NUTRITION FRESH FOOD

Fresh food, fast Health and nutrition expert Joy Bauer, RD, shares her secrets uer, RD, shares her secrets for making healthy eats in no time.

Breakfast

My mornings are chaotic. I have to get three kids out of bed, brew coffee (major priority), pack three lunches…and the list goes on. Here are two tricks I use to ensure that every Bauer has a wholesome meal before stepping out the door: Make eggs in the microwave For a quick protein-packed option, mist a mug with cooking spray, and add one raw egg (stirred) or two raw egg whites. Nuke it for about 45 to 60 seconds, then pop the cooked eggs on a toasted whole-grain English muffin with a tomato slice and a squirt of ketchup. Instant sandwich! Prep at night Before bed, put ½ cup nonfat milk, ½ cup nonfat Greek yogurt, 1 cup mixed berries (fresh or frozen) and ½ banana into a blender. Store it in the refrigerator overnight. When you wake up, toss in 3 to 5 ice cubes and hit blend!

TIMESAVING TOOL

An egg slicer helps you shave seconds off food prep (every little bit counts!). You can also use it to cut produce, like strawberries and mushrooms.

WIN IT!

20 readers will win a Progressive Egg Slicer (value $9.99). Snap on the tag to enter. For rules, see page 24.

Lunch

Sick of the same old PB&J &J sandwich? Make one of these speedy and healthy midday dishes: hes:

Turkey and spinach rollup

Take a whole-grain low-cal tortilla, tilla, spread on Dijon mustard, then add 3 slices turkey breast, a slice ce of reduced-fat Swiss cheese and a d a handful of spinach leaves. Roll up up and enjoy!

Salmon and chickpea

salad In a medium bowl, mash 6 oz canned wild salmon (it’s (it’s full of heart-boosting omega-3s). Mix in 1 can rinsed and drained chickpeas. Add ½ cup chopped red bell pepper and ½ cup chopped red onion. Toss with 2 Tbsp olive oil and 2 Tbsp red wine vinegar. Serve over lettuce leaves. (The recipe makes enough for 3 servings.)

Nutritious packaged picks utritio

Too time-crunched to cook? Try one of these options: Van’s 8 Whole Grains Multigrain Waffles ($3.49 per box) Made with a combo of whole wheat and oats and sweetened with honey, these waffles are ready to pop in the toaster.

Amy’s Mexican Casserole Bowl ($4.99 per bowl) This gluten-free dish with a hint of spice is just 380 calories and makes a great lunch or dinner.

Dinner

If the thought of preparing a meal after a long day seems daunting, use my top rules for whipping up a wholesome meal every night:

Memorize three go-to dinners

These meals should take less than 20 minutes to prepare and include ingredients you’ll likely have on hand already. Think about your top choices, then write them down along with what ingredients you’ll need (putting it all on paper helps seal it in your memory). My three go-tos: grilled chicken Parmesan, turkey tacos and spinach turkey burgers. Go to womansday.com/joydinners for my simple and fast recipes.

Pile the pantry with canned

beans Since the beans are already cooked (and packed with protein), all you have to do is rinse and drain before tossing into a salad, or quickly heat and season before eating as a stand-alone dish.

JOY BAUER, MS, RD,J is the nutrition and health expert for NBC’s TODAY show. Visit JoyBauer. com and follow Joy on Facebookc , Twitter (@joybauer) and Pinterest (JoyBauerHealth).

“I lost 155pounds!”

BEFORE 318 lb Learning to love exercise helped Linda Richards, 40, cut her weight nearly in half.

By the time I was 24, I had three kids and my weight had skyrocketed to over 250 pounds. After a battle with thyroid cancer (I was declared disease-free in 2001) and a devastating job loss in 2010, my weight was close to 320.

START DITCH THE “DIET”

My self-esteem was the lowest it had ever been and I was at my highest weight. I decided I could no longer “diet” because that implied I would go back to my old ways. Instead, I needed to change my life. No food was off-limits—I simply tried to make more healthy choices, like eating fewer refined carbs and more vegetables.

My husband suggested that we bike more, since jogging was hard on my knees. I was hooked—it ooked itek ti felt like time flew by ew by ew by when I was pedaling. daling. ad ling.

STEP 2 CHALLENGE OTHERS

I signed up for a Biggest Loser contest at my gym in January 2011. The competition was a great motivator!

After 16 weeks, I lost over 20% of my Afte body weight and won first place. bod bod

STEP 1 TAKE IT SLOW

I wasn’t comfortable going to a gym at first, so I used at-home

DVDs. Once I shed 20 pounds, I felt ready to join a fitness center.

I was nervous about using equipment in front of others, so I went late at night when it was less crowded. I didn’t want to let my discomfort stop me from exercising.

STEP 3 SET A GOAL

We signed up for a 100 mile bike ride in June 2012 to raise money for the American Diabetes

Association. As I trained for the event—and tracked my activities and what I ate with a Fitbit—the pounds kept coming off.

My new weight is really just the cherry on top of how much better I feel. I tell everyone: If I can do it, you can too. Just stop making excuses—and start getting healthy!

NOW 163 lb

My stick-with-it tick-k w SECRET Recruit your family as a support network. I succeeded this time because my husband was by my side the entire way. He made healthy changes too, and lost 65 pounds. My children (now ages 21, 18 and 16) also encouraged me to keep going with my new lifestyle. Having those daily cheerleaders (and accountability reminders) was crucial for me.