By Taylor Sutton, MS, RD
United Supermarkets’ Lifestyle Desk
Most of our expertise lies in the food realm, but today, we are talking about about good habits and routine. We’ve talked to guests about these things before in relation to food and nutrition, but here are a few more tips to use as fall quickly approaches.
Create Daily Routines
Create routines for the morning, after school or work, and the evenings. These can be powerful in helping you have success with food. It doesn’t have to be a schedule. Here, routines and schedules are two different things. Routines are generally a flexible outline for what you do during a certain time. Schedules are a bit more rigid. Routines can help build confidence in all parties without having to keep a strict schedule.
Eat and Drink to Nourish
Eating and drinking nourishing meals or snacks throughout the day can help set you up for great things. We’ve seen it studied from children to adults. For example, when children are more nourished, they generally are better test takers. In athletes, it’s the same thing. When they are fueled properly, they can perform better. In adults who take lunch breaks, you see better performance outcomes at work which can lead to raises and other success.
Move Regularly
Regular physical activity has so many benefits. The American Heart Association recommends a minimum of 150 minutes a week and more (300 to be exact) to better the gains you are striving for. With that in mind, create a routine of what that looks like for you. Do you like going to the gym, on a hike, or take a Zumba class? What inspires you to move regularly? Start there and see where it takes you.
Laugh and Play
As a new mom, one of the best pieces of advice I received was to: “nap when the baby naps and do dishes when the baby does dishes.” Not only did that help mentally set me up for the workload of motherhood to increase but it shined light on how important your time is. There is always time for chores, but there is not always enough time for play. Take advantage of the moments to laugh and play with your little one. Laughter and play inspires connection, and when we transition in life, connection is crucial for success no matter your age.
Cinnamon Breakfast Pecan Apple Casserole
What You Need
1/2 medium Apple
1/2 cup Pecans
2 tsp. Vanilla
1 tsp. Apple pie spice
1 tsp. Cinnamon
1/4 tsp. cloves
6 Eggs
1/4 c. Milk
1/3 loaf Bay City Sourdough
How It’s Made
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Grease a glass loaf pan
3. Crack eggs in a bowl and whisk
4. Whisk in milk, vanilla, apple pie spice, cinnamon and cloves
5. Tear or cube bread into ¼ inch pieces
6. Chop pecans into chickpea-sized pieces, reserve a few to the side
7. Dice apples into small blueberry sized pieces, reserve a few to the side
8. Mix together bread, pecans, and apples in pan
9. Pour egg mixture over bread and gently toss to soak each piece
10. Scatter apples and pecans on top and bake for 40 minutes
11. Let cool and cut load into 1” thick slices
