Meet our Incredible Intern Alexandra Dusenberry…
Most of you have told us you love to hear what nutrition professionals choose as their New Year’s Resolutions. Meet our amazing intern Alexandra. You’ll be inspired by her resolution and probably can relate to her issue and to her ideas of how she gets around it!
Hi! I’m Alexandra Dusenberry and I’m a senior dietetics major at Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego. For 2015, my resolution is to stop “boredom eating”. I’m sure we have all been there before. Maybe you are lounging around the house or surfing the internet. (This is usually when I feel like boredom eating.) All of a sudden, you find yourself searching the pantry for a snack to munch on. You probably are not even hungry, yet you still feel like nibbling away. This habit can cause unwanted weight gain, or may cause you to be too full when it comes time to enjoy a nutritious meal. To combat the boredom eating, here are some tips that really help to keep me (or anyone else) on track!
Do something else! When I find myself wandering aimlessly through the fridge when boredom strikes, I stop myself, and find something to do to shake me out of my boredom! I might go out for a walk (exercise is the best boredom banisher), Skype a friend, or do something crafty/artistic, like photography. Putting my mind on something else stops boredom eating dead in its tracks.
Sip some tea! Not only is tea full of antioxidants, (especially white and green tea), but it is a relaxing, calorie-free way to fill up without succumbing to boredom eating.
Nosh on veggies! When I simply must have something to crunch and munch on, I make sure I reach for veggies. Having clean, prepared veggies on hand, like bell peppers, snap peas, and Persian cucumbers, means I can snack on something that is nutritious and doesn’t blow the calorie bank.
Following these tips will help you (and me) stick to our goals for 2015!
I’m also sharing one of my favorite go-to recipes: my version of a popular Mexican fast-food chain’s burrito bowl. It is an easy weeknight meal to throw together, and it is so flavorful, that I begin to crave it more than the real thing. (Yep, it’s that good.) Another reason I love this “knock off” is that it is so much lower in sodium than the restaurant version. That means the recipe is oh-so heart healthy. Not to mention, low sodium equals no unpleasant bloating. I make this recipe at least once a week. Keep all the ingredients separate when storing leftovers, and throw them together for a quick healthy lunch the next day!
Easy Burrito Bowl
Serves 2
Ingredients:
1 boneless, skinless chicken breast
2 cups romaine lettuce, roughly chopped
2/3 cup quinoa, cooked
1/2 avocado, sliced
1 lime
dash of chili powder
1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
4 TBS low-fat shredded cheddar cheese
hot sauce (optional)
Instructions:
Sprinkle chili powder on both sides of chicken breast. Bake chicken breast in oven at 400 degrees for 30-40 minutes, until chicken is cooked all the way through. When the chicken is done, slice it up into bite-sized chunks. To assemble each bowl, lay down ½ cup of quinoa, 1 cup of lettuce, and ¼ cup of tomatoes. Add chicken to the bowls, top with avocado slices, and squeeze the juice of half a lime over each bowl. Finally, sprinkle 2 TBS of cheese over each bowl, and add hot sauce, if desired.
Nutrition Facts per serving:
319 Calories 18.3 g fat 23.8 g protein 18.6 g carbs 6.1 g fiber
308 mg sodium 1.8 g sugar
- 1 boneless, skinless chicken breast
- 2 cups romaine lettuce, roughly chopped
- ⅔ cup quinoa, cooked
- ½ avocado, sliced
- 1 lime
- dash of chili powder
- ½ cup cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
- 4 TBS low-fat shredded cheddar cheese
- hot sauce (optional)
- Sprinkle chili powder on both sides of chicken breast.
- Bake chicken breast in oven at 400 degrees for 30-40 minutes, until chicken is cooked all the way through.
- When the chicken is done, slice it up into bite-sized chunks.
- To assemble each bowl, lay down ½ cup of quinoa, 1 cup of lettuce, and ¼ cup of tomatoes.
- Add chicken to the bowls, top with avocado slices, and squeeze the juice of half a lime over each bowl.
- Finally, sprinkle 2 TBS of cheese over each bowl, and add hot sauce, if desired.