B00AFU6252 EBOK (11 page)

T
HE MORE YOU INCORPORATE
the idea of Honest Eating, the less you’ll need to worry about your weight. My mother-in-law lives in the south of France, and whenever we visit, I eat more bread, cheese, oil, salt—and drink more wine!—than I do probably the rest of the year combined . . . but I never gain a pound. I believe it’s a combination of two things: France’s total lack of genetically modified foods and their smaller portion sizes. Even if you’re not in France, when you practice Honest Eating, you might find that your body weight and size are at a place where you are pretty happy and comfortable in your skin.

Of course, there are times when life gets in the way and it’s more difficult to eat the way we want. Or if you’ve just had a baby, you’re probably dying to get your pre-baby body back! If that’s the case, focus on filling up with a serving of clean protein and unlimited produce at every meal—think a big salad topped with a serving (no bigger than the palm of your hand) of grilled organic chicken breast, salmon, or legumes.

When I was leaning out after both of my pregnancies (I gained nearly 70 pounds with Honor), I basically lived on that menu of salad and lean protein. While you may feel kind of hungry as your body adjusts to this new way of eating, you should never feel miserable or crazy deprived. Drinking tons of water helps, too—yes, you’ll be peeing constantly (which is so annoying), but it’s essential for losing the water weight associated with pregnancy, and being well hydrated will make you feel better.

Sipping on my green drink (see
recipe
) throughout the day helps fill you up as well, and it’s packed with nutrients. I have a great blender that can puree the skin of a lemon, but any juicer or blender should do the trick.

PS. Even when you’re in full-on weight-loss mode, don’t forget to include some indulgences so you don’t lose your mind. I like to take a day a week to eat whatever I want; the rest of the time, nondairy frozen fruit or fudge ice pops give me my sweet fix. (We love organic FrütStix and Sweet Nothings!) The key is to have just one, not the entire box.

PPS. New mommies: If you’re breastfeeding,
don’t
try to diet right after birth. In fact, give yourself a few months before you really reduce your calorie count. The most important thing is to stay well hydrated and stress free. When you feel ready to shed a few pounds, be kind to yourself and patient: Every body is different. After Honor, it took me a year to get to a weight where I felt good in my skin. I know I’ll never be the weight I was before I had my kiddos, but I’m cool with that; I love my body more post-babies than I ever did!

This became my best friend when I was trying to lose the baby weight, but it’s great anytime you feel like you’ve overindulged. It fills you up and is completely packed with nutrients.

1 whole cucumber, peeled and roughly chopped

2 handfuls chopped kale

2 celery sticks, chopped

2 lemons, juiced

2 apples, cored and seeded

1 teaspoon fresh ginger, finely diced

Frozen watermelon or a dash of the natural sweetener stevia or Truvía for sweetness

WHAT TO DO:

Blend well; refrigerate what you don’t drink immediately (makes about 2 servings).

I
N CASE
you can’t tell by now, for me, food is all about sharing the love. And that means I love throwing parties. I go nuts for my girls’ birthday parties, but I also love a grown-up moment—having our friends over for a relaxed, stylish dinner party after all the kiddos are tucked into bed.

I think a lot of people get so panicked that their social lives are dead and over once they have kids—and yes, some stuff changes. But it’s so important to Cash and me to carve out this time with our friends, because they are still such a big part of our lives. And so I love lighting candles, picking the right music, and pulling out my pretty serving dishes to make a beautiful table. I love catching up with my girlfriends over wine and cheese in the kitchen while Cash and the guys man the grill. And then, when everyone sits down to eat and talk for hours—well, I love that most of all.

What I don’t love: stressing over needlessly complex recipes, seating charts, or other fussy details. Here are my secrets for chic, easy entertaining, Honest-style:

I like to make lots of dishes so everyone will find something they love no matter what their meat-eating status or special diet. But if everything involves 10 ingredients and lots of complicated steps, you’re going to be an unhappy camper. Look for salads that showcase one special, in-season vegetable, and cuts of meat that can be roasted with just a little olive oil and sea salt to bring out the flavor.

I always want to look polished—I am hosting, after all!—but at the same time, I think it’s important to be dressed down so your guests feel relaxed and at home. I’ll do a great top, jeans, and ballet flats

or a simple dress with my hair in a topknot. And go easy on the jewelry—your amazing food is your best accessory tonight!

One of my favorite things about our kitchen is that it’s big and open to the rest of our house, so guests can easily congregate and talk to me while I’m cooking . . . and that means I can put them to work! Nobody minds chopping something or minding a sauce on the stove if you give them a glass of wine. In fact, one of our favorite ways to entertain is to throw a pizza party where everybody basically makes their own dinner.

Planning a menu is truly an art—you need flavor, texture, color, and balance (a heavy stew shouldn’t be followed by an overly decadent dessert unless you want your guests slipping into food comas by 9:00 p.m.). I usually like to pick a theme, because it can be a great way to simplify and unify the menu. Here are a few favorites:

• PIZZA PARTY:
  We have a wood-burning pizza oven in the backyard and love to fire it up and have friends over to mix their own toppings. You can do it on a regular oven; see
  my how-to
  .
  
• WEEKNIGHT MEDITERRANEAN:
  Think cozy, traditional, and healthy. I mean roast chicken with olives and lemon, grilled lamb chops, plus raw zucchini and kale salads.
  
• SATURDAY NIGHT INDIAN:
  Crowd-pleasers are saag paneer, chicken tikka, and cauliflower roasted with olive oil and cumin. The trick with any Indian recipe is to sauté spices in oil before you add other ingredients. That makes them nice and aromatic!