Are you starting to get stuck? Some of the best intentions can be met with challenges. We lead such busy lives that it is hard to find “time” to do the things we should be doing. I cannot tell you how many times a day I hear, “I’d love to do that, but I just don’t have the time.” Well I hate to burst the bubble here but time is relative. All we need to do is create time! I know this may sound easier than it is, but it really is that easy! As soon as you say those words, “I don’t have time”, you already set yourself up for failure. Try to change your thoughts and words and say, “I will make time”. You will be surprised at what you can fit in when you change the way you think. With that said here are some tips to “save-time” and therefore allow you to stick to your plan. - Make a Menu Board. I don’t know how many times this has happened to me. I get home from work and had good intention to make something fabulous for dinner, but get home and just make something quick and easy, but not necessarily healthy. I am not saying quick and easy cannot be healthy, but a lot of times unhealthy food can be easy to just through in or pick-up. - To go along with the menu board, you will need to plan your meals in advance. This will also help with your shopping trip and will discourage you from buying those unhealthy impulse items that somehow end up in our carts. We sit down every Sat morning and go through the refrigerator and plan meals for the upcoming week, make a list, then hot Trader Joe's and Sprouts (we are very lucky to have these awesome stores!!) - Prep your lunch the night before. This way you can take your time to make a nice healthy lunch. You can also do this with breakfast (depending on what you have in the morning, I have a protein shake so it works great for me! - Make a work-out schedule. Sometimes when we are forced to write things down, it makes us a little more accountable. There are also some great apps out there that will get you motivated. http://www.pcmag.com/slideshow/story/292474/the-25-best-fitness-apps - Set out your work-out gear the night before. This way it is ready to go for you in the morning, Hope this helps! Recipe of the Week
Mushroom Chicken with Asparagus Ingredients: 2 Chicken breasts Salt (to taste) Pepper (to taste) 1 tbs Olive Oil / Avocado Oil 1 bunch Asparagus (washed and cut) 1/2 cup Feta Cheese Mushroom Basil Sauce (courtesy of allrecipies.com) http://allrecipes.com/recipe/basil-cream-sauce/ Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Use a meat mallet and pound out the chicken breasts so they are about ½ inch thick. Boil water and place asparagus in water until blanched. Dry and set aside. Place asparagus on chicken with feta cheese (divide between the 2 breasts), wrap and set aside. Heat olive oil in saucepan over medium heat. Place chicken breast in skillet and brown on both sides. Place in baking dish and drizzle with olive or avocado oil. Finish in the oven for ~30min or until 165 degrees. Make Basil sauce and pour over chicken.
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Valentine’s Day
What a wonderful day set aside once a year to focus on the loved ones in your life. This doesn’t me it is an excuse to go off your meal plan! You can still have a great valentine’s day without indulging in candies and sugary goodies. Here are some ideas to start you out with. Have an exercise date! New fun fitness trends are always popping up. Take to the sky at a trampoline park; try rock climbing; take an aerial or trapeze class; or go roller / ice skating together. Whatever you may decide to do on this day, remember to make it ACTIVE! If food is on your mind, and you are watching your carbs, steak and/or lobster are a great option for the main course. Just pair it with a nice salad or (my favorite) Brussels sprouts. Dessert can be a little tricky. It is pretty hard to find a low-carb dessert without a lot of artificial sweeteners or sugar alcohols. A few lower carb options are: Peaches and Cream - (1 cup peaches and fresh whipped cream), you can also use 1 cup chopped strawberries or ½ cup blueberries. - For the whipped cream - 1 cup heavy cream - 1 Tbsp. Stevia (optional) - 1 tsp vanilla extract (optional) Whip heavy cream with an egg better (I just use my ninja) until stiff. If you are adding vanilla or sweetener, add it in before it stiffens Cheesecake Cupcakes: http://www.nuttyabouthealth.com/2013/01/13/low-carb-cheesecake-cupcakes/ Dark Chocolate Covered Strawberries – use higher cacao chocolate (lower carbs) a good one I have used before is Ghirardelli Midnight Reverie 86% Cacao. Making these is so simple. Melt the chocolate in a double broiler and dip in washed strawberries. Today we are talking about carbs. Starches in particular. There has been a lot of talk lately about starches and grains being “bad” for you. I recently went to a lecture from the NY Times bestselling author of Grain Brain, Dr. David Perlmutter. Now, the evidence is overwhelming (and has been) regarding lower carbs diet and cardiovascular and neurological health, but Dr. Perlmutter is also claiming that gluten is to blame for the rise in dementia, decreased libido, depression, chronic headaches, anxiety, epilepsy, and ADHD. If you are interested in reading a great article about this topic please see http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2013/12/this-is-your-brain-on-gluten/282550/.
Since the jury is still out on gluten, I am going to focus on good grains this week to incorporate into your diet. One of my favorites is quinoa! It is a great grain (actually a seed) packed with fiber and protein (provides all 9 essential amino acids). Others grain to include in your meal plan are whole grains (make sure it says this in the first 2 ingredients. Examples of whole grains include: · Barley · Brown rice · Buckwheat · Bulgur (cracked wheat) · Millet · Oatmeal · Whole-wheat bread, pasta or crackers · Wild rice Adding any of these into your diet is a great healthy decision. If you are looking for something different to make this evening, check out these great recipes for quinoa from cooking light!! http://www.cookinglight.com/food/recipe-finder/cooking-with-quinoa-00412000073996/ |
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I love to share my knowledge about nutrition and wellness. Please feel free to contact me for topic requests. Archives
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