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Tag Archive for: healthy eating

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Back to…Healthy Meals

The “lazy days” of summer are over, vacations are done, the kids are back to school, and it’s time to get back to routine. As a mom of four, believe me that I understand the stress of September and how parents can easily lose themselves with the focus on getting the kids back to a manageable routine. So, this September, we wanted to provide a series of ideas and strategies to make sure you are going “back to school” while also getting “back to you!”

We’ve shown you ways to get “Back to” both fitness and a healthier mind. Now, in the third week of our series, we will focus on getting back to a healthy diet! Summertime can be a time of indulgence, filled with barbeques, parties and eating out. Now that fall has come, it’s time to refocus on healthy meals and we know these are most likely to happen at home. With proper planning and preparation, creating healthy home cooked meals can be simple every day. Check out our top 5 ways to save you time and to boost your nutrition at dinner time!

1. Plan Ahead: Planning and posting your weekly meal plan in advance each week will save you time and keep your organized! From this, create your list and hit the grocery store for all you need for the week. Post clearly on your fridge so you remember to pull what you need out of the freezer each day.

2. Shop Only Once: Going to the grocery store multiple times per week eats away at your time and your pocket book. Although you may have only gone in for a bag of milk, often you come out with things you don’t really need. With proper meal planning you should be able to shop for the entire week.

3. Make Ahead: Once you have your meals planned, your ingredients purchased, and your fridge stocked, start cooking! Prepare your vegetables and meats for your next meal ahead of time or, better yet, create some of the many healthy make-ahead meals you can freeze to eat later in the week.

4. Make Friends With Your Slow Cooker: A slow cooker or crock pot can become a busy cooks’ best friend! Simply toss in your pre-prepped ingredients before you leave in the morning and come home to a delicious healthy meal ready and waiting for you when you walk through the door!

5. Eat As a Family: Although schedules are busy and time is tight, make an effort to sit down and eat together as a family. Doing so is beneficial for your mental and physical health and helps to maintain that family togetherness. If this just can’t work during the week, make an effort to connect as a family over meals on the weekends.  Check out our previous post, “Make Time for Family Dinner Time.

 

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Good, Better, and Best Healthy Meals

Ensuring you and your family are consuming a “rainbow” of foods and eating enough fruit and vegetables each day is important. But do you know if what you are serving is providing yourself and your children with the nutrients they need? The following, from Parenting, invites the Author of the “Sneaky Chef” to show you the good, better, and best you can be serving at each meal of the day. Check it out!

Parenting:  Healthy Family Meals

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Healthy Home Cooked Meals In A Hurry

New schedules bring an adjustment to eating and food preparation routines. With less time available to put together a proper meal, people tend to rely on fast food or ready-made options that lack essential nutrients, or that are packed with preservatives and empty calories. The following from Greatist.com provides you with 52 different meals from breakfast to dinner that you can prepare in 12 minutes or less! Bon appetite!

Greatist.com:  52 Healthy Meals in 12 Minutes or Less

Check out more great healthy eating tips and recipes in our “Food For Thought” section.

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Comparing The Top Milk Alternatives

Lactose intolerance, food allergies, and lifestyle choices are resulting in people choosing to switch to a dairy free diet. While life without dairy is necessary for some and can be healthy, it is important to ensure the substitutes you consume are providing you with the vitamins and minerals your body needs. The following from Eat Life Whole compares the most popular milk alternatives in the marketplace to help you find the right replacement to maintain a healthy diet.

Eat Life Whole:  What’s the best dairy-free milk?

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Considering a Popular Diet Craze? Read This First

The world is becoming increasingly obsessed with weight and body image. While it’s extremely important to eat well for weight management and overall health, is dieting the right way to go? From Atkins to Paleo, and vegan to gluten-free, many crazes exist. Do you know the benefits and risks? The pros and cons of many popular diet crazes are discussed in the following article from Woman’s Day magazine.

Woman’s Day:  10 popular diets that are likely to backfire

Check out some of our other posts about healthy eating on our “Food For Thought” page.

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The Dirty Dozen, The Clean 15, and You

Organic or non-organic? That is the question…

With so much debate over whether buying organic food is in fact the best option, decisions about food choices can become confusing. Especially when we consider other factors such as food availability and budget. The dirty dozen and clean 15 help to illustrate which fruits and vegetables have the most and least pesticide contamination which can help you make more informed choices when selecting your produce. Check out the following from The David Suzuki Foundation to get the dirty dozen and clean 15 lists and to learn more about the organic food debate.

The David Suzuki Foundation:  What are the dirty dozen and the clean fifteen

For more information on healthy eating, delicious recipes, and more please visit our “Food For Thought” page.

 

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Hooray For Hummus!

Hummus is a versatile, protein packed snack that can be eaten many ways. Whether using as a dip for chips or veggies or used as a sauce for sandwiches and pitas, this fantastic power packed food can add some extra protein and nutrients to your next meal. It is easy to make and stays fresh in your fridge for up to a week, making hummus a quick and easy snack! The following from The Huffington Post shows fantastic ways to make different hummus variations.

The Huffington Post:  21 Ways to Make Better Hummus

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Food For Thought: Get To Know The “SuperFoods”

It’s hard to pick up a health magazine without hearing about “Super Foods.” Certain grains, nuts and seeds, fruits, vegetables and fish have been named so because of high levels of antioxidants, omegas, and health boosting vitamins and minerals. Some of these “super foods” are well known, however, many are new to the mainstream diet. The following from Greatist.com provides 30 awesome “super food” recipes that will help you create easy, delicious, and healthier meals for you and your family!

Greatist.com: 30 Superfood Recipes You’ve Never Tried Before