Little Ways to Eat Right, Every Day

 

There are little ways, subtle changes you can make to eat right - every day - your way!

Try working these tips into your eating routine:

 

- Have breakfast every day! And add a piece of fruit like an orange, apple or banana.

 

- Skip or skimp on the sugar in your coffee. Cutting out 2 packets of sugar per day (2 teaspoons worth) saves 32 calories per day and over the course of the year that would total 11,680 calories saved or about 3.3 pounds!

 

- Try new foods! Keep your taste buds interested by adding in new foods, try interesting fruit and veggies like permission, starfruit or parsnips.

 

- Fill half of your plate with fruit and/or veggies. A great way to have a full plate with fewer calories is to fill-up half of your plate with fruit and/or veggies! When you are out to eat ask for double veggies or add a side of fruit with your meal.  

 

- Go Meatless on Mondays - Make it a goal to have at least one meatless meal per week, try a veggie stir fry with quinoa, bean burritos, veggie burgers or eggplant Parmesan.

 

Happy National Nutrition Month®

Slowcooker Veggie Chili

Gotta love beans!

If your are short on time this holiday season, try this recipe! It's really quick to put together and full of flavor.

Ingredients:
1.5 cups sweet onion, chopped (1 medium onion)
1 cup red bell pepper, chopped (1 medium pepper)
2 cans (14.5 ounces) kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 can (14.5 ounces) cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes
2 cups corn (frozen)
1 cup mild salsa
2 cups vegetable broth
sea salt and chili powder, to taste

Directions:
1. Combine all ingredients in a slow cooker.
2. Cook on low for 6-8 hours.
3. Season with chili powder and salt to taste.

Additional toppings: sour cream, plain yogurt, shredded cheddar cheese.

Your Question... answered!

Q: I need breakfast ideas to lose 20-pounds!And I spin and do yoga four days per week.

A: First, eating breakfast is key! Simply eating breakfast may help you meet your weight loss goals because stats show people who eat breakfast weigh less. Plus, something to consider is new research from the British Journal of Nutrition (October 2012) found guys that exercise before breakfast burn 33-percent more fat compared to those who exercise after breakfast. Although, keep in mind, depending on the intensity and duration of your workout, breakfast maybe best to fuel your body before you workout.

What to eat? Combine whole grains, fruit/ vegetables and protein. The fiber from the grains and fruit/ vegetables will help to keep you full plus the protein will help with longer lasting energy to keep you going all morning long.

Here are some ideas to try:
- Oatmeal (prepared with low fat milk or almond milk) topped with sliced bananas, chopped walnuts and a drizzle of honey.
- Whole grain cereal with sliced strawberries (tip: fill 1/2 of your bowl with strawberries!) and low fat milk or almond milk
- Breakfast scramble (a personal favorite) paired with a slice of whole wheat toast, click here for the recipe
- On the go: bring a bar like (KIND Snacks Bars*, Nuts.com Energy Squares* or Clif Bar Mojo Peanut Butter Pretzel) and
- Slice of whole wheat naan or pita bread topped with a thin layer of hummus, cucumber slices and a drizzle of honey mustard

Do you have a nutrition question you would like answered? Sumbit your question to me at my Web site: http://www.creativenutritionsolutions.com/contactus.aspx

*Disclosure: Molly does spokes person work for KIND Snacks and it's Nuts.com "health nut".

Back to School Lunch Solutions

This week I visited the 10! Show in Philadelphia and Bridge Street in Central New York to share some tips to make back to school lunches a little more exciting (and healthy too) plus ways to make whole grains part of your day.

Here are some more details and tips to get you ready for back to school.

Make Fruit and Veggies Easier: At the start of the week, fill a bin in your refrigerator with single serving bags or containers of sliced and prepared fruit and veggies! Then each day when filling lunch boxes aim to have half of the contents be fruit and/or vegetables.

Be creative! Use sandwich cutters like those from The Lunch Punch (http://www.thelunchpunch.com/lp) to create fun shapes. Or switch up sandwiches with a sandwich on a stick: use cubes of meat, cheese, bread and veggies!

Think Outside the Sandwich: Try kid 'sushi'! Mix together chopped veggies (like broccoli and carrots) with light cream cheese or tofutti (cream cheese substitute), spread the mixture evenly over a multi-grain flat bread or tortilla. Then roll up the flat bread and cut into slices. This lunch idea was inspired from some of my aunts on family vacation.

Work in Whole Grains: Whole grains are nutritional powerhouses, some examples include: whole wheat bread, brown rice, millet, buckwheat, oats and quinoa. They get all of their nutrients because the whole grain is intact and provides fiber, vitamins and minerals. Make it a goal to have whole grains at all meals and snacks like: KIND Healthy Grains granola with fruit for breakfast, whole wheat bread or wraps for lunch and mini funny face pizza on whole grain flat breads for snack.

For more ideas on back to school, head to my Website to watch the video segments from this week!

Meatless Monday

I try to make every Monday a "meatless" dinner! This week was falfel with tzatziki sauce and roasted beets. If you have never tried falfel, you must... it's really yummy. Basically it's ground chickpeas that are spiced up. I wimp out and buy the boxed falfel mix (one of these days I will try making my own from scratch)! Falfel are pan cooked with canola oil until crispy (use some cooking spray too to cut down on the amount of oil).

The tzatziki sauce I made from scratch and here is the recipe (See below), it's quick and delicious. To serve falfel: Place the pan cooked falfel on a pita and top with veggies (cucumbers & tomatoes), reduced-fat feta, and tzatziki sauce.

Tzatziki Sauce
16 ounces plain greek yogurt
1 medium cucmber, peeled, seeded, and finely chopped
4 cloved minced garlic
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar

Combine all of the ingredients and chill. Serve with falafel.