Butternut Squash Lasagna Rolls with Green Béchamel Sauce

“Oh, how I regret not having worn a bikini for the entire year I was twenty-six.  If anyone young is reading this, go, right this minute, put on a bikini, and don't take it off until you're thirty-four.”     ~ Nora Ephron

Photo Credit: Glasbergen.com

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By night I work for corporate America in the field of I.T .. and lead a team of people based both in the U.S. and in India.  One of the Indian women I work with told me once about her arranged marriage

“It took me twelve years to fall in love with him.  I was deeply unhappy for most of those years.”

“What changed?  What made you start to love him after all of that time?”

“I simply changed my mind about him.  That's all.”

— — —

It's hard work to change your mind about someone (or yourself)

It's easy to survey your spouse at their worst and grow resentful   (or listen to the tape recorder in your head that whispers you're not good enough)

It's easy to watch grand sweeping romantic gestures in the movies, or on your Instagram feed, or your neighbor's front porch and wonder what it would be like to have a love so beautiful, so romantic, so celebratory  (or see beautiful fitness models, or your best friend who wears a size 2, and wonder what it would be like to truly be free of the weight)

It's easy to stop noticing the one who takes the puppies for their morning walk, and start wishing he'd bring home flowers more often  (or stop realizing just how far you've come on your weight loss journey, and think you'll never be able to make it the rest of the way)

Today, Part II of a short series devoted to “I can” .v.s. “I can't.”   A series inspired by a friend and coach who's on a mission to prove to her clients that “Yes, they can!”  Turns out the girl who's usually gung-ho tells herself “I can't” more often than I ever realized.

I thought it might be fun to share how I've handled a few of my can'ts these past few weeks, and found answers to the question

“So if you can't do that, what can you do instead?”

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I can't remember to track my food; I don't have time

Listen, it's never an ideal time to start a new habit. It's never a good time to have a baby, to make the move, to join the gym. There’s always tomorrow; until there isn’t.  Start where you are; start today.

Tracking our food doesn't have to look like dedicated time to sit down and write it out

Instead, take a step back and look outside the box.  You'll be surprised by all of the little chunks of time there truly are in our days.  A few ideas?  Maybe you have a long commute on the bus, or a train stops you every morning, and you find yourself sitting at a railroad crossing.  Or you're standing in line at Target or the grocery.

Any time you're waiting, you have time

These apps can help

Photo Credit: Glasbergen.com

I can't work out; I'm injured

Rely on your ritual

There is nothing tidy about life, and injuries are bound to happen.  As those of us who have coached others will attest, this is a time that's easy for people to unravel (probably because we attach exercise so heavily to weight loss)

For the times your body fails you, take deep breaths, re-emerge gently, pour some tea, and let your mind take over instead

Every day at noon I drop the puppies off at for their afternoon playdate, stop at the Co-Op for a smoothie (a scoop of protein powder, please), drive the same route through campus, and wave to the kids working the front desk while I search for my gym pass.  Even on the weekends, I feel the itch to go for a walk in the early afternoon

“If I can't work this body part, what other parts can I do instead?”

There is a man who's a paraplegic and happens to be on a similar schedule.  If you want to know how to work your upper body, he's your guy

Maybe you're too physically sick to go to the gym?  You can focus on your food instead.  In this moment what's the most nourishing thing I can feed my body?

It’s easy to see your limitations if that’s what you choose to focus on

I can't work out; I don't have time

A pair of shoes and only a few minutes.  This is perhaps all you need to exercise.  Forget the fancy software, the convoluted methods.  Find what works for you, then whittle it down to the bare essentials

“I can't go to the gym for my hour-long workout, but no worries, I can .. ”

Do three push-ups in the morning.  Walk around my office building every time I get up to go to the bathroom.  Park farther away from the office and walk.  Do one extra circle around the grocery while I'm shopping.  Do five extra air-squats whenever I let the puppies out.

Like your body.  Respect it; treat it well.  Go easy on it.  Don't demand too much from it, nor too little.  Enjoy its company for the time you spend together.  Don't limit yourself.  If there are days when you aren't able to do what you normally do:

“What can I do instead?  Where can I squeeze a little extra bit of movement into my day?”

Let that be your mission, instead of throwing up your hands in defeat

These apps can help

I can’t lose weight; I'm on vacation

There is nothing tidy about losing weight or developing healthier habits, especially when you're on vacation.

It's messy, and like most good things, it gets harder before you find your rhythm.  Wade deep anyway; there's a sea of different ways it can be done.  Try them out.  Learn from them.  Use what worked.  Wear boots.

You can lose weight (or at the very least maintain)

There's a big difference between being focused, and saying “who cares” while eating everything in sight.  You're looking for that sweet spot somewhere in the middle; the place where you're feeding your body well the majority of the time, while still allowing a few treats and indulgences and keeping your weight the same

A new paradigm of sorts.  One in which the middle ground will be your point of focus (if it hasn't been before).  Therefore, devote your attention to daily actions you can take.  Losing weight is a byproduct of all of these little decisions

“What can I do through healthy habits while I'm on vacation?  I can .. “

Take control of my actions at each meal time.  Drink enough water.  Eat vegetables at each meal.  Feed myself consistency throughout the day.  Allow for one small treat every day

— — —

What if people or circumstances in your life cause you so much stress and anxiety that it's triggered dysfunctional eating?  What can we do then?

( .. to be continued .. )

Photo Credit: Everyday People Cartoons

I've been participating as part of the  Iowa Food and Family Project‘s blogger team in this year's annual Live Healthy Iowa 10 Week Challenge

My progress report after week 5?

Total minutes of activity this week = 240    and Overall = 2650   (a combination of walking, kickboxing, yoga, resistance class, and weight lifting)

Total pounds lost this week = -1.9  and Overall = 11.3

If there was ever was a challenging week, this was it.  It's been a long time since I've been this sick, for so many days.  My goodness, every time I thought “I've rounded the corner,” I realized, “Nope, not yet, go back to bed”

( .. to be continued .. )

When you live in a neighborhood like ours, word spreads quickly when someone needs a helping hand.  It wasn't long before hot bubbly casseroles, and homemade bread started appearing on our doorstep.  Along with them, stories of others in the neighborhood who've also been struggling with this terrible bug

So today, when I finally felt well enough to be in the kitchen, I spent that afternoon paying forward a fraction their kindness.  By late afternoon, delivering a couple hot and bubbly pans of my own to others who haven't yet to made it to the other side.

The next time you are in the mood for something creamy, rich, terribly decadent and uncompromisingly delicious, without it being a complete nutritional train wreck, this is your recipe.  Roasted butternut squash is blended with ricotta, shallots, garlic, and parmesan. It's then tucked into individual rolls and baked in bechamel sauce.

Rather than making a large tray, I like to make them into rolls for better portion control.

Flash forward third minutes and out of the oven comes a beautiful, golden-topped pan of something that is lasagna-esque in nature, or close enough.

They're a tad off-beat, and they're great.

A few notes about the recipe:

To save time, you can always buy pre-cut squash from the freezer section at the grocery

The pine nut gremolata is also amazing sprinkled on roasted veggies, veggie pizzas, or even ricotta toast

Enjoy!

xoxo

ps:  You can read more of the “I can” vs. “I can't”  series in Part I  |  Part III   |  Part IV

I'm participating as part of the  Iowa Food and Family Project‘s blogger team in this year's annual Live Healthy Iowa 10 Week Challenge.  More stories from the Challenge can be found here 

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~ Adapted slightly from GFF Magazine | Fall 2016