There’s nothing like a bowl of homemade soup for instant comfort. Use this Easy Lentil Soup recipe for a light dinner or quick lunch. It’s easy to make, tastes delicious and is low in fat. What’s more it’s full of natural protein. And guess what? Lentils are packed with cholesterol-lowering fiber.

What You Need

Serves 8

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 cup finely chopped onion
• ½ cup finely chopped carrot
• ½ cup finely chopped celery
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 pound lentils, picked and rinsed
• 1 cup peeled and chopped tomatoes
• 2 quarts chicken broth, fat free, reduced sodium
• ½ teaspoon ground coriander
• ½ teaspoon ground toasted cumin
• Optional, spoonful of fat free cottage cheese
• Optional, dried parsley

Instructions

1. Put the olive oil in a 6-quart Dutch oven and place over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, celery and salt. Sauté for 6 to 7 minutes.

2. Add the lentils, tomatoes, broth, coriander and cumin; stir to combine. Increase the heat to high and bring the mixture just to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover and cook at a low simmer until the lentils are tender, about 40 minutes.

3. Using a stick blender, puree the soup to your desired consistency. Serve with cottage cheese and sprinkle with dried parsley if desired.
Nutrition
One serving equals: 240 calories, 2g fat, 35g carbohydrate, 18g fiber, and 16g protein.

To really succeed with your fat loss goal, it’s important to keep your meals light, lean and filled with protein. Try this recipe for marinating and grilling chicken. Make lots and pack for a week of healthy lunches paired with veggies or dark leafy greens.

What you need

Serves 4

• 1 ½ Cup Sake
• ½ Cup Coconut Aminos (or light soy sauce)
• ¼ Cup Swerve sweetener – sugar replacement
• 2 Tablespoon Olive Oil
• 1 Tablespoon Garlic- minced
• 3 inch Piece of Ginger, thinly sliced
• Salt and Pepper
• 2 LBS Boneless, Skinless Chicken Thighs, trimmed

Instructions

1. Preheat the grill to medium high.

2. Combine the sake, coconut aminos, swerve, olive oil, garlic and ginger in a large ziplock bag. Generously salt and pepper the chicken thighs and add to the bag of marinade. Seal the bag and place in the fridge for 1 to 4 hours, turning once.

3. Grill until the chicken thighs are cooked through. Enjoy!

Nutrition

One serving equals 493 calories, 10g fat, 9g carbohydrate, 3g fiber, and 56g protein.

You may think the 30 minutes you spend every other day in the gym is enough to keep you trim and healthy, but it’s not. If you want overall good health, you need to eat well and find windows of exercising opportunity every day—not just during your scheduled workouts.
How can you squeeze in a little exercise when most of your hours are spent sitting at a desk, meeting in the conference room, and preparing for big presentations? Read on to find out when you can squeeze in exercise at work and how to do it.

1. On the Way to Work. 

To start your day with a smidgen of calorie-burning exercise, you may need to wake up a few minutes earlier than usual. Not to get in a workout before tossing on your power suit, but rather so you’ll have time to torch a few calories on the way to work. To shed some calories before clocking in, you have a number of options depending on your situation. You can bike or walk to work, perform seated calf raises on the bus or train, or park your car at the far end of the parking lot so you get to walk farther to reach your office. And of course, once you get to your building, take the stairs.

2. When Doing Mindless Tasks. 

Admit it: everything you do at work doesn’t require an amazing amount of brainpower. Take advantage of the easy tasks by multitasking with some exercise. The easiest option is to flex and squeeze your body. From your glutes and your abs to your pecs and thighs, you can get rid of a few calories by simply flexing them as you work. As you grow accustomed to the flexing, you may find it to be a great way to work your way through a long, difficult meeting.

3. Every Time You Finish a Task.

When you first get to work, make a to-do list. This will help keep you on track and will also set you up for exercise rewards. Each time you cross a task off your list, give yourself an exercise reward. This could be walking a couple laps around the office, standing up and doing a couple quick stretches, or closing your office door and knocking out a dozen push-ups. Know what your reward of the day will be and go for it.

4. When You Need to Communicate.

Helpful as email may be, there is a way to communicate with your colleagues that actually keeps your body moving. That way? Getting out of your seat and walking to your coworker’s office to talk things through. Have to make a few phone calls? Stand up as you talk or better yet, pace back and forth during the conversation.

5. At the Top of the Hour.

A great way to sneak a little calorie burning into your routine is to get up every hour. And your exercising doesn’t need to be super intense. All you need to do is stand up. Do this for five minutes, eight times a day, and you will drop 100 calories a day.

That’s right—all you have to do to stand up for your health is stand up!

Today I have a brand new take on tuna salad for your tasting enjoyment. While most tuna salad recipes use mayonnaise, sour cream or yogurt to create the desired creamy consistency, this recipe does something completely different. We are using hummus! And not just any hummus: white bean hummus.

Nutritionally these Creamy Tuna Lettuce Boats are exactly the type of meal that you should be eating in order to see noticeable improvements in your shape. Albacore tuna is a lean protein that provides essential macronutrients to help your muscles develop and recover from your workouts.

To boost the fiber content we are adding some finely chopped celery, red onion, and parsley in addition to whole grain mustard. Resist the urge to spread this divine tuna salad over toast and give it a try over crunchy butter lettuce leaves instead. Enjoy!

Courtesy of RealHealthyRecipes.com

What you need
Serves 6

• 15oz canned albacore tuna, packed in water
• ½ cup white bean hummus
• ½ cup celery, finely minced
• 2 Tablespoons red onion, finely minced
• 2 Tablespoons whole grain mustard
• 1 teaspoon fresh parsley, minced
• 2 heads butter lettuce

Instructions

1. Drain the tuna and flake into a large bowl. Mix in the hummus, celery, onion, mustard, and parsley.

2. Serve scoops of the tuna mixture on butter lettuce leaves. Enjoy!

Nutritional Analysis

One serving equals 144 calories, 4g fat, 8g carbohydrate, 1g sugar, 209mg sodium, 3g fiber, and 18g protein.

It’s important to enjoy whole food protein sources like this Easy Beef Brisket in your fitness meal plan. In addition to being one of the most delicious dishes you’ll ever make, you may be surprised to find it is one of the easiest.

Don’t let the lengthy cook time deter you. It’s as simple as mixing up a marinade, letting it sit overnight, and then popping it in the oven to slow cook for half of the day. Make it on the weekend and enjoy the delightful aroma as it cooks.

Courtesy of RealHealthyRecipes.com

What you need
Serves 12

1 Lemon
5 cloves Garlic
4 cups beef broth
1 cup coconut aminos
1 tablespoon liquid smoke
5 pounds beef brisket

Instructions

1. Combine all of the ingredients, except the brisket, in a bowl. Mix well.

2. Place the brisket in a large roasting pan, fat side up. Cover with the marinade. Cover the roasting pan tightly with foil. Marinate in the fridge for 24–48 hours. Let those juices do their flavorful magic!

3. Roast at 300 ̊F for 4 hours, or 40 minutes per pound. Remove the foil after 4 hours, place under the high broil for a few minutes to lightly char the top. Transfer to a cutting board and slice. Put the slices back in the juices. Serve hot. Enjoy!

Nutrition
One serving equals 310 calories, 9g fat, 321mg sodium, 4g carbohydrate, 0g fiber, and 47g protein