Robyn Spurr

Personal Health and Weight Loss Coaching For Women

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Easy Vegetable Noodles (Zoodles, Squoodles & Coodles!)

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Welcome to my very first “what’s cooking” blog post. When I first began my weight loss journey, I could barely scramble an egg – I’m dead serious. My first attempt at a family holiday dinner was a total disaster (toughest pot roast ever) and I’ve had plenty of kitchen mishaps since.

I love to cook now and am perfectly happy spending hours in the kitchen slicing, dicing and sautéing. Truth is, I don’t have several hours a day to prepare fancy dinners and I’m guessing you don’t either. The good news is that healthy meals can be simple to prepare and absolutely delicious.

UPDATE 6/2015: I’ve graduated to a spiralizer. This is a must have healthy kitchen tool in my opinion. I’m completely obsessed with mine – and my clients are too. Just got this text from a Chickadee out in California. Her spiralizer + cookbook arrived today…IMG_4408

After spiralizing, I heat a little olive oil in a saute pan, add the noodles + a little garlic (optional) + salt + pepper and cook for about 5-7 minutes or until tender. I’ve been pairing zucchini noodles with just about everything. Here a a few of my favorite EASY recipes…

Lemon Tarragon Chicken with Zucchini Noodles:

Marinate 2-3 chicken breast in 1/4 cup of Brianna’s Lively Lemon Tarragon Dressing widely available) for at least 2 hours, grill (or saute in pan) and serve with zoodles.

Zucchini Noodles with Meat Sauce:

Heat olive oil in a saute pan, add 1 pound of ground turkey or chicken, cook until no longer pink, add a bit of garlic (heat about 30 seconds), add 1/4 -1/2 cup tomato sauce (I like Cucina Antica or Monte Bene, both are low sugar). Top noodles with sauce and sprinkle it with a little parmesan (optional).

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Simple Zucchini Noodles with Shrimp:

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But if you’d rather kick it old school and use a julienne peeler, here you go…

I used zucchini, squash and carrots, but I’m curious about eggplant and even parsnips. I’ll be sure to update this post with any other veggies that work well as noodles.

How to Prepare Your Veggie Noodles:

1. Wash your veggies
2. Cut a thin slice off the bottom of the veggies to prevent rolling around (optional)

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3. Place flat side down on a cutting board and peel away

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Cooking Option #1:

Microwave your veggies noodles in a covered dish for 1 to 2 minutes. Drain and season with salt & pepper.

Cooking Option #2 (my personal favorite):

Sauté noodles in a frying pan with a little olive oil, salt & pepper until cooked to your liking, about 5-7 minutes.

I topped my noodles with sautéed chicken and a little Spinelli’s Creamy Tomato Vodka Sauce, but the possibilities are endless – just swap out the spaghetti in your favorite dish for veggie noodles and voila – a vitamin packed and delicious alternative.

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Follow me (@chickarobyn) on youfood to see what I’m eating…

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Robyn Spurr is an ex-obese chick, Certified Health Coach, Weight Loss Coach, Personal Trainer and founder of Chickadee Weight Loss. 

If you’re ready to lose the weight for good – without all the diet craziness, click here. 

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Filling My Cup

I wish I had more energy! 

I hear this from my clients a LOT. Just last week, I caught myself wishing I wasn’t so wiped out at the end of the day. I even found myself pouring over reviews of super green powders on amazon.

As if my lack of dehydrated barley grass leaf was the reason I felt exhausted. Not that I have anything against barley grass leaf or spirulina or kelp. In fact, my favorite green smoothie recipe is at the end of this post. But drinking a green smoothie is not going to solve the REAL problem.

I shut the laptop, kicked into super self-coaching mode and got to work. I didn’t need super greens, I needed, as my brilliant friend Lisa says, an infusion from all the output. Love that!

You know how the flight attendant tells you to put on your oxygen mask first? Well it’s a great analogy. Simply put: If you don’t put your mask on first, you won’t be there for all those other people when they need you. You will be unconscious.

Oxygen mask, gas tank, glass of water – choose your favorite.

I love this message from inspirational speaker Iyanla Vanzant:

You want to come with your cup full. What comes out of the cup is for y’all. What’s in the cup is mine.

If you’re thinking, that’s selfish or I can’t make time for me, I’m calling you out sister. That’s a LIE! Stop telling yourself this debilitating lie.

Try this instead…

Create a list of the things that FILL YOUR CUP. The things that replenish and restore you. Some examples from my own list include getting a massage, meeting a friend for coffee, reading, snuggling with my dog and enjoying a sit down dinner with the hubby.

Next, consider your schedule. How much time are you willing to set aside for YOU each week? Is it 15 minutes a day. One full day per week? What feels doable to you? It’s okay to start small.

Mark that time on your calendar. Treat it like an appointment. When it’s cup filling time, take a look at your list and find something to do that replenishes you.

Because we all know what happens when we stop watering our plants or we run out of gas. And you’re no different than the rose bush or the car my sweet Chickadee.

Chickadee Green Smoothie

  • 1/2 – 1 scoop protein powder (I like Vega One Berry or Vanilla Chai)
  • 1/2 banana
  • 1/4 cup frozen berries
  • 1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond or coconut milk
  • 1 or 2 handfuls fresh baby spinach (fill that blender up!)

Toss all ingredients in a blender and enjoy!

Optional Ingredient Ideas:
  • Chia Seeds
  • Flax Seed
  • 1/4 Avocado
  • Celery
  • Kale
  • Super Green Powder (I like Barlean’s Greens)

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Time For a “Break”

On November 26th, I’ll be back in the capable hands of surgeon extraordinaire, Dr. Alan Ng. Seems my right foot was jealous of all the attention my left foot received last year and wanted some bling of it’s very own.

I’m not writing this post for sympathy or to whine about needing surgery. Hell, no. There’s a point – I promise.

I’ve been spending some time this week rescheduling and canceling appointments already booked for later this year and letting my personal training clients know that I’ll be on hiatus for a bit.

Yeah, so – what’s the point?

Here’s what I found so very interesting during this process. Several of these folks said they were jealous (yes, jealous). Jealous of having a black belt in karate and master of Muay Thai kickboxing (yes, my surgeon is totally badass) voluntarily break your foot and pin it back together, resulting in 4 to 6 weeks on crutches (or a kneeling scooter) and another 6 or so weeks in a walking cast? Wow!

One of my friends, let’s call her Tina, said – maybe I should go and have a tummy tuck. I could really use some down time. No shit – exact words.

Perhaps you’re thinking the same thing – ah, a much needed break from the craziness of life. Some time to sit on the couch and read and let someone else schlep the kids around to football or dance class.

To be perfectly honest, after hearing the news, I thought, oh good, I’ll finally have some time to work on those big projects I keep putting off and read those books that are piling up and listen to my favorite podcasts and … 

Yep, add me to the list – I’m guilty too!

So, what the hell is going on? Why don’t we take the time necessary to reflect, recharge and breathe? Why do we need a big reason, like surgery, to justify a break?

I suspect it has to do with our high tech, 24/7, super-sized, fast paced culture. I’m only 37 (38 in 2 weeks, Scorpio power!), but I can still remember when stores were closed on Sundays and what life was like before email, the internet, texting (please, I beg you, don’t text me) and cell phones. I sometimes long for those days. Lordie, I sound like my grandmother.

It’s not just the adults, it’s the kids too. It’s not uncommon for a 9 or 10 year old to be involved in 3 or 4 sports in addition to piano lessons, scouts and church activities. What happened to water balloon fights and playing tag in the neighborhood? I rarely see kids playing outside these days. Except for the new family across the street. Those kiddos are outside all day. It’s so refreshing.

So what do we do?

We begin by looking at all of our commitments and asking some honest questions. Is this really necessary? Do I really want to do this? Is this fun?

I love the last question. I recently read Richard Branson’s, Screw It Let’s Do It (highly recommend and only $3.91 on kindle). If you’re unfamiliar with Sir Richard, he’s the guy who made a fortune dreaming big and doing things he’s passionate about (music, air & space travel) all while having a blast. Here’s a recent Facebook post:

While reading his book, this particular passage stood out:

“As soon as something stops being fun, I think it’s time to move on. Life is too short to be unhappy. Waking up stressed and miserable is not a good way to live.”

If your feeling a little overwhelmed, start here. Make a list of all of your voluntary commitments and ask yourself one simple question – is this fun?

It’s a good place to start and it sure beats foot surgery.

More to come on this topic. Lots more – stay tuned.

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Cleaning Out The Closet

If you’re a client of mine (hey there Chickadee) or have been following the blog (thanks for reading), you know that I’m on a mission to simplify my life. I’m happy to announce that the Great Closet Clean Out took place this past Saturday. Big thanks to Brene Brown and Russ Roberts (yes, I find Economics strangely fascinating). Their podcasts kept my mind busy while I worked away.

The idea of decluttering and simplifying has been on my radar ever since I was laid up on the couch after foot surgery last fall. Seems I wasn’t too happy about getting my picture taken on this particular day. The Vicodin must of brought out my inner Jersey Girl. Hey, you lookin’ at me?!

Point is, I found myself with the gift of time and hours to spend reading each day. I fell in love with a blog called Zen Habits and it got me thinking.

Fast forward to July of 2012 when I decided it was time to finally take action. Confession: I can get a little too caught up in researching and planning.

While, I’ve made lots of progress, the closet clean out kept getting pushed back. Here’s the the before photo. Now you know why I was procrastinating.

Ten+ years of clothes, shoe boxes, bedding and files (yes, I keep a filing cabinet in my closet). I took a deep breath and decide to start with my shoes. Why not?

A task this monumental can tend to overwhelm. I repeated the same sentences over and over in my mind – One step at a time. Take your time. This isn’t a race. Breathe.

At the end of the day I had four huge bags of garbage (lots of busted boxes, old files, gnarly tank tops, beat up flip flops and socks without partners).

Piles of clothes for Goodwill.

And some items worth dropping off at the consignment store.

But I just couldn’t seem to part with this little gem I picked up while visiting The Very Large Array near Socorro, New Mexico. Even though I’ve never worn it.

I spent the rest of the day walking in and out of the closet – relishing in my success and ability to enter without feeling suffocated. Like an artist admiring their work. I was SO VERY PROUD.

So what does cleaning out your closet have to do with weight loss? I’m so glad you asked. I wrote this post on Facebook a few days ago.

It’s that simple. Once the closet clean out was complete, I have to admit, I felt physically lighter and more in tune with my body.

 

So what’s next?

Well, I’m continuing down this path for sure. The car. The basement. Less spending. More saying no to things that waste my time and keep me from achieving my goals.

I’ve even been daydreaming of a smaller home on several acres of land. We’ll see.

If you’re interested in simplifying, I have a few recommendations. First, check out Leo Babauta’s blog Zen Habits. Read through his Beginner’s Guide. If you’re compelled to explore this topic further, check out some of these great books:

Does This Clutter Make My Butt Look Fat?

Body Clutter

Clear Your Clutter With Feng Shui (haven’t read this yet, but I hear it’s great)

I’ll continue to blog about my progress here on the website. What seemed at first like an insurmountable task (simplifying my life, not just cleaning the closet) is looking more and more achievable with each small success. Just like losing weight.

Try not to focus on the total number of pounds you want to lose or how out of shape you are. Pick one small thing and start working on it. Replace your morning donut with whole grain toast and little natural peanut butter or a hot bowl of oatmeal. Go for a 15 minute walk instead of sitting down to watch TV. Buy a healthy cookbook or a new pair a running shoes.

When we achieve small successes we build confidence and feel good about ourselves. And that is exactly what moves us one step closer to our ultimate goal.