This Is So Much Easier Than You Think!

There isn’t a diet plan out there that doesn’t restrict your diet in one way or another. 

Everywhere you look companies are trying to sell you prepackaged food plans or tell you to work out hours a day. But this one tip can save you SOOO many hours on the treadmill and make weight loss planning nearly effortless.

Sounds Way Too Good To Be True!

I know this sounds way too good to be true. Most of you have probably heard this first sentence many times before. And truthfully many people already expect me to recommend some amazing new magical pill that has no FDA approval or actual science supporting it.

BUT Seriously I AM NOT!

The simple FREE tip is watch a couple youtube videos and practice a few healthy recipes. I know there is going to be the excuse that I’m no cook. But you don’t have to be a cook to make great food. You just need minimal practice, for real like try it once or twice.

Why Is This The Number One Tip?

An all too common excuse for many (I should know, I use to use this one) is that healthy food tastes terrible. I have family members relate anything even hinting a food is healthy as rabbit food. First I want to say that yes salads can be fantastic for weight loss and if you love them, then super awesome. When made correctly they can be healthy and very filling. And secondly, salads ARE NOT the only healthy food. 

What Should Be My First Step?

I know that there are many places out there that love to give you a fantastic tip and just sort a leaves you hanging. In other words it would be equivalent to me saying “A Great Tip To Lose Weight Is To Eat Healthy, Good Luck!” Or “Buy Our Small Portion Prepackaged Food And You’ll Lose Weight”. But, saying this is pretty unhelpful and just not cool. But, here we are going to go over a few of my favorite meals and snacks. 

Meal #1

This is one of those foods that many people completely love and many just totally hate.

We are going to go over Meal #1 a bit more than the others to explain a couple things to look for in your foods. 

Eggs

Yes, one of my favorite meal/snack is a bacon omelet. Seriously a bacon omelet can be considered healthy and even healthier if you were to kick the bacon. But, for me the bacon  really makes the omelet a satisfying meal that can serve as a complete meal or just hold you over to your next meal.

Portion

It has become a meme all on its own that healthy eating always means that you have to practically starve your self. But, here is where most are wrong. You can eat an omelet big enough to serve as dinner and still be way under 200 calories(seriously).

What Kind Of Eggs?

There are a few types of eggs out there and you are going to hear many conflicting answers. First we will cover some of the facts and then I’ll give my opinion on the debate of whole eggs vs egg whites. This information is available on just about any product available. Even restaurants have this information usually on their websites, or all you have to do is simply google what ever you’re eating. 

Whole Eggs VS Egg Whites

Which Should I Pick?

As you can see there are pretty big differences between whole eggs and egg whites. Because Carbs are not too far from one another, we are going to skip over this. Let’s focus on Total Fat, Protein, and Calories. 

Again We are going to go over this a bit more in Meal #1 just so you can see the process and replicate it yourself. 

Total Fats

Here you will get a few people reccommeding whole eggs over egg whites because whole eggs contain more good fats. Before we dive into this here. Just understand that there are good fats and bad fats. The body does require fats to function proper and has many health benefits ranging from helping your cholesterol to just being healthy for your heart. But, Then there are bad fats. These are at the fats that you should really avoid. These fats are the ones that get all the ugly attention because not only do they raise your bad cholesterol but the lower the HDL (good cholesterol). These can really increase your risks to many health risks ranging from heat disease to even increasing your risks to diabetes. 

So there is a trade off for going with the egg whites. While you do miss out on the good fats you also avoid the bad fats. 

Quick Tip

Again this is available on almost any food container and online.

Good Fats

• • Monounsaturated and Polyunsaturated Fats

Bad Fats

• • Trans Fat and Saturated Fats

The Argument

Some may argue that the healthy fats in eggs are worth consuming the unhealthy fats. But, if healthy fats are what your looking for you can simply look for them in foods that contain the healthy fats like just about any nut (pecans, almonds, peanuts, macadamia, chews and hazelnuts). And these are a great way to get these healthy fats. 

+1 Win for Egg Whites

Calories & Protein

These sort of go together because of the argument. But, let’s start with the protein. It is very important to get plenty of protein in your diet especially when you are losing weight and working out. Making sure consume enough protein during working our will help build muscle. And, during weight loss protein will help prevent muscle loss.

The Argument

You have probably heard this argument. But, people argue that if you don’t consume the egg yolk that you’re losing protein. Granted that when you subtract the egg yolk you will have have less protein. But, when you really measure the amount of protein, you will find that egg whites don’t fall far behind whole eggs. 

Now let’s include calories to the argument. If your goal was to consume more protein while lowering your calories. You will now find that egg whites contain about 2.58 times more protein for the amount of calories. This becomes much more helpful in being able to eat more while keeping your calorie count low. 

My opinion

I really believe that egg whites are a great option over whole eggs. Any way you look at it the low calorie count in egg white and still containing ample protein allows you to eat enough with out over doing it on calories. 

Now For The Tip!

I know the above was a bit long but I wanted to explain it enough so that you can really replicate the decision on other food comparisons that you may have. 

But now for that tip. You have heard that they’re plenty of ways to cook an egg and all you have to do is find one way that you like. With egg whites missing the yellow color you’re going to be a bit more limited on the way you can cook them but there are still plenty of ways. I have seen many people say that they hate eggs and when I saw them try and make them I saw the giant FLAW. They just didn’t really know how to cook them. They over over cooked them so much that it nearly impossible to like them. It was more of a brownish rubbery frisbee. But, simply taking a few minutes to look at different ways of making a healthy food can show you many more possibilities.

Just a Few Examples

• • Simple Scrambled Egg Whites
    • You can mike just about anything in them. A strip of bacon at about 40 calories cut up can add a new texture and give you that more satisfying full meal feeling. 
  • Omelts
    • This is just fancy scrambled eggs. You can really just throw anything in to help make a simple omelet into a full satisfying meal. 
  • Stir Frys
    • You can add egg to these to help bulk up a a good stir fry for minimal calories. 

Meal #1 Conclusion

As you can see the long answer to meal #1 was that you should really give egg whites a try. They are healthy, low in calories, and contain a significant amount of protein to calories. I like to use the liquid egg whites that come in a container. This makes this meal super easy to make and no waste from dumping egg yolks.

Prepared my way

Heres my favorite.

• • 2 slices of bacon (about 80 calories)
  • About 1/2 cup of egg whites (about 133 calories)
    • Some people have asked that if I separate the egg whites from yolks. So here is a link to the egg whites at walmart. You can find these in one brand or another in just about any supermarket. Look for the 100% egg whites.
      • Link to Walmart

I cook the two strips of bacon till I get the texture (crunchy). In the same pan I let the pan cool slightly and add the egg whites on low to medium heat. I then add salt, pepper, and bits of bacon to the egg whites. 

Quick Tip!

If you use a smaller pan you will get more of a fluffy omelet. A large pan will make more of an egg pancake.

Meal #2

Here in Meal # 2 I am going to go over a great breakfast option that literally takes you less than 2 minutes to make. There are plenty “shakes” that can pack over 220 calories in just 8 oz and contain enough sugar to compete with the foods we know we should be avoiding.

This is really my favorite snack. It is a fresh banana smoothie that has 82.5 calories per 8 oz and rivals those that can pack many 100’s of calories more. 

All the Ingredients

• • 1/2 Banna per smoothie (52.5 calories)
  • Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk (30 Calories)

Preparation

This is really one of the easies recipes out there. And, because this smoothie doesn’t use any ice. The perfect smoothie texture lasts much longer and doesn’t separate.

• • Slice up fresh bananas in about 1/4 slices and freeze in a ziplock bag. 
    • It is important to cut them up prior to freezing, it will alter the texture and flavor.
      • I like to just slice up the whole bunch at once and put it all in a bag.
      • Tip!
        • Don’t place too much in one bag. This way you can just simply break off how much banana you want.(it separates in a bag much easier than a container)
  • Simply place about 1/2 a banana per 8 oz of unsweetened vanilla almond milk in a blender. 
    • You will find that the banana will add plenty of sweetness to this smoothie.
    • But I have found this ratio of 1/2 banana to 8 oz of unsweetened vanilla almond milk to be the best. 
  • Here is what I use
    • This is blender I use. I use the small blending cup that comes with the blender
      • Ninja Professional Counter Top Blender
    • This is the milk that I use
      • Almond Breeze Almond Milk.

Meal #2 Conclusion

If you try this smoothie and like it, you will find that you can have plenty of sweet drinks with out all the calories and sugars. Because of the low calories and the ability for it to matin its texture for long periods of time this is a great option for snacks and on the go treats. 

Meal # 3

This is my favorite dinner. I can just about eat this everyday. 

When you hear about healthy food you usually don’t expect to hear the word fried with it. But, this is truly an awesome dinner option. 

I know that most people have already heard about air fryers and I have to say that I love mine. I have had my first air fryer for over a year and now that I found a new one it is just soooooooo much better.

Breaded chicken steaks air fried with a serving of brown rice is my favorite dinner. This is where this Number one tip of learning how to make good healthy food is so important. I will admit that I still need to use a cheap food temperature probe that is nearly 4 years old to make my dinner. Leaving your chicken steaks in the air fryer even just for 3 minutes to long will give you a chicken steak that you will probably never want again. But, a properly cooked one can give you a healthy alternative .

Ingredients

• • Chicken Breast Steaks (about 5oz each)
    • I find thicker steaks cook much better in the air fryer
  • Brown Rice 

Preparation and Cooking

• • Bread the chicken steaks 
  • Place the Breaded chicken steaks in a single layer with space between them on the wire rack in the air fryer
  • Place the temperature probe in the thickest part of the chicken steak
    • Make sure this probe can go in the fryer. 
  • Cook the chicken steaks till the temperature reaches at least 165 degrees fahrenheit.
    • Make sure you do not over cook. You will find that as soon as the temperature goes over 170 degrees Fahrenheit, your steaks will become chewy and just not good. 
      • The reason why the temperature probe is so important 

Here are the Air Friers that I have used

Power XL 8 QT Family Sized Air Fryer

I have used this air fryer for over 2 yeas and it has been great. It cooks my food fantastically and even though I use it several times a week it has held up well. The fact that I know that this fryer has lasted well over two years and has never given me an issue. I wouldn’t saying that this is a great purchase. But, if you asked me. I would so recommend my new air fryer. It is much less expensive and many times more versatile. 

Now that I have had the chance to try a new air fryer I will admit that this is so many times better than my last air fryer. I find it so much more usable and its actually less expensive. I will admit this one is a bit bigger and does take up more counter space. But It actually serve as an oven. It makes tombstone pizzas better and quicker on the regular bake mode!

Farberware Air Fryer Toaster Oven

I don’t recommend ever abusing a stores return policy. But, this is from Walmart and they have an awesome return policy. If you don’t like it simply return it for a FULL refund.

When using an air fryer it is a great idea to buy a food temperature probe. It is so easy to over cook food and completely ruin  your meal. But perfectly cooked air fried food is just awesome. 

Remember Your Food Thermometer!

This is the food thermometer I have used

Taylor Digital Wired Probe

Conclusion

The simplest tip for weight loss is simply learning how to cook great meals. Even something that is as easy as cooking scrambled eggs can taste so much better when done correctly. You don’t have to be a cooke to cook healthy food that tastes great. 

Here Are Some Other Interesting Articles

• Best Banana Smoothie!
• Why Am I Not Losing Wight?
• How Fast Can I Lose Weight?
• How Many Calories Should I eat?
• Awesome Healthy Snack At Work!

The post The Number One Tip On How To Lose Weight! appeared first on Just Live Simply.

This recipe is literally too easy for it not to be all over the place and in every smoothie shop. This is probably the healthiest fresh banana smoothie you can make. It packs a whopping 82.5 CALORIES with no added sugar and actually really healthy. I almost want to say that this doesn’t even qualify for a recipe because its just so easy.

This treat is great for just about anytime of day. Whether you just have a taste for a healthy treat, or needing a new perfect morning on the go beverage.  I promise it has super few steps. Let’s make one!

Time

You can prepare a few days worth of smoothies in about 2 minutes. And it takes about another 2 minutes to make. This is perfect if your looking for a quick snack.

Ingredients

Here are ALL the ingredients.

• • Half a Whole Banana (52.5 Calories)
  • 8 oz of Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk (30 Calories)
    • You Can Find This on Amazon
  • And Nothing else… Seriously!
  • Now let’s MAKE AN AWESOME SMOOTHIE!

I really don’t know why I have been missing out on this for so long. When you make your smoothie the right way you will notice that your drink will come out perfectly sweet with that perfect smoothie texture. It’s all in the way you make it.

Even though we aren’t adding extra sugar or really anything else, you will be surprised on how good this smoothie really is.

Step #1

Here we are going to be freezing some bananas.

Peel and slice some fresh bananas in about 1/4 inch slices. 

It may seem odd but slicing the banana in smaller slices before freezing will actually effect the texture of your Smoothie. (For real try it)

Place the slices in a small ziplock bag and toss them in the freezer till they are frozen solid. 

Using a bag is actually much easier than a container. In the bag you can easily break the frozen banana apart. Also, in a container the banana tends to stick to the bottom and can get a bit annoying to get out.

Step #2

Heres the hard work!

Toss about half a banana worth of slices (frozen) with about about 1 cup of Unsweetened Vanilla Milk in the blender. 

Tip: When Blended you will yield a bit more than 8 oz. 

Step #3

Enjoy!

After making this the first time I really don’t see why this isn’t more popular. It’s super easy and very healthy. Especially when you compare it to other recipes and fast-food restaurant smoothies. Nothing really comes close to the 82 and a half calories in this smoothie.

Tip: This is perfect size for the single cup blenders. I just recommend pouring in a cup and  rinsing out the blender right after making your smoothie, it cleans much easier.

You can use any blender but I get asked what my blender is. I has made me a ton of awesome smoothies!

Amazon Link to My Blender

If you feel you need just a bit more sweetness you can try Sweetened Vanilla Almond Milk or even a hint of chocolate syrup!

The post The Best Almond Milk Smoothie appeared first on Just Live Simply.