Who’s track anyways?
Why finding your track is more important than “staying on track.”
A question that I get asked often is how do I stay consistent with my nutrition plan? While there are many tips and tricks you can easily try on for size, I wanted to explore this a little deeper because it’s truly what I wish for every single person I work with.
We’ve all been there and we’ve all heard it expressed by our friends and family. “I fell off track this weekend,” “After xyz happened, I just never got back on track,” or the my favorite, “The holidays set me off track!” when something or someone else pushes us off this proverbial track.
We begin these new habits, diets, exercise regimens with the best of intentions, great gusto and enthusiasm. We prepare ourselves with the tools necessary, the newest app, the top-reviewed gadgets and we’re off to the races….until we’re not. There’s an unplanned interruption, a perturbation in our perceived plan that resulted in a deviation from the “track.” There was a birthday party, travel, stressful event, injury…in other words, life. Do we adjust our plan, do we pivot in order to continue our pursuit of goals? Sometimes.
All too often, we come away from these upsets with an attitude of failure or shame, rather than a more productive attitude of curiosity. Why was it so easy to “fall off track?” Is there something I can alter? What’s my belief about my ability to achieve this? What is my end goal? Have I given this enough time?
These introspective questions transform a state of inaction and discouragement into one of possibility and empowering action. They can also lead you to finding your own track or path. As one might say, you must kiss a lot of frogs before finding your prince (or princess!). In my case it was; you gotta eat a lotta kale before finding your taco! You see, my question I eventually allowed myself to ask, regarding my nutrition was, do you even like what you’re eating? And the answer was an emphatic NO! Which lead me to begin preparing weekly meals that I looked forward to eating. Sure enough, I became much more consistent with weekly meal prep, even during more adverse seasons.
“You gotta eat a lotta kale before finding your taco.”
We all must go through the process of following an already laid out path before striking out on our own. I don’t see this attitude fostered very well into our diet and nutrition culture. Even though it is one of the most bio-individual areas, there is still a pervasive push for absolutes and labels. People that are consistent and successful with their nutrition have done the work of personal trial and error. This is also the role of nutrition therapists and health coaches who recognize bio-individuality so if you’re feeling stuck knowing how to do this, work with one of us!
I’ll Take a Taco, please
Serves 3-4
Time: 30 minutes
Ingredients:
Filling
2-3 garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 onion, diced
1 lb ground beef
1 bag taco seasoning (I’ve been enjoying Siete Spicy Taco Seasoning mix)
1 cup cilantro, chopped (or parsley if you don’t prefer cilantro)
1 red pepper, finely sliced
1 tbs tomato paste
1 can of diced Tomatoes
1 grated zucchini – optional
1 cup sweet potato, chopped- optional
1 tsp coconut or olive oil
Toppers
1/2 avocado- chopped into chunks
1/2 cup coriander – finely chopped
2-3 TBPS organic sour cream
Squeezed lime juice
2-3 TBPS shredded cheddar cheese
“Shell” options: I alternate what I like to use to carry this goodness to my mouth…
Lettuce (Romaine or Butter seem to work well)
Siete Taco shells
Tia Lupita grain-free wraps
Or simply transform it into a taco salad on a bed of greens with Siete chips
Directions:
In a large skillet, over medium heat, add oil, garlic, red pepper and onions to the pan. Cook until the onions are translucent.
Add your ground beef. Break it up and stir everything around. Continue to cook on low to medium heat, depending on your stove.
When the ground beef is just about done, add your taco seasoning. Stir until the ground beef, red pepper, and onions are coated.
Stir in tomato paste, diced tomatoes, chopped sweet potato and zucchini.
Cover and cook on low heat for another 10-15 minutes until sweet potatoes are done.
Serve in large soup bowls with “shell” and toppers of your choice.
I transfer this filling into glass Tupperware and use throughout the week!
