Tag: cookout

close up photo of delicious meat being grilled
May 26, 2022
Blog

Healthy Cookout Tips

As we are heading into the unofficial start of summer with Memorial Day weekend, many are likely curious about some healthy cookout tips. As with all things, I think the key here is balance – we should be able to enjoy our favorite cookout treats while also eating nourishing foods as well and not feel guilty about it. Here are some healthy cookout tips to help you do just that.

1. Don’t try to compensate

The first thing that many people try to do when it comes to any special occasion involving food is compensate for their food choices either by under eating or overexercising before or after. There are 2 issues with this approach: 1.) it doesn’t work, and 2.) it actually creates more issues. 

If you under eat in order to “make room” for your favorite cookout foods, you set yourself up to arrive at your event extra hungry. And in response to that, you tend to eat more food and more quickly than you would otherwise. In fact, studies have shown that folks who under eat prior to an event actually consume more in total that day than folks who eat normally prior to the event. It’s just not an effective strategy. 

Beyond that, when we restrict and binge as this strategy sets us up to do, we tend to experience feelings of guilt and shame. And those feelings then prompt us to restrict more, which inevitably ends with another binge. This is how the binge-restrict cycle self-perpetuates.

Likewise, overexercising to “burn off” what you ate does not work either. You don’t get to pick and choose what you body burns for fuel. And it takes a lot more to burn calories than you think. Overexercising to compensate for special occasion eating is much more likely to result in your getting injured, possibly keeping you from exercising later. 

2. Don’t deprive yourself of the food you want to eat

Take the stress and pressure off yourself by giving yourself permission to eat the foods you want to eat. If you arrive with a list of foods you’ve told yourself you’re not allowed to have, those exact foods are going to exert so much power over you and it’s going to be increasingly more difficult to resist them. So that once you finally have them, you are likely to binge on them. The best way to avoid that is to allow yourself to have them, normalize them, treat them like any other food. This will help you strike the right balance for yourself.

3. Stay hydrated

A lot of those foods we like so much at cookouts are really salty and can dehydrate you, as can the alcohol. Ironically, the more alcohol you drink, the more of those salty dehydrating snacks you’re likely to eat and vice versa. On top of that, cookouts take place outside in the heat offering more opportunity for dehydration. Make sure you drink plenty of water before, during, and after your gathering.

4. Moderate your alcohol intake

In addition to contributing to dehydration, alcohol can also cause you to eat in ways that you normally wouldn’t – hello, drunk eating! But there is another way in which alcohol can hinder your healthy eating efforts. Alcohol is literally a poison to our body. And so, when we consume it, our body tries to process it out as quickly as possible. This means that the alcohol is processed before anything else you’ve consumed thereby increasing the amount of food you ate that gets stored as fat. Additionally, alcohol can impact your metabolism by disrupting your sleep. It can also impede your performance the next day regardless of whether you feel hungover.

5. Eat mindfully

This is a tricky one for social situations, but it is extremely helpful to eat as mindfully as possible at a cookout or other social event. This means dishing out a portion for yourself and walking away from the food table rather than mindlessly picking from it while you talk. It means pausing to check in with yourself while you’re eating and between portions to see how you feel. Should you eat more? Wait? What are you craving? It also means being consciously aware while we eat. Enjoyment of the food we eat is a key component of satisfaction and to experience that enjoyment we need to be mindful while we eat.

6. Mind your own plate

Avoid comparing your plate to others’ and don’t allow the comments other may make impact your enjoyment of your food. Remember, we all have different nutritional needs. What works for you won’t work for someone else. Comparing how you’re eating to how someone else is eating simply is not helpful. Here are some tips on what to do if someone does try to comment on how you eat.

Follow these healthy cookout tips to find balance for yourself so you can enjoy enjoy the cookout season and meet your goals.

June 12, 2018
Uncategorized

Serrano Honey Shrimp & Avocado Summer Salad

One of my favorite things about summer is the crisp, fresh, and delicious foods we New Englanders are finally surrounded by. This summer salad is a bit of a riff off of ceviche with the exception of the fact that I cooked the shrimp. It combines fresh vegetables, like peppers and onions, with fresh fruits, like avocado and pineapple, with seasoned chili-seasoned shrimp for a refreshing and simple dish. What really added depth and outstanding flavor to this dish was the addition of Serrano Honey Balsamic Vinegar from The Branch Olive Oil Company in Peabody, MA. In addition to the acid of the vinegar, this balsamic brings with it the sweetness of honey and just a little heat from the serrano chiles. It’s the finisher that really makes this dish pop. If you have a cookout coming up and want to bring something that really stands out and is completely different, this is the dish to go with.

 

Ingredients:

  • 1 whole avocado
  • 12-15 shrimp (size 16/20), rinsed and tails removed
  • 1/4 of a red onion, finely chopped
  • 1 orange bell pepper, diced
  • 3/4 cup fresh or frozen pineapple, diced
  • 1.25 oz The Branch Serrano Honey Balsamic
  • Chili powder
  • Garlic powder
  • 1/2 lime
  • Salt
  • Pepper
  • 1/4 cup cilantro, finely chopped
  • 1 tbsp EVOO or EV, cold-pressed, unrefined coconut oil

Instructions:

  1. In a skillet, heat about 1 tbsp olive oil or coconut oil over medium-low heat. Sprinkle both sides of the shrimp with chili powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper to taste. Place shrimp in the pan and cook 2-3 minutes on each side until firm and cooked through. Remove from heat and set aside to cool completely.
  2. While the shrimp is cooling, begin prepping the chopped fruits and vegetables for the dish and combine them in a large bowl with the chopped cilantro.
  3. Once the shrimp is cooled, cut it into small pieces and add it to the bowl. Add the balsamic vinegar and a squeeze of lime juice. Stir to coat everything.
  4. Cover and place the mixture in the fridge for at least 30 minutes before serving.

This dish is great to eat on its own or you could serve it in lettuce wraps, with tortilla chips, or over cooled rice or quinoa. I served mine over brown rice with a side of roasted broccoli as shown below.

Maker:S,Date:2017-1-22,Ver:6,Lens:Kan03,Act:Lar02,E-Y

If you haven’t been to The Branch yet, I highly recommend you check them out. If you go in person, you can taste pretty much everything in the store and the employees there are super helpful. If you order online, they offer free shipping which is awesome, needless to say.

June 26, 2017
Blog

Do’s and Don’ts for Cookout Food

Summer is officially and finally here and, while gatherings will look different this year, we will still be finding opportunities to enjoy our favorite cookout foods. While summer should be a fun time, it can also be a very difficult time for those of us who struggle with our eating habits. We might feel like we need to say “no” to our favorite treats or might push ourselves to “makeup” for eating them or beat ourselves up for “falling off the wagon.” As we head into July 4th weekend and social distancing relaxes just a bit, I thought now would be a good time to share some tips to help you get through this time of year without food guilt.

Don’t – Obsess over your food choices

I know this one can be more easily said than done, but how can you enjoy yourself if you’re worrying about what you should and shouldn’t eat? My advice to you is to eat what you want to, but be mindful about it. Start with a reasonable portion and pay attention to your hunger and satiety cues. You absolutely do not have to finish what’s on your plate if you’re full and you absolutely do not have to go hungry if you don’t feel satisfied by your initial portion. Listen to your body.

Don’t – Deprive yourself of the food you want to eat

It is actually healthier for you to allow yourself that potato salad or that ice cream that you really want than to deprive yourself of it completely. Why? Allowing yourself those treats regularly will help you stay motivated about healthy eating, will help with your metabolism, and will help keep you from falling into the unhealthy diet cycle of deprivation and binging. Plus, you’ll just be happier 🙂 As I said above, agree to allow yourself those favorite treats, serve yourself a portion, and eat it mindfully so you can enjoy it.

Don’t – Try to compensate or overcompensate

Maybe the biggest “don’t” I have for you is don’t skip out on all the rest of your food for the day to compensate for what you will eat at your cookout. Likewise, don’t destroy yourself at the gym to “make room for” or “undo” what you ate. I can promise you these efforts will not have the positive effect you are looking for. Instead, it’s more likely that you will binge, overdo it, and feel awful after or hurt yourself. Plus, these tactics don’t reflect the way the body really works. You can’t “undo” calories consumed.

Do – Give yourself permission to indulge

Obsessing over not eating your favorite foods in majorly going to to dampen your day. Instead, give yourself permission to treat yourself without worrying about it. You might be surprised to know that most of my clients who give themselves permission to indulge actually find that they are less likely to overdo it and are more likely to enjoy their food and be satisfied by a reasonable portion of it.

Do – Stay hydrated

A lot of those foods we like so much at cookouts are really salty and can dehydrate you, as can the alcohol. Ironically, the more alcohol you drink, the more of those salty dehydrating snacks you’re likely to eat and vice versa. Make sure you drink plenty of water during your gathering to keep you feeling better and being safer.

Do – Make sure you have options

If you’re really stressed about not having any healthy options at a cookout for you to find a balance that you like, then bring your own. Bring some cut veggies and dip or a shrimp and avocado salad with serrano honey vinegar. Remember, the goal here isn’t to ONLY eat “healthy” foods, it’s to help relieve that stress and pressure you may feel about your eating habits.

Do – Practice portion control

Balance. Balance. Balance. Balance. Did you get that? Balance. As a nutrition coach, I can’t emphasize enough that the key to healthy living is balance. Does portion control mean that you should keep measuring cups and a food scale in your purse and use them to dish out your food? Um, no… obviously. What it does mean is don’t pile your plate to overflowing with all kinds of goodies. Use your hand portions or start small and get seconds as you feel you want to. The more that you put on your plate at once, the more likely you are to eat, and the more likely you are to get to that uncomfortably full point.

Don’t – Beat yourself up

So after all is said and done, you feel like you really overdid it. All those plans for proportionality went out the window and you’re not feeling great about it. So what? You’re human and it happens to all of us. Does that mean all is lost? No. Does that mean you’re off the wagon? No, because there is no wagon. We are always making progress – it’s a journey, not a road you’re on or off.

The worst thing that you can do in this situation is put yourself down for it. It’s that harshness with yourself afterwards, that will discourage you and put you off your goals. The best thing that you can do for yourself in this situation  is be gentle with yourself – say to yourself “well, that wasn’t my ideal outcome, but I’m not giving up on myself” and get right back at it. I’ve seen too many people defeat themselves by allowing one bad day to become a spiral and it’s not fair to yourself.

May 1, 2017
Uncategorized

Roasted Beet, Avocado & Quinoa Salad

With the warm summer months fast approaching, this refreshing and nutritious side dish is bound to be a crowd pleaser at any cookout. What’s more is it looks as good as it tastes! Bright colors like this are a great way to get picky kids to eat something healthy! They can even help mix it all up!

Quinoa Salad

Ingredients

For the Salad:

2 cups cooked quinoa

4-5 medium-sized beets, diced and roasted until soft (I suggest par-boiling them first to cut down on cook time)

1 orange bell pepper, diced

2 avocados, cubed

For the Dressing:

3/4 cup fresh cilantro

2-3 limes, juiced

1 orange, juiced

1 tbsp agave nectar

1/8 cup extra virgin olive oil (may need to add more, depending on flavor and consistency)

Salt and Pepper to taste

Instructions:

  1. First, prepare the dressing so the flavors can bloom while you prepare the rest of the salad. Combine the cilantro and fruit juices in a blender and blend about 30 seconds until beginning to get smooth and combined. Add the olive oil gradually and the agave nectar and continue to blend until liquified. Add a dash of salt and pepper and place the dressing in the refrigerator while you prepare the rest of the salad.
  2. Prepare the quinoa according to the package and roast the beets until soft (you can also just boil them but I find that roasting makes the flavor sweeter).
  3. Allow the quinoa and beets to cool before adding the other salad ingredients. You can place them in the fridge if you’re on a time crunch.
  4. Once the quinoa and the beets have cooled, combine them with the diced pepper and avocado in a large mixing bowl. Remove the dressing from the fridge and give it a good shake to mix it all up again. This is where you want to taste it to make sure that it’s the balance you’re looking for. If not, you can add more oil, salt and pepper, or juice. I leave this up to the chef because some people like things zestier than others.
  5. Pour the dressing over the salad, mix together, serve and enjoy!

 

 

- Theme by Grace Themes

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