Grab 'n Go - When it's too Crazy to Cook

This week is crazy for me. I've got deadlines up the wazoo, I'm getting more assignments daily (no complaints about that!), and I'm trying to fit my workouts into to daily life while keeping my home and social lives going. So I've been eating the easy stuff - baked tofu sandwiches with avocado and substituting lettuce for bread (I do that all the time), oatmeal with stevia and cinnamon, apples, carrots, strawberries and nuts. I plan on hitting the kitchen next week but it's just not in the cards right now.

Tuesday night I popped into Whole Foods for a few staples and was excited when Lauren, the marketing and community relations specialist at Whole Foods,  pointed out an array of grab 'n go foods that are perfectly suited for a healthy diet, particularly the Engine 2. I've never even looked at the prepared foods case before because I'm typically not one to buy anything that I can make to my own specifications at home. But there are times - like this week - when I just don't have the time to pull something together and carrots or oatmeal are not enough. I tried a few items and was pleasantly surprised with how satisfying they were. Now I know that I can get something healthy in a pinch. Who says you can't be healthy on the go?!! Thanks to Lauren, for turning me on to a great game changer!

Check out these two items -

Black Bean Shaker: A 12-oz. layered salad with black beans, red onions, corn, red peppers, green  peppers, jicama, roma tomato, cilantro, and oil-free avocado dressing (avocado, tofu, lime jice, mint, cilantro, jalapeno pepper, sea salt, date syrup made with dates, water and lime).

This was a little clumsy. Well, I was a little clumsy. I found the container hard to open and once I got it open, I added the dressing before I shook up the salad - probably not a smart move since the dressing was quite thick. Next time I'll add the dressing after I shake the salad, dabbing it on individual bites. All in all, this has a nice, fresh flavor and is quite satisfying. And it's something you can feel completely great about eating.   

Aztec Quinoa & Black Bean Chili Soup: A 24-oz container of soup made with quinoa, celery, carrots, yellow onions, tomato, black beans, roasted poblano, cilantro, cumin, chipotle pepper, sea salt, oregano, sherry wine, garlic, water, roasted corn, lime juice, and cornmeal.

I found this soup to be a little on the bland side, in spite of its impressive list of ingredients. But I'm the kind of girl who uses 6 cloves of garlic when a recipe calls for 2 and extra curry and chili powder to spice up Indian and Mexican dishes. I've also given up salt recently so my taste buds are still adjusting. I'm going to try it again in about 2 weeks, after my palate has adjusted to the E2 diet and life without salt!