A question that I frequently get asked is: what do you eat? Can you give me some recipes?
Well, not only is it important what you eat, but how often you are eating. I know what you are thinking “I don’t have the time!”. Well, if smokers can take the time out of their busy day for a cigarette, then you can take the time out of yours for a healthy snack. It’s really not that hard, once you get into the habit of doing it. The tough part is breaking those bad habits and implementing good ones.
Tip #1:
Eat breakfast! You have time for breakfast. It doesn’t have to be scrambled eggs, oatmeal, bacon, sausage, orange juice, a bowl of diced fresh fruit, toast, pancakes…you catch my drift? I have 3 standard breakfasts that I alternate in
between.
Breakfast 1: 2 scrambled eggs, diced red & green bell peppers, onions, mushrooms, crumbled turkey sausage, shredded cheese
I sauté everything together except the eggs, and then once it’s all done I add the eggs. After it’s cooked, I top it off with some shredded cheese and picante sauce. I put this in a container and take it with me, so when I get to work I pull it out of my lunch bag and eat it. I wash that down with organic chocolate milk (8 oz, Horizon)
Breakfast 2: Quaker Oats Raisin, Date & Walnut Instant Oatmeal (2 packets), 2 turkey sausage links (Jimmy Dean). Heat & eat! I heat the water separately from the oatmeal in the microwave and then take my coffee cup and pour the water on top of the oats. It makes for a less gummy dish. I fix this at work also. The turkey sausage links only take 60 seconds in the microwave.
Breakfast 3: Homemade “egg mcmuffin”. I purchased this frying pan that is the perfect size for cooking one egg that fits right on the English muffins.
Turkey sausage patty, 1 egg, 1 slice of cheese, cinnamon raisin English muffin. I spray the pan with a little bit of olive oil cooking spray and cook the egg in the pan, while I have the sausage in the microwave and the English muffin in the toaster oven. Everything gets done at the same time, and I simply assemble my sandwich! I wrap it up and take it out the door with me. Don’t forget the organic chocolate milk!
One thing I don’t do is count calories. I do read labels to check the amount of sodium, sugar, fat, and finally if the caloric content is a little too much for me, then I look for something else.
Tip #2:
Drink water, and water only! If you are a certified caffeine junkie, or swear by smoothies, juices, tea, soda and any other liquid sugary substance, I am talking to you! These beverages are laced with so many empty calories, and really none of that stuff provides you with any nutrients. What does your body possibly NEED from soda or juice? If there is something in juice that your body needs, guess what? You can get that same fix by eating the actual fruit. Eat an apple, orange, banana, kiwi, etc. It’s much more filling anyways. One thing you will learn is that if you keep good, healthy food in your kitchen, you will eat good, healthy food. Try it.
Tip #3:
Eat more! Yes, I said it, eat MORE! Chances are you are consuming too much food during your meals, therefore driving up your caloric content, and slowing down your metabolism. If you eat 5 small 400 calorie meals a day and add some physical activity to that, you will be headed in the right direction. You should aim to make lunch your biggest meal of the day. Don’t have that spaghetti for dinner. How about you cook the spaghetti, and eat a salad? Making lunch your heaviest meal will give your body time to metabolize the food. I have breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, dinner, snack. I really could say I just snack the rest of the night after lunch since I go to the gym after work, and have a light snack before I go to the gym and when I leave. I try to do all of my cooking on Sunday evening, because my schedule is tight during the week. I also have invested in bigger lunch bags so that I can pack my days’ worth of food with me. I also keep food at work. If you can do that, I highly recommend it. That way you won’t be packing too much every day.
SNACKS!
Choose your snacks wisely. Greek yogurt is high in protein and low in sugar, therefore it will give you that full feeling and it’s good for you. I have my greek yogurt with a piece of fruit, usually a banana or apple, and a granola bar. That’s my morning snack. My afternoon snack is usually baked tostitos, salsa and sometimes a mozzarella cheese stick; trail mix; handful of nuts and organic chocolate milk; baby carrots or broccoli & greek yogurt dip. Atkins makes a really good protein shake, and so does Special K. I usually drink the protein shake on my way out of the door from work on my way to the gym. Don’t be afraid to Google “healthy snacks” and come up with your own favorite snacks. There are so many options, so don’t limit yourself to mine. I can tell you to eat raisins sparingly. They are really high in sugar and carry a lot of calories. They do more harm than good.
Whew! I feel like I have said more than a mouthful, but I hope this helps. Check out my other blog for recipes!
Well, not only is it important what you eat, but how often you are eating. I know what you are thinking “I don’t have the time!”. Well, if smokers can take the time out of their busy day for a cigarette, then you can take the time out of yours for a healthy snack. It’s really not that hard, once you get into the habit of doing it. The tough part is breaking those bad habits and implementing good ones.
Tip #1:
Eat breakfast! You have time for breakfast. It doesn’t have to be scrambled eggs, oatmeal, bacon, sausage, orange juice, a bowl of diced fresh fruit, toast, pancakes…you catch my drift? I have 3 standard breakfasts that I alternate in
between.
Breakfast 1: 2 scrambled eggs, diced red & green bell peppers, onions, mushrooms, crumbled turkey sausage, shredded cheese
I sauté everything together except the eggs, and then once it’s all done I add the eggs. After it’s cooked, I top it off with some shredded cheese and picante sauce. I put this in a container and take it with me, so when I get to work I pull it out of my lunch bag and eat it. I wash that down with organic chocolate milk (8 oz, Horizon)
Breakfast 2: Quaker Oats Raisin, Date & Walnut Instant Oatmeal (2 packets), 2 turkey sausage links (Jimmy Dean). Heat & eat! I heat the water separately from the oatmeal in the microwave and then take my coffee cup and pour the water on top of the oats. It makes for a less gummy dish. I fix this at work also. The turkey sausage links only take 60 seconds in the microwave.
Breakfast 3: Homemade “egg mcmuffin”. I purchased this frying pan that is the perfect size for cooking one egg that fits right on the English muffins.
Turkey sausage patty, 1 egg, 1 slice of cheese, cinnamon raisin English muffin. I spray the pan with a little bit of olive oil cooking spray and cook the egg in the pan, while I have the sausage in the microwave and the English muffin in the toaster oven. Everything gets done at the same time, and I simply assemble my sandwich! I wrap it up and take it out the door with me. Don’t forget the organic chocolate milk!
One thing I don’t do is count calories. I do read labels to check the amount of sodium, sugar, fat, and finally if the caloric content is a little too much for me, then I look for something else.
Tip #2:
Drink water, and water only! If you are a certified caffeine junkie, or swear by smoothies, juices, tea, soda and any other liquid sugary substance, I am talking to you! These beverages are laced with so many empty calories, and really none of that stuff provides you with any nutrients. What does your body possibly NEED from soda or juice? If there is something in juice that your body needs, guess what? You can get that same fix by eating the actual fruit. Eat an apple, orange, banana, kiwi, etc. It’s much more filling anyways. One thing you will learn is that if you keep good, healthy food in your kitchen, you will eat good, healthy food. Try it.
Tip #3:
Eat more! Yes, I said it, eat MORE! Chances are you are consuming too much food during your meals, therefore driving up your caloric content, and slowing down your metabolism. If you eat 5 small 400 calorie meals a day and add some physical activity to that, you will be headed in the right direction. You should aim to make lunch your biggest meal of the day. Don’t have that spaghetti for dinner. How about you cook the spaghetti, and eat a salad? Making lunch your heaviest meal will give your body time to metabolize the food. I have breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, dinner, snack. I really could say I just snack the rest of the night after lunch since I go to the gym after work, and have a light snack before I go to the gym and when I leave. I try to do all of my cooking on Sunday evening, because my schedule is tight during the week. I also have invested in bigger lunch bags so that I can pack my days’ worth of food with me. I also keep food at work. If you can do that, I highly recommend it. That way you won’t be packing too much every day.
SNACKS!
Choose your snacks wisely. Greek yogurt is high in protein and low in sugar, therefore it will give you that full feeling and it’s good for you. I have my greek yogurt with a piece of fruit, usually a banana or apple, and a granola bar. That’s my morning snack. My afternoon snack is usually baked tostitos, salsa and sometimes a mozzarella cheese stick; trail mix; handful of nuts and organic chocolate milk; baby carrots or broccoli & greek yogurt dip. Atkins makes a really good protein shake, and so does Special K. I usually drink the protein shake on my way out of the door from work on my way to the gym. Don’t be afraid to Google “healthy snacks” and come up with your own favorite snacks. There are so many options, so don’t limit yourself to mine. I can tell you to eat raisins sparingly. They are really high in sugar and carry a lot of calories. They do more harm than good.
Whew! I feel like I have said more than a mouthful, but I hope this helps. Check out my other blog for recipes!
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