5 Tips to Avoid Coming Home from Vacation with Souvenir Pounds!

At this time every year I just can't help but write about travel. Not only is everyone planning and setting off on vacation, not only do I have a major passion for seeing the world, but I also love sharing my tips for eating well and staying in shape while having an adventure and not feeling like you are missing out on anything.

I was bitten by the travel bug when my husband (then boyfriend) and I celebrated our college graduation by backpacking Western Europe for four weeks. Over the years, I've learned that I get the most out of a trip, and come home feeling the best, when I take a whole mind & body approach to my travels by combining the adventure of seeing the world with the rejuvenating benefits of healthy eating and staying active. Here's how to discover new cultures, get some R&R and still make healthy choices.

At this time every year I just can't help but write about travel. Not only is everyone planning and setting off on vacation, not only do I have a major passion for seeing the world, but I also love sharing my tips for eating well and staying in shape while having an adventure and not feeling like you are missing out on anything.

I was bitten by the travel bug when my husband (then boyfriend) and I celebrated our college graduation by backpacking Western Europe for four weeks. Over the years, I've learned that I get the most out of a trip, and come home feeling the best, when I take a whole mind & body approach to my travels by combining the adventure of seeing the world with the rejuvenating benefits of healthy eating and staying active. Here's how to discover new cultures, get some R&R and still make healthy choices.

Crazy Easy, Super Tasty Chickpea Salad

One of my favorite salad toppings is marinated chickpeas. I used to search for them every time I'd have lunch from one of those cold buffet bars...until I realized, "why don't I just make them myself?" This is one of those recipes that you can slap together whenever you have some downtime and then store in the fridge to pull out later for a quick take-to-work lunch, a dinner side dish or an anytime snack! It's also one of those things that tastes better after it sits a little while (in the fridge, anywhere from an hour or up to a day in advance) so the flavors can meld.

One of my favorite salad toppings is marinated chickpeas. I used to search for them every time I'd have lunch from one of those cold buffet bars...until I realized, "why don't I just make them myself?" This is one of those recipes that you can slap together whenever you have some downtime and then store in the fridge to pull out later for a quick take-to-work lunch, a dinner side dish or an anytime snack! It's also one of those things that tastes better after it sits a little while (in the fridge, anywhere from an hour or up to a day in advance) so the flavors can meld.

2 Apps Take the Guesswork Out of Healthy Grocery Shopping

So, you may have noticed that I completely skipped over last week's blog post. I have been taking some time to do some major soul searching and consider the best way to communicate my passion for fun and easy healthy living to the masses. To make it up to you, today's post has got it all: it's short, sweet, fun & functional! I'm sharing with you two awesome resources that make healthy grocery shopping a little less overwhelming. I had been planning to install these apps on my phone for awhile now and finally got around to it. Don't wait like I did!

Do you go to the super market with the best of intentions, planning to make healthy choices, brain bursting with nutrition information from magazines, TV segments and friends, only to find yourself completely confused once you're standing in the aisles comparing food labels? Fooducate aims to eliminate that confusion.

So, you may have noticed that I completely skipped over last week's blog post. I have been taking some time to do some major soul searching and consider the best way to communicate my passion for fun and easy healthy living to the masses. To make it up to you, today's post has got it all: it's short, sweet, fun & functional! I'm sharing with you two awesome resources that make healthy grocery shopping a little less overwhelming. I had been planning to install these apps on my phone for awhile now and finally got around to it. Don't wait like I did!

Do you go to the super market with the best of intentions, planning to make healthy choices, brain bursting with nutrition information from magazines, TV segments and friends, only to find yourself completely confused once you're standing in the aisles comparing food labels? Fooducate aims to eliminate that confusion.

Stop Saying "I Can't"

It's over. I would say it's finally over but actually, it wasn't so bad! We just spent the past month and a half following a vegan diet. I know what you're thinking: Why?! But those 6-ish weeks taught us so much more than just how to survive eating nothing but plants. The biggest lesson? 

Stop saying I Can't!

The biggest surprise I got from going vegan for Lent was that, if you pay attention, major life lessons can be found everywhere. In this case, veganism reminded us that sometimes the biggest obstacle to achieving a goal is yourself. Don't get in your own way!

I can't remember where I saw this quote but I recently read something like (I'm paraphrasing here): 

The biggest obstacle to achieving something is believing that change is possible. 

It's over. I would say it's finally over but actually, it wasn't so bad! We just spent the past month and a half following a vegan diet. I know what you're thinking: Why?! But those 6-ish weeks taught us so much more than just how to survive eating nothing but plants. The biggest lesson? 

Stop saying I Can't!

The biggest surprise I got from going vegan for Lent was that, if you pay attention, major life lessons can be found everywhere. In this case, veganism reminded us that sometimes the biggest obstacle to achieving a goal is yourself. Don't get in your own way!

I can't remember where I saw this quote but I recently read something like (I'm paraphrasing here): 

The biggest obstacle to achieving something is believing that change is possible. 

Mistakes Were Made (Veganism is a Learning Process)

In my first vegan-themed blog post I mentioned that my husband and I chose to go Vegan for Lent this year because it was the first year we remembered the idea with enough time to do significant planning and preparation beforehand. Even so, as we near the halfway point of Lent, and despite the fact that one of us is a dietitian, we still find ourselves making mistakes and getting frustrated with our vegan diet.

The other day I heard my husband walk through the door and say "This is vegan?! This isn't vegan. Why did you buy this?"

In my first vegan-themed blog post I mentioned that my husband and I chose to go Vegan for Lent this year because it was the first year we remembered the idea with enough time to do significant planning and preparation beforehand. Even so, as we near the halfway point of Lent, and despite the fact that one of us is a dietitian, we still find ourselves making mistakes and getting frustrated with our vegan diet.

The other day I heard my husband walk through the door and say "This is vegan?! This isn't vegan. Why did you buy this?"

I'm Exposing Myself! (My Shopping Cart, Anyway)

Don't you love sneaking a peek at other people's shopping carts? I do. I feel like seeing the foods a person is bringing home gives me a little taste of his life. Especially if there's an obvious trend, like all low-sodium products, all ready-to-eat foods, all organic or, let's be honest, all just plain junk (we've all seen them and I've been guilty of having a shopping cart that starts to look like this if I'm baking and purchasing goodies for a major holiday).

When we tell people we are following a vegan diet for six weeks, after their initial reaction, one of the first questions is: "So then, what do you eat?" In response to that question, I thought I'd give you all a sneak peek into our shopping cart, to see what foods we've bought in the past week or so and what we've made with those foods.

This list is the no-holds-barred, honest to goodness, compilation of what we purchased during the past 10 days. To the best of my knowledge there are no additions or subtractions. This isn't a list of what you should or shouldn't be eating. It is just our best attempt, in week one, of experimenting with a well-balanced vegan diet. Here goes...

Don't you love sneaking a peek at other people's shopping carts? I do. I feel like seeing the foods a person is bringing home gives me a little taste of his life. Especially if there's an obvious trend, like all low-sodium products, all ready-to-eat foods, all organic or, let's be honest, all just plain junk (we've all seen them and I've been guilty of having a shopping cart that starts to look like this if I'm baking and purchasing goodies for a major holiday).

When we tell people we are following a vegan diet for six weeks, after their initial reaction, one of the first questions is: "So then, what do you eat?" In response to that question, I thought I'd give you all a sneak peek into our shopping cart, to see what foods we've bought in the past week or so and what we've made with those foods.

This list is the no-holds-barred, honest to goodness, compilation of what we purchased during the past 10 days. To the best of my knowledge there are no additions or subtractions. This isn't a list of what you should or shouldn't be eating. It is just our best attempt, in week one, of experimenting with a well-balanced vegan diet. Here goes...

Your Personal Shopper Has Arrived!

Have you ever wandered the aisles of your local supermarket, confused by food labels and nutrition claims, and wondered to yourself "Can't someone just tell me what to buy?" or felt despair at the thought that "I can't figure out what's healthy and not healthy on my own"? If you've been wishing for a personal shopper at the grocery store, someone to sort through your shopping cart and help you determine whether you are making healthy choices, or someone who can offer nutrition advice right in the place where you purchase most of the foods that you bring into your home, you are in luck.

Supermarket Dietitians are a fast-growing subset of the field of Nutrition & Dietetics. Supermarket RDs (Registered Dietitians. Official definition from the Academy of Nutrition & Dietetics: "...a food and nutrition expert who has met the minimum academic and professional requirements to qualify for the credential 'RD.'" ) offer a number of services in their stores and communities, including:

Have you ever wandered the aisles of your local supermarket, confused by food labels and nutrition claims, and wondered to yourself "Can't someone just tell me what to buy?" or felt despair at the thought that "I can't figure out what's healthy and not healthy on my own"? If you've been wishing for a personal shopper at the grocery store, someone to sort through your shopping cart and help you determine whether you are making healthy choices, or someone who can offer nutrition advice right in the place where you purchase most of the foods that you bring into your home, you are in luck.

Supermarket Dietitians are a fast-growing subset of the field of Nutrition & Dietetics. Supermarket RDs (Registered Dietitians. Official definition from the Academy of Nutrition & Dietetics: "...a food and nutrition expert who has met the minimum academic and professional requirements to qualify for the credential 'RD.'" ) offer a number of services in their stores and communities, including:

Hit the Road... & Have Your Cake Too!

As my partner-in-crime and I set off on a weekend adventure, I want to share with you our tips for making healthy choices while enjoying the giddy fun of a road trip. Driving trips can be tons of fun but the endless stream of fast food joints and fast-casual restaurants can make it very easy to overload on salty, fatty, sugary foods; foods that will do nothing to help you get through your trip and in fact may lead you to feel sluggish, bloated, gassy or cranky and may cause you to return home carrying a few extra pounds of body weight! With a little advanced planning and some thoughtful choices, you can still have delicious meals and snacks and get the energy you need to fully embrace the excitement of the road…

As my partner-in-crime and I set off on a weekend adventure, I want to share with you our tips for making healthy choices while enjoying the giddy fun of a road trip. Driving trips can be tons of fun but the endless stream of fast food joints and fast-casual restaurants can make it very easy to overload on salty, fatty, sugary foods; foods that will do nothing to help you get through your trip and in fact may lead you to feel sluggish, bloated, gassy or cranky and may cause you to return home carrying a few extra pounds of body weight! With a little advanced planning and some thoughtful choices, you can still have delicious meals and snacks and get the energy you need to fully embrace the excitement of the road…