A January “New Beginning”
This Month’s Recipes:
Whole Grain/Egg Bakes
Mason Jar Salads
It is finally here. 2020 is over and 2021 has started anew. While the first couple weeks of January were a bit of a firestorm, it feels like now we can all take a deep breath and step back. Amid the chaos, it’s easy to feel like we are in survival mode. Hopefully now, as the distance increases from that chaos, we can start to focus on ourselves and what our bodies need for best performance.
There are many ways to approach a New Year’s diet adjustment. For some, it is the extreme (but effective) Keto diet, a low carbohydrate approach. The details vary slightly depending on the person, but it focuses on eliminating heavy carbohydrate-laden items, like potatoes, rice, pasta, and copious amounts of sugar. For others, incorporating more vegetables into their diets – perhaps by replacing the carbohydrate-laden foods above with things like quinoa, or spaghetti squash, or cauliflower rice. These give you the bulk of eating the originals with a fraction of the carbohydrate load.
For others, focusing on reducing meat or dairy in their diets helps them feel lighter. Even replacing 1-2 meals per week with vegetarian options can lighten things up enough to feel some rejuvenation!
Menu planning also avoids last-minute hunger-based choices, which are often not as healthful as they could be. Preparing breakfast and lunches ahead of time, things like Overnight Oats, Whole Grain Muffins, or Mason Jar Salads are a great way to ensure you get healthful meal options right when you need it. You can find some of these pre-prepped meal recipes below for your enjoyment.
No matter which way you lean, thinking through mealtime – instead of reacting to our hunger – is a great start to helping choose healthier choices. If you find you need more help choosing and planning for healthful meals, let us know! We are here to help prepare individualized, healthful meals for you and your family.
Stay safe and be well. <3
All the best,
Shana Larsen and the Chefs of Ready, Set, Eat!