Last week, I uncovered the much sought-after secret to healthy living.
Eating healthy and being physically active.
While it’s not exactly rocket science, there are many barriers preventing us from taking this knowledge of “how to become healthy and fit” and actually applying it to become healthy and fit. While it is challenging to incorporate these behaviours into hectic schedules, I might have given you the impression that I’m just plain lazy.
If you’re not completely convinced, this might do the trick.
I hate grocery shopping. Absolutely despise it. I hate grocery shopping more than I hate cooking. So while I try to eat healthy by selecting more fresh fruits and vegetables, I end up being punished by having to grocery shop more often and then I’m stuck eating the same thing all week so things don’t spoil. Let’s use romaine lettuce as an example. As someone who lives alone, I’ve got to eat salad everyday to finish the romaine before it spoils. While salad can be tasty, please remember how lazy I am. I’m too lazy to spend time at the grocery store buying an array of ingredients to prepare fancy salad creations and I’m much too lazy to spend the time chopping these ingredients to prepare such salads.
So here’s my game plan: If you’ve got it. Chop it.
Let me elaborate. Let’s say you’ve got half a red pepper that’s pretty close to spoiling. Chop it. You’ve got a ton of romaine lettuce because the market doesn’t sell half heads of lettuce (that’s a rant for another day); chop it. What about that cucumber? Chop it. Got a handful of dried cranberries leftover from those cookies you made two months ago? Toss them in. I’m not creative when it comes to grocery shopping or cooking, so my strategy is to just put what I’ve got together and see what happens. I’m fairly certain no one’s ever died from a poorly designed salad.
I made this salad the other day:
Ingredients:
-romaine lettuce
-yellow pepper
-cucumber
-peanuts
-Italian parmesan and herb dressing
So I guess the moral of my story is you can be both lazy and healthy. Until next week…
{ 7 comments }
I feel your pain, Jolene, seriously hahaha!
I completely agree with this strategy (as a wonderful single person too!). I’ve actually started also using things like a can of corn in my burritos at night, then tossing the rest of the can of corn onto my salad for lunch the next day. I also adhere to the wonderful manta of “just freeze it” because I so often make a meal that ends up being for four people. (don’t go to the grocery store hungry)
Also thought you’d dig this article: http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/570623/simple_meal_planning_and_cooking_for.html
Stephanie- I think we just need to hire personal chefs. good idea?
we are much too lazy for our own good.
That’s a great article, thanks Suz!
I’m terrible at making extra for leftovers, but that might be because I have limited tupperware contatiners. I guess I’ll have to buy more…
and i thought i was the only one eats everything before it turns to dust!! but question for you – how do you chop up rotten milk? i guess the curds take care of that all by itself, huh 🙁
Here’s a recipe that’ll get you chopping like you’ve never chopped before!!
HOMEMADE LARA BARS
1/4 cup chopped dates
1/4 cup chopped dried cherries or dried cranberries
1/3 cup chopped whole pecans, almonds or walnuts
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
Set out two pieces of plastic wrap for shaping and wrapping the bars. Do this first; you’ll have sticky fingers when you need it.
Place the dates and cherries in a food processor. Pulse until processed to a paste. Transfer paste to a medium bowl.
Add the nuts to the processor and pulse until finely chopped. Add the nuts, along with the cinnamon, to the bowl with the fruit paste. Use your fingers to knead the nuts into the paste (just keep squishing, it’s fun; brings back memories of play-dough).
.
Divide mixture in half. Place each half on each of one of the sheets of plastic wrap. Wrap the plastic around each bar and start squishing into a bar shape form, 3 and 1/2 inches long, 1 inch wide and 3/4-inch thick); press against countertop to flatten bottom side, flattening top side and ends with flat of hand. Tightly wrap the plastic around each bar and store in the refrigerator. Makes 2 bars.
…and VOILA! HOMEMADE LARA BARS!!!
Thanks Tracy – I really like lara bars but found them so expensive. Now I’ll try making my own. 🙂
This recipe sounds easy enough, even someone with my culinary skills (i.e. lack thereof) can’t mess it up. Thanks Tracy!
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