Category Archives: Healthy Living

Restaurant Menus 101: The Top Tips for Ordering a Healthy Meal

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Did you know that Robyn is the Health + Wellness spokesperson for Seamless?  We could not be more proud of our very own “On-The-Go Guru”.  She recently wrote this great piece for the blog that we just had to share.

We know you all have busy lives and can’t cook every single meal at home.  For all those times when you’re out enjoying life, or at home and need a break from the kitchen, these are the top tips you should keep in mind while ordering food.

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by Robyn Youkilis

They say if you want something done to give it to a busy person, right?  This saying is often true because when we’re in the natural groove of life – meeting work deadlines, making it to the gym, managing everyone’s schedules, and more – we’re uber efficient at getting things done.

Except when it comes to food.

Busy people tend to eat like, well, busy people.  And this is exactly where ordering in can save the day, and even your waistline believe it or not!  Seamless.com makes it super easy to go for the good for you choices. You can simply search for “healthy” or organic restaurants, plus, you can make any number of healthful adjustments to your delivery. No needing to draw on willpower when it comes to your next meal, your food arrives exactly how you (and your conscience) want it!

Here are 5 simple tips to help you stick to the healthy side of the road when ordering in:

  1. Always ask for sauce and dressing on the side in the special instructions. I also like to request lemon wedges that I squeeze into the sauce, doubling my dressing volume. Voila, your very own lightened up dressing!
  2. Light and lean proteins and vegetables are always going to be your best bets. Ask for double veggies and ditch the breads and pastas.  If you’re craving some grains with your meal, opt for a whole grain option like brown rice or quinoa or even try a sweet potato.
  3. Work with the awesome system Seamless.com provides. Did you know you can bookmark your orders?  Next time you’re in a rush you can simply re-order your favorite healthy dish, no thinking required.
  4. Order a healthy snack for later. Often it’s not during mealtime that we get tripped up, but the post lunch slump and stretch before dinner that leaves us starving without a healthy snack. Ask for a piece of whole fruit, chopped fruit, or small soup when placing your order so you’ll have something to reach for later.
  5. Remember that food is fuel and that nutrition isn’t just about the food itself, it’s about feeding your soul. What are you really craving right now?  Do you need a hug instead of a cookie?  Think about that next time you place your order and then make the best choice available.  Don’t forget to slow down and savor every bite.

I hope these tips help when ordering out, whether you’re enjoying a relaxing night at home or busy day at the office.  And remember, just because you’re busy, doesn’t mean you can’t eat healthy.

Looking for even more on-the-go tips for your busy life?  Download my free On-the-Go Guide packed with ideas and inspiration to help you feel awesome here, there and everywhere.

Keepin’ It Real

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We often receive emails from our loyal fans requesting nutritional information for recipes.  Since we know this is an important question and nutritional info is very important to a lot of people we wanted to share our views and thoughts about this topic with all of you!  We spend a lot of time thinking about what information we want to include with the recipes on our site; we know that how long the recipe might take make, as few ingredients as possible and swaps are all crucial for our Cooking Campers.

We only use the highest quality ingredients and stick with whole foods like vegetables, beans, nuts, seeds,  whole grains, meat and fish for most of our recipes.

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While we totally understand that a lot of people are focused on the nutritional data that accompanies their food (fat, calories, fiber, etc), we are much more focused on the nutrient density and health benefits of the ingredients.

Even though there are thousands of dietary theories out there, the research all agrees on one thing: eating a primarily plant based diet is the easiest way to maintain a healthy weight.

So for now the HCC will not be posting specific calorie, fat, carb and protein data but we promise to continue to give all the amazing facts about the health benefits of our favorite ingredients.

Now we want to hear from you!  What do you look for when you’re checking out a recipe?  Are figures like calories, fat, and fiber the most important factors?  Or do you look at the ingredients?  What other details impact if you’ll make a recipe that you find online?Please share in the comments below!

Welcome to Wonderland

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Quinn recently had the major honor of being featured on The Wellness Wonderland Radio show hosted by the amazing Katie Dalebout, who we admire and adore.  She is an absolute doll who is has immersed herself in the world of wellness and walks her talk at every step.

This girl has built an incredible website, started a rad radio show, AND created a web series called Two Peas in a Pod with her bestie, Jess (they credit us as one of their inspirations [we're beaming with pride])

Quinn and Katie chatted about a bunch of stuff like what’s next for {Healthy} Cooking Camp, self care, weight loss, acne, cooking, the dalai lama, building a holistic business, Ayurvedic medicine, farming, flirting, fashion-show-dance parties and more!

Listen to the radio show below, and check out Katie over at the The Wellness Wonderland.  We recommend that you get to know her now, because this girls’s gonna to be a major wellness power player.  Pretty soon, we’ll all be living in Katie’s Wellness Wonderland and loving every minute.

Stream it live

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download and listen later

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Let us know what you think in the comments below.  Where do YOU want to see the wellness world 5, 10 or 20 years from now?

Like this interview?  Share this with your tweeps!

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Our Favorite Cookbooks Right Now

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As constant cookers (is that a word?  Quinn’s grandma says it, so let’s roll with it) we are constantly looking for new and fresh ideas.

Sometimes divine inspiration strikes when strolling through the grocery store or farmer’s markets, but sometimes we need to take it up a notch and seek it out at a stellar farm-to-table restaurant or in a kickass cookbook…

And our video below is all about the latter!  Watch to see our current faves for getting our “foodbrain” juices flowing and make sure to stay tuned until the end because we have a special announcement.

We created our own cookbook!

We are SO freaking excited to announce the arrival of our new baby, {Healthy} Cooking Camp’s {Healthy} Basics Cookbook!

It includes over 30 of our most tried and true recipes for mind-blowingly delicious, healthy food, and features some of our signature dishes that can only be found in this cookbook, like:

  • No-Bake Brownie
  • HCC Grab-n-Go Bar
  • Gorgeous Glazed Salmon
  • Mmm mmm Miso Pesto
  • Free Up Your Fridge Frittata

This is the perfect cookbook for someone who wants to start cooking healthier food but needs to know exactly where to begin. 

We totally break it down so you know exactly how many servings each recipe yields, how long it will take AND for each recipe we include 5 suggested “swaps” so you can play around with the ingredients and really make these recipes feel like your own.

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To purchase our brand new cookbook, click here!  

We hope you’ll add {Healthy} Cooking Camp’s: Healthy Basics Cookbook to your list of favorites too.

And a quick lil favor, we would reeeeeally appreciate if you could help us spread the word about our new cookbook so click here tell all your tweeps!  Think of all the recipes you and your friends can make together!  (And as we can tell you, together is oh so fun.)

We’d also love to know, what are your other favorite cookbooks for culinary inspiration?  Please share in the comments!

 

 

Spring Cleaning Your Kitchen: What to Keep and What to Toss

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Spring cleaning your kitchen is as important as cleaning out your closets.  We both recently underwent a big spring clean and are happy to report it felt amazing! Robyn did a big sweep before her apartment swap and temporary relocation to LA for 5 weeks. Quinn cleaned out everything as she moved from her home of 3 years and into her own apartment in Brooklyn.

Clutter can take up a lot more than just space in your home.  It can block the flow of creativity and leave you feeling a stifled rather than inspired.  Amazingly, the same is true for your refridgerator and kitchen cabinets.  When you have only what you need in your cooking space (and are reminded about some of the items you may have forgotten about!) you will feel more organized and inspired to create.

So how can that kitchen cabinet start feeling all shiny and new?  Here are some simple guidelines for clearing the clutter and getting a fresh start for spring…

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1) Take everything out of the kitchen cabinets and drawers.  To make an omelette you have to break some eggs.  i.e. you first need to make a mess before you can give your kitchen a deep cleaning.

2)  Start to make 2 piles – what to keep and what to to toss.  You should do this for all perishables, non-perishables and kitchen gadgets.  Heck even your silverware drawer would benefit!

 What You Can Keep:

  • Grains
  • Beans
  • Pasta
  • Canned goods a year under purchase date

What To Toss:

  • Spices (if they’ve been sitting around for more than 8-12 months)
  • Dried items ie. tomatoes, dried olives, fruit etc.
  • Nuts and seeds older than 6 months (unless you’ve been keeping them in the fridge or freezer)
  • Anything that you’re not 100% sure what it is or when you got it :)

3) Asses how your food is stored.  You want to make sure that everything is securely closed up to keep our critters and the light if necessary.  Now might be a good time to invest in matching storage containers.  Bed, Bath & Beyond, The Container Store and kitchen supply stores all carry great options.

4)  Check expiration dates.  This goes for every packaged product in the cabinet and fridge.  If you can’t find a date, toss!

5) Clean out all the storage spaces using a quality organic cleaner.  We don’t have any favorites as they all work pretty well but feel free to let us know your favorite cleaner over on the blog!

6) Once everything has thoroughly cleaned put all of the items back in an organized way.  Keep what you use most on a daily basis within arms reach and store less often used items behind them or on higher shelves.
 
Enjoy your newly refreshed an invigorated kitchen!  Now get cookin’ good lookin’!