Dare to Care: 68 Healthy Office Lunches

How are those New Year’s Resolutions to get healthier holding up? Are you already seeing progress in 2016, or are you ready to throw in the towel? Well, don’t give up hope just yet because ExpressACAForms has got another edition of Dare to Care to help you through the hardest first months for keeping resolutions.

While eating healthy doesn’t seem hard, in theory, the alternative can definitely seem easier, especially when it comes to lunch. Most of us don’t get to go home and cook lunch each day, and if you’re not already in the habit of making healthy lunches ahead of time, this usually means deciding between leftovers, a microwave meal, or eating out -- not typically your healthiest options. 

So since we’ve recently learned that it takes a lot longer than 21 days for a habit to form (try around 66 days), we’ve compiled a list of over two months worth of easy-to-prepare, delicious meals to help turn your healthy lunches into a lifelong habit:

Sandwiches                      Soups
1. Chicken & Hummus Wraps                         13. Chunky Moroccan
2. Mashed Chickpea Salad Sandwich             14. Roasted Carrot-Coconut
3. French Tuna Salad Sandwich                      15. Spicy Tomato
4. Mediterranean Turkey Wrap                      16. Pasta e Fagioli
5. Thai Chicken Roll-Ups                                  17. Tortilla with Black Beans
6. The World’s Easiest Falafel                          18. Slow Cooker Chili
7. Curried Chicken Salad                                  19. Chicken Noodle
8. Chicken Bánh Mí                                           20. Chickpea, Vegetable, & Pesto
9. Little Italy Chicken Pitas                               21. Easy Minestrone
10. Thai Chicken Lettuce Wrap                       22. Chunky Turkey & White Bean
11. Eggplant Pita Pizza                                      23. Easy Veggie Chili
12. Asian Chicken Lettuce Wrap

Salads                               Pastas
24. Warm Steak, Feta, and Artichoke             42. Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta Salad
25. BLT Lettuce Wrap                                       43. Chili-Spiked Orzo Salad w/ Pinto Beans
26. Avocado, Corn, and Cilantro                     44. Spicy Sesame-Soy Soba Noodles
27. Cannellini Bean and Escarole                   45. Steak Noodle Salad
28. Solie’s Signature Salad                               46. Zucchini & Almond Pasta Salad
29. Persian Shirazi Salad                                  47. Tuscan Bow Ties
30. Mediterranean Garden Wraps                 48. Orzo Salad w/ Tomatoes, Basil, & Feta
31. Greek Tuna Salad                                        49. The Healthiest Lasagna Ever
32. Arugula w/ Roasted Chicken & Quinoa   50. Three-Bean Pasta Salad
33. Mason Jar Salads                                         51. Chicken, Corn, & Tomato Pasta Salad
34. Chickpea, Cherry Tomato, & Feta             52. Roasted Pepper-Corn Pasta Salad
35. Asian Green Bean Salad                             53. Greek Orzo Salad
36. Neiman Marcus Chicken Salad                 54. Chilled Sesame Soba w/ Cashews
37. Wheat Berry Salad                                      55. Pasta w/ Quinoa Meatballs
38. Radish & Pecan Grain Salad                      56. Teriyaki Soba Salad
39. Spinach and Persimmon Salad
40. Kale w/ Lentils & Apricot Vinaigrette
41. Tabbouleh w/ Chicken & Red Pepper

Everything Else
57. Baked Quinoa Casserole                            63. One Pot Kale & Quinoa Pilaf
58. Tomato Basil Quinoa                                  64. Homemade Chipotle Burrito Bowl
59. Louisiana-Style Red Beans & Rice             65. Heart-Healthy Potato Salad
60. Breakfast Fried Rice                                     66. Fuss-Free Frittata
61. Mexican-Style Sweet Potatoes                   67. 20-Minute Kale & Quinoa Bowl
62. Veggie Rice Bowls                                         68. Miso Sweet Potato & Broccoli Bowl

For more healthy recipes and well-being tips, check out our sister product, HealingRadius! And for help with your Affordable Care Act e-filing, stay tuned for our other blogs, or visit www.expressacaforms.com. We’ve also got friendly, expert customer service if you need any help along the way. Just give us a call (704-839-2270) or send us a live chat Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. EST, or send us an email at any time at support@expressirsforms.com.

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Dare to Care: A Healthy Start to 2016

Nobody’s perfect: we all have plenty of things we could do to improve our day-to-day lives and overall health. So why not take the new year to start improving? Sure, it’s a little cliché, but if you keep the improvements going past January, haven’t you technically beaten the cliché?

That’s what ExpressACAForms is here to challenge you to do: follow these 5 simple steps for a healthier you in 2016. Make the Affordable Care Act as unnecessary as some people claim it is by being so healthy that you don’t even need that health insurance you’re now required to have!

Sleep
The CDC has announced that insufficient sleep is a public health problem. Across all ages, it’s been found that Americans aren’t getting enough good sleep to function at our best everyday. When this happens, not only does our work suffer, our health suffers. A Norwegian study found that the risk of a heart attack and other cardiovascular diseases can increase anywhere from 27%-45% if you’re getting too poor or too little sleep.

• Start Healthy: In 2016, try to get 7-8 hours of sleep each night. Try also getting into the good sleep habits of going to bed at the same time each night and avoiding large meals, caffeine, and alcohol close to bedtime.

Diet Before Exercise
One of the keys to a healthy lifestyle is the balance between a good diet and sufficient exercise. However, taking on an entirely new diet with a new fitness regime can shock the system and send you reeling back to the couch and your Oreos. 

• Start Healthy: In 2016, focus on improving your diet without over thinking it: add some fruits and veggies here, cut back on dessert and processed foods there. When you start seeing results, start moving more (you’ll have the energy to!) but make sure to keep that healthy eating going too.

Drink More
Water. Drink more water, and drink more tea. Staying hydrated helps keep you full, energized, and focused, and helps boost the immune system. Tea has been regarded for thousands of years as a key to good health, and research today helps support this. Studies have found that some teas may help with cancer, heart disease, diabetes, high cholesterol, and mental alertness.

• Start Healthy: In 2016, focus on making water and tea your default drinks. Instead of reaching for a soda, focus on increasing your water and tea intake. Drinking water and tea can help cut craving, making it easier to stick to your goal to get healthier.

Quit Smoking

If you need a sign, here it is. By this point, we’re sure you’ve heard the dangers of smoking and how quitting can add up to 14 years onto your life. And while this one’s definitely the hardest on our list, the beneficial effects start to set in almost immediately. After:

• 20 minutes: heart rate drops toward normal levels
• 2 hours: heart rate and blood pressure decrease to near normal levels
• 12 hours: carbon monoxide levels decrease and blood oxygen levels increase to normal
• 48 hours: nerve endings start to regrow, enhancing smell and taste
• 3 days: the nicotine will be completely out of the body
• Unfortunately, this means withdrawal symptoms will peak around this time. Check out this post on managing nicotine withdrawal if it gets to be too much.
• 2-3 weeks: circulation and lung function improve greatly
• 1-9 months: the lungs will begin to repair themselves and function properly again
• 1 year: risk for heart disease is lowered by 50% compared to smokers
• 5 years: risk for stroke lowers to that of non-smokers
• 10 years: risk of lung cancer decreases to half that of a smoker’s; risk of cancer of the mouth, throat, esophagus, bladder, kidney, and pancreas also significantly decrease
• 15 years: risk of heart disease is back to the same level as non-smokers
• Start Healthy: In 2016, commit to smoking fewer cigarettes. Remember: baby steps. Which brings us to...

Start Small
A big reason a lot of resolutions don’t work out is because people try to make too big of a change at one time. As humans, we’re just not programmed for that. We’ve tried to compile a list of easy ways to get healthy in 2016 so you might be able to take them all on. But that doesn’t mean you have to make all of these changes all at once (or even make them at all). So even if the only change you make until June is to commit to getting a full night’s sleep every night, that’s improvement.

• Start Healthy: Make one small change and then another. You’ll get used to each change until it becomes your new normal. And when you look back and see how far you’ve come through small steps, you’ll be glad you abided by that old cliché about this new you.

For more tips on getting healthy in the new year, check out ExpressACAForms's sister programs, Healing Radius and communEATi! And for help with your ACA forms and information returns, give us a call at 704-839-2270, or visit our site at www.ExpressACAForms.com.

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Dare to Care: Yoga to Boost the Immune System

It’s been a while since our last Dare to Care post, so let’s start off with a small refresher for why the fun and exciting ACA tax info you’re used to seeing is decidedly absent from this blog post:

While filing more with the IRS than you already do might not be the obvious answer to keeping you healthy (seriously, does the IRS not know what stress levels can do?), the reason the ACA is now law relates directly to your healthcare coverage and, ultimately, your health.

There’s still some debate over whether having health insurance will help you become physically healthier, but researchers do seem to agree that having it is better overall for you mentally. Additionally, with coverage, you’re more likely to take advantage of preventative care, like cholesterol screenings or mammograms. So getting covered might not automatically make you an Olympic athlete, but it definitely comes with some health benefits.

That said, we’ve long been in the primetime of cold and flu season. Sniffles and coughs are more abundant than reminders to wash your hands and get your flu shot, and your immune system may be feeling it. When the temperatures outside dip, the first line of immune defenses in your nose become significantly weaker. Combine this with more people trying to share the warmth of enclosed spaces, and you’ve got situations ripe for getting sick.

So, while ‘tis the season to feel sickly, you don’t have to be a part of the low-immunity crowd. Simple things like laughing, a spoonful of honey, or just a good night’s sleep can help boost your immune system. And if you really want to kick your immune system into overdrive, consider adding the following (easy!) yoga poses to your daily routine!

The following poses encourage relaxation, reduce stress, and facilitate circulation throughout your whole body, the three most effective things yoga can do to support your immune system:

Legs-Up-the-Wall Pose (Viparita Karani)
I used to have a yoga teacher who would say, “If it’s a virus, go to the doctor for an antibiotic. Anything else, legs up the wall!” In other words, get in the habit of making this pose your go-to cure because a majority of the time, it’ll clear you right up. There isn’t much direction to this pose, simply lie on the floor and raise your legs to create a 90 degree angle with your body. To get the most out of it for your immune system, use the wall for support and hold your pose for 10-15 minutes while keeping your breath steady. If your hamstrings are tight, you can bend your knees and bring your seat away from the wall to allow your body to relax into the pose.

Downward-Facing Dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana)
Feeling overwhelmed? Try downward dog. Feeling stressed and sickly? Downward dog. Feeling sleepy? Have a headache? You see where we’re going with this. To begin, lie on your stomach, place your palms near your ears, and point your toes downward so that your heels are facing the ceiling. Exhale, using your back and stomach muscles to straighten your arms, legs, and lift your hips. Typically, this pose is held for five long breaths, but you can hold it for as long as is comfortable to you. Keep your knees slightly bent if your hamstrings are tight. Rest your forehead on a block or other prop for a feeling of calm, restoration, and grounded energy. Bonus perk: this pose drains congested sinuses, helping you to breathe a lot easier.

Fish Pose (Matsyasana)
Fish pose is unique in that it opens up your entire upper body, the heart, and the lungs. It also stimulates the thymus, which plays a significant role in the endocrine and lymphatic systems and, ultimately, your immune system and long-term health. To come into this pose, lie flat on the floor with your legs straight and arms at either side. Raise your hips, one side at a time, and place your hands under each hip. Exhale as you bend your elbows and push your upper body off the floor, raising your chest, and tilting your head backwards. Hold this pose for five counts and inhale as you rest your back on the floor.

Child’s Pose (Balasana)
Just by inwardly folding your body and placing your forehead to the ground in child’s pose, you send a signal to your brain to slow down, immediately calming the mind and body. This pose also normalizes circulation throughout the body, which allows new blood to flow and cleanse your body of toxins and pollutants. Begin by kneeling with your hands on your knees. If you have knee or lower back issues, consider placing a blanket under your knees or spreading them farther apart while keeping your toes together. Slowly exhale and slide your hands down and forward until your torso is flat against your legs (or between them) and your arms are completely straight. If you can, place your forehead against the ground and roll your head back and forth for a soothing sinus massage.

If you enjoyed this wellness-focused blog, stay tuned for more Dare to Care installments, or check out the blogs of our other programs, communEATi, Healing Radius, and Healing Radius Pro, for more weekly health and wellness info! In the meantime, another ACA and tax-filled blog will be back Tuesday; and the ExpressACAForms support team will be here (as always) Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. EST, to answer your phone calls (704-839-2270) or live chats. We’re even here over the weekend for 24/7 email support at support@expressirsforms.com, so feel free to contact us at anytime for help or assistance e-filing.

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Dare to Care: Manage Your Stress this Holiday Season

This Thursday marks the beginning of the 2015 holiday season. From now until the end of the year, we’re going to be surrounded by all that makes this the most wonderful time of the year: dinners and get-togethers with family and friends, bright and colorful decorations, glad tidings of great joy! Not to mention the interminable chats with the in-laws, the multitude of crowds, an ever-growing waistline, and, oh, who are we kidding? We haven’t stopped being stressed since October 1st when we first started seeing that blasted red and green in stores.

Stress is a normal part of life. But even the normalcies of life can be aggravating at best and, at worst, unhealthy. Stress becomes negative when a person faces continuous challenges without relief or relaxation between challenges (sound familiar?). Stress that continues without relief can lead to headaches, upset stomach, elevated blood sugar, chest pain, and problems sleeping. These symptoms can worsen over time, causing chronic illness or disease, like heart problems, diabetes, skin conditions, asthma, arthritis, depression, and anxiety.

The good thing about overcoming your stress is that it’s most often free and rarely takes too much of the precious time you’re stressing over. That’s why we’ve rounded up a few ways to help you dodge the seasonal (and future) stress and stay happy, healthy and energized:

• Get some sun! Sunlight stimulates the production of feel-good serotonin and helps relieve seasonal affective disorder (SAD).
• Take a whiff of citrus. Certain citrus fragrances boost good feelings and alleviate stress by upping levels of the hormone norepinephrine. For an all-day pick-me-up, dab a little lemon or orange essential oil on a handkerchief to tuck in your pocket.
• Go for a walk. The rhythm and repetition of walking has a tranquilizing effect on your brain, and it decreases anxiety and improves sleep. Try a brisk, 30 minute walk daily. Plus, workouts can boost your mood for up to 12 hours.
• Utilize pressure points. If you don’t have time for a foot massage, apply firm pressure for 30 seconds to the fleshy place between your index finger and thumb to reduce stress and tension in your upper body.
• Stick to your daily routine. “Prioritize your workouts, book club, etc., and don’t try to squeeze in more holiday than you can handle,” recommends Katherine Muller, PsyD.
• Spice it up. Spicy foods trigger the release of endorphins, the natural chemicals that trigger feelings of euphoria and well-being.
• Or keep it sweet. Eat a spoonful of honey for an instant kick and energy for the long haul. Plus, research shows that its antioxidant and antibacterial properties may improve your immunity. And the darker the honey, the more powerful the antioxidant punch!
• Listen to music. Anxious? Research from the University of Maryland shows that hearing music you love can relax blood vessels and increase blood flow. This not only calms you down, but is good for your heart, too.
• Go for the mangoes. If you’re craving something sweet, grab a mango. The sweet, tangy scent of mangoes (fresh or jarred!) may alter your blood chemistry and send a wave of calm over your body, research from Japan shows.
• Think positive. As hard as it may be, don’t focus on the bad. Negative thinking can trigger your body’s stress response, just as a real threat does. An optimistic outlook will help you cope with challenges that come your way.
• Don’t forget to laugh! Laughing reduces stress hormones and, in turn, helps immune cells function better. All this stress building up won’t matter a week, a month, or a year from now. So whether you burn the pumpkin pie or forget that you said you’d let Great Aunt Muriel stay with you, laugh it off. Enjoy your holidays; don’t stress over them.

At ExpressACAForms, we want to help you not just “get through” this holiday season, but to really enjoy it. If you’re going to “get through” anything, get through this tax season coming up. But not until after you relax and spend a fun holiday surrounded by loved ones. Then you can use ExpressACAForms for as stress-free of a tax filing season as possible! If you run into any snags or have a question, you can get in touch with us via phone and live chat Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. at (704) 839-2270. We also offer 24/7 email support at support@expressirsforms.com.

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Dare to Care with ExpressACAForms

ExpressACAForms is all about the Affordable Care Act, and, while it may not seem like it, the Affordable Care Act is all about caring. Okay, that may seem like a bit of a reach considering all of the rules and regulations you have to follow because of it now, but the idea behind it is to make sure you’re getting the health CARE you need.

But no matter how great your insurance provider, they can only do so much. Most of the responsibility for taking care of yourself falls on no one else but you. And, hey, sometimes that’s hard. Potato chips taste a lot better than kale, and to quote Anne Perkins: “Jogging is the worst! I mean, I know it keeps you healthy but, god, at what cost?!”

But at ExpressACAForms, we do care about your well-being. It’s why our unofficial motto is Dare to Care, and why we’re starting a blog series called “Dare to Self-Care,” which will feature simple ways to take care of yourself that don’t include jogging. After all, if you haven’t got your health, you haven’t got anything, not even multiple full-time employees that are counting on you to file those ACA forms.

We’re starting with the foundation for this week’s self-care feature: foot massages. Love ‘em or hate ‘em, your feet have a huge impact on your well-being. A very large number of nerve endings are concentrated on the soles, and opposite ends of those same nerves are spread in all other parts of the body. You can think of your feet as a map of your whole body; when you massage them, you’re also stimulating other areas of your body:

Massages in general have extremely positive effects on overall health: they can improve metabolism, stimulate sweat glands, mobilize fat, improve blood flow, eliminate lactic acid, and facilitate digestion. Massaging and applying pressure on specific points of the feet can ease symptoms of various ailments and help improve and maintain healthy organ function.

It is recommended to massage your feet by firmly pressing certain points for a few seconds every night before going to bed for about 10-15 minutes, which is a pretty easy way to get a little healthier. Unlike that knot in the middle of your back, you can actually reach your feet yourself (although, it never hurts when someone else massages them). And unlike jogging, you can massage your feet while sitting and watching late night TV.

Stay tuned for more Dare to Self-Care blogs and, in the meantime, if you need an help or assistance with your ACA forms, give us a shout! We’re available Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. by live chat and by phone at (704) 839-2270; and we’re available 24/7 at support@expressirsforms.com.

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