A Packed Lunch - Organic Chicken Sandwich w/Veggies

This sandwich is high in protein, fiber and polyunsaturated omega 3 fats.
The cost is about $3 per sandwich w/carrots.
Calories are about 300 w/carrots.

Ingredients per sandwich:
2 slices of organic high fiber bread (I use Natural Ovens with flax for extra Omega 3s)
2-3 slices of organic smoked chicken breast ( I love Apple Gate Farms)
"secret sandwich sauce" : about 1/2tbsp of flax oil, 1 tbsp organic light mayo and your favorite mustard well mixed
some mache lettuce (also high in Omega 3s and Vitamin C)

Additional:
1/4 organic tomato sliced
handful of baby carrots

Method:
Prepare "secret sauce"
spread on 2 slices of bread
add chicken, lettuce and tomato between the bread
serve with baby carrots
Enjoy!

You can make it a cafe lunch by adding 1 cup of organic soup and/or an organic yogurt!!!

Also, I always make at least 4 sandwiches at once and store them in sandwich bags. They keep for a at least couple of days. You can just pack the lettuce and tomato separately so they don't get soggy.

The cost of eating out: Part 1- Lunch

One of the biggest reasons why people do not eat healthy, is because they eat out at restaurants or they eat prepared foods.

One of the biggest complaints about eating organic is that it is too expensive.

The reality is, that you can eat healthy and organic for less or the same cost of commercially prepared food. I mean an organic apple costs about the same or less than a fast food french fry and is nutritionally far superior!
It just takes a little bit of time, thought and preparation. (Of course motivation is another huge factor, but I am assuming that if you are reading this blog, you have good reasons and the desire to eat healthier : )

Nutty Chocolate Chip Cookies

These delicious cookies are packed with Omega3 fatty acids and a good amount of fiber:

Ingredients for 8-12 cookies:
dry:
1/2 cup ground Flax
1 cup Whole Wheat Pastry Flour
1/2 cup finely chopped Walnuts
1/2 cup finely chopped Brazil nuts
1/2 tsp natural Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Salt
1/2 cup high quality organic Chocolate Chips (more or less to your liking : )
wet:
1/4 cup Walnut oil/or Grapeseed Oil/or Canola Oil
3/4 cup Agave syrup
1 egg (preferably Omega3 enriched) (substitute apple sauce if desired)
1/2 tsp vanilla

Method
Preheat oven to 375F.
Mix dry all ingredients except for chocolate chips. Make a "hole" in the dry mixture and add all wet ingredients. Mix until well incorporated. Add chocolate chips. Spray or lightly oil baking sheet with organic non stick spray or canola oil. Drop cookie dough on pan in desired size dollops. Bake for 12-16 minutes. Let cool and ENJOY!

The first step: Change your food staples

The transition to change your diet from a "typical" diet to a "health promoting" diet might seem overwhelming. The best way to go about it is to slowly transition by switching your usual grocery staples for more healthful choices. Here is a list of foods you should start to switch out and a little background on each.

1. Loose the Butter and beyond...
Saturated fats are the the least health promoting you should cut out and replace the following:
- Butter
- Lard
- Shortening

A frequently overlooked, yet key factor for a healthy diet is the Monounsaturated (Omega3) and Polyunsaturated (Omega6) fats ration you take in. While Omega6 fats are not saturated they still promote inflammation in the body and contribute to chronic disease. You should aim for a 1:1 to 1:3 ratio (Poly:Mono). The average ratio in the US diet is 1:50 or higher.
The following are great options (all available at Whole Foods and also on Amazon: )
- Flax Oil
- Walnut Oil
- Grape Seed Oil
- Earth Balance products
- Canola Oil (least beneficial but good for very high heat)
- Fish Oils (not really used for cooking, just found in fish and supplements : )

If you can not live without butter every now and again, choose organic butter from grass fed, free range cows. When cows eat grass their milk, butter and meat will naturally contain Omega 3 fatty acids. (Happy cow = Happy you : )


2. Drop the white sugar...
A stable blood sugar is key to a healthy body and strong immune system. Refined white sugar raises blood sugar very quickly and very high and has what is called a high glycemic index. The only thing worse than white sugar is high fructose corn syrup. It is not available for sale, but it is found in many prepared foods, so read your labels! Lower glycemic sweeteners include:
- Agave Syrup
- Palm Sugar
- Honey
- Maple Syrup

Artificial sweeteners are chemicals and poison to your body. If you choose to replace sugar you can use Stevia, a natural plant extract. Personally, I am not big on sugar replacement. Reducing your sugar overall and using lower glycemic sweeteners is much better for you than drinking a lot of diet soda.

3. Expand your flour selection...
By expand I mean REALLY expand. Technically anything that can be ground into a powder can function as flour. Nuts, beans and soy work great as flower. The following are alternative flours you can buy preground from Bob's Red Mill:
- Almond Flour
- Chickpea Flour
- Coconut Flour
- Ground Flax
- Soy Flour
- and more...
If you have a food processor (even a small one) you can grind any nut into a flour by yourself though. I like to mix regular flour with flour alternatives for best results.
Oh, and by regular flour I mean Organic Whole Wheat Pastry Flour.