Semi-Sweet

Join me for a supermarket sweep!

Sarah — Tue, 17 Mar 2015 20:14:56 +0000

You know the drill: If you bring unhealthy food into your home, you’re going to eat it. Learn to work the market and make great decisions where it matters most. This workshop includes a one-hour tour of the brand new Market Basket in Waltham and a discussion of how to identify the most nutritious foods and ingredients, along with strategies for preparing quick and delicious meals, lunches on the go, and healthy snacks.

Where: Market Basket, 110 Market Place Drive, Waltham

When: April 11, 10:30-12

Cost: Cost of workshop is $40 – a bargain considering my private tour rate is $100!

Stop the 5 O’Clock Freakout!

Sarah — Fri, 06 Feb 2015 22:15:23 +0000

Attend my workshop

Mastering Meal Planning: Solving the “What’s for Dinner” Challenge

We’ve all been there – what I call, “The 5 p.m. Freakout.” You realize that you have three potential menu options at home, but you’re missing key ingredients in all three. Out comes the takeout menu. Again. You want to plan meals, but figuring out that process is just another flippin’ thing on your to-do list.

You’ve heard the research: Planning and prepping meals at home will save you time, money, help you eat more healthfully and can bring your family together. But it’s almost impossible to prep healthy meals every day with zero plan in place. The fix? Creating and following a simple system to use over and over again. Meal planning gets easier every week when you’ve got a system. The result? You provide delicious, healthful foods for your family without getting frustrated, overwhelmed, or stressed out. Sound too good to be true? It’s not. Come find out how.

You’ll learn:

How meal planning can reduce your stress and help you reach your health and fitness goals, while saving you time and money
How to develop good menu planning habits
Resources that simplify the meal planning process
Tips and tricks for maximizing your efficiency at the market and in the kitchen
How to stock your kitchen for quick and healthy meals in a pinch

You’ll take home:

All the tools to start planning your meals immediately, including a handy checklist and template to get you started
A bonus, done-for-you weekly meal plan with recipes and a shopping list

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP!!

Where you’ll find me . . . .

Sarah — Fri, 16 Jan 2015 01:55:43 +0000

Hey there! If you take a look below, you’ll see my last post here was quite a while ago . . . wondering what I’m up to lately? Check out my latest gig!

UPDATED! FLF Cheesecake Variations – Low Carb, Sugar-Free, High Protein!

Sarah — Wed, 05 Feb 2014 07:00:59 +0000

I’m not going to lie. I can get crazy around sweets. Sugar does bad things to my joints, though – once I started down the anti-inflammatory diet road, I noticed that when I went on a sugar bender (which USED to be a fairly regular occurrence), I’d get all swollen and achy again. So I revised my position on stevia and started to use it to get my “fix” once in a while. And I’m proud to say that I’m not nearly as beholden to the sweet stuff as I used to be – cutting down on carbohydrates generally and upping my protein has evened me out enough that I don’t have those highs and lows that left me trolling the cupboards for ages-old Halloween leftovers.

But. I still love a lil’ somethin’ somethin’. And here’s a great solution. This cheesecake takes a few minutes to throw together and bakes up quickly. No springform pan, and only an improvised water bath. Once it’s done, it can sit in your fridge for several days, ready to rescue you when you’re feeling munchie. One slice of this will only set you back about 140 calories – NOT a bank-breaker. It is what we call a buffer food, sweeties. Something that feels indulgent but is not going to undo your good work. Something that keeps you from running to Cinnabon or The Cheesecake Factory. You could bring this to your book club, to your family’s weekend get-together . . . and use it to practice “dessert defense,” a term coined by the strong and wise Jill Colman.

I got the inspiration for this recipe from The New Rules of Lifting for Women, but of course have tweaked it. I’ve developed a nasty Quest Bar habit, and thought this might take the edge off after a meal, when I crave a sweet. It works.

UPDATE!!! I have since added chocolate & peanut butter cup variations in the notes . . . and if you want to bring the cal/fat counts down a notch, you can use 1 c. fat-free ricotta and 1 c. part-skim. I do that all the time and it is still fantastic!

Bon appetit, Sweeties!

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Luscious Lemon Cheesecake

Author: Sarah @ Semi-Sweet

Serves: 8

Ingredients

2 c. part-skim ricotta cheese
2 large eggs
½ c. non-fat Greek yogurt
½ c. vanilla egg white or whey protein powder
¼ c. granulated stevia
Grated rind and juice of 1 lemon
1 t. lemon extract
1 t. vanilla extract

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375.
Put all ingredients in the blender and process until very smooth.
Spray a 9-inch pie plate with cooking spray. Pour mixture into prepared pan.
Place pan on top rack of the oven and place a flat pan of water on the bottom rack. Bake 30-40 minutes.
Chill well before serving.

Notes

For Sliky Chocolate Cheesecake, do this: Omit all the lemon ingredients, add 4 T. unsweetened cocoa powder, up the stevia to ⅓ c. and if you like, add a teaspoon of almond extract for added depth and richness.

For Peanut Butter Cup Cheesecake, follow the directions for the silky chocolate variation, above, but omit the almond extract. Add 4 T. powdered peanut butter, a la PB2 or Betty Lou’s Just Great Stuff.

OMG.

Nutrition Information

Serving size: ⅛ Calories: 140 Fat: 6 Carbohydrates: 7 Sugar: 4 Protein: 16

On Patience

Sarah — Mon, 03 Feb 2014 11:00:35 +0000

So. It’s February, and your resolution zest might be waning . . . or even more likely, gone by the wayside altogether. It’s so common. I know, you were fired up for change, but then life got rolling again post-holidays and so many things got in your way . . . work, kids back to school and schedules, horrendous viruses. Life.

And it’s soooo haaaard. I can hear your voice from here. The planning is tedious. You’re tired. It takes time to grocery shop. You need to have a beer/glass of wine/cocktail to relax in the evening. And what’s that you say? You weren’t seeing results, anyway.

Stop there. What?

If you started January 1, you’ve been at this, tops, 4 weeks. Can you get truly satisfying, life-altering results in 4 week’s time? Rude awakening alert: Likely NO.

Can you make small changes? Start whittling away at bad habits and creating new ones? Yes, yes yes! But will you be feeling svelt and buff and ready for prime-time swimsuit season after 4 weeks? No freakin’ way. No matter what Men’s Health & Women’s Health & Oxygen & Self & Cosmo & Redbook & all the other mags out there tell you, the answer is no. No 20 lbs. in 4 weeks. No fab thighs with 3x/week stretchy-band leg workouts. No six-days to a six-pack. Nope. Sorry, Charlie.

So you probably are itching to “switch it up,” or throw in the towel. No and no. Not a good idea. The only way this stuff works is when you STICK WITH THE PROGRAM. Now, that doesn’t mean you don’t evaluate as you go along, see what’s working and what’s not, and tweak accordingly. That does mean that you give things a good 6 weeks to start to move . . . taking into account data as you go. Is your weight moving up or down? What about measurements? How are your clothes fitting? Can you see any changes in the mirror? Has anyone else? How is your hunger throughout the day? Are you energetic? Do you have cravings? How does your body feel overall? Are you enjoying your workouts? Are they challenging? Do they leave you wasted tired? Energized?

Here’s the hard truth. This is tough work. It’s tedious. It’s boring. It’s SO not sexy and exciting . . . and your job right now is to double down and keep that nose to the grindstone. A wise woman once said, “It’s all good when it’s all good,” meaning – it’s easy to stick with a program when life is humming along smoothly . . . but let’s get real. How long does that go on? There are hiccups on almost a daily basis in everyone’s lives . . . the real key to success is learning how to be flexible, adaptable, and ready to roll with them. It is possible. You might not be 100% perfectly compliant, but you can live through a lot of crap and for the most part, still stick to your program. And THAT, Sweeties, is how you get those results you want.

It’s cold right now, but before you know it, it’ll be tank top & shorts weather . . . do you want more wine? Or do you want to feel strong, confident and proud of yourself? I bet I know the answer.

You got this!

Spill it: Everyone’s got something: What are you struggling with the most right now? How do you keep yourself motivated to stay on track?

On the Side: Kale & Apple Saute

Sarah — Thu, 16 Jan 2014 11:00:50 +0000

This simple but delicious kale prep was a hit alongside Nom Nom Paleo’s Slow Cooker Kalua Pig - I mean, everyone knows how well pork and apples go together, right? Using pre-chopped kale in this makes this recipe even faster, and sauteing the ingredients in chicken broth instead of oil means reduced fat and calories. Whip it up and let me know what you think!

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Apple and Kale Saute

Author: Sarah @ Semi-Sweet, inspired by Whole Foods Market

Serves: 4

Using chicken broth to steam/saute these ingredients means you use much less oil.

Ingredients

1 large sweet onion, halved and sliced
2 medium apples, cored and cut into bite-size pieces
2 t. apple cider vinegar
1 (10-oz.) bag cleaned Tuscan kale (or equivalent amount, stemmed & chopped)
Low-sodium chicken broth
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Instructions

Place a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion and a bit of chicken broth and cook, stirring occasionally until the onion is tender, about 4 minutes (add more broth as needed to keep the onions from burning). Add apples, vinegar, and a bit more broth; cover and cook until apples are just tender, 3 to 4 minutes more.
Meanwhile, if you’re using whole kale, remove and discard tough stems from kale and roughly chop the leaves into large pieces. Add kale and even more broth to the pan, stir and cook, covered, until kale is tender, about 5-7 minutes longer.

Slow Cooker Choco Chili

Sarah — Mon, 13 Jan 2014 11:00:43 +0000

This is stupid easy, makes a ton, and is flexible – so you can tweak this according to your tastes . . . want to crank up the heat? Add cayenne pepper. Want to lighten it up a bit? Use ground turkey, or a combo of ground beef & turkey. Have veg you want to use up? Chop it up and throw it in. Love beans? They’d be great in here too. Whatever you do, make this soon – it’s tasty & quick & feeds a crowd.

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Slow Cooker Choco Chili

Author: Sarah @ Semi-Sweet, inspired by The Clothes Make the Girl

Serves: 6-8

Ingredients

coconut oil spray
1 14.5-oz. container of Trader Joe’s Mirepoix mix (onion, carrot & celery)
4 cloves garlic, minced (about 4 teaspoons)
2 lbs. ground beef (preferably grass fed)
1 t. dried oregano leaves
2 T. chili powder
2 T. ground cumin
1½ T. unsweetened cocoa or cacao powder
1 t. ground allspice
1 t. Kosher salt
1 jar (6-7 oz.) tomato paste
1 box (26 oz.) chopped tomatoes
3 c. low-sodium chicken or beef broth
optional – 1 (10 oz.) bag of cleaned, chopped kale (I like the Trader Joe’s Tuscan kale)

Instructions

Spray a large skillet with coconut oil spray and set it to heat over medium heat. Add the mirepoix mix and the ground beef. Gently break up the ground beef and cook the mixture until the beef is no longer pink and the vegetables are softened.
Put the mixture into a colander and run warm water over it to remove the fat from the beef. Add this mixture to the slow cooker.
Add all the other ingredients except for the kale into the slow cooker and stir. Set to cook on low for 5-6 hours. If you are using kale (or other hearty greens, anything will do, really), add those about 45 minutes before you’re going to serve the chili.
Serve with toppings, if desired: diced avocado, grated cheese, sour cream/Greek yogurt, Tabasco sauce, etc. etc.

Nutrition Information

Calories: 225 Fat: 6 Carbohydrates: 16 Sodium: 300 Fiber: 3 Protein: 27

HIIT with Kids

Sarah — Mon, 06 Jan 2014 11:00:28 +0000

I love my workout time. It’s MY time, alone in my head with my crazy hip hop/pop soundtrack blaring in my ears . . . or to chat it up with my heavily tattooed buddies over weights at the gym. But my 10-year-old daughter loves to work out too, and guess what? She loves the same music I do (not sure what that says about me, but that’s for another post). So on weekends and vacations, we strike an accord: I go to the gym to lift, then come home to do HIIT cardio drills with her.

For those of you who’re unfamiliar, HIIT stands for high intensity interval training, and it is a short-circuit to increased stamina and endurance. You can change the exercises and intervals to suit your special needs (bad joints? no jumping for you!) and your fitness level (shorten the work intervals and then progress yourself by lengthening them gradually . . . and do the reverse with the rest periods).

Last week, my daughter made up this routine, and we did it several times through for about 50 minutes. I don’t know if our music was loud enough for the neighbors to hear, but it was earsplitting and we were jumping around and laughing and working up a great sweat together. Gather up your littles and give it a go!

Lil’ hint: if you click on that image, it’ll make it bigger. You can right-click on it and save it to your computer, print it out, and take it with you! Even without kids, it’s a great little circuit.

How do we keep track of time? I use the Bit Timer app on my iPhone – you can set your work, rest & repeat times and not only does it count you down with special tones, but it coordinates with your playlist so your music can be playing along AS YOU ARE TIMED. Best use of $.99 evah!

Do you ever exercise with your children? What do you do? Inspire us in the comments below!

Curried Crustless Quiche (Paleo, Gluten-Free and Dairy Free)

Sarah — Fri, 03 Jan 2014 11:00:02 +0000

Oh my darlings, this is a goodie. Make this, then let it cool for a few, then cut it into 8 slices. Throw it into the fridge and eat off it for days. If you’re nice, you’ll share with your family. If you’re a mean-meanie like me, you’ll know they won’t eat it because it contains a dreaded ingredient: mushrooms. So you can keep it all. for. yourself.

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Curried Crustless Quiche

Author: Inspired by Nom Nom Paleo

Serves: 8

Ingredients

1 onion, chopped
coconut oil spray (Trader Joe’s has it!)
6 oz. portobello mushrooms, roughly chopped
1 bag organic broccoli slaw (again, Trader Joe’s!)
1 lb. of grass fed ground beef (get the leanest you can)
2 heaping T. of curry powder (more to taste. I LOVE curry, I probably put 4T in mine!)
6 large eggs
6 oz. egg whites
Kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375. Spray a 9-inch deep-dish pie plate with coconut oil spray and set it aside.
Spray a 10-inch skillet (you KNOW I luv cast iron, right?) with coconut oil spray and heat it over medium heat. Add the onions and the ground beef and cook them together – breaking up the ground beef and sautéing the onions at the same time. Cook until the onions are translucent and the ground beef is no longer pink. Optional step: At this point you can skip to the next step, or you can dump your onion/beef mixture in a colander and rinse it with warm water to remove any extra fat. Wipe your skillet out and return the drained beef and onion mixture to the pan.
Over medium heat, add the mushrooms to the skillet and cook them down, stirring frequently. Then add the slaw and sauté until the slaw is softened. Add the curry powder, salt & pepper and taste to adjust your seasonings.
Whisk together the eggs and the egg whites. Place the beef mixture into the pie plate, then carefully pour the egg mixture over the top – it’ll fill the pie plate to the brim. If you like, place the pie plate on a foil-lined baking sheet before you put it in the oven, to catch any overflow.
Place in the oven and bake for 25-35 minutes, or until the top is slightly golden in color and the center of the quiche is firm.

Nutrition Information

Serving size: 1 slice Calories: 174 Fat: 7 Saturated fat: 3 Carbohydrates: 7 Sugar: 3 Sodium: 131 Fiber: 2 Protein: 20 Cholesterol: 193

It Doesn’t Have to Be Epic

Sarah — Mon, 30 Dec 2013 11:10:29 +0000

We are on the verge of the new year, Sweeties. The holiday merriment has been going on for weeks, we’re ready for resolve, right? I am SO for the cleaning up of acts, of goals, of seeking triumph over diet and exercise “demons,” etc. but I’m going to put on my coaching hat right now and admonish you to

EXERCISE CAUTION

What the heck am I talking about? Well, sweeping changes are dramatic. They pump you up and make you feel thrilled when you think about them, right? “I will finally lose 20 lbs. this year!” “I will be in the best shape of my life!” “I will kick chips to the curb!” “I will cut sugar from my diet!” “No more white food in 2014!” Any of this sound remotely familiar? I think at one point or another, we’ve all vowed for sweeping change, and we have all failed. And that, my friends, is the rub. Epic doesn’t pan out, most of the time. And as someone who’s LIVED epic change, I can assure you, most of the time, it’s OVERRATED.

Epic change is overrated: When it comes to goals, simple & measurable win the day.
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What’s gonna get you there this year? Think small, consistent and sustainable. Nope. It’s not sexy, it’s SMART. And as I’ve learned in my life, sexy doesn’t get you very far, but SMART wins the day.

What are SMART goals? They are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Time-Sensitive.

Specific: When it comes to goals, vague’s the enemy. Specificity sets forth actions and empowers you to achieve your goals. It helps you establish priorities, manage time. Specificity locks an image in your mind, and when you can see something clearly, you are MUCH more likely to attain it.

Measurable: By hours, pounds, inches or bunches, you need to be able to see exactly how you’re measuring up against your goals.

Attainable: It’s imperative that you set big goals that make your heart race, but it is also crucial to make sure that they are attainable. 10 lbs. in 2 weeks is not attainable. 1 lb. per week for the next 4 weeks is an attainable goal . . . that can help you reach that 20 lb. goal, slowly but surely.

Realistic: Be honest with yourself. Can you REALLY attain this? Look back on your past goals and resolutions . . . which ones did you stick with and why? Which did you abandon and why? If you can’t cook and don’t have time to shop for food, are you honestly going to prep all your meals at home in the month of January? Probably not. Shoot for 2 meals per week. Set yourself up for success, not failure.

Time-Bound: Good goals have deadlines. Think of a work- or school-related goal: You start working on it because you know there’s a due date. You continue to work on it because you don’t want to get behind. As the deadline approaches, you keep up your work because you don’t want to miss your deadline. This is your personal assignment. Set a deadline. Meet the deadline. Get an A.

Here’s your homework. Think on this as you go about your business in the next 24 hours, then set aside 30 minutes for yourself to draft a mission statement for yourself. Then break it down into SMART goals. What’re you going to do in the next week? Month? 6 months? Year? How will you know you’ve gotten there? What are you going to do to achieve the results you seek (hint: CELEBRATE with something goooood)? After you’ve done that, make it look pretty. And keep it with you. Pin it up. Fold another copy in your pocket. Stash one in your bedside drawer. Keep referring to it to remind you what you’re doing. When faced with that bag of chips in the pantry/the snooze button/candy in the checkout aisle at the grocery, wheel out your SMART goals and ask yourself: “Does this get me closer to my goals?” If not, then STOP.

Ask yourself: "Does this get me closer to my goals?" If not, then STOP.
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Every day: New day, same goals. Lather, rinse, repeat. Small steps in a long journey are the only thing that’ll surely get you there.

New day. Same goals. Lather, rinse, repeat.
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And if you need help? I’m here! Join the newbies who’re signing on for 2014 now. Current clients of my Thrive Guide coaching are getting results and you can too . . . my accountability and support tools and services are KEY for success in meeting your goals. ThriveGuide at Yahoo dot com is the hotline to Sarah!