New Year New Beginnings

Starting Out

Starting your lifelong nutritional journey can seem overwhelming and daunting. I always tell people just knowing that you are ready to start eating healthy, nourishing your body, and improving overall health is the start. Many people like to begin their health kickoff at the beginning of the new year vowing to be a healthier version they were than the previous years. That's great! but you can begin your journey any time of day, week, month, or year. Just start! 

Unfortunately, I acquired the flu over the holiday break between Christmas and the new year. I was down for the count for 12 days. Getting back on track nutritionally was challenging even for the most mindful health enthusiast. I will share with you how I began to get back on track while recovering from illness. It is a lot like beginning from scratch, so this will work for anyone wanting to start somewhere. 

When you are sick you really don't feel like prepping food or even cooking, so choosing foods that are easy to prepare is key.  Finding nutritionally dense foods that are easy to prepare can almost seem impossible when you're sick or just don't know where to begin. Not the case at all! In fact, it is quite the contrary. If you've noticed all-natural foods in their raw form have the most nutrient-dense profile than say cooked or processed foods. So it makes sense to eat raw fruits and veggies and it is a great way to recharge your body after an illness. All you have to do is wash the fruit or veggie and eat it! Pretty easy.

The first thing that I did when I was strong enough to go to the grocery store was to buy all of the basics. I wasn't going to do a large shopping since I really didn't have the strength to do so at the time. I was stumped on ideas on what I wanted to prepare for the next week while I built up my strength. I had an idea in mind that I wanted to start with the basic fruits and veggies. Of course, the first thing that popped in my head were oranges, apples, and bananas. It doesn't get any more fundamentally nutritional than that! Haha :)

I bought oranges, organic apples, organic bananas, organic grapes, organic blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries; organic power greens, organic arugula, organic grape tomatoes, bell peppers, jalapeno, avocados, organic cucumber. In addition, I needed to buy some proteins that were easy and inexpensive. I lucked out because it was an organic sale week at Kroger's and Ralphs's grocery stores.

One of my favorite proteins is the Starkist EVOO Pink Salmon packs. I love these! They have a texture similar to tuna.

They normally cost $2.49, but with the buy 6 save $6.00, the cost went down to $1.49 per packet. I bought a dozen of them. These delightful little packs are mild-flavored and only contain three ingredients, salmon, extra virgin olive oil, and sea salt. My plan was to make salads and add a protein to it such as salmon, steak, hard-boiled eggs, or grilled chicken. 

Since the organic sale was in full swing I bought organic eggs, organic milk, organic Kefir, organic cheeses, organic sour cream, organic black beans, guacamole, and fresh salsa. I had a plan to make queso bowls.

Kefir

Kefir is a great way to get a jump start on your nutrition journey.

What is Kefir?

Kefir is a fermented milk drink similar to thin yogurt. It is creamy, tart, and has a refreshing flavor. It contains naturally occurring bacteria and yeast that work symbiotically to give superior health benefits. Kefir contains friendly probiotic bacteria for optimal gut health. "For those with lactose intolerance, Kefir's beneficial yeast and "good" bacteria profile provide an enzyme called lactase which helps consume most of the lactose left after the culturing process. So those with lactose intolerance tend to be able to drink this mild product.

Salmon Salad Recipe 

Click here for the Salmon Salad Recipe link

Ingredients:

Organic power greens (baby spinach, kale, chard, and mizuna)

Arugula

Tomatoes

Cucumber

Avacado (add lemon or lime juice, sea salt, black pepper, and garlic powder to flavor)

Salmon

Balsamic vinegarette
Salt and pepper to taste 

Directions

Wash ingredients, spin with a salad spinner if you are so lucky to have one! or simply dry with paper towel. Cut tomates, and cucumbers into bite size peices. Next prepare avacado by slicing and seasoning it. I used lemon juice from a fresh lemon, garlic powder, sea salt, and black pepper.  

Open salmon packet and add it to salad. Add dressing of choice. 

Use Same Ingredients with Other Dishes

When you're shopping for food try to shop for foods that you can utilize in different dishes and meals. For example, even though I was recovering from the flu I bought ingredients that would be easy to put together. I was able to make oatmeal with berries, cinnamon, nuts and seeds; salmon salad, steak salad, salad with orange slices, berries, nuts, and cheese, blueberry pancakes, and queso bowls to name a few.