Trading “Healthy” Foods

The other day, I was thinking about how I ate in college, and how different it is from what I eat now. I was very “healthy” in college… meaning I lived off of 100 calorie pack snacks, and low fat Pasta-Roni. From a calorie counting perspective, I was probably doing “better” than I am now. I never ate nuts (too many calories) I avoided anything that didn’t have a  nutritional label (how would I be able to tell how many calories were in it?) and I lived off of “light” products (lets replace real food with a bunch of chemicals and try to achieve the same taste!)

With a new season, comes new habits… so let’s take a look at college vs. now.

I’ve come a long way. And while I still keep things like calories in mind, they’re not what drives my eating habits anymore.

Breakfast

In college, I would have a container of Carbmaster yogurt, with blueberries, and Fiber One cereal. Ok, not that bad, but after comparing the ingredients of the “Carbmaster” yogurt with Chobani… it’s no contest. I don’t need to be filling my breakfast with aspartame. I still love a bowl of yogurt with blueberries, but now I look for plain greek yogurt, and I top it with wholesome granola, rather than “diet” cereals.

Lunch & Snacks

More often than not, I packed a mini whole wheat bagel (ok, not so bad) topped with Better’n Peanut Butter. Oh my gosh I can’t believe I used to eat that stuff! If I try it now, it tastes like plastic.
And of course, I’d wash it all down with a diet coke.

Now I try to pack leftovers from dinner, or I get a salad from the salad bar at work. And no more low-fat-ranch dressing. I literally crave the taste of balsamic vinegar!

Peanut butter isn’t scary. Just because it has a lot of calories doesn’t mean it doesn’t have a place in your diet. And real cookies are so much more satisfying than those little wafers.

Lunches like this are just as easy to make, but are packed with nutrients. Forget those low-calorie-excuses for dressing. Drizzle a little balsamic vinegar + olive oil and you’ve got a simple, tasty dressing.

Dinner

Sometimes my dinners were actually pretty close to what I eat now. Alexa and I often lived off of chickpeas and black beans, (yay for cheap food!) but I also did eat entirely too much Pastaroni. I have no idea why I loved that stuff so much. I’m sure I’d still enjoy it if I tried it today.

I’ve since moved on to bigger and better things. Such as this smoked gouda panini from Ipanema Cafe.

Holy yum. So what if I don’t know the exact nutritional info for this? It was so tasty and filling, I only needed half, and I packed the other half for lunch. Real foods are just so much more satisfying.

I still eat lots of fruits and vegetables, because I’ve always loved those. But I’ve made an effort to eat what I’m really craving, rather than substituting it with some chemical-artificial-substitute. My tummy, and my tastebuds are both happier that way.

What do you think about “diet” foods?

Navigating the Grocery Store

Let’s get back on track people. Seriously, let’s do it.

Ok, I can blame last week on my birthday. But this week, it’s time to get back to basics. More vegetables, less junk. It’s that simple.

Or so it seems.

Do you ever feel like you keep making the same goals over and over again?

It’s frustrating, I know. I know, because I make them too. So let’s start with healthy eating (what else?!) and where it starts. You may think it starts at the “what’s for dinner” idea… but it’s actually before that.

When you walk into the grocery store, you’re making choices for the rest of the week.

There are two common mistakes people (me) make:

1. You don’t buy healthy food

2. You don’t buy healthy food you actually like

If you don’t have healthy food on hand, you won’t be able to make good choices. And if you don’t buy healthy food that you actually like, it’ll just go to waste.

So here are the staples that I buy at the store, that keep me reaching for healthy food all week:

Clockwise:

• Almond milk- I like unsweetened vanilla and I use it in my smoothies and my coffee
• Frozen fruit- I’ll either mix it with yogurt or eat it right out of the bag!
• Egg Whites- Easily cooked in the microwave with a little string cheese, for a protein packed snack
• Apples/Bananas- The perfect grab and go snacks (and I use a banana in all my smoothies!)
• Onions/Tomatoes- Versatile for everything from stir fry to salsa
• Beans- Canned make it easy for last minute dinners
• Greek Yogurt- I’ll eat this for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or snacking!
• Salad Mix- You’re more likely to eat your vegetables if they’re already washed and ready!

These are the things I stock my cart with when I’m really trying to get back on track. I love pretzels, granola, soy crisps, cereal, and other healthy-ish snacks, but sometimes I have trouble with portion control. Sometimes instead of trying to control it, it’s best to just not have it around. But hey, maybe you’re not all as tempted by Peanut Butter Puffins as I am 😉

I find that lots of veggies and protein tend to be the best way for me to fill up and stay energized. While it’s easy for me to munch my way through a box of cereal, it doesn’t leave me feeling full. I’ll be sticking to protein packed yogurt bowls, and lots of vegetable stir fries!

I started the week off on a pretty good note, with a green smoothie for breakfast, a garlicky kale salad for lunch, and a chipotle burrito bol for dinner. (Hey, I can’t pass on Chipotle!)

What are your grocery store staples?

Vegetable Frittatas!

“Another girls night? How many of those do you need?!” -Taylor

Well, the answer is, a lot.

But I’ll get to that in a minute.

Since it’s Wednesday, let me give you a little recap of all the other things that I’ve been sipping/munching/chewing on!

1/4 cup granola, 1/2 sliced banana, almond milk, 1 tbsp almond butter. Way more filling than a bowl of cereal!

Lunch

Leftovers from dinner with Lindsay the night before. I know, it’s ugly. That’s what happens when you have to take iphone pictures at your desk. But it was really tasty.

I love Trader Joe’s high fiber pasta! Those were my leftovers from a late Sunday dinner. I’ve also been enjoying kale with a little tahini, lemon juice, and Parmesan cheese.

Now, about that Girl’s night.

Those nights aren’t always so good for the, uh “clean eating” goals. (Wine… chocolate… you know how it is.)

So I was super excited when I went over to my friend Abby’s house, and she had a deliciously healthy dinner prepared for us! We were watching a “Girls” marathon, which is awesome by the way, and we had these vegetable frittatas. They were so good. I’m pretty sure I’d eat these for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or a snack.

Mini Vegetable Frittatas

-Serves 6 – (or 3… if you’re eating these for dinner)

• 8 eggs
• 1 cup skim milk (you could use almond or soy)
• 2 oz gouda cheese, chopped
• 1 cup onions, chopped
• 1 cup bell pepper, chopped

Scramble your eggs and milk with a fork until well combined. Fold in your cheese, peppers, and onions. Spray a muffin tin with non-stick spray, and fill the 12 cups evenly. Bake at 350 degrees for about 8-10 minutes, or until the eggs are set.

These were so tasty, and the have just 160 calories each! Abby, these are going to be a staple at my next brunch!! (And they will also be served on the dinner table very soon!)

Workouts

Despite the warmer-than-I’d-prefer weather, I’ve actually been running more than normal. Sometimes I need completely mindless exercise, to relax, and I love running around the fan. I think I’m going to start using my Daily Mile account again (Come friend me!) and hopefully stay motivated.

Does anyone have any healthy suggestions for the next girls night?

Revisiting Favorites

One thing I’ve really enjoyed about blogging is how it encourages me to try new things. Not that I don’t like stepping out of my comfort zone, but it’s fun to challenge myself with new things.

That said, favorites are favorites for a reason. So when I re-vamped the recipe page over the weekend, I decided to put a few of my most favorite recipes up at the top. These are ones I’ve made over and over because I love them. In fact, I just took a batch of Samoa Granola out of the oven about 15 minutes ago.

So on Saturday night, I decided to use up some tempeh in the fridge, and went back to this teryiaki tempeh recipe for inspiration. I was craving something a little more garlic-y, so I mixed soy sauce, garlic powder, red pepper flakes, and some garlic chili paste together. After browning the tempeh in a little olive oil, I topped it with the sauce, and mixed it with some steamed broccoli.

Who needs take out?

It was a simple recipe, but I love how protein packed it is. I generally get the Lightlife “Three Grain Tempeh” brand, which has 20g of protein per serving. Definitely a good substitute if you’re trying to cut back on meat, but still want a protein packed dinner!

What are some of your things to make?