The truth is, you don’t have to be skinny to wear skinny jeans. Take me, for example. I am a size 8-12 depending on who I’m wearing, and I wear skinny jeans all the time. I just wear them with tunics, swingy open cardigans, and dolman tees. However, skinny or not, I like to FEEL that way. And honestly, after I made some of these recipes part of my regular menu, I not only FELT skinny, but LOOKED GREAT! After I went mostly vegetarian and even mostly vegan, I lost 15 pounds, my skin cleared up, and the bags went away under my eyes! Also, I haven’t had a cold in three years!

I’m here to tell you that eating better is easy. Don’t pressure yourself to change everything all at once. Start with one recipe and go from there. Try to add one healthy (and delicious, mind you!) meal to your menu every day, and then see how you feel in a week. When you notice that you are sleeping better, feeling better and looking better, you might just be motivated to include more! You might keep making these easy, healthy, vibrant, lo-cal meals and snacks until you become so beautiful and overjoyed by your energy and youthful appearance, you might just write your own inspirational column!

Let’s get right to the food, shall we?

I just made this salad for the first time the other night, and it’s now on permanent rotation. It is a filling powerhouse of a salad with bright, savory, satisfying flavor. This is the perfect lunch with crusty bread, or a dinner side with a simple soup or rice dish.

QUINOA SALAD

1 c water ˝ c black, red, or white quinoa (I used white) ˝ c sliced almonds (I bought roasted, unsalted almonds in bulk and chopped them myself) 4 cups baby spinach leaves ľ c crumbled feta cheese Ľ c thinly sliced red onion ˝ can corn 3 Tablespoons red wine vinegar 4 teaspoons honey (you can use agave, too) 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard Salt and pepper

In a small saucepan, bring the water and quinoa to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover and cook until the water is absorbed and the quinoa has softened, about 10-12 minutes. Turn the heat off and leave the covered saucepan on the burner for an additional 4 minutes. Remove the lid and fluff the quinoa with a fork. Set aside to cool. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spread the almonds on a baking sheet and toast in the oven until they are fragrant and lightly browned, about 5-7 minutes. To a large bowl add the spinach, feta, onion, quinoa, corn and toasted almonds. In a small bowl whisk together the vinegar, oil, honey, and mustard. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Drizzle the dressing over the salad, toss well, and serve immediately! YUM!

Calories per serving: 221 6.1 grams protein 2 grams fiber

Now here is the most delicious, healthful, addicting lentil soup you have ever tasted from one of my favorite recipe books ever, “Skinny Bitch in the Kitch”. Do yourself a huge favor and read the first book “Skinny Bitch” by Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin while eating this soup. These girls tell it like it is, people, and it’s an hilarious, entertaining read. It also has up-to-the-minute, latest scientific research health information, (real stuff you can trust,not "studies" paid for by the corn syrup industry!), and delivered in an upbeat, no-nonsense manner. It’s an awesome book! With awesome recipes like this one.

LENTIL VEGETABLE SOUP

Makes 8 cups which you’ll eat in two sittings. And feel like a superhero after.

1 Tablespoon olive oil, or coconut oil ˝ red bell pepper, cut into ˝ inch dice ˝ yellow bell pepper, cut into ˝ inch dice ˝ onion, cut into ˝ inch dice 1 zucchini, quartered length-wise and cut into ˝ inch slices 1 yellow squash, quartered length-wise and cut into ˝ inch slices 4 cloves garlic, minced 1 teaspoon salt ˝ teaspoon pepper ˝ teaspoon dried marjoram ˝ teaspoon dried thyme 1/8 teaspoon cayenne powder 6 cups vegetable stock (my favorite, hands-down is “No-Chicken Broth” from Imagin. The best stock in the world!) 1 ˝ c lentils 1 Tablespoon soy sauce 1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes (with juices)

Heat oil in a large stock pot over medium heat. Add the red bell pepper, yellow bell pepper, and onion and c ook, stirring occasionally for 4 minutes. Add the zucchini, yellow squash, garlic, salt, pepper, marjoram, thyme, and cayenne, and cook, stirring occasionally, for 2 minutes. Stir in stock, lentils, and soy sauce. Increase the heat to high, bring to a boil, and reduce to a simmer. Cook until the lentils are tender, about 30 minutes. Add the tomatoes, stirring until they are heated through.

Now here is a special treat! I used to be a tuna salad freak. I really loved my tuna-melts! To me, there is nothing quite so delicious as a good tuna sandwhich with chips, and when I gave up meat, I missed my tuna big-time! BUT our dear gal pals at Skinny Bitch have once again saved the day with this fabulous faux tuna salad recipe that stands head-and-shoulders above any competitors. My husband and I like to call it “Tuno”. Give this delicious, healthful recipe a try and enjoy the crisp, ultra-fresh flavor on a piece of toasty bread with tomato and lettuce. Go ahead and have some chips with it! (Corn chips are best, and try to limit to one small handful) Get crazy and try some of the new DELICIOUS cheese alternative “Daiya”, (available shredded in most grocery stores) for an amazing “Tuno” melt!

TUNO SALAD SANDWICH

Makes 3 or 4 sandwiches

2 c finely shredded parsnip (shred on the smallest or second-smallest holes on your cheese shredder) 1 celery stalk, finely diced Ľ small red or white onion, finely diced 1 lemon ˝ c vegan mayonaise (my favorite is “Nayonaise”, delicious!) 2 Tablespoons sweet pickle relish 1 Tablespoon nutritional yeast Salt

In a large bowl combine parsnip, celery, and onion. Zest, then halve the lemon. Add the lemon zest and juice from one half to the mixture, along with the mayonnaise, relish, yeast, and salt, stirring to combine. Spread this mixture on a hearty piece of whole-grain bread (like Dave’s!) and add a thin slice of tomato and crunchy lettuce. You can even make a Panini out of it by adding Daiya cheese (which melts amazingly well) and popping it in a skillet. So good!

Alright, let’s get into dinner territory. Here is one of my ALL-TIME FAVORITE RECIPES has impressed every guest who’s eaten it, as well as my 13-year old daughter! Not only that, it’s one of the easiest recipes I’ve ever made.

PORTABELLO MUSHROOM BAKE

˝ c almonds Ľ c olive oil Ľ c Braggs (an amino acid sauce, available near the soy sauce, delicious to cook with!) Ľ c - ˝ c water 2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar 3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped 1 tsp dried rosemary 1 tsp dried oregano 4 large Portobello mushrooms, stems removed 1 medium onion, sliced

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a blender or food processor, blend the almonds until powdered. Add oil, Braggs, water, vinegar, garlic, rosemary, and oregano, and blend until well combined. In a large baking dish, place the mushrooms upside down and top with onions. Pour sauce over top and bake for 20-25 minutes. Makes 2-4 servings. We like to serve this with a small side of rice and a salad.

MUSHROOM, LEEK, AND WHITE BEAN PIE

1 lb. cremini mushrooms 2 Tablespoons olive oil 3 c thickly sliced leeks (white and green parts) 3 garlic cloves, chopped Heaping Tablespoon chopped fresh thyme Black pepper 1 c shelled walnuts 1 15 oz. can cannelloni beans, drained and rinsed 1-2 Tablespoons water 2 Tablespoons corn starch ľ teaspoon salt Extra few sprigs of thyme to decorate

1 nine-inch pie crust, whole wheat! (see my own recipe, following pie instructions)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Roughly chop mushrooms. Preheat a large, heavy-bottomed skillet over medium heat. Saute the leeks in the olive oil for about 3 minutes. Add the mushrooms and saute for about 7 minutes more, until the moisture has released and they’re nice and soft. Add the garlic, thyme, and pepper, saute for antoher minute, then remove from heat. Your oven should be preheated by now, so poke the bottom of the pie crust with a fork about five times to prevent it from puffing up, then bake for 10 minutes and remove from oven. Now, prepare the filling. Pulse the walnuts in a food processor until fine crumbs form. Add the beans and a tablespoon of water and blend. If the beans aren’t blending easily, add another tablespoon of water. Add the cornstarch and salt. Blend until the cornstarch isn’t visible. Add the leek mixture to the food processor. Use a spoon to mix it into the beans before you start processing. You’re going to be pulsing the mixture up but not completely blending it in, so it’s important to incorporate it beforehand. Now pulse a few times, so that the leeks and mushrooms are still visible, but chopped into small bits. Soon the filling into the pre-baked crust, smoothing the top with the back of a spoon. Press the reserved mushroom slices into the perimeter of the pie and press a few sprigs of thyme down the center. Bake for 40 minutes. Let cool for at least 30 minutes before serving. This quiche-like pie tastes great at room temperature!

And finally, some yummy sweet muffins to curb that sweet-tooth!

COFFEE CHIP MUFFINS

1 c almond milk (or your favorite non-dairy milk) 1 heaping Tablespoon instant coffee crystals (actually, I just brewed a 1/4 cup of REALLY REALLY strong coffee and used that instead!) 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar 2 c all-purpose flour ( I use whole wheat) ˝ c organic cane sugar (don’t use processed sugar! Very bad for you, and totally unnecessary with all of the natural sweeteners available) 1 Tablespoon baking powder ˝ teaspoon salt ˝ c canola oil 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract ˝ c organic chocolate chips (or vegan choco chips!)

Preheat oven to 367 degrees. Lightly grease a muffin tin. In a large measuring cup, measure out ˝ c of the milk. Stir in the coffee or coffee crystals, and mix. Stir in rest of milk and the vinegar and set aside. In a large mxiing bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Make a well in the center and add the milk mixture, oil, and vanilla. Mix together until the batter is just moistened, being careful not to over mix. Fold in the chocolate chips. Drop batter into the muffin tin, filling each well about three-quarters full. Bake for 22-26 minutes, until a knife or toothpick comes out clean. Let cool a bit until you can remove the muffins and transfer them to a plate or cooling rack to cool the rest of the way. Great breakfast, snacks, or road trip food!

So those are just a few of the many recipes I’ve tried and loved that are healthy, lo-cal, fiber-full and delicious. I really do mean it when I say changing your eating habits are easy. I used to be a meat-eating, dairy-loving, ice-cream fanatic, doughnut enthusiast. And guess what, I still eat all those things….just with new, healthy ingredients! I eat all the chicken recipes I want, with fake chicken. I eat all the ice-cream I want, just non-dairy. I eat doughnuts (in moderation), that are made with organic flours, natural sugars, and no eggs! They rock, by the way!

So eating these filling, delicious recipes I’m totally satisfied, and I feel great in my skinny jeans. The only things I’m deprived of are an extra 15 pounds, acne, puffy eyes, joint pain, and irritability. I don’t mind that! If you read two books about nutrition read “Skinny Bitch” for sure, but also try Alicia Silverstone’s AMAZING book "The Kind Diet". She shares her journey from omnivore to culinary superhero and makes you feel like you can do it too! But no pressure, it’s all about easing in to a new lifestyle. Eating better is not only about losing weight, but become also about tuning in to your real self. As Alicia writes,

“As I aligned more with nature and the seasons, I aligned more with myself. Instead of constantly relying on people around me for direction, I felt I was on my own journey and I was beginning to sense--from inside of me--each next right step.”

So go for it! Eat well, feel great and rock your world! Stay tuned for more recipes, and please let us know what you think of the ones you try!