Cut it out with my quiche in prosciutto cups.  Not only are they cute, these appetizers are protein-rich, and cutting out the crust makes them incredibly low-carb.

Never tried prosciutto?  It’s deli ham’s Italian cousin and by trimming the extra fat from the edge, it is quite healthy. In one serving, you receive 40% of the eye helper Vitamin A. Sure, it’s not as much as you get from a carrot, but I haven’t seen anyone happy about a quiche in a carrot cup.

Happy Holidays, friends, and as always, enjoy!

Ingredients:

-4 slices prosciutto, fat trimmed, halved

-2 egg whites

-1 whole egg

-3 TBSPs nonfat, plain Greek yogurt

-1 TBSP chopped black olives

-1/2 TSP chopped fresh rosemary, plus more for garnish

-1/4 TSP salt

-1/8 TSP freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

Heat oven to 400 degrees.  Coat a mini muffin pan with cooking spray.  Press one piece of prosciutto into each of eight cups. Whisk egg whites and whole egg until smooth. Whisk in yogurt, olives, rosemary, salt and pepper.  Divide mixture among cups.  Bake, uncovered, until quiches are cooked through, 10 to 12 minutes.  Garnish with rosemary.

Hello Friends, it’s Trina Gray, owner of Bay Athletic Club, creator of the Corporate Fit Challenge, and a business coach who helps fitness professionals become leaders in their own fitness businesses.

I’m a mom of two, I’m married to a shipwreck archeologist, and I’m a change agent in my community. But don’t hear me wrong. I’m not Wonder Woman! I just have figured out what I do best.

I live in a town of 15,000 people, on a lake in Northeast Michigan. The average household income here is just $29,000. And we have it all: double digit unemployment, diabetes, smoking and obesity rates.

But I have beaten the odds by assembling a world-class team and building a world-class health club that brings sunshine to my community.

How do we do this? We’ve figured out that it’s better to celebrate people more than pounds.

I’m really happy in my career. I spend my summers at a cottage on the lake, I enjoy date night once a week with my husband, and I walk my own two kids to school every morning.

But as a fitness entrepreneur, it has not always been this way. A few years ago it hit me: I was burnt out. I was gaining weight, I was losing sleep, my eating habits were terrible, my relationships were suffering. I was losing sight of why I got in the business.

But remember, I opened my own business so I could be in charge of my own life, not so my life would be running me!

But one morning at 6 A.M., after just 3 hours of sleep, I was leading a boot camp workout, and I brought no energy, no humor, no excitement—nothing that people were used to from me.

I needed to make a change. It was simple, really. I just sought the guidance of those in the industry who were doing better than I was–who were leading from the top.

I asked their advice, I sought their mentorship, and I put it into action.

Guess what? It has worked for me. Today, my health club is thriving, I’ve opened a second location, my team is growing, and our impact in the community is profound.

I’ve created a corporate wellness program that I sell around the world that makes corporate fitness fun and not so bland.

I own an at home, online fitness business that helps fitness professionals at any level, all over the country, open a business with far less risk and less investment.

If any of these sound good to you—if they’re resonating with you right now–it’s time that you and I connect.

All I need you to do is leave me your name and email, better yet your cellphone. And I will personally connect with you one on one.

What are you waiting for? It took me making one phone call to one leader in the fitness business for me to change my business, and I’m ready to help coach you to better change as well.

But what we’ve all come to realize is that she’s more that a fitness rock star — she’s a savvy business woman, devoted wife, loyal friend and hands-on mother of two kids. She makes us all better in those areas with her no-nonsense advice. Here is my list (off the top of my head!) of what I’ve learned from Chalene. Read carefully, each of these could change your life.

• Know your priorties.
• Write them down.
• Create a daily list.
• Say “no.” 
• Stay true to yourself.
• Love your family.
• Stop dieting.
• Pick your friends wisely.
• Protect your energy.
• Give more to your workouts.
• Make peace with people.
• Listen more.
• Talk less.
• Be real.
• Get therapy.

As a business owner, I learned one other key piece of advice from Chalene that has truly made me hundreds of thousands of dollars and taken me farther than I could have imagined in my community and my career.
What is it? “Fitness is a party and you have to invite people to it.”

It means so much more than those simple words. To me, it means that fitness should be a benefit in our life, not a burden. It means that moving to music just feels good. It means that everyone loves to party — our job is to create the opportunity for them to do it. It means that people are scared and skeptical and need to be invited to fitness with a smile. It means that fitness isn’t exclusive.  It means that every day is a great day for a party.

I have created an award-winning health club, a thriving coaching business and lead a world-class team. I carry Chalene’s advice in my head and heart daily.
Cheers to amazing mentors and living a fit life!
http://TrinaGrayFitness.com

1. Sweet Potatoes. Also marketed as yams (which are actually a variety of sweet potato), this versatile food is as nutritious as it is economical. Sweet potatoes are used in everything from baby food to main dishes to desserts.Why they’re good for you: At about 140 calories each, sweet potatoes are filling, easy to cook, and loaded with vitamins A and C, iron, and thiamine. They also contain beta-carotene, which may help reduce the risk of certain cancers. Sweet potatoes are also low in sodium and a good source of fiber
2. Best way to enjoy: Scrub and pierce the sweet potatoes, then bake them, microwave them, or cook them in boiling water. Use them in recipes that call specifically for sweet potatoes, or to make things interesting, try using them in place of white potatoes. For a special treat (and an instant kid-pleaser), add a small amount of butter and brown sugar
3. Beans Beans. Long regarded as one of the ultimate frugal foods, beans are as versatile as they are nutritious, with a plethora of flavors, colors, and varieties to choose from. Stock up on the dried (and cheapest!) kind, as well as still-a-bargain canned beans. You’ll have tons of cheap, healthy meal possibilities.Why they’re good for you: Beans are one of the best sources of dietary fiber, which can help lower cholesterol, blood pressure, and blood sugar. Beans are also high in amino acids, and when combined with grains (like the brown rice mentioned below), they make an excellent source of animal-free complete protein.Best way to enjoy: Beans can be incorporated into almost any recipe, or just eaten by themselves. Try replacing beef with black beans in chili, soup, or your favorite Mexican recipes. Eat beans hot or cold, alone, in salads, or with rice, for a high-protein, high-fiber meal.
4. Brown rice. One 2-pound bag of brown rice can provide as many as 20 servings. You can combine brown rice with an assortment of other ingredients, or simply enjoy it with a few simple seasonings. Bonus? Brown rice has more flavor and nutrients than instant white rice.Why it’s good for you: Brown rice is a great source of fiber, vitamin B, iron, manganese, and selenium, nutrients that are essential for keeping the immune system strong and healthy, lowering cholesterol, and reducing the risk of heart disease and diabetes.Best way to enjoy: Cook brown rice with water on the stovetop, in the microwave, or in a rice cooker, then either enjoy it as a side dish or add it to soups, salads, and your favorite main dish recipes.
5. Brown Eggs. At about 75 calories each and often less than $2 per dozen, eggs contain more than a dozen essential nutrients, which make them a healthy bargain. And there’s no need to avoid eating eggs for fear of consuming too much cholesterol. Research has shown that egg consumption, when limited to 1 or 2 a day, contributes less than 1 percent to the risk of heart disease when other factors are considered.Why it’s good for you: Eggs have a high proportion of nutrients to calories, which means that they help you stay feeling full and energized while they help you maintain a healthy weight. Eggs are also an excellent source of folate, protein, lutein (which promotes eye health), and choline (which helps brain function).Best way to enjoy: Eat eggs for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Try them baked, hard-boiled, scrambled, poached, in frittatas, in omelettes, or in any recipe you choose.
6. Whole-grain pasta. Tasty, filling, and always an economical way to feed a crowd, what’s not to love about pasta?Why it’s good for you: Whole-grain pasta is low in sodium and fat and high in complex carbohydrates, which helps you maintain a consistent energy level. Unlike its refined white flour–based brethren, whole-grain pasta is also a good source of fiber.Best way to enjoy: Whole-grain pasta is easy to combine with other foods, including vegetables, meats, and your favorite sauces. For a healthier dish, toss cooked pasta with olive oil or a marinara sauce instead of a high-calorie Alfredo sauce.
7. Frozen Vegetables. While fresh, raw vegetables (and fruits, for that matter) that are in season should always be a first choice, having a supply of frozen vegetables on hand is an inexpensive, nutritious, and versatile backup plan.Why they’re good for you: Frozen vegetables retain almost all of their nutritional value, since they’re picked and frozen while at their peak flavor. When the perishables in your refrigerator have, well, perished, it’s easy to reach for a bag of frozen vegetables and add them to any meal.Best way to enjoy: Frozen vegetables have a high nutritional value. Keep them in the freezer and pull them out any time to toss in soups, stews, lasagna, or stir-frys. They also make great side dishes. But always read the ingredients before buying a bag—some food companies add preservatives and sodium to their frozen produce.

By Suzy Buglewicz

By Denis Faye

When you’re trying to eat right, it seems like no matter what positive action you take, there’s something you miss. You eat organic, but then you forget to eat local. You load up on fruits and veggies, but you end up with a bunch of wasteful, unrecyclable packaging. You buy cruelty-free foods, only to learn that you’re exploiting some poor Guatemalan farm worker.

And to top this all off, when you show the slightest inclination toward socially responsible eating, friends and family can often freak out and assume you’re going all hippie on them. They don’t seem to understand that just because you don’t want to consume pesticides and GMOs, it doesn’t mean you’ve become a recruiting agent for the Communist party.

Lucid Food
Hopefully, an afternoon spent perusing Louisa Shafia’s Lucid Food should go a long way toward helping you deal with both issues. Although at its core it’s a cookbook, it’s also filled with lessons on how to eat in a way that will nourish both you and the planet. Furthermore, it should also help you in dealing with your more dietetically uptight acquaintances, with several hosting suggestions that’ll have even the most conservative dinner party guests coming back to the buffet for more.

The beginning of the book, “Eco-Kitchen Basics,” features a huge list of ways to do the right thing when it comes to food. The nice thing about this list is that it’s broken down into simple tips. It may seem overwhelming at first, but no one expects you to transform into an eco-warrior overnight. Just go through and pick a few tips that work for you. For example, “Serve seasonal produce” and “Carry your own silverware.” Once you’ve mastered those two, grab a few more. The end of the section contains a useful glossary, so you can figure out what terms like “carbon footprint” and “locavore” really mean.

November SquashNext come the recipes. They’re divided into four sections: fall, winter, spring, and summer. The recipes in each section use foods typically available in that season, such as cherries in the summer and citrus fruits in the winter. Also, the foods are appropriate to the weather outside. Cold December nights call for Creamy Red Kuri Squash Soup and Mediterranean Shepherd’s Pie. Pleasant spring afternoons call for Sassafras Tea and Stinging Nettle Pesto with Seared Scallops.

Each chapter is also peppered with thought-provoking essays, like “No-Waste Entertaining” and “Gardening, Anywhere.” As you may have figured from the names of recipes mentioned previously, one drawback of this book is some of the more obscure ingredients required, like lemon balm leaves and garlic ramps (which are a kind of wild leek grown from South Carolina to Canada). Fortunately, many of the recipes feature more standard foods, and you can always improvise a little if need be. The Orecchiette with Morel Mushrooms and Garlic Ramps will work fine with regular leeks, thank you very much. (And orecchiette is just a fancy kind of shell pasta.)

Woman with Green Leafy VegetablesLucid Food isn’t a centerpiece cookbook, like Mark Bittman’s How to Cook Everything series, but it’s a welcome addition to anyone’s collection, provided that person cares about food, where it’s grown, and what it does to his or her body.

Questions about your workout program, diet, the latest newsletter, or anything wellness related? Chat with Denis Faye, Beachbody Fitness Advisor, in the Team Beachbody Chat Room on Monday, September 26th, at 3:00 PM ET, 12:00 PM PT.

If you’d like to ask a question or comment on this newsletter article, just email us at mailbag@TeamBeachbody.com.