School’s out for Summer, and that means more than just getting back to bumming around the beach; it means that you’re on your own for snacks! Mid-day chips may have seemed understandable for a tight schedule between classes, but take advantage of the warm weather by snacking on seasonal fruit and other foods that pick you up rather than slow you down! Summer is when you want energy the most! So put down the leftover pizza and dive into some homemade popsicles or veggie kabobs – I promise your bikini body won’t be disappointed.

Next year I will finally have a kitchen in my dorm. Since I got my room assignment, I’ve been collecting recipes so my roommate and I can cook our own dinners and not just go out for dinner every night (which I am so sick of!). I’m a big fan of chicken with lemon, but listen to this twist: tequila lime chicken. Sound good? Not only is it delicious, it’s also super easy!

Unfortunately, this recipe requires a grill (which most of us don’t have readily available in our dorms) so either you can make it this summer at home or you can follow my “alternate ending” version of the recipe to bake the chicken in the oven!

This recipe is easy because it uses a marinade, meaning you can prepare it the day before. Because this chicken needs to sit over night, this is not a quick, spur-of-the-moment kind of recipe. But it is so worth it! This recipe serves 6 so it’s perfect for a dinner party with your friends. Read More »

With summer coming soon, I’m sure I’m not the only one looking to lose a few pounds. Unfortunately, accomplishing such a task is never easy. It requires choosing healthy food options, cutting calories and increasing exercise. With a 24-hour 7-11 around the corner from my dorm, my hope of being bikini-ready for summer seems only a far-fetched dream.

The difficulty of losing weight makes me, like others, want to cut corners and find a cure-all supplement so my late night munchies don’t hinder my efforts. Last week, Dr. Oz endorsed the answer to my prayers: Raspberry Ketone, the “miracle fat burner.” According to Dr. Oz, Raspberry Ketone aids weight loss by shrinking fat cells. I don’t quite understand the way the supplement works, but Dr. Oz swears by it.

As much as I would like to go to CVS and buy ten bottles of Raspberry Ketone, it’s hard to believe Dr. Oz when it seems like every month he endorses a new “miracle” supplement. While I’m sure there are some supplements out there that can increase metabolism a bit, the truth is nothing drops the pounds like cutting calories and increasing exercise. That’s it.

I do believe Dr. Oz knows how to help people lose weight, but I wish he would stop trying to sell us on supplements that won’t get us the perfectly toned bodies we’re looking for. He’s always suggesting new supplements to aid weight loss, but how are we supposed to keep track and reap the benefits of all of them?

Here are some of the other weight loss “miracle foods”: Read More »

Broccoli. A childhood nightmare. Didn’t we all fear it? Some kids ate it covered in cheese whiz, which in my opinion made it neither healthy nor delicious. Really, if you’re going to clog your arteries, it might as well be with bacon. But that’s beside the point. Broccoli is a tough vegetable to love — it’s the veggie equivalent of Kim Kardashian really — but it has potential.

It’s what’s known as a cruciferous vegetable — it’s related to spinach, kale, and other dark leafy greens that are packed with fiber and antioxidants. They’re actually the healthiest foods you can eat, period. So if you’re trying to eat healthy, broccoli is a necessary evil. And honestly, it’s better raw and paired with foods that are equally as strong flavored. Read More »

Wow, time flies!  Can’t believe my challenge is over – or at least my blogging commitment! I have to say that while I am a bit sad, I am also relieved. It isn’t always easy to be mindful of what you are eating, especially when so many factors are conspiring against you. For example, if you work within a team of only males, they aren’t likely to be super enthusiastic about catering to your diet needs. At first, despite my protestations, my co-workers had a hard time understanding that I wasn’t doing this challenge because I felt a need to lose weight or was on the verge of an eating disorder, but because I wanted to make a concerted effort to be healthier. However, not all was lost on them, as I did manage to inspire one to do the challenge with me. Sometimes I even had to explain to him that the point of the challenge was NOT self-deprivation but rather self-consciousness (in a positive sense)!

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When I get stressed, I eat. And it’s not salads I crave. Usually I go for carbs, cheese, greasy foods, salty foods or chocolate. And I’m almost always multitasking while I eat. I’m staring at Facebook or Twitter, watching a TV show on Hulu or checking my email. Is this a good thing? Probably not. But I know I’m not alone.

Lots of people, especially college students, share my not-so-great eating habits. We eat on the go, scarfing down food between classes. We eat at weird hours because our schedules are always changing. And as you can probably guess, this isn’t great from a nutrition standpoint. Eating quickly and allowing emotions to motivate your eating habits leads to overeating and overindulging cravings.

Now, more and more nutritionists are suggesting a practice called mindful eating as a way break these habits. So, what is mindful eating? Although it has only become popular recently, mindful eating is by no means new. The concept is rooted in Buddhist philosophy. It’s almost like a kind of meditation involving food. Read More »

Sometimes, we all get a pizza craving. For me, it usually strikes at the worst time; I’ve spent all day eating healthy, being good, working out. And then, suddenly, the intense impulse to eat an entire pizza by myself hits. It just seems too easy. It’s just pizza! I can get it delivered to my door! Oh, and breadsticks, because I love breadsticks.

But at the end of the day, eating a day’s worth of calories and carbs isn’t a good choice. But how do I get rid of that pizza craving? You know, the desire for pepperoni, cheese and sauce? How on earth do I shake that? Through trial and error, I found the solution. And it includes three of my favorite salad greens ever: spinach, arugula and romaine. You’ll get tons of nutrients, including iron, along with some major flavor. Combined with tomatoes (full of lycopene, one of the best minerals out there), mozzarella cheese, fresh basil and tons of other yummy ingredients, your pizza craving will fade to only a memory and you won’t be left feeling guilty for eating two days’ worth of food while watching Law and Order: SVU. Read More »

Before I began, I had a lot a questions like “What is clean eating?” and “What foods are clean?” Well to be honest, even after doing loads of reading since my first post on the subject, I am still not entirely sure, so I have decided that I am going to slowly, but smartly, build my way up to much healthier eating. My first stop has been to cut out fried foods, microwaveable meals and simple carbohydrates (whole-wheat spaghetti = yum!).

So how has this been working out for me? I believe that a writer, like any artist, needs to be fully dedicated to her art – even if that requires perseverance in the face of pain, terror and piping hot broccoli soup. Yes, you read that right.  Broccoli soup.

Always a planner, yours truly scheduled herself to have two of her wisdom teeth taken out earlier in the week – which most of you know is no picnic. Yet, a week of yogurt, soup and healthy frozen yogurt didn’t sound so hard.  In fact it sounded quite refreshing – and easy. Read More »

I love spicy food. Okay, that’s kind of a lie; I’m a bit of a wimp when it comes to spicy foods. I’m that person who gets teary-eyed and needs milk present at all times. Needless to say, my “spicy” or Mexican-inspired dishes are rarely all that spicy, but they are easy to customize, so you can always add more of your favorite spice (or hot sauce, or whatever you love).

Why am I talking about spicy food? I’m currently lying in bed with the flu and there’s nothing like spicy food to clear up the sinuses. I have a voice like a miniature frog; aches and pains like I’m about to give birth; and it feels like there is a small balloon locked up in my head that won’t deflate. I made spicy enchiladas to help — and of course to get some veggies in me. Read More »

Eating Clean: The act of eliminating foods that are processed and/or nutritionally devoid.  (This includes choosing complex carb products over simple – i.e. brown rice over white rice.)

Advocates of “eating clean” tout a laundry list of benefits – more energy, better skin, weight-loss, and better muscle definition, etc…  They say that one should see a different within a couple of weeks – so I thought, how about a month? Then I thought, why keep all these benefits to myself? As your kindergarten teacher would say, sharing is caring!

So how is this really a challenge? As a recent college grad trying to make my way in the big city (NYC) with a roughly 50-60 hour work week on average, my schedule is pretty tight – especially if I want to fit in regular workouts, maintain my friendships and read CollegeCandy! [Editor's Note: Awwww!] Read More »