Countdown to Summer -- Week 4

This week's task is to get you cooking at home and PLANNING YOUR MEALS, which I think is the cornerstone to successful weight management. Without a plan, you plan to fail. That is so true when you're looking at your diet as a whole.

This week we are looking at planning for lunch. Hopefully, most of you left the house this morning with a plan for your midday meal and your snacks, but if not, I am here to help!

Many of my busy professional clients eat right through lunch at their desk, which is not so great for the psyche, but makes it easy to keep things healthy. If you tend to eat out for lunch everyday and you're trying to get ready for bikini season, the simple act of bringing your lunch will yield quick and noticeable results.

As with all of your meals and snacks, your lunch should be nutrient rich and include high fiber carbs, healthy fats and lean protein. The meal should only be large enough to get you through to your mid-afternoon snack, so keep it simple.

Here are a few of my favorite lunches, plus some links to great ideas online:

• Tuna, turkey or chicken salad sandwich made with light mayo on 100% whole grain bread (add baby spinach or romaine leaves for crunch and sliced tomatoes), enjoy with 1 cup grapes
• Combine canned salmon with 1 Tbsp light mayo and 1 Tbsp fat free plain yogurt, chopped celery, capers and salt and pepper. Serve half of mixture on a bed of salad greens; enjoy with a whole wheat pita or crusty whole grain baguette.

Some great online lunch recipes:

• Bulgar salad with grapes and feta cheese
• Soba Noodle salad
• Chopped Salad for One
• California Veggie Wrap
• Asian Turkey Wraps

You can get really creative with lunch, or just use leftovers from dinner -- stuff stir fry into a whole wheat pita, roll chili into a low carb wrap or add leftover grilled salmon to baby greens. Use lunch as an opportunity to get in some fruits and veggies. Have fruit for your side dish, add baby spinach or shredded carrots to sandwiches and add no-cook toppings to salads like canned corn or beans, roasted red peppers, artichoke hearts, baby carrots and sliced strawberries.

Meal planning is easy once you make it a habit.

Please feel free to contact me if you need some help -- that's what I'm here for!

Good luck this week!

In Season: Asparagus

Nothing says Spring better than Asparagus! In season, inexpensive, and easy to make -- now is the time to add these long stemmed delights to your grocery list and your dinner table.

Varieties: Asparagus comes in three colors: green, white, and purple. Most common is the long green kind. The white asparagus are grown totally underground and the purple grow with just their tips an inch or two above the earth. The flavor is about the same for all types, but the purple and white variety are sometimes less sweet and less stringy than the green.

How to pick: Look for bunches with firm stalks and tightly closed lids. The stem should be uniformly green from top to bottom and asparagus with large white ends should be avoided. Fresh asparagus has no odor at the tips — old asparagus has a strong and unpleasant odor. Store in the fridge with the stem ends wrapped in a moist paper towel for up to 3 days. To trim, cut off or snap ends.

Loaded with: Antioxidants, Vitamins A and C, potassium; high in fiber and low in calories.

How to prepare: Below are some quick, easy ideas for serving asparagus tonight!

• Brush with olive oil, salt and pepper and lightly grill, broil or roast -- then sprinkle with fresh grated Parmesan cheese
• Create an asparagus stir fry with green and red peppers
• Whip up an asparagus omelet with spring onions
• Blanch and serve as an appetizer with yogurt dip or hummus
• Steam and coat with your favorite vinaigrette salad dressing
• Blanch and wrap in smoked salmon or prosciutto
  
• Peel asparagus into ribbons and serve over spaghetti with shaved Parmesan
  

What’s your favorite way to enjoy fresh asparagus?

15 Secrets to Eating Out

Countdown to a Healthy Summer -- Week 3

This week I'm tackling how to eat out successfully. This advice is for those of you who eat out regularly and need to adopt some strategies for healthier and lower calorie eating.

How to order:

1. Choose lean meats and fish that are baked, poached, broiled, or steamed
2. Choose foods that do the portion-control for you (i.e., soup, small plates/tapas or appetizers)
3. Avoid beverages other than water -- no calories in your drinks!
4. Avoid fried foods
5. Sub-out high fat or large portion rice, pasta and other grains for double-veggies or a side salad
6. Limit or avoid alcohol
7. Order salad dressings on the side so you can control amount used; use dip and stab method
8. Order burgers and sandwiches with sauces/dressings on the side, or not at all
9. Skip cheese on sandwiches, burgers and salads
10. Order salmon or grilled chicken entree salads as your meal
    

Simple Strategies:

1. Order first! Don't let others influence your decision
2. Check out the options online first, know what you're going to order before you get there (don't even open the menu!)
3. Don't come hungry; plan a snack 1-2 hours before the meal
4. Eat your veggies/salad first -- eat lowest calorie to highest calories
5. Eat bread plain -- don't soak it in seasoned oil or butter -- this alone can save you 100's of calories!

I worked on an article with Jennifer Huget of The Washington Post last week where we gave tips on healthy, low calorie lunch options at the "company cafe." Check out my suggestions here.

Next week, we'll focus on meal planning and at-home eating! Fast and simple recipes using 3-5 ingredients.

The Countdown Continues...Week 2

Now that your pantry and cupboards are cleaned free of all things processed and otherwise unhealthy, it's time to tackle....your fridge. The first line of defense in the battle of the bulge.

The refrigerator can be a trigger for mindless eating. Especially if the first thing you see is leftover pizza, Jell-O pudding cups and other nefarious items.

A well-stocked fridge is a healthy fridge. A healthy fridge is a healthy you.

Here are some tips:

Take Stock. Once per month, clean your fridge. Wipe it down with a disinfectant and assess "best by" labels.

Shop Wisely and Frequently. Americans waste over $10/week on food that has spoiled or gone bad. Plan meals each week and shop from a list. Think about your schedule. Don't buy a cart full of fresh fruit and veggies if you know you're going to be out 3-4 nights that week and won't be making dinner.

Think Light. Much of what's in our fridge is from the dairy case. When choosing items like milk, sour cream, cottage cheese, butter, and yogurt choose light instead of fat free. Light versions taste similiar to their full fat cousins and can be substituted in recipes with little difference in taste. Condiments such as salad dressing and mayo are best done light as well.

Lower the Sodium. Dairy foods and cold cuts can be very high in sodium and combined with lunch at Chipotle can add up over the course of the day. Minimize sodium intake at home by choosing reduced sodium condiments and deli meats.

Hide the Desserts. Out of sight, out of mind. Avoid temptation and hide those high fat indulgences in tupperware or in the crisper drawer. Keep healthy snacks in plain sight like salsa or hummus for veggies, and vanilla yogurt for fruit.

Think Ahead. Adopt a habit of making one extra serving at dinner and get it prepped and ready to take for your lunch the next day. Don't wait until the morning of to think about what's for lunch.

Filter Water. Keep a water-filtered pitcher in your fridge at all times. Most people prefer the taste of filtered water over tap and filtering it yourself is far less expensive than buying bottled (and you can reduce your carbon footprint). For a little something extra, add a wedge of fresh lemon, lime, orange or other citrus, like pink grapefruit or tangerine.

Next week we'll look at what you're doing when you eat away from home when we uncover the secrets to eating out!

Enjoy your weekend and have a happy Easter!

Countdown to a Healthy Summer

It's official. Summer is less than 12 weeks away. Are you ready for tank tops, bikinis and short skirts?

No? Then, let's get started.

Welcome to the first installment of my Countdown to a Healthy Summer series.

Week 1: Spring Cleaning the Pantry

Start the week off right with a pantry raid. Get organized. Rid your pantry (and your life) of processed, low nutrient foods that are getting in the way of you getting healthy.

A well-stocked pantry is the secret to getting and staying healthy. Having everything you need on hand to whip up a quick and healthy meal is the goal for this week. Below are basic pantry staples that should be stocked in your kitchen at all times. These foods are the foundation for most of the healthy recipes you find in magazines and cookbooks.

Oils, Vinegars & Condiments
Oils: extra-virgin olive oil, canola oil, cooking spray
Flaxseed oil
Toasted sesame oil
Vinegars: cider, red-wine, balsamic, rice
Dijon mustard
Organic Ketchup
Light mayonnaise
Reduced-sodium soy sauce
Prepared pesto
Salsa
Hot sauce
Sun-dried tomatoes (not in oil)

Seasonings
Salt
Black pepper
Dried herbs and spices: ground cumin, cayenne pepper, chili powder, crushed red pepper, rosemary, thyme leaves, oregano, Italian seasoning blend, tarragon leaves, ground cinnamon, ground ginger, lemon pepper
Vanilla extract

Canned Goods & Bottle Items
Canned tomatoes, (diced, whole, sauce, and tomato paste)
Marinara sauce
Reduced-sodium broths (chicken, beef, veggie)
Canned beans: cannellini, black, kidney, chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
Canned lentils
Chunk light tuna in water (Tongol)
Canned salmon
Artichoke hearts in water
Roasted red peppers in water
Black olives
Capers
Mandarin oranges

Grains & Bread
Assorted sizes whole-wheat pasta
Precooked brown rice (Uncle Ben's & Trader Joes)
Rice - Brown Basmati, wild, white long grain
Whole-wheat couscous
Regular and quick-cooking barley
Oats - Instant/quick cooking & old fashioned rolled
Plain breadcrumbs

Sweeteners & Baking
Whole-wheat flour, whole-wheat pastry flour, buckwheat flour
All-purpose white flour
Baking powder
Baking soda
Quick-rising yeast
Cornstarch
Dark and light brown sugar
Granulated sugar
Honey
Dark chocolate (60-70% cocoa, bittersweet)
100% real maple syrup

Nuts, Seeds & Dried Fruit
Dry roasted, unsalted walnuts, pecans, almonds (can store in freezer)
Dried apricots, dates, cranberries, raisins
Peanut butter (natural)
Ground flaxseed (store in fridge)
Sesame seeds (can store in freezer)

In the Freezer
Unsweetened frozen fruit (blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, sliced peaches)
Artichoke hearts
Broccoli
Corn and peas
Lima beans and succotash mixes
Pureed winter squash
Shelled edamame
Chopped Spinach
Large uncooked shrimp
Pre-portioned meats and fish (chicken breast, salmon, white fish)
Turkey meatballs and turkey burgers
Brown rice

NEXT WEEK, we'll turn up the volume on refrigerated and fresh foods!