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On Maintaining Weight Loss

January 30, 2015 · by Ari ·

Maintaining weight loss and healthy habits can be difficult after the high of dropping the weight wears off, but it’s totally achievable and today I’m sharing my 5 healthy tips for maintaining weight loss, even without a scale!

Whew…this is a post I’ve been wanting to put together for a long time. It’s also one where I open up about a whole bunch of feelings–“I’m an actress! I have all of them!“–anyone else have The First Wive’s Club memorized? I watch it about once a month. Anyway, first a little history lesson if you’re new around here.

In 2008 I began my weight loss journey. This was actually round 2 for me after dangerously and unhealthily dropping about 50 lbs in high school, then gaining it all back + about 30 more.
I started at 230 lbs. About a year in, I had lost 60 lbs and hit a big, huge, annoying plateau. I finally was diagnosed with Hashimotos, and with the combination of figuring out my meds and starting to run, I lost an other 10ish.
Now I live anywhere from 155-160ish. I’m embarrassed to admit that, and I know that’s stupid. In fact, I didn’t want to put it in bold. Sometimes it makes me feel like a healthy living hoax because I have this idea that I should weigh less.
I never expected this to be my maintenance weight. And I still wish it wasn’t. Like, everyday wish it wasn’t. But this is where I can eat dessert, and not count every single calorie. This is where I can work out hard, eat mostly healthy, drink wine and bourbon, and eat fro yo. I made the (hard) decision that I wanted to feel freedom more than I wanted to hit what I thought was my goal weight.
I also threw out my scale. So for my weight, take it with a grain of salt. I don’t get weighed at the doctor, and I don’t weigh myself at home. If my pants start to feel tight, maybe I’ll rethink that, but I have truly never been happier than when I broke up with the scale, and *gasp* I didn’t magically gain 30 lbs when I did it either.
This is me. This is where my body lives, and I’m learning to accept that. I’d be lying if I said I was totally thrilled with this, but I can do a lot of things that lots of “skinny” people can’t. I can lift heavy things, and I am running faster than I have ever run in my life. I am always looking to improve my health and fitness, but I accept that this no longer means a number on the scale, and I am so much more interested in seeing a number at a finish line.

Okay, so let’s actually talk about maintaining weight loss because it’s a beast of it’s own. I had a hard freaking time when my weight loss stopped. I am a numbers person, and I had measured my progress for an entire year by seeing the number on the scale drop. This is the moment when so many people give up and gain the weight back. I’ve seen it so many times, and the one thing I know is that I don’t ever want to have to start my journey all over again. I feel like it’s a fear we all have, right? Anyone who has lost weight has the fear of gaining it back. Just like if you’ve experienced a running injury, or lost your job–it instills this fear of it happening again (and again, and again…).

I’ve put together a few tips that have worked for me to maintain my weight loss (even sans scale).

Set new goals: For me this meant running goals, and now goals at CrossFit as well. I was so bored with my normal workouts. The scale had stopped. I needed something. I decided to train for my first 5k, then my first half marathon, and now 2 full marathons and a half ironman later, I still have to constantly set new goals for myself so I have something to work towards. This can be a new time goal, a new workout plan all together (that’s how I fell in love with CrossFit), a new lifting goal, or even just upping your workouts from 3x per week to 5. There is seriously nothing better than knowing you succeeded in completing your goal!

Have fun in the kitchen: This little blog has been a life saver for meal boredom. Food is meant to be enjoyed. I am not one of those food = fuel people. We have 5 senses, and each one is meant to be enjoyed. I love to look at beautiful things, listen to music, and eat delicious food, and that’s not something I plan on trying to change. Figuring out healthy ways to enjoy your favorite foods is key. Look for inspiration to keep from getting bored, and challenge yourself to try new things in the kitchen, even if they intimidate you!

Make healthy friends: I am a social butterfly. I love to talk. In fact, my friends at CrossFit are constantly making fun of me for being so chatty. In fact, when I told them I have a friend that talks more than me during workouts, they told me I was never allowed to bring her in! Anyway, I love spending time with friends, and having friends to run and workout with makes me want to do it. Also, having friends that share your values makes it so much easier for dinner parties / going out to eat /staying accountable. Not to mention, some of my favorite people have come from a mutual passion for healthy living.

Find new ways to track your progress: Okay, so this is kind of similar to setting new goals, but I used to literally see the scale drop every single time I stepped on it. It has been a loooong time since life was like that (it was AWESOME!), but I do see progress (almost) every single week at the track. Track workouts are my favorite thing. I get to run with friends, and I can see my improvement so clearly. For example, a few weeks ago I had 3 mile repeats that I completed at 8:49, 8:39, 8:32 and I was thrilled. This week at the track I did 3 mile repeats in 8:17, 8:09, 7:47. Now, I’m not saying I see that much progress every time (this was particularly excited and shocking for me), but I can always look back at previous track workouts and see my progress. This is equally exciting to me as seeing the drop in the scale, and it keeps me motivated to stick to my healthy lifestyle so I can continue to improve. Have you ever tried to improve your fitness while eating like crap? Yeah…it doesn’t work out very well. So whatever it is that you enjoy, find a way to track some progress and celebrate your improvements!

Ditch your old clothes!: Ummm, if your new clothes start getting tight, are you going to drop a bunch of money on a whole new wardrobe, or are you just going to reign in your diet a little? There’s no point in hanging onto clothes from the past “just in case” because just in case isn’t going to happen. You’ve made it this far, you know what to do, there is no going backwards!

What about you? Any tips or advice for keeping it off?

90+ Healthy Recipes for Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner & Dessert

January 26, 2015 · by Ari ·

90+ healthy recipes for breakfast, lunch, dinner & dessert will help you with healthy meal planning for the new year with plenty of options for every meal of the day! With plenty of vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, paleo & low carb options.

It’s January, which is every healthy food blogger’s favorite time of year! To help keep you on the healthy eating bandwagon, I’ve put together 90+ healthy recipes to get you through your day for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert! This way you can have tons to choose from for each meal!

Breakfast

Above photos from Healthy Seasonal Recipes & Taste, Love & Nourish

Cranberry Almond Granola

Gingerbread Apple Pancakes from Healthy Seasonal Recipes <—OMG that shot. Gorgeous.

Sweet Potato Waffles from The Lean Green Bean

Paleo Mexican Hot Chocolate Pancakes with Salted Dulce de Leche from The Healthy Maven

Lemon Almond Meal Scones

Coconut Vanilla & Almond Butter Smoothie from The Housewife Training Files

Tropical Breakfast Quinoa from Savvy Eats

Honey Sesame Granola

Raisin Nut Granola from Savvy Eats

Whole Wheat Blueberry Scones from Yummy Healthy Easy

Portobello Breakfast Cups

Coconut Almond Quinoa Granola from Taste Love & Nourish

Berry & Banana Oat Breakfast Smoothie from Eat. Drink. Love.

Acorn Squash Egg in the Hole from The Roasted Root

Tropical Mango Muffins from Snappy Gourmet

Cranberry Orange Muffins from Texanerin Baking

Chocolate Chip Banana Bran Muffins from Amy’s Healthy Baking

Banana Maple Yogurt Parfait from Lemon Tree Dwelling

Peanut Butter Cup Smoothie from The Nutritious Kitchen

Red Potato, Bell Pepper & Spinach Breakfast Hash from Neighbor Food Blog

Peanut Butter & Fig Granola from Keep it Sweet Desserts

Protein Packed Pancakes from The Lemon Bowl

Lunch

Above photos from The Healthy Maven & Taste Love & Nourish

Cranberry Apple Chicken Salad

Avocado Tuna Salad from The Healthy Maven

Chicken & Chickpea Green Goddess Power Salad from Healthy Seasonal Recipes

Copycat Panera Hummus Chicken Power Salad from Food Faith Fitness

Guacamole Chicken Salad

Avocado Chickpea Salad Sandwiches from Yummy Healthy Easy

Spicy Kale Caesar Salad with Roasted Garlic from The Roasted Root

Black Bean Burger Salad with Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette

Southwest Chopped Salad with Salsa Vinaigrette from Taste Love & Nourish

Sweet Potato Black Bean Burgers with Cilantro Avocado Cream

Chicken Broccoli Slaw with Spicy Peanut Dressing from Eat. Drink. Love.

Mediterranean Quinoa Salad

Butternut Squash & Spelt Salad with Goat Cheese & Toasted Almonds from The Lemon Bowl

$90 + Healthy Recipes for Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner & Dessert$
Tex Mex Quinoa Salad with Lime Vinaigrette from Eat. Drink. Love.

Portobello Tuna Melts from Home Cooking Memories

Southwest Quinoa Bowls

Dinner

Above photos from The Marvelous Misadventures of a Foodie & The Roasted Root

Lasagna Stuffed Spaghetti Squash

Fajita Burgers from The Marvelous Misadventures of a Foodie

Hot & Sweet Slaw with Jerk Spice Salmon from Healthy Seasonal Recipes

10 Minute Taco Salad

Cider Chai Crockpot Pulled Pork from The Roasted Root <–Check out that perfect shot!

Crockpot Sweet Potato Chicken Chili

Crockpot BBQ Pulled Chicken Tacos from The Nutritious Kitchen

BBQ Chicken Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

Butter Chicken Meatballs with Spicy Masala Sauce from The Healthy Maven

Caprese Pasta

Shrimp and Israeli Pepper Salad from Know Your Produce

Crockpot Chicken Enchilada Soup

Honey Mustard Chicken Stir Fry from Food Faith Fitness

French Onion Meatloaf

Easy Baked Chicken Cacciatore from The Kitchen is My Playground

Crockpot Curry Soup with Sweet Potato, Chicken & Kale

Skinny Chicken Broccoli Casserole from Yummy Healthy Easy

Buffalo Turkey Burgers

Loaded Mediterranean Sweet Potato Fries from Neighbor Food Blog <– OMG this is SO happening!

Skinnified “Fettuccine” Alfredo

Slow Cooker Indian Butter Chicken with Cauliflower from The Lemon Bowl

Wild Rice Stuffed Acorn Squash from The Marvelous Misadventures of a Foodie

Thai Coconut Cabbage Soup from Cotter Crunch

Dessert

Above photos from Cook the Story & The Nutritious Kitchen

Toasted Marshmallow Sweet Potato Ice Cream

Soft Hazelnut Mocha Cookies from Healthy Sweet Eats

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Bites

Blueberry Almond Tart from Healthy Seasonal Recipes

Peanut Butter & Jelly Cookies

Tart Cherry Fro-yo {with White & Dark Chocolate Chips}

Peanut Butter Cup Hot Chocolate from The Nutritious Kitchen

Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies

Greek Yogurt Peanut Butter Cheesecake with Maple Peanut Clusters from The Housewife Training Files

Pumpkin Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Healthy Chocolate Mockshake from Snappy Gourmet

Salted Caramel Mocha Cookies

Easy Fruit Dip: Dark Chocolate Greek Yogurt with Cinnamon & Spice from Cook the Story

Chai Spiced Coconut Cream Ice Cream

Cannoli Cups from Home Cooking Memories

Soft & Fluffy Sugar Cookies

Pumpkin Bread from The Lean Green Bean

Chocolate Frosted Orange Donuts

Paleo Cocoa Hazelnut Bread with Molasses from Cotter Crunch

Cinnamon Swirl Banana Bread

Enjoy!! Happy meal planning!

Healthy Tuna Salad {Without Mayo}

January 23, 2015 · by Ari ·

Healthy, protein packed tuna salad is the perfect light lunch option. Made with creamy Greek yogurt, sweet relish, and crunchy celery–you’ll never miss the mayo!

It’s almost the end of January (ummm what?) which means two things: 1. That I only have two weeks left in my twenties (oyyyyy) and 2. That most of the world has already gotten preoccupied and forgotten about all of those lofty goals and resolutions they set on December 31st.

One of the biggest traps I fall into is being too lazy/forgetful to pack my lunch and ending up going out to eat 4x per week. It’s not the healthiest, and it’s even worse for my checking account. Morning are super busy–they are my time to get my work out in, hopefully get some blog work in before going to work-work, and coffee. So.Much.Coffee. What I mean is…I don’t have time to put together anything that takes me more than about 4 minutes.

Tuna salad is such an obvious option, but it’s one of those things I always forget how much I love it. Also, I’m not super into globs of mayo. I mean, I’ve always loved traditional tuna salad, but it’s generally not the healthiest option. Like, at all.

Tuna on it’s own is super healthy: packed with protein, and very low in calories, so when you trade in the mayo for some heart healthy Greek yogurt, you get a lunch with practically zero fat, and tons of protein and flavor!

With this tuna salad, you’ll be making and bringing your lunch all the time! It’s perfect for a quick lunch at home, to take to work, on a picnic, or however you’d like to enjoy it!

Healthy Tuna Salad {Without Mayo}

Author: Ari Ziskin

Recipe type: Entree

Prep time: 5 mins

Total time: 5 mins

Serves: 3-4

Healthy, protein packed tuna salad is the perfect light lunch option. Made with creamy Greek yogurt, sweet relish, and crunchy celery--you'll never miss the mayo!

Ingredients

2 x 4 ounce cans Bumble Bee® Tuna
¼ cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt
1 teaspoon mustard
2 tablespoons sweet relish
2 ribs celery, finely chopped
generous pinch lemon pepper
cherry tomatoes, for garnish

Instructions

In a medium bowl mix together tuna, yogurt, mustard, relish, celery and lemon pepper until well combined. Serve immediately. Top with cherry tomatoes if desired. Leftovers may be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Note: The Greek yogurt can become watery when stored. Just stir before serving again.

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

Crockpot Chicken Alfredo

December 2, 2014 · by Ari ·

Rich and creamy chicken alfredo with ultra tender shredded chicken made in your slow cooker! This is a lightened-up version of your favorite comfort food that will leave your body and your taste buds happy!

Are you guys ready for some creamy, dreamy, and HEALTHY Alfredo sauce? This has been my staple comfort sauce for years, and I can’t believe how long it took me to put it in a crockpot! Crockpot shredded chicken is the best. Every time. Just put any sauce you want with your chicken and cook it on low for about 5 hours and your chicken will be falling apart like magic!

This recipe couldn’t be easier–you can either make your sauce ahead of time, or you can throw everything into your crockpot and then remove the chicken and hit the sauce with an immersion blender (or throw it in a regular blender). Either way, you come home to a healthy, comforting dinner just waiting for you. It is seriously the best feeling.

Today I’m guest posting over at The Lean Green Bean, so make sure to click over for the recipe!

Gingerbread Pecan Butter & Gingerbread Smoothie

November 24, 2014 · by Ari ·

This post is sponsored by FitFluential LLC on behalf of Blendtec. All recipes and opinions are my own.

Get your gingerbread fix with this smooth, creamy gingerbread pecan butter, and a healthy, protein-packed gingerbread smoothie. Both are so easy to make, you’ll be eating them over and over again!

Stay tuned to the end of this post for an amazing BLENDTEC GIVEAWAY!!

So I get excited for pretty much every holiday flavor, but gingerbread is the one I always go crazy with. Ginger molasses cookies, ginger molasses cake, gingerbread ALL THE THINGS!

Okay so first let’s chat about this gingerbread pecan butter. It’s been a while since I shared a new nut butter. I usually just stick to my normal salted almond butter or honey roasted peanut butter, but I wanted to try something a little different. I’ve made pecan butter once before and it turned out so amazing, so I was super excited to use it again with some ginger and molasses. The result is so smooth, creamy and gingerbread-y! I tried to keep the sugar level down, so if you want more of a dessert spread, I suggest adding a little more brown sugar. This is pecan butter with a gingerbread flavor, not like a cookie butter or nutella type spread. I’ve been spreading it on my waffles with pumpkin butter, and let me tell you, that combo is pretty fantastic. I also used it to make this gingerbread smoothie! Blenders are most commonly used for smoothies, even though the good ones, like this Blendtec Designer 725, can do so much more! I also used the Blendtec Twister Jar to make this pecan butter, and then used the Blendtec WildSide Jar to make this smoothie, but you can make soups, blend ice cream bases, grind nuts to make things like almond meal, and so much more! These two recipes are just the tip of the iceberg! Okay, back to the smoothie. It is protein-packed without protein powder. I have a confession that will probably get me booted from all of my fitness friend circles, but I’m just not into protein powder. There was a time (a long time) where I used it because I thought I was “supposed to”, ya know, to be “healthy”, but I honestly just prefer to get my protein naturally in my diet, and I never seem to have a problem getting enough. In fact, getting enough anything when it comes to food has never been my problem, if ya know what I mean. 😉 Anyway, the smoothie, again, is not a dessert smoothie. It has a natural tartness from the Greek yogurt, and I wanted to use the sweetness from the banana with just a hint of molasses. Trust me, a little molasses goes a long way, so if you want a sweet smoothie, I recommend adding a little brown sugar. Otherwise, like the pecan butter, it is a healthy smoothie with gingerbread flavors, not like a gingerbread milkshake (which now I also want to make in my Blendtec 😉 ).

Gingerbread Pecan Butter & Gingerbread Smoothie

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 10 minutes

Yield: 2 cups pecan butter; 1 smoothie

Serving Size: 2 tablespoons pecan butter; 1 smoothie

Gingerbread Pecan Butter & Gingerbread Smoothie

Ingredients

For the Gingerbread Pecan Butter:

3 cups roasted pecans
1 tablespoons molasses
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

For the Gingerbread Smoothie:

1 frozen banana
1/2 cup nonfat vanilla Greek yogurt (or dairy-free alternative)
1/3 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
big handful ice cubes
1 tablespoon gingerbread pecan butter
1/2 teaspoon molasses
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
1/16 teaspoon ground cloves
1/8 teaspoon almond extract (optional)

Instructions

To make the Gingerbread Pecan Butter:

Place roasted pecans in a high quality blender or food processor (such as Blendtec) and blend/process until smooth, about 3-5 minutes. Add molasses, brown sugar and spices and blend/process until smooth and combined. Store in an airtight container for 3-4 weeks at room temperature.

To make the Gingerbread Smoothie:

Place all ingredients in a high quality blender (such as Blendtec) and blend until smooth. Serve immediately.

https://arismenu.com/gingerbread-pecan-butter-gingerbread-smoothie/

Wait! There’s more! Blendtec has generously offered to give away an extra Designer 725 model with Wildisde+ Jar plus an additional Wildside+ Jar! That’s a $750 value! I know you guys will love it as much as I do. Good luck! Giveaway starts at 10:00pm MST November 24th 2014 and ends at 11:59 pm MST December 3rd 2014. Open to US residents age 18 and older.

This post is sponsored by FitFluential LLC on behalf of Blendtec.

Noodleless Chicken “Pad” Thai

January 7, 2013 · by Ari ·

My vacation is over. Wahhhhh. It’s been so incredibly nice having the last two weeks almost completely off. I’ve actually been cooking dinner again! You may have noticed that I actually post recipes of “real food” instead of just cookies lately (although, if you ask me, cookies are totally a suitable dinner). This is because I finally have time to cook dinner, and I haven’t been living off Chipotle and those Trader Joe’s frozen black bean and corn enchiladas. It’s been awesome.

I think Steve has been enjoying it too. In fact, I’ve been all kinds of domestic. Last week, I took out the entire contents of my kitchen and pantry, and then reorganized and cleaned ALL OF IT. If you haven’t been to my house, it’s possible you don’t understand what I project that was. Also, if you don’t know me, and know how much I HATE cleaning, this may not seem that odd, but it was completely out of character.

Steve came into the kitchen and the first words out of his mouth were “Where are you hiding the crack?” If by crack you mean coffee, then it’s on the counter….

So I cracked out on my kitchen, and I cooked things. It was a pretty productive two weeks for me. Also, there’s something else you need to know about me: I almost never make a meal twice. If I do, it’s either super ridiculously easy, or one of my very favorites, or both. I make this one a lot. In fact, the recipe has been up here for a while, but it’s an oldie that needed a serious update.

Chicken Pad Thai is one of my very favorite meals in the world. I know I’ve told you guys about how I used to think I hated Thai food, then discovered I loved it and someone told me that it was “healthy” so I believed them, and ate it like 4 x per week, but then I realized how calorie dense it is, and never ate it anymore. It was so sad. Don’t worry though, my story has a happy ending!

No, not that kind of happy ending. Or maybe your brain didn’t even go there? Sorry, mine did. Anyway….ever since I first made this dish, I’ve been in love. Everything you love about the bold flavors of chicken pad Thai–spicy with a slight sweetness, peanut sauce with lime and cilantro–perfection. This dish proves the true magical powers of spaghetti squash. Seriously, any meal you love that includes noodles or pasta, just sub in some spaghetti squash, and you will be hooked!

Obviously, I am.

Noodleless Chicken “Pad” Thai

1 large spaghetti squash, split length wise and seeds removed
2 tsp olive oil, divided
1 large sweet yellow onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 zucchinis, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 cup snow peas or sugar snap peas
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast, cubed
1 1/2 tbsp peanut butter
1 tbs reduced sodium soy sauce (if you don’t eat gluten, use gluten-free)
1 1/2-2 tsp chili paste
1 tbsp lime juice
handful fresh cilantro, chopped
1 small bunch green onion, sliced
salt and pepper to taste
Sriracha for topping (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400. Drizzle inside of spaghetti squash with 1 tsp olive oil and rub in with fingers. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer face down to a large roasting pan. Roast spaghetti squash for 45-60 minutes until tender.
Meanwhile, in a large wok pan over medium heat, drizzle remaining 1 tsp olive oil and add yellow onion, garlic, zucchini, red pepper and snow peas. Cook 5-10 minutes until tender. Add chicken and season with salt and pepper. Continue cooking until all pieces of chicken are cooked throughout.
In a small bowl, whisk together peanut butter, soy sauce, chili paste, and lime juice. Set aside.
Use a fork to remove the insides of cooked spaghetti squash and transfer into wok pan. Pour sauce into pan, add lime juice and cilantro and toss all ingredients together for 2-3 minutes. Serve and top with green onions and Sriracha if desired. And if you’re like me, add even more cilantro 😉

On Maintaining Weight Loss

Healthy Tuna Salad {Without Mayo}

Crockpot Chicken Alfredo

Gingerbread Pecan Butter & Gingerbread Smoothie

Noodleless Chicken “Pad” Thai

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