Quick and Easy

Busy lives demand quick and easy options.  This includes options for a most critical health factor:  Food (aka Nutrition).  So let’s get down and dirty with the quick and easy:

  • Quick = At Your Fingertips or Minimal Wait Time
  • Easy   = Little or No Prep or Mess

This presents two common options:

  • Fast Food Restaurant:  Low in nutritional value, High in calories, No Prep, Little Mess, Time:  Driving, waiting in line, getting the food home and on the table (30 minutes?)
  • Fresh or Raw Foods:  High in nutritional value, Low in calories, Minimal Prep & Mess, Time:  Stove top or microwave and on the table (5-20 minutes)

The smart choice is obvious:  Fresh or Raw foods.  However, many people give in to choosing fast food restaurants because they don’t know how to prepare and store them for quick and easy meals.  If you’re one of them, we’ve got your back:

TIPS:

  1. Stuff quart sized freezer bags with your favorite veggies or meats and seasoning then place them in the freezer.  When you need a quick meal, remove the contents of one bag and steam or microwave them with a little water.  Voila, you have a hot meal!
  2. Store leftovers in meal sized containers in the fridge or freezer.  From the fridge, heat them on the stove for 2-5 minutes or microwave them for 30-90 seconds.  You’ve been served.
  3. Clean, cut and store your veggies in bite sized portions the day you buy them. Store them as far away from the freezer as possible or in the vegetable tray.  As a reminder, mimic how they were stored on the grocery isle:  in a refrigerated section, sprayed periodically, or not.  When you want a quick snack:  grab a handful and nibble away.
  4. Keep a serving of protein powder in a shaker bottle with you at all times.  In a hunger crisis, add water and shake.  Add a little flax seed meal or a tablespoon of chia seeds to the powder for more bulk.
  5. What about protein and breakfast bars?  Find a bar with lowest calories, lowest sugar and closest balance of carbs and proteins and eat them only in a hunger crisis or to recover from heavy athletic activity such as participating in a sporting event.

Tasteful Bits

We think we’ve nailed it with tasty, healthy, satisfying and quick-to-the-table meals.  Try our featured recipe below and if you think you’ve got something better to share… Bring It!  We are always looking for better ways to enjoy food and stay healthy.  Send us your best shot and we’ll share it… if it’s good enough (smiles).

SHARE MY RECIPE!

RECIPE OF THE WEEK

Spaghetti Squash

Too easy to make.  20 minutes to steam, 5 minutes to the table.

Ingredients:

1 Small Spaghetti Squash, cut in sections (sized as you like them)

1/4 cup of Sun Dried Tomatoes in olive oil

1 Tbsp of Chopped Sweet Basil

Instructions:  Steam the squash 10 minutes.  Sprinkle the tomatoes and basil over the fleshy portion of the squash.  Cover and steam an additional 5 minutes.  Remove from heat and serve.  Eat while still warm.  Suggested Options:  Include Sea Salt, Oregano and/or Garlic to taste in the sprinkle.

MIND OVER MATTER

Quantity vs Quality

Should we eat to get full or fill up on the food we need?  The difference is in the answer to this question:  What is it we need to fill?

Answer:  We need to fill our nutritional needs, not our stomachs.

Cravings are expressed from memory.  Cravings, especially those borne from hunger pains, are like squeaky wheels or spoiled children.  Listen to them with a smart ear to know what they are really telling you:

  • Your memory tells you “get lots of french fries” while your smart ear should hear “get enough carbs to finish my day”.
  • Your memory tells you “dive into a gallon of ice cream right now” while your smart ear should hear “drink a glass of milk or eat a half pint of yogurt”.

The difference is that listening to memory (what you’re used to), will have you eat more than you are going to burn that day whereas listening with a smart ear will bring you another step closer to your health and fitness goals for tomorrow, for life.

When our bodies are fed the nutrients it needs, it doesn’t want more.  So it makes sense to feed on the highest quality nutrients.  This will help minimize cravings and excess calories while setting you up for optimum performance for years to come.