How to Eat Well and Feel Amazing with Marisol Sanmiguel

What's Aliye cooking this week? 5 quick & delicious high-protein meals!
[Grab the recipes here]

What if the secret to losing weight and boosting your energy wasn’t about restrictive dieting, but about using food to truly fuel your body? 

In today’s episode, I’m joined by Marisol Sanmiguel, a Certified Holistic Master Health Coach and founder of Elite Vitality, who blends her passion for food and cooking with her expert knowledge to help clients lose fat, build lean muscle, and reclaim their vibrant energy. 

Listen now to hear Marisol’s favorite meals and strategies for feeling amazing—without sacrificing taste or the foods you love!

Find her on Instagram @myrubysol and book a call on her website at www.myrubysol.com. 

If you're ready to take the guesswork out of high-protein meals, register for my FREE upcoming training, 5 Simple Steps to Master Your High-Protein Meals! Click the link now to register: https://www.soulspacechef.com/class

In this episode you’ll hear:

• What does a Certified Master Holistic Health Coach do?
• The 3 pillars of an anti-inflammatory lifestyle
• Healing from within using the creative process of cooking
• Grandma’s coconut rice (Arroz Con Coco) with Caribbean flavors of Cartagena, Colombia
• Crunchy rice is universal: Cucayo and Tahdig
• Why carbs are not bad and why balance is crucial
• Quick breakfast idea: Blueberry Smoothie Bowl packed with protein
• How to dry brine to get crispiest skin on whole roast chicken and turkey
• Simple meal prep ideas to set yourself up for success
• Easy breakfast ideas
• How to make meal prep fun

Links:

• Aliye's cooking videos: Watch now on Youtube
• FREE High-Protein Meals Training

Transcript

Aliye Aydin: Okay, so I'm here with Marisol Sanmiguel and she is a certified health coach and I would love it if you would tell us a little bit about what you do because I know you're going to explain it better than I would.

Marisol Sanmiguel: Yeah, thank you so much for having me Aliyeah. It's great to be here. My name is Marisol and I am a certified Master Holistic, Health coach and I specialize in helping women of all ages but I really have been focusing in on women over 40. Navigating that hormonal transition from Perry menopause menopause somewhere in between, to help them, to lose fat, to reclaim their vibrant energy, and to feel really just strong confident and proud in their skin. And I do that through a variety of different programs and what makes it really special. And just so, rewarding is my approach which is through an anti-inflammatory lifestyle and I do that through movement through nutrition and through rejuvenation. So, those are kind of like the three legs of the table that I like to explain it.

Marisol Sanmiguel: and we basically dive into how they can nourish their bodies choose better foods. Learning how to prepare food in a way that feels. Really empowering delicious of course and then to restore their body and to rejuvenate it with the best type of energy through their sleep practices through their stress management. In a way that again, just helps women pour back into their cups again. So that way their health goals like fat loss and feeling more energized doesn't so much become of a fixing problem, but more of like a healing from within and just becomes a really effortless easeful process. And so I'm so grateful that I get to be their guide towards that.

Aliye Aydin: I mean. Yeah, I love what you said about the healing part of the reason we connected was because I saw you cooking on your instagram, I was like, this girl loves to cook like I do,…

Marisol Sanmiguel: Yeah.

Aliye Aydin: this is really great and something that I've been really contemplating, a lot lately, is the cooking as healing, And it sounds like you're really in the healing space. And I know that I used cooking to heal

Aliye Aydin: I'm not sure if you know a little bit about my background but I was diagnosed with an audience autoimmune condition when I was a teenager. And so I turned to cooking to regulate my diet but soon realized I actually liked cooking itself the actual act of cooking. And so I think there's something really healing within that act of cooking itself outside of a diet change or the actual food that you're eating and I was curious, Do you direct your clients towards cooking itself or you more focused on the diet? Or I'm sure there's many ways to get to where you're going with your clients but I've just been pondering that a ton lately. Just Cooking is healing, it's a way to work with your hands. It's a way to enhance your dopamine. I mean you get all these smells and all this stuff. It's really exciting.

Marisol Sanmiguel: Yes.

Aliye Aydin: I just think the whole process is healing in and of itself.

Marisol Sanmiguel: yeah, I couldn't agree more. I mean, I like my heart, swelled a little when you said cooking is healing because I totally feel that for myself a hundred percent. And I would say, it really varies, I'll be honest, a lot of women. When they come to work with me, they have an aversion to cooking. I think there's a lot of, sentiment around cooking and fat loss journey, right? They think of I got a meal prep, or it's a burden, or I hate cooking or I don't have time for this, or I'm bored or all these things. So, I do kind of naturally encourage them to think of cooking first. this creative process, as An outlet to have fun and to really see food and the changes in their nutrition. I try not to

Marisol Sanmiguel: so even use words like diet and things like that with them so that they can really create a new Context and way of thinking about food in a way, like you said, it's playful, it's fun, but it's also very therapeutic and relax. It could be really, really relaxing as well.

Aliye Aydin: Yeah, absolutely. So you are drawn to cooking at some point. Was that it from an early age where you cooking early on?

Marisol Sanmiguel: Yeah, I think there were a lot of seeds that were planted and at the time I didn't know my God, this is my thing. This is what I really love is a hobby. But they grew later on and I think they really came out similar to you when my health became a focus for me? That's what it, kind of sprouted. I'm like, and then I pulled out these old. Roots that I forgot I had.

00:05:00

Marisol Sanmiguel: I would say mostly came from my grandparents. my dad's side is Colombian, my mom's side is Ecuadorian, I would say, my dad's side, She was a very typical housewife where she did all the cookings taught herself, how to cook came here from Columbia and that was her main role was to just create dinners and they had a big family. And take care of the kids, of course. And so I do remember Kind of being in the kitchen a lot with her because she would watch me as when I was younger alive, we didn't have babysitters, we would just hang out with our grandparents all the time. And She is an amazing cook. She's still with us, which is awesome. And a lot of flavor, a lot of,

Marisol Sanmiguel: Just flavor Latin ingredients and she would always like to get me involved and more so than my parents. So I was always kind of standing on my little stool over the stove with her and she'd Hold my hand and would be making coconut rice.

Aliye Aydin: Nice.

Marisol Sanmiguel: I think that was maybe the first memory. I had was a lot of coconut rice. On.

Aliye Aydin: I love that. I'm not familiar with that. That's like a Caribbean influence. Yeah, with yeah.

Marisol Sanmiguel: It is. because she's from Cartagena and…

Aliye Aydin: That's really cool.

Marisol Sanmiguel: Colombia which is right on the coast,…

Aliye Aydin: Okay, right.

Marisol Sanmiguel: a lot of their flavors are Very Caribbean. Trying to think of what else. That's like the main one that stood out, I'm sure you would get into it.

Aliye Aydin: I need to look that one up.

Marisol Sanmiguel: That would be a fun one.

Aliye Aydin: I'm like, coconut rice. That's not on my radar,…

Marisol Sanmiguel: yeah, it's actually so easy to Yeah.

Aliye Aydin: I bet it is.

Marisol Sanmiguel: It's literally like make rice, but instead of water put coconut milk. That's all she does. It's so simple. She does put a little bit of sugar. I take that part out now,…

Aliye Aydin: Right, right. Yeah.

Marisol Sanmiguel: as I make it my way, And then maybe a little bit of onions. She always does sauteed onions at the bottom of the pan. and kukayo,…

Aliye Aydin: Yeah. I do not know…

Marisol Sanmiguel: which I don't know if It might happen in turkey.

Aliye Aydin: What is that?

Marisol Sanmiguel: It's like the crunchy rice at the bottom.

Aliye Aydin: Yeah, the topic in a Persian cuisine. It's not Turkish as Persian.

Marisol Sanmiguel: There you go. Okay.

Aliye Aydin: Yeah, totally. So that's a Colombian thing too. That's cool.

Marisol Sanmiguel: It is and we love it. we dig for the bottom of the crunchy rice. Yeah.

Aliye Aydin: Yeah, yeah. my gosh I love that and I would imagine is this true from a health perspective the fat helps balance the carbs if you switch to health coach doesn't fat and take help balance sugar. insulin's up and…

Marisol Sanmiguel: Definitely. Yeah.

Aliye Aydin: downs. That's just noise.

Marisol Sanmiguel: I mean that's a huge buzz topic now…

Aliye Aydin: Looking at

Marisol Sanmiguel: but it's so true and important. I'm glad it's being talked about. But yeah, it's like carbs are not bad. It's just…

Aliye Aydin: Right.

Marisol Sanmiguel: What kind are you having and then like what you're saying How are you balancing it out in terms of the other nutrients on your plate? So fat is a good one and I would say even more important is the protein as well that you're eating with it.

Aliye Aydin: Okay, I love that. It was my Turkish friend and an earlier episode. She talked about olive oil dipping and bread and…

Marisol Sanmiguel: Mmm.

Aliye Aydin: she was like, Yeah, you eat a lot of bread but you're dipping it in a fat. So it helps you regulate the insulin and I'm like, I never thought of that.

Marisol Sanmiguel: Right.

Aliye Aydin: That is so cool. that healing there, right in our traditional foods, that are

Marisol Sanmiguel: It's baked in it's so cool. We just look at cultures and there's a reason why they do things a certain way.

Aliye Aydin: Right. Right. Totally. I love that. Okay, what was the name of that rice?

Marisol Sanmiguel: is coconut rice or otto's con coco, they coco And the crunchy,…

Aliye Aydin: okay.

Marisol Sanmiguel: the stuff that we call…

Aliye Aydin: The crunchy.

Aliye Aydin: That's what you said.

Marisol Sanmiguel: Yeah, the crunchy.

Marisol Sanmiguel: We call it kukayo. but I think that,…

Aliye Aydin: Okay.

Marisol Sanmiguel: yeah, there's so many other variations and all these other Ethnic cuisines.

Aliye Aydin: Yeah. Okay cool. I'm gonna have to look that…

Marisol Sanmiguel: And that's the list.

Aliye Aydin: Totally. So when you cook on a dailyish basis, are you turning to mostly the foods of your heritage? Or are you incorporating all kinds of things? I think the one thing I saw you make once was some meatballs, I think that's what I remember.

Marisol Sanmiguel: Yeah.

Aliye Aydin: But are you only solely clip cooking? Like Latin foods? Are you doing all kinds of stuff?

Marisol Sanmiguel: Yeah, definitely I love a variety. I think that's something I've learned about myself. As I've really dialed in my meal prep over the years is I love variety. I think a lot of people are I could eat the same thing every day. I'm like not that person. I could do it for some things like that,…

Aliye Aydin: Me neither.

00:10:00

Marisol Sanmiguel: really work. And if you're really in a pinch, it's great to have those. But for me, I love. Yeah. eight playing with Asian Latin Mediterranean Indian, I think that's as The Thai I'd say those are probably the main ones I've worked with but I'm always open if I try something at a restaurant and…

Aliye Aydin: Yeah.

Marisol Sanmiguel: I get inspired or go to a different country and Try something, then I definitely will. Attempt to recreate it if I can.

Aliye Aydin: Right. Right? Yeah, that's so fun. I love it.

Marisol Sanmiguel: it's

Aliye Aydin: So if you're in the mood for a comforting meal, what did it? I know. I'm the I can totally relate. I don't like eating the same thing all the time. I was looking for something new but I'm curious. your comfort food meal might be or what it is right now. I mean, I know that changes mind changes all the time.

Marisol Sanmiguel: right. that's,

Aliye Aydin: This week. It's like noodles next week. It's like kebab, it's always something different.

Marisol Sanmiguel: I know that's a great question because it does change. I think based on your mood based on the season I'd say right now because I'm in Miami. So it's pretty hot and…

Aliye Aydin: Okay.

Marisol Sanmiguel: humid and It's not the best but something that I am loving is.

Marisol Sanmiguel: I would say if I could pick two categories I quick, breakfast or lunch that I'm really loving, that's very comforting, is this? Blueberry smoothie bowl, which I know that doesn't sound.

Aliye Aydin: Okay.

Marisol Sanmiguel: That is that exciting? But the key is you make it super thick. So it's like an ice cream bowl and…

Aliye Aydin: .

Marisol Sanmiguel: then you make it extra fun with the toppings. So I'll put Some kind of granola or not mixture and then some almond butter. And I have it with a spoon and it's just so satisfying because it's like eating ice cream but it's packed with protein so I like that and…

Aliye Aydin: Nice.

Marisol Sanmiguel: then for something I'm actually cooking I really love. My whole roast chicken that I dry brine for two days. And it just comes up perfect. It's very comforting because it's like juicy and

Marisol Sanmiguel: eating something off the bone, there's just something very homey about that.

Aliye Aydin: Yeah, I agree. I'm right there with I'm the one at my table, eating off the bone, my family's like there goes Mom again. I'm like what?

Marisol Sanmiguel: you're like Yes.

Aliye Aydin: Give me the boat. Let's hopefully totally. I love it.

Marisol Sanmiguel: And to your point with cooking, I think when we eat with our hands too, that is like,…

Aliye Aydin: Right.

Marisol Sanmiguel: I used to Kind of judge myself for that I'm like am I that girl? That's using her finger and getting every last bit or holding the thing but I'm like what it gives me so much joy and maybe that's why I like the roast chicken…

Aliye Aydin: Totally. Yeah.

Marisol Sanmiguel: because I'm using my hands.

Aliye Aydin: It's very tactile and you get that crispy skin too, right? Right,…

Marisol Sanmiguel: the crispy skin. It's all about

Aliye Aydin: so for those not familiar the dry brine, it's basically salt, For a couple days and…

Marisol Sanmiguel: Yep, salt.

Aliye Aydin: then in the fridge and then you leave it open. So it dries out a little bit, or do you cover it when I dry? Brian, I leave it uncovered in the fridge. So, it's even more moisture evaporation.

Marisol Sanmiguel: 

Aliye Aydin: And then you get an even crispier It's basically dry aging, I tell people to cheat dry age or steak. You just salt it and…

Marisol Sanmiguel: Yeah.

Aliye Aydin: put it in your fridge for a day or two and you Aged your steak. that's like,

Marisol Sanmiguel: Exactly right? It's such a simple technique you can use for anything, but that's a great tip. Thank you because normally I am putting a little bit of plastic wrap because I think it's like the germaphobe in me…

Aliye Aydin: I mean there is that aspect you need to like,…

Marisol Sanmiguel: where I'm like I don't want stuff to accidentally touch it.

Aliye Aydin: put it in the bottom corner of your fridge, where no one's gonna brush their arm against it or…

Marisol Sanmiguel: yes.

Aliye Aydin: something like there is that if the fridge is super full and might not do that. But when I can,…

Marisol Sanmiguel: Yes.

Aliye Aydin: I do try to dry brine. Meaning just open proteins halted in the fridge and it's just another level for most proteins and that's what people I suggest for people with turkeys, too, like people,…

Marisol Sanmiguel: Right.

Aliye Aydin: every time around Thanksgiving, people are what do I am? just salt. You put some spices on there or…

Marisol Sanmiguel: Just solid.

Aliye Aydin: dry herbs if you want, but just salted a couple days before and you're good.

Marisol Sanmiguel: I know it's almost that season too, which is crazy.

Aliye Aydin: I know that's why I just said it, I was like real soon. People are gonna be asking me about turkeys.

Marisol Sanmiguel: The turkeys. I'm excited. I think I'm ready for Turkey. Usually, it's like we get way big of a bird and then, I'm so turkeyed out, but I'm ready for it.

Aliye Aydin: It's nice to have it come around every year. do you do any kind of meal prep?

Marisol Sanmiguel: It is.

Aliye Aydin: How do you keep yourself? I don't know if motivated or set up for success or any of those things because personally I can't really stand meal prep. I work from home. So I'm here a lot. I can do a lot but I shop every couple days or think about what's for dinner every couple days. I'm not a whole week out. Because I like a lot of variety. So I like to just kind of be able to be…

00:15:00

Marisol Sanmiguel: Exactly.

Aliye Aydin: okay, what am I going to eat today and tomorrow? Okay, I'll set myself up for that and then go from there. Do you do any meal prepping or planning?

Marisol Sanmiguel: I do I think similar to you, like we were saying, I like a lot of variety. So When it comes to my process and my preferences, I think what's great is, if I can make a couple things in advance, I think what we're really works. for me is making a bunch of vegetables and a car. But a starchy carb or two in bulk at the beginning of the week or even us on a Sunday I'll do rice or a big batch of sweet potatoes. Those are typically my main go-to's and then, I'll like sheet on a sheet panel, roast a bunch of vegetables. Or just kind of have salad ingredients prepped, like I'll just wash them.

Aliye Aydin: Right.

Marisol Sanmiguel: I probably won't even cut them to keep them fresh and then typically I will do Like the protein, I will cook it that day.

Marisol Sanmiguel: 

Marisol Sanmiguel: But then, there are certainly hacks. it does help me at the beginning of the week to write out all the meals that I want. So that way, at least I know what's coming. So if I have …

Aliye Aydin: this is,

Marisol Sanmiguel: a whole chicken, I know, I have to start the dry brine at least a couple days before. I'm huge into marinating stuff too.

Aliye Aydin: Right.

Marisol Sanmiguel: Marinating ground meats or whole pieces of meat. Because I think that really does cut down on the cook time as well because you can prep something for five, ten minutes. But then, When it's ready to cook your total cooking time goes way down because you don't need to prep it. You just throw it on the pan in the oven.

Aliye Aydin: Right. Yeah. Yeah. Very true.

Marisol Sanmiguel: And then for a while for breakfast, I was doing this, I call it my egg, veggie loaf, which is basically, like a giant frittata that I cook in the oven and it's And a huge container and then I'll just cut that up. And that has really helped me save time for meal, prep for breakfast because I'll just take it out, warm it up and then have it with a piece of sprouted toast, or sweet potato, and then that's breakfast.

Aliye Aydin: Yeah, that's an awesome idea. I know people often get stuck on the breakfast especially if they're trying to eat more protein, it's like and…

Marisol Sanmiguel: Yes.

Aliye Aydin: then if yours is an egg thing. But then if they don't like eggs, it's like They get stuck,…

Marisol Sanmiguel: Yes.

Aliye Aydin: And I tell people You don't have to eat food for breakfast. You can have …

Marisol Sanmiguel: That's true.

Aliye Aydin: leftovers from last night, or some pre-cooked protein, or some sweet potato, like breakfast doesn't have to be breakfast food.

Marisol Sanmiguel: That's such a good point. Yeah, you can make the rules. I think people make it a lot harder with these I should be having this or What should this meal look and feel like it's really just, I mean. Eating, what you enjoy, and having the variety. If you like it, you could do smoothies, too. You could do, kind of like the smoothie bowl. I was just talking about,

Marisol Sanmiguel: I also have been loving this. It's like a cottage cheese pancake.

Aliye Aydin: My mom used to make those and I was a kid. It's like a pancake with a lot of cottage cheese in it, Is there something? Yeah.

Marisol Sanmiguel: And I don't even flip it. you could do that, but I'm not the greatest at flipping. So I'll just pour the batter as one big thing and…

Aliye Aydin: What nice? Yeah. wow.

Marisol Sanmiguel: shoved in my air, fryer oven And then, I'm like, this is so easy and that has 30 grams of protein. So it's just as much as,…

Aliye Aydin: Nice.

Marisol Sanmiguel: a bunch of eggs. Some Yummy.

Aliye Aydin: I love that. Delicious. If you're ever feeling tired or uninspired, what inspires you Cook or eat. when you don't feel like putting in much effort, it seems like obviously would be the health as a health coach. What is the thing?

Marisol Sanmiguel: Yeah.

Aliye Aydin: That's kind of pulling you along when you're like, no, I don't want to

Marisol Sanmiguel: Yeah, I feel like the health part, it's so funny. I even think about that when you mentioned it because I think it's just so ingrained in me, it's just like, I gotta do it. And I'm grateful for that because I know that it takes time to get there. Definitely have health on my mind to keep me going. But we were talking about for me, cooking is genuinely fun. And getting in the kitchen and it's creative time for me, it's playtime. So If I'm in a funk or I'm just not feeling it usually it's because's a lot of I have to do this. I have to like that I got to make dinner.

00:20:00

Marisol Sanmiguel: All these things. But if I step aside and kind of let myself have fun of, what do I feel like eating? Or, what am I in the mood for? And I'll kind of go on Pinterest and get inspired by some things and images that I might see recipes or even on Instagram and then I kind of use it as a challenge of Whatever looks yummy, how can I transform it and kind of healthify the recipe. That's pretty much what I do with everything but that initial stage of getting curious and trying to Create something new I think is very motivating because then it's like an experiment. It's like, how good can we make this?

Aliye Aydin: Right.

Marisol Sanmiguel: Or Is this gonna be one of my staple recipes? So I love doing that and I also really love doing that particularly, with baking.

Marisol Sanmiguel: And coming up with just yummy, dessert, creation recipes, because I don't know what's more motivating. Then a tree. That's also healthy. Let me go in.

Aliye Aydin: Definitely Definitely, I love what you said about kind of shifting. Your thoughts, you don't get caught up and all I have to and I should and I need to you're able to step aside and see that that's happening in your head. And then kind of Break free from it, kind of do something else so that you don't get caught up in that and then just end up not eating. because I've noticed that happens for me too. It's me getting caught up in Just all the junky thoughts that don't do us any good. you…

Marisol Sanmiguel: Yeah.

Aliye Aydin: but when I'm able to just focus on the food and the flavors and the scents and the smells and what I might want to eat that day, then That's what brings me back every single time. Okay,…

Marisol Sanmiguel: Yeah.

Aliye Aydin: I want something newly. Okay, what do you got? What can we make this newly? Or What can we make? That's red meat, what's fish? just, I pick an ingredient. And then I kind of build out from there and let the food be my inspiration itself.

Marisol Sanmiguel: And it's easier said than done. I'm not gonna lie and…

Aliye Aydin: yeah. Absolutely.

Marisol Sanmiguel: say that I'm not always motivated but I think you could take that and apply to so many other areas of your life too. It's just build out that vision at the end of how good it's gonna be when you do it and can you have fun along the way?

Aliye Aydin: Right, right? It's like a pattern interrupt. I love that.

Marisol Sanmiguel: Yeah.

Aliye Aydin: I love that. So how can people get in touch with you if they want to get in your program or want health coaching? Or Tell us…

Marisol Sanmiguel: Thank you so much so you can find me by email Marisol at Myrubysoul.com bunch of different ways we can connect.

Aliye Aydin: where you are.

Aliye Aydin: Yeah.

Marisol Sanmiguel: I'm also on Instagram Tiktok, YouTube shorts. My Ruby Soul is the main handle and they're all kind of connected to each other so you can check me out there. I put different videos and depending on the time of year, I host some different master classes. If you want to kind of learn more about how to take that anti-inflammatory approach to fat loss. And other than that, those are the main,…

Aliye Aydin: Yeah. I love that.

Marisol Sanmiguel: those are the main hubs.

Aliye Aydin: I love that. thank you for being on the show. I thought this was a great conversation.

Marisol Sanmiguel: Totally, thank you so much for having me.