Eating healthy tips

[Guest guest]

As all of you know, eating healthy when you have chronic health issues isn't

easy. Getting out to the grocery frequently enough to eat lots of fresh

vegetables is very difficult as is simply fixing food and cleaning it up. I

thought I would share some of the things that I have found helpful and am hoping

that others will chime in with more ideas.

1. We buy 2 or 3 large packages of chicken breasts and my husband or one of my

sons cuts it up into chunks for me. I then marinade it in several containers

with different marinades for a day. Then I cook it all in a skillet one type at

a time and stick it all back in the fridge for a day. Finally I split it all up

into freezer bags in portions that work for my husband and me for dinner and

freeze it. We also buy bags of mixed vegetables that cost about $2-$3 and which

now come in a whole lot of varieties. With this setup, I can fix a healthy

dinner of chicken and veggies is less than 10 minutes and with very little to

cleanup. The fact that it is done over several days makes it possible (although

not easy!) and I can get at least a months worth of chicken from one of these

chicken cooking sprees.

2. We bought a vitamix a while back and while it was very expensive, it has

really helped a lot. Yogurt and almond milk keep in the fridge for several

weeks and with bags of mixed frozen fruits and veggies, I can make an infinite

variety of healthy smoothies. It only takes a few minutes and cleanup is a

breeze. I usually make it at night before bed and put it in rubbermaid

containers that we can drink out of the next morning.

3. My husband likes mixed nuts and they are good for you in reasonable amounts

but he used to eat from the container while watching tv and would down a month's

worth in one sitting! So I bought some of those paper dixie cups in the

smallest size and he fills up one of those so that he gets a reasonable portion

size. We use this technique for other things as well.

4. Tuna, both in cans and in those sealed packets lasts a long time in the

cabinet and makes quick and easy sandwiches for lunch and many canned soups are

very healthy too but you have to read the labels.

5. In the summer, I make a fruit salad every 2 or 3 weeks. I put in fresh

strawberries and usually cut up canteloupe or watermelon. Then I add canned

peaches (cut into chunks), pineapple chunks and mandarin oranges. I drain all

of the canned fruits except the pineapples. Then I pour on orange juice to make

sure that all of the fruit is covered. The orange juice preserves the fruit so

that it lasts a full week. You can add whatever fruits you like except for

bananas because they will make it go bad in a hurry. You can just add banana to

a bowl before you eat it if you want some banana in yours.

So what are the tricks you use?

Margie