Picking Up The Pieces Before I’m 30…

Two years ago, this week, I made a promise to myself that I would change the way I ate and lived. I was fearful that four years from then, when I turn the big THREE ZERO, I would have to assess where my life is at and ask myself “How crappy does it look?”

At this point in my life, being a single, self-employed (or what I like to call “f-unemployed”), twenty-six year old father has been quite an adventure. Trying to keep afloat and busy with my hands in four different, yet strangely connected, business concepts, mainly as a PERSONAL CHEF, is quite tiresome. So confusing and frantic that I just realized I’m no longer twenty-six but two years older. As much as anyone can see that my desire for total domination in the foodservice and wellness industries look a bit hectic, it’s probably the one that is a constant. A constant that keeps me happy and moving. And by the way, I don’t talk about being a father so much as a job or something I have to think about. My instincts are what help me raise my daughter. Well, that along with my parents! What? There’s no point in lying about that. Anyhow, busy as I may seem, I do have time to notice that there is one thing that has been falling to the wayside. My health! My health AND all the fatty body parts that we all try to hide from. The truth is that I’m not getting any younger and all the stress from my life along with the crappy food I eat (Well, taste. At least that’s what I tell myself) is the cause of my unhealthy life.

And #letsbehonest, this means YOU too!

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Now when I say UNHEALTHY, I’m not only talking about the food that I eat. Unhealthy describes my lifestyle, my habits, and my addictions. Just like getting yourself back on track is a TOTAL PACKAGE, becoming unhealthy takes the same amount of effort. You don’t go to the gym, you stress yourself out about work, you drink yourself to a happy-state, and you top it off with Carne Asada Fries, a Shake Shack – Shack Shake…oh, and don’t forget the Bourbon Pecan Pie with extra whipped cream. Ok, maybe I went too far…maybe you only drink yourself until you’re inebriated, whatever! YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN! Our late twenties can not just be about celebrating that we’re out of college, “I finally get my own office (translation: cubicle), and possibly getting government healthcare (or not, whatever floats your boat)!” We have to start setting up our lives for SUCCESS. And in all honesty, without our personal well being, our health and our bodies being in the best shape possible, how can we even achieve what we really want in the future?

Our health determines our wealth! Sounds cheesy but it’s true!

Now that I let this glass of SANGIOVESE open up this post, here’s what I’m trying to tell you. Along with all the other challenges and responsibilities we have in our lives, we can’t forget the biggest one of all, our health. Aside from our genetics, WE ARE IN CONTROL OF OUR BODIES! Not your mom, your doctor, or even your significant other.

YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR HEALTH AND WELL-BEING!

I made a decision to take back my health with a vengeance. Two years ago, I became PLANT-STRONG. I changed my whole life around and accepted a plant-based lifestyle. It wasn’t just a diet. It was an entire overhaul of my health. I finally took control and said,

“I want to live. I want to live worry-free. I want to live so that I can see my daughter graduate. I want to live longer so I can walk my daughter down the aisle. I want to live so that I can watch over my grandkids when my daughter visits me in Hawaii, where I will be retiring!”

Somewhere in between me moving back to New Jersey to start over with my daughter and ending an 8-year relationship with an amazing company, I fell back into my ways. I had my ups and downs. I know what I should and shouldn’t eat. I knew what would probably send me back over the edge. I knew it all but I just kept saying, “One time won’t hurt. I’ll just work out more tomorrow. I’ve been good all week, I deserve this!” Well, guess what, I’m back where I started and nothing to show for it.

Well, not everything!

The one thing that I have that can help put me back on track is this amazing knowledge gained from a small span of time of living a plant-based lifestyle. That’s the best part, I know what I need to do. I know what the results will be if I stick to it. SO HERE I GO! AND I’M ASKING YOU TO JOIN ME! Whether you actually take this ride along with me or if you just sit back, relax, and enjoy the show. I want you to take as much away from my experience as you can. Enough to change your own life!

I joined Portia Joyce Wellness’s Beyond the Resolution: 11-Day Clean Eating Program!

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It’s an amazing DETOX where guess what?…YOU CAN EAT!”

Yesterday, started the 4-day Pre-Detox. We began to slowly eliminate certain foods so that we minimize withdrawal symptoms from all the food that we probably have depended on too much. Some of these foods like caffeine, alcohol (clearly I have not weened off of that just yet), gluten, dairy, and beans are what may cause us to be so toxic. (***CHEF FLO DISCLAIMER…DAIRY KILLS***)

Once, we have slowly removed these types of food out of our diet, once the actual detox meal plan begins, it will be a lot easier to adapt. We all know that it ain’t easy to quit addictions “COLD TURKEY!” And yes, eating unclean, toxic foods found in the Standard American Diet (or how my friends over at the Engine 2 Diet phrase it, “S.A.D.”) can be an addiction. OK, I take it back. It’s not that it “can be” and addition, IT IS AN ADDICTION. Let’s call it what it is.

“ADDICTION: a strong and harmful need to regularly have something (such as a drug) or do something (such as gamble) : an unusually great interest in something or a need to do or have something” – Merriam-Webster Dictionary

“Addiction is a condition that results when a person ingests a substance (alcohol, cocaine, nicotine) or engages in an activity (gambling) that can be pleasurable but the continued use of which becomes compulsive and interferes with ordinary life responsibilities, such as work, relationships, or health. Users may not be aware of their behavior is out of control and causing problems for themselves and others.” – Psychology Today

A DETOX is about the removal of unwanted substances, such as toxins, that hinder our bodies from performing its natural and healthy functions. It is NOT to DEPRIVE or CAUSE STARVATION. It is to CLEAN AND REVITALIZE the one and only body that we have.

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These next few days will be difficult and maybe at times unbearable. Knowing that this will be a form of rehab for my body and health is all worth it.  To rid yourself of one of the worst addictions in this world causing many diseases such as diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, malnutrition, obesity, osteoporosis, anemia, and worse of all heart disease, is the best thing you can ever accomplish. The next best thing is to prevent yourself from contracting any of these diseases. Like I said before, aside from genetics, these diseases are more than reversible, they’re preventable. In the end, this is the best thing I can ever do for myself and my daughter.

There is still time to join. Go visit Portia Joyce’s website (or just click HERE) for more information. Like I said, if you don’t know if this is for you just yet, stick around. I’ll keep you posted on how I am feeling day to day, what I prepare to eat, down to if I ever let myself falter and grab that burger I THINK I want but know I don’t need. Follow me on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and here on this blog to get up-to-date information on how this detox is working out for me.

Maybe, just maybe, you’ll see that it isn’t that hard to “pick up the pieces” whether you’re turning 30 or even 60.

[SMN PLANTicious Recipe] Grilled Potato & Onion Salad

I featured this recipe for the first time at one of my Whole Foods Market, Engine 2, 28-Day Challenge classes in Henderson, NV. It was a hit because its amazing flavor that masked the fact it was an oil-less, fat-free, and cholesterol-free version of a traditional American salad. But potato salad is not only popular in America.

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Local display of Winnemucca Farms Potatoes and Peri & Sons Farms Onions at Whole Foods Market in Henderson, NV

Throughout the world, there are different versions of this boiled potato concoction that is enjoyed by all kinds of people. From America to Italy and Bulgaria to Brazil, there is a form of this “salad” in their cuisine. Potato salad varies in ingredients but will always have the same, basic ingredients: potatoes, an acid (usually vinegar), and a fat (usually mayonnaise or its counterpart, oil). Then, different accompaniments and garnishes are added to the trifecta. From string beans and red onions in Italy to bacon bits and hard-boiled eggs in the US, there are many things you can add to the potatoes to make it much more tasty.

My version is definitely plant-strong and the healthiest way I serve potatoes in a salad.

Ingredients: 1 1/2# Russet Potatoes (quartered lengthwise), 1 medium white onion (sliced in rings), 1/2 cup low sodium vegetable broth (I like using Imagine found at Whole Foods Market), 1 tbsp turmeric, 2 tbsp paprika, 1 cup kale (finely chopped), 1/4 cup green onions (slcied), and 1/4 cup dill (finely chopped)…

Mustard Dressing: 1/4 cup stoneground mustard, 1 garlic clove (minced), 3 tbsp white balsamic vinegar, 2 tbsp So Delicious plain coconut yogurt, 2 tbsp honey, 1 tsp fresh oregano (roughly chopped), 1 tsp fresh thyme (roughly chopped), and ground black pepper to taste.

Directions: 1. Bring a medium pot of water to boil and preheat grill to HIGH. 2. Boil potatoes in water for 5-7 minutes or until potatoes are half-way cooked. It will vary depending on the thickness of each potato. Drain from water and let chill in the fridge. 3. While potatoes are boiling and chilling, combine all the ingredients to make the dressing. Dressing will seem like it isn’t enough but it will be. Remember, we want to taste the ingredients not mask it with the dressing. 4. Once the potatoes are completely chilled, toss them in a bowl with the vegetable stock, turmeric and paprika. The vegtable stock is to lubricate the potatoes and cause the spices to stick. 5. Grill the potatoes on the hot grill, skin-side down first. Cook potatoes on all sides until nice and charred, or at least until you see nice grill marks. Grill the onions alongside the potatoes. Once all cooked, set aside to let vegetables cool down. 6. Toss the potatoes and onions with the dressing. Pour the dressing in small batches. You don’t want to overwhelm the salad with the dressing. Remember, its just for flavor, it isn’t the main ingredient. Haha! 7. Add the kale, green onions, and dill to the salad. Chill and enjoy!

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Grilled Potato & Onion Salad

 This salad is best served at room temperature. However, I have had it cold, straight out of the fridge and it was still yummy. If you feel the salad is a bit dry, just add a tbsp of the vinegar or the yogurt to revive the moist feel of the salad. The potatoes are a starch and constantly act as a sponge with liquid.

Variations/Additions: I have made this by adding whatever other vegetable I had in my fridge that was going to go bad soon. Remember that my recipes are always just a base recipe. Alter it to your liking and taste, add what you like in a potato sald. Enjoy!

Please post a comment on your variations so we can share with others what we like to do with our salads!

A Path That Keeps On Giving

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My plant-strong journey started over two months ago. With one Engine 2, 28-Day Challenge behind me and another one on its 9th day, I’m feeling positive about this endeavor. Along with the challenges, I have lost 24lbs (without a workout regimen), my cholesterol levels have gone down 175 points, I have more energy in the morning, and an interest a formal education in dietetics is in the works. This new path in my life has not only kept me on a healthier road but has enlightened me on how I can share this unbelievable “cure” of western disease with, literally, the world.

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I love this picture of Homer Simpson because he literally captures what most of our country feels healthy living will do to them. I want to prove everyone wrong! Healthy living will be the only thing that keeps us alive WITHOUT complications!

Over at Whole Foods Market, I’m running my second Engine 2, 28-Day Challenge with another incredible group of people willing and wanting to get healthier. My first group of challengers inspired me to continue to teach others about what I know. But not only did they inspire me to keep sharing my knowledge but also to pursue a more in-depth training on dietetics and nutrition. This second group of mine are continuing to empower me to keep striving to learn more and to perfect what I do best, teach people how to cook in a healthier way than what we are accustomed to. I honestly thank God for being able to work at WFM because that’s where I found my interest in healthy cooking and living.

More recently, I received news that made this journey much more real and achievable. Whole Foods Market offers Total Health Immersion programs for their Team Members to teach and empower them on how to improve their lives and health. I am greatly appreciative of their want to better the lives of their Team Members. That’s exactly why I love working for the company, they care about the people who work for them. Anyway, I applied and was chosen to participate in the Engine 2 Total Health Immersion program this coming spring! Needless to say,

I’M SO EXCITED!!!

To top it off, guess where it takes place?!?! I’ll be eating, living, and breathing plant-strong for an entire week at the Kalani Oceanside Retreat on the Big Island of Hawaii! And if there is still room next to the cherry on top, I’ll be learning from the top experts in the world’s plant-strong community as well as working out with the best trainers in their respectable fields. I wonder if you can tell that I’m really excited?

On a serious note, the best part about me taking on this immersion program in Hawaii is that I can speak to these experts and find out if this path I’m hoping to take to go back to school is the right path to be on. My main goal is to be able to help transform people’s lives to get healthier, to rid them of their chance to contract a western disease, by teaching them how to live a plant-strong lifestyle. Too often, customers come into WFM searching for food on a list given to them by their nutritionist. A nutritionist that they just met after being recently seen by their physician and told that they have to watch their cholesterol, their blood pressure, or that they may be dancing with diabetes. Now when I help shop with a customer and they purchase everything they are allowed to eat, then what? They go home and don’t know what to do with half of these new, healthier, ingredients. That’s my point. They are told what they can and can’t eat but aren’t taught how to live this new way. Now, no disrespect to nutritionists or dietitians, but they aren’t trained to teach people how to live and cook this healthier way. I want to be able to give a patient or client medical advice, explain why they can’t live or eat like they normally do, then show them how to actually attempt to better their lives by showing them how to cook these new foods and make sense out of them.

When I spoke to registered dietician from the Desert Springs hospital in Las Vegas, that worked with me at the JDRFs Hope & Health Symposium at UNLV 3 weeks ago, she shared with me her complications with what she does. She agreed with me that it’s never a complete path medical professionals lead patients on to. They show them what they can or can’t do or eat, but that’s it. More than likely, the patients go home and attempt to change their lives but without proper knowledge on how to utilize these new ingredients and they never stick to their diet. Or worse, they stick to the diet but in an unhealthy manner. That’s where I want to come in. But not only come in at that point, I want to provide clients and patients with the entire treatment. I want to transform Serve M.E. Now into a “heathy living” service where we can diagnose, treat, and teach a patient to live healthier and keep it that way. And as far as I’m concerned, the only way to achieve these results to live plant-strong!

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[SMN PLANTicious Recipe] Green Garlic Dip

Who doesn’t like an traditional, yummy, and cheesy Artichoke Spinach dip to go along with their chips and salsa or wings for that party or for a game day celebration? Well I developed this recipe because I needed something to replace that wonderful concoction to serve up to my plant-strong eating clients. I featured this dip at my ENGINE 2, 28-Day Challenge cooking class at Whole Foods Market, Henderson last week. They enjoyed the dip and, more importantly, resembled the flavors of that cheesy artichoke dip we were all so used to. My favorite thing about this recipe is that it’s filled with so much kale and spinach that you get more Vitamins C and K than you can get in an everyday multivitamin.

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The main ingredients in this dish are definitely the kale and spinach. I thought to add artichoke instead of kale but you know that if I had my chance I would add kale into everything I make. You can totally add artichoke to this dish but for now let’s highlight my super green ingredients. Now all you need is a small sauté pan, a good, high-powered blender, such as a Vitamix or a Blendtec (<– my recommendation!), and patience. Patience to wait for an amazing dish that makes you forget there isn't any cheese, dairy or, my least favorite food on Earth, mayonnaise.

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INGREDIENTS:kale, spinach, garlic, coconut milk (or almond milk), firm tofu, tahini, tamari, nutritional yeast, and ground black pepper. (AS ALWAYS, IF YOU WANT THE FULL RECIPE, SUBSCRIBE TO MY BLOG AND LEAVE A COMMENT OR YOU CAN EMAIL ME DIRECTLY!)

If you like garlic as much as I do, this recipe would be a go-to every single party you’ll be attending!

What’s also great about this dip is that it’ll keep in your fridge for at least a week. But honestly, you’d be lucky if your batch of this dip last for that long. You can serve this dip with your favorite low sodium, baked tortilla chips, vegetable crudités, fresh pita bread, or as a spread in your roasted vegetable sandwich.

If you liked this blog or want the full recipe for this or any other dish, subscribe and leave a comment. You can also email me at servemenowcatering@yahoo.com.

FOLLOW ME on TWITTER: @servmenow or on FACEBOOK: Serve M.E. Now

[SMN PLANTicious Recipe] Sunday Chili

I featured this chili recipe at my last Engine 2, 28-Day Challenge cooking class at Whole Foods Market, Henderson. it was a hit with the challengers as well as the “meat-eaters” back in the kitchen. This “Super Bowl Chili” is great for tailgating and for your next family gathering. I’m positive it’ll hold up at your next company Chili-Cookoff but just make sure you give me some kind of credit. ;-D

This particular chili recipe has been transformed three times before it was made into perfection. It started out as a friend’s vegan chili, then into my turkey/meat chili, then into this magnificent creation. This is everything a chili is described to be, hearty, spicy, bold, and comforting but of course built with my own spins and secrets. I promise that once eating this chili you may not go back to that boring crock-pot stew. If anything, take this as a base or guideline and run wild with it.

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Ingredients: low sodium vegetable stock, corn, bell peppers, Anaheim chili peppers, red onions, garlic, whole peeled tomatoes, red kidney beans, pinto beans, tamari, cumin, coriander, cayenne pepper, thyme, ground black pepper, and two secret ingredients! (AS ALWAYS, IF YOU WANT THE FULL RECIPE, SUBSCRIBE TO MY BLOG AND LEAVE A COMMENT OR YOU CAN EMAIL ME DIRECTLY!)

Remember that this recipe and all of my PLANT-STRONG recipes will always be free of processed oils, meats, dairy, and extremely low to no added sodium!

What I love about this dish is that you get your complete proteins along with plenty of natural sources of vitamins and minerals. It’s also high in fiber and flavor! Like I said, use this as a guideline and add your favorite vegetables to this. Have fun with it and explore the seasoning section of your local all-natural grocer (WHOLE FOODS MARKET) and have at it. Remember that seasonings always count for “free flavor.” what I mean by that is that using dried herbs and seasonings pack your dish full of flavor and absolutely no calories!

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If you liked this blog or want the full recipe for this or any other dish, subscribe and leave a comment. You can also email me at servemenowcatering@yahoo.com.

FOLLOW ME on TWITTER: @servmenow or on FACEBOOK: Serve M.E. Now