You work out SO hard at Bootcamp. You are taking all of the right steps to create a healthier you! How you fuel your body is just as important as how you exercise it! We talk about eating our whole foods often...those are our daily snacks. Our "Grab and Go's" with hummus, hard boiled eggs, oatmeal, fruit, peanut butter, nuts, quinoa, lean meats, yogurt, cottage cheese, etc., etc., but what do you eat for your meals? Here are a few of my favorite recipes that keep me satisfied and offer a big nutritional bang, without adding too many calories. We will do breakfast and lunch today and dinner next week!
Breakfast ideas:
Oatmeal: you can do A LOT with oatmeal. Take ½ cup of oats, add water (or milk if you want more protein and calcium) and add your favorite fruit. Banana (with a pinch of brown sugar), blueberry or apricots are my personal favorites to add to oatmeal. You can also add in some nuts like walnuts or almonds and some seeds like chia or pumpkin seeds. The ½ of cup of oatmeal will cook up to make a BIG filling bowl of oatmeal for not a whole lot of calories!
Coach Michelle Herman
Another great go-to breakfast is the green smoothie! Safeway now sells Juicing Greens- for $5. It’s a huge box of baby kale and spinach. Throw a huge handful into your blender with some water and ice and fruit of your choice. Banana’s make smoothies extra creamy. You can also add Greek yogurt for a different consistency. You can add your favorite protein powder or flaxseeds- the skies the limit with your green smoothie!
Lunch ideas:
I am a BIG fan of BIG salads for lunch. This is how I get the bulk of my veggies for the day and I always add some protein, like chicken or turkey or tofu to get me extra full. While it’s always healthiest to make your own salad dressings, time doesn’t always permit. I have found some of my favorite healthier salad dressings at Trader Joes. Here are a few of my favorite salads:
Spinach, apple, dried cranberries, chicken, gorgonzola crumbles, lowfat Cranberry Walnut Gorgonzola dressing. Also add to your liking: walnuts, broccoli, beets, slivered almonds, mushrooms and cucumber.
Two more favorites:
Buffalo Chicken Salad: shredded cabbage, mandarins, broccoli, black beans, low fat blue cheese crumbles, chicken, buffalo sauce.
Spinach, cucumber, tomatoes. Add cheddar or parmesan cheese and mandarins, broccoli, chicken, slivered almonds, mushrooms and Reduced Fat Parm Ranch dressing.
Butter lettuce, avocado, cherry tomatoes, hard boiled egg, celery, crumbled bacon bits, cucumber, dried cranberries, mushrooms, croutons, low fat blue cheese dressing.
My other favorite lunch is a sandwich! I make them all different ways. I love to do Panini’s with Dijon mustard, peppered turkey, a slice of low fat cheese and thinly sliced apples. I also love cold sandwiches with lots of sprouts piled on. I withhold the cheese on my cold sandwiches and pile on the veggies instead. I find all of the above options really easy and quick to make the night before work.
Quinoa Salad with black beans, mango, cherry tomatoes.
Another great option is a quinoa salad, and you can make a large enough portion over the weekend to last you several meals into the week. My favorite things to toss with quinoa are: black beans, mango, bell peppers, feta cheese, cherry tomatoes and avocado. You can do a quick google search of ‘quinoa salad recipes’ and find your own favorite mix!
Don’t forget to pick up the freshest and best veggies and fruit during your weekly grocery trip! Here is what is in season in October: Apples, broccoli, cranberries, grapes, lettuce, pomegranate, pumpkin, spinach, sweet potatoes, winter squash.
Happy shopping and happy eating!