There is nothing more important to your health than taking time for something that is truly going to sustain you and fuel your body all week long--and really for the rest of your life. You don't need a bunch of fancy kitchen stuff to cook, just a bit of time and a passion for food and flavor.
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| Eat real food. |
If you have a family, there's even greater reason to cook. How will your children know how to make healthy choices when they grow up if they never see you in the produce section or in front of the stove? What recipes will you pass down to them? I run into overweight college students all the time who live with this void. They never learned to cook so they move from one drive through to the next.
There's a reason 68% of Americans are overweight or obese. They're eating out too often and not taking charge of their nutrition. They're eating highly processed food that has little nutritional value and comes in a bag, box or can. We need to eat real food, as close as possible to the way it grows out of the dirt. It's called "clean eating."
One in 5 American 4-year-olds are obese. And I'm quite certain they're not doing their own grocery shopping. They eat what adults feed them.
You simply can't lose weight if you're eating calorie laden restaurant food several days a week. You must cook or at least be willing to spend a few minutes planning and prepping each week. If you're not prepared, you will fail when it comes to choosing healthy options.
So how do you make it simple and tasty? Start by planning ahead. On your day off, plan at least three meals and go grocery shopping. If you're going to dirty a pan anyway, make more than you need, and freeze a portion for next week. Better yet, cook once--and eat something different for three days.
Here's one way to do it. On Sunday, grill a bunch of chicken breasts. Brush them with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. For Sunday dinner, we'll have grilled chicken, with brown rice and grilled zucchini. Well brush fresh peach halves with honey and sprinkle them with cinnamon and put those on the grill too. That's pretty basic and delicious.
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| A Grilled dinner |
On Monday, I cut up half the leftover chicken, add chopped celery, plain Greek yogurt, salt, pepper and a splash of cooking sherry and turn that chicken into chicken salad. You can mix it with cooked whole grain pasta or serve it on whole grain wrap with raw spinach, or stuff it in a pita with a side of fruit. Or skip the bread and put it on a bed of salad greens.
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| Chicken Salad with Greek Yogurt |
Tuesday, we turn that chicken into enchiladas by adding black beans to the chicken, some cumin and chili powder, and folding that into low-carb tortillas. Place in a pan sprayed with cooking oil. Top them with a canned enchilada sauce, chopped fresh tomato and a little shredded cheddar.
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| Chicken and black bean enchilada |
Each of those meals takes about 10 minutes to prepare once the chicken is cooked. Slice a cucumber and tomato and add a splash of vinegar, salt and pepper for a side summer salad, and you have a meal.
If you're running a kid to a ball game or swim practice, roll up chicken wraps with some light mayo, snap peas, shredded cheddar and lettuce. Wrap it tight in foil to keep it together. I can't tell you how good this tastes when I look around and see families dining on congealed fake cheese nachos from the concession stand.
You don't have to stand in front of the stove for hours, wearing an apron and yielding a whisk. But in order to succeed on a weight loss journey, you have to do the work: The planning, shopping and chopping. Work smarter, not harder. And eat, to live.
Chicken Three Ways:
Grocery list:
6-8 chicken breast halves
brown rice
zucchini
peaches
cup, plain Greek Yogurt
whole grain pita bread or whole grain pasta
fresh spinach
celery
can black beans
low carb tortillas
can enchilada sauce
shredded cheddar
avocado
extras:
cucumber
tomato
snap peas
fruit for side dishes
salsa
rice wine vinegar
spices
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