Last week, I introduced you to Sarah Adler with Simply Real Health, Inc. With an adamant belief that real food is good food, and a love of keeping things simple and easy to implement with real-life demands, Sarah starting designing hip and effective solutions to common healthy eating obstacles so that people can create healthy daily lifestyles that (actually) last.

This week I have two more recipes to share with you from Sarah’s Winter Meal Plan. Green smoothies are a excellent way to get lots of nutrients and are great for when you don’t have a lot of spare time to cook. Sarah’s plans include a wide variety of green smoothies recipes to try, but the Vanilla Macadamia Nut Green Smoothie was by far my favorite.

Vanilla Macadamia Nut Green Smoothie

4 stalks green kale (leaves only) or 2 large handfuls spinach
½ banana
¼ avocado
1 handful macadamia nuts (salt free) or cashews
Splash of vanilla extract

Combine all food ingredients with a small amount of water and blend. Add ice and continue to blend.

The second recipe I chose might be my favorite of the bunch. Breakfast food is always a crowd pleaser, and I think I might be able to eat baked eggs every day and be totally happy. I purchased a small cast iron skillet over the weekend, and I highly recommend one for this recipe as well.

Savory Baked Eggs with Spinach and Tomatoes
Adapted from Country Living
Makes approximately 2 servings

4 eggs
1 onion, chopped finely
1 small container organic spinach (or 4-5 handfuls)
1 can (14oz) whole tomatoes, chopped
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp smoked paprika
Sea salt and pepper
Assorted fresh chopped herbs

Preheat oven to 400. In a sauté pan or cast iron or ovenproof skillet cook onion, then add spinach in the last minute to wilt. Add tomatoes and herbs to the pan. Add mixture to a greased pie pan and crack 4 eggs on top. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until eggs have set. Broil for 1 minute, adding cheese of your choice (optional). Garnish with fresh herbs and hot sauce.

You can learn more about Sarah’s Winter Meal Plan here. In addition, Sarah has also shared with us her tips on starting a healthy lifestyle.

10 Ways to Start a Healthy Lifestyle Makeover:

1. Read the ingredient label on packaged food more than the nutrition facts. Just because something says it’s healthy for you on the front, doesn’t mean that it actually is.

2. Forget the rules and what you are supposed to do, and actually listen to your body. Hint: you have to implement Rule # 1 first to do this successfully.

3. Clean out your pantry, fridge, and freezer according to Rule #1. Restock it with healthy real-food staples instead. If you don’t have processed around, it’s much harder to eat it when you’re distracted, lazy or stressed out.

4. Drink a green smoothie (like the one above!) for one of your meals.

5. Plan out at least 2 dinner meals a week each Sunday or Monday. Try to match some similar ingredients (herbs, a sauce, etc.) so you don’t waste ingredients. Don’t buy anything you don’t have a specific plan for!

6. If you wouldn’t be able to google something to come up with a recipe, it’s probably not something you should be eating. Homemade Doritos anyone? Yup. Good luck with that one. Reece’s Peanut Butter Cups? Just have dark chocolate dipped in real peanut butter instead.

7. Respect your veggies just as you do with more decadent foods. Aka, realize that pasta doesn’t taste like anything naturally; it’s the stuff we combine with it that people love. So, don’t compare the taste of steamed brussel sprouts to pizza. It’s just not a fair comparison to your tastebuds. Treat your veggies with more respect. Roast them (to caramelize the natural sugars and make them taste sweeter), and sprinkle with real Parmesan cheese, sea salt, pepper and olive oil, or drizzle with some truffle oil. Eating vegetables that taste good will change your relationship with “healthy” eating, and thus will make you want to do so more often.

8. Keep moving. Walking, skiing, running around town, being active has less to do with calorie burning and more to do with circulating your blood, balancing your hormones, and encouraging you to be more bodily aware of how you feel. Do harder workouts at least 2x/week, depending on your schedule and goals, but at least move yourself everyday. It’s a necessary part of living a healthy lifestyle.

9. Release the thought of perfection. That creates loads of unnecessary guilt! No one eats healthy 100% of the time. Make it your new goal to eat more real food and less processed food—no matter what type, category, meal or situation you are in. All of those little days add up to big changes over time.

10. Get cooking! Even if it’s just 1 more meal at home than you are doing now, the more you do it, the better and more comfortable you will be. This is a life skill, not an option if you want to be healthy. There are plenty of ways to cut down on the time and make it very manageable (see meal plan, for example). Don’t wait!

Simply Real Health Week 2