Italian tip: get your veggies in interesting ways! On top of pizza, or in a sauce; it makes no difference!

Veggies can enhance the flavor of everything, not to mention the nutrition value. Get a rainbow of colors each day, this ensures your plant foods can work synergistically with one another!

I teach you exactly how to do this in No-Diet Diet Club which is launching in 2020!! Click here to get on the waitlist

Ask The Nutritionist is the newest addition to this page! Outside of my weekly show Wine About It (Facebook live on Thursdays at 5:30pmCST @Basically It Meals), I love answering your questions! Post them in the comments here or on Instagam I will answer them in this weekly post!

The first question is from Sherry; “why is it important to add flax seeds to your diet?”

Flax seeds may seem like one of those foods that you don’t want to buy because you don’t know how you will ever include it in your diet. BUT as far as health benefits go, it is one of my favorite seeds and I try to include flax every day. Flax seeds contain #omega3 fatty acids which are great for brain health as well as skin and nails. Studies have also shown them to reduce the risk of stroke and cancer. I always used to have nails that broke and peeled, but when I started adding flax to my diet, they changed to the most sturdy nails that would literally be as long as my arm if I didn’t cut...

Feels like winter has arrived! A few things to keep stocked in your house in case of a snow storm:

Eggs! Great and easy source of protein

A jar of marinara- it can turn almost anything into a meal

Canned tuna- simple, no cook protein for any meal

Frozen veggies are an easy side dish that never go bad

Having your house stocked with healthy, ready to eat meals is so helpful, especially as weather gets bad. Not to mention, we deliver them to your house

Let me know what you think in the comments below!

Hayley

I just found this quote and I am so obsessed with it!!!

Such a great reminder...

It doesn't matter how good your doctor or how good the meds you are on...

Nothing will work to improve your health if you are not eating healthy!!! 

Even with the incredible advances in modern medicine and science, our bodies still need good nutrition from food. 

Cooking at home (there are many ways to learn!), hiring a meal delivery service (holla, St Louis!), or making a daily smoothie (tons of recipes on this blog) can do so much for your health.

If you have questions on how to feed your body, please comment here!

Hayley

If you're not cooking at home, how much time are you spending running around trying to figure out what your next meal will be?

In my first job as a nutrition educator, I realized that while most of us don't find the time to cook, we don't realize how much time we are wasting trying to figure out what we are going to eat next. Whether we are sitting at our desk toiling, spending our lunch hour in the car looking, strolling up and down the grocery aisles searching for something to have for dinner. It's a problem! We just tend to think this is much more efficient way of doing things than setting aside a few hours to meal prep for the week, or going online to order some healthy delivery meals! 

Today, I challenge you to take a look at how much time is spent sourcing your next meal.

This doesn't have to take a long time, just take note of it as it happens. At the end of the day, or week, tally it up. Was it minutes, hours?

I would be willing to bet it was much more significant than...

I get so many questions about smoothies! I know it can be really confusing, so this week on Facebook I broke it all down for you...

Here are some important things to note when crafting your healthy smoothie at home: 

Don't add more fruit than you would eat in one sitting (there's not way you would more than a cup of anything, or two pieces at once, so don't blend that much up, either)
Greens are necessary....zucchini, spinach, spirulina. They don't have to be overpowering, but you gotta use 'em.
You don't need any fancy milks or liquids to add, water does just fine.
Healthy fat in the form of flax seed or avocado gives it a nutrient boost.

If you watch my weekly Facebook Lives then you know I am obsessed with eating seasonally....

Not because it's Pinterest-y or fashionable....

But because it has serious health benefits (Check out this post to learn why)!

Anyway, I hope you find some Fall squash recipe inspiration from this!

We are all trying to find that healthy balance, but it can be tough, right?

Sometimes we overdo it at the nacho bar, miss our workouts, get sick on ice cream....

So what is a healthy balance? How do you find that in a world full of temptations?

A great rule of thumb for healthy living and eating I use and my clients use is 80-20. 80% of all that you do serves your health:
Healthy meals full of plants (fruits and veggies!)
Plenty of rest (6-8 hours a night)
Getting in movement on a regular basis (it can be just walking)
Plenty of water (at least half of your body weight in ounces per day)

The other 20% is "free". 

It sounds like it could turn into an all out binge/rager...but I like to plan mine ahead of time. This helps the 20% become my choice. A lot of times when we eat poorly, it is out of control, unconscious and comes with a whole lot of guilt and shame. Planning ahead of time makes it our choice and eliminates the need to negative emotions around it.

What does your 80-20...

Pictured is the most delicious lunch I ate the other day.

This is a peak into how I balance my eating and what I eat on a typical day (although not all of this was typical, coughwinecough.)

Such a delicious lunch with tons of whole, plant foods- just the way I like it!
Local, #grassfed beef sliders
Seafood salad with avocado
Steak salad
Iced coffee
Wine, because #winenot ?!

What did you have for lunch?

-Hayley

Yes, eating local foods makes a huge difference!

Plan your menus around local ingredients.

This is the best way to ensure you are getting:
The most nutrients possible
The highest quality ingredients
Organic for the best price (most small local farmers use organic methods, but simply can't afford the organic label)
Foods your body craves (our bodies are programmed to eat seasonal foods from our area)

Basically It Meals are all locally sourced so you get the best bang for your nutrition buck!

-Hayley