Healthy On the Go

Yes, it is possible!

"But I don't have time to eat healthy (cook, shop, etc.)."  

"I travel too much to eat healthy."

"We are in the car all day!"

Look, I get it.  We are all over extended and have every valid excuse to choose the quick, cheap, unhealthy options that are practically spoon-fed directly to our faces.  That being said, there is something larger at work here.  

The same busy lifestyles that zap our energies are the ones that require the most love and attention.  Ironically, when we are busiest is when we slack off on nutrition and self-care.  Inside, our adrenals are lagging, our livers are sluggish, and out here we chug a latte and push on.  We are so busy taking care of everyone and everything OTHER than ourselves, that we fall for the excuses that are slipping out of our own mouths.  We really don't buy it, but it sounds good - I AM busy after all!!

The philosopher Simone Weil once said, "Attention is the purest form of generosity."  When we start to be more generous with ourselves, the perspectives we once relied on are revealed for what they truly are:  flimsy excuses for putting ourselves last.  When we start to care how our bodies feel, our high our energy is, how much our joints ache, how clear our minds are, then grabbing the dried fruit, the hummus and carrots, or the salad to go is no biggie.

As always, start by adding in - check out these healthy “on-the-go”tips, and see which ones you can incorporate into your busy life.

1. Cook once; eat (at least) twice
    dinner becomes lunch
    dinner becomes a second meal over salad or in a wrap
    double the recipe and freeze (always do this for soups, stews and chilis)

2.  Five to twenty minute meals (scroll through feedingyourlife.com/recipes)
     simple saute of greens, garlic and oil
     simple veggie-based recipes
     simple soups, veggie chili

3. Grains dishes
     quinoa, bulgur, couscous & kasha are quick-cooking;
     rice dishes
     try Mexican Fiesta-in-your-mouth salad, Tabouli, Spring Quinoa salad, Sweet and savory red  
           quinoa salad

4. The night before
     overnight oatmeal 
     smoothies
     set up slow cooker

5. Smoothies
     life-force energy - what we are all craving!
     easy way to incorporate greens, fruits, other veggies first thing in am
     build immune system
     good for digestion/high in fiber
     easy way to add in superfoods like goji berries, bee pollen, chia seeds, etc.

6. Emergency situations
     dried fruit and nuts (make your own trail mix)
     Raw revolution, Go Macro or Garden of Life bars

7. Cooking time-savers
     pre-wash veggies
     frozen organic fruits and veggies
     Eden brand canned beans

8. Healthy take-out
     Whole Foods/Wild By Nature prepared foods & juice bar
     restaurants:  order veggie sides + appetizer

9. Use a Tiffen box to keep your meal warm

10. Healthy snacks
     frozen grapes
     organic rice cakes
     light popcorn or plain popcorn: use coconut oil to pop in a covered pan
     carrots
     crunchy crudités of veggies and dip (hummus, tabouli, vinaigrette, Healthiest Pesto Ever,
           favorite dressing) 
     celery and organic peanut butter (use non-hydrogenated peanut butter in glass jar)  
     hummus with Ezekiel toast, carrots, Mary's Gone crackers
     handful nuts(preferably raw, unsalted)
     toasted chickpeas
     100-calorie Raw Revolution bar
     fresh, whole fruit
     Kite Hill almond yogurt and granola
     Kite Hill almond cream cheese and Mary's Gone crackers or Ezekiel raisin bread
     apples and almond butter
     sprouted date bread with jam(Manna Bread or Ezekiel raisin bread)
     frozen banana "ice cream"
     dried fruit:  mango slices, apricots, pineapple slices, raisins, etc.
     use leftover grains to make sweet porridge: drizzle maple syrup, sprinkle cinnamon, add
            bananas, heat with fruit juice
     smoothies
     fruit “ice cream:” peel a banana, freeze, blend in a food processor with nuts, berries or raisins
            and serve
     Jen's chocolate pudding
     freshly squeezed fruit juices: Make your own and try different combos. 
     sweet vegetables: yams, sweet potatoes, squashes (acorn, butternut, kabocha) cut into
           chunks; sprinkle with cinnamon and bake.  
     organic dark chocolate (try Theo brand)
     olives
     pickles and pickled vegetables, such as carrot, daikon, beets and lotus root
     tabouli, hummus
     steamed vegetables with tamari/shoyu or umeboshi vinegar /Bragg’s Amino Acids
     organic tortilla chips and salsa or guacamole
     sauerkraut: it will also knock your sweet craving right out! 
     fresh lime or lemon juice as seasonings or in beverage  
     avocados /guacamole
     chia pudding
     dips and spreads, like hummus and baba ghanoush
     puréed soups
     mashed or roasted sweet potatoes
     coconut milk