4 Healthy Eating Tips for Busy Schedules

Do you ever feel too busy? Like you are being pulled in several directions at once? Busyness is one of the main barriers to healthy eating. Busyness does not have to keep you from living a healthy lifestyle.

Fall can be a busy season, and it's time for back-to-school season! I loved going back-to-school; yes, I was that kid. I was ready to see my friends every day, meet my new teacher, and learn something new! With new school supplies in hand (or backpack), I was ready.

The preparation for back-to-school was minimal as a kid. Go shopping with Mom for new clothes and shoes. The biggest decision I had to make was color-coding my school supplies for each class. I got matching folders for homework, binders or notebooks, and textbook covers. I remember science was always green. Did y'all do this?

As adults, back-to-school preparation is a whole different ball game. This is true if you are going back to school as an adult, taking college or graduate school courses, or, if you're sending kids back-to-school. To make this transition easier, here are some nutrition tips to ease you into back-to-school season and beat the busyness.

1) Prep ahead.

The morning rush can be just that - rushed! Think about ways you can make the morning less of a frenzy. Can you make tomorrow's breakfast or pack a lunch tonight?

Action steps: Try packing tomorrow's lunch tonight. Try a make-ahead breakfast; I like making granola on the weekend for a quick and easy breakfast.

2) Cook once eat twice.
When you're cooking dinner, think about making a little extra. Then, you can turn last night's leftovers into tomorrow's lunch!

Action step: What recipe can you double to make leftovers?

3) Eat the rainbow.

I like using the MyPlate model to build a healthy lunch. Aim for at least 3 of the 5 different food groups to get a variety of nutrients. Try to include at least one serving of fruit or vegetables every time you eat.

Try to "pack a rainbow." This means packing a colorful lunch, which helps you build a tasty, healthy, and satisfying meal. Colorful food is visually appealing, and helps you avoid a boring desk lunch.

Action step: Pack a colorful meal. Try making a salad or a rice bowl with lots of veggies. Try a spinach wrap instead of a sandwich.

  

4) Pack healthy snacks.

- Snacks are small portions of food that fuel us between meals. We want snacks to be quick, portable, tasty and nutritious! The afternoon lull can tempt us to re-caffeinate or grab a dessert from a vending machine. If you packed a snack, you are prepared to resist the vending machine temptations.

Action steps: Try packing peppers with hummus, fruit salad, veggies and cheese, or peanut butter and fruit for a tasty and satisfying snack.

Are you excited for the new school semester or are you dreading it?

Did you color code your school supplies? Or, is that a type-A personality tendency??
How do you prep for success during busy season?

I'd love to know your thoughts. Comment below or on social media.

For more tips, encouragement, and recipes for a healthy lifestyle, you can follow me on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, and Twitter. 

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Taziki Sauce

Taziki sauce is a creamy, herby, fresh sauce. It's used in Mediterranean dishes. Have you ever tried it?

I love it! The Greek yogurt is super creamy. It's great for dipping veggies (or crudité if you're feeling a bit fancy). It pairs well with meat, rice, spanakopita (recipe to come) and pretty much anything Mediterranean.

Also, I'm definitely using the term "recipe" here lightly. It's such an easy "recipe" that I'm not sure if it qualifies as a "recipe." Anyway, you should definitely make it and enjoy it!

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 0 minutes

Serves: 

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups plain Greek yogurt (I prefer 2% or whole yogurt here for a creamy dip)

¼ cup English cucumber, minced (~1.5 – 2 inches of cucumber)

1 teaspoon dill, minced

1 Tablespoon parsley, minced

The zest of one lemon (optional)

1 teaspoon Lemon juice or apple cider vinegar

1 Tablespoon olive oil

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1 clove garlic, minced

Equipment
Cutting board
Chef's knife
Small mixing bowl
Microplane
Measuring cups
Measuring spoons
Spatula

Instructions

Add Greek yogurt to small mixing bowl. Add cucumber, herbs, lemon zest, lemon juice, olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic. Stir to combine. Cover and refrigerate until needed.

I like to make this at least 30 minutes before serving, so the flavors can mix and meld. This can be made ahead and refrigerated. So, it's great for entertaining or weeknight meals. Enjoy!

For more tips, encouragement, and recipes for a healthy lifestyle, you can follow me on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, and Twitter. 

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Italian Cooking Class

It's time for back-to-school. Since, I've graduated traditional schooling. I opted for back-to-the-kitchen schooling, aka cooking classes!

Have you ever wanted to take a cooking class? I love it! Cooking classes are a fantastic way to learn new skills, try new recipes, and have fun! My motto is always keep learning!

The most recent cooking class that I took focused on Mediterranean food, specifically Italian flavor profiles. This menu was fun and super tasty. It would be a fantastic meal to make for company. You know those company meals that are just a little elevated from everyday weeknight meals. But, it's not too fancy, fussy, or stressful for company.

Here's the menu: homemade spinach and ricotta gnudi, steak and peppers, and peaches with cookies and cream. So delicious!

Let's get started.

We made the gnudi first because the dough will need to rest. Gnudi is a ricotta-based dumpling. It's similar to gnocchi, which is a potato-based dumpling. You can think of gnudi as gnocchi's less-fussy sister. To make gnocchi, you need to cook and cool potatoes. With gnudi, you mix the ingredients together. No extra cooking or cooling time needed. So it's quicker and easier!

We mixed together all the ingredients. Then, we added flour as needed and kneaded the dough. Add flour until the dough isn't sticky. The recipe called for the dough to be chilled for 24 hours, so this would be a great recipe to make on weekend to meal prep. Then, use during the week. During class, we chilled the dough for about 1 hour in the freezer. It worked great!

This was super tasty. The gnudi are pillow-y, cheesy dumplings that are fantastic vehicle to enjoy spinach. The gnudi were coated with sage-infused butter. Yes, please!

Next, we made dessert! We cut the peaches and removed the pit. Leaving half as an edible bowl, a vehicle for the delicious filling. I recommend using slightly firm peaches for the "bowl."

The filling was a combination of peaches, cookies and cream. So, we made peaches and cookies and cream! Such a delicious combination! Peaches and cream were made for each other. And cookies and cream is a classic, childhood favorite of mine.

In the future, I would work on the presentation. It was a delicious tasting, but a bit brown. Next time, I think I'll save some peach slices and add fresh mint to garnish. The whipped cream in the top picture did add a little something to the presentation.

Lastly, we made hanger steak with peppers and onions. 

The entrée was perfectly balanced and seasoned well. The steak was savory and meaty. The peppers added beautiful color and crunch. And, the sautéed onions added a hint of caramelized sweetness. A trifecta for the entrée.

Have you ever taken any cooking classes?
Is there anything you want to learn to cook.

I'd love to hear your thoughts. Feel free to comment below.

For more tips, encouragement, and recipes for a healthy lifestyle, you can follow me on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, and Twitter. 

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