Some people have a special bond, loyalty, and love for their family dog, their kids, their job, etc. Well, I'm the same way except with junk food. Yep. Junk food. I spend a lot of my money on food and spend a lot of my time going to get it. I've basically been in committed and very serious relationship with my food. My personal favorite food spots are Zaxbys, Moes, Arbys, and anything pizza. Totally healthy right? Nope. I got brainwashed and convinced myself that all this bad food wasn't that bad for me and besides, I've got a fast metabolism AND I eat like a bird. So even though I wasn't eating healthy foods, I wasn't eating much so therefore (in my mind), it wasn't too unhealthy and I won't gain weight from it like most people do. True that I haven't gained weight, but false that it's healthy. Here's why...
I have a friend at school who is majoring in nutrition and she was telling me the other day how yes I"m skinny, but skinny doesn't mean healthy. Hmm. I guess that is true. She told me that even though I can't see any affects now, one day my metabolism may slow down and I'll gain a ton of weight and have cholesterol probs. That FREAKED me out. First of all, if I keep eating like this I'll be big enough to have my own TLC show called "Karel: The Real Life Barrel" or something like that. And secondly, cholesterol problems are super bad and can lead to more serious issues. I didn't ever think of it that way. My daily diet (during the school year) consisted of a breakfast bar and coffee, crackers for snack some days, a burger and coke for lunch, and usually pizza, Moe's, or nothing for dinner. I snack a lot, especially when I'm busy with school, work, and babysitting from 8am to 10pm. Being busy and "a poor college student" is no excuse for me to eat the way I do. Yeah, I don't gain weight right now from eating like I do, but one day I can. Eating lots of processed, greasy, fried, and sugary foods in addition to caffeine will definitely catch up to me later. It already makes me (and most people) feel gross, tired, out of energy, and sometimes bloated. A lot of the time I eat a burger or Moe's and regret it as soon as I take the last bite, but i keep going back!! I'm a girl who needs to get life together like goodness. That being said, I now have a plan to get my eating back on track and healthy.
Every Sunday afternoon, I will plan out my meals (lunch and dinner) to take with me to school, work, etc. I will cook Monday's meals on Sunday since it is the only free time I have most weeks. If there are ingredients I want but don't have at home, I'll use Sundays to hit up Walmart and buy them. Speaking of ingredients, here are some healthy and mostly tasty ingredients to look for:
-greens (spinach, celery, salad, pesto, cucumbers)
-whole wheat / multi grain breads
-fruits
-veggies (tomatoes, carrots, broccoli, etc)
-protein (Turkey, chicken, ham)
-peanuts, almonds, cashews
-water water water
-fruit juice
-peanut butter
-cheese (cheddar, pepperjack)
-whole wheat noodles
-pretzels
-hummus and wheat thins
-eggs
- soup
So, there's some basics that you can cook a lot of different dishes with. You can make spaghetti, grilled cheese, noodles and veggies, home made mac and cheese (SO GOOD), soups, salads, and alot more but my brain isn't working right now, so i'll add more later. But here are couple meals i made today!
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| Home made mac n cheese
This was pretty easy to make- it just takes some time. Here's how:
1. Get any kind of noodles you want (whole wheat is best) and use the whole box.
2. Get a pot (big enough for about 4-5 cups of milk to fit in)
3. Pour 4 cups of milk into the pot then pour the noodles.
4. Make sure the milk covers all noodles. If not, add more milk.
5. Bring the pot to a boil so the noodles will cook and eventually absorb all the milk. Turn it down to about 7 or 8 once the milk starts to be absrobed.
6. Stir until the milk is almost all gone.
7. When there's about half an inch of milk left, add some butter, shredded cheddar, mozzarella, and american cheese into the pot.
8. Stir until all the cheese and milk is melted.
9. Add some pepper or salt to give more flavor and you're done!!
This tastes really good, to me at least, and its way better for you than EasyMac. Try it out and I'm sure you'll be impressed!
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This is a super duper yummy and healthy grilled cheese.
All you need are tomatoes, cheese, whole wheat bread, spinach, turkey, and a stove.
1. I cut up turkey, fresh spinach, tomatoes, and cheese.
2. I put some turkey on the bread
3. covered the turkey with cheese
4. put the chopped spinach on the cheese
5. then place a tomato and some cheese on the top
6. Put the last piece of bread on the top of the sandwich
7. put the sandwich on a pan (with butter so it won't burn!!)
8. Turn the stove on to medium heat (6-7 on my stove) and cook the bottom first
9. after about 20 seconds check and make sure its not burning.
10. if the bottom is nice and grilled, flip it over and cook the top.
11. I press down on the sandwich with my spatula to melt it all better and to make it more compressed,
12. Once both sides are a little brown (Mine got a little burned--sorry :/ ) then you're ready to eat!!
I hope this encourages my fellow fast food lovers to rethink your diet and try to eat food that's better for your body!! If I can do it, anyone can.
Bon appetite!
