Lost Weight? How to keep it off!

If you're like me (and practically any gal I know), you're looking to slim down and keep the weight off.   There's nothing worse than see-sawing weight between seasons. This can lead to extreme dieting when warmer weather approaches. The solution? Long term weight loss.   

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How to Spot a Fad Diet

Sometimes motivated by health, most times by pure vanity, we'll often do whatever it takes to get into our skinny jeans. The weightloss industry racks in an estimated $20 billion, with 108 million people dieting in the US - 85% women.  (Source)
Hot Damn. 

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Coconut Scallops

I'm on a coconut kick. I've been using coconut oil to cook everything from the two-ingredient pancake, to scrambled eggs. Adding a sweetly mild flavor, coconut oil adds a nice tropical kick to any dish you cook it with. Today, I decided to cook up some coconut scallops!

Eat Delicious Food & Save Money!

I have a secret. I know how you can eat delicious food AND save money. How? 
Buy in-season fruits and vegetables!

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Can Romantic Comedies Mess With Your Real Life Relationships?

I love a good romantic comedy. Pretty Women, How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days, She's All That - oh how I adore my classics! But is there a danger in losing yourself in these rom-coms? Don't they set unrealistic expectations, mess with our perceptions of reality and set us up for relationship failure? 

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Coconut Curry Shrimp

I'm a recent coconut convert - if you haven't tried cooking with it, you must! I'm also a long timer lover of curry and shrimp. I decided to whip all three things together to create...amazingness. Coconut Curry Shrimp!

Office Weight Gain and How to Stay Skinny

Even if you commit to daily sweat sessions at the gym, you still can be in danger of weight gain if you're not vigilant at work. Between the constant flow of birthday cupcakes, free bagels, high stress and lack of movement, desk jobs can really pack on the pounds. Lucky you - here are three tips to help keep you sane and skinny while working an office job!

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Does Marriage Make You Fat?

Oh the joys of new love! Dining out on rich food and shared bottles of wine. Lingering at meal times when lost in the whirlwind of curiosity and conversation. Nixing that morning workout session to snuggle in bed. It’s lovely at first – but then your skinny jeans can’t button and fights with your closet become regular occurrences. It's called love weight and it's not so lovely. 

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Grass-fed Baked Burger

I have a weakness. (Or many). I LOVE a good burger. This mouthwatering goodness can be jazzed up with all your fav toppings, or simply eaten bun-less, animal style!

Are you a victim of health food advertising?

Grocery shopping can be overwhelming. There are so many products to choose from, with so many competing health claims. Advertisers have caught wind of the increasing health conscious consumer and now throw labels on almost everything – GLUTEN FREE! OMEGA 3’s! ORGANIC! FREE RANGE! 

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At the end of the day, most of these labels are meant to grab our attention, not nourish our bodies. A recent study conducted by the Cornell University’s Food and Brand Lab sheds light on how easily we can be misled by these labels.

Can Your Friends Affect Your Body Image?

We all want to look beautiful. But what we don’t want is to feel pressure to obtain an unrealistic expectation about how we should look, especially from those we love the most. Different variations of the media play up a certain ideal and frankly, most of us will never reach that ideal. For the most part, I’ve accepted that and moved on. What’s harder to accept is when you feel that very same pressure by the people you surround yourself with. Friends can impact the way you view and value your own body. 

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Roasted Eggplant, Tomato and Cheese Recipe

There's something truly amazing about roasted veggies. The natural sugars carmalize and leave behind a tasty and nutritious dish. Yum! Having never cooked eggplant before, I decided to try my hand at tackling this funny looking, oh so nutritious, vegetable.

Do This To Fight Your Next Nighttime Snack Attack!

I love cozy evenings in. Snuggle up on the coach, crank on the DVR and stretch my legs out on the coffee table. What I don’t love is how this nighttime ritual is often accompanied by a nagging feeling to reach for something to munch on. DANGER ZONE.

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Nigthtime snacking can easily pack on the pounds and with summer around the corner, I’m looking to lean out, not bulk up. What’s a girl to do? 

Unhealthy Eating Can Make You Feel Worse!

We've all been there. Standing in front of an empty bag of cookies...crumbs left behind in a wake of binge eating. Not so fun. Usually in the moments before a binge, our minds tell us with deep urgency that we'll feel better after we indulge. If one cookie is good, five will be better, and down the rabbit hole we go. Unfortunately, I can't remember a time I've ever felt better after over indulging.

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Honey Mustard Vinaigrette Dressing

I eat a lot of chicken. It's my go-to for practically all my dinners. But chicken can be abysmally boring if you don't jazz it up. I decided to create a light honey mustard vinaigrette to use throughout the week to add to my chicken dinners. It lasts for about a week in the fridge, adds a nice, lightly sweet flavor to my dishes and helps get in my healthy fats. Love!

What matters more - food quality or counting calories?

Nuts are healthy. A spoonful or two of nut butter not only tastes fab, but usually blunts my appetite. But sometimes a spoonful leads to three or four and before I know it, I've overindulged in my fav snack. It's clean though, so that's okay. Right?
Wrong.

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Boost Your Self Control!

I can't walk down a street in NYC without being tempted to buy something sweet. The Donut Pub? Lord save me. Babycakes? Forget about it. Crumbs? Mouthwatering goodness. How's a girl to maintain any sort of self control in a city like this? 

Cottage Cheese Pancakes!

Pancakes have a special place in my heart. As do nutella, cheesecake, and animal print. But I digress. 

Pancakes can be awfully carb heavy in the morning, usually leaving me hungry after only an hour. In search of something to satisfy my craving for something sweet and protein filled - I made cottage cheese pancakes! There are a bajillion variations of this recipe all over the net, but I've found this to be the easiest. 

Fat Hair Tips: Nutrition for Thick Hair

I love fat hair. I was born in the 80's and sometimes feel like I've never left the decade. Beautiful, thick hair is not just a byproduct of great styling, but also of great nutrition. If you want your body to create optimal, thick hair, you have to feed it optimal nutrients. 

Here are the top five nutrients you should include in your diet for thick hair!

Southwest Style Stuffed Bell Pepper Recipe

I'm a huge fan of bell peppers, especially the red and orange variety. When baked, their natural sweetness adds such a delightful touch to any dish. 

Enter the Southwest Style Stuffed Bell Pepper!

How to Spring Clean Your Diet!

The air is warmer, the sun is brighter, the days are longer and in ushers in the loveliest season of all - Spring! Not only do I plan on bringing out the bright florals, neons and fingers crossed if NYC weather permits, BARE LEGS, but I also plan on doing some spring cleaning. Spring diet cleaning that is!

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Spring is a great time to take charge of your diet. With the summer months literally right around the corner, here are three steps to help get you bikini ready!

Is Being Mindful the Key to a Better Life?

Don't worry, I'm not going to tell you to sell all your things Eat Pray Love style and move to a monastery to meditate all day. You and I both know we'd get bored in a hot second and high tail it out of there. What I am going to tell you is that being mindful - or simply being more present in everyday life, has recently been shown to improve the quality of your life.

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A Savvy Girl's Guide To Navigating St. Pattys Day!

St. Patty’s Day is right around the corner and that means busting out your emerald sweater and embracing this infamous diet buster – beer! 
...The rest of this post can be found at 24Savvy, a site devoted to living the smartest, most creative life possible with whatever you've got on hand!

Zesty Shrimp with Sautéed Mushrooms

After a long day of work, the last thing I want to do is wait another hour to eat. That's why I love shrimp. It literally cooks in minutes and goes with almost any kind of veggie. If you're stomach is eating itself and you've got 15 minutes - throw this bad boy together. You can thank me later. 

Banish Under Eye Woes!

I'm a sleep fanatic but that doesn't mean I have perfectly flawless skin - in fact, most women that get adequate sleep still complain about one thing: Under Eye Woes! Puffiness and bags are not my best friend. 
We all want vibrant, glowing skin and that usually starts with your eyes! The skin around your eyes is extremely sensitive and thin, which means the first place your face begins to show signs of age and damage is right around your eyes. Have no fear, Tough Lipstick has you covered!

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Here are three ways you can tackle your under eye battles!

3 Tips to Control Your Hunger

Losing weight is tough business. Changing up your diet. Buying new foods. Scheduling gym time into your busy schedule. Putting limits on that third happy hour drink. I hear you girl, it's HARD!

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You know what's also hard? Being hungry when you're watching what you eat. No one should have to suffer through self inflicted hunger pains. Choosing the right foods when trying to lose weight will help you maintain feelings of fullness and satiety when you're trying to cut back. Here are three steps to help control your hunger and keep the beast at bay.

Relationship Anxiety: Worrying Yourself Sick

I wish The Notebook were true. Really. I wish relationships were all sweep you off your feet, fall madly in love and dance into the night kind of experiences. But they're not. Relationships can be amazing, but they can also be terribly difficult. There is a reason we call bad relationships "unhealthy" - according to new research, they can actually affect your health! 

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Greek Yogurt Chicken Salad Recipe

I'm a greek yogurt lover. No shame. I'm also a lover of chicken salad. And grapes. Guess what I made?
Greek Yogurt Chicken Salad with Grapes!! And let me tell you, it's protein packed, delicious and super easy to throw together. Winning!

How to Fight Your Sugar Cravings!

I love sugar. I think we all do. My relationship with sweet foods and simple carbs is a blissful nightmare. I wish simply calling on will power would be enough to help control this process, but it's not. That's because sugar truly is an addiction. When you eat sugar, it releases dopamine in your brain, making you feel pleasure. Once your brain recognizes this sugar/pleasure connection, it craves more. And more. Consuming too much not only leads to weight gain, but has been linked with heart disease, diabetes, and even cancer. 

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Cravings are complex, and there is no one size fits all answer. Many experience cravings to fill emotional needs. Others, while running on poor sleep, crave sugar as a quick pick me up. While figuring out the individual cause of your cravings is the first step to conquering them, here are 5 tips that may help with conquering the sugar demons. 

3 Steps to a Good Night's Sleep

Have you ever noticed you’re more likely to reach for a donut or that sugar laden Frappuccino on days you’re operating on minimal sleep? You’re not alone. Research shows that poor sleep affects your appetite...

The rest of this post can be found over at FitKit, where I have kindly been asked to be a guest author. Check it out here!

Ground Turkey Bites

 Instead of creating Turkey Meatballs as I intended, I created Turkey Bites! I tried to make these bad boys round like traditional meatballs, but alas, they turned out more like Turkey Chunks. But friends, chunks do not sound appetizing, so I named them Turkey Bites. I assure you, these are quite tasty!

5 Steps to Clean Eating

In my last post I talked about WHY clean eating is important. Today, I'll share with you HOW to eat clean. Here are 5 steps you can take!

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1. Cut down on added sugar. Added sugar is a major cause of obesity, diabetes, and other health problems, according to the Center for Science in the Public Interest. Source
High five to you if you've cut out soda, but sugar is hidden in almost ALL processed food. Fruit flavored yogurt? Yes. Jamba Juice Smoothie? Watch out. Granola? Can be a danger zone. Protein Bars? Don't get me started. Not all food is created equal. Check your labels!!

Why Clean Eating Rocks My Socks

The Academy Awards were on last night and everyone looked AMAZING. I cannot imagine the kind of stress these folks must endure to get red carpet ready. Some take extreme measures - fad diets like the Master Cleanse, liquid fasts, abstaining from liquids all together, or simply not eating. Girlfriend - these are the absolute worst kinds of diet tricks to fool around with. If you're after sustainable weight loss, the easiest and best thing you can do for your body and your sanity is EAT CLEAN.

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Old Talk and Body Dissatisfaction

We've all heard about the negative consequences of 'Fat Talk', or making disparaging comments about our own bodies.  I've witnessed this body bashing first hand, and truth be told, have equally participated in it. I have learned that Fat Talk does not motivate - it crushes the spirit. It leads to emotional eating, binging and poor self esteem. 

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Lose It! App Review

I love food. Sometimes too much. This is a problem when you're trying to maintain your sexy physique, or lose a few. My go to for tracking my intake is the app, Lose It!. And guess what my friends...

It's FREE!! Love.

No Bake Peanut Butter Bites

I'm not the best baker so I decided to try my hand at some no bake peanut butter bites. They're also known as protein balls, but that name just makes me squeal.

Happy Weight or Ideal Weight?

Last week I was chatting with a friend about losing weight. Standard.

We live in NYC where life revolves around meeting your girls for brunch, grabbing happy hour drinks with your co-workers or dinner with your lover(s). These are all calorie bombshell events and can take a toll on any diet. What's a girl to do? You could lock yourself up in your apartment, eat 100% clean foods every day, refuse to participate in any activity that threatens to disturb your perfectly crafted workout schedule... and live the most depressing life known to man. That's no way to live!

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305 Fitness Review

I've found a new love. 305 Fitness. 

When I walked into the studio where class was held, I was nervous. I mean, there were strobe lights and a DJ booth - should I have worn my hair down? But my fears were short lived. In walked the tiny, spunky Sadie Kurzman and she brought the energy. The music overtook the studio and before I knew it, we were busting a move. And a sweat. Girlfriend, I was working it out! But I was also smiling. And laughing at myself. I really thought I had some dancing skills until I caught my reflection in the mirror and realized I was no JLO. Damn. 

The Power of Habit

Have you ever struggled with mustering up the motivation to hit the gym after work? Have you fought with yourself for wanting to eat something sweet after every meal or attempted to kick your evening snack attack to no avail? I have. And apparently so have a lot of people. Charles Duhigg recently wrote a wonderfully interesting book called, "The Power of Habit". He addresses how these situations are actually part of a network of habits we create for ourselves. Luckily, he also gives us pointers to help rework the not so good ones.

Quinoa, Black Bean and Pepper Recipe

I'm not a talented cook. In fact, I'm more of a throw things together and hope for the best kind of gal. In need of a healthy lunch on a lazy Saturday, I came up with this super easy, fresh and tasty quinoa salad.  Unless you're an aggressive mixer, you can't mess this one up.

Body Image and Your Heart

We live in a world bombarded by objectification. As a women, I struggle with being valued only for the superficial and missing out on finding those that appreciate all aspects of my identity, both body and soul. I'm all about appreciating and pursuing beauty, but when I don't focus on the amazing things my body is capable of achieving, and the intangible things I offer, I lose sight of the things that matter most. As an unfortunate consequence, I often place too much emphasis on how others view me, and less on how I view myself. 

The Sugar Cancer Connection

Oh snap. Yet another reason to avoid sugar.

According to a recent study, limiting sugar consumption can not only help you maintain a svelte physique, but may also play a role in cancer prevention. SIGN ME UP!!

Hu Kitchen Review

Good ass food AND unprocessed, clean eating? Yes, it's possible.

Enter Hu Kitchen.

My co-worker told me about this place and said it would be right up my ally. I decided to check it out with my bestie, Colleen.

They have a great philosophy:

Two Ingredient Pancake Recipe

This recipe has been popping up around the healthy living blogosphere for quite sometime but my love for it has not waned. Oh how I love the Two Ingredient Pancake! I first learned about it through Tina's blog here.

These might look weird, but blame that on my poor pancake flipping skills. Trust me, they are delish!!

Bone health and Dairy

Apparently, not all dairy is created equal. Shucks, I love ice cream. 

Bradley Cooper Motivation

It's tough to drag your butt to the gym in the morning. There are days that I want to toss my alarm clock out the window and bury deep under my covers.

Enter Bradley Cooper. 

Apparently I need to be hitting Soul Cycle Tribeca because Bradley Cooper attended the 7:30AM class. Girls were "falling off their bikes" when he decided to take off his shirt mid-class.

I don't know about you but I'm all about the extra motivation! Check out the story here. 

Photo Credit - Gabbo T

Small Goals

January is winding down and I've found myself losing steam when it comes to my healthy new years resolutions. That bag of hershey kisses is looking mighty tempting during the dog days of winter...

Whether you've thrown in the towel or still plowing ahead, it's important to focus on mini goals. Maybe you've set a goal to lose weight. If it's a large goal, it can seem daunting. I've found the most success when I've broken down my goals into smaller, mini goals. Not only will you be able to celebrate more milestones and ramp up your motivation, studies show that gradual weight loss is more sustainable in the long run.  For more info, check out this article in Science Daily.

Cinnamon Spotlight!

I have quite the sweet tooth and believe me when I tell you I've tried a million different methods to satisfy the beast. One method that seems to work is using cinnamon. Cinnamon helps keep the beast at bay so I sprinkle it on my sweet breakfasts or put it in my coffee. Peanut butter on a toasted english muffin with a dash of cinnamon? Yes, please! 

Not only does it tame the beast, it also has a great deal of nutritional benefits!