Chicken Tortilla Soup

 Many thanks to my mom’s co-worker, Cheryl for the original recipe. Below is my version – as usual, I have increased the vegetables, fiber, spices and protein. I’ve had great feedback so far – I think you’re going to love it! Enjoy!

Ingredients

2 onions, chopped

7 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

2 teaspoons dried oregano

2 – 28 ounce cans crushed tomatoes

5 cups chicken broth

4 cups water

1 can  of corn (drained)

2 cans white hominy (drained)

1 – 4 ounce can chopped green chile peppers

4 – 15 ounce cans black beans, rinsed and drained

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Meat from one cooked rottiserie chicken (skin removed)

freshly sliced avocado

shredded Monterey Jack cheese

chopped green onions (about 5)

a few tortilla chips

In a large stock pot, heat oil over medium heat.

Saute onion and garlic in oil until soft. (This is the base for your flavor.)

Stir in cayenne, oregano, tomatoes, broth, and water.

Bring to a boil, and simmer for 10 minutes.

Stir in corn, hominy, chiles, beans, cilantro, and chicken. Simmer for 10 minutes.

Place in individual serving bowls, top with a crushed tortilla chip, avocado slice, a little cheese, and chopped green onion.

Note: This is a large batch of soup – freeze leftovers in large or individual food storage bags to enjoy at a later date or as lunch at work. Have little ones in the house? Puree in blender and serve as a delicious baby food.

We all have wants and needs in terms of our health. Some of us would like to lose 20 pounds. Some of us would like a better relationship with food. Some of us would like to reduce our dependance on medication. Some of us want to be healthy and active in our golden years. Whatever your current aspiration, the key to your success might lie in what your hiding.

With out tending to be deceitful, we often fudge the truth. “It’s normal to gain weight with age.” “I only eat candy about once a week.” “I rarely take pain medication for headaches.” “I’m going to start exercising as soon as ______ is over.” These white lies do more damage than we realize. Kidding yourself about how many chocolates you really eat, how many times a week you get a stress related headache, how little cardio you really accomplish or how many years have gone by since you told yourself you would start exercising consistently adds up to hundreds of excuses fueled by avoiding the truth. And more importantly, these lies are missed opportunities to feel better, be happier, and have fruitful energy for your life.

Now, let me be clear, I am not a “tough guy, zero compassion” kind of trainer. Quite the contrary, it is my empathy and compassion for your plight that fuels this suggestion. I am asking you an important question: What are you hiding from? Most likely, the truth and to some degree I don’t blame you. It can be very difficult to see our situation honestly. But my advice is very specific. Give objectivity a try. Dive in head first and rid yourself of the nonsense that is keeping you from good health and quite probably more happiness.

1. Write it down. Whether it’s exactly what you are eating, the exact number cardio sessions, how many hours of sleep, or how often we are critical of our body, we each need an objective picture of where we are. Decide your one area of focus and write down what is really happening.
2. Brace yourself. 90% of the time we are shocked by the real picture. We had no idea we ate 10 small candies from the bowl at work (or how many calories that was), we were not aware that we really hadn’t been for a walk or to our gym more than twice this month, or we had not realized that we had 15 negative body image thoughts before noon.
3. Exhale. The hard part is almost over. Set a very manageable goal and strive for it. Again, the key here is to write it down. Need to drink more water? Add twenty-five percent to your current intake. Need to complete more cardio? Log every time you walk briskly for more than ten minutes. Need to stop beating yourself up? Mentally say something positive every time the habitual negative voice pops into your head whether you want to or not.
4. Embrace your honesty. Applaud yourself for being brave enough to look at your situation objectively. Being willing to face some unpleasant truths about our decisions can be an incredibly powerful tool for change. The key is to see the current pattern and focus on incremental changes toward your end goal. Keep writing it down and I am certain you will arrive there soon enough.

I wish you all the best in your pursuits! You can do this!

“Whether you think you can or you think you can’t, 

you’re probably right.”

Several clients have asked for recipe suggestions this month. As the resident meal planner, grocery shopper and family cook, I am happy to oblige. Below is a delicious soup recipe I often use to ensure my family enjoys nutrient rich vegetables. Pair soup with grilled cheese sandwiches (National Grilled Cheese Day yesterday) or homemade paninis for an easy, delicious Friday night dinner.

The skinny:

• Chocked full of powerful nutrients, these soups can be an excellent accompaniment for an otherwise average meal.
• Make a double batch and freeze to save on cooking/clean up time later.
• Excellent starter food for baby (they like flavor too)
• Great way to feed picky eaters quality vegetables
• Nutrients otherwise lost in steamed vegetable water are pureed right into these soups – win-win-win
• Measure butter or olive oil for all the sandwiches into small ramekin. Then, brush evenly onto the bread. This will evenly coat the bread for crunch and flavor with out losing healthfulness by not monitoring the fat content.

Savory Soup

4 to 6 stalks of celery

2 medium size onions

About 1 1/2 pounds of broccoli

OR one large head of cauliflower

OR one large bunch of asparagus

6 cups of chicken broth

(use low sodium if needed or 4 cups broth and 2 cups water)

Wash veggies under cool running water

Cut veggies into 2″ chunks

Add all ingredients to large pot

Bring to a boil

Reduce heat and simmer for about 20 minutes

Transfer to blender and blend

Creamy, delicious, and packed with nutrients. Perfect compliment to a simple tomato grill cheese sandwich or turkey, dijon mustard panini.

I hope you and your family enjoy it as much as we do!

Bon appetit!

Please exhale, I am not writing today to respond to a new safari-themed diet fad. (Heaven help us when we get to that point.) I’m writing to offer a little perspective. Occasionally, when we embark on a mission to be healthier we start with an enviable amount of enthusiasm. We join gyms, we set the alarm for a crack of dawn workout, or we tell everyone about our new fabulous diet plan. This “new endeavor energy” soon wanes (two weeks seems to be the norm) and days and weeks go by with out action. We haven’t been to the gym since we signed our membership papers, we hit snooze for a full sixty minutes or hope no one remembers our diet conversation when it’s time to order lunch. The zest for our new plan is replaced with frustration and possibly some confusion. This loss of momentum is where the real work starts and most often where we tend to quit. If we could pause here for just a moment, I’d like to evaluate the problem.

Maybe, we bit off more than we can chew. Adding a new element or changing past behaviors is hard (anyone who says differently is selling something.) Adding too many elements or too drastic of a change is even harder. Let’s take a step back and assess. Was your ambition greater than what is realistic? Could you have experienced more success with smaller goals? simpler tasks? I’d argue, quite possibly, yes. Being healthy is a multifaceted endeavor.  The solution to your quandary is the same answer to the question: How do you eat an elephant? ONE BITE AT A TIME. Keeping our tasks doable allows room for success and that success refuels us, unlike the fleeting “new endeavor energy.”

So, try to stop by that gym once this weekend for a 20 minute walk, or pick one day this week for an AM DVD workout, or cook a healthier recipe for dinner every Monday night. The trick is to slowly, steadily chomp away at those old habits so that these new, simple, manageable changes become routine. Once the healthy behaviors are habitual our progress is automatic and eventually everything starts to feel manageable and rewarding. Eating an elephant isn’t impossible, it just has to be tackled one bite at a time.

Clients and friends know that I have an affinity for personal finance. It appeals to my love of numbers and predilection for planning. As customary, I was watching The Suze Orman Show last week and stumbled upon an enlightening bit of advice.

A 30 year software design veteran had been out of work for a year. After hundreds of resumes and dozens of interviews, she wanted help getting her  “money mojo” back. Suze’s advice? Exercise. I’m not kidding. The guru of accessible and common sense financial advice to millions of Americans is touting exercise as a key ingredient in reclaiming your “money mojo.” Suze’s reasoning was simple: “Employers are attracted to energy” and exercise will help you feel energized. She also cited that this woman in particular spent too much of her energy putting others first (uh-uhm.) She took her dogs for 6 mile walks (admirable) but never exercised just for herself (unfortunate.) Suze consistently advises her audience to place the financial oxygen mask on themselves first – this is just another variation of such advice.

As someone in the fitness journey trenches, none of this is surprising. I have watched many individuals achieve professional success in conjunction with their commitment to physical health. Research is constantly passing my desk in support of financial/professional achievement and healthy living. Walking five times a week, completing your yoga DVD every morning or joining a running club (beginner level) could all mean the difference between being an energized person or seeming depleted. As we search for sources of motivation to continue to live healthfully – this is a great reminder that exercise in fact offers many benefits beyond the physical implications.

My girlfriend and I have been doing our best to make periodic yoga dates since the birth of our babies. Our lives are demanding and busy, but by hook or by crook, we have both been able to make it to class and are always happier for it. Recently, our teacher made a comment mid-class that stopped me dead in my tracks: “Honor your body.”

Whoa.

Webster’s defines honor: “to regard or treat (someone) with admiration and respect.” In my estimation, most of us tend to fall into two camps when caring for our bodies. We get wrapped up in the minutiae of caring for our bodies OR we tend to stay lost in the current priority (work/family/stress) and keep healthy living low on the priority list. For all of us in either of these camps, this phrase answers quandaries – large AND small.  Here are a few examples:

• When you have goon too long with out eating? Honor your body.
• When you have been debating for months regarding when to start your new exercise program? Honor your body.
• When you have not taken time to move fully? Honor your body.
• When you are considering what to have for dinner? Honor your body.
• When another person is asking too much of you? Honor your body.
• When your low back (insert chronic pain) is bothering you? Honor your body.
• When your mental script is saying hurtful things about your appearance? Honor your body.
• When you are considering cancelling your work out? Honor your body.

This phrase does not encourage indulgent behaviors or neglect of other obligations. You are not fragile or too precious to be pushed. Nor should you break the bank on a gourmet meal every day. “Honor your body” places your health on the agenda and adds a new framework for decision making. Emotion and excuses are removed. Treating your body with admiration and respect is always a good thing. I hope this facilitates easier and healthier decisions this week – you deserve it.

I’d like you to recall a time you were NOT the driver (metaphorically speaking). Maybe you attended a professional development course or maybe you enjoyed a guided excursion on vacation. I’m guessing you were able to better focus on your experience while someone else took the reins. An expert’s guidance can allow room for learning and enjoying. When we unburden ourselves with the job of navigating and planning – we free up our energy to benefit.

I encourage you to allow someone or something else to be the driver in some of your healthy living. Part of the joy my clients’ experience is in NOT being the driver. They have other responsibilities in our effort to improve their lives but having a plan during workouts is not one of them.

Below are a few suggestions:

• Have a big picture calendar plan (writing tasks out for the next two months helps with eliminating decision making later)
• Take a class – there are several outstanding fitness classes available in Chicagoland. Find one you like, show up and enjoy someone else being in charge.
• TV or Tablet – when you know you should exercise but can’t bring yourself to get on your cardio equipment, throw in a DVD or search your DVR, Tablet or Streaming Netflix for a quick fitness class led by someone else
• Hire Blakely FIT train@blakelyfit.com

Constipated?

Unfortunately, you are not alone. Take a glance at these high fiber foods and enjoy them in your meals this week. Many are delicious and easy to incorporate. Adding fiber rich foods to your diet, increasing your water intake and adding movement to your day can really help your digestive system function optimally. These changes may also aid in the prevention of heart disease and diabetes – win-win-win.

List below courtesy of the Mayo Clinic staff 

(aim for 21-25 grams a day for women and 30 – 38 grams for men) 

Fruits   

                                                                      Serving size    Total fiber (grams)* 

Grains, Cereal & Pasta

                                                                       Serving size    Total fiber (grams)* 

Legumes, nuts & seeds     

                                                                       Serving size    Total fiber (grams)* 

 

Vegetables      

                                                                       Serving size    Total fiber (grams)* 

Hope you have a wonderful week!