Monday Diet Diary #1 (Celery Salad)

So I felt like doing a diet post series every Monday. So what this is, is basically where I show different types of foods that are not only healthy and suitable for diets, but drop-dead yummy! I will also be doing posts where I go to cafes such as Starbucks and jot down yummy snacks, mixing it up with different options. As well as sharing my thoughts and experience. Including the Nutrient Facts and price. So the goal of this post series, is giving you a better idea. Since diet mostly bores all of us, whereas some of us don't even want to hear the word "Diet". It's like an open window. A delicious way of thinking diet.

Today, I'm featuring one of my favorite home lunches! Tuna salad with celery and boiled eggs. It's delicious, don't let the name stop you from trying. The celery is fresh and includes the water you might be lacking or retaining in your body. Not to mention the beauty benefit celery has. By consuming a good amount of water each day, it keeps your skin clean and clear as well as hydrated. While the egg delivers a good amount of protein just like the tuna. And it's a simple dish that you can prepare in less than 15 minutes.

You can mix it up however you'd like. Don't like tuna? why not add some chicken? Below I included the ingredients and recipe to this quick and easy lunch.

Ingredients:

• Tuna (in this recipe, I use Solid white tuna)
• Fresh Celery stalks
• About 3-4 eggs
• Mayonnaise (optional) OR you can choose Salad Dressing (such as Ceaser, Parmesan, etc...) [again, optional]
• Shredded Cheese 

To make this dish you'll need: A bowl to mix your ingredients in, good-cutting knife, and a pot to boil eggs. Once you've got all your ingredients, then it's time to start cookin'.

1. Since boiling eggs takes the longest, we're going to do that first. Take about 3-4 eggs and place them in a pot with water on a stove to heat and boil for at least 10-15 minutes. (hint: when the water starts boiling, leave it boiling for at least 7-10 minutes)

2. Next take 2-3 celery stalks, wash & rinse them under warm water for about a minute. Cut both ends first. Then take a good-cutting knife, and an appropriate surface to cut on and cut the celery stalks to pieces.  Once finished, be sure to add the cut celery into your salad bowl.(Picture credit below)

3. 

 Step three is the easiest! Crack open a tuna can, drain out the oil and add the tuna to your salad bowl.

OR 

if you don't prefer tuna. You can always go with cooked chicken.

4. Time to check on those boiling eggs! Once you've let the eggs sit in boiling water for at least 10 minutes, remove the pot from the stove and leave it under cold water (sink) until the hot water dissolves. Start peeling the skin off the eggs. Take a knife, an appropriate cutting surface, and cut them to pieces. Once that's done, add them to your salad bowl.

5. Now you've got your main ingredients. Mix the ingredients together... You've got some optional toppings and choices. You can add Virgin olive oil with a pinch of salt, maybe some shredded cheese. Or you can always go with two tablespoons of salad dressing, or mayo. And Voila! You've got yourself a simple DELICIOUS salad!

Got a salad recipe you wanna share? Wanna tell us your experience? comment below and share! :)

Read More

What to eat for breakfast? / Healthy Food Swaps

Wondering which are the foods you eat that are a no-no to your diet? do you feel they are just so delicious (yet terrifying) you cannot give them up? Well I whipped up some easy food swaps here, and also a quick Healthy Breakfast list idea. Remember, there are healthy foods out there that suit your taste buds, and you WILL find them!

 

Quick Healthy Breakfast Ideas: (this is usually the hardest part for the majority, what should we eat for breakfast? a question that comes up thousands of times every morning all over the world. )

 

• Oatmeal- (….with some sugar!) See Oatmeal has tons of health benefits, plus, it’s the right way to start off your day. Oatmeal carries the right source of fiber you need. Not to mention that eating Oatmeal will slow down the digestion of starch. Apparently, multiple studies show that those who eat more oats are less likely to develop a bad heart disease. And of course, Oatmeal (or oats, to put it that way) contain a really good source of Vitamins and nutrients. (like zinc, vitamin E, copper, iron, selenium, and it’s a good source of protein)

• Cereal- nothing better than an old classic bowl of cereal. Some recommended brands of healthy yet yummy cereals are Kellogs, Honey nut cheerios (which helps lower cholesterol), Healthy Valley, Whole Grain cheerios, and even General Mill’s too. What do you have to say now? I just listed 5-6 delicious healthy cereal brands. If you want to spice things up, add some fresh cut fruit to your bowl of cereal. Another twist? Skip the milk, combine yogurt, cereal, and some fresh fruit- you got yourself a scrumptious parfait.

• Fresh Fruit- Yummm!! you know why I love fruit? because it adds color to your plate. If your plate does NOT have color, you are not combining (or eating) correctly. Your plate should always have color. Anyway, what fruits can we go with for the morning? hmm…let’s see: Oranges, Bananas, Pine apple (I love pine apple, great source for fast metabolism) raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, pears, pomegranate, infinite fresh fruits! Oh and here’s a good tip for the morning: You can always make a good natural homemade fruit smoothie.I promise it should not take more than 10 minutes, and it’ll whip up a filling delicious amount. You can use ordinary fruits like strawberries and bananas, add some milk, some sugar, blend and voila! Obviously you could vary the amount of each ingredient, and add as many fruits as you’d like, until you find the right combination that suits you

• Yogurt- Don’t forget the deliciousness that is yogurt! Extremely fresh, comes in all sorts of fruity and tasty varieties. And if you are lactose intolerant or sensitive like me, you should try some Soy yogurt- now wait a minute! Don’t cringe like that! While there may be some horrid brands that taste like cardboard, I guarantee there are soy yogurts out there that are worth it. My favorite brand is O’Soy, I always choose the strawberry flavor, and I love it! :) So don’t be scared, buy one or two and try it out.

• Scrambled Eggs: Prefer something salty for breakfast? Try some scrambled eggs (you could choose to use egg whites instead of yolk if you’re on a serious diet) and mix it up with some fun ingredients, like spinach, tomatoes, cheese, mushrooms, salmon, or chicken- you want to add some flavor to it to wake you up and prepare your body and energy for the day

• Sandwich: You can go crazy with sandwiches. I like mine simple in the morning; cheese, ham, and mayo- and it doesn’t get boring- because it’s all about finding the right brand of ham, brand of mayo, brand of bread, and even cheese, it turns out exquisite. Try substituting white bread for wheat, or rye bread (definitely recommend rye bread). Experiment between butter and mayonnaise, or perhaps sour cream or cottage cheese. Throw in some lettuce, even scrambled eggs if you’ve got the time, chop some tomato slices and you’re in for a bite of flavor.

 

And there you have it, I’ve listed some very good examples of healthy nutritious breakfast foods. Most of the time we forget of the simple, yet when done right, amazing, foods that are easy to make in the morning. And because with most of these suggestions, you can always combine and mix different ingredients, you shouldn’t be getting bored anytime soon!

 

And like I said here are some great food swaps:

• Croutons —> Nuts: You can swap Croutons in your salad for nuts, or even grilled or baked chicken. Do you know how much calories and carbs 1 single Crouton contains? you’ll blow up if you eat more than 10 croutons
• Soda —> Water & Tea: Soda can be delicious, but also a bad health factor, not to mention junkie. I gave up on soda 6 years ago!!! and I’m still living, haha. I swapped Soda for some good Tea and Water, and if you try the “soda ban” and swap it for Tea & water you’ll soon see why it was a great choice. Always remember that caffeine keeps you coming back for more and more, and people later on develop a caffeine habit, be sure to moderate. As for tea, there are literally hundreds, if not dozens, of flavors and different herbal kinds that you could find and try out, if you would like some taste or flavor in your drink.
• Canned Soups —> veggi soup: Canned soups contain high sodium, and what happens when you consume too much sodium? your body will retain water, bloat, and increase high blood pressure. You can swap Canned soups for Homemade vegi soups, it’s got all the nutrients and vitamins you need. And as for flavor? you needn’t worry about that, homemade vegetable soups are just as good as any other.
• White Flour Pasta —> Whole wheat pasta: No big difference in taste, but a big difference in the nutritional aspect, and it’s a healthier choice. Whole Wheat pasta contains the fiber you need for your body. 
• Candy & sweets —> Chocolate covered Bananas or Strawberries: Yummy! For the times you get a little craving for sweets, try out some chocolate covered Bananas or Strawberries (it is DELISH!) I really love it, swapping candy & sweets for fruits/ chocolate covered fruits is a great choice. Your health or diet gets a win and so does your craving.
• Fried Fish /sticks —> Shrimp! : Frozen shrimp has really good protein, comparing it with the Fried Fish or even fried fish sticks, Frozen Shrimp for the win!
• White bread —> Wheat Bread/ or RYE: Yes I know what you must be thinking “Ugh, this again? I’ve heard this a billion times” well yeah you heard it a billion times, but have you tried it once? Do you really want to wait until the billion and one comes along? If your answer is a No, then it’s time to swap White bread for Wheat bread, or Rye bread- Rye bread is such a great choice if you don’t like the taste of wheat (Remember you can always toast the bread)

Hope these ideas and suggestions help you out! :) Let me know

 

 

 

- Bria

Read More