Quick healthy prepared meals

Quick healthy prepared meals under 15-minutes prep or cooking time are possible! Whether you are packing for a work lunch or coming home after a long day for dinner, we have more options than ever at our grocery stores. Even though I enjoy cooking, on most days I don't have time to make a meal from scratch. Let's decrease your stress by giving you back some time to relax. So here are some strategies to eat healthy, on a budget, and enjoy good tasty food quickly!

For the urban dwellers, I'm choosing some Trader Joe's frozen items to highlight.
* Cod Provencale (top two images): Imported from France, it is fairly low-impact for those watching their carbs and sugar. The portion of the fish is generous and filling. The ratatouille would take me too much effort to make from scratch, but from this frozen packet, it's delicious. I re-heat this package on stovetop. And if you want to add more veggies and fiber to your meal (YES, please do!), add some pre-washed baby organic spinach from your fridge to boost your nutrition and bang from this tasty meal fit for foodies. For those avoiding wheat, this helps you meet your dietary preference, but it is not officially gluten-free for those who have strict gluten allergies.

* Spinach lasagna (checkered image): Ricotta cheese has quite a lot of protein. This spinach lasagna is filling as the main entree, or could be divided in 2 as a side pasta dish to accompany another protein or veggie main dish. What's terrific is you can pronounce every ingredient on the label, and it looks like what you would use to make it home-made. We want to avoid foods that have artificial preservatives, so the rule is, if you can't pronouce it, you probably shouldn't be eating it.

* Pakoras: If you like Indian food, you'll enjoy these curry spiced little fritters. The frozen pakoras I cook ahead of time in the toaster, so that they are quick to re-heat when I need a snack to get me to my next meal. A vegetarian item, they are surprisingly filling. I encourage you to discard the sauce or use it sparingly since it seems to have a lot of sugar. In general, if you're watching your waistline or trying to stay healthy, please beware of sauces and dressing -- where the hidden calories are!

* Chicken chile verde burritos -- 2 in a package. You can have 1 as your main, and add salad or veggies for a more complete healthy meal. Save the other one for another meal. These burritos are top-notch compared to other frozen burritos, as one of my mexican food taste-testers has rated these the Chicken chile verde burritos the best.

In any grocery store, here are my suggestions for quick healthy meals:
* Turkey or Chicken chili: Beans are a terrific source of fiber and protein so you can feel full! Check the labels to see if they added sugar or other additives. Go for the cleaner brand. Amy's Organic is a terrific brand of chili and soups. I also get a tub of Grass-fed Beef Chili from a eco-conscious responsible butcher shop.
* Split Pea soup: Like beans, peas are also a terrific source of fiber and protein. Besides the canned form, you can get split pea soup "flakes" (freeze -dry, mix with hot water) from places like Santa Monica Co-op's bulk food bins or other natural health food stores that have a bulk food section. Add ready-to-eat slices of chicken breast and you've got a very filling meal that is very green as well!
* Canned fish like smoked herring or sardines over a bed of pre-washed baby greens: Here's the salad recipe from a previous post. You can use "power to the greens" mix from Trader Joe's, baby spinach from anywhere, or even better, if you have greens from the salad stands of a local farmers market.

Have these items below for your fridge to be well-stocked:
* Free-range organic chicken breast or turkey breast meat ready to add to a salad.
* Cans of beans or garbanzo beans are a great topping to a salad.
* Cans of fish, clams, crab meat (whatever your tastes guide you!), preferably not the heavy-metal exposed fish like tuna.
* Salad greens like baby spinach work well as a salad base or wilted in a stir-fry.
* Frozen mixed vegetables so you can stir-fry or steam as a veggie side. (save time from washing and chopping!) There are even mushroom medleys in the freezer section if you like mushrooms and don't want to spend the time to wash and chop.
* Happy eggs are quick easy protein (omega-3, veggie-fed, free-range -- as you wish)
* Frozen peas -- peas are such a winner for protein and fiber -- easy to add into a dish
* Frozen french-cut beans -- they are picked young and the stems removed, so much quicker than picking them yourself
* Frozen asparagus - these are a new-found item!
* If you really can't get around to eating your vegetables, please at least try drinking your greens powder as backup so you can keep your body more alkaline and with some greens power.
* Nuts and seeds -- like almonds, chia seeds, pumpkin seeds, pistachios -- perfect for snacking when you're very hungry waiting for your food to heat up or get put together. Always a great addition to give extra crunch to your salad.

For all prepared foods to taste freshly-made and a boost of nutrition:
* Add fresh window herbs like basil or thyme to freshen up your prepared foods-- yum!
* Stock your cupboard with cinnamon, nutmeg, and the collection of Italian herbs and/or Mediterranean spices.
* Have a pepper mill so you get fresh ground pepper that makes your food taste more gourmet.
* And if you're a foodie for flavored salt, you can even get truffle-infused salt or other flavors to make your food taste gourmet or from a fancy restaurant.

No more boring dinners or big confusion of what to eat! Bon appetit!

How meditation can be fun

Some people say they want to learn to meditate but worry it's too difficult or they don't like to sit still. There are so many ways to bring meditation into your life, that can be fun and help you tap into other parts of your brain! Here are some ideas below.

I'm excited that my talented friend, architect and art professor Michael Kieley, has asked me to teach meditation as a short segment of a creative Meditation-Drawing workshop that is going to be so much fun! Whether you're an artist or not, it's just great to exercise your creative muscle in a safe learning space, and he's a terrific guide for that. I have two spots reserved for Embody Health students in this special event, so please be sure to click on the event link and see if you want to join in on Sunday March 29th.

Another way to try meditation in a fun and easy way is to join my Meetup group for Heart Health Hiking. It's not just a hiking group, but we explore different parks and integrate yoga stretches, strength training, meditation, and nutrition tips. All things good for your heart health with the help of nature to get you to de-stress and relax. I started this group because I saw people who were interested in getting a good cardio workout get injured or have missing pieces of the formula for their heart health goals (nutrition, good posture, stretching, breathing/meditation techniques). One of my meditation students has inspired me with her beach walks, that we can plan a beach walk + meditation soon, once the weather is reliably not raining.

Here's an easy exercise for developing mindfulness: When you take a walk, start with taking 5 minutes of your walking to truly pay attention to your breath and the small wonders of nature you see along the way. Things like the unusual stream of light coming through the tree branches, the shapes of the clouds, the small weeds poking out between plants, the patterns of ground covers, the vibrant colors. You've now stimulated at least 2 senses (your breathing and your eyesight). As you go along, see if you can tune in to more of your 5 senses, feeling the breeze against your face, hearing more sounds, etc. Finding a curious attitude like a kid first discovering a new park or street is a way to get more present in your body and make that mind+body connection. You might enjoy this so much that 5 minutes of mindfulness becomes 10 or 15 minutes! Just tuning into your breath alone will help calm down any stress or anxiety. Have fun!

Healthy Pumpkin Muffins

High fiber (flat belly), less sugar, better protein!

You can have your tasty muffins (foodie approved) and feel good that it is a healthy flat-belly food.

And for those of you who worry that gluten-free or healthy baking is too much work, you'll be happy to know that I got almost all my ingredients from Trader Joe's. The low-sugar magic is cinnamon -- it helps accentuate what sweetness you already have in the recipe. I was able to cut the sugar down to only 1/2 cup of sugar from the original recipe from the Victory Garden Cookbook (Marian Morash). And the coconut oil is heart healthy for you, all those who are avoiding the bad saturated fats, this is a good alternative for cooking and baking.

My new favorite non-wheat flour (and ancient grain) is buckwheat flour (Bob's Red Mill is a brand you can find most grocery stores like Whole Foods or any health food store). Just a 1/2 cup of buckwheat flour gives this recipe a dark molasses taste, again helping to enhance the flavor without extra sugar. I was first introduced to buckwheat from a French cafe that featured buckwheat crepes (from Brittany's cuisine). Then I learned that Japanese soba noodles also use buckwheat for a nutty taste. If you look at Wiki, you'll see that buckwheat has a place from all over the world!

The pairing of almond flour (sneaking in protein in your muffin!) and coconut flour helps give a balance of taste, and both of these gluten-free flours have great fiber. For my friend who has had heart issues, she was delighted to eat something that didn't have butter and was heart-healthy for her. If you don't already know, check out my Heart Health Explorers hiking group where I sometimes teach meditation and other heart-healthy exercises to pair up with exploring great parks in the LA area.

Click on this link to get your health pumpkin muffin recipe. Makes for a great snack, dessert, or breakfast side. And happy heart health month!

Best Seafood to Eat?

What seafood is safe to eat? What is more healthy for you?

If you didn't already download this list on your phone for your shopping convenience, here is Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch List for those who live in California, or go to the main page to find your state's Seafood Watch Guide.  What is tough for those of us who try to eat healthy, is how to make it practical and easy to focus on the best choices (see list for California reprinted below).

In order to succeed in eating healthy, use this strategy -- prepare and stock up in your pantry and freezer. "No one plans to fail, we just fail to plan!" Seafood is a terrific choice for eating more healthy fats (heart healthy!) and getting lean proteins to support healthy weight or your weight loss goals.

You can get things like Arctic Char, Scallops, Tilapia, Alaskan Wild Salmon in the freezer section for budget-friendly shopping and store it in your home freezer. Small fish rich in Omega-3 healthy fats like Sardines and Herring can be found in the canned or jarred food section so you can have it ready in your pantry, for easily less than $2-3 per serving. Clams, Mussels, and Oysters have terrific levels of minerals, especially for women who need iron-rich foods -- there is a great easy way to make your own healthy seafood chowder at home. Whenever you make soups, chowders or chili, these are great foods to make in a bigger batch and save in your freezer for eating at another time. Gotta have strategies to save you time, money and keep your healthy eating at your best! If you're a vegetarian and want to balance your nutrition with vegetarian sources of minerals and Omega-3 healthy fats, there are other strategeis! Anyone you know who wants to improve your nutrition, please email me and we can set up your complimentary phone-consult--you can be anywhere with a phone and we'll get you started!

List of "Best Choices" seafood for California

• Arctic Char (farmed)
• Bass: Striped (US hook & line, farmed)
• Catfish (US)
• Clams, Mussels & Oysters
• Cod: Pacific (US hook & line)
• Halibut: California (US hook & line)
• Lobster: Spiny (Mexico)
• Prawns: Spot (AK)
• Rockfish (US)
• Sablefish/Black Cod (AK & Canada wild)
• Salmon (AK)
• Sanddab (CA, OR & WA)
• Sardines: Pacific (Canada & US)
• Scallops (farmed)
• Seaweed (farmed)
• Shrimp (AK wild, US farmed)
• Sole (CA, OR & WA)
• Tilapia (Ecuador & US)
• Trout: Rainbow (US farmed)
• Tuna: Albacore/White canned
• (Canada & US troll, pole)
• Tuna: Skipjack/Light canned
• (FAD free, US troll, pole)
• Tuna: Yellowfin (US troll, pole)

Flat Belly tips for Heart Health, Detox, Optimal Health, Weight Loss

We had great amount of interest from different people for our FREE health teleseminar on Tuesday - from athletes to heart health hikers to people who want to kick their sugar addiction. Our coaching programs are not just geared for healthy weight loss, it also helps you keep your diabetes and heart risks lower as you learn to eat "low-glycemic impact" with all your snacks and meals. Right click on this link to download the recording or simply click to listen.

As a health coach and healthy foodie chef, I want you to know our programs are about eating smarter and enjoying life more! No calorie counting, simply strategies for a lifetime of wellness!
* Why you might want to consider a 7-day healthy detox to help you kick your sugar cravings and flatten your belly with Coach Jen: "You are what you eat. You are what you don't detox."
* If any of the 5 fat factors aren't balanced and part of your life, you'll want to check out our healthy weight loss program. Do you need help w stress redux, sleep management, mind-body awareness, nutrition or exercise?
* Are you eating a healthy low-glycemic breakfast every day? This helps you keep the sugar cravings away and manage your blood sugar (and lower diabetes risks).
* How can you implement a new healthy habit? (Check the recording or contact me!)

For your free FLAT BELLY worksheet, email me so we can send you the PDF worksheet directly!
Do you want to win over $500 worth of prizes in a local weight loss contest? Schedule your FREE 20-min phone consult now to see how you can qualify before the Sept 24th deadline! Look hot for the holidays and new year! You can live anywhere with a phone and internet -- I can help you with health coaching. Why wait to get your best body and health? Get started now!

Strength training anywhere

De-mystified: Get strength training exercises anywhere with bands, dumbbells, and body weight 

Strength training is important for anti-aging (keep muscle tone), healthy weight management (boost metabolism = fat burning), and great for improving daily tasks (get out of bed without back pain = core strength and well-aligned squats). Strength training is doing the same exercise repeatedly until "failure" where you think can't do anymore. Then doing 2-4 sets of these "reps" (with a rest period in between) helps you recruit new muscle fibers as you have exhausted a group of muscle fibers in the first set. When I teach a fitness class, whether 1-1 or in a group, we do super-sets, which means we stimulate lower body muscle tone, switch to upper body (to allow the lower body to "rest"), and then repeat.  If we're not super-setting, we stay active during the "rest period" with core strength exercises, cardio, or treat you to stretching.

You don't need fancy weight machines to get your strength training. Creativity with bands, dumbbells, and body weight works your muscle tone anywhere. That means we can workout at the park, on travel at the hotel, or at a conference room through a workplace wellness class. To get the most results out of your strength-training efforts, you want to remember fuel your body properly, just like my weight loss students need to manage their blood sugar by eating every 3-4 hours.

In today's carb-heavy junk food environment, it is up to you to keep healthy snacks in your gym bag, purse, or office desk with you so you are never desperately hungry. Some kind of carb+protein snack an hour before you work out and a protein-centric meal to help your muscles rebuild. If you need help getting protein on-the-go, smoothies are a great way pack in antioxidants and protein! And don't forget your fiber-rich veggies to help you detox and eliminate waste products from exercise and improve digestion! If you don't get enough fiber (email us for a fiber-ful worksheet), you can support your health with either a protein+fiber shake or a detox fiber powder that will help flatten your stomach.

Now, the key to good exercise is that we recover and can continue to do more workouts. Most people forget about exercise recovery, especially with the adrenaline high from exercise, you don't feel the exhaustion or pains until later. I have been working with some long-distance cyclists who need to watch out for "over-heating" with the hot LA weather, or simply exhaustion from a long ride. Are you fueling and hydrating enough for your workout, your hike, or ride? Are your muscles sore for too long and you're getting "charlie horses?" If your muscles are stiff, you're likely to be one of the many athletes who aren't getting enough potassium and magnesium, even if you eat your bananas and green veggies. Coconut water is your best friend of potassium against calf cramps and these days you can really pick you flavors. Happy exercising! (and recovery!)

Cooking with Mushrooms

Mushrooms have great antioxidants and minerals, but some people ask, how do I eat more mushrooms? I say you can add it to everything, from breakfast to dinner!
* veggie shroom egg scramble
* add it to your turkey chili or most soups
* add it into your veggie mix of a stirfry
* put it in sauces to help soak up your flavors and give you more chew to the sauce

Quick meal for busy people

Being busy means we need to be more creative about what can be a quick easy AND healthy meal! Here is my standby, especially in summer when it might be too hot to cook!
Chopped salad w smoked herring
* chopped frisee and butter lettuce
* chopped mint and olive oil and fresh pepper for flavor
* 3 tbl of precooked red wine sauteed mushroom from my fridge
* half a persian cucumber sliced and chopped thin to match the chopped leafy veggies
* two or more fillets of smoked herring
I bought the frisee and butter lettuce at the farmers market for $1 each, and they are yielding 3 separate meals. The can of smoked herring was $2.29. So this salad for a meal costs less than $5!
Smoked herring provides healthy Omega 3 to support your healthy heart, brain, and joints. It's less environmental impact and less exposure to heavy metal than salmon. Don't get me wrong, I love my wild salmon, but if I'm going to eat fish multiple times a week, I choose small fish-- easier to detox on my body and easier on my budget.

PS If you want to get your Omega 3 nutrients regularly like I do (I don't eat fish every day!), I take this high-potency small-fish based supplement (try to avoid cod liver oil or salmon oil--the big fish have had more exposure to ocean pollutants of heavy metal). And if you hate pills, here's the liquid children's version that is just great for adults too and you can put it in a smoothie! If you're vegetarian, I love chia seeds in my smoothies--just know that the dosage and absorption is not as powerful as fish oils.

How to fight colds and flus

So as we're dealing with the stressors of life, not getting enough sleep, and not getting enough good eats, you know you're at risk of the cold and flu. Easy ways to support a healthy immune system is to integrate the healthy stuff into your cooking or teas. For example, get your garlic in your veggie sautees or even as a pesto. Fresh ginger with lemon and raw honey has helped singers and performers keep their throat in good health. 

However you might be drinking good herbal teas and eating great healthy food, it's just not easy to get enough B-complex vitamins in your body for optimizing your immune system. I like to take a holistic approach -- with my herbal teas and foods in addition to a happy biochemistry of vitamins and minerals. 

Especially for vegans and vegetarians, to get a steady amount of B-complex vitamins every day is not easy. Some people stop by healthy food stores or doctors offices to get a B-12 shot to get an energy boost, but I recommend something that is more sustainable and supported by the body on a daily basis. This Activated B-complex has impressed many people, including athletes improving their speed or focus. Athletes use up a lot of energy and need to replenish their energy. Anyone who is working around sick people will definitely want to tank up on this B-complex which has the whole family of B-vitamins instead of just B-12, and better for long-term optimal health goals.

New season, new allergies and sinus infections

As the new season brings new pollen into the air, I've noticed a number of people are having allergies and sinus infections. First, be kind to your respiratory system---before you can think, you must breathe well to get that oxygen to your brain and body. When there are allergies and sinus infections, your body is SUPER stressed, even if you have an antibiotic taken off some of the pressure. We don't want your body to be under chronic physical stress, because that feeds into your emotional stress management abilities. Chronic physical stress diminishes your optimal health, and for some people with weight loss goals, it limits their progress.

Let's find ways to work on the cause, instead of waiting to deal with symptoms.

3 EASY STEPS to improving your RESPIRATORY HEALTH: Clean up your air and your body!
1) Clean your air with a HEPA air purifier. You can find the best deals online (see the link) and even find deals with an app called ShopBuddy to monitor prices. If you are in a dry climate like Los Angeles, you might need a humidifier to keep the membranes of your sinuses healthy to block out the pollutants. If you live in downtown LA where it is the nexus of many cars and highways, you might want to keep your windows closed to protect from the soot.

2) Improve your indoor air quality w great air-cleaning plants. A few weeks ago, I stopped by Mickey's Plants near La Brea/Fountain and Mickey, the owner, was so helpful to find the air-cleaning plants that would do well with my indirect light. I got a peace lily on the right, and I forget the name of the other plant on the left (see photo). And spider plants are terrific! I planted the spider plant at the bottom of my rubber tree to make it prettier and more of an ecosystem. Set up your plants at home, and put at least one at your desk at the office. And if you live in LA, stop by and talk to Mickey to get his great advice for the plants that are best-suited for your environment!

3) Clean your body! Rinse your nasal passages with non-medicated saline rinse--to help lubricate the membranes for better blockage of pollutants and the rinse out the trapped pollutants. Improve your immune system to manage your body's inflammation triggered by pollution or bad air quality. Eat with the anti-inflammatory food pyramid which includes omega-3 fish oils, take care of your optimal health regimen, and take a high-quality superantioxidant that helps manage your histamine levels. High histamine levels, especially prevelant in evenings, causes the runny nose and unpleasant allergy symptoms. Benedryl and other anti-histamine drugs make my nose and throat dry, so I prefer using this preventative wellness regimen. I used to be allergic to the purple Jacaronda trees with sneezing from a block away, and now, I'm fine with no symptoms with a Jacaronda tree outside my kitchen window. Happy breathing!

P.S. Parents should know that children with allergies or asthma have trouble focusing at preschool or school, and the lost time being sick can diminish their educational outcomes. Here is what I recommend for kids: a good multivitamin that can help with mental focus, liquid omega 3, and children's version of the superantioxidant. I've gotten great reviews with parents whose kids have better attendance at school and no longer have swollen puffy eyes and nose. I'm happy to send these testimonials to you, if you contact me with your email address.