Happy Tuesday and welcome to week 2 of the six week Liv For Luxury: Spring to Summer Wellness Challenge! If you are new to #LFLWellness6 you can read about the series in this post! Before we jump into this week’s challenge, last week was all about writing down your goals for the next 6 weeks and you can see a few of mine here. For those of you that started this 6-week journey with me, it was so awesome to read all of your goals that you messaged me over the past week. It gave me more ideas for my own goals and made me so happy to see that so many of you guys are up for the challenge. Keep up the great work! Don’t worry if you’re one week behind because there is still time to catch up! You can print out my goals worksheet here and think about some attainable goals that you want to accomplish by Memorial Day Weekend!
You butter believe that this week is all about getting you guys in the kitchen to whip up some of my favorite go-to healthy and delicious recipes to keep you energized throughout our wellness journey…and yes, that was a cooking pun! Before we jump into this week’s challenge, I feel that it is important to discuss nutrition and my relationship with food. A few years ago, I was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis, which is an autoimmune disease where the immune system attacks the thyroid and heavily affects your metabolism. Instead of resorting to medication, to mask symptoms, I used food and exercise to reclaim my health and live symptom-free.
What I Eat In A Day
I receive a lot of inquiries about how I stay in shape, and what I eat on a typical day. On my Instagram stories, I post about my daily workouts and meals. My meal planning is not based on any specific diet, nor do I care for the word “diet”, because it sounds like a short-term goal rather than a long-term one. The best meal plan is one that we can maintain for life and is only one piece of a healthy lifestyle. I aim to eat high-quality, nutritious whole foods, mostly organic plants (fruits and veggies), and avoid flours, sugars, trans fat, and processed foods – mostly anything in a box! I know this sounds a little daunting, but once you start your health kick, you will not want to sink back into your old ways. So, I decided to share with you “What I Eat In A Day”, with recipes, so all of you can see what a typical plate looks like for each of my meals. If your minds been pinwheeling over recipes to try this spring, look no further. Today, I am here to share some delicious recipes that you’ll have fun preparing and eating. Scroll down to see what I eat in a day!
Breakfast:
Breakfast is by far one of my favorite meals of the day. I usually start preparing my breakfast at around 9:30, but before I eat anything, I like to start my day with a cup of warm water and lemon juice. As lemon juice is rich in vitamin c, it helps balance the pH levels in your stomach, flushes out toxins, and aids in digestion (who knew lemon juice could be such a powerhouse!).
Every morning, I make a heaping pot of oatmeal using Bob’s Red Mill Organic Old Fashioned Rolled Oats (gluten free). I’ve been eating oatmeal for breakfast ever since high school, and I still can not get enough of it. It’s so comforting, delicious, and I always look forward to it when I wake up! I like to top my oatmeal with a few different things, all of which have a purpose beyond just making my oatmeal taste so good! In a coffee grinder, I grind up flax seeds, as grinding them fresh gives you the best nutritional value and benefits. I add flax seeds because they’re loaded with anti-inflammatory omega-3 which is great for your skin and for reducing redness. Next, I add hemp seeds, which is where I get my protein in the morning. Hemp seeds are tiny, but oh so powerful. They contain a massive amount of protein, including sulfur-bearing amino acids. This helps build strong hair, nails, muscles, and skin, which are a few things that can be affected by having Hashimoto’s. Next up is a sprinkle of chia seeds because I like the texture they add and they are also high in fiber and omega-3 fatty acids, contain protein, and support digestion. To sweeten things up, I like to add berries to my oatmeal and I’ll usually grab whatever is on hand. Strawberries are loaded with vitamin C and blueberries can increase collagen production, which is great for your skin! Lastly, I top it off with a few dashes of cinnamon! Cinnamon helps balance your blood sugar, so when you’re having oatmeal that has a higher glycemic level, cinnamon is a great addition.
I like having oatmeal in the morning because this is the only breakfast that keeps me energized throughout the morning! I find it keeps me fuller for longer and helps me perform better in the gym. I love it because it sustains me throughout my midday workout until I need a post-workout refuel.
Refuel Snack:
After breakfast, I will usually workout and 15-30 minutes after my workout I like to refuel my body with carbohydrates and protein. Every week I go to my local farmer’s market to pick up fresh produce, so I happened to have some farm fresh apples on hand. Nothing beats a fresh apple with a little bit of NutZo. Oh, you’ve never heard of Nutzo? Well, it’s the greatest thing since almond butter came on the scene. It’s an upgraded almond butter made from a mix of nuts and seeds like cashews, almonds, brazil nuts, flax seeds, chia seeds, hazelnuts, pumpkin seeds and a dash of sea salt, and I am addicted. I control myself (sometimes) and only take about a ½ tbsp. of NutZo, but there is something about the texture and taste that I am obsessed with. The post-workout snack delivers nutrients, carbohydrates, and a good source of protein, which is something I always try to include in all my meals and snacks. It’s a sweet and savory treat and a nutritionally powerful way to refuel. I like to bite into something that’s crunchy and combines a little sweetness and texture. It’s filling and helps me rebuild my energy and muscles.
Lunch:
Lunch is shortly after my snack and it’s usually something that I make at home. I like to change things up for lunch and make things interesting by coming up with different dishes to create based off ingredients I already have in my fridge. It’s like my own mini version of Chop’t every day around lunchtime. I’ve been really into making quinoa bowls and different salads because they’re super simple, especially with leftover veggies and fruits, and they’re always so delicious. I always like to have a lot of veggies at lunch with some sort of protein. Today, I made this quinoa salad for lunch, using a few leftover ingredients and a few bits and pieces that I had in the cupboard. I am the kind of girl who sorts of throws everything into a bowl without measuring things, but I did my best to try and get the exact measurements for you guys:
Liv’s Quinoa Citrus Salad: serves 4
Salad:
2 Cups of cooked quinoa
Half of a large red cabbage, shredded
15-20 Brussels sprouts, sliced thin
½ cup of pomegranate seeds
1/3 cup sunflower seeds
1 large orange, peeled and cut into pieces
(Feel free to add leftover roasted veggies like sweet potatoes or butternut squash)
Citrus Dressing:
Half of a medium orange, juiced and zested
The juice and zest of half a small lemon
½ cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
¼ cup of rice wine vinegar or white balsamic vinegar
1 tsp of garlic powers
1 tsp of honey
A pinch of salt & pepper
Top with any kind of protein you like. I opted for a sunny side up egg because I love how the runny yolk complements this salad. You could also use grilled chicken or salmon! It will be delicious no matter what you decide to put on top.
If you want more vegetables and less quinoa you can always make alterations by adding more veggies or vice versa. I usually have most of these ingredients on hand, like the cooked quinoa, because you can always create something that is filling, and they are simple additions you can add to most recipes. Quinoa is one of my favorites because it’s a great source of carbohydrates and proteins and it’s low in fat. This is a super light, zesty, and flavorful dish that keeps in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Dinner:
Dinner is one of my favorite meals of the day (after breakfast of course) because it’s the time when I can be the most creative in the kitchen. I usually ask my family what everyone feels like, but my cravings usually dictate what I will create for that night’s dinner. Today I felt like salmon with some roasted veggies that I picked up at the farm. Salmon is rich in omega-3 fatty acids and a great source of protein. I like to buy Wild Alaskan Salmon from my local fish shop because to me, it’s the best and healthiest option because it’s packed with less saturated fat than farm-raised salmon. I try to include salmon in my diet at least 1-2 times a week because it’s extremely beneficial for Hashimoto’s disease. Salmon is a great source of protein which helps the transportation of thyroid hormones to all the cells in your body. It’s also rich in omega-3 fatty acids that help with inflammation, which also accompanies Hashimoto’s.
I love flavoring the salmon with a Dijon mustard and lemon and dill marinade and pairing it with roasted veggies, like vine-ripened tomatoes, purple potatoes, and a light peppery arugula salad. My dinner plate usually consists of more veggies than protein, as 4 oz. of protein is usually more than enough for me (I only ate half the amount of salmon that’s pictured, but I wanted to show you the result for a more dramatic effect). This is one of my favorite meals to make because it’s a one-pan meal. You can literally put all the veggies on a sheet pan and pop it in the oven while you prepare your salmon marinade. Here is how you make this dish:
Roasted Veggies:
400-degree oven
Tomatoes:
In a bowl, toss the tomatoes with a light coating of Extra Virgin Olive Oil, salt, and pepper. Transfer the tomatoes to a sheet pan.
Purple potatoes:
Cut your purple potatoes into small quartered pieces.
In that same bowl (because who wants to wash 2 bowls?) put your chopped potatoes, drizzle them with olive oil, freshly chopped rosemary (about 3 sprigs of rosemary), 1 tsp of garlic powder, salt, and pepper.
Directions: Cook the veggies for 30-40 minutes until the skin of the tomatoes have slightly pierced and the potatoes are golden brown!
Dijon Mustard Dill and Lemon Salmon
Marinade:
In a bowl, depending on how much fish you have to coat with the marinade (I made 1 ½ pounds for 4 people), put 2 tbs of Dijon mustard, 2 tbs of long grain mustard, ½ tbsp of fresh chopped dill, a drizzle of olive oil, the juice of half a lemon, salt and pepper.
- Brush the outside of the salmon with the marinade and top it off with a lemon slice cut in half. The lemon slices will help infuse the salmon with that fresh lemon flavor because the heat from the grill will cook the lemon slices and the juice will melt into the fish.
- I grill my salmon in a fish basket on medium-high heat with the top down for 7 minutes on each side. My tip is to make sure to spray the surface of the basket or grill with extra virgin olive oil spray to prevent the fish from sticking!
Arugula and Radicchio Salad
This is a simple accompaniment to the fish! I place the arugula and radicchio in a bowl and drizzle it with a little vinegar, lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper. I love the peppery taste of arugula and the bitterness of the radicchio, so I like to dress it with something very simple to let their flavors shine through.
So, that is what I typically eat in a day! Looks pretty delicious, right? But, I believe in order to live a healthy lifestyle, it is important to not restrict yourself. Everything in moderation is what my mother always told me growing up, because a taste of something sweet or eating a meal that isn’t entirely strict to the guidelines that we create for ourselves, doesn’t mean that your health streak is going to be ruined. I really love this saying – “eating bad once a week won’t make you unhealthy, just like eating good once a week won’t make you healthy.” Everybody’s body is different, so its hard to say what will work for one person, may not work for the next. If you want to see results, be consistent and make healthy eating a habit rather than a hassle. I am always interested in learning about new ways to prepare foods to make your dishes a bit livelier, colorful and more delicious.This love affair with cooking and food started when I was nine years old. Instead of going to sleep away camps or dance camp, I chose cooking camp. From a very young age, I would watch The Food Network and try to perfect my knowledge of food and my skills in the kitchen. Something that has always stayed with me throughout the years is that you don’t have to sacrifice taste when preparing healthy meals. I am constantly reminded of this point when I see some of my favorite food and nutrition bloggers create delicious recipes that fit into my lifestyle. One of my go-to food blogs is Cookie and Kate. It is a vegetarian food blog, and I always love how Kate finds new and interesting ways to cook plant-based foods and bring life to my plate. She also has an amazing cookbook with so many tasty recipes, which you can find here. Also, love reading Maria Marlowes nutrition and food blog. She also has an amazing book, called The Real Food Grocery Guide, which I find incredibly insightful and helpful when grocery shopping. If I had to give an award to a food blog that makes the most incredible recipe videos, it would go to The Toasted Pine Nut. Her recipes are simply scrumptious!
This Weeks Challenge: Try 3 New Healthy Recipes
One of my main goals to create delicious and healthy recipes and plan out my meals for the week. I think it is so important to plan out your week, so when it is time to go to the grocery store, you have a fairly good idea of what you need to buy. There is nothing worse than floundering in the supermarket trying to figure out what to make for dinner. One way to avoid this is to look through some food blogs, like the ones I share above, or purchase a healthy cookbook and try a few new recipes throughout the week. I love being so satisfied with a recipe that I created, and it makes it taste that much better knowing that I made it and that it’s healthy! And that leads me to this week’s challenge. Try making at least 3 new healthy recipes this week. It can be the ones that I shared in this blog post, it can be anything from a full dinner to a smoothie – I just want you to get in the kitchen and try something new!
Suggestions:
- Read through a few food blogs and cookbooks to find recipes that you want to try and create a shopping list! Once you get to the store, you’ll stick to the list and be less tempted to put items in the cart that aren’t on the list or look tempting.
- Make something that will last you a few days. The Citrus Salad that I shared, can last you up to 4 days in the fridge and is perfect to take with you to work or have with a side of protein.
- Trying a new smoothie it is a great way to make sure you’re eating enough greens and veggies, and also a quick and easy snack to take on the go or sip on after a workout (just make sure you add some whey protein or plant-based protein to your shake!).
I’ve rounded up a few of my favorite cookbooks below for you to check out and I want to leave you with this quote “There is a difference between being interested and committed. When you are interested you do it when it’s easy. When you are committed you do it no matter what.” Get in the kitchen and start cooking!!
Love,
Liv
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