What to do when only a bagel will do?

Following my poke' post on Monday, a friend texted me the following question:

I read your post on lunch. Can I ask a professional question?  What do you recommend to overcome stress eating when only a bagel will do??

I’m sharing my response as I think many people feel entangled with bagel:

OK, step one is to methadone yourself with better carbs.

Try sprouted bagels or Free Bread gluten free toast. 
Step two is to vegify. When we’re on the carb coaster salad isn’t appealing. 
Have greens or a green vegetable with lunch and eat it first pre-bread.

Have better carbs and greens for a week.

Thanks!  I’m on the hunt for these to make my own East Pole/Le Pain Quotidien avocado toast. 

Send me pictures (proof).

I will!!  Love it. 

Can you relate to my friend's question? What do you do to cut carb cravings? 
If you try this you can send me photos too.

King of Greens: Spinach versus Kale

I recently spoke with The Daily Burn about a great topic (or great to me): which is better for you, spinach or kale? I gave them my two cents (and they printed one cent tops) so here is my complete take on this:

Greens, greens why are they so friggin' great?

Leafy greens are also a great source of magnesium (I call it “mag”) and chances are you need more mag. Mag is important for restful sleep, heart health, PMS/hormonal stuff, migraine prevention, and ahem “going”. Plus, vitamin C in leafy greens is as good as any anti-aging cream (great for skin) and the fiber in leafy greens helps lower cholesterol levels.

*The fiber in kale is even more effective when kale is steamed versus raw.

So you’re convinced, let’s talk about how much

The average person, even the average healthy person, should probably eat more greens. Many people know leafy greens are healthy but don’t consume them in quantity- so bulk up! We suggest Foodtrainers’ clients thave at least two cups of veggies, twice a day and at least 2 of those 4 cups should be leafy greens.

Is kale the king of greens?

In the head to head matchup of kale versus spinach, kale has almost three times the vitamin C as spinach and more vitamin K (important for bone health and blood clotting).

However, spinach wins in B6 (double that of kale), fiber, iron, magnesium and protein. And it’s not just by a small margin- spinach has 5x the iron over 6x the magnesium, and more than double the amount of protein found in kale. Popeye may have been onto something. If forced to choose I’d say spinach for the win. Having said that if you OD on one food you're probably missing another so the moral of this story is theres more than one green in the sea (or ground) and in nutrition as in life- don't believe the hype.

 Does my verdict surprise you? Are you team spinach, team kale or bi-vegetable?

This secret weapon is my favorite

I discovered this magic green concoction during the winter. I had purchased a few things from Anima Mundi but hadn't cracked the waxy seal on this one. Then it was December in Vermont and I needed a healthy boost and figured I'd try it. It was just what I needed and a POTENT debloater. I'm really excited to have this "magic elixir" as it's called in the Foodtrainers store.

A client also said "so you're not blogging over the summer?" It wasn't intentional but just so you know I wasn't entirely unproductive (even though I sort of was and need a break) here is a fun Summer Secret Weapon video Carolyn and I shot. We have a new format, please let us know what you think. We're always honest so feel free to be...but I think you'll like it. This one is a little long but we didn't want to sell you short on any of our Quick Fixes.
As the summer winds to an end (not just yet but you know) how are you feeling? Do you think it's more difficult to eat well in the summer or winter? Which secret weapon are you most excited about?
What do you think of the video?

Kale is sort of a cliche', 5 other greens that compete

pretty micros via Good Water Farms

Fitbit asked me for 5 greens for kale-ed out folks. I actually love to eat kale (shocker) but I am sick of hearing about it. There are other attention-worthy greens. I love micrograms from Good Water Farms and throw them on everything, they're so delicate I find my kids dig them too. I also love flavor and arugula never disappoints. Bare Burger's collard wrap option sort of changed my life. For some reason this is infinitely more exciting than a burger on a salad. With the collard wrap you are in the handheld, utensil free party.

 And when I say omega 3, you think...salmon? Most people do (if they think about omegas) how about bok choy? Now maybe BC will get a little "green-spect. Anyway you'll find the full post here.
I'm curious- are you sick of kale? What are you fave greens? 

5 Sane Ways to Feel Better Today

 I had one of those “what day is today?” moments when I woke up. It soon sunk in that it’s Monday and the weekend is over which makes me a little sad.  As long as I’m complaining, I’m also tired. We were in Montreal for the 4^th (so patriotic I know) but it’s not always about going away, relaxing can leave you just wanting to relax more. And then there’s that feeling, you know it I'm sure, “uh oh I need to undo some of what was done this weekend.”

I only speak menu or "food" French 

Before you get all “I didn’t eat ________” on me this weekend. I ate well too. There was lots of seafood and green juice and salad. My Fitbit was happy with 15-20,000 steps a day (love this about vacation) but there were also lots of meals out and cocktails so here we are. Forget the cleanse or emergency boot camp- instead try these five ways to feel better today:

Stay home tonight (and tomorrow too). Before we get all technical with this debloating you simply need to spend less time with salt. Takeout and restaurant meals make this impossible. Cooking is key but "cook" can mean scrambling eggs or making a smoothie. If you're saying "I should be able to go out and feel good" you can just not today.

Pursue Probitoics Is your tummy telling you something? Something not so good?

Pop your probiotic supplement and also consider my favorite Sunbiotic nuts (who says atonement needs to be miserable?) or cayenne kombucha or good old ACV (apple cider vinegar), do you own it? OK go take a tsp. If you're in NYC we can send over probiotic goodness and Fairway has these healthade drinks. 

Speaking of Drinks, Drink – your magic number is 10 cups of water a day. I like a visual and finds it helps to fill a pitcher and put it on your desk (tweet me @Foodtrainers a water photo for extra credit) or be that person who carries a water bottle with you for today. If you’re thinking you need something more than just water try this.

Makes You-Pee Tea (from the Little Book of Thin)

Ingredients are for 1-cup increase if you’re making a pitcher

1 Tbs Minced parsley and stems

½ tsp fennel seeds

2-3 slivers fresh ginger or fresh turmeric

Cover these ingredients with hot water, steep 10 minutes. Chill to make an iced version.

Consider quinoa (or consider grainlessness).  Quinoa has potassium that helps you lose some of that sodium. So ½ cup of quinoa is “kosher for debloating” but bread (sprouted or not), rice, cereal (a whole other conversation), corn etc. are not for today.

Have a Green day – all meals and snacks need to have something green in them today. Green juices, dark green salads, crudité- you remember green, right?

How was your weekend? How are you feeling today? Which of these steps will you take? Check in with me tonight, it'll be better I promise it's amazing what 24 hours "back" can do.

Juice and Smoothie Recipes on Instagram

I am fairly new to both the iPhone and Instagram but I'm having a lot of fun with them. I get a lot of questions about smoothies and juices mostly ..."what do I put in them?" It's funny, this is the one place this normally recipe-centric girl is creative. You can put whatever you want in them or whatever you have on hand. Here are some ideas:

Tuesday something very rare happened, I found myself with no greens- we were kale, microgreen and spinach-less. This proved a delicious, refreshing combo.

Have I mentioned the puppy? Yes, it's been a little over a week. This was my effort to make up for sleep with juice.

I love Prince although I named this smoothie only after making it. Some of my favorite ingredients are used here.
Do you juice or smooth? What are your favorite ingredients or combinations? Do you use Instagram...it's fun.

What's Better Juices or Smoothies?

As I sit here, at my in-laws house, after Thanksgiving #1 with my family and Thanksgiving part duex with Marc’s family I’m looking forward to Monday. It’s not what you think; we’ve had a great time. I am excited because we’re testing out a cleanse from my favorite juice truck The Squeeze. With juice on my mind, I thought about this question I received from a client.

What is the difference between smoothies (drinking the roughage) and juicing (no roughage) in terms of my diet? 
I was posed a similar question for a Refinery29 article.

For starters, smoothies are made in a blender (for me that means Vitamix) and juices in a juicer (love my Breville). My client who posed the question was correct. With smoothies the fiber from the fruits, vegetables, herbs or spices are retained. Whereas when you juice the pulp (which contains fiber) is extracted leaving just the liquid behind. Fiber has such a healthy reputation that there can be a rush to judgment that higher fiber has to be better but it’s not that simple.

Juice and I'm talking primarily veggie juice, with the bulk removed, enables quick energy. Juice doesn’t play hard to get and your body doesn't have to "unwrap" or digest in order to access the nutrients. For those of you who enjoy spinning, juicing is akin to riding with little resistance (fiber) so you can go (or get your nutrition) faster. Eating a salad or drinking a smoothie is more like riding with tension or resistance. You’ll go more slowly perhaps in a more controlled, even manner.

There’s also the issue of quantity. When I juice in the morning I cover a large cutting board with greens, ginger, lemon, pear or whatever I have on hand. You’d have to eat 9 cups of kale to get the potassium, calcium and iron in two cups of green juice. I think of a daily juice almost like a multivitamin. Smoothies, on the other hand, don’t require as much in terms of quantity. My typical smoothie is approximately 1 cup of frozen fruit, a handful of greens, protein powder and then other random ingredients (cacao, yacon, coffee extract are current favorites). I digress, the point I’m making is that there’s a fraction of the produce in a smoothie versus a juice. From a calorie perspective, green juices hover around 150 per 16oz. Smoothies made with fruit, protein, some sort of liquid (almond milk or coconut water) and a little good fat can be double but you’ll get more staying power. 

I think I answered the “what’s better?” question in the most annoying manner that is saying “it depends” but it really does. I hate to be "bi-vegetable" but there are benefits to juicing and “smoothing”. Juice is a megadose of nutrients and smoothing is better for satiety, better for post workout recovery. Most days I’ll have one of each. So if you’re in the market for a Vitamix or a juicer, I can’t sway you either way. It’s like choosing between my family and my in-laws and let’s just say diplomatically that I’m “thankful” for both.

Do you juice or "smooth"? Which do you prefer? What are your current favorite ingredients? And after a holiday weekend, how was your eating? Parents or in-laws?

Three Ingredient Fix

I was out to dinner with a couple of good friends on Thursday.  We were joking about staying on top of everything: work, kids, food, exercise, sometimes doing a better job than others. My friend Meg shared a story, her son woke up that morning and requested “something not bread for breakfast.” Meg looked and they were out of eggs,  yogurt and all other typical non-bread breakfast items as she was due for a food shop. She looked in the pantry and spotted something. “Do you want to have soup for breakfast?” Her son loved the idea and perhaps a new tradition was born.  We all know those times when it’s slim pickings in the house, your supply of staple items exhausted and, like Meg, you have to be creative or at least flexible.  Meg’s story  reminded me of a post I read on Cannelle  et Vanille. A reader asked her the 3 items she always has handy. Her answer was “lentils, eggs and some sort of green”.

 The 3 items I have on hand and use regularly are avocados, jarred tuna and greens.

Avocados go so far beyond guacamole for me. I often bring them to the office for breakfast. I slice them down the middle, remove the pit and sprinkle them with sea salt or black pepper and agave. I eat them “straight” with a spoon. I also use avocados in smoothies and this time of year in my “Breakfast Pudding.” I mix ½ avocado with cocoa and chocolate hemp powder and a dash of cayenne. I blend these ingredients until they are smooth but thick. At lunchtime I use ½ avocado as a bowl for tuna or other salad. And at dinner I often cube avocado into  tomato  or black bean soup or slice one into fish tacos.  And let’s not forget guacamole. I am the proud owner of a new mocaljate that is already seasoned and well used.

My second item, the jarred tuna, is my go-to protein source. I have written about 2 of my favorites Zoe and Tonnino. I suggested Zoe for the “Let’s do Lunch Challenge” and the jalapeno Tonnino was one of my “4 Current Obsessions”. This tuna is great over greens or on Mary’s Gone Crackers. For an easy dinner I chop up any veggie I have into the tuna, add a squeeze of lemon or lime and viola!

Finally, I guess Aran and I overlap in that greens are definitely a necessity for me. Lately, I’ve been purchasing greens from a company called Olivia’s Organics.  My new favorite is their “50/50 Blend” which includes: Spinach, Tango, Lolla Rossa, Red & Green Romaine, Red and Green Oak, Red and Green Chard, Mizuna, Radicchio, Frisee, Beet Greens, Arugula, Tat-Soi and Red Mustard (most of which my spell check doesn't recognize). Olivia’s also makes single, to-go containers of greens. I use greens in omelets and juices. I wilt greens with garlic a lot for an easy side dish and use larger greens, such as kale leaves, for a wrap. I am partial to the clamshell (think shoe box size) containers as I find they stay fresh the longest.  And of course I love combining my top three tastes, avocado, jarred tuna and greens in a salad with lemon vinaigrette and a dash of hot sauce.
What 3 items do always have handy? What’s your equivalent of the “soup for breakfast” moment? Any other avocado uses I omitted?

Not That Kind

I love ribs, bacon and roasted chicken. Though I probably have the first 2 items a few times a year, I enjoy them thoroughly when I eat them. I have a hard time saying “never” to foods. I believe most of us should eat less animal protein and better quality animal protein when we do. For many reasons, I do not eat meat or poultry more than once a day…but that’s still once most days. Because of this, I will never call myself a vegan or even a vegetarian for that matter. There was a time when I may have harbored some desire to “go vegan” and there still is a certain appeal to putting only the best food in your body or having unrelenting rules. Regardless of what works for me, I admire people who are passionate about what they eat. You can’t help but notice this passion if you read The Kind Diet  by Alicia Silverstone.


I purchased The Kind Diet after seeing a few of the recipes featured on various TV shows. And I’ll admit I was somewhat drawn in listening to a conversation between Alicia and Oprah about the benefits of plant-based diets and…poop. It's funny for all the promises various diets make you don't hear poop mentioned all that much. If you are considering making the vegan leap, the book provides some compelling reasons (other than poop) and various stages of doing so. For me, I purchased the book as inspiration to learn about new ingredients or ways of using certain ingredients. I found a book written in a very positive, maybe “kind” manner. In the introduction, Silverstone mentions “unlike other diet books, I won’t ask you to freak out about calories, carbs or the glycemic index.” While this is refreshing the book does ask you to freak out about other things so called “nasty foods” (meat, dairy, white sugar, coffee and processed foods to name a few), so be prepared.

One of my issues with some vegetarian or vegan diets is that they aren’t necessarily balanced diets just because they lack meat or animal products. Many vegetarians subsist on grains and not necessarily the whole grain variety. Or, in an effort to get their meat fix or for lack of ideas eat processed soy versions of meat, cheese and milk. Over-soying is something I tackle with my vegetarian clients. The Kind Diet is one of the first, recent vegan books that shifts the focus away from soy. The Kind Diet advises readers to see soy foods as “occasional treats.” Treats? I don’t know about that but I would concur with occasional.

So what did I enjoy or learn from The Kind Diet?
• There are many foods I know but may not cook with. In The Kind Diet I was inspired to use burdock, brown rice syrup, sea vegetables and umeboshi plums.
• Greens! Alicia mentions she eats leafy greens (kale, collards, bok choy, watercress and cabbage) at almost every meal, I average once a day and thought that was good!

• Chewing- eating speed is something many people know is good to keep an eye on but an area that takes time to change. There are suggestions to “ramp up your chewing skills” which I think can help both digestion and satiety.

There were also things I disagreed with or wouldn’t do. Nightshade vegetables (potatoes, tomatoes, eggplants and peppers) are discouraged. The only population this may make sense for is arthritics, for the average healthy person, I see no need to refuse ratatouille. And while quinoa and oats are among my best friends, I feel most people (especially women) don’t lose weight eating these at most meals when trying to lose weight.

Silverstone is not an R.D. and I know some have pointed this out. I have to say, I loved her casual tone that may have been easier to adopt without the worry of professional nutrition colleagues. I applaud the use of “fartiness”, “flirting” and “freaking out” when talking about food. This is an easy read and a book I’ll recommend. I read it last night after eating (organic) ribs.

What are your thoughts on veganism? Any forays? Or are you a vegetarian or vegan and perhaps want to share your experience? Do you discriminate against carnivores as I do against McDonald’s eaters?

There are a lot of good recipes on The Kind Life’s website, this is one of my favorites from the book (for the sake of space I condensed the instructions).

Sicilian Collard Greens with Pine Nuts and Raisins
Serves 2 or 3

1 bunch collard greens, 2 tbs pine nuts, 3 cloves garlic peeled and chopped, 1 tbs olive oil, 3 tbs raisins, 2 tbs balsamic vinegar
*In the book says you can substitute shoyu for balsamic and pumpkin seeds for pine nuts

Cut central rib and stem out of the collards and rinse leaving a little water on the leaves. Toast pine nuts in dry skillet over medium heat approx 5 min or until golden. Shake pan often to keep from burning. Transfer nuts to plate and set aside. Place garlic and oil in large skillet and sauté 1 min or until garlic fragrant. Add the damp collards and stir, cover the pan and let cook 2 min linger. Add the raisins and pine nuts and stir. Cover and cook 2 min longer. Stir in balsamic and cover for a final 1-2 min of cooking.

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