One thing about me is this, I don’t follow recipes very well.  I prefer to see what ingredients I have in the refrigerator and/or pantry and just whip up something healthy on the fly.  On the weekends when I have more time I will attempt at making a recipe but that doesn’t happen too often.  Some things are a winner, other are a big #fail.  And actually, believe it or HNAT I like to make flops (my last name is spelled Hnat and pronounced “not” so I frequently replace it just to have fun with my odd Czech name).  

At least half of my new client’s anticipate a rigid meal plan to help with their weight loss.  Something they can easily follow so they don’t have to think about what to eat.  I get it.  It’s what they know and have followed diet after diet after diet and it appears to be the reason for success.  If they could just stick to a healthy meal plan, they think they are guaranteed to lose weight.  They don’t believe that they can actually lose weight without one.  But the truth is, I rarely, if ever give clients a meal plan.  And there is a very good reason. Traditionally meal plans don’t work long term.

I’ve always said that I would love to open a healthy restaurant that served organic, locally- and ethically-sourced ingredients in a casual, hip setting.  The menu would include my daily personal favorites and would have to include: fresh veggie juices and smoothies with awesome salads with healthy dressings and grain bowls – perhaps a couple other healthy sweet treats.  When dining out I’ve usually had to “sacrifice nutrition for convenience” which is why I prep so much at home.  Plus I actually enjoy playing with food, creating healthy new recipes with the ingredients I have available.  That was a skill my stepmom had and I always admired it – eventually replicated it with the plant-based twist.