Chicken Pot Pie Comfort Food and a GREAT Workout Class!


Hi everyone! I made a REALLY decadent Chicken Pot Pie the other night and I want to share the recipe with you. As you know, my motto is “everything in moderation (with the basic diet being really healthy)” . I am able to eat such decadent items as the recipe below because I eat healthy most of the time and because I try to work out when I can.

Just as many of you need assistance with cooking, I need assistance with an exercise plan! I get so bored and lazy but I think I have met my match in Bernie Silva McLoughlin. She is both a psychotherapist AND a fitness instructor and you will be amazed at all she does. Enjoy her interview below the recipe and sign up for one of her classes!
Alma

Comfort Food Chicken Pot Pie:

Bake a pie crust or buy a Whole Wheat Prepared Pie Crust-I used Bread and Circus brand. Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let sit until you pour below filling in.

Bechamel (or White Sauce) recipe-
2 cups whole milk,2 TBS flour,
3 TBS butter
1/4 tsp nutmeg
salt, pepper and nutmeg to taste

In a heavy sauce pan over low heat, melt butter. Add in flour and stir until combined. Slowly add in milk and keep stirring until the mixture becomes thick and cheesy. Add salt , pepper and nutmeg, stir and set aside.

Filling:
3 cups leftover chopped, cooked chicken
1 cup cooked 1/2″ chunks potatoes
1 cup sliced carrots, like thick , 1/2″ round coins, steamed ahead of time but not until overly mushy
One sauteed, chopped onion (optional)
1 cup frozen peas (optional-my daughter won’t permit these in there)
salt and pepper to taste

Mix above filling ingredients with the cooked Bechamel and spoon into preheated pie plate. If you would like to make it extra fancy, add cooked biscuits or a sheet of separately baked puff pastry on the top. Serve with a side salad.

Name: Bernadette Silva-McLoughlin
Occupation: Psychotherapist, Fitness Instructor
Business: Real Body LLC
She is a mom of three with a mission!

What is Real Body LLC?

Real Body is a unique Bootcamp that offers small group classes, where you get a total body workout in one hour. Every class is different, you will be challenged with sports drills, boxing, plyometrics, speed and agility circuits and to balance it off we add pilates and yoga.

Why did you create Real Body LLC?

Having a background as a therapist specializing in career counseling my role is to help my clients make changes with their careers and lives. I was encouraged to create Real Body by a group of friends who believed I had a natural talent to help make people feel physically good. Combining the two roles was amazing. My goal is to help clients get their bodies body back whether it’s helping a mom lose her pregnancy weight, a former athlete who wants to build stamina, a teen who wants to get in better shape or a child who wants to have fun with exercise. My goal is to provide our services for everyone.

What does Real Body offer?

Real Body offers Bootcamp classes seven days a week. We have monthly passes, six-week sessions, Zumba and Kids Bootcamp classes. Recently I went for an intensive training in Pilates with IM=X. Real Body has partnered up with Dr. Magwood of IM=X Pilates to create the ultimate workout. The package is a combination of Bootcamp and Pilates reformer. Therefore they are stretching and elongating their muscles in between sessions. We have several new programs in the works and we’re hoping to launch them in the fall. Currently we are in several locations in Montclair and now in Paterson.

What advice would you like to share for those who are weight conscious?

Turning fat into muscle is key. Once you build the muscles you will burn calories at rest. I believe the only way to maintain your weight, as you age is to have the right balance with exercise, strength training and making the right food choices.

I don’t deprive myself but I make sure to keep the right balance of lean protein, fruits and vegetables light on the carbs.

What are your goals with Real Body?

Recently we were grateful to receive a grant to provide our services to an underprivileged community. I would like to continue to piggyback on another Not for Profit that would be willing to have us provide the services at little or not cost. Specifically work with an organization that assists special needs children.

What do you wish to accomplish with Real Body?

I recently began working with teens and it has been such a rewarding experience. They have lost weight and inches, look stronger and leaner and are feeling more confident. I recently started to incorporate exercise plans with some of my clients who suffer from depression. They are loving it! Feeling great and always looking forward to their next session.

Many teens suffer from insecurities and depression, adding exercise to their routine helps increase their confidence and self esteem. Literature proves that exercise changes the serotonin levels in the brain; a client may experience less depression from a consistent exercise routine. I would like to reach out to psychiatrists or outpatient clinics an encourage them to support this idea and act as a referral source for them.

You mentioned your first career is a psychotherapist /career counselor, tell us a little bit about that.

I have been working in New York City for over 15 years privately and I recently opened up a practice in the Chiropractic Wellness Studio in Clifton, NJ. I am a certified Rehabilitation Counselor with a background in Mental health and Rehabilitation. Many of the clients I see are referred by psychiatrists or social workers.

I consult for the MS Society in New York City where I provide career counseling seminars for individuals with multiple sclerosis.

What types of services do you offer?

I offer career assessments, career planning, resume and cover letter writing.

Interview skills prep, career coaching and case management.

What do you love about your jobs/businesses?

I love the people. I love helping people make changes with their bodies and careers. I can’t tell you how rewarding it is to get a call from a client from their new job and say thank you because without you I would not be here today. Or recently I worked with a teen with special needs in Bootcamp who said, “I never felt this great before”. That was special. I am fortunate that I love my jobs.

Anything else you would like to share?

We are role models for our kids. They see us exercise and we look like we’re having fun and they want to get involved. It’s a great way to bond with your child and get them to understand the benefits of exercise.

Real Body is mobile therefore our unique services can be offered in many locations. Call us we travel!
For more information contact;
Real Body LLC
Bernadette McLoughli
n MA, CRC
www.realbodybootcamp.com
realbodybootcamp@gmail.com
For counseling:
counseling.crossroads@gmail.com

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