Healthy Meal Planning Part of Your Corporate Wellness Program?

The word on the street is that there will be grant monies available for organizations with 100 or less employees who are putting together a wellness program. The specifics on how to actually go about submitting a request for the money has not been announced yet, but should be through the grants.gov website. As I find out more, I will pass on the word. The health care reform act also makes it easier for employers to provide incentives for employees who participate in corporate wellness programs. If you think that WellMeals4U memberships would be a good addition to your corporate wellness program, let me know. We do offer corporate memberships. Contact me directly at info@wellmeals4u.com

Getting Ready to Grow a Garden

In honor of spring (and a sunny weekend) we began the process of "deweeding" our garden. This year we are proud to report we started waging our war on weeds before they became a formidable foe. Now with our garden bed weed-free we are "thinking" about putting a soaker water system and a timer in place. I say "thinking" because we have had the soaker hoses for about 4 years and have yet to use them. We all agree it is still too cold to plant any seeds, but that does not stop us from drooling over the seed catalogs that began arriving shortly after Valentine's Day. Should be try growing Marina Di Chioggia (a bumpy looking squash that averages 10 lbs each) or Red Burgandy Okra? We will moon and dream, but reality will eventually set in. What do we consume a lot of that grows really, really well and is super good for us? Greens! Greens grow fast and can be planted in a small plot. Spinach, Kale, Collards, Mustard Greens, Turnip Greens, Beet Greens, Swiss Chard, Lettuce Greens, Arugula, etc. Sweet peas, green beans, squash, tomatoes, tomatillos, green onions, cilantro and parsley finish out the mix.

I always relish this time of year. The freezer is starting to look slightly bare of staples, the empty canning jars are crowding the cupboards. It is a nice reminder that our mission to control and reduce our food budget has been effective. With that said we are going to stick with the plan we laid out last year for reducing our food budget and eating well. Our plan is as follows:
1) Grow as many vegetables as we can, eating fresh during the summer and then freezing for the rest of the year. (We are lucky, unless there is a hard freeze collard and kale will survive through the winter.)
2) Buy seasonal fruits and freeze/can
3) Utilize WellMeals4U (http://www.wellmeals4u.com/)
4) Eat meat free at least two times a week.
5) Fish for salmon during the season to assure we get our Omega3 for the year.

Employers and Worker Health Habits

There was an article today in the Investor's Business Daily titled "Employers Move on Health Costs." In a nutshell, the article talked about a survey conducted by Towers Watson in which 83% of employers reported that they expect to revamp their health care strategy in the next two years. That is up from 59% in 2009. Needless to say, health care costs are pressuring companies to find ways to support "effective health management programs under budget constraints." 66% of employers are planning on offering incentives for employees to complete a health risk appraisal. This is up from 61% in 2009.

As we all know healthy eating habits and exercise play a huge part in improved personal health. WellMeals4U is a great way to demonstrate to your employer that you are actively working to improve your health.

WellMeals4U commends King County's Eat Smart Challenge

Every so often I visit the King County Health Matters website to see how the wellness program is progressing. Now in its 4th year, they have raised the bar for employee involvement. This year employees are encouraged to complete the wellness assessment, complete an individual action plan and then track individual progress online. This year employees are encouraged to create goals and act on "moving more" and "eating smart". They are asked to log what they eat for 5 days out of 7 for a period of 10 weeks.

WellMeals4U is a terrific way to eat better, change eating habits and make it easy to keep track of what has been eaten.

Build WellMeals4U into your Eat Smart Challenge. Visit www.wellmeals4u.com

New Years Resolution: Eat Better 2010

The window between Christmas and New Year's Day is always the time I haul out my big list of things to do and try to finish up as many as possible. The hope is to be "ready" for the New Year. To open the year with a clean, fresh slate so I can create a new list of things to do.

I know, to some of you this sounds crazy and to others you are saying, "me too!". What keeps showing up year after year on my list is ways to improve my organizational and time management skills. We have been working hard de-cluttering our living spaces, reducing our expenses and streamlining how we plan and prepare our meals. (For those of you who are new to this blog, WellMeals4U an online meal planning ans assembly system and is all about helping members with the planning and preparation of meals. Check it out (http://www.wellmeals4u.com))

If your goal is to manage your time better, eat within a budget, and eat healthier meals; try WellMeals4U . The cost is $15/month. There is a special running until the end of January. Buy 3 months and receive a fourth month for free.

Dressing Beans

Beans, beans, beans. Such a wonderful food. Couple beans with rice and kazam, a complimentary protein.

I was recently reacquainted with the notion of complimentary proteins. Complimentary proteins are those non-meat food items that when combined provide the essential amino acids found in complete proteins (meat). For example, beans coupled with rice create a complimentary protein.

Of late I have been creating and testing quick bean dishes that can be served aside rice. I refer to it fondly as "dressing beans with handy spice mixes". Need a quick meal? Serve your rice alongside beans seasoned with various ethnic spices and a bit of oil. I like to take a teaspoon of a spice mixture added to 2 tsp olive oil and let sit for a few minutes. Pour your beans in a bowl, add the "spice/oil mixture and mix well. Heat up in the microwave for 2 minutes or until warm.

Here are some of my favorite spice mixtures. Each makes about 1/2 cup of mix.

Creole
(makes about 1/2 cup)
1/4 cup paprika
2 tbsp dried thyme leaves
2 tsp ground Cayenne pepper
1 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp ground mace
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
In a small bowl combine until well mixed.

Transfer to a clean, airtight glass container.

Store up to 3 months.

Greek
(makes about 1/2 cup)
1/4 cup dried oregano
2 tbsp + 1 tsp dried mint leaves
1 tbsp + 1 tsp dried dillweed
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground allspice
In a small bowl combine until well mixed.

Transfer to a clean, airtight glass container.

Store up to 3 months.

Mexican
(makes about 1/2 cup)
1/4 cup chili powder
2 tbsp dried oregano leaves
1 tbsp ground cumin
1 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp Cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp ground allspice
In a small bowl combine until well mixed.

Transfer to a clean, airtight glass container.

Store up to 3 months.

Spanish
(makes about 1/2 cup)
1/4 cup cumin
2 tbsp paprika
1 1-gram package of saffron threads
1 tbsp dried mint leaves
1 tsp ground Cayenne pepper
In a small bowl combine until well mixed.

Transfer to a clean, airtight glass container.

Store up to 3 months.

Caribbean
(makes about 1/2 cup)
2 tbsp + 2 tsp ground allspice
2 tbsp ground ginger
1 tbsp dried thyme leaves
1 tbsp dried marjoram leaves
1 tbsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp black pepper
In a small bowl combine until well mixed.

Transfer to a clean, airtight glass container.

Store up to 3 months.

Chinese
(makes about 1/2 cup)
1/4 cup ground ginger
3 tbsp ground white pepper
2 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp ground Cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
In a small bowl combine until well mixed. Transfer to a clean, airtight glass container. Store up to 3 months.

Dress up your bean dishes even further by adding tomatos to the dish. Enjoy!!

Visit WellMeals4U for over 30 yummy meal options each month. http://www.wellmeals4u.com/

Frugal Foods

To find the best frugal foods out there, look to other countries.

Beans (too many to list)

Brown rice

Small amounts of meat protein

Cabbage

Spices for flavoring rather than salt

wellmeals4u.com

Portion sizes and core principles

Portion sizes and core principles of a healthy diet are the backbone of WellMeals4u. We build it into the system.

I admit it, I struggle with portion sizes and calorie counting. 1700 calories/day to support my desired weight. What does this mean? It means I can eat daily:
1.5 cups fruit
2 cups veggies
5 oz grains (this equates to 2.5 cups of brown rice)
5 oz meats and beans (this equates to 1 1/4 cups cooked beans)
3 cups milk
5 tsp oil

I eat more, I had better exercise or plan to gain weight. For me, brown rice and beans are my saving grace. Lately I have been eating "Asian Style"; rice with every meal, bits of meat and lots of vegetables. With very little effort, the extra pounds are coming off. Plus, at a $1/lb for uncooked brown rice, it REALLY stretches the budget.

Instead of focusing on "diet", I am trying to focus on "slowly and intensely enjoying" my food and the core principles of a healthy diet.

1. Selecting a variety of foods in sensible portions
2. Considering no food either a magic bullet or the ultimate evil
3. Choosing whole foods over processed as much as possible
4. Embracing plant foods like vegetable, fruits, beans and whole grains
5. Including low-fat dairy products, seafood, lean meats and poultry in moderation
6. Consider sweets as a treat and eat in limited quantities and moderation
7. Rely on spice seasonings and “good fats” such as olive oil to make food tastier and more satisfying.
8. Eating with pleasure and eating wisely means getting the biggest nutritional “bang for the buck”.

visit http://www.wellmeals4u.com/ for more about WellMeals4U