I’m sooooo happy it’s Friday!!  AND even better?  It’s FIT FRIDAY around here…

I love to have Nichole from Pure Clean Fitness come to hang out with us!

This week Nichole is sharing tips for Healthy Grocery Shopping.  A Healthy Recipe from me + Fitness Tips from Nichole= a healthy, happy, balanced life!

Nichole’s tips for Healthy Grocery Shopping…
Nutrition is such a big part of our overall health and fitness. Ruthie provides some great recipes for us and lots of great ideas. But where does it all start (at least for most of us), the grocery store. I started thinking about grocery shopping the other day and how we can make or break it (it being our health and fitness) right from the get go.

Let’s talk grocery shopping today. Tips for healthy grocery shopping:

1) Plan ahead: know what you are going to the store for. This means meal planning and snack planning.

2) Decide ahead of time how much convenience is worth. Those single serving packages are more expensive, but sometimes the convenience of grabbing the single serving package as you are running out the door is totally worth it. An apple in my kids lunch box usually goes to waste, if I slice up an apple they may or may not eat a few slices, but if I throw in a prepackaged baggie of apple slices they eat it all. Why? I don’t know. But it is totally worth it to me if it means they will eat it. That is just one example of many.

3) Spend most of your time in produce. Take the time to pick out good fruits and veggies that your family will eat.

4) Shop the perimeter first, these are generally the least processed foods. Real food should always be your first choice.

5) Stir clear of foods marketed towards kids. If there are cartoon characters on the front it is a safe bet that what’s inside the box is full of junk you don’t want your kids eating.

A lot of grocery stores are offering curbside pick up these days. I avoided it for a while but recently I have become a fan. My grocery store offers it free of charge, so it certainly didn’t hurt to at least try it. I have found that it 1) forces me to plan and 2) saves me money. There is no wandering through the aisles trying to decide what sounds good and what I want to make for dinner Wednesday night. Impulse buying is gone, no extra snacks, no running munchies, and no giving in to kids whining. I am saving $20-$30 bucks a week. I love it!

So much of a healthy lifestyle comes to planning. You need to plan workout times and workouts, you need to meal plan, you need to plan ahead for snacks on a busy day, you need to plan out sleeping. Hopefully that word has been burned in your brain by now.

 Ruthie’s Healthy Recipe…

Cilantro Lime Rice is a tasty side dish to add to your dinner tonight!  Take ordinary rice to the next level with this refreshing twist.

I’ve loved rice for as long as I can remember, it’s one of my comfort foods.  I remember as a child anxiously waiting for dinner when my mom served rice.  I liked to build this little igloo with the butter inside and then wait for it to get all melty.  Bursting the little thing open with my fork and watching all the butter ooze out was/still is still so beautiful to me 🙂

The funny part about this story is that the other night my son Jake and I were prepping our rice on our plates with dinner and we both went through that exact same process.  Hahahah.  I guess the apple really doesn’t fall too far from the tree!

This recipe is the perfect way to cook your rice.  The trick is in not opening the lid or stirring it all!  Just combine all the ingredients into the pot, bring it to a boil, cover and simmer for 18 minutes.  Remove from heat and sit for 5 THEN open it and fluff with a fork.  It’s magical… PERFECT rice every time!!!!

You can even use brown rice with this recipe but of course it has to cook for a longer amount of time so adjust accordingly.  It tastes every bit as good as white rice and it’s actually better for you too.

Cilantro Lime Rice is amazing with some shredded chicken or beef and then add some Homemade Flour Tortillas and Pico de Gallo to go along with it!  Oh or these Chipotle Lime Cheese Enchiladas would be really fabulous with it too!

Enjoy some Cilantro Lime Rice this weekend and have a little fun with the igloo and butter process too!

Have a beautiful weekend!  Happy Fit Friday!!

Much Love and Peace~

Nichole and Ruthie

Yield: 8

Cilantro Lime Rice

Print

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 23 minutes

Total Time 33 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 cups white long grain rice
• 3 cups water
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/4 cup cilantro leaves, rough chopped
• 2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lime juice
• *2 tablespoons chopped cilantro leaves to garnish

Instructions

1. In a stock pot with a lid, combine rice, water, salt, cilantro leaves, and lime juice.
2. Bring to a boil, cover with lid, and reduce to low.
3. Simmer for 18 minutes- do not lift lid or stir.
4. Remove from heat and let stand covered for 5 minutes.
5. Fluff with fork, sprinkle with fresh cilantro, serve.
6. Enjoy!