Not too long ago, I was eating lunch at work in the hospital and someone asked me what was in my salad. I absolutely love sharing my ingredient creations with others at lunch, but never do I assume the role as the food police.
When becoming a RD, I didn't earn my credential to tell people the right way to eat or what foods are bad. Perhaps for some professionals, they feel the most appropriate way to change habits is to tell people what not to do. But, in my opinion, success with my clients come when they are motivated to change and become mindful of their actions, regardless if those actions result in positive outcomes or require a little reflection and room for improvement. By inspiring others, people are more likely to change and to want to change, with longer lasting results.
Throughout my own journey of life (thus far) and learning how to help others develop a healthy relationship with food, it's easy to question your own actions/habits particularly if you are always comparing yourself to others. Whether you are eating meals with friends, training with others, reading blogs, reading books/magazines or browsing the web and facebook, it is important to feel inspired by others but to always keep the attention and focus, on yourself.
When making creations or working on my training plan for triathlons or running events, I am not too concerned as to what everyone is doing. In regard to my lifestyle, not only do I have my own personal goals that only I can accomplish (perhaps with the help of others) but my lifestyle is dependent on how I choose to live my life and most importantly, how I go about finding the best balance.
There are so many ways to train for an athletic event, become more physically fit or eat for body composition changes or eat for health. There are hundreds of experts, thousands of tips and millions of different people in this world. What makes life so special is that you are responsible for you and only you. If you have a family, work for someone or others rely on you for whatever reason, it is still up to you to keep your body functioning at an optimal level in order to respond to the actions of others and to make your life as profitable as possible.
When making my dinner last night, I couldn't help but smile as to how yummy this meal turned out. Once again, a few "on my gosh!" came out of my mouth as I was eating this meal with Karel. With many zucchini bread creations, this one is the winner. With value placed on my training as well as on my diet, I try to be very mindful of lifestyle so that I am not just a passenger in my own ride of life. I love being the driver and feeling control over my actions. By developing a healthy relationship with food, there's never a time when food becomes "bad" or the human body becomes worthless. YIKES - I could never imagine talking about my body as being "worthless!?!?" Secondly, there is no right way to train for an athletic event or improve fitness but rather the best way for you at this point in your life. Although we all strive to be better and to embrace challenging situations, the focus is always on seeing yourself grow as an athlete and to be patient with training and physiological adaptations.
I hope you feel inspired by my latest recipe as it was super delicious! A conventional dinner? Probably not. But take away the voices from the celebrities, the experts who tell you how to "eat this, not that", all the research studies and what your friends/training partners are doing and, perhaps you may find yourself taking a bit more time to prepare your own creations and being proud (and appreciative) of the way that you are choosing to live your life.
Feel like you aren't living your life like you should? Overtrained, do you have an unhealthy relationship with food and/or exercise, do you struggle with feeling hungry all day, do you need help creating a balanced training plan? Contact me Trimarnicoaching@gmail.com ....I'm here to help and to be your guide.
If you keep doing the same things, you should expect to receive the same results. It's up to you as to whether or not those results and actions are helping you meet your ultimate short and long term goals.
My best-ever Zucchini bread!
DRY:
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup soy flour
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
WET:
1/2 cup brown sugar (you can use white sugar. Brown sugar is sugar w/ molasses and tends to hold a little more water than white sugar. But no signficant nutrition or calorie difference.
2 cup zucchini (2 medium zucchini)
1 cup carrot (1 large carrot)
1/4 cup applesauce (unsweetened)
1/4 cup canola oil
1 tsp rum extract
1 egg
1/8 cup chopped almonds (optional, your choice)
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Combine all dry ingredients in large bowl and mix well.
3. Combine all wet ingredients and stir until well combined.
4. Add wet to dry and stir until combined. Add nuts.
5. Poor into non-stick glass casserole dish (or other dish), which is sprayed with non-stick spray or rubbed with oil.
6. Bake for 30-40 min or until top is firm and toothpick comes out clean in center of bread.
*THESE ARE SO GOOD! Perfect for kids, breakfast or a snack with just enough sweetness but packed with vitamins and minerals. YUM!
Nutrition info:
Servings: 20 squares
Serving size: 1 square
77 calories
3.4g fat
10g carbs
2.45g protein
1.45g fiber
4.8g sugar
78mg sodium
Tofu, pepper stir fry
Firm tofu
Red and green bell pepper
Garlic
Ginger (2 tsp fresh, chopped)
Tomatoes
Spinach
Grapeseed oil
1. On a non stick pan, cook garlic, tofu and peppers in 1 tbsp oil until soft, on medium heat.
2. Add sliced/chopped tomatoes and reduce heat to low. Stir to prevent sticking.
3. Season with your choice seasoning and add in spinach. Toss and turn off heat.
4. Cover pan and let sit for 5 minutes.
