Recently, we’ve touched a few different Food Personalities, including the Gourmets, those who tend to eat Last Minute Meals and even those who like their meals Fast and Fresh. Each Food Personality is dependent on many factors. There is, however, one theme that is prevalent among most; people are looking for easy and quick food preparation tips. This is especially common among the last Food Personality group we’ll discuss, known as "Meals in a Flash".

Today, we’ll focus on a few additional tips that can help you to make your Meals in a Flash any day of the week!

When you do have time to cook, focus on making meals that can leave you with great leftovers. Casseroles, crock pot recipes and pasta dishes tend to be the best choices. Check out this great Crock Pot Recipe that can turn One Meal into Three!

If you don’t have time to prepare meals in advance, this is where having a well stocked freezer and pantry, as well as lots of spices, can come in handy. Frozen veggies can be added to almost any meal as a healthy alternative to many side dishes. Frozen chicken or ground beef can be cooked quickly, and with a little extra seasoning, can be ready in no time and taste great! Try making quick and easy tacos with ground meat. Use lean meat for a healthier option as suggested in this Lean Beef Taco recipe.

Lasagnas are great to make ahead of time and sometimes they even taste better as leftovers. By making a few lasagna dishes in smaller pans, you will be able to store those that aren’t immediately eaten in the freezer so that they will ready to bake anytime. Browse through our Lasagna Recipes to find your favorite.

Even when you are making quick meals, don’t forget to focus on the healthier alternatives. Consider using leaner meats, reduced fat milk and cheeses, whole grains instead, and extra veggies when possible.

Learn more about your Food Personality!

You may not fit in the Food Personality for those who love to cook or the Food Personality for those who absolutely despise cooking, but that doesn’t mean that there’s not a Food Personality for you. There certainly is!

Have you found that your healthy eating or weight loss goals are fading without seeing the results you had hoped for? Or, do you find that after a long day at work, picking up the kids from school, running around to afternoon practices or going to the gym in the evening, you feel as if you don’t have time to make dinner? Are staying fit and eating healthy of importance to you even when you’re short on time?

Today we find ourselves juggling more activities than ever before. It is difficult to keep up with all of the different things we have going on, much less spend a significant amount of time preparing meals. Although this is often the case, we undoubtedly know the importance of eating healthy and encouraging our families to do the same.

If you can relate to the statements above, you may likely fall into the Fast and Fresh Food Personality. Those who fit best into this Food Personality appreciate easy-to-prepare recipes that can be ready to eat quickly. They also want to make sure that even if the meals are quick to prepare, they are healthy as well.

We at Meals Matter encourage you to eat healthy all year long, regardless of your hectic schedules. Below are few quick recipes for those who like Fast and Fresh meals. Don’t forget to take our Food Personality quiz to find additional tips specific to your Food Personality.

Recipes that may interest you:

• Updated Mac & Cheese
• Italian Bean & Grain Soup
• Rosemary Oven Fried Chicken

Browse our recipes for additional ideas!

We recently wrote about the Gourmet Food Personality, however, as we all have our own preferences and cooking styles, clearly not everyone will fall into this distinction. There is also the possibility that you are usually a Gourmet, but work and the family’s schedule may not allow the time necessary to prepare those delicious meals, and at those times you may find that you have a different Food Personality.

In this post we’ll touch on a Food Personality that is quite a bit different than the Gourmets; it is known as Last Minute Meals. Often those who fall into this category simply don’t like to cook or are often unsure of what to make for dinner. As a result, those who fall into this Last Minute Meals category may opt for the quickest and easiest choice.

The unfortunate part about the Last Minute Meals category is that fast foods or prepackaged meals are not always the healthiest options. Think about the burgers and fries that you can find at the fast-food restaurant just down the street. The fries and hamburger combined can easily reach half of your daily calorie needs in one meal, if not more!

The good news is that local grocers are realizing the need to make healthier options readily available. Next time that you find yourself in a time crunch or simply not wanting to cook, don’t forget the healthier alternatives or the even recipes that require fewer ingredients for quicker preparation. Below are a few tips that may help you to more easily focus on healthy eating if you find yourself in the Last Minute Meals category:

• Instead of a fast food restaurant, opt for a café or take-out from a restaurant where you can order salads and fresh veggies.
• Pre-cut or frozen vegetables are available in most grocery stores. Stock up on these for quick sides or to add to pizza or casseroles during the week.
• Eat cheese and crackers with a bowl of soup for lunch or dinner.
• Don’t forget that many foods can be cooked in the microwave and this can be an easier, quicker way to cook. A few ideas of food that can be cooked in a microwave are frozen veggies, potatoes, frozen burritos, pre-cooked meat, etc.

You can also browse through our Quick Meals to find delicious recipes you and your family will love!

A Food Personality can be defined by one’s cooking style and we are all unique when it comes to how we like to prepare meals. A Food Personality can be influenced by one’s lifestyle, daily schedule, and culture, all of which play a role in eating habits. For instance, not everyone views the thought of cooking or preparing meals in the same way. For some, cooking is an art, but for others it may be a chore.

Do you love to cook? Have meals always been an important part of your family or culture? Do you get excited about new cooking shows and do you look forward to trying new recipes? If you answered yes to most of these questions, you may have what is known as a Gourmet Food Personality.

Those who may consider themselves Gourmets love to try new recipes, often from scratch. Food is an important part of their lifestyle; however, healthy choices may not always be put at the forefront.

As we all know, making elaborate meals every night of the week can be time consuming and it is not realistic for many of us. That said, here are a few tips to keep your meals fresh, exciting, and most importantly, healthy throughout the entire week.

• Think of those spices in your collection that haven’t been put to use recently. What recipes call for these rarely used spices?
• Establish a themed night to help think of new ideas, such as an Italian or Greek night.
• Cut fresh veggies in advance during your spare time so that they’re ready on short notice.
• Share healthy recipes with friends and store them to create your own cookbook with your favorites. In addition, contribute your favorite recipes with other Meals Matter enthusiasts.

So, if your cooking style is to prepare meals that are more involved than basic recipes, try these ideas to help you continue keeping food an important part of your daily schedule without it becoming a chore. Also be sure to incorporate functional foods (foods that are good for your health) into recipes where possible.

If you haven’t already, find out your Food Personality today by taking our simple quiz!

We can all make New Year’s resolutions, but the trick is keeping those resolutions throughout the year. This is not easy to do, which many of us already know if we have managed to keep them over the last few weeks. These goals that we set for ourselves can be powerful, even life changing, but only if we stay committed.

Sticking to any goal is easier when you make small changes every day that add up over time. Are you still going for walks after dinner three times a week like you were at the beginning of January? Is your meal planning more than planning what route to drive home so you can stop and pick up take out food for dinner? Or, are you making meals at home with lots of fruits, vegetables, dairy and whole grains, and other healthy, functional foods? Small changes in what you eat will likely become habits as you begin to stick with them from week to week -- and they can make a big difference in your overall health and well being in the long run.

Another reason many of us don’t reach our goal is because we are trying to do things that we simply don’t enjoy. There is no reason that eating healthy and staying fit should be a chore. If it starts to feel like one, this is a sign that it’s time to make a few adjustments. Instead of continuing to drag yourself to the gym, try something different such as swimming or Pilates. Pick up an exercise video that you can do before work. If you struggle to decide what to eat for dinner, browse our Meal Recipes and Suggestions for ideas or even try a cooking class. All of these will help to keep things interesting and provide you with the opportunity to meet new people (your social support).

Be flexible throughout the year with yourself and your goals. If there is an overarching goal don’t forget to celebrate the small accomplishments as well. These are just as important. After all, small steps are necessary to reach the larger goal.

New research suggests that a healthier, more physically active lifestyle is just a few clicks away with Dairy Council of California's MyFitness Planner.

Regular physical activity can reduce the risk of chronic diseases like type 2 diabetes, heart disease and cancer, yet less than half of all American women (47.7 percent) engage in at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity or greater physical activity on most days of the week. To help, Dairy Council of California developed MyFitness Planner, formerly called the Women's Fitness Planner.

A randomized control trial of 150 healthy adult women showed that MyFitness Planner's individually tailored Internet-plus-email physical activity intervention resulted in 37 minutes of increased walking and 48 minutes of increased total moderate-to-vigorous physical activity each week compared to a control group. Study results were published in the December issue of Preventive Medicine.

A study led by Genevieve Fridlund Dunton, Ph.D., M.P.H., a Cancer Prevention Fellow at the National Cancer Institute, indicated that Dairy Council of California's online tool can positively impact women's physical activity levels. Results further showed that participants who clicked more links in the update emails trended toward greater activity by 10-20 minutes per week, regardless of socio-economic or education status.

MyFitness Planner produces individualized physical activity feedback based on an online assessment. Participants receive weekly follow-up email newsletters to support the information on the website and encourage further learning. Read full study results.

To increase your physical activity level, go to MyFitness Planner. Take the quick assessment questionnaire, view your personal activity graph and start improving your activity level. Be sure to read and explore weekly emails for further benefit.

Goal setting is powerful and important psychologically as goals help us to outline what we want to achieve. Studies have shown that not only is there a significant correlation between those who establish goals and those who are successful in seeing results, but also those who set goals typically have a higher level of self-confidence. Goal setting is at the basis of understanding that one’s own actions can greatly impact their life as well as the lives of others. It can increase your self-esteem, encouraging you to work toward something that will make you feel good about yourself.

The beginning of every year is a time to establish resolutions, defining what we want to accomplish in the coming year. Quite often, however, these goals do not have the necessary components for success. Below are a few tips to help you be successful with your goals or resolutions during 2009.

Write your goals down. This is an essential first step. Take the time to write down what it is that you want to accomplish. The simple act of writing something down makes it more concrete and subconsciously creates a commitment. This should be written in a place where you will review it on a regular basis to serve as a reminder. It can be in a personal diary, in a Google doc, or even in an online journal such as LiveJournal. Either way, it needs to be some place where you are reminded of your commitment.

Establish specific goals. This is your opportunity to clearly define exactly what it is that you want to achieve. If you want to lose weight or become more physically fit, determine how much weight you will lose or how often and when you will exercise. Once the goal is defined, you can establish an action plan or a roadmap to follow to help you realize your goal. Part of this is ensuring that your goals are realistic. They should be challenging, yet attainable.

Think positively. Positive thoughts and visualizing the result will keep you motivated during times when you feel like you want to give up. Negative thoughts affect our motivation, dampening our self-confidence.

Reward yourself. It is beneficial to measure your progress along the way. Even accomplishing a minor feat is a reason to reward yourself. You may still have a long way to go to before you reach the ultimate goal, but celebrate the small steps along the way. This will keep you looking forward to the end result and will increase the joy from the journey of getting there.

Setting and achieving goals is one of the most fulfilling parts of life. Goals reveal your priorities and when they are accomplished, you’ll not only feel proud, but you will also likely see a boost in your self-confidence and self-esteem which can be reflected in all areas of your life, including your career or family life.

Take a few moments to revisit your resolutions for 2009 and make sure that they have these necessary components for success. You may also want to go back and revise your goals for nutrition in the Personal Nutrition Planner. Good luck!

This blog posting is part of the Meals Matter Nutrition and Fitness Challenge 2009. Go to Nutrition and Fitness Challenge.

This blog posting is part of the Meals Matter Nutrition and Fitness Challenge. Return to Nutrition and Fitness Challenge.

It’s that time of year again.  The healthy eating you practiced throughout the year took a hit in October with those leftover Halloween treats, then again in November as you enjoyed Thanksgiving, and now you are faced with the biggest dilemma of all – your New Year’s resolutions.

Those dreaded resolutions are just around the corner.  How are you doing this holiday season?  If you cringe at the question, you are not the only one.  So, what sorts of promises will you need to make for yourself for 2009?  This year, make your resolutions stick.  But, how do you stick with it?  By making it easy and fun, and by setting a solid foundation for the rest of the year.  You can do this by taking part in the Meals Matter Nutrition and Fitness Challenge. 

The Nutrition and Fitness Challenge is geared toward people like you – people who have a hectic work and home life, possibly leading you to eat out too often or choose less than ideal meal options on the run.  Not only is dining out often unfriendly to your waistline,  in these economic times it’s certainly not friendly to your wallet either. 

The Nutrition and Fitness Challenge has a variety of healthy lifestyle tools online that can help you to make better meal choices for you and your family.  You can use our Personal Nutrition Planner to map out your current eating habits and set your goals or take the Calcium Quiz to find out if you are getting enough calcium-rich foods in your diet.  You can also use the MyFitness Planner to make sure your nutrition is balanced by a fitness regime.  And, just for fun, you can learn how your lifestyle dictates your eating habits by taking the What’s Your Food Personality quiz. 

As the weeks of the Challenge progress, you can shift your focus from the New Year to the rest of 2009.  The Nutrition and Fitness Challenge gives you the start you need and the Meals Matter website can help you continue to stick to your resolutions.

This blog posting is part of the Meals Matter Nutrition and Fitness Challenge. Return to Nutrition and Fitness Challenge.

Welcome to the Meals Matter blog! Meals Matter strives to help families and individuals prepare healthy meals by making informed decisions that lead to optimal health. Registered dietitians write and review the nutrition articles and blog posts on Meals Matter to ensure that the information you receive is accurate and based on the most recent scientific information available.

We are looking forward to our upcoming Nutrition and Fitness Challenge, which starts January 6, 2009. The Nutrition and Fitness Challenge helps you get back on track after holiday binging. So, begin the New Year with a healthy lifestyle routine using our expert guidance on nutrition, fitness and meal planning -- register for the Nutrition and Fitness Challenge today!