Happy New Year! If you're looking for some healthy ways to start the new year, tune into WZZM 13 on Sunday morning (1.6.19) around 7:45 am EST to see my Top Five food tips for the new year.
Here are my Top Five Food Trends for January!
#1 Celery Juice - Juice celery in the morning. Use a juicer or a blender. If you use a blender, add some water to the celery and then drain the juice and discard the pulp. Drink 16 ounces of celery juice on an empty stomach first thing in the morning and wait 15 minutes before having coffee and breakfast. I like to drink celery juice 3 times a week. I started doing this in November and I can tell a difference. It aids in digestion and it gives me extra energy throughout the day. (I'm usually a skeptic when I hear about new food or juicing trends, but this one I love!)
Not a big fan of juicing? Add some celery to your smoothies in the morning. The celery will provide the same vitamins, along with fiber when keeping it in its whole form. I'm not the biggest smoothie fan, I'd rather juice. But if you want to add celery to a smoothie, try adding some to this smoothie recipe that I did on WZZM back in November.
#2 Collagen Peptides - Add 1-2 scoops of collagen peptides to your coffee in the morning. Collagen Peptides act as building blocks, renewing bodily tissues, such as skin, bones and joints. Collagen peptides are flavorless and odorless.
#3 Adding more veggies to your meals - Spiralizing zucchini insted of spaghetti, cauliflower rice instead of rice, and veggie tots instead of tater tots.
Game day options- shave thin slices of carrots using a wide vegetable peeler and then add a thin layer of hummus and roll up. These are great for snacking and for healthy game day - party food options.
#4 Meal Prepping - One of the biggest things that can help jump-start your healthy eating is to meal prep. I love to do meal prepping on the weekend and then I'm all set for the week. Another option is to meal prep with friends (that way you get a lot of variety during the week.) Just get together over the weekend with some friends and plan out what you'll bring. Mix and match some fruit, veggies and protein to keep you going throughout the week. I also think January is a great time to clean out and organize your refrigerator and pantry.
#5 Alcohol Options -Some people do Dry January, abstaining from alcohol for the month. If you decide to not join the Dry January club, then try adding some sparkling water and fruit to your wine to reduce calories.
Here is a Veggie Tot Breakfast/Brunch Bake that I like to make on the weekend and eat during the weekdays for a quick and easy breakfast. You could even make these into egg cups for individual portions.
Veggie Tot Brunch Bake
Ingredients:
2 (16-ounce) bags veggie tots (cauliflower or broccoli)
1 cup diced ham
8 eggs
1 cup 1% milk
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 Roma tomato, diced
1 avocado, seeded, peeled, and diced
Fresh basil
Drizzle with harissa or your favorite hot sauce
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Cook veggie tots according to package and set aside. Reduce oven heat to 350 degrees.
In a greased 9x13 casserole dish, add the cooked veggie tots and then add the diced ham.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, salt, and pepper. Pour over the tots and then add the cheese.
Bake breakfast casserole at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes or until eggs are cooked. Top with diced tomatoes and avocados, then add fresh basil and hot sauce to finish.
