Sometimes all you need is to cook

Why do people cook? Why do people buy unprepared food and prepare them to eat?

This is simple. Food is awesome! And if you eat the right kind of food, its even better! Food is necessary for us to function properly, just like sleep. Not eating properly will not only show in your physical appearance but will also show with your attitude, energy and ability to work for long periods of time.

Here is a day's worth of food, it is all easy to prepare and enjoyable to eat!

Breakfast: (5 minutes)
1/2 cup blueberries
1/2 Cup fresh strawberries, washed trimmed and sliced
1 cup yogurt
Place in bowl and eat. (if you want to buy frozen fruit, heat it in the microwave for 25 seconds then put yogurt on top of it, the warmth of the fruit will mix excellent with the yogurt.

Take on the go: Put in plastic container and take to work to eat there. Either way, eat it.

Lunch: (w/cooked chix; 5 min, w/o cooked chix, 35 min)
1 1/2 cups green lettuce (I recommend dark green lettuce, it has more nutrients)
1/2 cup baby tomatoes
6 slices of cucumber, with skin
4-5 ounces chicken (this will need to be prepared before hand)
1/4 cup croutons (or more if you like a good crunch in every bite)
2 Tablespoons of your favorite dressing

If the chicken is also pre-cut in bite-sized chunks even better. Throw it together, drizzle with your dressing right before you eat it. This always leaves me very satisfied and it is healthy as long as you keep the salad dressing to a minimum. (also, you can add or sub any of these ingredients to make a filling healthy salad)


Snack:
Popcorn mini bags!

Dinner: (20 min)
4-8 Ounces of linguine pasta (if you want leftovers, you can use any kind of pasta you have)
3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1 garlic clove, chopped
1 lb. Asparagus, cut in 1-inch length pieces
1 cup baby tomatoes, cut in half
3 ounces Feta cheese

Your favorite garlic or cheesy bread.

Cook pasta according to packaging. Drain and place back in pot. In the meantime heat oil over medium heat. Once heated, add garlic clove and cook for 2-3 minutes (do not burn). Add Asparagus and cook 3-5 min; until soft but a little crunchy. Add tomatoes and cook for 1 minute. Add pasta and heat together. Crumble feta cheese on top of dish. Serve.

Dessert: (15 min, plus 2 hours to chill in fridge) (to eat, 5 minutes)
1 box of no-bake cheesecake
fresh blueberries and blackberries (or your favorite)
Hershey's dark chocolate syrup (the kind used for ice cream)

Prepare cheesecake according to packaging. Place muffin wrappers in a muffin tin. Press the cheesecake crumble into the bottom of each muffin wrapper, then fill with cheesecake mix. Refigerate for 2 hours. Before you eat; ddd a few of each kind of fruit on top and drizzle chocolate syrup over the top. Eat. Makes 18-24 cheesecake muffins-so share with friends.



The best part about a day's worth of food is that it can all be bought in the grocery store for under $40. The salad ingredients will last you 3-5 days, the breakfast (depending how much you buy) will last 5 days. Dinner depends on how much you make, I wouldn't make more than 3 days worth.

This is an excellent way to save money and still eat healthy. The next time you are in the grocery and reach for the frozen meals, not sure what its really going to taste like, just remember that it only takes one google search to find the perfect food for your body, brain and wallet!