1001431319Do you find yourself running from place to place, often on an empty stomach or with a burger in your hand? Life is fast. We can’t always enjoy a nice, relaxing meal at home, with no interruptions or stress. We are busy people.
So, what do you do? Hit a fast food place on your way to wherever you are going? Do you think you are making a healthy decision by choosing sandwiches instead? I am sorry to break it to you, but they aren’t much better. Yes, they use less oil and more vegetables. But, it’s still not a healthy choice. Once in a while isn’t going to have a huge impact on your health. So, sure, once in a while grab a fast food meal. Once in a while probably means a lot less than what you are thinking. It’s certainly not every day or even once a week. It’s a lot less than that.
A better idea is to plan ahead. There must be a few hours on the weekend or a half an hour in the evening that you have free to prepare meals that can be taken on the go. Use this time wisely. Make big portions of a pasta or grain salad that will keep well in the refrigerator. Take raw vegetables, baked tortilla chips or pita bread with hummus or black bean dip. Make your own muffins and granola bars or trail mix and keep them handy to grab on the run. Once you start doing these things, they will become habit. Soon you will ask yourself, “When was the last time I ate fast food?”
Black Bean Dip
4 cups black beans (pre-soaked and cooked), or 2 14 oz cans, rinsed well
14 oz stewed or crushed tomatoes
2 tbsp olive oil
1 red onion, diced (about ½ cup)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 red pepper, diced
1 tbsp cumin
2 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
1 tbsp chilli powder
Mash black beans in a large bowl. Add all other ingredients and mix well.
Option: for a smooth dip, place all ingredients in a food processor or blender and puree.
May be topped with cheese, sour cream or greek yogurt.
Serve with tortilla chips, bread or vegetables.
Hummus
1 ½ cup chick peas, (pre-soaked and cooked), or 14 oz can, rinsed well
3 tbsp Tahini
2 garlic cloves
½ lemon (juice of)
¼ cup olive oil
1 tsp cumin
Combine all ingredients in a blender. Blend until smooth. Add water or more olive oil (1 tbsp at a time) until you’ve reached the desired consistency.
Mediterranean Pasta Salad
2 cups uncooked kamut rotini
1 cup fresh parsley, chopped
2 tbsp fresh basil, chopped
2 ½ tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes, halved or quartered
1 cup cucumber, diced
¼ cup kalamata olives, sliced
¼ cup sundried tomatoes, diced
¼ cup marinated artichoke hearts, diced
¼ cup feta cheese, crumbled
Boil a medium pot with water and add pasta. Reduce temperature to medium and cook, uncovered for 9 – 12 minutes. Strain and set pasta aside.
Combine all other ingredients in a bowl and add pasta. Mix well and serve.
Chickpea Kale Salad
1 cup uncooked rice
4 cups kale, chopped with stems removed
1 small red onion (about 1 1/4 cups), diced
1 red pepper, chopped
2 cups grape or cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered
2 lemons, juice of
¼ cup olive oil
4 cups chickpeas (pre-soaked and cooked) or 2 14 oz cans, rinsed well
2 tbsp fresh basil, chopped
¼ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
Boil 2 ¼ cups of water and add rice. Reduce heat to medium/low and cover for 35 minutes, stirring occasionally. Set aside to cool.
Steam kale for 20 minutes. Set aside to cool.
Combine all ingredients into a very large bowl and mix well.
Option: serve over pita or naan bread and top with sprouts or feta cheese.
Karen Stoyles, RHN
Karen is a Registered Holistic Nutritionist, military wife, mother and owner of Nature Prenatal. You may visit her website at www.natureprenatal.com for more recipes and information on her services.
