Cooking From Your Pantry

The holidays have come and gone, and between the Christmas cookies and New Year's champagne, you've likely indulged in some tasty treats over the last few months. Well, 2019 has arrived, which means it's time to clean up our eating habits. We know how stressful and overwhelming meal planning and meal prep can be, so we've called upon our tried-and-true iFit dietitians to do the hard work for you! To get you started, they've put together a 14-day meal plan that's filled with delicious recipes. With our meal plan, each day's worth of food will land you at about 1,500 calories with lots of protein and fiber, so you will feel satisfied and satiated (and not hangry...we promise!) Even better, these recipes are all jam-packed with vitamins, nutrients, and a lot of delicious flavor. At iFit, we strongly believe that healthy eating does not have to mean bland and boring, so we promise that no limp broccoli or flavorless chicken breast will make an appearance in this guide! What you'll be getting is two weeks of balanced recipes that focus on whole foods, including fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins. We also included a weekly menu (with snacks), shopping lists, and recipes to make following this guide simple and easy. Our dietitians are also moms and know how important it is to eat together as a family. We don't want our clients making two dinners every night, so the recipes are family friendly. With items like Slow Cooker Beef and Broccoli, your family will be eating healthier and loving every bite. While this is a 2-week guide, we don't expect these recipes or this way of eating to be short lived. This is to help you practice meal prepping, balancing your meals, and making healthy snacking choices. You will also notice that we often use dinner leftovers as lunch the next day. This is a great practice to avoid food waste, money waste, and too much time in the kitchen—win, win, win! Whether you're a novice or an experienced cook, these recipes are easy to follow, healthy, delicious, and will be great additions to your recipe box. (Click image to download) Enjoy and happy cooking!

From a simple breakfast to multiple dinner options, here are our best recipes for camping, backpacking, and the great outdoors. A little prep at home can save you time and hassle at your campsite. Plus, you know we're always going to make things a little healthier for you! ------------ Strawberry Scones Kodiak pancake mix has whole grains and extra protein. With a little added fruit and sugar, we turned it into sweet, warm scones that are perfect for the great outdoors! Ingredients 1 cup protein Kodiak pancake mix ½ cup dried strawberries ¼ cup powdered sugar ½ cup water Directions At home, pack pancake mix, strawberries, and sugar in a ziplock bag. At camp, stir together the dry mix and water. Divide batter into fourths, then place all 4 scones on a hot pan. Cover. Cook until bottoms are golden brown, then flip. Cook until golden brown on both sides and done in the middle. Enjoy warm or cold. ------------ Chicken & Couscous Couscous is a great carb source for backpacking, because it is light and requires minimal cooking. Look for whole wheat versions for added fiber. You can enjoy this flavored with ranch or honey mustard! Ingredients ½ cup whole wheat couscous ¼ teaspoon onion powder ¼ cup sun-dried tomatoes ¼ cup dehydrated peas 2 Tablespoons pine nuts 1½ ounces ranch dressing or honey mustard (1 individual cup) 3 ounces cooked chicken in foil-lined packet Directions Place all the ingredients in a resealable bag, keeping the ranch and chicken in their packages. On the trail, remove chicken and dressing and set aside. Add 1 cup of boiling water to the ziplock bag and mix. Set aside for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork and add chicken and sauce to the bag. Mix well and enjoy! ------------ Mushroom Spaghetti This vegetarian pasta is a great backpacking option. You can also add chicken for extra protein. I like to use little packages of marinara from the deli, but you can take your favorite variety in a small bottle, like a travel shampoo bottle. Ingredients 4 ounces whole wheat spaghetti noodles ½ cup freeze-dried mushrooms 2 Tablespoons pine nuts ¼ teaspoon dried oregano ½ teaspoon dried basil ½ teaspoon powdered garlic 3 ounces single-serve cups marinara sauce Directions At home, in a plastic bag, add your noodles (break into thirds for easy packing). Add the mushrooms, pine nuts, oregano, basil, garlic, and marinara. Keep the marinara in its package. At camp, bring 2 cups of water to a boil. Add all the ingredients (other than the marinara sauce) and cook until almost all of the water is absorbed. Add marinara and mix well. Enjoy warm, out of the bag for easy cleanup! ------------ Peanut Noodles This is an easy meal for the trail with an Asian flare. Warm, rich, carbs are the perfect way to refuel after a long day of hiking. Ingredients 4 ounces whole wheat spaghetti noodles 1½ ounces single-serve cups of peanut butter 1 Tablespoon soy sauce (1 to-go packet) ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes ¼ cup roasted peanuts Directions At home, place noodles in a resealable bag (break into thirds for easy packing). Add the peanut butter, soy sauce, red pepper flakes, and peanuts. At camp, bring 2 cups of water to a boil. Add noodles and cook until almost all the water is absorbed. Add remaining ingredients and mix until smooth. Makes 1–2 servings. Enjoy warm. ------------ Rice & Beans Wrap This filling dish is full of healthy carbs to refuel those muscles after a day hiking. This is great on it’s own, but feel free to add chicken or wrap it in a tortilla for a little something extra. Ingredients 1 cup brown rice (look for a quick cooking variety) 1 (15 ounce) package refried black beans* ¼ teaspoon powdered garlic ¼ teaspoon salt ¼ teaspoon cumin 1 whole wheat tortilla Directions At home, add spices to the brown rice and store in a resealable bag. On the trail, dump everything into a pot with 1½ cups water. Bring to a boil and simmer, stirring constantly until thickened and rice is cooked—usually about 10 minutes, depending on the kind of quick cooking rice you choose. Wrap in a tortilla and enjoy! ------------ Salmon Lemon Couscous You can prep this quick, high-protein salad before you head into the great outdoors. It can be made while you’re hiking or camping, with either hot or cold water. Ingredients ⅓ cup couscous ¼ cup pine nuts ¼ cup peas ¾ teaspoon lemon pepper 3 ounces cooked salmon in foil-lined packet ⅓ cup water (cold or hot) Directions Place the couscous, pine nuts, and lemon pepper in a pint-sized, resealable bag, leaving the salmon in its pouch. When you’re ready to eat it, remove the salmon packet. Heat the water, if desired, then add to the sandwich bag. Seal, then set aside for 10 minutes. Fluff up with a fork, stir in the salmon, and enjoy!

This month, iFit Nutrition is challenging you to take your planning, cooking, and organizing skills to the next level by mastering the art of meal prep! To take part, all you need to do is meal prep four breakfasts or lunches each week throughout April. Whether you’re an avid meal prepper or someone who figures out dinner at 5 p.m., there’s something for everyone to gain with the #MasterMealPrep Challenge. Meal prepping can help you finetune your nutrition, stay on track toward your goals, reduce your food waste, and save money! Plus, it’s a great way to improve your kitchen skills and learn new recipes. This month’s challenge focuses on meal prepping breakfasts and lunches for a few reasons. For one, most people skip or skimp on their breakfast. That mid-morning hunger may bring you to a drive-thru line where you’re more likely to order a muffin or sugar-filled coffee. While these menu items are perfectly fine on occasion, they can leave you feeling unenergized and unsatisfied for the day ahead. A well-balanced breakfast will give you the fuel you need to tackle your to-do list! Similarly, last-minute lunch outings often lead to unplanned expenses and unbalanced choices. Having your lunch ready before you leave the house can help you stay aligned with your nutritional goals and limit extraneous spending. In fact, a 2018 USDA study revealed that over a third of our food budget is spent dining out. Planning and preparing your lunches ahead of time will help you put your budget to better use. To help you with this month’s Challenge, we’ve compiled a list of meal prep-friendly breakfast and lunch recipes. Healthy breakfast recipes: Freeze, then microwave on mornings you need a quick breakfast. Add milk, then reheat in the morning. Don’t add the egg until the day you make it. Freeze, then microwave on mornings you need a quick breakfast. Add to Greek yogurt. Freeze, then microwave on mornings you need a quick breakfast. Freeze, then microwave on mornings you need a quick breakfast. Healthy lunch recipes: Keep the sauce on the side. Don’t add avocado or salsa until you eat it. Pick a recipe that speaks to you, adjust the number of servings as needed, then add the ingredients to this week’s grocery shopping list. It may also be helpful to set time aside on your calendar for meal prepping. When you’re ready to prep, throw on your favorite podcast or playlist and get cooking! Keep up to date with monthly Nutritional Challenges by following @iFitNutritionOfficial on Facebook and Instagram.