Take The Time To Be Prepared.

I have been on the go a lot lately.  I feel like I have just enough time between work or exercise or a social activity to change and get ready for the next.  I'm sure a lot of you feel the same way...especially during the holiday season.  The saying 'so little time so much to do' really rings true for me. 
 
The first thing to take a backseat when I get super busy is my meal preparation.  I try every night to get my day organized.  I lay out my clothes, I pack my snacks and I try to think ahead so if I can't go home, I don't have to take a pit stop somewhere for a meal.  On occasion I do and I make good choices but if I'm going to spend a decent amount of money at the grocery store every week, that is the food that I don't want to go to waste.  So to keep my life on track and not feel like my nutrition struggles, I am going to attempt to follow these tips.
 
1.  Pick a couple hours a week to spend preparing meals for the week.  Typically for me this would be Sunday sometime.  I usually have something going in the crockpot.  I will make rice or quinoa in a bigger quantity to last me the whole week.  I also like to try new recipes now and again.  Last week was taco salad with seasoned ground chicken. I keep in mind what I have going on that week so I can figure out how many meals I need to pack into separate containers to grab and go. If you're okay with leftovers,  plans some meals that are large enough that they can last you a few days. 
 
2.  Cut up fruits and veggies right after you get home from the store.  I have much better success eating a balance of fruits and veggies if they are washed, cut up and put in containers on my busy days.  They are good fillers and you can consume as many veggies as you want throughout the day.  What better snack is there than that?  Fruits are great too, you just have to watch your sugar consumption. 
 
3. Pack food for the day the night before.  Most of the time I'm pretty good at doing this though I tend to struggle when it's getting towards the end of the week.  Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches usually become a meal and sometimes days just get thrown together with whatever I have left.  I don't like hodge podge days so I am going to try to be better about preparing my grocery list as well as making sure I have enough food to last me the whole week.
 
4. Remember to hydrate all day.  I like water and I have good intentions each day to drink enough and then some depending on what my workout is but sometimes it gets away from me.  A good rule of thumb is to drink a glass of water before and with every meal.  It is so important to stay hydrated especially if you work out almost every day like I do.
 
5. Have snacks available when you're on a tight schedule.  I'm not a huge fan of most granola or protein bars because they are high in calories, they typically have a lot of fillers you don't need to consume and I don't feel full very long after I eat one.  With that said, it's better than nothing especially if you are on the move all day long.  There are a few granola bar choices that only have five or six ingredients and they taste good.  The more natural ingredients, the better. 
 
There is always time to get your week organized just like there is always time to get a workout in...you just have to plan for it and stick to your plan.  My best feeling weeks are the ones that start and end with good meals and proper hydration.  Good nutrition is so important when it comes to a busy lifestyle.  The better you feel, the easier it is going to be to wake up each morning and tackle the day.
 

Roasting and Baking and Eating...Oh My.

I bought some cod from Trader Joes and received three beets in my Brewers Organics order this week.  Nothing like having good easy recipes for both.  They require very little ingredients and the prep time is minimal. 
 
Here's all you need to make baked fish:

Baked Cod (or any white fish you like)
 Aluminum Foil
Baking Pan
Salt & Pepper
Coconut Oil

1.Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Line the baking pan with aluminum foil to make cleaning up super easy.  Grease the foil with coconut oil.
2. Place the white fish in the pan.  I used a plastic glove to lightly spread coconut oil on the fish.
3.  Salt and Pepper to taste.  You can really use any spices you like to season the fish. 
4. Cook for 8-12 mins and let sit for a couple minutes before eating.

The roasted beets are prepped very much like the fish. Here's what you need:

Baking Cookie Sheet
Aluminum Foil
Coconut Oil
Sea Salt
2-3 Smaller Sized Beets

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.  Line the cookie sheet with aluminum foil and grease the pan with coconut oil.
2. Wash the beets really well since they are usually pretty dirty veggies.  Cut the ends off of them but there is no need to peel them.
3. Spread coconut oil over the beet and lightly salt to taste.
4.  Roast for 45 minutes and just check to see if they are softer and tender.  When they are fully cooked, the skin should be very easy to peel off.  I typically wear a glove so my hands don't get dyed bright pink.

These are two great healthy recipes that I really enjoy.  I am all about easy and minimal prep and clean up.  I would add a small garden salad to this meal to get more veggies in for the day.  Enjoy!

Hungry? Why Wait...Fuel Up For Workouts Properly

It's very important to properly fuel your body before every workout.  Almost all cases when a client starts to feels nauseous or light headed during a session came down to the simple fact that they didn't eat anything or they didn't eat enough to get them through the workout.  Once they feel better, they usually admit to the fact that they didn't want to feel sick from eating too much so they didn't eat anything. 

With that said, it is important to try to eat 30 minutes to an hour before your workout. There is a range for this because every body is different.  Some feel sick if they eat too close to workouts and others can eat right before they start and not be effected by it at all.   A good rule of thumb is it is always better to eat something rather than nothing.  Not eating enough can affect the intensity and duration of your workout as well as how much energy you sustain throughout. 

So here is a list of ideas for pre workout snacks.  They are all easy to prepare and they will give you just what you need to work hard and feel energized the whole time.  It is also important to eat foods that are easy for the body to digest.  Depending on how long your workout is, you may need to eat another small snack, especially endurance workouts such as running.

Pre Workout Snack Ideas:

• 1 tbsp. Peanut/Almond Butter and Banana
• 1 Waffle and 1 tbsp. Peanut Butter
• 1 serving Rolled Oats and 1 serving of Berries
• Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich on Whole Wheat Bread
• Greek Yogurt with 1 serving of Fruit (watch the sugar content in the yogurt)
• String Cheese and 1 serving Whole Wheat Pretzels
• Protein Shake (if you are into taking supplements, your body will absorb these pretty quickly.  Make sure you look at the nutrition facts of these types of supplements.)
• Scrambled Eggs/Egg Whites with Toast/Bagel

Your body is an amazing machine.  It will do whatever it has to do to get you through whatever you're doing even if it doesn't have all the right fuel.  That is why it is important to get the most out of your workout and eat right depending on what your exercise of choice is for that day.  If you have to eat closer to your workout than you would've liked just eat a smaller snack.  Listen to your body, it usually does a good job telling you when it needs something.  Have a great week and drink a lot of water :)

Fried Rice...The Healthy Remix Recipe.

It's about that time again for another easy recipe that tastes great, doesn't take a lot of time and incorporates a lot of fresh veggies. 

For breakfast, I typically have eggs with different vegetables depending on what I get in my delivery that week.  My favorites are mushrooms, zucchini and for some extra protein, I like to add some edamame to the mix and sometimes I'll throw in some spinach.  I wanted to make something similar that I could enjoy at lunch that would incorporate some good carbs and fill me up. So I decided to make a healthy version of fried rice with veggies.

Vegetable Fried Rice

1 c. dry brown rice - I typically use the minute rice or something quick that can cook while I am preparing the veggies.
1/2 c. onions, diced
Coconut Oil - You need just enough for sautéing the veggies.  Coconut oil is my favorite because I think it adds some good flavor to the mix.
3-4 c. veggies of your choice - zucchini, mushroom, peppers, edamame, spinach and  broccoli are just some ideas but you can add whatever you'd like.
2 eggs - If you don't want to the egg yolks, you can always use three egg whites.
Spices - salt, pepper, garlic or onion powder to taste.
1/4 c. soy sauce OR salsa - I've actually used salsa the last couple of times I've made this and it tastes really good without the salty taste of soy sauce.  Either will work just fine depending on your preference.

1. Cook the rice according to the box and let stand until it needs to be added to the recipe.
2. Heat the coconut oil over medium heat. Cook onions for a couple minutes until they become transparent and then stir in the veggies and cook until soft. 
3. Push the cooked vegetables to the side of the pan and crack the eggs into the pan.  Let cook for a few minutes before mixing everything together.  Stir in soy sauce or salsa.
4.  Once most of the liquid from the soy sauce or salsa have mixed in, add the rice and stir until warm.  Voila! 
5. Enjoy!

I hope this will add some variety to your menu this week.  Since I'm only cooking for one, sometimes I will cut the recipe in half so I don't end up wasting the leftovers I wasn't able to get to.  I hope you have a wonderful week and make sure you're drinking lots of water and eat lots of  fruits and veggies of course.