Food Through a Window.

Going to the drive through is bad, we all know it and yet we all do it. WHY DO WE DO IT???? It's easy, fast, yummy, cheap and so many other reasons. But let's talk about the not so good things about it. It's packed with empty calories and fat, it leaves you feeling sick, and if you do often the pounds will add up quick.

So let's break up with fast food. I've been trying to avoid eating there unless absolutely necessary, and it is, I pick the healthier option. How do we go about breaking up with fast food?

Make meals before you leave the house. Making food before you leave, or even at the beginning of the week save you time for those days you are so busy you want to cry. When it's made before hand you won't have to be running around the kitchen in a panic trying to whip dinner up really quick. That way, on your way home from work you won't be tempted to stop by and get fast good because you know you have it all made waiting for you at home.

Have a snack in your car/in your desk at work. We all make terrible decisions when we are hungry. So always have a healthy snack with you and then you won't be starving later and end up snacking on a whole bag of chips or cookies. Some snacks I like to keep close are almonds, baby carrots, apple with peanut butter, or trail mix! These will help tide you over until dinner time.

Take the long way. If you're like me and you have awful self-control when it comes to food, do yourself a favor and don't drive by your favorite fast food place. So many times I haven't even been that hungry but I drove by my beloved Chic-fil-a or McDonald's and I headed straight for the line. THIS IS A NO NO! Take a different route, it's as easy as that.

It's time to break up with fast food, and if you're having a hard time doing that just use the over used  break up line "it's not you it's me."

Healthy Sweet Treats.

You read it right! There are such things as healthy sweet treats, and here's one of my favorites. This is a recipe for a healthy take on the beloved Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. I'll probably be making this every week because it is so delicious and makes me not miss chocolate so much ;)

Ingredients:

- Chocolate flavored protein powder of your choice (for this I used UNJURY which is also a meal replacement which can be found here)

- Fat free or low fat milk (I LOVE organic milk, so that is what I used)

- Bell Plantation PB2 powdered peanut butter (can be found at your local grocery store)

- Water

Let's get started! First put 7 tablespoons of PB2 and 1/3 cup of water into a bowl and mix until it reaches a creamy consistency.

Next, you will mix one scoop of protein powder and 1/3 cup of milk. You can either do this in a bowl or in a shaker bottle. I mixed mine in a shaker bottle so it was quick and easy!

Next, spoon in the peanut butter mixture into tinfoil muffin wrappers and place in a muffin pan. This recipe only makes about 5, so if you want a bigger serving just add in more ingredients!

After you've spooned all the peanut butter in, you will pour the protein mix on top and let it fall around the sides as well. 

Almost done! Place the pan in the freezer and allow to freeze for 4 hours. Once frozen, allow around 3-5 minutes to thaw and then dig in! It's best if you eat it while it is still chilled or will start to melt and be a bit messy.

And there you have it, a healthy sweet treat! 

So head on into your kitchen and make some of these cups so you can continue to be 

healthy-ish!

Fast Food.

So let's talk about it. Is it ever healthy? If I want to be healthier will I have to never get food out of a window again? These and many others are questions I asked myself when I started this health kick, and the answer I found surprised me. For all you out there wondering, the answer is.....fast food can be okay! Now before you get all excited and head straight to McDonald's and get a Big Mac, you have to know what to eat and start to look at calories before you venture to the drive through. If you're asking yourself if this is legit and if I even know what I'm talking about, the answer is yes. One of my trainers told me that the McDonald's Southwest Chicken Salad was a good meal if you are in a hurry and can't eat at home. I took that information and compared calories and made a list of other fast food meals that would be okay if I was in a rush. So here's my go-to quick meals!

First up is the McDonald's Southwest Chicken Salad I mentioned earlier.

This yummy salad is 330 calories with grilled chicken (always go for grilled!!!) before the dressing. If you're a ranch lover like me and eat it even though you know it isn't the healthy option, you're adding 200 more calories. However, if you choose the southwest dressing the salad originally comes with, you're only adding 150 more calories. 

If salads aren't your thing, then head on over to Chic-fil-A and grab yourself some grilled chicken nuggets. These bad boys are 140 calories for the 8-count and 200 calories for the 12-count. Now I know it is going to be tempting to go to Chic-fil-A and not get their amazing waffle fries, but don't do it!!! You're adding 400 calories just for abmedium fry. Don't fret, there are other side options! You can get a fruit cup for 50 calories, a side salad for 80 calories, or a greek yogurt parfait for 120 calories.

 

We all know Subway can be healthy, but if you start piling up all the not so good for you ingredients on your sandwich, the calories can start to add up. Here's my usual: 6 inch wheat bread with provolone cheese, lettuce, red onions, spinach, avocado and no dressing (which is tough but the best decision if you're watching calories) and all that adds up to be around 320 calories. So head to Subway and experiment and find your own healthy creation. 

(For additional ideas and fast food meals check out this article).

Well I hope that helps you out next time you're in a time crunch and still want to be

healthy-ish!