Tips for Eating Healthy On the Go

"I don't have time to eat healthy."

"This week is really busy.  I'll have to try to eat better next week."

"Someday when I'm less busy, I'll eat better."

"That (healthy thing) takes too long to cook."

It's time to throw those excuses out the window! Check out the interview in this month's, Harvard Health Letter with Kathy McManus, Director of the Department of Nutrition at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston and me about our Tips for Eating Healthy On the Go.

Save time with a Smoothie

Photo credit: thelemonbowl.com

If you feel inspired by the "Try a Smoothie" section, here is one of my favorite smoothie recipes. It's a great meal replacement or workout recovery drink. In addition to the nutrition information shown below, this smoothie contains 5 times the recommended minimum intake of omega-3 fatty acids! This is due largely to the chia seeds, which are one of the richest sources of omega-3s.  Chia seeds have nearly 9 times the omega-3s by weight that salmon does!

Chia Seeds

Photo credit: dineoncampus.com

Michelle's Favorite Smoothie

1 cup unsweetened soymilk
1-1/2 Tablespoons chia seeds
1/2 banana
3 scoops (or 1-1/2 servings) protein powder (I use vanilla-flavored soy protein from Trader Joes or Whole Foods)
1 handful frozen mango or pineapple
1 handful frozen strawberries
1 handful frozen blueberries
1-2 Tablespoons of honey, agave, sugar or Splenda (sweeten to taste)
2 kale leaves (large ribs removed) or 2 large handfuls fresh spinach, optional
Water (about 1/2 cup)

1. Blend soy milk and chia seeds until chia seeds are pulverized and the mixture appears a white with a bunch of black specks.  This only takes a few seconds in a commercial blender, but takes 1-2 minutes in a common household blender.

2. Add remaining ingredients and blend until smooth.  Add enough water to blend and make the smoothie the thickness and consistency you want.  Sweeten to taste.  I use 1 Tablespoons sweetener, but many people like it a bit sweeter.

3. Pour and serve.  As long as you're OK eating this with a spoon, you can keep it for up to a day in the refrigerator. The chia seeds soak up a lot of the liquid if left to sit.

Yield: Two 12-16 ounce servings

Smoothie nutrition facts per serving

*If you use Splenda or other non-calorie sweetener, subtract 8g of carbohydrates and 32 calories per serving from the nutrition facts above (i.e. 28g carbs, still 9g fiber, and 269 calories per serving). 

Summer - the season for salsa

It’s summer.  The weather is hot.  And nothing beats fresh tomato salsa, guacamole and a cold beer on days like this.  In my neck of the woods, local tomatoes are only just starting to trickle into the markets.  The following recipe uses a mixture of fresh and canned tomatoes, which not only tastes great, but extends the fresh salsa season and shows how to make a more affordable salsa without sacrificing taste if fresh tomatoes aren’t very affordable where you live.  I’ve actually compared salsa made only with fresh tomatoes and this salsa and the winner was this version.  It seems that the canned tomatoes give a somewhat concentrated tomato flavor which, when combined with the fresh tomatoes, lends a more complex flavor profile. The key for this recipe is that the fresh tomatoes you do use must have TASTE!

Tomato Salsa - the finished product

Tomato Salsa

2-3 cloves garlic, smashed and roughly chopped

2 Jalapeños, seeded and coarsely chopped*

¼ - ½ bunch cilantro, remove any large stems, tear up into approximately 2” long pieces

2 limes, juiced

¼ teaspoon kosher or sea salt, optional

1 medium yellow onion, chopped roughly into 1-2” pieces

2 medium tomatoes (the on-the-vine type work well) or 1 large beefsteak tomato, chopped roughly into 1-2” pieces

1-28 oz can Peeled Plum Tomatoes in Juice, drained of juice

Directions:

1. Place the garlic, jalapeños, cilantro, salt and lime juice in a food processor and pulse until finely chopped.  For mild salsa, don't include any seeds or pith from the jalapeños.  For medium salsa, include seeds and pith from ½ a jalapeño. For hot salsa, include more of the pith and seeds.

2. Add the onion, fresh and canned tomatoes and pulse until chopped to desired consistency.

Makes: 1 quart

Serving: can be served right away, though the flavor is a bit better if allowed to sit for an hour before.

Store: in a covered container in the refrigerator.  Keeps 5 days.

*The accompanying video shows the easiest way to remove the seeds from jalapeños and regulate the heat of the salsa.

Video: how to remove seeds and pith from jalapeños and regulate the heat of the salsa.