Healthier choices

orangetheoryaddict

Hi! I’ve recently gotten back into my healthy lifestyle, looking for any tips or recipes! Anything would be greatly appreciated.

nossmf

Welcome back! The three biggest tips I can think to give:

- Be honest with yourself.
- Be patient with yourself. Small changes over time add up to impressive totals and are far more sustainable than massive changes which collapse under stress.
- Professional advice trumps amateur. True for medical, money, diet, exercise, car mechanic, plumber, wallpaper selection...

Lots of posts to get you moving and reading about a variety of topics. Are you wanting hints on nutrition? Workout selection? Mental health? What are your goals...lose weight, look a certain way, perform better athletically, sleep better, stick it to somebody who said something mean?

Do you have access to a full kitchen and Tupperware-style storage? Do you prefer cooking once per week and doing little/nothing the rest of the week, or prepare food daily? Do you have any dietary or allergic concerns?

We can give generic ideas, but the more information you give US, the more accurate the information we give back to you is going to be.

springlering62

Chiefly, be cognizant.

Log in early, weigh carefully. Look at what you’ve logged. Can you substitute for something more nutritious or better calorie value.

I sometimes substitute air-popped popcorn for chips with lunch, simply cuz I get a whole lot more volume for the same calories.

Instead of fancy coffees, I’ll wait til I get home and make something equally as satisfying but lower cal (and cheaper!), like the sugar free chai latte I’m sipping at this very moment.

Dinner tonight is baked chicken with a salsa glaze, and rice cooked in coconut water, studded with black beans. Solid , simple nutritious ingredients, and good caloric value.

Tomorrows dinner will be homemade tomato soup. Onions will be sautéed with half the margarine called for (recipe actually calls for butter so that’s a 75% calorie savings right there), with fat free half and half instead of heavy cream. It’ll still taste great.

Husband loves Claxton fruitcake. It’s high cal plus a definitive no-no for his diabetic self. I crumbled a serving into some homemade sugar free vanilla ice cream. He got only half a serving of fruitcake but was delirious because he had fruitcake icecream.


Look at your diary. What do you like to eat? How can you get creative and change it up? Can you find a new use for a favorite ingredient that lessens the sting? It can be a lot of fun tweaking and experimenting.

joelo_1119

Not exactly a recipe… but a tip, because so many of us rely on chicken breast as a cheap and reliable source of lean protein.

Butterfly chicken breasts while still somewhat frozen then marinade in:

Mediterranean style:
1-2 cups Greek yogurt (plain), 1/2-1 fresh lemon juiced, 1 tsp paprika, cumin, 1 tbsp salt, oregano, pepper, fresh garlic paste and dash of granulated sugar.

-OR-

Mexican style
Same as the above but sub lemon with lime and use smoked paprika instead

You can grill or pan sear these, use an instant thermometer and pull when fattest part of breast is at 160F (it’ll carry over cook past 165). They’ll be super juicy and will keep in fridge for days making a good meal prep option.

history_grrrl

I don’t mean this as snarky, but I see people referring to a healthy lifestyle or healthy meals and really am not sure what that means. I guess I got cynical when I had a craving for pancakes a while ago and found a bunch of recipes online claiming to be for “healthy pancakes.”

Having said that, my main suggestions are to avoid highly processed foods and to avoid eating meals you can’t track. A friend brought over some giant ramen bowls from a Japanese place yesterday, and I had zero ability to record mine. I do much, much better when I do my own cooking, even though I’m not always in the mood.

kshama2001

history_grrrl wrote: »

I don’t mean this as snarky, but I see people referring to a healthy lifestyle or healthy meals and really am not sure what that means. I guess I got cynical when I had a craving for pancakes a while ago and found a bunch of recipes online claiming to be for “healthy pancakes.”

Having said that, my main suggestions are to avoid highly processed foods and to avoid eating meals you can’t track. A friend brought over some giant ramen bowls from a Japanese place yesterday, and I had zero ability to record mine. I do much, much better when I do my own cooking, even though I’m not always in the mood.

Right, my "healthy" is going to be different from your "healthy" and the OP's "healthy" and that of people eating keto or of vegans. That said,



Michael Pollan goes on to explain his definition of "food" in various books and this article:

https://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/28/magazine/28nutritionism.t.html

springlering62

For me, eating healthy is a comparison: What I eat now versus what I ate 5 years 2 months ago.

My currently healthy may not be as healthy as your healthy but it’s infinitely better than my old choices.

It may not be organic, vegetarian, vegan, or even always tasty for that matter (I experiment!) and it def includes a lot of debatable processed sugar free chemical horrors, but versus where I was?

At least the lap cat approves.

Even though there’s less lap these days!

loulee997

orangetheoryaddict wrote: »

Hi! I’ve recently gotten back into my healthy lifestyle, looking for any tips or recipes! Anything would be greatly appreciated.

I am a quick and fast person. I am sure that is what you want, but here are some quickies.

FROZEN SHRIMP/POTATOES

I buy frozen shrimp ($5.99 at Aldi's). I also grab a mini-bag of baby potatoes.

Small new potatoes (baby potatoes). I cut the small, new potatoes into four pieces each. Leave the skin on. Season them. For 1 person, I only cook 3 baby potatoes cut up. I usually just use black pepper and salt to season...but you can also add garlic or onion powder if you like. I just like pepper and salt. Put in the air fryer. Spritz with olive oil. Don't overfill. Cook for 8 minutes at 400 degrees. Shake the basket.

NOW Add in your frozen shrimp. Spritz with olive oil. Add a little black pepper/salt.
Cook the potatoes (new potatoes) chunks again with the frozen shrimp for 10 minutes.

Squeeze lemon on shrimp.

Eat shrimp and roasted baby potatoes.

Easy to make. Easy clean up. Low calorie. Protein. Total 20 minutes. Potatoes cook total 15 to 20 minutes. The shrimp max 10 if frozen. If not frozen, cut cooking time in half.

---

Easy Sad Soup
Instant Pot

Peel and cut up 3 medium potatoes (regular size) in to decent size pieces.
Add 3 to 4 ounces of frozen pre-cooked unseasoned chicken breasts strips (not breaded) or use left over roasted chicken.
Pour in frozen corn kernels.
Pour in frozen dice onions, carrots. (grocery sells them in $1 packs.
Add 1 bouillon chicken.
Season with black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder. I season each later. 1 on potatoes. one on frozen veg, one layer on frozen chicken. Between the potatoes and frozen items---you need more seasoning that you think.
Add water just until the food is covered.

Cook minimum 1 hour in the instant pot on PRESSURE COOK setting.
Taste. If dull, add more seasoning.
Very basic soup. Enough for 2 dinners and 2 lunches with a small snack.

FULL AMOUNTS:
3 to 4 medium (2-1/4"" to 3-1/4"" dia), Potato
3 oz (112g), Chicken Breast, Boneless, Skinless, Cooked (I use the precooked frozen strips. But get the unseasoned.
0.50 cup, Corn
1 Chicken Bouillon Cube
3 cup (8 fl oz), Water (just cover the food--don't over fill. The frozen veggies will add more water as they cook). Top of food should be covered in water.
2.50 teaspoon, Black pepper
2.50 teaspoon, Onion powder
2.50 teaspoon, Garlic powder
0. 50 to 1 cup, chopped, Onion
0.50 to 1 cup, chopped, Carrots
0.50 to 1 cup frozen corn kernels.

*Sometimes I add spicy tomato space with black pepper to the potatoes/chicken. But I like that--you may not.

Leave it on simmer or warm all day. The longer it cooks or sits on eat--the richer the flavor. You can add a half teaspoon of salt if you like. I try to reduce my salt so I don't usually add more salt.

You can eat it for lunch. Pour into individual containers and freeze. You can microwave when in a hurry. I like this basic soup. If you want spicier or more seasoned--throw some other flavors in there.

---

Veggie Bean Dip
Tastes a lot better than it sounds. This is a version of the Cowboy Caviar.
No cooking. Drain, mix, marinade. Wait. Eat.

1 can of black beans drained.
1 can of black eyed peas drained.
1 can of sween corn drained.

Once drained, put these in a bowl.
Add 2 ounces of pickled jalapeno
Cut up 12 grape tomatoes (or cherry)--you know the small sweet ones.
Add 1 cup chopped red onion.
Add 1 cup of green chopped bell pepper.
Add 1 cup of red or yellow chopped bell pepper.
Sprinkle very lightly with salt pepper.
*You can buy prechopped onions/peppers at the grocery if you don't want to chop, but chopping is cheaper.

Mix in bowl all together.

Dressing. 1.4 cup of Zesty Italian Dressing (NOT CREAMY).
Add 0.25 cup of lemon or lime juice.
Add 1 teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 garlic clove, minced or 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder (either not both)
1½ teaspoons sea salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Mix
Pour over bowl of beans and veggies.
Marinate in fridge overnight.

Serve with tortilla chips and avocado.
Makes enough for days and days. Have it for lunch. Have for a snack. Have for a side dish.

kshama2001

springlering62 wrote: »

For me, eating healthy is a comparison: What I eat now versus what I ate 5 years 2 months ago.

My currently healthy may not be as healthy as your healthy but it’s infinitely better than my old choices.

It may not be organic, vegetarian, vegan, or even always tasty for that matter (I experiment!) and it def includes a lot of debatable processed sugar free chemical horrors, but versus where I was?

At least the lap cat approves.

Even though there’s less lap these days!

Just finished a 2 hour Restorative Yoga class. My cat helped during Yoga Nidra.

loulee997

history_grrrl wrote: »

I don’t mean this as snarky, but I see people referring to a healthy lifestyle or healthy meals and really am not sure what that means. I guess I got cynical when I had a craving for pancakes a while ago and found a bunch of recipes online claiming to be for “healthy pancakes.”

Having said that, my main suggestions are to avoid highly processed foods and to avoid eating meals you can’t track. A friend brought over some giant ramen bowls from a Japanese place yesterday, and I had zero ability to record mine. I do much, much better when I do my own cooking, even though I’m not always in the mood.

I eat healthier than I used to, but I probably don't eat 'healthy'. The word healthy can really vary. Some people mean clean eating, some mean no processed food, some mean no sugar, some no butter or sugar, others just mean organic.

Healthy can mean anything or nothing. I just assume they want something low calorie and non-processed. And if I'm wrong, they can toss it.



Lou

yirara

I have healthy and less healthy moments. I mean, I was just away for a long weekend to a neighbouring country. And ate all the things I can't get here. Mostly on one single day. 🙈 But it's a day in many, many more and it won't kill me. I also brought 9 or 10 loaves of bread along (Too Good To Go gone wrong) and will enjoy them over the coming weeks and months. Glad my freezer was nearly empty Also no problem as bread is part of my normal diet, and while it's not artisan, handbaked breads the local ones here would not be either.

kshama2001

yirara wrote: »

I have healthy and less healthy moments. I mean, I was just away for a long weekend to a neighbouring country. And ate all the things I can't get here. Mostly on one single day. 🙈 But it's a day in many, many more and it won't kill me. I also brought 9 or 10 loaves of bread along (Too Good To Go gone wrong) and will enjoy them over the coming weeks and months. Glad my freezer was nearly empty Also no problem as bread is part of my normal diet, and while it's not artisan, handbaked breads the local ones here would not be either.

I envy you Europeans. I'm in the US. Montreal, Canada is 6 hours away and while I know it's considered to be a wonderful city, other parts of Canada I've been to have not been different enough from the US to excite me.

When I joined the military I put in for all European bases, got assigned to the US state of Nevada traded for Okinawa, Japan, and got to spend two weeks in Guam, both of which were great, but I missed out on the European experience I wanted.