"I'll just wait til AFTER the Holidays"

"I'll get in touch with you about training after the Holidays"

"I'll start eating healthy after the Holidays"

"I know I won't be able to say no to all the goodies - it will be too hard'

Damn straight it's hard - it's WORK.  Just like anything else.  Tell me one thing you got in life worth getting that was easy?  A cake walk (no pun intended)?  To reach a goal, truly feel pride for hitting that goal - all the while remaining humble because you KNOW how hard it was to reach your end destination is hard work.  Make no mistake.

But what is it worth to you?  Your goal?  If you don't have one - so be it!  But if you do - what is it worth to you?  

Ask yourself:

• Would I rather be overweight and unhealthy?
•  Or would I rather make a change to a healthy lifestyle - still enjoying treats in moderation?

If you answered that you would rather be overweight and unhealthy - thats your choice.  We are all allowed to chose!  But be prepared to:

• Be diagnosed with chronic illnesses - directly caused by your unhealthy lifestyle and weight
• Spend massive amounts of money monthly on prescription drugs that you could omit by eating healthy and being active
• Low energy levels
• Isolation from social situations by choice
• Suffering from depression and unhappiness from sheer exhaustion and all around lethargy from poor nutrition and inactivity

Why do that?  Life is TOO short!  Live life to its fullest and DONT let an EXCUSE (**ahem: the 'Holidays') deter you from your goal!

So many people think that by living a 'healthy lifestyle' it means they have to give up all the foods they love.  Neigh not so - but by living a healthy lifestyle - you don't have to make life ABOUT FOOD!  Its about people, relationships, experiences, happiness, sadness, laughter, tears - all of those things that have NOTHING to do with food!

But that doesn't mean you have to give up things you love!  Just means you don't eat them everyday - and you SHOULDN'T!  Our bodies were not meant to process (and physically cannot - thus why most stores as fat) high saturated fats, sugars, processed junk and baked Christmas 'goodies'.  But can you have them once a week for a 'treat' - absolutely!  If you are living a healthy and clean lifestyle - minimizing processed foods, fast foods, restaurant eating, sugar and eating clean lean proteins, whole grains, fruits and veggies then your metabolism is running HIGH and can quickly process the weekly 'treat'.  

I encourage ALL of my clients to have a weekly treat meal - this does two things: helps keep the metabolism sped by introducing something different into the body weekly.  It also helps keep you on track and gives you a meal you can look forward to.  But IN FACT - you can look forward to ALL your meals!  Because eating healthy doesn't have to mean boring!

For Thanksgiving I made:

Chipotle Maple glazed roasted sweet potatoes with apples and parsnips, roasted balsamic brussel sprouts with pistachios and fresh basil, whole grain jalepeno poppyseed biscuits with egg whites and almond milk and a mixed grain stuffing with wild rice, quinoa, apricots, shiitake mushrooms, onions, garlic and fresh herbs.  How YUM does that sound?  And guess what?  I cooked with ZERO butter, ZERO oils, ZERO cholesterol/fat laden egg yolks, ZERO processed/canned goods - all healthy and fresh and seasoned with herbs and spices.  

It CAN be done!  So then after a clean and delicious meal I could enjoy my slice of apple crisp and coffee!  And it was delicious!

Do you want all your traditional Holiday staples in your Holiday meal?  GREAT!  Eat them - small portions of each and stop when you are full.  Then the trick?  Its so easy - go RIGHT back to clean eating after and get RID of the leftovers!  One meal will NOT sabotage you - but several days of noshing on fat/sugar/processed foods WILL affect your waistline!

Don't be the 'Average American' who puts on 7-10lbs from November-Janurary!  Why 'Wait' to get healthy only to end up MORE UNHEALTHY at the starting point?  Let's agree to be ABOVE average and ENJOY our treats but remain healthy, happy and feeling GREAT this Holiday season so we can spend more time with those we love!

Happy, Healthy Holidays!

Nutritionista

Heathy Herb Roasted Turkey and Balsamic Roasted Brussel Sprouts

It's HERE!  The biggest calorie consumption day of the year....but it DOESN'T have to be!

Remember tomorrow, this day is about being THANKFUL for those around us - family, friends, loved ones and our blessings in life.  It isn't about FOOD and food does NOT bring us joy!  Life does!

Here are some great tips to get through the day tomorrow WITHOUT the guilt:

• Cook CLEAN - while still making it tasty!  Think thats impossible?  I'm cooking ALL clean and making:
• Jalapeno and sharp cheddar biscuits with brown rice flour
• Fresh herbed roasted balsamic brussel sprouts with pistachio nuts
• Spice Wine Sweet Potatoes, Apples and Parsnips
• Mixed Grain Stuffing with wild rice, quinoa, shitake mushrooms and apricots

NOTHING canned - all fresh, clean food with no added salts, sugars or chemicals - YUM!

• Use Thanksgiving as your cheat meal - so no cheat meal this weekend!  Enjoy tomorrow!
• Want it all?  Take small portions of everything - eat and drink plenty of water with your meal.  When you are full - STOP!
• Get your family/friends together for something fun and active!
• Turkey Trot at Wash Park
• Family Flag Football in the front yard
• 100 yard dash race with a prize involved
• Etc.
• Going to a friends or family members house?  Bring a healthy dish or two so you know you have healthy options

Here are two GREAT recipes for turkey day!!

Herb Roasted Turkey Breast

Ingredients:

1 whole bone-in turkey breast (6-7lbs)

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 tsp fresh rosemary, chopped

1 tsp fresh thyme leaves, chopped

1 tsp fresh sage, chopped

1 tsp fresh basil, chopped

1 tsp smoked paprika

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

2 TBS brown mustard

3 Bay Leaves

1 cup white wine (dry variety - chardonnay makes it more rich!)

Juice of 1 whole lemon, squeezed

1 TBS olive oil

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees.  Place turkey breast, skin side up on a rack in a roasting pan.

In a mixing bowl, combine garlic, herbs, spices, olive oil and lemon juice to make a paste.  Pull skin away from meat gently with your fingers and rub half the paste directly onto the meat.  Spread them remaining paste evenly on the skin.  Pour the wine in the bottom of the roasting pan and place Bay Leaves in wine.

Roast turkey for 1 3/4-2 hours until the skin is golden brown and a thermometer inserted registers 165 degrees F (insert in thickest area around the breast).  If the skin is browning too much, cover the breast loosely with foil.  When turkey is done - cover with foil and allow it to rest at room temperature for 15 minutes.  Slice and serve with the pan juices spooned over (better and healthier than gravy! - Be sure to remove bay leaves)

Nutrition Facts:

(Per 4 oz serving  - about fist size)

Calories: 167

Fat: 1.5g

Carbs: 0.6g

Protein: 34.2g

Balsamic Roasted Brussel Sprouts

Ingredients:

2lbs brussel sprouts, sliced lengthwise

2 TBS fresh basil, chopped

2 tsp fresh thyme leaves

3 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 cup chopped pistachios, unsalted

3 TBS high grade, aged balsamic (want it to be thick like a syrup - look for Lucero brand at Whole Foods.  Has been aged so long it has a thickness like syrup but is same nutritional ratios as a regular balsamic)

Olive Oil Cooking Spray

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees F.

Place sliced brussel sprouts on a sprayed baking tray or roasting pan (sprayed with cooking spray).  Coat the top of the sprouts with a spray of olive oil cooking spray and evenly sprinkle minced garlic overtop.  Roast for 25-30 minutes, watching for browning.

In a sauté pan sprayed with olive oil cooking spray, lightly toast pistachios over high heat heat.  Reduce heat to medium and add rosemary and balsamic.  Allow to simmer 2 minutes stirring occasionally.

Remove brussel sprouts from oven and place in mixing bowl.  Pour balsamic/pistachio mix overtop and mix to combine.  Garnish with fresh basil

Nutrition Facts:

Serving Size - 1 cup of roasted brussel sprouts

Calories: 121.6

Fat: 3g

Carbs: 20.7g

Protein: 7.2g

ENJOY and Be GOOD to your body this Thanksgiving - it will THANK you!

Happy and Healthy Eating,

Nutritionista

.

Clean and Lean Thanksgiving - Roasted Chipotle Sweet Potato Medley

Were only a couple weeks away from the most gluttonous Holiday in America - yup!  I said it!

The average American consumes 5,000-8,000 calories on Thanksgiving Day - in a SINGLE MEAL!  Wow - thats 2lbs gained or MORE since 3,500 calories = 1lb.  Thats 4-6 days of calories in one day for someone on a 1500 calorie meal plan and whats scarier?  Thanksgiving marks the beginning of the American 'Norm' of 7-10lb weight gain from Thanksgiving to New Years.

Why do that to your body?  Fill it full of unhealthy fats, sugars and processed junk all in the name of a Holiday only to feel like CRAP the next few days as your body tries to recover from the influx of calories, fats and sugars in your body.....processing what it can and storing the rest as FAT!

No way!  Remember its ONE MEAL not an entire day of cheating, binging and gluttony.

This Thanksgiving - challenge yourself to make better, healthier alternatives to your favorite dishes!  Food tastes WONDERFUL without the additives - chipotle spiced roasted sweet potatoes? YUM!  Mixed Grain dressing with wild rice, quinoa and apricots - YES!  Balsamic roasted veggies - DEFINITELY!  Herb roasted turkey - MMMM!

Stay tuned each week leading up to Thanksgiving for new, clean and lean recipes sure to please your crowd without them knowing they are healthy!  The flavor is out of this world!

Today's Recipe and my friends and family's favorite of all my recipes:

Roasted Chipotle Sweet Potato Medley

Ingredients:
3 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
4-6 small red potatoes, cubed
4-6 small purple potatoes, cubed (can find in health food stores, Asian markets and some grocery stores)
3 bell peppers (multi-colored to add more color to the dish!)
1 large onion, sliced
3 garlic cloves
5-8 sprigs Fresh Thyme
Fresh Cilantro
2 tsp Cumin
2 TBS Cinnamon
1 can chipotle peppers in Adobo Sauce
juice of whole lime
1/2 cup water

Directions:
Pre-Heat Oven to 400 F

Peel sweet potatoes and place in microwave for 6 minutes to soften.  Chop and pace in large roasting pan sprayed with olive oil Cooking Spray.  Cut red and purple potatoes and place in bowl in microwave for 5 minutes to soften.  Place in roasting pan with sweet potatoes.

Slice onion and core and slice bell peppers and place in roasting pan with potatoes.

In a food processor, blender or magic bullet - combine garlic cloves, the leaves from the fresh thyme (can pull off with fork), cilantro, cumin, cinnamon, chipotle peppers, 1/4 cup of the adobo sauce, juice of whole lime and water.  Pulse until combined and peppers and garlic have been chopped.  Will be slightly chunky.

Pour wet ingredients over vegetables in roasting pan and stir to combine.  Roast in the oven uncovered 40 minutes at 400 degrees.  Last 10 minutes, pull oven open and place on broil to slightly brown the vegetables.

Allow to cool 15 minutes before serving.

Nutritional Information:
Serving size: About a cup of roasted potato medley:

Calories:  137.8
Fat:           0.8g
Carbs:      30.8g
Protein:    5.9g

Be GOOD to your body this Holiday Season!  It will thank you!

In Health,
Nutritionista

Start a New Tradition - Clean Thanksgiving Dishes!

Every week leading up to Thanksgiving I am going to give you one of my favorite Thanksgiving dishes!  Why do you have to eat the calorie/fat laden green bean casserole, or make your Mom's rice a la butter booty?  You DONT!  You can make delicious dishes that are lean, clean and best of all - taste GREAT!

Cranberry Almond Rice Pilaf:

Ingredients:
1.5 cups brown rice (try the brown sticky rice at Asian stores - awesome!)
3/4 cup chopped onion (can buy pre diced at grocery store in produce section)
1/4 cup chopped green onion/scallions
3 TBS fresh cilantro
1/4 cup sliced almonds
1 cup Fresh cranberries, rinsed
1 whole orange
1 TBS Stevia
1 TBS cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
3 cups low sodium chicken broth (try Pacific Foods brand - VERY low sodium and great taste!)

Directions:
Pre-Heat oven to 375.  In a bowl, mix together cranberries, zest of 1/2 the orange, juice of one orange, stevia, cinnamon and nutmeg.  Bake at 375 for 25 minutes until cranberries become soft and begin to bubble.

In a large stock pot, spray with cooking spray and cook onion until translucent on medium high heat - about 5 minutes.  Stir in rice and stir until rice is slightly toasted - about 3 minutes.

Add chicken broth and bring to a boil over high heat.  Once boiling, turn heat to low and cover the rice allowing to simmer about 20 minutes until liquid is absorbed.

Remove from heat and add cilantro, green onion, almonds and cranberries.  Serve warm or chilled!

Serves 8

Serving: 1/2 cup prepared pilaf

Nutritional Information Per Serving

Calories	148
Fat	4.4g
Carbs	23.8g
Protein	4.3g

Thanksgiving and Holiday Nutrition SURVIVAL

But Why? 

This is my "favorite” (insert sarcasm) phrase this Holiday season:

'I am scared I will gain weight over Thanksgiving because I know I will overeat.'....But why?

'I have to make all the traditional thanksgiving foods'....But why?

'I always gain weight from Thanksgiving to New Years'...BUT WHY DO YOU HAVE TO?

You Don't.

Keep in mind, Thanksgiving is one meal.  Not 4 day's worth of overindulgence and inactivity parked in front of the couch watching football.  Am I saying you can't enjoy yourself?  Absolutely not.  But remember....the Holidays are not an excuse to ransack everything you have been working so hard towards!

The average American consumes 5,000-8,000 calories and 230 grams of fat on Thanksgiving in ONE SINGLE MEAL!  That's 4-6 days of calories and a whole week of fat for someone on a 1500 calorie a day nutrition plan!  Even scarier...the average American gains 7-10 pounds from November-January.  And with all the football game and parade watching that ensues, it all adds up to larger than normal amounts of inactivity and extra pounds on the scale.

If you recall from previous posts, I tell my clients to eat clean all week and allow themselves one cheat meal per week to look forward to, keep them sane, help keep their nutrition plan on track and help keep their metabolism fired up.  So - most people obviously will want to use Thanksgiving as their cheat day - GREAT!  Keep your portion sizes of all the Holiday indulgences to a NORMAL portion size. There is absolutely no reason to fill your body up with that many calories in one meal or one day!  Think about it:  3500 calories = 1 pound.  If you are in a 1,000 calorie deficit each day with a combination of calorie cutting and exercise, that adds up to 7,000 calories and 2 pounds lost in a week.  On the flip side, if you consume 7,000 calories or more in ONE DAY and are not being active...guess what happens?  Yup - fat is gained and stored!  Our bodies simply cannot process and digest this much food or calories at once - leaving much of it to turn into fat stores! This doesn't even take into consideration the 2-3 days of noshing on leftovers and continuing the calorie gorging.

What can you do?  So you are going to your Aunt Betty's for Thanksgiving and you know she will cook all the butter laden, gravy soaked fixin's....have some!  But eat normal portion sizes!  You don't need to pile you plate full.  Stock up on salads, vegetables and white meat turkey, stay away from the buttery potato's, rolls and desserts if they tempt you too badly - or just have small portions of them.  Pay attention to your body - when it says you are full, stop eating!

If you are cooking - why not try some new healthier recipes?  My family always makes traditional dishes like baked sweet potato slices with marshmallows, brown sugar, cinnamon, pecans and pineapple; mashed potato's and gravy and buttery rolls But last year, my Mom and I decided on a new menu: roasted turkey stuffed with herbs and spices and lemon juice; a roasted vegetable medley with red potatoes, sweet potato's, bell peppers, onions, parsnips, carrots and brussel sprouts; brown rice; salad; and baked apples with cinnamon, stevia and walnuts.  How delicious does that sound?  And it's all low cal, low fat and healthy!  Who says you have to follow all the 'old traditions' - make some new ones!

A HUGE tip – COOK ONLY ENOUGH FOR YOUR FAMILY ATTENDING!  Then you wont have a fridge full of tempting, unhealthy Holiday food to wreak havoc on your waistline and healthy eating!  Look up the ‘yields’ in the recipe and only cook for the amount of people coming!  The recipe yields 16 but you have 8 coming?  Cut it in half!

If you are the cook and plating up the delicious Holiday fare – plate up everything for your family in proper portion sizes!

Get out and exercise - make it a family affair!  Like the Turkey Trot 5k race on Thanksgiving morning – they are done in most towns -  for you Denverites: unitedwaydenver.org/TurkeyTrot.  If you don't have a Thanksgiving day 5k in your neighborhood - get the family together for an after dinner walk, play a fun outdoor game like flag football, challenge each other to an obstacle course at the park - just get moving and make it fun and enjoyable with each other!

We have one body - be thankful for it and reward it with good and healthy choices this Thanksgiving!

Stay tuned for Healthy Thanksgiving recipes to come!

In Health,

Nutritionistaing!g

But Frozen Greek Yogurt is Good for You because its GREEK Yogurt...Isn't It?

Good for You?

First let's define what is good for you:  Any food that has some benefit to your body, can process through your body easily, is clean, free of chemicals, free of processed ingredients, devoid of added sugars, excessive saturated fats and additives.  Any food that increases benefits to your body like antioxidants, energy inducing complex carbohydrates, muscle building lean protein, detoxifying healthy fats....you get the picture!

I LOVE Greek Yogurt - and I suggest it to my clients in their meal plans because it has excellent protein content and is a GREAT replacement in many recipes for mayo, sour cream even butter and oils!

But when I suggest Greek Yogurt, I suggest PLAIN Greek yogurt - with no added sugars and sweeteners.  Whats the difference?

1 individual Fage Plain Greek Yogurt (6oz):  
100 calories
0g fat
7g carbs
7g sugar (naturally occurring from lactose)
18g protein

1 individual Honey Mango Plain Greek Yogurt (6oz)
120 calories
0 fat
18g carbs
29g SUGAR!!
13g protein

Honey is natural right?  Yes its natural but that doesn't make it 'good for you'.  Your body will still process this as a sugar.  And remember - your body can only process 30-35g of sugar PER DAY.  Which means - one yogurt - and you are done!  No milk (there are lactose sugars), no fruit (there are natural fructose sugars), no restaurant eating (sugar added into SO many things) - etc.  Any more sugar past your 30-35g and it will store as fat stores.

Remember that ALL yogurt with fruit has additives unless otherwise stated - the Fage honey mango has not only mango sugar, honey sugar but also straight up table sugar added!

So why would 'Frozen Greek Yogurt' be any different?  Its actually WORSE in most cases.  It is a great marketing effort to make you believe it is 'Good for You' - when in fact, its glorified ice cream with protein.

Ben and Jerry's Frozen Greek Yogurt - Strawberry Shortcake (1/2 cup serving):
180 calories
5g of fat (3 of it saturated)
28g carb
23g sugar
6g protein
....hmmmmmmmm 23g of sugar for a half cup?  But thats not good for me? Nope.

Oikos Frozen Greek Yogurt - Blueberry (1/2 cup serving)
100 calories
0g fat
21g carbs
20g sugar
6g protein

Yasso Frozen Greek Yogurt Smoothie Pouch:
140 calories
0g fat
30g carbs
18g sugar
4g protein

Wait a second....6g protein?  Thats not that much....sounds like we are being DUPED!  Yup - you guessed it.

By comparison - most national ice cream brands you buy in the store have between 13-16g of sugar per half cup.  So the Frozen Greek varieties above have MORE sugar than regular ice cream!

Don't get me wrong - if you prefer the flavor of Greek Frozen Yogurt to Ice Cream - by all means, have a sweet treat and indulge!  But don't mistake 'Frozen Greek Yogurt' as a healthy alternative to other frozen delights - its simply an ice cream with the same amount of sugar (and sometimes MORE) and a tiny boost of protein.

I'd rather have some low fat, no sugar added ice cream with some berries - see a great alternative below:

1/2 cup Edy's No Sugar Added Ice Cream w/ 1/4 cup fresh berries:
140 calories
3g fat
18g carbs
6g sugar
3g protein

Remember - always be an informed consumer - all of the nutritional information is made available to you via the internet on all of the ice cream brands sites as well as many calorie content sites!  Be good to your body - and it will reward you :-)

Happy and HEALTHY eating!
~Nutritionista

'Mock-A-Mole'

I HAD to share this one!  In preparation for my 3 P's Plan, Prepare and Pack cooking class tomorrow, I have been playing with some recipes to present to everyone for appetizer-type foods.

But, as always, I tried to figure out how to make it a meal for my clients!

A while back, I saw a recipe for a guacamole made with green peas and avocados along with several spices, tomatoes, onions, etc.  I LOVE guacamole but have to stay away form it because I know I will overeat.  While avocados are an excellent source of healthy fats, too much is not a good thing!  All guacamole is - is fat and sodium with veggies.  There are worse things to eat - yes - but WHAT IF I could bring in my world famous PCH (Protein + Carb + Helathy Fat) into guacamole and make it an actual meal?

Well....I did!

Let me present: 'Mock-A-Mole' - serve it with a side of grilled chicken, brown rice crackers for dipping and some fresh bell pepper and cucumber slices for dipping - and you have a PCH meal thats a WINNER:

Ingredients:
1 avocado, peeled
1 container fresh pico, drained
½ cup Green Peas, steamed
1/2 Firm Tofu package
1 TBS Mrs. Dash Chipotle Spice

Squeeze of fresh lime juice

Directions:
Place all ingredients into a food processor or Magic Bullet and pulse until combined and creamy.  Can also mix with a hand mixer in a bowl

Nutrition Info:
Serving Size:
½ cup of ‘Mock-a-Mole’ (Recipe makes about 1 ½ cups)

Calories	83.1
Fat	5.6g
Carbohydrates	7.3g
Protein	2.7g

** If you are having people over and want to serve this as an app - you can always double the recipe!

Coffee Talk

Having my nails done this week, I happened to overhear a patron next to me telling her nail girl how she should stop drinking coffee and switch to green tea because coffee is 'terrible' for you.

Nay not so - coffee CAN be terrible for you depending on what you put IN your coffee and how MUCH you drink for health reasons.  But coffee itself is not the issue in weight loss or health.

Ounce for ounce the average cups of black coffee and plain green tea contain almost the same amount of caffeine:

5 fl oz coffee: 65mg caffeine (depending on how strong it is made - more grounds can increase caffeine amounts

5 fl oz green tea: 48mg caffeine (depending on how long the tea bag is left in the cup - if it is left in longer, caffeine amounts can increase)

So where is the problem?

For one its caffeine in general.  Caffeine should be consumed in moderation - weather it comes from green tea or coffee.  Too much caffeine can cause irritability, anxiety and restlessness as well as heart palpitations and stomach/digestion issues.  A healthy amount of caffeine per day is around 200mg per day (2-3 small cups).

The problem lies in what is put IN your coffee – and even IN your tea!

Coffee shop menus are FULL of drinks that will add weight to your waistline in no time with excess sugars, calories and even fats!  A 12oz cup of black coffee contains no calories, fats, carbohydrates or sugar.  But a 12 oz Café Mocha from Starbucks – (even with no whip and non fat milk) contains 170 calories, 32g of carbs and 28g of sugar!!  Drink 2 a day and you can see where that goes.

‘Well I drink chai tea lattes because they are better for you’….WRONG!  A tall chai latte at Starbucks with no whip and non-fat milk is WORSE than a Café Mocha, Vanilla Cappuccino or Carmel Macchiato at 160 calories, 32g of carbs and 36g of sugar!!

Drink coffee at home?  Watch your additives like Coffeemate French Vanilla which adds 200 calories and 24g of sugar for just 2 Tablespoons!

The worst?  Blended beverages like ‘Frappachinos’ and ‘Frozen Blended Coffees’ – event the ‘Light version carries 36g of sugar for a 12oz serving!

So what’s your best bet?

Drink your coffee black with a little all natural stevia, cinnamon and a splash of skim or even better?  Unsweetened almond milk which carries ZERO sugar and healthy fats and proteins.  (Skim milk has 12.5g sugar per cup)

Need a flavored frothy fix?  Try a tall skinny latte at Starbucks for 60 calories and 8g of sugar (milk sugar).

Like your chai tea?  SKIP the latte and order a hot tea with a chai tea bag.  Add stevia or splenda, a little cinnamon and splash of milk and VIOLA!  You just saved over 30g of sugar and didn’t add calories to your day and your waistline.

Want a frozen drink?  Put a scoop of protein in the blender with ground coffee, cinnamon, vanilla extract, unsweetened almond milk and ice and you have a high protein, low calorie, blended Tiramisu shake with ZERO sugar!

Remember that extra calories are just that: extra calories.  Your body doesn’t need the excess calories sugars and chemicals from all the additives in your java. 

Be good to your body – it will thank you!

In Health,
Nutritionista

Snack TIme!

My clients and friends ask on almost a daily basis: 'what are good snacks to have?'  'What do you eat for snacks?'

What I tell everyone is to start thinking of 'snacks' as meals.  You should be eating every 3 hours (yes I know, you've heard this before...but I won't stop drilling it into your heads) of consistent ratios: lean protein, whole grain carbs and healthy fats.  So instead of thinking of your between breakfast, lunch and dinner meals as 'snacks' - think of it as 5-6 meals a day.  Thats even MORE good news - 5 or 6 whole meals?  Heck yes!

Some great ideas:

Rice Cake Sandwiches:

2 brown rice cakes, lightly salted

2 TBS avocado (1 TBS spread on each rice cake)

4 slices Board's Head Low Sodium deli turkey (2 on each cake)

**Boar's Head is minimally processed, low sodium and no nitrates (King Soopers, Sunflower)

250 cals

8.5g fat (healthy fats from avocado)

32g carbs

26g protein

Mini Rice Bowl:

1/4 cup brown rice or Quinoa

2 TBS black beans

3 oz (deck of cards size) grilled or rotisserie chicken

2 TBS salsa

1 tsp olive oil overtop

249 cals

3.4g fat

27g carbs

26g protein

Mediterranean Wrap:

1 Whole Wheat or Brown Rice Wrap

2 TBS hummus

3 oz chicken breast (sliced)

5 sliced cherry tomatoes

4 slices of cucumber

1/2 cup spinach

1 tsp olive oil

280 cals

5.7g fat

26g carbs

29g protein

Enjoy!!

In Health,

Nutitionista