Welcome to June!! I can't believe how fast this year is flying by. I am trying desperately to capture every precious moment with my kids because before I know it my twins will be starting college. Fortunately, my son will be going to school close to home, but my daughter will be heading to Southern California.  

I'm already used to the two of them attending different schools because they decided not to go to the same high school. It was weird in the beginning but some how we all adjusted just fine. In fact, it was probably the best thing for both of them.

I admit that I was never one of those Moms that dressed my twins in matching outfits - partly because it's sort of challenging to do when one is a boy and one a girl. Mostly, I wanted to allow my kids the freedom to express themselves fully and not get caught up in people's attempts to compare them just because they shared the same birth date.  

My plan worked because my twins couldn't be more different. In fact, some people would argue that they don't even look related. Here's a picture of me and my son. He's all dressed up and ready to go out with his date to the Senior Prom. I love that boy! 

It seems like there has been one activity after another related to the end of senior year for the twins. I've been trying to keep up with their differing schedules but it has been more difficult than I thought it would be.    

I am often asked how I find time to cook and eat healthy given the fact that I run my own business, take care of my kids and hubby, manage a pretty efficient household and give my attention-hungry dogs the love and care they need.  

It's not always easy, but with a little planning and preparation I am able to feed my family and myself nutritious food on a regular basis. Of course, mine and my family's health is a top priority for me. When you make your health a priority and commit to it every day, it's that much easier to choose health over convenience.

In the article below I share with you some of my best tips for making healthy meals at home a piece of cake ;)

And I have a super simple chicken recipe for you that takes minutes to prepare and is quite delicious!  

Enjoy!! 

Yours in health, love and gratitude,  

Planning and Preparation is the Key    

One of the biggest excuses for not cooking meals at home is the lack of time - whether it's the time it takes to prepare, shop, or cook. With a new mindset and a good plan you can fit all that into a hectic schedule.   

Most people know that home-cooked meals are generally more nutritious and less calorie dense than restaurant food. Mainly because cooking at home allows you to control the ingredients, as well as the portion sizes. Making time to prepare meals at home is well worth the effort and it really can be easy to do.

Planning for the week ahead is the first place to start. Sit down and write out a meal plan for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. As you plan out the meals, keep a common theme going among your meals throughout the week.  

For example, using brown rice for two dinners (Spanish rice and healthy stir-fried rice) and two lunches (side dish of plain rice with a splash of toasted sesame oil and used in a rice and bean burrito) means that on Sunday or Monday you can cook the brown rice in bulk making sure to prepare enough for all four meals. The time-saver here is that you've cooked rice once and used it four times.

Once all the meals have been determined, it's time to write your shopping list. Again, using some of the same ingredients throughout the week will cut down on time and money, because less food will go to waste. Be sure to check your list twice before heading to the grocery store to avoid having to make multiple trips for forgotten items. The time-saver here is shopping just once for the entire week.  

The meal plan for the week should be posted on your refrigerator or somewhere clearly visible in the kitchen and updated each week. This practice cuts back on the time you would normally spend searching inside the refrigerator to decide what to cook. Instead, you look up the day and meal on your list and know that all the ingredients are in the pantry and refrigerator ready to be used.   

The more you prepare meal plans and shopping lists the easier this process will become because you can reuse previous week's menus and lists. If you have say 4 or 5 weekly meal plans with their corresponding shopping lists, you can easily recycle them over and over again.

To make things even easier I recommend having the following condiments as staples in your fridge and cupboards:

• Spices like: cinnamon, cumin, turmeric, garlic, ginger, and oregano,
• Peppers like: cayenne, chile pepper, black pepper, and white pepper
• Healthy oils like: virgin coconut oil, extra virgin olive oil, flax seed oil, toasted sesame oil, hemp seed and grapeseed oil
• Vinegars like: apple cider vinegar, balsamic vinegar and Umeboshi plum vinegar
• Natural sweeteners like: raw agave nectar, 100% raw honey, and Stevia (my favorite) 
• Sauces like : wheat-free Tamari sauce, organic spaghetti sauce, dairy-free pesto sauce, and hot sauce
• Nut and seed butters like: raw almond butter, tahini, cashew butter, and all natural peanut butter

Here is a list of the food items that should become staples in your refrigerator:

• Cooked whole grains like brown rice and quinoa
• Mixed lettuces for salads, wraps, sandwiches, etc.
• Salsa, guacamole, and hummus to use as toppings and dips
• Sprouted nuts and seeds for snacking and adding to breakfast porridges, salads, and side dishes
• Seasonal fresh fruit for snacks, juicing, and making smoothies
• Fresh vegetables for salads, steaming, sautéing, stir-frying, roasting, grilling, etc.

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Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cooking Time: 15 minutes

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:

4 organic boneless chicken breasts

2 lemons, juiced and zested

4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Black pepper and Celtic Sea salt to taste 

Directions:

1. Coat chicken in black pepper and season lightly with sea salt.
2. Combine lemon zest and juice with extra-virgin olive oil.
3. Place sauté pan over medium-high heat, fill the pan until 1/4 inch deep with marinade.
4. Cook chicken breasts 6-7 minutes on each side, adding marinade as needed to keep the chicken lightlycovered while cooking. Make sure the chicken is cooked all the way through.
5. Transfer to a serving platter and brush with the reserved marinade.