Because it’s my job (and passion) to help others be healthier, I’m routinely reminded of all the stuff that makes being healthy hard. And I feel your pain – donuts and candy in the office, restaurant options loaded with fat and refined carbs in sizes large enough to feed a small family, and highly caloric Starbucks coffee drinks don’t help making healthy choices easy. Neither does your busy schedule or trying to do the Stairmaster at the gym with a mask on. But being healthy doesn’t have to be hard. There are things that you can do to make healthy eating and living pretty easy.
So, for September, with the start of school and more people returning to their offices, my healthy hack is to double (or triple or quadruple) your recipe.
Even the easiest and simplest of recipes take some time to prepare. From gathering to chopping to cooking the ingredients, a meal is going to take at least a little bit of your time. But if you make large quantities at once, then you have leftovers for meals on future days and the option to freeze for future meals. So, at least double that recipe. Maybe even triple or quadruple it! Instead of one cup of quinoa, cook three. Purchase three cans of beans instead of one. Once you start chopping vegetables, adding a few more is easy.
This cooking strategy is a lifesaver and a huge game-changer for busy people, including myself! Get in the mindset of asking yourself, “how can I make today’s food also be future food?” If there is leftover dinner to bring to work for lunch the next day, you can more easily avoid the junk in the conference room. If there is something delicious to defrost in your freezer, you don’t need to order a pizza.
Many food bloggers and recipe sites offer the option to click to multiply a recipe or indicate the number of servings you want to make, and the recipe will automatically adjust, so you don’t even need to do any math! And if your favorite healthy recipe is from a cookbook or passed down from your grandma, there are online recipe converters that will help you multiply and scale your recipes to a desired yield. Just Google ‘recipe multiplier’ or download a recipe calculator from your phone’s app store.
When healthy foods are ready and available, we are much more likely to eat those foods instead of ordering out, going through the drive-through, or grabbing the chips or cookies in the pantry, the vending machine, or the 7-Eleven. Having nutritious wholesome meals ready to eat in your kitchen might just be the healthy eating solution you have been looking for. Check out my healthy recipes on this site!
But remember, having a lot of extra food, doesn’t mean you should have seconds or thirds at mealtime. Pack up the extra for future meals or to freeze right away, so you aren’t tempted to overeat just because it’s there.
If you have a wellness hack, tip, or shortcut that you swear by, please email me at debra@swan-wellness.com or share it in the comments below!
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