Tag: dietitian meal plans

Our Favorite Grab and Go Breakfast Ideas

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You’re laying in bed one morning. It’s warm, cozy, and dark under the covers. But that comfortable feeling is abruptly interrupted as you turn over and see the time on the clock. It’s 7:45, and you are supposed to leave the house at 8:00. Entering panic mode, you jolt awake scrambling around the bedroom trying to put together an outfit that looks somewhat presentable. As you’re running around the house like a chicken with your head cut off, you scramble to find your keys and head out the door. What you didn’t realize is that you left something behind. Five minutes down the road, your stomach begins to rubble. You forgot to grab breakfast. Does this sound familiar?

On crazy hectic mornings, breakfast can become the least of your priorities. Making a breakfast sandwich, scrambled eggs, or a picture perfect oatmeal bowl isn’t always the most practical options on days like these. During fast paced mornings, sometimes the best option is to quickly grab a pre-made breakfast and head out the door. 

Lucky for you, we’ve done the hard work for you! The Registered Dietitians at the Brittany Jones Nutrition Group have compiled our favorite grab and go breakfast items. When searching for breakfast options, we like to make sure the meal includes not just healthy carbs, but also sources of proteins and fat. These two macronutrients are key in keeping your body feeling satiated. Next, we look for REAL ingredients. For example, if you were to look at the nutrition label of a protein bar, the first ingredient should be a whole food such as peanuts or oats (not soy or protein powder).

While prepping your breakfast at home is always our #1 choice – we have listed our favorite grab and go breakfast ideas to keep on hand during busy mornings. Some of these options only require a microwave while others require no preparation at all. Relax – we’ve got your covered!

you will want to bookmark this list for later!

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Made with egg whites, roasted potatoes, and cheddar cheese, this breakfast will keep you satisfied throughout the morning. To make it even better, this breakfast sandwich can be quickly heated up in the microwave and ready to eat!

BUY NOW: Good Food Made Simple Turkey Sausage Flatbread Breakfast Sandwich 

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Pop these waffles in the toaster, and you have yourself breakfast.  With 11 grams of protein, these will keep you full all morning long!

BUY NOW: Birch Benders Protein Waffles

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A perfect Mexican inspired breakfast bowl with egg whites, potatoes, black beans, salsa, and cheese all on top of a corn tortilla. Stores these in the freezer and heat them up in the microwave for a quick savory breakfast!

BUY NOW: Dr. Praeger’s Huevos Rancheros Breakfast Bowl 

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This bar is filled with a variety of whole grains such as oats, millet, amaranth, buckwheat, and quinoa for a great balance of carbohydrates for energy and protein/good fats to keep you full until your morning snack. Find it in the breakfast aisle!

BUY NOW: Kind Peanut Butter Breakfast Bar 

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For all our oatmeal lovers, this one’s for you! These oatmeal cups are packed with protein from collagen and walnuts. For a fun add on, these come with a creamy nut butter packet!

BUY NOW: Purely Elizabeth Blueberry Walnut Collagen Oatmeal Cups 

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Muffin in a cup? Yes, please! Pop these cups into the microwave on a busy morning for a quick protein filled chocolate chip muffin!

BUY NOW: Kodiak Cakes Chocolate Chip Muffin Cup 

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These pre-portioned nut butter packets are great to keep on hand for a quick snack or breakfast on the go. We suggest eating these with a piece of fruit such as a banana for a healthy fiber and carbohydrate source!

BUY NOW: Justin’s Peanut Butter Squeeze Pack + Banana

OatsQuinoaImageforWeb-1-600x600Chia seed pudding is a great option filled with fiber and omega-3s! Do you feel like you never remember to  prepare your pudding the night before? Chia Pods are here to help with their pre-packaged delicious chia pudding cups! (Note: some of these are high in saturated fat – so be sure to check out the label)

BUY NOW: Oats+Quinoa Chia Pod

0675_PerfectBar_Blueberry_Cashew_w_ingredients_600_1000xWhen you’re extra crunched on time, grab one of these Perfect Bars! The name says it all. These bars are filled with healthy ingredients that will get your morning started right (even if you’re running late).

BUY NOW: Blueberry Cashew Perfect Bar 

honey_fig_walnut-2-800x800Siggi’s simple sides contain one part Greek yogurt, one part crunchy toppings. This honey and fig flavor is giving us all the summer feels – is there a better combo out there? We think not! (Also have you seen Brittany’s fig tree on Instagram? It’s huge!)

BUY NOW: Siggi’s Honey Yogurt with Dried Figs and Walnuts 

Have any other favorite grab and go breakfast ideas? Let us know below!

Interested in learning more about healthy meals and meal planning? Contact the Brittany Jones Nutrition Group here. 

Popcorn Trail Mix 3 Ways

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Do you feel like you are running out of healthy snack ideas? A popcorn trailmix is a fun take on a classic snack that the whole family will love! It’s easy to make and store, and can also be packed as a healthy vacation snack.

We always recommend snacks that incorporate both carb + protein. Protein helps keep your body satiated by releasing appetite suppressing hormones, stabilizing blood sugar, and slowing digestion.

Air popped popcorn is a quick snack that is low in calories and sodium. When paired with nutritious proteins and fats, it can become a satiating snack. We prefer air popped popcorn over microwave popcorn because it is a whole food without any added processed oils (like hydrogenated oils in the “fake” butter) and is a great base for creating a trail mix.

Popcorn Trail Mix 3 Ways

Follow the recipes below by simply adding the ingredients into a large bowl and tossing them together!

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Chocolate Cranberry Popcorn Trail Mix (Serves 4)

  • 4 Cups air popped popcorn
  • ¼ Cup almonds and/or cashews
  • ¼ Cup dark chocolate chips
  • ¼ Cup dried cranberries

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Savory Popcorn Trail Mix (Serves 4)

  • 4 Cups air popped popcorn
  • 2 Tablespoons nutritional yeast
  • ¼ Cup unsalted dry roasted peanuts
  • ¼ Cup dried chickpeas
  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
  • ½ teaspoon onion powder

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Tropical Popcorn Trail Mix (Serves 4)

  • 4 Cups air popped popcorn
  • ¼ Cup dried Mango
  • ¼ Cup coconut chips
  • ¼ Cup macadamia nuts
  • 2 Tablespoons pumpkin seeds

How to air pop popcorn:

  • Option 1: Place 3 Tablespoons of a single layer of popcorn kernels in the bottom of a deep pot with a lid on top. Turn the stove on medium heat. Carefully listen to the popcorn pop. The popcorn will pop vigorously at first. When the pops are roughly 5 seconds apart, turns off the stove. Wait a few minutes to allow the popcorn to cool and move to your desired bowl
  • Option 2: Here is the air popper that Brittany uses and you can get it on Amazon
  • Option 3: Buy your own pre-popped popcorn such as SkinnyPop at your local grocery store

-Written and photographed by Gabby Childers, Brittany Jones Nutrition Intern

Heart Healthy Cooking Segment with Fox Carolina

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Did you know that the recommendation for sodium per day is 2400mg which is 1 TEASPOON total per day?

Most Americans are getting way more than the recommend amount (not to mention some restaurant dishes can have 2000mg+ sodium in them). High blood pressure is known as the “silent killer” because it’s symptoms are not always obvious, and watching your salt intake is one way you can combat this risk factor.

Instead of adding salt to foods in cooking or at the dinner table, try using herbs and spices instead! Watch my Fox Carolina segment below for more tips, and click here to get the Go Red for Women  Herbed Veggie Skillet recipe that I demonstrated on the show!

Calling All Teachers!

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School is out and Blush Nutrition is offering a new package designed specifically for teachers looking to focus on their health and wellness during the summer months!

This package is perfect for developing healthy habits and continuing them throughout school year. The Healthy Lifestyle Package is a 3 month plan, which includes nutrition coaching and meal planning. I am currently offering 10% off for teachers (new clients only) until June 30th!

The Healthy Lifestyle Package is designed to take you from June through September to kickstart healthy habits now establish a plan for a healthy school year!

Blush Nutrition loves teachers, and we can’t wait to help you make this summer the best yet! Click here to set up your first 15 minute appointment for free.

Millenials: Prevent Alzheimer’s Now

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Did you know that Alzheimer’s can start developing as early as your 30s?  Women make up about 66% of those affected by the disease, and as a Registered Dietitian focused on prevention the Today Show segment this morning really caught my attention.

You can watch the full video here, and below is a summary of how to make healthy lifestyle changes NOW to ensure your brain is healthy in the future:

1 – Exercise regularly

Experts recommend exercising at high intensity for at least three hours a week to prevent Alzheimer’s, with two hours being from cardio and one hour from strength training. Ok great, but what does that look like? It could mean three Orange Theory Fitness workouts per week, or running for 30 minutes followed by 15 minutes of body weight strength trianing four times per week. Whichever work out you choose, I always recommend to my clients that they schedule it in advance! Book an appointment with yourself (or sign up for classes ahead of time) and if you need to move it that’s totally fine, just be sure to reschedule that time with yourself on your calendar to get in your three hours.

2 – Get at least 7.5 hours of sleep every night

I often set goals with my clients to use the bed time function on their iPhone clock app to ensure that they get enough sleep every night. Simply put in the time you need to wake up, and work backwards at least 7.5 hours to see what time you need to go to bed. Your phone will remind you 15 minutes before, indicating that it’s time to start getting ready to go to sleep! While that does include brushing your teeth and starting your anti-aging night time regime (yes, I’m 30 now so this is a daily thing for me), but it also means turning off/silencing all electronics to avoid bright lights from screens, and also dimming the lights in the bedroom to boost melatonin.

3 – Eat a diet high in antioxidant foods

This means focusing on vegetables, fruits and whole foods at every meal. I encourage all of my clients to make half of their plate non-starchy vegetables, and to choose carbohydrates that are whole food such as fruits, sweet potatoes, beans or legumes. All Blush Nutrition meal plans are naturally high in antioxidants and good fats because they focus on eating whole non-processed foods throughout the day.

4 – Know your numbers

It might seem silly to start checking your blood sugars, cholesterol and blood pressure in your 20s and 30s, however I can’t stress enough how important it is to know your numbers. With a background working as a Registered Dietitian in advanced testing for cardiovascular disease and diabetes, I have seen first hand how checking your labs, and checking them early, can affect the outcomes for the rest of your life. Alzheimer’s has been called “type 3 diabetes” for a reason and there are things that you can do now to prevent health troubles down the line! If you don’t have a primary care physician and are in Greenville, SC I highly recommend one of my partners The Brio Internal Medicine as they are also focused on prevention.

Want to know more about disease prevention, brain health and how your diet can help? Message me!