We’re oh-so-close to being halfway through this 10-week challenge. Get ready to send me your progress for Week 3 and new goals for Week 4 tomorrow by 11:59 EST to stay in the challenge!

I can’t wait to hear how you all did! Week 3 was a little bit of a challenge for me, and I know the scale will reflect that tomorrow. But I’m okay with that. Health isn’t a sprint, it’s a marathon (totally appropriate metaphor, beeteedubs), and even after the challenge ends, I hope you all keep making mini goals and following up with yourself on your progress.

Who thinks Week 4 will be the BEST WEEK EVER? Yeah, me too!

Before I give you my sister’s recipe for tofu chili, check out this GINORMOUS avocado:

Can you tell how big it is? It was about quadruple the size of a normal avocado. My mama brought it back from a farmers’ market in Miami for me. Thanks, mama!

Next up, Tofu Chili a la Sister

You’ll need:

• 2 28 oz. cans fire-roasted diced tomatoes
• small can tomato paste (if desired; I don’t like the taste of it as much)
• 14 oz. can black beans
• 14 oz. can chick peas
• 14 oz. can corn
• block extra firm tofu, cubed
• medium onion
• green bell pepper
• cumin
• cayenne
• chili powder

Make it:

• In a large sauce pan, saute onion and pepper.
• Once the onion and pepper are mostly done, add the tofu.
• After the tofu gets slightly crisp, add all the canned ingredients and spices to taste (you can use more to make it spicier, less to make it less spicy).
• Simmer for 30-60 minutes (or as much time as you have! The longer, the better).
• I always add a splash of red wine to chili, so feel free to add some if you have it.

The chili was served with Greek yogurt and a salad of baby spinach, cucumber, hearts of palm (SO GOOD!), and part of that huuuge avocado. Oh, and my Popchips came, so I had to taste-test them! I <3 Popchips.

A repeat of a much-needed reminder…

maryrambin:

—By Nutritionista

I originally wrote this post last June, but wanted to repost it now on Mary’s blog to remind all of us to avoid the hype of weight loss “miracle” drugs, foods, and workouts. It can be frustrating to work at losing weight for so long and see minimal results, but slow and steady is the only healthy, safe, and permanent way to lose weight.

In the past couple weeks, I’ve received several emails from people looking to drop weight quickly. Just a couple examples:

“is it possible to lose weight in two weeks like esp in the thigh area.”

“I was planning on going on a two week diet, that I feel people I know have followed - they lost 10 pounds on it.”

This isn’t a weight loss blog, but I realize a lot of people come here looking for ways to lose weight.

Well, I just want to go on the record and say I’m firmly against any “diet” that promises you’ll lose more than 2-3 pounds per week, has you eating less than 1,200 calories per day, includes lots of weird packaged/processed food, or cuts out any major food group (carbs, fat, protein, whatever).

JUST SAY NO.

If you lose weight on a diet like that, I can GUARANTEE you’ll gain it right back and then some. Those diets look so appealing. You think to yourself, “Well, I’ll just have perfect willpower for two weeks and weigh 10 pounds less for the effort.” What’s the point of that? You’ll be miserable. It’s not sustainable and you’ll get frustrated when the weight comes right back as soon as you let go just a little. Trust me, I know from experience.

The BEST weight loss advice I can give:

• BE PATIENT. Nobody wants to hear this, but there is no magic bullet. The more slowly you lose weight, the more likely you are to keep it off. Period.
• Eat food (REAL food, not processed food-like substances), mostly plants, not too much. It doesn’t get much simpler than Michael Pollan’s advice here. If you want to learn more about (what in my experience are) the foundations for healthy eating/weight loss, read my Six Nutritionista Principles.
• Cut out artificial sweetener. This has worked wonders for my sugar cravings and overall well-being.
• Do cardio and weight-bearing exercises. Break a sweat at least 4-5 days a week. No excuses, no substitutions. How you do it is up to you, but you can’t claim health if you don’t exercise.
• Filter out the food industry. The food industry doesn’t care about your health. Be suspicious of anything with “Low Fat!” or “Healthy!” on the label. Be suspicious of ANYTHING with a label and check it carefully before purchasing.
• Listen to your food voice and forget the noise.
• Learn and practice intuitive eating. This is something to really commit to heart for anyone trying to lose weight or just be healthier.

Not to be cheesy, but… you guys are pretty freaking great! Check it out (and these are just a few examples):

Sharon: “[My fitness goal was to] work out five times this week, for 45 minutes each day. Accomplished!  And I think I have developed it into a habit already.  I actually look forward to working out every day!”

Ginny: “I referenced this fitness challenge in normal conversation this week!!  I was like, ‘I have to go to Power Sculpt… it’s part of my goal for my online fitness challenge!!’ This has really helped keep me on track!”

Kelly: “Another successful week for me as far as the WSU challenge goes.  I’ve been focusing on not eating after 9 p.m.; *balancing* between bad foods and good foods / meals out and meals in / a glass of diet coke with two glasses of water…”

Brieann: “I totally shocked myself and did an 8 mile run!  Slowly and with some walking but still a success.”

Gena: “i lost 3 pounds! suck it, world!”

Jessie: “Although I’m a little disappointed in myself that I didn’t meet my goal, I am glad that I’m becoming more aware of the impact of my food and activity choices.”

Kendyl: “I pretty much rocked the fitness goal this week. I made it to the gym for at least an hour every week day and did strength training twice.”

Mary: “I lost 2 pounds! I did better on eating vegetables and somewhat better on my fitness goal of lifting weights more often.”

Maggie M.: “I completed my goal of making two new recipes (quinoa casserole and baked falafels) and cooked two new foods (eggplant and brussel sprouts).”

Christina: “LOVE THIS CHALLENGE!!! I am having so much fun! :)”

Daphne: “I’ve been trying to get creative with my meals (which is difficult since I’m new to this cooking thing), but I made spaghetti squash instead of using traditional pasta and it was so yummy. Seasonal and healthy!”

Meghan: “I definitely met both of my goals for the week, including running my first half marathon ever! (yipee!)”

Helen: “My last week’s goal was to finish my first 5k in 45 minutes, and I finished it in 42 and thirty something seconds (the official results haven’t been posted).”

Ron: “I did a pretty good job last week. I did eat very healthy at work (simple healthy breakfasts, salads everyday and hardly any sweets!). I also didn’t have a drop of soda the entire week.”

You know I love roasting food, so here’s another whole meal you can make completely in the oven!

First, I pre-heated the oven to 400 degrees. That’s the temperature at which you’re going to cook all the elements of this dinner. As soon as the oven reached 400, I threw my acorn squash in (just cut it in half and place on a baking sheet or dish). It has to cook the longest, so I started it before anything else.

Then, I prepped the ingredients for Mini Turkey Meatloaves. All the veggies look so pretty!

I bought the best ground turkey I could find.

No antibiotics, vegetarian-fed, no growth hormones. If I’m going to eat meat, I’m going to make sure it’s the best I can find.

Where did this come from?! You know La Nutritionista doesn’t drink often, so when I do, I make sure it’s tasty. I’ve been craaaaving pumpkin ale for a couple weeks now, and I finally bought myself some. This was DELICIOUS Kennebunkport Pumpkin Ale from (where else?) Trader Joe’s. Totally hit the spot.

While I was sipping my pumpkin ale, I chopped up a head of broccoli, tossed it in olive oil, salt, pepper, and some parmesan cheese. When the squash was about halfway done cooking, I threw the broccoli and mini meatloaves in the oven.

All done! Time to eat.

I added just a bit of brown sugar to my squash. From start to finish, this dinner took exactly an hour. Not bad, eh?

This week, read about Alison. Find out how she stays dairy-free, and how she makes water taste a little more glamorous. Want to share your healthy eating habits? Send me your responses to the following 10 questions, and I’ll use them on an upcoming Monday!

1. What’s the best thing about healthy eating?
   My favorite part of eating healthy is the increased awareness of my body.  When I avoid greasy, heavy, and chemical laden foods, I feel stronger, less bloated, and I stand taller.
2. Do you give your eating a label (e.g., vegetarian, vegan, pescatarian, high raw, etc.)?
   I am allergic to cow’s milk so I don’t eat dairy. I have done the vegetarian thing many times but have settled on a non-dairy diet consisting of mostly white meat, fish, whole grains, fruits, and veggies with a fairly limited amount of red meat.
3. Favorite method of cooking and why?
   Because I don’t eat dairy, I have developed the habit of recreating dishes to make them healthier, lighter, and dairy free.  My mother taught me how to cook with soy from an early age, as well as other milk substitutes such as hemp, almond, and rice milk.  Some of my favorite non-dairy moves in the kitchen include using one sunny-side up egg to give savory dishes a creamy consistency (I throw it on a serving of whole grain pasta with olive oil herbs and veggies, or over a little couscous).  I also make a pesto sauce without cheese and use rice milk to bake with.  Birthday cakes made with rice milk come out slightly denser and sweeter, more like a sweet bread…which leads to a richer taste and smaller portions.
4. Favorite versatile herb/spice?
   I am a huge fan or parsley and basil.  I bounce between the two and put them both on everything - obviously the fresher the better.  I also love to throw a rosemary sprig in my water jug and serve with ice - smelling rosemary all day while staying hydrated feels indulgent.
5. Best healthy sweet treat?
   pears and plums…anything mixed into low fat yogurt (I like to add nuts, fruit, and a touch of raw honey…so sweet, so good).
6. Your go-to five-minute meal?
   An egg with deli turkey meat on a whole wheat pita.
7. “Healthy” food you avoid like the plague?
   There really isn’t one.  I try everything at least once or twice.  I try a lot of meat substitutes in order to recreate meat dishes into lighter meals, and one that I absolutely hate is veggie ham.  It tastes too processed and spongy.
8. Who’s the person in your life that is the most baffled by how you eat?
   My best friend. He is from the south and can’t imagine not eating cheese and cream.
9. What’s your healthy power/comfort food (the one food you know will get you through the day)?
   Yogurt with fruit, cereal, nuts, and maybe some honey.
10. If you could change anything about your diet, what would it be?
    Lately I really crave something sweet at the end of each meal.  I wish I didn’t have this craving so consistently.