Kristin Cavallari's life has changed pretty considerably since cameras followed her every move on Laguna Beach and The Hills. She's a married mother of three with both a shoe and jewelry line, but some of the biggest changes she's made aren't as obvious, like questioning any time a producer asks her to record "wild lines"—AKA one-liners that can be spliced into any scene in a show, potentially changing how you're depicted—and completely overhauling how she eats.
"After years in the public eye, I came to terms with my body and, most important, my true self," Cavallari writes in her new book, Balancing in Heels, which covers everything from the reality of reality TV to how the star stays in shape. There's an entire chapter devoted to food, including several cooking hacks and healthy eating tips you might be tempted to steal, like ...
She Doesn't Believe in Diet Food Anymore.
During her teens and early twenties—roughly the time she starred in both reality TV shows—Cavallari says she constantly counted calories and was obsessed with only eating low-fat, low-calorie foods.
"... As early as high school, I thought that depriving myself of certain foods (sweets and carbs) and limiting calories would result in the body of my dreams," she writes, often restricting herself to 1,800-calorie diets five days a week, then binging on whatever she wanted over the weekend, sometimes even ordering takeout for eight and splitting it all with one friend.
It wasn't until she got pregnant that she started to change her diet, giving up processed foods and "low-fat" snacks. Nowadays, she avoids foods containing GMOs, and now pays more attention to the ingredients label than the calorie count.
The change has helped her feel "the happiest and healthiest I've ever been," she writes.
She Has a Brilliant Trick for Making Green Juice Taste Like Ice Cream.
Like many celebs—Giada De Laurentiis, Kate Hudson and Danica Patrick—Cavallari starts the day with a green smoothie, only hers includes half a teaspoon of peppermint extract. It's the secret ingredient that makes her drink (a blend of avocado, spinach, and banana, primarily) taste like a mint ice cream shake—and it can soothe an upset stomach, she says.
She's Traded Out A Few Key Pantry Items.
Instead of white or brown sugar, Cavallari sweetens baked goods with coconut sugar, and she substitutes agave syrup for maple in recipes. She's also traded in white flour for spelt, brown rice or oat flour, and uses coconut or olive oil in place of canola.
"I'm not eating gluten free, but I try to avoid refined wheat products since they've been shown to spike blood sugar levels faster than some candy bars," she writes.
You Won't Find Sugary Cereal in Her Kitchen.
Cavallari often starts the day with a green smoothie, if she has an early workout, otherwise she'll go for something a little more filling, like scrambled eggs or a fried egg with quinoa, spinach and bacon.
Other favorites? Oatmeal swirled with ground flaxseeds, coconut oil and maple syrup, and overnight chia-oat cups topped with berries, chocolate chips, shaved coconut and almonds.
She Has A Hack for Making Creamy Soups—Without Using Cream.
Soup is one of Cavallari's go-to lunches (when she doesn't have leftovers on hand), and she has an ingenious trick for creating a creamy soup without using a drop of heavy cream: Soak cashews in water, then puree them and add them to your standard soup recipe.
It works particularly well in asparagus and tomato soups, she writes.
She's A Big Believer in Date Nights.
Cavallari and her husband, Chicago Bears QB Jay Cutler, try to keep up a regular date night, and some of her favorite memories are date nights spent at home. They pop a bottle of wine, and often make miso salmon with Brussels sprouts, steak with cauliflower "mashed potatoes," or one of Cutler's favorite meals, leak and bean stew with chicken.
On weeknights, the family often has bunless burgers, enchiladas with a side salad, or chicken tacos. (BTW, many of these recipes can be found in her book.)
She Can Bake Up A Storm.
Though she's committed to eating healthy, that doesn't mean Cavallari has cut out sweets. The actress often Instagrams what she bakes, making everything from pumpkin cupcakes and apple pies in the fall to almond butter cookies and brownies year-round.
That's the kind of moderation we can get behind.
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