Revisiting Your New Years Resolutions + Pasta Salad Inspo - This Weeks BOLD Nutrition Newsletter

It’s August! Can you believe we’re now over halfway through the year?! This is the time of year that I like to remind myself and my clients of our New Year’s Resolutions; Remember those intentions you set in January? Are you keeping up, or have they fallen off? I always love making resolutions, but sometimes our well intentions can be a little overzealous in the new year and quickly disappear soon after. Right now is an excellent time to check in and re-evaluate your goals and intentions to set yourself up for success for the rest of the year.

Here are some of my recommendations to help you create some attainable, nutrition-related resolutions for the second half of the year:

1. Goals and intentions should be actionable. For example, "get fit" is not a good goal because it is an outcome, not a behavior, and therefore, not directly actionable. An example of a better, actionable goal would be: "Exercise 3 days a week and eat 20g of protein with most meals."
2. Not all goals need to be or should be, body composition based. Goals to improve body image, relationship with food, or health can be more meaningful goals to set for the long term. The more meaningful, the easier they are to keep working towards!
3. Your goals don't need to be life-changing! I often have this conversation with clients where they feel pretty down on themselves for setting intentions around the basic things, like drinking water, eating vegetables, and moving their bodies. We often feel like we should be doing so much more. However, it's okay (and really common) if the simple things are the most challenging. While large-scale intentions and resolutions aren't bad, setting intentions around the simple, not-so-sexy things may be what you actually need!

Pasta salad is such a simple, delicious, and hearty summertime meal. I made a large batch of pasta salad last week for lunches, and it was simple, quick, and delicious, and now I'm inspired to share the idea with you!

Here’s what I used for mine: bowtie whole wheat pasta, a bag of “ready veggies” with broccoli, shredded kale, cabbage, carrots, and Brussel sprouts, edamame, roasted chicken, and fresh chunks of mozzarella cheese. I topped it all with a yummy Italian dressing.

Here's the framework:

1. Pick a pasta - regular, whole wheat, rice pasta, lentil pasta, etc.
2. Pick several veggies - I like to use roughly a 1:1 ratio of veggies to pasta. You can use any raw or cooked & cooled veggies. Get creative, or use what you already have!
3. Pick a protein or two or three - some of my favorites are chicken, turkey, chicken sausage, edamame, tofu, any plant-based chicken, and any cheese (I like mozzarella or feta!).
4. Pick a dressing - a simple oil and vinegar can be perfect, or you can't go wrong with any Italian or other oil-based dressings like a green goddess or Asian salad dressings, etc.
5. Season it to your liking- don't forget salt, pepper, garlic, Italian seasoning, etc. for taste!
6. Prep everything and mix it all up. Chill in the fridge and let the dressing soak before eating the first serving. I also usually save a little dressing on the side for a little extra when it's time to eat!

• This week on the blog, we’re talking all about the concept of “cheat meals” or “cheat days” and the negative health implications of simply using the word cheat. I hear this all the time, especially in the gym, and have witnessed people's struggles because of it.
  • Give it a read HERE.
• Client spots are quickly filling up for August already! If you’ve considered working with a nutritionist, now’s the time. I work with clients for at least three months, so jump on it before the holidays are here (before we know it!).
  • Learn more about my nutrition services HERE.