This easy meal has just four main ingredients and is hearty, healthy and adaptable. Built-in portion control is an added bonus!
Navigating the road to delicious, well-balanced nutrition can seem like an endless mission riddled with potholes and obstacles. So today’s nourishing recipe is paired with wisdom from a special guest, Nutritionist and Food Freedom expert, Nicole Hagen, who shares helpful insight and easy-to-implement strategies to keep us feeling and looking like our best self.
I first met Nicole when she was a college student, struggling with her own eating issues. She used her personal challenges as fuel to learn more and help others. Years later, Nicole is a sports nutritionist with LG Health, health coach and one of the smartest, most beautiful souls I know.
Nicole’s positive energy and can-do mentality is infectious. When she talks about food and health, I inevitably find myself wishing I could record her words and share them with my readers.
Well guess what? Today is the day!
Nicole is sharing her professional knowledge, unique perspective and a handful of helpful strategies as they relate to the concept of dieting. I will circle back when it’s time for the recipe, but for now, I’d like to introduce you to Nicole…
You didn’t fail the diet, the diet failed you.
by Nicole Hagen
It’s mid February. We’re nearly eight weeks into the New Year and, if you’re like most people, you’re feeling defeated because you’ve already failed your diet resolution. Whether your goal was to cut out carbs, eliminate sweets or to start calorie counting (again!), you’re already in need of a reboot.
Or maybe you’re thinking, “What’s the point? It never sticks anyway. Shouldn’t I be able to eat the food I like and enjoy my life!?”
My answer is a resounding, YES! But before you resign to give up entirely, let me ask you this question: What if you didn’t fail the diet. What if the diet failed you?
You saw a need for change, you set a goal, you rallied all your good intentions and picked a plan that you thought would get you there. Only it didn’t. And it left you feeling worse off than before.
Sound familiar?
In my 6+ years as a nutrition coach I’ve come to realize that it’s not the people who fail, it’s the programs we subscribe to. They’re rigid, full of restricting rules and advocate for a one-size-fits all approach.
But guess what? Your body, your needs, your preferences, your lifestyle is unique to you and only you. So doesn’t it make sense that the nutrition strategy you choose to help reach your goal is too?
5 Not-So-Secrets to Sustainable Fat Loss (i.e results that stick)
- Expand your all-or-nothing thinking: Good versus bad. Black versus white. On a diet versus off the wagon. All versus nothing. Life doesn’t happen in these binary constructs, and this mindset sets us up for disappointment. Instead of trying to execute a goal perfectly or to eat the best you possibly can, aim instead for “a little more, a little better”.
- Expect that failure is a part of the process: Instead of viewing failure as “falling off the wagon” or an automatic “go back to home” card, think of it as helpful feedback. Ask yourself, “What can I learn from this situation? And how can I change my environment/behavior so it’s less likely to happen in the future?”
- Start small: Throw out the idea perpetuated by diet culture that a diet has to be a complete “eat this, not that” overhaul. Instead, start with one small change and you are guaranteed to be exponentially more successful. From there, grow your consistency before increasing in complexity.
- Accept that the perfect program can’t be found, but rather, the perfect program is created: Instead of trying to fit your unique body, needs, preferences and lifestyle into a rigid set of rules, create your own sustainable style of eating that allows you to enjoy what’s important to you while still seeing progress towards your goals.
- Find your support squad: Accountability ensures action. Find a friend, family member or coach who can check-in, offer support and act as a sounding board. Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Clearly communicate what you need. Share your wins. Talk through your stumbling blocks.
Creating and navigating a nutrition strategy that works for you and your body amidst the myriad of quick fixes, fads and short-term solutions can be confusing. We’re not alone.
Nicole welcomes questions. Feel free to ask questions in the comment section below－she will answer them for us! I’ve also included her contact information below, as well as links to her coaching website and blog. You can also follow Nicole on Facebook and Instagram.
(This is Ann again. ) Given our mutual interest in health, nutrition and enjoying what we eat, Nicole and I talk a lot about food. The dessert lover in me has long appreciated Nicole’s realistic approach to eating: nothing is off limits and there should be no guilt.
We both know that half the battle to eating well is finding the time to cook. Excessive portions and empty calories are far more prevalent－and often unintentional－when we eat on the fly.
Consequently, we can never have too many quick and easy recipes that are equal parts healthy and satisfying. All the better when those recipes are flexible, make use of leftovers and reheat well.
Enter BBQ Chicken Stuffed Sweet Potatoes. They call for just four main ingredients and provide serious fill factor thanks to a balance of complex carbs, lean protein and plenty of flavor.
Simple meal prep and portability make this recipe ideal for packed lunches or quick reheating at the end of a long day.
Some diets these days rule out dairy and potatoes or place BBQ sauce off limits. Yet all these things can play a role in a really healthy lifestyle. And if we forego the all-or-nothing approach to eating, we might ultimately achieve more of our health and fitness goals.
In other words (and borrowing from Nicole’s methodology), if we aren’t completely rigid in our thinking, maybe the diet won’t fail us!
I’ve always liked this recipe because it’s a source of healthy carbs, contains lean, filling protein and is portion controlled. The less nutrient dense components (the sauce and the cheese) provide flavor that makes the eating experience enjoyable but are held to a reasonable level.
Nicole whole-heartedly agreed and said she especially liked that the recipe is “easy, convenient and super tasty.”
A welcome balance of sweet and savory makes sweet potatoes my top pick for the base of this meal. Of course, because sweet potatoes are the bane of my younger son’s existence….there is an alternative! ⇩
What we like about BBQ Chicken Stuffed Potatoes:
- Short ingredient list
- Recipe can be scaled for one person or a large family
- All-in-one meal with a balance of protein, carbs and fat
- Leftover chicken can be incorporated
- Can be meal prepped for work lunches, quick dinners, etc.
- And in Nicole’s words: “easy, convenient and super tasty!”
BBQ Chicken Stuffed Potatoes
Ingredients
- 1 medium-sized sweet potato* (about 8-10 ounces; could sub baking potato), washed and dried
- 1 cup (about 4 ounces) cooked and shredded chicken
- 2-3 tablespoons barbecue sauce, or to taste (homemade or Sweet Baby’s Ray’s for a favorite store-bought sauce)
- 2 tablespoons shredded cheddar cheese (smoked cheddar is a nice option; may omit entirely for a dairy-free meal)
- Optional toppings: pickled red onions (Link recipe) or minced onion, scallions or chives; hot or sweet peppers; chopped avocado; chopped cilantro
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F, and pierce the potato several times with a fork. Place the potato on a foil-lined baking sheet and roast for 45 minutes to 1 hour and 15 minutes, depending on size of potato and individual oven, or until a knife can be easily inserted into the center. (Quick prep option: You may microwave the pierced potato until tender, and/or cook more than one when scaling the recipe for a family or for food prep option.)
- In a small bowl, combine the chicken with the BBQ sauce to coat. For sweet potatoes (my personal favorite), I like a light to medium coating of sauce but find a heavier coating works better for baking potatoes to fully moisten their somewhat drier flesh.
- Slice the potato lengthwise and then press the ends towards each other to help open it. (Tip: At this point, I fluff up the flesh with a fork so that BBQ mixture better integrates and flavors the potato. This also expedites cooling, as potatoes tend to really retain heat.) Fill the opening with BBQ chicken, and then top with the shredded cheese. Switch to the broil setting and broil, watching carefully, until the cheese has melted (I broil from the middle rack to avoid burning the cheese), and then serve with toppings of choice.
Notes
Nicole Cascio Hagen, MSc
Nutrition Coaching with Nicole
Sports Nutritionist at Lancaster General Health
Nicole and I both welcome questions and feedback, so feel free to join the conversation via the comment section below.
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