Mmmmm...Lasagna...

I have recently been inspired by many of my clients, not just by their tenacious adherence to their workout plans, but also by their food diaries.

One particular client is Italian, is a chef, and really enjoys entertaining and cooking for friends.

Hmmmm lets see... what is usually on the menu?

Bruscetta on toasted bread, pasta, Alfredo sauce, some meat/ protein in there somewhere, more bread, wine (of course!), and who can forget about dessert?

All of that sound really yummy, but what if you're trying to "be good" and eat less "bad" things and make better choices?

When you love food and live to eat, can you still eat low (starchy) carb , dairy, and fat without feeling guilty or deprived? Is it possible to eat yummy tasty foods and still lose fat and have the energy to work out?

Can all this be done without resorting to boiled chicken breast and kale salad day in and day out?

I think so, you just need to have a little imagination and a great cooking teacher like my mom.

Tonight, with this client in mind, I wanted to make something fast, delicious, low carb (no grain products, noodles, or bread) , low GI, and for there to be enough left over for lunches...

What about lasagna? Yeah sure, but what about the noodles?

EASY! Replace them with large slices or roasted eggplant.

What you'll need:

9" X 13" Baking dish or lasagna pan

1 lb extra lean ground beef*

1 jar organic tomato sauce (make sure it has no added sugar or crap in it)

2-3 cloves garlic

1 big eggplant

1 container light ricotta cheese

2 cans of spinach or 1 pack of frozen spinach (I used canned...easier)

olive oil

Sea salt

Pepper

100g light mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven at 375°

Peel your eggplant (you don't have to, but I prefer it) and slice it lengthwise (top to bottom) into 1/4" thick slices, place on a baking sheet, brush lightly with olive oil, salt and pepper, and roast in the oven for 8 minutes each side.

While those are cooking brush olive oil in the bottom and sides of your baking dish, pour about 4 Tbsp worth of your sauce in the bottom (prevents other stuff from sticking to the pan)

Drain spinach and press out all excess liquid (stick it in a fine sieve and press water out) , set aside.

Cook ground beef in a skillet with a bit of olive oil and the crushed garlic. Drain out excess liquid.

Now you're ready to assemble it!

Place a layer of eggplant at the bottom followed by ground beef and a bit of the sauce.

Separate the spinach and evenly space it out...it's OK if you don't have "wall-to-wall" spinach.

Glop out the ricotta and spread it evenly over the spinach, add pepper if you want.

Add another layer of eggplant making sure you cover as much as you can, add the last of the tomato sauce, and top with mozzarella cheese.

Pop it in the oven for about 30 minutes at 350°, then let it rest for 10 minutes before serving.

YUM.

Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

A friend of mine, Sarena Miller, painted this wonderful watercolour entitled "Schlomo" ... sunny how it illustrates how I sometimes feel about my training: A snail with going as fast as it can with streamers flapping in the wind. LOVE IT!

For more of Sarena's work check out http://www.sarenamiller.com/

Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

"Don't Talk to Me, I'm not Happy Right Now..."

" Don't talk to me , I'm not happy right now..."



Is what my client muttered to her husband halfway down yet another flight of stairs during one of the more grueling workouts I have inflicted on her.



Admittedly it was not the nicest of workouts:



7 descents down and up the 3 floors of their condo (about 35 steps)

17 burpees

6 descents

16 burpees

5 descents

15 burpees

4 descents

14 burpees

3 descents

13 burpees

2 descents

12 burpees

1 descent

11 burpees





Not very exciting , not very fun, and making my client do two of the things she despises the most by coupling them in a hideous chipper that only it's mother could love, was not taken lightly.

But she did it. She did it well, and somewhere down the line she may even appreciate that this f-ugly workout illustrates how far she has come.



Two months ago 2 flights of stairs were a struggle.

I am so proud of her!

I promised however that for a full week (maybe even two) there will be NO STAIRS or Burpees in any workouts, and this workout will be banished to exile in my office shredder basket.

Done.



This was a mental challenge as much as it was a physical challenge. A challenge is by definition

"anything , as a demanding tasks, that calls for special effort and dedication", and sometimes challenges can be very unpleasant.



Many times during these challenging workouts different weaknesses are drawn out (doubt, negativity, and self depreciation..) and to counteract their pull you need to dig a bit deeper and find strengths to fight them off ( conviction, courage, and perseverance), and just get through it.



" The best way out is always through" , said Robert Frost-- I'm not sure what the context was when he wrote it, but somehow I doubt he meant it to be applied to workouts.



Don't give up, plug away at them, practice what you're not good at (it's the only way You'll improve!) and force yourself to do things you don't like doing...who knows maybe one day you won't hate it so much (Why ? Because you'll be better at it!)





Keep Calm , Carry On!