On-the-Go Meals for Busy Schedules

by Marissa Vicario

It’s not uncommon to pack an already over-booked schedule with even more activities and to-do list items. Squeezing more time into your day often means leaving even less time to sit down to a healthy meal or snack. But being on-the-go is all the more reason you should eat wholesome, energizing, and nourishing food. These four options are sure to provide enough fuel to power through your day.

Simple Green Smoothie

Break out your blender and sip your fiber and nutrients through a straw. A green smoothie with lots of nutrient-dense ingredients can be a smart meal option when you’re pressed for time. Make your smoothie the night before and store it in the refrigerator in a tightly sealed mason jar so you can grab it and go in the morning.

Try this basic recipe for a green smoothie:

• A heaping handful of greens (kale, spinach, mixed greens)
• ½ cup of frozen pineapple and/or mango
• A scoop of protein powder or nut butter
• 1 cup of coconut water or non dairy milk
• 1 cup of ice

Add any additional ingredients you like such as: goji berries, flax oil, gluten-free rolled oats, spirulina, maca powder, or chia seeds to name a few

Chia Seed Pudding

Looking for a comforting snack or to satisfy a sweet tooth? Try chia seed pudding. Chia seeds are a good source of omega-3 fatty acids needed for heart health and brain function.

Whip up this concoction and take it with you on the go:

• ¼ cup chis seeds
• 1 ½ cups non-dairy milk

Combine chia seeds and milk in a glass jar or bowl. Optionally, you can add a little natural sweetener like maple syrup or coconut nectar. Stir and cover tightly with a lid and shake well. Put it in the refrigerator and let it sit overnight. The seeds will expand into a pudding-like consistency, similar to tapioca. Makes 2-3 servings.

Top your chia pudding with any of the following:

• fresh fruit, like berries
• sliced bananas
• granola
• shredded coconut
• nuts
• nut butter
• dark chocolate
• cinnamon

Wrap Up Leftovers

Double your dinner recipe and enjoy it the next day. Take it on the go wrap-style in a sprouted grain tortilla, collard leaves, or Nori. Nori is a sea vegetable that comes in a thin sheet and is found in the Asian foods section of most health food stores. No leftovers? You can stuff any of these ingredients below into a wrap and drizzle with tamari (a gluten-free soy sauce), hot sauce, or liquid aminos.

• leftover whole grains
• mixed greens, arugula, shredded cabbage, or romaine lettuce
• sliced avocado
• sliced apples
• fresh herbs like basil or cilantro

DIY Trail Mix

Making your own trail mix lets you tailor the concoction to your very own sweet or salty tooth. Get creative with the ingredients and keep a bag stashed in your desk drawer, handbag or car so you’re never without a snack in reach when hunger hits. Make up your own combinations or try some of these tasty concoctions:

• Raw almonds, dried apricots, and gluten-free granola
• Raw cashews, dried cranberries, pumpkin seeds, and dark chocolate chips
• Walnuts, dried blueberries, toasted coconut, and air-popped popcorn

Marissa Vicario is a NYC-based Wellness Coach, Healthy Living Expert, creator of the Total Reset Plan and Author of How To Be Holistically Hot: A 30 Day Guide to Making Men Swoon and Your Friends Want What You Have. She shares her own health secrets, get-fit tips and the cooking expertise that has inspired countless women to end their love/hate relationship with food and turbocharge their health to become holistically hot in way that’s fun and fearless. No crazy diets or all-juice cleanses required. Visit her web site at www.MWAHonline.com or connect on Facebook or Twitter.