Summer is practically hear and let’s face it. No one wants to be slaving away every day over a hot stove in the sweltering heat. Thats where meal prep comes in handy. All you have to do is take a few hours once or twice a week and prepare all of your meals in advance. It saves you loads of time and energy in the long run. Saving your time isn’t the only great thing about meal prep because preparing in advance also ensures that you will stay on track. So instead of reaching for fast food or quick fixes you have your pre made meal right on hand. If you arrange your meals accordingly you can have delicious meals lined up in a row right in your refrigerator to grab and go for the whole week.
Not only is meal prep a great way to stay on track but you can make healthy meal prep food in a mason jar. You can pick mason jars up at most local dollar stores, home suppliers or department stores. Once you start using mason jars you soon will realize that they are very versatile. You can make anything from breakfast, salads, pastas, rice bowls, snacks or even desserts just to name a few. They are also very aesthetically please and keep well when sealed and placed in the fridge.
The following 3 recipes are a great start to healthy meal prepping in a jar and I hope that they inspire you to be creative and make your own recipes or add your own personalized twists to these ones. Don’t be afraid to make your favorite meals. Just make sure to layer the wet ingredients on the bottom and layer up from there. The beauty of a healthy meal in a mason jar is that most anything works. Enjoy!
Peanut Butter and Banana Overnight Oatmeal
Ingredients:
½ ripe banana, mashed
½ cup Oats
1tsp ground cinnamon
⅓ cup unsweetened almond milk (if you want chocolate oats just substitute chocolate-flavored almond milk for the plain almond milk)
¼ cup plain greek yogurt
1 tbsp peanut butter (organic preferred)
1 tbsp liquid honey (optional)
1 scoop protein (flavour and brand of choice)
Instructions:
In a jar combine banana, oats, cinnamon, almond milk, yogurt, peanut butter and honey. Stir well, then seal jar and give it a good vigorous shake to make sure the oats are coated with all of the liquid.
Refrigerate overnight.
Serve cold or remove lid and microwave on high for 1 minute or until desired temperature is reached.
Serve in the jar.
Tofu, Snow Pea and Cabbage Rice Jar
Ingredients:
1 ¼ cup water
½ long-grain brown rice
¼ tsp sea salt
3 tbsp of sesame dressing or your choice
½ cup snow peas
½ cup sliced carrots
1 cup sliced cabbage
1 cup cubed firm tofu
Instructions:
In a medium pan bring water to a boil over high heat. Stir in rice and salt. Cook.
First pour dressing of choice into the bowl. Then layer the rice, snow peas, carrots, cabbage and tofu. On top. Seal the jar and refrigerate for up to a day.
Remove the jar from the refrigerator a minimum of 30 minutes before serving. Turn the jar upside down in a bowl and let the dressing coats the rice.
Rainbow Fruit Salad Jar
Ingredients:
¼ cup diced strawberries
¼ cup diced pineapple
⅓ cup diced mango
¼ cup diced watermelon
Instructions:
Layer the fruit in the jar.
Seal and refrigerate for up to 3 days.
Serve in the jar.
Long Work Weeks? 7 Stress-Reducing Activities to Come Home To
After a busy and stressful work week, you’ve earned every second of your weekend free time. While it may be tempting to spend your time watching shows online, there are ways you can use your downtime to reduce stress rather than merely recover from it. The following seven activities will help you emerge refreshed, rejuvenated, and ready to tackle whatever the next workweek brings your way.
Get Moving
Whether you spend your days in front of a computer screen or on your feet, ungluing yourself from the couch is probably the last thing on your mind. At the end of a long week, exercise can do wonders for your mind and body. Even if it’s just a walk or dancing in the kitchen with your family, a little purposeful movement during the weekend will reinvigorate and strengthen you for the week ahead.
Make Meals
While you’re in the kitchen dancing, be sure that you’re cooking some healthier meals and snacks. This will provide you with some delicious food to enjoy over the weekend and possibly during the week. Since nutrition plays a key role in wellness, you’ll also be building a better body for coping with the coming week. Moreover, many healthy staples such as garlic, oranges, and oatmeal have been shown to combat stressful feelings.
Grow Something
Since your Monday through Friday routine probably doesn’t include much time outdoors or in contact with green spaces, gardening can be a welcome addition to your weekend itinerary. During warmer months, vegetable gardening can provide you with ingredients for nutritious cuisine and lovely flowers to brighten your home. If its winter or you’d rather not maintain an outdoor garden, consider caring for some houseplants.
Cultivate Creativity
Plants aren’t the only item you can grow during your free time. Creative pursuits such as playing a musical instrument or engaging in a craft can help shift your focus from weekday stress to weekend serenity. These practices will also provide you with a sense of accomplishment and possibly homemade gifts for loved ones.
Soak Your Stress Away
After all your workweek and weekend activities, you might be feeling a bit achy and worn down by the cares of life. Sometimes, a quick dip in a pool or a warm soak in a tub can help you unwind enough to really enjoy your downtime. If you’re considering purchasing a hot tub, be sure to check out hot tub reviews, online forums, and the Better Business Bureau website before making such a large investment.
Bring the Spa Home
As you soak in your bath or hot tub, you can really pour on the pampering with a few basic spa treatments. Mixing sugar and coconut or almond oil will create a gentle, whole body exfoliation scrub to slough away any rough skin. Many lotions and creams also absorb more readily when you’re still warm from the bath.
Read to Refocus and Reinvent
While spending your weekend in Paris probably isn’t possible, reading an engaging travel book or website are. Children enlist their imaginations to transform the mundane into the magical every day. Reading can give you the inspiration and the mental muscle to reinvent yourself.
Even though work stress may feel overwhelming, it is possible to emerge from your weekend in fighting form. No matter which stress reducing activity you choose, the important thing is that you mindfully pursue it. Once you’re stress levels have plummeted, you’ll be able to enjoy life mo
Finding that perfect holiday gift for everyone on your list can add an unnecessary stress to the already hectic holidays. HelloFresh is delicious gift that can be delivered to everyone on your list, including:
- Parents, grandparents and in-laws who enjoy cooking and could use a new and refreshing recipe.
- Practical people who want a gift that has use, like ingredients to make a delicious dinner!
- Fit foodies who like delicious and satisfying meals that are also nutritious.
- Couples or significant other who you’re not sure what to give but cooking dinner together is a great way to bond.
- Friends you forgot who deserve a great gift and don’t want to show it was purchased last minute.
For everyone on your shopping list, HelloFresh offers the opportunity to enjoy healthy home-cooked meals without the hassle! Eliminating the need to plan or shop, HelloFresh delivers delicious and satisfying meals that are easy and fun to make in just about 30 minutes. Gift cards are available at HelloFresh.ca.
So much more than a gift, the benefits of cooking a HelloFresh meal at home are endless, from building healthy eating habits to learning new cooking techniques and bonding over creating a meal together.
How To Eat
Everyone is attracted to something different in a partner. On average women want a man that is not too skinny and not too big. We all want someone who is healthy and takes care of their body not just in the gym but at home with food choices. A perfect mate isn’t 100 pounds and definitely isn’t a 300 pound muscular superhero. There is a balance.
Remember to lose or gain weight you must eat more. Most people only eat two to three big meals a day. Male or female youneed to eat more often to be healthy and have the body that you want. However, it is important that you make your food clean and healthy for both healthy weight loss and weight gain.
Follow these ten tips for successful clean eating for your perfect body:
1. Eat five to six small meals a day. If you eat less your body may be a risk for malnutrition, diabetes or it can even cause weight gain in the form of fat storage.
2. Never skip a meal. When you skip a meal your body goes into starvation mode and tends to store fat in unwanted places. If you eat frequently (i.e five to six small meals) your body stays constant and does not go into starvation mode and store fat.
3. Combine lean protein and complex carbs every meal. Make sure to include dark green veggies in every meal as well. Remember that variety is the spice of life and having variety at each meal is very important.
4. Avoid sugars and processed foods, refined sugars, and white breads. The best way to do this is try and shop along the outside aisles of a grocery store and avoid the middle (and the candy store). Alcohol is also included in the avoidances. A lot of alcohols are high in sugar and calories especially if you mix them so make sure to always avoid cola’s and juices.
5. Drink plenty of water. On average you should be drinking at least two litres a day or 8 glasses of water. However, if you are active or out in the sun for long periods of time you should be drinking even more.
6. Take a daily vitamin. It helps with nutrient absorption and that will help you digest your clean diet properly.
7. Avoid fried foods and saturated fats. These are high in trans fat and will cause you to gain weight and store fat instead of build lean muscle.
8. Take a daily dose of Omega 3. There are many health benefits of omega 3 fatty acids. They can boost heart health and lower triglycerides. Omega 3’s also help with rheumatoid arthritis, depression, and many more.
9. Prepare your meals beforehand. Try making your meals on Sunday night for the rest of the week. If you fail to plan you have planned to fail. Make sure that you have lots of tupperware on hand for your meals, label them for the different days and refrigerate them until you need them.
10. When choosing a protein make sure to chose a lean meat such as chicken, turkey, fish or lean ground beef. If there is excess fat on your cut of meat simply cut it off. Avoid seasonings for your meat that contain sodium and cook with olive oil or coconut oil instead of using fattening butter.
These ten tips if followed properly will guarantee success in your search for the perfect diet for the perfect body that women want. However, it will only be successful if you are exercising regularly. So hit that gym, plan your meals and eat a variety of clean planned and prepared meals.
How To Handle DOMS - Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness
1. Drink plenty of water before, during and after your workout. Make sure to drink electrolytes or BCAA's during your workout. The essential salts will help regulate muscular contractions and nerve function as well as give you energy throughout your workout.
2.Espesso or coffee before your workout will increase muscle strength and endurance as well as help to reduce the chance of soreness.
3. Make sure to do a proper warm up and cool down. This will help clear out lactic acid, regulate the heart and help with blood flow.
4. Eat a post workout meal or snack that contains a ration of 4:1 carbs to protein. This will help restore muscle nutrients lost in the muscle during the workout. Chocolate milk is actually a great post workout options.
5. Massage, stretching, foam rolling, and trigger point release post workout also helps to increase circulation, help with tight muscles and reduce muscle tension like knots etc.
6. Take a cold shower post workout. This will help reduce inflammation to the muscles.
7. If you can't handle the cold shower a hot bath with epsom salts will also help blood circulation and inflammation of the muscles.
8. Proper rest. if you are training hard it is recommended that you get a minimum of 60-70hrs of sleep a week. This includes naps. Sleep is when your body recovers and rebuilds muscle. If you are training hard and often the more sleep you need to help those muscles.
