Quick and Healthy Eating for Busy Women: My Tried-and-True Picks

Sure, we all know it's important to cook as much as possible. To eat whole, organic foods. But the realities and demands of life often get the best of us.

And the modern conveniences of processed foods just have to win out sometimes. But not all processed foods are created equal. Some are much better choices for you (and your hormones!) than others. And this is the #1 question I get asked by clients and friends: "what is the best <insert processed food here>?"

I've compiled a list of my favorite clean-ish brands so you don't have to decipher labels and spend time you don't have in the grocery store determining what's best to eat when you have to buy processed.

I've got you covered. Here are my top-rated, taste-tested, health-conscious brands for healthy eating on the go to ensure you never have to compromise on your nutrition, no matter how rushed you are.

Breakfast is often dubbed the most important meal of the day, and it's crucial not to skip it. Especially when it comes to hormone balance, it's all about having a savory breakfast filled with fiber—this will stabilize blood sugar, bring cortisol down naturally after its overnight spike, promote smooth digestion, and help you feel full and satisfied, setting the nutritional and energetic tone for your whole day. But look, as someone who is decidedly NOT a morning person, I understand how challenging it can be to cook first thing in the morning when you have a full work day ahead of you. Here are my fast faves for the first meal of the day:

• Applegate sausage (with berries)
• Egg bites (Life Cuisine; Organic Valley)
• Belgian Boys mini pancakes (great for kids too!)
• Mush overnight oats
• Siggi’s yogurt (with fruit and granola)
• Purely Elizabeth granola or Bear Naked granola
• Evol breakfast burrito

When midday hunger strikes, reach for protein- and fiber-packed bars such as Larabars, Perfect bars, or Rx bars. If you're a fat bomb fan, Emmy’s coconut cookies, Siete grain-free cookies, Atkins peanut butter cups, or Jell-O pudding cups make an excellent substitute.

Or if you're more of a protein snacker, Pre-hard boiled eggs (love that there's no prep involved! Egg peeling is my downfall in life), Duke’s Shorty Sausages, Chomps Meat Sticks, and Country Archer Beef Jerky top my list.

If you are a salty-crunchy kinda gal (I mean, who isn't), you're going to love Siete kettle chips, or—my personal favorite—Boulder Canyon chips (made with just potatoes, avocado oil, and salt). I dip my chips in a homemade ranch mix of 1/4 cup greek yogurt, a sprinkling of ranch powder mix, and a dash of apple cider vinegar.

OMG, I almost forgot popcorn, which is nearly an entire category in and of itself! Skip the Skinny Pop (loaded with toxic oils) in favor of Lesser Evil popcorn. it has only three ingredients: corn, coconut oil, and salt.

Need quick lunch ideas or healthy and fast dinner go-to's? Here's where frozen foods step in. I swear by these:

• Tattooed Chef pizza
• Caulipower pizza
• Newman’s Own pizza
• Applegate chicken patties
• Applegate gluten-free chicken nuggets
• Red’s burritos
• Boca veggie burgers (way cleaner than the Beyond or Impossible burgers!)
• Ian’s fish sticks (can quickly transform into mouthwatering fish tacos)
• Cooked Perfect frozen meatballs with RAO's sauce is a dinner lifesaver
• Alexia fries

These are the best brands for healthy eating in my book, and they're in regular rotation of my weekly grocery hauls when I need to give myself a break from cooking. When you have no time to cook but still want to eat healthy-ish, you can't go wrong with these choices. Bon apetit!

Would you like a plan designed around your specific needs, lifestyle, and taste preferences?

Let me help you take the guesswork out of healthy eating! I have two ways we can work together to help you reach your goals:

1. For the woman who's ready to re-create a healthy lifestyle and enjoy sustained weight loss

2. For the woman with PCOS, hypothyroidism, or infertility who needs help pinpointing her sources of imbalance, and developing a custom plan to heal the root cause