More Fruits and Vegetables November 2016 Challenge

With cooler weather on the way, people are more inclined to eat hearty, comfort foods. Soups, mashed potatoes, pies, and roasts are all great but our fresh produce intake tends to go down. Fruits and vegetables are super foods because of their high nutrient content and they aren't calorie dense. Meaning you're getting more bang for your buck when you eat fruits and vegetables. 

I want to challenge all of us to try and eat more f & v's during the work day instead of reaching for the leftover Halloween treats or some vending machine snacks. The USDA recommends that adults eat about 5-9 servings of fruit per days so I hope that by getting about a third of your intake at work will help motivate you to incorporate more produce at home as well. 

I'll be posting tips on tricks how to get to 9 servings without having to make a huge effort, debunk some nutrition myths, host some small snack potlucks, and help you be healthier during these holiday months.

Please send me an email if you have any questions or suggestions!

Thanks for your support :)

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Slow Cookers for Not So Slow Lives

I've had a request about how to better prep lunches or meals in general. I'm currently a student while working full-time and balancing an internship so believe me, I can understand how easy it is to pick up a quick 4-for-$4 at Wendy's! There are days where the last thing I want to do is prep, cook, and clean. This is where the magic of a slow cooker comes in. You can find a slow cooker for any budget. In my dreams, I would own one that can brown meats and have a self-timer, sigh, one day...but I just have your average, on/off, low/high slow cooker and it does the trick.

I am here to give you some tips that have been truly life changing!! I used to haaaate cooking with my slow cooker because 1) I had to wake up an hour earlier to prep and 2) the scrubbing required after eight hours of cooking (especially when the recipe called for honey - shudder). 

Tip #1:
These bad sisters:













I cannot praise these liners enough!! You can find them in all grocery stores in the foil/cling wrap aisle. Just make sure you let everything cool down before lifting the liner. I usually just ladle everything out and let the leftover bits chill. No more scrubbing!!!

Tip #2:
Prep things the night before (or even weeks!). I usually chop the vegetables that I need for my meal and get the slow cooker out on the counter before I go to bed. Right before I head to work, I just dump everything in and I'm out! There are hundreds of recipes for "freezer dump slow cooker" meals. You can toss all of the ingredients in a Ziploc bag and then dump it into the slow cooker whenever you want a slow cooked meal. Here's a shameless plug for my Pinterest. I've pinned some great recipes that I've tried myself.

Speaking of prepping...You can buy meat in bulk when it's on sale, toss it in the slow cooker ,and freeze the cooked meat for quick and easy lunches. I like to pour in a jar of salsa and some chicken breasts, cook it for about 4 hours, and then freeze it. It's quick and easy for tacos, taco salads, or a quick burrito bowl for lunch. See you later, Del Taco Chicken Soft Tacos!!

Tip #3: Avoid overcrowding your pot to ensure even cooking.
Fill it up between 1/2 - 2/3 of the way to keep things happy.

Tip #4:  Add some zing at the end.
The downside to this method of cooking is that your ingredients all start tasting the same. Try adding some oomph via a fresh squeeze of lemon, a smidgeon of fresh herbs, or some hot sauce after it's done cooking. BAM!

I'll be posting some other meal prepping techniques. Please email if there are things you're interested in learning more about!

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What Happens When We Don't Drink H2O?

How is everyone doing on their first day of the challenge? This is a great video that explains why we need to drink water! Hopefully by watching this you'll feel even more motivated to complete the drinking challenge.

Comment below to let me know how you're feeling and if you have any suggestions or questions :)

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Hydration FAQs

Q: Why do we need so much water?

A: Water is required for survival. All of your body systems need water to function. Water is used to regulate temperature, remove waste, lubricate your joints, nourishes and protects your brain, and so much more. Our bodies are about 70% water and we lose about 2.5 quarts of water from just normal activities.

Q: How much water am I really supposed to drink?
A; For sedentary individuals (those who exercise less than 2.5 hours/week) you need to drink about 30-35 ml/kg.
Here are general amounts for men and women:
Men: 3.7 L/day
Women: 2.7 L/day

This includes water from drinking, eating, and water produced by your body during metabolism

Q: Does juice, soda, coffee, etc. count towards my hydration goals?
A: The real answer is yes. All drinks (except alcohol) can count towards your daily water requirement. BUT! juices and sodas contain a lot of sugar so make sure to read your drink labels. The average amount of sugar in 1 cup of juice is 23 g of sugar!

I realize that not everyone likes drinking water but you can add fruit to your water to spice things up a bit. If you click on the Pinterest board on the right, I've pinned some ideas on how to flavor your water.

Q: What's an easy way to tell if I'm hydrated?
A: There are two easy ways to tell if you're properly hydrated: Thirst and urine color. If you're thirsty, drink! You also want to monitor your urine color. The ideal color looks like lemonade.

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