If Only You Knew!

If only you knew how fantastic your body really is! It moves you day-in and day-out! It gets you through illnesses, lets you run and play and experience new things and if your a woman your body makes people! So today I've decided that no matter what your body looks like its time to start loving it because it does so much for you!

So here are some of the many reasons (from yourtango.com) why its time to love your body, no matter what.

1.  Showering your body with loving thoughts because its listening! Think of your body as having ears because it is a part of your subconscious mind. By projecting negative thoughts on to your body, you are actually reinforcing the very root of your weight issue. The reason most people gain weight is because they fill themselves with food to make up for a lack of love. Showering your body with loving thoughts is the best diet you can go on. You feel better, your body feels good and with regular loving practise it becomes the body you truly love even if it remains the same shape or size.

2.  Loving your body does not require you to be perfectly happy with every aspect of it. It simply means you are in rapport with your body, grateful for the amazing gift that it is, and appreciative for the many pleasures it offers. When you love your body you will feel good about who you are, and you'll feel more attractive, all of which will help your inner light shine more brightly.

3.  Consider all that your body has done for you in the past and the present, and all that you are hoping it will provide for your future. Loving your body involves so much more than "how you look" and whether you should lose a few pounds.

4.  When you love your body you are more likely to nurture it in a way that is healthy for the body, mind and spirit. You exude a healthier, more accepting energy that allows you to be more playful, fun-loving and encouraging to not only yourself but those around you. You take the time to care of it - eating right, exercising, and sleeping properly because you realise how special and strong your body is.

5.  When you're critical and judgemental about your body, it can easily attract other negativity into your life, including negative people. These interactions cause negative emotions which release chemicals into our bodies that often lead to illness. We all know the saying 'Birds of a feather..." think positively and positivity will find you! The more you accept and love your body, the more you'll tend to create a positive environment.

6.  It's important to love your body because it can act as your own personal wellness coach! When you love it by listening to it, it warns you when you are stressed, coming down with something, upset or angry. It helps identify when you are happy, engaged or at peace. This knowing allows you reduce what drains you and integrate more peace and joy into your life to feel like you are thriving again.

7. You can love your body without liking every part of it. If you don't like a part of your body (and it can be changed), then change it. IF it is something you can not change (i.e width of hips or scar from c-section), work to accept and eventually love it.

8. Our body is what carries us through this wonderful life. Be excited in the fact that you have a healthy body that allows you to do all of the things that you want to do. Cherish it, take care of it and most of all, love it!

9. Loving your body is contagious. When you accept, appreciate and love your body, that radiant energy is a compelling aphrodisiac and makes it a delight for your partner to also love your body in every sense. And there are also the young women and girls in your life. By loving your body you will show them by example how to do the same.

Use it, Love it for all of these reasons and a million more. I hope this has helped you love your body just a little bit more. And remember it can take some practise to turn off the negative thoughts (I hate my thighs, I have arm jiggle, etc.) but you can do it!

Stay Healthy!
Andrea :)

10 Sugar Bombs Healthier Than Children's Cereal

Good Morning!

Cereal sounds like such a great choice for breakfast and we've all seen the commercials that say that this cereal is "part of a balanced breakfast!". I really don't know who thinks that cereal (carbs), a muffin (carbs), orange juice (carbs) and butter (saturated fats) is a balanced breakfast....



Check out this list of cereals and what sugary chemical filled 'treats' have less sugar than popular breakfast cereals:

http://fitbie.ca.msn.com/slideshow/10-sugar-bombs-healthier-childrens-cereal


And now that you know the bad ones. Check out these healthy breakfast ideas for kids (and adults) from the Heart & Stroke Foundation:

* 1/2 Cup Whole-grain cereal (kashi) with milk or yogurt and berries

* 1 Packet cooked oatmeal made with milk and topped with raisins and almonds

* 1/2 Whole-grain pita pocket with peanut butter and banana slices

* 1 Soft boiled egg on whole wheat toast with orange slices

* 1 Whole-grain English muffin with melted part-skim mozzarella cheese and apple slices

* Scrambled eggs with red peppers and salsa wrapped in a tortilla

* Cheese with whole-grain crackers and sliced tomatoes

* Homemade raisin bran muffin with a frozen fruit yogurt smoothie

So next time you reach for Fruit Loops in the cereal isle at the grocery store think twice! And reach for something else instead.

Stay Healthy!
Andrea :)

My Favourite Cookbooks!

Good Evening!

Today I'm going to tell you about my favourite cookbooks! I love flipping through cookbooks and find great recipes to try out and I always find myself going back to the same cookbooks over and over again. So today I'm going to share with you my favourites though not in any particular order.

Favourites Home Cooking: Chef Michael Smith 'Chef at Home'



You may recognise Chef Michael here from one of his many TV shows on the Food Network including Chef at Home, Chef At Large and Chef Abroad. His recipes are simple, delicious and healthy and encourage you to make substitutions to make each dish your own. They also don't have too many ingredients or take too long to make. One of my favourite recipes is the creamy chicken stew!

Favourite New & Fun Recipes: Janet & Greta: 'Looneyspoons' and 'Eat, Shrink & Be Merry'



These cookbooks are great! The recipes are delicious, healthy and have hilarious names. For example there is a potato side dish named 'Darth Tater'. I find that some of these recipes have a lot of ingredients, for example their Pad Thai ingredients take up almost an entire page. But for the most part they are very easy, nutritious and delicious! The Scalloped Potato recipe is a family favourite and so is the Cajun Rice & Beans.

The One I Want for Christmas: Oxygen Magazine's 'The Best of Clean Eating'



This book is full of all of the great recipes from Oxygen Magazine's and for their sister magazine 'Clean Eating'. These are the healthiest recipes you can get and taste great! The downside to this cookbook is that most of the time there are a lot of ingredients and sometimes ingredients that aren't easy to find in Canada (although when in doubt check Bulk Barn). If your thinking this might be the cookbook for you grab one of the magazine's first and give the recipes a try!



I hope my post will help you in your search for new and delicious recipes that satisfy the whole family and the tastebuds while being nutritious and fuelling your bodies!

Stay Healthy!
Andrea :)

PS Just a thought but Cookbooks make great Christmas gifts (it is October you know)! 

Fight & Prevent the Afternoon Slump!

Good Morning!

Many of us know the afternoon slump rather well. Around 2 O'clock you start to feel tired and like a nap would be a good idea... then 2:30 comes around and you can barely keep your eyes open let alone focus on what your doing. So to make it to the end of the day we head for the coffee maker, or the candy machine or the cafeteria to get a pick me up. Anything really to give you a boost to make it to the end of the day. 

So to help you combat this and keep afternoon naps at work to a minimum I found an article on 9 different foods to help you stay awake without the sugar crash afterwards and while maintaining your healthy eating plan! Give them a try!





http://fitbie.ca.msn.com/slideshow/9-foods-fight-fatigue

Have a read through and if you have any questions, as always, feel free to message me!

Stay Healthy!
Andrea :)

Layer Pumpkin Loaf

Good Morning!

Its the first Monday of fall (my favorite season)! And to celebrate I'm putting up a recipe I made over the weekend for the first time. I found this Pumpkin bread recipe on the Kraft What's Cooking website in there healthy living section and decided to give it a try (with a few of my own modifications of course).

This is a fantastic recipe and a new favorite of mine. The canned pumpkin gives you a serving of fruit and vitamin C, the milk adds calcium, the protien powder adds extra protien, the flax adds add fibre and healthy fats and the pumpkin pie sppice makes it taste like pumpkin pie!

If you like pumpkin pie then this is the breakfast for you! Serve a slice with a nice hot cup of coffee (or a glass of skim milk) and a piece of fruit and you've got yourself a delicious and well rounded breakfast (or snack) to kick start the day!
 

What You Need

1 cup canned pumpkin (NOT pumpkin pie filling)

1 cup plus 2 Tbsp. splenda, divided

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

4 egg whites, divided

1/2 cup skim milk

1/4 cup canola oil

2 cups whole wheat flour

2-1/2 tsp. Magic Baking Powder

2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice  

1/4 cup ground flax seeds

1 scoop natural protien powder (if desired!)

1 pkg. (250 g) Light Brick Cream Cheese Spread, softened

Make It

HEAT oven to 350ºF.

MIX pumpkin, 1 cup granulated sugar, brown sugar, 3 egg whites, milk and oil in large bowl. Add flour, baking powder, spice and salt; stir just until moistened. Beat cream cheese spread, remaining granulated sugar and remaining egg white with whisk until well blended.
SPOON half the pumpkin batter into 9x5-inch nonstick loaf pan sprayed with cooking spray; cover with layers of cream cheese mixture and remaining pumpkin batter.
BAKE 1 hour to 1 hour 5 min. or until toothpick inserted in centre comes out clean. Loosen bread from sides of pan; cool in pan 10 min. Remove from pan to wire rack; cool completely.

 

How to Store Bread

Wrap cooled bread in foil or plastic wrap. Store in refrigerator up to 4 days.

nutritional information

Serving Size = 1 slice (73 g)

Calories: 220

Total fat: 7 g

Saturated fat: 2 g

Cholesterol: 10 mg

Sodium: 190 mg

Carbohydrate: 36 g

Dietary fibre: 1 g

Sugars: 23 g

Protein:  4 g

Vitamin C: 2 % DV

Calcium: 8 %DV

Iron: 8 %DV

 

Nutrition Bonus

Who knew that vitamin A could come in such a delicious format! The pumpkin in this bread makes it an excellent source.

 

Enjoy and Stay Healthy!

Andrea :)

 

Calcium!

Good Morning!

Here is a great article I found on Fitbe.com about the many different ways to get extra calcium in your diet. For women its especially important that we get adequate calcium everyday.

The Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) of calcium increases with age.
· Children (ages 1-3): 500 mg per day
· Children (ages 4-8): 800 mg per day
· Youth (ages 9-18): 1300 mg per day
· Adults (ages 19-50): 1000 mg per day
· Adults (ages 51 or older): 1200 mg per day

Some early warning signs and symptoms of a calcium deficiency include:
* Aching joints and an increase in fractures
* Eczema (Try these soothing skin solutions!)
* Heart palpitations
* Hypertension
* Brittle nails
* Insomnia
* Muscle cramps
* Numbness in the arms and legs

And if left untreated, a calcium deficiency can lead to osteoporosis, a disease characterised by the loss of bone density and increased bone fragility.



http://fitbie.ca.msn.com/slideshow/13-surprising-sources-calcium

Have a read through this article and learn new ways to get your calcium from food!

Stay Healthy (and have a great weekend)!
Andrea :)

Where to find good recipes?

Good Afternoon!

Today I'm going to share with you a few of my favourite websites to find healthy, delicious and fairly easy recipes. Its very hard to come up with meal ideas day after day so why not get some help with that? The Internet is full of great sites but let me save you some time on Google and and show you some of my favourite recipe sites!

1. Kraft 'What's Cooking' - http://www.kraftcanada.com/en/recipes/main.aspx


This website is probably my favourite! I'm forever on it looking at new recipes and there are so many to choose from! Its also very easy to navigate with all of the recipes broken down and organised in to categories. They even have a 'holiday centre' where you can find amazing recipes for the upcoming holiday season (Thanksgiving is only a few weeks away!). Another great thing about this site is that you can also sign up for their e-mail newsletter (which I did) so you get new ideas weekly!

For example give this Update Sheppard's Pie a try: http://www.kraftcanada.com/en/recipes/updated-shepherds-pie-88411.aspx





2. Chatelaine Magazine Online - http://food.chatelaine.com/



Chatelaine is another great website for finding recipes although slightly harder to navigate than the What's Cooking site. You can find everything on here from healthy eating to ethnic dishes to desserts. And they even have the recipes broken down by cooking method and type of food.

Try this: http://food.chatelaine.com/recipes/view/singapore_noodles






3. Cooks.com




If you know what you want to make and you just need to find the right recipe this is the place to go. It has hundreds of recipes from every kind of food! The only thing about this site is it has no pictures :( Oh well!

Try this: http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,195,139162-233206,00.html



I hope this has been helpful! If you have any awesome foodie website let me know so I can share them!

Stay Healthy!
Andrea :)

Goal Setting: How to

Good Morning!

Now that we know how important it is in our lives to set goals. We are going to talk about how to set them out so you reach them as soon as possible! The easiest way to make sure you reach whatever goal you are reaching for is to make your goals SMART:

So lets break down each of these elements and see how they work:

Specific:

Is the What, Why, and How of the SMART model.

• WHAT are you going to do? Use action words such as direct, organize, coordinate, lead, develop, plan, build etc.
• WHY is this important to do at this time? What do you want to ultimately accomplish?
• HOW are you going to do it? (By…)

Ensure the goals you set is very specific, clear and easy. Instead of setting a goal to lose weight or be healthier, set a specific goal to lose 2cm off your waistline or to walk 5 miles at an aerobically challenging pace.

Measurable:
If you can't measure it, you can't manage it. Establish concrete criteria for measuring progress toward the attainment of each goal you set. When you measure your progress, you stay on track, reach your target dates, and experience the exhilaration of achievement that spurs you on to continued effort required to reach your goals.

Attainable:Goals you set which are too far out of your reach, you probably won’t commit to doing. Although you may start with the best of intentions, the knowledge that it’s too much for you means your subconscious will keep reminding you of this fact and will stop you from even giving it your best.
A goal needs to stretch you slightly so you feel you can do it and it will need a real commitment from you. For instance, if you aim to lose 20lbs in one week, we all know that isn’t achievable. But setting a goal to lose 1lb and when you’ve achieved that, aiming to lose a further 1lb, will keep it achievable for you. The feeling of success which this brings helps you to remain motivated.

Realistic:
Realistic, in this case, means “do-able.” It means that the learning curve is not a vertical slope; that the skills needed to do the work are available; that the project fits with the overall strategy and goals of the organization. A realistic project may push the skills and knowledge of the people working on it but it shouldn’t break them.

Be sure to set goals that you can attain with some effort! Too difficult and you set the stage for failure, but too low sends the message that you aren’t very capable. Set the bar high enough for a satisfying achievement!

Timely:Set a timeframe for the goal: for next week, in three months, by fifth grade. Putting an end point on your goal gives you a clear target to work towards. If you don’t set a time, the commitment is too vague. It tends not to happen because you feel you can start at any time. Without a time limit, there’s no urgency to start taking action now.



Specific: I want to lose 10lbs through healthy eating and 1 hour of exercise 5 days/week
Measurable: I will weigh myself 1x per week
Attainable: 10 lbs is an attainable goal
Realistic: 10 lbs is a realistic goal
Timely: I want to lose 10lbs in 10 week - since 1lb/week is healthy and safe this is good!

So now my SMART goal will read: "I want to lose 10lbs in the next 10 weeks through healthy eating and 1 hour of exercise 5 days/week". Now I'm in business!

I would like to challenge each and everyone of you to pick one goal that you want to achieve and before you go to bed tonight turn it in to a SMART Goal! It may not seem important but this simple step can make the difference between it being a goal and a dream.

Stay Healthy!
Andrea :)

PS Not sure where this underlining is coming from and why I can't turn it off.... hopefully we'll be back to normal tomorrow! 

Set Goals? Why?

Goal setting is the first step toward successful goal achievement. It marks your first point toward success and what put you into real action mode. So today we are going to talk about why it is so important to set goals.

I think we all know people who have a passive approach toward life. They don’t set any goals and they just live life on a day-to-day basis and wonder why they never got the big job they wanted, why they hate going to work or why they have always been (and will always be) 'fat'. You see them 1 year, 3 years, 5 years from now, and their lives are largely the same, save for a few changes that are really more the result of luck than anything else. This happens because they want something to change... but they never decide exactly what they want to change, why they want to change it or how they are going to change it.

Setting your goals gives you clarity on what you ultimately want and more importantly the reasons and motivations of why you want it. A great example is "I want to lose weight" that is a great goal... but why do you want to lose weight? How much weight do you want to lose? Is there an outfit your looking to get back in to? Do you need more energy to play with your kids? Do you want to reduce knee pain brought on by carrying extra weight? Knowing the true motivation can help you keep on track and help you create your strategies to meet your goals. It also acts as a reminder of the true reasons why your trying to reach the goal you've set for yourself which comes in especially handy on those days when your stressed, tired, and that goal is the last thing on your mind.

Setting goals also helps you stay focused which helps keep your goal top of mind. Lets take our friend who wants to lose weight. If they didn't have a specific goal it would be very easy for them to stay on the couch on a Sunday night instead of taking the time to prepare their healthy meals for the next day. But if they are focused on their goal they will make sure that they take the time to do what needs to be done to reach their goal - getting up, packing healthy foods in tupperware, filling a water bottle, etc.... instead of staying on the couch and then getting fast food the next day because they didn't take the time they should have.

Having goals also makes you accountable to yourself. Only you will know if your sticking to your plan for reaching your goal. But you WILL know. Its making sure you get your 4 workouts in per week and spend the time making meals instead of eating out, and doing everything you planned to inorder to make your goal reality.

I hope today's talk has helped you realise why goal setting is so important in helping you reach your goals. Tomorrow we will talk about exactly how you go about setting SMART goals and how to make them a priority in already busy lives.

Stay Healthy!

Andrea :) 

Breakfast Cookies

Good Morning!

Here is my favourite breakfast cookie recipe! These are full of protein, healthy fats and fibre... and of course chocolate chips. These are made for rushed morning or very early mornings when getting up and making yourself a good breakfast just isn't going to happen. Enjoy one of these delicious cookies with a cup of coffee and your on your way!

Ingredients:

4 Cups Oatmeal Cookie Mix (Bulk Barn)

1/4 Cup ground flax seeds

1 Scoop protein in powder (if you want)

1/4 Cup all natural peanut butter

2/3 Cup dark (or semi-sweet) chocolate chips
2 Cups of water (give or take)

Directions:

Mix all of the above ingredients and let sit for about 10 mins for the mix to soak up the water. As your adding the water make sure the mix is nice and moist without there being a lot of standing water in the bowl. After 10 minutes use the 1/4 cup measuring cup to scoop cookie mix on to a baking sheet. Bake for about 15 minutes at 350*



I hope you enjoy these cookies as much as I do! But do be careful because they can be crumbly!

Stay Healthy!

Andrea :)

Cheaters!

Good Morning!

Today's topic - cheat meals, why you should have them and how to do it right. Because after all, personal trainers love a good cheat meal! And we do try to follow the food pyramid... although not the one shown below lol.

Trainers love food so much so that when our friends have occasion to watch us take down an all-you-can-eat buffet or a Christmas turkey, their mouths usually fall open, spilling cranberry sauce all over the "good linen." But while needing to eat big from time to time (for both physiological and psychological reasons), we do it infrequently and plan it in to our healthy eating plan.

Cheat meals, when done properly, are all about helping you stick to your diet. The most common reason people fail to reach their goal (or fail to maintain it afterword) is because they stop eating the way they need to be eating. Why does that happen, you ask? Well, because losing fat, preventing fat gain, or just being healthy in general requires a certain amount of restriction from the “bad” foods we all love to eat, and everyone hates that. So, what often ends up happening is that people feel deprived and generally pissed off and annoyed because they miss eating the foods they really enjoy eating. And what happens next? They go off their diet and start eating them. If you deprive someone of something they crave (and are constantly surrounded by) for a long enough amount of time, and they will eventually give in to it. And that’s why diets fail.

But, that’s exactly where cheat meals help you succeed. What if instead of depriving yourself of your favourite foods for the rest of your life, you regularly plan out instances in advance where you will allow yourself to eat those foods guilt-free? Instead of torturing yourself until you reach your breaking point, you allow yourself to occasionally give in to your cravings and therefore prevent that “breaking point” from ever being reached. That’s what cheat meals are: small planned breaks in your regularly scheduled diet that serve to keep you sane and happy. And since you planned for it, there’s no guilt involved. It was supposed to happen.

By allowing yourself to eat the foods you love in this type of controlled fashion, the chances of short term and long term diet adherence increase significantly. And that right there is the purpose of cheat meals. Because think about it - If you’re eating the “right” way 95% of the time, do you really think that other 5% is going to make any real direct significant difference in the grand scheme of things? Trust me, it won’t.


The rules for you cheat meal are few:
1. Keep it to a maximum of one cheat meal per week
2. Try to keep it under 800 calories
3. Still try to get all of the food groups in there

My Favourite 'cheat' meal: 3 slices of a large 'The Works' Pizza on thin crust from Papa John's coming in at 840 Calories. PS you save 50 calories/slice getting the thin crust and you really can't notice the difference!

I hope this has given you some guidance on when and how to use cheat meals to there advantage. And remember that food is an important part of life and make sure you enjoy it! Especially your cheat meals! Take a small bite of something that you think your craving and really savour the taste. Then ask yourself is this worth it. If it is have at it and enjoy! If not move on to something that will truly satisfy your taste buds!

Stay Healthy!
Andrea :)

100 Calories

Good Afternoon!

Today on Fitbe.com I found a great article on ways to burn 100 calories. I thought this would be a good article to share because its good to remember that not all workouts must be in the gym. Walk the dog, go for a hike, play a game with the kids! There are so many ways to make exercise a fun part of your everyday routine that it doesn't have to be a chore!

Read this article and get some ideas on how you can get more active and have more fun, which is good for your body, mind and soul all at the same time.

http://fitbie.ca.msn.com/slideshow/64-ways-burn-100-calories

 

 

Give these ideas a try and see how much fun you have!

 

Stay healthy!

Andrea :)

 

PS Stay tuned tomorrow for my breakfast cookie recipe!

Creamy Chicken Ravioli

Good Morning and Happy Monday!

Today I'm sharing one of my all time favourite pasta recipes with you! I got it a few years ago from Oxygen magazine and it is great! It is high protein (the pasta alone has 16grams), full of veggies, and low-fat cream cheese and pesto.

The fresh pasta is from the fresh pasta and sauce section in Costco (near the veggie cooler) and it is the white meat chicken and mozzarella ravioli. Best part about fresh pasta (other then the fact that its fresh) is that it cooks in under 5 minutes (just follow the package directions).

The sauce is also super easy! I sauteed 1 chopped red pepper and a big handful of fresh mushrooms. Then I added in 1 large tub of light cream cheese and about 1/4 cup of pesto. I stir it around until its melted and creamy and then pour it over the pasta. For my boyfriend and I it makes 4 servings but for normal people this should make about 6. Because this pasta is fairly high calorie its important to keep the your portion to about 1 cup.

Give it a try and let me know what you think!

Talk to you tomorrow!

Andrea :)

Meals On-The-Go: Snacks

Good Morning and Happy Friday! Today's topic - healthy and filling snacks!

Snacks are a terrific way to satisfy that hunger and get all the vitamins and nutrients your body needs. They also help energy levels going all day long, keep you satisfied all day so you don't over eat at meal time and help you metabolism stay strong to help shed and keep off unwanted pounds! Try to steer clear of foods with lots of added sugars like candy bars, soda, chips and other processed foods. And look for foods that contain fibre like whole-grain breads, cereals, fruit, and vegetables and combine them with protein-rich snacks such as peanut butter or low-fat yogurt or cheese.


Here are some great ideas:

Fresh fruit or individually packed containers of cut-up fruit and 1 piece of string cheese

Raw vegetables including carrots, peppers, zucchini, cherry or grape tomatoes with 2 tbsp light

    ranch dip

Baby carrots and whole wheat pita triangles with hummus.

1 slice whole grain or Ezekiel bread with 1 tbsp peanut butter and 1 small banana.

Fresh, frozen or canned fruit with low fat yogurt or in a smoothie

 

1 small whole wheat tortilla wrap made with salmon or tuna and salad dressing, onions, celery and
    green peppers.

English muffin with melted mozzarella cheese and apple slices.

1/2 cup kashi cereal and 1/2 cup of skim milk

Dark green leafy salad with orange sections and almonds with 2 tbsp oil based dressing

1/4 cup nuts, pumpkin or sunflower seeds and 1 medium apple

2 cups plain popcorn

Popsicles made with 100% fruit juice or yogurt

1 package of instant oatmeal

1 cup skim milk, chocolate milk or fortified soy beverage

1 cup 1% cottage cheese with 1/2 cup fresh fruit

1/2 mango, 1 piece of 70% dark chocolate & 10 almonds

 

3/4 cup unsweetened apple sauce sprinkled with 2 tbsp chopped pecans and a sprinkle of cinnamon

8 tortilla chips with 1/2 cup of salsa and 1/4 of an avocado

When I'm in a hurry starving and don't have any snacks or time to make a snack my go to is:

Grande Skinny Cinnamon Dolce Latte from Starbucks: 120 Calories, 0 grams of fat, 12 grams of protein, and 12 grams of sugar



On the flip side of things here is an article from Fitbe.com on the worst snacks you can pack in your kids lunches and why:

http://fitbie.ca.msn.com/slideshow/worst-snacks-pack-your-kid-s-lunchbox



I hope I've given you lots of new meal and snack ideas this week to help make meal planning just a little bit easier. Stay tuned next week for a delicious creamy (healthy) pasta recipe and a mouth watering breakfast cookie recipe that helps make morning easy!

Have a great weekend and talk to you on Monday!

Stay Healthy!
Andrea :)

Meals-On-The-Go: Lunch/Dinner

Good Evening!

As promised today's topic is lunch! Here are some healthy lunch and dinner 'on-the-go' recipes to make sure you stay fueled all day long.

Ham, Swiss and Apple on a Chiabatta Bun served with 1 Cup of Grapes and 1 Cup of Skim Milk


Turkey, Mozerella and Apple Pinwheel served with carrot sticks and humus


Tuna Dip - Tuna mixed with 0% fat greek yogurt, lemon and dill to taste. 12 whole grain crakers for dipping served with carrot and celery sticks


1 to 1.5 Cups of Bean and Vegetable Soup served with 1 small whole-grain dinner roll


Greek Salad with Grilled Chicken


Tuna Pita: Mixed tuna with 0% fat greek yogurt, lemon and dill, chopped celery and halved grapes and fill 1/2 whole wheat pita. Serve with red pepper stips



Classic PJ & J on Whole Grain or Ezekiel Bread with 1 cup of skim milk


Sampler: 2 hard boiled eggs, 4 rye crackers, 1/2 cup grapes, carrot and pepper strips



No Time? Best TakeOut Options!

McDONALD'S

Hamburger, Garden Salad Shaker and small one-percent milk

Total: 470 calories, 17 grams fat, 52 grams carbohydrate and 28 grams protein.

Keep in mind: If you want to add salad dressing, choose fat-free herb vinaigrette for only 35 additional calories.

Chicken McGrill and Garden Salad Shaker

Total: 440 calories, 13 grams fat, 49 grams carbohydrate and 33 grams protein.

Keep in mind: Remember to order grilled instead of fried chicken; you'll save 200 calories!

 

SUBWAY

6" ham sandwich on a deli roll plus one oatmeal raisin cookie

Total: 423 calories, 11 grams fat, 66 grams carbohydrate, 2 grams fiber, 15 grams protein.

Keep in mind: Dessert is possible if you choose wisely!

6" Super Turkey Breast sandwich

Total: 333 calories, 4 grams fat, 47 grams carbohydrate, 3 grams fiber and 26 grams protein.

Keep in mind: If you choose a sub with mustard instead of oil, and opt for veggies instead of cheese you will save 72 calories and 7 grams of fat!

 

WENDY'S

 

Ultimate Chicken Grill Sandwich with a Mandarin Orange Cup and a Medium Iced Tea
Total: 480 calories, 7 g fat (1.5 g saturated), 980 mg sodium

 

QUIZNO'S

Small Honey Bourbon Chicken with a Cup of Chili (no crackers), and bottle of water

Total: 460 calories, 11.5 g fat (2.5 g saturated fat), 1,540 mg sodium

BURGER KING

Whopper Jr. without Mayo with Garden Salad and 10-oz Minute Maid Orange Juice

Total: 445 calories, 12 g fat (4.5 g saturated fat), 520 mg sodium

Don't forget the joy of leftovers! I try to always make enough food at night that there are leftovers for the next day's lunch. I also like to mkae giant batches of turkey chili and casseroles for the winter so I have dinner one night and lunch for a week. Stay tuned for those recipes in the coming weeks! And stay tuned tomorrow for snack ideas!

Stay Healthy!
Andrea :)