Nutrition Q&A

I had a flight delay a few weeks ago and threw out the offer for our followers to ask me their burning questions about nutrition, food, and fitness. I wanted to answer these questions on the blog so it was an easy place for everyone to have access to read the Q&A.

If you have more questions please let me know and I can get to them in a Happy Hour post or another Nutrition Q&A type post if you guys like this 😉

What are your favorite smoothie recipes I can easily make at home?
As you guys know I’m into Daily Harvest smoothies and wrote a whole blog post on it last week…read it here. I do keep a bunch of frozen fruit and vegetables in my freezer so I can whip up my own smoothies recipe if I’m not feeling a DH smoothie (or wanting to add extra greens to theirs).

When making your own smoothie at home you want to choose your base liquid wisely. I typically use an unsweetened milk alt or coconut water. If you use fruit juice it can easily turn your smoothie into a sugar bomb. Next, you want to make sure you have a good source of protein, fat, and fiber to keep you full and satisfied! Lastly, don’t be shy with the greens and limit fruit to 1/2-1 serving.

Here, here, and here are a few smoothie recipes I like that are easy to whip up at home 😉

If I’m craving something chocolatey I will make this:

2 cups unsweetened almond mi
1 serving fave choc protein powder (I like Aloha)
1/2 frozen banana
1 Tbsp chia seeds or ground flax
1 Tbsp nut butter
handful spinach

Is consuming soy really harmful and something I should be avoiding?
This is a somewhat tricky question to answer because there is a big divide on the subject. The controversy is primarily over the phytoestrogens (isoflavones or isoflavanoids) soy contains and concern for people with or at high risk for breast cancer. This is confusing because at one point we were being told these isoflavones are actually protective against breast cancer.

Personally, whole and organic soy products are not something I avoid, but consume in moderation. Quality (organic because most soy has GMO) and quantity are IMO what’s important when it comes to soy consumption. Examples of soy I consume occasionally include: tofu, edamame, soy milk, and soy beans.

However, I do avoid more processed soy like soy protein isolate which found is in a lot of bars (ex. Luna), protein powders, etc. Read your labels 😉

What is your workout schedule and what do you do for workouts?
I don’t have a set workout schedule. Every day and every week is different, but my goal is to workout 5-6 days a week. I have ClassPass, so I typically go to different classes like barre, spin, pilates, and yoga. I also try and go on at least one 4+ mile run a week to keep my mileage up.

Lately, I’ve been loving the Lagree Method mega reformer pilates classes. The classes are only 45 minutes and you work your butt off and are sore in places you didn’t even know muscles existed! My body has been craving these types of low impact resistance training…trying to keep those cortisol levels down, but 2-3 x week I NEEEEED my cardio.

What are some tips to hide nutrition in your kids meals if they are picky eaters?
I’m by no means an expert in this area of nutrition, but I try to use higher quality products for Quinn (just like I use for myself). It can be frustrating because they do waste a lot of food, but if I make her similar foods that I eat then I can just eat what she doesn’t 😉 I give her whole wheat or lentil pasta, whole wheat break and tortillas, Simple Mills crackers, etc.

I also make her smoothies (try to load it with the good stuff and still make it taste good with dates), healthier ingredient pancakes/waffles like Simple Mills or Kodiak Cakes that have added protein. I will also add yogurt or cottage cheese to the mix to up the protein if needed.

I’ve also started using different shape cookie cutters for her sandwiches and she gets really excited and will eat a turkey avocado sandwich because it’s in the shape of a heart or star.

I notice when I have the time to get her in the kitchen and helping she is much more eager to try what we’ve made together, esp the veggies.

I would also recommend getting this book! So many great ideas from an expert 😉

What is your least favorite food?
Hmmm fun question! I really don’t like oysters and mussels. My husband loves them and we eat a lot of seafood, but I can’t with the texture.

What are your favorite snacks?
I keep snacks pretty simple and I’m always aiming for a protein rich options: Apple slices + nut butter, rice cakes + avocado or nut butter, smoothie, hard boiled egg + apple slices, and chia seed pudding topped with a little granola + berries. If I’m on the go then I’ll stash something like a bar (Bulletproof, Rx, Perfect, Lara), energy bites, or individual packets of almonds/cashews in my purse.

I did a whole blog post on mindful snacking and included a ton of snack ideas- check it out!

What are your favorite quick meals for mama’s to have no time?!
I wrote up 5 quick and nutritious Trader Joe’s inspired meal ideas here that are my go-to recipes when I’m short on time and kitchen inspiration. Sometimes I will grab a rotisserie chicken from Whole Foods (this is the best time saver!) , roast some veggies, and throw bag of 3 minute frozen quinoa from Trader Joe’s in the microwave and call it a day!

Here, here, and here (I add chicken) are also some of my fave recipes when I’m short on time.