Fruit and Nut Smoothie Bowl

This recipe is inspired by a meal from the FASTer Way meal plan. For more information about the FASTer Way program, go here ---> FASTer Way with AmyC

This recipe is all about the CARBS! In this recipe, I have made a delicious smoothie using frozen berries, almond milk, spinach, Greek yogurt and protein powder. Then topped with more berries, banana, nuts, seeds, honey and granola.

I am a big fan of DIY smoothie bowls (and acai bowls). These bowls are so versatile and are my favorite way to break my fast the day after low carb day. Seriously, in the FASTer Way, we are not shy about our carbs!

Carbohydrates are one of the body's main sources of energy and plays an important role in protecting our metabolism. So, if you are looking for a way to boost your carbs today, look no further than this amazing recipe.

Adding nuts and seeds to your smoothie, either when you blend or as toppings, is a great way to boost your fiber and healthy fats. Fiber helps control our insulin response to glucose. Healthy fats are the body's other main source of energy.

You really can't find a healthier way to enjoy a smoothie!

Smoothie

1 cup frozen berries 

1 scoop protein 

1 tbsp Greek yogurt 

1 cup baby spinach

3/4 cup almond milk

Toppings

1 tsp chia seeds

Hemp seeds

Pumpkin seeds

Walnuts

Almonds

1 tbsp granola

1/2 banana (sliced)

1/8 cup each raspberries, blueberries, blackberries 

1 tbsp honey

Nutrition info: 71g carbs, 10g fat, 20g protein, 18g fiber

Obviously, you can switch up the toppings to suit your own tastes, sensitivities and season. If you try it or use it as inspiration for your own, let me know in the comments!

Recipe Find: Baked Salmon with Garlic Butter Sauce

Low carb days in the FASTer Way mean lots of protein and healthy fats. I like to plan salmon dishes on my low carb days to help hit my goals for the day. To be honest, I rarely make my salmon any other way since finding this super yummy recipe on Delish (dot) com.

The recipe calls for you to bake the salmon on a bed of lemon slices, but I skip this step most weeks because it's fine without it and I'm all about keeping things simple. I usually serve the salmon with steamed broccoli and mashed cauliflower to stay within my low carb day goals, but it would be delicious with rice or quinoa, too.

INGREDIENTS

2 lemons, thinly sliced

1 large salmon fillet (about 3 lb.)

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

6 tbsp. butter, melted

2 tbsp. honey

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp. chopped thyme leaves

1 tsp. dried oregano

Chopped fresh parsley, for garnish

DIRECTIONS

• Preheat oven to 350°. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with foil and grease with cooking spray. To the center of the foil, lay lemon slices in an even layer.
• Season both sides of the salmon with salt and pepper and place on top of lemon slices.
• In a small bowl, whisk together butter, honey, garlic, thyme, and oregano. Pour over salmon then fold up foil around the salmon. Bake until the salmon is cooked through, about 25 minutes. Switch the oven to broil, and broil for 2 minutes, or until the butter mixture has thickened.
• Garnish with parsley before serving.

The other thing I love about this recipe is that everything is baked in foil, so clean up is a breeze! That leaves me more time for my FASTer Way low carb day workouts!!

Let me know if you give it a go!

You can learn more about the FASTer Way program and when my next amazing group starts -> here.

Don’t be afraid of the F word!

There is a lot of talk about intermittent fasting these days, especially since so many celebrities are coming out and talking about their experiences with it. You may have seen Hoda and Jenna talking about it on the Today show or maybe you read about Jennifer Garner, Jennifer Lopez, Jennifer Anniston - all the stars named Jennifer are doing it. Perhaps you have seen the recent medical research in the New England Journal of Medicine that just came out last week about the Johns Hopkins study.

In the FASTer Way to Fat Loss, we have been practicing intermittent fasting for over four years as a community. It is by far the most popular strategy amongst my clients.

If you’re a fan of intermittent fasting, let me know in the comments!

Despite its growing popularity and the amazing benefits, there are a lot of people who are intimidated by the word fasting.

Today, I want to tell you why you don’t have to be afraid of F word.

When people hear the F word, they often react out of fear:

Fear that they will starve 

Fear that they will have to give up their coffee

Fear that they will have to give up their favorite breakfast foods

Fear that it will be too hard

Fear that they won’t have enough energy

But there is no reason to be afraid. 

First of all intermittent fasting is not about how much you eat, it’s about WHEN you eat. You will still eat all the food you’re supposed to, you will just do it in a smaller window of time. Everyone should be fasting daily for 12 hours, but you can adjust that protocol to increase the benefits by extending the fasting window to 16/8 or even 20/4. Intermittent fasting is an eating schedule and should be done with guidance from a certified coach because if not done properly, extended fasting can damage hormone health. 

When you practice intermittent fasting, your goal is to consume only water but you can have your coffee. There are some rules regarding the kind of coffee you can have during your fasting window, but you do not have to quit coffee to do intermittent fasting.

If you are like me and love breakfast, you do not have give up your favorite breakfast foods either. I usually break my fast between 11-12pm, and if I want protein pancakes and eggs, that’s what I have. It’s basically brunch. You can also have breakfast food for dinner if you want. Intermittent fasting will not change what you eat, just when you eat.

When you begin intermittent fasting, I recommend easing into it. I teach my new clients to fast for as long as they can with the goal being 16 hours. We follow the 16/8 protocol in the FASTer Way to Fat Loss, but many clients start off doing 12/12 or 14/10 to give their bodies a chance to adjust. If you dive right into 16 hours, it might feel hard. It might also feel hard if you are not eating enough during your eating window. This is another reason I recommend trying intermittent fasting under the guidance of a certified coach. If you are fasting and under-eating, you could do damage to your hormones.

Once your body switches from being a sugar burner to a fat burner, you will have plenty of energy to get through your day and to get through your workout. The key is to eat enough, to eat the right foods, whole foods, and to ease into intermittent fasting.

If you would like to learn how to implement intermittent fasting, along with other nutritional strategies, my next group of the FASTer Way starts soon. 

When you register you will get immediate access to the materials until we will start prep week. In addition to intermittent fasting, you will learn about whole food nutrition, macro tracking and carb cycling. You will learn to pair your workouts to get the best results. I will show you how to eat more and workout less AND get results.

Let me know if you have any questions! If you have experience with IF, let me know in the comments.

Two Key Ingredients in the Recipe for Success

I have the perfect recipe for you if you are trying to create a healthy and sustainable lifestyle, wanting to fight disease without using medicinal methods or feeling frustrated by not getting results when you feel like you are doing everything right.



Learn more about my next round of FASTer Way to Fat Loss ---> here

Carbs are not the enemy!

Yesterday I was really hoping to break my fast with an acai bowl, but our top two favorite places to get them were closed for the holiday - which I actually love! I love that the employees had the day to spend with family and friends.

So today, I am looking forward to getting that acai bowl!

Now I know some of you watching will be thinking that all those carbs are surely going to set me back or make me fat, and I know that there are tons of programs out there promoting the elimination of carbs to lose weight, but the truth is…carbs are not the enemy!

For too long we have been made to believe that carbs are bad but the truth is our bodies NEED carbohydrates in order to perform optimally.

Carbs are important to our overall hormone health, to our energy levels (especially the more active we are) and to our mood!

Now it is true that not all carbs are created equally. This is one of the biggest lessons my clients have to learn when they go through the FASTer Way with me.

Our body needs carbs, but it needs good carbs, complex carbs, so instead of eating mostly highly processed carbs like breads and pastas, cereals, soda, candy

Instead we should be eating fruits and veggies that are high in fiber, quinoa and rice, oats, potatoes and sweet potatoes. Our carbs should be real, whole foods.

In the FASTer Way, we do not believe in eliminating carbs. When we do that, we are lowering our overall calories and possibly under-eating, we are depriving our bodies of important nutrients, and causing our energy to be low and cravings high.

In the FASTer Way to Fat Loss, we cycle our carbs which allows us to deplete our glycogen and tap into fat stores for fuel but then we rebuild our energy stores and protect our hormones by adding carbs back into our day.

Now, as much as I want to let you know that you need carbs in your life and if you have eliminated them I hope you will consider bringing them back…I also don’t want to leave the rest of you thinking that you have to completely eliminate cookies and ice cream and donuts from your life either. It’s about eating the right carbs, the good carbs most of the time and enjoying the occasional treat strategically that will help you reach your goals.

Remember to keep in mind that carbs are not the enemy. Some just happen to be healthier for you than others. If your goal is to lose weight, let me teach you how. Learn more about my next round of FASTer Way to Fat Loss by clicking here.

I will teach you how to eat the right amount of carbs, the right type of carbs and how to cycle your carbs for the best results.

If you have questions or concerns on this topic, let me know. I would love to chat with you more!

Now, I would love to know, what are your favorite carbs to fuel up on?