A well-balanced diet plays an important role in maintaining our health. Healthy diets not only allow our bodies to function, they can also help us reach and maintain a healthy bodyweight, reduce our risk of developing chronic disease, and improve our mood and mental wellbeing.

Beach Balance’s nutrition counseling program is a collaboration with the CSULB Family and Consumer Science Department and provides dietetic students the opportunity to share their nutrition knowledge with members one-on-one. Sessions are FREE of charge, range from 30-60mins, and are aimed at helping students discover ways to improve their diet.

Our peer nutrition counselors can provide information on…

• Basic nutrition concepts, such as macronutrients and how to read food labels
• Dieting for weight loss or weight gain
• Eating for improved sports performance
• Dietary suggestions for medical conditions such as cholesterol or high blood pressure

Virtual Nutrition Counseling

Our virtual Nutrition Counseling sessions are run through Zoom and provide a 1-on-1 experience with an undergraduate Nutrition and Dietetic student. Our peer nutrition counselors will work with you to discover eating habits that best fit your lifestyle, dietary preferences, and individualized goals.

In-Person Nutrition Counseling

In-person Nutrition Counseling has been postponed until further notice.

To schedule your FREE In-Person Nutrition Counseling appointment, visit Beach Balance during operational hours. Appointments must be made 72 hours in advance and a completed intake form must be turned in prior to scheduling an appointment.  

Meal Prep Recipe Ideas

Kick start health eating with these meal prep recipes. Get recipes directly to your mailbox by subscribing to the Beach Balance Newsletter

• Overnight Oats and Chia seeds w/ blueberries (1 serving)

  Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup rolled oats
  • 1 tbsp. chia seeds
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 cup of milk of choice
  • 1 tbsp. honey
  • Toppings: 1/3 cup blueberries, 1/4 cup of nuts of choice

  Directions:

  1. Combine all the ingredients in a small cup container with lid.
  2. Place in fridge overnight (at least 5 hours)
  3. Place blueberries and nuts on before placing in the fridge or before you eat it.
  4. After soaked overnight, enjoy cold or warm up on the go!

  How to Prep for the week:

  1. Place the recommended single serving recipe in 5 separate containers. (5 servings total for the week)
  2. This way you can have them all ready and soak over a few days.
  3. Or you can use one large Tupperware to soak all of the ingredients in overnight in fridge and divide up the mixture after it has been soaked. Divide them into five containers if you increase recipe by five.

• Lentil Kale Salad (2 servings)

  Ingredients:

  • 1/3 cup golden raisins
  • 2 tbsp. red wine vinegar
  • 4 & 1/2 cups thinly sliced Tuscan kale
  • 1 tbsp. lemon juice
  • 3 tbsp. olive oil
  • 1 tbsp. honey
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1/4 cup pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
  • 1 cup cooked beluga lentils
  • 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese (optional)

  Directions:

  1. Soak: Add raisins and red wine vinegar to a small bowl, let the raisins soak for 10-15 minutes while you clean and chop the kale.
  2. Dressing: Remove the golden raisins to a small bowl using a slotted spoon. Add the lemon juice, olive oil, honey and salt and pepper to the vinegar and suea whisk to combine. Alternately, you can add the dressing to a mason jar and shake until the dressing thickens.
  3. Salad: Place kale in a large bowl, dress salad and toss. Add the lentils, golden raisins, pepitas, and parmesan cheese as desired. Give it a taste and adjust the salt and pepper as desired.

  How to Prep for the week:

  1. Make four servings of this recipe by multiplying all measurements by two.
  2. This will create four servings that you can then separate into four different containers for the rest of the week.
  3. What is great about this recipe is that kale only gets better with time when being marinated with dressing. It will allow the kale to soak up the flavor but not get soggy.
  4. Have four meals prepped for the week already ready to go!

• Greek Chicken Bowl (4 servings)

  Ingredients:
  Bowl:

  • 1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
  • 1 tsp. oregano
  • kosher salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 c. cooked quinoa or brown rice
  • 1 c. halved cherry or grape tomatoes
  • 1/2 cucumber, chopped
  • 1 avocado, thinly sliced
  • 1/2 c. halved Kalamata olives
  • 3/4 c. crumbled feta
  • Fresh dill, for garnish

  Dressing:

  • 2 tbsp. red wine vinegar
  • Juice of 1/2 lemon
  • 1 tsp. dried oregano
  • kosher salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/4 c. extra-virgin olive oil

  Directions:

  1. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat oil. Add chicken and season with dried oregano, salt, and pepper. Cook until golden and no longer pink, 8 minutes per side. Set aside to let rest 5 minutes, then thinly slice.
  2. Assemble bowls: Place cooked quinoa or brown rice into bowl and top with tomatoes, cucumber, sliced chicken, avocado, Kalamata olives, feta, and dill.
  3. Make dressing: In a small bowl, combine red wine vinegar, lemon juice, and dried oregano and season generously with salt and pepper. Slowly add olive oil, whisking to combine.
  4. Drizzle with dressing and serve.

  How to Prep for the week:

  1. Separate evenly each serving into four containers.
  2. Each container should have about ½ cup of brown rice or quinoa, 1/4 cup of tomatoes, a few cucumbers, ¼ avocado, a few olives and sprinkle of feta.
  3. Also add about ½ large chicken breast. (size of your hand palm)
  4. Set in fridge for the week and you are ready to go!

• Tofu Scramble (1 Serving)

  Ingredients:

  • 1/4 block of firm pressed tofu
  • 1/4 onion
  • 1 clove of garlic
  • 1/2 cup of baby spinach
  • 1/4 cup mushrooms
  • 1/4 cup red bell peppers
  • Nutritional Yeast, chili powder, cumin, salt, and pepper to taste
  • Salsa (optional)

  Directions:

  1. Drain and press tofu using a paper towel.
  2. Crumble tofu and marinate with nutritional yeast, chili powder, salt, and pepper.
  3. Add chopped onions and garlic to skillet on medium heat.
  4. Then add the tofu, mushrooms, bell peppers and spinach towards the end of cooking process.
  5. Serve with a dollop of salsa if desired.

  How to Prep for the week:

  1. Make four servings of this recipe by multiplying all measurements by four.
  2. This will create four servings that you can then separate into four different containers for the rest of the week.
  3. Have four meals prepped for the week already ready to go!

• Refreshing Spinach Salad (1 serving)

  Ingredients:

  • 3 cups of spinach
  • 1/2 cup blueberries
  • 1 cup cubed watermelon
  • 1 ½ tbsp. slivered almonds
  • Half a lemon
  • 1 tbsp. water
  • 1 tbsp. honey
  • 2 tbsp. olive oil
  • Salt/pepper to taste
  • (Optional) Lemon pepper seasoning

  Directions:

  1. Rinse spinach and set aside to dry.
  2. Create the salad dressing in a separate bowl:
  3. Add olive oil, water, honey. Mix these until they are well incorporated.
  4. Squeeze the lemon juice to the mixture
  5. Add salt/pepper to your desired taste
  6. Mix all again
  7. In a large bowl, put the spinach and fruit together. Drizzle the dressing on top.
  8. Add slivered almonds (optional).
  9. Combine all ingredients until evenly distributed.

  How to Prep for the week:

  1. Make four/five servings of this recipe by multiplying all measurements by four/five.
  2. Do NOT add the salad dressing when prepping. Leave it aside until the day you are going to consume the meal.
  3. This will create four servings that you can then separate into four/five different containers for the rest of the week.
  4. Have four meals prepped for the week already ready to go!

• Black Pepper Vegetable Udon (4 servings)

  Ingredients:

  • 1 pack of udon
  • 3 tablespoons organic rice vinegar
  • 1 package of tofu
  • 5 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
  • 1/2 teaspoon oyster sauce
  • Black pepper
  • 3 cups of chopped napa (or any leafy vegetables)
  • 2 sliced red bell pepper

  Directions:

  1. Boil the udon and the napa.
  2. Drain the udon and place onto a pan under medium heat.
  3. Add the rice vinegar, soy sauce, and oyster sauce while stirring the udon.
  4. Drain and cube the tofu. Then add to the pan for 8 minutes.
  5. Add the napa and red bell peppers.
  6. After cooking for about 2-4 minutes, transfer the meal onto the dish.
  7. Top off the meal with some black pepper.

  How to Prep for the week:

  1. Separate evenly each serving into four containers.
  2. Each container should have about equal amounts of each ingredient. If you want to make larger meals simply divide up into three containers.
  3. Set in fridge for the week and you are ready to go!

• Chickpea Curry (4 servings)

  Ingredients:

  • 1 can organic garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 tbsp. olive oil
  • 1/2 tsp kosher salt
  • 1/4 tsp granulated garlic
  • 1/4 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1/4 tsp cayenne or habanero powder (optional)

  Directions:

  1. 1 tbsp. olive oil
  2. 1 bunch Lacinato (Dino) Kale de-stemmed and roughly chopped (2c packed)
  3. 1 red bell pepper, cored and sliced
  4. 1/2 small white onion, thinly sliced
  5. 2 tbsp. red curry paste
  6. 1 can coconut milk (full fat)
  7. 1/2 tsp fish sauce
  8. 1 sprig basil
  9. chili flakes
  10. lime

  How to Prep for the week:
  Crispy Garbanzo Beans

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
  2. Dry garbanzo beans on 2 layers of paper towels for 5-20 minutes (as long as you are willing to wait. They will be crispier, the dryer they are.
  3. Toss in oil and spices, spread on a cookie sheet. Bake for 15 minutes, shake, 5 minutes, shake, and 5 minutes. Note: these can be baked for less time if you like. This amount is great for snacking (very crunchy). If you are just making them for the curry, 15 minutes would be fine. Hit me with the broiler maybe when you're done.

  Curry

  1. Heat oil over med-high heat in a shallow pan. Fry pan or dutch oven.
  2. Add onion and bell pepper - cook for about 2 minutes. Add kale, cover with a lid or plate and steam for 2 minutes.
  3. Turn heat to medium, add the curry paste, whole can of coconut milk, fish sauce, basil (just pull the whole leaves off the stem, no need to chop), chili flakes. Cover, cook for another 5 minutes.
  4. Add lime and separate the food into four meal containers and place in fridge!

• Antioxidant smoothie

  Ingredients:

  • 1/4 cup frozen mango
  • 1/4 cup frozen organic blueberries
  • 1/2 frozen banana
  • 1/2 inch chunk of peeled fresh ginger
  • 1 cup cold green tea
  • 1/2 cup of spinach
  • 1/2 cup milk, alternative milk, or water

  Directions:

  1. Add frozen mango, blueberries, and bananas to blender.
  2. Peel ginger and add to blender
  3. Add green tea and milk or water.
  4. Add in the fresh or frozen spinach (optional)
  5. Blend until smooth

  How to Prep for the week:

  1. Add all ingredients into a Ziploc bag. (besides the liquids)
  2. Make a few bags of smoothie servings and place in the freezer.
  3. In morning or night before, grab a Ziploc and blend with the liquid.
  4. This saves time from measuring the fruit out and putting it all together.
  5. You can even prepare different smoothies for different days to switch it up and not get bored!

• Apple Cinnamon Yogurt Parfait

  Ingredients:

  • 1/2 honey crisp apple
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 2 tablespoons slivered almonds
  • 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 3/4 cup of plain Greek yogurt ( or yogurt of choice)
  • 1 teaspoon maple syrup or other sweetener (ex: honey)
  • 1/3 cup granola

  Directions:

  1. In large bowl mix Greek yogurt and maple syrup until well mixed.
  2. Layer yogurt and parfait toppings in Mason jar or sealable container. Top with granola.
  3. Store in the refrigerator and eat within 1-2 days. You can wait to add the granola until the day of to prevent it from getting soggy. Should consume within 4 days of being prepped.

  How to Prep for the week:

  1. Follow the recipe instructions four times to make four different containers filled with yogurt. (Refrain from adding in the granola from the recipe until the day you will eat it, this prevents the granola from getting soggy.)
  2. Once you have the four containers of yogurt you are all set for the week!
  3. You can even switch it up with different fruits and nut toppings.
  4. Maybe dazzle it up with some chia seeds or hemp seeds for more fiber and vitamins.

• Banana bread

  Ingredients:

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup butter
  • Organic Butter
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • Large White Eggs
  • 2 1/3 cups mashed overripe bananas

  Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan.
  2. Combine flour, baking soda and salt. In a separate bowl, cream together butter and brown sugar. Stir in eggs and mashed bananas until well blended. Stir banana mixture into flour mixture; stir just to moisten. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan.
  3. Bake in preheated oven for 60 to 65 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of the loaf comes out clean. Let bread cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack.

  How to Prep for the week:

  1. Slice the bread loaf into multiple slices.
  2. Add a slice to a Ziploc bag or container.
  3. Repeat until all of the bread is in separate containers.
  4. You now have prepared a snack for the week and are ready to go!
  5. Try this out! It'll help you from overeating the entire loaf.

• Taco Turkey Bowls (4 Servings)

  Ingredients:

  • 2 tablespoons oil
  • 2 green bell pepper, sliced
  • 1 yellow onion, sliced
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon pepper
  • 1 pound ground turkey (can be subbed for tofu)
  • 1 1-ounce low sodium packet taco seasoning
  • 2 cups cooked brown rice
  • 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 can corn
  • 1 avocado, sliced (optional)

  Directions:

  1. Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat.
  2. Add peppers and onions and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables have softened. Remove from pan, set aside.
  3. Add ground turkey to hot skillet. Break apart with a wooden spoon to separate
  4. Season with taco seasoning, stir, cook until meat has browned and cooked through.
  5. To assemble the taco bowls, add base of rice to 4 food storage containers, Top each with a scoop of black beans, corn, avocado, cooked peppers and onions, and taco meat.
  6. Store in the fridge and enjoy. (Can be kept refrigerated for up to 4 days.)

  How to Prep for the week:

  1. Separate the finished products into four different containers evenly.
  2. The containers should each have ¼ cup of brown rice, ¼ cup of corn, ¼ of an avocado, ¼ lb. of ground turkey, and a handful of veggies.
  3. Ensure the meals are evenly distributed to avoid unbalanced meals.
  4. Now you have four meals set and ready for the week.

• Peach burrata salad (4 servings)

  Ingredients:

  • 3-4 fresh organic peaches
  • 2 medium heirloom tomatoes
  • 1 container burrata
  • Handful fresh basil
  • 3 Tbsp. balsamic reduction
  • Salt to taste
  • Drizzle of extra virgin olive oil

  Directions:

  1. Balsamic reduction: add balsamic vinegar to sauce pan, bring to boil. Once boiling, reduce heat and let simmer for about 5 minutes. Liquid should be notably reduced. Remove from heat and let cool.
  2. Slice peaches
  3. Slice tomato
  4. Finely chop basil
  5. Combine peaches, tomato, and basil
  6. Add burrata
  7. Add balsamic reduction, olive oil, and salt

  How to Prep for the week:

  1. Depending if you want to eat this as a snack or a meal, separate this recipe into six containers or 4 containers, after following the instruction.
  2. Dressing can be added when making it or when you go to eat it. The texture will slightly change and be softer when it is drizzled with the dressing.
  3. This is a refreshing snack or a good side for a meal idea.
  4. Add this to your prep for the week.

• Chipotle Burrito Bowl (4 servings)

  Ingredients:

  • 1 cup uncooked rice
  • 1 cup salsa
  • 3 cups chopped Romaine lettuce
  • 1 (15.25 oz.) can whole kernel corn, drained
  • 1 (15 oz.) black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 2 Roma tomatoes, diced
  • 1 avocado, halved, seeded, peeled and diced
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves

  For Chipotle Cream Sauce:

  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 1 tablespoon chipotle paste
  • 1 clove garlic, pressed
  • Juice of 1 lime
  • 1/4 tsp salt, or more to taste

  Directions:

  1. To make chipotle cream sauce, whisk together sour cream, chipotle paste, garlic, lime juice and salt; set aside
  2. In a large saucepan of 1 ½ cups water, cook rice according to package instructions; let cool and stir in salsa; set aside
  3. To assemble the bowls, divide rice mixture into serving bowls; top with lettuce, corn, black beans, tomatoes, avocado and cilantro
  4. Serve immediately, drizzled with chipotle cream sauce

  How to Prep for the week:

  1. Separate the recipe into four containers to ensure you have even content for meals.
  2. In each container there should be. About ¼ cup of rice, ¼ cup of salsa, ¼ cup corn, ¼ cup of black beans, small handful of tomatoes, ¼ avocado diced, sprinkle of cilantro and chipotle sauce.

• Tasty Teriyaki Turkey (5 servings)

  Ingredients:

  • 1lb Ground Turkey
  • 1 can Garbanzo Beans
  • 1/4 Cup Island Teriyaki
  • 2-3 medium-large broccoli crowns (~5 cups cooked)
  • 1 cup brown rice dried (~3 cups cooked)
  • 1-1.5tbsp extra virgin olive oil (1/2tbsp if cooking rice in pan)

  Directions:

  1. Begin cooking rice by either using a rice cooker, following stove top instructions on bag of rice, or using microwavable rice
     • If no instructions on rice, in a medium saucepan, heat ½ tbsp. of olive oil on medium heat and add rice.
     • Add in either 2 cups of water, or 1 cup of water and 1 cup of broth (Chicken/veggie)
     • Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cover.
     • Let cook until liquid has evaporated and rice is cooked through (~30-40min)
  2. In a large sauté pan, heat 1tbap olive oil over medium heat. Add turkey and begin cooking.
  3. Rinse garbanzo beans and set aside.
  4. Once turkey is almost fully cooked, add in garbanzo beans and teriyaki sauce and cook until turkey is completely cooked through (no pink meat).

  How to Prep for the week:
  In 5 separate containers, add ½ cup of cooked rice, and evenly divide the steamed broccoli and turkey dish (~1/5lb ground turkey and 1/5can of garbanzo beans) Nutrient Information (per serving):
  Total Calories: 378 Carbohydrates: 45g Protein: 27g Fat: 9g Fiber: 7g

• Mango Quinoa Salad with Honey-Lime Dressing

  Ingredients:

  • 1 heaping cup mango chunks (fresh or frozen)
  • 1 red bell pepper, diced
  • 1/2 cup chopped red onion
  • 1 jalapeno, seeds removed, diced small
  • 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
  • 1 cups cooked quinoa
  • 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 avocado
  • 10 oz. fresh spinach (about 2 large handfuls)

  Directions:

  1. 2 Tbsp. honey (or maple syrup for vegan)
  2. 3 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
  3. 1 tsp garlic powder (or 2 garlic cloves, minced)
  4. 1 tsp salt
  5. 2 tsp Dijon mustard

  How to Prep for the week:

  1. If using frozen mango chunks, put them in a bowl with warm water to thaw.
  2. Combine the chopped onion, diced jalapeno, chopped cilantro, chopped red bell pepper, quinoa and black beans in a bowl. Cut the thawed mango into small 1/2 inch chunks and add to the bowl.
  3. Stir dressing ingredients together and toss with salad.
  4. Roughly chop spinach leaves into smaller pieces. Toss with the rest of the salad, or as I like to do when using a salad platter, put a bed of spinach beneath the quinoa salad.
  5. Just before serving, add chopped avocado.
  Meal Prep Tip:
  Cook large batches of quinoa or rice to use throughout the week. Also freeze small bags of 1 or 2 cup portions. You can thaw it quickly in the microwave or under hot water, so you can toss it quickly into salads like this.