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If you’re looking for somewhere to start, “getting healthy” can seem like a daunting task. Becoming “healthy” isn’t the same path for everybody, let alone the same clear path. You may have specific areas you want to work on, such as exercising, drinking more water, or eating more whole foods. I’ve outlined the little things I try and achieve each day as a means of improving my own quality of life. Adopt some of them, adopt all of them, adopt one of them; any of them will only work to positively serve you.

1. Give yourself time in the morning.

I find that my day goes along a lot smoother when I wake up earlier and give myself a moment in the morning, as opposed to waking up with just enough time to get ready before I’m out the door for the day. Even an extra 30 minutes to take my time making my hot lemon water, pack my lunch, or play with my cat, leaves me in a better headspace. I know that this isn’t a tip related to nutrition, but I also find that in waking up earlier, my digestive system has more time to wake up as well.

2. Let’s get this one out of the way: drink your water.

I try and drink at least 8 oz of warm or room temperature water with lemon each morning before having breakfast. I also add in the equivalent to a capful of apple cider vinegar as a means of aiding my digestion and function of the immune system. If I’m not in a hurry (see first bullet point,) then I drink a 32 oz water bottle before delving into breakfast. Not only does this get you off to a great running start for your daily water intake, it kicks off your digestion and preps your stomach lining for the remainder of the day.

3. MOVE.

I recently started to incorporate a daily walk into my routine. Ideally, I’d like to walk in the mornings, for at least 15-20 minutes, but I’ve been engaging in them before the sun starts to go down. Find a small side street near you and go for a short walk. Not only does this help you digest after potentially having ate dinner, but you’ll be ensuring you get in some Vitamin D.

4. Make small swaps.

Honey instead of artificial sweetener. Matcha latte instead of that second cup of coffee. Whole wheat instead of bleached white flour. Always ask what your food does for you besides fill you. What does it fill you with? If the answer is nothing good, change it.

5. Have a plan.

If you’re going somewhere and don’t know what foods will be available, have healthy snacks on hand. Pack cut up fruit, invest in a good lunchbox, don’t be scared of being the person to have a “snack stash.” When you plan, you’re more likely to succeed and not give in to easy, quick options.

6. Ask yourself, “how can I add more green to this?”

And don’t stop there. Always ask what you can add. Can you sprinkle nuts on top of your salad for healthy fats? Can you add some vegetables into your rice for added micronutrients? Can I add spinach into this smoothie? Chances are there is room for small additions all around, not just in relation to greens.

7. Don’t break a promise

to yourself. Or anyone else for that matter, but also to yourself. If you’ve told yourself you’re going to go for a run after your shift, go for that run. Hold yourself to the same standards you set for others.

8. If you can’t pronounce it, don’t eat it.

Don’t be ignorant to food labels. Explains itself.

9. Tea at night.

I didn’t realize just how beneficial fresh herbs and spices can be until reading Maria Noël Groves’ herbal guide, Body Into Balance. I could go on and on about this, but I can sum it up by recommending that you take the time to not only add fresh herbs into your diet, but have a cup of tea each night. Make it a habit. Not only will unwinding with a tea initiate the “cozy vibes,” drinking tea has been proven to alleviate mental and physical stress.

10. Ask what your food can do FOR you. Don’t wait until something ails you, eat to prevent ailments.

When I hear a cold is going around at work, I up my intake of vitamin C. That’s not uncommon for people to do. Go beyond that by informing yourself on what your food can do for you (yes, I’m repeating it again because it’s that important.) If heart disease runs in your family, research foods to maximize heart health. If you have to go on antibiotics for something, look into what foods you should be consuming to help repair your gut flora. Food is medicine; it has the potential to influence our bodies in incredible ways that go beyond satiation. Reach for whole, real food before you’re dishing out money for drugs to fix the problem.

Yesterday I went grocery shopping in the A.M. with the intention of stocking up for the week, but also of making something new and different to bring to my parent’s house for dinner in the evening. I don’t know where the thought to make a potato-salad-esque dish came from, but I think my thought process must have been something along the lines of, “I’ll make something for my sister and I, who don’t eat meat, to enjoy, but just in case anyone else wants to have some, I’ll base it around the most common pairing to meat (the main course of the night,) potatoes.”

Thus, this dish was born and, not to toot my own horn, nor to initially diminish my perceived abilities, but it came out way better than I anticipated.

Ingredients:

• one large white potato
• one large purple sweet potato
• one red pepper
• one can corn
• one red onion (I used a little less than half of this)
• three scallion bulbs with stems attached

Instructions:

To start, scrub clean your potatoes (I did one regular and one purple because purple potatoes are my new-found obsession) and then cut them into thick “chips.” Thick enough to not flop over but still have some body. Boil those for 10 minutes max. I checked on mine halfway through and they needed the additional five, but I would keep an eye on them so you don’t end up with a mash as your base.

Once they’re soft, lay out on a baking sheet and add pink salt, garlic powder, and black pepper. We’re doing an oil-free bake, so that’s all you’ll need. Place them in the oven for 30 minutes on 400 degrees Fahrenheit, or until you start to notice that they’re beginning to brown.

Prep you toppings: I used one whole red pepper, corn, and a little less than half of a red onion. Mix together. This will be placed on top once the potatoes have cooled in the dish. Next, chopped up your green onion. This will be placed on top of that.

For the dressing you will need:

• roughly 1/2 cup of tahini
• one handful of fresh dill
• salt and pepper (to taste / preference)
• about a clove of garlic (I used 3 small cloves)
• splash of apple cider vinegar
• squeeze of lemon juice
• a splash of water

Add these to your blender or food processor. Blend. That’s it.

To serve, I kept the dressing separate because I wasn’t wanting to show up to family dinner with a soggy plant dish. However, I think if you are serving it within a short time frame, the dressing (or “good sauce” as I called it upon realizing how, well, good it was) would hold up fine without seeping into everything else. All-in-all, my dish got pretty good reviews from my carnivore-based family members. I’ll definitely have to make this again some time, seeing as how there was but one minuscule scoop for leftovers.

As much as I love a good ole drizzle of olive oil and salt and pepper on my salad, and the simplicity that it brings, sometimes you want just a little bit more to jazz up your greens. This recipe is simple, but one that’s taken me a few tries before really admitting, “alright, this is it.”

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 lemons (juice of)
• 3 tbsp tahini
• 2 tbsp water
• 2 cloves garlic (or more, depending on preference)
• salt and pepper

In a food processor, or a small blender, you’re going to add all ingredients and blend. Simple, right? However, a large portion of this is based on your personal preference, i.e. the amount of salt, pepper, and garlic. To start, I would start out small before you go big. It is always more difficult to take out than add in (aka impossible.)

If you can, add your olive oil slowly while processing, to prevent separation later on. However, I have blended all ingredients together and have not run into this problem. Store in the fridge, and if separation occurs, simply shake before using. I recommend a mason jar or something with a wide opening, as a thick dressing will likely not run smoothly out of a traditional salad dressing shaker with a narrow spout.

Benefits:

• Vitamin C from the lemon
• Garlic can improve cholesterol levels, and also contains immunity boosting properties
• Tahini is rich in protein and vitamins that boost brain function

I first made this recipe some time ago but I haven’t stopped thinking about it since. With fall upon us and Thanksgiving around the corner, I will likely be making it again. It started when I visited a local farmer’s market with all sorts of fresh goods. One that caught my eye, having never cooked it myself before, was their acorn squash (which I paid about $2.00 for.) Some dabbling on the internet later, and I found a recipe which inspired the chickpea, vegan filling that would be served alongside it. I experimented with the seasonings and add-ins, and this recipe came to be.

First, halve your acorn squash. Brush with a melted coconut oil and cinnamon mixture. I’d say about 2 hefty tablespoons of coconut oil with a good dash of cinnamon; this isn’t really something you can overdo. Place the halves of acorn squash on a cooking try and place in the oven, face-up, for an hour on 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

For the filling, it will not be baked inside of the squash. It will be done on the stove-top, but feel free to add the stuffing into the middle of your squash for plating and presentation later on.

What you will need:

• 1/2 white onion chopped
• 1 large garlic clove or 1 tbsp minced garlic
• celery, about three stalks
• 1/2 apple, I used a red variety but if you prefer less sweetness, use green
• 1 can of chickpeas
• 1 tbsp maple syrup
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• olive oil
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans

In your pan, combine the olive oil, onion, and garlic. Cook this down, along with the chopped celery as these will take the longest to cook. Add in the chopped apple and chickpeas. While cooking, look for the chickpeas to become slightly browned by the pan.

For seasoning, add in the maple syrup and brown sugar, making sure that the sugar melts and does not burn. Salt and pepper the dish, and add in the cinnamon. Last, you will stir in the cranberries and pecans with the heat turned off. They do not need to be cooked but are best warmed with the rest of the mixture.

Serve together or separate, this dish would be great with wild brown rice, or a protein if you wish. A tip, if there is excess of the cinnamon and oil mixture when you take the squash out of the oven, poke through with a toothpick so that a mixture will seep through and into the pan.

Ingredients: 

• 2 mashed bananas
• 1 cup almond flour
• 2 heaping tablespoons of hemp protein
• ¼ cup coconut sugar
• 2 flax “eggs” (two spoonfuls of ground flax seed mixed with two spoonfuls of water, let sit for five minutes)
• ½ tsp baking soda
• ¼ cup melted coconut oil
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• Large dash of cinnamon
• Dark chocolate chips
• Crushed walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

Notes: 

• You can make this recipe using one bowl; dry and wet ingredients do not have to be separated
• Hand or standing mixer is recommended for getting out banana chunks
• Almond flour gives the bread a fudgey consistency, it is not recommended you substitute for other flour
• Hemp protein will make the mixture appear darker

Instructions: 

In one bowl, mash the bananas into a smooth consistency.  This does not have to be perfect as the mixer will get most of the chunks out.  Add in the remaining ingredients.  Mix until mixture becomes smooth.  Chocolate chips and walnuts are added mix-ins; if you do not prefer mix-ins then omit these, or feel free to substitute other options. 

Bake for 45-50 minutes. 

Benefits of the banana bread include protein and unsaturated fats from the hemp protein.  Flax is also a rich source of healthy fat, and may help lower the risks of heart disease and diabetes.  Cinnamon is full of antioxidants and contains anti-inflammatory properties.  Walnuts add healthy fats into the mix as well, making a slice of this bread satisfactory and a great part of breakfast or as a snack. 

A little late to the party as I know summer has recently wrapped itself up, I still wanted to touch on some of the meals I’ve been eating through the season. I usually go through phases of having favorite meals and snacks, a lot of them simple but still my favorite go-to’s. I admittedly switch these up pretty frequently, as I discover new recommendations and combinations that take the place of the one before it. I thought I’d share what some of my favorite meals and snacks are because quite frankly, I feel like writing and sharing something quick.

Breakfast:

All breakfast begins with hot lemon water for me, as it aids in digestion and the balance of pH levels. Lemon water also can improve skin quality, contains a high amount of vitamin C, and with the addition of apple cider vinegar, actually helps me get a grip on potential acid reflux (hiatal hernia girl over here) that I might encounter in my day. After that, I will either have a green spirulina smoothie (if you Google search Kenzie Burke’s Tropical Bub smoothie, I’m sure it will come up) and a form of protein after (scrambled eggs, piece of toast with almond butter, overnight oats), or a chlorella tablet and a larger portion of a different breakfast, such as a coconut yogurt bowl with one banana, half of a mango, cinnamon and cacao. Another one I love is specifically either an Ezekiel english muffin or the Food for Life brown rice bread (toasted twice) with pink salt, black pepper, and red pepper flake.

Lunch:

Lunch is usually a salad of whatever I want or have on hand. One of my favorite things is making a giant salad of some of my favorite heartier meals for when I want a meal that keeps me full and satisfied without stuffing me. An example of this is a “burger salad” that I exclusively make with a veggie burger patty. My favorite is the Dr. Praeger black bean burger patties, with Hilary’s being a close second, although they have the potential to stretch the budget a bit more. A burger salad usually is a bed of greens, burger patty, cucumber, avocado, cherry tomatoes, pickles, and a bit of ketchup and spicy brown mustard. Another version of this is a taco salad, which is just a bed of greens with all of the fixings I would put on a taco – avocado, salsa, nutritional years, black beans, baked tofu or crispy tempeh back when I ate soy, chickpeas, crushed up tortilla chips, any variety of those things.

Snacks:

I love snacks; I’ve always been a snacker or a grazer. One of my favorite snacks is currently kalamata olives (the best olives IMO) dipped in Trader Joe’s organic original hummus. I rinse the kalamata olives off before consuming as they typically have a thick coating of oil on them; it doesn’t change the taste or anything. Another snack I look forward to is Siete tortilla chips (plain in this case but the lime are my favorite to eat alone) with Trader Joe’s vegan nacho cheese dip. Life changing. I try and moderate this because it is a processed food, although with clean ingredients, but with this, sometimes I can’t help it. Back in college and before my healthy eating days, I was obsessed with the Tostito’s queso dip in the jar. I would consider this a step up from that.

Dinner:

Some of my favorite dinners that I’ve been making include red lentil dahl with coconut rice, honey garlic chicken and vegetables, and absolutely anything involving rice noodles.

Curry is a newer food for me, meaning I tried it for the first time this year. A few years ago I got green curry from a Japanese restaurant and didn’t love it by any means. I still don’t know if that was because it wasn’t spicy / a red curry, or because it was not well-done, but either way I admit the color, having been a neon yellowish green color, threw me off. When I make dahl, I mix some of the paste with a can of coconut milk and water to cook the lentils in. My favorite add-ins for this include mixed chopped peppers, spinach, chickpeas, and eggplant.

I’ll be posting the full and measured out honey garlic chicken recipe on either here or my Instagram as soon as I get around to making it for the third time. It is arguably the best chicken I’ve ever made, granted it’s in the Crockpot, but still. I use chicken thighs, honey, garlic, soy sauce, and ketchup. Serve it with whatever vegetables you like and are on hand.

Rice noodles have my heart. For some reason, I can eat an entire take out container of rice noodles; I love that they’re so light. When I make rice noodles, I rinse and add them to any mix of spinach, snap peas, edamame, shredded carrot, and shrimp. Sometimes I do no meat and whatever vegetables I have on hand; it’s a versatile dish. I bought a premade peanut sauce once and although it was an organic one, the ingredient list was a bit lengthy. Now, I regularly make my own using sesame oil, coconut amino’s, and peanut butter. The peanut butter melts down and smooths out in the pan when being heated.

Dessert:

Dessert for me is typically on any night a square or two of dark chocolate, most likely a coconut or mint flavor. I recently discovered Nadamoo ice cream (the strawberry cheesecake flavor) and it was a lot better than the dairy-free Halo Top in my opinion. If you do eat dairy, my favorite used to be the Outshine coconut bars dipped in dark chocolate. So Delicious makes a dairy-free salted caramel ice cream bar that is also dark chocolate dipped; that became my fill-in for the Outshine bars, as I remember the ingredient list being a bit lengthy.

I feel like this topic has become almost taboo at this point. From what I’m seeing, half of the internet is for the method of eating known as food combining (which actually ironically enough is centralized around the strategy of specifically not combining most foods when eating a meal), and half are against it.

As someone who tried it, let’s talk:

I’m going to go ahead and assume that you know who I am talking about when I refer to the social media influencer who is known for promoting food combining and the lifestyle that comes along with it. I just want to say first and foremost, I don’t dislike that individual in any way or hold her accountable for the way my body chose to react to something I admittedly did very seldom research on myself. I actually LOVE majority of her recipes, and respect her drive, and have incorporated some of the tips and tricks she follows into my own lifestyle, despite the fact that I am not following food combining myself.

My most liked and trafficked post on my Instagram account is a picture I posted of vegan coconut french toast, a recipe that stemmed from a Youtube video that she posted. It was also probably one of the best breakfasts I’ve ever made. It was easy to make, and left me satisfied, but not overly heavy and full feeling as you might get from a hearty French toast recipe.

Honestly, food combining stressed me the hell out. There are a plethora of guidelines to this method of eating. I’m going to assume that if you are here reading this, you are at least a little bit familiar with what I’m talking about. Food combining only allows fruit to be eaten in the morning on an empty stomach 30 minutes prior to other foods, discourages the consumption of dairy and gluten, and does not allow for foods considered to be proteins and foods considered to be starches to be eaten simultaneously. I use the phrase “considered to be” because, I mean, don’t most foods contain different macro-nutrients? An avocado isn’t JUST fat, you know? Food combining also semi-discourages the consumption of legumes (at least from what I read, although it be seldom), as well as alcohol and sugar, which I guess is semi-fair.

Let’s start with breakfast. A typical breakfast was either a green smoothie or a bowl of fruit with shredded coconut. I’m not going to lie, the “Tropical Bub” smoothie recipe circulating the internet is my favorite currently; there’s just something about adding the ginger that gives it such a nice contrast. I also really ended up enjoying the mango, banana, cinnamon, and cacao nib breakfast starter that is heavily popular online. Although I’m not food combining, I will either have the smoothie as part of my current breakfast or the fruit bowl, but with coconut yogurt to make it more filling. As for the whole two breakfasts thing, listen – I’m a hungry girl in the mornings, but for one thing, that was admittedly just two much food for me. Maybe I was just making the smoothie too large-and-in-charge before my two slices of toast with half an avocado and red pepper flake (another favorite I still have), but man that was a lot of food to try and cram down some days. Additionally, with my current work schedule, my entire morning was spent making and eating my breakfast for an hour. It works for me on the weekends (I had a smoothie and then a bit later some eggs today) but when I’m rushing around trying to get ready, it just isn’t realistic. I also want to mention my unpopular opinion: Gluten free bread? I love it. Just be sure to toast it twice, it really does make a difference.

Lunch for me is typically a salad anyways, and food combining suggests that leafy greens are “neutral” and can be eaten with anything. However, when I have a salad, I want a loaded salad, or else I’m snacking an hour later. Snacking is all good and fun, but the reason I’m doing it shouldn’t be because I’m dissatisfied with my meal. My salad on food combining was normally all greens, sprouts, olives, tomatoes, cucumber, and some rice. On any other occasion I would have thrown in chickpeas, steamed sweet potato, a veggie burger, quinoa – maybe not ALL of those things at the same time but you get the idea. Not only was I not full after my lunch, but I was becoming stressed about which foods were “combinable,” (I don’t think that’s a word) to the point where I was almost okay with being dissatisfied because hey, at least I wasn’t ruining my food combining. When I was vegan, I found beans to be a great source of protein, as well as being a filling element in my meal. Food combining left me scared to eat them, as they are known to produce gas (bloat), and hesitant as I wasn’t sure if beans were considered a protein which, as we know this far in the post, can’t be combined with a starch if I was planning on adding one.

Now we get to dinner. Another tip I found in my food combining travels, was that at least half of your plate should be vegetables. I will admit, this tip probably helped me as much as it hurt me (thus canceling itself out?) Today, I am much more aware to make a larger portion on my plate vegetables. However, that threw me for a loop initially because while food combining, my plate was more than half filled with vegetables, and … then what? Some rice. Or a veggie burger patty. It’s probably my own fault, but it didn’t get much more creative than that.

Not only was my creativity lacking, but my passion, my entire reason for wanting to share what I was eating, felt weird and restricted. It reached a point where I was no longer excited about preparing my food.

And that’s when I knew I needed to change something.

Since I quit worrying about whether or not my foods “combine” well together or not, I’ve been excited about food again, full of energy, AND I haven’t been bloated, which is one of the main high points that food combining tells you: that you won’t ever be bloated.

I want to say that bloating is normal and it happens to me, but also I’ve never really been someone who had it happen to her often. And here’s where the plot thickens. While still attempting food combining, I didn’t have much energy, and I will say … I think food combining did the opposite of what it told me it would do. Meaning while food combining, not only was I stressed about adhering to all of the rules (which hey, stress can contribute to digestive issues), I at a point was the most bloated I had ever been. I also didn’t successfully go to the bathroom (if you get my drift) for THREE days. Not to give you my life’s story or anything, but with the way I typically eat, or should I say ate before all of this, I usually hit up the bathroom for numero dos a minimum of four times a day. On food combining, I was lucky if I got two.

In conclusion: Do I hate food combining? Hate is a strong word – I think it might work for some people because that’s what they’re saying, but what I’m saying is that it didn’t work for me. Too many restrictions, too little enjoyment, too little bathroom trips. The line of my health and wellness journey, it isn’t linear. Every part of it is a bit of knowledge I now have. I now have the knowledge that some of the recipes I found along the way are great, and I now have the confirmation that only I can decide what I feel works best in my body for my body. I feel silly for trying to follow a method of eating just because someone else posted it and that it worked for their body; their body isn’t my body, and it isn’t yours. However, there are good things I take from the experience, like how some of the tea brands I discovered along the way I genuinely enjoy incorporating into my nighttime routine, and how giving myself a window to digest my food before going to sleep at night leaves me feeling better in the morning (but that’s probably just my hiatal hernia talking, who knows.) I like lemon water in the mornings, but I also like drinking a glass of wine without feeling like I just sabotaged my entire life. I know it isn’t that deep, but I’m here to tell you if you feel like it is, or like you’re failing because this isn’t working for you, you’re not the only one out there. Listen to yourself and your body, only you know what works for you.

Health with Hales started as the Instagram account I created my senior year of college. The account stemmed from inspiration I found from a collection of influencers on the platform, posting about their health and fitness journeys. One of my biggest influences (I believe her Instagram page being one of the first I stumbled upon) was shutthekaleup. She posted about her personal life and family, as well as her beliefs in knowing where your food comes from, as well as supporting local and organic business. My passion stemmed from a similar place, but it wasn’t until I stumbled upon this world of posting and sharing the passion did I realize it could be a discussion, and a means of connecting with people.

At the time, I was going to school during the week while living in my apartment in the same town as campus, and commuting home every other weekend to work. I was budgeting my grocery shopping, but spending money on food was something I truly (strangely) enjoyed. I don’t know many people who love going grocery shopping, but going to the store by myself and looking for new, interesting health food products was one of my favorite ways to spend my time.

My very first post on my Instagram account was a picture of me holding a yogurt. I wasn’t anything fancy, new, or original, and yet it felt like the start of something just like all of those things.

I had adopted such as strange love for grocery shopping, clean ingredients, and creating recipes. I began posting more and sharing more brightly colored ( and poorly lit) photographs of my grocery cart, smoothies, recipes, baked goods, and more. Health with Hales went through a plethora of stages, which included all of the following, in no specific order and at varying points in time, multiple times: vegetarian, vegan, pescatarian, paleo-based, plant-based. I no longer put a label on any of that. I found out the term “flexitarian” is a thing, however it, to be honest, sounds hilarious and made up to me. So to keep it simple and within my own terms, I just eat, and do, what I want.

A few years after college, when I had admittedly found myself posting less and less on the account, I picked it back up. It was, afterall, an easy way to engage in something I was passionate about. Health with Hales went through a rebranding stage, which included the harsh deletion of every post, and the posting of a themed, “on-brand,” photograph to get the ball (re)rolling.

Today, my account is exactly what I wanted and need it to be. I don’t worry about posting a gluten-free, vegan meal and then the next day, not. I’m still on my wellness journey, trying to figure things out one plate at a time.