Green Tea (matcha is an easy way to add potent green tea powder to smoothies)

-Coconut Water

-Lemon

-Spinach

-Banana

-Green Apple

-Ginger (not my favorite but tasted great in this!)

-Mint

NYC Healthy Meal Delivery

I've tried every diet in the book but have recently settled on Paleo, which has been life-changing. I give myself 4 cheat meals a week but the rest of the meals are dairy, grains/gluten, beans, corn-free meals. It doesn't feel like a diet anymore except when I'm out to dinner or wanting to order something creamy/deliciously bad on Seamless. I am a huge fan of meal delivery programs but many are extremely expensive and not exactly what you want. I tried the Chef's Diet once and while I like the food, it seemed like a bit too many calories and carbs.

 I recently saw a promotion on Gilt City for a program called Provenance Meals. The food looks amazing and you can order just dinners or do the  whole shabang and you get to pick which food you get (a huge plus for me). All of the ingredients are organic and they follow a paleo-esque food plan. Hurry to Gilt City because they are still running the promotion here. I sometimes pay more than that for that for an unhealthy seamless delivery so ordering was a home run in my book. I signed up for 3 dinners and they come next Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday. I will let you know how it is but it looks delicious. Some of the amazing (all gluten-free) options include chicken pad thai, chipotle and cider rubbed pork and pan roasted bass filet with fennel and a white wine sauce. YUM. 

Even if you miss the Gilt promotion, take $25 your first order if you enter code PMINTRO at check out on the site.

Speaking of seamless, Hu Kitchen now delivers to my area but the delivery minimum is $55 dollars. All of their food is dairy and grain-free and they use local and all organic ingredients. Try the chocolate chia pudding for an amazing dessert, the chicken fingers (to feel like you're not on a diet) or the delicious vegetable "bread." I also love their kale salad with goji berries and, if you go in person, they have a full bar with fun cocktails and gluten free beer!

Sakara Life is a vegan, gluten-free, organic meal delivery program that delivers to NYC and now to Greenwich, CT and Westchester. All of the produce is sourced locally when possible and they have a great blog and newsletter with healthy recipes.   

You can choose 1, 5, or 20 days or even 3 months (which is discounted). You can select to have all three meals, just breakfast and lunch or just a "lunchbox." Their food looks amazing but I do love my meat...

Sample Menu below

Finally, Food Matters NYC is a program that does meal delivery and even catering. Before  you sign up, you fill out all sorts of information about yourself and then you talk to owner Tricia about your preferences. You can pick how many meals you want a week and the meal-plans are totally customizable.The food is made fresh every day and a typical menu looks like the below:

Farm Egg Crepe
Packed with Ten Vegetables
Morning Zinc Brittle
Pumpkin Seeds, Sunflower Seeds, Sesame Seeds, Brown Rice Syrup
Healthiest Chicken BBQ Ever
Red Cockerel Chicken, Oven Baked Quinoa Hush Puppy, Probiotic Collard Green Slaw, Baked Adzuki Beans
Afternoon Green Soup Shot
Kale, Romaine, Cucumber, Celery, Avocado, Cumin, Lemon
Turkey Meatloaf
Loaded with Quinoa and Vegetable, Oven Baked Curry, Sweet Potato Fries, Sautéed Baby Spinach
Power Packed Chocolate Chip Cookie
Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Almond Flour, 70% Chocolate

This option is a little more expensive but the food looks incredible and it is completely up to you how many meals you want and what food you get.

I will let  you all know how Provenance Meals goes but I have a feeling I'm really going to like it. I also ordered their paleo pumpkin muffins... just to try....

Eat, Drink...

Hi everyone! Hope you all had a great weekend. I went to Boston to watch Tory in the Fall play and then rushed back to watch Riley play at Nassau Coliseum (they won so it was a success!). Tory and I had an amazing brunch at Gaslight (an adorable French Brassiere) on Saturday morning. I used this as one of my four "cheat meal," which was wise considering I had some of the most delicious, fresh baguette EVER (or maybe it just tasted like that because I haven't had bread in over a month??). Either way it was great. Speaking of cheat meals, I successfully finished my 30 day paleo challenge and have decided to keep going with it. It hasn't felt like a diet at all but more like a lifestyle change (in a good way). I've decided to give myself 4 cheat meals a week and eat paleo the rest of the time. For anyone considering, I highly recommend trying the challenge. It's tough for the first week but it is a breeze after that.

The weather was perfect (we have been so spoiled this Fall!) but it was a little chillier this morning. I have a feeling we'll be getting more crisp "real" fall weather and less of this amazing Indian Summer weather. No complaints though, I have a new fall jacket that has been waiting patiently in my closet to be debuted! Have a wonderful week everyone!

(Images via 1 2 3 4 5 )

Tuesday Treats - Day 2 of 30 Day Paleo Challenge

Day 1 of my Paleo challenge in the bag and I feel great. I've done gluten free/low carb diets before but the extra discipline of no processed food, no dairy, no corn and no legumes will definitely be a challenge. Some things I'm excited for:

This Book

Is phenomenal - like, best gluten/dairy free cookbook I've ever read. Danielle Walker has really hit the nail on the head with this one. All of her recipes look delicious and not too too hard to make. I bought it on my iPad and it was worth every penny. She also has a fantastic blog also named Against All Grain.

Some recipes I'm dying to try

Carmel Glazed Donuts

Crepes…or Tortillas…or Lasagna noodles

Paleo Fish Tacos

Other things I'm excited about (going with the paleo theme...)

Steve's Paleo Goods Sauce Sampler - I'm a hugeee condiments girl so one of the hardest parts about Paleo is giving up my ketchup! These are Paleo, look delicious and have awesome reviews. The sampler comes with Ketchup, Steak Sauce, Wing Sauce, and Sriracha. YUM! They also have awesome salad dressings on the site. 

 Other helpful sites:

Nom Nom Paleo

Whole30 (not a paleo website per se but very similar concepts)

The Paleo List

and, of course, Pinterest! There are awesome recipes on there. 

These 30 days are going to be a breeze (fingers crossed...)! Have you guys tried Paleo or any similar diets? Any helpful hints for me??

P.S. This made me happy : )

Gluten Free Detox

As some of you may know, I embarked on a lofty lent journey by giving up gluten for the whole six weeks. I am a serious foodie and rarely does a day go by that I don't indulge in some form of a carb binge, so this was huge for me. And I didn't even cheat!

The first few days were tough learning what I could and couldn't eat (and I initially gave up dairy too which quickly ended when I realized how hard the two would be). In the end, I lost 8 pounds and felt great. What I realized, though, was that it wasn't necessarily the gluten that made me "lose weight." It was more about the restriction of carbs for six weeks that made a huge impact (and yes- no beer was allowed!). I could still eat things like rice and potatoes, which I would normally cut out if I was doing a low-carb or no-carb diet, and I think had I cut out all carbs I would have lost even more weight.

In terms of how my body felt, it felt how it does when I give up carbs -- not bloated. Some people with a gluten allergy or intolerance describe a number of ailments going away but I didn't experience this. I found a lot of great recipes from Paleo websites. Paleo is essentially a "cave man" diet where you don't have to restrict how much you eat but rather what you eat. Processed foods are a no go and dairy, grains, alcohol and starches are supposed to be limited.This is an awesome diet and healthy lifestyle choice and I would recommend it to anyone looking to lose weight, keep it off and improve overall health.

So what do I do now that I'm done? I plan on continuing to eat a limited amount of gluten/carbs and try to adhere to an 80/20 diet (80% of the time I'm good and 20% I can cheat). This way I don't feel deprived and I also don't gain back 8 pounds that I worked for six weeks to lose. You can find paleo recipes on pinterest, Paleo OMG, Nom Nom Paleo, and other websites.

I'm also a huge fan of the Dukan Diet, which is a diet plan split into 4 phases, the first is an all meat and non-fat dairy phase, the second adds in non-starchy vegetables and the third and fourth re-introduce whole grains, full-fat cheeses, fruits and indulgences. This diet has worked the best for me in the past and I was never hungry on it. Have you tried any successful diets recently or gone gluten free?

Glowing Green Smoothie

During the holidays, it's hard to stay healthy. With the abundance of finger foods on hand and glasses of champagne floating around, it's really difficult to count calories and stick with your diet. I (unsuccessfully) tried a soup cleanse the other week and I found it too restrictive. As I've said in the past, it's much easier for me to add things to my diet than subtract them. What can I say, I'm a real foodie! 

I've seen Hillary Duff post about a "glowing green smoothie" that she prepares and I decided to check out what it was all about. I'm  a big fan of Blue Print Cleanse's green drink but at 10 dollars a pop, it's not very economical. Hillary and other celebs are a fans of  Kimberly Snyder's "The Beauty Detox Solution." Snyder has easy to follow recipes and her philosophy on healthy eating is less about restricting yourself and more about clean, healthful eating and restoring the body's natural systems. Although I'm not a fan of omitting things from my diet, the green juice should be used as a meal replacement because it provides enough calories, carbs and nutrients for a meal. I'm dying for a vitamix so I can try her easy to follow recipe below. Apparently it totally resets your system and you feel healthier, more in balance and like your skin is glowing. 

Snyder also has other great recipes on her website and tons more in her book (I bought it on my iPad). She mostly prepares gluten free, dairy free and meat free recipes. She doesn't generally give a calorie count and focuses more on the vitamins and nutrients in each meal. Below is the recipe for the Glowing Green Smoothie. 

Health Post of the Day: Cleanses

I've pretty much tried every diet in the book and most last less than a day. I've done the blue print cleanse, which was an awesome 3 day juice cleanse, the dukan diet, a diet consisting mainly of protein, and many more. This week I'm embarking on a farm fresh soup cleanse journey with two of my co-workers. The Splendid Spoon is New York's first farm fresh, organic soup cleanse. Basically, you make your own breakfast (I decided to have a strawberry/orange smoothie with organic vanilla protein powder) and then you have two soups (one for lunch and one for dinner). A soup cleanse is the winter answer to a juice cleanse because sometimes you just need to eat something hot in December. I'm a little nervous that I'll be hungry, as the soups are under 300 calories, but a 3 days cleanse is just what I need right now after Thanksgiving and before Christmas (not to mention Mexican night last night). 

The soups today are spicy sweet potato and mushroom barley. The cleanse is vegetarian, dairy and gluten free so I decided I'll make my breakfast gluten free and dairy free, as well. I put unsweetened almond milk in my coffee this morning instead of the regular skim milk I use. Yes, you can drink coffee (a must for me). A couple hours in and I feel okay but who knows how long I'll last... At least the Victoria's Secret fashion show is on tomorrow. It will be a much needed push of inspiration as my diet starts to slip!

Fitness Post of the Week: Barry's Bootcamp

I'm always trying new diets and fitness classes to try and find one that clicks with me. Last night I decided  to give Barry's Bootcamp a whirl. I knew that Kim Kardashian was a fan and was looking for a class where I'd walk out and feel like I burned a lot of calories and had a good workout. Barry's was it for me. If it wasn't so darn expensive I'd go 5 times a week.

 

There are two groups in the class: one that starts on the treadmills and one that starts on the floor. I started on the floor which definitely wasn't my preference. If you have the choice, start on the treadmill. It was an arms and abs day which was fantastic. The lights are dimmed and there is almost a reddish glow. There are mirrors everywhere and the lighting actually makes everyone look awesome which definitely fuels motivation. They play great music and the instructor was motivating but not overly hyper and annoying. You take turns on the treadmill and on the floor for a total of about 5 switches that are about 6 minutes long. You end up running around 3 miles at different intervals and speeds and get a really good sweat going. I went alone but I bet it'd be really fun with friends.

 

If you're a fan of Soul Cycle's pumping beats and want a hard workout, I recommend Barry's Bootcamp.They also have DVDs and other merchandise on the site.

Website here

Health Post of the Day: Make the Switch to Stevia

If you're a habitual coffee drinker like myself you more than likely dump in a pack (or 2) of splenda or equal every time you have a cup. Two years ago I read an article about just how bad these artificial sweeteners can be and decided to try alternative options. You may have seen the adds for stevia or truvia on television and wondered what the difference is between these new sweeteners and the ones already on the market.

As opposed to natural sugar, stevia has a very small effect on your blood glucose level and is great for people on carb-controlled diets or with diabetes. It is also a natural sweetener derived from plants and has very few calories. It doesn't contain sucrose or fructose and doesn't really add any health benefits to your diet (although it doesn't have many negative effects either!) Like artificial sweetener, it is much sweeter than regular sugar. Some people complain that there is a bitter after taste but it is, in my opinion, very minimal.

Swapping stevia for sugar can help your waste line and although not proven, swapping it for splenda, equal or sweet and low may help you to avoid cancer and other health dangers. Some brand names of stevia that can be found at a grocery store near you include A Sweet Leaf, Sun Crystals, Truvia, PureVia and Steviva.

Reduced Sugar Fudgy Brownies w/ Truvia

Ingredients
3 oz. unsweetened baking chocolate
¹⁄₄ cup unsalted butter
¹⁄₄ cup canola oil
2 large eggs
3 ¹⁄₂ Tbsp Truvia^® natural sweetener spoonable*
¹⁄₄ cup white granulated sugar
¹⁄₂ tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 Tbsp skim milk
³⁄₄ cup all-purpose flour
¹⁄₂ tsp baking powder

*or 12 packets Truvia^® natural sweetener

Optional Garnish: Make powdered Truvia^® natural sweetener by blending 2 Tbsp + 1 tsp Truvia^® natural sweetener spoonable* and 1 Tbsp of corn starch in a blender on high for 1 minute. Lightly sprinkle this powdered garnish on brownies using a tea strainer. Store leftover garnish in a sealed container.

*or 8 packets of Truvia^® sweetener

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Instructions

1. Assemble all ingredients.
2. Preheat oven to 325° F.
3. Place baking chocolate, butter and canola oil in a large microwaveable bowl. Heat for 30 seconds; stir. Repeat and stir to melt the chocolate.
4. Whisk together the eggs, Truvia^® natural sweetener, sugar, salt, vanilla and milk in a separate small bowl.
5. Add the egg mixture to the chocolate mixture and stir until well combined.
6. Sift together the flour and baking powder.
7. Fold flour mixture into the chocolate mixture using a rubber scraper, until just combined. Do not over mix.
8. Pour batter into an 8x8 square pan.
9. Bake for 22–25 minutes. Do not over bake.
10. Remove from oven and place on a cooling rack for at least 20 minutes.
11. Cut into 16 squares.

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Nutrition Facts per Serving (one 2x2-inch square)

Calories, 130; Total Fat, 9g; Saturated Fat, 4g; Trans Fat, 0g; Cholesterol, 45mg; Sodium, 85mg; Total Carbohydrate, 13g; Dietary Fiber, 1g; Sugars, 3g; Erythritol, 3g; Protein, 2g; Vitamin A, 4% DV; Vitamin C, 0% DV; Calcium, 2% DV; Iron, 8% DV.

*Recipe from http://www.truvia.com/recipes/sweets/fudgy-brownies/