Quick and Easy Lunch Ideas (PART ONE!)

Several weeks ago my cousin Cheryl asked me for some ideas on easy, portable, high protein/low carb/high fiber lunches that she could pack for her lunches. I'm someone who packs a lunch every single day so I knew I could help!

The first thing I suggest is to picture the new logo from ChooseMyPlate.gov. It doesn't have to be laid out exactly like the actual plate in the logo, but you should try to include each of these components in your lunch.

Source: ChooseMyPlate.gov

Ok, so now you have that picture in mind, now it's time to pack a lunch!



Think portable fruits and vegetables (the more you eat, the better, especially non-starchy relish tray-type vegetables)

• Apples, oranges, pears, clementines, bananas, berries

• Cherry tomatoes, baby carrots, cucumbers

Source: iStockPhoto

Think about dips for your fruits and veggies (you can eat them raw, but dips may help entice you to actually eat them!)

• Hummus (savory, sweet ,or untraditional), bean dip (both have fiber and protein)

• Homemade ranch dressing (use a ranch dressing dry powder packet and mix it into some high protein plain Greek yogurt)

• Nut butters (have protein and fat to keep you full)

Think portable dairy or dairy alternatives (for some protein and calcium). They will last in your lunch box for about 4 hours, as long as it's insulated.

• Greek yogurt or regular yogurt (buy plain if you are watching your weight, then add fruit or unsweetened cocoa powder for flavor)

• Soy yogurt
• String cheese
• Low fat sliced cheese for a sandwich

Think portable grain

• Granola (make your own or buy it, look for 5-10 grams protein)

• Quinoa salad (for more great quinoa recipes, buy this book!)

• Whole wheat bread sandwiches (choose a higher protein bread, if you can, with more than 5 grams protein)

• Whole wheat tortilla roll-ups (use low-sodium deli meat, nut butters, hummus or other bean dips, refried beans, anything!)
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Think portable protein (always get some good protein in your lunch, about 20-30 grams. Keep in mind that some of your 20-30 grams protein can be found in the dairy and grain products listed above).

• Nutritional yeast (sprinkle it on vegetables, salads, tortilla wraps, soups, whatever!)

• Beef jerky (I know, loaded with sodium, but every once in a while it's ok to have some high protein jerky!)

• Hard-boiled eggs (one of my favorite lunch components. I'll admit, I like to eat them with mustard! You can also add these to salads, or mix them with Greek yogurt and some spices to make egg salad)

• Tuna (eat it out of a pouch, add it to a salad or wrap, or make it into tuna salad)

• Tempeh (the name might sound unfamiliar, but this cultured soybean is easy to use and quite tasty, especially when turned into sloppy joes)

• Edamame (such an easy source of healthy protein. I suggest the frozen kind. Just steam and eat! I put them in little containers and just eat them with a spoon, or my hand...)
  

• Walnuts and almonds (add them to tuna salad, or snack mixes with cereal and dried fruit, or just eat them by the handful).

• Protein bars are another option. You could could most bars as a grain and a protein, since many of them are more like meal replacements. Look for at least 10 grams of protein, and 12 grams or less sugar.

Want more ideas? Check out Susan's blog (another RD) to see what she packs in her lunch! And, stay tuned for part two of this post, which will discuss some more tips on packing healthy, portable lunches.

Question: What's your favorite thing to pack in your lunch? More ideas would be helpful!

Summer Breakfast and Summer Reading

For the past two years my breakfast has included a bowl of oatmeal with yogurt, pumpkin (or berries, or sweet potato), and almond butter. Even last summer I couldn't give up my hot oatmeal breakfast. This summer, however, I have finally given up the hot oats and have switched to a cooler, higher protein breakfast......

Every morning, after my coffee (I'm down to only 2 cups, or about 250mg caffeine!!!) and my workout, I grab a bowl and load it with the following; ~1 cup plain Greek yogurt and regular yogurt (combined), ~ 1/2 cup frozen blueberries or fresh strawberries, ~ 1/4 cup homemade granola, ~ 1 T unsweetened cocoa powder and 1 packet natural, calorie and sugar-free sweetener.

Delicious. This keeps me full for a couple hours, and I look forward to it just as much as my oats!

I believe the key to a good breakfast is to include about 10-20 grams of protein, some whole grains, and a fruit or vegetable (hmmmm, sounds like MyPlate, right?!). But of course, anything is better than nothing (well, maybe...), so if you aren't eating breakfast I encourage you to start small, and build up to a nice hearty and healthy breakfast. Do you know how long it takes me to throw together the above creation? About 3 minutes. No excuses.

QUESTION: Have you changed your breakfast lately? Or, have you been eating the same thing for a while now?

Are you a reader? I didn't used to be, but over the last three or four years I've probably read over fifty books (for me, that's unheard of). Summertime is a great opportunity to grab a great book, sit outside with some cold iced tea and relax. I recently read this book;

This book kept me entertained, which is always an indication of a good book (my ADD kicks in if the book is boring and uninteresting). It's about two sisters who have quite an interesting, yet loving relationship. Their mom passed away several years ago and there is some speculation that their father had something to do with her death. The sisters now live far apart from one another but Thanksgiving and their ill father brings them together for a couple weeks. While the situation is quite awkward at first, it ends up being a very memorable holiday. Overall I rate this book a 7.5 out of 10. It was a quick read with a unique story and well-developed characters.

Two other books I've read this summer include Speak No Evil and The Swimming Pool. Click on the links to read more about them. Currently I'm reading Gaining, which is about life after eating disorders. I'm learning more about myself and my past than I ever could have imagined. I have shed a few tears and had a few epiphanies along the way. I plan on writing an autobiography one day, because I think it would be good therapy for me to write out my whole life story. I never thought my story was very unique, but I'm finding that it actually is. I mean, a dietitian with a history of an eating disorder?! Come on! And, you'll soon find out that my becoming a dietitian actually helped me escape my ED. At first it fueled it, but in the end, it was a lifesaver.

QUESTION: Do you have any suggestions for some good summer (or anytime!) books?

Party Time!

I hope everyone had a nice Fourth of July! Ours was relaxing. We didn't do much since we were still exhausted from parties on Saturday and Sunday night, but we did manage to see some of our local fireworks from our front yard (after Nick played a round of golf with his friends). We also hung out with my parents for a while and did a lot of wedding talk. I'm already stressed, but also extremely excited.

Check out our garden! That's a lot of butternut squash, cantaloupe and spinach. I hope it all turns out. It's definitely thriving in this hot and rainy summer weather.


I really think the true reason Nick and I have parties is so we have an excuse to get our house and yard in tip-top shape.


These pictures don't do our yard much justice, but it looked amazing, and I have to give Nick all the credit! He kicked butt getting the yard together.



And of course there is no party in Columbus without an OSU cornhole set. Is cornhole a mid-western thing? It may be, but look it up, it's fun.



If you've ever thrown a party before, you know that it's always better to have too much food and drinks, as apposed to not enough. Just like last year, we were way overstocked, but this will definitely not go to waste.....

MARGARITA!!

Our friend is a bartender and he created this by mixing a standard margarita mix (which already included tequila...) with more tequila and about a half liter of Sprite. It was a huge hit, FYI.

I stuck to my new favorite beer; Bud Light Golden Wheat. Of course, after Saturday night I think I'll be taking a break from this drink for a while. Ugh.



We had the food catered, and many of my friends and family also brought some sides. We had pulled pork, roasted chicken, coleslaw, watermelon salad, pasta salad, and a relish tray with hummus. I made baked beans and brownies (no, not bean brownies, although those taste really good too!).

Like the big loser I am, I went around and took pictures of people's plates that were loaded with half veggies/fruit like the new USDA guidelines suggest. Here are some examples in case you were wondering how it's done during a summertime cookout (I was very lenient, obviously);

Half plate with beans and raw veggies.

Half plate with beans, coleslaw, and zucchini (in the pasta salad).

Half plate with raw veggies, coleslaw, zucchini and beans.

And what about Nick's plate? He looks guilty....

Well, he may not have had half of his plate filled with veggies/fruit, but his sandwich was a classic summertime creation; whole wheat bun, pulled pork and coleslaw. Now that's how it's done!

Random picture of my cousin and me.

And evidence that I am truly a "green" girl, I made everyone put their name on their cups so they would only use one. This worked well.



The party went on pretty late as we sat by the fire in our new fire pit. This fire pit was perfect and we are hoping to use it more throughout the year. I roasted about four marshmallows....so tasty.

QUESTION: Did everyone have a nice Fourth??