Hello Summer!

I am so excited! The pool is almost ready, my 5 year old is done with Pre-K for the year and

Memorial Day Weekend in right around the corner!  Who doesn't LOVE this unofficial summer season kick off?

However, with this weekend comes the burgers, hot dogs, potato salad, cole slaw and all things barbecue and picnic related. Which can also pack on the pounds. While one "bad" meal won't make you gain weight it's sure hard to avoid the summer favorites throughout the ENTIRE summer. And I seriously love potato salad. And I didn't even begin to mention the ice cream...

So here are my tips and tricks for keeping clean eating in check and not falling into the mayo laden, loaded burger summer pitfalls.

Enjoy In Season Fruits and Veggies

The BEST thing about summer (besides lazy days by the pool) is all of the fresh summer produce. One of my favorite ways to eat more vegetables is fill up on a delicious vegetable kabob prepared on the grill. You could even add some shrimp or chicken for some protein.

Fresh fruit such as pineapple can add a little flair to your kabob. My favorite is mushrooms, green peppers and pineapples. Have you thought about throwing some watermelon on your grill? (be sure to keep an eye on your watermelon as its high water content can cause it to burn) How about peaches? Strawberries? One way to really add some unique flair to your next barbecue is offer fresh fruit kabobs as a dessert. Set out a bowl of fruit and have guests skewer their own combinations. My kids particularly love this as they can add whatever fruits they like.



Summer Salads

Since we're talking summer season foods lets not forget salads! But they don't have to be those ho hum garden kids! Cucumbers with Roma tomatoes marinated in balsamic vinegar is one of my favorites as is a wonderful cucumber salad with onions and a light marinade. Tabbouleh is a wheat salad that is delicious when prepared chilled and with olive oil, diced tomatoes, lemon juice and mint.






Burgers Aren't Just Beef!

There are TONS of options for your burger choices if you're avoiding beef. Pre-made turkey burgers are a great alternative as are salmon burgers or even grilled chicken! All of these options can be put on a multi-grain bun, topped with lettuce, tomatoes (or even a slice of cheese). And again fruit can really spice up a burger! Is beef the only option? Opt for one that is the correct portion size or simply cut one in half! I do try to avoid chips whenever possible but a small serving will be just fine to keep it to a minimum.

Just One Please...

Serving of starch that is! Keep starches to a minimum. Love corn on the cob or chips? Choose one and then wrap your burger in lettuce. Holding out for those cupcakes or strawberry shortcake? Skip the starches all together, fill up on protein and vegetables and save that starch for dessert.

Water, Water Everywhere

Try to avoid sweet sugary drinks. Not only will these make you even more thirsty, they easily pack on the pounds. My biggest tip, always have a cup of water in your hand. This will not only keep your hands busy and occupied and out of the snack foods, it will help keep you fuller so you wont be tempted to overeat when it comes to meal time.

Stay Active!

The point of living a healthier lifestyle is not about eliminating all of the things you LOVE! Its about moderation and balance. And if I know I'm going to be indulging, I make it a point to get my workout done first thing in the morning (I've even been known to throw in an extra 10 minute ab workout or even an extra walk around the block). Even participating in a little extra backyard fun can help burn those extra calories. Tag with the kids, hide and go seek or even a quick game of Frisbee can burn calories. Ask friends if they'd like to take a quick walk around the block after the barbecue. Its a great way to continue to socialize with friends while getting in some extra steps.

Interested in More?

Do you struggle to keep your eating on task throughout certain times of the year? Looking for a little extra help or motivation? Want some great meal plans, recipes and even MORE tips and tricks? How about recipes for some of those great salads you just read about? Contact me here and send me a quick message about my June 8th challenge group where I provide all of these things plus MORE. I will even work with you to help you find a workout that you'll love and will fit your lifestyle. Remember, its not about elimination, its all about moderation!

How to Spend Less on Groceries

One of the biggest things I hear from a lot of people is that eating healthy is expensive. And yes, I whole heartily agree. It can most certainly add up. But if you plan properly it can actually save you money. Below are my tips and tricks on how I save money at the grocery store while keeping my diet (and my family's diet) clean.

We grocery shop for meat about 1 time per month. I have found it is much more cost effective to purchase meat (chicken, ground turkey and fish) from a warehouse store such as Costco or Sam's Club than from the grocery store. Non negotiable purchases for meat on my list are chicken breast, ground turkey and fish (on occasion). When I purchase these items from the warehouse store I am fully stocked for a little over a month.

Now its time to round out the rest of the meals with vegetables. I do try and buy fresh vegetables whenever possible. I make my initial purchases for the month at Costco. They usually get me through about a week and a half and stuff rarely goes bad (we eat a lot of fruit and veggies!)

However, the biggest question I get asked is how to get through the rest of the month? Here are the rest of my tips.

Blue Tape Bananas- What? Where I live our local grocery store sells "blue tape bananas". These are bananas that are just a little past their prime. They are wrapped with blue painters tape around the top, thus the name "blue tape bananas" (your local grocery store might call them something different.)

They're not completely bad but if you bought them and left them on your counter, in a day or two nobody would want to eat them. I buy these by the mother load when I can. Our local grocery store sells them for about 24 cents a pound. That's a killer deal! I get home, peel them all, slice them in half and throw them in my freezer in a gallon size Ziploc baggie. I LOVE to use these in smoothies (no defrosting needed) or I let them thaw and make banana bread.  You can also mash them when you first get them home then put them in a container and freeze them that way for a little frozen banana "ice cream".

Frozen Vegetables / Fruit- I do buy fresh and prefer it whenever possible. However, in between my trips to Costco I ALWAYS stock up on frozen vegetables. Broccoli, cauliflower, peas and corn are frozen staples in our house and are relatively inexpensive. I ALWAYS buy the generic brand and skip the fancy sauces or the ones in the microwavable steamer bags. Its just as easy to steam these using a steamer on the stove top and those cheesy or buttery sauces are loaded with calories we just don't need.

Eggs- Lots of eggs! We buy our eggs at Costco in bulk. Eggs are relatively inexpensive, are pretty versatile and are a great source of protein.  We do breakfast burritos, omelets, scrambled eggs and hard boiled. Whats great about eggs is they can pretty much work with any meal including a snack! 2 hard boiled eggs is one serving of protein.

Whole Grains- We don't eat a TON of grains but when we do its mostly brown rice, quinoa or couscous or whole wheat pasta. I NEVER purchase minute rice. Although its more convenient, its also more expensive. Its MUCH more cost effective to purchase traditional brown rice in bulk. I have a great sealed container I store it in so I never have to worry about it going bad. I don't purchase huge bags of potatoes only because we don't eat them fast enough. A 5 lb bag typically lasts us quite a while. And a plain baked potato is a great source of calcium!

Eat In- This alone is the BIGGEST way to save and stretch your grocery dollars! Not only are you saving money but you are ensuring that what you are eating is healthy and you know exactly whats going in it. I'm not saying NEVER eat out again. Just simply eat in more and watch your dollars add up.

Sugary Drinks- Our family pretty much drinks water or milk. We NEVER buy any sodas and juice is purchased maybe once or twice a month. We prefer almond milk or coconut milk which can cost more but since we are saving by not buying sodas or juices regularly its worth it.

Plan and Prep- If you take the time to plan out your month, you'll find yourself making a lot less trips to the grocery store to pick up odds and ends. A quick trip to the grocery store to grab whole wheat pasta can easily turn into spending $50.00! Once a month I prepare a menu for my family. I try to cook in larger batches at the start of the month so I can freeze leftovers for those busy nights when we only have time to reheat something or when I don't feel much like cooking. Having a plan definitely also helps from keeping us eating out simply because I don't know what to cook!

Treats and Sweets- We limit most of these to the things that the kids enjoy. Cookies we try to make at home as much as possible. We also have a lot of yummy Shakeology desserts that we eat like chocolate Shakeology bark or chocolate covered strawberries. You can click HERE to get those recipes!  If you'd like to get started with your own Shakeology you can contact me directly or you can simply get started HERE.

And of course if you have a garden you can save even more! Eating healthy doesn't have to cost a fortune. With a little preparation and planning you can actually save money and you might just find that you don't miss all those "extras" .