Meal Mentor

3 Easy Ways to Cook a Potato Without An Oven

If you know me, then you know I love (LOVE!) potatoes, especially a baked potato! In fact, I stumbled across a baked potato stand at the Palace of Versailles while living in France this summer!

I will never understand why people forsake the potato. No, a potato isn't "fattening" -- it's a vegetable! The "problem" is the company Mr. Potato hangs around with. It's not the baked potato that's unhealthy, it's the bacon, cheese and sour cream plopped on top of it! Bottom line: you don't need to limit the amount of potato you eat. They're good for ya!

Baking seems to be the go-to method to cook potatoes, but since no one likes a hot kitchen during the summer, why not use a microwave, slow cooker or pressure cooker to keep cool?

Here's how you can achieve the perfect tater by using any of those methods!

Oven-Baked Potatoes Preheat the oven to 425F. Pierce potatoes multiple times with a fork. Lay them directly on the oven rack or place on a baking sheet. Cook for 45-60 minutes, or until the skin is crispy and you can easily stick a fork in it.

Microwaved Potatoes Pierce potatoes multiple times with a fork. Place them on a microwave-safe dish and microwave at full power for 5 minutes. Turn over and microwave for another 3-5 minutes. If the taters are still hard in the middle, microwave in 1 minute intervals until cooked through. (Note: Microwaves are perfectly safe to use and have little to no negative effects on nutrients. It's also considered one of the best cooking methods.)

Slow-Cooker Potatoes Pierce the potatoes multiple times with a fork. Wrap each potato in foil and lay them in the bottom of the slow cooker. Place the lid over top and set your slow cooker to LOW for 8-10 hours.

Pressure Cooker Potatoes Add the necessary amount of water to your pressure cooker (each pressure cooker is different, see your manual). Wrap each potato in foil and lay them in the bottom of the pressure cooker. Set for high pressure, 15 minutes.

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How to Deal with Temptation

A client emailed:

"After three years of being plant-based, I don't know what possesed me to eat a hamburger, but I did and I feel so guilty. I know I shouldn't beat myself up for it, but here I am crying about it. I'm trying to tell myself - progress not perfection, however I'm having a hard time getting it to my heart. Any advice?"

I wrote a lot about this in my new book, The Happy Herbivore Guide to Plant-Based Living, because I'd say probably 90% of my clients did something similar (usually it's cheese!). I always tell them to use this as a lesson, an affirmation that what they were doing before was best for them -- to hold this experience, while painful, in their mind so they never do it again.

Before you're tempted, remember the emotions and feelings that came afterward. In some ways, I find my clients who did "mess up" end up the happiest, most fulfilled and really come to love their plant-based lifestyle in a new way.

Have a good cry, then make the next thing you eat a plant :)

You can do it!

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The Real Dirty Dozen Revealed

We've all heard about the Dirty Dozen, but what about the real Dirty Dozen?

Jeff Novick created his own list called, "The Real Dirty Dozen: The 12 Deadliest Dietary & Lifestyle Factors & What You Can Do About Them" and it has a lot of great tips on how we can all live a healthier life.

1. Smoking Don't smoke and avoid second hand smoke.

2. Excess Calories/Body Weight Maintain a healthy weight with a BMI of 18.5 to 24.9 (a BMI of 18.5-22 may be optimal), and a waist circumference of less than 35 for women and less than 40 for men, and a waist to height ratio of less than .50.

3. Inadequate Diet (not enough fruits, vegetables, and intact starches) Eat a diet based predominately on a variety of minimally processed whole plant foods (fruits, vegetables, starchy vegetables, roots/tubers, intact whole grains and beans). Good thing that's what the meal plans focus on!

4. Alcohol Limit intake to less than 1 drink a day & less than 4 drinks a week. Not drinking at all is optimal.

5. Inactivity/Sedentary Lifestyle 150-300 minutes per week of moderate activity (or 60-120 minutes of vigorous activity). The inclusion of some balance, flexibility work is also recommended.

6. Excess Added Sodium/Salt Total sodium from all sources to less than 1500 mg/day. No added salt/sodium is optimal.

7. Excess Saturated Fat Keep saturated fat to less than 7% of total calories (less than 5% is optimal). Dairy, meats, fish, oils, butter, chocolate, coconut, seeds, and nuts are high in saturated fat.

8. Dietary Cholesterol Keep total cholesterol to less than 25 mg/day. None is optimal. (Cholesterol is only found in animal foods).

9. Added Sugars/Caloric Sweeteners Keep added sugars/sweeteners (including fruit juice and natural sweeteners) to less than 5% of total calories. None is optimal.

10. Added Fat/Oils Keep added fats/oils less than 4% of calories. None is optimal.

11. Refined Flours/Grains (such as white bread, cookies, etc) Less than 5% of calories. None is optimal.

12. Hydrogenated/Trans Fats Avoid these.

If you're looking to eat better and lose weight, I can't recommend the meal plans enough. They're always vegan, low-fat, and oil-free.

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4 Easy Tips for Faster Meal Prep

Looking to get breakfast, lunch or dinner on the table -- and fast? Here are some great tips that will make meal time stress-free and a lot quicker!

Have a plan. If you're always dreading these three words: "What's for dinner?", I can't recommend the meal plans enough! They not only make prepping all your meals for the week super easy and fast (in as little as 2-3 hours), but it will already be waiting for you when you're ready to eat!

Lay it all out. Clear off your counter or table and lay out all your ingredients, that way you aren't constantly running around your kitchen looking for them.

Pre-Chop your Veggies. We already note what to do with each veggie on the prep sheet, but this also works well for meals like wraps or salads that suggests components to be stored separately (no one likes a soggy veggie wrap!). That way when it's time to eat, all you have to do is throw your veggies in a tortilla or salad and you're good to go! You can also buy pre-cut fruits and veggies at the grocery store to make things even faster, but they may not be as cost-effective. Another alternative: frozen, pre-cut veggies (like broccoli and bell pepper slices).

Cook from longest to shortest. Start with the meal that takes the longest to make. While you're waiting for it to cook, you can continue prepping other meals on your list.

For even more meal prep tips, see this post: How to Cook All Your Meals for the Week in 2-3 Hours.

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How to Recover After Dining Out

A meal plan user emailed:

"I've been doing a pretty good job with the meals plans, but today I need your advice! I wanted to treat myself, so I went out to eat with my brother for lunch. I got a spicy black bean burger and I looked at the calories afterwards- 1160!! Should I just not eat for the rest of the day?"

I can't believe a single burger was over 1100! Are you sure? I suppose it's possible if it had a lot of oil on it, or other fat like fake cheese or avocado, but beans and a bun shoudn't be even half that.

I would pick lighter options the rest of the day -- salads, broth-based soups, that sort of thing. You don't want to force yourself to be hungry all day. Just keep this as a reminder and lesson :)

Hang in there!

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The Right & Wrong Way to Lose Weight

I recently came across this meme while scrolling through my Facebook feed the other day:

While the bottom pyramid is not entirely true, weight loss really does come down to your diet.

People think they can work off bad food, but you really can't. It's all about what you're eating.

If you are trying to lose weight, stick to the meal plan as close as possible and choose the lower-fat options.

I also don't encourage weight-lifting or exercise for those trying to lose weight. In fact, with many of my clients, exercise combined with caloric restriction actually slowed their losses. Light activity like walking and yoga is fine though :)

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