Weekly Meal Prepping

One of our favorite routines in the Nyberg household is preparing as much food on Sundays as possible. This has been one of the BEST changes in our home for our health and sanity throughout the week. Here's what happens after I come home from getting the groceries on Sundays...

Breakfasts

1) Cook a dozen cage-free organic scrambled eggs. Mix one dozen eggs with a little coconut milk and add to a large skillet that has some hot coconut oil in it. (Sometimes I make hard boiled eggs too)

2) Cook breakfast meats like sausage and/or bacon according to packages. We like the precooked sausages found in the Hy-Vee Health Market Freezer. We throw them on the contact grill and brown them. Bacon--bake on broiling pan at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Be sure all meat is nitrite free! We also cook bacon on the contact grill too. 

3) Wash and prep any fruit that can be prepared ahead of time--grapes, blueberries, strawberries, etc. 

4) Sometimes I'll make a batch of Paleo Pumpkin Muffins or a treat like too. 

Dinners

1) Decide on recipes. I like to marinate meat before grilling or cooking it, so I will typically make the marinades on Sundays and put the sauce into a gallon ziplock baggie (or dish). Then on the day of the meal, I throw the meat in the baggie in the morning or sometime in the afternoon so it's ready to go. 

2) Prepare the meats--slice up chicken, make hamburger patties, shape homemade chicken nuggets, put a roast in the crockpot with veggies and set into the fridge, etc. Tonight I made a marinade in a large baggie;  wrapped chicken in bacon and put the sauce on it; put green beans, chicken, and sweet potatoes in a 9x13 pan with butter & Mrs. Dash; started thawing beef. 

A little fuzzy, but you get the idea! Chop those veggies!

3) Prepare the veggies--dice up zucchini & squash; slice carrots/tomatoes/peppers/onions; snap green beans; etc. Having veggies already cleaned and ready to cook makes it easier. I typically just use a little butter in a pan or throw them in a steam-pot to cook them for dinner. 

Lunches

PACK ON SUNDAY! Start with a meat (we like DiLusso Nitrite free deli meat at HyVee or leftovers) and add veggies. Raw veggies are great! Remember those veggies you just cleaned and cut for dinners? Use some of those! Salads can be pre-made--just don't use the dressing yet. 

While cooking at home definitely takes time, we've found that prepping our food on Sundays really helps. Maybe Sunday isn't your day--but find a time and make a commitment to clean, healthy eating. You'll love the results!

9x13 Pan; Green Beans, Carrots, Chicken, Sweet
Potatoes; Mrs. Dash; Butter squares.

Recipes We Used This Week

Paleo Bacon Wrapped Honey Mustard Chicken

Budget Friendly Balsamic Mustard Chicken

Chipotle Lime Rubbed Steak

Medical Doctors Vs. Chiropractors--Who Loses?

Q. Why don’t Chiropractors and medical doctors get along?

A. This is a big problem that you, the patient, are dealing with these days. There is a misconception that medical doctors don’t refer to Chiropractors and vice versa. While this is true for some, it’s not the way it should be. When this occurs, there is only one loser in this scenario, YOU! There is a time and place for medicine and there is definitely a time and place for Chiropractic. Chiropractic is not for just neck and back pain. Unfortunately, that’s what most people believe. There is so much more to Chiropractic. If MD’s, DO’s and Chiropractors would work together, our society would be a much happier, and healthier place.

Chiropractic operates under the fact that our nervous system controls and coordinates every

cell, tissue, and function of our bodies. If one of these nerve pathways is interfered with, then

wherever that nerve goes to may not function at a 100%. Chiropractors remove this interference

with the use of the Chiropractic adjustment and help the body heal on its own. There are over

100 certified adjustment techniques and the goal is to find the one that fits you. Chiropractic

helps people become healthier along with making healthy lifestyle choices, eating well, exercise and mental stress reduction techniques. As a healthcare professional, I would advise you that if your M.D., D.O., or Chiropractor are not open to working with your other healthcare

professionals in your life, then you should find a new one. It’s not about us, it’s about you. The

priority should be on whatever it takes to get you and your family healthy.

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly of Pinterest

Our office (well, me specifically) loves Pinterest. We've found some awesome recipes and helpful hints for our home. We've planned cheap birthday parties and found new ways to play with our kids.

However, we often see people pinning things that just make us cringe. Here are a few of the bad and ugly pictures on Pinterest...

Carcinogens, toxins, and chemicals! 

Just look at all these toxic chemicals!!! This one is exceptionally painful for me to look at because I can only imagine what tiny bodies are taking baths in tubs cleaned with this stuff and eating off of counters scrubbed with this stuff. Ick! Solution--Norwex. If you don't own any Norwex, buy it. Or clean with water and vingear. 

Hydrogenated Oils, BPA in Cans, and Processed Foods! 

I love a great organization system just like any other mom does, but this one is a double-whammy. There are tons of processed crackers, cereals, snacks, cans, peanut butter, and chemicals on these shelves. These foods will make you and your family unhealthy at a very rapid pace. 

This one isn't quite as bad, but there are many pins on Pinterest that claim a workout or snack or meal is "healthy". We get frustrated because it gives people false hopes on what healthy is. Pinterest is quickly becoming as credible as mainstream news shows. In this particular picture, we'd leave off popcorn (it's a grain), nonfat cottage cheese (eat fat!), Peanut Butter (unless it's PB2), Fruit Smoothies, Frozen grapes in moderation, Mangoes, SOY anything, bean salad, Sugar Free Jello (artificial sweeteners = neurotoxins), nonfat yogurt (eat fat!), and most protein bars as the main source of protein is GMO Soy. 

What's the good on Pinterest? Check out Waukee Wellness' Pinterest Page and be assured that the pins there are of good quality! 

Happy Pinning! 

Rotavirus Letter

I've been asked about Rotavirus often this past week so I thought I'd share the email response Dr. Wes and I share with families. 

Thoughts on Rotavirus (or any illness)...

The primary goal of prevention or restoring health is having a strong & healthy immune system. The best way to achieve that is through chiropractic adjustments and making sure the body is able to heal itself. Our boys get adjusted once a week in the office and more at home if needed. Typically we see the healthiest kids in our office come in one-two times per month. Here's a link to the research behind chiropractic care and immune function--it's important to see why it works. http://icpa4kids.org/Chiropractic-Research/Immune-Function/  

Second--nutrition. If you think anyone in the house is getting sick or exposed to illness, cut out all inflammatory foods--especially wheat and dairy. When the body has excess inflammation to deal with, it cannot remove the toxins as easily and those little viruses/bacteria take residence inside the body. Bacteria feed off of sugar and will multiply much quicker with excess sugars in the body. Plan meals with lots of good proteins and veggies, and then throw in some fruit if needed.  

Third--Supplements. Vitamin D is one of the most important supplements you can take to boost immune function and overall health. Dr. Wes recommends 400IU for kids under 2, 800-1000 for kids aged 2-5, and 5000-10000 IUs for the adults.  You can get good quality drops or capsules from Waukee Wellness or Campbells.  

Overall, it's so important that everyone in the house (and ideally daycare too) is being proactively healthy. Illness can be transmitted from person to person, and those people may or may not have the symptoms. Keeping everyone at optimal health is key! 

Check out this link on the Rotavirus Vaccine.

Patience Paid Off

So many people in our culture are looking for the "quick fix" to their problems. We hear commercials for "Make Money Fast!" or "Lose 10lbs in 3 days!" and we become intrigued. And I'd be lying if I said I wasn't completely thrilled when I lost 20lbs in 8 weeks through our 8 Weeks to Wellness program. 

However, the bigger health benefits come over time. We hear people in our office say that they tried a program for a month and "it just didn't work for them". When we've spent a lifetime repeatedly doing a bad habit (like not exercising or eating poorly), it's going to take much longer than a month to make a change in your overall health. 

I had a personal success today that was eye-opening. One year ago (4/30/12) I did a workout at Crossfit called "Diane". It's a benchmark workout of deadlifts and handstand push-ups (which I modified). I did the same weights and same push-ups from last year, and cut my time in almost half! I was so excited that this workout not only improved for me, but it was easy. I could have/should have done more weight and I'm excited to tackle this one again in the future.

My patience and dedication to exercising is making a healthy difference in my life. I'm stronger and healthier because of  steady diligence to exercising. 

PS...If you haven't heard it from our office before...women--go lift some weights!! If you need help getting started, sign up for a class or training session with us!