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Chalene Johnson’s Healthy Eating Tenents

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Getting healthy doesn’t happen by accident, and isn’t achieved through dieting.

In my 20 years in the fitness industry, I’ve seen every fad come and go. Sadly, I’ve participated in some, and even stood in some pretty high heels preaching those philosophies to others. (Cute high heels are my version of a soapbox!)

All that diet dogma stopped when I experienced my own health scare that seemed to stem from my, “super clean, low-fat, low-calorie, sleep when I’m dead, workout three-hours a day” lifestyle.

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A brain scan revealed that I was headed for early-onset Alzheimer’s due to — among other things — years of too little sleep and a diet chock full of calorie-free foods and beverages. My blood work showed I wasn’t absorbing any of the vitamins and minerals from my food — despite the veggies I was eating — due to leaky gut. My family, my diagnosis, and my resolve to never again lead people astray began my quest for truth. This several-year journey involved interviewing the finest names in science and medicine, pouring over medical data, trial and error, a team of registered dietitians, and my new “why“… ME!

So, join me on a little checklist of suggestions and remedies I used to completely 180 my health (and my brain, thank you very much!). My thoughts might challenge the norm and cause you to second guess some of my ideas. But that’s okay. I’m secure enough with myself and the research I’ve done to know that the solutions by which I live are well-conceived and, most importantly, not quick fixes.

1. Take Back the Word Diet

Unfortunately, the fitness industry I inhabit — and take some responsibility for — has perpetuated a myth that a diet is a strict, regulated, black and white approach to food. There’s a “right and a wrong” way to do something. Or, the latest and greatest diet will, “fix all your weight loss problems.” Or, “you’ve failed at your diet because you haven’t had the same results as others.”

I’m here to say with 100% certainty: No one diet works for everyone.

It’d be easier for me to tell you: “eat X, Y, and Z and you’ll lose weight.” Unfortunately, our bodies don’t work like that. Research shows that each individual person has a unique gut microbiome. Your gut biome plays a HUGE role in your body’s ability to lose weight.  If your gut biome is off, your entire body is off.

This leads to weight loss resistance, imbalanced hormones, fatigue, brain fog, decreased sex drive, lack of concentration, insomnia, and more…. and it all stems from your gut.

Guess where the problem starts? You guessed it, the quality of your food.

Instead of following a diet, take back the word DIET, and create your own; one that works best for you! Try a diet — or better, “a way of eating” — that promotes gut health. If you do this, your overall health will change for the better.

2. Quality Meat

I cannot tell you how important food quality is to your health. It’s literally everything!

It’s the reason my family only eats meats from ButcherBox. I’d rather eat no meat at all than meat that comes from conventional farms. Aside from superior taste, I know that the sustainable farming practices ButcherBox champions are ones I can feel good about. Nutritionally speaking — and this relates back to gut-health — grass-fed, grass-finished meat provides more vitamins and minerals (and fewer inflammatory side-effects) than conventional meat. Listen to this podcast for mind-blowing stats on meat quality. I hope you become as appalled as I was before I knew the truth and that it influences change for you and your family.

Be sure to read to the end, because I’m giving you TWO recipes I love using ButcherBox meat.

3. Drink TONS of water

Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate. There is no alternative for pure, fresh clean water. Drinking water keeps your body functioning, your engine running, and your skin glowing.  Drink at least half your body weight in ounces.

4. Eat Whole Organic Foods

Aim for 80% of your calories to come from whole foods that are as close to nature as possible with minimal processing. I’d say 100 percent, but I don’t think that’s realistic. Eat organic as much as possible. If you can’t, don’t stress! Just do your best.

Take the time to know where your food comes from. There is a direct correlation between the quality of food you put in your body and how you feel (see #2 above).

5. Cycle Your Diet

Cycle your diet just like you cycle your workouts. Your body likes homeostasis, so if you eat the same thing every day for weeks, and months, and years, your body stops adapting, and therefore, stops losing weight. So cycle your diet with an emphasis on carbs some days, high fats other days, and higher protein with limited carbs and fat on other days. Diet phasing is the hallmark of the 131 Method. What I want you to take away is the fact that you should approach your diet just like your workouts! Change leads to change.

6. Keep it Out

If it’s not in your house, you won’t eat it. Remember this when you shop! Your habits can change by simply creating the environment you desire. Keep healthy foods at eye level so they’re the first things you see and grab.

7. Closing Time

Set a time in the evening to end eating. Give your body the night to recharge and rest instead of digesting food.  Close the kitchen and stop eating a few hours before bedtime. Tinker with intermittent fasting for even greater benefits. Need more proof? Check these out…

Are 6 Small Meals Making us Fat – LISTEN NOW!

Eating Trends and Common Myths – LISTEN NOW!

8. Become a Politely Picky Patron

You can absolutely adapt restaurant options to support your nutritional needs. Be extra polite, and ask for a few tweaks that make your meal work for you. Or, just eat at home more often so YOU choose the quality and ingredients you take in.

9. Learn the Difference Between Hunger and Appetite

Much of our eating is not hunger-based. Learn the triggers that send you snacking. By identifying the moments when you like to nibble, you can find alternative and more productive solutions. I like using a journal for this, but you can leave yourself a voice memo, write some sticky notes, meditate, or simply become present in those moments. I go into this at great length in the 131 Method.

10. Marry a Super Hot Guy who Likes to Cook

I’m half-joking, but kinda not. One of my best secrets is living in a house where one, or both, people love to cook.

I’m pretty good at a few things — I’ll chop veggies like nobody’s business. But, it’s my husband, Bret, who cooks up a storm. He values health and food quality as much as I do, which is a blessing. I know a lot of women who must toe the line for the whole family and constantly deal with their husband’s pizza-eating, chip-crunching ways. #sabotage

Try leading by example, however, by casually making your own changes. Chances are, one or two will catch on!

In the spirit of influencing the ones you love, I’m going to give you TWO of my favorite 131 recipes. “A way to a man’s heart is through his stomach,” and, most men like meat, so here ya go (just choose quality, ok?!). The family will never know these recipes are 131 approved (meaning healthy, gluten-free, anti-inflammatory and delicious)

Bret brings his “Bowl Skilz” to our family several nights per week. It’s another reason we love our ButcherBox…our freezer is stocked with options and he just picks what we want: Grass-finished ground beef, organic chicken breast, wild salmon, humanely-raised bacon..and off he goes until there’s a beautiful bowl set on the table.

Enjoy!

Indian Spiced Beef & Zoodles

chalene johnson

Yield: 4 servings

Serving Size: 1/4th recipe

Prep Time: 10 min

Cook Time: 12 min

Ingredients:

  • 16oz grass-fed, grass-finished 80% lean ground beef or bison
  • 1 cup diced canned tomatoes (use fire roasted if you like a little spice)
  • ¾ cup canned coconut milk
  • 2 tablespoons coconut aminos (or soy sauce alternative)
  • 2 teaspoons cumin
  • 2 teaspoons turmeric
  • 1½ teaspoons cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • Sea salt and pepper, to taste
  • 4 medium zucchinis, spiraled

Method:

  1. Coat a large, nonstick skillet with cooking spray over medium. Add beef and brown on all sides for 3-4 minutes. Add tomatoes, coconut milk, coconut aminos, cumin, turmeric, cinnamon, garlic powder, and salt and pepper and sauté until beef is cooked through (about 5 minutes), then turn to low and simmer for 3 minutes.
  2. Toss zucchini noodles in a pan and quickly toss to coat, then remove and plate among four plates. (If you leave the noodles in the hot pan too long, they’ll release water. You only want to warm them quickly, then plate).

Nutrition Information:

Calories: 453| Protein: 33g | Fat: 30g | Carbs: 14g | Fiber: 2.5g | Net Carbs: 11g

Vegetable Beef Tahini Bowl

chalene3

Yield: 4 servings

Serving Size: 1/4th recipe

Prep Time: 10 min

Cook Time: 10 min

Ingredients:

  • 1 tablespoon avocado oil
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 pound 85/15% grass-fed, grass-finished beef
  • 200g bok choy, chopped
  • 2 cups (200g) broccoli rabe, stems removed, chopped
  • 16 asparagus spears (200g), chopped
  • 8oz mushrooms (227g) sliced
  • 1 small zucchini (200g), peeled into ribbons
  • ¼ cup coconut aminos (or soy sauce alternative)
  • ¼ cup tahini
  • 2 teaspoons garlic powder (such as Flavor God)
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt
  • ½ teaspoon pepper
  • 1 teaspoon sesame seeds (optional)

Method:

  1. In an extra-large skillet, heat avocado oil over medium. Add garlic and sauté for 1 minute.
  2. Add beef and brown on all sides for 4 minutes. Add the whites of the bok choy and stir for 1 minute, then add the broccoli rabe and stir for 1 minute. Stir in the asparagus, mushrooms, and zucchini.
  3. Whisk together the coconut aminos, tahini, garlic powder, salt, and pepper until smooth. Add to skillet and coat everything well. Sauté for another 3-4 minutes, or until vegetables are tender and beef is cooked through and most of the liquid is absorbed. Sprinkle with sesame seeds, and serve.

Nutrition Information:

Calories: 425| Protein: 29g | Fat: 29.5g | Carbs: 14g | Fiber: 4g | Net Carbs: 10g

One other subtle way you can get the family interested in repairing their health: The 131 Method book! Pre-order your copy here.

flat-iron-steak

Flat iron steak – A relatively new restaurant favorite that’s delicious and tender

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Flat iron steak shouldn’t work. It is named after a domestic appliance, it is notoriously hard to find outside of restaurants, and it comes from an area of the cow, the shoulder blade, that was long considered too tough to produce any tender, enjoyable steaks.

But if you’ve ever had a grilled flat iron steak from a steakhouse or cooked it in your own backyard, you know that it is an amazing cut of beef.

The history of flat iron steaks

Flat iron steak is a tender cut of beef that not only has an interesting history but is also tough to find, similar to the Denver steak. Flat iron is not as prevalent in the butcher case as rib-eye, filet mignon, or flank steaks, but it is quite popular on restaurant menus in America and beyond.

Flat iron steak, which derives its name from its shape being similar to that of an old-fashioned clothes iron, has been around, in some form, for a while. The cut, or something similar to it, is known as the butler steak in the U.K. or the oyster blade steak in Australia and New Zealand. In some places, it can also be called book steak, petite steak, or shoulder top blade steak. However, much like the Denver steak, the flat iron steak as we now know it was not discovered until 2002 by researchers at the University of Florida and the University of Nebraska, and also as part of the Beef Checkoff Program.

The cut is derived from the shoulder of the cow, specifically from the top blade of the chuck primal cut. For a long period of time, the region from where the flat iron steak is derived was waste meat or used in ground beef mixes. This was due to the connective tissue that ran through it, making it undesirable as a stand-alone cut.

The researchers from Florida and Nebraska found a way to remove the gristle, creating a fibrous, marbled steak that is popular as a bistro steak. The term bistro steak is often used for tasty, tender cuts that are used by smaller restaurants as a delicious, cheaper alternative to more expensive cuts at high-end steakhouses like a New York strip steak.

The popularity of the flat iron steak among chefs is due to the versatility of the flavorful cut. According to our own Chef Yankel Polak, our in-house ButcherBox chef, “The flat iron steak is an industry darling, a new-age steak.”

It’s such a challenge to find in stores because it is in such high demand with restaurants. “It is on every top-notch steak joint’s menu these days,” Chef Yankel says.

Preparing flat iron steak

The tender cut can be cooked as is, but it is often used with a rub or marinade. It’s popular as a stir-fry meat, sometimes sliced for sandwiches, and commonly used with chimichurri or other spicy sauces for tacos. It can also be the centerpiece of other dishes.

The flat iron steak is ideal for grilling because it is relatively easy to cook. Whether using a marinade or just some olive oil, kosher salt, and freshly ground black pepper, our chef says that cooking it medium rare is best to keep the steak tender.

As Chef Yankel also explains, “It has a deep grain, so cutting against the grain is imperative, but it has minimal connective tissue, so your slices don’t have to be super thin.”

Chef Yankel says that flat iron is similar to both skirt steak and hanger steak, “For mouthfeel, it’s slightly chewy but in an enjoyable way, and for meatiness, it tastes like what you imagine beef should taste like,” he explained.

It is a shame that the cut is so prevalent among restaurants, as it is difficult for steak-loving consumers to find on their own. (Luckily, if you are a ButcherBox subscriber, it is often featured in our monthly boxes.)

Because of its great taste and usefulness, the flat iron steak has gained a tremendous reputation in the 15 years since it was discovered. Its legend will likely continue to grow. As Chef Yankel explains, “They will trend to higher price points as they gain popularity.”

So try to get your hands on one soon, or you might be priced out of the flat iron steak market in the near future.

Here is one of our favorite flat iron steak recipes, Chef Yankel’s Pepper-Crusted Flat Iron with Root Vegetable Mash.

Pepper-Crusted Flat Iron with Root Vegetable Mash

Ingredients:

  • 2 ButcherBox flat iron steaks
  • 2 tablespoons coarse ground black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon kosher salt
  • 3 medium parsnips, peeled and sliced
  • 1 large turnip, peeled and sliced
  • 4 cloves garlic, smashed
  • 3 cups milk
  • 4 tablespoons butter
  • 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
  • 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Place cast iron pan in the oven.

2. Place parsnips, turnip, garlic, and milk in small saucepan. Add more milk if needed to cover vegetables.

3. Simmer on low heat until vegetables are tender. Remove vegetables from pot, and place in a bowl.

4. Add butter and mash vegetables, adding small amounts of milk as needed to get a thick mashed consistency

5. Add Parmesan and parsley and scoop mash into medium cupcake tins. Sprinkle top with black pepper and bake for 20 minutes, or until golden brown.

6. Pour coarse black pepper on a plate and press one side of flat iron steaks onto pepper. Season steaks on both sides with kosher salt.

7. Remove cast iron pan from oven, add a small amount of oil and place steaks in pan, pepper side down. Return pan to oven. After 4 minutes, flip steaks. Continue to cook in oven 4 more minutes or until thermometer inserted into thickest part reads 120 F.

8. Let steaks rest at room temperature for at least 8 minutes. Serve with mash and enjoy!

flat-iron-steak

Wine with Steak Grilled ribeye beef steak with red wine, herbs and spices on wooden table

Wine with steak: Finding the perfect pairing

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There are plenty of reasons why red wine pairs so well with a delicious steak. Some are cultural, some are even scientific, but for most people, the perfection of this pairing comes down to the magic it performs on our palate.

I love pairing wine with steak. And, honestly, nothing brings out the beefy characteristics of our grass-fed steaks like a heady red wine.

When trying to decide how to pair your booze with your dinner, you should start with the cut of meat.

Braised roasts and ribeyes have richer, fattier flavors and need a deep, full-bodied wine to hold up. These pair best with a cabernet or Zinfandel for example. For leaner cuts like sirloin steaks and round roasts a mellower wine like pinot noir or merlot work nicely.

You can get even better pairings by matching characteristics of your seasonings and sauces with notes that the wines exhibit. For example, mushrooms and onions pair well with wines with spicier characteristics; sweeter sides dishes taste best with fruitier wines.

A vital step to pair wines and beef is to make sure you put some thought into how you plan to use the two together.

What I mean is that you should keep both the meat and wine in mind as you plan your meal. You may have a dish you want to try cooking or a wine you’ve discovered that you’re itching to drink. Don’t just cook the dish without thinking of the wine or pick a wine without thinking about how it pairs. You need to balance the other half based on the choice you make with the other. If you began with wine, choose a dish that has a complimentary flavor profile. If you choose to begin with a dish, find a wine that will add to the experience.

Cooking with wine has a few different rules, but the main key is to only cook with a wine you would enjoy drinking. There are plenty of delicious, affordable wines, so choose one that you like. You don’t want to use a $50 bottle of cabernet sauvignon as the base of a rosemary and red wine sauce for a filet, no matter how expensive the cut.

I highly recommend a book called Culinary Artistry for a detailed break down on flavor combinations. In my early days of menu creations, this book was my bible.

I recently put together a 10-course wine dinner with a focus on Burgundy. I began my recipe creation process by exploring all the different notes Burgundy wines exhibit — flavors like vanilla, cocoa, and pepper, as well as coffee and various berries. I then picked proteins like salmon and oysters, and hearty steaks like ribeyes and chuck steaks to balance the astringency or acidity of those tastes. I also flavored the meat with rubs and sauces that incorporated notes from the various wines. This way, each bite complements each sip and vice versa.

One thing to note, you are not always going to find a perfect match between your protein and your win. That’s fine! As you experiment more and more, you will notice what works and what doesn’t. Your palate becomes more discerning, alerting you to imbalances when some taste is not quite right.

Just remember, the number one rule for pairing your wine and meat is to make sure one flavor doesn’t overwhelm the other.

Balance is the key to successful wine and food pairings.

The true joy of the pairing comes when you take that bite of steak, and wash it down with a sip of wine, and you know immediately: You nailed it.

There is no sensation quite like a pairing working in perfect harmony in your mouth.  

“wine-and-steak"