Cyber Monday is a day when many online companies offer their best sales of the year. I’ve found some great deals this year and stocked up on pantry essentials, supplements, and some other gifts for everyone on my list! In fact, my Christmas shopping is done… now I just have to pull the Advent wreath …
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Moroccan spices are the perfect flavor addition for chicken thighs, roasted vegetables, and tomato-based stews! Here’s how to make your own homemade Moroccan spice blend with 7 basic spices you probably already have! What do Moroccan spices taste like? A Moroccan seasoning is savory and slightly smokey. It has wonderful ...
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Peppermint Bark Fat Bombs >> a dreamy holiday treat that’s actually healthy! These two-layered fat bombs mix chocolate and peppermint for the ultimate healthy holiday dessert. Love fat bombs? US TOO! Try some of our other recipes – raspberry cheesecake, chocolate peanut butter, and crunchy rice crispy peanut butter fat ...
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Nutrition has far-reaching impacts on the body and mind. Find out how the connection between nutrition and mental health and how a personalized, ancestral approach to food can help you restore your health.
The post Nutrition and Mental Health: What’s the Connection? appeared first on Chris Kresser.
I’ve never understood it… the idea of running out early on holiday celebrations with family to go shopping for gifts for those same people! No judgment from me if that is your thing, but this year, why not have the turkey and eat it too? (Literally and figuratively). I’m doing my early shopping from the …
Continue reading The Best 2019 Black Friday Sales & Deals on Natural Products...
This Tuscan Turkey Soup is the perfect recipe for turkey leftovers. Packed with hearty vegetables, lean protein, a delicious broth, and made completely in the Instant Pot. You’ll be making this soup all winter long! Soup recipes and the Instant Pot are quite the dream team. Whether you’re making this ...
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Whip up a batch of these pumpkin gingerbread energy balls during pumpkin pie spice season! They make a perfect healthy fall snack that you can meal prep for the week! Need to use up the rest of your canned pumpkin? Make these paleo pumpkin pancakes or these 4 ingredient gluten ...
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I’ve always thought that homemade versions of classic recipes taste much better than store-bought versions, and cranberry sauce is a perfect example of this. Although I loved the canned jellied cranberry sauce that we always ate on Thanksgiving when I was young, after I tried making cranberry sauce from scratch one year, I was hooked. Now …
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This Instant Pot Whole Cauliflower recipe is sponsored by Instant Pot itself! If you know Sweet Potato Soul, you know how much I love this brand. Instant Pot sent me their new Duo Evo Plus multi-cooker, and I’ve been so impressed with how much time and effort it saves me everyday. And the Instant Pot family has grown to include the Instant Ace Plus Blender and the Instant Vortex Plus Air Fryer Oven. Keep reading for this delicious cauliflower piccata recipe and details on how you can win the Instant Pot Duo Evo Plus!
It’s great to be alive during the time of the Instant Pot. Seriously, it has been one of my closest friends during this first year of motherhood, and I can only imagine this friendship––or some might call it dependency––strengthening as my working mom duties grow. Luckily a week doesn’t go by where I don’t discover a new and exciting dish to make in my Instant Pot. This week I’m all about this whole cauliflower piccata with super flavorful lemon caper gravy. It is easy enough to make for a weeknight dinner, yet delicious and impressive enough to serve for Thanksgiving or Christmas. My type of recipe! A whole cauliflower will pressure cook in the Instant Pot in just 3 minutes. Let it natural steam release for 5 minutes, and that’s all. Perfectly tender cauliflower!
The inspiration for this recipe comes from my days as a personal chef in New York City. One of the most popular recipes my clients would request was tempeh piccata. Tempeh piccata––a vegan version of chicken piccata––featured breaded slices of tempeh cooked in a lemon caper gravy and served over mashed potatoes, pasta, or farro. This whole cauliflower piccata isn’t breaded and cooked in gravy, but the spirit of that dish remains.
Before cooking, the cauliflower it is rubbed with a few of my favorite spices: smoked paprika, garlic powder, thyme, turmeric, salt, and pepper. The spices flavor the outside of the vegetable, and sneak inside as it cooks. The gravy is at once perfectly salty and tangy. I like to caramelize yellow onions or leeks in the Instant Pot before adding fresh lemon juice and vegetable broth, and steaming the cauliflower.
Once the cauliflower is cooked, broil it for 10 minutes to char the outside. While it’s in the oven you thicken the gravy with a tad bit of flour, and turn up the flavor profile by adding capers. So simple, yet so delicious! Serve it all over roasted or mashed potatoes.
Now that I know how easy it is to make whole cauliflower in the Instant Pot you better believe I’ll be trying out all sorts of gravy styles: curry, puttanesca, jerk!
And yes, you can use any Instant Pot to make this glorious dish. I used my new Duo Evo Plus, but you could even fit a whole cauliflower in the smallest 3 quart Instant Pot (which I also have). I didn’t think I would need a larger Instant Pot because you really can do anything with the 3 quart model, but the Duo Evo Plus really has been an upgrade. It pressurizes super fast, has an easy to use LED display screen, features a steam release guard, and the pot has easy-grip handles. I will say, having two Instant Pot is a busy woman’s luxury. I use them simultaneously all of the time, especially for meal prep.
Before I leave you with the recipe, I want to share that I am hosting a giveaway of the new Instant Pot Duo Evo Plus on my Instagram! I’ll be giving away this life-changing machine to two of my lucky followers. Head over to my IG to enter!
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Tired of so-called “experts” telling you how to eat better and improve your fitness? If so, this article is your antidote. In it we share 35 tips, ideas, and strategies that actual clients—folks like you—have used to get into the best shape of their lives.
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Imagine a life where you…
…feel physically and mentally strong, capable of taking on any challenge without worrying that your energy levels or bodyweight will get in the way.
…can run around with your kids, or grandkids, without feeling pain, winded, or tired; and you can do it again the next day.
…excitedly book a beach vacation without wondering how you’ll look (or feel) in a swimsuit, walking along the beach.
…look forward to having your picture taken without wondering “who’s that person, and when did they start looking like that?”
It’s not a pipe dream.
Here at Precision Nutrition, we’ve worked with thousands of clients and heard their deepest reasons for wanting to change their bodies and their lives.
(You’ll read about some of them below, you’ll even see some of their photos).
Strange as it’ll seem, most of them didn’t believe change was really possible. Not within the context of their uniquely busy, often stressful lives.
When they started working with us, their goals seemed more like fantasies. Even the simple ones—like wanting to get up off the floor without having to say “umphhhh”—felt out of reach.
But notice what happened next.
They lost body weight and fat. They built strength. The reclaimed their health. And they took control of their fitness, some for the first time in their lives.
Nowadays they’re the women you see projecting confidence and walking tall. The men with flat stomachs and a totally clean bill of health.
So we decided to ask them:
How’d you do it?
Their real-world answers were so good we decided to share them today.
In this article you’ll learn:
Before getting into it, though, I wanted to let you know that we’re soon opening spots in our Precision Nutrition Coaching program.
You see, twice a year we work with small groups of men and women interested in looking and feeling better. Over the course of 12 months we help them get into the best shape of their lives… and stay that way for good.
Just so you know, we’ve tested Precision Nutrition Coaching with close to over 100,000 clients over the past 15 years. Plus, several peer-reviewed research papers have documented the safety and effectiveness of our approach.
For a sneak peek at the amazing things we’ve helped them accomplish, check out this short video:
Meet some of the people whose bodies—and lives—have been changed by Precision Nutrition Coaching.
Wondering how you can experience these kinds of results for yourself?
Let’s turn it over to our Precision Nutrition Coaching graduates.
“If it’s your time, and you’re sitting on the fence—you want to do it, you’re thinking of doing it, you’re not sure if you should do it—jump off that fence,” says Patrick, 35, who lost 152 pounds with Precision Nutrition.
“Give it everything you’ve got; why sit out when you can be part of life?”
Unrealistic (and, frankly, insulting) click bait like “Flatten Your Tummy in 5 Minutes a Day” and “Sculpt Your Butt While Sitting Still” are meant to drive ad sales, not get you in shape.
Most of our clients, once they see Precision Nutrition’s positive, practice-based approach, realize that the negative tone of health and fitness media was holding them back for years.
Why reinvent the wheel? When you see a true success story unfold before your eyes, copycat away. That’s how 46-year-old Sharon D’Arcy found Precision Nutrition, and she ended up losing more than 30 pounds.
(Click here for her story, which includes a bit of surprising inspiration.)
Don’t assume you have to be “perfect” or “special” in order to be fit and healthy. 48-year-old Alicia had been on the diet-mobile for so long she started to think change just wasn’t possible for her.
Then one day, her mindset shifted. “Why not me?” she asked herself. She stuck that mantra to her mirror.
Every day, in a mindful, conscious way, she visualized her success. Forty-nine pounds later, Alicia went from a size 16 to a size 6 and became our $25,000 grand prize winner.
To make true progress, allow yourself to focus exclusively on what you can do now. Not in some hypothetical future where everything is perfect.
Just do the best you can with what you’ve got right now. It’s what allowed Sharon (above) to lose weight and fight cancer—all in the same year.
Keep your specific motivation in mind, whether it’s getting fit enough to play sports with your kids or looking great on your wedding day. That last one is what helped 32-year-old Melissa lose 55 pounds.
“The whole time, I had this image of myself on my wedding day in my head,” Melissa says. “Walking tall, feeling amazing—feeling statuesque instead of soft around the edges.”
Sure, wanting to look better is what motivates most clients to sign up for Precision Nutrition Coaching. But it’s not what gets them to oh-my-god-you-look-amazing transformations.
Healthy eating habits end up improving how they feel—how they move, think and generally enjoy life—which leads to continued healthy eating and dozens of pounds lost over time.
“Enjoy your body,” Sharon (above) says. “Take pleasure in movement. Take pride in what you can do.”
This deep appreciation for physical health is what allows many clients to maintain fitness regimens and weight loss over time.
Most Precision Nutrition clients come to realize that they’ve been eating mindlessly—packing in calories without really tasting the food—for a long time.
“There’s nothing inherently wrong with dessert,” explains Yano, 35, who lost 76 pounds with Precision Nutrition.
He still enjoys dessert occasionally, of course, and finds that having it only once in awhile is the key to really appreciating it.
Recognizing how their surroundings might have caused unhealthy habits to develop—like 29-year-old Sarah’s years of work in fast food restaurants—allows many Precision Nutrition clients to discover the why of who they are and start zeroing in on the power of how to change it.
“It turns out that a lot of people have health and weight issues, just like I used to have,” Yano (above) says.
“And often they don’t want to eat poorly; they just do it because everyone else—friends, family, the people around them—is doing it. That was my problem for a long time.”
We can skim the top of our diet issues and see some small, fleeting changes on the scale… or we can really dig into our relationship with food, and make it better for the long run.
For Sarah (above), letting herself get vulnerable as she went through Precision Nutrition’s program turned into her greatest strength, opening her up to the process of self-questioning:
“How have trying times brought me to where I am now, and how have I coped?” Sarah asked herself. “What do I really care about? What gives me joy? How can I get more of that?”
Along the way, Sarah lost 52 pounds.
This isn’t some meaningless cliché. We’ve found that many people harbor an invisible fear of losing themselves if they lose a bunch of weight.
Consciously mourn your old self as you greet the healthier you. Lots of Precision Nutrition clients were able to recognize and minimize certain anxieties this way.
“Just remember, you deserve all of the amazing insights, strength gains, friendships, learning—whatever you take from this program as you find and discover a new and best version of yourself,” Sarah (above) says.
“You are worthy.”
Fit, healthy people who look like they’ve got it all figured out have to put effort into eating right, too.
We know because Precision Nutrition coaches themselves talk about it a lot.
Clients say getting to know them is comforting, because you can see how they’re so focused on learning, growing, and becoming the best versions of themselves.
So many Precision Nutrition clients say that one outcome of our program—and something that helps them maintain an optimal exercise schedule—is coming to see movement as play, as fun, as release.
Find the activities you love, and moving your body will become something you seek out, not dread.
Like many Precision Nutrition clients, 34-year-old Chrystalene used to beat herself up when she failed, and thought she should be able to get fit without a speck of help.
Luckily, through Precision Nutrition Coaching, she learned, “it doesn’t have to be hard all the time. And it’s okay to seek support. There’s probably a way to make your heavy thing lighter, and finding out how to do that is worth it.”
Her results—86 pounds lost and a $25,000 Grand Prize from Precision Nutrition—show what’s possible when you relax a little, and lean on the people around you.
Forget envy and intimidation. Precision Nutrition clients notice that the program allows them to stop saying, “That could never be me” and start thinking of others’ success stories as inspiration.
Lots of Precision Nutrition clients come to the program with significant health issues to solve. Talk to them and let their energy fuel you.
It’s easy to think you have to make all of the changes, all at once. But small steps really do add up.
That’s what 51-year-old Mark—who lost 42 pounds and won a $25,000 Grand Prize—learned from Precision Nutrition Coaching.
Says Mark, “Be patient. Just show up every day and focus on making small changes consistently”.
“It’s about realizing that no matter how smart I am and how much I know about exercise, if I’m not living it, I don’t really know it,” says Kevin, 40, who lost 37 pounds on the Precision Nutrition program.
Many Precision Nutrition clients know a whole lot about health and nutrition coming into our program. In fact, a lot of them are fitness instructors and health professionals themselves. Why’s the weight still sticking to them?
Their lightbulb moment: Relinquishing control to coaches, who offer the practical lifestyle advice, daily habits, and—this is key—accountability that’s needed to create real change.
“Knowing” is not always the same as “doing”. So many people trying to “eat clean” get derailed by the mere sight of processed food.
Precision Nutrition clients learn how to navigate the supermarket (or restaurants or their workplaces) to avoid temptation.
The secret: Stay on the perimeter. Calorie-packed chips, cookies, pasta, sauces, and dressings are in the middle. The good stuff like vegetables, meats, eggs, and fruits are stocked on the outside, away from the aisles.
That’s what 46-year-old John learned, and he lost 106 pounds.
“The truth is, I probably knew three-quarters of Precision Nutrition Coaching’s dietary recommendations before I started,” says Peter, 52, who dropped 33 pounds with Precision Nutrition.
“But the secret to losing weight and maintaining a healthy weight is consistency,” he says. Get someone to breathe down your neck, and you’ll make healthy choices your habit.
Precision Nutrition’s program is practically custom-designed for people who think they just “don’t have the time”. Oftentimes they’re our most successful clients.
Lisanne, 39, lost 38 pounds on the Precision Nutrition program while taking care of three small kids—including a nursing infant—and getting certified as a yoga instructor and doula.
Other clients work multiple jobs or have to travel five days a week and never know where they’ll be staying next. They tell us that Precision Nutrition coaching actually ends up easing their schedule by lending structure to their lives.
Forget what you can’t do. Figure out what you’re capable of in this moment, and build from there.
“I had to find it within me to accept that it was okay to do things a bit differently, says Richard, 49, who dropped 103 pounds in our yearlong program.
“I had to accept that it was okay to do what I was capable of.”
Eventually, Precision Nutrition clients internalize this mantra: Start wherever you are. Use whatever you have. Do whatever you can.
Now be that.
“I want my kids to be healthy and happy and proud of the way they’re living their lives,” Lisanne (above) says. “It’s not enough for me to pay lip service to that idea—I have to be an example.”
A lot of Precision Nutrition clients worry that prioritizing themselves will take them away from the people who need them, potentially damaging professional or personal relationships.
Then they discover that the opposite is true: Caring for themselves by addressing their diet and lifestyle makes them look and feel better—and that actually makes them more accessible and present for other people.
Sure, some of the changes you have to make to get healthy will be fundamental. But the truth is that you only need a few hours per week to build a great body.
By getting the right kind of help and following simple yet powerful daily practices, anyone can lose weight, get healthy, and feel better.
That’s what 34-year-old Kia realized, and she lost 61 pounds.
If you’re gauging success based on how much you weigh each morning, you’re bound to give up before you can establish healthy habits or see real change.
Almost as a rule, our clients’ progress graphs look like a crazy, twisted line of progress, regress, more progress, and lessons learned along the way (we know, because our software tracks it for them so they can follow along the whole time).
A year later, dozens of pounds lost—for good. Worth the roller coaster ride, for sure.
“What I learned was that I had to take responsibility for my own decisions,” says Heather, 37, who lost 47 pounds on the Precision Nutrition program.
“I had to get real with myself. I learned the difference between thinking, ‘I have to do x,’ and ‘I choose to do x,’ and ‘I’m doing x.’”
Too often, people trying to get fit become discouraged because exercise and nutrition programs seem inflexible, not designed for their lives.
That’s what Precision Nutrition coaches help with. We help you build an “Owner’s Manual” of operating instructions for your life.
49-year-old Cheryl lost 68 pounds—despite the fact that she was diagnosed with degenerative disc disease partway through the Precision Nutrition program. No heavy lifting? No problem. We helped her modify the workouts.
“In some ways, the diagnosis was a relief,” Cheryl says. “At least it was okay for me to admit that I hadn’t been doing what others were doing in the gym.”
“When I was in the middle of it, losing weight was at the forefront of my mind; now, everything is a habit,” says 36-year-old Katey, who despite having virtually no compliance with the Precision Nutrition program for the first 90 days went on to lose an impressive 116 pounds.
The key? Allowing herself to make truly fundamental lifestyle changes. “It feels a lot more like living,” she says.
“I realized I could have a clean slate every time I ‘messed up’ because this was about my healthy lifestyle, and not just a diet,” says Patricia, 46, who lost 69 pounds with Precision Nutrition.
“Precision Nutrition Coaching taught me habits and changed the way I view my body and the food I put in it. It’s a life plan, and it’s something I know I can manage forever.”
Look, at times it’s a slog—and that’s true for everyone.
“I learned that sometimes you have to drag your ass to the gym, even if you don’t feel like going, and it was a huge burden that got lifted off me,” says Kim, 25, who lost 24 pounds with Precision Nutrition.
“And while the workout may be slow moving and uninspired at first, once you’re there it’s super easy to finish.”
42-year-old Javier lost 60 pounds and took home a $25,000 grand prize at the end of his Precision Nutrition Coaching program.
Yet, until he saw his final photos, he did not fully recognize the change he had undergone.
In fact, just a few weeks before the photoshoot he was threatening to quit, and it was only the encouragement of his coach that kept him going.
Javier’s lesson: “remember that the road to success is paved with failures.”
Most people know that regular movement, eating well, sleep, and stress management are important for looking and feeling better. Yet they need help applying that knowledge in the context of their busy, sometimes stressful lives.
Over the past 15 years, we’ve used the Precision Nutrition Coaching method to help over 100,000 clients lose fat, get stronger, and improve their health… for the long-term… no matter what challenges they’re dealing with.
It’s also why we work with health, fitness, and wellness professionals (through our Level 1 and Level 2 Certification programs) to teach them how to coach their own clients through the same challenges.
We’ll be opening up spots in our next Precision Nutrition Coaching on Wednesday, January 15th, 2020.
If you’re interested in coaching and want to find out more, I’d encourage you to join our presale list below. Being on the list gives you two special advantages.
If you’re ready to change your body, and your life, with help from the world’s best coaches, this is your chance.
[Note: If your health and fitness are already sorted out, but you’re interested in helping others, check out our Precision Nutrition Level 1 Certification program].
The post Coaching: 35 lessons from Precision Nutrition’s most successful clients. Advice on how to get in your best shape from people who’ve done it. appeared first on Precision Nutrition.
Welcome to the Fit Foodie 2019 Holiday Gift Guide! Two of our favorite things around the holidays are gift-giving and good deals! Black Friday and Cyber Monday give us an opportunity to get great deals on things we love to give to the people we love! Here are some of ...
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I must admit, I am sitting in a robe in Cancun. I’ve basked in the sun, worked out, and am sipping an a little tequila concoction before getting ready for dinner. Not too shabby of a day here in beautiful Mexico. We’re on day 3 of vacation and tomorrow is our last full day at the resort.
For anyone interested in an adult-only, all-inclusive resort, Excellence Playa Mujeres never disappoints. This is visit #3 and it’s hard to even consider anywhere else. Unlike many all-inclusive resorts, I haven’t even tried every restaurant…and I’ve had 3 tries at it! It is a very special place.
Being here when work emails aren’t rolling in has been especially relaxing and other than to post a podcast episode, I haven’t touched my computer at all. Isn’t that what vacation is all about? Instead I’ve been reading, relaxing, and sneaking in a bit of activity, such as the daily tennis clinic at 9am.
The biggest decisions have been where to eat and where to relax – beach or pool. Life is rough this week. Feeling fortunate, for sure.
For everyone back in the Midwest, enjoying the not-so-fabulous temperatures, I’m thinking of you. And no, I’m not just saying that. The holidays are right around the corner and after a few days of tacos and margaritas, a girl could use vegetables. Or chili.
My friend, Lynne, submitted this recipe for this year’s chili contest. She described it as unique and often an acquired taste. A recipe from The Frugal Gourmet Cooks American cookbook, this recipe is full of fiber and big on chili sauce flavor. Love chili sauce? This recipe is for you! Not so keen on the tang? You should probably pass. A most unique chili that is hearty, filling, and very flavorful!
