How to Meal Prep for Week Night Dinners!

Are you a very busy person and have a hard time putting together nutritious dinners fast on week nights? Do you turn to convience foods and fast food to just to grab a quick dinner and get on with the day? We can change that! Making a nutritious dinner for you and your family, or roommate if you're a college student like me, doesn't have to take hours to prepare. Making home cooked meals saves you money, and can become a family activity every one can take part in. Kids are more likely to eat and try new things if they help make the food and know how it is prepared. This could be the end of a picky eater! Another thing that helps assure you're eating more nutritious foods and getting family time is eating dinner around a table together at the same time. Step away from the TV and the couch and enjoy a meal together. Enjoy each other's coompany and converstation and help each other make healthy choices together.

Here is your 1 week meal plan, complete with entrees, along with great sides that will accopany the main dishes. Most of the meals can be prepped ahead of time and sit in the fridge or the freezer until it's ready to be cooked and ate.

Recipes are in the links provided

Day1- Spicy Turkey Meat Loaf with Ketchup Topping

http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/spicy-turkey-meat-loaf-with-ketchup-topping

Meatloaf can be made ahead of time and popped in the oven when going to eat. Doesn’t have to be made the day before eating! 

Vegetable- Sauteed Zucchini and Yellow sSquash. Slice zucchini and squash (can be done ahead of time), season with desired seasonings and saute with olive oil until translucent over medium heat

Starch- Garlic mashed potatoes

http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/garlic-mashed-potatoes-6

Although they cannot be made ahead of time, simple and easy prep

Day 2- Black Bean Burger

http://theroadtobeinganrd.blogspot.com/2016/08/meal-prep-for-busy-days.html

Double recipe for 4 burgers

Can be made ahead of time and stored in the fridge or freezer till use

Fries can be made and cooked with burgers are cooking.

Day 3- Chicken Taco Salad

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ree-drummond/chicken-taco-salad.html

Chicken can be cooked ahead of time, along with the vegetables being cut and prepared. Dressing can be made ahead of time as well. Left over beans and corn from the burgers can also be thrown on the salad.

Pair with baked tortilla chips and salsa

Day 4- Sweet Orange Salmon with Steamed Green Beans and Brown Rice

http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/sweet-orange-salmon

Spices for the salmon can be combined and set aside ahead of time and then rubbed onto the fish before cooking

Green beans can be trimmed ahead and stored in a refrigerator, and while fish is cooking, rice can be made. If salmon isn’t your favorite, any fish can be substituted

Day 5- Crock Pot Pot Roast

http://www.food.com/recipe/to-die-for-crock-pot-roast-27208

Throw everything into the pot before work and come home to a meal waiting for you!

  

All of the entrees can be prepped ahead of time and stored in the fridge or freezer until use. Maybe make this a sunday afternoon activity for the whole family! 

How Not to Over Indulge at Weekend Gatherings

The summer is a time of many family gatherings and cook-outs with friends; at least it is if you have a big family like mine. At such gatherings, there is normally a vast variety of appetizers, potato and pasta salads, and loads and loads of desserts. My family loves to cook, and of course, we love to eat! I love and hate going to the parties sometimes because I know I will have a lot of fun seeing my family and hanging out, but most of the time I over indulge. However, I have gotten better at choosing the most nutritious foods to eat there, without feeling like crap after! And that is what I want to help you with now.

First, lets start with the appetizer table

I love appetizers, however, they can be meal spoilers. When you eat too much of the snacky foods, you won't have enough room for the main course or dessert, but will still over-stuff yourself. When conquering the appetizer table I recommend staying away from eating too much of the baked, decadent dips with chips and greasy snacks that will leave feeling sticky and too full, and try to munch on mixed nuts, vegetable and hummus tray, fresh salsa and fruit. All of these snacks, and ones like them. will provide protein. This will satisfy some of your hunger, but leave room for the main dishes while providing vitamins and minerals which our body needs for growth and repair, and heart-healthy fats that can protect against heart disease and other issues. Stick with the colorful appetizers and your body will thank you!

The main dishes

This is where it can get tricky sometimes, but it doesn't have to be! When selecting which meat you're going to enjoy, go for what's grilled and have the sauces on the side. When the sauce is on the side, you can control how much you're having, rather than having so much sauce so that it ends up on your face! Grilling the meat helps to drain the fat off of it so you're cutting the calorie and fat content without sacrificing flavor. Pasta salad and potato salad can either be really nutritious, or packed with fat. Go for the salads that have an oil based dressing, rather than mayo or cream based. The oil in the dressing gives us healthy fats, and allows for more flavor of the ingredients to shine through. Lastly, green salads. Choose a salad that is made with dark leafy greens, not iceberg lettuce. Iceberg lettuce has no nutritional value, whereas dark leafy greens are full of vitamins and mineral like iron and B vitamins. Pick the dressings that are oil based to ensure you're having healthy fats and not saturated fat, and put the dressing on yourself! Not everyone likes salads drenched in ranch, put a little on yourself and if you need more than add accordingly.

Lastly, dessert time!

Just when you're getting too full to eat, the dessert table is brought out and suddenly, everyone's got a little extra room for something sweet. Try to choose something that has a variety of natural color (I'm not talking about a 3 layer cake with rainbow frosting!!). Make your own little parfait with fresh fruit, if available, and yogurt or pudding. Protein and antioxidant packed! Or, go for sorbet if offered. Its mostly water, fruit juice, sugar and maybe fruit chunks. Its a great way to cool off on a hot afternoon, without feeling too full afterwards.

You don't have to leave the party feeling guilty, too full, or with a food baby. Remember to treat yourself and have fun, but be conscious of what you're having!

-Emily

Protein Power

Protein is one of the 4 macronutrients, along with carbohydrates, fat and water, that are very vital to life and our ability to move and function. However, it is a problem for many people to get enough protein in their diets daily. The protein that we take in in our diet is important for  muscle development, building up bones and strength, producing antibodies to prevent illness and disease, and to promote growth of strong hair and nails. The average adult consuming 2000 calories a day, should be getting 10-25% of the daily calorie goal from protein. That translates to 200-500 calories, or 50g-124g of protein daily. 124 grams is a lot of protein. A smaller and more personalized protein goal can be found using a simple math equation. For example, lets use a 130lb individual. First, you must divide your weight by 2.2 to find out how many kilograms you are. So, for the example that would be 59kg. Then you will multiply 59kg x .8g/kg of protein, which equals 47 grams of  protein a day. Then, multiply 59kg x 1.1g/kg, which equals 65 grams of protein a day. 47-65grams of protein is a much smaller, and more personalized assessment of someone's protein needs.

Now that you have calculated what your proteins needs are, its time to decide what are the best food choices are to fulfill these needs! Here are a few ideas of protein rich snacks to incorporate into your day to make sure you are getting enough protein in your diet.

- One 8 oz glass of chocolate milk provides about 150 calories and 8 grams of protein per cup

- 1/4 cup of raw almonds providing about 150 calories, healthy fats and 5.4 grams of protein

- 6 oz of greek yogurt providing 130 calories and 16 grams of protein

- Two hard boiled eggs providing about 160 calories and 12 grams of protein (eggs are the most purest form of protein with the least amount of calories!)

- Two slices of roasted turkey deli meat providing 44 calories and 7.2 grams  of protein rolled with one slice of provolone  which is about 98 calories and  7.2 grams of protein equaling 142 calories, 14.4 grams protein total!

- 3/4 cup of cooked edamame providing 150 calories and 12 grams of protein!

- One Luna granola bar has about 180 calories and about 8-9 grams of protein

- 3 oz of tuna on whole grain crackers provides 165 calories and 16 grams of protein

Choose your snacks wisely and go for a high protein option keeping you fuller longer!