by | Jul 9, 2021 | Fitness, Food |
Let’s be honest here – eating clean is not always easy. You want it to be easy. You might even expect it to be easy. However, the truth is that sometimes you can’t seem to get into the swing of things when it comes to clean eating.
The concept of clean eating is a simple one, but the reality is that the actual process of clean eating is not always as easy as it might seem. There’s a lot more to think about and consider than you might think, isn’t there? Often, eating clean religiously calls for a lot of prep time, which can be a little off-putting, especially when your schedule is already hectic.
The good news is that just because sticking to clean eating does not always seem as easy as you might hope, there are steps that you can take to make the process of eating clean consistently more achievable. There are also lots of ways that you can make preparing to eat clean easier too – it’s just a case of being smart about your approach, that’s all.
Photo source: Pixabay
Intrigued?
Below is a guide to some of the steps you can take to make eating clean more doable daily for everything you need to know. Have a read of this.
Make a plan
The first step to ensuring that you stay on track when eating clean is to make a plan. It’s far easier to stay on track with a diet if you have a plan to help you do that. Mapping out a clean eating plan can help make the process of staying on track a little easier for you.
The first step of the process is to create a mind map that includes all of the key information you need to stay on track when it comes to your clean eating. It would be best if you had a plan that gives you options to choose from to make clean eating easier to stick to.
Ideally, you want a plan that maps out options for different things, such as several breakfast options to choose from and dinner ideas, like seven-layer salad by Yellow Bliss Road. Having options available makes staying on track easier.
Meal prep in advance
Another simple way to stay on track when it comes to clean eating is meal prepping in advance. If you lack time daily, it’s worth setting aside a few hours one day a week to meal prep for the entire week. If you can set aside a few hours every weekend to meal prep for the week ahead, you will find staying on track when eating clean is far simpler.
You can chop vegetables and fruit up. You can put all of the ingredients in tubs labeled per meal and use those to make preparing meals on weekdays easier. Then, all you need to do is throw the ingredients into a pan, and you have your meal.
Another option is to actually make some meals and cook them, leaving them in the fridge ready to re-heat as and when you want them. You either store these in the fridge or freeze them in pre-portioned sizes.
Have snacks readily available
When it comes to making sure that eating clean is more doable, having healthy, clean snacks is important. If you are going to ensure that you stick to eating clean, having snacks on hand is super important.
These can either be pre-made snacks from the supermarket, such as low calorie, clean snacks, such as fruit or health foods, or homemade healthy snacks. A good snack is energy balls – there are lots of recipes that you can use to create healthy, nutritious energy balls, as well as plenty of pre-made energy ball recipes to try.
You will find that if you have snacks readily available that are healthy, clean, and taste good, that you will be less likely to end up snacking on unhealthy and unclean foods. So being prepared is extremely important when it comes to staying on track with any healthy eating regime. A lack of organization is often responsible for your diet taking a bad turn and you accidentally ‘falling off the wagon,’ so to speak.
There you have it, a guide to how you can make clean eating more achievable and fit it more easily into your daily life.
by | Jul 8, 2021 | Fitness, Food, Lifestyle |
Hi Lovely readers,
I have heard how Elderberries are a good source of Vitamin C and full of antioxidants. Research has shown they may reduce cold and flu symptoms. Take a look at the pros and cons of elderberries of Healthline.com. I made this recipe from Nikisha Riley, who had a blog at the time. I would watch the Urbanbushbabes youtube videos. I’ve been making this recipe ever since I saw it. I was looking for a healthy alternative to a cough syrup that also may boost the immune system.
Elderberry Syrup
Ingredients:
1/2 cup dried
elderberries
3 cups water
1 cup local or raw honey
2/3 cup organic raw apple cider vinegar
Directions:
Fill a pot with 3 cups of water and dried elderberries. Bring to a boil, and on low heat, let boil for 30 minutes. Take off heat and mash elderberries up well with a potato masher. Strain out the liquid into a separate bowl using a strainer, cheesecloth, coffee filter, or something similar.
Once strained, add honey to the elderberry liquid, stir well, and add the apple cider vinegar. Place in a glass jar with an airtight lid and place in the fridge. The syrup will last for up to 6 months.
To Use:
Adults 1 Tablespoon a day and
children 1 teaspoon a day.
If you are using it as flu and cold medicine, you can take the same dose every hour instead of just once a day.
Raw berries, stems, and leaves can have side effects of nausea, vomiting, and dizziness. Wellness Mama has her elderberry recipe, which is almost identical, except she uses additional added flavors like clove and cinnamon.
Disclaimer
This recipe has been provided for informational purposes only. Please check with your doctor first if you have medical questions, if you are pregnant, have allergies, or allergic reactions.
by | Dec 3, 2020 | Food |
Despite the fact that it’s one of the most fundamental parts of life, there’s no doubt that trying to get your entire family fed every day can be something of an uphill struggle for many people. After all, between trying to find the time after work, dealing with fussy eaters, and all of the other duties you have to deal with at home, being able to cook a delicious, healthy meal is often relatively low on a lot of people’s list of priorities. However, the truth is that it is possible to make it easier. With that in mind, here are some things that you can do to take the stress out of feeding your family.
Photo by August de Richelieu from Pexels
Plan your meals
The most important thing that you can do to make cooking meals for your family a whole lot easier is to plan them out. There are few things more stressful than desperately trying to figure out how to make the perfect meal out of the available ingredients you have on the night with everything else going on around you. Instead, sit down at the start of the week and figure out what you’re going to make. You can even get everyone’s input on what they want to eat. That way, not only do you always know what you’re going to be cooking but you can be sure everyone is going to be happy.
Keep things simple
One of the most common mistakes that a lot of people make when it comes to cooking for their family is that they let things get overly complicated. This leads to them getting stressed out, spending hours in the kitchen, and producing a mountain of dishes that need washing. Instead, why not try to keep things simple? Dishes like these greek style black-eyed peas can be cooked in a single pot and will easily feed the whole family without costing you all that much money. Learning to simplify your cooking can take a whole lot of stress out of it.
Get everyone involved
If you’re really feeling the stress and pressure of feeding your family, don’t do it all by yourself. Get your partner involved so that you can share the load a little. Not only that but getting the kids involved not only gives you the chance to spend some quality time together instead of you being hidden away in the kitchen, but it also means that your kids will gain an important life skill and a far greater appreciation of the food that they’re eating.
One thing that’s it’s important to remember is that it’s okay to give yourself a break every now and then. Sure, the chances of being able to head out to a restaurant at the moment are pretty slim but there’s no reason why you can’t give yourself the night off from cooking every once in a while. As long as you don’t make too much of a habit of it, it’s fine to enjoy take-out from time to time.
by | Nov 11, 2019 | Food |
Hi Lovely People,
What a beautiful day to go apple picking!
Eckert’s Farm in Grafton, Illinois
After a full week of work, it is a great feeling to be able to have fun on the weekends. My hubby had to work this weekend so it is great to be able to include some fun among all the work. In the fall season, there is nothing like picking your own apples from a local apple orchard. I never picked apples as a child so I cannot say that this is a family tradition. Although I must admit, I feel like a kid when my hubby and I plan our new fall tradition.
Eckert’s is a family-owned farm with three locations on the Illinois side of the Gateway City. This is the second year that my hubby and I have traveled to the Grafton location to pick apples. It is a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon in the fall. The road leading to Grafton parallels the Mississippi River. The river has an occasional barge or boat drifting by. Birds of all sorts are flying close to the river looking for lunch. And the trees are beginning to change colors. There are many sites to see that make this hour’s drive seem like only moments.
Eckert’s Farm will take you away from the hustle of the big city. The farm features activities for children of all ages and a country store to purchase fresh apple cider, kettle corn, and other grocery items. However, the real reason we came to the farm is the chance to pick our own apples and pumpkins. We hopped on a wagon hitched to a tractor and we made our way through the orchards until we arrived at the one the is ready to be picked at the time of our visit. There are several varieties of apples to choose from, including Honey Crisp, Fuji, and Braeburn. While picking the apples, we can sample as many we want. We had not tried the Braeburn before and we wanted to see how it tasted. This variety is crisp, extra sweet and packs a big crunch. We decided to pick some, along with the EverCrisp variety, which is a cross between the traditional Honey Crisp and a Fuji apple. The EverCrisp apple is large enough that my hubby and I can share one. The Braeburn is smaller and just the right size for an afternoon treat.
Sampling the Braeburn apple at Eckert’s
Picking apples and pumpkins
My hubby and I gathered two large bags of apples and a couple of pumpkins for decorations at the house. One of the bag’s handles broke but there are plenty of bags available, so it was all good. When leaving the orchards, we paid for the apples and pumpkins by the pound. The coolness in the air and bright clear sky provided us with a wonderful day to take home a healthy delicious treat.
J and T enjoying a cool fall day in the apple orchards
Although we have been apple picking for two years, my hubby and I have decided to make this a new fall tradition for the two of us. We enjoy a quick getaway that is filled with lasting memories and provides us with treats for weeks to come. Please share with us any of your favorite fall traditions.
by | Apr 30, 2019 | Food, Inspirations |
Work takes up a lot of our time. Even if you enjoy work and you’re someone that has built a great career, you may find that after work, you hit a brick wall. Maybe you don’t have the energy to do anything, or you head home and you’re bored? Maybe you do the cleaning to avoid doing it on the weekends or, you just crash on the couch exhausted? Either way, this isn’t allowing you to make the most of your week. Because you can use those hours after work to enjoy yourself and have fun! Sometimes, you could make your life more enjoyable and rewarding, just by squeezing in some extra excitement. Let’s take a look at five ways you can have more fun after work.
Go For Dinner
First of all, you could always go to dinner. If you don’t want to go home and just eat a boring dinner and go to sleep, why not arrange to go to dinner with your friends? If you don’t always get to see your friends, then this is a win-win.
Salsa practice lessons
Take A Class
Next up, you could take a class. Maybe you want to get fit? Do you want to look after your body and health? Then go and take a fitness class after work. If you do yoga, you’ll also find that you’re winding down well before bed too!
Go To An Event
Another really great idea that can be a ton of fun for you after work, is for you to think about attending different events. Because you will find that here are always different things on in the evenings that can entertain you. Maybe this is an open mic music or a play? Maybe it’s a talk with an author you like or even a course! Just see what’s going on in your area and sign up for anything that sounds cool!
Attend A Group Or Club
The next thing that you might want to consider here, is attending a group or a club after work too. Maybe you have an interest that you can pursue? Maybe you want to start a book club or join a music group or go to games club? You could even get together with a group of friends that you have with a similar interest and just go for a drink too! So think about any clubs near to you that could allow you to do this.
Have A Date Night
But then also, you could totally do a post-work midweek date night too! You don’t just have to save your date nights for the weekends. Instead, you can easily make plans with people for the week. Plus, this then also means that you get things to look forward to in the week too! So get planning and make sure that you have a lot to look forward to when work is out. This could be with your sweetheart or even catching up girlfriends as we mentioned in the first point!
by | Jan 15, 2019 | Food |
Hello, Elegant Lovelies,
Today is Day 5 of 21 of the fast that I am on with my church. I can’t say that it is easy, but it’s full steam ahead. If you would like to know more about fasting and would like to join, please visit the Church on The Rock website here. If you would like to join in please do, you can download a free journal and my Pastor includes a video of encouragement for each day. My hubby and I are fasting sugar, bread, no meat and no food products made from animals. In addition, we are not looking at our personal Facebook pages. That’s what I am fasting, but you can fast whatever you feel the Lord is telling you to do.
Just because I am on a fast does not mean that I don’t crave for something sweet. I decided to make this easy and simple recipe of cinnamon baked apples. I used Fuji apples because that’s what I had on hand, but you can use your favorite apple and go for it.
Cinnamon Baked Apples
1) Cut four apples in even sized slices that would cook thoroughly and evenly in the oven.
2) Place them in a baking dish. Add as much cinnamon that you desire. Add a little fresh lemon. And, brown sugar? But for this fast, we are not eating sugar, so we rely on the natural sugar from the apples.
3) Place aluminium foil on top and put it in a preheated oven for 350 degrees for 30 minutes covered and 10 minutes uncovered.
Cinnamon Sliced Apples
The finished dish is not real sweet. Of course, it is not supposed to be because I am on the fast. It does the trick if I have a sweet craving. And I also have an option of adding in a few walnuts and raisins if I want a little more sweetness. As an alternative when I am finished with the fast, I could add a little brown sugar or honey.
Follow!