This is a recipe I found from my new favorite food blogger, Angela Liddon. Her cookbook “Oh How She Glows” contains creative, easy to make vegan recipes. I have tried several and they are all delicious! These tacos are easy to make and absolutely delicious! The lentil and toasted walnuts create a wonderful texture for tacos, even meat eaters will be amazed! This recipe calls for lettuce wraps to make a super healthy, gluten free meal. However, feel free to experiment with flour or corn tortillas. Enjoy!

YIELD
8 LARGE TACOS (APPROX)
PREP TIME 30 MINUTES
COOK TIME 30 MINUTES

Ingredients:
FOR THE LENTIL-WALNUT MEAT (MAKES 2 1/2 CUPS):
1 cup uncooked French green lentils (you will need 1 3/4 cups cooked lentils)
1 cup walnut pieces, toasted
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt, or to taste
1 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons water
*I used canned lentils… make sure you rinse and drain them!

FOR THE TOPPINGS/WRAPS:
1-2 bell peppers, thinly sliced (I used one, but next time I will use 2 for ample leftovers)
1/2-1 large onion, thinly sliced (I used 1/2 onion, but next time will use 1 for ample leftovers)
Cashew Sour Cream (see below)
Diced tomatoes or salsa
Green onion & fresh lime juice, for garnish
lettuce wraps (large romaine, Iceburg, or Butter lettuce leaves)
Other topping options: Sliced avocado, hot sauce, cilantro, etc.

Directions:
Cook the lentils: Rinse lentils in a fine mesh sieve. Add to a medium pot along with a few cups of water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium, and simmer for 20-25 minutes until tender (cook time will vary depending on the type of lentils you use – see package). Drain off excess water.
Toast the walnuts: Preheat oven to 300F. Add walnuts onto a rimmed baking sheet and toast for 10-13 minutes, watching closely, until lightly golden and fragrant. Set aside to cool for a few minutes.

Saute the pepper + onion filling: Add 1/2-1 tablespoon of oil into a large skillet or wok. Cook the onion and peppers over medium heat for about 15-20 minutes, reducing heat if necessary and stirring frequently, until translucent.
Prepare the taco meat: Add 1 3/4 cups cooked lentils (you’ll have some leftover) and all the toasted walnuts into a food processor and pulse until chopped (make sure to leave texture). Stir or pulse in the oregano, cumin, chili powder, and salt. Stir in the oil and the water until combined.
Prepare the rest of your vegetable toppings and wash + dry the lettuce wraps.

Assemble: Add a large lettuce leaf onto a plate, top with taco meat, sauteed peppers + onion, and the rest of your desired toppings.
Leftovers can be stored in the fridge in sealed containers to be enjoyed the next couple days. The cashew cream will keep for at least a week in the fridge. Use sour cream leftovers on sandwiches, wraps, stirred into salad dressings, on vegan nachos, or with chili or soup.

Tips:
1) I used French green lentils in my taco meat because I love their chewy texture, but regular green and brown lentils work too. Do not use red lentils as they are too mushy and don’t have the required chewy texture for this recipe.
2) Nut-free taco meat: I haven’t tried this yet, but you might want to try subbing the walnuts for 1/2-3/4 cup toasted sunflower seeds. Let us know how it goes if you try it out!
3) See below for Cashew Sour Cream recipe (which really adds to these delicious tacos!)

CASHEW SOUR CREAM
Rich and tangy, this vegan sour cream makes the perfect compliment to any bowl of chili or Mexican entrée. Be sure to soak the cashews in a bowl of water for at least a couple hours (preferable overnight) before you begin.

YIELD
3/4 CUP
SOAK TIME 2-8 HOURS
PREP TIME 5 MINUTES
COOK TIME 0 MINUTES

Ingredients:
1 cup raw cashews, soaked
1/2-3/4 cup water, as needed
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1/4-1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt, to taste

Directions:
Place cashews in a bowl and cover with water. Soak for a minimum of 2 hours, preferably overnight or for 8 hours if you have the time.

Drain and rinse the cashews and place in the blender.
Add water, lemon, vinegar, and salt. Blend on high until smooth. You might have to stop to scrape down the blender now and then or add a touch more water to get it going.
Once it’s super smooth, it’s ready! Transfer into a small container. The cream will thicken up as it sits.

VISIT www.ohhowsheglows.com for more amazing recipes by Angela Liddon

In an ideal world, we would all be preparing our meals each day and sitting with our families to spend time talking and enjoying our food. We would listen to our bodies to determine when we are hungry and how much we should eat to avoid overeating. If you’ve read my previous posts, you know I am fanatical about quality of food and how that plays a part in how well our bodies function. But of particular importance, especially if you’re trying to lose weight, is how much you eat and how mindful you are when eating.

The reptilian part of our brain is responsible for primal drives, including hunger. Your body releases chemicals signaling our bodies when its time to eat. Problem is, there are other factors at work. For instance, every time you eat something you find pleasurable, your body continues to crave and seek out that same feeling of pleasure. The more you “give in” to this craving and give your body that pleasurable food, the more hardwired it becomes in your brain to continually seek this pleasure-giving substance. Even though, eventually, you build a tolerance to the pleasurable effects. When you are on a “diet”, you try to ignore these signals and the result is often a feeling of being hungry and craving these pleasurable foods all the time. In essence, this is why most diets eventually fail.

I’ve created a tool to help you become a more “mindful” eater. What is mindful eating? It is not unlike anything else you do in your life that you become mindful about. When you eliminate all external distractions, truly focus on whatever it is you are doing, and feel the accurate signals your body is sending, you are being mindful. Please use this guide as a way to become more mindful about your eating and see how much better you feel, how much more energy you have, and the weight WILL come off!

MINDFUL EATING: SATIETY SCALE
0 STARVING, WILL PASS OUT IF I DON’T EAT
1
2 DEFINITELY FEEL HUNGRY IN MY STOMACH, ENERGY WAINING
3
4
5 FEELING SATISFIED, IF I EAT MORE I MAY FEEL SLUGGISH
6
7 STOMACH FEELS UNCOMFORTABLE, NOT VERY ENERGETIC
8
9
10 SO FULL I FEEL THAT I MIGHT BURST; EX. THANKSGIVING DINNER

How to Use the Scale
*Before you decide what number you are on the scale, decide if you are feeling physical or emotional “hunger”. Do you desire pleasure or are you actually in need of food?
*Only eat when you are at a “2 or less”. Stop eating when you reach a “5 or 6”.
*Pause before eating and with each bite while eating to check in with how your stomach feels
*Remember the size of your stomach (make a fist with one hand), the amount of food it can hold (make a tight “bowl” with both hands together), and how you will feel if you overfill your stomach.

Today’s discussion is about the rules we create for ourselves. We live in a world full of rules, and in addition to the rules that are put in place for us, we tend to create our own rules that we use to as a guide to how we live our lives. In my line of work, my clients tell me every day about the rules that they have broken as a result of lack of willpower, self sabotage, or being in the wrong place at the wrong time. You know, that all too familiar feeling of trying to deprive yourself of something only to cave in and end up feeling terrible about yourself. It often becomes a vicious cycle, with the result being that you beat yourself up over breaking the rules you created. Some examples include efforts to abandon all sugar, alcohol, carbohydrates, fast food, overeating, or to follow a specific exercise program. Chronic dieters do permanent damage to their metabolism. Over-exercising (just like under-exercising) can increase cortisol and other hormones that will make you gain weight. As with most things in life, with regards to health, it is important to strike a balance. Our rules contradict finding balance.
There are a couple of problems with these rules that we make for ourselves. First, it can lead to a real phenomenon called Deprivation Fatigue. We deny ourselves so often that we actually become emotionally drained from living within the confines of our rules. Secondly, when we prohibit ourselves from doing something that gives us pleasure or demand that we do something that causes discomfort, it is inevitable that we will eventually gravitate back to those things that give us pleasure. If this sounds familiar to you, and you find yourself in that cycle of deprivation only to break your own rules and end up feeling bad about yourself and you aren’t any closer to meeting your goals, I have a solution for you.
Instead of creating steadfast rules for your life, live by a set of principles that are aligned with your goals. More on that in a minute, but first… Starting right now, let go of all of those things you “aren’t allowed” to do. Give yourself a free pass to indulge in dessert, eat bread, take an afternoon nap, have a glass of wine, order what you want to eat at the restaurant instead of what you should be eating. Take a moment to visualize how it feels to be free from all your self-imposed restrictions. Next, imagine for a moment that it doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks about you. In fact, the only one that sees you is you. Living under the above two assumptions, you can live however you want to live and no one will judge you for it. You should be overwhelmed with a sense of freedom and permission to be yourself, without denial of pleasure or fear of judgement. This is how each of us should be living, without question.
So in the absence of worrying about being deprived or of being judged by others, you are free to really think about what it is you want for yourself. What circumstances allow you to live your best life? In your best life, how do you feel? How is your health? Does your body do all the things you want it to do? Are there certain aspects of your old rules that you still find useful to living your best life, but without the deprivation and judgement?
In this exercise, allow yourself to have complete control over your thoughts. All the rules you have created may be leading to negative thoughts about yourself. This is counterproductive. Abandon your rules, create principles that guide you to living your best life. The principles you create should be based on all the things that make you feel good.
What you may discover is that some of your old rules had validity. For instance, if every time you eat ice cream you feel sick and bloated, maybe your reason for giving up ice cream should be because it makes you feel bad… not because you aren’t allowed to have it. Give yourself the freedom to make decisions based on what is best for you. Maybe you dread going to the gym, but force yourself to go anyways. Wouldn’t a better principle be to find something that you do enjoy, maybe its walking or biking outdoors, so you get pleasure from it? The principles you create should be based on doing what leads to the best you possible while providing as much pleasure as possible.
Live without rules, change your mind, and change your life!

Thanks for reading…

If you are looking for a high-intensity, whole body workout that will torch calories and keep your metabolism revved up for hours, this is it. Make sure you start each workout with a warmup, consisting of 5-10 minutes of cardio (walking/ jogging/ biking/ calisthenics) and dynamic stretching and joint mobility work. Then begin!

10 Minutes: Complete one round of the below exercises at the start of each minute for 10 minutes. If you finish early within each minute, rest until the start of the next round:

Overhead press – dumbbell x 10
Mountain climbers x 10
Squat jump x 10

REST

20 Minutes: Perform the exercises below for as many rounds as possible for 20 minutes. Rest when you need it, otherwise push to complete as much as you can:

Kettlebell swings x 30
Pushups x 20
Lunges x 10 / leg (hold dumbbells at your side)

*If you are new to exercise, please consult your doctor before beginning any exercise program. If you are unsure how to perform these exercises properly and safely, consult a professional personal trainer!

I am compelled to write about something I hear from clients often … the many reasons why they can’t lose weight or achieve their health and fitness goals. We all start each endeavor to change with the best of intentions. We make up our minds to do something, we stay on plan for a few days or maybe even a few weeks, and then our motivation starts to fizzle and we settle back in to our old habits. Maybe you attribute your inability to lose weight to a lack of willpower, no time to prepare healthy meals, lack of motivation to exercise, or your inability to say no to dessert when its offered. And likely it is all of these things.

Studies suggest that individuals do not fail in their weight loss efforts (or to maintain weight loss) because of lack of knowledge of healthy food. Rather, because after weeks, months, or even years of “restrictive” dieting and failed attempts at exercise programs, we develop something called “behavioral fatigue”. Restrictive behavior leads to behavioral fatigue, and ultimately dietary sabotage. The ups and downs dieters experience create a mental fatigue that impacts motivation. It becomes a vicious cycle.

You could spend a lot of time, money, and energy reading the latest “fad” diet book, purchasing the latest ab machine that is going to sculpt your midsection, or starving yourself only to find yourself back to square one when those strategies fail. Or, you can acknowledge that you likely know what it takes to lose weight (ie. eating the right foods in the right amounts and exercising) and focus your energy and attention on what is holding you back emotionally.

Change your daily behavior, and you will change your life. It is not what you do one day, but what you do every day that adds up over time to accumulate small changes which contribute to big changes.

Strategies that can help you with your new “behavior”:

*Enlist the help of a professional trainer, life coach, therapist, or even a friend who can hold you accountable and offer support week after week

*Write down your specific goals, how you are going to attain each goal, and why it is important to you

*Identify the “behaviors” that are sabotaging your goal(s), and replace it with something healthier. For example; if you reach for something sweet every night after dinner, instead, drink a cup of tea or eat a cup of fresh berries

*Use “mindfulness” to think about every behavior that either contributes or sabotages your goals, and make a conscious decision not based on impulse or emotional factors

Life is too short to beat yourself up, so don’t get hung up on past attempts. But the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again but expecting a different result. It is true that you have to initiate and sustain change in order to achieve your goals. So set yourself up for success… set small achievable goals, identify the behaviors that are sabotaging your success, and deal with the emotional issues at the core of your behavior.

Thanks for reading!

References

“The No. 1 Obstacle to Weight Loss” Christy Matta, World of Psychology

“Weight Loss Psychology” Dr. George Blair-West

This is one of my favorite recipes… it is super easy and fast to make! I recently tried this recipe with a few changes, and it turned out fantastic! You will be amazed at how simple this is to make, and it will feel like you are dining at high-end restaurant. Enjoy!

2 Pieces Wild Fish – 6 oz. each (cod or halibut are ideal)

1/4 c chopped kalamata olives (pitted)

1/4 c artichoke hearts

2 tbspn capers

1/4 c chopped onion

2-3 cloves chopped garlic

2 tbspn olive oil

2 lemon wedges

sea salt

pepper

generous oregano

generous basil

generous dill

4 cups fresh spinach

Place each piece of fish in its’ own large piece of foil. Fold the edges of the foil upward to create a “bowl” for the fish. Add one tablespoon of olive oil to each piece of fish, and divide remaining ingredients (except for spinach) between the two pieces. Season generously with herbs (dried or fresh), and fold the edges of the foil over the top to seal in the ingredients. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes, or until fish is flaky and opaque and vegetables are tender. Empty contents of foil over a bed of fresh or sauted spinach and squeeze lemon over the top.