Meal Ideas and Recipes

Good morning y'all!  It is a rainy morning here in New York City.  There were plenty of unhappy faces on the train today.  I don't mind though, we need the rain.  It makes our plants grow and I feel like it cleans everything.  All of the leftover black snow gets washed away!  Here are lunch and dinner meal ideas that can be interchangeable.  I'll also list some ideas that are appropriate for the Big Apple.  Those of you that live and/or work here will know what I mean with all of the cafes that have a huge selection and Halal trucks everywhere.  I'm not going to list the obvious choices like salad variations.  Not all of these suggestions will be the cleanest choices.  But, like I've mentioned before, this is real life and we're just trying to make it!  I cook for two to three people on a daily basis.  I prefer to cook for my family rather than order in.  It's the healthiest thing I can do for us.  Some of these recipes will have leftovers that are actually good as leftovers.  

• Turkey burger with a side salad
• Udon soup with vegetables and no noodles
• Roll turkey, cheese and lettuce with a little whole grain mustard inside
• Small order of chicken and rice with vegetables, red sauce, and no white sauce
• Falafel with no pita over a salad 

For dinner we normally do fish or chicken breast with a vegetable and a potato.  The protein is marinated and cooked in a dry pan.  Vegetables are normally steamed.  If you're trying to cut carbs you can remove the potato all together.

• Marinate tilapia fillets with olive oil, lemon, parsley (I used dried herbs because it's easier for me), ground sea salt and ground black pepper
• Marinate salmon fillets with olive oil, orange, cilantro, ground sea salt and ground black pepper
• Marinate chicken breast in olive oil, lemon, oregano, ground sea salt and ground black pepper and let it sit overnight.  It comes out so tender! 

Roasted potatoes: Dice potatoes with the skin on, mix with olive oil to lightly coat, crushed garlic, parsley, ground sea salt and ground black pepper.  Spread it on a tray, cover with foil and bake for 40 minutes.  Remove the foil and broil for a few minutes to brown the potatoes.

Sweet potatoes: Dice sweet potatoes with the skin on.  Grease the bottom of a tray with olive oil.  Bake them clean for 40 minutes.

Brussel Sprouts: Cut each sprout in half and mix with olive oil to lightly coat and ground sea salt and ground black pepper.  Broil them for about 20 minutes.  Watch it while it's cooking.  You may have to stir them around to avoid burning them.

The other day my husband was eating fettuccine Alfredo with shrimp.  It looked so good!  This is what I made myself to satisfy my cheesy pasta craving: In a pan add a little olive oil, saute a clove of garlic, handful of baby spinach, and shrimp (add what you like).  Once that's almost done, add a cup of gluten free pasta.  Season with basil, ground sea salt and ground black pepper.  Then sprinkle feta cheese over the top.

My version of an open burrito: In a large pan add a little olive oil, saute a diced onion, add a pound of ground turkey until it's cooked, add a can of rinsed black beans and a can of drained corn (frozen works, too!), season with ground sea salt, ground black pepper, cilantro and oregano to taste.  Garnish with cheddar, guacamole or an over easy egg!  This makes about 4 servings.

This is the cleanest version of my lasagna that I came up with without sacrificing flavor: For the sauce, in a pot add a little olive oil, saute 4 cloves garlic, add one large can tomato sauce, one small can tomato paste, one cup of water and spinach (a frozen box of chopped or a bag of baby).  Season with oregano, basil and 4 bay leaves.  In a pan add a little olive oil and saute a chopped onion, chopped red and green bell peppers.  Add a pound of ground turkey till it's cooked.  Season with ground seal salt and ground black pepper.  Combine the sauce and the turkey meat and let it cook together for a few minutes.  In an 8x13 tray layer as follows; a little sauce to coat the bottom of the tray, gluten free lasagna pasta (about 3 strips should do it), sauce, skim ricotta, skim mozzarella and Parmesan if you want.  Then repeat starting with the pasta.  When you are done layering cover the tray with foil.  Bake at 350* for 20 minutes.  Then, remove the cover and broil it until the cheese is bubbling and melted.  Let it cool for a little while before you cut it.  This is one of my favorite leftovers to bring for lunch!  You can also use the sauce over gluten free pasta.

I hope some of these ideas bring variation into your diet.  Eating clean does not have to be boring!  It can be hearty, comforting and delicious.  I also hope that you try some of these recipes.  Let me know how it goes!  Until next time...

In good health,
Alana

Making Better Choices

I went to grab lunch with a coworker one day. It had to be quick because it was a busy day. So, we went to McDonalds. Keep in mind, at the time I was still eating regular bread. She ordered one of the angus burgers with fries and a soda. I ordered a classic grilled chicken sandwich with honey mustard (it comes on a honey wheat bun and I never get mayo). I also ordered a side salad instead of fries. To drink I had an unsweetened iced tea. I hate wasting money on buying bottled water. Otherwise, that probably would have been the drink I ordered. Yes, I think it's a waste in more ways than one. Anyway, how often do you go out to eat and make the wrong choices? People crucify McDonalds. But the choice is yours. They know they are fast food. They are not trying to fool anyone. So, why believe the media hype? If you're going out to eat to replace a meal you would normally eat at home then you should eat as if you were eating at home. In our fast-paced-both-parents-work-world eating out happens multiple times a week. Rule of thumb is to indulge or "cheat" only if you're celebrating something. I always remind myself how junk food makes me feel. I'm sure that's happened to you, right? You finish eating and you feel like crap because what you ate was crap.

Once you start to eat cleaner your body will stop craving the foods that are not good for you. Your body will also stop accepting those types of foods. For example, if you are a big carb eater you're body will go through withdrawal when you start to minimize it in your diet. Your body will look for it and you may even get headaches the way you would if you were cutting caffeine. After the first few days that feeling will pass.

Another way to make sure you are making a better choice is to meal prep. Over the weekend I do a ton of meal prepping for my family. I set lunch for my husband and I. I portion out dinners for my son. And I make sure he has enough fresh fruit when he wants a snack. I also prep the vegetables that go with our dinner, especially the ones that take a little longer to cook like brussel sprouts and sweet potatoes. Make sure your pantry and fridge/freezer are stocked with the right foods; fresh fruit and vegetables, real fruit juice, seltzer water, olive oil, brown rice, gluten free pasta, gluten free bread, oats, honey, rice cakes, dried fruit, raw nuts, hummus, tortilla chips, salsa, guacamole, frozen vegetables, fish fillets, ground turkey, canned vegetables like beans and corn. Stock up with good food that will satisfy any of your cravings. You shouldn't go hungry. Just eat the right foods.  Get rid of all the garbage. If you don't give yourself access to it you won't be tempted to have it.

Sometimes you need more motivation than a self reminder. Instagram is one of my inspirations. Look for me @abels_mom - I follow a ton of men and women that are healthy and fit or trying to get there. It reminds me of what I am trying to accomplish. My feed is full of fitspo. You also have to read! Go online or subscribe to health magazines. When I'm tempted to skip the gym or eat something that I consider a cheat I pick up a fitness magazine. As you become more savvy the information in the magazines may seem redundant. But I'm sure it'll stop you from eating that cookie. Seeing a picture of the cover model will make you get up and get your workout done. Have you ever regretted a workout after you completed it? I didn't think so!

I will give you lunch and dinner ideas in my next post. I hope that makes you look forward to the next one. And I hope even more that you use the ideas I give you! Stay tuned...

In good health,

Alana

Fitting Exercise In

One of the things moms struggle with is fitting in exercise. We think that taking an hour for ourselves a few times a week is hurting our children and our families. The truth is you're hurting your family if you don't do it. How do you fit it in without feeling guilty? For a while I was getting my workout in first thing in the morning. Yup, up at 5 AM just to exercise. This seems to work for a few of my closest friends. It worked for me because my husband gets our son ready in the morning and takes him to school. Me not being present doesn't disrupt anyone's routine. I've recently had to start getting to work earlier. 5 AM is early enough. I can't do any earlier than that. Now I take my lunch break at the gym and eat at my desk. Sure there are days that work is too busy and I can't get away. My trick is to aim high and by the end of the week I accomplished what I needed to. By aim high I mean I'll plan to workout, lets say, 5 times a week. If I don't get to it twice I still completed 3 workouts for the week. The days that I don't get to the gym I still try to move around. If I have a busy day at work and can't get out for an hour to hit the gym I'll still give myself 20 minutes to take a walk. I don't count it as a workout but it is still physical activity. At night after my son goes down and hubby and I are ready to unwind in front of the television I lay my yoga mat out and stretch for 15-20 minutes. Again I don't count it as a workout but its good for me. Workout videos are also great. Sometimes my last workout for the week is an Insanity video Saturday morning before I clean the house.

Get the kids involved! Shortly after dinner I have a dance party with my son. We sing songs and dance. The sillier I dance the more he laughs. This is quality time with my munchkin. And it's a way for me to make sure I don't overeat at dinnertime. As my son gets heavier I get stronger. Have you ever met a toddler that didn't like getting thrown up in the air? I count and do it in sets. Get on the floor with them and copy them. Kids are limber. You might be surprised at the positions you end up in.

Set a goal for yourself and work towards it. I have two specific goals set for this year. One is to complete the Spartan Sprint in Pennsylvania in July. When I say complete I mean do all of the obstacles. If you don't complete an obstacle they make you do burpees. I don't want to do a single burpee! My other goal is to complete an official 10k at the same pace I do a 5k. I raced three official 5ks last year. My fastest time was under 29 minutes. My slowest was under 32. I will probably race two 5ks earlier in the year and save the 10k for September or October. This will give me time to train outside in the warmer months.

What are your goals? Is it to eat better? Take it one step and one meal at a time. Is it to be more active? Take it one workout at a time. In a month you might be surprised at what your body can do. I wish you the best in your journey to a healthy lifestyle. Until next time...

In good health,
Alana

Breakfast Ideas

Good morning y'all!

This is another post inspired by my girl Cole. Cole is trying to get healthy and working on changing her eating habits. She recently asked for breakfast ideas. When you are learning how to eat better breakfast is the best place to start. You've heard it before and here it is again: Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. All of our meals are important. But that first meal can really set the tone for your day. I am in the office bright and early. So I eat at my desk. Some of these ideas are not easy for those on the go. Perhaps you can give it a little more time on the weekends. I see a lot of protein pancakes and paleo pancakes on Instagram. Once I give it a try I'll definitely fill you in on how it goes. Like I said I am in the office bright and early. During the weekdays I have two small breakfasts and it could be a mix of any of these two...

Chobani Greek Yogurt (my personal favorites are vanilla and honey) with low fat granola: I like Chobani because it's not as sweet as some of the others. Don't forget Greek yogurt has more protein which makes it a better choice. Granola is famous for being high in fat. Because its easily accessible and inexpensive I like Special K Low-fat granola.

Plain oatmeal sweetened with honey and dried fruit like cranberries or raisins: If you meal prep you could put diced fresh fruit.  If you don't add a sliced banana. Same for the Greek Yogurt especially if its plain.

Two boiled eggs: Eat the whole thing. Egg yolks have a lot of nutrients in them.

Egg white omelette with veggies: If you're not a cheese person skip it... Even better! 3 egg whites are a good portion. Coat the pan in olive oil. My personal favorite combination is baby spinach, tomato and feta.  A couple of other ideas are; (1) mushrooms, peppers, onions and cheddar, (2) tomatoes and mozzarella. Add a side of three pieces of turkey bacon. This is a bigger meal so you may not need a mid morning snack.

All of these are good sources of protein.  This is good especially if you exercise (like you should).
I don't eat much red meat; beef, pork maybe once a week. One of my college professors once pointed out to us that the way our digestive system is designed is not to eat red meat. Further, cow products stick to your insides and become toxic.  If you eat red meat more than twice a week, it may be tough to take it out of your diet for the sake of meal ideas alone.  Start slow and work your way up to this.  Same goes for carbs, one day at a time.  Until next time...

In good health,
Alana

Why Am I Here?

Hi! Welcome to my first ever blog post.  That being said, I am new to this and I'm still trying to figure out how this works...

I have quite a few friends that come to me for fitness and healthy eating tips.  One of these sweet, patient, beautiful, loving (I could go on and on) friends of mine suggested I start a blog.  Look for her on YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram: mommytipsbycole.  I didn't take Cole seriously until she said "You could help a lot of people this way."  Who doesn't want to help people?

I am not an expert by any means.  I didn't go to school for nutrition or physical education.  But, I do take being healthy very seriously.  I am a wife and a mom, a daughter and a sister.  To me that means that I have to take better care of myself because there are others that rely on me.  They rely on me to hold their hand, to help them up when they fall, to be their cheerleader, stop them when they might cross the wrong line... You get it.  I also need to be a role model and a good example.  Think about it; if you were raised eating a certain way would you have had that much trouble trying to get rid of your "Freshman 15"?  Would you have ever gained it?  My husband is my counterpart in many ways and fitness is one of them.  Eating clean, the frequency of working out, the type of excercises we do, and sexual health are all part of our regular conversations.  When we go for runs we bring our son with us.  When we exercise at home we engage him.  Not only is it good for him but it is so cute watching him do high knees with his arms out, run in place and try yoga poses.

Did you notice I keep saying healthy eating and not dieting?  This is a lifestyle so I don't diet.  I EAT HEALTHY.  I'm a real person trying to work my way around our fast-paced super-sized America.  It's possible and I want to show you it's possible.  Let's make a deal because I'm open and flexible like that.  Let me know what you want to learn about, read about, know more about.  Let's talk about this stuff and figure out how to incorporate it into our lifestyles.  There are so many different types of health besides eating and exercise.  So, there's no limit!

You'll learn more about me as I continue on this journey, so that's enough for now.  It's nice to meet you.  I hope to learn from you while you learn from me.  Until next time! 

In good health,
Alana