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I’m pleased to introduce you to guest contributor Robin Mallery! Robin is a registered nurse and founder of HeartMatters Optimal Lifestyle Management, a consulting company offering individual programs and workshops addressing a wide spectrum of health-related topics in Grass Valley, California. Robin has twenty years of experience promoting optimal lifestyle management through healthful behavior change. She developed the Cardiac Rehabilitation Center at Sierra Nevada Memorial Hospital (SNMH). Over two decades as the program manager, she gained expertise in exercise physiology, nutrition, relaxation management, and risk factor modification. Following her successful career at SNMH, Robin has branched out into a primary prevention model of healthcare. Below, she shares her tips on planning ahead and strategies for making simple, health-supportive meals on busy days.

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Eat Well: Plan Ahead, Nourish Your Body and Mind
by Robin Mallery, RN

The demanding schedule of the busy professional may not include foods that support optimal health. Eating well does not take an excessive amount of time and can be realistically incorporated into even the busiest calendar.

Real food nourishes the body and the mind, benefiting physical and emotional health and well-being. Processed and fast foods do not support optimal health and are associated with an increased risk for diabetes, coronary disease, and cancer — just the opposite of real foods (which are associated with decreased risk). Planning ahead to increase your access to real food takes about an hour per week and is a totally worthwhile endeavor!

Begin in the grocery store. If you are not already doing so, stock up on whole foods, which are real foods that have not been processed in a laboratory. Real food does not have high-fructose corn syrup, partially hydrogenated oils, or food coloring added. If the food contains grains, they are whole grains as opposed to refined grains. Knock yourself out on fresh fruit and veggies; bring home new grains, such as quinoa or barley, and unusual beans like cannellini or garbanzo; and consider feta cheese, pine nuts, red peppers, and eggplant. Give yourself at least 4 weeks of subtle change in your grocery store purchases to become familiar and comfortable with the unlimited possibilities!

Next, identify a time during the week that you can set aside one hour. Dial in your favorite classical music station. Now the preparation begins. Put up a pot of boiling water for the grain of the week, and another for the beans or legumes. (A disclaimer here: I am a big fan of canned beans—they are easy to use, there is a huge variety to choose from, and they can be purchased with low salt or no salt content.) Slice the peppers and eggplant, brush with garlic-infused olive oil, and broil for a few minutes on each side. You can broil all sorts of veggies using this method, by the way; zucchini, asparagus, cauliflower, potatoes, carrots, beets, and many more! After the veggies have cooled, place them into a container with air vents, where they will last several days in the fridge. Store the cooked grains and/or beans the same way.

You are ready to move on to raw vegetables. Chop up broccoli, cauliflower, purple and green cabbage, carrots, and celery; wash, dry, and tear up good quality lettuce, arugula and spinach (or buy it bagged and pre-washed). All of this can be stored in the fridge and at a moment’s notice can be thrown together for a salad. Add a chicken breast or piece of grilled ahi, and you’ve got a yummy and healthy lunch or dinner!

Fruit prep works in the same way: peel mango, papaya, melon, and oranges, chop up along with strawberries, and seal them in containers. Have raisins, banana, pear, and a few almonds or cashews on hand to toss in. Mix in a good quality yogurt or cottage cheese, and enjoy a healthy breakfast or lunch.

The bottom line is that if you are running around in the morning preparing for your day, you are not going to be able to spend precious time chopping fruit — and it may be tempting to pick up an egg/sausage sandwich at the local drive through or a sweet roll with your morning latte. When you arrive home in the evening after a busy day, it is unlikely that you will feel motivated to cook up grains and chop veggies to create a wholesome dinner. That is when you might be tempted to put a Lean Cuisine in the microwave. I am not suggesting that a drive-up egg sandwich or a frozen dinner is the end of the world — everything in moderation, right? I am suggesting that if you have taken just an hour of prep time earlier in the week, you will put together, in less than 10 minutes, a grilled vegetable–feta cheese–pine nut–quinoa casserole that will not only be delicious, but will nourish your body and mind after a long day of work.

Robin Mallery is a registered nurse specializing in optimal lifestyle management. Her consulting business is called HeartMatters. Learn more at www.heartmatters.pro.