Five easy ways to eat your veggies

If you've been to my boot camp you know that from the start I have you keep a food journal. One of the first things I notice when I read through them is that people don’t get enough vegetables in their daily diet. I like to see at least two servings of vegetables every day. Fibrous carbohydrates such as fruits and veggies contain fiber that keeps you full for fewer calories. They help you shed pounds and feel better overall.




Each meal should contain a source of carbohydrates, and that doesn’t have to mean bread, rice or pasta. The best sources of carbohydrates—whole grains, vegetables, fruits and beans—promote good health by delivering vitamins, minerals, fiber and a host of important phytonutrients, according to the Harvard School of Public Health. Easily digested carbohydrates from white bread, white rice, pastries, sugared sodas, and other highly processed foods may contribute to weight gain, interfere with weight loss and promote diabetes and heart disease, the organization said.

While fresh vegetables are always your best choice, frozen and canned are much better than nothing at all.

Here are five ways you can get more vegetables in your diet that you may not have considered.



1. Add pico de gallo to your scrambled eggs at breakfast. Fresh and Easy carries a packaged pico de gallo in the vegetable aisle that makes it easy.


2. Have fresh vegetables on hand for snacking. Grape tomatoes, pre-washed broccoli and cauliflower and sliced cucumbers make great snacks. When they’re ready ahead of time, it makes it easier for you to reach for them.

3. Green Giant makes frozen Steamers bags that take less than 10 minutes to prepare. They usually contain three servings for less than 200 calories for the entire bag.

4. When you’re preparing tuna or chicken salad, add diced tomatoes so you automatically have vegetables in the salad.

Here’s a healthy recipe that you can keep on hand.

Low-Fat Tuna or Chicken Salad
2 cans (6 1/2 oz.) tuna fish or two chicken breasts, baked and cubed
1/2 or more red onion chopped
1 large stalk celery chopped
2 fresh tomatoes diced
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper (or to taste)
1 tsp. basil leaf (fresh or dried)
1/8 tsp. black pepper
1/2 cup salad dressing

Mix all ingredients. Chill. Serve in pita bread.

5. Turkey or chicken meatballs are another way you can get your vegetables in. Make these meatballs ahead of time and reheat single servings as you go. You can even add a tomato sauce when you reheat the meatballs to get more vegetables in your diet.

Baked Chicken or Turkey Meatballs (from Smitten Kitchen)
3 slices Italian bread, torn into small bits (1 cup)
1/3 cup milk
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 small garlic clove, minced
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 large egg
1 pound ground chicken or turkey
2 tablespoons tomato paste, divided
3 tablespoons finely chopped flat-leaf parsley

Preheat oven to 400°F with a rack in the upper third of the oven. Soak bread in milk in a small bowl until softened, about four minutes.

Cook onion and garlic in one tablespoon oil with 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper in a large skillet over medium heat until onion is softened, about 6 minutes. Cool slightly.
Squeeze bread to remove excess milk, then discard milk. Lightly beat egg in a large bowl, then combine with chicken, 1 tablespoon tomato paste, pancetta mixture, bread, and parsley. Form 12 meatballs and arrange in another 4-sided sheet pan.

Stir together remaining tablespoons of tomato paste and oil and brush over meatballs, then bake in upper third of oven until meatballs are just cooked through, 15 to 20 minutes.

Let me know your thoughts in the comments section below.

Commitment is Not a Four-letter Word

Here’s the thing about achieving your weight loss and fitness goals — they require commitment. You didn’t gain weight or get out of shape overnight. And you certainly can’t achieve your health and fitness goals by being haphazard in your commitment to eat healthy and work out.






I like to think of the 90 percent level of commitment to get your closer to your goal. If you want to eat healthy, try to do that 90 percent of the time. If you’re eating five meals a day over the course of a week, that means you’re consuming 35 courses in seven days. If you’re trying for 90 percent commitment, that means you can have three or four reward meals every week.

The same goes for strength training and cardio conditioning. If you committed to my boot camp for five mornings a week, that means you’re attending 20 times a month. Over the course of 30 days, you should only miss two classes maximum to achieve your fitness goals. When you are at class, don’t just show up. Only you can push yourself to the next level.

It’s easy to make excuses regarding why you can’t achieve your goals. I know that this level of commitment requires sacrifices, whether it be a time crunch, lack of sleep or giving up your favorite foods. But if you give up on your goals at the first sign of adversity, you are going to have a very difficult time achieving them.

Your goals don’t have to be over the top. For example, I gave two of my current boot camp members a pushup challenge. They had to stop doing pushups on their knees and do 20 full pushups, all the way down and up on their toes. Each was only allowed to do full pushups in boot camp. One was convinced she couldn’t do any. I asked her to do as many as she could, and to her surprise, she did five.

Over the next 30 days, I challenged them to do 20 full pushups every night at home with no time limit. At then end of the 30 days, one did 26, up from 10, and the other did 20, up from five. Both completed this in 60 seconds.

How to stay committed


Write down your goals — If you want to meet your goals, you need to have them in writing. That helps you visualize where you want to be. Come up with three-month, six-month and yearlong goals. Maybe you want to run a mile 30 seconds faster in three months. Maybe you want to lose 10 pounds in three months. Whatever your goal is, write it down and share it with me.

Attend boot camp — Every morning, five days a week, I offer boot camp at Sandstone Ridge Park in North Las Vegas. When you can’t make it to class, ask for help. I can give you exercises to do if you’re on the road or have to miss class for another reason. Keep in mind that I will call you if you don’t make it to class to find out why.


Keep a food journal — If you bite it, write it down. You may discover that you eat too many carbohydrates, not enough protein or not enough vegetables, something I’ve discovered in many food journals. A good rule of thumb is to eat a carbohydrate and a protein with every meal to maintain your blood sugar levels and help you curb your urge to overeat. Writing down everything you eat will help you see where you can make changes to your diet to help you achieve your goals.

Most importantly, consider me your partner in crime. I can hold you accountable for reaching your goals.

What's Your Excuse?

Everyone has an excuse, but guess what? Winners do WHATEVER it takes to get the job done whether or not they feel like it. If you want to be winner and finally accomplish your fitness goals and start living the life you deserve, STOP making excuses. Pay the price for the prize.

Watch this Video





I love that commercial. Stop making excuses and get it done!

If you like this video, leave me a comment below and let me know what excuses you're going to stop using.

Get it done!