Want to eat healthy in the new year? Don’t make it complicated: start with this easy meal plan. Continue reading New Year, New Meal Plan
© 2017 Caitlin W Howe, LLC
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Daylight savings time ended this weekend. Doesn’t feel great to have gotten that extra hour of sleep? Keep up the great feeling by developing healthy habits around the time change. It’s easier because your body is used to waking up and going to bed earlier.
Continue reading 5 habits that take advantage of the time change
© 2017 Caitlin W Howe, LLC
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The postings on this site are my own (unless otherwise stated) and don't necessarily represent any other organization's positions, strategies or opinions. Thanks!
Do you like potluck dinners as much as I do? It’s great fun to have a low-budget gathering with friends, where you only have to bring one dish! Potlucks also can give you ideas for new and exciting recipes. Today, I’m going to tell you about three potluck recipes that are easy, healthy, and vegan-friendly. Continue reading Three Easy, Vegan-Friendly Potluck Recipes
© 2017 Caitlin W Howe, LLC
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The postings on this site are my own (unless otherwise stated) and don't necessarily represent any other organization's positions, strategies or opinions. Thanks!
These last few weekends of summer are so important to me. It’s a time to get that last bit of freedom in before the school year starts. A couple of weekends ago, I went with a friend to the farmer’s market. We had such a good time chatting with the farmers about their gorgeous produce. I purchased colorful, ripe produce that smelled lovely. I couldn’t wait to get home to sauté up some veggies. My favorite dish thus far? A farmer’s market squash and tomato sauté with egg on top. Yum! Continue reading Farmers Market Squash and Tomato Sauté with Egg
© 2017 Caitlin W Howe, LLC
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The postings on this site are my own (unless otherwise stated) and don't necessarily represent any other organization's positions, strategies or opinions. Thanks!
Stress is a funny thing. Sometimes, mental and emotional stress takes the form of physical stress. It can make you as tired as if you have run a long distance. It can make you physically sore. And, stress can self-perpetuate. Think about when you have a quick bout of anxiety – like a close call in a car or bus. Do you tense your shoulders and neck? Over time, long-term stress makes us tense all over.
Continue reading Where do you store stress?
© 2017 Caitlin W Howe, LLC
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The other week, when I asked myself “what’s for dinner?” chicken thighs were on sale at the store. I picked some up, but wasn’t quite sure what to do with them. They became my compass ingredient for my weekly meal plan. And, knowing that mid-February weather chills us all, I knew that a hearty, warm stew would be a welcome meal at the end of a long workday. Continue reading Simple, five-step slow cooker chicken with French onion soup
© 2017 Caitlin W Howe, LLC
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The postings on this site are my own (unless otherwise stated) and don't necessarily represent any other organization's positions, strategies or opinions. Thanks!
For some of you, I know that’s a dreaded question – especially in the middle of the week. And, that’s totally understandable! Sometimes you simply find yourself in a lets-just-order-takeout rut. When you come home after a long day, the last thing you want to do is cook!
Never fear. You can make life easier by doing a little prep on the weekends to figure out a couple of healthy meals that will give you a delicious and well-planned answer throughout the week to the question: what’s for dinner?
Check out my post about pantry essentials to help you cook more at home. Keep those items stocked in your kitchen so that weekdays are spent cooking rather than shopping (followed by cooking).
These two ingredients you will use to set the direction for your meal planning. There are a couple of ways to decide on your compass ingredients:
• Take a quick look at your pantry, fridge, and freezer. Which ingredients would you like to incorporate into your meals this week? For example, this week I found a couple of cans of garbanzo beans that became one of my two compass ingredients.
•If you head to the grocery store, try to find what’s on sale. For example, chicken thighs were on sale this week, so they became my second compass ingredient.
You can do this a number of ways:
•Look ahead to your schedule for the week and figure out if there’s an evening that gives you 30-40 minutes to cook. If you have that time, find a recipe with your compass ingredient that takes that time. If you DON’T have the time, choose a slow cooker recipe to have ready when you walk in the door instead. For example, I made chicken thighs in the slow cooker for my mid-week meal this week.
• Identify other ingredients you might have on hand that could complement your compass ingredients. Do a web search for both of those ingredients. For example, I had extra carrots on hand as well as garbanzo beans. So, I found a recipe for garbanzo beans and greens that included both of those ingredients.
If you can transform one meal into another with minimal effort, you can get two meals out of one original recipe! For example, I served the chickpea recipe with farro one night, and then the chickpea recipe with whole grain tortillas the next night. AND for my chicken thighs, I served chicken with roasted zucchini on the side one night, and then the next night I served it with a green salad.
Now that you have four meals planned, take it easy for your fifth meal. You can keep it simple by serving whole grain pasta with jarred sauce (make it low sodium and no sugar), cooking breakfast for dinner, making sandwiches, or simply warming up a bulk meal you have in your freezer.
© 2017 Caitlin W Howe, LLC
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The postings on this site are my own (unless otherwise stated) and don't necessarily represent any other organization's positions, strategies or opinions. Thanks!
February is the perfect month for comfort food. The days are short, cold, and (at times) gray. All you’d like to do is curl up with a warm blanket and a big bowl of comfort food. In this post, you will learn how to cook healthier comfort food. I will talk about seven tips you can use when you are trying to make your comfort food recipe a little healthier. Continue reading How to cook healthier comfort food: seven tips
© 2017 Caitlin W Howe, LLC
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The postings on this site are my own (unless otherwise stated) and don't necessarily represent any other organization's positions, strategies or opinions. Thanks!
Have you ever had sprouts? You know, those green, stringy, crispy things that come on top of a sandwich… or the white, thin, birthday-candle-like things that come with your pad thai? Well, today I am going to teach you how to grow sprouts, right in you own kitchen. Continue reading How to Grow Sprouts
© 2017 Caitlin W Howe, LLC
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The postings on this site are my own (unless otherwise stated) and don't necessarily represent any other organization's positions, strategies or opinions. Thanks!
These last few weeks have been oh-so-cold all across the country (even here in Texas). So, I figured it’s time to break out my recipe for warm, comforting bean soup. This humble bean soup is anything but boring. In this post, I include one recipe for vegans and another for bacon lovers. Both are hearty, filling and flavorful. And, because this soup is made in the slow cooker, this soup is super easy to make. Continue reading Slow Cooker Bean with Bacon Soup (plus a vegan option!)
© 2017 Caitlin W Howe, LLC
Manners matter here! Not sure whether your comment is irrelevant, impolite, or disrespectful? Read my commenting rules Commenting Rules
The postings on this site are my own (unless otherwise stated) and don't necessarily represent any other organization's positions, strategies or opinions. Thanks!
