- A key to eating clean and healthy throughout the day is Meal Planning. Before you do your weekly grocery shopping trip - put together a meal calendar for the week so you can be sure to pick up all the needed ingredients. There are many free tools online to help you with this planning - check out websites such as Real Simple and 100 Days of Real Food.
- The second key is Food Prep. You are not going to want to cut, chop and boil the same things every day, so plan ahead and pick your prep day. Hard boil your eggs in bulk, peel and separate garlic cloves, cut your celery in sticks and place in water so that they do not dry out, grill a batch of chicken to have on hand for salads and other recipes. There are so much you can do in advance - make your sauces, hummus, pesto....Do some baking - muffins or eggs frittatas that can be refrigerated for easy snacking. Make a batch of these for breakfast on the go:
- Veggie Frittata (recipe altered from The Biggest Loser):
- 1 tablespoon vegerable oil
- 2 cups egg substitute or 8 eggs
- 1/4 cup skim milk
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
- 1 cup shredded low-fat Swiss cheese
- 1/3 cup thinly sliced green onions
- 1/2 cup finely chopped red pepper
- 1/2 cup finely chopped green pepper
- 1 cup thinly sliced mushrooms
- 1 cup finely chopped asparagus
- Directions: Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Mist 12 muffin cups with cooking spray. In large skillet over medium-high heat, add oil, red and green pepper, mushrooms and asparagus. Cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally until vegetables are cooked. In large bowl, whisk eggs, milk and parsley until well mixed. Stire in cheese, mushroom mixture and green onions. Spoon mixture into muffin cups, filling approximately 3/4 full. Bake 20 minutes or until set. Allow to cool and refrigerate to keep for breakfast throughout the week!
- Below are just a few ingredients to always have on your hand in your pantry or refrigerator. These will help you to make good choices when cooking in a rush or snacking in a hurry!
- Fresh Greens - have your favorite greens on hand for salads, sandwiches and other dishes
- Whole Wheat Pasta
- Peanut Butter
- Organic Eggs
- Almonds
- Basic Granola
- Flaxseed
- Lean Ground Turkey
- Boneless/Skinless Chicken Breasts
- Here are some suggestions for healthy snacks to have at home or pack for work:
- Sliced Apples dipped or spread with Peanut Butter
- Greek Yogurt
- Edamame
- Air-popped Popcorn
- Almonds
- Hummus & Carrot Sticks
- Try this healthy dinner recipe, it is likely to become a go-to favorite:
- Flank Steak with Caramelized Onions (recipe credit to Fitness Magazine)
- Makes: 4 servings, Prep Time: 5 mins, Cook time: 15 mins
- Ingredients:
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 2 large red onions, halved and thinly sliced
- 1 red or green bell pepper cut into thin strips
- 1/2 teaspoon dried sage
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 beef flank steak (1 1/4 to 1 1/2 lbs)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon freshly ground pepper
- 4 7-8" flour tortillas
- 1 15-ounce can black
- Directions:
- Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions; cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 7 minutes. Add the bell pepper strips, sage and oregano. Stirring constantly, cook, uncovered over medium-high heat for 4-5 minutes, until the onions are golden and the peppers are crisp. Preheat a grill pan over medium-high heat Trim fat from the steak; score on both sides by making shallow cuts at 1-inch intervals in a diamond pattern. Rub with salt and black pepper. Grill 8 to 12 minutes for medium rare and 12-14 for medium, turning once. To serve, thinly slice the steak diagonally across the grain and top with the onion mixture. Serve with warm tortillas and black beans on the side.
To help fight the resolution fears....to stay strong in the kitchen, we recommend that you Plan, Prepare & Cook! It will feel like a bit of work at first, but get into the rhythm and it will become your healthy way of life!
