One of the most common things that I hear from moms is that they have no time to even think about living a healthy lifestyle let alone actually eating during the day, and eating something healthy nonetheless. Trust me I hear you! Most days I am running around chasing my toddler with my protein hot chocolate spilling all along the way. I scarf down Honeybuns for lunch between putting the girls down for a nap. And to make things better, by the time I hit dinner I am so tired that I either just shove plain pasta down my throat or go through the drive through to get something quick. If you are anything like me then this sounds all too familiar and you may be laughing. Well let me tell you something, if me, a crazy busy mama who more frequently orders in than meal preps, can level up her meals to make her healthy lifestyle work than so can you and let me tell you all about it!
So I hate to be a typical blogger, but I need to explain something first before we get down to the tips. My theory about food is that food is not inherently good or bad. If you think that some foods are inherently good or bad, I want you to challenge that for a minute and think about it. When thinking about it here are some questions to consider; What foods would you classify as bad? What foods would you classify as good? Is there a point when a good food can turn into a bad food or have bad consequences? Is there a point when a bad food can turn into a good food or have good consequences? I just want you to think about that for a minute before you continue reading. The reason why I think food is neither inherently bad or good is because all foods can be good or bad. I believe that foods are neutral and our behaviors are what makes the foods good or bad. For example, have you ever eaten a bunch of strawberries or peaches or plums and felt the bad consequences of eating too much fruit? Have you ever eaten just the right amount of a perfect batch of cookies and felt super good? Have you ever eaten strawberry shortcake or the combination of “good” and “bad” things together and felt amazing because the balance was perfect? If you said yes to any of these then I believe that you are a believer that foods aren’t inherently good or bad because you have experienced first hand all of the ways that our behaviors dictate what a food becomes. I want you to keep in mind as we go through the rest of the article that I do not think foods are inherently good or bad and rather that there are behaviors that can cause foods to either harm or help our bodies.
#1 My first way that I really really like to level up things is adding fruits and veggies! Just simply adding more fruits and veggies can take a ‘bleh’ meal and level it up to ‘healthy’. Not only can it level it up in the eyes of everyone around you but it can help you feel more full, get the nutrients that you need, and reach your fitness goals without having to change your entire eating habits. Let me give you a few examples. One example of this is when my family goes out to get McDonald’s or fast food. Let’s be honest it is crazy hard to cook every meal and I’m sure, whether it is on a road trip or everyday life, we have all eaten fast food at some point or another. What I like to do is order my usual order, making sure that there is protein, fats, and carbs included in the meal. Then if I am going home, I like to add more lettuce, tomatoes, onions, pickles, and other veggies to my burger. If I instead get the famed chicken nuggets or strips then I like to add some celery, apples, or other fruit or veggie to the side. It doesn’t have to be anything extravagant in order to up level it. Keep it simple and stress free! Another example for if you are cooking from home is when my family has tacos. I first make sure that I have my carbs, protein, and healthy fats, which can look like a tortilla, meat, and cheese. Then I will cram a bunch of veggies in or switch my taco into a taco salad. My favorite things to add are avocados, tomatoes, onions, lettuce, and cucumbers. This takes my normal taco and brings it up a level so it can keep me full for longer, while giving me the necessary nutrients! So remember that no matter what your meal is, veggies are a great way to level it up! Whether they are frozen or fresh, it doesn’t matter, they will still take your dish to the next level! But I won’t leave you just with ideas, I want to give you my tips for adding fruits and veggies where I can. There always seems like there aren’t enough hours in the day and so it can be hard to prep those veggies at the exact moment when you need them, which brings me to my #1 trick. Take 10 minutes before you go to bed at night and prepare some fruits and veggies for the next day. I will cut up and bag the fruits and veggies that I want so they are quick and easy to grab! It makes going for extra fruits and veggies a mindlessly easy task so that there are no excuses!
#2 My second way to uplevel any meal is to add chia seeds! Of course it could be any seed of your choosing whether that is chia, flax, or hemp, but right now let’s talk about the amazing chia seed! The reason why I am OBSESSED with chia seeds is because it gives you proteins, carbs, healthy fats, and fiber all in one. This tiny seed that is mostly indetectable has the potential to take any meal to where you want it to be in a matter of seconds. Some of my favorite ways to use it is in my morning oatmeal with some strawberries, yogurt with some other seeds mixed in to make a granola, homemade granola bars, smoothies, cereal, and peanut butter or avocado toast. Just one tablespoon of chia seeds thrown onto your breakfast or lunch in a hurry before you head out to work or to save your kid from the dangerous perils of toddlerhood, can give you a boost in your health! It really is that simple!
#3 My third way to up level any meal is to drink water with it! Yes I couldn’t leave out hydration. It is so important to not only your gut health but your entire physical health and yet so many of us put it on the backburner and then wonder why we get headaches, break out, can’t lose weight, or don’t have enough energy. Water helps you to be able to process the nutrients that come into your body through your food and carry it throughout your body to keep it healthy. Without water we would all be dehydrated cucumbers. So now is the time to stop neglecting your hydration and really get on it. Let me share some of my favorite tips for those of you who are saying that it is impossible to hydrate or say that you are hydrated and yet only drink 2 glasses a day. Yes I’m talking to you! If you find yourself forgetting to drink water during the day, I would suggest setting timers every 2 hours to remind you, carrying around a water bottle all day, and even getting an app that tracks your hydration. If you find it hard to drink tasteless liquid instead of something yummy like soda or juice, I would chop up some yummy fruits and put them into your water to help infuse it! You can do this!
Now it isn’t enough to just read about ways to up level your meals. It is time to put what you learn into action, so I want you to now pick one of these up leveling tips that you will implement this week into your life! Now comment what tip you are going to implement this week! We aren’t here to just read about a healthy lifestyle, we are here to achieve it! Also if this resonated with you and you want to learn more about meal prepping or healthy nutrition, I have a New Year, New Mom membership which includes a weekly live virtual meal prepping session! You can learn how to prep your meals with meals that I actually use and find achievable as a mom of 2 little girls! Not only that but this membership has 3 live virtual mommy & me workouts weekly, access to all my workout videos, weekly healthy habits emails, and access to a mama accountability chat! So hop over to my instagram page and follow the New Year New Mom membership link in my bio! I can’t wait to see you there!
« Back to Blog