Stuffed Avocado with Salmon

by Christine Lusita | | Recipes

Take creamy avocados to a different level with this stuffed avocado recipe!

  • 1 avocado, halved
  • 6 oz. salmon, baked
  • 1⁄4 c. red bell pepper
  • diced 1 tbsp. jalapeño, minced
  • 1⁄4 c. cilantro leaves, roughly chopped
  • 1 tbsp. lime juice
  • Kosher salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 tbsp. low-fat mayo (optional)

After halving avocado, scoop out some of the pitted area to widen the “bowl.” With a fork, mash the scooped avocado in a medium-size mixing bowl Add the salmon, bell pepper, jalapeño, and cilantro to bowl. Pour lime juice over. Stir until well mixed.

Scoop into the avocado bowls; season with salt and pepper.

This is an excerpt from The Right Fit Formula

Urgent vs. Important

by Christine Lusita | | Lifestyle, Meditation

Now that you know what your optimal day looks like, there’s just one teeny challenge left. How do you stay on track? How do you keep from sliding back to the dark side, to the Land of Distractions and Time Sucks? How do you keep your schedule from looking like a page out of John Madden’s playbook?

First, take a tip from Executive B: When you’re working on your have-tos, work smarter. The quicker you knock the “musts” off your list, the more time you have for the things you love. Remember, it’s not time management, it’s choice management.

So:

Ditch the distractions. While you’re doing your “musts,” do not peek at your email. Turn off Instagram, Twitter-feed pings, and Facebook announcements. And no phone. Yup, I said it. No phone. And yesss, you will survive.

Block your time. Give yourself a solid, focused 30 to 60 minutes of undistracted work. Try these two tips from time-management gurus: One, do short bursts of in- tense work followed by short stretches of recovery (from Tony Schwartz and Jim Loehr in The Power of Full Engagement). And two, shorten your deadline and tighten up your schedule so that you’ll increase your focus (from Tim Ferriss in The 4-Hour Workweek). Focus = productivity!

Take a break. This means making a cup of tea, walking around the room, stretching, folding the laundry, doing a set of pushups, or taking 10 simple breaths at your desk.This does not mean you get your phone back! Sorry! Each time you check your email or watch a Kardashian on Instagram, you not only clutter your focus, you create what time-optimization guru Cal Newport calls “cognitive residue.” In short, you fill your head with info-gunk that can take up to 20 minutes to clear. Could five minutes of Kardashians rob you of an hour of focused work time? Don’t take a chance. Get up and stretch!

This is an excerpt from The Right Fit Formula

Scallion and Mint Pesto

by Christine Lusita | | Recipes

Scallion and Mint pesto is a delicious Italian favorite sauce. This is my healthy version of this Italian delight with basil, olive oil, almonds and garlic.

Makes 1 cup

  • 1⁄2 c. toasted almonds
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • A dozen scallions, white and light green
  • parts only, roughly chopped
  • 1⁄2 c. fresh basil leaves, packed
  • 1⁄3 c. fresh mint leaves
  • 1⁄3 c. extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1⁄3 c. water
  • 2 tsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 11⁄2 tsp. kosher salt

Purée everything in a blender or food pro- cessor until smooth.

Serve with cooked brown rice pasta or zucchini noodles (good for 1.5 lbs.) and with shrimp, chicken, turkey, beef, or pork.

You can also toss with 1 lb. of roasted or steamed beets for a healthy salad.

This is an excerpt from The Right Fit Formula