10 Healthy Staples Always in my Kitchen

Do you often times get discouraged with eating healthy because it may seem to take too much time planning and preparing? Does going food shopping every week seem like a difficult chore, especially with your busy schedule?

I can totally relate. There are times I can't always get to the farmer's market, and sometimes I don't have time during the week to go food shopping. So, here's how I stay easily prepared for those times when eating healthy is a little more difficult than usual.

I keep these 10 simple staples always stocked to ensure I always have healthy options. 

Frozen Berries

Frozen berries are the key ingredient to delicious smoothies. Natural sugar with fiber allows your body to digest it slowly keeping your blood sugar levels balanced so you have more energy and feel fuller for longer. Plus berries are packed with cancer fighting antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals. I buy bags of organic wild blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, blackberries stocked in the freezer; and I slice, baggy, and freeze ripe fruit- pears, bananas, pineapple, watermelon and peaches (in the summer- delicious!)

Ezekiel Bread

I don't eat bread too often, but when I do get that craving for avocado toast, or toasted cinnamon raisin bread with butter, I love to have this delicious sprouted bread on hand. What makes Ezekiel better than conventional bread is the sprouted whole grains; it's packed with fiber, healthy complex carbohydrates, and has all of the nutrients still intact. It's made with organic ingredients- as opposed to the tons of chemicals, trans fats, and artificial flavorings they put into regular packaged bread. I keep it frozen so it stays fresh for longer, and just pop it in the toaster for a few minutes when I’m ready to eat it.

Dark Chocolate

Go for the Fair Trade dark organic chocolate with a cacao content of 70% or more (I like this Trader Joe brand); not Hershey’s, Reese’s or any of those other highly processed, artificial, trans-fat laden brands. This is all about UPGRADE. You can still indulge in what you love, but make it the best quality. When consumed in moderation, dark chocolate is a perfect little treat for a sweet tooth craving. I make sure I always have a back up bar in the fridge just in case I run out. Health benefits? Release in feel good hormones, such as serotonin; a nice little energy boost without the post crash; high in anti-oxidants, iron and magnesium; and healthy fats.

  

Almond Butter

I love to add almond butter to smoothies, it tastes delicious, gives the smoothie a nice dense consistency, and it packs in extra protein, fiber, and omega 3 fatty acids (key in weight loss). Almond butter is so versatile and can be used in so many snack ideas. I love almond butter on Brown Rice Cakes or toasted Ezekiel bread, with sliced banana, a sprinkle of cinnamon, and hemp seeds. You can spread almond butter on sliced organic apples, carrots, or celery. For ants on a log, top the celery with raisins, goji berries, or cranberries. (Great way to get kids to eat healthy)

Hemp Seeds

Hemp seeds are my number one favorite super food! Not only are they a great vegetarian source of complete protein with all 10 essential amino acids (3 tbsps have 11 grams of protein), but the omega 3 and 6 fatty acids make them highly anti-inflammatory, which aids in super quick weight loss. It's so easy to UPGRADE your meals and snacks with hemp seeds. I love to add them to anything and everything. They have a great, light nutty flavor and smooth consistency. I top my eggs and veggies with them in the morning, add a couple tablespoons to my smoothies, and sprinkle them on my almond butter or avocado toast. 

Avocado

Ahh- Nature’s Butter. If there's one food I absolutely couldn't live without, this is it. I probably go through about 4 a week. Avocado with eggs, warm soup topped with chunks of avocado, avocado in my smoothies, avocado toast, veggies topped with sliced avocado. Its versatility allows it to take on the flavor of whatever you’re adding it to. Plus its loaded with fiber, healthy fats, B vitamins and E, folic acid, protein. Avocado is a perfect alternative to dairy when trying to cut back to lose weight, increase your energy, and reduce cholesterol. Here's a quick and easy breakfast/snack idea Avocado Hemp Seed Toast

Coconut Oil

I live, breathe, eat, sleep, dream coconut oil. I use coconut oil not only medicinally, but also as a full body moisturizer, leave in hair treatment, sun block, and in the kitchen- for all of my cooking, smoothies, salad dressings, oatmeal, anything and everything. To name all of the health benefits of coconut oil would require another post all on its own. In short, this delicious natural food not only fights viruses and bacteria in our bodies, but also regulates our hormones and blood sugar levels resulting in greater weight loss, more energy, fewer sugar and carb cravings, it increases digestion, boosts metabolism, and reduces cholesterol. I sautee my veggies and cook my eggs in coconut oil, as a wonderful alternative to butter- it does really well in high heat (actually better than olive oil!). I add it to my oatmeal to give it a creamier consistency and add 1-2 tsps to my morning smoothies.

Oatmeal

Whole rolled oats, either gluten free or not, depending on your individual body, is a great staple to keep on hand. Organic oats are great building blocks for the body. Excellent complex carbohydrates gives the muscles energy, fuels the mind and body, and keeps you satiated longer without crashes in blood sugar levels. I love to enjoy oatmeal for a hearty breakfast or

sometimes I take it with me on the go for a mid afternoon or evening snack. Get creative with oatmeal, you can experiment with adding different ingredients. Click here for my recipe Creamy Coconut Oatmeal with Bananas, Cinnamon, and Hemp Seeds.

Organic Apples

Apples are a perfect healthy whole food snack, as opposed to processed, boxed snacks. A great way to add extra daily fiber, a perfect sweet tooth quick fix, and a nice energy boost. I love to eat a sliced apple in the morning dipped in almond butter or peanut butter. Adding the nut butter upgrades it with tons of protein. This combination of protein and fiber will fight off mid afternoon energy crashes, cravings for unhealthy junk food and empty white flour carbs, and help to regulate and jump start weight loss. Try adding one to your morning smoothie for natural added sweetness; into the juicer for a quick, natural detox (with added ginger, lemon, celery, and carrot), or cut up with other fruit for a Yummy Fruit Salad Breakfast.

Here’s a handy little tip, slice an apple, squeeze the juice of half a lemon onto it, toss it into a baggy, shake it up to coat evenly, and bring with you to work. The lemon keeps the apple from turning brown (oxidizing), and it tastes delicious and refreshing. Having it sliced up makes it easier to snack on, and you'll eat it slower which will allow you to get fuller faster.

Pastured Farmer’s Market Eggs

Protein is the building blocks of our body, hair, skin, nails, and cells. Although I mainly get my protein from vegetarian sources (such as hemp, chia, flax seeds, vegetables, beans, legumes, nuts, seeds, and occasional fish), I always like to have eggs a couple times a week. But there’s a huge difference between industrial eggs sold in supermarkets from factory farms, and pastured eggs from sustainably raised hens. Definitely a price difference, but when it comes to quality ingredients we put into our body, it's worth the extra few bucks. Eggs that we get from the supermarket come from hens raised in unsustainable factory farms where they are sickly confined, diseased, depressed, and unhealthy, loaded with hormones and antibiotics, fed GMO grain, and they never see sunlight nor do their feet ever get to touch grass in their entire short lived lives. Pastured eggs, on the other hand, come from hens who are healthier, happier, get to graze freely in sunlight, and are fed organic pasture. Eggs produced from these guys have 20 times more omega 3 fatty acids and 35% less cholesterol than industrial eggs. Search localharvest.org to find a farmer’s market in your area to begin supporting sustainable agriculture. There's an importance of quality when it comes to eggs, but there's also a major difference in taste.

Eating healthy doesn't have to be hard- it's actually pretty easy. Get creative. How can you begin to incorporate these healthy food choices into your daily lifestyle? Are you going to experiment with coconut oil next time you’re chef’in up your delicious morning omelette, or perhaps add a sprinkle of hemp seeds to your sauteed veggies?

I'd love to hear from you. Share in the comments section below.

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You've "let yourself go"... Now what?

It’s the holiday season, you’re indulging heavily (OK maybe even gluttonously) in delicious food and drinks, and loving every second of it (well, in the moment at least). And you should be! I know I do!

 Nothing brings me more joy than devouring a delicious home cooked meal with my friends and family.. Thanksgiving, for example, was a shit show! We cooked a massive feast and helped ourselves to thirds, fourths, FIFTHS!

Our delicious spread of yum yums

I eventually had to unbutton my pants, and wait 30ish minutes in between rounds- yes, rounds.. And let me just say we weren’t spooning mouthfuls of kale and quinoa; we were eating heaping mounds of baked mac and 4 cheeses, cheesy corn casserole, cranberry and walnut stuffing, Turkish fried cheese sticks, (it was an epic, ethnic “Friends”giving), beef and cheese empanadas, fried chicken cutlets (I know, I know… we didn’t do turkey), biscuits (yes the nasty ones loaded with hydrogenated oil but how delectable they taste), mashed potatoes.. I could go on and on.

Let me tell you... One year ago, after all of that, I would have felt like complete shit! Yes, I did feel entirely paralyzed, physically, from eating myself into a food coma, but that’s not what I mean. I’m talking about the mental and emotional “feeling like shit.” Something along these lines..

“Ugh, I ate so much… I feel like shit... I’m disgusting... I have no self-control, no will-power...” “What’s wrong with me… I wasn’t even hungry... I’m so fat…”

“Why couldn’t I have just eaten the salad… I really didn’t need five servings... I’m not even going to want to work out tomorrow... My diet’s ruined now... I really let myself go.”

Mushy little Chunk Boy <3

And this incessant negative internal dialogue would have continued for hours, and even days, as is the snowball effect when beating yourself up. You feel like shit, so you tell yourself you’re shit (in better choice of words, of course), then do more things that make you feel more like shit (because you’re already on a downward spiral; why stop now), furthering that incessant dialogue which happens to confirm the false belief about yourself that you’re shit! 

It can leave you feeling pretty low...

Thankfully, however, I broke free from that self-sabotage. It took me a looooonnnnggg time to realize how incredibly toxic those negative thoughts were, and eventually I grew to understand how imperative it was to adapt a shift in perspective- one towards self-love.

We owe it to ourselves to be indulging in the simple pleasures of life! And yes that includes spending time eating and drinking what we thoroughly enjoy with friends and family, whether gluttonously or not.

Now, pay attention here...

You didn't “let yourself go.” You are a normal human being, attracted to enjoying delicious food with family and friends, and we eat to enjoy ourselves. Food tastes good, smells good, looks good, and we feel good eating with the people we love. OK, so we over do it sometimes to the point of feeling SO STUFFED that we can’t even move… Just forgive yourself, and let it go.

Food isn’t meant to be viewed through the lens of such restriction and stringency. It’s OK to indulge! Enjoy what you love to enjoy! I like to see it as a personal research experiment and opportunity to learn. When I feel shitty after eating certain foods or over-indulging, I take note of how I feel physically and mentally, clearly distinguishing the difference between physical discomfort (the real stuff) and emotional/mental discomfort (the stuff we tell ourselves that 99% of the time isn't true). This simple tool of awareness, shifting from guilt to forgiveness will catapult you into extraordinary self-healing, self-acceptance, and self-love. (yes, that “self-love” thing again.)

We need to stop beating ourselves up and spending so much time in our own heads worrying and regretting every time we've eaten something “bad” or “fattening,” and feeling shame, guilt, and regret. As you now know, these negative thoughts are doing more harm and having more of a toxic effect on your body than the actual food you are putting into your mouth! And it’s paralyzing!

Your thoughts determine your actions, and your actions become your thoughts. It can be a vicious cycle. And we can so quickly forget how to simply let go- of all the restrictions we put on ourself and all of our limiting beliefs- and be present in the moment to enjoy the sweet pleasures of life- and of delicious food!

“OK Steph,” you’re saying, “But still I don’t like that feeling of not having control over what I’m putting into my mouth. And feeling like shit after.”

I hear you! Here’s the good news- the body has an incredible and tremendous ability to heal itself  (aka feel better emotionally and physically) given the right tools and half the chance. Self-love, as mentioned before, is the number one tool! And a huge part of self-love is replacing those negative, sabotaging thoughts in our heads with positive, loving, uplifting thoughts. But, we need the patience to see through to this process. Patience to forgive yourself, to accept your imperfections, to be easy and gentle with yourself, to let go and just let things be- instead of what it “should” or “shouldn't” be, or what you “should” or “shouldn’t” do.

So, how do we shift into this place of self-love, self-acceptance, and patience with ourselves?

Awareness is the most important tool to guide you toward being at peace with yourself, your body, your thoughts, and your emotions. Awareness is simply just that. Being aware- of the things we think, the things we do, the emotions we feel. Once we free ourselves in this way, food becomes a secondary thought, and we no longer will find ourselves so often in the situation of regretting what we’ve eaten or how much we’ve eaten, or spending so much of our energy dwelling on what diet to try next..

Ask yourself… That internal dialogue running through your head all day long; what is that dialogue saying? Is it speaking kindly and lovingly of you; or is criticizing, judging, blaming, shaming, doubting you? Be the awareness behind those thoughts. It takes time. Believe me- I’ve been working on this for almost 10 years and still it’s a work in progress for me every single day. We’re never going to be these perfect human beings. We will always have things we are striving for and growth we’re wishing to achieve. It’s the process through this journey that really counts- not the destination.

So, once you’ve moved into this place of awareness behind your thoughts, the next step is then to make the conscious decision to choose more positive words. Say it until you mean it (and eventually you will!)

“I’m beautiful… I’m worthy… I’m patient… I love myself… I’m strong… I’m determined… I forgive myself.” (That last one is huge!)

With this positive dialogue in place guiding you toward self-love and self-forgiveness, you begin to experience a shift in consciousness to the present moment. Within this consciousness you move into a deeper mind-body awareness, connection, and intuition. You can then spend your days operating from this place of intuition versus that place of imprisonment stuck within your own mind.

Which probably looks something like this...

Poor monkey, stuck in his own head...

Still not sure what all of this has to do with the gluttony of Thanksgiving we were discussing before and the likelihood of further indulgence into the New Year?

Food as I mentioned before, is not only secondary nourishment (click here to learn more about Primary Food), but choosing food to eat and when, is an innate, biologically intuitive process. The body is so smart. It knows when it's hungry, when it's full, when it's thirsty, when it's tired, it knows when to breathe, and it knows how to send the right signals to the brain so we can interpret these messages into action. The more we are in touch with ourselves and our bodies from this intuitive place, through self-love rather than self-sabotage and judgement, the easier our lives become.

Let our beautiful, phenomenally crafted bodies do the work for us, so we can get out of our own heads and enjoy our food this holiday season! Life is meant to be enjoyed, not spent being so hard on ourselves, dwelling on the perfect diet, and shaming ourselves when we eat a cookie!

Like I said, the body knows how to heal itself. It knows how to process and digest food that we would otherwise consider “bad.” We just have to make sure we are providing it the right tools to do that. It’s a win-win situation. Say “I love you” to yourself and mean it, and go ahead and treat yourself to yummy cookies or a second helping of fried chicken. Don’t worry about it. Let it go!

You’ll find that moving forward, you’ll be worrying much less about what and how much you’re putting into your mouth, and you’ll just intuitively know what to eat and when. AND not feel bad about it after... Well you might get the runs, but at least you’ll be loving yourself up the whole way to the bathroom!

Share your story! What similar experiences or struggles have you had? What works for you? Is this idea of awareness, self-love, forgiveness, and acceptance new to you? I'd love to hear from you! Share in the Comments section below.

Stephanie Marino is a Certified Holistic Health & Wellness Coach, passionately guiding people toward optimal health and happiness. Having overcome struggles with body dysmorphic syndrome, emotional and compulsive eating, severe eczema, allergies, and asthma, she has learned the importance of unconditional self-love as the first step toward healing. She spent over ten years studying holistic nutrition, spiritual, and personal development; and has successfully worked through her auto-immune and eating disorders. She now works with men and women who struggle similarly, guiding them toward a happier and healthier life of food freedom, weight loss, increased energy, stress-management through self-care techniques, and enhanced inter-personal relationships.

She received her training from the Institute for Integrative Nutrition in NYC, a Bachelors of Arts in Nutrition and Early Childhood Education from Brooklyn College in June 2012 and is certified by the American Association for Drugless Practitioners. Her unique approach to health counseling includes individual and group nutrition, health, and happiness coaching to adults; health and wellness workshops and seminars; and school nutrition for children K-12 and administration. She enjoys blogging, cooking, yoga, and outdoor exercise. Schedule your free initial consultation with me today