Whatcha' Eat Today - Where's the Fruit?

So our next Whatcha' Eat Today journal belongs to my work-out accountability and running partner who is very into eating healthy and watching what she eats.  She's added supplements to aid her journey like Kelp- which is helpful in maintaining a strong metabolism and weight control and Chlorophyll- that is useful in cleansing the blood and boosting energy. Looking at her journal I was excited to see things like Tomatoes, Basil, Cauliflower, Guacamole, Quinoa, Kale and Brussels Sprouts all a part of my standards and favorites but I was sad that there was little to no fruit.

Day 1
Breakfast: 100 calorie bagel,1egg, 1/2 tomato and basil water with bitters, kelp, chlorophyll, coffee
Lunch: Yogurt
Dinner: Baked fish, mashed potatoes and roasted cauliflower, beer

Day 2
Breakfast: Coffee with kelp capsules
Lunch: Green smoothie with kelp capsules
Dinner: Yogurt and Collard greens

Day 3
Breakfast: Raisin Bran with Almond milk
Lunch: None
Dinner: Cereal and Almond milk
Snack: Homemade guacamole

Day 4
Breakfast: Coffee with kelp capsules, bitters, 1 egg and wheat toast
Lunch: Yogurt
Dinner: Cereal with Almond milk
Snack: Popcorn with butter

Day 5
Breakfast: 100 calorie bagel, kelp capsules, bitters and chlorophyll water, coffee
Lunch: Whole wheat sandwich thins with mozzarella and home made tomato sauce
Dinner: Buffalo wings, oven roasted potato thins, baby Kale and Brussels sprout salad with Quinoa

Many people think that fruit is loaded with sugar and is the enemy for weight loss but it’s just the opposite! The fiber, water content and antioxidants are your friend when thinking about your health and your weight.  The fiber in fruit can make you feel full longer and is helpful in giving our guts good bacteria.  So unless your Dr. recommends that you give it up, eat the fruit!  Some of the best times to eat fruit are as breakfast or in between meals so your body can absorb all of the great vitamins and nutrients it has to offer, don’t eat it too late at night as the natural sugars might keep you up.

As a runner there are two fruits that you must add to your diet.  Bananas and oranges.  Why? Because eating a banana or two before your run can help you with an energy boost and helps to sustain your blood sugar. These tasty sweet treats are full of fiber and help to curb cravings.  I love to put browned peeled bananas in the freezer.  You can use them for smoothies or one of my favorite recipes non-dairy ice cream. 

Banana "Nice" Cream

5 frozen bananas

1 teaspoon of Vanilla extract

1/8 teaspoon of cinnamon (optional)

Take bananas out of freezer and let set for 5 minutes.  Add the bananas and vanilla to a Vitamix or High powered blender.  Blend until bananas are smooth and the consistency of ice cream about 1 to 1 1/2 minutes.  Scoop out into serving dish and top with cinnamon.  This is by far one of my favorite desserts served with chopped nuts and berries.  I am not ashamed to say that I've also had it for breakfast.  Beats a smoothie any day.

 

Oranges are in peak season in the winter and are a juicy and refreshing snack after a work-out and loaded with Vitamin C which is great in helping to repair sore tired muscles after a good work out. Go for the Navels or Cara Cara that are full of flavor and easy to peel.

Fruit are the carbs that runners need to fuel our bodies and helps us perform better and to restore our energy reserves. Just adding these Oranges and Bananas to your diet will not only provide you with vitamins, nutrients, fiber and energy but they are perfectly sweet and satisfying without leaving you with the post pastry guilt.

So my friend I look forward to our next run and you kicking my butt- I mean motivating me to go further - and the bag full of fruit that I'll bring to celebrate a great finish.

Whatcha' Eat Today - Mom of two

As a busy working mom raising children, keeping house and taking care of all the other grown up responsibilities, our healthy can easily be pushed to the back burner, including our eating habits. Our relationship with food  goes from being one of quality to one that is cheap, fast and easy. This way of eating leaves you with a tired, unsatisfied feeling leading to more eating of the same and the cycle continues.  Here is the Whatcha' Eat Today journal of a 40 year old widow and mother of two who might be falling into that cycle.

Day 1
Breakfast: Bacon, eggs w/cheese, grits, two pieces of wheat toast and coffee
Snack: grapes and water

Lunch: A piece of Veggie Stromboli and water

Snack: Tastycake apple pie, half a bag of Doritos with water

Dinner: Meatloaf, pasta and mixed vegetables with raspberry ice tea

Dessert: One scoop of Fudge Ripple ice cream and 4 Nutter Butter cookies with water

Day 2

Breakfast: pancakes, eggs, two pieces of bacon, coffee

Lunch: none

Snack: two pieces of wheat toast with jelly

Dinner: homemade bbq chicken fingers and fries

Dessert: pistachio and almond ice cream

Day 3

Breakfast: Bacon, egg and cheese on an onion bagel and coffee

Snack: two chocolate chip cookies

Lunch: two shrimp rolls and ginger ale

Snack: banana with peanut butter and plain Hersey bar

Dinner: homemade beef cheese steak with fries and iced tea

Day 4

Breakfast: bacon, egg and cheese croissant and coffee

Lunch: Baked Ziti and buffalo chicken salad with blue cheese dressing ½ wheat roll and Pepsi

Dinner: fried tilapia and fries with water

Day 5

Breakfast: pancakes with bacon and coffee

Snack: two pieces of toast with water

Lunch: 2 hot dogs and fries with peach iced tea

Dinner: Meatball sandwich with fries and iced tea

Day 6

Breakfast: oatmeal with coffee

Lunch: two cheeseburgers with fries and a fruit punch

Snack: chocolate chip cookies

Dinner: hot wings, mini burgers and potato skin platter

Day 7

Breakfast: Pancakes with bacon and eggs and coffee

Snack: banana and water

Dinner: Baked chicken and vegetable stew and mac and cheese

Dessert: two chocolate chip cookies

Two suggestions for you are to drink more water and eat more high fiber snacks.  Drinking more water and higher fiber snacks will keep you from having those spikes of energy and then crashes causing you to look for a sweet treat to get you that energy rush again causing you to eat too much.  Switching out your soda or sweetened iced tea with fruit infused water or tea will help you to feel fuller longer.  The recipe is quite simple and can be used with any fruit.

Infused Fruit water/tea
6 cups of cold water
2 oranges (or your favorite citrus) sliced
1 cup of berries or fruit of your choice
Optional: Mint, 3 herbal tea bags

Add all of the ingredients in a large pitcher and refrigerate for 2 to 24 hours.  Drink with meals or snacks.  Be careful not to let it sit more than 2 days as the citrus will get bitter.  All the more reason for you to drink it all every day. If you pair this water with a high fiber snack like a raw Larabar that has fruit and nuts and 4 grams of fiber or an apple or pear with 4 grams of fiber each and high in water content you will be satisfied longer.

If you need a more savory snack try some popcorn or my favorite frozen Edamame (soy beans) just pop them in the microwave, season with salt and serve warm.

Now at this point I would usually stop at two small changes but I know you guys are thinking, what about all that fried and fast food. Well I did promise that I would not get preachy and try to change eating habits around completely but when I gave the first draft of this to the journal owner she herself called me on the fact that I was brushing over the worst part of her diet. So I have no choice but to talk about it. 

This diary is not lacking in meals as in past diaries but it is missing nutrients. Because of the lack of nutrient dense foods you eat more empty calories because your body keeps craving what it needs to work and it keeps receiving the wrong things. So let’s work on getting your body what it needs.

Since you usually get breakfast and lunch on the go you may want to try the Mason jar options from the last food journal but, if you still need to buy these meals from a convenience stores make sure you get the healthiest options.

For breakfast go for a cut apple and peanut butter cups and a dry toasted whole wheat bagel or a mixed fruit cup and a Kind bar or a grab and go instant oatmeal cup and some grapes. 

For lunch why not swap the fries for a homemade stuffed baked potato?

You can easily make these on Sunday night for the week by baking 5 potatoes and wrapping them individually in foil to store in the fridge.  The night before work take one potato split it open and place it in a microwave safe bowl.  Add frozen broccoli, 1/4 cup of shredded cheese, cover and microwave at work.  Switch up your topping for chili or this spinach and mushroom one that I love.

Ingredients
4 tablespoons of vegetable broth
2 cloves of garlic chopped
14 oz. of fresh assorted mushrooms
10 oz. bag of fresh organic spinach
2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup of white wine or vegetable broth
Salt and Pepper

Add 4 tablespoons of vegetable broth to a pan over medium-high heat.  Add the garlic and the mushrooms and sauté until both begin to soften.  Add the vinegar and the white wine and stir until the liquid begins to be absorbed and reduced.  Add the spinach and stir until the spinach wilts.  Season with salt and pepper and spoon mixture over a baked white or sweet potato.

I know this is a lot of information to take in and I appreciate your willingness to confront your eating habits and make steps towards a healthier lifestyle.  I applaud you as you take care of all of your responsibilities every day and hope that you will take some of these suggestions and take care of you.

To the rest of you: How do you take care of you?

Whatcha' Eat Today- Newlywed edition

Getting married is a beautiful thing but, it does come with lots of changes including, when and how you eat.   For some it's the first time you are on your own. You don't have mom cooking meals for you and you have to figure out the eating habits of your new spouse. In our first year together my husband and I ate like college students.  Fast food and late night dinners and I am ashamed to say we had a "goodie" cabinet stocked with family size bags of Doritos, chips, chocolate, gummy candies and many, many other not so good for you "goodies".  So I was curious to ask a newlywed, "whatcha' eat today" and here is what I got. Our food journal today belongs to a 24 year old new bride and recent transplant from Philadelphia to New York. 

When looking at her journal it took me back to those first years of marriage and sorry to say my 20 pound weight gain.

Day 1

Breakfast: None

Lunch: None

Dinner: Italian salad, Pasta with Chicken and mushrooms, glass of wine

Day 2

Breakfast: None

Lunch: None

Dinner: French fries, Buffalo wings

Dessert: Chocolate cake

Day 3

Breakfast: None

Lunch: None

Dinner: French fries and Buffalo wings

Snacks: Klondike Oreo bars, Doritos, Mike and Ikes

Day 4

Breakfast: McDonald's fruit cup and hash browns

Lunch: 10 piece nuggets and fries

Dinner: Buffalo wings

Dessert: Klondike Oreo bar

Day 5

Breakfast: Sausage, egg and cheese bagel with hash brown

Lunch: None

Dinner: None

Day 6

Breakfast: Cereal, milk and banana

Lunch: None

Dinner: Beef Pastelitos ( stuffed fried pastry) and Spanish rice

Snacks: banana, Doritos, clementine, yogurt

Day 7

Breakfast: Cereal, milk and banana

Lunch: None

Dinner: Beef Pastelitos ( stuffed fried pastry) and Spanish rice

Snacks: yogurt, fruit snacks and hot chips.

 I have two words for our newlywed: Mason. Jars.

Mason jars can be used for so many things from crafts to storage but for you I want you to use them for grab and go meals.  Let's start with breakfast.  Yes it's true, breakfast is the most important meal of the day and fuels us mentally and physically for whatever we have to do. But sometimes our schedules have us too busy to cook breakfast so overnight oats are a perfect recipe for you.

Overnight Oats

1/4 cup of dried raisins or cranberries

1/2 cup uncooked rolled oats

1 cup of milk ( I use almond milk)

1 Tablespoon chopped unsalted nut

16 oz. Mason Jar

Pour the raisins in the Mason jar then the oats and pour milk over top.  Cover the jar and refrigerate 8 hours or overnight.  In the morning sprinkle the nuts on top.  This can be served cold, room temperature or heated up. 

Lunch and Dinner can be made just as easy with these simple Mason jar salads. 

Mason Jar Salad

2 oz. salad dressing

3 oz. of protein ( grilled chicken, tofu, beans etc.)

 Hearty Vegetables: cucumber, shredded carrots, bell peppers

Softer Additions: tomatoes, red onion, broccoli, mushrooms, nuts and seeds

Leafy Greens: Romaine, Spinach, Arugula, Mixed Greens

32 oz. Mason Jar

Start layering the jar with the dressing on the bottom, the hearty vegetables on top of that, the protein next and the softer additions on top of that and fill it to the top with leafy greens.  Cover the salad with the lid and refrigerate. To serve either shake the contents on to a plate or shake up and enjoy in the jar.  Here's what you will have.

Both of these recipes can be made up to two days in advance and you can play around with the ingredients and create your own on the go meals.  I hope this is helpful to our bride's new life and makes food one less thing to figure out in her new life. 

Have you used Mason Jars for meals?  If so what's your favorite recipe?

Whatcha' Eat Today?

I have to admit.  Food has always been and always will be on my mind.  The first thing I ask my family when I get home after hello and how was your day? is "Whatcha eat today?" I want to know about every dish someone had at a restaurant or baby shower or wedding reception.  Maybe it's the foodie in me but I just have to know whatcha eat today. So what I did was ask that question to a few people from different backgrounds, home situations and even different countries.  I asked that they keep a food diary for one week and take pictures just to see what they were eating.  I didn't plan on doing anything other than showing what a week in different people's food lives looked like but the first thing some of them wanted in exchange for keeping the dairies was for me to look them over and give suggestions on how to make their food better.  So reluctantly I agreed.  Isn't that the reason I started this blog?  To help people transition to a plant based way of eating.  As the diaries started to come in I was surprised at how people had so much food guilt.  Instead of just a list of food and pictures I started to get apologies for what they did or didn't eat.  "Sorry I didn't eat enough today" or "On vacation so our food was terrible".  The bottom line is this: Food should not only be healthy and nourishing but also delicious and fun.  So hopefully with a few small or large corrections in some cases food can be just that.

So without further ado here is the first diary.  The dairy belongs to a 31 year old female.  She's married and has a 3 year old son and is 5 months pregnant with her second child (congrats!).  Her food diary includes some family meals, some for just her and her son and some for just her.

  The Edwards Family Dairy

 

Day 1 ( Family breakfast and dinner - mom and son lunch)

Breakfast

Oatmeal, bacon, eggs, grapes and citron tea whole wheat toast and coffee

Lunch

California roll, Turkey and cheese on wheat

Dinner

Dinner was roasted chicken, broccoli, and mushroom risotto.

Snack

2% Yogurt, 10 Teddy grahams, two toffee sandies

Dessert

mocha latte (dad)  Chai Latte (mom) Tea (son)

Day 2 (Family)

Breakfast

French Toast, Bacon, Fruit cup, Apple sauce, Tea, Whole Milk

Lunch

Hot Dog, fruit cup and chopped chicken salad with leafy greens

Dinner

Olive Garden - Soup, salad and Tour of Italy and breadsticks

Snacks

Peach yogurt blueberry flax granola, peanut butter and jelly sandwich

Day 3 ( family breakfast, mom and son snack, mom dinner)

Breakfast

6 egg omelet, roasted potatoes, wheat toast and bacon, Tea,

Lunch

None

Dinner

White Bean Chicken Chili, Caesar salad

Snacks

Teddy grahams and fruit cup, Wendy's frosty

Day 4 ( mom solo)

Breakfast

Greek yogurt and blueberry flax granola decaf chai latte

Lunch

White Bean Chicken Chili, Caesar salad, root beer

Dinner

3 pieces of fried chicken

Snacks

tea

Day 5 (vacation - mom)

Breakfast

Blueberry pancakes, scrambled eggs, home fries, sausage

Lunch

Chik fila sandwich

Dinner

Papa John's pizza and buffalo wings

Snacks

Pita chips and muffin

Day 6 (Vacation - Family)

Breakfast

sausage, eggs, grits and danish

Lunch

leftover pizza

Dinner

Mexican take out ( rice and beans, turkey tacos, guacamole and chips

This family is on the right track with eating enough during the day and everyday eating a meal or two together.  I love that the little one enjoys drinking tea and eating salad with his mom.  The two biggest suggestions I have are for them to eat more leafy greens and whole fruit.  Being pregnant, mom needs the energy from the greens to keep up with a busy toddler and also the folic acid and vitamins and minerals for her and her baby on board and her growing son.  I would love to see you add spinach to your morning omelet and some lettuce to your sandwiches and maybe some Kale chips as a snack.  As for the fruit, Why not take the yogurt you eat and blend it with some frozen fruit and greens to make smoothies for snacks or freeze some grapes on a flat toothpick for a Popsicle?  These small changes will make a big difference in getting you and your family getting more plants into your way of eating. Thank you so much to the Edwards family for letting me ask
 "Whatcha eat today".