I dipped into a little bit of a funk this week, maybe a combination
of too much news watching and too little sunshine and warmth
up here in the northlands of Minnesota!  So, sometimes we need to
create our own “sunshine” and for me that is cooking or baking something
new!  Thanks to an email I received from my daughter Michele, I did
not have to look to far for a new recipe!   Michele reads the blog A Cup of Jo at
joannagoddard.blogspot.com, which is adorable, and her latest post
featured a sausage, chard, and lemon lasagna recipe from Martha Stewart Living!
I never knew you could eat lemon rind, much less put it in lasagna, but
it was amazing.  You slice the lemon really thin, put the slices in a pan of
water and bring to a boil, then simmer for 7 minutes.  Next time I will
cook 2 lemons, because I devoured most of the slices before putting together
the lasagna!  This is my adapted version of the recipe: 

Sausage, rainbow chard, and lemon lasagna  -  serves 4

3 tbsp. unsalted butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 cups whole milk
2-3 cups grated gruyere cheese (even more if desired!)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 bunches rainbow Swiss chard
12 oz. chicken sausage (can be flavored with sun-dried tomatoes)
1 lemon, sliced thin
1/2 pkg. no-boil lasagna noodles (love Archer Farm’s whole wheat
from Target)

Melt butter in a saucepan over med. high heat.  Stir in flour, reduce
heat and cook for 2 minutes.  Whisk in milk, increase heat and bring
to a boil while stirring.  Reduce heat and simmer for 1 minute.
Remove from heat and add 1 cup of cheese, 1/2 tsp. salt, and 1/4 tsp.
pepper.  Add chard, which has been cut into strips (stems included!)
and rinsed in a colander.  (Don’t be afraid of greens like I used to be -
I grew up with the image of greens cooked for hours with a ham
hock, whatever that is, but now I love all greens and they only need
to be cooked until tender!)

Put lemon slices in a saucepan and cover with 3 inches of water.
Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and let simmer for 7 minutes.  Using
a slotted spoon, transfer to a plate lined with a paper towel. 

Remove sausage from casing and pinch into pieces and cook over
med. high heat in a skillet until browned, about 4-5 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Butter an 8 inch square glass baking
dish (or something comparable) and spread 1/2 cup sauce onto
bottom of pan.  Top with 2 uncooked lasagna noodles, then half
of the sausage, 1 cup of the chard sauce and 1 cup of the gruyere.
Repeat noodles, remainder of sausage, 1 cup of sauce, gruyere, then
top with half of the lemons.  Repeat 2 noodles, remainder of sauce,
gruyere and top with remainder of lemons!  Cover with foil and
bake for 35 minutes.  Remove foil and bake additional 10 minutes.
Turn on the broiler and let the top brown, about 2 minutes.  Keep
an eye on this part!  Remove and serve with a green salad, or do as
we do and eat a big piece of lasagna with a glass of red wine and
follow with a piece of dessert!  Double yum!!

Feeling overwhelmed with the news out of Japan and wondering how
to help?  I know I have been feeling that way.  Find a way to spread “love”
and be mindful of not just getting caught up in the fear, because it can
be very contagious and certainly not helpful to anyone. 
What does that mean in less abstract terms?  Maybe turn off the news and
go online to donate.  I just happened to look at chocolateandzucchini.com
(my second favorite food blog!) and read about a couple of food bloggers
who have set up donation pages within their blogs!  How great is that?
I clicked on Tamami Haga’s (cocoandme.com) FirstGiving page which
donates directly to Save the Children.  In fact, Tamami will match your
donation!

Every little bit does make a difference!  And giving is the best way of
ensuring your own prosperity.  Giving does not deplete, in fact, when
giving with an open heart,  a space is created in which more “good”
will return!

Just a tip, so as not to get overwhelmed.  If you are unable to break the
snack habit, and you are wanting some crackers or chips, etc., make
yourself put them in a bowl and sit down to eat them and try to have just
one bowl!  Instead of an unconscious act of grabbing a handful of chips,
you will turn the snack into a mini-meal!  When you become conscious
of what you eat, you will have more control.
Oh, and it’s fun to collect pretty bowls – my Mom gave me these fun bowls
from one of my favorite stores – Anthropologie!

Why plan v?  What is plan v? V stands for many things, but the first
word that comes to my mind is vitality, which means liveliness and
don’t we all want to feel lively?  I know I do.

How do we get that feeling?  First and foremost I would have to say
to start the day feeling grateful for what you already have, then
continue to give thanks all day long, as many times as you remember
to do so.  Even if it means being thankful for waking up to a sunny day
or finding a parking space when the lot appears to be full!

For a less abstract way to go about your day, I would suggest eating
what you crave!  I do just that every single day and  feel satisfied
and energetic, never obsessing about food, never feeling deprived and
not bothering with calorie counting or weighing my food or myself!

I am not model thin either, but I am happy being slim enough!  I like
my size and therefore I suggest beginning by picking a size you want
to be and keeping this knowledge to yourself.!  Your size is no one else’s
business, especially those closest to you.  Now be honest with yourself
and select a size that is comfortable, not one where you have to starve
and deprive yourself to stay there.  I am talking about creating a life
of ease, instead of dis-ease!

If you are wanting to lose weight AND maintain that weight, I suggest
finding a pair of pants one size smaller than you are right now (don’t
worry you will get to your desired size, but no need to overwhelm
yourself) and trying these on every few days and you will find them
fitting soon if you follow plan v.  When those pants fit, if you are still
desiring to lose weight, find the next size down, and keep trying them
on every couple of days or so, and you will find them fitting soon!

Now for the nuts and bolts of the plan.  I did say that you can eat what
you crave and the only caveat is creating some structure in your day,
so that you keep on track.  In fact, I have found that I am happiest in
my “eating” life when I know there is some structure in place.  I suggest
eating 3 times a day and eliminate snacking.  Simply put, this plan is
for those who want to enjoy a good meal, then keep your lips zipped
to food until the next good meal!  It does take some discipline in the
beginning, but the reward of eating what you crave daily will be
incentive enough to do that.

Now begin today eating what you crave!  If you are reading this in the
afternoon, plan what you would like to have for dinner based on what
s0unds good.  Then, stop at the store to gather ingredients or go to a
restaurant to get take out, or maybe even a dinner out would be nice!
If you are at home, check your cabinets and fridge to see what you
already have and build a meal from that - one that sounds good.  Part
of this plan involves cultivating a love for fresh fruits and vegetables!
We really need the vitamins and fiber and they are just so delicious, so
keep that in mind and start buying whatever looks good and fresh at
the store, then incorporating them into your daily meals!

Whatever you have decided to eat, put it on a plate and eat the whole
thing!  Enjoy every bite!  Then stop!  I have to have a piece of dessert
after dinner.  This is non-negotiable!  So, I have my dinner, then a piece
of dessert and those who know me can attest to its generous size!  After
dinner and dessert, I stop.  No more bites of anything!  Just water with
lemon, preferably or some hot tea.  I drink lots of hot tea, all year around.
This is just very comforting and good for you, as tea is full of antioxidants.
I have another secret which I will divulge later to help you lose weight and
keep you healthy, but to continue with weight loss, you may be thinking
“how am I going to lose weight?”  You do have to use some common sense
when it comes to eating.  If you are craving a plate of pasta for dinner, have
a full bowl of pasta, but leave off the bread and butter.  I promise you won’t
miss it if you let yourself have what it is you truly want.  Maybe what you
want is the bread and butter, so have it and eat a salad and grilled fish or
chicken.  The key is skimping or eliminating what you don’t want and eating
what you do want!  It takes some practice to do this.  We are not used to
eating this way.  All the diets say you can’t have dessert or pasta or pizza,
but this is not a diet, it is simply a new way of life that affirms what you want.
When you have what you want, it is easy to let go of the junk that just adds
extra weight we don’t need to carry.

I also call this plan “freedom within limits”.  You are free to choose what you
want to eat, but you must eat at a mealtime, make a satisfying portion, eat
all of it, then STOP.  No snacking between meals, unless you want a sort of
planned snack as a mealtime.  Or cut up a bowl full of raw vegetables and
have at it!  You just need some structure to ensure you won’t snack the
whole afternoon or evening away!  And if potato chips are your downfall,
keep them out of sight until you can build the discipline not to grab a handful
or two when you walk into the house or kitchen!  Breaking this one habit alone
would probably cut out enough calories in a year, so that you could eat
whatever you crave at meals and your excess weight would drop right off
without doing anything else.

I have two more secrets up my sleeve.  The first is to walk every day that you
can or get on the elliptical or treadmill for 30 minutes if the weather isn’t
cooperating.  Just getting some form of movement everyday is essential to
feeling vibrant and looking good!  Do what you love, because it won’t be
a burden.  I enjoy walking when the weather is nice, but I also will put on some
music and dance in the house!  So what!  I also enjoy the elliptical machine, while
watching my favorite food network show, Barefoot Contessa!  Keep it fun for you
and it won’t be a chore.

The second and essential secret to staying slender and healthy and vibrant is
drinking a can or two of Verve a day!  What is Verve?  It is an “insanely healthy
energy” drink  made by the Vemma Nutrition Company.  I love drinking 1-2
sugar free Verve drinks a day and find that my metabolism and energy level,
as well as my immune system are given a healthy boost every day!!!!

Good luck with plan v!  Please feel free to email me with any questions about
Verve – especially how to order it!  I would also love to help you tailor plan v
to fit your individual lifestyle.  You can reach me at debbiebrodsky@charter.net.
Hope to hear from you!!!  Remember to eat what you crave and leave off the rest!

The smallish pancake restaurant across from our hotel in Chicago
admittedly did catch my eye when we checked in late last Friday
afternoon, and thanks to the good judgement of my 7 year old son,
we headed across the street on the last day of a really nice weekend
in the Windy City.  I love pancakes, but somehow manage to talk myself
out of them whenever the opportunity presents itself.  Too much indulging
over the weekend was my latest argument.  Happily,  the kid in me was
only too happy to indulge my real child, who not only wanted pancakes,
but an order of hashbrowns on the side.  If you are in Chicago, please go to
the Original Pancake House on Bellevue.  It won’t disappoint.  And yes there
will be a wait, but as a fellow customer told us on his way out, “the line goes
fast and it is worth the wait!”

I promptly resurrected this recipe from my file box when we returned from
our trip.  Hope you will not talk yourself out of enjoying these on a leisurely
weekend morning!  Just go for a longer walk or run later in the day.  Enjoy!

pumpkin pancakes

try these now while pumpkins are prevalent!

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tbsp. sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp.cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
whisk above ingredients together and in a separate bowl,
stir together:
1 cup milk
6 tbsp. canned pumpkin puree
2 tbsp. melted butter
1 egg
1 tsp. orange zest
Fold this mixture into dry ingredients.  Melt some butter in a
skillet over med. heat; pour in 1/4 cup batter for each pancake.
Cook pancakes about 3 min. per side;  serve with warmed
maple syrup.  Yum!

I came across a recipe for meatballs in the Oct. 2010 issue of ”Bon Appetit”
magazine during a recent flight to New York City, and maybe I was “low in iron”
and needing the meat, but I could not get their image out of my mind.
Yes, I was obsessed with the idea of making delicious meatballs
and spaghetti, which gave me something to look forward to doing
after a wonderful time  in my most  favorite city in the world!  I took
the magazine to the grocery store and snatched up the ingredients, then
went home to duplicate the recipe and I will give credit to Molly Wizenberg
of the blog “Orangette” and the author of A Homemade Life.  When I
arrived at the point of cooking the meatballs in the tomato sauce, I fondly
remembered a meatball recipe from a Williams-Sonoma catalogue,
which I had made a time or two for our dinner & movie club back in
Little Rock!  We were all enthusiastic eaters and the meatballs were
met with an appropiate amount of appreciation, to which I attribute
the outer “melt in your mouth”  brown crust of the meatballs (and well, the
surprise cube of cheese inside each one).  So, I decided to saute the meatballs
then finish cooking them in the sauce per Miss Wizenberg’s recipe.  Please give
this one a try and you will discover that it makes so many meatballs, you
will have plenty leftover to freeze.   It’s the recipe that keeps on giving!

Meatballs & Sauce

2 cups of fresh breadcrumbs (use your food processor)
2/3 cup milk
1 lb. ground beef
1 lb. ground pork
2 cups finely ground (again use the processor) Parmesan
   cheese
2/3 cup Italian parsley, finely chopped
2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper
4 large eggs
4 garlic cloves, minced
olive oil for sauteeing
1 yellow onion, diced
1 1/2 – 2 jars of tomato sauce (I like Archer Farms brand from Target)
1 lb. whole wheat spaghetti
freshly grated Parmesan cheese for the table!

In a large bowl, combine milk and bread crumbs.  Let sit 10
minutes to absorb, then add meats, cheese, parsley, salt and
pepper.  Whisk eggs with a fork, add garlic, then add both to
meat mixture.  Using your hands, mix the meat until all
ingredients are evenly combined (do not overmix).  Chill
mixture at least 15 minutes.  Remove from fridge and form
into 2 inch balls.  Chill again for 5-10 minutes.  Place the ones
to be frozen in large ziploc bags and lay flat in freezer.  Heat
1/4 inch olive oil in a non-stick saute pan over med. high heat. 
Brown meatballs 1 minute per side.  Remove and let rest on
a paper towel lined plate.  Pour out excess oil, leaving enough
to saute the onion for 6-7 minutes over med. heat.  Add the
tomato sauce, season with 1/2 tsp. salt and 1/4 tsp. pepper; add
meatballs, cover and reduce heat to med. low and let cook 20-25
min.  While the meatballs are simmering, cook the spaghetti in
a separate pot and drain.  Serve meatballs and sauce over the pasta
with a hunk of Parmesan cheese and a grater at the table.   Enjoy!

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut in half then into 4-5
    pieces
1 tsp. salt, 1/2 tsp. course black pepper
1 tbsp. flour
3-4 tbsp. olive oil
3 heads of garlic, each broken into individual cloves
1 1/2 cups white wine
3/4-1  cup  heavy cream
2-3 tbsp. fresh thyme
salt and pepper to taste

good sourdough bread, cut into thick slices
olive oil

This recipe is an adaptation of Ina Garten’s “Chicken with 40
Cloves of Garlic”.  I love watching “Barefoot Contessa” and
I love cooking from Ina’s many cookbooks.  She is such a
warm and friendly presence on her show that I feel like she
is a friend.  I love the way she cooks and entertains her friends
in such a relaxed, casually elegant manner.  And Ina loves orange
tulips, one of my favorite colors and flowers! 

Let’s begin cooking – if you love garlic, this will become one
of your favorite recipes.
Prepare the garlic by separating the cloves from each head, not
peeling though.  Bring a pot of water to boil and drop in the cloves
for 60 seconds, then pour in a colander and rinse with cold water.
Peel all cloves and set aside.
Cut the chicken into pieces and sprinkle with salt and pepper, then
flour and mix with your hands to coat all pieces.  Heat olive oil in
a skillet and saute the chicken for about 3-4 minutes on each side,
until golden in color.  Remove to a plate.  Saute the garlic cloves in
the same pan (do not rinse – you will want the tasty bits from the
chicken) over med. heat for 1-2 minutes, then add the wine and turn
up heat a bit a let the wine reduce and scrape the golden bits from the
pan.  Add the cream and bring to a boil and cover to steam the
garlic cloves for 2-3 minutes.  Season the sauce with salt, pepper and
fresh thyme.  Add the chicken, check the seasoning and consistency
of the sauce, adding more cream as necessary.  Serve over bruschetta -
heat oven to 400 degrees, drizzle olive oil over both sides of bread
and bake for 7-8 minutes until golden.  Add a steamed or roasted
vegetable for a complete meal.  Enjoy!

2 cloves of garlic, minced
2-3 tbsp. olive oil
2 cups arborio rice
1 cup white wine
1 32 oz. box chicken or beef broth (I usually have
   two on hand as I may use an extra cup or so of broth)
1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. coarse black pepper

2 bunches of kale

Cut each bunch of kale into julienne strips, then rinse
in a colander.  Bring about 2 inches of water to boil in
a large pot with a lid, add 2 tsp. salt, then the kale and
bring back to a boil, cover with a lid, reduce heat to low
and cook 20-25 minutes or until tender; drain in colander
and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process.
Set aside.

Use the same pot to cook the risotto, rinsing as needed.
Heat olive oil in the pan over med. high heat, add garlic
and stir 1-2 minutes until it takes on a little color.  Add
rice and stir until all grains are coated.  Reduce heat to
low, add white wine, stirring until evaporated.  Set the timer
for 20  minutes  (the time for the risotto to cook).
Begin adding the broth about 1/2 cup at a time and stir until
it is absorbed.  Then continue adding the broth, stirring until
absorbed and repeat this process until the rice is tender (again
about 20-25 minutes).  Season with salt and pepper.  Add the kale
and parmesan and more broth if rice is too dry.  You want a
nice, creamy texture, not too dry-not too soupy!  You can also
make it ahead and just reheat adding more broth as necessary.

I used to be so afraid of making risotto, thinking that the measure-
ments had to be so exact, but this time I just poured in half the bag
of rice, used the wine I had on hand, which was a little more than
a cup!  The rest went smoothly and we ate risotto two nights in a
row.  Yum!

Create your own mood rather than letting it create you!
I just returned from a week in Seattle and San Francisco and
even though the purpose of the trip was in part a somber one,
I still enjoyed being in those two cities!  It is easy to be in a
good mood when things are going well and you are doing things
you love; however when the weather is unexpectedly cold and
rainy, it is so easy to let yourself fall into a mini-funk!  Unless you
happen to enjoy a rainy day.  Sadly, I do not fall into that category
and the sun more or less dictates my moods.
Yesterday was one of those cold and cloudy days and although it
was the first day of first grade for my son and the first day of a new
job for my oldest daughter and I am sure a notable day of some sort
for my youngest daughter, I was starting to slide into a gloomy mood!
I really did not want to spend the day feeling out of sorts, so I began
recalling all of the things that I love to do and going to the Modern Art
Museum in San Francisco is high on that list as well as having lunch
and coffee in the museum cafe.  Just going and having a cup of coffee
in an environment that makes you feel good is another favorite and
usually guarantees to elevate the mood!  So, if you find yourself feeling
blah, make a mental or written list of the things you love to do and then
by all means do one when you can find a free moment.  And if you do
not feel you have a free moment, create one by letting something small
on your to-do list slide.  Sometimes we get going at such a fast pace that
our to-do lists control us rather than the other way around!
So, remember today to create a “do what you love” list and then
do what you love!

Are you tired of traditional dieting?  Maybe, maybe not.  It does work.
But it does seem like work.  Have you seen Jillian and the contestants on
The Biggest Loser?  She does motivate people to lose weight, but
where is the joy and the freedom?  And what happens to those people
when the diet is over?  Are they secretly plotting revenge and planning
on eating all of the forbidden foods again?  Even Valerie Bertinelli, who
is adorable and still looks good after Jenny Craig-ing it, is starting to fill
out a little.  Who can maintain counting calories or eating only packaged
food in a world where good food is so prevalent and junk food even more
so?
If you are looking for a saner, more livable solution to eating the foods
you love and fitting into your favorite clothes, then you are at the right
place at exactly the right time.  Look  no more.  Relax and allow yourself
to make a few small changes in your approach to food and not only will
your favorite jeans fit, but you will have made peace with a huge part of
your life, because we do have to eat to live!  But I think it is more fun to
find a way to live to eat!
First, you must let go of the solutions (diets) that worked in the past.
It is always tempting to harken back to past soutions to present problems,
but if you are finding yourself  repeating the same problem, now is the time
for a new and permanent solution.  The operative word is NOW.  Make
the commitment to start today, especially when it comes to changing
eating habits.  Don’t make the mistake of procrastinating and eating all
the forbidden foods today and gaining a pound or two, because I guarantee
you won’t feel any more motivated to start tomorrow.  You will only feel
worse about the situation because you will be and feel heavier.  The goal is
to be and feel lighter, so let’s get started now.  The nice thing about this
plan is that there are NO forbidden foods.  How exciting is that?
Enough rambling – let’s get started!

1.  Throw away your bathroom scales!  Yes, I am giving you permission
to toss them out the door or window, or better yet give them away.  Stop
measuring yourself, stop measuring your food and just start eating the
foods you love in a way that makes you feel in control.  I will get to the how,
don’t worry.

2.  Pick a pair of your favorite jeans or pants and use them as your guide to
becoming the size you want to be.  Now instead of weighing yourself, try on
the jeans and if they fit and they are the size you desire to be, you are eating
in balance.  Just keep doing what you are doing and remember to try on those
jeans every couple of days or so to let you know if you are on the right eating
path!
If your jeans are snug or you can’t even pull them over your ankles, don’t
despair.  There is hope and it starts right at this moment!  You are going to
make a shift in the way you eat.  You will not deny yourself any of your
favorite foods, so don’t make a mad dash to the pantry and start getting in
a last minute “before the diet begins” snack fix.  You won’t enjoy what you
are eating and then you will feel guilty and heavy and the negative cycle
begins again.  Instead, make a firm commitment to not put anything in
your mouth outside of a “meal”, which leads to step 3.  Make a “pact” with
yourself to stop eating out of the pantry.  We’ve all done it or do it, so no
need to be hard on yourself, just gradually stop going to the pantry and
grabbing the chips or cookies and eating while standing.  It just does not
seem to register in your brain that you have eaten something if you stand
and eat.  If you are having a hard time breaking the snacking habit, have
a certain time each day, say in the afternoon where you go to the fridge and
pull out a bowl of fresh cherries or a box of raspberries or even do the vegetable
thing and sit down to a huge bowl of raw carrots, celery, broccoli, cherry tomatoes
and have a field day, eat as much as you want.  This will actually be very good for
you as we need the vitamins, minerals, and fiber, and the caloric content will
low.  So, make a date with yourself everyday and eat the fruits and vegetables,
but make sure to gradually shift from eating out of the fridge to sitting at the table
or at least sitting down with a plate or bowl instead of a sack! 

3.  Begin right now planning in your mind what you would like to eat at
your next meal.  Don’t go with the “shoulds”!  Think of what sounds really
good to you and find a way to prepare it, purchase it, or even more fun
go out and eat it!  I tend to do all three in the course of a week.  I love to
cook and go out to eat, but there are many good choices of prepared foods
at the grocery these days, so don’t waste time if cooking is not your thing.
But do think about what you would like and go to the store and buy it and
leave off all of the extras.  You will notice that your budget will be streamlined
as well when you buy only what you need, then use what you buy!
Now, once you have decided what you are going to eat, plan on eating a
whole portion, that is, prepare your plate with a generous serving and do
eat the whole thing!  This is very OK to do.  You will feel a sense of wholeness
as well as fullness.  Enjoy every bite.  Clean your plate.  Then stop and put
a parenthesis,  if you will,  around your meal time.  If it was something you
enjoyed, then it will be even easier to wait until the next mealtime to eat
again.  However, if it was not as satisfying, do not keep eating, instead have
the mindset that “no worries, I will have exactly what I want at my next meal.”
You must commit to zipping your lips until the next meal.  Just stop eating,
and yes that quick little bite of chips or candy out of a candy dish does count.
You will be amazed to see what a difference it makes just to stop putting those
extra bites here and there in your mouth.  I almost think that if you just made
that one change and ate what you wanted at a mealtime, only, you would have
no problem fitting into your favorite jeans or any of your favorite clothes.
So remember to eat only at a mealtime!

4.  Eat only what you crave!  Do not waste calories on foods you do not want
or like.  I don’t mean to compromise your health by eating only potato chips
if that is the only food you like, but if you are craving a good bowl of pasta and
you are not fitting into your clothes, then eat the bowl of pasta, a good size bowl
and eat every bite!  But leave off the salad with the heavy dressing and the basket
of bread and butter!  The point is to satisfy your craving and leave off the “should”
food or the foods you won’t really miss.  If I go to my favorite sandwich place
because I am craving a “caprese” sandwich on good french bread and I am served
a bag of chips with it, then I eat the whole sandwich and leave off the chips
because they are just extra and I don’t mind leaving them off.  I would rather save
my calories for foods that I do want, such as having a piece of chocolate in the
evening!  It is really important that you feel satisfied with the food you eat or it
will lead to mindless snacking at some point in the day to try and fill that “hole”.

5.  Get moving!  This is essential to being the size you want to be.  Instead of
obsessing about a goal weight, pick the size you want to be and then start
moving.  Just go outside and walk if no other  form of movement comes to mind. 
Notice I did not say go to the gym, because I have seen people go to the gym and
not really move!  If you love going to the gym or at least don’t mind it, then by all
means go, but make sure to do something that gets you moving.  Lifting weights
is surely good for your muscles, but it doesn’t get you moving.  You need to feel
your energy moving, because any time we become stagnant, negative energy gets
invited into our lives.  So movement is not only good for our bodies it is supremely
good for keeping positive energy flowing in our lives!  And positive energy leads
to positive thoughts and feelings which “attract” all kinds of positive experiences.
And who does not want that?

6.  Finally to the last step which will lead you to being the size you desire and are
meant to be!  Keep the small changes you are making in your eating habits to
yourself!  This is an important step because in our enthusiasm for doing something
positive, we naturally want to share this with others and surprisingly our enthusiasm
might be met with a form of skepticism or criticism.  Yes, even from your best friend.
Not taking it personally needs to be your first response if this is your experience,
but you will find that keeping your small changes or big changes to yourself will
ensure that your success is not diluted or polluted! 
When you have made the positive changes an integral part of your being and daily
life, then and only then begin sharing with others how to eat and how to be!!!
Many wishes for your success and enjoyment of your new lifestyle!