Some Favorite Nutritious Foods, Tools and Websites

Nutritious Foods

Almonds – Satisfying snack, packed with carbs, protein, Vitamin E, and fiber25

Chicken Breasts – Versatile, lean meat that is served often at my house

Black Beans – Puree canned beans with garlic and a little salt and you have a tasty bean dip

Spinach – My favorite way to eat it is sautéed with garlic

Sugar Snap Peas – Another great snack: slightly sweet and very crunchy

Red, Yellow, Orange, and Green Peppers – Peppers are packed with antioxidants and go well with so many foods.  I especially like mine sautéed and served on a tortilla with beans.

Zucchini – Full of vitamins and minerals and low calorie

2% Milk Sharp Cheddar Cheese – Full of calcium and protein and even reduced fat

Skim milk – Milk is a great post-workout snack because of the combination of carbs and protein

Bananas – I prefer them with cereal and milk or topped with peanut butter. Yum!  Excellent source of potassium.

Clementines – These sweet little oranges are portable, full of Vitamin C, and easy to peel

Berries – Frozen berries are always in season.  I like mine pureed and mixed with applesauce, on pancakes, in oatmeal, or in muffins.

Whole wheat bread (especially if it’s made by my mom) – Who doesn’t like fresh homemade bread?

Oats – Cooked to make oatmeal, I like to put raisins in mine.  Or I’ll add them to pancake batter or cookies.

Barilla Plus Pasta – A tasty, whole grain pasta with added omega-3 fatty acids

Whole Wheat Flour – I replace white flour with whole wheat whenever I can: in brownies, muffins, or pancakes, for example

Nature Valley Crunchy Granola Bars – Made with whole grains and goes great with yogurt

Wheaties – Good source of fiber and not too much sugar

La Tortilla Factory Tortillas – A great brand of low-carb tortillas

Hershey’s Lite Chocolate Syrup – Another great tasting treat that doesn’t taste “light”.  Add to skim milk for chocolate milk.

Whipped Butter My spread of choice for toast or baked potatoes

Favorite Tools

Pedometer – It’s motivating to count your steps throughout the day.  Have you gotten your 10,000 steps today?

Exercise Bands – When you don’t have time to go to the gym, these are great for toning

Jump Rope – A fun way to burn a lot of calories

Running Shoes – Asics have been my favorite since high school

Jogging Stroller – I bought my Avenir double jogger at a local bike store. I couldn’t do without it!

Food Scale – An essential kitchen tool that I use often.  I have an inexpensive one that I bought at Target.  Eventually I’d like a nice digital one.

Food Thermometer – How else do you know if the food is really done?

 

Some Favorite Websites

www.EatRight.org

A useful website for current, science-based nutrition information

www.MyPyramid.gov

The USDA’s website on “MyPyramid.”  Go there to find your personalized recommendations for what to eat everyday.

www.FoodNetwork.com

All the recipes you could ever need created by pros

www.CalorieKing.com

One of the best sites to visit for nutrition information of food

www.CaloriesPerHour.com

Where to go to find out how much you burn

www.KraftFoods.com

Another helpful website for easy meal ideas

www.MealTime.org

Healthy recipes using canned foods