Unusual Brussels Sprouts Recipe - Delicious and Good for You!

Inspired by Downton Abbey and my passion for all things healthy, here’s a unique brussels sprouts recipe you’ll love.

Check it out here!

Popcorn Marshmallow Balls for Trick or Treat

This is the quickest, easiest recipe for my favorite Halloween treat.

3 Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup butter

• 4 cups miniature marshmallows

• 12 cups popped popcorn

Bonus ideas - add 1/2 tsp vanilla for flavor or colored sprinkles for fun

How to make:

1. Melt the butter over low heat in a large saucepan. Add the marshmallows a little at a time, stirring constantly, until they are all melted.

2. Place popcorn in a large bowl and slowly pour marshmallow mixture over the popcorn. Mix until popcorn is completely coated.

3. Grease your hands and form 2-3 inch popcorn balls. Let sit until firm.

Then bag each up to give to your trick-or-treaters!

Eat Well Even When You Are Too Tired to Cook

You rush from work to an evening event. Then from the event to home … and on the way home you think “I’m too tired to cook, so I’ll just run by ___ to grab dinner.”

That sets you up for hidden sugars, empty calories, and unbalanced meals.

But you don’t have to choose between either cooking healthy or living life. You can have both with this plan.

In this video I show you the two essential parts of healthy cooking.

Planning and Preparation are key. But did you know you don’t have to be the one to plan and prepare?

That’s right. Both can be delegated.

How?

Discover the three options for Meal Planning and Preparation.

My clients and I have used all three options with great success. I walk you through how to delegate healthy cooking so you get to have delicious dinners, healthy meals, time with family and friends. And you still have time to rest.

Sound good?

After you watch, let me know in the comments which options you will use.

Why You Numb Out and How to Stop

After conversations with two clients about numbing out and escaping with food, I got the message:

It is time to share with you 3 tips to stop numbing out and start actually comforting yourself.

I share a little of their stories and mine. So guess what? You aren’t alone.

Listen in to discover more about these three tips to stop numbing out:

• Set a timer with an exit for your numbing

• Determine how long you will sit with discomfort

• Include mini-fun and comfort breaks throughout your day

The 75 Hard Challenge is NOT for you

When a new friend told me he was doing 75 Hard, I decided to check it out. At first I got excited about it.

I like a challenge.

And because I was already doing most everything on the list, I thought “Cool. It will encourage me.”

Then as I read the full website, all of the guru-speak gave me a creepy-vibe. The more I read, the more red flags went up.

The guru-speak is common in pseudo-fitness programs.

Not just 75 Hard.

How can you know if a program is right for you?

Listen in.

Learn how to evaluate if a program is based on principles and science — or just the creator’s idea.

Would you like me to help you evaluate a program you are considering?

Please reach out to me for a free 15 minute consult. I want to make sure you are set up for success.

Simply email me at sheri@thevireolife.com

Eating Healthy while Traveling Means Balance Not Boredom

Think about the times you’ve traveled and been stuck with energy-zapping meals.

Or when you’ve worried “The only way to eat healthy is to skip the restaurants and pack weird food?”

You aren’t alone.

The research on business travel and health shows that - on average - frequent travelers eat poorly, gain weight, and are less healthy than people who don’t travel.

The good news?

You don’t have to be a statistic. Nor do you have to live on protein shakes.

Here’s a realistic way to eat healthier when you travel.

On a recent business trip, I videoed my experiments with ways to overcome these common nutrition issues:

• Airport food options that are limited

• No time to get the if-fy airport food

• No healthy restaurant options

• To mini-fridge or not to mini-fridge

• What food to pack vs what food to buy on arrival

All of this for you to feel your best, have more fun, and get more done.

3 Unusual Ways to Improve Your Gut Health

Two weeks ago at the Nourished Festival I spoke with 495 participants on Improve Your Gut to Improve Your Brain. So many people reached out after with their stories and insights.

I am sharing with you three unusual tips from the workshop.

Guess what? It’s not all about food.

(Yes. Some of it is about food — check out this recent blog post for those steps to take.)

These off-the-beaten-path tips are simple and they will fit in your busy lifestyle. And I promise, your personal ROI is great.

To get the full workshop replay, email me at sheri@thevireolife.com.

Top Foods for Prebiotics and Probiotics

Your gut health strongly impacts how happy you feel and the health of your body.

What impacts the health of your gut?

Most importantly is how much good and bad bacteria live there.

You get to determine which ones hang out in there. Did you know that in just a few days you can change - yes, change - that ratio of good to bad bacteria in your gut?

Through the right prebiotics and probiotics.

Feeling happier and thinking clearer is only a few days away.

In this short video, I introduce you to the top foods for prebiotics and probiotics.

What is a prebiotic and a probiotic?

A prebiotic is the fiber the good bacteria love. Hint: Some of the foods with prebiotic fiber are superstars because of other compounds you’ll discover in the video.

A probiotic is the good bacteria itself.

Some of these foods will be new to you.

Here’s your 7 Day Challenge:

Over the next 7 days, eat a few prebiotic foods and at least one probiotic food.

Here’s to your healthy gut and your happy brain!

To learn more … Join me at the Nourished Festival

https://www.nourishedfestival.com/gluten-free-expo-spring

Or check out my Nourish Your Life workshop

http://www.thevireolife.com/video-store

How to Stop the Food Police

Would you like to eat without worrying about being judged? It’s time to tame the shame. It’s time to take away the whistle of the “food police”.

They may mean to be helpful. They may not even know their words are criticizing.

But even if their heart is in the right place, you need to set boundaries with these tips.

Why?

If you don’t, you will keep feeling judged. You’ll keep sneaking food to avoid the shame.

(I know. I’ve been there.)

Listen in and learn how to (kindly) Stop the Food Police.

How to Make Herbal Teas from Scratch (Easy)

Why rely on the boxed powdered teas when you can easily make your own with fresh ingredients.

You can grow some beautiful bushes, dig dandelion from your yard, or order pure herbs from two of my favorite online herb shops. (Check them out below.)

How do you know which herbs help what?

And once you have some herbs in your hands, how do you make them into tea?

Watch my friend and me mix it up in the kitchen - chopping, grating, and all the fun you can have with a little hot water.

As a bonus, I get “revenge” on my high school home ec teacher. Well, not exactly. But it makes us laugh.

https://www.highgardentea.com/

https://mountainroseherbs.com/

What Healthy Habits do you pick first?

You want to get healthier this year. But there are so many things you hear you “should” do, you don’t know where to start.

Should you meditate? Or journal? Or start training for a half-marathon?

Perhaps you need to try eating different or stretching more?

No need to worry about where to start.

Here are the hands-down most important and easiest habits to do first.

It’s just three.

So you can start them all. Even today.

Reach out in a week and let me know how you are doing with them.

How to Focus so Your Fitness Goals Actually Work

You’ve set this New Years Resolutions before. Get Healthy This Year.

Why hasn’t it happened? More important — how can you set this year’s resolution so it actually works?

I’m excited to share with you how. And the answer has evolved into a Three Part Mini-Course.

For this week and the next two, set aside a few minutes to watch the video. And … invest a few minutes to implement what I share.

You will be at a better place in a short time when you do.

So, what’s the first essential piece to fitness goals that stick?

FOCUS.

You have a lot you want to accomplish this New Year. That is fantastic!

But when you try to start everything at once, it backfires.

Why do you need to Focus on only a few new fitness goals at once? Because every goal has several mini-experiments.

One of my clients set a goal to workout every day. She thought "Hey, mornings will be great to hop on my bike and start my day." By mid-afternoon she was low energy and felt behind in her work. She knew, intuitively, her work out needed to move to the afternoon. She would accomplish her creative tasks in the morning, enjoy a mid-afternoon workout to lift her energy again, and be ready for a fun evening.

Had she started changing her routine, workout, cooking, meditation, bedtime, supplements, meal times, and five other fitness habits all at the same time, it would not have been clear what wasn't working. She would not have had clarity on what to alter.

Once she found the workout time that clicked, then - and only then - was she ready to focus on the next goal.

She thought about what could work. She tested it and noticed what happened. She adjusted.

Remember those steps as you FOCUS on a healthy habit: Think. Notice. Adjust.

Focus on starting one to three (max) new activities. Think. Notice. Adjust.

Then celebrate your progress!

Stay focused in 2022. One goal at a time.

Mindful Eating Meditation

Do you leave the holiday meals miserable or content?

A few days ago I was talking with a client about his desire for food to be a place of celebration, not a source of suffering.

It is possible.

It starts with a simple, powerful practice. This practice will shift how you see yourself in relation to food.

You will increase your desire for what you want. Doing what you want will be easier.

What's this practice?

Visualization.

Here’s a “just follow along” guided meditation to make it easier to eat well.

For a “make your own” visualization, try these basics:

1. Think about how you want to feel, physically and emotionally, after eating.

2. Picture your mealtime or party. See yourself making the choices you want. See yourself enjoying the food and stopping when you are no longer hungry.

3. How will you feel? Sense the peaceful and joyful emotions and being proud of yourself after eating.

You can visualize anytime - while you are brushing your teeth, shaving, or as you go sleep ...

The key? Practice daily.

Eat and Drink This for Stress

Does your stomach tighten up when you feel nervous?

Does digestion get difficult when you are stressed?

Or do you get tired easily when you feel overwhelmed?

Then it is time to break out the pesto sauce for dinner and drink some basil tea — holy basil, that is.

Regular basil and holy basil, also called tulsi, look very different. They both grow super easy. Whether in your kitchen window herb garden or in your edible landscaping, these are two herbs you want for health.

Listen in to find out how to use each differently.

(Here’s the link to learn how to make basil herbal infusion)
http://www.thevireolife.com/blog/2018/7/11/six-easy-steps-for-herbal-infusions

What’s your favorite basil recipe?

Mexican Roasted Vegetables Recipe

The dilemma was on Monday night. Going to a friend’s birthday party, with a Mexican theme.

Hmmm…what do we bring?

Chips? Nah, everyone else will bring those.

Salsa? The host was providing the main fixings, including salsa.

Vegetable Tray? Ick. Who wants a veggie tray when there are tacos to be had.

So I thought about my favorite foods at a restaurant and could just taste my favorite veggie fajitas. Yes!

Adding a few extras to make it a full vegetable side dish, and viola. Wait. That’s a French word.

Obviously, the dish was a hit. This is all that is left from a 20 serving recipe!

INGREDIENTS

• 10 carrots, peeled and cubed

• 3 sweet onions, 1-2 inch dice

• 2 green peppers, 1-2 inch dice

• 2 red peppers, 1-2 inch dice

• 1-2 hot peppers, finely diced

• 20 red potatoes, cut in half or quarter

• 32 ounce bag of broccoli florets

• Seasoning - cumin, chili powder 2 tsp each; paprika 1 tsp; red pepper flakes 2 tsps

• Olive oil

DIRECTIONS

Pre-heat oven to 425 F

Divide ingredients evenly between large freezer bags, sprinkle seasonings. Add olive oil to coat. Seal and toss around in bag.

Transfer from freezer bag to roasting pan. (For this volume, plan on at least two.)

Roast for 30-60 minutes, until carrots and potatoes can easily be pierced with a fork and broccoli edges are a tiny bit browned (but no where near burned)

ENJOY!

How to Stop Being Tempted to Eat When You Aren't Hungry

You walk by the pantry and the snacks inside start whispering your name. You try to ignore them.

But then when you get frustrated or bored, their whisper returns.

“Come back to us. Just have one. You’ll feel better. You need some fun in your life. We’ll make everything ok.”

Do you ever crave sweets or salty food this way?

Then do this.

1. Watch the video

2. Take the challenge

3. Put in the comments one of your answers to the challenge.

See you on the other side of freedom.

Surprising Motivation to make Healthier Choices

Is not making healthier choices really hurting you?

You know it can harm your health long-term. But health is easy to put off until tomorrow.

When you are getting motivated to make healthier decisions, you need about 90% “sugar” and 10% “salt” mixed in your motivation.

Keep reading and watching. This 10% will help you. I promise.

Discover the ways that your choices help or hurt you.

Self-esteem and confidence. Immediately.

For example, I stay trapped in a bad relationship with food -- false shame and guilt, dieting, going hungry then sneak eating and binge eating.

It wasn’t just about what I ate or didn’t eat.  It was a self-made prison that ate away at my self-esteem.

A client wanted to lose weight to help his confidence.  In reality, after his first workout he text me “got in my 1st workout.  My ego feels great!” 

Just keeping your word to yourself boosts your confidence.

In the video I share how your choices about health habits impact your decisions in relationships.

And I get personal. Really personal.

Another way you are hurt by unhealthy choices:  Money.

Yes, long term medical bills.

But immediately - wasted money.

That gym membership you don’t use?  Wasted money.

A client showed me a fully equipped workout room which was never used (until she started coaching with me).  That money was being thrown away.

If you want to break out of the traps that keep you making unhealthy habits, get registered for my Break Free Retreat.

It’s a ladies only retreat (sorry gents).

Click here for more info and to register.

This will make you Stop Craving Sugar

You don’t crave sugar for “no reason.”

I’ve found there are 5 common sugar-triggers and one is likely what’s causing you to overeat sugar - especially high processed sugar foods. (a.k.a. “sweets”)

When you want to eat healthy and live healthy, but you can’t seem to control your sugar intake, it can be frustrating. You can feel like you have no willpower or discipline when it comes to taming the sugar beast.

There’s also a truth you need to understand about each trigger. In this video you’ll discover the truth.

And you’ll learn the 3 steps to stopping your sugar cravings.

After you watch the video, here’s a challenge.

What is your biggest trigger? Put it in the comments. And - as important - how you will act on the truth.

Sugar. Ah, Honey, Honey

Summer time is lemonade time. And in the south, it’s pitchers of sweet tea on picnics.

A new connection on LI messaged me that she is decreasing the sugar she consumes by eliminating sweet tea and lemonade.

Within a day, a new client found out his A1C is almost double where it should be.

(Side note - A1C measures the average of your blood sugar over a 3 month period.  So he got really motivated to manage his sugar intake.)

A little warning: If you have diabetes or are dealing with an eating disorder, please pay attention to your health care team’s personal advice.  This article is for general information.

How do you lower your sugar intake, without getting into yo-yo dieting?

First, I wanted to see how you consume sugar.  So, this week I reached out to you on LI, IG, and FB.  (And if we aren’t connected on social - you are missing out.  So, wherever you hang out most, let’s connect.)

I asked if you tended to eat sugar, drink it , or avoid it.

Your responses were insightful.

20% drink

50% eat

20% limit

10% avoid

Comments included not consuming processed, but didn’t consider juice -- which is concentrated sugar -- as processed as long as it was fresh juice.

Someone else said they wanted to know how to have discipline and willpower with sugar - so that’s going to be part II

Why is this important?

This is sticky … so let’s be careful not to demonize sugar or make it a saint.

Let’s go to science.  

Sugar is not toxic, at least not in the sense that true poisons are dangerous.

The only health issue sugar is confirmed to cause is tooth decay.

Malnutrition, obesity, and even diabetes have not been shown to be caused directly by sugar itself.

All of these have multiple factors at play.

For example, if sugar is replacing nutrient-rich foods that your body needs, you may get the calories you need for fuel, but not the vitamins and minerals you need. That’s the essence of malnourished.

For diabetes, the evidence is conflicting and interesting.  In some populations in the world, an increase in sugar consumption has tracked with an increase in Type II diabetes.  In other populations, no relation has been found.

However, in some animal studies diets very high in sugar can cause diabetes like disease.

For obesity -- research is clear that you can gain weight whether you eat too much carb whether starch or sugar, protein, or fat.  However, because you can drink sugar, it is easier to get excess calories from processed sugar than from other sources.

What to do?

This is about understanding the principles vs. creating food rules

1.  Know the difference between sugar occurring incidentally in a whole food vs. in processed or concentrated form.

2.  Consume foods in combination.

It is not just about if the food has sugar in it.  It is about how quickly does the food digest and raise your blood sugar … and then if it makes you hungry quicker.

How does sugar fit in with IE?

Three components of IE that I teach you are eating what you really want and eating slowly, savoring your food, and stopping when you are satisfied.

If you are not following a medical diet, then try this experiment.  It is one I’ve used in workshops and with clients for years.

1.  Before you eat or drink something sweet, ask yourself “on a scale of 1-10, how much do I want this now”  and “on a scale of 1-10, how much do I want what I will feel like later”

2.  Second, pay attention to the pleasure of the food or drink.  Perhaps it is not savoring 3 bites of a brownie that is causing issues for you.  Perhaps it is eating multiple brownies, distracted while you watch YouTube videos.

3. Third, when you eat slowly you are more able to stop when you are satisfied.  3 bites might be enough.

How do you handle sugar? Let me know in the comments.

Eat a Rainbow

What???

Kids might think it’s fun to try to eat a rainbow, literally. (At least the visual is great for a laugh.)

This, however, is about nutrition.

In a recent Unlock Your Hidden Health Potential workshop, a gentleman decided to increase the variety food by “eating a rainbow”. I replied, “I’ve got just the resource for you!”

In my Nourish Your Life video workshop I teach you how to eat a rainbow and how to make sure you do it consistently.

So, here’s the Eat a Rainbow segment of my Nourish Your Life workshop to help you have fun with eating healthy.

Want access to the entire Nourish Your Life workshop?

Here’s the link for the audio version.

www.thevireolife.com/store/nourish-your-life-audio-download

Prefer a video version?

www.thevireolife.com/video-store

Which color of the rainbow is your favorite to eat? Comment below. (No, not Skittles :-) )