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Tips on Quick Healthy Meals and Snacks on the Go

Updated on July 30, 2013
Abby Campbell profile image

Dr. Abby Campbell is a Naturopathic Doctor & President of 911 Body ResQ, an online store providing organic and non-GMO supplements.

About the Author

Abby Campbell, BSc, SFN, SSN, CPT, is a leading professional fitness and nutrition expert, researcher, and published author of One Size Does NOT Fit All Diet Plan, one of Amazon's Top Gluten-Free and Weight Loss Diets. (You may read more about Abby at the bottom of this article.)

Tips on quick healthy meals and snacks on the go!
Tips on quick healthy meals and snacks on the go! | Source

We are past the days of farming where our mothers and grandmothers were in the kitchen all day shucking corn, peeling potatoes, and roasting chicken all day long. Though some of you may remember the good ole' days of grandma rolling dough and making your favorite cookies or pies, those days are long gone for others. We now live in an industrialized society. Most parents are working - not just "Dad." Many opportunities for kids are taking place, unlike twenty years ago. We are running from work to soccer practice to dance recitals to swim meets to baseball games... and so much more! If life hasn't gotten a hold of you, you are one of the lucky ones!

With the hustle and bustle of life, you may find that trying to live a healthy lifestyle is difficult. Fast food is convenient. Dining out provides relief as you don't have to be in the kitchen "working" after a long hard day. Besides, it's sometimes even more economical to eat out. Everyone loves the dollar menu!

Then the dreaded health topic comes up. You just had your annual physical, and the scale wasn't playing nice. Nor was your physician! In fact, your doctor may tell you that your lab results are not good and the only way you'll be able to change it for the positive is to live a healthy lifestyle. But, how can you do that when you're running from morning to bedtime?

Though you may not be a gourmet chef, healthy eating habits don't have to be difficult. In fact, you just need to know what to eat. Dining out can be dangerous to your waist and health, but knowing what foods to choose when eating out will help you. Additionally, you may find that a little preparation can help you as well. Follow along for some tips on quick healthy meals and snacks on the go.

5 Healthy Eating Habits

First thing, you need to know what "healthy eating" is. With aggressive advertisement, many mixed messages are are thrown your way just to get your business. You must be careful! Following is a short list of healthy eating habits that are followed by most renowned nutrition experts in the world:

  1. Eat smaller meals every 2 to 4 hours.
  2. Make sure you're eating protein with every meal. Women should be getting one serving (20 to 30 grams), and men should be getting two servings (40 to 60 grams). One serving is approximately the size of your palm.
  3. Veggie up! To feed your body the proper energy, you will need the nutrients from vegetables. Try to get five to 10 servings in per day. One serving is approximately 1/2 cup cooked or one cup raw. If you measure this out, it's not much!
  4. Hold your starchy carbs! If you have body fat to lose, then you need to put down the pastas, breads, rice, and potatoes. However, if you've just had a strenuous workout, you may have a mix of carb sources that include starches, veggies, and fruit.
  5. Spread your essential fats throughout your day. Include fish oil, olive oil, coconut oil, flaxseed or flaxseed oil, chia seeds, walnuts, and avocados in your diet.

Healthy Eating Out

As discussed earlier, eating out is a great convenience and relief as it saves you from cooking. Whether occupation, travel, or kids' sports have made dining out your preference, making healthy food choices will help you live a healthier lifestyle. Let's discuss custom meal and compliant restaurant choices.

Choosing Custom Meals

Most restaurants design their menus based on typical customer expectations. They provide carbohydrate-heavy, sauce-laden, and no-vegetable entrees. Don't be trapped with these mouth-watering dishes! Instead, choose meals that are compliant with the five healthy eating habits discussed earlier. Many restaurants will even go out of their way to serve you, but you have to be bold and just ask. Improve your meals:

  • Ask for extra protein.
  • Ask to exchange starchy carbohydrates with vegetables.
  • Ask to bring the salad dressing out separately.
  • Ask to hold the salt.
  • Ask to hold the bread.

Choose Compliant Restaurants

If you eat out regularly in a particular town or city, choose four restaurants that you know are compliant to your healthy eating habits. Pick two fast food joints, one medium priced restaurant, and one fine dining restaurant. For instance, Wendy's makes a couple of tasty grilled chicken salads and a chili that you can eat while on the go. Kentucky Fried Chicken even offers a food allergies and sensitivities guide. TGI Fridays can be your medium priced restaurant. Their menus are even marked with a supplemental gluten sensitivity selection menu and an allergen menu with easy-to-read icons to identify foods that contain wheat, soy, peanuts, shellfish, and other allergens. They will go out of their way to satisfy you. A higher priced restaurant may be chosen for those special events or dates.

Prepping meats ahead of time helps when you're in a rush.
Prepping meats ahead of time helps when you're in a rush. | Source

Quick Salad Recipes by Abby

Broccoli Salad

Blend all ingredients and allow to chill before serving.

  • 1 head fresh broccoli, chopped into bite-size
  • 1/2 medium red onion, finely chopped
  • 1/4 cup golden raisins
  • 1/3 cup slivered almonds
  • 1/2 cup EVOO mayonnaise
  • 1/4 cup Stevia in the Raw or granulated Splenda

Cucumber, Tomato & Onion Salad

Mix all ingredients. Chill before serving, or let stand for at least 10 minutes.

  • 2-3 large cucumbers, peeled & thinly sliced
  • 1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
  • 1/2 medium sweet onion, sliced
  • 2 Tbs. fresh chopped -or- 1 Tbs. dried parsley
  • 1 Tbs. apple cider vinegar
  • 1 Tbs. EVOO
  • sea salt and black pepper to taste

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Food Preparation

Have you ever woke up late and rushed off to work without showering, much less eating breakfast? What about skipping lunch because you were just too busy with work? Or, you may have even skipped dinner because you were running late for your son's baseball game. Nonetheless, all of these scenarios present a unique nutritional challenge. However, the way you respond to these challenges will determine your results. If you truly want to transform your life into a healthy one, you will need to plan for the unplanned. This will require having meals and snacks prepared in advance. The following strategies may give you some ideas on how you can be better prepared for the "just in cases."

The "Sunday" Ritual

Though it doesn't have to be Sunday, set aside three hours of one day per week for food preparation. This should be enough time to write out your menu, shop, and prepare your meals for the week.

The Breakfast Ritual

Instead of planning out all your meals for the week as suggested for the "Sunday" ritual, you may prefer to do a little food preparation each day. That's what the breakfast ritual is for. Since you'll be preparing breakfast anyway, also prepare the rest of your meals for the day while your breakfast is cooking. Pack your lunch and dinner. Even if you plan to go to TGI Fridays with the boss for lunch and expect to be home for dinner, having your lunch and dinner packed in a cooler helps you be prepared for the "unexpected." If your schedule goes as planned, it's okay. You still have meals for another time. However, they are there in case you need them.

Pre-Cooking Meats

Another great way for you to save time in the kitchen is to pre-cook all your meats for the week. Grilling is the perfect cooking technique for this as you can prepare a batch of several meats (i.e., steaks, burgers, chicken breasts, turkey sausage) and cook them all at the same time. Then just refrigerate until needed. Once you do need them, re-heating them in a skillet or microwave is a snap.

Pre-Chopping Vegetables and Fruits

Though it's always better to eat your vegetables soon after chopping them, it's not always convenient for the busy lifestyle. Instead of skipping your veggies, chop up your weekly vegetables twice per week. You can chop half of your veggies after doing your weekly shopping. Then chop the rest halfway through the week. Store each vegetable separately in zip-lock freezer bags. This will cut down on your food preparation time significantly. All of it will be ready for you whether you want a salad, vegetable omelet, or stir-fry. You may do the same with fruits as well. The ones that do well are strawberries, pineapples, oranges, nectarines, mangos, and peaches.

Liquid Nutrition

A "Super Shake" is best when cold and creamy, but it's sometimes difficult to accomplish this while away from home. However, you can effectively make one with a few strategies:

  1. Invest in a small portable and handheld blender, or "Nutribullet," for home and work.
  2. Pre-blend shakes at home and store them in your portable cooler or refrigerator at work.
  3. Pre-chop all dried ingredients such as oats, flaxseed, or walnuts. Store them in zip-lock bags. When you're on the run, just add the dried ingredients to a shaker bottle and add your wet ingredients. Shake and drink!

Get Abby's Book Today!

One Size Does NOT Fit All Diet Plan
One Size Does NOT Fit All Diet Plan | Source

Conclusion

Do you feel more confident in eating healthy while on the go now? As you can see, quick healthy meals and healthy snacks on the go don't have to be difficult. Memorize the five easy healthy eating habits, and they will help you as you make selections while dining out or eating at home.

Also, abiding by the five healthy eating habits doesn't mean that you can't have a "treat" every so often. However, sticking to the healthy habits 80 to 90 percent of the time will help you build a healthier body. You may even lose a few unwanted pounds! With that being said, the mindset of most who eat out believe that dining out is a treat. If you dine out often, it would be wise to plan which day you will schedule your treat day.

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Helping those who desire it!
Helping those who desire it! | Source

About the author

Abby Campbell, BSc, SFN, SSN, CPT, is a leading professional fitness and nutrition expert, researcher, and published author. For the past 10 years, she has coached thousands of women locally and online to lose body fat and lead healthy lifestyles. Her clients have lost thousands of pounds, reclaimed health, and call her “Coach No Gimmick.” She is from Northern Virginia but now resides near Charlotte, North Carolina. Abby has been married for 20 years and has three grown daughters, one of which is autistic. She is a 19 year cancer survivor.

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