Fun Friday - 5 Nutrition Tips from a Teen (for storing leftovers)

Photo Credit: Fine Dining Lovers

Just in time for Holiday gatherings and leftovers, is a story I wrote a couple years about what my son learned in his nutrition class.

 “Ma, what’s for dinner?”

My sixteen-year-old son held the refrigerator door open and gazed at the contents. “I don’t want leftovers today.”

“You can choose what’s in the fridge or you can cook something different,” I said.

My son proceeded to tell me what he learned in his nutrition class.

“My nutrition teacher said leftovers are not safe to eat after four days.”

This statement was all my son needed to hear to avoid eating leftovers. He even attempted to pull his brother in on his shenanigans.

“Donovan, remember when Mama would cook something on Monday and still try to get us to eat it on Saturday?” They both laughed.

Once my son recovered from his bout of laughter, he told me three tips he learned in class.

·         When storing leftovers, let them cool before putting them in the refrigerator. A drastic change in temperature before putting the food away can cause an increase in bacteria.

·         Wrap lettuce in a paper towel, then return it to its usual packaging to retain freshness longer.

·         Wrap the tip of an unpeeled banana with saran wrap if you want to keep it from becoming ripe too quickly.

·         Food shouldn’t remain sitting out more than two hours.

·         Leftovers shouldn’t be eaten after being in the refrigerator for more than four days.

And those are your nutritional tip provided by a teenager and his teacher. Do you have any nutrition tips share?

Fun Friday – Fitness and Nutrition

photo credit: eat this, not that

Did you know that fitness and nutrition go hand in hand? It’s like a marriage, they work better together. I have heard this often, but it has been a challenge to get the nutrition aspect together.

If you want to accomplish something bad enough, you have to make a change. A friend of mine always says, “Nothing changes, until something changes.” The time is now to focus on improving your health.

For fear of being called a hypocrite, I am taking my own advice. I have joined a group of women at the fitness gym, who are taking on a nutrition challenge. Our trainer has identified a meal plan for us to follow for the next eight weeks.

One of the items on our list of nutritional foods is Ezekiel bread. Several of the ladies raved over this item. When I first heard the name, I unclear as to what was being said, so I repeated it, “EZee Key-o?” No that wasn’t it. Then it finally clicked. Ezekiel.

I’m no proficient Bible scholar, but I make an effort to keep learning. I know Ezekiel was a prophet from the Bible. Anyway, I went to the grocery store in search of the bread named after the prophet. It didn’t take long for me to find it in the organic section.

As I looked at the price posted just below the bread, I had to readjust my glasses…$5.99? Is it me, or does it seem like it’s more expensive to eat healthy? Several odd questions popped in my head, as they sometimes do.

Does this bread cost more because it comes with a scripture? “Thou shalt eat healthy.”

Is Ezekiel bread like the fortune cookie of the Bible, with a message included?

Are Martha and Mary coming to my house to help serve this bread?

If you have decided to make fitness and nutrition a regular part of your life, start now. Have fun with it and don’t give up.

“The only way to fail is to give up.”  Susan Lieurance-The Morning Nudge

It may cost a little more to eat healthy, but the ultimate results are worth it. Make a change for self-improvement.

Fun Friday – 3 tips to achieve your fitness goals- The lighter side of fitness and nutrition

So you want to be fit and fabulous…what does it take? Shhh, come a little closer so I can whisper this best kept secret. Are you ready? The biggest thing you will need is a sense of humor.

1.      Use Humor – there will be times along your fitness journey where you will laugh at yourself. In my case, there are endless occurrences of giggles.

I had a conversation with a nutrition coach about my eating habits. I told her I love salads of all kinds.

She asked, “Do you drown them with salad dressing?”

I said, “Is that a problem?” Of course I don’t drown my lettuce, maybe it swims a little, but drown? No way.

You may not think you’re a humorous person, but consider this… Have you ever been in an exercise class and the instructor has everyone performing abdominal crunches? You say out loud (or think to yourself), “I’m not doing those, it hurts my stomach.”

You’re using humor.

2.      Get massages regularly – treat yourself to an occasional massage as a reward for achieving mini goals you set for yourself.

3.      Do anything to get moving, just make sure it’s something you like – if you do something you like, the chances are higher that you will stick with it.

photo credit: Pinterest

BONUS

4.      Don’t be afraid to laugh at yourself – yes I know this relates back to using humor, but it brings things full circle. You can uncover the humor in any situation.

Go ahead, get started on your fitness goals. Stop reading this, get up and get active. Stand up now and stretch your body. Give me some neck rolls and five arm circles….you’re on your way.