Quick Lunches

I recently had someone in my fitness challenge group ask me for healthy, quick lunch ideas. So here you go! This was my reply: 

Thank you so much for posting a question about grab and go lunches! I found a good website link to send your way, but I thought it would also be great to share with all of you.

Here it is:
http://www.cookinglight.com/food/everyday-menus/brown-bag-lunches-00412000077398/page16.html

I think the wraps all look good and you can alter the ingredients based on your dietary needs. I also suggesting trying to use leftovers in any of these. I'll purposely cook up extra chicken at dinner time to use in my lunch the next day. Pulled pork also makes for a great addition to any of these lunch ideas.

I also like the black bean salad and the orzo salad. I'm not a fan of tofu so I'd probably omit that from the black bean salad. You could make up a batch of either one of these to have on hand for the rest of the week. They'd pack up nicely in a mason jar or plastic container. What's nice is the salads can be eaten cold or room temperature.

Also an idea I've seen a lot is mason jar salads. I would use a larger mason jar with a wide mouth but leave extra space so that when you add the salad dressing you can shake it up to mix it around.

Or, I like to pack a salad in a plastic container with a lid and then put the right amount of salad dressing in a snack size zipper bag. Place the bag of dressing on top of your salad, and seal up the plastic container until you're ready to eat it. Then when it's time to eat, you cut off the end corner of the bag and squeeze the dressing right on top of your salad. It keeps the lettuce and other salad ingredients from getting all soggy. My sister showed me this idea and it's one I've been using ever since then!

Do any of you have additional ideas for quick & easy lunches??? If so, please share them!

13 Brown-Bag Lunches

We're dishing up new brown-bag classics for your lunch hour. Find 13 healthy recipes to add to your lunchtime repertoire.

WWW.COOKINGLIGHT.COM

Planning to Eat Healthy

Here's a great nutrition tip if you're trying to watch your calories. I use the MyFitness Pal app to plan out my ENTIRE day of eating the night before...especially when I'm subbing. Now that might seem a little overwhelming for some of you, but it's the only way to at least set yourself up for success. It really only took me about 15 minutes including packing all of the food in my lunchbox. Today starts a 3 week subbing job for me, so I know that I need to be super disciplined about planning out my meals otherwise I'll be too tempted to go to the school cafeteria and buy a cookie or slice of pizza. And believe me...It is WAY too tempting for me because the cafeteria is only 4 doors down from me and they bake cookies fresh every day. Killer!!!! I've attached a few screen shots of what my day looks like. I made a fritatta the night before for breakfast and had my Shakeology. Then for lunch it's leftovers from this amazing chicken bake recipe that I found, and cauliflower crust pizza for dinner.
The best part about this is while it might seem pretty regimented, I still have a little wiggle room at the end of the day if I need an extra snack or boost of energy. Happy Friday!!!

My breakfast recipe can be found here:http://www.teambeachbody.com/eat-smart/recipe/-/rcp/332312041/

My lunch and dinner recipes can be found here:http://melaniemitro.blogspot.com/p/eat-clean-recipes.html

Almost Clean Eating Taco Salads

This recipe might not be 100% clean eating, but it's still pretty close, and my kids actually ate it!
Here are the two most important things that you need:

Taco shell molds (As Seen on TV)
I found these molds at Walgreens of all places, and they have changed the way I think of taco salads. I love the crunchiness it adds when you bake up your tortillas.

and Brooks Chili and Beans

The rest of the ingredients are still pretty basic when it comes to tacos: whole wheat tortillas, lean ground beef, turkey, or chicken, chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, salt, pepper, lettuce, tomato, and guacamole - avocado, minced garlic, and lime juice.

I started by preheating my oven and followed the directions for crisping up my tortillas. Then I continued by browning up the ground meat in a large pan and draining any fat, which there really wasn't any in mine. Then to the pan, I added the entire can of Brooks Chili and Beans, 1 tablespoon of chili powder, 1/2 tablespoon both of cumin and garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper. I let this simmer for about 10 minutes on low or until it thickened up a little bit. While that was simmering, I prepared the toppings - chopping the lettuce and tomatoes, and making the
guacamole. My guacamole recipe has three ingredients: 1 avocado, 1 garlic clove, minced, and the
juice of half of a lime. I mash up the avocado in a bowl using a fork, stir in the garlic and lime juice, and that's it!

Here are a few pictures of my finished taco salad. It was delicious!

 

Almost Clean Eating Taco Salad
6 whole wheat tortillas (approx. 130 calories each)
1 pound lean ground beef
1-15.5 ounce can Brooks Chili and Beans
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/2 tablespoon cumin
1/2 tablespoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 head of romaine lettuce, chopped
1 medium tomato, diced
1 avocado
1 clove garlic, minced
Juice of 1/2 of a lemon

Makes 6 servings

Surviving a Holiday Weekend

Happy Friday everyone! With this weekend being Easter, I've been trying to plan on how I can eat healthy. These are the things that I'm doing that I thought I'd share with all of you, just in case you might be in the same boat. My suggestion, is if you're going to someone's house, offer to bring something and make it a healthy choice. I'm going to my mother in law's house, and I'm bringing a green salad. I'm going to make the salad recipe found on this website: http://www.sheknows.com/food-and-recipes/articles/988289/4-side-dish-recipes-for-your-easter-dinner
My plan is to fill up half my plate with salad leaving less room for the high in sodium ham and fatty (but oh-so-delicious) cheesy potatoes!
Here are a few other tips on how you can eat healthy this holiday weekend that I found:
1. Start with a real breakfast. I mean a healthy one!!! Make sure to load up on nutrients and fiber. I suggest Shakeology since it has all of that!!! Myshakeology.com/melaniesawdey has all the info!
2. Drink plenty of water. Try to drink a full glass of water before you eat. It'll help fill you up before you might indulge on anything that's not so good for you.
3. Eat your veggies!!! The fiber in veggies will also help fill you up so you're less likely to over eat.
4. Serving sizes matter. Fill half your plate with veggies, one quarter with grains and one quarter with protein.
5. Enjoy bread, dessert, and candy last: After you've filled up on veggies and protein, then enjoy the bread and butter, Peeps, jellybeans, or chocolate-covered caramels. While it's tempting to inhale five or six candies in one sitting, slow down and thoroughly savor each bite.

My last tip is don't beat yourself up if you don't eat healthy. Just make sure it's one cheat meal, not a whole day's worth of cheating.

All of these tips were found at this website:http://www.fitsugar.com/Tips-Eating-Healthier-Easter-22552693

Slow Cooker Chicken and Vegetable Soup

About every week or so I make homemade soup for my husband's lunch. This week's soup is chicken vegetable soup. I love that I was able to make the whole thing in my slow cooker. I happened to have just made a whole chicken for company the night before, so I used the remaining bones with some of the meat left on it to make the broth and soup. I hope you enjoy it as much as I know he will!

Ingredients:
1 whole chicken with some meat remaining for flavor, or about 4-5 left over chicken bone pieces
1-2 cups leftover chicken, diced
2 carrots, diced
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
1 medium onion, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
14 1/2 ounce can or jar of stewed tomatoes
(I had about a 14-15 ounce jar of tomatoes I canned this summer)
2 cups of any frozen vegetables of your choice: mixed vegetables, green beans, corn, peas
1 teaspoon parsley
1 teaspoon sage
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

The day before making the soup:
1. Put leftover whole chicken or meaty bone pieces in slow cooker.
2. Sprinkle with about 1/2 teaspoon of salt.
3. Cover with water and set on low for 8-10 hours.
4. Remove chicken bones.
5. Let the broth cool down to room temperature and store in the refrigerator.

The next day:
1. Skim the fat from the top of the broth.
2. Place the broth, chicken, vegetables, and seasonings in the slow cooker.
3. Cover it and cook on low for 8 hours.
4. Enjoy!

Optional: add 1-2 cups small cut pasta the last hour of cooking