Monday, September 29, 2014

How to make healthier choices at Starbucks

Okay - I love a latte as much as the next person but they aren't the healthiest options and we think they
are. It's expresso, milk and syrup, right?! I'm not telling you to stop drinking your favorite holiday beverage but I wanted to give you some ideas on how to switch up your regular drink to a healthier option to save your a few calories so you can have a piece of pumpkin pie.

I picked three drinks that I think are pretty popular options or ones I've been know to order and made a few switches over the years to cut down the calories and they still taste great. Here they are,

Chai Latte:
Before: Grande Soya Half Sweet Chai Latte: 210 Calories
After: Grande Chai Tea misto with Soya Milk: 120 Calories (Saving 90 Cals)

Pumpking Spice Latte 
*A FYI to all those who are allergic to dairy - their pumpkin spice syrup has dairy in it so I don't have these at all anymore but heres the switch.

Before: Grande Pumpkin Spice Latte with Nonfat milk: 330 Calories
After:  Grande Pumpkin Spice Americano Misto: 200 Calories (Saving 130 Calories)

and lasty, one of my personal favs

Vanilla Latte:
Before: Grande Vanilla Latte: 290 Calories
After: Grande Soya Vanilla Americano Misto: 80 Calories (Saving 210)

Hopefully you find these little switches helpful going into the holiday season. I love getting my Christmas in a red cup at Starbucks and now your can opt for a healthier option. Thanks to MyFitnessPal for all the nutritional information.

Happy Monday,

xo
Nic

Monday, September 22, 2014

Back to basics - #mpm



After two weeks away from reality and enjoying a relaxing vacation with my family which I loved, its time to get back to my routine. With my workouts booked, a clean apartment and a grocery shop under my belt the only thing left to do, #mpm. It's time to prep.

Food prep may seem daunting to some, but I swear if you give it a chance you will find your groove. Small changes will have a big impact on your eating and your wallet. As I was shopping around Whole Foods today gearing up for a little Meal Prep Monday, I was thinking of a few easy steps to encourage those of you who don't know where to start...

1. Shop around the outside of the store - yes this sounds clique but it's the truth. I wandered through the isles admiring the shelves upon shelves of processed foods. No, not all of them are bad for you but fresh is around the outside skirts of the store. This way you get your exercise doing laps as you hit produce, meat and other goodness.  You could buy everything needed for a clean prep by only shopping the outside. I challenge you to try it.

2. Read the ingredients - if there are more things labelled than you can pronounce, put it back and step away from the item. It probably isn't good for your or made of real food. Food should spoil. If it doesn't, there are enough chemicals in there to keep it for months... #ew

3. Canned foods - okay so this contradicts no. 1 but sometimes canned veggies aren't bad. This goes for frozen veggies too. They are usually flash frozen at their freshest and still capture all those nutrients you are after. I use canned tomatoes in my tomato sauce (365 Organic Brand) and frozen Broccoli and Squash for dinners and stir-frys. It saves you time too!

4. Buy yourself a set of Tupperware. For years I eat out of Tupperware and baggies, it not only makes for a good IG photo and makes your fridge look like you have a professional prep your food every week but keeps healthy options at your finger tips.

5. Think about what your like to eat for snacks, brekkie, lunch and dinner and write it all down on a piece of paper. Put combinations together and from that make a grocery list and sub healthier options when you can. Think lettuce wraps instead of sandwiches or hummus and celery instead of chips. Small switches with big long term benefits.

I hope you can find some of these tips helpful!

xoxo

nic