Proteins Archives - Healthy Happy Life Secrets

Healthy Protein Foods – Plant Based

Healthy protein foods are a priority at the top of healthy eating and weight loss. They go hand in hand with healthy fats.

And plant based foods are fun to plant into your overall diet because they add color, textures and flavor.

In catering, we always leaned into plant based foods for the color like in a Crudite dish with raw crunchy veggies and the rainbow effects from the anti-inflammatory polyphenols.

…which makes them wildly nutritious and can be the healthy rainbow food on your plate! 🌈

Making them delicious in dishes from their natural bland-boring taste and out of their whole identity or grocery packaging is what makes the tasty edible difference.

Well… when it’s reframed that way, then we can embrace adding more plant-based foods to our healthy diets. They’re sustainable.

But the real problem with veggies if there is one, is that they’re not filling to our bellies.

Most are low calories leaving us feeling hungry. And that can be good for weight loss when balanced in our lives…

Plus adding healthy protein foods to fill in the gaps for us.

Like these examples:

A plant-based tofu “chorizo” healthy protein foods dish doused with balancing Ayurvedic spices.

Tofu qualifies as healthy protein foods. — Tofu chorizo recipe below. 🌱

You can add alliums like onion and garlic that are fiber and good for immunity. Plus green veggies like green bell peppers, and plenty of spices make this a balanced healthy meal.

You can save tomato for your Italian dishes and lean in on the sweet potato in this dish. 🍠

The spices add the flavor and this one has paprika, turmeric, 5 spices, garlic powder, and cumin.

And for healthy proteins, while sausage is usually high in saturated fats, tofu has healthy fats (Omega-3 and unsaturated fat types) and nutrients like magnesium and calcium so it can be a chorizo substitute.

A Three Sisters snack is corn, squash, and beans that has healthy protein foods. — Three Sisters is a corn, bean, and squash trifecta.

Other healthy protein foods include a 3 Sisters dish that celebrates beans at the heart of plant-based healthy protein foods.

This is a complete meal. If you have a corn, beans, and squash trifecta, and also add olive oil or avocado to the meal, then you have all your macros in one. That’s tasty and healthy smart eating.

The stuff I get wildly excited about, plus playing with food. 😊

…Like a plant-based homemade pizza that can be made with wholesome healthy whole wheat, and in as much time as it takes to place a pizza order and have it delivered… and it’s funny I would know because for 4 teenage years, I was a pizza maker for Domino’s Pizza.

That would be a long time for a teen in today’s working world… but I had fun working. People at all ages stay put when they’re happy.

Back then, like most my age I leaned into the carefree happy over healthy.

These days, wiser having tried more food experiences, we can make better choices.

And we can bake and make our own meals where we get to choose ingredients.

Whole wheat flour is slightly higher in protein and fiber than everyday white flour. And that reminder can help move us closer to healthy desires.

Each step starting with food thoughts make us intentional about what we manifest in this Life.

If we source healthy ingredients and foods, then that’s what ends up on our plates and in our bodies.

And the choice of healthy protein foods is a healthy leader for us and our meals especially when we choose the protein foods first.

Too often we have healthy intentions but end up with the happy for any number of reasons. 😋

So balance or a happy medium I like to say is the best approach… and in my world, I lean into the happy tastes and end up doing the healthy without compromising taste…. and happy to give healthy friend advice.

It’s simple when there’s no pressure to eat healthy, so then it’s easier to make the healthy choice most the time because the freedom of choice…

And we can do that when we go out also. There are plenty of healthy and tasty places to eat these days.

Intentional good foods is what happened when I planned events for American restaurants serving Mediterranean cuisines.

Those experiences made me appreciate small plates and family style foods with healthy flavors.

At a Spanish tapas place, small appetizer plates were the only plates they had.

They also had gigantic paella pans (that could’ve held all the small plates inside).

One was the Friday happy hour pan fit for as big as a dining room table.

I remember back when I would blog every day and the people I worked for didn’t even know what a blog was. I just told them it’s marketing and they let me do my thing, haha.

But the people that were coming to the blog, got it.

You all get it. 😀

I shared recipes and special happenings that’s still the way things are today.

And in the Italian, Spanish, and Lebanese restaurants where I was a food insider, one common ingredient used was tomatoes. Often it was a subtle hint as part of a mixture of flavors we call a relish.

Like Meshi Bel Zeit stuffed veggies that was the vegetarian option for Lebanese events.

For home meals, a dish like that would pair well with a common tomato dish that goes well with many healthy protein foods including peas.

Green peas are a good source of healthy protein as are chickpeas. That makes us hap-pea! 🫛

And quinoa is good to add to our healthy protein foods list. It’s another complete meal.

Quinoa has 9 essential amino acids that our bodies can’t make, so you can definitely feel full after a bowl. It’s a food illusion because you’re eating what looks like a cooked grain (starch), but as a pseudo-grain it’s acts more like a protein super food when it lands in your body.

Quinoa and peas are healthy protein foods. — Frozen peas cooked in with quinoa. Hold the salt.

And even more of an illusion when you add quinoa as a breakfast cereal. This would’ve been a great way to start the back-to-school days if we knew about the super grain way back then.

3 Tips for Cooking Quinoa – Healthy Protein food

1. Use a pan (instead of a pot) for more even cooking.

2. Toast your quinoa on the stovetop before cooking.

3. Don’t salt your dish until the end if you use peas so they don’t dehydrate.

You can make a quinoa paella like this one made of quinoa instead or rice, and then add other healthy protein foods on top. This way you can get all your protein grams in that day with a bottomless quinoa dish.

If gram numbers count for you… the easy way to remember is to take your weight and divide by two for a rough idea of how many pr0tein grams you’re looking for.

Quinoa paella would also be deliciously paired with a za’atar cracker.

You can also pair a tasty, cool healthy beverage to go with your healthy dishes.

Vegetarian Chorizo Tofu Dish with Spices

Course Breakfast, lunch

Cuisine American, vegetarian

Author Brandy @ Healthy Happy Life Secrets

Ingredients

1 package tofu, firm or extra firm
spices: paprika, five spices, turmeric, cumin and onion powder (or fresh onion)
frozen peas

Instructions

Take tofu out of package. Drain water and place on a pan. Break up tofu with a spatula into small crumbles.
Turn on med-high heat for a few minutes.
Add balanced Ayurvedic spices to taste: paprika, five spices, turmeric, cumin and onion powder.
Add frozen peas. Tip: do not add salt while cooking, so peas don't dehydrate.
Turn down heat and cook for another 15 minutes or so, until tofu is firm.

Plant Based Breakfast Ideas For Better Low Sugar Habits

Plant-based breakfast ideas encourage our better low sugar healthy habits that help our bodies protect us against inflammation and preventable lifestyle diseases like Type 2 Diabetes.

Tasty anti-inflammatory chocolate avocado mousse recipe below. 👇

Plant-based can be delicious and filling like a Three Sisters dish where the trifecta effect is proteins, carbs, and fiber.

Three Sisters makes for great plant based breakfast ideas. — Net healthy plant-forward 3 Sisters dish with butternut squash, corn, and black beans. Imagine starting your day with this trifecta!

Eating more plant-based foods also help our warming planet and climate change causes.

And when we align all of those intentions with farm-to-table delicious eating and seasonal food preferences, we’re restoring our Ayurvedic body balance…

Some simple examples are: we want to eat and drink lighter, cool foods like cereals, smoothies, and cold brew beverages on warm days. And prefer comfort, warm porridge and potato food on cold days.

With rapid climate change these days, we often flip flop back and forth daily and seasonally. We use our internal body cues and external clues to keep us balanced.

It’s good to be aware how all this healthy information helps us.

And the good news is there’s a plant-based fix for all of us.

Below are some plant-based breakfast ideas that can get you excited about your health, energy, and planet with unusual climate changes… plus help you lower your sugar intake.

An evolving earth appreciation drink like this is full of surprises like blueberries showing up at certain times.

Like an Earth Day layered drink helps us appreciate all the constantly changing stratospheres in our planet. And this is a metaphor for our lives where nothing stays the same.

Lowering Your Sugar in Breakfasts

Firstly, if you started out like I did as a sweet tooth (or still are one 😋), you know there’s definitely hope if you want to change your tastes from sugary sweet to lower sugar, healthy plant-based breakfast ideas…

Many years ago, I had a guest coming over for the holidays that I learned was diabetic. I knew I had to come up with a sweet option for this special guest. That was the only option for this former party planner (where finding a way was the only way and “once a food planner, always a planner”).

I sympathized because I couldn’t imagine going through life without sweets! 🍭

So around town I drove and picked up a bag of diabetic cookies (substituting refined sugar with maltitol). If you’re not familiar, monk fruit sugar is commonly used today as the new maltitol ingredient. I use monk fruit sugar often out of healthy preference. You don’t have to be diabetic.

And anyway, I fell in love with those diabetic cookies. I figured the guest would be as excited as I would to have an after dinner dessert with the rest of us.

Those were the days when AllRecipes was one of the very few online sites you could find recipes besides OG Martha Stewart and offline cookbooks that never grow old.

There weren’t diabetic recipe sites.

…And so, when the holiday dinner rolled around, I mentioned the cookies to the diabetic guest, and I learned something very profound I’ll never forget when he declined the sweet offer…

💡The sweet taste was no longer even a category for this person who hadn’t had a sweet bite since his diagnosis.

That was an eye-opener. Because previously I thought people were born with a sweet tooth or they weren’t (and could do nothing about their sweet sentence). And I definitely was in the first category.

When I started upon my own journey to reduce daily sugar intake, I was reminded of those lessons.

I then knew I could gradually wean off of sugar as others had (like the diabetic guest) from changing habits.

And if I knew that sooner, I probably would’ve done so sooner.

And that’s like how most of us are with our areas we want to change: we don’t know what we don’t know. 🤔

When I gradually took in less sugar, I found I craved sugar less.

I didn’t have to do the heavy lifting all myself.

My body helped me and it helps all of us when we don’t keep overfeeding our sugar cravings.

…A light cookie with a sweet tea flavor without extra sugar will do the trick. It doesn’t have to be the portions served at restaurants.

And baking your own sweet goods can save you because you don’t have a large box sitting around tempting you.

You can simply make less and then you’ve taught yourself that working for a sweet is a reward.

You satiate your sweet craving with a tiny bite that’s also the most delicious bite.

💡In economic terms, that’s: the marginal utility wears off with each bite.

💡In nutrition terms, that’s: intuitive and mindful eating helps you appreciate your food as part of daily joy and helps build a healthy relationship with food.

And in my first tries, making it through those habit forming days where I reached for a low-sugar cereal over cookies was sobering but still doable. One step forward, two steps back.

But I knew deeper down I could go a day without sugar.

And the opportunity arose where I chose to fast from sugar with a church-wide fast event. This was for our spiritual growth. We could choose anything that was addictive to us.

I was in a Bible book club then studying the book of Isaiah and learned that the people in that day were addicted to idols that caused their problems.

And without a moment’s hesitation, I picked sweets as the first thought that came to mind.

From the sweet fast experience, I learned I didn’t even crave sweets when I had an intention and was determined for a desired outcome.

But I was still stunned at what happened.

Because that was a new concept to me: what… not desire sweets!?…that would’ve shocked all my closest friends as I always had a piece of candy or something sweet on me even when I wasn’t aware.

It’s no surprise that when I was younger, I was a sucker for mosquitoes that loved my sweet blood.

And then in 2021, I started baking weekly. I added less and less sugar into my bakes. And sometimes not using refined sugar or monk fruit sugar at all and only using whole fruits, spices, and other healthy natural powder ingredients.

It was hard for me to add spoonfuls of sugar when I knew how harmful sugar is for both the body and mind.

And that became my healthy way out of sugar when my skin became inflamed with eczema during the uncertain early days of the pandemic when I was also building up a pantry and starting to home cook more.

Eczema was my wake up call.

It was my body’s warning to me that I took seriously.

And the effect was a much lighter consequence than a destroying gut microbiome outcome, Diabetes or other chronic disease diagnosis.

I used healthy teeth as one of my motivators for a comeback to heathy eating.

…As a kid I loved eating spoonfuls of white sugar straight out of the glass sugar jar. I always had cavities, and that thought alone makes me run to celery or carrots.

And yeah that was many decades ago, but that’s pretty much what we’re doing when we buy processed sweets or sugary sodas. It’s not our fault because they’re in our face all the time.

And in America and the Western world cultures, that’s just a gimme.

Plus, Vata bodies love sweets! Others do too, but it’s a given with a Vata. We were born with this desire that we can turn into a healthy one.

And you and I can survive on fruit and natural powder only sweets that are loaded with polyphenol antioxidants. I haven’t met a fruit yet that didn’t have antioxidant vitamins. 😊

This works over fighting willpower that never works. Because what you tell yourself “no” to only builds energy more toward the thought.

If you’re jonesing for southern-style Devils Food Cake, you’re not going to head for white cloud Angel Cake without a higher intervention. ☁️

Distraction and replacement are sweet answers for sugary and processed snack food cravings.

You can turn to plant-based foods, like popcorn for potato chips… and get into an activity that takes your mind off food, like a fasting habit or gardening.

If someone tells me they have a sweet tooth craving they think they could never satiate or change, I know that’s not true. It’s all made up in the mind.

You can live with a lower, healthy amount of sugar every day. That starts with your first meal where you break the fast or breakfast.

Easy Low-Sugar Plant Based Breakfast Ideas For Starters

For starters, opt for a protein. You can start with a protein shake if that fits your preferences like a layered drink that has protein powder.

As you age, your body need to increase your intake of essential amino acids to compensate for muscle loss.

Add a healthy fat like avocado that’s great when you break a fast, first thing at breakfast, or if you’ve been fasting overnight or longer.

During my catering work days, we always had a Crudite platter available for vegetarians. Raw veggies are a great way to prime the stomach first and add some roughage fiber that the gut needs.

Raw carrots, bell peppers, cauliflower, broccoli, celery, and asparagus are great examples.

They’re easy to put together on a plate. And if you need a dipping sauce, you can always use a Greek yogurt with dill as a savory healthy beginning.

And if you take vitamins, you do better taking fat-soluble Vitamins A, D, E, and K with some fat in your body. So it’s better to take those after or with your meal where you’ve had some avocado, oil, nut, or seeds in your system.

Black bean quinoa cereal. Both ingredients have protein. Add cocoa powder if you want brownie bite tastes and top with chia, flax, hemp, sunflower, etc.

Greek yogurt sundae. Add your whole fruits like banana and berries.

Sprinkle with your favorite nuts like sliced almonds, walnuts, or pistachios. Don’t be shy with your seeds. Cantaloupe and melon seeds loaded with vitamins are a nice vitamin addition too.

Oatmeal with apples or applesauce. If you’re leaning toward a little sweet taste, add Ceylon cinnamon (our Ayurvedic Vata go-to spice). This will set you up for a sweet bite without tipping the scales.

Chocolate avocado mousse. This is a great one you can blend up in seconds with dark cocoa and a ripe avocado.

Main Points

Be easy on yourself.

Be open to give the plant-based breakfast ideas a try. Pick a few more of your favorite healthy ingredients such as a banana or an avocado and let your creative breakfast imagination go wild!

Don’t give up. Not creating a deadline or rules can be the magic formula that eliminates the pressure.

Change your words and thoughts. Say, “Yum this tastes great even when it tastes odd to you.” That helps your mind to agree with you when you’re trying to be healthy.

Then next time, introduce a new healthy food or spice. Let the odd new tastes take over until they win you over.

And if you want to learn how to add fasting to your sustainable healthy habits to eliminate snacking, sweets, and extra pounds, check out the free IF guide.

If you still have a sweet hankering, you can enjoy your plant-based breakfast ideas with a decadent aroma tea like the chocolate mint black tea I’m sipping on. 🧉 And you can pair with a healthy start.

Anti-Inflammatory Chocolate Avocado Mousse

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 5

Author Brandy @ Healthy Happy Life Secrets

Ingredients

1 ripe avocado
almond milk
unsweetened 70% cocoa (natural, not dutch processed)
raspberries
shredded coconut

Instructions

Blend milk, avocado, and cocoa.
Zhugh with raspberries. These are anti-inflammatory ingredient pairings.

Notes

To make this healthy version is 3 main ingredients: ripe avocado, almond milk, and unsweetened cocoa (garnished with raspberries and shredded coconut).

Crow Pose Yoga For Stability

Crow Pose is one yoga pose that can help you feel strong along with the messages you feed yourself. Learn about how in this article.

Do good and Be kind are heart action messages worth taking into the day!

Maybe when you start your balance pose initially, you’re not able to hold the Crow Pose without your feet or toes touching the mat or floor.

…But as you practice regularly, you’ll be able to! 🐦‍⬛

Crow Pose could be a goal this week that gets your mojo back to blood flowing activity and to keep moving and growing. 🥅

Building Strength Stability

If you want to become stronger, gaining arm strength is one impactful way. Strength represents resilience that’s needed to get through tough times… and build stability and progress.

One starter exercise way is to be in your push up pose. Alternating legs, pull one knee at a time closer up to your shoulders one side at a time.

Then like a push up, push straight up and down. Your hiked up leg is extra body weight to use as muscle weights for your arm. 😉

Then switch leg sides. After a weekly habit of doing arm strength building exercises, your muscle memory will remember (fostering stable reinforcements) and that’ll help you in your Crow Pose…

If only you could see how cool you look!

This exercise I just described (that I’m not sure if it has a name) helps you get to used to vertical arm strength that Crow Pose needs. Chataranga pose is another.

In good form, vertical arms will support your body along with your strong ab muscles. And speaking of the gut, I share below some strong food ways that complement your pose.

…But let’s not got ahead of ourselves. For starters, you may want to see where you’re at with your Crow Pose today. So give it a try today (or now) and fail forward or beam in your Crow!

Keep reading 👇 for tips…

Crow Pose For Beginners (Or Starting Again)

As a beginner, you can have a yoga block in front of you for strength and moral support. Set the soft-place-to-fall security block on the floor on the lowest setting side where your forehead would fall on… don’t worry, as this likely won’t happen.

The placebo effect is a confidence booster. 🤸🏻

…And that way you can enter the pose confidently without fear of injury that can stall your progress or hold you back unintentionally.

Especially when you want Crow Pose to build your confidence (and not build a fine line wall divide that keeps you stuck).

And when you move into your first Crow Pose moments, you can feel like you can handle the world in all its cruel ways that can sometimes make any of us feel like we’re broken down. Stay at peace. ✌️

When you look up and out with a grin on your face knowing you’re able to support yourself, the weight of the world crumbles into the mat.

Plus, you’re building up arms that are becoming more chiseled. 😊

And after you’ve mastered Crow Pose, you can advance to a taller Crane Pose or take a slight bend (detour break) into Side Crow.

There’s always a next or side step. Before you know it, you’ll be flying! 🕊️

Side Crow Pose and Crane Pose

In Side Crow Pose, you crouch down and tip your body to the side where the back of your upper arms catch your legs and side buttock. So you get a different muscle workout and perspective.

And if you want to lengthen taller and gain more stability in your moves, you can try a more advanced pose: Crane Pose.

Cranes are the tallest flying birds. They’re powerful so the pose matches the yoga pose name.

What I like about these two other poses is what they’ll tell you more about your core and arm muscle state.

Many women think they’ll build Popeye arms with regular 10 lb weights, but that’s not the case.

We underestimate ourselves and what we can lift. If you can lift your travel carry-on luggage up to the compact overhead bin, then daily 10 pound weights should be no problem.

If you look more compact, then you could have more muscle that’s lean mass which means it will become denser or smaller.

Think of a compact ball of yarn versus a loose skein that yarn is usually sold in. On the shelves, it’s soft. But if you take it home and unravel the yarn and make a tight ball 🧶, then it becomes hard like a rubber ball.

We want our muscles to have shape, tone, and hard compactness that a rubber ball represents. In between, it can be like a squishy stress ball.

Our arm muscles are easy to scope out, but the hidden body muscles that give us the most trouble and least strength are the ones we don’t use or stretch often. And in yoga, you can discover those small areas in poses.

Balancing Food Macros to Support Crow Pose Moves

If you’re like many trying to lose weight, be sure to amp up your protein so your body stays full longer. Proteins burn more calories.

Taking a step further, the body burns fat for energy after it runs out of glucose. And that’s why I’m so gung-ho on intermittent fasting for metabolic flexibility. On and off switching teaches the body who’s boss. 😊

As we age, we lose muscle. Our protein macros help make up the deficit, for especially women. We can include large doses of protein foods with specific amino acids to help us restore what’s lost.

Protein food sources also keep us feeling full that saves us time from taking time to eat so we can spend more time doing other activities we want to get to.

If you’re like me, after graduating from baby milk as nutrients, I started out life with sugary bowls of cereal and milk as a breakfast meal. That was what I woke up to, growing up. Protein wasn’t a priority.

With cereal, it’s not the sugary sides that’s the biggest problem… it was the starting with cereal as a meal. Cereal wasn’t and isn’t filling enough and also begs us wanting more sugar in our veins.

But as a snack treat to fulfill sweet cravings, low-sugar cereals are better and I prefer them over sweet alternatives like cookies (my love 💕). Many cereals are fortified with macros and minerals while cookies are mostly empty calories (unless you bake them with healthy goodness like I do these days).

Gluten-free coconut flour, cocoa, shredded coconut, cinnamon, coconut oil, and water make this cookie batter.

But in my earlier years, I was in double trouble working in catering food management at the Doubletree Hotel known for their large paper weight-dense cookies. 🍪

And that’s how I started my breakfast morning at 8 am…

But decades later with better intentions and experiencing a season of excess sugar bothering my skin with eczema, I changed my ways. I didn’t think I could ever switch to starting mornings with a savory meal.

…I mean, forget protein like lean meats. But I let health motivate me and after many bites, savory foods grew on me.

…So I started adding proteins from leftover meals. Because eggs, tofu, and chicken aren’t necessarily the favorite first thing meal when your gut isn’t even awake yet…

And if that’s you…don’t give up on yourself! The a-ha change I made also made me realize that I could ignore my cravings (like unproductive thoughts) if I wanted to and focus on building healthy habits.

Protein substantial foods are also a better stomach cushion for coffee (that’s acidic).

…And you too can start the habit if you want!

Trust your feelings will follow. 💖

That’s how you can change tastes effectively for your health and build in more protein ma-crows in your life, so you can support your Crow Pose and other bird pose yoga areas calling you!

Yoga moves calling for strength can be the canary in the coal mine indicator to add more daily muscle and protein to your body and diet. 🌱

And doing a daily Crow Pose could just be the starting reminder.

Amino Acids In Daily Proteins Matter + Orange Chicken Recipe

Amino acids matter in the proteins we eat. Some recipes below for protein ideas like this delicious Orange Chicken.

Jump to Recipe

Orange chicken with a jam compote recipe below ⬇️for everyday dinners and daily protein counts with several important amino acids. 🧡

But first, I used to start mornings with very little protein and amino acids for breakfast.

Cereal took the place of whole foods. And very little adorning… like these waffle trees decked out for holiday Advent season we’re in. 🎄

These days, there are more options like a quinoa cereal bowl, where you get a complete protein meal.

Quinoa has the 9 essential amino acid that you can turn into a sweet breakfast cereal.

The amino acids are what matter. You won’t see that on most food packaging labels. Both essential and non-essential amino acids.

The nine essential amino acids come only from foods, and like the ones I’m sharing today. They synergistically work together. One essential amino acid you may know by heart is tryptophan because Thanksgiving turkey has made it famous. And maybe you felt the sleepy effects this past week if you celebrated. 🦃

Tryptophan is also found in a range of foods like soybeans, nuts, seeds, and egg whites.

…Anyway, where was I? …Ok, so the other essential amino acids are the names ending in “ine” that you don’t see on most food packaging.

You usually only see “protein” as the macronutrient labeling, unless it’s protein powder packaging or a nutritional supplement bar that breaks down the granular protein ingredients.

We need amino acids for protein synthesis and tissue turnover. The body needs the right combo of essential amino acids (only found in foods). And essentially we determine what we put into our bodies so we have a lot of smart food decisions we can make.

And a complete protein has all 9 essential amino acids. And why I often start my mornings with a quinoa cereal bowl. I say often because Vatas like to mix it up… lentils porridge, warm oatmeal, and sweet potato soup are just a few others I can think of. …oh, and smoothies too!

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day because you break the fast from eating for about 12 hours or so.

And since we’re talking numbers here…

As an adult, you need daily protein at least a recommended .36 x your weight.

For a female that can be at least 45 grams of protein.

And you can get to that daily goal much faster with lean animal proteins like 4 ounces of chicken breast (36 grams) and 1 cup of yogurt (12 grams or more).

…Beans and egg whites are healthy protein sources too, but you’ll be eating a lot to get there…

A whole can of beans (regular 15.5 ounces) is usually under 15 grams of protein. But is still a good protein and a great source of minerals like potassium that we need. So 2-3 cans a week is good plus other protein sources.

And legumes are good too. One I enjoyed as a little girl was when I would pick out the sugar snap peas at the grocery store and add to to the bag. It’s funny how the grocery store hasn’t changed a bit in that way, as there are still the same bags and ties …and maybe there will be better recyclable ways in the future. ♻️

Then at home, I enjoyed the snapping sound of taking off the ends (one side is the stem). That was my helper job. The peas were left in the pod and they were cooked all as one.

Snap peas, btw, are a good source of collagen and have a ‘lil protein, more than I expected for their petit pois size. That’s what we used to call them in catering and when I studied French.

These days, I take collagen protein supplements for stronger hair, skin, and nails. It’s easy to add to your coffee, and even better when eaten with vitamins like C in fruits and B6, B12, and B3 in eggs and animal proteins.

That could help make you rethink your morning choices! 🥣

And so many foods operate like this where they work better and rely on other nutrients and vitamins to operate and get absorbed more easily.

And to get to the simple bottom line… that’s why it helps your body to eat nutrient-rich diverse meals and a variety of foods all the time, so the nutrients synthesize and operate in harmony like an orchestra! 🎶

And getting enough protein to build lean muscle mass. As you age, you lose muscle. Lean animal proteins are rich sources (like lean fish, salmon, and poultry) to help build muscles because of the amino acids.

And if you’re trying to lose weight, replacing fat with protein is an efficient way. Protein macronutrients have fewer calories than fat macros.

Of course, proteins are healthy preferred over sweets to the body, so if you’re sweet tooth challenged like I am, more proteins and plant-based options starting at breakfast can also help you get over this daily hump.

But whether you choose a diet high in proteins is your choice. You know how your body operates optimally (and non-optimally).

As a quintessential Vata body (…and maybe you are too), I’m never fully full enough without lean animal protein like fish and chicken that have higher amounts of carnitine, in addition to the plant-based ones.

We’re lucky that nature provides for us.

One protein source that comes to mind is Wild Alaskan salmon which feeds the Alaskan wildlife and us humans. Adult salmon lay their salmon eggs, and as they age they know to instinctively swim to the shallow streams where the entire animal ecosystem grocery shops for their instant salmon meal. How’s that for healthy convenience food?

The animal kingdom is fascinating to watch. And fun to watch in related-timeless classic movies, like The Lion King which is still one of my Disney favorites.

It has evolved (as we have) from its original cartoon version to CGI animation and live-filmmaking. I don’t know if you remember those movies we watched with the 3-D movie theater cardboard glasses we got with the red and blue cellophane lenses to bring alive the effects in a Jaws movie. …It’s laughable today.

Those were the days. 😊

And in real life, sharks and lions are still at the top of the food chain. We need them to keep the animal ecosystem running in the wild. Just like us humans with our healthy checks and balances so we can rule the earth.

And so to stay on top, we need to keep our bodies renewed. And make sure we get enough amino acids like leucine (to stimulate mTOR) for new tissue growth. …And that’s a great reason to keep egg protein in your diet. 🥚

Plus… chicken is also amino acid rich too. Here’s one I made with an herb blend I mentioned in another post. If you only could have smelled the herb-y aroma coming from the oven and the orange-citrusy vibes on the stove. 🧡

Orange Chicken with Jam Compote

Chicken is a great way to get your tasty daily protein amino acids. The orange flavor is a brightening zest for daily and festive meals.

Course dinner

Cuisine American

Author Brandy @ Healthy Happy Life Secrets

Ingredients

1 apple or pear
1 orange
chicken breast or drumsticks (4-6 oz per person)
balsamic vinegar
jam (sweet tasting jam or less-sweet tasting jam tip below)
optional spices (rosemary, thyme, and coriander)

Instructions

Remove skin from apples or pears. Chop fruit into small dices.
Cook down fruit until almost soft on cooktop/stove. Add balsamic vinegar, orange zest and your favorite fruit jam until reduced liquid. Tip: Use lighter, sweet jam to pair with light or sweet wine, and less-sweet tasting jam like fig or plum jam to pair with red wines.
Serve with chicken. For festive dishes you can add rosemary and for brightening lemon citrus to bring out orange, you can add coriander.
Zhugh with thin orange slices.

And year round this is another full amino acid Fish 3 Sisters Recipe that is loaded with amino acid proteins!

Butternut Squash Three Sisters Fish Tacos

Pairing a 3 Sisters dish with fish tacos is a healthy dish.

Author Brandy @ Healthy Happy Life Secrets

Ingredients

Butternut squash
Black beans, canned
Corn, canned
Fish
Basil
Olive oil

Instructions

Cook your butternut squash until soft, then cut in half.
Cook until you can scoop out the squash.
Add the corn and beans drained from cans.
Cook fish and make salsa verde (basil and olive oil) or pesto (basil, olive oil, pine nuts).

Proteins and Meal Prep For Healthy Living

Proteins are the most important macro for keeping you full and many other reasons that this article is about.

Legume proteins added to 2022 pantry — 2022 Pantry

Probably like you, I’ve evolved eating habits and meal planning since 2020.

My meals are focused on healthy proteins, carbs, veggies, fiber, and healthy fats. My pantry reflects those balanced moves… and fewer sweets.

The bulk of sweets come from my weekly bakes, like poached cinnamon-honey pears or kiwi meringues.

Daily salty snacks are mostly from nuts that are a high source of protein (i.e. 1 ounce of almonds has 6 grams of protein).

Once in a while, popcorn (a whole grain) with a dash of turmeric comes on the scene for a good movie.

Or a dash of EVOO and white pepper that gives a savory umami buzz.

That’s important for a taste-o-phile. 😊

For most meal prep, the focus is on anti-inflammatory plant-based sources like legumes and phytochemical-rich fruits and veggies.

But I didn’t start off 2020 with my then-new pantry (in limbo transition)…

Pasta over proteins in 2020 pantry — 2020 Pantry

The first meal I remember cooking was a box of pasta. It’s not touted on the daily news, but there’s a reason why pasta takes up one side of the grocery store aisle.

For the low cost, it offers good value. It beats a junk food replacement that’s more convenient.

Pasta is fairly easy and quick to cook and is a filling source of energy great for lunches.

And then you can add your favorite protein and veggies on top for a healthy meal.

It’s also a good source of potassium, B vitamins, protein, fiber and has very low sugar. You can also get the tricolor kind with tomato and spinach puree.

But yeah, anything from a box with a barcode isn’t likely to be nutrient-dense polyphenol healthy.

Sometimes I make my own pasta with eggs (which btw, both egg yolks and whites are a good source of proteins)…

Pasta is made with eggs with proteins

But any pasta isn’t gonna be as nutritious as a whole grain alternate or a pseudo-grain like quinoa (a complete protein) that has all 9 amino acids, including the ones your body doesn’t make.

The quinoa nutrition label won’t show that today, so all you see is the 4 grams of protein per half a cup (which still isn’t bad… but only half the scoop). You can add quinoa to your breakfast strategy!

Good to know, no matter whether you’re a natural Vata, Pitta, or Kapha Ayurvedic body type.

In case those terms are new… generally, Vatas are lean, Pittas are muscular, and Kapha body types are heavier set.

In all cases, protein is needed for functioning and is loaded with essential vitamins and minerals.

Some amino acids (the building block of proteins) needed for life, only come from food sources.

Proteins are also needed for muscle growth and tissue repair.

Plus, eating proteins helps with focusing on tasks other than eating all day.

This is especially true if you’re a Vata body type with lean genes and skinny jeans where energy crashes and feeling occasional lightheadedness from low blood sugar can come with the territory too.

All in all, proteins keep us feeling full longer, and being filled gives us energy. Healthy protein sources can come from legumes like beans or tofu (i.e. 6 ounces of tofu has 11 grams of protein).

The 5 Blue Zone regions in the world have the highest concentration of Centenarians (the young-at-heart people passing the 100-year-old mark).

Legumes carry across the board are part of their longevity plans.

Examples:

Sardinia, Italy/Ikaria, Greece – white/cannellini beans

Nicoya, Costa Rica – black beans

Okinawa, Japan – soy beans (tofu)

Loma Linda, CA – mixed (black, kidney, pinto, tofu, etc.)

Occasional lean animal proteins and fish also help us to stay healthy.

Choosing a variety is going to give you the diversity of vitamins and minerals your body optimally runs on.

You can think of getting a balanced meal from building a grain bowl or wrap like in a Chipotle meal.

Here’s a grain bowl example you can try in your at-home meal prep:

Grain Bowl with Proteins — Proteins lead the meal prep

Oh, and don’t forget the microgreens and chia seeds (I.e. 3 Tbsp chia seeds has 7 grams of protein).

If you’re like me who likes to boost her omega-3s with ground flaxseeds, you’re getting 6 grams of protein per 3 Tbsp.

While you may choose your greens first, for meal prep, proteins can still lead the meal choice. Here’s the healthy you could consider weekly:

1-2 cans of 15 oz beans or legumes (chickpeas/lentils)

Wild-caught fish and seafood

Lean Poultry (minimally processed)

Protein in egg yolks and egg whites.

Grass-fed or free-range meat

Uncured lunch meat

Here are some protein questions you can ask:

Which omega-3 protein-rich sources will I add? Examples: Salmon, eggs (enriched eggs), sardines

Which plant-based proteins? Examples: Tofu, beans, legumes

Which lean B vitamin-rich proteins? Example: Chicken (minimally processed), uncured meats (without sodium nitrates or added nitrite)

B vitamins are water-soluble. Since the body doesn’t store them, we need to keep replenishing. B-vits work together and are responsible for healthy growth, vision, skin, hair, nails, metabolism, immune system support, memory, prevention of many potential body issues, and so much more.

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