Share Your Recipe
Do you have a healthy recipe you would like to share with County employees? Head over to our ‘Got Ideas?‘ page and send it our way! You might just get featured in an upcoming month.
Healthy for Life! – Ready, Set, Go!
You want to lose weight, so let’s get going. Healthy for Life! is designed to jump-start your journey to a healthier you. How much you lose is ultimately your call – the more closely you follow the plan, the more you’ll likely loose.
Before you dive in, take a moment to determine if now is a good time to make big changes to your daily routine. Take the quiz and answer the questions honestly. If your results indicate that this isn’t a good time to try to lose weight, address those factors interfering with your plans.
Healthy for Life! Readiness Quiz
How motivated are you to lose weight?
- Highly motivated
- Moderately motivated
- Somewhat motivated
- Slightly motivated or not at all
Considering the amount of stress affecting your life right now, to what extent can you focus on weight loss and making lifestyle changes?
- Can focus easily
- Can focus relatively well
- Uncertain
- Can focus somewhat or not at all
Initially, people often lose weight quickly. But over the long run, it’s best to lose weight at a rate of 1 to 2 pounds a week. How realistic are your expectations about how much weight you’d like to lose and how fast you want to lose it?
- Very realistic
- Moderately realistic
- Somewhat realistic
- Somewhat or very unrealistic
Aside from special celebrations, do you ever eat a lot of food rapidly while feeling that your eating is out of control?
- Yes
- No
If you answered YES to the previous question, how often have you eaten like this during the last year?
- About once a month or less
- A few times a month
- About once a week
- About three times a week or more
Do you eat for emotional reasons, for example, when you feel anxious, depressed, angry or lonely?
- Never or rarely
- Occasionally
- Frequently
- Always
How confident are you that you can make changes in your eating habits and maintain them?
- Completely confident
- Moderately confident
- Somewhat confident
- Slightly or not at all confident
How confident are you that you can exercise several times a week?
- Completely confident
- Moderately confident
- Somewhat confident
- Slightly or not at all confident
If most of your responses are:
- 1 and 2, then you’re probably ready to start the Healthy for Life! program.
- 2 and 3, consider whether you’re ready or if you should wait and take action to prepare yourself.
- 4, you may want to hold off on this journey. Consider contacting the Fitness and Wellness Division to discuss what you can do to increase your readiness.
To register for the Health Trip Healthy for Life! program, contact Liz Stovall at sto077@henrico.us or at 501-7556.
Next steps include:
- Preparing yourself, your kitchen and your workout gear to increase your chances of success.
- Setting up a tracking system and getting mentally prepared.
- Finding your inner motivation and selecting your start date.
Employee Health Services (EHS) offers individualized counseling regarding your nutritional journey.
This includes information on diabetes, high blood pressure, lowering cholesterol and weight loss management.
Fitness & Wellness encourages employees to set up a 30-minute consultation with a staff fitness trainer for help with designing a nutrition and fitness plan for overall good health.
Are you self-sabotaging your health and fitness goals from bad nutritional habits such as mindlessly snacking, stuffing yourself to the point of discomfort, stress eating, or skipping meals? Challenge yourself to a 21-day journey to help you become more intuitive, or mindful, of your body’s hunger and fullness cues. The purpose of this challenge is two-fold: 1) to help you reveal the triggers of your bad eating habits, and 2) to empower and energize you to improve your eating habits.
For more information about intuitive eating and its many benefits, check out these articles:
Journal Templates
April 2020-
Healthy Chicken Teriyaki
215 cals | Per bowl
Original recipe yields 4 servings
Ingredients
-
1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs
-
¼ cup brown sugar, honey, or coconut palm sugar
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½ cup coconut aminos, low sodium soy sauce, or Braggs
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¼ cup water
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1 small garlic clove, grated
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1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
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Oil, for pan frying Green onions, optional
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Rice or Cauliflower Rice
Directions
Prep 30 mins | Ready In 3 hrs, 30 min
- Pound chicken breasts or thighs to 1/4 inch thin by starting in the middle and working out to the edges.
- In a medium bowl, whisk to combine brown sugar, coconut aminos, water, grated garlic, and ginger.
- Place chicken inside a glass container or large gallon zip bag and transfer sauce into container. Mix chicken and sauce over a few times to combine.
- Marinade chicken for 30 minutes to 2 hours (even overnight for a strong flavor).
- In a large skillet over medium heat, heat enough oil to cover the bottom of the pan.
- Begin to cook chicken, about 3 minutes in each side, and remove from pan.
- Repeat process with remaining chicken if the pan is too small.
- Once the chicken is cooked, pour contents of zip bag into the pan.
- Bring sauce to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for a couple of minutes.
- Bring chicken back into the pan, toss to combine into sauce, and turn off heat.
- Serve over steamed rice or cauliflower rice and garnish with green onions, optional.
March 2020-
Corned Beef and Cabbage
321 cals | Per 1/2 cups cabbage and about 1 1/3 cups potatoes serving
Original recipe yields 8 servings
Ingredients
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1 (4-pound) cured corned beef brisket, trimmed
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16 cups water
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2 cups chopped onion
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1 cup chopped celery 1 cup chopped carrot
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1 1/2 teaspoons pickling spice
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3 garlic cloves, peeled
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Cooking spray
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1 tablespoon caraway seeds
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1 (2 1/2-pound) head green cabbage, cored and cut into 1-inch strips
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4 pounds small red potatoes, quartered
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2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
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2 teaspoons butter
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2 teaspoons grated lemon rind
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2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
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1/8 teaspoon black pepper
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1/2 cup dry breadcrumbs
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1 (5-ounce) jar prepared horseradish, drained and squeezed dry
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3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
Directions
Prep 30 mins | Ready In 3 hrs, 30 min
Step 1
Place corned beef in a large stockpot; add water and next 5 ingredients (water through garlic). Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 3 hours. Remove brisket from pot.
Step 2
Place corned beef on the rack of a broiler pan or roasting pan coated with cooking spray; place rack in pan. Strain cooking liquid through a colander into 2 large bowls; discard solids. Return liquid to pot. Add caraway seeds and cabbage; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 20 minutes. Drain.
Step 3
While cabbage is cooking, place potatoes in a large Dutch oven. Cover with water. Bring to a boil; cook 20 minutes or until tender. Drain. Return potatoes to pan. Stir in parsley, butter, rind, juice, and pepper; toss to coat.
Step 4
Preheat broiler.
Step 5
Combine breadcrumbs and horseradish. Spread mustard over one side of corned beef. Press breadcrumb mixture onto mustard. Broil 3 minutes or until lightly browned. Serve corned beef with cabbage and potatoes.
February 2020-
Garlic Roasted Salmon & Brussel Sprouts
Ingredients
334 cals | Per serving
Original recipe yields 6 servings
-
14 large cloves garlic, divided
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¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
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2 tablespoons finely chopped
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fresh oregano, divided
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1 teaspoon salt, divided
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¾ teaspoon freshly ground pepper, divided
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6 cups Brussels sprouts, trimmed and sliced
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¾ cup white wine, preferably Chardonnay
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2 pounds wild-caught salmon fillet, skinned, cut into 6 portions
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Lemon wedges
Directions
Prep 20 mins | Ready In 45 min
Step 1
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
Step 2
Mince 2 garlic cloves and combine in a small bowl with oil, 1 tablespoon oregano, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Halve the remaining garlic and toss with Brussels sprouts and 3 tablespoons of the seasoned oil in a large roasting pan. Roast, stirring once, for 15 minutes.
Step 3
Add wine to the remaining oil mixture. Remove the pan from oven, stir the vegetables and place salmon on top. Drizzle with the wine mixture. Sprinkle with the remaining 1 tablespoon oregano and 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Bake until the salmon is just cooked through, 5 to 10 minutes more. Serve with lemon wedges.
January 2020- Apple Cider Chicken
Ingredients
286 cals | Per serving
Original recipe yields 4 servings
- 4 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil — divided
- 1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs — (about 8, depending on size)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt — divided
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper — divided
- 1/2 cup fresh apple cider
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 3 medium firm — sweet apples, cored and cut into 1/2-inch slices (I used Gala)
- 2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary — plus additional for serving
Directions
Prep 10 mins | Ready In 30 min
Step 1
Heat 2 teaspoons of oil in a large skillet over medium high. Sprinkle the top of the chicken evenly with 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Once the oil is hot and shimmering, add the chicken to the pan, top-side down. Let cook 4 minutes, then flip and continue cooking until the meat is cooked through and reaches an internal temperature of 160 degrees, 3 to 4 additional minutes. Remove to a plate and cover with foil to keep warm.
Step 2
In a small bowl or large measuring cup, stir together the apple cider and mustard. With a paper towel, carefully wipe the skillet clean. Add the remaining 2 teaspoons of oil to the pan over medium high. Once the oil is hot, add the apple slices, remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and rosemary. Cook for 5 minutes, until the apples are lightly tender and begin to turn golden. Return the chicken to the pan and pour the cider mixture over the top. Let cook for 4 to 5 minutes, until the liquid is reduced by half. Serve warm, sprinkled with additional chopped rosemary as desired.
December 2019- Butternut Squash Carbonara with Broccoli
Ingredients
296 cals | Per 1 1/4 cup serving
Original recipe yields 4 servings
- 1 (3 pound) butternut squash, peeled
- 2 cups small broccoli florets
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- ½ teaspoon ground pepper, divided
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- ¾ cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
- 4 strips bacon
- 2 large cloves garlic, grated
- ¼ cup low-sodium chicken broth
Directions
Prep 35 mins | Ready In 35 min
Step 1
Position oven racks in upper and lower thirds of oven; preheat to 400°F.
Step 2
Cut the neck of the squash from the bulb. Using the large noodle blade of a spiral vegetable slicer (or a julienne or regular vegetable peeler), spiralize (or cut) the squash neck into long strands. You should have about 10 cups of “noodles.” (Reserve the bulb for another use.)
Step 3
Combine the spiralized squash, broccoli, oil, ¼ teaspoon pepper and salt in a large bowl. Divide the mixture between 2 large rimmed baking sheets. Roast until just tender, 12 to 14 minutes.
Step 4
Meanwhile, whisk eggs and ½ cup cheese in a medium bowl.
Step 5
Cook bacon in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until crisp, 7 to 9 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate. Remove the pan from the heat; add garlic and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in broth and the remaining ¼ teaspoon pepper. Transfer 3 tablespoons of the broth to the egg mixture, whisking constantly until smooth. Add the egg mixture to the pan; cook over low heat, stirring, until thick and creamy, about 45 seconds. Add the roasted vegetables and gently toss to coat. Transfer to a serving bowl.
Step 5
Serve topped with crumbled bacon and the remaining ¼ cup cheese.
November 2019- Spinach and Feta Quiche with Sweet Potato Crust
Ingredients
PHOTO: HECTOR MANUEL SANCHEZ; STYLING: MINDI SHAPIRO LEVINE
203 cals | Per serving
Original recipe yields 4 servings
- Cooking spray
- 2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/8-in.-thick slices
- 1 teaspoon canola oil
- 1/2 cup sliced onion
- 1 (5-oz.) bag fresh baby spinach
- 1/2 cup 1% low-fat milk
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 4 large eggs
- 2 large egg whites
- 1.5 ounces feta cheese, crumbled (about 1/3 cup)
Directions
Prep 25 mins | Cook 45 hour | Ready In 1 hr 10 min
Step 1
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Step 2
Coat a 9-inch pie plate with cooking spray. Layer sweet potatoes in slightly overlapping concentric circles on bottom and upsides of plate, cutting slices in half to fit (rounded side up) around the sides. Coat potatoes with cooking spray. Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes or until potatoes are slightly tender. Place pan on a wire rack. Increase oven temperature to 375°F.
Step 3
Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium. Add oil and onion; saute 3 minutes. Add spinach; saute 3 minutes. remove from head; cool.
Step 4
Combine milk and next 5 ingredients (through egg whites) in a medium bowl; stir with a whisk. Arrange spinach mixture in crust; pour egg mixture over spinach. Sprinkle with feta. Bake at 375°F for 35 minutes or until egg mixture is set. Let stand 5 minutes; cut into 8 wedges.
Per Serving (2 wedges):Calories 203, Fat 8.7 g, Satfat 3.5 g, Monofat 3.2 g, Polyfat 1.4 g, Protein 13 g, Carbohydrate 18 g, Fiber 3 g, Sugars 6 g, Est. added sugars 0 g, Cholesterol 197 mg, Iron 3 mg, Sodium 393 mg, Calcium 177 mg
Henrico County’s on-site cafeteria at the Western Government Center offers a variety of nutritious and health conscious options for employees at breakfast and lunch times. From a full, build-your-own, salad bar, grilled chicken and turkey burger options, along with steamed vegetables and low-fat yogurt, breakfast and lunch does not have to throw off your day.
Operating Hours
Breakfast: 7:45 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.
Lunch: 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.
*Self-serve areas only open from 10:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.