healthy | Chasing Ayden

It was inevitable that I would eventually write a post about this topic matter–to eat or not to eat, (that is the question). I have a really involved relationship (and history) with my hunger and food. In the world of relationship statuses, ours would most definitely be ‘it’s complicated’.

I have been a size 2, a size 12 and everything in between. I have starved, binged, restricted, dieted, cleansed, detoxed, meal-prepped, over exercised, under exercised, eliminated sugar, carbs, gluten, caffeine, and so on. In essence, I am a pretty typical woman.

So when my sister, Julie Reisler (a wellness and life coach) offered me a spot in the newest nutrition course she was teaching alongside her colleague Robin Goble , Am I Hungry; Mindful Eating, I instantly and without hesitation agreed to give it a go. I will be tracking my journey, through this 8 week course and sharing any insights that I stumble upon. I want to stress that this is not a diet, rather a deeper look in to what we eat, why we eat, how we eat and when we eat.

I know this is a hot topic for many women (and men), especially post-baby. I would be lying if I said I didn’t hope to lose a few pounds during this journey, so I will be tracking all and any weight loss as well. This may (or may not) include progress photos. You are welcome to join me in this journey, (or just cheer me on!) There is a free webinar that kicks off the course tomorrow, (January 18, 2015), at 7:30pm EST / 4:30pm PST. You can register here, and will be emailed a link once you have registered.

The course break-down is as follows:

Sun, Feb 1^st – Sun, March 22^nd from 7:30 – 8:30 pm EST / 4:30 – 5:30 pm PST (sessions will be recorded in case you miss one)
There are 8 sessions in the program – The cost is $40 a session for 8 sessions and includes the Am I Hungry? Program materials (‘Eat What You Love. Love What You Eat’ by Dr. Michelle May; the AM I Hungry? Program Workbook; the Participant Portal; and coaching support. – valued at $50).
During the workshop, we use Dr. Michelle May’s book ‘Eat What You Love. Love What You Eat’.
Each workshop runs 1 hour (plus Q&A).

SPECIAL OFFER for my readers: use the promotion code MINDBODYSPIRIT, for $50 off. “As you know, weight and body image has been a life long journey. Through this program, I learned what my triggers are, to recognize why I am overeating and when I’m really hungry, and make conscious choices to eat or not. This program is changing my life. It is not a quick fix – as Robin said for herself, she certainly didn’t gain the weight overnight – but she has learned what is underneath all the overeating and she is very grateful for that.” ~ Julie & Robin

xo, Em

I made some hummus, and it turned out pretty good. I thought I would share the recipe that I loosely followed. (For a little more info on my style of cooking, please read my iCook page.)

**This is a double of this recipe. For less hummus, half everything.

1. 2 cans of chickpeas / garbanzo beans (they’re the same thing). I like to use Trader Joe’s brand, or Simply Organic brand, but any brand will do.

2. 2/3 cup of tahini (I could not find regular, plain tahini, so I got this tahini sauce from Trader Joe’s. Most stores do carry plain tahini in either the nut butter section, or the Jewish foods section.)

3. 4 tablespoons olive oil (I subbed in coconut oil, instead).

4. A handful of baby spinach (I love sneaking spinach in to recipes because it is so nutritious.)

5. 4 tablespoons of lemon juice (I never measure my lemon juice, I just add a lot of it because I like the taste, and it is also super nutritious.)