Valentine or Anytime Refreshing Raspberry Fruit Salad

People who pack their own lunches have more control over what they eat, tend to eat healthier, and save money at the same time. Dining on a packed lunch has also been shown to aid in weight loss and weight management.

The following are some lunch ideas and recipe links:

Raw vegetables (carrots, celery, jicama, red peppers, peapods, broccoli, cauliflower) and hummus

Salad (lettuce, spinach, or kale) with raw or cooked vegetables, beans or lentils, and salad dressing on the side so the lettuce won’t get soggy, or Black Bean Salad, Kale Salad, Broccoli Cranberry Salad, Cauliflower Salad

Almost any leftovers from dinner, cooked vegetables, brown rice, whole grain pasta, lentils, quinoa, cooked chicken or salmon, baked yam or sweet potato, soup, Rice Beans and tomatoes, etc.

Fruit – apple, banana, orange, pear, berries, etc., or a fruit salad

Almonds or other nuts or seeds (in limited amounts for portion control)

If you don’t already pack a lunch, try it once or twice a week. You just might get into the habit of it! An easy way to get started is to make an extra serving or two of something you are already going to make, then pack your lunch when you are putting the extra food into storage containers. Your lunch will be ready to go into your lunch box, cooler or brown bag in the morning, when you pre-plan and pre-package your food the night before.

Love, Health & Happiness,

Phyllis

An Apple A Day…

02 Tuesday Oct 2012

Posted by creatingahealthylifestyle in Healthy Body, Healthy Eating

≈ 1 Comment

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5-10 servings of Fruit and Vegetables, An Apple a Day, Cancer, Cruciferous Vegetables, Diabetes, Fruit, Health, Health benefits of eating fruit and vegetables, Healthy Eating, Healthy Lifestyle, Heart disease, High Blood Pressure, high cholesterol, High Triglycerides, Obtain and maintain a healthy body weight, Prevention, Prevention of Diet Related Diseases, sleep apnea, Vegetables

While eating an apple a day may keep the doctor away, one piece of fruit a day won’t give you the benefits of eating 5-10 servings of a variety of fruits and vegetables. Eating five or more servings of produce has been shown to significantly reduce rates of heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and gastrointestinal disorders. Other benefits of eating plenty of fruits and vegetables may include the prevention or reversal of high blood pressure, high cholesterol, high triglycerides, sleep apnea, and aid in obtaining and maintaining a healthy body weight.

If you haven’t gotten a check-up in a while, with a blood test, you might want to so that you can have a baseline and know what’s going on within your body.

Cruciferous vegetables, such as broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, cabbage, arugula, bok choy, collard greens, kale, mustard greens, rutabaga, turnip greens, radish and watercress, have been shown to protect our bodies against certain types of cancers.

Visit a local farmer’s market to see what fruits and vegetables are in season. Add vegetables to what you already eat. Have some fruit when you want something sweet. Once you start experiencing the benefits of feeling better, having more energy and looking better, it will be easier to maintain a healthy lifestyle of eating.

Love, Health & Happiness,

Phyllis

Maintaining Weight Loss

16 Thursday Aug 2012

Posted by creatingahealthylifestyle in Healthy Body, Healthy Eating

≈ 5 Comments

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Beans, breakfast lunch dinner, Fruit, Health, Healthy Body, Healthy Eating, Healthy Habits, Healthy Snacks, healthy-living, International Journal of Obesity, maintaining weight loss, Monitoring Weight Loss, Nuts, Portion Control, Seeds, Serving Sizes, Vegetables, Weight Gain, Weight Loss, Weight Loss Maintenance, Whole Grains

Did you know that half of all Americans who lose weight gain at least some of it back within a year, according to research published in the International Journal of Obesity.

It’s a lot easier to keep the weight off than to lose it all over again. Maintaining weight loss is possible by creating life-long healthy habits and monitoring them. This includes:

1. Eating regularly, especially breakfast and eating moderately throughout the day, such as breakfast, lunch, dinner and one or two healthy snacks.

2. Consuming a variety of whole foods: fruit, vegetables, whole grains, beans, nuts and seeds.

3. Being aware of portions and serving sizes.

4. Weighing yourself once or twice a week or being mindful of how your clothes fit will allow you to know if you have gained a few pounds. Then you can go back to what works for you to lose the weight and maintain your weight loss.

Love, Health & Happiness,

Phyllis

Family Fun Friday – Visit a Farmer’s Market

13 Friday Jul 2012

Posted by creatingahealthylifestyle in Family Fun, Healthy Eating

≈ 1 Comment

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Farmers' market, Fresh Fruit and Vegetables, Fruit, Healthy Eating, Organic Produce, Produce, Vegetables

Eating local has become the trend, and what better way to get your produce than at a neighborhood farmer’s market.

Last week, while looking at the supermarket ads, I was excited to see that peaches were on sale for only 77 cents a pound! What a great price. So I went, expecting to take advantage of this great deal. What I found were peaches that had no scent and could have been used as baseballs, they were that hard. What a disappointment.

On Saturday, I went to our neighborhood farmer’s market and sampled many varieties of fresh, ripe and sweet peaches and nectarines. What a difference compared to what I saw at the grocery store. The main difference between the two is that the fruit for the supermarket was picked before it was ripe, so it wouldn’t spoil by the time it was trucked there, while the farmer’s market fruit was picked ripe the day before.

I was reminded of why I like and appreciate shopping at the farmer’s market:

1. The fruits and vegetables, organic or not, are picked fresh and has more flavor than most store-bought.

2. Many of the vendors offer samples of their fruit so you can taste the difference between the yellow and white peaches or yellow and white nectarines. By sampling, you know what you are getting, and whether the melons are ripe and sweet or the strawberries are as delicious as they look.

3. It’s a family atmosphere and a great place for a family outing, where kids and adults can find new fruits and vegetables to try. When children are involved in the process of picking out their food, they are more likely to eat it!

4. Often at farmer’s markets, they have a table with recipes, or you can ask the growers questions about different methods of preparing produce you are unfamiliar with. You can also inquire about how and where the food you see there is grown.

5. I enjoy the beauty of the booths with their attractively displayed produce, and fresh flowers!

Love, Health & Happiness,

Phyllis

Healthy “On-The-Go” Snack Ideas

12 Thursday Jul 2012

Posted by creatingahealthylifestyle in Healthy Eating

≈ 3 Comments

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Fresh Fruit and Vegetables, Fruit, Healthy Eating, On-the-go, Serving size, Snack Ideas, Whole grain

To limit the temptation of getting food on the go, plan ahead and always carry snacks!

A serving of almonds or whole grain crackers may tide you over until you get home if you are out longer than expected and find yourself getting hungry or just wanting to eat something. Almost anything you make in your own kitchen is going to be healthier, and lower in fat and calories than anything you can get at a fast food restaurant or coffee establishment.

Here are food items that travel well:

1. Almonds, whole grain crackers and whole wheat pretzels, in single serving containers, can be kept in your car or in a purse or backpack.

2. Most other snacks are perishable and will need to be stored in an insulated lunch bag or mini ice chest.

– Whole Fruit: apple, banana, peach, pear, nectarine, plum, apricot, blueberries, pack some napkins too!

– Cut up Fruit: watermelon, cantaloupe, honeydew, or a mini fruit salad, remember to bring a fork!

– Raw vegetables: carrot sticks, celery sticks, sliced red bell peppers, jicama sticks, and napkins!

– Dairy: string cheese, yogurt and a spoon!

3. Water is always a great choice. Sometimes when we feel hungry, we are actually dehydrated and drinking water may be just what we need instead of food.

Love, Health & Happiness,

Phyllis

Fiber Promotes Health!

14 Thursday Jun 2012

Posted by creatingahealthylifestyle in Healthy Eating

≈ 8 Comments

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Adults, Blood Sugar, Children, Cholesterol, Diabetes, Dietary fiber, Fruit, Health, Healthy Eating, Heart disease, Low-density lipoprotein, Vegetables, Weight Loss, Whole grain

Quiz: Which food has the highest amount of fiber?

a. 1 apple

b. ½ c. blueberries

c. 1/2 cup black beans

d. 1 whole wheat pita

(See answers below)

Dietary fiber can be found in whole grains, fruit, vegetables, cooked beans, peas, lentils, nuts and seeds.

Fiber has important health benefits for adults and children. It promotes regularity, prevents constipation and can aid in weight loss and maintaining a healthy weight. Fiber has also been shown to prevent some cancers, especially colon and breast cancer. In addition, fiber may help lower the LDL cholesterol (the bad cholesterol) and total cholesterol, therefore reducing the risk of heart disease and stroke. Fiber can also help lower blood sugar, therefore helping better manage diabetes, and possibly preventing diabetes.

A product or food item can be labeled “High Fiber” when it contains 5 grams or more per serving of fiber. Fiber-containing foods such as vegetables help provide a feeling of fullness with fewer calories. And research has shown that children who eat a wide variety of fiber-rich foods will likely continue with this healthy habit later in life!

Answers: c. 1/2 cup black beans has 6 grams of fiber; a. 1 apple has 4.5 grams; b. ½ c. blueberries has 4.4 grams; d. 1 whole wheat pita has 4.5 grams.

Love, Health & Happiness,

Phyllis

Healthy Travels – I made this on vacation!

31 Thursday May 2012

Posted by creatingahealthylifestyle in Healthy Eating

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Cooking, Costco, Eating, Food, Fruit, Healthy Eating, Healthy Food, Healthy Lifestyle, Smoothies, Traveling, Vacation, Vegetables, Whole Foods

While vacationing in Cancun, where we have a full kitchen, we have prepared most of our meals! One trip to Costco allowed us to get fresh lettuce, asparagus, apples, zucchini, spinach, broccoli, string beans, bell peppers, cucumber, onions, corn on the cob, carrots, mangos, soy milk, frozen blueberries and strawberries, canned tuna, and frozen salmon and chicken.

I brought a small George Foreman Grill that we’ve been cooking the salmon and chicken on, along with the asparagus and some of the zucchini. I also brought along some rice, seasonings, prepackaged cooked lentils, protein powder, and almonds. At a local market we purchased salad dressing, pasta sauce, olive oil, oatmeal, bananas, oranges, a watermelon and a Mexican papaya.

We cooked half of the apples by dicing then cooking them on the stove until soft. We’ve used the cooked apples on oatmeal and to make vanilla-apple shakes made with soymilk and vanilla protein powder. Banana and blueberries are also great on oatmeal. And since we have a blender here, we have been able to whip up shakes and fresh fruit and vegetable smoothies.

The salad in the photo above is made from cut up raw vegetables and apple on a bed of lettuce topped with tuna, then we put our own salad dressing on it. One of my favorite meals has been sautéed vegetables with rice and lentils. We all have been enjoying plenty of fruit and raw, steamed, sautéed and grilled vegetables!

With a little planning and creativity you too can enjoy eating well while on vacation.

Love, Health & Happiness,

Phyllis

Nourishing Power Smoothie

30 Wednesday May 2012

Posted by creatingahealthylifestyle in Healthy Eating, Recipes

≈ 6 Comments

Tags

Fruit, Recipe, Smoothie, Spinach, Whole Foods

Nourish the cells in your body with this whole food Power Smoothie!

It’s quick and easy. Place 1 cup water in a blender, add 1 banana (can be frozen), 2 peeled oranges cut into sections, 1 cup frozen blueberries, and 2 cups spinach.

Blend until smooth and enjoy!

Makes 4 servings.

Creating a Healthy Lifestyle

Tag Archives: Fruit

Valentine or Anytime Refreshing Raspberry Fruit Salad

Oatmeal Recipe Ideas

What’s For Lunch?

Maintaining Weight Loss

Family Fun Friday – Visit a Farmer’s Market

Healthy “On-The-Go” Snack Ideas

Fiber Promotes Health!

Healthy Travels – I made this on vacation!

Nourishing Power Smoothie