Grocery Week Part IV: Grains

Now that you are well on your way to being a health-savvy shopper, its time to head towards the grains. Grains are one of your main sources of carbohydrates or....energy! Its what you are running on right now in order to breathe, read, walk, talk, run, jump, etc. Because the carbohydrates in grains are so crucial, you want them to be coming form the best sources possible!!! Also, remember the importance of whole grains!

Here are some quick suggestions for your grain purchases:

BREAD:

When buying bread, you have to think about what it is you want from your bread. Do you want maximum fiber, do you want the fewest calories possible, do you want it to be cheap? The answers to these questions will help you find the perfect bread for you.

For highest fiber you want to purchase a 100% rye bread.

For lowest calories you want a vegetable fiber wheat bread. (pictured)

For the lowest price you want the generic brand 100% whole wheat bread.

There are other good options out there like whole wheat or whole grain Sandwich Thins as well. You just have to hunt for what it is you want!!

PASTA:
When I talk about buying pasta, I'm talking about buying dried pasta in the box. There are options for buying fresh pasta, but we aren't going there. Dried pasta, in a tightly closed packet, will keep almost indefinitely (up to years). When buying pasta, keep two things in mind.
1. Whole wheat is your best choice for fiber content, but if you don't like it, don't sweat it. You can still enjoy pasta! One thing I suggest is making 1/2 and 1/2 batches. Mix half refined pasta and half whole wheat. That way, the taste is more similar to what you are used to, but you are getting in some extra fiber! You have to wash 2 pans, but it's worth it!
2. Generic is fine! To save money, grab the store brand - it still has a great taste, but with less of an investment!

RICE (Gluten Free):
Brown is better than white because of the fiber and additional vitamins and minerals. The only other rule with rice is.....experiment! There are so many different types of rice, and their taste and aroma vary greatly. My favorite, Jasmine rice, is a long-grain rice that has a soft, roasted-nut flavor. Yum!

CEREAL:
The goal: low sugar, high fiber. This is where you have to start reading your labels. Look at the first ingredient. If it starts with the word "Refined," move along. However, the 1/2 and 1/2 rule can be applied here too. For example: 1/2 Frosted Flakes, 1/2 Bran Flakes makes a good tasting, high fiber cereal.
Also, with fall and winter coming fast, don't forget about hot cereal. Oatmeal is a great way to get your fiber in for the day!

POWER GRAIN:
Quinoa (Gluten Free): With 3 more grams of protein per cooked cup when compared to brown rice, this grain is an awesome base for any dish. It can be substituted for any grain - in cereal, as a rice, anything! Also, it has more fiber, magnesium, and iron.

Grocery Week Part III: Meat and Seafood

After you have your produce, its time to head to the meat and seafood department for your lean sources of protein. When you are buying these products, you want to focus in on a few things.

1. Make sure turkey and chicken are "skinless" - especially when buying ground turkey. Make sure its says "skinless turkey" or "skinless chicken" somewhere on the package.

Jennie-O is the "Laura's Lean" of turkey

2. With beef, you want to focus on fat content. Some will say 70% lean or 80% lean. Usually, the best you can find is 94% lean (Laura's Lean Beef) - become a fan on facebook! I know that the leaner the meat, the more expensive it is. So, you can buy the higher fat meat, just learn to drain the fat off effectively.

3. The healthier options, when it comes to pork, are pork chops, tenderloin, ribs, or roasts. When making these products, you want to buy cuts of pork with less fat. Meaning, they have less marbling (the white stuff). Here is a helpful chart that shows all the pork lingo!

4. Seafood is a scary place for a lot of people - I hate when you can see the fishes' eyes! However, seafood is a healthy way to increase protein intake along with your omega's! Honestly, I would just ask the person working at the counter for help. Tell them what you are looking for, and they will help you find it! With fish, you just want to make sure it is fresh - good color, good odor, smooth, and no liquid. You want to refrigerate immediately and use within 1-2 days. You can freeze up to 2 months! If you need to defrost, keep in the fridge overnight, or run under cold water.

Again, make sure you know what you are going to do with the meat and how much you actually need before purchasing. Learn new recipes using online instruction videos! Here is a great video on sauteing salmon.

Grocery Week Part II: Produce

It is difficult to buy produce. You inevitably end up buying too much or too little or you don't know what to do with it once you buy it. Once you get a little more comfortable, hopefully it will be the first place you hit once inside the grocery!!

If you are a beginner, than you want to start with the basics, the hardware of produce. These are items that are simple, can be eaten alone or used for flavor, and don't go bad immediately.
- oranges
- onions
- potatoes
- garlic
and - lemons
Learning to use these items  will help you build your "produce confidence."

From there, you need to start understanding how much produce you are actually going to eat, and what you are going to do with it once purchased. For example, I know that I eat an apple a day, so I have no problem buying 4-5 apples at a time. However, if I know that I am only going to make one batch of guacamole, I would only purchase 1-2 avocados. If you see strawberries on sale, its fine to purchase them. Its not fine to purchase 3 boxes of them. If you over buy, you are wasting money and increasing frustration with fresh produce, discouraging future purchases. So, start out small.

Also, its important to buy "in" season. Well, what does that mean? There is so much information out there about what is in season - just google it! For now (September and October) you have asparagus, broccoli, cauliflower, kale, and lettuce. These are going to be your "cheaper" options.

Lastly, if you are going to buy produce, than you are going to need to know what to do with your purchases. Nothing is worse than buying food and then ruining it (especially if you are cooking to impress someone). Nothing says, "I'm awesome, date me" like crappy-ass food. Lets say your bought broccoli - even if you looked up a recipe with broccoli in it, you still might not understand it all. I turn to youtube or ehow videos. Just type in "cooking broccoli," watch, and learn!!! Here is one on cooking broccoli.

So, don't be afraid of the produce section. Start out small and basic, and watch videos on anything new you would like to try! Its the easiest way to learn to cook - promise!

Also, don't forget the salad bar. Its a great place for a beginner to buy small amounts of an item already chopped and ready to go!

Grocery Week Part I: Preparing for the grocery

Grab your wallet and your re-usable bags (hippies) for Grocery Week here at Defending Veggies. There is so much anxiety when it comes to food shopping, and many people have no idea where to start. Well, this week will hopefully make you feel a little more at ease about the whole process.
Now, contrary to belief, healthy eating does NOT start at the grocery. It starts at home when preparing for the grocery. Today, we are going to talk about what you have to do BEFORE hoping into the car. If you show up to the grocery unprepared, you will end up buying a lot of non-useful items and spending more money than planned.

For a successful grocery trip,check out the following steps to help you prepare:

1. Take inventory: What do you already have? When you do this you are able to see forgotten items that may have been purchased at your last grocery trip. For example, you are taking inventory and you find some frozen shrimp you forgot about - well, great - now you know to put a dish with shrimp in it on the menu this week.
2. Make your menu: Literally. Get out a piece of paper (or for you techy people out there, pull up your spread sheet) and literally write down what you are going to be eating throughout the week. Here is what mine might look like (I usually plan for about 3-4 days in advance)

                          Breakfast                        Lunch                            Dinner                          Snack

Monday               Oatmeal, banana, milk      Tuna Salad               Chicken Quesadillas         String Cheese

Tuesday               Same                                 PB&J, Apple,           Asian Chicken and Rice    Almonds

                                                                        String Cheese

Wednesday         Same                                  Eat Out                      Homemade Chili                String Cheese

Thursday            Same                                  Chili                            Chicken Salad                    Almonds

 
3. Add needed items to the list: Now I can start putting together my grocery list with the ingredients that I will need. I would make sure I had my items for breakfast (Oatmeal, Gallon of Milk, and 4 bananas), lunch (Tuna, Mayo, Relish, Romain lettuce, Onion, Peanut Butter, Jelly, Bread, Apple), dinner (items to make all recipes), and snacks (string cheese and almonds)!

4. Compare to your inventory: If I go back and compare it to my inventory, I might find that I already have peanut butter, oatmeal, and almonds. So, I can mark those things off my list.

Now, you are ready to hit the grocery!!

P.S. Another asset for me has been my recipe binder! I find recipes constantly - in magazines, on the Internet, from friends.....EVERYWHERE!! Its too much, and its not approachable. So, I created my own recipe binder. I used dividers to mark appetizers, vegetables and salads, soups, chicken, beef, seafood, and deserts. When I find a recipe I like, I tear it, write it, or print it, and put it in its respective category. Then, when I'm looking for a dish that has shrimp in it for Tuesday night, I know where to look!!! Saves time, energy, and money!!!!

Remember, PLANNING IS KEY!

Wine a little, and you'll feel better:)

Stole the title from my kitchen's wall decor:) But, yes, it is true that a little wine can go a long way. There have been countless studies on the benefits of alcohol on the body. Thankfully, there have been some GREAT findings that might help you feel a little less guilty as you uncork yet another bottle this weekend. Keep in mind that all studies have found a U shaped association with alcohol and health benefits. Meaning that a little = benefits, but too much = detriments. So, when I explain all the positive associations, they are from studies using moderate amounts of alcohol. Moderate meaning between 1 and 3 drinks. (1 drink equalling 1.5oz liquor, 12 oz. beer, or 5oz. wine)

One of the main associations made with alcohol is its correlation with the reduction of coronary heart disease. There are many unknowns about the actual relationship, but regardless, there is one. One theory is that alcohol decreases the reproduction of smooth muscle cells (SMC) within the arteries which can lead to hardening of the vessels. Because of this finding, it is suggested to intake moderate amounts of alcohol with high fat dinners (like steak dinners) to decrease growth of the SMC up to 20%. This is A LOT considering how often a person eats. Again, this is just one theory.

Along with cardiovascular benefits, alcohol intake has also been associated with:

- lower cholesterol
- fewer kidney stones
- lower risk for stroke
- life longevity
- lower risk of certain cancers
- decreased psychological distress
- lower risk of diabetes
and - improved social interaction

So, "pop-a-top again" - Its for your health!

Thanks to my friend, Lori, for her topic suggestion!

Lori with her soon-to-be husband, Lee! Congrats you two!!

AND REMEMBER...



Moderation



is



key.



Are You Brainwashed?

Of course you are. I know I am. People are brainwashed everyday by the marketing industry. You HAVE to buy these shoes. You HAVE to have this car. Your HAVE to live in this neighborhood. I recently fell for this when I bought an overpriced pair of fabulous suede black boots. I thought I HAD to have them for my winter wardrobe. After getting home and re-thinking the situation, I realized that I in fact did NOT need the overpriced boots, and I could use the money elsewhere in my budget. They are in my return pile as of yesterday. Just like the fashion industry, the food industry has brainwashed us as well - some in different ways then others.

We can thank the fast food industry for this particular scheme, and its been working since 1921, when White Castle was founded. (I realized there's arguments about this particular beginning of fast food, but stay focused - that is not what this is about). Think about it - there are social cues everywhere luring people into the sodium infested goodness of fast food. Think about your ride home from work....how many fast food establishments do you pass on the way home?

There was a study done about American children's recognition of the McDonalds' golden arches - I don't remember the specifics, but you can imagine the findings. Basically, kids can recognize the fast food symbols before they can read...meaning, our kids are growing up not only dumb, but fat too. Super.

This brainwashing doesn't stop at fast food though - the other half - those of you that think they are the "better half" are being brainwashed too. Organic, Natural, Fat-Free, No Pesticides, High in Anti-Oxidants, High in Protein, Carb Free, New Look - Same Great Taste, Garden Fresh, Slim, Light, and on and on and on and on and on. The yuppies fall for it too. In order to be a "good parent" you have to feed your kids a hormone free, dairy free, pesticide free diet.

We all fall for it in one way or another! You'd like to think that you have control over your own life, or at least your own food, but you don't! We all fall for social media and social cues every day! When you are hungry and driving home after a long day and you see cute little Wendy with her red hair and pigtails, your brain is programmed to do one thing......crave a bacon melt, whatever the hell they serve these days.

BE ABOVE IT. You CAN make it home and cook whatever you had planned. I promise, you're not going to die if you don't have 800 Calories of beef lard for dinner. Same with you crazed parents out there. You aren't a bad parent if you feed your children non-organic milk. You are still a healthy eater if you eat carbohydrates. You don't have to buy the brown eggs. Half of the BS they are selling you at the health store you shop at is just the same stuff you buy at Walmart, but in pleasant, earth tones packaging. You have to be able to wave through all the crap and actually decide what it is you find important and what is going to fit into your budget.

BE YOUR OWN PERSON! Don't do what Suzy Jones is doing next door just because its the thing to do. Don't stop at the Arby's on impulse because that little cowboy hat seems to calling your name. Stand up to the marketing industry. Do your research, and you will find that you CAN un-brainwash yourself. Re-join us out in the real world! Can't wait to see you here!

Don't Let this.....

be you.

10 Must Read Salad Bar Tips

Salad bars are great way to get the fruits and vegetables you need in a very convenient way. They are a healthy alternative to "eating out," and are an excellent source of already chopped produce for the home! Here are some tips to keep this healthy option......healthy.

1. GO DARK: Choose dark green lettuce as a base for salads (spinach or mixed greens) Skip the iceberg for more a more nutrient rich start!

2. TRY SOMETHING NEW: Add a small amount of a new fruit or vegetable every time you go - for example - if you don't normally eat broccoli, add a few pieces for something a little different.

3. AVOID THE YOLK: When putting egg on your salad, try to scoop out the egg white only (and not the yellow yolk) to save yourself a few calories and cholesterol.

4. GO SHREDDED: Add shredded cheese for a added Protein, Calcium, and Vitamin D

5. NO MAYO: Skip mayonnaise based items like chicken salad and tuna salad - very high in calories - choose plain shredded chicken instead or add more egg whites for protein.

6. SKIP THE DRESSING: Buy your salad dressing separate and keep it at home or the office - this will cut down on cost. And, if you choose a light dressing, you will be saving calories as well. One of my favorites is Newman's Own Light Honey Mustard.

7. GO "CROUTONLESS": Try adding dried fruit like raisins for cranberries to top your salad instead of croutons for added nutrient value.

8. GO CHEAP: When purchasing spinach for a recipe, it is much cheaper to get it off the salad bar than buying it bagged.

9. BRING IT HOME: Place 4-5 items you like in your salad in separate containers, purchase, and keep at home for quick salads at meal time.

10. TASTE THE RAINBOW: The more color, the better!! Make sure that your salad has 4 or more colors in it. Then you know you're getting a variety of vitamins and minerals in your meal!

Animals need nutrition advice too!!

Nulo - Where nutrition meets love is a great site for all you animal lovers out there! Have your nutrition questions answered, track your pet's weight, follow their blog - their resources are endless!!

They have great articles on topics like...How to prepare for hiking with your pet, What to do about constipation, The dangers of chocolate - and everything else you can imagine!

Really I just wanted an excuse to share pics of my new puppy:) He's soooooooooooo cute!!!

"Bannon" - Best puppy in the world!!!

He loves laying on his back!

He always looks a little perturbed:) Hilarious.

Hope your week is starting off well!! Woof, woof!!!

Genetically Modified Salmon - Is it safe?

Decide for yourself: FDA Advisers Weigh Approval of Genetically Modified Salmon

How much milk you got?

The question isn't 'Got Milk?'. The question is 'How Much Milk You Got?'. (I'm definitely going to patent that.) I'm a huge dairy advocate, and an avid milk drinker. It's "udderly" delicious! (get it?!)
Milk is a nutrient rich food meaning it has high levels of nutrients per calorie. Also, its very economical at about 23 cents a cup. Milk contains Calcium and Vitamin D, but it also contains other important nutrients including Protein, Vitamin A, Riboflavin, B12, Phosphorus, and Potassium. Its unique combination of carbohydrates and protein make it a perfect breakfast component and after-workout recovery snack. But, are all milks created equal?

Per 8 oz. serving....

 Milk       Calories       Fat       Protein       Calcium


Skim          91             0.7g        8.7g         316.2mg

1%            105           2.5g         8.5g         213.7mg

2%            122           4.9g         8.1g          285.9mg

Whole        147           8.1g         7.9g          276.1mg

1% Choc.    158          2.5g         8.1g          287.1mg

Silk's Soy     100           4g             7g           300mg

So, some milks are better than others, but any milk is better than no milk! In a perfect world, everyone would be drinking skim milk (expecially if you are drinking a lot of it); however, if you like 2% better - fine - it only has about 30 extra calories per serving. If you like chocolate better - fine - it just has some extra sugar. And, if you're lactose intollerant, soy milk is the way to go!



Britney:( Miss her.

Ways to increase your milk intake:
- add milk instead of water to soups
- add milk instead of water to oatmeal
- make milkshakes for after-workout recovery snacks
- eat cereal and milk as a nighttime snack
- always have milk with desert

Check out this dairy blog for daily information about dairy and its benefits!

Travel Week Part V: No Excuses!

In conclusion of travel week, I want to focus not so much on actual behaviors, but on the reasons for those behaviors. You can make excuses all you want - you can tell yourself anything to justify unhealthy behaviors. "I don't have time," "I'll start on Monday," "I'm still young, who cares," "I'm hungover" (separate issue:), "Its too late, I'm already too fat," "I don't care what I look like" (lie), "I feel healthy enough," "I'm afraid I'll fail," "blah, blah, blah." - Trust me, I've tried them all, and none of them work - you're not fooling anyone but yourself........Actually, scratch that, I doubt you're even fooling yourself.
Move on already! You CAN do it! I even showed you how to eat Taco Bell healthily! And, I'm sure you have your car snacks packed and ready:)

NO MORE EXCUSES!!

"Rule #76 No Excuses, Play like a champion"

Enjoy the weekend and try to implement one or two things talked about over the past week like.....

A quick new breakfast idea,

Eating a healthy afternoon snack,

Packing one of the new lunch menus,

or

Skipping the fried food at your late night 4th meal:)

P.S. This is a shout out to Erin S. for giving me the idea for travel week!  Erin in an accountant and her job requires quite a bit of travel - she wanted some good ideas on what to do when she is on the move! Thanks, Erin! Hoped you learned something:)!

Erin S. "The Traveling Accountant!"

Travel Week Part IV: Best Bets in Fast Food

You're driving home from a meeting that was an hour outside of town, and you're starving! You glance over and see something on the floor of the passenger seat. Reaching down, you find a granola bar with the expiration date: May, 2008. You think about it, but then, like a light house on the shore, you spot the Golden Arches. Thank god!!!! Oh, but wait. You think how you've been doing so well eating healthy, and you really don't want to ruin it. Resorting back to your original plan, you slowly peel back the top of the granola wrapper, hesitantly move it into your mouth, and take a bite! OHHHHHHH - UGH! GOOD GOD!!! GROSS! HELP!!! WATER!!!! AHHHHHH!!!!!!
Moral of the story: you should have just gone to McDonald's.
There are some choices out there that won't make or break your healthy eating habits, and if you get in a crunch, you're going to be just fine. When eating fast food, the best things you can do are 1. control your portion sizes, 2. skip the fried options, and 3. get veggies anyway you can. Here are the best options at 4 popular fast food locations:

ARBY'S

- top all sandwiches with all vegetable options: lettuce, tomato, and onion

Regular Roast Beef Sandwich: 350 Calories 13g Fat 23g Protein  

Chicken Fillet Sandwich - Roast: 400 Calories 16g Fat 24g Protein

Arby's Melt: 320 Calories 11g Fat 18g Protein

Chopped Farmhouse Salad - Turkey and Ham: 250 Calories 14g Fat 23g Protein

McDONALD'S

- top all sandwiches with all vegetable options: lettuce, tomato, and onion

Hamburger - Plain:  250 Calories 9g Fat 12g Protein

Grilled Chicken Sandwich: 420 Calories 10g Fat 32g Protein

Grilled Snack Wrap: 260-330 Calories 9-10g Fat 18g Protein

Southwest Salad with Grilled Chicken: 320 Calories 9g Fat 30g Protein

Creamy Southwest Dressing: 100 Calories 6g Fat

Low-fat Balsamic Vinaigrette: 40 Calories 3g Fat

Fruit and Yogurt Parfait: 160 Calories 2g Fat 4g Protein

TACO BELL

From Fresco Menu:

Grilled Steak Soft Taco: 160 Calories 4.5g Fat 9g Protein

Chicken/Steak Supreme Burrito: 340 Calories 8g Fat 17g Protein

Bean Burrito: 340 Calories 8g Fat 12g Protein

From Regular Menu:

Soft Chicken Taco 190 Calories 6g Fat 13g Protein

Soft Beef Taco 210 Calories 9g Fat 10g Protein

WENDY'S

- top all sandwich options will all vegetable options: lettuce, tomato, and onion

Jr. Hamburger: 220 Calories 7g Fat 18g Protein (note: you can have 2 Jr. burgers for less calories than a single)
Small Chili: 220 Calories 7g Fat 18g Protein

Ultimate Chicken Grill: 370 Calories 7g Fat 34g Protein

Grilled Chicken Go-Wrap: 230 Calories 10g Fat 20g Protein

Garden Salad with Light Ranch: 160 Calories 7g Fat 4g Protein


If you know you're going to eat fast food, look up the best options ahead of time. That way, if you get in a crunch, you now what to choose!!

Travel Week Part III: Snacking

Sometimes it's difficult to prepare multiple meals to eat throughout the day. So, the next best thing is to control the snacks you eat between meals. Eating small, sensible snacks helps decrease hunger at your actual meals. This makes it easier to control the ravenous feeling that leads to double cheese burgers being eaten whole at stoplights on your way to your next meeting. In summary, better snacks = better meals.

Keys to a good snack:
1. Carb source for instant energy
2. Protein source to hold you over
3. Quick and easy

You aren't always going to be able to eat the perfect snack. Just try to grab something healthy that you can eat without too much effort.

Snack Ideas

Small bag of nuts (almonds, walnuts, peanuts)

String cheese

Low-fat chocolate milk

Cereal/granola bar (with protein)

Whole fruit (banana, apple, grapes)

Yogurt

Fruit and peanut butter

Frozen yogurt (the Gogurt tubes are very convenient)

Trail mix (buy or make your own with nuts, cereal, and dried fruit)

Frozen grapes

4 whole wheat crackers and slice 2% cheese

Cottage cheese with fruit

Peanut butter on whole wheat crackers

Hummus (in your small Tupperware) on crackers, veggies, or whole wheat bread

Couple slices of deli meat on whole wheat crackers

Veggies and dip (use your small Tupperware for the dip and just throw cut up veggies (carrots, celery, peppers, ect.) in a zip-lock bag - since veggies aren't too filling, try to couple with a piece of string cheese

Keep snacks in your car (use a cooler if needed), in your purse, take them to ball games, shopping, the movies, EVERYWHERE! That way, you never get stuck somewhere and have to go through the drive-through for a snack. If that happens, you are going to consume a lot more calories than it would actually need to fill you up.

If you have an other great snack ideas, please post them below!!!

Travel Week Part II: Lunch

The hard part about eating on-the-go, but not eating fast food, is the planning. In order for you NOT to have to stop and get something, you have to pack something that morning that can stay with you all day. This takes a couple investments....

1. Insulated lunch box (it's not dorky anymore - promise)

2. 2 reusable ice packs (so you can rotate them)

3. Sandwich box (so they don't get smashed)

4. Small Tupperware holders for dips, dressing, etc.

Now, what to pack? It has to be easy to throw together and it has to be something that is going to hold up. Also, you want a carbohydrate source (grain or fruit) for instant energy and a protein source (meat, beans, nuts, or dairy) to keep you full. Here are a couple meals that are easy, convenient, healthy, will hold up in a lunch box, and are also very tasty!

No cooking required:
Deli sandwich with 2% cheese, veggies of your choice (slice of lettuce and tomato), with mustard or light mayo
1 serving of whole fruit (apple, banana, grapes, etc.)
8oz. yogurt

Chicken salad made with one can of canned chicken, 1 tablespoon light mayo, 1 tablespoon sweet relish, salt and pepper to taste
6 whole wheat crackers
1 serving of whole fruit
8oz. yogurt

2 rice cakes with 1 serving of peanut butter on each (put the peanut butter in one of your small Tupperware containers and pack a knife)
1 serving of whole fruit
8oz. yogurt

Spinach salad with diced onion, strawberries, Parmesan cheese, and almonds (put dressing (light raspberry vinaigrette) in small Tupperware container)
2 slices of deli meat (cut each in half) and 1 slice of 2% cheese with 4 whole wheat crackers

Cherry tomato salad with string cheese and Italian dressing. (cut the tomatoes in half and cut the string cheese into small pieces and cover with Italian dressing) - you can sprinkle basil on top for added flavor!
2 slices of deli meat or 1 slice of 2% cheese with 4 whole wheat crackers
8oz. yogurt

Microwave required:

Whole Grain Lean Pocket
1 serving of whole fruit
8oz. yogurt

Leftovers of any kind (lasagna, pizza, chicken dish, pasta) about 1 cup's worth
1 serving of whole fruit

Hot ham and cheese bagel on 2 mini whole wheat bagels - 1-2 slices of ham each with 1/2 slice 2% cheese, microwave.
Small side salad (toppings of your choice) keep dressing separate

Canned vegetable beef soup heated in microwave (need bowl)
1 slice 2% cheese and 4 whole wheat crackers

Hints:
* Use the grocery like a fast-food restaurant. I go to the grocery at lunch to get something from the salad bar, soup bar, freezer section (whole grain lean pockets), or just a quick yogurt. Its not crowded at that time, so I'm in and out! Faster than waiting in the drive through at Burger King. Ugh.
* Pasta salads can be revamped easily. Have some already cooked whole wheat penne pasta in the fridge that you can throw some veggies, cheese, and Italian dressing on whenever you need a quick meal!

If you have any great ideas that you've used in the past, please post them below!!

It's Travel Week at Defending Veggies: Part I: Breakfast

Grab your suit and sunglasses, and lets go! Just kidding - I'm not going to discuss far-away luxurious vacation destinations:( We are going to be more focused on traveling from place to place throughout your work-week day.
With everyone on-the-go ALL THE TIME with more and more obligations, healthy eating gets pushed to the side and, subsequently, McDonald's stock goes up! With this being such an important issue, I decided to take it one subject at a time throughout the entire week. We are going to start in a very logical place....Breakfast!
Breakfast is the easiest meal to skip because 1. you're always rushing in the am, 2. a lot of people aren't "starving" right when they wake up, and 3. coffee sometimes takes priority over food. (pause.....sorry, had to go get some coffee.......sip.......alright, I'm better now;)

With all the obstacles (showering, making lunches, taking the garbage out, taking the dog out, getting kids to school, going back for forgotten homework,  AND attempting to get to work on time - who has time for a nice, balanced meal? Sorry, guys ...........EVERYONE!!!
It takes a little planning (like all things), but here are some quick, on-the-go breakfast ideas that can fit into anyone's schedule.

At Home:

What I eat - yum!

Instant Oatmeal - Oatmeal goes in bowl, splash some milk and a tablespoon of peanut butter in, pop in the microwave for 1 min 30 sec. - finish packing lunches, brush your teeth, hit the loo again - then, eat. It's a small portion of food that you can mostly likely eat in around 8-10 bites, but it has a substantial amount of protein and fiber (the 2 most important things when it comes to breakfast).
Banana and Peanut Butter - peel banana, use a knife to slab on peanut butter the length of the fruit, eat. This is also a small portion of food that you can eat in around 5-6 bites.

I, obviously, love peanut butter

Breakfast Bar - be careful - read your labels. You want a bar that has protein in it (ex. South Beach's Living High Protein Cereal Bars)
Cottage Cheese and Fruit - Take a bowl, put a couple scoops of cottage cheese and add a few scoops of pineapple chunks - eat. (low if fiber, but very high in protein!)
Sandwich of your choice - Some people just don't like breakfast foods. Here's an idea for you. The night before, make a sandwich with a strong protein source (meat, cheese, egg), put in a sandwich bag or Tupperware, and refrigerate for the am.

Tumblers

In the Car:

Smoothie - Make the night before, and drink on the way to work (invest in a cup with a plastic, re-usable straw. This will make it easier to drink even if it is a little thick.) Look up a good recipe to try online!

Yogurt - Great source of protein and very convenient to eat

Trail Mix - Mix cereal, nuts, and dried fruit of your choice in a sandwich bag and eat on the way to work

If all else fails - Chug 16oz of fat-free milk before you walk out to door. 180 calories, 16g protein, 1.4g fat, plus bonus calcium and potassium (sports drink of champions:)

Stay tuned the rest of the week for more on-the-go ideas including your Best-Bets in Fast Food!