I love eating healthy and in the past year and half – I have lost 20 lbs + and kept it off! Eating healthy is something I have grown to love and I feel amazing!
Let’s start with my favourite healthy cooking tips and tricks.
Produce – fruits and vegetables are key to a healthy diet – big tip here is don’t toss what you currently have in the fridge and in your pantry (your chips, mac and cheese, etc.) – but slowly choose one new healthy item a week.
Replace one less healthy item, with a healthier choice (you enjoy!) and in 10 weeks’ time you can create a real change in your kitchen and your life! – KEY is slow and gradual change to a healthier you!
You can start by trying one new fruit or vegetable each week. Try to find a fruit or vegetable you have never eaten before.
For the most delicious produce check out City Market Downtown.
Produce storage – Rubbermaid Freshworks – produce saver FreshVent technology creates an optimal environment for fruits and vegetables by regulating the flow of oxygen and carbon dioxide in and out of the produce container.
Another helpful tip – is to freeze your fruits and vegetables – keeps nutrition and it lasts longer too! Wash before you are going to use.
Frozen BC blueberries and BC strawberries (love local berries!)
Blueberries (and other berries such as raspberries and blackberries) are an amazing source of vitamin C. This helps protect cells against damage and also helps with the absorption of iron.
Strawberries are also a great source of vitamins C and K and they provide a healthy amount of fibre, folic acid, manganese and potassium.
Portions – Key to weight loss or weight maintenance – Escali scales can provide you with a snapshot of exactly how much you are eating and the amount of calories. Just because you are eating healthy doesn’t mean that calories don’t count – these scales give you an idea of portion sizes so you can keep on track.
After a few weeks of trying new fruits and vegetables, try to weigh one item you are eating each week to get an idea of how many calories you are consuming. You can start with measuring one item per week.
These scales are available at Barb’s Kitchen in Edmonton.
Prep – You can make healthy food fun with good knives. Having a set of quality knives makes for a fun kitchen and prep time (you can do so much more and easier!) and saves time too.
Start with:
- Chef’s knife
- Serrated knife
- Small paring knife
House of Knives a Canadian company has knives that are the perfect starter sets and affordable.
Peelers – if you are spending time creating healthy dishes, a good peeler set is awesome for different produce.
The Serrated Peeler features a sharp, serrated blade that is perfect for effortless peeling tomatoes, peaches, plums and more.
For firmer vegetables, the Swivel Peeler has a sharp blade that glides through the toughest skins.
Top off your meal with decorative garnishes, citrus zest and more with the Julienne Peeler.
This peeler set is available at Bed Bath and Beyond.
Smoothies – my favourite in all the healthy items. Be careful with calories with smoothies – they can add up – focus on adding greens and more root veggies and less fruits (high in calories).
Big secret smoothie tip – broccoli is amazing in smoothies but freeze the broccoli first and then the taste is not so strong.
Vega – Canadian company – based in Burnaby, BC – amazing for a supplement to your smoothie or protein. Try their Vega One shake or Vega Sports Protein powder to make you stronger and your smoothies yummy!
Here is another secret about smoothies – most people keep them in the fridge where they can last one or two days, but you can also freeze them and they will last up to a week in the freezer.
Bernardin Jars – you can pour your smoothie into the small jars – leave room in the jar (about 1 inch or 3 centimeters) and tighten the lid to freeze the smoothie.
Then grab a frozen smoothie jar on the way to work or doing errands – yum and super healthy!
Salad – to make life easy (and quick!) on Sunday’s I make a big weekly salad and then have the salad ready for the next 4 – 5 nights for dinner, I just add a protein dish to my salad.
Using a Salad Spinner after washing your lettuce, kale, etc. can provide a more crisp salad by removing the excess water from your salad greens. … Greens should always be dry before refrigerated storage, as they will wilt more quickly when wet, so a salad spinner will help if you are meal prepping for your week.
Canadian Tire has fantastic salad spinners and salad bowls and tongs – all super affordable and beautiful.
Cooking healthy – you should enjoy what you are eating and find it delicious.
Good tip for healthy cooking is to use whole foods (no frozen dinners!) and try using a TFal non-stick pan. You can cook protein dishes like eggs or fish with a bit of butter or olive oil. Add some spice and you have an easy and delicious meal.
TFal – Healthy Fryer can help you cook the foods you enjoy like French fries but with a healthier amount of fat. Yum-yum!
Here is another tip for weight loss and weight maintenance – Watch The Sauces! – the calories and fats can really add up!
But you can simply replace the sauce with a pink salt (my favourite) or another spice or seasoning. I did this and lost another 5 lbs – again key is to find foods you enjoy and are healthy.
Snacks – Co-Op store Edmonton has locally made and grown healthy snacks – you do not need to be a member to shop at the Co-Op. They are Canadian and have everything for your home.
Biggest question I get is … “Do you really blog for a living?” – Yes I do!
Here are a few tips on how you can start your own food blog:
- Make amazing content and post frequently
- Create content you are passionate about
- Don’t worry about what other people think
- Be your authentic self
- Know it is going to take time to build an audience
These helpful tips are from Huawei phones for beautiful photos:
- Don’t zoom. …
- Use the rule of thirds. …
- Try camera apps for more control. …
- Use natural light. …
Use online editing tools. …like Adobe Spark for videos and photos – super easy and amazing pictures and social media videos.
- Use a creative but simple background. …
- Try adding props.
- Sound is key, make sure you can be heard clearly (for videos)
- Make it easy for people to understand your photos and videos – what are you trying to communicate?
You can easily build your own website with Go Daddy and then look at adding on other options for revenue streams.
Key is to create the best content and focus on being authentic. It will takes time to build an audience but it can happen!
Stay tuned, I am creating a new exciting concept for healthy eating. In 10 days, you can have a healthier kitchen (and healthier you!) with 3 simple steps.
Simple and does not require a big overhaul of your kitchen and food routine. Stay tuned for this new healthy series!
I would love to hear your ideas too.
Please let me know more about your healthy journey – I would love to hear from you ? my social links are below:
Visit Sacha daily at SachaD.com