5 Easy Meal Makeovers

You don’t have to give up ALL the good stuff to lose weight!

Another….5 Meal Makeovers Last year I did a post on five meal make overs if you missed it you can check it out here: “Five Meal Make Overs” Today I am going to share with you five more of my favorite, meal make overs! Healthier versions of five, every day common meals. Believe me when I say you don’t have to give up all the good stuff in order to lose weight.

Instead of Oatmeal….

Oh if only someone would pay me for every time I heard the astonished gasp of a women across from me when I tell her to ditch the oatmeal for breakfast……I would be very rich! I know everyone loves t
heir oats and you have all been told with every diet and doctor out there that you should start your morning with oats. But here is the thing 1 cup of plain quick oats have 46 grams of carbohydrates! Let’s remember carbohydrates turn to glucose in the body which creates a blood sugar spike. You never want to start your morning with a blood sugar spike – or you will be on that blood sugar roller coaster all day! Instead try this high fibre delicious chia berry bowl!

 

Chia Berry Breakfast Bowl

Servings: 1

Ingredients:

* 1 cup unsweetened almond or coconut milk

* 3 tablespoon whole chia seeds

* ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract

* ¼ teaspoon cinnamon

* ½ banana sliced

* ½ cup mixed berries

Directions:

1. Pour milk into a bowl and add all of the ingredients except the fruit

2. Stir or whisk for 2 minutes to hydrate and de-clump the chia

3. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight

4. Add fruit and enjoy! Recipe from 21 Day Transformational Cleanse

Instead of Mayo…

Okay technically not a meal but oh who doesn’t love the creamy, tangy delicousness of mayo….on everything! Okay so I love mayonnaise and I have to admit I still use it at times on burgers but this is a good replacement recipe for mayo. Regular mayo is made with canola oil which is a bad fat and is full of omega 6 inflammatory fatty acids. We need to try and stay far away for anything that contains vegetable or seed oils in them. Try this recipe next time you are making a tuna salad I think you will be pleasantly surprised!

Paleo Mayo

* 2 organic egg yolks

* 1 ½ cups avocado oil or light tasting olive oil

* 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

* ½ teaspoon sea salt

* 1/8 tablespoon white pepper

* 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

Directions:

1. All ingredients including the equipment should be at room temperature.

2. Combine in a steel bowl (do not use a plastic bowl) egg yolks, mustard, salt, pepper and lemon juice.

3. Whisk together and begin to slowly drizzle in oil till mixture begins to cling to the side of the bowl add in the rest of the oil whisking the whole time till mixed. Can be kept in a refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Instead of rice…

Once again like oats, many people think its okay to eat rice as long as it is brown rice. Rice in all forms is still high in carbohydrates and having it occasionally isn’t the end of the world but when trying to lose weight you will want to be watching that carb intake. Next time you are making a stir-fry try out this cauliflower rice. Even if you are not a big cauliflower fan you may still find this dish to be very tasty.

Cauliflower Rice

* 1 head cauliflower

* ½ teaspoon garlic powder

* 2 green onions sliced

* 3 tablespoons cooking oil of your choice – coconut oil, butter, olive oil, etc.

* 1/4 cup chicken broth

Equipment: food processor

Directions:

1. Chop a head of cauliflower and place chunks in a food processor or pulse blender

2. Pulse until it turns into particles resembling rice – this should happen pretty quickly

3. In a medium-sized frying pan, add the 1/4 cup broth (or water), cooking oil and heat over medium to medium-high heat

4. Add the cauliflower “rice”

5. Add the 1/2 tsp of garlic powder

6. The cauliflower contains a lot of moisture. You’ll notice it will start to steam in the pot. Watch it and stir occasionally

7. Continue to cook the cauliflower rice for 10-12 minutes

8. Taste the cauliflower for a “rice” consistency.

9. Sprinkle green onion on top

Instead of fried fish…

Another confession.. I am not a big fan of fish. I blame it on the fact that I lived in a Mexican fishing village in my youth and fresh fish caught the day you eat it…. is amazing! Now living here in Kamloops it just doesn’t taste the same. But I found this amazing recipe and is one of my favorite fish dishes and added bonus, my kids love it tool!

Karen’s Fish Sticks

* 1 pound fresh cod, halibut or tilapia

* 2 large eggs

* 1 ½ cups almond flour

* ½ cup tapioca flour

* ½ teaspoon sea salt

* ¼ teaspoon black pepper

* 4 tablespoons your choice cooking fat (coconut oil, olive oil, bacon lard or ghee)

Directions

1. Cut fish into sticks about ½ inch wide

2. Whisk eggs in a medium sized bowl

3. Stir together all dry ingredients in another medium sized bowl

4. Dip the fish sticks in the eggs and then into the flour mixture. Coat thoroughly and place on a plate or wire rack.

5. Melt the fat in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the fish stick to the pan and cook till golden brown, roughly 2-3 minutes for each side.

6. Transfer to a plate covered in a paper towel. Serve with lemon wedges and some paleo mayo.

Instead of granola bars…

Sometimes we all need that quick grab and go snack like a granola bar. Unfortunately, majority of grocery store granola bars are full of crap like sugar, wheat, soy, corn syrup amongst many other hard to pronounce ingredients. Here is a nice quick recipe for granola bars.

No Grain Granola Bar

Ingredients

* 1-1 1/2 cup dry roasted unsalted nuts and seeds (almonds, pecans, sunflower seeds, walnuts, cashews, pumpkin seeds etc)

* 1/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

* 1/4 cup nut butter (almond or my favorite cashew)

* 1 tablespoon plus coconut flour or protein powder (to thicken consistency)

* 2 tablespoon coconut oil

* 1 teaspoon vanilla

* 1/2 tsp raw honey (optional)

* 1/4 teaspoon sea salt

* 1/2 cup chopped dates or dried unsweetened cranberries or blueberries

Directions

1. Put nuts into a food processor blend until coarsely ground.

2. In a mixing bowl melt coconut oil and nut butter (about 30 seconds). Stir until smooth.

3. Add vanilla, honey and sea salt. Fold in nut mixture and coconut flour. Fold in dates, cranberries or blueberries.

4. Press mixture into 4 x 8 pan and refrigerate for 1-2 hours. Cut into squares and enjoy. Keep in refrigerator to keep firm.