My goal with this blog is to teach people that not only is real food pretty, but it also tastes good. I want people to reconnect with and enjoy preparing and cooking their food. Appreciate  the process of washing the leaves, slicing vegetables, appreciating the perfect beauty of nature. Take the time to prepare fresh food for and with your family, even if you can only do it once a week. 

If you only have one day off to spend time cooking, then cook a few things that you can incorporate into meals. If you have kids buy fruit and cut it into chunks for easy and quick eating. Grill a package of chicken breasts which are then available through the week for slicing into sandwiches or topping salads. Chop up summer veggies and some fresh herbs and drizzle with olive oil and your favorite vinegar. This will keep in the fridge for a few days. Cook in large batches so you have leftovers for another day, or perhaps for the freezer.

Today I was pressed for time and suddenly starving before heading to the supermarket. I had cooked quinoa and a summer salad sitting in the fridge. I threw some together into a bowl and topped with feta cheese and poof- quick, easy and healthy and out the door in no time.

If you take the time to prep and cook some food then you will have healthy things on hand when you're on the go and even if you cut your bad eating habits in half you will be making a huge contribution to your long term health, as well as probably saving money. 

Some items to keep on hand to put together quick and easy meals:
-Tortillas or wraps- a great way to use up leftovers. Throw some salad and/or veggies and left over meat or grains into a wrap, add a little low fat dressing and roll up. You can even take it out the door with you.
-Low fat cottage cheese. It's filling and goes great with salad or fruit.
-Nuts and dried fruit*. Again, if you have kids you can bag up mixtures of fruit, nuts and seeds (sunflower or pumpkin) into sandwich bags and have them ready to go. You can even add some chocolate chips (preferably dark) to satisfy a sweet tooth craving.
-Bananas. Nothing is quicker, easier and more portable.
-Bagged fresh spinach. Add to sandwiches instead of lettuce or put some leftovers on a bed of it. The heat from your food will wilt it and make a nice addition to your meal and nutritional content.
-Bottled juice smoothies. Yeah, they're expensive and high in sugar, but at least they are nutritious, especially the green blends. Buy a few when you find them on sale. You can grab one on the go and it will sate your hunger until you can eat something healthy.
-All natural nut butters. Spread some peanut or almond butter on a hefty slice of whole grain bread and top with sliced fruit. High in fat, but again, nutritious and filling.
-Hard boiled eggs. Good for salad toppers as well as eating out of hand. Instead of making egg salad with all that mayo try slicing the egg onto a sandwich. One of my favorite sandwiches is jalapeno tofu cheese, sliced egg and fresh spinach. A little dijon mustard along with a little mayo, or better yet, sub the mayo for sliced or mashed avocado. 
And finally, don't keep junk food in the house. If you have to absolutely have something then go out and get it, but don't keep it handy.

Start with subbing out some bad choices for healthier ones.
I KNOW that once you've been "eating clean" for a few weeks you will not only stop craving junk, but will crave healthy food. You will feel better and look better and optimally have a healthier body and life.

*I only buy organic dried fruit because I heard a guy on Dr Oz one time call raisins "pesticide pellets".

So many people struggle with their weight. People diet, deprive, binge and yo-yo. I've seen people go on extreme diets, severely limiting caloric intake and possibly compromising their health. Certainly not aiding long term weight loss, which is, of course, their goal. And we all know that being obese or very overweight puts us at risk of disease and shortened life span.

I am writing this because from time to time I hear women (and men, though they don't seem to care as much) struggle with their weight and diet. "Diet" doesn't mean restricted food and calories. "Diet" means what we live on for food and sustenance. I would love to see people throw the notion of "diets" out the window and instead refocus on feeding their bodies healthy food. 

I am not here to discuss "health food" or vegetarianism, raw diets, gluten free or whatever. Don't eat things you dislike or make you sick. However, I would like to espouse the theory of us going back to the good old days when we prepared food from scratch. We bought whole foods at the store: meat, dairy, fruits, vegetables and grains- and made meals from them. Throw out the notion of eating pre-packaged foods that are thrown in the microwave. When you prepare your food yourself you know exactly what ingredients are in it. 

You will never have to "diet" again. Retrain your way of thinking: instead of seeking out the comfort food that will fill you up and make you feel good, or worrying about cutting out carbs, instead focus on stuffing as much fresh produce down your gullet that you can every day. Colorful produce is full of the vitamins and antioxidants that our bodies need to fight disease. 

Don't deprive yourself of foods you love, just limit the unhealthy ones to 10% of your diet.
Cook your food in a healthy manner: grilling, baking or sauteing in olive oil or other healthy fats. Deep fried foods will not only clog your arteries, but also create acrylamides, a substance that may increase your risk of cancer. http://www.livestrong.com/article/440500-why-frying-food-is-unhealthy/
Trade in the Doritos for fresh or dried fruit and nuts. Try to eliminate sugar. After 10 days of detoxing off white flour and sugar your cravings will subside.
Don't drink your calories. Soda is just not good for you, diet or otherwise.
Move, move,  move. Yeah, you've heard it said before, now listen. Park far away from the store. Do isometric exercise while driving or sitting at your desk. Maximize your movements everyday, every little step adds up. Dance to the music. Dancing in your chair is great for your abs! Have sex.
Eat a well balanced diet. Eat high fiber, you burn more calories simply digesting it and it will boost your metabolism. High fiber foods have 2 grams or more of fiber per serving. 
Read your labels and ingredients. Look at the calories and fat and pay attention to the serving sizes.

Make your changes slowly. You didn't gain 50 lbs in 1 month so don't expect fast results. Let your taste buds change gradually, too. The more healthy food you eat, the more you will crave. 

Appreciate the beauty of the whole foods you buy and prepare. Eat the rainbow. Your dinner plate should not be full of brown and beige. Don't eat neutrals, eat color.