Easy Ways to Eat Smart

I get asked quite often, “How do you find time to eat healthy?”  Eating healthy does take preparation, but once you get a routine it becomes effortless.  Although healthy eating does take time to implement, the return on investment is tremendous, which makes the time investment worth it. Here are some ways to save time but still eat healthy and get regular physical activity:

• • Keep staples on hand for quick, healthy meals.  At our house, I always make more protein at dinner that I can eat and then use the extra in a salad for lunch the next day.  It allows for pulling together a quick-lunch time meal.

• Look for excuses to walk during the day.  Walk while talking on the phone, walk after lunch or, better yet, to and from lunch.  Walk by parking a little farther away, and take your shopping cart back into the store vs. the cart corral.  Every extra step is a step in the right direction to your healthy lifestyle. Calories burned can add up quickly.

• Set a time to get exercise or other physical activity and stick to it.  Put it in your calendar at the beginning of the week and make it part of your regular schedule.  It is more important than almost anything else you do.

• Buy healthy pre-packaged foods for more ways to eat smart when you are strapped for time or in a pinch.  I always try to eat fresh food, but occasionally we are in a pinch for time and pre-packaged food is the solution. When buying pre-packaged food always make sure to check not only calorie and fat labels but also sodium. The majority of Americans eat too much salt and we should try to keep our intake at the total amount of sodium we consume to 2,000 mg (2 g) per day.

MorningStar Farms reached out and asked if I would share their product line with the readers of A Healthy Life For Me.  Their current summer campaign is “More Ways to Eat Smart,” because we are all trying to do just that and the easier it is the more probability we will have at succeeding. We tried some of the MorningStar Farms veggie burgers, which are not only quick to make but also will satisfy the whole family. My family especially likes their Spicy Black Bean Burger and my oldest son likes the Mediterranean Chickpea Burger.  Both are meatless, but no one will feel the loss.  They also offer the Roasted Garlic & Quinoa Burger, Buffalo Chik Patty and Original Veggie Sausage. 
 Although I have not yet tried these flavors, I am sure they won’t disappoint. MorningStar Farms offers 30+ products and 600+ recipes for more ways to eat smart, whether you go meatless every day or every now and then. All 12 MorningStar Farms veggie burgers are a good source of protein and can be prepared right on the grill or in the oven and be on the table in 20 minutes.  Top your burger with a fresh slice of tomato, onion and lettuce and skip the bun to keep the calorie count down add a side of steamed veggie and you have the perfect quick go to dinner.  Though staying active and eating clean and fresh food is the best, substituting pre-packaged food like MorningStar Farms Burgers occasionally is an alternative route and avoids the food-binge takeout trip. For a chance to win a $100 Visa gift card, leave a comment below letting me know which MorningStar Farms product you would like to try in an “eat smart” meal. Sweepstakes Rules: No duplicate comments. You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods:

1. 1. Leave a comment in response to the sweepstakes prompt on this post

• Tweet (public message) about this promotion; including exactly the following unique term in your tweet message: “#SweepstakesEntry”; and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment on this post

• Blog about this promotion, including a disclosure that you are receiving a sweepstakes entry in exchange for writing the blog post, and leave the URL to that post in a comment on this post

• For those with no Twitter or blog, read the official rules to learn about an alternate form of entry.

This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older. Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail. The notification email will come directly from BlogHer via the sweeps@blogher email address. You will have 72 hours to respond; otherwise a new winner will be selected. The Official Rules are available here. This sweepstakes runs from 7/7-8/10/2014. Be sure to visit the MorningStar Farms brand page on BlogHer.com where you can read other bloggers’ posts!