Using the term ‘cheat meal’ can create an unhealthy relationship with food, leading to guilt and an all-or-nothing mindset. Learn how adopting a more flexible approach to eating can help you enjoy your favorite foods without the need for ‘cheating.’

Okay, if you are like me, you may be asking yourself, “I don’t have a big kitchen and big yard to be able to do anything *meaningful* in regards to being more sustainable and help the earth”. Or maybe you’re not thinking that and that’s just me. But sometimes I find a small mental hang-up with what I can do in my little apartment in this big city to help the world around me.

Okay, it’s warm out there. At least, for some people. (again, being in the Northeast is great and all but yesterday was cold and rainy and today it’s 65 and sunny… you just never know).

Here is a little message I sent my clients about the holiday and some tips I try to live by during this time of year! Do not fear the holidays. How sad is that? I used to almost hate birthdays, Christmas, events because I felt like I was messing up. I didn’t want to see my family because I couldn’t control my food.

The ingredient challenge this week was black beans so I decided to work on my baking skills. I’ve never been the best at baking with protein powder, and I gave up for some time because it gets quite expensive if you have to continually throw away batches and batches of food. But I decided it was time to experiment again.

The easiest way to stay on track with your diet is to plan ahead and meal prep. It's simple. If you have good healthy food cooked and ready to eat, you're more likely to stay on track. Has lunchtime ever rolled around and you forgot to pack food, so you wind up at a restaurant trying to make a healthy choice, only to get more food than you need or food that's cooked in too much oil, or loaded with dressing? Sure you can eat out and still eat healthy, but in the long run, packing your lunches and planning your dinners is going to help you achieve your goals a lot faster (and save you money).