The Sweet Spot
Shhhh, don't tell Americans, but true health exists somewhere between decadence & deprivation.
As a quick reminder, Project Vibrancy Newsletter is a place where I explore and share the mindset side of vibrancy, as well as the nourishment side.
Vibrancy = nourishment + healthy mindset
I've shared hundreds and hundreds (thousands?) of recipes online since 2006. It makes me so very happy when people prepare them, love them, and feel good from eating fresh, delicious food.
I started teaching online classes during the pandemic, and from those classes, I started working 1:1 to coach clients who wanted more guidance and accountability to use healthy food to reach their health goals.
Not for just one meal, but for a lifetime.
Coaching, as I'm sure you can imagine, is about a lot more than cooking and recipes, although that's certainly in the mix. It's also about mindset and finding ways to create new, lasting habits.
This newsletter shares ideas about mindset, and behavior change, and effective-while-pleasurable ways of thinking about health and nutrition.
Recipes matter! But exploring beliefs around your body, food, and health is where it all comes together into an actual vibrant lifestyle.
So hi, that's why I'm here. Sharing it all! There are still recipes and meal planning tips, of course.
The other emails I send are for giving you a heads up when I have coaching spots open, or am teaching on Zoom, or am speaking at an event or on a podcast, or am teaching a cooking class. I make sure to include a lot of health nuggets (and stories) in those emails too.
In effect, I share as much information as I can muster about creating a vibrant, healthy lifestyle and I so appreciate that you're here with me. Thank you!
OK onto this week's vibrant theme...
I am obsessed with finding the sweet spot.
If you coach with me, you'll hear me say it a lot.
It's really just another term for moderation. I define moderation as the line between deprivation and decadence.
It's the place I strive to be, most of the time.
And there's only one way to find it: experiment.
You'll hear me say that a lot too.
I look out across the landscape of our very odd American food culture and I see people swinging wildly between deprivation and decadence in their attempts to find their personal sweet spot.
The place where they can just eat food that tastes good without trashing their health.
Perhaps I'm alone in being drawn to this simple, easeful, pleasant interaction with food, but I don't think so.
I think it's what Americans love about vacations abroad. I'm not saying Europe is perfect, and processed and fast food (and the ailments that follow them) are growing there too.
But European food culture is still more geared toward whole food meals, eaten sitting down, with other people, and our bodies respond so well to it!
That's the vision of "healthy" that appeals to me. I'm not terribly interested in the version that somehow ended up being juice cleanses, fasting, smoothies, meal replacement bars...
...which just set up accidentally over-consuming more than we intend when we do truly eat (because none of what I listed is truly eating), as our brains work to set things right.
If you haven't noticed, our brains are not easy to manipulate. We cannot under-nourish our bodies for hours and days on end without very powerful appetite hormones and shifts in metabolism taking over.
If you pick a fight with your body about energy needs, you are 100% going to lose the fight.
So, how to get away from this wild swinging from deprivation to decadence, from hunger to over-eating, from the guilt and confusion and just not feeling good about it, and find that sweet spot of moderation?
First, it helps to recognize it. I've talked with enough clients now to know that everyone experiences these swings. They're very baked into our culture with the way that work environments, long commutes, grocery stores, restaurants, food companies, and even school/sports schedules dictate when and how we eat.
I mean...Europeans spend 2 hours per day eating, Americans spend 1 hour per day. The fact that many of our meals are eaten at desks, in the car, on a sofa, on the road, or running out the door has an enormous impact on what types of foods we eat. (And it of course makes it easy to skip meals and then feel ravenous later.)
I'm assuming you can't quit your job, or eliminate your commute, or take your kids out of sports.
So, after recognition, and acceptance of the current landscape, comes brainstorming some new moves.
How can you work within the confines of your circumstances to engineer better choices?
How can you create experiments to see what is doable and effective given your job, your life, your family, and your preferences?
If you eat out a lot, can you do some simple meal planning for the nights you do eat at home?
It doesn't have to be every single night. Start with one or two nights and move up from there. Declare every Tuesday as Taco Tuesday and lean into the theme. Prepare a protein, veggie garnishes, and a starch your family enjoys.
Make enough to take leftovers to work for lunch the next day.
It doesn't have to be perfect. It just has to be relatively often, consistently, to see results.
Perhaps being crazy-busy and cooking for family isn't your issue.
I have many clients who are empty-nesters and are new to cooking for one or two people. It's so common to feel less excited about cooking when you're only cooking for yourself.
If lack of inspiration is your current enemy, remember that some of the very most delicious meals are relatively deconstructed.
Some call them a picnic lunch. Or a snack meal.
Or girl dinner, which has turned into a whole social media trend. Girl dinner is really just a dinner of snacks, a bite of this and that, arranged in a fun and playful way.
I love this trend!
Probably because I've loved eating this way my whole life. In my mind, it's picnic eating so it equals joy and vacation and fun.
For proteins, lean on cold cuts, rotisserie chicken, frozen meatballs, cheese, edamame, and/or eggs.
For carbs, reach for almond crackers, a piece of bread, canned dolmas, and/or fruit.
For plants/color/fiber, include berries, radishes, pickles, olives, and/or peppers.
For healthy fat, include some nuts or avocado, or dip into hummus, pesto, mayo, or another favorite condiment. Fun!
Another low-lift, high-flavor idea is to do some simple batch cooking on the weekend and use your freezer. Make a favorite soup, and/or an egg bake, and/or a pot roast, and freeze most of it into relatively small servings (label clearly).
On the days you're the least inspired, you will be very glad to know you have a delicious soup to enjoy for dinner. Add an open-face tuna melt and your tastebuds - and waistline - will thank you.
OK one last idea.
If your barrier is not being hungry for breakfast...but you end up with giant cravings in the afternoon, then give yourself permission to ease into a protein-rich breakfast.
If you like eggs, but don't feel like cooking them in the morning, then hard-boil several eggs at time. On mornings when I'm not super hungry, a hard-boiled egg really hits the spot. I'll add more protein, and some plants, with a small bowl of Greek yogurt, berries, and nuts or a small smoothie.
Stirring together some overnight oats, made with protein powder and yogurt, can be a real treat in the morning when you don't feel like cooking. And they can be portable if you need to hit the road!
The goal is to start with some protein, get used to it, then ramp it up to where you feel full until lunch time and your afternoon cravings calm down. Give yourself a few weeks to adjust.
Make sure you've grabbed my Free 30 Grams of Protein Breakfast Recipes, it's loaded with ideas. (If you coach with me, I've already sent you these recipes.)
I'll end with this reminder: the sweet spot of moderation is very individual. It requires experimenting to find what feels good and works for you.
That said, common tools to experiment with are eating protein + plants throughout the day. Moving your body throughout the day. Getting good sleep. Not drinking too much. Sitting down to eat and actually enjoying the meal. Eating food that you find delicious but not too delicious (except on special occasions).
Your mini-assignment for this week is to name one place where you're struggling with moderation and create an experiment to change it. Keep it really simple. Plan one meal. Add another source of protein to breakfast. Batch cook and freeze something. Let me know what you choose!
I look forward to continuing this conversation. If you'd like to talk it through 1:1 to customize what works best for you, click here.
I sent a coaching sale email last week talking about the power of naming an elephant in the room and facing it.
I got so many cool and thoughtful emails back - thank you!
Oftentimes the thing we most seek is momentum. Feeling stuck or trapped is incredibly hard on human beings and really messes with our heads.
It can make us do stupid sht, just to mix things up, and while sometimes that's necessary, I think it's worth experimenting with more productive momentum-generators first. (And then blow things up, if you must.)
And so I offer: face an elephant in the room.
You'll get something dreaded out of the way, which alone feels amazing. Tackling scary and dreaded tasks is proven to give us boosts of feel-good neurotransmitters, particularly dopamine.
But don't forget that you'll also create momentum. Often in some totally unrelated - but important - way. If you're into the concept of manifestation, facing an elephant is a superpower for speeding up manifestations. I love that idea.
If you like to geek out about behavior and habit change, then you might already be following James Clear. This quote is from his Instagram just today @jamesclear.
I myself am an over-thinker and under-action-taker. You might be the opposite. Most people tend toward one or the other. That's cool, as long as you know it and counter it where necessary so you can create momentum without being impulsive. (I think I just named another sweet spot, right?)
I'm happy to be here with you talking and thinking about ways to benefit from the powerful and pleasurable medicine we call food.
But don't forget that it all only works when you take action! Right.
Whether it's eating a balanced breakfast, doing some meal planning, or facing an elephant, you've got this.
If you need support to get moving, that’s why I’m here.
Books! I read so much non-fiction these days - about behavior change and nutrition, surprise, surprise - but I do love to escape into fiction, too. Consider this my summer reading list of all of the above.
I love listening to books, so I've made note of which I've really enjoyed in an audio format.
The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown. Recently released as a movie, I enjoyed the book so much more. I listened to the Audible version, while traveling, and it made my trip seem too short. It also made me respect my friend Alison even more than I already did - she rowed crew for Cornell University. Total badass. When I got to the University of Wisconsin-Madison, I was approached about rowing crew because of my height. I immediately said no. Ha.
Shoe Dog by Phil Knight. This memoir by the creator of Nike is motivating, hilarious, riveting, useful, and wildly entertaining, all at the same time. I listened to this one on Audible too and it's a blast. As an entrepreneur, the tenacity of Phil and his coworkers to solve problem after problem and keep fighting has boosted me more than once.
This American Ex-Wife by Lyz Lenz. Wow. Quite a book. If you're in the dating world, it's a must read. If you're newly married, it's perhaps a must-read. If you're pondering divorce, it's definitely a must-read. If I'd read this book while I was married, it would have put a name to so many of my frustrations. And it would have hastened my divorce(s). Take all of that for what you will. My brilliant friend Stephanie loaned me this book to read and we'll certainly be discussing it on future podcast episodes.
The Hungry Brain by Stephan Guyenet, PhD. This is for those of you who want to understand hunger, appetite, why we have cravings, and what we can do about it. I work a lot of Dr. Guyenet's findings into my coaching, but this is a super deep-dive into the science of satiety and how to harness it.
This Naked Mind by Annie Grace. If you'd like to drink less alcohol, this book will change your life. Grace's strategies effectively cut through the myths of alcohol culture and marketing - she debunks that drinking is relaxing, that it boosts confidence, that it makes you fun, that it's healthy in small amounts, even that it tastes good. It's funny, blunt, science-based, and effective. This is one of those books I enjoyed reading on Kindle AND listening to on Audible at the same time.
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini. This is not a new book, and you've probably read it, so this is a reminder to re-read it. Which I've been doing. It's still one my most beloved books. I see it's the only fiction I'm putting on this list but I'll work on expanding my list, I promise. I am also reading Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby van Pelt for a book club and will report when I'm done!
Recipe time! Wonton Filling Meatballs, mmm. Man oh man are these delicious. Whenever I serve them as an appetizer, they get destroyed, ha.
The recipe is a riff on Nom Nom Paleo's Wonton Meatballs but I've changed the recipe quite a bit to make it faster and in my mind, tastier and more tender. I pair them with a classic dumpling dipping sauce.
I realize I do not have a pic of these, they just get eaten so damn fast. I'm going to assume you can picture a pile of lovely, savory, flavorbomb meatballs surrounding a pool of dipping sauce. I serve these with toothpicks.
Wonton Filling Meatballs
Serves 4 as a meal or 8 as an appetizer
Makes about 16 one-inch meatballs
Note: if you're making the meatballs for a party, the mixture can be prepared a day ahead. Roll out and bake the meatballs per below.
For the meatballs:
1/2 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined, coarsely chopped
1 pound ground chicken or pork (or 1/2 of each)
1 tablespoon avocado oil (use this only if you're using chicken; omit if you use pork or combo)
2 tablespoons tapioca starch (or arrowroot or corn starch)
2 scallions finely chopped
2 tablespoons tamari
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon fish sauce
Several grinds of black pepper
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
For the dipping sauce:
1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon hot water
2 tablespoons tamari
2 teaspoon rice vinegar
1/2 teaspoon dried chile flakes
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon sesame seeds
1/2 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
Make the meatballs:
Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, combine all of the meatball ingredients. Using your hands, gently mix until ingredients are uniform and starch is mixed in. Using cold water to dampen your hands will help alleviate some of the stickiness.
Using a small ice cream scoop or your hands, form 1-inch meatballs, roll them gently, and place on baking sheet.
Bake meatballs for 15 minutes or until just cooked through. Serve hot with dipping sauce, below.
Make the sauce:
In a small bowl, stir sugar and hot water together to dissolve the sugar. Whisk in the remaining ingredients. Can be made one day ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Bring to room temperature before serving.
I'll leave you with one more recipe, this one for Blueberry Kuchen, in honor of fast-approaching July 4 shenanigans. This is my long-time, go-to July 4 dessert, thanks to my dear friend Susie Shubert. I've adapted her recipe to have a delicious gluten-free crust.
The combination of cooked and raw blueberries is what puts this simple, beautiful, and actually nutritious dessert over the top. Enjoy!
Thank you for being on this vibrancy adventure with me and for supporting my work.
Have a fabulous week!
xoxo Stephanie