My name is Micah Boswell and I am an ultra marathoner who has currently taken the leap this off season to start training for my first NPC bikini competition. While this is a new journey for me, I have always been passionate about staying active and observing the importance of nutrition in our everyday lives-even though these days are far from normal. 2020 has taken so much from us, but it does not have to steal the sweet taste of summer time fruits and the great meals that include them. The media tells us that this time of year is when we are supposed to look our best, but what about feeling our best? True health in my opinion starts from within and we should all be empowering our bodies by keeping it them properly nourished. My passion for nutrition has led me to find a passion for creating fun, healthy meals that leave me satisfied and fueled throughout my workouts as well as daily activities. This post year started the launch of my own brand “Just Peachy Tips” where I sell my recipe ebooks which include these perfectly balanced, fun and healthy meals! By creating these recipes and becoming more educated on nutrition I’ve learned to stray away from words such as “unhealthy” and “I can’t eat that” and even the word “restrictive” to “how can I implement such fun foods into an everyday (balanced) lifestyle?”
Instead of avoiding sweet fruits, including them could be the best thing for your body, mind, and energy levels. This is a strong reminder that food should be enjoyable in the process. An efficient way to ensure a balanced healthy lifestyle is by tracking both macro and micronutrients. It can sound intimidating, so I will quickly break down these definitions. Macronutrients are the foods required in an everyday diet such as carbohydrates “carbs”, fats, and proteins. Micronutrients are the nutrients needed to maintain healthy body functions such as vitamins and minerals.
Do you find your days dragging on? Are you tired, perhaps even sluggish? Is your daily diet starting to look more like a drive-through-window-on-the-way-home now that things are returning to normal? We’ve all been there. What if I told you that the secret to losing weight is be not what you’re eating, but what you’re not eating? Do you find yourself forgetting plans and meetings? A meal that lacks carbs may lead to a glycogen crash through the day– leaving you feeling in a brain fog. A meal with absolutely no fat or not enough protein may leave you feeling hangry shortly after which then leads to an emergency trip to the vending machine for that candy bar, which won’t leave you feeling full for very long. Today’s hectic lifestyle often demands a lot from us, whether that involves physically running around completing chores, or sitting down and breaking your head over a difficult project. Either way, it’s understandable that you may not have the time to always pay attention to the meals you prepare, or may not even have time to prepare a meal at all! This is where delivery services such as Key To Food (https://www.keytofood.co.uk/) can help you to a large extent; such meal prep services help you curate your daily meals according to your health goals. Set up a plan and have wholesome meals delivered to your doorstep, every day or as often as you like! You need to get all the nutrients in to live your optimal life, and if that seems hectic, don’t hesitate to ask for help.
In addition to any health related goal or even maybe a weight loss journey you may be starting to pursue, tracking these nutrients will help combat that summer heat and fatigue. Summer time meals tend to be some of the best, most delicious dishes to incorporate all the vital micro nutrients our body needs. By maintaining a balanced diet in each meal, you will be able to enjoy all the fun summer activities longer. Do you have green veggies? If not, try pairing colorful fruits next to your side of meat or fish. Contrary to popular belief, fats are a crucial macronutrient we all need. A healthy way to include them into your diet is by using oils when cooking your carb-filled side dish.
No matter if you have tried flexible dieting, morning fasting, or intuitive eating, a balance diet is essential in fueling your body to be its most productive self throughout the day. This means your diet should include carbohydrates, fats and protein at every meal. These three macronutrients are crucial in general health.
While macronutrients are cool, micronutrients implemented in every meal are just as important. Always remember that these carry the vital vitamins and minerals found in the summery foods such as fruits and veggies. The more color on your plate the better!
For example:
Enjoying some pan seared cod in a citrus white wine sauce will keep you satisfied from the protein dense fish when paired with some colorful greens. To compliment this meal on a hot summer day, a fat free lemon cream cheese parfait topped by a minty lime whip is as guilt free as freshly squeezed lemonade on your back patio.
White wine citrus Cod with cream cheese lemon parfait.
Ingredients:
1/4 cup white wine
2 tbsp chopped shallots
1 tbsp minced garlic
1/2 cup cherry tomatoes
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 lemon
1 orange
1lb Cod fillet
Salt & pink himalayan salt
1 fat free sugar free lemon pudding mix
1 full package of fat free cream cheese
1 can fat free condensed milk
1 pack of limeade crystal light (quart size)
1 cup fat free whip
2 tbsp freshly chopped mint leaves
Start by adding your sweet cherry tomatoes to a pan with olive oil. Let the tomatoes and oil sit on a low heat until they are soft.
Slowly add your white wine to the pan. Pinot Grigio tends to be a great go-to wine for cooking, especially with citrus foods. Once the wine has started to evaporate add your minced garlic, shallots, sliced oranges and lemon juice.
Once your garlic and shallots and oranges start to cook down, add your cod fillet to the pan. Sprinkle black pepper and pink Himalayan salt to the top of the fillet and after 3-4 minutes on low heat flip the fillet onto its other side. Re-season pepper and pink Himalayan salt to the top of the fillet once flipped.
Your fillet will start to layer once it is fully cooked.
Serve over fresh greens or even an arugula salad with a side of oven roasted potatoes.
Pour the left over sauce over the top of the fish fillet and garnish with orange zest.
In a small mixing bowl combine your evaporated condensed milk and lemon pudding mixture. Use a mixer on a low setting to help thicken the pudding mix then set aside for a few minutes.
In a separate bowl add your fat free cream cheese and crystal light packets and again, on a low setting have the mixer stir the ingredients until they have reached a creamy consistency.
Once you have reached buttercream frosting like consistency slowly add the pudding & condensed milk mixture into the bowl of cream cheese.
Once your mixture has reached a thick, creamy consistency add it to a dessert bowl.
To make the final touch, combine your fat free cool whip and freshly chopped mint and lime juice into a seepage bowl. Whip these three ingredients together to use to top the lemon cream cheese parfait with. The mint helps offset the tangy citrus flavor. Garnish with lemon zest and mint.
By Micah Boswell