Don’t you wish losing weight didn’t have to be such a boring, taste-less task?!
I have always had a track record of discovering, and ditching fad diets once I got sick of the bland tasting food you had to eat just to drop a few pounds. It just did not work for me. It wasn’t until I made the decision to live a healthier lifestyle full of tasty, healthy foods that I actually enjoyed eating, that I was finally able to keep the weight off and enjoy myself while doing it. Imagine that!
You see the thing is, dieting is not about depriving ourselves and forcing ourselves to “eat like birds”; it is about finding fabulously healthy meal solutions that will keep you satiated and on track. Because I am one of those women who is fueled by cravings, usually for bad food, I have discovered a few recipes that not only taste amazing but help to battle weight loss.
Kick Your Day Off Right
We have all heard that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. I tend to agree with this statement but mostly because breakfast should be your biggest meal of the day, and eating a big meal just makes me happy!
While some of us may just not be hungry in the morning, it is shown that those who don’t eat breakfast cannot focus. They are also unable to work as hard as those who eat breakfast, have less strength, and usually choose less nutritious foods which ultimately lead to weight gain. The exact opposite of what we’re trying to do.
While you may not be hungry right when you wake up, why not consider going through your morning routine and save eating breakfast until the very end. This way you allow your body to wake up, start your metabolism, and get moving ultimately kick-starting your appetite.
So what foods should we be eating in the morning? The easy and quick options are usually the most tempting, however if you can manage 5-10 minutes to prep your breakfast you can eat a well balanced, protein rich meal that will keep you satisfied until lunch rolls around.
I try to eat a variation of this meal every morning so that I am never bored with what I am eating, and it helps to make my ‘dieting’ seem less like dieting.
An Eggscellent Start to Your Day:
- Take 3 eggs, and separate the yolks from 2 of the eggs and throw in the garbage
Preheat a non-stick pan, add a handful of spinach, and cover with a lid for about 1 minute, the spinach will cook pretty quickly. -  Beat the full egg and 2 egg whites together in a bowl until blended
-  Pour the egg mixture into the pan with the spinach and scramble
-  As that is cooking, take one half of an avocado and mash it, toss in some garlic (to taste), a tiny pinch of sea salt, and 1/4 of a tomato finely chopped
- Mix your avocado and tomato mixture together creating a single serving of guacamole and place on the side of your plate
- Once your eggs are finished cooking, transfer to your plate and enjoy your egg whites with homemade guacamole
This recipe is not only tasty but low in calories, high in protein, iron, vitamins, minerals, and healthy fats. In one simple meal you will be consuming around 15 grams of protein, 155 calories, with 83% of these calories coming from healthy fats that your body needs to lower your bad cholesterol and keep your heart healthy.
The best part is, this meal takes almost no time to make and is a delicious take on eating plain old egg whites. Not bad for breakfast!
A Mid-Day Metabolism Kick
For some of us, it can be hard to not feel the mid-day yawns creeping up on us. We haven’t eaten in a few hours, our body is getting tired, and we usually start daydreaming of all the yummy, bad-for-us lunch options we could indulge in.
But instead of resorting to old habits and giving into our cravings for a carb-y lunchtime meal, why not come prepared? Salads are one of the easiest, cheapest, and healthiest ways to lose weight throughout the afternoon. So instead of feeling bloated and slipping into a carb-induced food coma that just makes us feel guilty, plan ahead and pack a lunch.
A hearty salad that keeps me full throughout the rest of my day, and is extremely tasty, is a little number I like to call…
The Killer Kale Salad:
- Thinly chop up 1/2 bunch of kale and add it to a pan on medium heat with about a tablespoon of olive oil. Rotate the kale until the leaves become bright green and almost cooked, approximately 5 minutes, then remove from heat
- Open a can of black beans, drain, rinse, dry, and pour about 1/2 the can into a lunch container
- Layer your cooked kale on top of your beans
- Grate a full carrot and sprinkle over the kale
- Using your pan that you cooked the Kale in, toss in a handful of walnuts, pecans, or sunflower seeds, all incredibly good for you and rich in healthy fats, and roast for about 2 minutes the sprinkle over your beans, kale, and carrot mixture
- For your dressing, mix 1 large tablespoon on organic tahini paste, 1 tablespoon of umeboshi plum vinegar, and 1 tablespoon of pure maple syrup. Mix well and pack in a separate container so you can dress your salad when ready and not risk it getting soggy
This recipe is simple and quick to make, full of vitamins, minerals, healthy fats, fiber, and protein. It will keep you full throughout the afternoon without feeling bloated or tired, helps to boost your metabolism, burn calories, and the best part, tastes amazing!
Stay Lean and Mean With More Protein
While most dieters dread dinner time, it can be one of the most creative meals to experiment with. Recently I have been trying my hand at shish kabobs. They are grilled, low in fat, high in protein and can be made with a variety of meats or fish.
Generally, when preparing a healthy dinner you want to keep portion control in mind.While experts encourage a bigger breakfast, most of them say that you should be eating smaller portions later in the day so that your body doesn’t have to work as hard to break down a lot of food over night, ultimately causing you to gain weight.
Shish kabobs can be a great solution for smaller portions as you can really keep track of how much you are eating. I try to stick to 2 kabobs with a small quinoa or bean salad on the side.
Shish Kabob Snob:
- Cut your preferred meat, I like calamari, shrimp, chicken, or lean pork, into cubes, toss into your favourite marinade, and let sit for around 30 minutes
- Chop up 1/2 red onion, 1/2 a bunch of broccoli, 1 green pepper, 1 red pepper, 1/2 sweet potato, and 1 zucchini
- Take your skewer and add 2 vegetables for every piece of meat you add onto your skewer
- When finished, either barbecue your kabobs or lay your kabobs over the sides of a medium baking sheet so that your skewers are not touching the bottom of the baking sheet and bake at 400 F
They are uber simple, easy, tasty, and lean! As stated, pair your kabobs with a bean or quinoa salad as both are high in fiber and will help to keep you full for the rest of the night, ultimately cutting down on late-night snack cravings.
And who said healthy eating had to be plain and boring? Just use your imagination, choose ingredients wisely, and eat yourself skinny!
AUTHOR BIO
Jill is a writer for the popular skincare review website, BES Skincare, where she reviews products for people who are looking to buy Trilastin, buy LifeCell or various other skincare products. The biggest perk of her job: she has amazing skin!
