Don't Miss this FREE Webinar on Saturday with Chef AJ

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Wednesday is my batch cooking day and I'm deep in it right now, but I'm taking a break to blog about something that I know you all do not want to miss!

Sign up and mark your calendars for this coming Saturday's FREE live webinar with Chef AJ.

Chef AJ is always entertaining and highly informative. She will be presenting on the following topics:

• How she lost 50 pounds and kept it off eating plenty of potatoes and rice. 
• How she eats so much food and does not gain weight. 
• What her plate actually looks like. 
• Does she exercise? What does she do to exercise? Is it really necessary to exercise to lose weight?

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Remedy Food Project. The Plant Advantage. And the Winners are . . .

Thank you so much to everyone who took the time to enter my biggest giveaway ever! And thank you to Benji Kurtz for making this giveaway possible.

First off, let me announce the two runners up, who each won a copy of Benji Kurtz's new book "The Plant Advantage."

I like to use a random number generator to pick the winners of most of my contests, so there is no possibility of bias on my part.

And the winners are . . .

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HUGE Giveway! Benji Kurtz, Remedy Food Project Toronto and The Plant Advantage

About six months ago I got a call from a friend asking if I would lend some of my recipes to an author who was writing a book about his plant based weight loss journey. The author's name was Benji Kurtz and, at the time, I hadn't heard of him. I respected the fact that he had lost over 100 pounds on a plant based diet and that he wanted to share his story. It was clear to me that we were members of the same tribe and that I was going to help out in any way that I could.

I next heard about Benji after he produced a plant based food conference in Atlanta, GA called The Food = Medicine Conference. The feedback that I received about this conference was that it was the single best plant based food conference of them all.

Well, that's a pretty big statement.

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Free Chef AJ Webinar and Other Stuff

Hello Dear Readers!

I miss you!!!!!!!

I feel like I must confess to you that I am in one of my small blogging funks again.

It's not for lack of things going on in my healthy world--it's that so much good stuff is going on!

It's difficult for me to reconcile the fact that this used to be a blog that was so focused on recipes with my new interests. I imagine so many of my dear readers subscribe here for the recipes. But my personal attention has shifted from new recipe creation, testing, writing and photographing to new areas of interest for me such as healthy habit formation and self-care.

Don't worry, there's till a lot of amazing food 

being prepared in Healthy Girl's Kitchen every week.

That comes first!

I call this the "Kale-me-crazy Bowl."

The result is that I have sort of lost my blogging mojo again, but personally, I am doing better than ever! And I really hope that you are too!!!

I'm practicing yoga each and every day (catch my journey on Instagram--#365daysofyoga--hey, maybe I should write a blog post about what the effects of this have been!) and filling my belly with the most incredible, simple, whole plant foods that are not calorie dense.

The result is that my body is totally changing for the better. It's a very exciting time for me personally as I have been working so hard on developing myself emotionally, spiritually and physically. I'm also thoroughly enjoying helping other people find their healthy habit mojo and I am rapidly developing my coaching skills.


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The Nightmare that is Oprah Winfrey Teamed Up with Weight Watchers

I love Oprah.

I really, really do.

But boy, did that TV commercial really piss me off.

You know the one where she sits there and talks about how she's so happy that she can lose weight while still eating bread every single day?
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A Gourmet Oil-free Esselstyn Approved Plant Perfect Dinner in My Backyard?

Just a head's up, this blog posting is going to be of particular interest mainly to my readers in North East Ohio . . .

Have you ever heard of The Culinary Vegetable Institute?

Doesn't just the name send tingles up your spine?

I thought so!

Well, if you have never heard of the CVI, I'm happy to be introducing it to you today. And to be telling you about a once in a lifetime whole food plant based gourmet event that they are hosting on Saturday night!!!!!!

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Don't Miss AJ's Live Cooking Demo on Thursday Night!

If there is one thing that I know to be true in this world, it is that Chef AJ is a plant based culinary genius.

Chef AJ has consistently created new and delicious recipes that comply with the latest nutritional knowledge that she acquires, and we have all been the beneficiaries of her hard work in the kitchen. If you haven't seen this gem of a video yet, be sure to watch it a.s.a.p.

This is why I'm so excited to share what AJ has "cooked up" for us now. She'll be cooking live from her kitchen and we can all watch it streaming this Thursday night. If that's not convenient for you, you will get a link to watch it at your convenience.

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Q and A Session Part II on Veggies for Breakfast

Just in case you haven't heard enough talk about VFBs, I'm here today to answer more questions about the VFB habit!

There are so many questions that continue to come in about VFBs, so please excuse me if I have misplaced your particular question. Feel free to ask it again in the comments section to this blog post and I will answer it.

What are your thoughts on Edamame?

Edamame fall into the beans and legumes category and therefore are not a vegetable. They are a very high fat bean, and I eat them sometimes in salads.

With VFB is it strictly just vegetables or is a portion of breakfast the starches also? I notice in your pictures above rice in one picture, chickpeas in another. Do you usually have starch with your VFB? I have been eating primarily broccoli for breakfast and it is a good start but I don't find it to have much staying power/satiety for me and then I fall flat and eat poorly.

The concept of Veggies for Breakfast arose out of two needs:

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Veggies for Breakfast (VFBs) Rocks! is Now an Official Facebook Group

Just a quick post to let y'all know that there was quite a demand for a dedicated Facebook group to share photos, ideas and inspiration for the VFB habit.
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Q and A Session on Veggies for Breakfast

I wasn't expecting to write another blog post so soon, but I received so many interesting questions from you guys that I decided to answer them all in one big blog post. So here goes!

I would enjoy your blog so much more if you could "clean up your mouth". I just can't get past the vulgar cuss words sprinkled throughout. How old are you?

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My Insights After 365 Days of Veggies for Breakfast. Thoughts on Habit Formation.

Happy New Year everyone! I hope that you are enjoying your last day before 2016 and that your reflections on 2015 give you hope for the future.

I've got a huge smile on my face today.

I can't say that I'm surprised that I did it. 

I knew that I'd complete it after a few months had gone by, because it felt so good already.

But I'm still really psyched that this day has come.

I have eaten at least one pound of non-starchy vegetables as my first meal of the day for 365 consecutive days. Sometimes I have potato or rice with that, and sometimes I don't. It depends on what time I eat my first meal and what else is going on that day.

Sometimes it's as simple as frozen vegetables that I have microwaved. Other times it a more creative "stew" of cooked vegetables. Whatever I have time for and whatever I'm in the mood for. I'm never bored. There are endless options. A bag of baby carrots will do.

This experiment has taught me a number of things about myself. Here are the top ten things I've learned from my 365 Days of Veggies for Breakfast experience, in no particular order of importance: 

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Winners Announced. Link to Recorded Teleclass. UWL Mastery Program.

If you think you can, you can. If you think you can't, you can't. Either way, you're right."

- Henry Ford

That's my current mantra.

Do you have a mantra or mantras?

In case you don't know what a mantra is, here's one of the definitions: A statement or slogan repeated frequently.

I've been thinking a lot lately about the limitations that I have placed on my own success due to my own stinkin' thinkin' and I'm ready to return to the infinitely positive person that lives inside of me. I've realized that I've been limiting myself by not believing that I could achieve all of my health goals and I have now let this go. I feel amazingly empowered.

What do you say to yourself about your health or weight? What are the thoughts that frequently run through your head? Are more of your thoughts positive than negative? Do you replace any negative thoughts that come up for you with a positive mantra?

Many people have said that The Ultimate Weight Loss Program is hard. I've realized something recently. The UWL program is what the UWL program is. If you think the program is easy, the program is easy. If you think the program is hard, it's hard. Your thoughts determine your reality.

I believe that the UWL program is easy. So it is easy for me.

I'll give you an example of this in operation. When we travel or go to restaurants, we UWLers need to prepare ahead of time and make sure that we can get plant based, whole food, free of salt, oil and sugar. Someone could easily think that this sounds really hard. It might seem really uncomfortable for you to ask for exactly what you need in a restaurant. It also might seem embarrassing for you to bring supplementary food to a restaurant, like a bag of cooked rice, a container of beans or a homemade dressing to add to the raw salad ingredients that are available in most restaurants.

Staying on UWL while travelling or at a restaurant is easy if you think it's easy. It's hard if you think it's hard. Either way, you're right.

What do you think?

I've got a lot of other business to discuss with you today here on Healthy Girl's Kitchen.

You guys wanna know which two people won the Plant Pure Nation DVDs and cookbooks, right?

And you also want to link to listen to the free teleclass on navigating the holidays, right?

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What I Mean When I Say "UWL is So Much More Than That"

Has it ever occurred to you that losing weight and getting healthy is so much more than simply knowing which foods to eat and which foods not to eat?

If you are still here reading this blog, or you've recently subscribed to HGK, it probably has.

I spent years blogging about recipes and taking beautiful pictures of food.

I knew exactly which foods I could eat in and what foods I shouldn't eat to lose weight.

Or at least I thought I did.

But I struggled for so long on a plant based diet. Why didn't it work for me? Why did I gain 50 pounds instead of maintain the successful weight loss that I had fought so hard for?

I eventually came to find out that knowing the right foods to eat is the easiest part of this puzzle.

There is SO MUCH MORE TO THIS.

Do you know what I'm talking about? Maybe you are unsure? I'm going to explain myself.
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Free Teleclass This Saturday Night

I know, I know, you probably have a hot date this Saturday night . . .

but in case you're available, I'm really happy to be inviting you to a free teleclass.

I'll be your host. Chef AJ and John Pierre will be on the call to answer all of our questions about navigating the holidays the healthy way.

Holiday time is literally THE WORST when it comes to temptation. It was last year at holiday time that my whole health journey took a nasty turn. I totally caved to all of the crap that our clients were shipping us as thanks for another hard year of great work. On one level, it felt really good that some of our clients cared about us so much and were so thoughtful.

But for me, it was a bit of a nightmare. I was so tired and worn out from working extra hard that I had little to no resistance to fend off the sugary substances. I'm purposefully not going into detail here because talking about addictive food is a known trigger for people who struggle with their weight.

The consequence of my indulgences were a return of my migraine headaches--the LAST thing I needed during our busy holiday rush.

It was only after the holidays were over that I realized just why my migraines had returned. And lord knows what damage I did to my body--I think I stopped weighing myself. I barely remember. But I'll never forget the headaches.

The point is, sticking to a healthy, whole foods, plant based diet is a really big challenge this time of year. But I've got experts who know exactly what to do to get us through them without a hiccup--if we just have the willingness to listen to them!

Please feel free to ask any questions you may have here in the comments section of Healthy Girl's Kitchen. No question is off limits! I'll use your questions as jumping off points for what we discuss on the call.

The class is free, so it doesn't matter if you are a UWL member or not. I promise, you will get a TON of inspiration from this team.

If you are UWL curious and you are thinking that it might be the thing for you in 2016, this call will be a great way to get a taste of what UWL is all about.

I can't wait to catch you on this call. It's a good idea to mark your calendar now so that you don't forget. I'm fairly sure that we can provide a link to the recorded call in case you aren't available, but I can't promise 100%.

Here are the call in details:

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Is 2016 Your Year to Join UWL? Please Join Me This Saturday Night!

Good morning! I sure hope that you took a minute and entered the Plant Pure Nation giveaway. You still have two days to get in on it, so don't miss out. I promise, just entering the giveaway will be a benefit to you.

It will start to get you thinking about your goals.

It's December. The holiday are in full swing. The parties and the decadent food are everywhere.

What happens when the holidays are over?

I'd like to start you thinking about it sooner rather than later.

Is 2016 going to be the year that you get your health and weight under control for good?

What is your health plan for the New Year?

How will you lose the holiday weight (on TOP of the excess weight already there)??

How will you get back on track?

How will you start strong and STAY STRONG in 2016?

Can I make a suggestion?

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Something to Feel Really Good About and Plant Pure Nation Double Giveaway!

A few days ago I began a daily yoga practice (are you laughing yet?) and I can't tell you the high I have been on from moving my body and meditating and breathing deeply each day.

Then my cousin Angela alerted me to a video that was recently released describing the growth of the Vegan/Plant Based movement all over the world.

After watching the video, I was filled with so much hope that I just had to share it with you here.


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Can't Meet Up in Cleveland in March? How About Baltimore in January?

photo courtesy Gena Page Photography

I don't want to brag, but can you see how happy I am? That's a picture of me and my good friend Allyson that was taken about a week ago. (I just have to say that I freakin' love my friend Allyson, she is such a gorgeous soul!)

I'm at a really good place in my life and I'd love to share with you an experience that I had last night that demonstrates the profound changed that have occurred in my health, both physical and mental, over the past year or so.

My husband and I attended an incredible lecture at a large catering hall, After the lecture there was an elaborate dessert reception that a ton of my friends were attending (ie, I didn't want to miss it for anything).

But sugar is my kryptonite. Over the past 45 years of my life, I have alternated between being in the throes of it's grip and occasionally kind of white knuckling my way through not eating sugary foods. My sugar addiction sucked the life out of me. I couldn't understand why I could be successful in so many other areas in my life and at the same time suck so badly at controlling my weight and sugar fixation. I hated that I had no control over a substance that I knew was not healthy for me. I had tried everything that I could find that offered the hope of recovery, but recovery was elusive.

That's why last night was so epic! Last night I easily enjoyed some water, decaffeinated tea and fresh fruit while not being tempted AT ALL by the mountain of sugary desserts. I was calm and happy. I barely noticed the garbage, while in the past I would have been obsessing about whether or not I should eat it and how much could I eat of it without looking like a glutton.

The thoughts that would run through my head were INSANE.

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Can You Join Me in Cleveland This March? The Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease One Day Conference

You have no idea how excited I get about these things.

I'm like a kid thinking about going to a candy store, all giddy with anticipation.

You see, I crave connection, specifically connection with like minded people.

But this kind of connection is unfortunately so rare for me, and I'm guessing it is for you too. The strange thing about choosing to be whole food plant based is that almost no one else that you come into contact with on any regular basis shares your eating habits.

That's why I'm thrilled to invite you to my hometown of Cleveland, OH to participate in a one day conference being organized by Jane Esselstyn.

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Zoodles, Sauce and My First YouTube Video!

I went totally out of my comfort zone on this one.

Not only did we make a video in my kitchen while Chef AJ was in Cleveland last week, I was in charge of the technology to make that happen.

Pretty funny.

But I really wanted to have this conversation about questions that I had about her Ultimate Weight Loss Program with AJ, and I wanted you guys to be able to be a part of that.

AJ insisted that we cook something as well, so I suggested that we make one of my all time favorite Chef AJ recipes--her raw marinara sauce--because I knew that I wanted to serve it over zoodles (zucchini noodles) at the pot luck that was happening just a few hours after this video was made. Not only that, I wanted to use the raw marinara sauce on some Sweet Potato Pizzas, which ended up being the hit of the pot luck!

Sweet Potato Crust Pizzas

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Create Chopped Salads Like a Chef

Sometimes I get really excited about a new idea (or at least new to me) and then after a short time having fun with it I lose interest.

Not so with my new friend, the chopped salad. 

The perfect low calorie, high volume, Vegan weight loss food.

I was reacquainted with chopped salads a little over two months ago when I stayed with Chef AJ, having had many of them when I lived in LA twenty years ago. She showed me how easy it is to throw them together as a last minute meal, and as soon as I tasted how amazing it was, I knew I would buy that Ulu mezzaluna knife as soon as I got off the plane at Cleveland Hopkins Airport.

And I did.

I made a few chopped salads.

And a few more.

Now they're part of my weekly food prep routine.

I crave my chopped salads.

Making them is just too easy if you follow this formula that I'm going to share with you today.

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