Serve this dish over rice or pasta for a summer treat that keeps the heat out of the kitchen.

Note: All 3 recipes are included in the Organic Liaison Recipe collection, accessible to Organic Liaison members. Learn more about how to begin your Organic Liaison weight loss journey today.

BBQ Summer Squash

Preparation Time: 10 minutes.

Cooking Time: 5 minutes.

Servings: 6 cups. Each serving: 3/4 cup.

Ingredients:

1 organic zucchini, sliced into 1/2 inch rounds
1 organic yellow summer squash, sliced into 1/2 inch rounds
1 medium organic eggplant, sliced into 1/2 inch rounds

Marinade:
1 Tbsp organic safflower oil
3 Tbsp organic balsamic vinegar
2 cloves garlic, crushed
ground black pepper to taste
1/4 cup chopped green onion

Nutritional Information 72 calories per serving
Fat: 3.6
SatFat: 0.5
Trans Fat: 0
Cholesterol: 0
Carbs: 9.3
Sugars: 6.6
Sodium: 6
Protein: 1.4
Fiber: 2.2
Vitamin A: 294.5
Vitamin C: 8.3
Iron: 0.6
Calcium: 25

Directions:

Combine the ingredients for the marinade in a large bowl and blend well. Add the vegetables to the marinade and mix together. Place on the barbecue turning regularly until golden brown on each side. Brush with extra marinade as necessary. When cooked, remove the squash slices from the barbecue and toss with any remaining dressing. Sprinkle with the chopped green onion and serve immediately.

Happy, Holiday eating! If you like these recipes and would like more sneak peaks into the Organic Liaison Recipe Collection, sign up for a free account to receive our updates!

Learn more about our Recipes Collection.

Next to thousands of people lined up in their respective corrals, I stood at the edge of the orange fence designating my pace group. A mix of emotions flowed through my body as my eyes focused on the ground beneath me. A year ago, I could not even spend more than 20 minutes at the gym, and here I was, about to take on 13.1 miles.

Earlier that week marked my one-year anniversary on the Organic Liaison program. Having built up a strong foundation of healthy habits, I was ready to put my marathon training to the test. I knew this run would be a reminder of how far I have come as well as a glimpse into the next level of what I can achieve. I welcomed the challenge.

As a runner, every run has come down to my ability to focus on positives and filter out everything else. If I am not mentally setting myself up for success, I am more likely to give in or give up. Becoming healthy, I have learned, is a largely mental journey. It takes practice and courage to get past moments of potential self-sabotage. Sometimes I have to trust what I cannot see.

The Organic Liaison program has given me the ability to be mentally tough. It has taught me that I can make changes and revise as I go—without compromising my goals. I have learned that with practice and focus anything is possible: whether it’s achieving a weight loss goal, changing bad habits into healthy ones, or strengthening my inner voice of encouragement against my own fear.

Over the past year, I’d changed everything within and around me. And now, it was time to for my healthy self to shine in this marathon. Suddenly, I knew that the skills Organic Liaison taught me would be the same ones I’d need to complete my first half marathon.

With that thought, I was off—weaving in and out of runners and down the next few streets. I started strong, nearly 30 minutes ahead of my pace group for the first 5 miles. As my feet hit the pavement, my journey of transformation flashed before me: the moment I started Organic Liaison; when I began running 4 months ago; now, being 63 lbs lighter, stronger, and an athlete in action. The first 6 miles were all about celebration; the second half would soon test everything in me.

It is very easy as a runner to get mentally distracted. You need to have a strong game plan and unshakable intention. My intention was to celebrate and push on. When it got hard I thought of Kristie, of all of the amazing people out there adopting the Organic Liaison lifestyle, and of their tenacity. I realized that changing your diet is like running: you have to follow through to see results; you have to slow down and ask your body what it honestly needs—whether that’s fuel or exercise.

When my shoes started to bother me, I set an intention to stay strong. When other runners passed me, I made a commitment to not pit myself anyone else, to not compare my journey to theirs, and to not place misguided judgment. I reminded myself that I started running in January and that this race was teaching me where I needed more pace work. I pushed harder when I thought about giving up. I asked my body when it needed water and when it craved organic sports chews. I ran up and down each street listening to my body.

By mile 6, I realized I had made a rookie mistake. I had gone out too fast, knowing I would not be able to keep that pace. It would have been easy to give up then; I could have let a ton of fears creep in. Instead, I told myself: “Sunny, it’s okay, you’ve got this…slow down and celebrate.” I pushed on, slowing down to accept a more consistent pace that would allow me to finish strong. I stopped running so fast but did not make excuses to allow myself to slow down too much.

By mile 9, the treading on my shoes was worn down and I could feel the pavement. By mile 11, I was tired. My feet were heavy.  As I hit mile 12, I needed motivation to finish. I thought of how grateful my body was to be 63lbs lighter.  As my feet got heavy my heart got stronger. I fought back with attitude. I wanted to walk, though I knew that if I did, I would not be able to start running again. The last half-mile was the toughest. But in the end, I ran 13.1 miles without ever walking.

With tears in my eyes, I finally crossed the finish line, 13 minutes faster than my pace goal.

Love Sunny’s Story?

Read more about how she went from a size 16 to a size 8.

For more inspiring member success stories, visit our Member Results & Testimonials Page.

For regular tips and advice on health, fitness, diet, and weight loss, register for a free Organic Liaison account today!

Dear Moms,

We love you for making us feel good whenever we need you.

Our Special Mother’s Day Deal features everything you need to feel good and look fabulous.

Get FREE SHIPPING on our famous Rescue Me Kit, the best combination of products and tools for real weight loss results. Plus, get a FREE bottle of Pagoda Green Tea Supplement to boost metabolism, and help you reach your goals.

Get the Kit Now!

Need her expert advice? Visit our new Member Support page!

Having a support system is key to weight loss success! Dieting with a buddy could make all the difference and help you finally lose that weight. A supportive friend can push you to overcome your big roadblocks—particularly the common, dreaded weight loss plateau.

When either you or your buddy reaches a plateau, help one another out, first, to get over that “set-point” weight. Research has shown that our bodies naturally want to be maintained at a stable weight, our individual “set-point” weight—even if we reduce our caloric intake and burn more calories. As we know, the body adapts, especially during a state of caloric deprivation. That means: often, when you switch to a low-calorie diet, your body protects itself by going into hibernation mode and holding onto whatever calories you feed it. For that reason, many people can’t seem to get below a certain weight range. All of a sudden, it’s: “Hello Plateau!”

Thankfully, we can do something about this “set-point” to help our bodies realize and embrace CHANGE! The key to promoting weight change is to do things differently. You need to give your body a healthy shock, and tell it to wake up and accept weight loss.

5 Tips

Here are 5 tips to help you get past your set-point weight and overcome your plateau—all with the help of a buddy!

1. Do resistance training, 4 times a week, together. Both of you should put resistance training or weight lifting or your calendars. Even 5 minutes is sufficient time to work out 3 body parts, with 3 sets of 10 to 12 repetitions. Make sure the amount of resistance or weight is enough to cause you to feel the burn after 10 to 12 reps, or else it’s not effective. If you can’t fit 1 hour of exercise at a time into your day, getting some resistance training in is even more important than doing cardio because it builds muscle; muscle building is what actually changes your physical body structure and makes your body more efficient at calorie burning!

2. Grocery shop together for lean staple foods. Stock up on healthy staples and mix things up. Choose veggies that you don’t normally eat (e.g. chard, kale, collard greens, and bok choy). Go for new starchy vegetables instead of the typical starches you always eat. Replace bread, pasta, rice and potatoes with butternut squash, acorn squash, lima beans, green peas, and artichokes (a great, high-fiber source of carbs, equivalent to 2 slices of bread).

3. Members, go over your Daily Journals together. Coach each other to eat balanced meals often enough throughout the day to satisfy your body and boost metabolism. Ask yourselves: “Are we eating within our recommended calorie limits? Are we eating every 3 to 4 hours? Are we overloading on one meal and under-fueling on the next?”

4. Send each other motivational text messages or emails. Help each other move throughout the day! Follow the Cambridge Study Method, which applies to taking moving breaks at work. It states: The most effective way to increase memory retention is to study 30 minutes, take a 10-minute break, then review for 2 minutes what you studied in that previous 30 minutes. It’ll also keep you from feeling over-worked at the office.

Use your ten-minute break time to maximize your daily calorie expenditure. Moving the body differently and more nourishes a change in your body weight. If you have a private office, don’t hesitate to put on headphones, get up and dance! If you don’t have a private office, head to the break room, or wherever you feel comfortable enough to do some squats, lunges, or weight lifting. Try using Therabands (resistance tubing) to build muscle. Or make some calls on your cell and go for a walk.

5. Encourage each other to hydrate well and eat low sodium foods. The key to prevent bloating and water weight is to eat low sodium foods and drinking adequate water. The scale may not being going down because you are retaining water due to your high-sodium diet. Aim for less than 150 mg of sodium per serving (check your food labels); choose fresh foods instead of boxed and frozen foods as much as possible. Keep drinking water throughout the day (at least 8 cups).

Now, go out there and have a fun, safe, well-balanced and energizing trip!

Health and happiness to you,
Deborah Klein, MS, RD
Organic Liaison Health Director

[Image: from Flickr Photostream/Creative Commons]

The inspirational Kelly Preston is featured as one of 2012’s Most Beautiful People, in the latest issue of People Magazine, out on newsstands now. Pick up your issue today to read more about how the 49-year-old actress, mother, and philanthropist maintains her youthful glow.

Learn more about Kelly’s secret to having more energy now than she did 20 years ago—thanks to Organic Liaison, which helped her lose 40 lbs. of post-baby weight!

Tune in on Saturday and Sunday

Saturday Morning Q
Saturday, 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM ET

QVC’s Sunday Best
Sunday, 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM ET

Check local listings for exact times and channel.

Don’t Stop the Dance Party!

100 Days of Dance has been a blast! Though the 100-Day dance marathon has wrapped, there’s no reason why the dance party should stop. That’s why the New York City Dance Alliance sent Kirstie this special video with a simple message: “Keep Dancing!”

For fun and with friends; to stay active, lose weight, and get health; for whatever reason makes you happiest, just KEEP DANCING!

And let Rescue Me natural energy keep you dance-ready!

Keep on Dancing,
Kirstie’s 100 Days of Dance

Starting Weight: 366 lbs.
Current Weight: 165 lbs.
Member since: Dec 2010 (Nearly 1.5 years)

A year after having twins, I was a miserable 366 Ibs. When my husband left me, I became a single mom to autistic twins, and a third child only a year younger. The stress really took a huge toll on my self-esteem. Like most women, I was an emotional eater that also snacked throughout the day. I was so unhappy and felt trapped in my morbidly obese body.

My best friend at the time had ordered this weight loss stuff, and was drinking this drink all the time. I noticed she was getting smaller, I asked her, “What is your secret”? She gave me part of her kit from Organic Liaison. I was skeptical at first, but then something amazing happened! I lost 30 lbs.!

I began dancing again: dancing to the radio, belly dancing, dancing with my kids… And another amazing thing happened: I lost 70 Ibs.! Just by using Organic Liaison’s amazing product dancing my butt off.

I had so much energy and felt so much happier that the weight just melted away—so fast! I had lost another 100 lbs.! It was like ridding my body of a whole other overweight person!

Today, I’m 165 lbs. I don’t even look like the same woman. I am so grateful to Kirstie and OL for changing my life.

Carli not only attained her goals; she surpassed them. You can too! Learn more about the Organic Liaison Program.

See more inspirational success stories in our gallery!

Starting Weight: 240 lbs.
Current Weight: 171 lbs.
Member since: October 2011 (About 6 Months)

Wow, I still can’t believe this. I remember back in October 2010, being in an accident and having my whole face destroyed. After that, I continued to gain weight. By August 2011, I was lucky to have everything fixed—including getting a new set of teeth. I told myself that I was so lucky to be alright; why not change my body—for the better?

I started looking for weight loss pills. As everyone knows, those don’t work… I ended up getting really sick.

Then, one day, I came across Organic Liaison. At first I wasn’t too sure about it, but after reading and finding out more about the program from other members, I decided to join….

…And it was AWESOME. I fell in love with Rescue Me. Also, Nightingale is perfect for those nights when I have a college exam on my mind but need to sleep. I also love the Menu Planner! As a college student, it is all too easy to go to a vending machine and drop money in. Now, I can look ahead at my menu and plan what I eat; and sometimes, I think, Wow! I didn’t know I was still allowed to have peanut butter! There are so many great things to say about Organic Liaison.

Today, I’m 170 lbs.—down from about 240 lbs. And I’m continuing to go strong!

Thomas did it. So can you! Learn more about the Organic Liaison Program.

See more inspirational success stories in our gallery!

Starting Weight: 202 lbs.
Current Weight: 160 lbs.

I used to eat uncontrollably. I looked in the mirror after hitting 202 and said, “NOPE not doing this.” Kristie Alley was doing Jenny Craig. I started and could only lose 12 lbs.; I still was not able to cook or pick the correct foods. I tried Weight Watchers, then the South Beach, Atkins, Dukan diets. I was ready to give up.

Last year, I watched Kristie on “Dancing with the Stars” and decided to Google how she was losing weight… with Organic Liaison. I thought about it as if it was just another program to me. When I received my first Rescue Me Kit, I had to work out of town. Even then, I lost weight in that first week! And thought, “WOW I can do this!”

Here I am, 4 months later. My starting weight was 202 lbs. I am currently 160. I am on a 1200-calorie eating program. All organic! I cannot express how happy and good I feel.

Patti attained her goals. So can you! Learn more about the Organic Liaison Program.

See more inspirational success stories in our gallery!