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THE BLOG

Nutritious habits that last a lifetime.

Tips for Storing Summer Produce

5/29/2020

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Summer brings with it an abundance of produce. Consider certain guidelines when stocking up to increase freshness. For bunched items, cut off any greens that may pull moisture out of your fruit or vegetable. Examples include beets and carrots. Removing fasteners such as rubber bands helps increase circulation, which aids in maintaining freshness. Finally, avoid washing less hearty varieties of produce, such as strawberries, as this can result in soggy items.


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How to Up Your Road Trip Game

5/29/2020

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Due to COVID-19 re-opening phases, summer trips may include more car time travel. A few tips can help make the most of your drive. With hand sanitizer is back in stock, you will want to ensure its use when you exit the car and prior to any meals or snacks. Also consider taking a trash receptacle. By taking a cereal container and adding a trash can liner, you can create a small, yet functional garbage can. Be sure to prepare a large Ziploc with disposable napkins and utensils even if you think you will not need them. Pack non-messy, but yummy road trip snacks like these. 

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4 Different Meals Using Quinoa

5/19/2020

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Quinoa is a fantastic whole grain to add as a pantry staple!  Chock-full of fiber and protein, this is a healthy and versatile meal base.  Here are some quinoa recipes to give you some inspiration to get started.

Quinoa Zucchini Fritters
  • 2 cups shredded zucchini
  • ½ cup shredded carrot
  • ¼ tsp salt and ¼ tsp pepper
  • 1 cup cooked quinoa
  • 2 eggs, lightly beaten
  • 1 tbsp chives, chopped
  • 1 tsp paprika or Old Bay
  • ½ cup Bread Crumbs
  • ¼ cup Avocado Oil (could sub olive oil)

Directions:  Shred zucchini and carrots.  Set aside for 10-15 mins.  Wrap in cloth or paper towel and wring out excess moisture.  Mix zucchini, carrot, quinoa, eggs, and spices in a bowl.  Fold in bread crumbs once mixed.  Portion fritters and flatten into patties.  Heat skillet and coat with avocado oil.  Place fritters in pan, fry until golden brown on both sides (about 3 minutes).  Repeat until all the fritters are done and store in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Recipe from: https://thekitchengirl.com/crabless-cakes-zucchini-quinoa-fritters/ 

Shrimp Avocado Quinoa Bowl
  • 1 avocado, sliced
  • Lime juice
  • 2 cups lettuce or other greens
  • ½ cup tomato, diced
  • ¼ cup onion, diced
  • 2 cups quinoa, cooked
  • ½ pound shrimp
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 1 clove garlic, crushed
  • ¼ tsp each of salt, onion powder, thyme, black pepper, oregano, and cayenne pepper

Directions: Combine shrimp, garlic, oil, and spices.  Heat a pan over medium-high until hot.  Coat with a light drizzle of oil and cook shrimp until charred.  Divide greens into two bowls, top with half of quinoa, shrimp, avocado, tomato, and onion. Drizzle with lime juice & serve.

Recipe from: https://gimmedelicious.com/avocado-shrimp-quinoa-salad-bowls/ 

Mexican Chicken Quinoa Casserole
  • 1 cup uncooked quinoa
  • 2 tsp chili powder
  • ½ tsp cumin powder
  • ½ tsp garlic powder
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 can corn, drained and rinsed
  • 1 cup crushed tomatoes
  • 1 bell pepper, diced
  • ½ cup onion, diced
  • 1 cup cheese
  • 1 cup water

Directions: Preheat oven to 350.  Line 8x8 inch pan with parchment paper.  Add all ingredients into a bowl and mix.  Spread into a prepared pan and bake for 28 minutes.  Turn off the oven and let it sit in an unopened oven for another 25 minutes.

Recipe from: https://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2016/09/19/quinoa-casserole-mexican-black-bean/ 


Mediterranian Quinoa Salad
  • 3 cups cooked quinoa, cooled
  • 1 large cucumber, chopped
  • 1 jar roasted red peppers, drained and chopped
  • 1 cup pitted Kalamata olives, chopped
  • ½ cup coarsely chopped parsley
  • 4 oz garlic and herb goat cheese
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
  • ½ tsp dried oregano
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ¼ tsp pepper

Directions: Make the dressing by combining olive oil, vinegar, oregano, salt, and pepper.  Whisk to combine.  Add in veggies and quinoa.  Toss to coat in dressing.  Top with goat cheese and parsley.

Recipe from: https://www.thekitchn.com/quinoa-salad-22955988 ​
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More Tips on Quarantine Meal Planning

5/12/2020

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We’ve been at this quarantine thing for about 2 months now and it seems that I’m still expected to prepare 3 meals a day for my whole family. Meal prepping and planning looks a little different and in our previous blog, we broke down the basics of meal time to help you manage stress. Here are some other tried and true go-to tips.

  1. Cook Once & Eat Twice - Double that recipe so that you can either have leftovers this week or freeze it to have a meal at a later date. This is a no brainer. 
  2. Stock the Pantry & Freezer - If you are stocked up you will always be able to throw something together. I love these printables from Real Mom Nutrition to help keep track of what we have on hand in the freezer, fridge, and pantry. The last page gives you space to map out meals you can make with things you already have on hand. 
  3. Be Confident in Very Minimal Meal Planning - I know this one sounds crazy but, if you've used tip #2, you can relax knowing you have all the components to make a balanced meal. Here’s how dinner time has been going down: In the morning I do a scan of the fridge to see what leftovers we have. Sometimes there’s enough to make a whole meal, sometimes there are components to a meal, and sometimes I find that I’ve got to start from the beginning. If you're starting from scratch, begin with the protein. Go to the freezer and pick something out. After that it’s on to the veggies. Depending on the day of the week the fridge may be full of veggies or I may need to open the freezer or pantry and grab something from there...all of these options provide the same nutrients (there is no one form of produce that is more nutritious than the others).  Next up is my favorite: the carbs. It may be some starchy veggies, grains, mac and cheese or fruit. This is definitely my favorite tip so far but you’ve got to have that stocked pantry and freezer to make it work. 
  4. Keep It Simple - For the most part stick with recipes that you are familiar with and are easy to make. Breakfast for dinner, sandwich + soup/salad, tacos, and pizza night are all easy and allow for you to still get creative with the ingredients you have on hand. If you have more free time than usual this can be a great time to play around with new ingredients, recipes, and cooking techniques. Just be sure to go through the ingredient list a few times to make sure that you get everything you need at the store and you don’t have to make an extra trip out just to grab 1-2 things. 
  5. Order Takeout - If the budget allows, order takeout once a week to give yourself a break and to help support a local business….it’s a win win!
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5 Ways to Make Meal Time Less Stressful During Quarantine

5/12/2020

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Whether you are quarantined with your family and kids, significant other, or with your pets, here are some tips to help alleviate meal-time stress!
  1. Establish a meal time routine - Establish a role for everyone in your household to play at meal time, whether that is prepping the food, cooking, cleaning, or even setting the table.  Having that routine will help meal time flow easier!
  2. Enjoy your meal and your time together - Have discussions about everyone’s day, or their plans for the day!  Try to turn off screens, and enjoy the food and the time with your family.
  3. Meal Prepping - Having pre-cooked veggies, pre-made meals, or even pre-washed produce will help make meal time easier.  This will cut down on the stress of preparing a meal and the time you need to spend on cooking nightly!
  4. Check out one-pot or one-pan meals - These are great for easy prep and easy clean up!  They help you minimize the materials you use and get dirty, because you are only using one pot or one pan to cook your meal.  Check out this website for some more inspiration: https://thegirlonbloor.com/25-super-easy-sheet-pan-dinners/
  5. Try 5 ingredient or less meals - Along similar lines of the one-pot meals, using 5 ingredients or less eliminates the need for long, complicated cooking!  Especially during quarantine, and with grocery store shelves sparsely stocked in some areas, 5 ingredient or less meals will help alleviate stress of a missing ingredient and keep meals from being too expensive!
Be sure to check out our other blogs: 
Creating a Flexible Grocery List that Works
3 Ways to Use Potatoes

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Approaching Physical Activity Mindfully

5/7/2020

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If you've been following us you have likely noticed that I like to run. I'm not fast but I like to go far. When I'm talking about my longer runs I usually hear friends say "that sounds miserable" and maybe you feel that way, too. Or maybe you're wondering if exercise aligns with HAES and Intuitive Eating principles? In short, exercise and HAES/Intuitive Eating can coexist. 

First, though, we want to touch on enjoyment as it pertains to physical activity. Whatever you are doing to move your body should be enjoyable. Whether it's going for a walk, rowing, basketball, strength training, yoga or training for a marathon. We are all different and will find different activities enjoyable. Find what YOU enjoy and do that. Exercise is not supposed to feel miserable and if it does it is likely because of 2 key reasons that are highlighted in Intuitive Eating:
1) The exercise regimen was started when a diet was initiated. Which means you are likely not properly fueled enough for exercise to feel good.
2) The body was being subjected to unrealistic amounts of exercise. Over exercising can lead to a lot of problems including poor sleep and injuries. 
Both of these usually happen when weight loss is the goal, which brings us to the next point on whether or not exercise aligned with HAES and Intuitive Eating?
The answer is yes, it absolutely can be. There's even an entire principle in Intuitive Eating dedicated to moving your body. In addition to being enjoyable, moving your body is also a way to take care of yourself mentally and physically with the byproduct of these benefits:
  • Protects the body from damaging effects of stress
  • Improves sleep patterns
  • Increased bone strength
  • Decreased blood pressure
  • Reduced risk for chronic diseases
  • Increased levels of HDL (good cholesterol) 
  • Increased heart and lung strength
  • Increased metabolism
  • Improves satiety cues
  • Improved mood
  • Improved learning and memory

The goal is to shift your focus to how it feels to move your body rather than the calorie-burning effect of exercise. Let's explore 2 different exercise mindsets:

Diet and Exercise Mindset: If the goal of exercise is to lose weight you are also likely dieting which means exercise is not going to feel good because your body doesn't have the fuel it needs. You only feel good when the number on the scale goes down or you burned a certain number of calories. If you don't see progress on the scale you feel as if all that dieting and exercise was for nothing.

Versus

Fueling and Training Mindset: This mindset focuses on how exercise makes your body feel. You are fueling your body properly so that you have enough energy to feel good while exercising. The goal is not to lose weight or to burn a certain number of calories but rather to have enough “gas in the tank” to be able enjoy what you're doing and maybe even see improvements in your performance if that's a level you're at. 

This picture is my fuel for a longer run. If I was in a diet/exercise mindset I would go out there and not take in any carbs or calories. I would feel miserable during my run. I would likely not be able to finish my run. And I would be doing some serious damage to my body and likely end up injured and not able to exercise at all. Instead, I approach moving my body with a fueling and training mindset. If I’m going to exercise I make sure I eat something containing carbs beforehand since that is our body's preferred source of energy and will help me to not feel fatigued during my workout. If I’m exercising for more than an hour (like on a longer run) I will eat during the run. When I’m done exercising I refuel my body with the nutrients that I just used up. 

If you decide to exercise it needs to be when you're ready and in the right mindset. Don't do it for weight loss. Don't do it because that person you saw on social media showed a picture of their ripped abs. Do it for the joy and health it brings you. If you aren't ready to go down that path or it's medically contraindicated that's ok, too. We are all in different places and just like the food we eat does not make us "good or bad," the amount of exercise we do or don't do does not determine our worth either. ️​

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    Author

    Cheyenne is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist located in the Charleston, SC area. 

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