Healthy Eating Roadmap

Ever since my husband started the SCDiet, our egg consumption has skyrocketed!

Before eggs didn’t consume our lives, we were purchasing them from Kroger’s.......blah. But once I found the secret egg man, things changed. Read more to find out how I met this crazy man.

One rainy morning my sister had me over for breakfast. We had scrambled eggs with shells in green, blue, and yellow. She replied, “my friend Seth, he raises his own chicks just down the road.” The yolk was so vibrant that it nearly blinded me. Kroger eggs don’t even compare to these eggs. I decided I would never eat another Kroger egg again!

After consuming the rich and delicious scrambled eggs with coffee I stated, “I’ve gotta get me some of these.” The next week my sister introduced me to Mr. Crazy Egg Man (AKA Seth). He offered goose, ostrich, duck, quail, and chicken eggs. So that’s the story of the crazy egg man.

When shopping for eggs, its best to buy pastured eggs (and local if possible). Pastured eggs are more nutritious than factory eggs.

Pastured eggs contain:

• more Omega-3’s
• 10% less fat
• 40% more Vitamin A
• 34% less cholesterol
• 5 times more Vitamin D
• 3 times more Vitamin E
• 8 times more beta carotene

Pastured hens get to roam around outside and soak up the sun, while factory hens are forced to live indoors in crowded cages. Pastured eggs do not contain traces of added hormones, antibiotics, or other drugs. And they get to live a stress free wonderful life.

Diet of:

Pastured Hens Vs. Factory Hens

Bugs · Earthworms · Grass · other critters   Vs.   Grain based · Antibiotics · Feces

So pasture eggs are not only good for you but are delicious too!! Try this recipe with the first batch of pastured eggs you buy: Asparagus Egg recipe. If you don’t know a crazy egg man, look one up at LocalHarvest pastured eggs and search by typing in your zip code.

Written by Michelle Nardine RD. Follow me on Twitter.

(Warning: this strategy might not work so well if you have kids or a grumpy spouse)

I don’t know about you, but when summer comes around, I’m not big on slaving away for hours over a hot stove. I like to enjoy some free time outdoors. When you don’t get home from work until 6 or 7pm, spending an hour or more on dinner is a good way to drain the rest of your energy.

Here are some ideas for tiny snack-like dinners that you can prepare and eat in just a few minutes. They all have enough protein to give you some energy.

1. Banana with nut butter and granola. Spread nut butter on banana and dip it into granola.
2. Tuna in a pouch. Add mayo or avocado and random fridge ingredients; eat with crackers.
3. Fresh mozzarella. Put on toasted bread with basil, tomato, olive oil and balsamic vinegar.
4. Simple salad. Add a hard-boiled egg or goat cheese and quick olive-oil dressing.
5. Cottage cheese with strawberries. Slice strawberries over cottage cheese or yogurt.
6. Yogurt dipped veggies. Combine ranch seasoning with plain yogurt and serve with raw vegetables.

So, there you go. I’m giving you permission to eat small for dinner once and a while. Permission to get out of the kitchen and out enjoying the world.

I’ll admit that I quickly became excited about chia seeds when they first entered my world. I ordered a big bag and started incorporating some into smoothies and otherwise eating them by the spoonful.

If you’ve never heard of chia seeds, here is a quick rundown:

• They were a major food source of Mayan and Aztec civilizations
• They are very high in Omega 3 fatty acids
• They hold approximately 12 times their weight in water and aid hydration
• They are high in antioxidants

A one ounce serving contains approximately: Omega-3 fatty acids 5g, Omega-6 fatty acids 1.6g, fiber 11g, protein 4g, calories 137, and calcium 180mg.

These stats are great, but the Omega-3 fatty acids in chia seeds are in alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) form. Our bodies do not seem to be efficient at converting ALA into EPA/DHA fatty acids. To put it simply: most of the Omega-3’s we get from chia seeds get wasted.

That being said, I recommend you still eat them for their soluble fiber, antioxidants and hydrating properties when prepared as a gel. Any questions? Leave a comment, and if you haven’t already, please subscribe.

If you want something light and refreshing to eat for dinner then you’ve got to give this a try. I made it last night—it’s amazing and very easy!

Serves 2. Start to finish: 25 minutes.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 lb zucchini
• 1 garlic clove
• 2 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
• 1/2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 Tbsp water
• 1/2 cup torn basil leaves
• Lemon wedges

Directions: Shave zucchini lengthwise with a carrot peeler. Thinly slice garlic. Cut chicken crosswise into thirds, season, and sauté in oil until golden brown, about 8–14 minutes. Add chicken to zucchini. Cook garlic in skillet, add water and scrape up brown bits, then drizzle over chicken and zucchini. Add basil, toss until zucchini wilts slightly, season and enjoy!!

Written by Michelle Nardine RD. Follow me on Twitter.

We’ve been told a million times to eat more fruits and vegetables and reduce processed carbs and sugars. What follows are four actionable ideas that are not conventionally preached as eating advice. Some may even help you save a buck.

1. Get Smaller Plates

The main reason people gain weight is by simply eating too much. Want to automatically trick yourself into eating less food? Get yourself some nice 8–10 inch dinner plates and donate the big ones.

2. Start Gardening

Most everything that comes out of a garden is healthy and delicious. Start small with containers or herbs, create raised beds, or join a community garden. Find more tips in How to Start Gardening.

3. Organize a Cow Share

If you’re interested in grass-fed beef but find it expensive, get friends together and buy in bulk from a local farm. Visit eatwild.com to find an ethical farming operation in your area.

4. Read a Compelling Book

Consider Good Calories, Bad Calories, The Omnivore’s Dilemma, In Defense of Food, or Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More Than We Think.

Subscribe to this blog so you don’t miss a future post on the new hobby I call “Salad Hiking”.

Here are some neat, hilarious, healthy, awesome, or interesting things I found while surfing around the web the last couple months.

Food Stuff

Turn frozen bananas into an amazing healthy treat, make life-changing fries, try an amazing breakfast pizza, and explore Almond Butter Pumpkin Brownies. Other favorites include Best and Worst Seafood Choices, Advantages of Grass-Fed Beef, and a discussion about “What’s the hardest part of Eating Healthy?”

Straight Up Random Stuff

Thinking about having kids? Teach them how to tie their shoelaces this way and stay organized with a simple online to-do list. On a re-imagined society: http://mnmlist.com/reimagined/ and http://www.farbeyondthestars.com/?p=1525. What do you think? Leave a comment!

Have a great week everyone! Love, Michelle

This is a new series! Healthy Things from Healthy Bloggers will run every couple months and feature healthy eating tips and recipes from the bloggers doing it right!

1. If you love something, eat it—without guilt!

Look at your diet as 80–20: 80% of the time eat healthy whole foods and 20% of the time eat whatever you want. You would be surprised how liberating it can be to look at chocolate as your friend, not your enemy.

2. A delicious Green Monster

Blend together kale or spinach, milk, fruit, seeds and powders to make an energizing green smoothie. Try a fail-proof Virgin Green Monster recipe.

3. Natural Born Eater

Be intuitive and eat like you did when you were a kid: eat when hungry, stop when full, and listen to your body’s cues.

4. Rebecca’s Carrot Soup

Ingredients include carrots, red onion, vegetable stock, coriander, cumin, cilantro, red lentils and petite green peas. Heat onions and carrots with spices, add broth, peas and lentils, simmer 30–45 minutes, blend, then add cilantro.

Don’t want to miss another healthy eating tip? Subscribe right now by E-mail or RSS.

• Cold Fighting Meal Plan
• The Minimalist’s Guide to Eating
• How To Start Gardening
• Simple Weight Loss (free PDF poster)

1st, a special announcement….

We’ve been working hard on an eBook we’re creating called Organized Eating. It will help people save time and eat better, and it will be absolutely free.

Create a list of your ultimate favorite healthy foods. Take it to the grocery store and use it as your base of reference when you plan meals.

1. carrots
2. milk (soy or reg)
3. cantaloupe
4. wild salmon
5. sardines
6. grass-fed beef
7. quinoa
8. brown rice
9. chicken
10. eggs
11. yogurt
12. spinach
13. tomatoes
14. strawberries
15. blueberries
16. avocado
17. almonds
18. banana
19. chia seeds
20. black beans
21. lentils
22. kale
23. tea
24. coffee
25. asparagus
26. green beans
27. watermelon
28. cucumber
29. pears
30. honey

You can look at updated versions whenever you want at https://healthyeatingroadmap.com/favoritefoodslist/. If you enjoyed this post, subscribe right away!

Overlooked and underused in the American kitchen, these five foods pack a nutritional uppercut. Shoot for incorporating at least two into your diet each week.

1. Sun-Dried Tomatoes

With potent lycopene levels, these delicious gems may reduce cancers of the lung, stomach, and prostate. Throw them in pesto, pizza, or a veggie wrap.

2. Sardines

These tiny fish are extremely low in mercury contaminants and high in Omega-3 fatty acids. Buy them packed in extra virgin olive oil or mustard sauce.

3. Sunflower Seeds

These anti-inflammatory mini-guys pack vitamin E, thiamin and magnesium. Throw them on salads or eat them by the handful.

4. Quinoa

Quinoa has a complete protein profile. Try it with lightly sautéed or steamed vegetables.

5. Black-Eyed Peas

They are high in fiber, folate and protein. Cover with water, boil, then simmer 15–20 minutes until soft.

Make sure to subscribe to this blog so you don’t miss more exciting things, including free stuff.

The major causes of weight gain are:

• over-eating
• under-moving
• stress

You already have the knowledge you need to maintain a healthy weight and feel great. The hard part is finding motivation for action—getting exercise, cooking a healthy meal, and reducing stress.

I’ve created a free poster PDF with eight little mantras to help you eat right, move more, and feel less stressed out. Hang it someplace you’ll see it everyday.

Click here to download and/or print your free copy of the Simple Weight Loss poster.