BE WELL WEDNESDAY: THE BIG M

Hello my fellow mid lifers, (give or take a few years).  Today we are talking about busting the weight loss myth about women of a 'certain age', the big M, and how to beat it at its own game, and the best sports bra ever created.

This is me.  I'm a Baby Boomer and this isn't your grandmas menopause!

So, how many times have you heard that you can't loose weight during menopause?  I even had a friend whose Gyno told her to just give it up, a man of course, himself middle aged and stuck in 1972.  Wrong, wrong, wrong, and don't let anyone tell you that you can't feel and look fabulous at this stage of your life, or at any stage of your life for that matter.  Being in the big M may make it a little more challenging but with so many resources available putting together a plan that works for you is totally doable.

First of all, let me just say that I grew up a size minus, my mother was told by the family Dr. to "fatten me up".  She would make me malteds every day after school, she bought a malted machine!  Nothing ever worked.  I finally broke 100 lbs in my 30's.  Then I got pregnant.  Although I only gained 26 lbs during my pregnancy and had a six lb baby (all grown up now) I kept not only the 26 lbs but the humongous pregnancy boobs that the Dr. kept saying would go back to normal.  "Don't worry most women get smaller after pregnancy."  And there it was, that term "most women" whenever anyone says "most women" to me, I know I'm doomed.  I am not like most women.  My perky 32B's morphed into 34 DDD and never returned to "normal" again.  I'm not complaining but that's a lot of extra weight to lug around.  But I digress, this will all make sense when you get to the bra part below.

So, here is what I've learned about lugging around those extra lbs.  You need to dump them.  DUMP THEM!  They are not good for your health, your self esteem or that half of your wardrobe you can no longer fit into.  And I'm sorry to tell you that there is no magic pill, diet, shake, potion or guru.  There is one thing and you're probably not gonna like it.  It's stinky and uncomfortable and makes you wash you hair more often then you want to.  It's sweat.  Good old fashioned, stinky, drippy, clothes staining, hair wrecking, extra laundry doing stink'n sweat.  And here I am actually sharing my ugly sweaty picture with you so you'll know I'm serious!  This is after a 4.5 mile run/walk.

When the first Covid quarantine hit in March I decided to try jogging with my husband, he's been a runner for years and I've tried joining him in the past but I never lasted.  I was always out of breath and could never keep up with him anyway.  And I'm curvy, I do not have a runners body!  But I've been a hiker now for a while and my endurance has definitely improved so I thought I'd give it another try.  I started out slow, more walking than running.  We live in a beautiful area with lots of mountain trails and scenic views making it an amazing way to start the day for both my body and soul.  I've kept it up, now in month 4, and I'm so proud of myself.  I can keep up with my husband most days although I still walk some sections that are very steep and I'm careful (cause I'm a klutz) and I listen to my body.  I thought the weight would fall off fast, it didn't, but the inches did, then came the weight making it even more motivating to stick with it.  This is a long post so I'll save diet for an other time, for now I'll just say I eat healthy, stay away from processed foods and incorporate as much plant based options as possible.

Find your own sweat, it may not be running, maybe it's dancing, biking, spinning, whatever, just find your sweat.  On my off running days I do Yoga but since I can't go to classes right now I came across a woman named Zoe, her brand is Yoga.Burn on Instagram.  I found her at the beginning of quarantine.  She was posting free 15-20 minute Yoga Burn sessions every other morning.  She's amazing and she will make you sweat!  Now I've been doing yoga since collage, all kinds of yoga, and I have never found anyone who combines routines like this and I've taken some pretty hard yoga classes but I sweat more with her 15 mins than I ever did in an hour long class.  You can find all her free classes on Youtube or buy her program which comes with a resistance band which I love using.  She's amazing plus she has a great body, which is inspiring and she's healthy looking, not super skinny or mussely.  Of course being tan, young and blond doesn't hurt either.  Her workouts combine yoga and HIT (high-intensity interval training) and are incredible, not hard, and you will see results fast.  Age not a factor!  I repeat AGE NOT A FACTOR!

So now that we've discussed sweat, let's talk about the things no one talks about when it comes to the big M like loosing your eye brows, really whose cruel joke is this?  And they have the nerve to disappear from your forehead only to appear on your chin.  Nights sweats, one of my friends denies her night sweats but her husband says she turns the AC so low that he has to sleep in a parka!  Why do women deny menopause symptoms?  I once worked with a women who denied it, we finally told her to make a choice, either admit it and do something about it or have us all believe she was just a cranky bitch.  And another cruel joke against our kind, south of the border dryness, no one warned me.  Trouble sleeping,  hot flashes and no, that doesn't count as work-out sweating, sorry.  But good news, you don't have to put up with all these things!  There's a ton of help and I'll put resources at the end of the post.  Except for the eye brow chin thing, there's just no stopping that, God bless make-up and tweezers!

With running came the challenge of strapping down the 'girls'.  Anyone else that's big busted, this one's for you.  I have tried all kinds of sports bras, as I'm sure you have, and never found any that could hold the girls in place, until now.  This is more than a bra, this is the ultimate sport bra, the Rolls Royce of bras, an engineering marvel of strategic workings from the locking zipper, yes it really stays locked, to the super wide velcro band and straps.   The zipper is major, the straps are adjustable with big velcro straps (or as I like to call them hoists) and the back bottom band is also adjustable with a thick sturdy band of velcro.  It's just amazing and once you get it in place those girls aren't going anywhere and on top of that somehow it's comfortable!  To get it on is a little work, but definitely worth it.  I loosen the back strap and then zip the front, there's a big flap in front to hide the zipper under a tight T-shirt, then I bend over and 'hoist' the girls up (those of you that are big busted you know this move) and then pull the back band to velcro close it tight, amazing.  And I love the way the straps adjust up with as much lyft as you want.  Comes in a vey cute bag and is made in America.  I'm wearing it in the top picture and in the sweat picture, the line in my blue top is from the top itself, not the bra, which is totally smooth.  The bra is called Shefit, I've linked it, (this is NOT an Ad).  I toyed with the idea of posting a picture of myself in the bra but I've already pushed the envelope with my sweat picture.

The Arsenal

• Vitamins - I'm not a nutritionist or a Dr., I'm just sharing what works for me.  Do your research!  I'm a huge believer in supplements.  Vitamins and herbs can work wonders for all sorts of issues.  I know this first hand from dealing with an auto immune disorder in my 20's with the help of an amazing nutritionist.  Super important to take as we age are Calcium, Magnesium and Zinc, vitamin D, and a potent B Complex.  Also, if you have any thyroid issues, it's very common, there are amazing supplements to support your thyroid.  I take Para Thyrolate and L-Tyrosine.  COQ-10 is a great antioxidant helps to fight aging and support brain function.  If you have had anyone with Dementia in your family (my Mom) look at the supplements that support brain health, there are several. 
• Support - If you can see a Nutritionist or a Chiropractor that is also a Kinesiologist especially someone who muscle tests that would be ideal to test what supplements you need, they start with blood work but look for different things than a western medicine Dr. looks for.  If you've never heard of muscle testing checkout this site for an easy to understand explanation.  Your body doesn't lie and muscle testing can tell what supplements will or won't work for you and also if you take any medication you can make sure it's right for you by being muscle tested.
• For Meno Symptoms - As I said above you can beat menopause symptoms at its own game, and this one is a game changer.  It's called Selestro.  This was also recommended to me by the same nutritionist from way back when, two years ago, he said "take this if you want to save your hair and skin".  His word is gospel so I took it and not only does it work for skin and hair it stopped the nights sweats completely and did away with the mood swings.  Works so well that if I'm moody my daughter will actually ask me if I 've run out of my Selestro!  HA.  There is also one called EstroVive, same principle, different formulation of herbs.  I've tried both but prefer the Selestro.  Both of these are all herbal.
• Dryness Down Below - Yes, no one wants to talk about this but if it's an issue for you ask you gynecologist about Estradiol.  It's by prescription and it is a hormone cream but it's localized and does not travel through your blood stream, works were it's supposed to.
• Hair Loss - I'm not having this issue luckily but some of my friends are and they take Biotin and say it really works.
• Sleep - I used to underestimate the power of sleep but not any more.  Sleep heals your body.  Try to get at least 7 hours.  Arianna Huffington wrote an entire book about it after she collapsed from exhaustion and hit a table on her way down breaking her jaw!  It's called The Sleep Revolution, Transforming Your Life, One Night at a Time.
• Your Brain - Remember that commercial when we were gowing up - This is your brain, this is your brain on drugs?  Well now this is your brain, and this is your brain on menopause.  It's time to take care of your brain.  Research some brain strengthening supplements like Ginkgo Biloba, Ashwagandha and Bacopa Extract. Yes, I take those too, I know it's a lot.  
• Food - My fellow Baby Boomers, we grew up on can foods, Mallomars, anything made by Hostess, and fake cheese that we squirted into our mouths from a can.  It's a wonder we survivied. Read these New York Times #1 Best Sellers - The Grain Brain by David Perlmutter,  Life Changing Foods and Thyroid Healing by Anthony William (all of his books are amazing)
• Sweat - Yoga Burn, here is her Youtube channel, there's lots, I'm linking the lockdown challenge day 1 but look around and check out her videos.  And if that's not for you find something else, experiment, there are so many options on line now.  Do not settle into a sedentary lifestyle!
• Sports Bra - Shefit 

Whew, this was a super long post, did you make it to the end?  If you have any questions please do not hesitate to email me @juliefromdrabtofab@gmail.com.  I love hearing from you!

Be good to yourself and don't forget to take your MEDS ~ Meditation, Exercise, Diet and Sleep!

FEED YOUR SOUL:

I'm just coming back down to earth after a heavenly weekend of some major self care. And it wasn't even this past weekend, it was the weekend before! And I'm still feeling the benefits. On Saturday I was part of a virtual retreat held seasonally by Kimberly Wilson, who I adore,  called Softening Into Fall.  Even the title led me to a great big cozy sigh.  It was three hours of me time at home but with a live feed to Kimberly, in her beautiful pink palace in Washington DC, with about 10 women guests and the rest of us from around the country and around the world, able to communicate with Kimberly and each other via chat box.  The three hours consisted of  Mindfulness, Intention Setting, Yoga, Creative play, Art Journaling and beautiful bits of wisdom and support.  We participated along via a beautiful Play Book Kimberly creates which we all received in advance and of course we had our art journaling tools, for me that meant markers, stickers, magazines and Pinterest pics.

If you have never done collaging or art journaling I highly recommend it for your soul.  In fact Kimberly started off by reading a poem by Derek Walcott that I have always loved and I pulled out one of my art journals from 2007 (below) and there it was ~ "Sit and feast on your life".  Just love that.  Her next virtual retreat will be for spring and I highly recommend it! Also she has some amazing travel retreats too that you can find on her web site. I always feel completely grounded and relaxed after one of these and also focused with renewed energy.  And as an added bonus all my fur babies fully cooperated, even the Stella Monster.

The next day, Sunday, I went to the yoga studio my bestie goes to called Harmoney Yoga, (in the South Bay for my fellow Californians), for another 3 hour retreat.  This one focused on Chakra's and yoga for healing and opening all seven Chakra's.  It included singing bowls and if you have never heard crystal singing bowls let me just say WOW, it's very beautiful. I had seen bronze bowls, one time in person at a yoga conference, but mostly on YouTube.  I've never seen them made out of crystals, some people call them healing bowls and when you hear them you'll know why.  My picture doesn't do them justice.

I didn't expect the class to be three hours of yoga as well. That's three straight hours, no break.  At first I thought I was out of my league, but turned out, I wasn't!  I did good and the three hours felt like one hour, it literally flew by.  I even did plow and a shoulder stand neither of which I've done in ages.  The most fun was that for each of the seven Chakra's there was an asana, (yoga posture), an essential oil, that someone came around with and dripped on our hands, the meaning of the oil in relation to that particular Chakra, a mudra (hand position), and a chant.  Also, each Chakra has a color.  And all accompanied by singing bowls.  Pretty awesome.  And the woman who played the bowls came around at the beginning of class and touched our feet with a tuning fork, yes a tuning fork. Sound weird?  Maybe, but it's supposed to open your Chakra's and let me just say that when she did it to me my body tingled from the bottom of my foot that she touched with the tuning fork to the top of my head!

I really want to share all of this with you so if you are new to Chakra healing or this aspect of yoga, here's my crib notes;

We have seven Chakra's in our body, these are our energy channels, when they're balanced, you feel good, when a Chakra's out of balance you don't feel good and each Chakra can be related to symptoms, pain, stress, illness, etc.  I like this chart (posted on insta gram by meg-weatherly) because it gives you the name of the Chakra, it's color and the Sanskrit chant, also called mantras.

If you are interested in learning more, here is a great Complete Guide To The 7 Chakras for Beginners.  And if you're new to all this, here is my favorite Chakra balancing meditation, super easy and beautiful to zen out in front of and it's only 15 minutes.  All Chakra Tuning, Mediation and Balancing.

There are also crystals that represent each Chakra.  Crystals were not included in this particular workshop, (except for the bowls), but I did bring my seven Chakra crystals with me and put them on my yoga mat.  I love the balancing energy of crystals, I think they are extremely powerful.  The row down the middle in this picture are my 7 Chakra crystals, under the clear quartz crystal, which some people use for the crown Chakra, I use amethyst but I always like to place the quartz above them all. There are many stones that can be used for each Chakra, the important thing when is comes to Chakra's is the color.  Most stores that sell crystals sell Chakra sets. And you can get them on line too.  They are inexpensive, my set was only $3, rough stones cost a little more than polished.

Mudra's are hand gestures that help open up your Chakra's, your energy channels in your body.  Here is a good guide from the Chopra Center a guide to learn the different mudras.  And here's a good list of the essential oils to balance each Chakra.

Take your ME time, you deserve it!  And whatever you love to do that feeds your soul, do more of it!!!

In the window at Harmony isn't she gorgeous!

NAMASTE

BE WELL WEDNESDAY:

Happy Be Well Wednesday! I'm feeling all into herbs today. So let's talk thyme! I have thyme in my garden and it's one of the easy herbs I love to grow so when I came across all it's medicinal benefits on Pinterest, of course, really where would we be without Pinterset?!? I had to share. Truth is thyme has been used since ancient times and not just as a culinary herb, but as a medicinal herb as well.

Here are some of its benefits

• It regulates blood pressure
• Is used in treating chronic fatigue
• Soothes a sore throat
• Fights dizziness/vertigo
• Is beneficial for people with lupus, fibromyalgia, arthritis, multiple sclerosis an hoshimotos thyroiditis. 
• Contains anti bacterial properties to ward off colds and flew well 
• Has anti-rheumatic, anti-parasitic, anti-septic, anti-viral and anti-fungal properties

Wow, that's pretty impressive! You can make a drink out of thyme like tea, simply put a handful of fresh or dried thyme in a tea strainer, pour hot water over it, let is sit a few minutes then take out the strainer. You can add honey or agave to sweeten. You can also buy thyme tea.

Here's some other great herbs for your herbal medicine chest;

BE WELL WEDNESDAY:

Sometimes I feel like such a champion, unstoppable, as I check off my never ending To Do List. And sometimes I want to just burn the list and pull out of my driveway and turn right. That would be North, my every day requires me to turn left. Let's just call it the ups and downs of life.  Anyone remember those old commercials "STRESS - The Silent Killer"?  So let's talk stress, not the killing kind, but the kind that makes you put your keys in the fridge, yell at some undeserving sales person, or eat a box of Madeline's on your way home from work that you had to specifically go out of your way for. Those are my favorite cookies, although I admit to nothing.

Well, life requires balance, kind of like when you start the day with an amazingly healthy breakfast of green juice and Greek yogurt with fruit and seeds and you get to work and some sneaky well meaning saboteur has placed a red velvet cupcake on your desk. Sure I healthfully give it away to someone else. NOT! Really, who gives away a cup cake?   Balance ~ it's why we sometimes order french fries with a salad (I can't be the only one!).  Balance ~ it's having one girls night and one night date night. Balance ~ it's splurging on a designer purse and going to the dollar store to buy toothpaste.

In Yoga there is a counter balance for every asana (pose). So if you spend a few minutes bending over a good stretch in the opposite direction is then called for.  If you've spent time traveling this summer, fall may find you longing for a little nesting at home.  It's the Ying and Yang of life. The go with the flow, the tune into your inner guide. OK, enough with the metaphors, you get the picture :)

So here's a few (10) things (that work for me) that I hope will inspire you to relax when you're stressed to the max.

Mother nature is always there to lend a helping hand. Get outside,walk, run, skip, jump, sit! That saying stop and smell the roses, it's not an expression, its advice! Really STOP an SMELL the ROSES!

butterfly through the lens of my daughter taken in Venice CA

Start your day with positivity, set your intention, (ex; I'm going to have a fabulous day). Pick a theme for your day,  (ex; I'm calm and confident). Pick a mantra. (ex; I'm full of energy) Youtube is full of guided meditations if you have trouble being still.  Here is the link to my all time favorite morning meditation, I do this one every morning, it's only 10 minutes, and it sets me up for a calm day (among the chaos).

via calm down now

Breathe!  Yup, that's it. Breathe! Studies show that during a stressful day with turning our attention from one thing to the next, not to mention checking social media in between, we fail to talk long deep soothing breaths.  So breathe in and breathe out. S.L.O.W.L.Y.  I recently had to visit the regular doctor (that's rare for me) I guess it made me nervous, they took my blood pressure and told me it was 'alarmingly high'. They gave me 10 minutes to 'try and relax'.  I closed my eyes and I breathed, imagining I was sitting on my dream terrace in Santorini. They took my blood pressure again after the 10 minutes and it was normal.

thinking of this in Santorini brought my BP down!

Exercise, you've heard it all before but it really is a stress buster! Taking a yoga class, a dance class,
Pilates, you'll see how impossible it is to think about all those things stressing you out when you're trying to follow the Zumba teacher, especially when you are totally uncoordinated, again I admit to nothing. If you can't get to a class or it's not in your budget, Youtube is a mecca of free videos. There's also some great apps, I love my Yoga app it's called Yoga Studio by Giam and it was $1.99. It has classes for every level and every issue.

photo via Greatist

Your own totally underrated bathroom. GOT TUB?

via realbeautyspot.com

A trip to the spa. Message, facial, mani pedi, whatever your thing is or have a spa day at home. It's no accident that spa sounds like aahhhhh.

via keep calm

Have an artist date with yourself a la Julia Cameron. This can be anything from a solo trip to a museum, your favorite ice cream shop, a trip to the craft store, etc.  I can literally spend an hour browsing Micheal's craft store just to get lost.

vegan ice cream on our latest trip to Carmelas

Reading and writing, curl up with a good book or a journal, write, contemplate, get all those weird thoughts out of your head and onto paper, you will feel so much better!

Naps. And if you can nap outside even better! Pets have the right idea, they wake up, get walked, get fed and then curl up and go back to sleep.

via my unfinished home

daisy

Relax, you deserve it!

BE WELL WEDNESDAY: CHIA SEEDS!

Hellooo and Happy Hump Day, also known around here as Be Well Wednesday.  I always have a hard time choosing what to post for a Be Well Wed because there's so much to learn and discover to keep us fabulous. And some days, as we all know, that line between drab and fab can be very thin. Lack of sleep, stress, a disappointment, or just a manic Monday is enough to send us to the drab side and in search of a sweet treat.

So let's talk pudding, because who doesn't like pudding?!?  I have great memories of my Mom stirring the pot of chocolate pudding and waiting with baited breath to lick the bowl. Of course these days I'd never buy a pre-package chocolate pudding from a box that has 50 ingredients that I can't pronounce, none of which even sound like food.

I'm always looking for healthy alternative treats and I found a great one, thanks to Kimberly Wilson. A few Saturdays ago I took a virtual retreat given by Kimberly of Tranquility du Jour.  It was fabulous and I'd highly recommend it, so check out her web site for events. Kimberly gave out this recipe to make for the retreat which she got from Oh She Glows.  I've tried making chia pudding before but it never worked well but this recipe was super easy and super delicious. It took me less than 5 minutes to put together.

• 3 cups unsweetened almond milk
• 1/2 cup chia seeds
• 1-3 tablespoons of pure maple syrup to taste ( I used 1 tbs maple syrup and 1 tbs agave)
• Whisk the almond milk, chia seeds and sweetener together in a large bowl. Let it sit for 5-10 minutes and then whisk again. Cover and chill in the fridge for at least 3 hours, overnight's even better.
• Mix once in a while and before serving. It will keep in the fridge in an air tight container for 3-5 days.
• I have it with nuts and berries and sometimes chocolate chunks on top.

So why chia seeds? Well, I'm glad you asked, I was floored when I read the below chart with the benefits of these tiny little miracale seeds.

Cheers to chia seeds and who ever decided they'd make good pudding!

BE WELL WEDNESDAY:

Welcome to the first Be Well Wednesday of 2016! So it's the first week of the new year which means everyone is on a diet, the gym is extra crowded, my yoga class barely had any floor room left for the stranglers (like me) and all I want right now is a cookie. But I'm striving for this;

via redbookmag.com

BE WELL WEDNESDAY:

This year I discovered Apple Cider Vinegar. I first read about it as a way to reduce inflammation and balance my pH to make my system more alkaline then acidic.  An acidic system leads to a whole bunch of health issues and those weird symptoms, you know the kind, that no one understands but other women on Pinterest (haha.) The more I read the more I wondered could this be some kind of miracle liquid? How can one thing cure so many aliments? And it's been around forever, why don't we all know about this?  Well, I'm here to tell you it is a miracle liquid. I don't care why it is or how it is, I'm just accepting the fact that it is!  It works for me, you may want to give it a try it, in fact you need it in your body stat!

Originally I just took two tablespoons full a day, it's very sharp if you take it straight but I kind of like it. Then I came up with this mocktail ~ a tall glass of water, two tablespoons of Apple Cider Vinegar, 1/2 teaspoon of Baking Soda, YES Baking Soda, use only Arm & Hammer, it's a natural bicarbonate (you will never buy Alka Seltzer again) and totally balances your pH. Then I throw in some lemon and cucumber slices and a sprinkle of Stevia for sweetness. When the Baking Soda hits the Apple Cider Vinegar it fizzes, the first time I combined them I thought it was going to explode like a bad high school science experiment. Instead it has proven to be amazing, and it tastes good too!

Here's a few charts that show you all of the wonders of Apple Cedar Vinegar. Make sure you get Raw, Organic and Unfiltered. Braggs is the best.

HealingPowerHour.com

 

BE WELL WEDNESDAY:

Hello! And Happy Hump Day. This is kind of a combo DIY and a Be Well Wednesday post. I didn't post a Motivation Monday because who needs to be motivated for Labor Day, which is non labor for most of us right?

Having a 3 day weekend was such a blessing as I was prepping myself for what was going to be a challenging emotional Tuesday, and there was no way around it. So I needed to get my hands dirty, literally. When I think of well being I think of the importance of doing something that you love to do, that sooths the soul and that you may not always have time for. For me that's communing with nature. However being it was over 100 degrees all weekend and being outside in general and especially in the garden was very unpleasant I decided to re-do my kitchen window and plant an herb garden.

Starting with an early trip to the garden store before it got too hot, I filled a little red wagon with basil, lemon balm, rosemary, tarragon, thyme, chives and sage. I had picked up the cute little box at Micheal's crafts store on Saturday, it was perfect, with a chalk board front for me to write herbs, exactly what I had pictured. Plus it was on sale for 20% off and I had a coupon for 40% off. Ended up costing only $12. I love that store!

I lined the box with a foil pan and then transplanted into terra cotta pots in three sizes in order to get them all to fit. The rosemary went in separate pots. If you have a 99 Cent Store or a Dollar Store check it out for terra cotta pots we get them there and they are exactly the same as the expensive ones at the garden store or Home Depot.

I'm so happy with how it looks!  Now I hope to not kill it.  As for being well on Wednesday after a hard emotional Tuesday, I'm working on it :)

 

BE WELL WEDNESDAY:

We all know that being well means eating well, as the saying goes, you are what you eat!  Yes, it is true, so how about a recipe, (although it's so easy I can't even call it an actual recipe), that takes the pasta out and puts the veggies in and still tastes absolutely amazing? I'm telling you, you'll thank me for this one! This recipe is all about the Zucchini, yes I'm serious, and I know it does not get any draber in the veggie department then a plain old zucchini. So we are taking it from drab to fab ~ introducing ...wait for it...wait for it.....the SPIRALIZER!  A $15 Bed, Bath and Beyond buy and my favorite plastic kitchen appliance ever invented. This little gadget will take your zucchini, not to mention your sweet potatoes and lots of other veggies, from drab to fab in no time flat!! This is easy, fun and delicious and you'll think you are eating pasta, no really!  It will look like this;

SPAGHETTI  ~ This chart is for a 3 oz serving. Hmm when was the last time your bowl of pasta was only 3 oz? Like never?!? Also 3 oz is 47% carbs!               

                   

ZUCCHINI  ~ This charts 100g which is 1/2 cup and only 15 calories so you could eat 10 cups 

and only be at 150 calories. And it's 1% carbs!

                                                    

                                       

You will need 4 zucchini's, a jar of Trader Joe's Vodka Sauce and some cooked chicken. This makes four big servings.

 A Spiralizer which will turn a plan old zucchini into ribbons of spaghetti.

I like to peel a little bit of the skin off, making stripes.

Place the zucchini between the crank handle and the blade and as you turn the crank the spaghetti comes out the other side, have a bowl ready to catch it.

 

 

  

 Heat some olive oil in a pan and toss in the zucchini tossing a few times for about ten minutes or to taste, less time if you like it a little crunchy, more time if you like it soft, you can also throw in some garlic while tossing. Add your cooked chicken and then the sauce.

 

  

Top with Parmesan, serve and enjoy!

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