Just about daily, NGPTers consume healthy fats – generally nuts, natural nut butters, olive oil, and avocado. Our approved foods list offers a few other options, though I encourage my bootcamping clients to stick to these basics as they learn the program. Since we’re not currently in a bootcamp, I’m going slightly rogue!

I happen to LOVE green olives. I mean love them. Apparently my grandfather ate green olives to curb his desire for nicotine while quitting smoking. So I thought, perhaps he shared them with me when I was little, creating this love. Apparently, he quit smoking before I was born…soooo, there goes that theory. I can’t imagine that a food my grandfather ate frequently previous to my birth would affect my taste preferences, but I like to think it’s a connection I have to my late Grandpa Coan. So this recipe goes up to him:

Easy Bistro Chicken http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/easy-bistro-chicken-10000000393422/

• 2 Tbsp olive oil, divided
• 4 chicken breast halves
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• ½ cup chopped celery
• ¼ cup chopped fresh basil
• ¼ cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• ¼ cup red wine vinegar
• 1/8 cup sliced green olives
• 1/8 cup capers
• 1 Tbsp Splenda
• Dash of ground red pepper
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 14-oz cans no-salt-added Italian-style diced tomatoes, undrained

Heat 1½ teaspoons of oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken breast halves to pan; sauté 2 min on each side or until lightly browned. Remove from pan. Add 1½ teaspoons of oil and remaining chicken pieces; sauté 2 min on each side or until lightly browned. Remove chicken from pan. Heat 1 Tbsp oil in pan. Add onion and garlic; sauté 5 min. Add celery; sauté 5 min. Add basil and the remaining nine ingredients. Return chicken to pan; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 min. Uncover and simmer 25 min or until chicken is tender. Discard bay leaves. Serve as is or over miracle noodles, spaghetti squash, or spiralized zucchini! Makes 4 protein/fat servings.

Coach’s Notes: drain and rinse olives and capers to eliminate as much extra sodium as possible. I have seen no salt added tomatoes with garlic, basil, and oregano; however, if you can’t locate them, just use regular salt-free tomatoes and add some additional Italian spices.

Foods and smells often send us back to childhood or spark forgotten memories. Unfortunately, oftentimes these foods are not terribly healthy ones. Luckily for me, green olives, in moderation, are both on plan and bring happy thoughts to mind of Grandpa. What foods are meaningful to you? Feast with your favorites, feast with memories, and as always…FEAST ON!!!

~Coach Lauren

We consume a lot of protein powder. I mean, a LOT. Sometimes you’d like to find ways to mix up your protein powder from the typical shake or work a little bonus protein into a recipe. Or perhaps shakes are something you struggle to get down – so why not turn them into something else? Here is a super quick recipe to whip up when you need a protein boost in non-drink form!

Protein Cinnamon Roll http://www.blogilates.com/blog/2011/05/20/protein-cinnamon-roll/

• 1 scoop vanilla protein powder
• 4 Tbsp of egg whites or 1 egg
• ½ Tbsp water
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• ½ tsp Splenda

In coffee mug, mix all until well blended. Microwave ~45 sec – keep eye on it as batter rises. Nuke additional 10 sec increments as needed. Flip out onto plate and sprinkle with more cinnamon. For a slightly sweet treat, drizzle 1 Tbsp sugar-free syrup over the top. 1.5 protein servings.

Next time you’re feeling the need to eat your protein powder, rather than drink it, give this option a try! Feast with protein powder, feast with cinnamon, and as always…FEAST ON!!!

~Coach Lauren

Bootcamp 22 is over! That means for the next four weeks I have a little more flexibility with what I post, not needing to adhere to a particular level. So, how about some DESSERT? Most all of us struggle with cravings for something sweet now and again. Don’t let them derail you! Be prepared for the inevitable with one of my tasty, most healthy dessert recipes to curb the cravings and keep you on track.

Crustless Brownie Pie http://www.food.com/recipe/crustless-brownie-pie-from-my-great-recipes-280907

• ¼ cup oil – I recommend coconut or grapeseed oil for sweet recipes
• 1 cup Splenda
• ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa
• ½ cup almond flour
• 2 large eggs, room temp
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/8 tsp salt

In large mixing bowl, beat all ingredients at med speed for 4 min. Spread in sprayed 9” pan. Bake at 325 for 35-40 min until pick inserted near center comes out clean. Cool. Makes 4 fat servings, each with ½ egg of protein. In the featured image, I sprinkled a little unsweetened cocoa powder and Splenda over the top just for garnish.

Whip up this easy Meltdown-Friendly recipe when cravings hit to keep you on plan and away from processed and high-sugar, high-carb desserts. Until next week’s unveiling, feast crustless, feast chocolatey, and as always…FEAST ON!!!

~Coach Lauren

If you ask a Meltdowner what the best part of NGPT is, the vast majority will say it’s the community and support. We workout together, socialize, and make friends who understand and encourage our new lifestyle habits. My very first NGPT buddy was Emily Dutton. We were placed in a Bootcamp group together when we both started the program back in July 2010. She is probably the nicest, most genuine, and caring person I know – always with a smile on her face and a great attitude. Recently Emily was telling me about some of her kitchen successes, and I asked her to share some with me. So for this week, Friendly Feasting is featuring a recipe Emily shared with me:

Emily Dutton’s Chickpea Slaw

• Chickpeas
• Edamame or peas
• Broccoli slaw
• Flax seeds
• Minced garlic
• Olive oil
• Salt Pepper

Toss chickpeas (and edamame if using instead of peas) in oil. Roast at 400 degrees. Turn off oven. Add broccoli slaw, flax seeds, and minced garlic to roasting pan and return to cooling oven for about 15 min. Stir and add salt/pepper to taste.

Chickpeas, also known as garbanzo beans, are an approved carb source – ½ cup serving. Edamame also counts as a carb with protein as a bonus. Emily and I discussed subbing peas as an option to decrease the carb content. Flax seeds are a healthy fat for some good ol’ Omega-3s, and we used to consume ground flax seeds daily on our L3-4 nutrition plans, back in the day. In this recipe Emily uses whole flax seeds. Oil used for roasting is also a fat. This recipe would best be used as a side dish on Level 1 paired with a protein for a solid, well-rounded meal.

I love when clients and friends pass recipes to me that they have tried and love or that they hope I can tweak to make “Meltdown Friendly” so thanks to Emily! Our bootcamp wraps up Sunday and I hope our newest members have found some friends and joined a 3P peer accountability support group. These people are invaluable tools for encouragement, challenge, recipes, and social time on plan! So as you go forth, I highly recommend you feast with friends, feast with support, and as always…FEAST ON!!!

~Coach Lauren

Week 8 approaches our current bootcampers and Level 4’s nutrition plan continues. But that’s not the end folks, just the end of the one part of your journey. We need to find ways to make these new habits a complete lifestyle change and sustainable. That is the goal of Friendly Feasting: to provide you with dozens of recipes to always be able to try something new or mix up what is on your plate. One of the best ways to fill up is by adding in more veggies. This carrot recipe makes a great side dish to add to your meals. For a Level 4 pick 2 snack, omit the oil to make it fat free.

Carrot and Cumin Pureehttp://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/roasted-carrot-and-cumin-puree

• 1½ lb carrots (~8 large), in ½” slices
• 2 Tbsp olive oil – or try nonstick spray
• 1 ½ tsp cumin
• Salt
• ¼ tsp black pepper
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 cup original unsweetened almond milk
• ½ tsp lemon juice

Heat oven to 450°. In roasting pan, combine carrots with 2 Tbsp oil, cumin, ¼ tsp salt, and pepper. Roast carrots, stirring occasionally, until tender and browned, ~20 min. In food processor, puree carrots with 1 Tbsp oil, milk, lemon juice, and 1/8 tsp salt. If necessary, reheat puree in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring. (Consider broth with or in place of milk)

To your health, NGPTers! Enjoy this recipe or try with another roasted veggie or two that you may have on hand. Beets? Parsnips? See what you can develop! Here’s another idea: test the recipe now and add it to your Thanksgiving feast here in a couple months for a lower-carb substitute for mashed potatoes. Feast on bootcamp, feast beyond, and as always…FEAST ON!!!

~Coach Lauren

As promised, today I have another zucchini recipe for you. I wanted to share this recipe when our bootcampers are on Level 4 because it’s mostly veggies with minimal protein to fit easily into any meal or snack. Remember last week when I suggested shredding a lot of zucchini at once for multiple recipes? It will come in handy now!

Actually, it already came in handy for me too. Often I will have clients tell me they weren’t feeling well and just couldn’t stomach too much food or the protein products made them queasy. Nothing’s worse than being sick, and I do my best to suggest foods that will help the client stay on plan and feel as good as possible. Last week, at work, my stomach was feeling really icky and the thought of my usual protein shake just churned it worse. Luckily I’d just brought in a half recipe of this flourless zucchini pie, having made a few more the night prior to work on some tweaks to it. I cut off a slice of my zucchini pie and it was really good and easy on my stomach for breakfast. Bingo! Jot this one down for a recipe to pull out when you’re not feeling your best. Try making it and freezing so it’s already ready when the tummy rumbles surprise you.

Flourless Zucchini Pie http://detoxinista.com/2012/08/flourless-zucchini-pie/

• 3 cups shredded zucchini
• 2 whole eggs
• 1/8 cup nutritional yeast flakes, optional
• ½ tsp baking soda
• ¼-½ tsp salt
• 1 tsp onion powder

Preheat to 350 and grease 9” pie pan. Shred zucchini and squeeze out water. In a medium bowl, combine it with other ingredients and mix. Transfer to pan and smooth top. Bake 30 min or until golden. Set 5 min then slice while hot. Try muffin-tin-sized pies and bake in 15-20 min. I baked mine longer as it seems too jiggly. This may be due to omitting cheese in the original recipe. Perhaps 1 egg would suffice with the cheese removed, further decreasing the protein of the dish. As is, this pie makes 1 protein/veg serving on L0-3. On Level 4, half of the (=1 egg) recipe would count as a protein/veg for some meals and pick 2 snacks. Feel free to add a carb or fat serving depending on when you want to eat this. A nice large portion that counts as very little!

I have tried this recipe with and without the nutritional yeast flakes. It’s tasty with that “cheesy” flavor added but bakes just fine without! Test the recipe as is then try adding in more finely diced veggies or seasonings to make the dish your own. It’s a rather delicate dish and easy to over season so be careful with that! Enjoy this flourless zucchini pie at breakfast as a way to sneak in more veggies, at brunch on a lazy weekend day, or as a snack or side dish anytime! Feast flourless, feast veggie pie, and as always…FEAST ON!!!

~Coach Lauren

Zucchinis are springing up in gardens and farmers’ markets everywhere so for the next couple of weeks, Friendly Feasting will be dedicated to some delicious recipes using this green squash. Buying or picking smaller zucchini will limit the amount of seeds and often provide better flavor. This week’s recipe is super simple. Use a box grater, or for faster work, a food processor to shred zucchini. Consider shredding many zucchini when you have an abundance on hand. Use the shreds for my previously posted zucchini bread, this week’s recipe, and next week’s!

Zucchini Fritters http://www.paleoplan.com/2011/07-26/savory-zucchini-fritters/

• 2 cups shredded zucchini (~2 medium)
• 1-2 eggs (you may prefer more or less “liquid” in yours)
• 1 Tbsp almond flour
• ½ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp pepper

Shred/grate zucchini. Squeeze out excess water. In a large bowl, beat egg(s). Add almond flour and beat. Mix zucchini, salt, pepper, and any other spices together and add to egg mixture. Heat skillet on med-low heat. When hot add olive oil just to coat bottom of pan. Spoon mixture in the pan to desired size of fritters. Use limited oil or try just using nonstick spray to minimize fat content. Cool on a paper towel to absorb excess oil. Counts as a veggie, protein, fat serving, and is perfect for a pick 2 snack on any level!

That’s all there is to it for a tasty use of garden-fresh zucchini! Next time you find yourself overwhelmed with your zucchini plants or are offered several from a coworker or neighbor, don’t fret! Friendly Feasting has plenty of recipes to help you veggie up this summer and fall! Feast from the produce section, feast from your own garden, and as always…FEAST ON!!!

~Coach Lauren

It’s pretty well known that Midwestern DNA generally includes an extra chromosome for an intense love of Ranch dressing. Ranch, however, is terribly unhealthy and one of many culprits that make the seemingly-healthy choice of ordering a salad a gargantuan caloric error. What would happen if we emulated the flavor using a dry seasoning mix? Then if used said seasoning mix in burgers, meatloaf, and in today’s recipe’s case: meatballs? Well, then, we’d have happy and healthy Midwesterners, of course!

Buffalo Ranch Chicken Meatballs http://lowcarboneday.com/2013/01/whole30-buffalo-ranch-chicken-meatballs.html

Meatballs

• 1 lb ground chicken
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper
• 1 tsp garlic

Sauce

• ¾ cup chicken broth
• ¾ cup hot sauce
• 2½ Tbsp dry ranch seasoning

In a medium sauce pot, combine chicken broth, hot sauce, and ranch seasoning (place on stove for later use). Mix together ground chicken and spices until combined. Form into meatballs (~20 small meatballs). Heat 1-2 tsp oil in a large skillet, over med-high heat. Sear meatballs for 6-8 min, turning meatballs for even sear. While meatballs are searing, bring hot sauce mixture to a boil and allow to cook until reduced by half and thickened (~6-8 min). Add sauce to meatballs after being seared and cook 3-4 min or until meatballs are cooked through. Makes up to 2 large protein servings, based on protein allotment.

Dry Ranch Seasoning/Dressing http://lowcarboneday.com/2012/07/grilled-ranch-chicken-low-carb-and.html

• 1 Tbsp dried parsley
• 1 tsp dried dill
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• ½ tsp salt – omit or decrease as you can
• ½ tsp pepper
• ½ tsp paprika
• ½ tsp dry mustard

Combine parsley, dill, and basil in a spice grinder (or small food processor) and grind to a powder. Combine mixture with the rest of the ingredients. Makes ~4-5 Tbsp. Original Recipe’s suggestion for Ranch dressing, mix 2 Tbsp of this seasoning mix with 1/3 cup veganaise and 1/4 cup of almond milk. Note 1/3 cup veganaise = 6 fat servings. Use less veganaise for larger portions or just use the seasoning without turning it into dressing. I thinned mine out big time in the pic above with only a few Tbsp (= to number of servings) veganaise.

These meatballs are a great protein addition to any meal or snack. I’d bet they’re pretty good cold as well so consider putting a few in a snack-size baggie and tossing them into your lunchbox for a protein pick-me-up!

There are so many ways you can use this Ranch spice mix:

• Meatballs
• Meatloaf
• Burgers
• Seasoned meat atop a salad, spaghetti squash, or miracle noodles
• Seasoning alone sprinkled on salads and roasted veggies

Get creative, Meltdowners! How else could you use this Ranch seasoning mix? Feast to appease your tastebuds, feast to appease theoretical geographical genetics, and as always…FEAST ON!!!

~Coach Lauren

The first time I saw a do-it-yourself waffle maker at a hotel breakfast, I was in awed and elated shock. This is coming from someone who grew up camping and staying in Motel 6s where breakfast isn’t offered. Now waffle makers are in hotels everywhere…and in my kitchen. While not a big sweet breakfast eater, I personally prefer a waffle over a pancake due to the crispy texture, but I wasn’t sure what options might be out there that would be Meltdown-friendly. Heaven knows the recipe book included with my simple waffle iron was not full of healthy versions! So I did some digging around and found this:

Blender Waffleshttp://vegweb.com/recipes/blender-waffles-rolled-oats

• 1 cup rolled oats
• 1 cup water
• ½ Tbsp Splenda, stevia, or truvia
• ½ tsp vanilla extract
• ¼ tsp salt – I generally go light on this or recipes end up tasty salty
• ¼ cup pumpkin
• Optional mix-ins: unsweetened cocoa powder, cinnamon, etc.

Preheat a waffle iron according to manufacturer’s directions. Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor. (Worked great for me in my Magic Bullet.) Blend until smooth. Pour batter onto waffle iron. Cook, according to directions. Enjoy with a bit of sugar-free syrup, unsweetened cocoa, cinnamon, etc. The oat pumpkin waffle recipes makes 2 carb servings – perfect for Level 2 Day 1 double-carb meal or to share with a friend!

Notes: Pumpkin is a carbier veggie, best consumed at a carb meal. I used pumpkin as a substitute for the banana in the original recipe. Worked great and was delicious!

This is how to start your day off right! Enjoy your waffle with a 2-egg and veggie scramble to round out your meal to fuel you for the day or help you recover from a tough empty stomach workout! Feast from the iron, feast on something crispy, and as always…FEAST ON!!!

~Coach Lauren