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Weekly Food Prep

I didn’t get this up sooner in the week, but here is what meal planning looked like for this week! Zucchini zucchini and more zucchini. We are so grateful to have such a healthy harvest of greens between our zucchini and my brother-in-law’s cucumbers. So, we’re trying to get creative about using it and also giving lots of them away.

Meals for this week:
Breakfast: Smoothie and egg whites with salsa
Lunch: stuffed zucchini boats
Snack: Lemony chickpea cucumber salad and kale chips

Here’s how I made the boats. I fried up 2lbs of lean ground turkey with 1/2 chopped onion and one jar of spaghetti sauce.

Then, I cut up a giant zucchini into six pieces and scooped out the seeds and stuffed them with the turkey mixture. Cooked on 375 for about 45 minutes in tin foil. Sooo yummy.

If you haven’t tried kale chips yet, you must! They are so good. I’ve seen them floating around the health and fitness websites for awhile now but just could never comprehend how they could actually be good. Then, I finally tried them. Oh my gosh!!! Sooo good. All I did was mix shredded kale in a bowl with about 1 tbsp olive oil, a minced garlic clove and a little salt. Spread them out on a cookie sheet. Cook at 400 for 10 minutes. Flip and cook for another 10 minutes. My 7yo thought they looked and sounded completely gross! Then, after trying them, kept eating them by the fistful!!!
And just for kicks, here’s a picture of the girl that stole my heart. I love to give her crazy hair after her bath.

Free Fall Fit Club

Because I love fitness so much and I want to help people as much as I can, I am offering a free 21-day fitness club.
It’s so easy to start slacking on your fitness goals when fall rolls around, so it’s the perfect time to re-commit to your health goals. With this 21-day fit club, you’ll have access to workouts, meal plans and ME as your fitness coach.
You read that right! You get the benefit of being coached by an NASM certified personal trainer for FREE, so don’t pass up this opportunity.
The fit club consists of an accountability group on Facebook, led by me. We’ll share slimmed-down comfort food recipes, cheer each other on, participate in challenges and reach toward our goals together. But you have to be committed to participating.

Yes, it’s completely free. You don’t have to buy anything! Just comment or email me if you’d like to join. Share the post if you know anyone who might be interested.

Family Recipe Binder

If you’re anything like me, you know how important it is to keep a file of all the recipes you’ve tried and enjoyed or use on a regular basis. I tend to forget some of my family’s favorite meals if they’re not listed in front of me, so having them all in front of me saves time and brainpower when it’s time to meal plan for the week.

Our favorite (mostly healthy) recipes had been printed and thrown into an ugly crinkly folder for YEARS. I’ve had intentions for at least the last 5 years to get our recipes in some kind of better order, but never quite had the interest to do it. Somehow, recently, I finally got hold of some recipe book inspiration and ran with it. Even Hubster is appreciative of the outcome.

Before
And after

What I did was put every recipe inside a plastic page protector. I love the page protector idea because I tend to obsess about not spilling things on recipe pages. Instant splash protection! Then, I organized the recipes by meal and put them in a simple white binder.

I found some stylin’ file dividers and labeled the meal types so everything is super easy to find. I can’t tell you how many times I flipped through the pages in that red folder searching for recipes when they were all just thrown in there.

Finally I searched for “retro nature border” on Google (cuz that’s how I roll) and did a little editing and added text to turn it into a cover sheet. I cropped a small part of that same design to create the spine title.

I love that this book is completely customized to our family’s taste. You know how when you buy a cookbook and you only use a handful of recipes from it? Yeah, me too. That’s why the binder idea works best. You only keep what you love! Seriously, besides this recipe book, the only other cookbook we’ve always kept is the timeless Better Homes and Gardens one.

I was going to scan all the recipes and create a digital file of them all. But who am I kidding? I don’t have the patience for or interest in that. I love referring to paper copies and usually end up printing recipes off anyway. I am a very visual person when it comes to food, so I wasn’t very attracted to the idea of little recipe cards either. Must have pictures!

I also started a list on a Google Doc with all our family favorites listed out on one sheet. That way we can choose 5 or so dinners per week at a glance instead of trying to search our brains for ideas.

It feels so good to finally have our recipes organized! How do you organize your recipes?

Weekly Food Prep

I’ve been feeling very inspired by food lately. It’s goes in fits and starts. Right now I’m on a roll. It’s nothing fancy, it’s really just more about the motivation and groove to get everything prepared for the week on the weekend.

This week’s work menu looks like this:


Breakfast: 1 carton Greek yogurt and egg whites with mushroom/onion saute
Lunch: Texas caviar
Snack: Cucumber salad and 2 hardboiled eggs.
When it comes to work food, I need FAST. I have a 7yo and a little baby at home. Sundays are spent at church and grocery shopping, then food prep. In between all that are naps and crabby times. If the food isn’t fast, it won’t get made and I may just lose interest. I also tend to want clean food. I find that if I prep for the week, I eat so much cleaner than if I just wing it. This week, I was also able to incorporate some farmer’s market finds as well as a few ingredients from my own backyard garden, which is always a plus.

Here are two quick informal recipes for my Texas caviar and cucumber salad:

Texas Caviar: Mix 1 can diced tomatoes (or dice your own) with 2 cans rinsed black beans, 1 can rinsed sweet corn and 1/2 small chopped onion. Serve with avocado over the top.  Add whatever spices you think sound good. I didn’t add any, but cilantro, chili powder and Italian dressing are some good options. You might also like to eat this inside a whole wheat tortilla.

Cool Cumber Salad: You’ve seen this recipe before, I’m sure. Here’s what I did: Mix 3 medium sliced cucumber with 1 large chopped tomato and 1/2 small chopped onion. Make a dressing with 1/4 cup vinegar, 1 tsp sugar, 1 Tbsp olive oil and mix well with the salad.

I was able to prep all my food in an hour, including cleanup. My little girl was underfoot most of the time and I did a lot of stirring with her on my hip. I had multiple things going at one time. While I was prepping the salads, my onions and mushrooms were sauteing in a pan and my eggs were boiling. So doable, right?

Dinners are one trip to Noodles and Co (which just opened in my town!!!), a cookout, easy Parmesan chicken, a pork roast with veggies, a simple ground turkey/veggie skillet and leftovers.

What kinds of things do you like to prep for the week? Are you interested in seeing more of my weekly menus?

Farmer’s Market Kale Salad

I know that one of the most persistent comments I hear about going to the farmer’s market is “I love getting fresh veggies, but I don’t know what to make with half of these ingredients!” I myself have fallen into that rut myself. But I’ve made it a point to be intentional about my farmer’s market shopping, picking out recipes that I’ll actually make and eat. I’m dedicated to living healthier and just love knowing that all the little pieces of fresh veggies go to work inside my body. So, maybe I’ll make “farmer’s market recipes” part of my new blogging repertoire. We’ll see;) I usually only like to make simple things. I also like things that can be tweaked based on what I have on-hand. If that’s your jam, stay tuned.

So, kale! It looks like something you probably never want to touch. It’s such a weird thick lettuce-y vegetable that no one knows what to do with, let alone WANTS to do anything with. I happen to love it when prepared right. The secret is in the marinade. You have to marinate kale to soften it up and give it good flavor. You have to massage the marinade in so it really absorbs, like sunscreen on the human body. See how that sounds like more like an “interaction” than a recipe? You actually have to interact with the kale to get it how you want it.


Farmer’s Market Kale Salad

Ingredients
1 bunch kale
4 green onions, chopped (also from the farmer’s market)

Toppings
2 Tbsp craisins
2 Tbsp almonds
2 oz cheese, cubed (found THE best mushroom cheese at the market)
Other toppings of choice (other nuts, raisins, cherry tomatoes, feta, etc)

Dressing
4 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp honey
1 tsp minced garlic
2 Tbsp olive oil


Directions
Shred the kale and put it in a bowl. Toss in diced green onions, cheese and toppings of choice. Mix all the dressing ingredients together and pour over the salad. Massage the dressing into the kale. You might even want to put the salad into a plastic container with a lid and shake it up, especially before serving. That’s it!

This is the one type of salad where you actually want the leaves to “marinate” in the dressing. They won’t get soggy! It will only taste better. If you want to add other greens to your salad, add before serving so they don’t get soggy.

What would you buy at the farmer’s market if you knew what to do with it?

My Favorite Easy Shakeology Recipe

In the morning, at work, you’ll typically find me triple-fisting it with my three essential beverages: water, coffee and ShakeO smoothie. Obviously, the two first ones are essential for human life, hee hee! The third one is like my protein and vitamin insurance. It covers me in case I don’t get enough essential vitamins in my food and could cover some protein and fiber deficiencies in my diet. Just reading the superfoods in the ingredient list makes me feel healthier. Haha!

Now, I have tried quite a few protein shakes, meal replacement shakes and other smoothie mix-ins. I’m not about to get all gimmicky, but right now I really love the taste of Shakeology and what’s in it most. I was skeptical of it for a loooong time (like, years!!!), but once I tried it, I loved the taste and the ingredient list! There’s nothing but superfoods and all-natural ingredients in there. There are even probiotics in there! You won’t find any weird chemicals like you do with some of the other meal replacements that are big on the market right now (check your labels, I dare you! Ha!)

The fact that it has so much protein is really good for me too. Remember my doctor’s orders about protein? Whenever I track my food intake for a day or two, I always notice that I lean heavily on carbs and not enough on protein. Have you tried this? My guess is you’re leaning the same way too. It’s something I notice with a lot of people I coach. So, getting the extra dose of protein is really important to me.

The only other powder I’ve found so far (because I have looked HARD for an alternative, believe me!) is Raw Meal, which I requested for Christmas, but the taste doesn’t even begin to compare! Raw Meal tastes like it sounds. Kind of like ground up “stuff.” I can just “tolerate” it in my smoothie, but it leaves much to be desired. So, right now, ShakeO it is!

So, my favorite way to prepare Shakeology is this:

Berry Shakeology Smoothie

1 c Frozen berries
1 splash milk
1 scoop vanilla shakeO
Water to fill the rest of the cup
I just blend all the ingredients in my Bullet, and that’s it!

It’s what I always drink on my way to work, after my workout. And let me tell you, it’s an amazing meal replacement when you’re sick because it’s yummy and filling when nothing else sounds good or goes down, it’s giving you tons of vitamins, and the frozen stuff feels really good on the throat.

Another favorite is a Banana ShakeO Milkshake. I like to freeze bananas in our house that are just past the edible stage, but aren’t quite to the rotten stage yet. Thin, I mix a frozen banana with vanilla ShakeO, milk and a sprinkle of cinnamon (and on occasion, some peanut butter). It tastes like a milkshake, no lie!

Interested in Shakeology? Check out the incredible ingredient list and benefits here. Leave a comment or contact me to give it a try.

Clean Eating: Faster than Fast Food

I recently led a 7-day clean eating group, and I was trying to come up with some ideas for clean meals that are “faster than fast food” for my participants. That eliminates a few of the top excuses for not eating healthy, no? I am always tempted to reach for convenience food when I come home starving and it’s way to easy to say that clean eating is way too involved. So, coming up with a few super easy, super fast recipes is my fall back plan so I don’t blow it. I’d like to share these with you too!

Here are a few meal-building lunch/dinner options:

#1. I saw this meal on a website where they asked top nutritionists what they eat on the run. If a nutritionist is eating it, I don’t mind if I do too!

Brown rice (or quinoa/other grain) + sugar snap peas (or any veggie) + black beans

#2. I happened to find this super healthy, organic meal mix at Walmart, right by the frozen Steamer veggies. It’s a kale, quinoa, feta mix that has an incredible amount of flavor and it’s very nutrient dense. I just added a can of black beans and a can of chickpeas for extra bulk with two bags of this, and I had lunch for the week!

3. I like toast-building options too. You can make a complete meal simply by building on top of toast. How about:

  • Bruschetta: tomato, mozzarella, avocado, basil and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar
  • Peanut butter roll-ups: pb, honey and banana on a whole wheat tortilla
  • Mini pizzas: mozzarella, tomato or tomato sauce, mushrooms, and onion on an English muffin, heated in the oven.
  • Avocado/egg on toast
  • Ricotta cheese and berries on toast
  • Grown up grilled cheese: lean cheese and a pile of sauteed veggies (onion, pepper, zucchini, etc) on toast.

Do you have any fall-back recipes for clean eating on-the-run?

FREE 7-Day Clean Eating Challenge

I’ve posted this on my Facebook page and at my workplace and have gotten such a huge response. If you want in on this too, leave me a message and I’ll add you to the group. Did I mention it’s FREE!!!

I’m trying something new and leading a FREE 7-day Clean Eating Challenge, starting Feb 8, leading right up to Valentine’s day. Clean eating is a great way to “refresh” the body and get you into the habit of eating whole, natural foods. This is not a “diet,” this is about creating an overall healthy lifestyle that aligns with your health goals. Clean eating goes hand-in-hand with exercise to deliver powerful results.
My hope and goal is that after these 7 days, you’ll feel so much better and want to continue eating this way. I want to help you kick the packaged, fast-food habits in favor of energizing, nutrient-filled eating with daily tips and motivation. I’m going to share my secrets for meal planning and prep and offer shopping lists and recipes to guide you.
If I give you 7 days of my undivided attention, will you put yourself ALL IN for ONE week? Leave a comment or message me if you’re interested in signing up. If you have a friend that might be interested, feel free to share the invite. You don’t want to miss this freebie because I probably won’t do another one for awhile!

Weekly Eats

I like to share what I’m eating on here in hopes that I might inspire you to meal prep for the week, setting you up for a successful week of healthy eating. I like to offer a glimpse of what I’m preparing as sort of a sample menu for cleaner, healthier eating or in case you’re wondering what a health-conscious nut might be eating at any given time. I myself sometimes return to these posts when I can’t think of what to eat for the week, so it’s helpful to pick and choose what you might want to incorporate into your own meal planning.

This is what my week looks like:

  • Breakfast: My signature breakfast of egg whites with salsa and cheese + breakfast sausage + Shakeology smoothie
  • Snack: No-bake energy bites + string cheese
  • Lunch: Black bean runner’s stew + kale salad (I don’t use all the ingredients listed)
  • Snack: Cottage cheese + cucumber
  • Dinners: Chicken wings, beef tips and gravy, teriyaki meatballs, burgers, etc.

Our dinners aren’t completely on the clean side as Hubster is taking over most of the cooking, but this is what a typical Midwesterner’s diet looks like anyhow, no? And I always make sure we fill up on healthy veggies, salads or fruits with our dinners.

This picture is just for attention! She’ll be having milk and baby oatmeal this week. Clean eating at its finest!

What are you eating this week?

How You Can Diet and Actually Eat More!!!

Did you read that right? Yes, you can eat MORE!!! The idea that “dieting” means restriction is quite a misconception. First of all, I’m not a fan of the word “diet.” Or rather, I think of “diet” as simply meaning what you eat. I don’t like thinking about diets as something you do temporarily, a way you restrict calories for a set amount of time. That being said, dieting doesn’t have to mean restriction. I like to think of it more as a playground: it’s fun, it’s healthy, it’s energizing, and there is an abundance! Reframe your mind to think of diet as a means of exploration and quality rather than a restriction.

The thing is, when you eat “clean,” you can pile your plate FULL and still lose weight. Remember my three breakfasts under 500 calories? On the other hand, you can’t out-exercise a bad diet. You likely won’t have good results if you’re eating Easy-Mac, pizza, or Hamburger Helper every day. And your portions would be tinier calorie for calorie than fresh food. Further, you don’t want to displace the calories for something nutrient-dense with something refined and non-beneficial. Two slices of white bread have little nutritional value and displace about 120 calories that you could’ve gotten from something much more satiating and vitamin-filled. And you won’t have to ride out the insulin spikes and dips!

Take for example my meal plan for this week. I ate a LOT of food during the day, was very satisfied, and was genuinely surprised by how many calories I had left over for dinnertime.

  1. Shakeology smoothie (1c frozen berries, 1 scoop ShakeO, 1/4c milk): 238 calories
  2. Egg whites with 4Tbsp salsa, turkey sausage and grapefruit: 327 calories
  3. Chickpea salad: 145 calories
  4. Quinoa bowl and sweet potatoes with a sprinkle of brown sugar and pecans: 345 calories
  5. Greek yogurt with honey: 161 calories
    1. Total calories: 1216
Shakeology smoothie

Grapefruit, eggs and salsa, sausage

Quinoa bowl and sweet potatoes

Chickpea salad

Greek yogurt and honey
ALL. THE. FOOD!!

Wow, look at all that food! And that’s not even including supper. I literally felt like I was eating all day! AND losing weight? Just, wow!

Want to learn how to eat MORE too? Here are some tips:

  • Keep ingredients simple: stick to whole, the-way-God-made-them foods and simple, recognizable ingredient lists.
  • Pile on the veggies: the main part of every meal should be veggies; meat should be a side dish. Fruit is great too!
  • Eat lean meats instead of fatty ones: you can eat a ton more grilled chicken (with more satiating protein) than ground beef, and save yourself sooo much fat. For example, one pound of boneless skinless chicken breast has 880 calories/20g fat/184g protein while typical 85/15 ground beef has 1,152 calories/65g fat/128g protein. 
  • Get your flavor from simple spices, vinegars, mustards, and the like. These add sooo much taste for negligible calories.
  • Remove liquid calories: drink mostly water. Liquid calories are a huge waste!

With clean eating, it’s pretty safe to say that green vegetables are unlimited. That doesn’t mean gnawing on raw salad greens all day–unless that’s your jam! It could mean balsamic Brussels sprouts, it could mean grilled asparagus, it could mean a yummy cucumber tomato salad, it could mean a huge bowl of veggie soup. Just be careful with your toppings. Vinegar- and mustard-based dressings are great, but limit olive oils, heavy cheeses and the like. Grilling is a great way to add tons of flavor without adding “weight” to greens. See, you can really eat a LOT, if you do it right!