Eating Outside the Box - Walk from Obesity (2025)

Not all carbs are considered equal!

When I was 467 pounds and eating processed junk, I’d sit on the couch for hours, only getting up to grab more boxed foods from the pantry. What I didn’t know then is that when you eat high-carb processed foods, you create a roller-coaster of up and down blood sugar that leaves you in a constant state of hunger. Insulin stores excess energy as fat, like I said, and it works by getting sugar – the stuff that gives you an initial “high” when you’ve had a sweet treat – out of the blood. Once the insulin has done its job, the sugar is packed away, and you’re tired again — and stuck in a vicious cycle of being hungry, eating and feeling guilty for having eaten. By the time that guilt sets in, the carbs have metabolized and been stored as fat, your blood sugar is low, and you’re ready to comfort yourself with… more processed food.

This is why I have always put such an emphasis on fresh foods. They’re alive with vitamins, fiber and what they were intended to have! In fact, no matter how you choose to lose weight, fresh foods are fundamental! They metabolize slowly and give you energy over a longer period of time. Most importantly, they leave you satisfied and full, so even if you’re eating higher-calorie foods, you end up eating less of them. Whether you’re making a snack or giving your girlfriend a diamond ring, any path you follow will run smoother if you just choose the real over the fake. Fresh over processed. It’s what nature intended!

Besides, isn’t that why they invented the refrigerator? So that we wouldn’t have to eat from boxes and cans anymore?

Most of the things that people eat these days have been so over-processed, boxed, canned, chemically preserved, artificially-flavored, hydrogenated and soaked in corn syrup that it’s barely even food anymore. In fact, think about how many “foods” you associate with their packaging instead of their contents. Highly processed breakfast cereals are a perfect example. Could you tell what they were made from if they were outside of their colorful boxes? They’re so highly processed, artificially colored and flavored that they bear no resemblance to natural foods.

When I talk about “eating outside the box,” I mean eating fresh foods, not processed. I’m talking about getting into your kitchen and actually cooking your own meals instead of thawing or microwaving. Giving shopping and cooking their due respect. Taking pride in the delicious food that you can make for yourself and your family.

Think about a pantry full of boxed and canned foods or a freezer full of frozen dinners—the food that is just sitting there, preserved. You could leave them for months and return to find them in the exact same state. You can depend on them to stay exactly as you’ve left them, because they’re loaded with chemicals! All the vitamins and fiber are left in the factory, and you’re left with “food” that serves only to raise your blood sugar and convert into fat. It’s food you can’t use. It’s barely even food at all.

You deserve better.
Chef George Stella

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1. 

   StephanieMarch 3, 2014 at 10:19 pm

   Sounds delicious. I’ll be making this next week. I was curious how many servings this dish includes?

2. 

   Ron SeeJune 3, 2014 at 7:40 am

   I can’t wait to try these recipes.I am recovering from Bariatric surgery (Sleeve) and I am putting together menus for solid meals when I can eat them again.If these recipes taste half as good as they look ,I will be eating healthy and enjoying it as well.any more recipes that you may have would be great. Thank You!

3. 

   MoAugust 15, 2014 at 11:46 am

   Sounds Great! I will be adding long slices of Zucchini..Cant wait to try it.

4. 

   HeatherAugust 19, 2014 at 7:38 pm

   Made this for dinner tonight. I did use the 1/2 beef 1/2 Italian Sausage option. It’s fantastic! You’re right about not missing the noodles. You didn’t indicate when to put the onion and celery in, so I cooked them with the meat so they were softened. It’s a tad bit salty to me, which could be because of the Italian sausage, but next time I will leave out the additional salt. Thank you so much for a great recipe. To me, lasagna is in its own beloved food group!! I thought about adding the zucchini noodles, as another commenter mentioned, but I knew my kids wouldn’t touch it if they knew it was in there. They both love it without them!

5. 

   KarenAugust 23, 2014 at 9:52 am

   I made this the other day and thought you should know that although the ingredients call for celery and red onion, the directions don’t mention when to add them to the recipe. Would you please adjust the recipe to include directions for them? Thanks. PS it was delicious!

6. 

   Rachel LaySeptember 17, 2014 at 4:57 pm

   Love your recipes..I’m a type 1 diabetic and I carb count for everything, so it’s nice to find recipes that my young daughters (Stella; ) and Evie) will actually eat.. I even share with other patients when I’m at my doctor’s appointment..

7. 

   trishOctober 11, 2014 at 5:06 pm

   This helped with our lasagna fix! Creamy and filling with plenty for leftovers! Would make again!

8. 

   MonaOctober 11, 2014 at 8:11 pm

   How many servings? How much is a serving?

   See Also

   How to Bake a Sweet Potato

9. 

   StephanieOctober 19, 2014 at 9:53 pm

   I entered the recipe into MyFitnessPal, and it looks like the recipe makes 10 servings based on his calculation that each serving has 350 calories (a few calories may vary based on the ingredients he used).

   Here is the total nutrition information for the recipe.
   Calories: 3612 | Fat: 190 g | Protein: 385 g | Fiber: 12 g | Net Carbs: 75 g

   I divided the recipe into a more generous portion of 8 servings and came up with the following:
   Calories: 452 | Fat: 24 g | Protein: 48 g | Fiber: 2 g | Net Carbs: 9 g

   I hope this helps. It’s in the oven now and smelling DIVINE! I can’t wait.

10. 

    Barbara KingDecember 3, 2014 at 9:29 am

    Can this be made ahead of time and put in freezer for future meals after its cooked?

11. 

    linda chayerDecember 11, 2014 at 11:41 am

    sounds like a great recipe.. I would add chopped cabbage , it would replace the pasta and also it would be a great source of vitamins

12. 

    CarolDecember 12, 2014 at 11:14 am

    I made this and it was delicious and most satisfying. I used fresh parmesan and cottage cheese smashed because I forgot to buy ricotta.

13. 

    JcmommyDecember 27, 2014 at 2:32 pm

    this is great with sliced eggplant layered on as well!

14. 

    Lisa PetzkeJanuary 3, 2015 at 5:59 pm

    Layers of eggplant or zucchini make an awesome substitute for the pasta…..great recipe!

15. 

    Michaele pJanuary 12, 2015 at 6:02 pm

    Sounds like a great recipe but you have onion and celery on shopping list but now where on recipe does it say when to use it so I just didn’t use the celery portion and cooked onion with the meat

16. 

    KateJanuary 18, 2015 at 7:41 am

    In my opinion the best noodle replacement for lasagna is sandwich peperoni. It’s fantastic!

17. 

    SharonJune 22, 2015 at 8:16 pm

    this is Sooo good. I’ve made it with Italian sausage and without. Both were spectacular

18. 

    BarbarainncAugust 11, 2015 at 6:17 am

    This is the best stuff, I made 8 servings. Hubby and I ate 2 with a big salad. I froze the rest in individual cartons. I think I was even better the next time. Will be making this again. One of my favorites. THANKS????????????

19. 

    MitziNovember 1, 2015 at 5:42 pm

    This is a great recipe. This is the 1st time I made it. My family loved it. Will definitely make again.

20. 

    Cande wardNovember 3, 2015 at 10:15 pm

    I made this tonight and it is fabulous!!! Whole family loves it. Will definitely make again and again.

21. 

    Mary AnneDecember 10, 2015 at 12:28 pm

    I’ve made this several times and love it as is. I forgot to pick up celery at the store. Will it ruin the consistency if I leave it out?

22. 

    BrendaApril 12, 2016 at 9:10 am

    I made this this weekend and will be making it again. It is soooooo good. I brought it to work for lunch yesterday and everyone was asking what I was eating because it smelled so good. It is so filling too, I ate lunch at 11:30 and didn’t eat supper until 6:00 and didn’t start getting hungry until about an hour before we ate supper.

23. 

    Connie PainterApril 24, 2016 at 10:37 am

    Read step 1.

24. 

    susan amosJune 17, 2016 at 1:47 pm

    Tried this last week , it was delicious.

25. 

    McDonnaMay 8, 2017 at 5:36 pm

    This recipe is a.MA.zing! I bought this cookbook and every recipe from it has been so delicious. The meat lasagna, however, is definitely a favorite! I grew up in New Jersey, in the section known as “Little Italy.” Great Italian food was common there. This recipe brings back sweet memories of great food and great friends from that time in my life. Love it!

26. 

    Winona WilliamsApril 1, 2020 at 2:39 am

    Great dish, lasagna is one of my favorites and this dish is quite exciting I have to say the combination of the cheese is really great adds a whole new dimension to the dish. Thank you very much.

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