Lunch: Healthy You 2010

Lunch. That meal you eat between your morning snack and afternoon snack. Eating every 3 hours or so you will find that you are not have bad cravings anymore. If you start skipping meals you will be doomed for failure later in the day. Eating every 2-3 hours will keep your blood sugar steady and help you avoid binging later because you've let yourself get too hungry.

The only way to stay on track is to be prepared!! Once a week I go to the store and buy my produce and pantry items for that week. I wash and dry all produce then cut, chop or shred it so it's ready to use. I also use a salad spinner to dry all of my salad greens then put them and other produce in FridgeSmart containers from Tupperware because my produce stays fresh so much longer! I also like them because you can see your veggies front and center in the fridge.

If you really want to eat more fruits and vegetables make them accessible!

1. Never buy fruit or vegetables unless you are ready to prepare them when you get them home. You will waste so much money by letting your produce go bad in the bags.

2. Place your fruits and vegetables on the shelves in your refrigerator and turn the produce drawer into a "junk food" drawer. Not that I want you to have "junk food" around but we do not all live alone or with a health conscience spouse or roomate:) I keep all of the fruits, veggies, yogurt, etc. at eye level and all of the less healthy food lower and out of sight.

Another tip to making healthy lunches quick and easy, have your pantry and fridge stocked with Clean Eating staples. For a full list click HERE.

Now, we need something to do with the fresh produce and clean ingredients we buy at the grocery store. Here are a few lunch ideas:

~Sandwiches- I know this seems like an obvious choice but we need to keep away from the traditional turkey and cheese. Use organic whole wheat, rye, spelt, gluten-free, Ezekial bread or equivalent. I love making a sandwich made with shredded raw carrot, shredded raw zucchini, sprouts and hummus, yum!

You can also use a mixture of any of the following: tofu, grilled chicken(free-range, of course), lettuce, avocado, shredded raw winter squash, onions, cucumber, bell pepper, tomato, hummus, low-fat cheese, Veganaisse(use sparingly). The options are almost endless.

I personally avoid processed lunchmeat because of all the chemicals. Hormel makes a good nitrate free, natural lunch meat that could be used sparingly. You could also grill 5 or 6 chicken breast at the same time and freeze them individually then you can defrost one anytime and use it for sandwiches or salads.

~Peanut butter(natural,organic, of course) and banana sandwich on whole wheat bread.

~Hummus, shredded carrots, and baby spinach on a whole-wheat tortilla.

~Salads- Yes, another obvious choice but a great one! Pick your favorite greens(kale, arugula, radicchio, spinach, endive, green leaf lettuce, red leaf lettuce.......) You can make your own mixture or buy a bag of organic mixed greens. I like to make my own because I can buy according to my taste that week. Remember always have your ingredients prepared so they are ready to use at a moments notice. Additions can include: carrots, beets, sprouts, tomatoes, cucumber, broccoli, cauliflower, apple, melon, bell pepper, onion, berries, mango, celery, edamame beans, garbanzo beans, kidney beans, hard boiled egg, grilled chicken, tempeh, tofu, feta cheese, pine nuts, sunflower seeds, LSA, etc. All of your ingredients should be organic and raw.

Dressings should be oil/vinegar, lemon juice or the like. There are many delicious dressings at the health food store. Find one you like and stick with it. HERE is a recipe for my favorite dressing.

~Pita pizza- whole wheat pita, 1/2 cup tomato sauce, 3/4 cup veggies and 2 oz. low-fat shredded cheese of choice.

~1/2 cup extra-lean ground chicken(cooked), 1 cup Eden organic cooked whole-grain kamut pasta, 1/4 cup orange peppers, 1/4 cup broccoli, 1/4 cup tomato sauce (or your favorite natural pasta sauce), 1 Tbsp. Parmesan.

~Baked Salmon*- I make this yummy dish for dinner then eat the leftovers for lunch.

~3.5 oz. Mori-Nu silken light tofu or 4 oz. of chicken sauteed in a little olive oil with 1/4 cup mushrooms, 1/4 cup red peppers and 1/4 cup zucchini, mixed with 1 cup wild rice.

~6 oz. grilled or broiled chicken breast with steamed asparagus

~2 oz. low-fat cheese melted on 1 whole wheat English muffin with 2 slices of tomato. Serve with 1 cup strawberries.

~1 cup diced celery, 1 cup diced crisp apples, 1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts, 1/2 cup seedless grapes halved, 1/2 cup low-fat organic yogurt mixed with 1 Tbsp. or so lemon juice. Yum!

~Leftovers!! They are a good way to save money, time and calories from overeating at dinner:)

~Get an over-sized thermal lunch bag. Freeze a couple of water bottles every night, then drop them in your lunch bag to keep the contents cold. As they thaw, you have fresh water to drink. It's like having a little fridge and water dispenser on the go:)

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*Baked Salmon with Orange Glaze

4 Tbsp. no sugar added orange marmalade
1/2 tsp. fresh ginger, minced
1/2 tsp. fresh garlic, minced
salt and pepper to taste

2 large salmon fillets (5oz each)
2 cups chopped spinach
1 cup sliced mushrooms
2 small tomatoes, chopped

Mix together the first four ingredients and set aside.

Grease an 8-inch square dish with cooking spray and place salmon fillets in pan.

Spoon marmalade mixture over the salmon then place the spinach, mushrooms and tomato over the top. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 20-25 minutes at 375 degrees.

Enjoy! :)~
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I just love The Eat-Clean Diet Cookbook, The Eat-Clean Diet for Family and Kids, Clean Eating Magazine and The Liver Cleansing Diet. Without these wonderful resources I would have been stuck in a rut long ago. You will thank yourself again and again if you make these resources a part of your life.

I hope these ideas give you the tools you'll need to make Clean Eating a regular part of your life. You will have more energy, vitality and fun!

I will wrap up all we have covered over this last week tomorrow and even sneak in a few recipes!

What's your favorite Clean Eating LUNCH?

Nicole