Showing posts with label grocery list. Show all posts
Showing posts with label grocery list. Show all posts

Tuesday, January 31, 2012

What do I do when.. Q&A time.

Our Fridge  prepared for lunches and Breakfasts for the next day

I have had some great feedback from my previous blogs. I have also had a lot of questions from people trying to eat healthier. Here are a few of the questions with some of my advice. Before you read this- go to Costco and invest in TUPPERWARE. I hope you find some answers to any questions you had. If not, ask me questions and I will do my best to answer them.  

1.) If I buy veggies and fruits and just throw them in a drawer- I tend to forget about them and they go bad before I can salvage them for a meal. Do I have to grocery shop every day for fresh veggies?
I have gotten into the routine of washing it all, cutting it, packaging it for lunches or putting it with the other foods that I am going to make a meal with. This is my OCD showing but it is a great way to make sure I don't waist great food. This only takes about 30 minutes once you've got your Tupperware/baggies and routine set in place.

2.) I eat more fruit because it is small and it seems more easily accessible. How can I get more vegetables in my diet?
In an attempt to eat less fruit, I decided to cut and package veggies, pre- cook and package veggies and keep them more accessible than my fruits. I have been grabbing the carrots, tomatoes and celery over the pineapple and strawberries.

3.) Lunch is HARD to do because I work, what do you do for lunch?
My best advice here is- make extra! I always make extra pieces of chicken or extra meat for leftovers. I throw it on a salad or with some steam fresh veggies and it is a perfect lunch. Another great idea is to make some soup on Sunday and pre-package it into Tupperware for the week. Most soups can be frozen and saved for later in the week.

4.) What Can I do for Breakfast besides Eggs?
Eggs can raise your cholesterol so I have been told to eat no more than 6 a week. Other options are muffins- check out some of the muffins on the blog, Meat (sausage, bacon, ham, leftover steaks etc.) and sweet potato hash, fruit with some nuts and seeds or pancakes (we have had pancakes leftover from dinner and they are fine reheated in the morning.)

5.) How do you work all day, come home, exercise and prepare meals?
I have an amazing husband who helps me, motivates me and encourages me daily. He will jump in and cook meals if he is home first. We have an I cook, you clean system. We generally help prepare the menu's, grocery shop and organize our meals together. I prepare our lunches and get the coffee set up the night before. I pre-make a lot of the meals on Sundays. Because I eat healthy, I have more energy and (a lot of days Brandon begs me to go run off my energy). I think the keys here are: Preparation and a partner who encourages you or joins in your healthier lifestyle with you(it doesn't have to be a spouse, it could be a friend- I have a friend who does Sunday cook day with her daughter and then they package the meals and distribute for the week).

Eating healthy can work for you and to stay consistent, you have to stay organized. If you go to your fridge and there isn't any food, you will devour anything you can find. There have been days where I walk in and will literally eat whatever is in front of me. On my prepared days, it is veggies or fruit but on my unprepared days it is chocolate or less healthy items.

What are your healthy tips for others? What do you do that helps you to eat veggies over fruits or chocolates?




Thursday, January 19, 2012

Paleo/ Primal Eating- Why do it?


Weight loss, Healthier, more energy, No more medications, Better hair, better skin, better achievements at the gym, A fun challenge, Try something new that you don't have to pay for a meal plan or a gym membership! Brandon lost a pants size without stepping foot in a gym!
Try it for 21 days and I garuntee that you won't regret it!!

Typical week for us:

















Paleo Meat staples:
Venison
Free- Range chicken or game birds
Nitrate free bacon or ham
Roasted Turkey
Pork
Try to go with Grass fed, lean meats for the bulk of your meat eating. Breakfast meats are tricky- we do ham, bacon or even left over pulled pork or steaks with eggs or in an omelet.

My Paleo Snack or side dish staples:

Cauliflower
Salad
Asparagus
Fresh Salsa
Guacamole
Carrots
Celery
Squash
Cucumbers
Onion
Peppers
Grape tomatoes
sesame seeds
almonds
Macadamia nuts
Cashews
 Berries or in season fruits
Almond flour (buy in bulk)
Coconut flour
Any fruit in moderation
a little dried fruit in moderation
Dark chocolate 72% or higher in moderation
*Eat all the veggies you want- some days I eat an entire container of cherry tomatoes for a snack.
Dijon mustard's
oil and vinegar
Herbs and spices


Try to avoid:
Dairy products (If full Paleo, if just primal- you may have full fat, raw organic milk products- Brandon is more Primal because he still does cheese and cream in his coffee)
Sugar (yes sugar is not paleo) replace with honey, agave nectar, palm sugar or maple syrup- all natural
Juices- make your own
White/ wheat flour
Grains- your body cannot naturally digest them
Starchy vegetables- no white potatoes or corn
Legumes- What the heck is a legume?
Soy
*When buying dark chocolate- try to get soy, dairy free - or make sure soy lechtin is last on the list*
Trans-fats
Processed- pre made foods.
Vegetable oil
Butter- unless grass fed
Best tip- Read the labels and make sure you know what all of the ingredients are before you buy them. Buy foods with the least amount of ingredients.

*I've noticed that if I pre-slice some of the veggies and keep them in an easily accessible container- I am more likely to snack on them rather than opening up a chocolate bar or a bag of nuts and dried fruits.
For a great description and shopping list check out Mark Sisson. For some great inspiration and to see what your foods are doing to your body, read the Friday success stories- make sure you have a box of tissues!
For a good recipe book check out: Make it Paleo
Or check out these blogs: nomnompaleo.com, http://www.primal-palate.com/, http://www.paleocomfortfoods.com/, http://www.balancedbites.com/, http://www.everydaypaleo.com/ or continue to follow our blog! :)

Let me know if you try it!