About Me

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Technically speaking, I'm a dietitian, but I see myself as a listener, a motivator, coach and teacher of nutrition. I prefer to end a busy day with a glass of red wine while chopping vegetables. Lover of almost anything pickled and fresh baked scones just not at the same time. I'm happiest when I'm cooking for people I love. Why am I so into food? Because I KNOW how much eating well can change your life. What you eat every day is going to impact your body and your mind. It's a confusing world out there - full of diet and food advice that always leaves you feeling like it's that one next diet that's going to be the weight loss answer. Stop waiting for that magic diet, and begin to take one step at a time in the right direction. I'm here to help you on your life-long journey, there's no better time to start!

Monday, May 30, 2011

Apricot Banana Pancakes

Its so nice to have a holiday Monday, where I can make breakfast for my fiance Johnny while he sleeps in. I had a large apricot from the farmers market, a frozen banana, and Bob's Red Mill 10 Grain Pancake mix. You can find Bob's Red Mill products in the baking aisle of your neighborhood grocery store. They make a wide variety of whole grain mixes, baking flours, soup mixes and much more. Check out everything they offer on their website BobsRedMill.com.

Here's what I came up with: 

Ingredients:

2 Cups Bob's Red Mill 10 Grain Pancake Mix
2 Large Eggs
1 Cup 1% milk
2 Tbsp unsweetened applesauce
2 small or 1 large apricot, skin removed and chopped
1/2 a large banana, thinly sliced
Cinnamon 1 1/2 teaspoons
Butter or coconut oil

In a large mixing bowl, mix together all ingredients with a whisk until combined. You can adjust the consistency of the batter to fit your liking, and you can use water instead of milk if you're not a dairy person. Feel free to add in other fruit options, such as blueberries, strawberries, raspberries or mango. 

Melt a teaspoon or two of butter or coconut oil in a large skillet over medium low heat. Scoop a half cup of batter into the skillet and cook approximately 3-4 minutes on each side. 

Enjoy with maple syrup, lemon and butter with powdered sugar or fresh berry preserves.

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Damage and the Stigma of Being Fat

I came across this refreshing article on Twitter today which was posted by a fellow Tweeter @VoiceInRecovery.  Every time I read credible information, evincing how you don't have to be thin to be healthy, I am reassured that my professional work to help people learn about Intuitive Eating, Health At Every Size, and respecting your body is the right approach. We've heard it before, about how the pressure from society to be thin has created unrealistic body ideals for women, men and even children. We know this, yet we don't seem to be adapting our ideals or our goals to meet more realistic body sizes. Everywhere I look, from the lap band billboards to the flat belly diet plans - America is still obsessed with thinness. From what I see and hear daily from beautiful, healthy people asking me "how do I get skinny?" or "my life will be so much better if I can just lose this weight" I think we have a long journey ahead of us to really come to terms with what healthy actually looks like. Here's a quote from Dr. Thomas's findings:

Dr Thomas found that obese people believed the constant attention to their bodies was making things worse. They felt anxious and isolated. This generated feelings of low self-esteem and encouraged them to go down more extreme pathways of trying to lose weight “which we know do not work in the long run”.  Read the full article Chewing the Fat Over The Reality of Obesity