If you're going to be on campus all day...

Pack healthy snacks or see what the best options around campus are.

 Some student centers or cafeterias have really great food options on campus.  If you are low on cash however, make a wrap or pack some snacks.

Examples of easy to make zip lock bag snacks:

• thinly sliced apple with orange and lemon squirts on the slices 
• banana with peanut butter in the middle 
• granola with raisins and coconut
• nuts (peanuts, almonds, etc.) 
• carrots or broccoli and a bit of ranch
• apples and peanut butter
• I used to do this all the time in middle school and high school
• One zip lock bag for the apple slices and one for a couple scoops of peanut butter

Other great things to pack:

• a banana
• an orange
• granola bar (Nature Valley is good or Nutrigrain) 
• a wrap

 

Orzo salad (left) and Naked smoothie drinks (right)

Shells and cheese with green beans sauteed in onions and garlic

Other great food options we have available on Mizzou's campus: sushi, salads, fruit cups, veggie salads, etc.

Pinterest has a bunch of great snack and recipe ideas which I'll be posting later on, but click here for the link to my recipes board.

^^ Note: not all the recipes and food ideas in my Recipes board are necessarily healthy and there are a lot of dessert ideas on there too, but regardless I think you guys will enjoy! 

Coconut oil & alternatives to butter (for cooking)

Coconut oil has many uses that are beneficial to your health.

1. Eating a teaspoon before you eat breakfast boosts your metabolism and supports healthy thyroid function  (click here for more uses)
2. It can also be used on girls with extremely dry hair as a conditioning treatment overnight.  I actually just did this last night on the ends of my hair
3. Can be used as a chap stick, lotion, facial cleanser, eye make-up remover, soap bar, etc
4. Can be used to cook and bake with (replacing butter)

*Coconut oil does not store as fat, but gives you a healthy boost of energy to start off your day!

Butter is fine is smaller amounts, but when cooking or baking, there are other healthier alternatives to butter.

• Canola Oil or Vegetable Oil for cooking and baking
• Olive oil for pastas, breads, etc.
• Mashed avocado (for cookies)

Agave nectar can be used as a natural sweetener or syrup and actually tastes delicious!
-The cooks at Rancho La Puerta don't use any sugar in their meals, just agave! You can taste the difference, but once you get used to it, you won't want to go back to sugar.


Questions, comments, feel free to ask them by posting below!

Good eats & not so good eats

Making subtle changes to the way you eat is another step in the right direction toward developing a healthier lifestyle.

I'm not going to sit here and tell you that it's all about eating less or cutting out foods completely because that's just no way to live.  However, I am going to share with you some helpful tips about how food is processed and how often we should really be eating certain things!

Eat lots of these:

• lean meats
• poultry (chicken, turkey) 
• your body digests poultry in a day so this is a good food to eat
• fish
• fresh fruits
• fresh vegetables
• wraps
• will include recipes for some really delicious, healthy and easy to make wraps later on
• salads (boring, I know, but there are ways to make a healthy salad delicious)
• I will also include some recipes later on with some homemade dressing ideas as well
•  eggs
• if you eat a lot of eggs, try taking some of the yolks out
• oats and whole grains

Eat less of these: 

• ice cream
• red meats 
• red meats take 3 days to digest, so if you're eating red meat on a daily basis, your system will become clogged and it will be hard to maintain a healthy weight
•  fried foods and fast foods
• something I didn't realize and learned the hard way:
• Ramen noodles are deep fat fried.  Even eating one packet without the seasoning packet is not very good for you
• There was a time period where I was eating these a lot because it was quick, cheap, and easy to make, but certainly not worth what it did to my body 
•  bread
• you don't need to cut it out completely, but if you eat it on a daily basis or every other day basis, make sure it's whole grain, potato bread, honey wheat, or multi-grain, even sourdough is better than bleached white bread

If you've started the water challenge, you'll begin to know when you actually feel hungry.  Keep it up and take this information into consideration when preparing your daily meals.

Breakfast: fill your breakfast with grains, protein, and carbs for energy.  Breakfast is the most important meal of the day and starts your metabolism to begin burning calories for the day.

Lunch: protein, fruits, veggies, wraps, etc.  Keeps your body nourished and continues that caloric burn.

Dinner: lean meats (occasionally red), fish, chicken, poultry, fruits, veggies.  Eating past 7/8p.m. is not something you should do on a regular basis.  Your body does not have time to digest all of that food before you go to sleep for the night.  It's healthiest for you to eat before 7p.m.

Feel free to post comments, questions, or anything below! 

Eat Breakfast!

Want to kick-start your metabolism and boost your energy throughout the day?  There's a simple solution really.  Eat breakfast!

Eating breakfast not only gets your metabolism going, but is also a way to start off your day with a healthy mindset.  If you eat a bowl of Coco Puffs, you'll be less likely to make healthy choices later on in the day.  If you chose to have a bowl of Honey Bunches of Oats with freshly sliced strawberries or bananas, you're much more likely to choose healthy lunch and dinner options.

Fill your breakfast with protein or carbohydrates or both!

Great breakfast choices:

• Bowl of healthy cereal with skim milk (skim milk has the same amount of vitamins as 2%, but less fat.  As you get older and if you drink milk with greater frequency, skim is definitely the way to go!)
• some cereals that I love:
• Raisin Nut Bran
• Toasted Oatmeal Squares
• Rice Krispies
• Cheerios
• Life
• Honey Bunches of Oats
• Oatmeal with apples and cinnamon- very filling and delicious
• Scrambled egg whites with cheese on an English muffin--gives you your protein and carbs
• Veggie egg white omelet 
• I like to make mine with freshly chopped onions, cheese, tomatoes, and green peppers
• Scrambled cheese eggs and onions in a whole grain wrap

 Also, drink a glass of water before breakfast when you get up every morning.  It helps to flush everything out and also aids in starting your metabolism.  After fasting all night, your body needs nourishment, although many of us don't wake up hungry right away.  Drinking that glass of water helps you to feel ready to eat even a small breakfast within 30 minutes or so.

Questions, comments, feel free to ask them by posting below! 

Fresh Foods Vs. Pantry Life Foods

Eating fresh fruits and vegetables is key to eating a healthy, balanced diet.  Let me clarify one thing very early on in this blog.  I do not believe in diets nor do I think they rarely work.  People tend to go on these "diets" and long term cleanses" and eventually fall back into their old habits, gaining twice the weight back.

In order to maintain a healthy weight and a toned physique, one must develop a healthy lifestyle.  Diet plays a huge role in staying fit.  Although, exercise is equally important.  Not just to stay looking good, but exercise allows for your metabolism to work properly and keeps your heart healthy!

When you are grocery shopping, aim to purchase at least 85-90% fresh foods.  By this I mean load up on fruits, veggies, meats, poultry, eggs, yogurts, and fresh cheeses.  Stay away from foods with a long "shelf life" as much as possible.  (i.g. cookies, oreos, chips, fruit snacks, nilla wafers, crackers, chocolate, treats, ritz bitz cheese, etc.)

These are great quick snack foods that can substitute "pantry life snacks":

• Apple with natural peanut butter
• Buying Smucker's all natural peanut butter vs. Skippy or Jif makes such a difference and it's the same price!
• Sliced green pepper with hummus 
• hummus is made from chick peas and is really good for you
• Chips and Salsa or Chips and Guacamole
• An even healthier substitution would be to dip green peppers or vegetables in the salsa or guacamole
•  Bananas
• A smoothie made with all fruit and ice if you prefer a more icy and diluted taste

Although there are some foods that have a long shelf life that are great to include in your diet such as oatmeal, granola, cereal, whole wheat pasta, etc.

Stay tuned for some great recipes that are easy and cheap to make, but taste great and are nutritious!

Questions, comments, feel free to ask them by posting below!