lunch-related stories
Go Veg at Lunchtime
"Vegetarian" is a big and scary word for people who can't imagine their lives without turkey burgers. But you don't have to give up meat for good to reap the rewards of the vegetarian lifestyle.
Cutting back on meat is an easy way to reduce saturated fats and calories in your diet. Instead of saying "so long" to chopped sirloin or a juicy chicken breast for good, take a more moderate approach and nix the meat one to several meals a week.
Lunch is an easy place to go veg. Try one of these simple meat-free lunch ideas that utilize other sources of protein to keep you full all afternoon:
What's your favorite vegetarian lunch or meal?
Cutting back on meat is an easy way to reduce saturated fats and calories in your diet. Instead of saying "so long" to chopped sirloin or a juicy chicken breast for good, take a more moderate approach and nix the meat one to several meals a week.
Lunch is an easy place to go veg. Try one of these simple meat-free lunch ideas that utilize other sources of protein to keep you full all afternoon:
- Have some hummus: Hummus is rich in protein and usually a good source of healthy fats. Eat it with fresh, crunchy vegetables, like sliced cucumbers, baby carrots or red peppers. Spread it on a slice of pita bread, or even grill it on whole wheat bread with tomato (like a grilled cheese sandwich). Hummus recipes are famously forgiving, so you can even mix things up a little for some extra flavor.
- Play with proteins: A salad is an obvious choice for a vegetarian lunch, but lettuce alone won't keep you full for long. Replace your usual grilled chicken breast with one of these less common protein choices: Nuts -- think cashews, almonds or walnuts, canned garbanzo beans, edamame, low-fat cheese or even a hard boiled egg. (Not technically vegetarian, but a healthy source of protein.)
- Fake your burger: Veggie burgers have come a long way over the years, and they're simple to pop in the microwave for a quick and healthy lunch. Top yours with a fiber-rich avocado, lettuce and tomato, and serve it up on a whole wheat roll.
What's your favorite vegetarian lunch or meal?
Grilled Cheese, A 'Canning' Idea and More - February 25 to March 3
As fabulous as we at That's Fit think this blog is, the truth is there are hundreds of wonderful blogs on healthy living to be seen all over the blogosphere. So in this feature, Fit Links, we'll introduce you to some that have caught our eye.Love grilled cheese? Um, yeah, who doesn't? Slashfood gives us some tips on how to make this comfort food classic a healthy, balanced meal.
Get ready to start canning your own goods -- according to Lemondrop, Depression-era living is the latest rage.
Long day at work? Yeah, me too. Luckily Fitsugar has some great lunch ideas for that stressful day. Give 'em a try!
Preschool Parents Don't Always Pack Nutritious Lunches
Due to rising food costs, regulations for Texas day-care centers recently changed and now allow the centers to require parents to send meals and snacks for the children. A subsequent (albeit small) study found that 71 percent of the home-packed meals didn't have enough fruits or vegetables and the number of milk servings was also low.
When you're busy getting the kids ready for school and trying to get ready for work, sometimes convenience takes priority when packing your kids lunches. But nutrition can be convenient, too. You can't get much easier than a ready-to-eat piece of fruit. And you can pre-cut carrots, celery, cucumbers and other veggies at the beginning or the week so they're ready and waiting. Check out the gallery for other quick, easy and healthful foods for your child's lunch bag.
Vending Machines - What if There Were None?
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Imagine a world where there were no vending machines lurking around every corner, tempting you and your family members with sugary, unwholesome junk. Imagine a world in which your kids ate the healthy fruits and veggies you packed in a brown paper bag with care, instead of chucking them in the nearest garbage bin and punching in some buttons on the nearest machine to score a bag of chips or candy bar. Sounds like a world I'd like to live in -- what about you? But would it work out how we imagine, or would the kids just find other ways to satisfy their junky tastes?
A study from the Journal Of Nutrition shows that if vending machines weren't allowed in school, kids would eat more healthfully. I guess that's not really too surprising -- if kids are hungry enough, they'll eat what they're given -- but now that there are some official-sounding statistics on this, hopefully the vending machine will start to die a slow and painful death.
(via Calorie Lab.)
Step Away From Your Desk
You may not realize it, but your desk could be making you fat.
Snack Like a Skinny Person (VIDEO)
Fit Kicks Videos, Diet & Weight Loss, Nutrition & Supplements
The secret to becoming fit and trim is painfully simple, and I know you can follow these easy instructions. No diets, pills or programs necessary!
Changing your post-workout routine, tools to "un-Gumby-fy" your yoga routine, and other neat fitness training tips can be found at ...
Freshman 15, Back Fat, and Kate Winslet - Week in Review November 10 to November 16
If you missed our daily postings this past week, we invite you to take some time to catch up on our prior week's news and gear up for a new week of healthy living information and inspiration.The Freshman 15 is closer to the Freshman six to nine. (That's not an excuse to bong another beer.) It's a lot less fun taking pounds off than putting them on, so keep an eye on that weight gain either way.
Did you win the MOTOROKR S-9 Wireless Headset from the Fit Beauty Giveaway? Check back next week to find out!
Fitz has a workout routine that will having you saying bye-bye to back fat once and for all.
Eating lunch out today? Try one of these options for a meal that's under 400 calories.
Stephanie Hobbs lost 44 pounds! Find out more about how she did it.
Kate Winslet insecure? Not exactly, but find out why she said, 'Once a fat kid, always a fat kid.'
'Tis the season ... for apple cider. How many calories are in your mug?
Snacking after your workout? Find out why you might want to wait.
Have a great week everyone!
Microwave meals made better
Though meals made from scratch are always better, sometimes the convenience of frozen meals is too difficult to pass up. And the pictures on the boxes of those frozen meals usually look quite tempting, don't they? The reality is often quite different, though. The portions are small and you can be left feeling hungry -- all that extra sodium and preservatives don't feel worth it when it's not even satisfying. But, with a few added ingredients, you can make those frozen meals more nutritious, tasty, and filling. Women's Health shares lots of easy ideas -- such as adding basil, garlic, asparagus, or tomato to a Healthy Choice Chicken Alfredo dinner. Check out their other ideas as well. Then, the next time you're resorting to a heat-and-eat meal, look around your pantry or fridge and see what fresh and nutritious ingredients you can add.
Pack your lunch the night before
Diet & Weight Loss, Nutrition & Supplements
Ever find it easier to pick out your school or work clothes the night before to avoid the mad morning rush? Not a bad idea. You should try it with your lunch too -- prepare it ahead of time and you're more likely to make it a healthy one. Here, brought to you by FitSugar, are five quick lunch ideas you can whip up the night before.Eat healthy with this time-saving menu
When you're crunched for time, you many find it difficult to prepare creative, healthful meals. I know that I resort to my old stand-by meals when I'm really busy. They're stand-by meals because they're quick, healthful, and tasty but after a while, they get a bit boring. One of my favorite tricks for cutting down on meal preparation time is to cook ahead. For example, if I'm going to be baking some chicken for dinner, I bake an extra piece or two for a different meal later in the week. Self magazine has a great sample menu that uses that same time-saving tip -- and the recipes are healthful, balanced, and sound positively yummy. Give it a try!
Jamie Oliver - economic slump can lead to unhealthy eating
Celebs & Entertainment, Nutrition & Supplements
When Oliver was first zeroing in on school lunches and teaching cafeteria workers to prepare fresher, more nutritious meals, he didn't just encounter resistance from kids. In one South Yorkshire town, cameras caught parents of school children shoving burgers and fries at their kids through the school's fence. So now Oliver is working in that town and trying to teach families how to eat healthfully on a tight budget.
Oliver makes a good point: Historically, when money was tight, people had to become more resourceful -- growing their own produce, using cheaper cuts of meat, and so forth. Now, however, people have the option of buying $0.79 boxes of macaroni and cheese or value meals at fast food joints. Have you seen that recent commercial for KFC? The one that challenges people to buy the ingredients for a bucket of chicken for less than they'll sell it to you? That's just the point the Oliver is making -- when convenience and cost pair together, some people will let nutrition slide.
If you're trying to lower your grocery costs, try these tips for eating healthfully on a budget.
The real reason kids don't eat healthier: They don't like to
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There's lots of uproar these days about the state of lunches offered at school. Parents, teachers and even celebs are upset that there aren't healthier options available to kids, and it's mostly blamed on a lack of funds. But according to a report from Newsday.com on kids in Long Island, there's more to it than that: most kids simply don't like eating healthy food. And while younger kids are held captive to what their parents give them or what the cafeteria serves, older kids are ditching the healthy school meals and heading to nearby fast food restaurants to pick up the junk foods they're craving.
Pack your own lunch, save $2,000 a year
Diet & Weight Loss, Nutrition & Supplements
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Bringing your lunch to work, school or wherever you spend your days is a healthier alternative to noshing at fast food joints and restaurants. But if knowing this is not incentive enough, consider this: Packing your own lunch can save you up to $2,000 a year. That's enough for a couple pairs of Manolos, a relaxing trip somewhere warm or a reliable older car.
Think about it: A sandwich, side salad and diet pop at a café or restaurant will probably total around $10-$12 (maybe more, depending on where you live). The cost to make that sandwich and side salad and buy the soda in bulk? This is just a rough guesstimate, but I'd say around $3.
The easiest way to make sure you have something nutritious and delicious in your lunch box the next day is by cooking a bit extra when you make dinner. Got other yummy lunch ideas? Please share.
Not keen on the brown bag? Try packing a lunch in something like this Lunch & Go Lunchbox.
Daily Fit Tip: Keep your kid away from the corner store
Despite your best healthy intentions, there's one unhealthy influence in your child's life that could be damaging his or her health:
Kate Gosselin teams up with Grains Foods Foundation
Celebs & Entertainment, Nutrition & Supplements
Kate recently shared some of her tips with LilSugar, including her philosophy that, if you feed it (and don't offer any other options), eventually they will eat it. Aside from that, though, Kate has also teamed up with the Grains Foods Foundation to encourage people, but especially families, to return to the time-honored habit of brown-bagging it. "We've been brown-bagging for years," said Kate, "And I'm working with the Grains Foods Foundation to show other families how packing lunches can be an easy and fun way to save money and eat healthy."
With kids back in school, this is timely advice. At our school, the menu consists mainly of pizza, hot dogs, hamburgers, and chicken nuggets -- all for $2.00 a pop. When I pack my daughter's lunch, she eats things like sandwiches on whole wheat, fruit, raw veggies, hummus, and leftovers like salmon and spaghetti. That's a lot better variety at a significantly lower cost. And brown-bagging isn't only for kids. Adults can avoid fast food temptation at lunch time by packing themselves a nutritious lunch at home in the morning, and families can save money by packing a cooler when on the road.
The only thing I disagree with is Kate's statement that when she feeds her kids snacks, it's usually a grain. Grains are good, especially when they're whole grains, but kids need plenty of fruits and veggies and high-quality protein sources too. I'd pick apples and peanut butter over pretzels any day.
