Dear Rebecca,

I've followed you for a while and love your encouraging words and enthusiasm, but I miss your nutrition information! Can you bring that back?

Dear Valued Friend,

Thank you for your longtime support! I can't tell you how much it means to know that you find my post and content encouraging and notice my genuine enthusiasm for your good health. But you won't find detailed nutrition information that gets off in the weeds here on my feed anymore. Let me tell you why it's a NO for me.

I tried to combat fad diets and "gimmicky" nutrition info out there for years by pouring my heart into an "educational" post or video. I took great care in those details as if I was teaching nutrition to a dietetic major.

But, it dawned on me.

It wasn't working.

It was only adding to the confusion.

And, YOU ARE NOT A NUTRITION MAJOR,

And you DO NOT NEED A DEGREE IN NUTRITION to take control of your health.

The general public is educated well above their level of obedience when it comes to health and wellness. I promise you, more information is not the most significant problem when it comes to our declining health status, yet rising eating disorder rates.

Getting hyper-specific about things that don't matter takes the focus off factors that influence your health and happiness. SO much of the internet nutrition jibber-jabber is fighting over the <1% of food and nutrition science that matters, without giving the 99% of lifestyle factors that have value and meaning adequate attention.

Your "health" isn't where you'd like it to be because you can't name the essential amino acids or lack understanding of bioavailability of heme versus non-heme iron, or don't choose the wheat bread brand with the most fiber or protein-fortified pancakes.

Good Health - the kind that carries you through your decades with grace, enjoyment and allows you to thrive is NOT a series of simple choices or understanding complicated processes like the Kreb cycle.

Good Health - (the kind you want whether you realize it or not) considers an INDIVIDUAL'S lived experience, personal values, genetics, their current phase of life, past traumas, chronic diseases, food intolerances, and preferences, etc. But most importantly, the non-negotiables that bring them joy.

There are plenty of bad @$$ dietitians fighting the fit of detailed scientific information. But I've decided that detailed nutrition education will stay between my clients and their individual needs. If you need to know my broader food philosophy, I shared those in Mind Over Fork.

But I hope you stick with me here on the world wide web! Let me be the voice that challenges your mindsets, not your food choices, who wants you more focused on your "why" than your "how" and the one that will keep encouraging you to be in the driver seat of your life and health, and with great enthusiasm wants you to realize your self-worth and salvation have nothing to do with your food choices or ability to lose weight.

Love you, mean it.

RT

PS - this is me in my cluttered and disorganized office. one of the best things that have come out of hosting Good Things with Rebecca Turner radio show - is being reminded of ALL the amazing people and topics of interest that are out there, doing God's work, and bringing joy, that has ZERO to do with weight or wellness. It is SO refreshing to be reminded that there is a great big world out there that doesn't give a darn about the size of my thighs or how many vegetables I ate today.

We've all been there. We are standing in our closet at the first of Spring with feet that desperately need a pedicure and a heart that wonders if last year's summer clothes are going to fit or not. And, for moms, you might be staring at a box of shorts that have been collecting dust for a few summers, reluctant of giving them up, "just in case."

I'm not even sure why I slipped them on. Nothing about my winter wardrobe led me to believe that these smaller-sized Spring pants were going to fit magically. But I gave it a good ole "let's just see if they zip" try.

To my surprise, they zipped! But, let's be clear, that does not mean that they fit! I did not feel comfortable or confident in them. But, the fact that the button fastened sent my head spinning in trying to conger up ways to get them to "fit better."

My mind immediately went into overdrive, thinking of ways to get in more exercise or foods or beverages I could delete or avoid to generate just a few more pounds of weight loss.

All of this nonsense for two pairs of pants!

If I'm honest, this is the same rollercoaster I spent most of my twenties on. I would allow a few pairs of pants to dictate my entire lifestyle. My self-worth was summed up to standing in my closest with undies on, just praying that the pants would zip and fit.

Not. Any. More. Satan.

Sure, I could give up bread, cookies my daughter decorated, the occasional beer and leave them at daycare hours longer each week so that Ic could get in one more workout. And I would achieve getting back into my "pre-baby" pants.

But that cost is just too high for me these days. My priorities have changed, and I am not willing to forfeit all my joy and peace for pants that come in a bigger size. I'd rather have a heart full of JOY than a false sense of health tied up in small pants.

So, I'm donating those pants.

FINALLY.

I REMOVED the urge to purge all the good out of my life to satisfy a worldly standard of beauty.

See, fitting into those pants would NOT bring my life any more significant amounts of ACTUAL health or JOY. They would only keep me distracted from the things that matter most. I pray you to learn to know the difference, too!

Yes - I'm going to paint my toes.... EVENTUALLY!

Not going to lie! This took entirely too much effort to be labeled an "easy weeknight meal!" No way in hades I'd attempt this with the baby at home! But, with all that whining out of the way. It is delicious! And, it isn't "hard," but it doesn't have some moving parts that are not fit for a distracted cook like myself. :) 

I did branch out and try pasta made from lentils and chose not to tell the family until they finished dinner. (No one noticed!) You certainly can use your family's favorite pasta. I liked that this pasta offers plant protein and some extra fiber. It's not superior to regular pasta, just something worth trying if you feel inclined. (This is not an ad in any way.)

I hope I haven't scared you off from trying this recipe. But, if you have clingy kids at home that are still too small to stir, then make this one when you have help at home or by yourself. Chances are you're more of a rockstar in the kitchen than I am, and this one won't even phase you! 

CHICKEN AND BACON PASTA WITH SPINACH AND TOMATOES IN CREAM SAUCE

• 2 tablespoons of olive oil

• 1 lb thin cut chicken breast 

• Italian seasoning

• Salt and pepper 

• 14.5 oz diced tomatoes (or 5 fresh diced)

• 2 cups fresh spinach 

• 1 teaspoon minced garlic 

• 6-8 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled 

• 1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream

• 1 1/2 cups Parmesan cheese, shredded

• 10 oz penne pasta (about 4-5cups cooked) 

Instructions 

Bring a large pot of water to boil, add pasta and cook it according to instructions. Drain the pasta, rinse with cold water and drain again, set aside. 

In a large skillet, on high heat, spray with nonstick spray and heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil until hot. Add chicken and cook on one side on high heat for 1 minute. While it cooks, sprinkle the uncooked sides of the chicken with Italian seasoning and salt and pepper. Flip the chicken over, and cook on the other side for 1 minute on high heat, and season the remaining side. Reduce heat to medium, flip the chicken over again and cook, covered, for several minutes until it reaches an internal temp of 165F. Remove chicken from the pan and keep chicken warm.

• Pro- Tips! If your chicken starts to stick, do NOT add more oil. DASH some water or vinegar into the pan to loosen the chicken. Once your chicken is done and removed, DASH some water or vinegar in the pan to loosen all that yumminess stuck to the bottom. 

• Do NOT cut your chicken immediately. Give it 3-5 minutes to sit and absorb its own juicy goodness. 

To the same pan (but without chicken), add chopped tomatoes, spinach, garlic, and allow the spinach to wilt. 

Slice the chicken and crumble the bacon and add both to the pot. 

Add the heavy whipping cream and bring to boil. Only after it starts boiling, add shredded Parmesan cheese - immediately reduce to simmer and stir, while simmering, until the cheese melts and makes the sauce creamy, only about 1 minute (at most 2 minutes). Then,  remove from heat.

Add pasta to the skillet with the sauce. All mixture to heat through and through. Serve with extra parmesan cheese on top. 

• Pro-Tip! I cook extra pasta because my girls like buttery noodles as a simple side dish. Having cooked noodles in the refrigerator makes that easy peasy!