Category: Healthy Eating

Healthy Seasonal Foods For Fall

The Fall season is officially here!  And, the new season brings a great variety of fruits and vegetables that can help you stay on track with your healthy eating plan without compromising great taste!

Explore local farmer’s markets, roadside stands, and grocery stores for an abundance of good eats this time of year.  To help you get started, here’s a list of in-season fruits and vegetables and ideas on how to incorporate them in your weekly diet.

Try these tasty fruits and vegetables for fall!

1) Apples.  Harvest Season: August-November.

Apples make great on the go snacks.  Use them in salads, with savory dishes like pork chops; or chop them up and put them in yoghurt.

2)  Dates.  Harvest Season: September-December.

Dates are great in baked goods. Try chopping up a few for your oatmeal or over the top of frozen yoghurt.  For savory dishes, look for low-cal middle eastern recipes that include dates.

3)  Grapefruit.  Harvest Season: September-April.

Add over greens or squeeze fresh for a healthy juice.

4)  Kiwi.  Harvest Season:  September-March.

Kiwis are a great add to spice up a fruit salad or a smoothie.

5)  Pears.  Harvest Season: August-February.

Pears are one of my favorites because they are so versatile.  This fruit is great as a snack, added to mixed greens, used in savory dishes, or poached with a bit of cinnamon for a low-cal healthy dessert.

6)  Tangerines.  Harvest season:  November-April

Add these sweet little low-cal treats to yoghurt, pack in lunches, snack on them, use as dessert, or add to a salad.

7)  Brussel Sprouts.  Harvest Season: September-March.

I must confess, it took me awhile to like these wonderful little cabbages.  Now, they are one of my favorites this time of year! Try roasting brussel sprouts with olive oil, or sauteing with butter and garlic.  Serve with roasted meat and mashed potatoes.

8)  Cauliflower:  Harvest Season: September-June.

Use cauliflower to make fantastic soups, in stir-fries, or steamed with other vegetables as a side. Chop up cauliflower with other veggies and serve with a low-cal yoghurt dip for parties.

9) Squash.  Harvest Season:  October-February

There are so many varieties of squash and ways to prepare them. Try them steamed,  stir-fried, or in soups.  I’ve even used butternut squash to make a low-cal bechamel sauce!

10)  Pumpkin.  Harvest Season:  October-February.

Pumpkin is used mostly in desserts like pies and cakes. You can use it for waffles, pancakes, and breads.  Search for low-cal substitutes of these sweeter treats and keep portions in check.

11)  Sweet Potatoes.  Harvest Season:  September-December.

Not just for Thanksgiving Day anymore. Roast them. Make mashed sweet potatoes, or baked french fries.  If you’re cooking for 1-2 people, save time in the kitchen by microwaving a large sweet potato.

12)  Turnips.  Harvest Season:  September-April.

Try these tasty root vegetables roasted with olive oil or in stews.

13)  Parsnips.  Harvest Season:  October-April.

Add parsnips to other root vegetables and puree for a sweeter soup, or roast with potatoes and carrots for a wonderful blend.

14)  Rutabaga.  Harvest Season:  October-April.

Honestly, I haven’t cooked with this one yet.  I discovered it when researching my list for this article.  It’s a cross between a turnip and a cabbage.  Suggested uses include  roasting, or adding to casseroles and soups along with turnips and carrots.  I’ll report. You decide!

Decide which fruits and vegetables you’d like to incorporate into your healthy eating plan and use low-cal recipes that include these foods as ingredients.  You can find great low-cal seasonal recipes in Cooking Light  and Eating Well magazines.

Have fun experimenting with healthy seasonal foods. Browse your produce stand and farmer’s market.  When eating out, ask your food server what’s fresh — and depending where you live — ask what’s local on the menu.

Please feel free to share any great recipes or snack ideas you come up with.  I want to hear from you!

Blessings!

Jennifer

 

How To Snack And Lose Weight

Like to have your mid morning or afternoon snack? Good! Having a snack or two during your day will help you lose weight and keep it off for good.

Eating small and mid sized meals throughout the day is a great way to stabilize your blood sugar, avoid over eating, and keep your mind alert. So here’s how to snack and lose weight.

Snacking Wisely

The number of calories you will want in your snacks is going to vary depending on your weight loss goals and the amount of calories consumed during your daily meals. Pairing a carbohydrate and a protein gives your body the short and long term fuel it needs to sustain you until your next meal.

Ten healthy snacks to help you lose weight!

1)  Fruit.  Fruit is low in calories and makes a great snack when paired with a slice of cheese or a tablespoon of peanut butter.

2)  Tortilla Chips and Salsa. Yes, this can be a low-cal snack if you check the bag to determine a serving.  Since Salsa is very low in calories, I like to have 1/4 cup of yoghurt with it.  This is a great snack in the afternoon.

3)  Cheese and crackers.  Sounds fattening?  Not really when you eat a single serving. Pre-sliced cheese is a great way to control the calories.  Break it into pieces and eat with whole wheat crackers.

4)  Yogurt.  Yoghurt with fruit or a small amount of honey makes a great low-cal snack.

5)  Whole wheat toast and a tablespoon of peanut butter or slice of cheese.

6)  Leftovers.  A 1/2 serving of a low cal meal makes a great snack.

7)  Frozen Yoghurt.  Make sure it’s small and go light on the sprinkles.

8)  Shakes.  I don’t endorse meal replacement shakes as I prefer to make my own low cal smoothies. But for people on the go, shakes can be a great option for a low-cal snack.

9)  Hummus.  Whole wheat pita chips and hummus is one of my favorites! Hummus is great for satisfying hunger, and a good whole wheat pita chip will give you the complex carbs you need for energy.

10)  Cottage Cheese.  Pair  1/2 cup cottage cheese with fruit or crackers for a great snack.

While cookies, candy, and potato chips are labeled as “snack foods”, they have a high calorie count and do not keep you filled up for very long.  It’s best to think of these foods as “treats.”

Have a low cal snack you’d like to share?  Please leave a comment below.  I’d love to hear from you!

Blessings to you and yours!

Jennifer

 

 

Back To School Weight Loss Tips

You can feel it in the air! Summer is ending. The light is changing and it’s back to school time! Whether you are a parent, teacher, student, or simply getting back to a Fall routine, the new season usually means much busier schedules.

A shift in schedule can potentially derail your weight loss goals if you let it. I’ve put together some simple guidelines on how to stay on track while adjusting to the new season.

Five Easy Weight Loss Tips for the Back to School Season!

1)  Plan!  Back to school usually means a more set routine. This can be used for your benefit to help you lose weight! Pull out your calendar and determine when you have time for exercise, meal planning, and healthy meal preparation.  Write these activities in like like any other important appointment.

Avoid biting off more than you can chew.  Look at your calendar before saying yes to extra projects.  If saying yes will interfere with your weight loss goals, you may want to take a pass for now.

2) Brown bag it! Breakfast is key to successful weight loss. If time is tight in the mornings, a healthy egg sandwich or smoothie are easy to eat on the go. Do your best to eat by 9:00 am, and no later than 10:00.

Pack lunches and have healthy snacks on you at all times. No matter what your day looks like, busy and hungry are a dangerous combination for weight loss. By planning ahead, you’ll have more control over the food you eat.

And if you are shuttling kids, pack snacks to have on hand. Not only will it contribute to their good health, it will save you time as well.

3)  Order out!  After looking at your schedule, you may realize that cooking some nights will be a stretch.  Let someone else do the cooking for you! Order healthy pre made meals from a company like Magic Kitchen.

4)  Get creative! If your normal exercise time is conflicting with your child’s activity or sport, go for a walk while you are waiting for them. One of my clients decided to get a low cost membership at the gym across the street from her daughter’s dance class.  She’s going to run on the treadmill while her daughter is taking class.  Another option would be to see if there was an adult class to try during her daughter’s class.

Early morning and lunch time workouts are a great way to sneak exercise into the day. This strategy helps you avoid evening interruptions such as working late. 

5)  Create a fit lifestyle!  One of the reasons people are so much more active in the Summer is all of the fun outdoor activities that are available. That doesn’t have to end just because it’s Fall.  Like the beach or hiking? Bundle up and take a walk. Personally, I think Autumn is one of the most beautiful times of year!

Choose active recreation on the weekends to counter the less active time during the week. Recreational activities are a great cross trainer if you are doing more formal gym workouts during the week.  Try turning off screens (computers, TV, phones, etc. ) as much as possible on the weekends!

All it takes is a little bit of planning. Fall is a great time to meet your weight loss/management goals.  Embrace this time of year and all of the fullness it brings!

Please let me know if you have any questions or a tip you’d like to share!

Blessings!

Jennifer