People often ask me how I “manage” to stay thin. “You eat more than anyone I know!” my coworker recently said to me. Anyone who lives a healthy lifestyle will probably agree with my explanation.

Eating “right” isn’t about restrictive dieting, but rather making healthier food choices. Pizza, burgers, fries and ice cream can all be part of a balanced diet when prepared properly.

Take tonight’s dinner for instance. I wanted a hot dog with ice cream for dessert.

I built a better hot dog by using a veggie dog, whole wheat bun, mustard, relish (look for a brand with low sugar content), red onion and sauerkraut. (I’m not promoting veggie dogs as a health food -  they’re super processed, but so are meat hot dogs. In my opinion, its a lose-lose situation, but I still opt for veggie versions)

On the side – grilled tomatoes topped with parmesan, oven roasted kale and spinach.

I prepared ice cold bowls of So Delicious vanilla bean coconut “ice cream” with sliced peaches for dessert. Ahhhh, summer peaches… heaven in my mouth.  Court and I are both obsessed with this non-dairy agave sweetened dessert. It was just the right amount of sweetness… it didn’t cause us to go back for seconds, the way sugary desserts typically do. (I find cane sugar to trigger intense cravings)

See, you can have your cake and eat it too – all it takes is a few simple improvements.

Daily Exercise:

45 minute walk
Elliptical -15 minutes
60 min leisurely bike ride