My Perfect Summer Breakfast

Good morning everyone! I hope you all are having a wonderful summer so far. I wanted to share with you today my idea of the perfect summer breakfast.  After moving into my new apartment, I quickly realized that my new back porch was the perfect place to start my day. So here is my version of the perfect start to your summer days.

Viola! Summer morning bliss

This breakfast is quick and easy to make, and it’s super healthy. First up, I have some banana and walnut oatmeal. I recommend Quaker Heart Medleys Multigrain Oatmeal. They have several tasty flavors, and all include healthy whole grains, vitamins, and minerals.

Quaker Oats Heart Medley Banana Walnut Oatmeal...mmm!

Next I have some fresh fruit! Strawberries and blueberries to be exact. Fresh fruit is an important part of any breakfast because they are packed with essential vitamins and minerals your body needs to start your day off right. Also, they contain antioxidants that support healthy skin, healthy organs, and some can even fight cancer! Check out this website to learn more about antioxidants and where they can be found.

Fresh strawberries and blueberries. My favorites!

And finally I have a tall glass of apple juice. It’s a sweet way to get a good source of vitamins, like vitamin C. Plus it’s just so delicious!

Simply Apple apple juice 🙂

There you have it! My perfect summer breakfast out on my back porch. I feel like I’m on the beach! Share with me your perfect summer breakfast by leaving a comment below!

Remember, You Are What You Eat!

Healthy Memorial Day Tradition

Happy Memorial Day Weekend everyone! I hope you all have festive plans for this patriotic holiday, and if you do, they probably involve a cookout or two. Here are my tips for making your Memorial Day cookout a healthy, fun success!

1. Appetizers – Instead of the usual potato chips and dip, opt for a healthier tortilla chips and salsa. Tortilla chips have less fat and calories than potato chips, and they don’t leave that greasy residue on your fingers like potato chips do. And what’s not to love about salsa? It’s made of loads of fruits and veggies, it’s typically low-calorie, and it comes in all sorts of fun, tasty, and spicy flavors and combinations. Pick up some pre-made salsa at the grocery store or follow these recipes and make your own!
2. Sides – Try centering your sides around a vegetable or a fruit, like offering grilled asparagus and baked potatoes. Also, add a colorful fruit salad with apples, bananas, oranges, and grapes. Try to steer clear of coleslaws that are loaded up with unhealthy amounts of mayonnaise.
3. The Main Event – One of my favorite cookout items is chicken skewers, or chicken kabobs. Chicken is leaner than red meat, and you can add flavors to it by marinating it before cooking. Also, you can load up the skewers with some delicious zucchini, yellow squash, and onions to add flavor, nutrition, and color to your delicious dish. Check out these yummy chicken kabob recipes and get creative!

And there you have it. Just a few suggestions on how to make your holiday cookout a little healthier for everyone. If you’re going to a friend’s cookout, feel free to bring any of these dishes to add to the buffet. Your friends will appreciate your contribution, and you can make sure that there are some healthier options available. Have a happy Memorial Day!

Remember, You Are What You Eat!

Move Your Body

Hey everyone! I hope you’re all having a great summer so far! Just wanted to give you some more advice on how to stay healthy while you’re enjoying you’re time off from school.

Stay physically active. You can eat all the healthy food you want, but that’s only half the equation. Keeping your body in motion is just as important to your health as eating right. Here are a few tips for doing this on a budget:

1. Join a gym. Now I know that doesn’t sound cheap, but a lot of gyms offer summer-only memberships, and they’re a lot cheaper than year-long memberships. Call around to the gyms in your area and see if you can set something up. Or if you live close to your college campus, see if they have a summer membership rate. That’s what I did, and I get to work out for the whole summer for $35! What a bargain!
2. Go to the park. Open air. Sunshine. And it’s FREE. Go to the park and walk around the track with a friend, take a bike ride, or play a couple of pick up games. I know that one of my favorite things to do in the summer is play basketball and soccer with my friends at our local parks. Not only is it fun, but it’s a great way to stay in shape.
3. Enroll in a class. Whether it’s yoga, kickboxing, or Zumba, many community centers offer fitness classes on a pay-as-you-come basis. Call around to the local churches and community centers to see what they have to offer. Working out with a group is often way easier and way more fun than doing it by yourself.

For more exciting ways to stay in shape over the summer, check out this article,  or just leave a comment below, and I’d be happy to help you out.

Remember, You Are What You Eat!

A Spa in Your Kitchen?

Check this out guys! Not only are these 5 foods great for you body, but they’ll do wonders on your skin as well!

Have a Healthy, Happy Summer!

Hey everyone! I hope you all have a great summer, but don’t forget that eating right and staying healthy over the summer is just as important as it is when you’re in school. Here are a few tips to help you make better food choices while you’re enjoying your summer.

Fast Food Poll

Cooking with Liz!

Here is the first episode of my very own cooking show! Today, I’m showing you how to cook a simple meal of pasta and tomatoes. This dish is easy, delicious, and super cheap. All of the ingredients cost about $3 at Walmart – depending on the brand- and the dish serves 2 people. Enjoy!

Eating Out

Do you ever have the dilemma of eating healthy at home, but when you go out to eat, you feel like you’ve been bad? Well here’s one of my greatest finds and best tricks when it comes to eating out. Dave Zinczenko, the editor-in-chief of Men’s Health Magazine and Woman’s Health Magazine, has written a series of books about what to eat and what not to eat when dining out. It’s called the Eat This, Not That series, and it provides shocking nutritional information about some of America’s most popular food. Check out his website, and start seeing for yourself that by making simple switches, you could eat healthier and even lose weight! And if you have a twitter, follow him for day-to-day  health information that will get you thinking!

Remember, You Are What You Eat!

It’s Earth Week!

This week is dedicated to care and maintenance of our precious planet. I thought I’d take a little break from the healthy eating advice and provide you with some tips on our to keep Mother Earth happy and healthy. There are tons of small ways you can pitch in and make a difference.

Photo courtesy of citywindsor.ca

Here are some things you can do to keep our planet looking beautiful:

• Recycle! – This is one of the easiest things you can do to help out. There are recycling bins everywhere, from local businesses to college campuses, and even apartment complexes. Sorting out paper, cardboard, plastics, cans, and other recyclable materials from your trash helps reduce our impact on the environment by keeping landfills less full and by reducing the amount of new materials being produced every day. Click here for more information on recycling and how you can get involved.
• Reuse! – Reuse some of the old things lying around your apartment. You can turn an old ratty t-shirt into a cleaning cloth, you can make arts and crafts out of used plastic bottles to decorate your place, and you can use those old magazines to make a collage. Use your imagination! Also, you can always donate the stuff you don’t use anymore to a local thrift store, like Goodwill or St. Vincent DePaul. That way, someone else can make use of your stuff instead of it sitting forever in a landfill.
• Reduce! – Reduce your use, and reduce your impact. Doing simple things like shutting your lights off when you leave a room, unplugging a charger when your done using it, and opening the windows instead of using the A/C all save energy and reduce your impact on the environment. You can also invest in some reusable grocery bags and bring them with you when you go to the store.

There are other great ways to help the Earth this week and every week. Walk or ride your bike to school instead of taking the bus or driving. Plant a tree in a park, or start your own mini garden in your back yard or on your porch. There’s tons of ways to get involved. Just use your imagination and start doing good to our planet!

Health Food Challenge!

That’s right guys. I’m challenging you to treat your bodies right until the end of this semester. With all the stress that the end of the semester can bring, it can be easy to give into junk food temptations. They get to me, too. But it is important to treat your body right and provide it with the proper nutrients now more than ever. Staying healthy and active will help relieve stress, making it easier  to get through all the those last minute papers and projects, and helping you get ready for finals.

So this is my challenge: Replace one junk food item each meal with a healthy food item. For example, instead of burgers and fries, get a burger with some baked chips. Or for dinner, instead of macaroni and cheese with potato chips, swap in some carrots for chips.

Little changes like that will make all the difference, and they’ll get you on the right track to feeling physically ready to take on the end of the semester. Let me know what you think, how you’re doing, and if you think this challenge has benefited you by leaving a comment.

Remember, You Are What You Eat!