Multiple Meals From One Dinner
I love having leftovers around that can be used in all kinds of ways to mix and match and help make super fast, healthy, and of course yummy meals! Here’s a glimpse at how I use leftovers from a basic weeknight dinner. The dinner: From that I make (and you can too!): A dinner meal that can be deconstructed into multiple different breakfast options, lunch options, and snacks is a win in my home! Dinner: Herbed Brown Rice, Grilled Lemon Chicken and Roasted Broccoli and Red Onions Herbed Brown Rice Yield: About 3 cups, cooked Ingredients: Herb dressing: Use a blender or food processor to blend olive oil, chives, basil, red onion, salt and pepper. Directions: Roasted Broccoli and Red Onions Ingredients: Directions: Lemon Grilled Chicken Ingredients: Directions: Tip: If the chicken breast is too thick, the breast can be sliced laterally but not all the way through to make a butterfly cut and have a thinner chicken breast. Breakfast options: Scrambled Eggs With Veggies, Chicken and Brown Rice Ingredients: Directions: Brown Rice Cereal Ingredients: Directions: Any nuts could be used in place of the walnuts or can even use a nut butter. Avocado Toast Ingredients: Directions: Lunch Grilled Chicken Salad Bowl Ingredients: Directions: Snack RELATED: 6 Rules for Eating Leftovers So You Don’t Get Sick (Featured Image: Unsplash)
9 Weight Loss Tips During Thanksgiving
You’re looking for weight loss tips because you want to do Thanksgiving differently this year, right? Usually, you eat until you’re stuffed, fall asleep on the couch, and wake up in the 4th quarter of some football game. If this is you, we promise you, you’re not alone. If football’s not your jam, you might retreat to a bedroom and pass out in a food coma on a proper bed. You tell yourself it was all that tryptophan from the turkey. But does the tryptophan in turkey really make you feel tired? Not really. Turkey contains an essential amino acid called L-tryptophan, which the body uses to produce the brain chemical serotonin. Serotonin can help us sleep by improving our mood and promoting relaxation. As it turns out, turkey contains almost the same amount of tryptophan as chicken, pork, and beef. What’s more, egg whites, soybeans and cheddar cheese have even more tryptophan than turkey. So, what are the real culprits behind your post-Thanksgiving marathon nap? Aside from typical overconsumption of food and alcohol, it’s usually just the result of too many carb-heavy foods and throwing your healthy diet out the window. Mashed potatoes, corn bread, stuffing, and apple pie—oh my! All of those starchy carbs can quickly raise blood sugar and may encourage sleep. This year, begin a new tradition. Eat a little less, drink a little more (water!), feel a lot better, and maybe you won’t even need the nap. You’ll be ready to show Black Friday who’s boss. 9 Weight Loss Tips During Thanksgiving 1. Begin with breakfast. Eat consistently throughout the day beginning with a well-balanced, healthy breakfast. 2. Eat before you party. Choose from your arsenal of healthy snacks before you go to a holiday dinner. To control hunger, try eating two high-fiber crackers with 2 teaspoons of natural nut butter or a hard-boiled egg as a pre-party snack. 3. Offer to bring a dish. There may not be many healthy foods offered at your party, but that’s OK. By bringing your own healthy dish, at least you’ll have one go-to—and you’ll know exactly what’s in it. 4. Turn on your healthy food radar. Load up on lighter and cleaner appetizers with healthy fats, such as crudité with a portion of hummus. 5. Set your sip limit. Give yourself a drink maximum before the meal begins. Remember to sip slowly and choose lower-calorie and low-sugar options such as vodka and seltzer or wine spritzers. 6. Exercise! An hour spent burning calories will also motivate you to make healthier choices later in the day. 7. Control your portions. This includes veggies. Unless you’ve prepared them, they could be loaded with sneaky ingredients such as margarine or sugary sauces. (Here’s a handy portion control hack for you to try.) Don’t let desserts derail your healthy lifestyle either. Slice your own pie so you can control the size. And skip that crust. 8. Listen to your body. Stop eating once you’re slightly satisfied. Period. You’ll have much better memories of a meal enjoyed than a meal overindulged in. Focus on your family and friends, not food. 9. Drink plenty of water. Drinking adequate water promotes what’s known as a thermogenic state, which increases your metabolic rate. This will help to keep you from overeating and help you feel full, so you don’t actually stuff yourself full. 10. Enjoy your day. And here’s a bonus tip for you. When it comes to Thanksgiving or any gathering of family and friends, don’t forget to enjoy your day. Consciously and wisely (with the tips here) indulge in your favorite foods and have a very happy Thanksgiving. Take Your Hunger for Nutrition and Wellness Knowledge to the Next Level If you love learning about the best foods, drinks, and lifestyle habits for total wellness, think of how awesome it would be to learn and share this life-changing info as a side hustle… or even your full-time job. Our Become a Nutrition Coach certification course gives you a solid foundation in nutrition science, plus techniques for coaching clients and growing your new business—all within a community of passionate, like-minded friends. It’s the perfect way to inspire the next generation of healthier people all across the globe. Request a sneak peek of the Become a Nutrition Coach program here and see how you can put your passion for wellness to work. (Images: Shutterstock)
4 Reasons Why It’s Hard to Lose Weight in the Fall
You spent the whole summer on point with your wellness routine, and you’re determined to not let a single extra pound sneak onto your frame now that it’s fall. But you know what happened last year. (Five—or more—pounds crept on, are we right?) So why is it so hard to lose weight in the fall? And what can you do about it? We’ve rounded up 4 reasons why it’s hard to lose weight in the fall, plus some dietitian-approved tricks for how to combat the oh-so-infamous holiday weight-creep. 1. Marketers are really good at what they do. All summer, we’re bombarded with reminders to stay accountable to our wellness goals. The swimsuit ads, produce-pushing recipes, and beach vacation plans motivate us to stay on track. It’s easy to choose the unsweetened iced green tea or pick up the light and refreshing salad for lunch when these reminders are in your face all season long. But then autumn comes along. The sweaters come out and rather than seeing Instagram posts of your friends’ toes on a beach, you’re seeing snuggly socks in front of a fireplace. Fall advertisements push comfort foods, hot sweet drinks, and pie. Lots of pie. Don’t fall for the slick fall marketing! Stick to what you know works for you all year round, making simple substitutions here and there, but without too much deviation from the Hot Girl Summer track you’ve been on. PRO TIPS: Instead of summer berries on your morning yogurt, toss in some diced apples. Go for an ounce of cheese on a high-fiber cracker with a thin slice of pear instead of the harvest Danish you might otherwise grab in a fit of fall-foodie desire. Don’t swap your morning oatmeal and walnuts for a pumpkin muffin—add this healthy pumpkin pie spice to your oats instead. RELATED: Healthy, Gluten-Free Morning Glory Muffin Recipe 2. Holidays overstay their welcome. Doesn’t it seem like the candy jar is just emptied from Halloween and you’re already cooking your Thanksgiving bird? Do turkey leftovers feel like they linger into Christmas and you’re still eating Valentine’s chocolates when Easter rolls around? Sometimes it feels like a big blur of holiday foods, sweets, treats, and free-for-all buffets from Halloween until Easter. It’s hard to lose weight in the fall (and winter) when you’re surrounded by holiday foods and festivities. PLAN FOR THIS. PRO TIPS: Decide how you’re going to handle the holidays before each one creeps up on the calendar. Our reco? Start planning now, because you know how quickly the holidays creep up. Consider doing a gentle food-based cleanse in early fall. It’s a great way to reset your habits and energy before the holiday swirl begins. You’ll go into the season feeling refreshed, in control, and already on track. Learn more about our 5-Day Nutritious Life Cleanse here. At Halloween, allow yourself five pieces of candy. Eat them all at once, or one per day, it’s up to you! At Thanksgiving, make a no-leftovers rule (except for Grandma’s cranberry sauce or this cranberry relish). Whatever your plans are, tell them to a buddy so they can help you stick to it! 3. Coats and sweaters do a great job of hiding things. Maybe you’re thinking that nobody can tell you put on a few pounds because you’re layered up and coated in outerwear. And it’s true—maybe they can’t see it, but YOU can. Knowing you’re carrying extra weight may make you feel lousy and less fit, and it can definitely mess with your head. PRO TIPS: Keep yourself in check by actively not hiding. Keep one item you feel great in (maybe a pair of summer shorts or a dress or a swimsuit you’d typically hide away in the fall) some place where you can see it all year long. Try your special summer article on from time to time to keep yourself honest. Maybe even wear it underneath your long johns to remind you there is no hiding from yourself. Or, just go ahead and sit in front of that fire in your bikini. Yes, you can wear socks, and no, we won’t laugh. 4. Nobody wants to put Baby or pie in the corner. We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again: it’s no fun depriving yourself. There’s not a lot of immediate glory in not eating the caramel apple pie. Nobody is going to give you a prize for saying no to the mouth-watering pumpkin-spiced latte with whipped cream. You have to be your own biggest cheerleader when the treats are calling your name, and that’s not easy. PRO TIPS: Instead of having that yucky deprivation feeling, focus on what you CAN have, and you’ll find great satisfaction. You can have a sprinkle of cinnamon sugar on your ricotta with diced apples. Pumpkin (straight from a can, who needs to put in all that work?) can be a super healthful and delish seasonal ingredient in everything from soup to muffins to pancakes. Even cocoa can be healthful if you indulge consciously. RELATED: 6 Genius Ways to Use Canned Pumpkin Keep lacing up those sneakers every season of the year. Keep drinking the same green tea throughout the year and just add ice cubes when necessary. Keep eating the oats for breakfast and switch up whether they come out of the microwave or the fridge before hitting your mouth. Stick to what works, and learn to indulge consciously, rather than constantly. Cheers to a great fall and congratulations on preventing those five pounds from finding their way onto your body this season. Doesn’t it feel great? Make Nutrition and Wellness Your Career Learning about how food and nutrition support a healthy body and lifestyle is such a joy. Bonus? It’s something you can share with others… and make money while doing it. Our Become a Nutrition Coach course gives you everything you need to turn your passion for wellness into the career of your dreams. Request a sneak peek of our program today and
4 Tricks to Always Having Healthy, Quick Weeknight Meals
Having some quick, go-to weeknight meals in your repertoire is a MUST if you’re a busy person. So yep, that’s pretty much everyone. Like, everyone. I get asked all the time what the best way to lose weight is, and one of my answers is…to always be prepared. I know the Scouts coined it, but I’m totally using it, and so should you. If you’ve ever blamed a little (or a lot of) weight gain on “I don’t have time to eat healthy” o, “Cooking for one person just doesn’t work” or “I get home from work and just feel like eating crackers over the kitchen sink,” then read on. I’ll make it quick. 4 Tricks to Always Having Healthy, Quick Weeknight Meals 1. Go vegetarian (at least for a couple dinners per week) Healthy dinner ideas can begin in a can. Swap in beans instead of meat as your easy protein. Think chickpeas, black beans, pinto, or cannellini beans, edamame, or even black-eyed peas. I know you really don’t feel like baking chicken tonight. Or tomorrow night. That’s okay. Opening a can of beans is as easy as ripping open the sleeve of crackers and is a much better idea. Beans are high in fiber and protein while being low in fat (and filled with antioxidants) so they’ll fill you up and help slim you down. Make sure you rinse and drain canned beans to get rid of extra sodium, and go for BPA-free cans as much as possible. Serve them over salads (yes, reaching into a bagged salad and putting a couple handfuls of it into a bowl can count as making salad), as spreads (fork smash white beans in a bowl, and stir in some olive oil, garlic, and lemon, for a primitive but tasty hummus), or heat them up with a little olive oil, herbs, and spices as a side (or top the greens to make warm salad). 2. Make leftovers Make a big batch of quinoa. Then, slice and dice a few of your fave veggies. Stretch this batch of quinoa as your meal base over a couple of nights. The night you first make it, serve it hot with the veggies mixed in like a stir-fry and top with simple grilled chicken (or pass on the chicken altogether and just add half a can of beans). The next night, you can skip cooking and serve it cold with the same veggies, raw and diced, like an Italian pasta salad. Add beans or leftover cold chicken. Both make great next day lunch options, too. If you know it’s going to be a difficult week (what week isn’t?), rotate hot and cold options (like the quinoa above) and make extras for leftovers on a nightly basis or every time you cook and prep your lunch for the next day as you do your dishes. The same goes for meat if you’re feeling carnivorous. Cook a big batch of ground turkey all at once. The night you make it, serve it hot in a burrito bowl, and the next night skip cooking altogether and use it as the base for cold lettuce wraps. Making big batches of food helps you slim down, not overeat, if done properly. Add a little of that grilled chicken or steamed shrimp to a big green salad with two teaspoons olive oil and vinegar. Put it in a Tupperware and bring it to work for a perfectly portioned nutritious lunch. You can also do this when you dine out. Before you even dive into your dinner, ask the waiter to put half in a doggie bag. 3. Eat breakfast for lunch and dinner Feeling a little bored of your veggies and protein for dinner? Try having a healthy breakfast for lunch and dinner. Make a three-egg omelet with whatever odds and ends are floating around. Throw in some veggies for a little color, flavor, and nutrition. Top with almost any herb or spice. And protein it up a bit by adding in leftover chicken or turkey. Feeling adventurous? Try your hand at a frittata. Either way, this a perfect way to have a “clean” and easy dinner at home. If eggs aren’t your thing, make a big batch of “veggie pancakes” on the weekend. Use your normal pancake mix but add some shredded carrots or zucchini for a little veggie power and sprinkle in some flax or chia for a little fat. You can freeze them and pull a couple out in the morning to defrost in the fridge while you’re at work. Popping them in the microwave for 30 seconds is faster than opening and closing the fridge 10 times and complaining there’s nothing to eat. 4. Don’t overstock the fridge If you’re lacking fridge space or have a fear of buying fresh foods because you worry they’ll go bad, then don’t keep your fridge stocked. Instead, make friends with your freezer. Organic frozen vegetables and whole grains can go right from freezer to microwave. No chopping, prepping, or clean-up. Match these babies with some lean protein (pick up a piece of salmon on your way home, squeeze some lemon on it, top with whatever spices you have in your cabinet, and pop it in your toaster oven), and you’ve got dinner in 10 minutes.
2 Amazingly Simple Thanksgiving Leftovers Recipes
It’s the day after Thanksgiving, and you’ve spent the last 48 hours slaving over a hot stove preparing your turkey day feast. Well, the big day is over and you deserve a much needed cooking break. But, that doesn’t mean you need to spend the next 3 days in a monotonous cycle of heating up a plate of turkey, mashed potatoes, and green beans. Here are a couple healthy and, most importantly, EASY dishes to spice up your post Thanksgiving meals and perhaps even slim down your waist. There is no measuring, cutting, prepping, or stressing required. These are ‘non-recipe’ recipes, and they are meant to make a couple delicious meals out of whatever Thanksgiving leftovers you have in your fridge. Throw a little of this and a little of that together using our guidelines, and you will have the easiest and most unique Thanksgiving leftover dishes to enjoy…before and after hitting the sales, of course. Here’s how to eat healthy on Black Friday through Cyber Monday. 2 Amazingly Simple Thanksgiving Leftovers Recipes Black Friday Frittata A frittata is just a fancy name for a messy omelet. There is no strict recipe for this “eggcellent” creation. You just must have fun and get in those good-for-you ingredients! So, don’t get caught up in nitty gritty cooking techniques, just add all of the roasted vegetables, even those Brussels sprouts, and some lean protein you have leftover. The Brussels sprouts are packed with vitamin C, a powerful antioxidant, which helps support your immune system, and even boost collagen production in your skin. The protein from the eggs and turkey (or whatever protein you choose) will keep you satisfied through an entire department store hunt – there will be no dropping post shopping with this healthy breakfast! Get the recipe. Thanksgiving Leftovers Pizza Pizza gone Pilgrim-style, with this new twist on an Italian classic. The cranberry sauce takes the place of the tomato base, and the whole wheat pizza crust gives you about 6 more grams of fiber than regular pizza dough, keeping you full long enough to wait out those shopping lines. Bake your creation according to the instructions on your whole wheat pizza dough. Exhausted after a day of shopping? No problem—this recipe is kid-friendly, so let the little ones do all the work! Get the recipe.
6 Rules for Eating Leftovers So You Don’t Get Sick
In my experience, people fall into two camps: leftover lovers and leftover avoiders-at-all-costs. I love my homemade chili on the second day. I look forward to Thanksgiving leftover cranberry sauce and roasted veggies as much as the main event. The thought of tossing uneaten quinoa is sacrilege to me: it repurposes into an amazing cold salad for tomorrow’s lunch. Still, I’m feelin’ ya if you are wary of day old eats. Being skeptical is a good thing. Improper or questionable storage can skeeve me out, too. I’m sharing 6 rules to eating leftovers so you can feel most confident about your food’s safety and storage. (I know it may sound dry, but you’ll learn something, I promise). 6 Rules for Eating Leftovers No leftover-leftovers. You get to heat up your leftovers once and only once. When you’re reheating, take out only the portion you plan to eat. Heat it thoroughly to 165℉ to kill off any potential cooties. Do not heat up the whole tray of lasagna if you’re just going to have one serving. If you don’t finish the serving, toss it. 2 + 2 + 4 rule. You’ll want to refrigerate or freeze your food within 2 hours of cooking. Store your food in dishes that are 2” or less so they can cool safely. Eat leftovers within 4 days. All of these minimize potential for foodborne illnesses to grow. Keep it covered. Tightly cover your leftovers to minimize contamination from the air and to prevent drying out your food. Take the extra minute to pull the plastic wrap to make an airtight seal, or it may not be worth storing your food. Contain wisely. I strongly recommend storing your food in glass, porcelain and stainless steel, but if you choose a plastic container for storage or drinking, make sure it’s BPA free. We know that BPA is released with heat, so don’t heat your foods in plastic, allow plastic wrap to touch your foods in the microwave, or drink from the water bottle after it has baked in the sun. BPA is in the lining of many aluminum cans too, so don’t heat your food in a can. Ever! Know the rules. Each food has a different shelf life. Dairy is a little more resilient than seafood, for example. If you’re in doubt, check it out. The look, smell, taste test isn’t the most reliable! Health benefits 101. Honestly, you probably do lose a little nutrition the older most of your leftovers get. Light, air exposure and time chip away at some of the healthfulness, but they’re far from nutritionally useless. My rule of thumb tip is to pair your leftovers with a big bed of greens to maximize the nutrient value of your meal. Told ya you’d learn something! Happy center-staging your leftovers to all!
