Turkey Ezekiel Tostada

Confession time! I meant to post this recipe on Monday to kick off “Mexican Mondays” this week, but life happens and I’m two days late to the party. (Those of you who know me well will understand that I’m just operating on typical “Mackenzie Time” — some things never change.) Can we just pretend it’s Monday for the duration of this blog post? Okay, GREAT.

Busting the “1200 Calorie” Weight-Loss Myth + Clean Lasagna

In a previous post, I briefly touched on the point that consuming 1200 calories per day is a big, big mistake if you’re trying to lose weight and want your results to last. I promised to elaborate at a later date, but I realized earlier this week that I never delivered on that promise. THE TIME HAS FINALLY COME, FRIENDS. Bonus: I’m pairing it with a healthy, protein-packed lasagna recipe that is way easier than any other lasagna recipe I’ve ever made.

The topic of severe calorie restriction has come up about a million times in the last 2 weeks of my life, and I realized that this specific approach to dieting is where the majority of the population screws themselves over with the best of intentions. I did it for years. One of my friends shared a blog post on Facebook a week ago that might officially be my favorite read of all time (thanks, Courtney!), and after reading it, I felt compelled to write out my perspective on this warped approach to nutrition.

1200 to 1800+ and 50 Pounds Lighter

I didn’t lose almost 50 pounds by “dieting.” Actually, I lost the weight by eating 50%+ more calories on a daily basis than I consumed when I was actively “dieting.” I honestly am not a fan of the d-word, but it’s kind of a necessary term in my vocabulary because people ask me about my diet on a daily basis. I guess I don’t hate the word itself — I just dislike what it means to most people. If I were to tell you that I was “going on a diet” a year ago, I’d have meant that I was going eat food that either a.) I didn’t like or b.) was limited to ridiculously small portions for about a month or two. Once the “diet” was done, I’d be straight back to my unhealthy habits. Sometimes, I’d lose 10-20 pounds on a “diet,” but reverting to old ways afterward would always wind me up worse off than when I started. Lasting weight loss doesn’t happen in a healthy matter if you attempt to do it by starving yourself or changing your habits in a way that is not maintainable in the long run. Plain and simple.

What’s For Lunch? Mastering Your Weekly Meal Prep + Slow Cooker Pumpkin Turkey Chili

Happy Halloween!!! This has always been one of my favorite holidays. Growing up, my family had more skeleton decorations stored in the attic than Santas. My dad would spend weeks building an elaborate haunted house in our garage, and the whole neighborhood would line up to go through it. Oh, the memories. Sadly, I’m not doing anything to celebrate tonight because I’m lazy and didn’t plan. No costume, no party. Since I don’t a cute festive picture to post, here’s an old one (last year) of me and my poor dog who I forced into a sheriff outfit:

Turkey and Quinoa Stuffed Peppers

These are SO easy and surprisingly filling. We had these for dinner last night with Southwestern Black Bean Salad as our side. YUM.

Nutritional Overview
Calories: 305
Carbs: 22
Fat: 5
Protein: 30

Spaghetti (Squash) and Meatball Bites

I LOVE ITALIAN FOOD. It’s my biggest weakness, aside from anything sweet. Or booze. I guess it’s actually #3 in the ranks of terrible things that I love. I worked at an Italian restaurant all through high school (when my metabolism was way, way better than it is now), and I ate pasta almost daily. I miss it. My happy alternative, albeit not quite as good as traditional spaghetti and meatballs, is Spaghetti Squash with turkey meatballs.