This one’s a quick vegetarian dish that uses some of the things you probably already have prepared in your fridge. I always have sweet potatoes on hand and I also just so happened to have black beans and some extra quinoa leftover from the quinoa bake so I decided to put them together to make a very tasty and meatless wrap. I sprinkled on some goat cheese and dinner was done in under 5 minutes. A perfect weeknight meal. Hopefully this gives you some wrap inspiration. Hope you’re having a wonderful weekend!
I took a barre class this past Saturday at a Pure Barre Studio in Druid Hills and I thought I’d share my experience. I wasn’t going in as a complete newbie. I’ve done barre workouts before (Exhale Core Fusion and Tracey Mallett), but I knew this wasn’t going to be a walk in the park. I was right. I got there about 10 minutes early to fill out some forms and was then taken to a room to store my bags and shoes while I worked out (no shoes allowed).
The class was held in a smaller room, more dimly lit with wall to wall mirrors so you could see your form and of course, wrap around ballet bars. I got the sense that a lot of the people there were regulars but there were a good bit of new people as well. It was a smaller sized class with about 15-20 people. The actual class lasted for 55 minutes including the warm-up/stretch and cool-down. While I did recognize a few of the moves, most of them were completely new to me which I loved. For equipment we used 2 or 3lb hand weights depending on preference, resistance bands, and a small ball. We used the ball pretty much throughout the lower body section and it made the moves much more challenging.
My arms were sore from workouts I had done earlier that week and I thought going into this class that I’d be okay because they’d probably just focus on legs. I was wrong. They hit everything. We worked our arms, abs, quads, calves, and glutes. The instructor would come around and correct form, if need be. She corrected mine a couple of times, which was nice because I feel like I got the most out of the moves and the workout. The music was also spot on. Not distracting or offensive but still motivating. At the end of the class, they had some instructors walk around to the students and gently push us deeper into the stretches. I thought that was a nice touch.
Overall, I thought it was a well-balanced and very challenging workout. I felt it especially in my glutes for the next few days which was awesome! Will I go back, perhaps, but it won’t be too often. The first class for new clients is $15 but after that it’s $23 a pop. The price per class goes down as you commit to more classes, but I don’t want to lock myself in to just barre because I want to take all kinds of fitness classes. Stay tuned for more fitness features!Have you ever tried barre classes or workouts before? If so, tell me what you think about them!
As promised, I’m bringing you guys this coconut quinoa bake recipe. Shamefully, I bought this bag of quinoa from Trader Joe’s months ago and it has just been sitting in the pantry, staring at me every time I plan my meals for the week. Well this week I was determined to use it and I did! I also had to incorporate some of my fave healthy staples into the dish including oven roasted sweet potatoes, pecan smoked, apple and gouda smoked chicken sausage, and spinach. Check out the recipe below:
Ingredients:
3 medium sweet potatoes
Holmes Smokehouse 5 pecan smoked apple and gouda smoked chicken sausage (Publix)
2 bags of 12 oz spinach
3 tablespoons of coconut milk
1 large squash
2 cups of tricolor quinoa
Ground cinnamon
Sea salt
Goat cheese (optional)
Directions:
- Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees.
- While the oven is preheating slice your sweet potatoes. You can slice them in cubes or medallions, whichever way you prefer. See the picture for how I sliced mine.
- Once diced coat two pans with cooking spray, and then spread the sweet potatoes evenly amongst the two.
- Once sweet potatoes are sliced spray them with cooking spray and drizzle one tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil on each pan, sprinkle with cinnamon, and then place them in the oven for 30 minutes.
- Slice the chicken sausage and set aside. After the sweet potatoes have been cooking for 30 minutes, add the sausage on top of the sweet potatoes and cook for 15-20 more minutes.
- Cook the spinach in two tablespoons of olive oil using sea salt and the Olive Garden Garlic and Herb seasoning and set aside.
- Rinse the 2 cups of quinoa in cold water and drain fully before cooking. Bring to a boil with 4 cups of water, 2 tablespoons of coconut milk, and a pinch of sea salt. Once the quinoa has been brought to a boil, lower it to a simmer, cover, and cook until the water is gone. (Follow the instructions on the package if they differ).
- While the quinoa is boiling chop the squash, spray it with cooking spray and season it with Olive Garden’s Garlic and Herb Seasoning.
- Coat a 9×13 inch pan with cooking spray.
- Once the quinoa is done cooking take it out and spread 4 cups of it evenly across the pre-coated pan.
- Take 1 tablespoon of coconut milk and spread it over the first layer of quinoa. Evenly spread all of your spinach, and 1 pan of roasted sweet potatoes and sausage over that first layer.
- Take 3 cups of cooked quinoa and spread it over the sweet potatoes, sausage. Finally add your squash on top and put it in the oven for 15-20 minutes.
- Take out of the oven and keep covered with aluminum foil.
- Serve with a tablespoon of goat cheese sprinkled on top if you like.
This makes a lot so you’ll have food to last you for a while. Try it out and let me know what you think in the comments!
Oh my goodness guys, have I got a treat for you. So a couple of weeks ago after my first day at work, my sister and I went out to a Mexican restaurant for dinner. I ordered this unbelievable seafood quesadilla with tilapia and shrimp and it has been on my mind since. While delicious, I know that it probably wasn’t the healthiest so I set out to make a much healthier but equally yummy version. I’m pretty sure I succeeded. Without further ado I present to you my seafood quesadilla made with jerk tilapia and jerk shrimp, goat cheese, diced red onions, low-fat part skim mozzarella, fresh mangos, and a tiny bit of fresh marinated mozzarella. As usual this dish was pretty quick to make, but oh so incredibly good. It’s my favorite concoction thus far. It’s perfect for my spicy food lovers, my vegetarian friends, and meat-eaters too. Pretty much everyone!
Ingredients:
Medium-sized shrimp
2lb bag of individually wrapped tilapia fillets (I only made 5; the bag has about 10 or so)
1 container pre-diced red onions
Olive Oil
Grace Jerk seasoning, spicy (from Walmart)
Goat Cheese
Low-fat Part skim mozzarella
La Tortilla High Fiber Low Carb Whole Wheat Tortillas (from Publix)
Fresh marinated mozzarella (from Trader Joe’s)
1 mango
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Spray pan with non-stick canola oil
- While the oven is preheating take 1 tablespoon of jerk seasoning and evenly apply to each tilapia fillet (I cooked 5 at once, but feel free to cook as many as you like and adjust cook times accordingly).
- After all of the fillets are covered sprinkle on 1 tablespoon of diced red onions in the center of each fillet.
- Drizzle on olive oil over each fillet (about 1 teaspoon).
- Place fillets in the oven for about 25-30 minutes.
- While the tilapia is baking, remove the tails from shrimp.
- Pour the shrimp into a bowl along with three hearty teaspoons of jerk seasoning and mix together (I used my hands).
- Cook shrimp stovetop for 7-10 minutes at medium-high heat.
- While your shrimp is cooking slice and dice your mango into small cubes and set aside in a bowl.
- Once the tilapia and shrimp are done cooking, begin assembling your quesadilla.
- Cut up one tilapia fillet and take several pieces of shrimp and add them on your tortilla wrap.
- Then add two teaspoons of diced onions, two tablespoons of goat cheese, 1/4 cup of low-fat part skim mozzarella, two tablespoons of diced mangos, and a small chunk of fresh marinated mozzarella (I didn’t measure this but it was probably no more than a tablespoon’s worth).
- Place your open faced tortilla in the oven for 3-5 minutes (or until cheese begins to melt)
- Take out, fold over and slice in half.
- Enjoy!
Have a wonderful weekend!
I love trying new healthy foods but there are certain items that pretty much stay on my grocery list. One because I love them, and two because they’re so versatile. Check out my healthy food must haves below:
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| A few of my must haves |
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Sweet potatoes – The possibilities are endless for a sweet potato. You can stuff it with lean meats or vegetables, make home made fries with it or hummus, or have it as a side with some seafood and a salad. Get crazy!
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Goat cheese – I love goat cheese. If it’s savory, chances are I’m putting goat cheese on it. I use this for egg white omelets, sandwiches, sweet potatoes, pasta dishes, salads, and roasted vegetables.
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Kashi Cereal – I have the same thing for breakfast every morning. A bowl of Kashi cereal. The kind I eat has 10 grams of fiber, 13 grams of protein, and only 160 calories in one serving (1 cup, dry). You just can’t beat that!
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Vanilla Almond Milk – I use this for my cereal every morning. It would also be great for smoothies and as an alternative to dairy milk in muffin recipes.
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Trader Joes Rolled Oats & Chocolate Chips Fiberful Granola Bars – I LOVE THESE BARS! I have one each morning with my bowl of cereal. It has 9 grams of fiber and 120 calories per bar. Add that to the fiber count from my cereal and I’ve already had 19 grams of fiber before 9:30. Most people don’t get that much fiber in an entire day! Did I mention these taste so good?!
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Chicken Sausage – Most of the items on this list I’ve been eating for a while but this is a more recent discovery, and I can’t imagine going without it. You can use it to make a loaded sweet potato, eat it with spaghetti squash, or make a chicken sausage dog.
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Chobani greek yogurt – The people at Chobani know what they’re doing. Their greek yogurts are so decadent and they truly taste like dessert. One serving usually has at least 10 grams of protein. My favorite is pineapple, but I also love apple cinnamon, mango, and their key lime flip.
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Bananas – I love my fruits – pineapple, pomegranate, and peach (pretty much any fruit that starts with a “p” and is a little tart), but bananas are my staple. They’re so simple, and you can eat them in a bazillion different ways. On their own, in smoothies, dipped in dark chocolate to satisfy your sweet tooth, or make some whole grain whole wheat banana bread when they get extra ripe.
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Spinach – You can use spinach as the base of a salmon and goat cheese salad, in a grilled chicken sandwich, a vegetarian lasagna dish, or in a banana pineapple smoothie.
What are your healthy must haves? Tell me below in the comments!
According to a recently published review, that is the difference in cost between the healthiest and unhealthiest diets. That translates to about $550 per year. For lower income families this can present a real challenge to choosing healthier food items, but for others, not as much. When you consider the health implications of an unhealthy diet, like diabetes and heart disease, that amount pales in comparison.Now, I do not presume to know people’s financial situations, and I’ll be the first to acknowledge that choosing a healthier diet can often mean parting with more money, but there are ways to offset these costs. Here are a few things to look into:
How often do you eat out? I’m not just talking about going to sit down restaurants. I’m also talking about going to fast food restaurants or picking up something from the deli section at your grocery store. Often times you’re paying $10, $20, or more for one meal, when that amount of money could have gone towards groceries that would have produced multiple meals.
Plan ahead. This goes hand in hand with eating out. When you don’t plan ahead you find yourself picking up meals at the last minute. If you decide what you’re making for the week, buy the necessary groceries, and make those meals, then there will be no last minute Mickey D’s drive bys.
Are there any farmer’s markets nearby? Farmer’s markets are great for a number of reasons. One, the produce is local, fresh, and often cheap. Two, there is usually a much better selection than what you’d find at a grocery store.
Buy in bulk and freeze. Pretty self-explanatory. If you see a good deal on bell peppers (and there’s no limit per customer), buy as many as you want and freeze the ones you’re won’t immediately use.
These are just a few of the suggestions I could think of to help make a healthier diet more accessible. Do you all have any more ideas on how to offset the costs of healthy eating? Share them in the comments!
A few years ago when I was looking for a simple, straightforward book about healthy eating, I came across Eat, Drink, and Be Healthy by Walter Willett. I’m so glad that I did. This book is filled with solid advice based on tons of peer-reviewed scientific research. And if you care about credentials, which you should when it comes to your health, Willett’s are top notch. He’s not your next-door neighbor who lost 30 pounds by going on a cabbage diet, and then decided to write a weight loss book. He’s chairman of the Department of Nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health and a professor of epidemiology with an MD and a DrPH (doctor of public health).
This book gives it to you straight, talking about the things we do and don’t need for our body to function optimally. In the first chapter, Willett states that a healthy diet, regular exercise, and not smoking can eliminate 80 percent of the cases of heart disease in the US and the majority of cancer cases. Think about that for a second. That’s huge! This is empowering because these are factors that we have some control over.
Key points from the book:
- You weigh what you weigh because of your diet, your genes, your lifestyle, and your culture.
- Where you store fat can affect your risk for certain diseases. Fat around the chest and waist may be more problematic than fat around the hips and thighs.
- Learn to be a defensive eater (e.g. slow down when you’re eating, practice putting the fork down before you feel stuffed, and against your parent’s warnings spoil your appetite before meals – you may end up eating less).
- When in doubt go Mediterranean (plenty of veggies, moderate amounts of whole grains, and minimal red meat)
- Not all fats are created equally. Some fats are better for you (e.g. monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats), while some fats are bad for you (e.g. saturated and trans fat).
- Slight Tangent: Food products that contain less than 0.5 grams of trans fat are allowed to list their trans fat content as 0 on nutrition labels. Sneaky bastards, right?
- Tip: Check the ingredients on the label and look for “partially hydrogenated oils.” These are the primary sources of trans fat in our diets. If you see it listed, drop the item, and slowly back away.
- Good news: The FDA is currently considering banning partially hydrogenated oils from food. Until then though, check the labels!
- Tangent Over
Avoid the refined, snooty carbs. You want your carbs unpolished because these types offer more fiber and nutrients, and have been linked to a lower risk for many diseases including heart disease and diabetes.
Eat the rainbow when it comes to fruits and vegetables. More colors mean more nutrients.
For anyone wanting to know about the basics of healthy eating, I highly recommend this book. It contains a lot of useful information on everything from nut consumption to choosing a multivitamin. At the end it also has a list of several healthy recipes to try.
You can get it from Amazon or check it out from your local library. Let me know if this review was particularly helpful and I’ll try to do more of them. Enjoy your weekend!