Another thing I wanted to share was this list that I found. It tells you what your body really needs when you are craving foods (like chocolate). Hope this helps.
Sunday, June 30, 2013
Late-Night Snacks
Just real quick I wanted to share a few healthy things you can eat when you get the late night munchies. I found a couple of things here like frozen blueberries or a strawberry shake. Or head over to Red and Honey. They give a list of 100 healthy snack ideas, including no-bake chocolate macaroons, chocolate pudding, and peppermint patties.
Saturday, June 22, 2013
Protein
I had a friend mention to me that she isn't getting enough protein in her diet, and she wondered what foods were high in protein. Per her request, I am writing a post dedicated to protein. What is protein? Essentially protein is a nutrient needed to perform basic bodily functions. Our body is partly made up of proteins. You can read more about protein and its functions here.
How much protein do we need? You can calculate that here. If you are a 145 pound woman like myself then you would need anywhere from 52-118 grams of protein, depending on how active your lifestyle is.
There are so many sources of protein. In my opinion, when people think protein they generally think meat. Yes, meat provides a lot of protein. 3 ounces of lean beef has 31 grams of protein. One chicken breast contains 58 grams of protein. Animal protein is good, but you should also get your protein from other sources.
I know this week I am off dairy, but in general dairy is good in moderation. Cheese is a good source of protein. A tablespoon of parmesan cheese has 2 grams of protein. An ounce of cottage cheese has 5 grams of protein. A serving of greek yogurt can contain as much as 17 grams of protein.
Fish are full of protein. A 3oz fillet of tuna, salmon, halibut or snapper has 22 grams of protein. Tilapia has 17 grams of protein.
Eggs are a great source of protein. 1 large egg has 6 grams of protein. If you want to keep an eye on your cholesterol, you can use just the egg whites and still get 4 grams of protein.
There are also many options for those who do not do dairy or meat. 3 ounces of tofu offer 6 grams of protein. A cup of soymilk has 8 grams of protein.
Beans are a wonderful source of protein and there are a large variety of beans to choose from. Soy beans (as I like to call Edamame) offer 29 grams of protein per cup. They make a great snack. They are really fun to peel open and pop in your mouth! The following protein is per cup: kidney beans-17 grams, white beans-17 grams, lima beans-15 grams, fava beans-14 grams, black beans-15 grams, mung beans-14 grams. Beans are your friends! You could make a chili or bean stew and you have a high protein meal.
Garbanzo beans (chickpeas) have 39 grams of protein per cup. Most hummus is made from chickpeas, so a high protein snack could be fresh veggies and hummus. It is also really easy to make. Try this basic hummus recipe from the Barefoot Contessa.
Nuts and seeds also provide protein. An ounce serving of either almonds, pistachios or sunflower seeds contains 6 grams of protein. An ounce of peanuts is 7 grams. 2 tablespoons of peanut butter has 8 grams of protein.
You can also use protein powder, but be careful to look at the ingredients and nutrition facts.. Often a ton of sugar is added to protein powder.
A variety of vegetables provide protein, but a small amount. 1 cup of spinach has 1 gram of protein. 1/2 cup of steamed broccoli has 1 gram of protein.
Need some ideas for high protein meals/snacks? I have some for you!
Breakfast
Pumpkin Protein Shake at around 270 calories, this morning shake offers 30 grams of fat
Banana Oatmeal Smoothie 380 calories with 12 grams of protein
Breakfast Cookies and Bars 234 calories and 7.6 grams of protein
Snacks
Nutty Putty
1 cup natural peanut butter
1/2 cup honey
1 cup powdered milk
Mix all ingredients in a bowl. Roll into about 16 balls with hands. Can keep in the fridge or freeze. This makes a great snack! Each ball is 170 calories and 10 grams of protein. Be careful with this snack, though. It can be addictive!
Trail mix--an ounce of mixed nuts is around 5 grams of protein
High-protein Portable Snacks
Larabars are great snacks, made from fruit and nuts. They contain anywhere from 4 to 6 grams of protein. Plus they can curb the sweet tooth.
Like I mentioned earlier, hummus is a good source of protein. A half cup of hummus has around 6 grams of protein. Here are a few other hummus recipes: Green Monster Hummus, Hummus
Meals
Chili is a great way to get in protein. 1 cup has about 14 grams of protein and is very filling. I found a few different chili recipes: Easy Vegetarian Chili, 6 Delicious Chili Recipes, Turkey Black Bean Chili, Paleo Crock Pot Chili
Taco salad-using black beans and ground turkey. I like to top it with tomatoes, corn, cilantro, salsa, a little bit of cheese, and avocado.
Baked potato bar-- a baked potato has 3.5 grams of protein. Add cheese, greek yogurt, beans, sliced ham and you have around 12 grams of protein right there.
Honey Ginger Grilled Salmon 306 calories per serving and 36.5 grams of protein
Grilled Chili Lime Chicken 239 calories, 25.6 grams of protein
Maple Glazed Salmon 454 calories and 66 grams of protein
That's what I have for now. I hope this helps you out. I plan on getting another post out soon on good snacks and food to curb cravings and keep you from going off the healthy bandwagon. Happy eating!
-Kate, your not-too-fit guru
How much protein do we need? You can calculate that here. If you are a 145 pound woman like myself then you would need anywhere from 52-118 grams of protein, depending on how active your lifestyle is.
There are so many sources of protein. In my opinion, when people think protein they generally think meat. Yes, meat provides a lot of protein. 3 ounces of lean beef has 31 grams of protein. One chicken breast contains 58 grams of protein. Animal protein is good, but you should also get your protein from other sources.
I know this week I am off dairy, but in general dairy is good in moderation. Cheese is a good source of protein. A tablespoon of parmesan cheese has 2 grams of protein. An ounce of cottage cheese has 5 grams of protein. A serving of greek yogurt can contain as much as 17 grams of protein.
Fish are full of protein. A 3oz fillet of tuna, salmon, halibut or snapper has 22 grams of protein. Tilapia has 17 grams of protein.
Eggs are a great source of protein. 1 large egg has 6 grams of protein. If you want to keep an eye on your cholesterol, you can use just the egg whites and still get 4 grams of protein.
There are also many options for those who do not do dairy or meat. 3 ounces of tofu offer 6 grams of protein. A cup of soymilk has 8 grams of protein.
Beans are a wonderful source of protein and there are a large variety of beans to choose from. Soy beans (as I like to call Edamame) offer 29 grams of protein per cup. They make a great snack. They are really fun to peel open and pop in your mouth! The following protein is per cup: kidney beans-17 grams, white beans-17 grams, lima beans-15 grams, fava beans-14 grams, black beans-15 grams, mung beans-14 grams. Beans are your friends! You could make a chili or bean stew and you have a high protein meal.
Garbanzo beans (chickpeas) have 39 grams of protein per cup. Most hummus is made from chickpeas, so a high protein snack could be fresh veggies and hummus. It is also really easy to make. Try this basic hummus recipe from the Barefoot Contessa.
Nuts and seeds also provide protein. An ounce serving of either almonds, pistachios or sunflower seeds contains 6 grams of protein. An ounce of peanuts is 7 grams. 2 tablespoons of peanut butter has 8 grams of protein.
You can also use protein powder, but be careful to look at the ingredients and nutrition facts.. Often a ton of sugar is added to protein powder.
A variety of vegetables provide protein, but a small amount. 1 cup of spinach has 1 gram of protein. 1/2 cup of steamed broccoli has 1 gram of protein.
Need some ideas for high protein meals/snacks? I have some for you!
Breakfast
Pumpkin Protein Shake at around 270 calories, this morning shake offers 30 grams of fat
Banana Oatmeal Smoothie 380 calories with 12 grams of protein
Breakfast Cookies and Bars 234 calories and 7.6 grams of protein
Snacks
Nutty Putty
1 cup natural peanut butter
1/2 cup honey
1 cup powdered milk
Mix all ingredients in a bowl. Roll into about 16 balls with hands. Can keep in the fridge or freeze. This makes a great snack! Each ball is 170 calories and 10 grams of protein. Be careful with this snack, though. It can be addictive!
Trail mix--an ounce of mixed nuts is around 5 grams of protein
High-protein Portable Snacks
Larabars are great snacks, made from fruit and nuts. They contain anywhere from 4 to 6 grams of protein. Plus they can curb the sweet tooth.
Like I mentioned earlier, hummus is a good source of protein. A half cup of hummus has around 6 grams of protein. Here are a few other hummus recipes: Green Monster Hummus, Hummus
Meals
Chili is a great way to get in protein. 1 cup has about 14 grams of protein and is very filling. I found a few different chili recipes: Easy Vegetarian Chili, 6 Delicious Chili Recipes, Turkey Black Bean Chili, Paleo Crock Pot Chili
Taco salad-using black beans and ground turkey. I like to top it with tomatoes, corn, cilantro, salsa, a little bit of cheese, and avocado.
Baked potato bar-- a baked potato has 3.5 grams of protein. Add cheese, greek yogurt, beans, sliced ham and you have around 12 grams of protein right there.
Honey Ginger Grilled Salmon 306 calories per serving and 36.5 grams of protein
Grilled Chili Lime Chicken 239 calories, 25.6 grams of protein
Maple Glazed Salmon 454 calories and 66 grams of protein
That's what I have for now. I hope this helps you out. I plan on getting another post out soon on good snacks and food to curb cravings and keep you from going off the healthy bandwagon. Happy eating!
-Kate, your not-too-fit guru
Friday, June 21, 2013
Clean Eating Meal Plan for Saturday through Thursday
Note from your not-too-fit guru:
The following meal plan is a guideline, to give you ideas if you don't know what to make. You do not have to stick to it. I know things might come up where I can't stick to every meal. Or I might not be hungry for snack time. You can also eat leftovers from any of these meals in place of another. For snacks you can have any of the snacks on the list or if you know of any others under my "clean eating" guidelines then go for it! Feel free to stick to the meal plan. It is there to help you. And I don't always put this but you are welcome to add as many veggies to your meals as you want. The more the merrier! Comments or questions? Let me know. Enjoy!
-Kate
Saturday
Breakfast- Fruit Salad (here is a video of one fruit salad you can make, but really you can toss whatever fruit you have together and eat it) and Almond Milk with Peanut Butter Granola (if you have any left over from Friday--I like to make a triple batch each).
Almond Milk Recipe via Raw Food Made Easy by Jennifer Cornbleet
2 1/2 cups water
1 1/2 cups soaked almonds (soak almonds in water for 8-12 hours then drain)
3 pitted medjool dates, soaked (for 30 mins in water then drained)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)
Place 1 1/2 cups of the water and the almonds, dates, and optional vanilla in a blender. Blend on high speed until very smooth. Add remaining 1 cup of water and blend until smooth.
Place a fine-mesh strainer over a medium bowl and pour the almond mixture through it. Using a rubber spatula, stir and press the pulp that is caught in the strainer to extract as much milk as possible. Alternatively, use a sprout bad to strain the milk.
Discard the pulp left in the strainer (or you can freeze it and save it for other recipes--like using it to substitute for meat in lasagna!). Transfer the milk to a sealed container and store in the refrigerator. Almond milk will keep for 5 days. It will separate, so shake well before using.
Snack- Beet-Kale Juice
Lunch- Refreshing Cucumber Salad, grape tomatoes, cut up bell peppers, and hummus
Snack- Choose from the list (I'll post it at the bottom)
Dinner- Spaghetti Squash with Homemade Red Sauce, slightly steamed green beans
Homemade Tomato Basil Sauce
1 onion, diced
1 can diced tomatoes
Half small can of tomato paste
dash of salt
Fresh Garlic (or minced, or powered.. no garlic salt!)
Basil (fresh or in the squeezable tube)
Heat a pan on medium heat. Spray with pam and cook onion until tender. Add in tomato paste, garlic (to your liking), and optional salt and stir. Add in diced tomatoes. Let simmer 5 minutes. Add water if too thick. Add basil to your liking at the end and serve immediately.
Sunday
Breakfast- Detox Green Smoothie (it's the last smoothie on the page when you click on the site)
Snack- Triscuits and apple with peanut butter
Lunch- Baked sweet potato with steamed veggies.
Snack- Nuts and dried fruit
Dinner- Slow Cooker Jambalaya (can substitute with chicken or go meatless) I love crock pot dinners. They are an easy, delicious, one dish meal!
Monday
Breakfast- Raw Granola with Almond Milk
Snack- cut fresh veggie platter and fresh fruit
Lunch- Lettuce Wraps with Peanut Sauce (I like to use romaine lettuce and fill it with brown rice, shredded carrots, julienne zucchini, julienne bell peppers, caramelized onions). For the Peanut Sauce I do it by taste, and every time it comes out different. I use a little water, a little chicken broth, lemon juice, natural peanut butter, Tamari (Tamari is a gluten free soy sauce). If it needs to be sweetened I might add a little honey. If you need to thicken it a little use cornstarch. If you need a recipe for lettuce wraps you can try this one and let me know how it is!
Snack- Frozen fruit
Dinner- Vietnamese Summer Rolls with Mango and Sweet Chili Sauce
Tuesday
Breakfast- Sweet Potato Pie Smoothie, green juice or green smoothie
Snack- Fresh peaches, yum!
Lunch- Carrot and Blueberry Salad
Snack- Choose from the list
Dinner- Stuffed Bell Peppers
Wednesday
Breakfast- Green smoothie and fresh fruit
Snack- Choose from the list
Lunch- Chickpea Salad
Snack- Choose from the list
Dinner- Shrimp with Avocado-Mango Salsa (can substitute with chicken or go meatless)
Thursday
Breakfast- Banana, Spinach, and Avocado Smoothie
Snack- Choose from the list
Lunch- Turkey wrap (use hummus instead of mayo, wrap in lettuce. Use cucumbers, tomatoes, yum!)
Snack- Guacamole with crackers or fresh veggies
Dinner- Crock Pot Lentil Sweet Potato Soup
List of Healthy Snacks
Fresh fruit--bananas, apples, grapes, peaches, pears, strawberries, raspberries, watermelon, cantaloupe, oranges, clementines, etc.
Frozen fruit--grapes, bananas
Dried Fruit--apricots, raisins, dates (be careful that no extra sugar has been added)
Apples and Peanut Butter
Nuts--pecans, walnuts, almonds, peanuts, pistachios, cashews
Raw veggies with hummus (cucumbers, carrots, celery, bell peppers, zucchini, broccoli, cauliflower,etc)
Sunflower seeds
Baked apples (filled with a little bit of pure maple syrup and cinnamon)
Guacamole with fresh veggies or Triscit type crackers (remember 5 ingredients or less!)
Larabar (these are made with 5 ingredients and all natural fruits and nuts!)
Edamame
The following meal plan is a guideline, to give you ideas if you don't know what to make. You do not have to stick to it. I know things might come up where I can't stick to every meal. Or I might not be hungry for snack time. You can also eat leftovers from any of these meals in place of another. For snacks you can have any of the snacks on the list or if you know of any others under my "clean eating" guidelines then go for it! Feel free to stick to the meal plan. It is there to help you. And I don't always put this but you are welcome to add as many veggies to your meals as you want. The more the merrier! Comments or questions? Let me know. Enjoy!
-Kate
Saturday
Breakfast- Fruit Salad (here is a video of one fruit salad you can make, but really you can toss whatever fruit you have together and eat it) and Almond Milk with Peanut Butter Granola (if you have any left over from Friday--I like to make a triple batch each).
Almond Milk Recipe via Raw Food Made Easy by Jennifer Cornbleet
2 1/2 cups water
1 1/2 cups soaked almonds (soak almonds in water for 8-12 hours then drain)
3 pitted medjool dates, soaked (for 30 mins in water then drained)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)
Place 1 1/2 cups of the water and the almonds, dates, and optional vanilla in a blender. Blend on high speed until very smooth. Add remaining 1 cup of water and blend until smooth.
Place a fine-mesh strainer over a medium bowl and pour the almond mixture through it. Using a rubber spatula, stir and press the pulp that is caught in the strainer to extract as much milk as possible. Alternatively, use a sprout bad to strain the milk.
Discard the pulp left in the strainer (or you can freeze it and save it for other recipes--like using it to substitute for meat in lasagna!). Transfer the milk to a sealed container and store in the refrigerator. Almond milk will keep for 5 days. It will separate, so shake well before using.
Snack- Beet-Kale Juice
Lunch- Refreshing Cucumber Salad, grape tomatoes, cut up bell peppers, and hummus
Snack- Choose from the list (I'll post it at the bottom)
Dinner- Spaghetti Squash with Homemade Red Sauce, slightly steamed green beans
Homemade Tomato Basil Sauce
1 onion, diced
1 can diced tomatoes
Half small can of tomato paste
dash of salt
Fresh Garlic (or minced, or powered.. no garlic salt!)
Basil (fresh or in the squeezable tube)
Heat a pan on medium heat. Spray with pam and cook onion until tender. Add in tomato paste, garlic (to your liking), and optional salt and stir. Add in diced tomatoes. Let simmer 5 minutes. Add water if too thick. Add basil to your liking at the end and serve immediately.
Sunday
Breakfast- Detox Green Smoothie (it's the last smoothie on the page when you click on the site)
Snack- Triscuits and apple with peanut butter
Lunch- Baked sweet potato with steamed veggies.
Snack- Nuts and dried fruit
Dinner- Slow Cooker Jambalaya (can substitute with chicken or go meatless) I love crock pot dinners. They are an easy, delicious, one dish meal!
Monday
Breakfast- Raw Granola with Almond Milk
Snack- cut fresh veggie platter and fresh fruit
Lunch- Lettuce Wraps with Peanut Sauce (I like to use romaine lettuce and fill it with brown rice, shredded carrots, julienne zucchini, julienne bell peppers, caramelized onions). For the Peanut Sauce I do it by taste, and every time it comes out different. I use a little water, a little chicken broth, lemon juice, natural peanut butter, Tamari (Tamari is a gluten free soy sauce). If it needs to be sweetened I might add a little honey. If you need to thicken it a little use cornstarch. If you need a recipe for lettuce wraps you can try this one and let me know how it is!
Snack- Frozen fruit
Dinner- Vietnamese Summer Rolls with Mango and Sweet Chili Sauce
Tuesday
Breakfast- Sweet Potato Pie Smoothie, green juice or green smoothie
Snack- Fresh peaches, yum!
Lunch- Carrot and Blueberry Salad
Snack- Choose from the list
Dinner- Stuffed Bell Peppers
Wednesday
Breakfast- Green smoothie and fresh fruit
Snack- Choose from the list
Lunch- Chickpea Salad
Snack- Choose from the list
Dinner- Shrimp with Avocado-Mango Salsa (can substitute with chicken or go meatless)
Thursday
Breakfast- Banana, Spinach, and Avocado Smoothie
Snack- Choose from the list
Lunch- Turkey wrap (use hummus instead of mayo, wrap in lettuce. Use cucumbers, tomatoes, yum!)
Snack- Guacamole with crackers or fresh veggies
Dinner- Crock Pot Lentil Sweet Potato Soup
List of Healthy Snacks
Fresh fruit--bananas, apples, grapes, peaches, pears, strawberries, raspberries, watermelon, cantaloupe, oranges, clementines, etc.
Frozen fruit--grapes, bananas
Dried Fruit--apricots, raisins, dates (be careful that no extra sugar has been added)
Apples and Peanut Butter
Nuts--pecans, walnuts, almonds, peanuts, pistachios, cashews
Raw veggies with hummus (cucumbers, carrots, celery, bell peppers, zucchini, broccoli, cauliflower,etc)
Sunflower seeds
Baked apples (filled with a little bit of pure maple syrup and cinnamon)
Guacamole with fresh veggies or Triscit type crackers (remember 5 ingredients or less!)
Larabar (these are made with 5 ingredients and all natural fruits and nuts!)
Edamame
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