Damn Fabulous

September marks the beginning of a new season and it’s the perfect time for a new shift in your eating habits. Ask yourself these few questions and you’ll start your plan right.

1.     Where do I start? Narrow down your options by determining what’s healthy, what works for your lifestyle, and what you enjoy. If you want to increase your fiber, begin by eating more fruits and vegetables – include oats. There are many options, do your research and identify the healthiest and the most realistic option for you.

2.     What is your schedule like? Ideally we should be snacking every 2 to 3 hours to avoid the intense hunger feeling followed by the intense binge. Realistically, this isn’t always the case. Making changes will certainly challenge you, but remember that everyone is time impoverished and very few of us have a personal chef. Organize the time you do have and prepare your meals.

3.     What types of foods do you want? With your goals and objectives in mind, do you want to increase your fruits or increase your protein options? What are alternative sources for you? The key word in this category is variety. A menu is more exciting if you have something different to keep you on your toes. Experiment and try an exciting new dish.

4.     How much food? Is this menu for you, or for you plus 5? Think about what you normally eat in relation to your goals and objectives. Should you be cutting down your portion sizes? You can spread your servings throughout the day. (Remember,portion sizes and serving sizes are different things! ) The food guide is a good place to start. At the bottom of my meal plans I like to tally how many servings of each food group I’ve consumed throughout the day. Consulting a dietitian or nutritionist will guide you to create healthy and safe options for cutting out and adding in as required.

5.     Snack smart! When you follow a plan it’s easier to avoid snacking on junk from the vending machine. Include snacks in your meal plan so you don’t get too hungry between meals. Don’t forget these snacks count as servings for the overall serving count – you don’t have to jam everything into a single meal. Extra veggies, a granola bar, yogurt, cheese slices and crackers – there are plenty of options.

6.     Plan ahead. If Tuesday night is cooking night, make double the amount and save it for a lunch later in the week. Extra chicken would be great on a salad – leftover pasta noodles can be turned into a cold pasta salad. You still want some variety but freezing meals and preparing extra staples will help with chaos control.

This sample menu will keep you on a straight and narrow path, but you may have to be flexible. Use it for a guideline when you want to switch up your recipes and try something new. When you do make changes, write it down so you can adjust your plan accordingly. Keep your eyes on the prize, stay close to your plan.

There are things we do every day – as part of our regular routines – to help us stay healthy and happy. We brush our teeth to prevent cavities and gum disease. We wash our faces, shampoo our hair and wear SPF. But the routines we take part in with regard to our bodies are often nothing short of counterproductive. Instead of taking part in body routines that help us to stay healthy and happy, we often take part in measures designed to do the exact opposite. So, how do we change this: top 5 tips for loving your body more each day. Add these things to your morning routine and you can turn your morning routine from one that leaves you feeling down, angry and unworthy, to one that makes you feel healthy, happy and empowered!

Start Every Day With A Compliment. It’s so easy for us to look in the mirror and stark picking ourselves apart (sometimes literally if we’re talking pimples!). But just the simple act of starting each day by complimenting yourself can really change the way you feel about yourself for the rest of the day. So, tomorrow, when you wake up, begin the day by saying something nice about yourself before you do anything else. The point: to take the focus off the body parts we hate and, instead, put the focus on the positive.

Compliment Someone Else. It’s amazing how wonderful it can feel to make someone else feel better about him or herself! It will not only (ideally) instigate a pay-it-forward mentality, but also will help put your focus on the beauty of others instead of searching for flaws.

Appreciate Your Body For What It Can Do (Not What It Looks Like). Too often we only focus on the superficial. We worry about how our jeans fit, what our bellies look like and more. We noticed in our Real Beauty interviews, though, that athletes in particular have an incredible ability to steer clear of the pressure for body “perfection” (whatever that means) by focusing on what their bodies can do. They appreciate what their bodies are capable of – and work to increase their endurance, strength and power – without regard to how they look in the process and, well, it’s a lesson we could all learn!

Treat Your Body With Respect. So often we treat ourselves (and our bodies) in ways we would never tolerate from others. We criticize with thoughts and abuse with actions. Hold yourself to the same standard you would hold others, though, and things start to change. You would never tolerate a best friend who always told you that you looked fat or were not worthy – so don’t tolerate it from your own mouth either!

Step Off The Scale (And Stay Off). Your weight is not your worth. It’s not a measure of your health, fitness or attractiveness. For all intents and purposes, it’s more accurately a measure of our mood or anxiety levels than anything el

Recipe by the Marcella Hazan

Print this recipe!

3 to 4 pound chicken
Salt
Black pepper, ground fresh from the mill
2 rather small lemons

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Wash the chicken thoroughly in cold water, both inside and out. Remove all the bits of fat hanging loose. Let the bird sit for about 10 minutes on a slightly tilted plate (or paper towels) to let all the water drain out of it. Pat it thoroughly dry all over with paper towels. P.S. “Giblets” is just a friendly word for guts. So yeah, take out its guts. And wash it, inside and out. Hey! You! Don’t use soap. Just water. That may sound silly, but I saw a preview of Real Housewives of Bev Hills and she did it…so just thought I’d throw that out there. No soap. Just water.

3. Sprinkle a generous amount of salt and black pepper on the chicken, rubbing it with your fingers over all its body and into its cavity. And when I mean salt and pepper it, I don’t mean a little dash here and there. No. I mean: Go. To. Town. S&P is gonna make it taste awesome.

4. Wash the lemons in cold water and dry them with a towel. Soften each lemon by placing it on a counter and rolling it back and forth as you put firm downward pressure on it with the palm of your hand. Puncture the lemons in at least 20 places each, using a sturdy round toothpick, a trussing needle, a sharp-pointed fork, or similar implement.

5. Place both lemons in the birds cavity. Next, truss the chicken: run kitchen string from one leg to the other, tying it at both knuckle ends. Leave the legs in their natural position without pulling them tight. If the skin is unbroken, the chicken will puff up as it cooks, and the string serves only to keep the thighs from spreading apart and splitting the skin. We truss because it helps cook the chicken evenly. And it makes for pretty presentation. That’s all. The cooking evenly part is the most important.

6. Put the chicken into a roasting pan, breast facing down. Do not add cooking fat of any kind. This bird is self-basting, so you need not fear it will stick to the pan. Next time I’ll add a piece of parchment to the bottom). Place it in the upper third of the preheated oven. After 30 minutes, turn the chicken over to have the breast face up. When turning it, try not to puncture the skin. If kept intact, the chicken will swell like a balloon, which makes for an arresting presentation at the table later. Do not worry too much about it, however, because even if it fails to swell, the flavor will not be affected.

7. Cook for another 30 to 35 minutes, then turn the oven thermostat up to 400 degrees, and cook for an additional 20 minutes. Calculate between 20 and 25 minutes total cooking time for each pound. There is no need to turn the chicken again.

8. After it’s done cooking, let it chill on the counter for 10 minutes. This will allow for all the juices to settle.

ENJOY your yummy adult-like roast chicken!

Two amazing things in one + quick and easy to make = we are completely obsessed with it already!

Cake
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
1/4 cup white granulated sugar
1 large egg + 1 large egg yolk, at room temperature
3/4 cup red wine, any kind you like*
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup + 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/2 cup Dutch cocoa powder
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon table salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon (this is a great place for that fancy Vietnamese stuff you stashed away)

Topping
1/2 cup mascarpone cheese
1/2 cup chilled heavy or whipping cream
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Make the cake: Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line the bottom of a 9-inch round cake pan with parchment, and either butter and lightly flour the parchment and exposed sides of the pan, or spray the interior with a nonstick spray. In a large bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, cream the butter until smooth. Add the sugars and beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the egg and yolk and beat well, then the red wine and vanilla. Don’t worry if the batter looks a little uneven. Sift the flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and salt together, right over your wet ingredients. Mix until 3/4 combined, then fold the rest together with a rubber spatula. Spread batter in prepared pan. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. The top of the cake should be shiny and smooth, like a puddle of chocolate. Cool in pan on a rack for about 10 minutes, then flip out of pan and cool the rest of the way on a cooling rack. This cake keeps well at room temperature or in the fridge. It looks pretty dusted with powdered sugar.

Make the topping: Whip mascarpone, cream, sugar and vanilla together until soft peaks form — don’t overwhip. Dollop generously on each slice of cake. It can also be covered and refrigerated for up to 4 hours.

When you’re in a funk it can be really, really hard to see your way out of it.  I’ve experienced my fare share of funks and I want to provide you with some easy, practical ways to get you out of that nasty funk!  Ask yourself these questions:

Is there anything you need to get done that you have been putting off? It can be anything from cleaning your apartment, shaving your legs, tackling that pile of bills, getting your finances in order, or ending a toxic relationship.  The key is ACT NOW.  Don’t let these things pile up until they seem too big and scary to manage.  The minute you think about it, DO IT!  If you’re walking around your home thinking, ‘Man I really need to vacuum,” then guess what honey, there’s no better time than right now.  It will only take a few minutes but you will feel so much better once it’s done. Otherwise everywhere you go you’ll be thinking the same negative string of thoughts, ‘I need to vacuum, it’s so dirty in here, I hate how dirty the floor is, I can’t believe I haven’t vacuumed yet, I always say I’m going to do things and I never do…’Then those negative thoughts start picking up momentum and before you know it you’re headed for total-breakdownsville.  Act now, thank me later.

Are you getting enough sleep? Sleep deprivation will definitely put you on a one way street to funky town.  If I don’t get my beauty rest, I am a total bi-atch, guaranteed. Get your Zzz’s and if you’re having trouble falling asleep or getting good quality sleep, try a live-source melatonin (don’t waste your time with synthetics they will do nothing for you).  My favorite is from Quantum Nutrition Labs.  It is the absolute best melatonin on the PLANET. Just a couple drops under the tongue and it’s off to dream land!

Are you eating right? When we’re feeling down we tend to gravitate toward junk food and processed foods but they are only going to exacerbate the situation.  Your body actually needs good stuff to run properly.  You wouldn’t put orange juice in your car’s gas tank, don’t put chemical laden processed foods down your food tube; it’s not made to run on that stuff!! Give your body something it can actually use and get yourself some fruits & veggies, asap.  You don’t need to go crazy, just one meal a day will help increase your nutrient reserves so you can start feeling like you again. Try some simple recipes to get you started.

What are you saying to yourself? What’s that little voice inside saying?  Is it cheering you on saying, “Go Girl, you rock!! You’re awesome! You are the best at what you do! I love everything about you!!” or is she saying, “You suck. You are so stupid, you always mess everything up.  Why do you even bother, you are just going to fail in the end like you always do.”  Unfortunately, most people out there, are usually guilty of the latter.  It is an amazing and life transforming practice to switch to the former.  I don’t know that anyone ever moves entirely beyond the negative self-talk but the very least we can do is become conscious of it and make a change.  In You Can Heal Your Life, Louise Hay states that the average person has between 300-400 negative thoughts per day.  That’s a LOT!  Now try to think how many times you say something positive to yourself, it is surely minuscule in comparison. You are awesome, there is no one like you, you are beautiful, you have the strength and the courage to get through the rough spots and that is inspiring in it’s own right.

Have you done something nice lately? Doing nice stuff and being nice to other people makes us feel good, period.  Give a stranger a compliment. Write a friend or family member a handwritten card telling them how amazing they are.  Send it in the mail with a stamp, it will mean so much more than email!  Offer to take care of a couples kids so they can have some alone time or go on a date night.  Let someone in your lane on the highway. Participate in Operation Beautiful.

Where are you? Where are your thoughts taking you?  Are you living in the past, playing reruns of all the mistakes you’ve made or the people who did you wrong?  Or are you constantly trying to predict the future?  Will I get that job?  Will I find my soul mate?  Will I ever find my true passion?  What if I don’t succeed?  What if I end up alone? Listen honey, you can’t relive the past and you can’t predict the future so you may as well live in the present.  Eckhart Tolle says in his book The Power of Now, ”Nothing ever happened in the past; it happened in the Now. Nothing will ever happen in the future; it will happen in the Now…Life is NOW. There was never a time when your life was not now, nor will there ever be.” THIS. IS. IT. LIFE IS HAPPENING RIGHT NOW and if you are daydreaming about the past or the future, you’re missing it!! Bring your thoughts back to the present moment.  Get yourself back to reality, don’t try to predict the future or relive the past, it’s impossible and trying to do so will not only drive you mad but further down funk road.

Funks are tough but I hope some of these tips will help you remember just how fabulous you are.  Because you know what?! You are really freaking FABULOUS! 

Act now, be nice to yourself, take care of yourself and do some nice things for others. You’ll be out of that funk in no time!

“As a child I trained myself to dance in very high heels. At 13, in Destiny’s Child, we were told to wear heels, but at first we couldn’t walk in them. We couldn’t keep our knees straight. But we learned, and that became the image of Destiny’s Child: so young and so glamorous. Now I have a rule that my dancers have to wear their heels when I’m wearing my heels. They say, ‘Please take your shoes off, Beyoncé.’ At home, I’m always barefoot.”

Think her dancers would - love - Damn Heels.