healthy eating Archives - Mindfully Written

No Time for a Healthy Breakfast?: These 6 Options Will Make You Rethink

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, dinner like a pauper, so they say. We all know that we need to eat breakfast, but it isn’t always that easy. It’s a common routine: hit snooze, jump out of bed, rush to get ready, get the kids on the bus, remember to feed Fido and if you’re lucky, you’ll make it to work on time. No time for a healthy breakfast? You’re not alone.

But before you dash through the nearest fast-food drive-through or grab a pastry at the gas station, think again. You can have a healthy breakfast with your busy lifestyle. It just takes a tiny bit of preparation.

I, like you, struggle with breakfast, even though I’m a writer who works at home. I like to sleep in, get dressed, grab a quick breakfast and bring it to my desk to eat while I delete junk emails, browse Facebook and otherwise start the day by getting up-to-date and organized. I just don’t want to cook or even take the time to make oatmeal. Being gluten-free, the quick options are limited (no toast or bagels or cereal here). Plus, the quick options generally are loaded in refined carbs, sugars and other weird stuff.

If you think you have no time for breakfast, especially a healthy one, it’s time to think again and plan some prep into your routine. Take ten minutes at night to prepare your breakfast for the next morning or set aside weekend time to spend an hour in the kitchen.

Here are six great options from some amazing sources.

Overnight Oats –

This one truly is grab and go. All you have to do is grab your container (mason jars are great) and a spoon and head out the door. This post from Prescribe Nutrition gives a personal touch to this simple recipe.

Pre-Made Smoothie –

I talked recently about making awesome green smoothies, but for a quick grab-and-go breakfast, make your smoothie the previous night. Put it in a mason jar with a tight lid and stick it in the fridge. Come morning, you’re ready to go.

Baked Oatmeal –

I love this recipe from Oh She Glows. Side note: I skip the dry sugar in the crunchy topping and don’t feel like I’m missing anything. This oatmeal reheats really nicely and lends itself to creativity once you have the basics down.

Hard-boiled eggs –

Boiling eggs has to be one of the easiest breakfast ideas. Simply bring some water, your eggs, salt and a dash of vinegar to a boil. Once rapidly boiling, let it boil for a minute or so and then turn off the burner and cover. Let sit for at least ten minutes, but it’s ok to forget about them (I always do). Older eggs peel better. Up the nutrition here by also having some fruit and/or nuts.

Homemade Granola –

The options are really endless here. Make chunkier stuff to snack on from an environmentally-friendly container or throw some in yogurt (if you can handle dairy) or kefir (which is dairy but easier to digest), but watch for added sugar. Plain is best. Throw homemade granola in a green smoothie for an extra nutrition punch. This recipe from Elana’s Pantry is sans oats. This one from Oh She Glows is made from buckwheat. And this one from PaleOMG includes pumpkin and looks to satisfy the sweet tooth.

Healthy Muffins –

Be careful about adding too much sweetness (ahem, chocolate chips) but have fun with some of these muffin recipes. While being the perfect grab-and-go, eat-in-the-car breakfast, they have the potential to become unhealthy if you don’t watch the ingredients. Look for ways to get veggies in the mix (like carrot muffins) or use fruit for sweetness. Think of muffins as a quick breakfast idea that probably isn’t healthy enough for every day but could come in real handy for some days. Here are 41 recipes from Paleo Grubs.

With all breakfast ideas, quick or not, the key is to watch sugar, especially adding refined sugars, and try to find ways to incorporate protein and vegetables. Other than that, play around with recipes, see what your family likes and have fun with it. For an added boost, grab an apple or banana as you walk out the door or toss some blueberries into your granola.

Breakfast doesn’t have to be a drag, nor does it have to be stressful. Find what works for you, but remember, you do have time for a healthy breakfast.

What is your go-to quick breakfast food? Share your favorite ideas and recipes in the comments. I’m really hoping to hear from some of you on this one!

{Photo Credit: jules}

How to Keep Your New Years Resolution: This Year Can Be Different

by Amber Erickson

Did you set any new year’s resolutions this year? We’re now several days into the year, those who set resolutions often fall into two camps:

1) Those who are still gung-ho, motivated and building new habits

2) Those who have forgotten, lost interest, decided to quit or didn’t really intend on doing said thing anyway

To help you either stay motivated or re-commit to your resolutions, you need to start at the source and ask yourself some potentially tough questions.

Why Did you Set a New Years Resolution Anyway?

This is probably a hard one. Take some time to sit down with your list of resolutions and reflect. What caused you to choose them? Are they really your goals or someone else’s? Do you really want the outcome associated with the resolution?

For example, let’s say your resolution this year is to lose 15 pounds. In theory most people would say they’d like to lose some weight, but do you really? Are you willing to put in the work to make this happen? Are you just trying to do this because you think your partner will like you more or you will look better come bikini season? If you aren’t really wanting to lose the weight or don’t have strong motivations (like health, confidence, etc.), you will not succeed in keeping your resolution.

Refine Your New Years Resolutions

Once you understand where your motivations for the resolution(s) came from, you might need to refine them to be more realistic. The best resolutions are:

Achievable – Setting a goal that you will never achieve might keep you motivated, or it’ll lead to quitting. The best goals or resolutions are ones that, with the right amount of effort, are able to be achieved.

Appropriate – Your resolution must be something that is appropriate to you, your lifestyle and your health. Don’t set out looking to run a marathon if you have a bum knee. You’ll get injured and fail. Really consider the flaws in your resolution. Maybe right now isn’t the right time to start. Consider doing a mid-year resolution or a March resolution.

Consider your list and make sure you didn’t choose too many resolutions. Start with one or two, depending on their complexity and perhaps add in more components later. Trying to do too much from the outset will lead to failure. Creating new habits takes 21 days or so, depending who you ask, and trying to create too many habits as once is just too much to focus on.

Hold Yourself Accountable

Now that you understand your resolutions and have refined them to be appropriate and achievable, you need to hold yourself accountable. Most people’s resolutions barely make it through January. Some are too hard, others don’t have the time to devote but I suspect most failures come from lack of accountability and follow-through.

Changing habits and setting personal goals is not easy. It take dedication, discipline and determination. If you’re lacking these, it’s not going to happen. You can’t just say, “my resolutions this year is to make more money,” and then keep doing what you have been doing. You have to plan. You have to act. You have to take matters into your own hands.

For those with fitness or health goals, you might start by joining a gym, finding a workout buddy, searching for a 5K run plan online, planning weekly meal charts, researching exercises, etc. These all take effort. Some take money. All take planning and commitment.

For real life changes, you have to want it. You have to put in the work. And you have to stick with it. Change does not happen overnight.

Create a Plan and Celebrate Success

First create a plan. It can be basic and simple or robust and specific, depending on your personality. Perhaps you start with weekly check-ins or a list of monthly to-do’s. If, at the end of the year, you want X to happen (weigh 15 lbs less, make 10% more, etc.), start at December and work backwards. What has to happen every day/week/month/quarter to achieve your resolution? If you want to lose 15 pounds, perhaps 1 pound per week is appropriate. That means you’ll need 15 weeks. Map out those weeks, including exercise days/times and nutrition planning. Perhaps you sit down every Sunday to plan the coming week. Put workouts in your calendar to help you do them. Perhaps you meet with a nutritionist a couple times. Each resolution will require a different plan.

And importantly, celebrate your successes. If you’re the unmotivated type (like me), consider a weekly “prize” for your efforts. If you made it to the gym three times and didn’t splurge on ice cream or dessert (for example), have one simple snack or go out to a movie. Don’t make it so grand that you set yourself back and make sure the prizes are worth it to you, but be sure to take time to acknowledge your hard work and sacrifice.

Finally, don’t be too hard on yourself. We all falter, we all fall off the wagon. The beauty is you can always recommit to your resolutions. After all, the best day to take action is today.

Now it’s your turn! Did you set resolutions and if so, how is it going? Share your resolutions in the comments and if you have strategies that work, share them for your peers to see.

{Photo Credit: Colin Tsoi}

Healthy Afternoon Snacks the Whole Family Will Love

by Amber Erickson

You know the drill. Mid-afternoon arrives and you’re at the fridge or office vending machine trying to find something to satisfy your sweet cravings. A little bit of preparing is all you need to fight back against those cravings and choose health afternoon snacks. Here are a couple of my favorites. Each is packed with nutrition, with just enough sweetness to satisfy your cravings, and easy to pack or prepare.

Apple with Nut Butter

My afternoon obsession is apples with peanut butter. If apples aren’t your thing, you haven’t found the right apple yet. Go for pink ladies or honeycrisps if you love sweets and want your apples crunchy. Really this is all we eat, so I don’t have much insight to others, but you can usually find galas (a little softer flesh), granny smith (the green, tart ones) and other varieties year round. Experiment to find the variety that you enjoy most. If you don’t like them that much, your healthy afternoon snacks won’t include them.

For nut butter, choose something simple and natural. Peanut butter is nice because it’s cheaper, but almond and cashew butters are yummy too. Again, experiment and find the nut butter that you love. Check the ingredients and make sure no sugar is added. For DIY’ers, making your own nut butter is simple in a food processor. Simple grind your nuts and add a little water or oil to thin out the mixture. Here is a resource if you’re interested in learning more (even has nut-free options!).

Cheese and Nuts

Nuts are great healthy afternoon snacks because they are filling and nutritious, not to mention delicious. Forgive the broken record, but again, find the nuts that work best for you. There are so many great varieties out there. One option is to visit a co-op with a nice bulk section and stock up on small amounts of several different kinds of nuts. I always choose raw nuts when available (rather than roasted) and for maximum healthiness, avoid any coatings or flavors. From time to time a honey-roasted peanut is yummy, but it’s lacking the healthy properties we’re aiming for in the afternoon snack. Save sweet nuts for special occasions.

My favorite nuts to keep on hand are almonds, cashews, pecans and walnuts. I have mason jars of the nuts and refill the jar when they are gone. Occasionally I’ll opt for a pistachio or other fun nut, depending on my mood. It’s nice to have variety so you don’t get burnt out with the same snack.

Nuts and cheese make a great combination (and you can thank my hubby for that – he loves the nuts, cheese and carrot snack plate). Again, experiment with cheeses and find combinations you love. I have been enjoying pecans with mozzarella (place on nut on a small square of cheese), but the options are endless. It’s nice to put dryer nuts like pecans and walnuts with creamier cheeses, but there is no right or wrong.

To make this snack extra healthy, add some veggies. Carrots work well, as does raw broccoli. I have also been known to throw some pickles in the mix for flavor variety. If you don’t do well with cheese, just go with the nuts and veggies or cheese alternatives. Sometimes goat cheese is easier for those with dairy intolerance. If you can’t have nuts, substitute seeds. Sunflower and pumpkin seeds are great options.

Fruit

Fruit is a great way to satisfy sugar cravings without the adverse health effects. Yes, fruits do contain a lot of sugar, but it’s natural sugar and in a form that is more easily digested. Natural sugars also have a lower glycemic load, meaning your blood sugar doesn’t spike and crash the way it does with refined sugars. Choose fruits that you love and keep a well-stocked fruit bowl. I always have at least three kinds of fruit available. If I want a quick snack or a breakfast addition, I’ll eat a banana or apple, but when sugar cravings kick in and I need something more special, I opt for more desirable fruits, like peaches or dried mango slices. These are my special treats, and I try not to eat them too quickly so I have them when I need them. I enjoy some full-fat coconut milk over peach slices for a healthy, rich snack.

Depending on what’s in season and where you live, fruit choices will be different. Experiment with different options and you’ll begin to notice what fruits are best at what times. Frozen fruit (as long as it’s just fruit) is fine for a nice cold snack. Frozen raspberries sometimes do the trick when I want something cold.

Green Smoothie

Whether as a quick breakfast or meal option or healthy afternoon snacks, smoothies are easy and convenient. Smoothies tread on dangerous territory because they usually are full of sugar and sugary ingredients like yogurt. To make a healthy smoothie, be very selective about ingredients and always include greens like kale or spinach. I use full-fat coconut milk in place of dairy and I think it makes a creamier smoothie too. Put some liquid (coconut milk, regular milk or water) in the blender with a cup of greens. Blend. Add whatever else you want, such as fruit (frozen is best to give the smoothie a thicker consistency and coldness). I always use a frozen banana and sometimes add raspberries as well for flavor and color. Then add in some nut butter or a little honey for sweetness. I also add unsweetened shredded coconut and chia seeds. You could always include protein powder as well if you’re making it a meal. A couple ice cubes will make the smoothie colder and more liquid will make it runnier. Experiment to find your ideal texture and taste and don’t be afraid to mix it up and try new things.

Now that you know what I like to snack on, what are your favorite healthy afternoon snacks? Share your favorite recipes in the comments!

[Photo: Kevin_P]