Recipes

One of my favorite breakfast's is a Greek Yogurt parfait! I have a major sweet tooth and this hits the spot filled with protein, filling fat, and energy to push me to get through the day. However, I am sure you have heard differing stories on the health levels of Greek yogurt and you are probably wondering which is true. You’re not alone! Over the past year or so more and more brands of yogurts are added to the grocery shelves. Crazy kinds, ingredients, and sugars are all increasing confusion and curiosity. Here are tips for Greek Yogurt to be a healthy part of your day, not a desert!

Whenever I coach, I repeat 'eat nuts and seeds' frequently! But one seed I typically forget about is pumpkin seeds. Probably because we are out of pumpkin season, but no longer should let this stop us! When was the last time you had pumpkin seeds on your salad, in your granola, or eaten plain? Reasons why you should start crunching on these seeds:

Nut butters have gotten so popular over the past several years. Approximately 5 years ago all we saw in the store was peanut butter....but now there is almond, walnut, cashew, macadamia, hazelnut, and then numerous flavored ones. Before I go any further I want to remind you that peanuts are technically not a nut, it is a legume. So if you enjoy peanut butter you like the bean family---don't say anymore you aren't a fan of legumes! Okay back to nuts... Nuts are extremely healthy for you. They are primarily an unsaturated fat that may aid in lowering ldl cholesterol.

So Colts and Broncos playing each other with friends coming over...the question I ask, is what food can I make for all healthy and not-so-healthy minds to enjoy? The festive sporting event foods are typically not the greatest, but if vegetables can be added in then they become one step better. So this morning with a few hours ahead of time Ben and I went to the store to grab Mexican fiesta. Here is what I made:

When you plan a meal, what do you start with? The beginning of the meal is the foundation! So let’s make the foundation the most important—that key to being the healthiest possible! Tonight for dinner make the vegetable your foundation. Vegetables are the key to health as they are the lowest in calories and highest in nutrients. If they are green they are a great source of protein. If they are still crunchy they contain a great source of fiber. And if you picked them you must like them! So prepare them how you want then choose everything else around them!

So it is time to no longer fear the yellow looking football in the produce aisle! A lot of times when we don't know how to cook a vegetable or what it tastes like it is easier to just never try....well for this vegetable break all the rules. Go buy it and then follow these steps... I break all the rules when it comes to cooking squash....typically recipes call for cutting the squash long ways in half and then bake. But DON'T cut it first! You may break your hand. Cook easier by putting the entire squash in the oven at 350 degrees and bake for approximately 45min.

Quick, how many times this past week have you eaten on the run? No place is safe either – the car, your desk, maybe even the shower! Our time is strapped and we need food that’s easy to grab ‘n’ go. And during this mad-chaos of finding food on our way out the door, one detail is easy to forget – making sure that the choices we make are healthy. Unfortunately, it’s mostly the bad stuff that falls into the "fast" and "easy" categories – chips, candy bars, sodas, etc. Well, what if we took some time and ingenuity to make our own healthy snacks portable and easy for on-the-go eating?