My Hubby and I lead a very routine lifestyle, and I like it
that way! One of my favorite routines is our Sunday routine. We wake up, I make
us both breakfast, and we head out the door for church (we attend an AWESOME
church in Woolmarket, by the way – check it out here). After church we usually
grab some lunch in the Promenade and, every other Sunday, we go on our
bi-weekly grocery shopping trip! Fun fact: eating healthier makes grocery
shopping so much more fun (to me it does, anyway)! It’s like a mission to find
the healthiest items that I possibly can.
Just like any household, we have “staples” in our house that
keep us afloat and eating delicious for the duration of two weeks. When you are
first starting out a new healthy eating lifestyle, it is hard to figure out
what is the best/healthiest/your favorite foods to keep in the house. I am no
expert, but I figured it wouldn’t hurt to share what I lean on to get me
through each day. If you could make a few substitutions and start picking up
some of these items on your weekly shopping trip, you could save yourself
hundreds of calories and loads of unnecessary fats and carbs! These are the
things I keep in my house to help me make healthy choices on a daily basis.
Breakfast:
Generally for breakfast I try and pack lots of fiber and
protein to get me through the morning. Throughout the summer I have been
working out in the morning, so I have been eating more hearty breakfasts.
However, at the beginning of my diet I would simply eat ¾ cup of dry Kashi
GoLean cereal, and that would get me through until snack time about 3 hours
later. The fiber in the cereal really keeps you full! I am all about EASY
cooking! I don’t like to mess up too many dishes or wait 15 minutes for my
breakfast. I like quick and easy. Here are some of my breakfast staples that I
keep in the house (generally, I rotate these on a daily basis):
Fruit and Yogurt Parfait (my creation) – 180 calories +
whatever fruit you add
 |
| 1/2 cup cereal, 4 oz. cup of Greek yogurt, diced fruit of your choice - mix and enjoy! |
Kashi Blueberry Whole Wheat Waffles with sugarfree Syrup –
210 calories and delicious!
 |
| A sweet treat for breakfast! |
Whole wheat English Muffin with Natural Peanut Butter and Banana
– my “fuel” breakfast, what I eat before an intense workout – 400 calories
 |
| This screams "FUEL"! |
Quaker Lower Sugar Oatmeal and Fruit - 120 calories + your fruit
Turkey and Veggie Omelet (create your own!) - One whole egg and 1/4 cup egg whites with 2 slices of diced turkey lunch meat and veggies galore!
Turkey Sausage and Egg Whites – 180 calories and lots of
protein!
 |
| Add mushrooms, onions, spinach, peppers, garlic, seasonings, etc! |
Lunch:
Lunch is a much simpler affair for me. I try to eat a small
lunch daily. Lunch is mainly there to curb my hunger until dinner. Being off
during the summer, I usually just eat something quick and easy at home, or I
will meet up with my friend(s), Mom, or Hubby for lunch, during which I usually
get a salad. Generally, I rely on these for lunch when I eat at home:
Healthy Choice
 |
Smart Ones
 |
| My favorite! Yum! |
I know, they’re not the healthiest, but they’re low calorie,
quick, and easy. <3
Dinner:
Being the healthy housewife that I am, I spend about an hour
prior to our biweekly Wal-mart adventure figuring out what I’m going to cook
for dinner for the next two weeks. Most of the recipes I try come from my
Pinterest board – Recipe Box, and I am constantly adding new recipes on there!
I usually leave one or two nights for Allen to cook (turkey burgers or grilled
sirloins) and a couple of nights are dedicated to eating out. We enjoy a date
night at least once a week!
Some items on this
week’s dinner menu are:
Spinach and Feta Stuffed Chicken – 215 calories
Chicken Taco Chili – 200 calories
Breaded Pork Chops – 210 calories (pork loins and a box of shake and bake ;)
Spicy Honey Brushed Pork Loin - I'm tweaking this recipe to be pork instead of chicken
I won’t know the calorie count on the last few meals until I
make them and figure it out on MyFitnessPal.
Sides:
Veggies! (frozen or fresh) – broccoli, asparagus, squash,
mushrooms, onions, brussel sprouts, corn, sweet potato fries, green beans,
black eyed peas, edamame, mixed greens salad, etc. Explore the produce section!
Brown Rice
Whole Wheat/Low Carb Tortillas
Whole Wheat Pasta
Snacks:
Ahhh, my favorite meal of the day! Snacks! I consider myself
a snacker. I’m a “5 small meals a day” kind of girl. I enjoy a snack between
breakfast and lunch, lunch and dinner, and sometimes even after dinner! Here is
a list of some of the snacks I have in my house right now:
Quaker Mini Rice Cakes – 130 calories for 13 (beware: highly
addicting)
Reduced Fat Wheat Thins and Hummus- 200 calories for 16 chips and 2 tbsp of hummus
Kashi Banana Chocolate Chip Soft N’ Chewy Bars - 130
calories (so good!)
Unsweetened Apple Sauce – 50 calories for ½ cup, sprinkle
with cinnamon
Jello Live Active Sugar Free Pudding Snack – Milk Chocolate
Bliss – 60 calories
Sugarfree Sno-cone – Avg. 3.5 calories/oz. of syrup at $1.50
= perfect for these hot summer days!
Frozen Yogurt – a decadent (and addicting) sweet treat.
Visit your local frozen yogurt bar to enjoy ice-cream deliciousness at 25
calories/oz. Don’t load up on toppings! Stick to fresh fruit and granola if you
are a topping-aholic like me ;)
TCBY - Frozen Yogurt Bar, Strawberry Swirls – 100 calories
Weight Watchers Chocolate Fudge Ice-cream Bar – Snack Size –
45 calories
But most of all, FRUIT – watermelon, apples, cantaloupe,
bananas, strawberries, tangerines, pineapple, blueberries, kiwi, and anything
else I can get my hands on!
Other
necessities:
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Olive Oil Spray
Parkay Buttery Spray
Minced Garlic
Almond Milk
Fat Free Sour Cream
Bottled Water (and lots of it!)
Salsa – 10 calories for 2 tbsp
Lemon juice – for flavoring veggies
Reduced sodium soy sauce – for flavoring veggies
And lots of seasonings and spices!
Remember:
ALWAYS look for reduced-fat or fat free options, especially
when you are purchasing dairy! Fat-free cheese is more expensive, but you save
so many calories and reduce your fat intake tremendously! The same goes for
sour cream, cream cheese, and milk. Look for low calorie bread, and ALWAYS buy
whole wheat or multi-grain. These grains take longer for your body to digest
and keep you full longer, not to mention the added nutrients you get out of
them!
***The
trick to losing weight: Reduce your calorie intake by making SMARTER
choices and SMALLER portion sizes! You’ll be on your way to your goal weight in
no time!
Keep up the great work! With love, K
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