I have a confession to make. I am in love…with food! I am obsessed with cooking shows, cookbooks and shopping at Whole Pay Check, I mean Whole Foods. ☺
I love eating well, cooking with healthy ingredients and I love making wise choices when I am busy. I am so busy all week helping other people take good care of themselves that if I don’t prepare my foods in advance then I will eat energy bars all day and cereal for dinner, not good.
One of my favorite things to do on Sunday afternoon is to prepare food for the week. I take my time and relax while I do this. I don’t consider this a chore or something on my ‘To Do List’, it is a responsibility I have to my body and it is a privilege to take care of it.
Here are some of my favorite tips:
•Delicious dip with low-fat Greek yogurt and my favorite spices. I love this and feel no guilt since it’s yogurt! I prepare an array of yummy vegetables to dip away all week long.
•I always have quinoa in the fridge for a wonderful quick protein; 24 grams per cup! I make two batches: one sweet with coconut butter, cinnamon and a little honey so I can have it for breakfast or a late night treat with milk poured over. The other batch I make savory and I cook with vegetable or chicken broth instead of water and mix in sautéed onions, garlic and herbs. Yum.
•With the weather changing I love soups right now. I try to have a delicious homemade soup in the fridge at all times. This is a wonderful way to use up produce that isn’t quite fresh enough for a salad but is still delicious, toss it in a soup.
•I always have hard-boiled eggs handy. This is great for any time of day.
•I make a delicious tuna salad with Wild Planet’s wild albacore tuna in a pouch-not a can. I mix in the Greek yogurt dip from above so all my seasonings are already in it, add a little extra dill, celery, minced shallots, relish and capers. Yum.
•Trail mix with mostly nuts and seeds and a sprinkling of raisins.
•I roast a chicken or turkey breast with a simple marinade of lemon, sage, garlic and thyme. My house smells delicious when I make this.
I truly believe that if you surround yourself with healthy choices then your choices will be healthy. We take such good care of those we love; we deserve the same attention and love ourselves. I find great joy in helping others but an even deeper sense of peace when I am taking care of myself.
I take much better care of myself when I invest a little time. Play around with some simple recipes or just make things up. Get creative and have fun stocking your fridge with foods that will keep you healthy, happy and well all weeklong. You deserve it!