dimanche 8 décembre 2013

Go Strong All Afternoon Enjoying Healthy Lunch Recipes

As I've aged I've taken it upon myself to start eating healthier foods because I feel that I owe it to myself to feel good from the time I wake up until the time I go to sleep. To enjoy your life and receive the same great health benefits that I do on a daily basis, eating healthy is a big part of the game. It is also very important to choose foods and meals that you ENJOY! Taking care of your body by feeding it will put you in good state of mind and is the key to achieving fitness goals such as taking off the extra pounds. Be happy with what you eat and every fiber of your being will show it's appreciation and reward you with by feeling great.

Let's face it, in today's society we are always on the run. Sometimes we don't get a chance to physically sit down and enjoy a meal until late at night. This doesn't mean that you can't be eating right on the go. Eating right on the go is MORE important than ever in this day and age and it's a must to be filling your tank w/ all the necessary food fuels it needs to get you through the day. Staying focused and energized so you can concentrate on doing your job to the best of your ability will pay you back in dividends as you climb the ladder of success in your professional life.

Make lunchtime YOUR time. Slow down, relax, and enjoy it! Being one of the three most important times you will eat in a day it is a meal that you should take advantage of now! Speaking for myself lunch is my favorite meal as it falls right smack dab in the middle of the day when my body is craving more fuel. By noon time I've usually still got 5 hours left to go in my workday and in my line of work (running a I.T. dept.) I need to stay focused and alert to avoid those mid afternoon crashes. To accomplish this I make sure to have a power packed lunch every single day week. I know many of you (like myself) may not feel you have the time to get yourself together a nutritious lunch each day, so I asked my wife if she had any suggestions for my readers. My wife is the person in my family behind getting us all fed properly an in a timely manner. Here's a few pointers she came up w/ for you.

Organization - Take a few extra minutes at the end of each week to make a list of lunches that you'd like to enjoy in the upcoming week.

"Shop On Sunday" - Between work, taking the kids to after school activities, making your appointments and everything else that goes on during the week who has time to shop? Make it a point to get your shopping out of the way on Sunday. For most Sunday is a rest and relaxation day and you can easily fit a 1/2 hour trip to the grocery store in at some point during the day. This way your ingredients stay fresh all week to make the delicious healthy lunch recipes you whip together not just great but AWESOME!

Preparation - Make some time in the evening either while you're cooking dinner or after you cook dinner to gather your lunch together for the next day. This way you can get up and take care of the morning duties w/o having to rush around like a chicken w/ it's head cut off.

Take this advice and run w/ it. I truly believe that you will see an incredible spike in your afternoon energy level that will have you looking forward to the rest of your day. Plus healthy lunch recipes aren't just fun to make, they're even MORE fun to eat!





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Benefits Of Healthy Lunch Recipes

There are many benefits inherent in bringing your own lunch to school and/or work, especially if you have access to some great tasting, healthy lunch recipes. Much light has been shed in recent years about the benefits of eating good nourishing food and avoiding the fast food that has become so prevalent in the last decades. The convenience of junk food is alluring, but the ill effects of continued ingestion of processed food has taken an hefty toll on the health of those who habitually indulge in it.

After years of examination, it seems that the logical solution to declining health caused by repeated exposure to unhealthy food is to change our habits. Instead of stopping in for the fast food fix or grabbing a bite from the deli section, we can benefit greatly by going back to the old-fashioned idea of bringing our own lunch to work or to school. We have many choices as to what kind of food to bring, and to be honest, the good old peanut butter and jelly sandwich falls short of satisfying in the long haul. Some good, nutritious options are satisfying as well as good for you.

Many periodicals offer recipes for wholesome, nutritious lunches that are easy to make, travel well, and taste great. You can find some ideas right there in the checkout line at your local grocery store. In the magazine rack, there are also an abundance of ideas available. Another great resource for healthy lunch recipes is the internet. You can find a great recipe for just about anything you would wish to eat, and with a little bit of research, you can find some ideas that are aimed at nourishment as well as taste and appearance. With a minimum effort, you can develop a good selection of recipes to choose from.

Good ingredients are important when preparing healthy food, so one should find a good source for the ingredients. Farmers Markets, food co-ops, and local farms are good ideas. Chain stores are becoming aware of the demand for wholesome foods and are offering better ingredients. Just making an honest effort to find clean, organically grown, free-range ingredients contributes greatly to the quality of the finished meal. Try to buy food that is additive and preservative free, as these ingredients only lengthen the shelf life of the product, and rarely have benefits. Some of these additives are actually quite unhealthy.

In conclusion, it is easy to see that you can benefit greatly not just from the eating, but also the effort of preparing your own lunch. Healthy lunch recipes are easy to find, worthwhile to prepare, and great for your body and mind. They can help you to follow directions, schedule your time better, and think ahead. The benefits of making your mid day meals can be seen in many aspects of your life, from your health to your productivity. You can learn a better way of providing your body's nourishment, find a better place to buy your food, and be the envy of everyone else at the office at the same time. Bon Appétit!





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Make Ahead Healthy Lunch Recipes

People who lead very busy work or school schedules most often succumb to bad eating habits during lunch rather than at breakfast or dinner. This is because lunch is often eaten outside of the home, where one's stock of healthy food items is not available. The best way to beat having to eat a bad lunch is to simply prepare yours at home from healthy lunch recipes and bring it with you. Healthy lunch recipes that can be prepared the night before are great for avoiding having to rush in the morning. In this article, we provide you with some make-ahead healthy lunch recipes that are flavourful and easy enough to prepare. 
 
These healthy lunch recipes can simply be made during the weekend and stored in the fridge; pack each portion individually and just grab one on the go. Better yet, make some extra portions so that you can have ready-to-eat dinner should you come home too tired to cook.

Italian Tuna Salad

To make a streamlined version of no-cook Italian tuna salad, simply prepare the following ingredients:

About 12 ounces of light canned tuna chunks, drained

15 ounces of canned small white beans (cannellini or great northern beans), drained and rinsed

4 scallions, trimmed and chopped

10 cherry tomatoes, cut into quarters

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

3 tablespoons lemon juice

salt and pepper to taste

Simply combine all the ingredients and toss until well mixed. This salad can be kept in the fridge for up to 2 days. You can serve this salad on a bed of greens, or use it as a filling for a sandwich wrap. If you need extra calcium and calories, throw in some cubes of cheese for added flavour.

Fresh Strawberry Sandwiches

Sandwiches are good lunch options if you have to eat at your desk. There is no rule that dictates sandwiches should be made with meat, so try this refreshing twist. This fresh strawberry sandwich will fill you up just enough so that you don't get too sluggish for the rest of the afternoon.

To make up one fresh strawberry sandwich, you will need the following ingredients:

2 medium strawberries, sliced thinly

2 slices of thin whole wheat sandwich bread

1 tablespoon of low fat cream cheese

1/2 teaspoon of honey

1/8 teaspoon of freshly grated orange zest

In a small bowl, combine the cream cheese, honey and lemon zest and mix well. Spread the mixture on the slices of wheat bread and place the fresh strawberry slices in between to make a light sandwich. If you will be brown bagging this, simply pack the cream cheese mixture together with the strawberry slices and just spread over the wheat bread slices at lunchtime.

Eating healthy food is very important to stay lean, healthy and happy.


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Wrapping Up a Healthy Lunch Recipe

There are a lot of healthy lunch recipes some are easy to make but some take time. The stress and workload of the day has you working and thinking about due dates, and that leaves no room for lunch. If you work you know how hard it is to get good nutrition.This is why people are always searching for a lunch that is satisfying and inexpensive.

Eating out at fast food places or restaurants can be costly and sometimes unsatisfying. Most fast food places have the same food, the only difference is the taste and ingredients. Did you know that one fast food meal contains enough calories for the entire day? This is not a good thing because you will get hungry more than once, and by eating two or more of these types of meals a day, you will easily double or triple your calorie intake. This will cause health problems such as obesity, cholesterol, and diabetes.

Restaurants have been know to make some healthy and delicious food. The thing about these delicious plates is that they cost about the same as one weeks worth of lunch. Some of those dishes consist of fresh and healthy ingredients, but if they are not small in portion, they will be expensive for you to sustain this type of eating.

I've dug around in internet forums pertaining to healthy eating, and I notice that a lot of people are looking for that quick satisfying lunch recipe that you will love and wont get tired of. Besides being a good "eater" I also enjoy cooking, lately I have been packing a simple to make lunch for my husband to take to work. Introducing the wrap which has been around for a while because they make great lunches. You can make the wrap using any type of flat bread or lettuce leafs for a healthier lunch.

One great thing about the wrap is that just like a sandwich you can make it out of anything.The Mozzarella Wrap got my attention because it only consist of two main ingredients and it looks delicious. Another thing that I liked about the wrap is the way its wrapped, you don't need a fork or spoon to eat and you don't have to worry about spilling. Wraps can also be eaten either cold or you can grill it. The best thing about them is they only take about five minutes to make. You can take the ingredients to work and make your lunch at the office without having to go anywhere(besides the kitchen of course).

When you work in an office you don't have time to go and buy lunch. Fast food places aren't very healthy and restaurants can take a long time to serve. This is why I think that wraps make a great healthy lunch recipe. At the bottom you will find the recipe to the Mozzarella Wrap, and don't be afraid to add any ingredients of your own. Have fun with your lunch that's what eating healthy is all about. Now go and wrap yourself a healthy lunch recipe:)

Tomato and Mozzarella Wrap

Ingredients

1 Whole Flour Tortilla
2 TSP Onion Cream Cheese or Mayonnaise (You can add as desired)
1/2 Cup Fresh Spinach, torn
Tomatoes
Mozzarella Cheese, sliced

Directions
Place the tortilla on a plate or flat surface.
Spread some cream cheese or mayo on the tortilla.
Place some slices of tomato, mozzarella and spinach in the center of the tortilla.
Now wrap it all up into a burrito.
The delicious part of it all is you can either eat it cold, grilled, or heated in the microwave.
Enjoy!





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