What’s most important to you?

About the way you eat, I mean. Is it filling up on veggies? Or staying away from processed foods? Is it keeping your calorie count low? Or is it balancing your protein, fat, and carbs? Is it being vegan? Vegetarian? Raw? Or maybe dairy free, gluten free or soy free?

If you really think about it, all these approaches work, don’t they? So, uh… what to do.

Well, let’s back up a sec. Start with this one step that’ll serve as the catalyst to all the major changes you’d like to see…

Cook it at home. Yup, forget about restricting this or that. Whatever you love, start cooking it at home. At least one meal a day. Then bump it up to two.

Craving pizza? No biggie. Just make it from scratch.
Muffins or donuts your weakness? Learn to bake them!

By cooking at home you immediately cut out excess oils, chemicals, and preservatives. You get to choose where the food comes from and how it’s prepared. And you immediately start to cultivate a deeper relationship with your food and body.

One of my favorite food writers, Tamar Adler, writes…

“If it’s hot dogs or cinnamon toast that reminds your heart that it can be moved by food, make hot dogs or cinnamon toast.”

In other words, it doesn’t so much matter if your meal includes meat, dairy, gluten or soy, whether it’s raw, cooked, or dipped in chocolate… not only will the nutrition level sky rocket by simply starting from scratch but you’ll also be experiencing it rather than just consuming it.

So tell me, what’ll it be? What meal do you love that you’ll recreate in your kitchen?

To get you started here’s another simply warm, winter meal.

Black bean + Avocado Tacos
(Disclaimer: my version is basically a kale salad in disguise… you cool with that?)

1. Make yourself a small bowl of massaged kale (in other words, add lemon juiceolive oil, and sea salt to a bowl of kale and work the ingredients into the kale with your hands until it begins to soften).

2. Slice an avocado and heat up some black beans (either homemade or quality organic canned beans)

3. Warm up your organic corn tortilla. If you’ve got a gas stove, put it right over the flame for 20 seconds or so. Keep your eye on that baby! A fire wouldn’t be fun (although I do love burnt edges).

4. Fill your tortilla with slices of avocado and black beans then top with kale and a bit of cilantro. Add fresh pepper and sea salt to taste.

Done and done. Reminiscent of summer and warms your chilly bones.

In other news, there’s officially 7 days til’ Christmas. Instead of gifting socks, sweaters, and books they’ll stuff on a shelf, give your mom energy (she’s had enough exhausting days), give your sister inspiration (sometimes she just needs a little push), give your fiance a transformation (because even if he doesn’t say it, he secretly wants it). And I’ll be waiting to welcome each and every one of them.

Gift my 14-day Whole Food Detox, starting 1.5.14. Use the coupon code “Jody” to also gift a bonus coaching session with me following the program… or better yet, keep it for yourself!  This program is totally virtual so can be gifted to your long-distance friends and family too.

Believe in endless possibility this Christmas and what a happy happy holiday it will be… !