At home workouts and simple, healthy meal ideas
As we settle into several weeks of life at home, taking care of yourself is more important than ever. Finding ways to de-stress will do you more good than eating green veggies at every day. Although I hope you do both!
Here are a few resources I love for at home workouts, plus ways to keep food simple but still healthy and delicious.
Online Workouts
@onepeleton app is free for 90 days with a mix of yoga, running, strength, cycling, and meditation
Nicole Pearce has a great You Tube channel for at home workouts, many with minimal equipment
Fitness Blender is one of my favorite You Tube channels with a whole range of workouts, from beginner to more advanced
PopSugar Fitness is another excellet You Tube channel with a huge variety of workouts from Zumba to HIIT to Pilates
Remember that walking and running are not cancelled! Keep your distance, but trails and sunshine are powerful mood boosters.
For Kids
We love GoNoodle, which incorporates easy to follow dances to popular songs. This is a great way to have "gym class" at home or to get your kids moving on a rainy day (you do have to set up an account, but it's free)
Cosmic Kids Yoga is another favorite, especially for younger children.
Creating simple, healthy meals
Food can feel like another challenge, but it's important to keep things simple and remember that jarred and canned foods can also deliver good nutrition and can be thrown together for some fast, simple meals. Some of my staples:
Black beans, dry or canned, can be dressed up quickly with taco spices (cumin, chili powder, onion, garlic, paprika) for tacos or thrown in the crock pot for these delicious slow cooked black beans
Canned wild salmon or tuna, which I like to mash with avocado and eat on toast or over salad greens. You can get fancier and add in scallion, lemon juice, shredded carrots, or celery, but just salt, pepper and avocado is perfect.
Quinoa is versatile and you can make a big batch for a grain salad. Rinse it first, and I prefer it cooked in broth (or Better Than Bouillon). Throw in whatever frozen or fresh veggies you have and toss with lemon juice and olive oil, or a jarred salad dressing. Beans or tuna can make it a complete, balanced meal.
Pesto is a great condiment to grab to throw together a fast pasta meal or to toss with potatoes or even add to a wrap or sandwich for a boost of flavor to mix up your standard lunch.
Red Thai Curry Paste and Coconut milk combine to make a delicious, fast, and super easy curry. Just follow the directions on the back of the Thai Kitchen curry paste jar! Frozen veggie can sub for fresh, and tofu, meat or seafood all work well.
Eggs keep well for several weeks and can be made into frittata, quiche, omelets, egg salad or these tomato poached eggs.
Frozen veggies are fantastic to limit grocery store trips. They are just as nutritious as fresh (and in some cases, more nutritious because they are packaged so quickly after being picked!) Use frozen broccoli, butternut squash, stir fry blends, etc.
The freezer is your friend! We freeze meat, bread, bagels (after slicing), chicken broth, remaining coconut milk or tomato paste from recipes, and purchase frozen berries, mango, other fruits and all sorts of veggies.
Do you have favorite online workouts? What do you keep in your freezer?