Hope your St. Patty’s Day is going great!
Sadly, this was not green beer that fueled my workday today- it was a green monster- but I had to have it in a beer mug! I made this GM with kale…and I forgot how horrible my Kitchen Aid blender is with kale. It was soooooo chewy. Not cool. I dream of the day when I can buy a Vitamix!
Until then, I chew my kale. :mrgreen: and I check my teeth very carefully before going out. ;)
In the St. Patty’s Day GM: 3 cups kale, 1 cup hemp milk, 1 tablespoon cashew butter, 1 tablespoon chia seeds, ice.
My exercise today was quite the change of ‘pace’! It was so gorgeous outside, I decided to go for a walk on my lunch break. I can’t remember the last time I just laced up my sneakers and went for a WALK! Sometimes, a walk is all you need to feel re-energized. I did a brisk 30 minutes around the neighbourhood. Sometimes workouts don’t need to be intense to feel amazing!
Health Tip #2: Eat Volume Food!
If you guessed that I eat volume foods everyday you’d be right! This is how I eat a lot of food and still maintain my weight.
Volume foods are foods that physically have a lot of volume (or size) to them, but they are typically low in calories.
For breakfast, my favourite two volume foods are Green Monsters and oatmeal. The key is to have protein and healthy fat in addition to your volume foods.
For breakfast, I typically use protein powder, chia seeds, and nut butter to give them staying power.
Want to add more volume to your GM? Just add ice and water! Sometimes I put 4-5 ice cubes in mine and 1/4 cup water if I want it really big volume wise.
My oatmeal typically has the following: 1/2 cup oats, 1 banana, 1 cup non-dairy milk, 1/2 cup water (or bit more), 1 tablespoon chia seeds, 1 tablespoon nut butter.
Perfection!
On the other hand, no amount of cereal or toast ever seems to fill me up! What is up with that?!
For lunch I typically have wraps. However, wraps on their own do not leave me feeling satisfied. They take about 2 minutes to eat and when I am done I am asking where my wrap went! ;)
That’s why I always have lunch with at least 2 servings of veggies on the side. Sometimes I have an English cucumber and hummus or 3-4 carrots and salsa. Crunching veggies is very satisfying as they take a long time to eat and give your brain a chance to register that it is full.
Soup is also a great volume food! I love this Amy’s Reduced Sodium Split Pea Soup:
I usually end my lunch with more volume food- fruit!
Grapefruit is very filling due to all the water!
During the day, I have lots of tea to stay hydrated. I make sure to never let myself get very thirsty.
For dinner, I always have a large salad to go along with whatever we are eating. It fills up my stomach and doesn’t make me feel like I need second helpings.
Salads are great because they take that ‘edge’ off your hunger!
Stir-frys are another great volume food…
As is savoury oatmeal…
My favourite dessert may come as no surprise to you… ;) Banana soft serve and cacao nibs! 1 frozen banana, splash of almond milk, cacao nibs.
I typically make this around 8pm when Eric and I watch a bit of TV. It is a fun treat to end the day.
Generally speaking, I try to have at least a bit of volume food in each meal. This keeps me feeling satisfied mentally, visually, and physically.
[P.S.- All of these recipes can be found on my Recipes page!]
Do you try to incorporate volume foods into your daily diet? What are your favourite volume foods or recipes?
Post complete, next up- another Breville juice article! I am on article 6 of 8 and I need to finish them before I leave on Saturday!
Have a great day!
This is a great post Angela! I’m a huge fan of smoothies, oatmeal, and salads. Carrots and cucumbers are my life. I always forget salad when it comes to dinner though…I should fix that asap!!
I always have either a green monster or oats for breakfast…unless I take an am spin class…then I have both! Green monster before and oats after:) I have been replacing lunch with creative and filling salads, usually with a side of crackers or half sandwich. I too, like to have a salad with dinner because it takes me longer to eat and therefore I feel like I am getting more food. Substituting banana soft serve for dessert is an excellent idea…I am going to start doing that (after trying it for the first time yesterday…yum!)
I’ve been loving the green monsters for breakfast ever since I got my vitamix! I usually have another one for my nighttime snack. And a huge salad at lunch is pretty much a staple for me!
I am all about volume foods. I hadn’t thought of it that way until everything you said matched up to what I already do.
I have a very sensitive stomach so high volume foods don’t work as well for me. I try not to eat food that will fill me up too much. So I eat small meals. By doing this I can eat by volume rich foods like veggies but in smaller portions!
I do a lot of the same things you do. I MUST try that banana soft serve.. my mouth is watering! I just discovered “walnut coconut organic green tea” it is so yummy it’s almost like a treat. I often drink it in the evenings when I feel like something sweet. Even though it’s not really sweet. I got in Bloor West Village at Davidstea http://www.davidstea.com/
i’ve gotta start eating more veggies!
i’ve tried the whole chia seeds in my green monster thing, but i find it makes me feel weird and light headed…
I try to do volume foods, but I’m not sure if this is a personal quirk – even though I eat things that are supposed to make me feel fuller, things like oatmeal or large salad, and I make sure I’m throwing in some healthy protein and fats – I blow through it so quick. Some days, I can tell my blood sugar dips, and others, I’m ravenous so quickly afterward.
I’m trying to cut back on the amount of meat I need in a meal and having vegetarian meals from time to time. But every time I eat something without meat, the same thing happens. I’ve experimented with various proteins and good fats, and I’ve got a clean bill of health, so I’m not sure if this is just an adjustment period, or all in my head.
Anyone else have this problem, or is it just me?
I am SUCH a volume eater. I like huge salads, oatmeal, fruit, etc. I started buying these unsweetened cereal puffs (I think Arrowhead Mills and Kashi makes some) and I’ll add them to my cereal to bulk it up!
I love volume foods – I am a huge fan of fruit and most grains. I also have a new banana soft serve obsession. It is incredible!
I totally hear you on the walking thing today! I’m usually a runner, but the weather was just so gorgeous that I wanted to really enjoy and savor it for a change. My lovely walk made me feel so invigorated afterwards….ready to head into my next workout with a bang. Sometimes, you just have to pause and take the time to enjoy the beauty around you. It can just brighten your whole outlook on the week!
Volume foods are great. They really do do an excellent job filing you up without the calories. I eat tonnes of volume foods… But also a lot of NOT volume foods (a la peanut butter). I just need a better way to stay on track with those not-so-good-to-eat-in-large-quantity foods.
I am definitely a volume eater! Things like spaghetti seem to be so low volume wise per serving, so I serve it on a big bed of veggies to fill me up and still enjoy a spaghetti dinner!
I need to find some coco nibs.
I have trouble with volume foods as I get so full so fast, I tend to not be able to finish! (GMs, for example – I can never finish one!!) :-/
I also get hungry like, only an hour after I eat oatmeal (and this is with PB and the works too!)
So huh. Does volume food just not work for some peeps? :(
I really love your blog! I discovered the green monsters not too long ago, and I am sad on the days I leave too early to make them (the blender wakes up my boyfriend, and he is not a morning person). I usually will make one later in the day to make up for it. I have been incorporating a lot more fruits and vegetables into my diet, and I love to drink tea during the day. I am especially addicted to spearmint tea.
I eat a ton and it’s mostly volume foods. I love veggies and right now I need to restock because I don’t really have much to eat. It helps me stay full and maintain my weight too.
i am totally volume eater. i NEED the volume to feel satisfied. i’m not the kind of person who can eat a sandwich and be done with the meal, because it is small and calorically dense. in fact, i just made a GM and for the first time, added extra ice in. i usually just put a frozen banana and rely on that to make it thick. but oh gosh… the extra ice cubes!! so so so creamy!! what a wonderful discovery. i need to get chia seeds to bulk up my oatmeal now :P
and a lot of my dinners are huge salads, but instead of having the protein, veggies, and grains on the side, i just dump it all on top of the salad haha.
however, fruits are a different story for me… apples will NEVER keep me satiated. they just make me hungrier, even if i pair them with a protein. same with carrot sticks + pb sometimes. i wish they filled me up, though!
i’m loving your tips this week — thanks for sharing them!
i am 100% a volume eater bc i have a big appetite and enjoy eating a lot. i almost always have an enormous salad at some pt in the day bc they are so fun to get creative with. i always feel challenged to make my current salad more banging than my last :)
Oatmeal/Oatbran has also become my go to brekky – I love it with peanut butter, honey and chia seeds . .yum! I actually get excited about it the night before. Other days I have poaches eggs on toast and I usually find I am hungry earlier than if I have oatmeal.
I need to really commit to salads. I LOVE them, but just find them hard to design, pack up, and take to work. I order them anytime we eat dinner out (someone else makes them – hee hee!). I have got to try that soft serve. A quick lunch that I find fills me up is a serving of Seeds of Change quinoa and brown rice (microwaveable bag), mixed with plain of flavoured hummus. I also love that split pea soup!