Eating Healthy....Out

So, you've got a meal plan, your meals prepped for the week, snacks ready, but then your friends ask if you want to go out to eat. You've been doing so good with your weightloss journey and habits, and you're thinking, "what should I order??"

Now, I get it, not every city will have the same restaurants, but the basics are the same.

Breakfast foods: 

- choose omelettes over waffles

- choose fruit, turkey bacon, wheat toast, or tomato slices for sides

- be cautious with "healthy" meals (example: try using no sugar in oatmeal)

Salads: 

- make your own when you can

- don't be scared to add or subtract ingredients

- add proteins (like grilled meats, quinoa, boiled egg, beans)

- use healthy fats (like avocado)

- see more green on your plate

- use light (dairy-free) dressings

- hold the croutons/toppings

At Chipotle: 

- use the salad options  

- don't be scared to ask for light rice, or any other toppings

- think about portions (get those cute baby chips)

- pass on the cheese, sour cream, and tortilla shells

Burgers: 

- go bunless or make it a salad

- choose a veggie (many places have broccoli as an option)

- use alternative toppings (mushrooms, avocado, egg, tomato, lettuce, onions...

drop the cheese, bacon, sauces)

Speaking of burgers...In-N-Out, go protein + animal style

Mexican Food: 

- choose salads

- be cautious with chips, sauces, and cheeses

- great options that I get: 

- a big salad with grilled chicken, guac, salsa, light beans, and tomatoes

- fajitas with tons of veggies and you can choose what you make

- corn tortilla tacos with meat, veggies, lettuce, tomato, and guac

- grilled chicken with black beans, veggies, and avocado/guac

At Panera: 

Clearly, I get a lot of salads (thanks to my paleo life), 

however, there are a lot of options at Panera:

- choose an apple instead of bread or chips on the side

- get your dressing on the side 

(and don't get thick, dairy dressings -- they even have EVOO as pictured, but you'll have to ask for it)

- great proteins include grilled chicken, boiled egg, and avocado

- a you-pick-two will help with portions (those soups are a doozy with calories)

I've mastered my healthy hacks 

at theme parks:

At Universal Orlando, I found: 

- a healthy salad at Thunder Falls Terrace (at Islands of Adventure)

- I drank my Shakeology and pretended it was 

Butterbeer on the way to the parks for maximum energy

- I brought my water and made sure I was getting my water in all day

There's a local place here in Charlotte that we love called 

Viva Chicken:

there are a lot of great, fresh options like: 

- salad with chicken and avocado 

- grilled chicken with green beans

- quinoa stuff avocado + chicken

- great side options: quinoa, green beans, sweet potato fries

- Remember Fazoli's? There's still a few! I was pleasantly surprised to 

find this salad with grilled chicken on it -- no breadsticks here. 

- PeiWei's lettuce wraps are the best!

 - At Dean and Deluca, I got a turkey sandwich loaded with veggies with wheat bread. Want less bread? Just eat one slice of the bread and make it open-face. 

If you're out to some place like Outback, Red Lobster, Carabba's, etc., you should certainly always be able to find a grilled chicken or grilled fish option. Choose veggies and/or rice not the side. Easy peasy and super delish! 

I love the teas and iced coffee beverages at Teavana and Starbucks. 

<<side note: did you know that your can use your Starbucks star rewards at Teavana??>>

I always get my beverages unsweetened. 

At Starbucks, half passion fruit tea and half green tea is a great summer option. 

 What I've found is when I'm at a girl's night, a simple coffee or tea is a great alternative to dessert.

My First RunDisney Race

Last year, I ran my first RunDisney race. I did the Star Wars Inaugural 10K. 

To my surprise, I really enjoyed the expo the day before the race. We picked up my packet and they had a ton of vendors and photo ops. 

We stayed the night at a value resort, which I totally recommend. This would probably be the only time I'm advocating for a value resort. We rarely used it. I went to bed early to prepare for my early wake up call and we obviously didn't use it much at all the day we checked out, so for the price you pay, I think it's way to go for RunDisney races. I would also like to note that if you're doing a race, please please please find a way to stay on property. Waking up any earlier than I had to, just wouldn't have happened and traffic would've stressed me out. 

When you stay at a Disney resort, you just walk to the front of the resort, while fun music is playing,  you'll find tons of other runners dressed in fun costumes, half asleep, it's pitch black out, and everyone is in a daze...but so excited, because it's like 3:30am. You board a bus and get taken to the start line. 

Find your corral. 

Fireworks and all and you're anxious and ready to run. 

So many selfies. 

Too many selfies? Maybe.

Eh, whatever. 

Finished! 

No Disney race would be complete without Mickey...or Simba waffles. 

This was one of the most magical meals I've had on property (and I've had a lot of meals at Disney). 

The chef came out (as they always do when you mention you need gluten free), and this chef took it to another level. He made my perfect dairy-free veggie omelet with gluten-free waffles, brought them to our table (it was quick service, where they don't serve you), then chatted. 

It was so great. 

Want RunDisney tips?

I highly recommend finding a training track to follow. If you're starting out, Couch to 5K is great, there is a ton on the RunDisney website, and there's accountability everywhere (which is the only way I would've become a successful runner). I've even got a free RunDisney training group on FB. Let me know if you want in!

Got any questions, ask away!

I'd love to hear about your RunDisney experiences too! 

A Holiday Wish List for the Healthy Girl

I thought I'd save you the time (like Santa did in Miracle on 34th Street) and just tell you what to buy/where to shop for you healthy friend/family member. Here are 30 ideas, as well as stocking stuffer ideas for a healthy girl. Perhaps she already has a healthy lifestyle, these tools will just help her on her journey, or perhaps, she's declared that 2017 is going to be healthiest year yet, no matter what the circumstance, get to shoppin'! She deserves it!

Give her a planner to plan successful days. 

Buy her a new yoga mat (found here). I've found a ton at places like Marshalls and Ross for a cheaper price tag. HOWEVER, my favorite mat of all time is made by Gaiam and it's foldable, so I can travel everywhere with it.

Give her a yoga mat carrier (if you're feeling fancy) - found here.

Apple fan? Buy her an Apple Watch to track your time, sleep, workouts, and schedule. Buy her an iPad to stream her workouts, to check in with others, and to be inspired. 

Maybe she's not to into Apple, go with a fitbit (found here).

Don't let her leave the house with a shaker cup (with container for powders) - found here.

Meal prep will be her key for health success! 

These containers are needed for healthy foods and prep (found here).

Give her the gift of cozy.

She'll need motivational tanks to go under said cozy gear.

I bet she believes yoga pants are pants! She'll need them for those workouts.

Stylin' shoes to go with her ensemble!

Don't let her forget to get her water in!  These fun bottles are all the rage right now (found here).

Snag some headbands to keep her hair out of the way.

Speaking of hair, dry shampoo will be her BFF. Be sure to grab her correct hair color.

Tea is my magical means of fighting late night snacking. 

This manaTEA can totally be her pal (found here).

A recovery roller to make sure those muscles are getting treated well after 

being worked so hard (found here).

Strength slides to maximize her workouts (found here).

Save her time. Give her the tools to workout at home. I fired my gym 3 years ago and I haven't looked back since. To see success stories and join an accountability group, click here. 

Don't want to buy her a full workout program, why not try them free? 

I use Beachbody on Demand to stream my workouts daily, whether I'm home or traveling. The coolest part is that there is a 30 day FREE trial (found here).

My favorite tool in the kitchen. Skip the pasta and eat more 

greens with this spiralizer. (Found here)

The Fixate Cookbook to help find healthy, filling, recipes for foods 

she already loves (along with portion containers) - found here.

Buy her a weighted sandbag to push harder in those workouts. By adding this to workouts, she can add an extra level of resistance - up to 20 lbs. This will help sculpt her whole body. She can adjust the size and weight be removing or adding sand.  

Give her the gift of health with essential oils. Young Living is our 

favorite because they're the most pure we've found. 

Give her the gift of relaxation! Stuff a mask in her stocking, give her some relaxing bath salts. Epsom salt is key for those sore muscles (found here). 

I use my Ninja daily. If you're going to get her one, be sure to get one with a the traveler cups. Literally throw a few things in, hit the on button, throw the lid on, and run out the door. Time saver! (Found here)

Give her books that won't just motivate her, but that will help her grow! Personal development books have changed my life and have made me so much more positive! Click here to check out my faves. 

She'll feel more healthy, more energized, have better digestive health, get her greens in, lose weight, and have a super easy meal-on-the-run drink once a day with Shakeology. 

To find out more, click here.

The IRONMAN motto is 'Anything is Possible'. Do you believe that to be true? Every single day, I push play and get my workout in because short, at-home workouts have changed my life. The Beachbody Performance Line (sponsored by IRONMAN) makes my workouts count even more. My favorite of the group is Energize. She'll be so grateful that she can take her workouts to another level. She'll be grateful for more energy, better focus, less soreness, and faster recovery times!

  Click here to find out more. 

Get her some motivational jewelry so that she can remember why she is doing what she is doing to stay healthy every single day!

Don't forget her stocking! Skip the candy aisle and opt for more whole foods to nourish your girl!

Now, what are you still doing here? Get out and shop!