Get Healthier » Easy healthy food

Quick Healthy Snacks

Brenda — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 23:23:45 +0000

Here are some more ideas for healthier snacks:

unsalted nuts (buy in the bulk section of the grocery store)
Wasa rye crisp crackers with sundried tomato hummus
Carrot sticks, celery, cucumber, red pepper, cauliflower; with dip or hummus
hard-boiled (organic) egg with dash of sea salt
pre-cut cantaloupe or pineapple
unsweetened applesauce (available in a jar or in small cups; berry and mango flavours too)
raspberries
panda licorice (sweetened with licorice root, not sugar)
homemade dried fruit and nut mix (use unsweetened, unsulphered fruit and raw nuts)
plain yogurt topped with berries (fresh or thawed from frozen)

Bean Quesadillas for Kids and Adults

Brenda — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 22:31:40 +0000

When my older daughter was on an anti-Candida diet several years ago to clear up some health problems, I needed to get creative to find foods she could take to school to eat and that she was willing to eat. To improve her health she was temporarily avoiding wheat, corn, dairy, ham, beef, white sugar, food colouring and other foods. The school does not allow peanuts or nuts because some kids in the school have severe allergies. One of the meals she liked (and still likes) is bean and cheese quesidillas.

Ingredients:

1 rice tortilla, thawed (either in the fridge, or on the frying pan before the oil is added)
grated cheese (soy cheese, goat cheese or other cheese)
canned Romano beans (drained and rinsed)
cilantro (optional – my daughter didn’t want it)
dash cumin (optional – my husband and I like this)

Heat frying pan on medium. Drizzle a bit of olive oil on the hot pan. Add thawed rice tortilla. Spoon beans onto one side and top with grated cheese. If desired, add cumin and/or cilantro. Fold tortilla in half over beans and cheese. Squish down with potato masher or frying pan flipper. Wait until it browns, then flip over. Remove when both sides are lightly browned and crisp. Cut into three triangles and enjoy!

Surrey Holistic Weight Loss Group

Brenda — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 04:00:24 +0000

Would you like to lose weight and get healthier at the same time? Would you like to have more energy and better sleep? I find it easier to make healthy changes when I have someone else I can talk to who is also making the same changes. This will be a small group of women who meet each week to learn, discuss and cheer each other on. I will present what I know about losing weight in a healthy way and bring in some speakers to talk about nutrition, exercise and blocks to losing weight. I will teach the Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) and share some healthy recipes that my family love.

Topics: balancing your blood sugar levels, emotional eating, fitting exercise into your life, food intolerances and allergies, candida overgrowth, busy lives, listening to your body, learning to say no, importance of water, and more.

One group will meet on Tuesday nights
Time: 6:30pm-8:00pm followed by optional 1/2 hour walk
Another group will meet on Thursday afternoons
Time: 12:30pm-2:00pm followed by optional 1/2 hour walk
Cost: free!
Location: my livingroom in Cloverdale
Sign up by sending me an email to let me know you are interested: coachbrenda@reachyourpotential.ca

Frozen Bananas

Brenda — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 19:21:20 +0000

An easy, healthy and creamy frozen treat that we like is a frozen banana.

Peel bananas that are yellow but not yet spotted
Break or cut the bananas in half
Stick a popsicle stick or chopstick into the broken half and push it into the banana
Wrap the bananas with plastic wrap
Put several bananas in plastic bags with the sticks sticking out to minimize freezer burn
Wait a few hours until they are frozen.

Remove from plastic bags/wrap and eat!

Grapefruit as a healthy snack

Brenda — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 18:56:52 +0000

red grapefruit slices

I love to have a grapefruit when I’m in the mood for something juicy and filling. I usually buy the red or pink grapefruit varieties because I want it to be a bit sweet without adding anything to it. I either peel it like an orange and eat the sections or I cut it in wedges. It is a great late morning or early afternoon snack.

Grapefruits are a good source of Vitamin C, and the red and pink varieties have a lot of Vitamin A. They also contain folic acid and potassium. The white pith under the skin is a bit bitter, but is rich in bioflavinoids.

Studies show grapefruit interacts with calcium channel blockers, cholesterol-lowering drugs and Zoloft so learn more before eating grapefruit if you are taking these.

Energy Bars

Brenda — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 17:15:03 +0000

I often keep an energy bar in my purse in case I am out longer than I expect to be. Yesterday my appointment went an hour longer than I thought it would and I was very hungry when I left. I saw fast food restaurants but nowhere that I wanted to stop and get a decent lunch, so I ate the pistachio Dr. Andrew Weil bar I had with me. Yum! I like all of his bars (Raspberry, Chocolate, Goji) except for his Banana Manna. They have good ingredients in them, test healthy for me, and have spices in them that make them even more flavourful.
I also like the taste and ingredients in Larabars, Honeybars and Oskri’s Quinoa bars. I avoid bars with white sugar, artificial sweeteners, and chemicals in them. I choose bars that are sweetened with dates, brown rice syrup, agave syrup or honey.

Amount of protein to keep blood sugar steady

Brenda — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 22:58:58 +0000

I have blood sugar “issues”, and that means that for me, getting protein throughout the day is very important. Health Canada recommends a daily protein intake of 0.8g x your body weight in kg. Since most of us still weigh ourselves in pounds, the translation is 0.36g x your body weight in lbs. Another website suggests this should be based on our “ideal weight”. For example, if your ideal weight is

120lbs: 43g of protein per day
140lbs: 50g of protein per day
160lbs: 58g of protein per day

These amounts are a general guideline, and vary depending on your body type, your metabolism, and the amount of muscle-building exercise you are doing. Your protein needs increase if you are pregnant.

Often we get too much protein at dinner and not enough during the rest of the day. If you feel hungry not long after eating or if you find that you are drawn to sweet things and breads, consider adding some protein to your breakfast and lunch.

Suggestions:

raw nuts (4-6g protein for a handful)
add seeds onto salads (pumpkin, sunflower, sesame)
add goat cheese to salads or wraps
two organic eggs – scrambled or hard-boiled (12g)
add 1/2 can salmon to salad or make into sandwich (11g)
Amy’s lentil soup (8g)
1 cup plain yogurt sweetened with berries or juice (13g)
beans, sprouted lentils, peanut butter, chicken, shrimp…

Blackberry banana shake

Brenda — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 22:24:28 +0000

My kids and I love fruit shakes. They are cold and yummy. This shake has lots of vitamin C, anti-oxidants and good bacteria (from yogurt).

1 cup blackberries
1 banana, peeled
1 cup plain yogurt
1/2 cup berry juice

Add the above to blender and whirr until completely mixed. If you don’t like the seeds from the blackberries, use blueberries or raspberries instead.