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."

What I Ate Wednesday.

Knowing what to eat while still being healthy can be pretty tough. It was one of the hardest things for me to figure out when I started on this health kick. Snacking was especially hard, I didn't think having snacks was a healthy thing to do. Because of this, I decided I would start a little series of blogs! Each Wednesday I will do a "What I Ate Wednesday" and document my meals and snacks throughout the day. So if you're out there and have NO idea what to eat, you can follow my example if you want or base your days meals off mine!

Breakfast:

I tend to eat the same thing for breakfast every day, which seems boring, but it's easy to make and I know it'll keep me full for around 3 hours. Here's what I ate: Good old fashioned oatmeal! I ate 1/2 cup and then added Stevia and cinnamon for flavor. Also with my oatmeal I ate 2 egg whites and then strawberries. What a YUMMY (and healthy) breakfast!

Lunch:

I mix it up with my lunches so my days aren't too boring! But today I had deli turkey and spinach on 100 calorie orowheat bread thins, 1/4 cup almonds, grapes, and a banana. Doesn't seem like much but it keeps me feel and I snack between meals (I'll list the snacks at the end)!

Dinner:

CHIPOTLE!! That's right, I had Chipotle for dinner, and who doesn't love Chipotle?? Now listen before you go all crazy and load up all the ingredients you can fit in the bowl...you have to eat things like this in moderation. Here's what I got in my burrito bowl: chicken, pinto beans, fajita vegetables, roasted chli-corn salsa, tomato red-chili salsa and romaine lettuce. I checked the nutrition calculator on Chipotle's calculator and my burrito bowl was around 435 calories, not too shabby!

Snacks:

There's lots of different snacks you can eat in moderation and still be healthy. Here's what I snacked on today: 52 pretzel sticks, one low fat honey graham cracker, low fat string cheese and more strawberries!

And that wraps up What I Ate Wednesday! I hope that helps you out when prepping for a days worth of meals. Be sure to keep your meals 

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!