a healthy balance

Lunch + 4pm snack Baked salmon, green beans, cherry tomatoes, orange, Fuji apple…lots of protein and all my favorite foods to make encourage me to eat healthy =) It’s easy to get yourself to eat grains, so try and replace a couple servings with more vegetables as a carb source It feels great to eat simple, clean foods.

I’ve been jetsetting all over the country lately, and it can be hard/annoying to find foods similar to what I eat at home. But this is the most exciting part of my life so far!! This is what I normally try and get:  

1) Breakfast: keeping it simple with oatmeal, fruit, milk, coffee (isn’t the dishware cute?!) No-fail places would be commercial coffee shops (Caribou, Pete’s, Starbucks) or Jamba Juice. I normally ate at my hotel, where I would avoid the pastries like the plague. 

2) Lunch: It’s actually hard to find something without many simple carbohydrates. I found the best healthy restaurant in Madison, Wisconsin (Fit 2 Eat) where I got chicken, roasted vegetables, and a quinoa salad. Check their menu http://www.fit2eatmadison.com/ for ideas! 

3) Dinner: Grilled salmon and some savory vegetables. 

4) Chocolate Chip cookie I walked 2 miles round trip for. You know you want a cookie when you’re willing to walk 20 minutes to Whole Foods to get and 20 minutes home. Note to self: too crunchy, blehhh. 

Travel  Tips 

• search “healthy food” or “healthy restaurant” on yelp 
• be willing to walk to your destinations 
• head to a nearby grocery store to get meals from the deli or hot foods bar
• Really try to stay away from breakfast pastries and muffins which are EVERYWHERE I’ve discovered. If you really want that chocolate marble muffin, then just tell yourself to wait until the last day of your trip to get it. At least that way, you practice going without unhealthy, sugary foods for sometime and exercising a little will power. 
• Don’t be too picky, it will just stress you out more. 
• Enjoy and explore! 
• Try decadent desserts or dishes only if you absolutely cannot get them in your hometown. 

Honestly…there have been dinners comprised of almonds, carrots, and hummus but for the most part, I put in the effort to get something healthy. Also, purchasing most, if not all, of your meals gets pricey. However, sometimes convenience is better than stressing over rationing meals, hoarding food at the breakfast buffet for lunch, and dealing with leftovers. 

Do you have any advice on staying fit and energized while travelling? I could also use some packing advice (especially for shoes!) 

Lunches as of Late…Always have protein, fiber, and carb sources 

• Vegetable Medley 
• Kidney Beans
• Salsa (healthier alternative to salad dressing) 
• Julian Bakery Smart Carb Bread (12 g protein, 13 grams fiber…I know it’s amazing) 
• Green tea 

I pack this to work always everyday along with an afternoon snack. 

What I got at the buffet for lunch! 

Major salad with just balsamic vinegar dressing, lentil soup, and a banana for dessert. 

When heading to a buffet or cafeteria, head straight for the salad bar! This was a little too much fiber in one meal…

California medley with cannellini beans. 

For lunch, I need something I can pack neatly and quickly. Therefore, I throw together frozen vegetables, beans, and spices for a tasty, filling meal. 

Benefits of Cannellini Beans:

• Has 2x the amount of iron as beef! (although iron from animal sources are more easily absorbed by our bodies)
• high in fiber and protein
• thiamin (vitamin B1): good for mental performance 

Vegetable Medley for Lunch. Maybe I should add some salad to make it even more filling. 

Carrots, tomatoes, asparagus, mushrooms, garbanzo beans for protein!!, green beans..honestly I just microwaved a whole bunch of frozen vegetables and added in canned garbanzo beams (no sodium added). Lunch can be that simple, healthy, and pretty!

To make life simpler for me, I’ve decided to eat the same things at each meal all week, and switch it up the next Monday! I will be posting week meal plans soon! 

Lunch: Steamed vegetable medley,tomatoes, seasoning, garbanzo beans, pumpkin seeds, Julian Bakery Smart Carb bread, green tea

Nothing fancy, but still tasty and balanced. This simple meal is packed with fiber, protein, an vitamins and with a bit of healthy fats too! 

This is the main entree for my lunch today. As much as I like salads, vegetable medleys are easier to pack and last without refrigeration. 

Grape tomatoes, butternut squash, green beans, black beands + teaspoon of sugar and sprinkles of cinnamon. 

Packed Lunch and snacks for the day: 

tangelo

Gala apple

Chobani greek yogurt 

oatmeal

Grape tomatos

sweet bell peppers 

Yay for beta-carotenes!