It’s Health Coach Week + A Some Of My Favorite Re-Focusing
Happy New Year! And Happy Health Coach Week
After a joyful holiday season in Iceland, I’m now focused on re-centering myself around the core activities that help me be at my absolute best. Can you relate to the need to re-focus? For me, this starts with cleaning up my diet. Out go the sweets and the red wine and in come more clean and nourishing meals such as Qi breakfast cereal, Spinach Dream Soup and broiled salmon with a spicy miso glaze and a side of Cauliflower Coconut Rice. Yum! Recipes are below.
Not only do I love eating this way, but I’m also gearing myself up for the upcoming New Year’s Detox later this month. I know some of you are on the fence about this and have questions. I’m holding a live Facebook Q&A session about the Detox on Thursday, January 15, 2015 beginning at 12:30pm where I can answer all your questions about the Detox, including “It’s over the Super Bowl, how do I manage that?” To participate, *like* my Facebook page here and then join me on the 15th!
With so much attention at the start of a new year on re-centering around personal health and wellness, it seems especially appropriate that this week (January 12 – 18) is National Health and Wellness Coach Week. I know a little bit about the subject, since I am a holistic Health and Wellness Coach! I wanted to tell you a little more about what that means. See below.
What is a Health Coach?
Despite spending so much on healthcare, sadly our communities aren’t healthier. I don’t have to tell you that chronic diseases, often brought on by lifestyle choices, are an epidemic in this country and in most industrialized countries around the world. Holistic Health and Wellness Coaches, like me, are filling a gap in the healthcare industry. Medical professionals don’t necessarily have the time to help patients meet life-prolonging healthy living goals. But Health and Wellness Coaches, through mentoring, supporting, and sharing expertise, can do just that.
My orientation as a holistic Health and Wellness Coach is the concept of primary food. Unlike the USDA Food Guide Pyramid, the holistic approach to healthy living I take considers spirituality, career, relationships, and physical activity along with food choices. It’s the complete picture of the whole person.
The problem with fad diets and eating trends is they work for some, but not others. No one way of eating is right for every person. I take time to really get to know my clients, their lifestyle, their unique biological needs, and make recommendations to help them meet their goals – whether it’s addressing a chronic health concern or weight loss. Here’s what one client said about my approach:
Over the course of our work together, I have learned so much about HOW food works for our bodies and since everyone is different, how to tweak MY diet for MY body. -Paige Schreiner, Damascus, MD
This coming year I will celebrate my 10 year anniversary as a Health and Wellness Coach. Coaching individuals, families, and groups is my life’s passion and purpose. To learn more about my coaching services here.
Two of my favorite re-focusing recipes are below.
Cauliflower Coconut Rice
From Danielle Walker’s “Against the Grain”
Here’s a surprisingly tasty way to eat cauliflower. This ‘rice’ is grain free!
Ingredients:
1 small head cauliflower, cut into florets
2 tsp coconut oil
1 Tbsp fresh lime juice
2 tsp honey
¼ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
¼ cup full fat coconut milk
¾ tsp sea salt
Directions:
1. “Rice” the cauliflower using a food processor with a grating attachment or a box grater. Pick out any large fragments that didn’t get shredded and save for another use.
2. Melt the coconut oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the cauliflower to the pan and sauté for 5 minutes.
3. Add the remaining ingredients and cook for 15 minutes, until the cauliflower is tender and the liquid has been absorbed.
Dream of Spinach Soup
From Blender Girl
Ingredients:
1 head garlic
1 tablespoon olive oil
¼ cup (20g) finely chopped green onions (mostly the white part)
1 cup (100g) sliced red onion
Celtic sea salt
¼ cup diced celery (about 1 rib)
1 cup diced zucchini
¼ cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
4 cups vegetable broth
2 cups firmly packed baby spinach
¼ cup blanched slivered raw almonds or 1/4 cup (35g) raw cashews, soaked
freshly ground black pepper
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 ̊F. Cut off the top of the head of garlic, wrap the bulb in aluminum foil, and roast it on a baking sheet for 30 to 40 minutes, until tender. Allow the bulb to cool and then squeeze the garlic pulp out of the husks. This should yield 2 Tbsps or more of roasted garlic. Set aside.
2. Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a large saucepan. Add the green onions, red onion, and 1/4 teaspoon of salt and sauté for 5 minutes, until the onions are translucent. Add the celery, zucchini, and parsley and sauté for 5 minutes more.
3. Stir in the roasted garlic and the vegetable broth. Increase the heat to high and bring just to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the spinach and simmer for 5 minutes more, until the leaves are just tender. Remove the saucepan from the heat and allow the soup to cool somewhat. Stir in the nuts.
4. Pour the soup into your blender (I use a Vitamin) in batches and puree on high for 1 to 2 minutes, until smooth and creamy.
5. Return the soup to the saucepan and warm over medium-low heat. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve.