Inspiration for the Week: Mason Jars and Cod

When it comes to weekly meal planning, there are often 2 choices: take the longer, tedious route and enjoy variety throughout the week, or go for the quick method which involves a lot of meal repetition. I think I found the best of both worlds this week with my mason jar inspiration.

These jars could contain virtually anything. They're sturdy, and they're easy to transport. This week, I will be packing them with a variety of shaker salads. Remember the shaker salad McDonald's used to have like ten years ago in the plastic cups? Yes, that's what we're going for....just a bit classier.

As for the dinners, they are not quite as varied, but I usually will flex a bit from my plan based off how I feel. I always keep ground turkey on hand to mix up some quick shell-less tacos, lettuce wraps, or taco soup, depending on my mood. But I had extra cod on hand, and it's a great source of lean protein.

Here is my weekly meal plan. Pictures to follow.

After following my plans more consistently, it's amazing the change in my overall well being. If I do have the occasional fall-off the wagon (like yesterday), usually it's not enough to crash me as long as I'm doing well throughout the rest of the week.

Keep it clean. Raw when possible. Low glycemic. Supplement with probiotics, omegas, and B-vitamins. Live well.

Food Prep is Key for Consistent Eating

The past month I have devoted myself to my eating and health. Bumps in the road have definitely occurred, but as time continues to pass, new habits have evolved and become easier to follow. For example,

1.) I enjoy having a few drinks when I go out (and I go out a few times a week). Before, I would occasionally go over that. Now, I always stop at 2 drinks, and always always ALWAYS eat something with a considerable amount of protein (and fat) in it to help with the blood sugar, and drink plenty for water (1 qt per drink!). I realized this after two instance in the past month where I thought I was invincible (alcohol tends to do that, haha), and did not feel well for days afterwards. Oh. My. Goodness. You don't have to be hypoglycemic to heed that advice, it is beneficial for everyone.

2.) Consistency is key. Just one bender day will set me off on a negative course, sometimes affecting me for 4-5 days afterwards (such as one of the days mentioned above).


It is time consuming, but taking the time to prepare meals every Sunday for the week ahead has proven very beneficial for my health, and my stress levels. The last thing I want to do at the end of a long day (dealing with 175 hormonal middle schoolers) is come home, try and figure out what I want for dinner, and then cook it for an hour. The same goes for the next morning, when I can hardly crawl out of bed. Just get up, grab and go my breakfast and lunch, and I can be out the door.

The trick is go grocery shopping once a week (Sundays are best for me), and then immediately cut up your food for all quick-to-prepare dinners throughout the week, and then bulk cook a few meals that you would like to eat throughout the week. I will tend to have one meal a few times a week, to cut down on food prep, but you can do as much as you feel is reasonable. I will usually get some inspiration on pinterest to create a meal plan, plan my shopping list, and then go grocery shopping (about 1 1/2 for all that). Then I'll take about 1-2 hours to prepare all my food for the week. Here is the meal plan I originally came up with last week. I did end up switching a few things around for lunch, but they were all already prepared.

If you are aiming for low-glycemic like myself to stabilize mood and blood sugars, be sure to limit your fruit intake to only 1 piece of lower-glycemic fruit a day (pairs better with a meal to balance it out). Look up the glycemic index for a list of fruits that are best for this.

Additionally, I am taking a few supplements to help with mood stabilization and overall health, stress, + energy levels. These are : a probiotic (refrigerated section), an Omega-complex (I have the Udo brand, also refrigerated), a B complex vitamin, and a homeopathic remedy called ignatia amara, recommended by my doctor (ask them for recommendations, these can be quite potent).

Food prep begins tomorrow, and I'll be sure to post the next week plan then! Until then, please ask if you have any questions. You can find my recipes + pictures of many of these foods on my instagram page:

#healthyteachergirl

Rollercoasters, the Glycemic Index, and Health Pacts. Enter: Healthyteachergirl

Find #healthyteachergirl on Instagram.

Many of us are often silently suffering through health problems. Many of these problems may be significant concerns to us, such as arthritis and diabetes, but others are small, nagging problems--a variety of symptoms with unknown causes, that we just wish to be over. I myself have been suffering through a hodgepodge of symptoms for about 3-4 years now. These range from stomach cramps and shaking of the hands (with a weak feeling attached), to nausea, vomiting, and an inability to walk some mornings. It. is. terrifying. In recent months I have been experiencing severe anxiety and depression as well that only contributed to my overall feeling of misery. While I have known how to eat, and what to be eating, I just wasn't being strict enough, mainly due to peer pressures and wanting to fit in, and I was therefore on a sickening roller coaster.

There are a large variety of fad diets out there, or "lifestyles," such as vegan, raw, South Beach, or Atkins. But ultimately, most of these diets have one thing in common: your body consuming natural, unprocessed goods, that are low on the glycemic index.

All foods have a ranking on the glycemic index. This scale ranges from 0-100, and the lower the score, the better. Lower scores indicate that that particular food causes your blood sugar levels to spike less than other foods might. Less of a spike, means less of a crash. And the majority of our ills are due to unregulated blood sugar, or the crashing of the blood sugar.

There is obviously more science to this, but when it comes down to it, a low glycemic diet is best. No person benefits from huge spikes and then drops in their blood sugar. By focusing on a low glycemic diet, you naturally begin to eat less refined and processed foods (as they are all higher on the G.I.), more protein, and more fibrous vegetables. The one thing you might think you need, fruit, is actually not very good for you. Fruit contains high levels of sugar, natural or not, that lead to blood sugar spikes and weight gain. I do have some fruit in my diet, but they are on the lower side of the G.I.. Trust me, it's hard. I love fruit. Love, love, love.

So enter healthyteachergirl. This is my new persona, to motivate myself to stick with my eating style, and hopefully encourage and educate some of you on healthy ways to eat.

Through my Instagram page, I hope to provide you with meal ideas, important supplements that need to be included in your diet, and general encouragement on your path to living a healthy lifestyle. Let's make a pact. Comment on this blog if you are ready to make that commitment to yourself, and the public universe to live your best life. Hopefully through persistence, dedication, and this new community I hope to find, we can all find peace and comfort within ourselves.

Please follow me on Instagram, username healthyteachergirl.

Find #healthyteachergirl on Instagram

Adjusting Your Diet to Reduce Inflammation - Check Out "therawfoodies.com"

You are driving home from work-- your body aches, you're exhausted, and you are counting down the minutes until you can plop down on the couch with a drink and a snack. If this sounds familiar, and you've ever experienced increased fatigue and unusual pain or soreness in your body, there is a possibility that you are suffering from inflammation. While it can be caused by an external factor, such as a car accident, very often the food that you eat can be a leading contributor to this inflammation and its related symptoms. Making small changes in your diet can reduce this inflammation, increase your mood, and put you on track for living a healthier, pain free life.

Foods that we eat every day are silently sneaking an attack on our bodies. Check below to see if you are eating any of these foods so you can become aware of it. A future post will discuss alternatives to these foods.

-processed foods: the preservatives, artificial sweeteners, and trans fats in processed foods all contributed to inflammation.
-dairy products
-meats
-alcohol
-sugar/sweeteners
-sodium (salt)
-gluten

Eliminating all of these foods from your diet is not simple, and for some of us, might not even be possible. While there are a variety of ways to begin phasing these things out of your diet, one solution that is very to the point is a raw food diet. This means all of your food is consumed in the raw, uncooked state--no processing, no pasteurization (as is used with dairy), no cooking/heating above a certain point.

One might find a raw food diet intimidating -- especially the idea of not being able to eat meat and dairy, or commonly eaten processed foods like pasta. Prioritizing raw food in your diet doesn't mean you have to give it up completely to have health benefits. There are a variety of ways to cut back on inflammatory foods, or modify the foods that are often inflammatory, while still enjoying yourself. Future posts will discuss this.

But for now, if you are interested in raw food living, a friend of mine has recently undergone a raw vegan lifestyle, and she has some wonderful insight on the raw vegan lifestyle. She will be updating her blog regularly, but I highly suggest checking it out.

The Raw Foodies

3 Fitness Recommendations

Over the past 7 years, I have kept my nutritional fitness routine rather simple - always pre-workout snack 30 minutes before my workout (100 cal or so), and a 100-200 calories post-workout snack with at least 20 grams of protein. Many people might find this counter intuitive, putting more calories in your body when you're trying to rid yourself of them in the first place while at the gym. But let's remember that small snacks throughout your day are not only completely fine but also recommended if you're the type that gets hungry easily or has blood sugar problems. With that said, if you're concerned about the calories, just watch your other meals to ensure that you can add these two to your workout regimen.

A small snack (100-150 calories) consisting of mostly carbs prior to a workout is very beneficial in preparing your body for the stress it's about to endure. It allows your body during a workout to feed off of the fuel you've just given it, rather than your muscle stores (=negative workout results, longer recovery time). I most commonly would have something simple and quick, such as an apple and a light cheese stick.

The post-workout snack is even more important, whether you've done just cardio, or mostly weights. Depending on your workout, the composition of this snack may change slightly. If you've done primarily cardio, focus your snack on carbs, with some protein (10+grams) to ensure your muscles (most likely your quads, hamstrings, and calves) can recover as well. While working out your body burns glucose, which are your energy stores that are made from the food you have eaten throughout the day. If you do not replace these stores quickly within 30min-1 hr (which are made by eating those carbs), your body is not able to regenerate glucose as quickly and it will result in decreased performance the following day or two.

If you've done mainly weights in your workout, it is extremely important to get at least 20 grams of protein within around 30 minutes of your workout. The reasoning is very similar to what I just discussed, but instead of just replacing just glucose stores, your main concern is to replace protein stores, or else your body will start to use it's own protein (aka your muscles) to try and regenerate itself, which equals =lost benefits and near pointless workouts. Every time you workout, you are creating tiny microscopic tears in your muscles, which are repaired over time, and with the assistance of our buddy protein. Soreness is normal, but too much is an indicator that you're either working out too hard (and injuring yourself), or not properly nourishing yourself after a workout. Expect 2 days recovery time for upper body (arms, shoulders, back), and up to 3 days for lower body / large muscle groups (like your quads). Now, with that said, you must find a snack that works for you. While real food is best, as it provides additional vitamins, there are a few products that can help you provide that benefit as well (and that I often resort to to keep calorie count down). Here are my 3 product recommendations to ensure that you can have a solid workout each and every time, as well as a faster recovery.

1. Pre-workout drink (if any of these are optional, I'd say this is the one). I have never advocated for these drinks before, but I recently tried one because I was lagging prior to going to the gym, and let me tell you, I could tell the difference in my energy. It allowed me to workout longer, and a little harder. The particular one I use is called Volt Pre-Workout, by Neon Sport, in Berry Pomegranate. I got mine at GNC.

2. Protein Powder. You want to have a protein powder with whey isolates for faster absorption. While any protein is good, if it is complex it takes longer for your body to absorb and use, slowing your recovery time. Hydrolyzed will provide the fastest absorption because the protein has already been broken down. The particular one I use is called ProtoWhey Power Crunch by BNRG. It tastes great, has 20 grams of protein, and there are a few carbs mixed in to restore your glucose levels as well. Even better? Only 140 calories (many protein powders clock in at around 200).

3. Foam rolling. This is beneficial for runners and people who workout their larger muscle groups a lot. In my opinion it is best for IT band and hamstrings. It should be added to your stretching routine and can help speed up recovery as well as knead out any knots you may have.

Working out and sculpting the body you want definitely doesn't happen over night. But you can begin to see results fairly quickly if you are dedicated to both your workouts and your diet. Please remember, that while workouts can help burn calories and sculpt lean muscle, it is your diet that predicts your weight/body shape by up to 80-90%. If you aren't eating well, you will not see the results you want. But it is definitely possible, and easiest if you try to gradually change your lifestyle.

Well there you have it. Between the things suggested here and solid dedication to your workouts (and pushing yourself), expect to see wonderful results in no time! :) Any questions, never hesitate to ask! Have a great day!