Author: andrea Hood

It’s that time of year again – back to school time! As the Summer days drift away just as quickly as they came in, it’s time to focus on the new season and school year ahead. This can be a stressful time of year as we try to find our routines once again, as we often let them slide a bit during the carefree Summer months. One of the biggest stressors is meal time – or rather meal lack-of-time. Keeping your body health year round is a top priority, so we put together a list of Back to School Healthy Eating Tips to help make the transition a bit easier on you.

Back to School Healthy Eating Tips: Meal Prep

Our biggest tip when it comes to healthy eating and meal prep: Make once, eat twice (or many times). Eating healthy does not have to be time consuming. Cooking and prepping food in bulk saves a ton of time.

Here’s a great example that works well for us:

• Grilled chicken, brown rice, with roasted veggies served for dinner one night; making sure to cook extra of the chicken and rice. (approximately 30 minutes to prep and cook)
• The leftover chicken goes onto salads for the next day for lunch. Tip – using organic, pre-washed greens (often found in containers in the food store) saves tons of time for the salad base. (approximately 5 minutes to assemble) 
• The rice can be used in a rice, bean, and veggie rice burrito or wrap for dinner. (approximately 10 minutes to prep and assemble). Tip – make double for lunch for the next day.

That’s just 45 minutes for 3-4 meals!

Cooking in bulk on the weekends also saves a ton of time during the fast-paced week. Spending an hour or two cooking and prepping meals and snacks on a Sunday evening gives you more time to enjoy the weeknights with minimal stress.

Back to School Healthy Eating Tips: Dinner Recipes

• The Ultimate Veggie Stir Fry: Quick and easy way to get a ton of veggies in your body!
• Spicy & Smokey Sweet Potato Chili: A Fall and Winter staple!
• Chicken in a Crock Pot: Watch this short video on how to cook a whole chicken in the crock pot – it’s SO easy! Then, use the chicken for a variety of dishes like we outlined above.
• Kale & Quinoa Minestrone Soup: This soup stores really well in the fridge for a few days, so make a big batch and serve it all week long!
• Clean Eating Turkey Taco Salad:  Simple, balanced recipe that’s perfect to make when you’re short on time.

Back to School Healthy Eating Tips: Snack Recipes

• Magic 5 Snack Bites: 5 ingredients, 5 minutes to make – it’s the perfect healthy snack the whole family will love it!
• Vanilla Chia Seed Pudding: Chia seeds are a great source of protein, essential fatty acids, and give you an energy boost. Much better option than the pre-packaged puddings on the market!
• Pumpkin Granola: Perfect as a yogurt or smoothie topping, or just by itself.
• Cranberry Coconut Chocolate Chip Granola Bars: Skip the processed granola bars, that are often filled with sugar and not-so-great ingredients, and try these yummy bars instead.
• Creamy Basil Hummus: Pairs great with carrot, celery, and cucumber sticks for a healthy, balanced snack!

If you’re in the Wrightsville Beach area, we can also help you save time on healthy meals and snacks! Our superfood smoothies and acai bowls make for a great meal or snack anytime of day. Stop on by and visit us soon to try them out yourself!

Looking for a natural, healthy way to cool down this Summer? You can skip the cholesterol loaded ice cream and give an acai bowl a try! Acai Bowls are loaded with health benefits, are super tasty, and give you a boost of energy. So if you’re wondering Acai Bowls: Are They Worth the Hype? our answer is YES! Keep reading to find out why.

Acai Bowls: Are They Worth the Hype? Health Benefits of Acai

Acai is pronounced ah-sigh-ee, and it is a superfood berry that comes for the acai palm, which is native to the island of Trinidad and northern parts of South America. Acai berries are loaded with more antioxidants than other berries (even blueberries!) and “are extremely high in anthocyanins, a form of plant antioxidant associated with the ability to lower cholesterol levels in the blood stream.” (Source) High levels of antioxidants also help benefit the skin and give you that youthful glow!

Acai berries are a great addition to your healthy diet not just because of their high levels of antioxidants, but they also contain fiber, vitamin C (big immune booster) essential fatty acids, and help improve circulation. “They are also rich in plant sterols that provide cardio-protective benefits to our cells. It does this by preventing blood clots, improving overall blood circulation, and relaxing the blood vessels.” (Source) 

Acai Bowls: Are They Worth the Hype? Our Favorite Bowls

Here at SurfBerry we have loads of yummy Acai Bowls on the menu, all of which are made with organic frozen and pureed acai berries. Our bowls are blended with either almond milk, apple juice, or coconut water. There is no ice, added sugar or artificial sweeteners, or any other fillers in our bowls – just natural acai and a variety of toppings!

We have a variety of flavors like our Mason Bowl, blended with fresh berries, banana, and topped with granola and coconut, or our Barth Vader Bowl, with blended with banana, strawberries, and peanut butter, and topped with granola, sliced banana, mango, blueberries, strawberries and honey.

Want to try making an Acai Bowl yourself? Check out Huffington Post’s list of yummy recipes you can try at home!

Come on into SurfBerry and give an Acai Bowl a try yourself and see if it’s worth the hype! We look forward to seeing you!