It’s February as I write this, but 2018 is still pretty new! If your attempts at having a healthier new year haven’t gone as well as you hoped, here are three easy, real life problem-solvers that can give you a boost toward your goals!
1. Have Backup Meals and Snacks On Hand
“But I will just eat them all!” Well, good – you have food in your house so that you’ll eat it, right?
If you don’t want to get caught with nothing to eat, stock your house (and maybe your car and/or office, too – this post about snacks to keep at work is one of my personal faves) with things that will help you reach your goals! I like to keep some extra meals in the freezer, whether they’re pre-frozen like Amy’s meals or things I myself make ahead, like this awesome cauliflower rice burrito casserole (adapted from this recipe, which includes photos that make this aesthetically unpleasing dinner look as tasty as it is):
Ingredients:
- 2 bags cauliflower rice
- 2lb ground meat of your choice (I have only tested this with ground beef)
- salt and pepper
- 4oz cream cheese (somewhat optional, but a nice binder for the whole dish)
- 1 jar of salsa (I use the red, mild kind for this recipe, but do you)
- 3/4 cup grated cheese – cheddar, jack, pepper jack…
- chopped green onions
Method:
In a 9×12 or larger baking dish, layer the ingredients in the order listed: cauliflower rice, ground meat, salt and pepper “to taste” (don’t taste the raw meat, please, but you know how you like your food seasoned), cream cheese (in little chunks), salsa, grated cheese, chopped green onions. Because the cauliflower rice will need a little liquid in which to soften, I have boldly made this dish several times without browning the meat like the original recipe recommends; it’s tasty both ways, but sometimes I just don’t have time to dirty an extra skillet. Cover with foil and bake at 350 for about 35 minutes, then uncover and bake for another 15-20 minutes.
If you are freezing the casserole, I recommend portioning it out after baking and freezing individual portions unless you want to thaw the whole thing at once. I pre-cut two of these casseroles but left them in their original baking dish, and when I went to retrieve a neat square of casserole I found that the cut lines had completely vanished in the freezer.
2. Have a 10-Minute Workout
Walking for 10 minutes is better than doing nothing. Doing squats and wall push-ups for 10 minutes is better than doing nothing. If it has been a week or so since you got moving, borrow one of these two 10-minute workouts or make your own. Maybe you want to jog for 30 seconds and walk for 2 minutes…if you do it 4 times, you’ve made it to 10 minutes! We have short, no-equipment workouts online for free, and we also post some on Instagram from time to time.
Ten minutes can be enough. They don’t have to be the hardest 10 minutes, and they don’t have to be followed by another 50 minutes – they’re enough.
3. Prep for Tomorrow
You don’t have to wait until Monday to “start over”. If today didn’t go the way you wanted it to (or even if it did), take 5 or 10 minutes to set tomorrow up for success. Do you need to cook or order healthy food? (Snap Kitchen delivers on UberEats!) Do you need to put your workout gear into a bag and put the bag in your trunk? Do you need to make a new playlist? Do you need to sign up for class? Do you need to fill up your water bottle? Whatever it is that you need for tomorrow, give yourself that gift! Bonus: these tiny tasks go so much faster when you do them the night before (and you won’t forget to do them…AGAIN…as you rush out the door)
Before you tell me that these are too easy or that they won’t make a difference, make sure you are already doing all three of these things – they’re among the top practices for people who are consistent in their healthy lifestyles, and that consistency is better than diamonds!
