Something that I understand yet have been puzzled by is when people let their fear of discomfort keep them in a place where they don’t want to be.

The personal development world calls this our Comfort Zone and says that everything we want is just outside of it, and to get there we must get uncomfortable.

But I would argue that our comfort zones are not actually that comfortable, rather they are familiar and things we are familiar with can feel comfortable simply because we know what to expect. It’s like we’re used to it.

Let’s take having a disordered relationship with food for example.

Micromanaging every bite, obsessing over the calories or carbs, desperately trying to control ourselves and our body literally sucks. It gets in the way of so many areas of our life.

And yet, so many of us stay in it instead of working towards food freedom and recovery.

Surely, it's not because it's actually comfortable, in reality, its horrifically uncomfortable.

So...

Since, I recently finished the cookbook (stay tuned for info to pre-order!!) I am back in the kitchen making recipes for the blog and I am so excited about this one.

The last couple months, I've been on a bit of verde hot sauce kick. Like, I am literally buying ever new bottle I see and putting it on pretty much everything I eat. It's delicious. 

Then I got this idea to make a verde chili, something I have never ventured to try before.

Traditionally, it is made with pork shoulder but I wanted to make a vegan version so I used fried tofu instead and it turned out delicious! Since the recipe does not have all the animal fat from the pork, I added some vegan butter and topped it with fresh California avocado to help balance out the acidity and let me just say it's a VIP Mouth Party. 

Serve it up with some rice or tortillas and you are in for a treat! 

ALSO - At first blush this recipe might seem like it has a lot of steps but I promise you its v...

It's soup season and lets just say I AM HERE FOR IT! Even though I'd say 75f sunny isn't exactly soup weather but whatever California, I am here for you, too! 

This is a lemongrass-y, coconut-y, lime-y extravaganza. It has crunchy veggies, comforting noodles and crispy tofu to end all crispy tofu's. 

And if it wasn't already amazing its topped off with green onion, jalapeno, cilantro and hot sauce.

I mean....

You will most likely rate it an 11 out of 10.  

Its that good. 

INGREDIENTS:

BROTH

2 tbsp coconut oil

1 large onion, chopped

Salt and black pepper 

4-5 cloves garlic, minced

1/2-1 tsp fresh grated ginger 

5-7 lemon grass sticks, cut in half 

2 green onions, white parts remove and cut in half horizontally

2 (13.5oz) cans of coconut cream

6 1/2 cups vegetable broth 

1-2 limes zested and juiced

VEGGIES

6 medium carrots cut into thin coins

2 cup sugar snap peas 

2-3 cups cremini mushrooms cut in half

NOODLES

1 lbs whole wheat pasta noodles

CRISPY TOFU

1 block extra...

Now that I am officially done writing my first cookbook (it will be out January 2020) EKKK!

I am back in the kitchen making up recipes for the blog. I made this the other night and it was so good that my boyfriend asked me to make it a second night in a row.

Whip this up and then spoon-feed yourself this glorious dish.

You won’t regret it. 

INGREDIENTS:

2 tbsp coconut oil 

1 medium onion, diced

2-3 chopped medium-sized carrots 

Salt and pepper 

5 cloves garlic, minced

1-2 tsp grated fresh ginger 

1-2 tbsp harissa paste 

1/2 tsp smoked paprika

5 cups bite-sized, cubed sweet potato 

1 (13.5oz) can of coconut cream

2 cups vegetable broth 

1 (15 oz) can garbanzo beans

2-3 big handfuls of fresh spinach 

GARNISH

Chopped fresh mint

Sliced green onions 

Lime wedges 

DIRECTIONS 

In a medium soup pot, melt coconut oil over medium high heat. Once hit add onion & carrot, season generously with salt & black pepper. Stir occasionally for 3-5 mins.

Then add in the garlic & g...

If you've ever worked with me then you know that I can be triggering af.

I will likely tell you like it is, instead of what you want to hear. And it can be confronting. 

Sometimes I will give you tough love. Now is one of those times. 

I believe in the power of choice. 

Here is where things get real. 

Making peace with our body & food requires a relentless commitment to choosing ourselves even in the face of judgment.

You see, Diet Culture is so loud, the messages so pervasive, the stigma all too real, that sometimes we forget that we have a choice to participate in it or not. 

To pander or rise above.

Given the reality of a prejudicial diet culture, we have two choices in how to respond to it:

1. Comply, conform and let it drive our life

WE CAN CHOOSE TO: 
• Micromanage every bite of food we take
•Weight cycle: lose and gain the same amount of weight for years
•Not wear a bathing suit or go in the ocean
•Punish ourselves with exercise
...

This past April I hopped on a plane to New York City to attend my first ever business conference specifically designed for female entrepreneurs, primarily in service-based industries. I made a big investment in my growth by joining a business accelerator program that included attendance. 

Towards the end of the event, women who were in the previous round got on stage as part of a success panel. They shared their experience in the program and while yes, they learned new strategies that made money and grew their businesses, a lot of them had mentioned getting results they weren’t anticipating.

Results they didn't necessarily come for. 

Going through transformations they didn’t know they needed. Healing wounds they didn’t know they had. Changing areas of their life that were holding them back.

 (things like leaving toxic relationships, moving cities, quitting 9-5’s, healing sisterhood wounds, being more self-expressed, softening into their femi...

You know that quote... "change the way you look at things and the things you look at change" by Wayne Dryer?

That's what I'm talking about.

When you look at your body as being the primary determinant of your worth...,

When you see the number on the scale or the tag in your jeans as a representation of your value...,

When you look at your body and all you see are flaws that need fixing and therefore you're not enough...,

Then what your body looks like will feel like a "make or break" for your happiness in life.

And you're left with fragile body image (not to mention a messed up relationship with food).

We've been taught that if we changed what we looked like (lost the weight, got the abs, firmed the cellulite) than we would feel okay & everything would be fine.

The problem with that though, is all it does is further attach your worth to your appearance.

So it doesn't actually work - at least not in the long run.

Rather, when you start to look at your b...

I see you! Trying really hard to peel off the layers of diet culture and connect back to the wisdom of your body to let it guide your eating. 

Which is really awesome.

But you're blocking that wisdom by turning your hunger and fullness signals into new rules you must obey...,

"I must only eat when I'm hungry and stop when I'm full... or else"

When we do this, we are setting ourselves up to judge our adherence to these "rules" so when we don't perfectly honor our hunger and fullness, we don't feel so hot about ourselves, which sounds a lot like "falling off the wagon" aka Dieting 101. 

So here it is my franz: HUNGER AND FULLNESS ARE NOT RULES. 

Rarely am I *truly hungry* for dessert after dinner, but if it sounds good and I want it, I'll honor that craving from my body.

Sometimes I only have 30 minutes between clients calls during the day, whether I'm hungry or not is besides the point, I'll eat if that's when my break is because hello..., that's lif...

Diet Culture has tricked us into believing that weight loss = happiness. 

But...., if making weight loss occur requires you to micromanage every bite you take, leaving you stressed, anxious and preoccupied with food, that isn't going to stop being the case simply because your body is smaller. 

You'll be just as anxious, stressed and preoccupied trying to keep it small. 

Skipping social events, spending hours at the gym, compensating for any "slip up's," justifying not eating, earning anything you deem "bad", tracking every calorie or macro, freaking out over the slightest fluctuation on the scale.

Your self-esteem and body image will be as fragile as ever, because you tightened the attachment of your worth (and happiness) to your weight.

The problem with this myth from diet culture (that thinness = happiness) is that the pursuit of shrinking your body almost always shrinks your life, too.

It's a tough truth but sometimes the only way to truly be ha...

It's really common to have intense cravings for the foods you restrict yourself from. 

You try not to eat them, tell yourself you "can't" or "shouldn't" so you have an heightened awareness for them and typically, you can not control yourself when they are around.

It's basic human nature to want what you can't have. 

Who has wanted the guy that didn't want them back? Or who has a child who always wants your cell phone, even though they are in a room full of toys?

It's no different with food. Say you can't have it and you typically want it more. 

This is why giving yourself "Unconditional Permission to Eat" is a foundational principle in the practice of Intuitive Eating. 

Since restriction and deprivation around food is the single greatest cause of binge eating and food obsession- giving yourself access to food eliminates restriction and then eventually binge eating fades away.

As a result it's very common to think "Okay, I will gi...