bytes4health

It’s been my experience, both personally and professionally, that the key to eating well is pretty simple: Have good, basic food in your fridge and cupboards at all time !  Have it be things that you like, that you can prepare healthfully in a reasonable amount of time.

I know this sounds a little too simple, but a common thing I hear is “I eat out too often” or “I buy a lot of prepared food”.   That eating out (or eating take out!) can be the culprit to your increasing waistline and dwindling bank account.  When you prepare your food, you get to make all the critical choices:  how much fat, how much sodium, how much sugar how much…how much!

How many times have you opened your fridge or cupboards only to see a lonely jar of mustard or a stale loaf of bread staring back at you?  Not much of a meal (or even a snack!) can come from that!  I know, I’ve been there.  Every Friday night to be exact!  By Friday night, my cupboards are usually bare!  My husband, 3 kids and I have eaten, packed and snacked all the food in the house.  The easy solution is to eat out, right?

But, eating out should be a choice, not a necessity.

So now my husband or I hit the grocery store(s) a second time, mid week, to restock our kitchen.  Here are a few good things we find  to be helpful and healthy to have around:

• plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables that can be eaten raw or incorporated into meals to add a good crunch or sweetness
• skinless chicken breasts or thighs.  I know chicken can get boring..but it you plan ahead a bit, you can marinate the chicken overnight in a homemade low sodium, low fat, flavorful marinade.
• whole grains such as barely, quinoa, wheatberries, oats, etc.  They can used with veggies for a complex carbohydrate side dish.  Stay away from the overly processed white rices and pastas.
• fish steaks or fish fillets.  They’re so versatile and healthful.
• lean beef:  I especially love the grass-fed beef from Jennings Farm (http://www.thejenningsfarm.com)
• eggs
• an array of interesting herbs and spices both fresh and dried.  It’s easy to get creative when you have these on hand.
• dried fruits such as cranberries, dates, prunes, cherries, raisins can dress up a salad or a chicken/fish/beef dish
• an array of raw nuts without salt.  They can be toasted and added to all kinds of dishes. They are also great, by themselves, as  snack
• garlic and onions (come on, I’m Italian(-American))
• olive oil, grape seed oil, walnut oil, etc…talk about changing up flavors!
• almond meal (great substitute for overly processed flours) (available at Trader Joes!) (see Healthy Recipes for some ideas)
• popcorn (and not microwave):  a great low cal snack

And now that you’ve eaten in and saved all that money, you can go out and buy those fabulous shoes you’ve had your eye on!