Cheers to March!

Happy (almost) National Nutrition Month!  For me, March is a great month.  It is the month that dietitians and health professionals celebrate and spread awareness of the great importance of nutrition.  March also means spring is getting close (even though it’s been feeling very spring-ish off and on lately!).  It is the month in which both my mom and sister were born :).  And it is the home month to one of my VERY favorite holidays, St. Patrick’s Day.  

The month of March gives us a chance for rebirth.  For those of you who are Catholic, Lent is now here which leads to Easter and “new birth.”  Whether you are religious or not, you can take the spring as a time to give yourself “new birth” by choosing to live a healthier life. :)  

New Year’s Resolutions are often fading out of site by this time of year, unless you’re someone who took the bull by the horns, so to speak, and can honestly say you’ve stuck to your resolution (high five to YOU!).  Maybe you did.  Or maybe you didn’t.  Or maybe you have some other goals floating around your head that you’ve been thinking about taking steps towards… 

Check out this fortune I opened at PF Changs the other night:

Whether it’s at the beginning of a new year or not, when we get excited about making a positive change, we typically want to dive right in (and sometimes even expect the results to be virtually instantaneous).  Think about your longest long jump.  Now, how about two or three moderate jumps that didn’t require as much energy all at once?  The smaller jumps most likely took you further overall.  

While our intentions are great in wanting to achieve our goals all at once, it’s often more likely that taking the smaller steps will get us to our goals quicker.  And on top of that, will probably lead to the outcome actually becoming a lifestyle change versus a “quick fix” that can fall apart as quickly as it was attempted.  That should be the ultimate goal in ANY health endeavor.  Don’t focus on the quick fix, but on the long run and attaining a healthier BODY that will drive you to have the best life possible. 

With March being National Nutrition Month, I want to challenge you to choose a small nutrition goal, and stick with it through the month. Maybe it’s to eat one more fruit per day.  Or to add in a vegetable at lunch.  To make sure you’re drinking the amount of water your body needs by keeping a water bottle with you and sipping all day long.  To eat less pre-made meals by choosing quick fresh foods to eat instead.  There are all kinds of changes we can make.  But let this month be an excuse to change something you’ve been thinking about for a while.  Then, analyze at the end of the month how you feel, how you progressed.  

If you need some help on ideas, always feel free to comment on here or email me (Maggie.binkley@gmail.com).  

Here are some of the meals I’ve been fixing lately… I must admit, I think they’re pretty yummy!!  

 This oatmeal concoction is a nice blend of old fashioned oats, frozen berries, banana, Trader Joe's Plain Nonfat European-style yogurt (similar to Greek), nonfat milk, egg whites, and Stevia.  Honest - just throw them all in a bowl, mix it up, and microwave for about 2 minutes.  

EASY!  NUTRITIOUS!  YUMMY-LICOUS!  

What's your excuse not to try?  Here are the ingredients (sans the eggs and banana - I forgot to include them in the picture) plus PB (which I typically eat a spoonful of while I'm waiting on the microwave to sing to me).  

For a dinner that's super delicious, as much as it is nutritious, here's a quick idea.  Bag of stir fry veggies (frozen), chicken breast tenderloins, Trader Joe's Healthy Grains Blend (or other whole grains), spices.  Cook the chicken.  Remove.  Cook the veggies.  Combine. 

BAM!  Dinner in a snap.  

(After chicken added)

I'll leave you with a thought about fitness...

Always a pleasure, thanks for reading :)

Maggie