Healthy Traveling: Breakfast Edition

Healthy Traveling: Breakfast Edition

Most people spend hours of their lives driving, whether it's commuting to work & other activities, or across the state to see friends & family, like me. I drive almost 6 hours just to visit my loved ones, and that drive includes two of my daily meals. If you're like me and take trips or spend most of your time driving all over the place, I have tips that will help you eat more nutritiously during your journey & to keep your mind on things besides the stash of food you might have.

It's easy to be lazy & not prep meals ahead of time. It's also easy to run through a drive thru for food while you're out. The thing is, you don't even have to prep your food to make healthy choices... Yes, it's cheaper to prep and there is a ton of options you can choose from, including ones that work for your personal dietary restrictions. But, if you're on the go like me and didn't prep, you still have options.
I recently returned home & ended up purchasing breakfast from a convenient store on my way out. I did find some nourishing, tasty items, so I recorded them to share with all of you other healthy travelers.

Hard Boiled Eggs

The reason I choose hard boiled eggs is because they are a good source of protein & fat, which are both nutrients you need to function. Fat for energy, and protein to repair the muscles. They also keep you full, so that you don't mindlessly snack during those long, boring drives. If I don't eat high fat breakfasts, I get hungry quicker.








Quick Oats

I normally don't eat these pre-packaged oats
because of the added sugars, but it's better than most options. This Quaker Maple & Brown Sugar oats only has 11 grams of sugar and it's certainly better than eating something from a drive thru. There is also a hot water spicket on coffee machines, so fill it up before you leave... Just make sure you don't fill your oats with coffee ;-) But, anyways, oats are a good source of whole grain carbohydrates and having balanced meals is very important (good amount of each macronutrient: protein, carbs, fat).





Light Protein Shake

I decided to pick up this protein shake too. I drank it along the way because I hit the gym first thing before I left town & it helps repair my muscles. Plus, heavy drinkable products like this keep me full for a long time.

The macros on this were pretty good, lower in fat and low sugar, but high in protein & VERY tasty.











So... If you want, on your way out of town next time, ditch the drive thru and stop at your local convenient store. Don't assume that all of their food is bad for you! Look around, find some foods that you will enjoy but will nourish you as well. Try to avoid foods deep fried &/or high in sugar.
Also, I will be following up with more healthy traveling tips eventually, breakfast was just the only meal I needed on that drive.

Feel free to ask me anything, or make suggestions...
Thank you for reading!
- Chloe Ann

Adding Veggies To Your Diet, The Yummy Way

Sometimes it's hard to add vegetables to your diet because, let's face it, some just don't taste good raw, or even cooked, to a lot of people. It's easy to get that 2-3 servings of fruit a day, but it's only the best for our bodies if we get those good fibrous veggies into our diet as well. 

So, here are 4 different appetizing plates I've created with sauteed veggies:

Chicken Fajitas

This is super simple. I use the fajita seasonings with chicken breast, peppers & onions, then I place a good serving into a couple of romaine lettuce boats. Add some guacamole on the side if you want!

Chicken Stir Fry

With a package of frozen stir fry veggies, Braggs coconut aminos (tastes like soy sauce), and chicken breast, you can make these veggies taste awesome. In a pan, cook cut up chicken breast in coconut aminos (about 3-4 tbsp), when that is mostly cooked, throw the veggies in there & add the aminos to taste. This recipe is also good with Kung Pao sauce!

Bacon/Butter Brussels Sprouts

Cook up a few slices of your favorite bacon (preferably uncured to avoid nitrates) then when those are nearly done, take them out, throw some Brussels (cut in half) into a pan with a 2 tbsp of butter and saute them to your liking. Cut the bacon into smaller pieces, then add it back in.

Zucchini Pesto

I used my new veggie spiralizer for this one & it turned out great! One regular sized spiralized zucchini makes a good amount of "noodles". In a pan, I cooked my chicken breast & 5 or 6 asparagus with some store bought basil pesto (2-3 tbsp), then I added the noddles and sauteed it all together for a couple extra minutes. It was quick, easy, and SO good. 

Please try these! I swear by all my delicious meal ideas because I am picky when it comes to food and have never been a fan of vegetables until now. I would rather eat healthy my way instead of doing the typical "chicken & rice" to stay lean. I love spices, flavor, and different varieties now that I have experimented with so many foods. Let me know if you try something, or if you need clarification on one of my recipes. 

ENJOY :-)

-Chloe Ann

The Acai Berry & Why It's So Awesome

First, let me explain what Acai is.

It's a little purple berry that grows on palm trees in subtropic regions of Central & South America.

But what's so special about them?? These small berries have multiple health benefits such as powerful anti-oxidants, which help prevent free radicals from damaging the body's cells. They also contain Essential Fatty Acids that the body cannot produce such as omega 3's and omega 6's which help prevent multiple problems from occurring, such as decreased immune function. Also, the skin of the berry itself is a good source of fiber, which aids in digestion & helps you stay full.

All of these great attributes probably have you thinking, "Give me all the Acai berries!!"... but this isn't even the best part. They can be used in different ways, that are all delicious; eat them raw, drink the juice, add them to smoothies, but also, my all time favorite : 

The Acai Bowl

Here are a few of my acai bowls...

All of my homemade bowls are made with Sambazon freeze dried Acai powder,

they also makes smoothie packs which I haven't tried yet. 

The only non-homemade bowl I've had (picture #2) is from Jamba Juice, which is made with Acai concentrate and it's super good!

 My bowls I make with a scoop of the powder, water, frozen nana & berries, nut butter, and sometimes protein powder.




- Toppings on this guy: granola, chia seeds, almonds, and kiwi

This Jamba Juice Acai bowl is the one with peanut butter in it. That makes this one stand out because it basically tastes like a healthier PB & J (OMG YUM) & with a bunch of good toppings...

-granola
-strawberries
-blueberries
-banana
-coconut
-honey

Also, Jamba will add chia seeds and other boosts if you want for a little extra charge :-)

This last one is made with the basics, but I added fresh mango, which was by far one of my best ideas ever!

Like I said, you can do so many things with Acai in general, but there are also so many ways you can make the bowls. They're also really simple to make, and they fill you up. Every ingredient can be kept in the fridge or freezer (except granola & chia seeds which don't need to be refrigerated) and you can get it all out, pop it in a blender, and top it off with your favorite things.

I challenge YOU to... Try this idea & let me know if you liked it or have any better bowl ideas!!

Enjoy,
- Chloe Ann

3 Yummy Salads to Make or Buy

Three Favorite Salads

Here are some of my favorite salads that you can either make at home, or grab them if you are on the go.

Cranberry Walnut Salad

- Where to buy:
The company 'Organics' makes these salads (& many more delicious ones) which you can buy at your local grocery store for under 5$

- How to make:
On top of your favorite greens, add walnuts, feta cheese, dried cranberries, and your vinaigrette of choice, but I prefer apple or pomegranate!

Strawberry & Greens Salad

-Where to buy:

You can buy this, when it's in season & available ,at Wendy's. I like it because its a great alternative to whatever else you might purchase there besides their other salads, which are also very good!

-How to make:

I used a pre-packaged container of mixed greens and chopped romaine for my salad base. I cooked up a chicken breast & a piece or two of uncured bacon for the protein. Then I topped it with blue cheese crumbles and fresh organic strawberries (make sure to go organic because they are in the "dirty dozen" of produce!!). Use whatever vinaigrette your heart desires :-) 

Here is an alternative to the Strawberry & Greens Salad that you can purchase at Panera. This one is really good but i suggest you get the dressing on the side because they drown the poor salad in it. But I like this one because it had nuts and other fruits in it. 

Also comes with apple or bread (yumm, carbs!)

Taco or Fajita Salad

This right here is my all time favorite. 

-Where to get it:

This one here is Qdoba, but I also get it at Chipotle.

They're under 9$ & are full of veggies & fiber, aka delicious nutritious carbs, and topped with your choice of meat (I use chicken always) and of course, GUACAMOLE, aka our healthy fat. Super good and very balanced in the macro-nutrient department.

-How To make:

Take your favorite taco fillings... black beans, chicken, fajitas, salsa, etc. & place it on top of a leafy romaine salad mixture. 

Enjoy!

Breakfast Ideas (#1)

Breakfast!!

Here are two of my favorite breakfasts that I love...

1. Protein French Toast

For all you french toast lovers that need a protein packed breakfast, here's the perfect recipe for you.

The bread I used is the Ezekiel (Food For Life) raisin bread.

In a bowl, mix 3-4 egg whites, a scoop of your favorite vanilla protein powder, 1/4-1/2 c of almond milk (or your fave milk) and a dash of cinnamon.

Cut however much bread you deem necessary, into halves, and dip both sides into the french toast mixture & cook in a frying pan/griddle on medium until golden brown.

Top with whatever you want! In this case I used strawberries because they make for a super yummy combo with the french toast :-)

2. Eggs, Sausage, & Toast

This breakfast is very simple & quick... that's why I love it!

I used one whole egg & egg white, 

Lean breakfast chicken sausage (ill share the brand later),

Roasted asparagus (yesterdays leftovers),

Whole grain toast, I suggest Ezekiel bread,

and 1/4 Avocado spread on top!

If you like garlic, sprinkle some garlic salt on top of the avocado to add flavor.

I use a iron skillet seasoned with olive oil to cook the eggs and sausage.

I also cook the asparagus on 400 F for 10 minutes on a pan with foil & olive oil.

Welcome... :)

Welcome to my new blog! 
I'm going to be posting healthy recipes and meal ideas on here for anyone to wants them. I myself am passionate about fitness and nutrition because I love to feel strong and happy and a healthy lifestyle is key to feeling good. I was once overweight, even considered obese at one point, and then I realized I needed to make some changes. When I was a junior in high school, I reached 185 lbs at 5'2' and was VERY insecure, I knew I had to do something about my weight but I didn't know what. I was teased by the scale for many years, trying YoYo diets, restricting my calories and what I ate. THIS struggle is the very reason why I want to pursue a career in youth health and fitness, to help all those teenage girls find a healthy medium in life and be okay with their bodies. When I graduated I was somewhere around 160 lbs, but my drive to join the Army helped me get down to 145 lbs. Now, I am 135 lbs, not worrying about the scale but proud of my weight loss and currently working to become the best me ever. I am in the process of getting my personal training cert to understand the basics of fitness, and I start full time college this winter in order to finish my associates degree. As someone who's experienced the hardships of disordered eating, weight loss, relapse, and all of that other junk, I know how difficult it is to find help or to find it and not have to pay heaps (expensive personal trainers, nutritionists, etc).. So, I want to share my personal experiences on my blog (here & OnFireForFitness.tumblr.com) and even more than that; recipes, meal ideas, easy ways to live healthier, workouts, and more. It's not about the followers, or likes, its about helping at least one person change their life for the better. Hope you find my blog interesting and helpful, feel free to make suggestions and email me for health/fitness related questions at chloeannfitness@gmail.com

-Chloe Ann