Get Real… about starting our journey to health (and weight loss).

Getting started on this journey to health (and weight loss)…

For some of us this journey is truly that, a journey, over months and years, with lots of changes, adjustments and growth. That being said, it is not easy. It’s not easy in the beginning, the middle or the end. It also doesn’t have to be super difficult either, the choices are all ours.

1. Find Your Motivation:

I mean, what, deep down is the real reason you want to get real about losing weight and getting healthy? Is it a health issue that’s popped up in your life making you realize that taking better care of your body could help alleviate symptoms or help your body heal (this was a big one for me)? Was it a way you felt that you never want to feel again? Like when you heard remarks from others about your size, or even just when you made remarks/thoughts about your own size? Is it because you find you can’t do certain things that others can, like go on certain rides or other outdoor activities with size/weight limits, or just from lack of energy on its own?

Only you know the real reason/s why you want to make some changes. And it really helps to remember these reasons when times get tough and you are tempted to make a ‘poor’ food choice. Also, adjust your motivations as necessary: maybe in a few days, weeks or months the motivation you once had isn’t enough for you to continue on but maybe you can figure out a new motivation. I’ve had a rough year myself (not surprising, def. lots going on). I’m now trying to focus on being a positive role model for others, because how can I be the health coach I want to be some day if I’m not reaching for my full potential? Maybe you feel the same way about being role models for your friends, family, or children? Whatever the motivations are, hold on to them, and when they change go ahead and change what you’re holding on to.

2. Don’t Exercise and Don’t Stop Eating Pizza (or do anything else you do don’t want to do):

Considering this is a life long journey, a lifestyle change, and that it may take years to get to your goal weight (depending on where you are starting from), it is important to remember that this needs to be something that will work for you. If exercising is just not something you even want to do, or something that you just honestly don’t have enough energy for….. then don’t do it. I would never tell anyone who wants to exercise not to. It’s very good for you in so many ways. And some people get their motivation for eating right from working out (they feel like they want to eat healthily or they essentially worked out for no reason). However, if feeling like you need to work out in order to lose weight, is holding you back from trying than drop that feeling!

First of all, it’s not true at all. I lost at least 40 pounds (nearly half of the weight I had to lose in the first place) before even really considering working out. I’ve heard different statistics different places, but the rule of thumb is generally that 80% of our efforts for weight loss need to be food/nutrition related. It makes sense. Say you go a day without working out (let’s say a moderately paced hour long workout) and you miss out on having burned 300 calories. Ok. Now, let’s make a similar, but nutritionally related, ‘mistake’ instead and have fast food at one of our meals, and now we’ve added 1500 extra calories for the day. It’s easy to see which choices are going to hurt us more.

The point, really, is that if there is something holding you back then let it go, like thinking you will have to work out, or thinking that you can never have pizza or ice cream again, or thinking that you will have to eat vegetables. Eventually, it would be good to add in some workouts, and limit the pizza or ice cream (and/or try new healthier alternatives, like making your own, or buying goat or almond milk ice cream), and yes eventually on the path to health you will likely be eating more vegetables. But these changes don’t have to happen yet, not if you’re not ready for them.

Some people like to just jump all in, and I say that’s fine too. If it works for you. And if it stops working for you, don’t give up just change things up. In the beginning of my journey I never thought about how I would be exercising one day, and I really never dreamed I’d eat any vegetables ever (and now I eat tons, and actually enjoy them too!). Start making changes, and as you learn more about what is healthy and what’s not, keep making changes. And as you start to notice certain things working and certain things not, again keep making changes.

3. Always Remember That This is a Choice:

It helps to remember you have a choice, because you do. When someone brings your favorite cookie into work, you have a few choices. Eat none, and continue on your journey. Eat one (or maybe even two), and continue on your journey. Or eat a whole plateful, get quite sick, gain ¼ of a pound the next day, and then continue on your journey. During my journey, I have picked all three at different times. You think we would just wise up and never pick that third option, but what can I say?

Now, when I really get into trouble is when I choose option #3, and then keep on choosing that option (I’ll restart Monday, I screwed today up so I’m just going to make it a day or weekend long ‘cheat’). I may never be able to completely move on from my food addictions/issues. I don’t know. But I do know that I always have the choice to continue on my journey no matter how far off track I may wander. And that’s ok. Sure, it would be nice to be at my goal weight already. But as long as I get there, I’m ok and I will be ok. And so will you :).

4. Continue to do What Works:

I have tried it all, I started with calorie counting, tracking, menu planning, journaling and weighing in each week. Then I threw the scale away (literally walked it down the street and placed it in garbage can at the nearby park, I thought it would feel more liberating than it did but hey), and stopped tracking and menu planning. Then I bought a new scale and started menu planning again. Then I went Vegan. Then I started Juicing daily, then I stopped, then I started again. Ok this all may not be in the right order. But the point is this whole thing is such a continual and ever-changing process. Just continue to go with it, and do what works for you!

5. Set Yourself up for Success:

Plan ahead (cooking a lot of brown rice and black beans for the week, for example). Know when you are running out of healthy foods. Have back up snacks in your purse, at work and at home for when hunger strikes. If you want a treat, plan it in (many times this helps with not feeling guilty, and then we really will just have the treat and move on). Don’t keep your worst desired sweets or other junk food in the house (buy an individual size if you want a treat, or if family wants it), because one bad moment and you’ll be eating it.

6. Keep it Simple:

Meals don’t have to be extraordinary. In fact during the times I have had the most weight loss, I ate very similar and basic meals each day (brown rice, veggies and goat cheese is my usual dinner these days, or eggs, tomatoes and goat cheese — I think it’s delicious yet it’s so healthy and low calorie). Trying to plan full meals each night (spaghetti, tacos, etc.) usually ends up turning out to be meals with much higher calorie counts than you thought even if you are using healthy ingredients. So don’t be afraid to just keep it simple (most of the time, but allow for other meals once or twice a week too). But again, whatever works for you!

 

Always remember, we all have different constraints. Do the best you can with what you have and what you know. If you do that, you will continue to grow. 

Real Clean: Enchilada Stuffed Bell Peppers

As you may have noticed, I love making different dishes and then ‘enchilda-izing’ them! This one is no exception. I just love all these flavors! Now to make things easier (well for every night, not just for enchilda-ized dishes), I cook and pre-shred 3-4 chicken breasts, 5+ cups of brown rice and a couple cups of black beans in the beginning of the week and store them all in airtight containers in the fridge. It makes meals like this (and so many others) easier, quicker and far less messy.

Enchilada Stuffed Bell Peppers

Serves 2 comfortably (each to have two halves of bell pepper over stuffed), or can serve 4 with a side dish (like salad, or brown rice with chopped up cilantro and lime juice mixed in)

Ingredients:

Bell Peppers

• 2 Bell Peppers
• Olive Oil

Stuffing

• 2 Medium Tomatoes (juicy tomatoes, not roma)
• 1/2 an onion (yellow, white or sweet)
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 jalepeno
• 1/4 cup of cilantro
• Your favorite spanish style Spices, I use 1 tsp cumin, 1/2 tsp coriander, 1 tsp chili powder, 1/2 tsp oregano
• 2 Tbs Chilis in Adobo Paste (optional, but I always keep this on hand for all my enchilada dishes)
• 1 shredded chicken breast
• 1/4 cup cooked black beans (if canned, rinse them)
• 1/2 cup cooked brown rice
• small amount of cheese to top it off (optional, I used about 2 tsp worth of goat cheese on each half)

Directions:

First things first, if you don’t have your rice pre-cooked and your chicken pre-cooked and shredded then this must be done first. Cook the rice according to package directions, and as for the chicken boil the breast for at least 15 minutes and then shred with two forks (if it doesn’t look 100% done after that don’t worry, because these will be baked in the bell pepper later as well).

For any stuffed Bell Pepper, start out pre-heating the oven to 350. Cut the bell peppers in half vertically and scoop out any seeds or ‘guts.’ In a square casserole dish (sprayed or rubbed down with a little extra virgin olive oil), place all bell pepper halves in and spray the inside of each bell pepper with olive oil as well. Cover with foil and bake for 25 minutes.

While the Bell Peppers are pre-baking, prepare the enchilada stuffing. Chop the tomatoes into small pieces and toss all of it into a pan on medium-high (all juice included), next chop and add the jalepeno, onions, garlic and cilantro. Add in the seasonings. Mix all together and let cook for at least 5 minutes until it all thickens up a bit. Next add the chilis in adobo paste and re-stir. Followed by the black beans, shredded chicken, and brown rice. Stir all together well and continue cooking a few minutes longer.

When the Bell Peppers are done pre-cooking, take them out of the oven and scoop stuffing into the halves with a spoon, overstuff them! Use as much stuffing as possible! Re-cover with foil and bake for 25 more minutes.

If desired, take them out after this, top with a little cheese and bake for another 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Enjoy!

Remember we all have different constraints. Do the best you can with what you have and what you know, and if you do that you will continue to grow!

 

Real Clean: Chicken Enchilada-Lasagna

Chicken Enchilada-Lasagna

Serves 2 people a very large portion, though can still serve 3-4 (especially if you have a side dish like a salad!).

Ingredients:

For the Chicken:

• 2 Chicken Breasts
• 1 Teaspoon Cumin
• 1 Teaspoon Oregano
• 2 Teaspoons Chile Powder (any type of chile powder)

For the Enchilada Sauce (can use store bought to make this simpler, but highly recommend checking the ingredients, there should basically be only vegetables listed, no sugar or syrup, etc):

• 1 Tablespoon Coconut Oil
• 1 Onion (any type, yellow, white or sweet)
• 2-3 Cloves of Garlic
• 1 Jalapeno
• 1 Teaspoon Cumin
• 1 Teaspoon Oregano
• 2 Teaspoons Chile Powder
• 1 Teaspoon Coriander Powder
• 2 Tablespoons Chilis in Adobo Paste (optional, but highly recommended)
• 2 Cups Tomato Sauce (plain sauce, not pasta sauce)
• 3/4 cup Vegetable Broth

For assembly of the Lasagna:

• 6 corn tortillas
• 2 Large Handfuls of Kale or Spinach (technically optional**)
• 1-2 Cups Shredded Cheese, the less the ‘healthier’ (recommend buying blocks of cheese and shredding yourself, as the pre-shredded mix has a couple yuckies in the ingredients added in)

 

Directions:

• Start a pot of boiling water. Chop each chicken breast into quarters, and sprinkle the spices (a little on each side). Once water is boiling, set chicken inside and set kitchen timer to 15 minutes.
• In another pot, melt/heat the coconut oil (or can use extra virgin olive oil) over medium-high heat while dicing up the onion, garlic and jalapeno into tiny pieces. Then throw all the veggies into the oil and mix all around. Add all the spices in and mix all around again. Allow this to cook for about 5 minutes. Now, add in the chilis in adobo paste, followed by the tomato sauce and then the broth. Mix it all up very well and turn the heat up to high. Once this starts boiling, cover pot and reduce to low heat. Let simmer until ready to put it all together.
• The chicken should be done any moment now, and once the timer goes off, drain the chicken and (with two forks) shred it all. It will take a few moments but will be worth it!
• Pre-heat the oven to 375 as you assemble the lasagna!
• In a square glass baking dish (8X8 or 9X9), assemble! When pouring the sauce keep in mind that you will need 4 total layers of sauce. Pour a thin layer of sauce in the empty dish and spread around, then a layer of corn tortillas (two tortillas per layer, I tear them in half and then place them in the rounded edges are all facing inwards sort of like an envelope), followed by a layer of spinach or kale, half of the shredded chicken and half of the cheese, another layer of the enchilada sauce spread around. Repeat process, with another layer of tortillas, layer of spinach or kale, the rest of the chicken and cheese, almost the rest of the sauce (leave a small amount for the top). Now one more layer of tortillas followed by the rest of the sauce. (If this is a splurge meal, which is on the weekends for me, feel free to top it with another 1/2 cup of shredded cheese or so).
• Bake at 375 for 20 minutes.
• Can top with some salsa and organic sour cream if you wish.

Enjoy!

And remember, we all have different constraints. Do the best you can with what you have and what you know. If you do that, you will continue to grow!

Get Real (about cooking clean, simple meals!)

Those who know me have come to learn that I have found a passion in healthy cooking, understanding ingredients, and making smart eating choices (almost all the time anyway). The question I feel that I get asked the most is about simple meal ideas. The real secret is that living this way needs to be formed as a habit, a way of life, a matter of fact. And you just need to start. Start somewhere!

If I were to take a look back at the meals I was making every night when I first started with healthier eating/cooking, I would think that the portions were way too large, some of the ingredients were full of added sugars, salts and other chemicals, etc. And right now, if I ate that way, I would GAIN weight. However, at the time I was making huge improvements and was losing lots of weight! As I learned more, I adjusted my eating habits more. And as I lost more, and my stomach could get fuller on less, I was able to eat less. It all happens in time. We don’t (generally speaking) go from a fast food or junk food diet to a completely clean one overnight. Well, wait, we do when we are on a ‘diet.’ But who the heck wants to be on one of those!!??

All that said, at this point I eat small simple meals Monday-Friday nights, and splurge a bit on the weekends. Here is my #1 tip for beginning to make healthy eating a habit. As well as what I am making for dinner these days!

My tip? Plan Ahead! Though I go in phases where I am planning out my meals for the week, or where I am not. It makes it a whole lot easier when I do. Financially and time-wise (less trips to the grocery store, planning meals using ingredients more than once that week, etc) it makes sense. It also gives me an opportunity to look forward to my meals, knowing what I have planned (and therefore less likely to deter from that on a whim). It also makes it less stressful at the end of the day to just stick with the plan, instead of spending time mulling over what to eat.

 

2-3 times per week, I make a ‘mexican’ egg bowl:

2-3 scrambled eggs, 2 slices turkey or regular bacon, a couple tablespoons of black beans, a couple tablespoons of salsa, and about half of an avocado. Takes me 10-15 minutes to make. Buy a can of black beans, rinse them, drain them and store them in a Tupperware or glass container in your fridge and one can will last a couple weeks this way!

1-2 times per week, I make a ‘taco’ salad:

2-3 large handfuls of chopped romaine lettuce, 1/2 chicken breast (boil for 10-15 minutes until no pink in the center, and then shred and season it with any type of chili powder), 2 tablespoons black beans, about half of an avocado and 2-3 tablespoons salsa instead of dressing.

about 2 times per week, I make some variation of chicken (or fish) and veggies:

With the chicken, I usually cut it into bite size pieces and pan-grill it (season it on both sides with sea salt/pepper, etc.), using just enough olive or coconut oil to keep things cooking (instead of burning). Or I will slice up a link of chicken sausage (like Adells) and saute right with the veggies. For fish, I use salmon or cod (well seasoned) and pan fry for just a few minutes on each side. Some common veggie sides that I will use are:

• Bell Peppers and Onions (sauteed along with the chicken)
• Mushrooms and Asparagus (trim asparagus and chop mushrooms in half, then in a large bowl mix with a couple garlic cloves minced finely, some rosemary minced, and some olive oil, and mix it all together very well… spread it all out on a baking sheet and broil for 5-10 minutes or bake at your ovens highest temp 450-500 for around that time)
• Roasted Red Potatoes, Carrots and Garlic (Chop the potatoes and carrots into bite size pieces and boil for 10 minutes, drain and throw into a large mixing bowl with whole cloves of garlic, add sea salt/pepper and olive oil and mix all of it together well, pour all of it into a glass baking dish lined with aluminum foil — a large enough piece of foil to be able to wrap it all up like it was in a pouch, bake at 350 for 40 minutes or so)
• Salsa! Just saute the chicken pieces in salsa. Any type of salsa! Tomatillo, Tomato/Garlic, Peach/Tomato, any kind you can think of.
• Kale (chopped into small pieces, making sure that the stem is not included as it is too tough and uncomfortable to bite down on, mixed in a bowl with olive oil, sea salt/pepper, minced garlic cloves, and minced rosemary leaves.. saute on the stove for just a few minutes)
• Spicy Green Beans (trim green beans and boil for up to 5 minutes, mix with a little olive oil, and some crushed red pepper flakes, saute about 10 minutes)

Remember, we all have different constraints! Do the best you can with what you have and what you know. If you do that you will continue to grow!

Real Clean: Spicy Chicken Enchilada Soup

Soups are an amazing way to get a ton of veggies in, without having to add any dairy, grains, or even meat (if you are avoiding that too) to your meal. And they can be delicious and filling as well. All of my soups basically start off with the same key ingredients and then I just play around from there to find different combinations (think pot roast potato and veggie soup, Indian spiced soup, and this chicken enchilada soup). So please! Feel free to adjust the ingredients and add others as you like! The ingredients I have placed a ‘*’ next to are the ones that I would recommend as your base if you do choose to play around!

Chicken Enchilada Soup

Makes 5 good size bowls of soup (feeds 2 more than comfortably, and 4 if you add a side dish), and takes about 1 hour-1 hour and 15 minutes to fully prepare (most of this is letting the finished soup simmer)

Ingredients:

• 1-2 chicken breasts
• *1-2 T coconut oil
• *3 cloves of garlic
• *1 onion (any kind white, yellow or red will do)
• *various spices: in this case- cumin, coriander, sea salt/pepper, oregano, chile powder
• *3 cups chopped tomatoes (I like to mix it up with some roma, and some heirloom, but there are no wrong answers here!)*
• 1 bell pepper (any color)
• 1 jalapeno, de-seeded
• 2 T chipotle paste with adobo (might take you a moment to find in your grocery store, but it’s there)
• *2.5 cups low sodium chicken or veggie broth
• *6 oz can tomato paste
• *2-3 large handfuls of greens (chopped spinach, kale, etc.)

Directions:

Get two pots on the burner (one large enough to hold the 5+ bowls of soup — this one needs to have a lid — and a smaller one that will hold the chicken breasts to boil). Start boiling water on high heat in the smaller pot and add the whole chicken breast/s once boiling (you will want this to boil about 15-17 minutes which should be how long it takes you to chop everything else up).

Place the 1-2 T of oil (coconut) into the big pot, and turn the heat to medium high. Peel and chop the garlic up into small chunks (does not have to be minced super tiny), and do the same with the onion. Dump the garlic and onion into the now melted coconut oil and stir around. Add spices as you like, at least a teaspoon of each! Keep stirring mixture. Let the garlic/onions/spices cook (while stirring occasionally) while you chop up all the tomatoes into bite size chunks of various sizes and dump those in too. Let this all cook while you chop up the bell pepper and jalapeno into bite size chunks and add those in.

Add the chipotle paste with adobo, stir. Add the chicken or veggie broth, stir. Add the tomato paste, stir. At this point, I would add a bit more spice as well, again a teaspoon or so of each.

The chicken should be about boiled by now (after 15 minutes for one, 17 for two), so take this out and chop into bite size pieces (use a fork and knife as chicken will be hot!), and add the chicken to the soup. Add the 2-3 handfuls of chopped greens (I promise you won’t taste them and it is a great way to get these suckers in your diet). Stir everything altogether once more.

Turn the heat to high and once the soup is starting to boil, put the lid on and turn it down to low (1-2 if numbered). Set your timer for about 45 minutes to allow chicken to cook a bit more if needed and the rest of the flavors to all meld together and intensify!

YUMM!

And remember, we all have different constraints. Do the best you can with what you have and what you know. If you do that, you will continue to grow!

The 80/20 Rule (for clean eating)

So. Once I realized (and I mean really realized) that a diet is not a temporary way of being/living/however you want to look at it, I realized that I was going to have to allow myself some wiggle room. This wiggle room is what I have been struggling with lately. I’m ok at being 100% strict when it comes to what kinds of foods I allow in my daily routine. I’m also, as I know from past experience, ok at being 0-50% strict as well (gorging out on fast foods or ice cream, GASP). What I would like to find and maintain is some balance!

I know what I consider clean eating (and it may be different than what you consider clean eating):

• As many fruits and vegetables as possible (organic)
• Nuts and seeds (mostly peanut butter with no other ingredients, and chia seeds)
• Lean (organic, and grass fed when possible) meats such as chicken and fish and occasionally beef (no more than once per week)
• 100% organic whole grains in terms of breads, pastas, or rice (not during every meal, not even everyday), preferably sprouted grains
• Organic, grass fed when possible, dairy (butter, cheese, sour cream, etc… sparingly 2-3 times per week)
• Organic cooking oil, such as coconut oil or ghee (as needed)

So it is easy to see what 100% coherence to these guidelines would be. But is that feasible for the rest of my life, forever and always? I truly do want to get to the point where it is. Where a treat is organic dairy on top of an organic slice of sprouted toast and the ice cream with several ingredients I generally shutter at (and will definitely give my stomach a problem afterwards anyway) just isn’t even appealing at all.

Many folks go by the 80/20 rule, choosing to stay strict within their dietary guidelines 80% of the time. This allows for some ‘cheat’ foods to be eaten 20% of the time. That being said, to some the piece of toast with butter on it would be considered a ‘cheat.’ While to others it would be the ice cream. I’m still trying to figure this out for myself.

Anyway, it has been a journey so far, and will continue to be. I have the rest of my life to work all these details out, and that is important to remember as well. Enjoy today, but keep working towards what you want for all of your tomorrows.

And remember that we all have different constraints. Do the best you can with what you have and what you know. If you do that you will continue to grow. 

 

Real Clean: Cinnamon Apple Sauté

Cinnamon Apple Sauté

This recipe could be used as a pie filling, a side dish, a pancake topping or my favorite idea: as a healthy desert! With NO added sugar or oil, this recipe is clean, paleo, vegan, etc. And seriously yummy and simple! (BTW, whole wheat pie crust and whole wheat pancake recipes coming soon too!) You can also sub in pears if you’d prefer!

The Recipe

Ingredients:

• 4 Grannysmith Apples 
• 1/2 Lemon
• 2 Tsp- 1 Tbsp Ground Cinnamon 
• 1/4 Tsp- 1 Tsp Ground Nutmeg

Preparation:

Peel the apples, quarter and slice them into thin pieces (1/4 inch thick or so). Throw these into a pan just the right size for the number of apples that you are going to be using (not too big of a pan to where they will get burnt).

Next squeeze the lemon juice all over the apples and toss apples with your hands. Add the Spices (as well as others if you desire, like cloves, ginger, allspice, etc), and toss apples again.

Set pan on burner on medium-high heat, after a minute or so stir the apples (lifting them up from the bottom making sure none of them get stuck to the pan or burnt). They will only take 5-10 minutes to cook, stirring every 30-40 seconds. After 5 minutes, you can taste one and see if it is as soft as you’d like as this is a matter of preference. For softer, go longer… otherwise plate up! And feel good about the desert you’ve just made because it is absolutely healthy!

And remember! We all have different constraints. Do the best you can with what you have and what you know, and if you do that you will continue to grow!

Real Clean: Pumpkin Pie Power Smoothie

Pumpkin Pie Power Smoothie

This is a smoothie I drink almost daily, as a power/energy boost and generally as a meal replacement. I don’t normally calculate calories, etc. (instead I focus on eating only fresh whole ingredients and minding my portions when it comes to high calorie/fat items), however I have the calculations below the recipe. The nutrients and healthy ingredients are more than worth their weight in this smoothie, because they help with digestion and elimination of toxins as well as to increase energy and stave off hunger. This is primarily due to the chia seeds and the filling and fibrous half banana. This smoothie would be considered vegan, paleo, and clean.

The Recipe:

  Ingredients:

• 1/2 of 1 Frozen Banana
• 1/2 Cup Pumpkin Puree (canned with pumpkin as the only ingredient, or fresh roasted at home and frozen into ice cubes, this would be around 4 regular sized cubes…can also substitute 2 tbsp nut butter if you prefer)
• 2-3 Ice Cubes (unnecessary if using pumpkin cubes as stated above)
• 1 Cup Almond Milk
• Seasonings to Taste (cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, allspice are all great additions .. I use 2 tsp of cinnamon, 1/2 tsp of ginger, and a pinch of nutmeg myself)
• 2 Tbsp Chia Seeds (if new to these, I would start with 1/2 tbsp and increase with each smoothie)
• (optional but recommended) Add-Ins as Desired (I personally use maca powder most of the time and always top my smoothie with some bee pollen, there are a lot of other possible add ins out there. With maca and bee pollen, as with other add-ins, start with a small amount [1/2 tsp or even less] and increase slowly up to 2 tbsp or so)

Preparation:

First, combine frozen and liquid elements (here it is the banana, pumpkin or nut butter, ice cubes if needed, and almond milk) and blend fully. Then add chia seeds and any other spices or add ins, and blend once more. Top with bee pollen if desired.

Nutritional Info:

This is around 220 calories (depending on the type of almond milk used), 11 grams of sugar, 5 grams of fat, 5 grams of protein and 30 grams of carbs. So, yes, I suppose high carb. But again, this is a meal replacement and aids in digestion, energy, and staving off hunger for a good period of time.

Some extra smoothie tips

• For the frozen banana, there is no right or wrong way persay. I used to buy bananas and if I wasn’t able to use them before they were starting to brown on my counter, I would just toss them in the freezer and then cut off the skin and cut into chunks when needed. But I have found that buying 7+ bananas at once and peeling and chopping them all up and placing each 1/2 banana into its own ziplock bag works wonders.
• I do roast the pumpkin myself and then freeze the homemade puree into ice cubes and then toss 4 cubes into each of the ziplock bags with the banana. These two steps make these daily smoothies a breeze. Just dump out the baggie into the blender, add almond milk and blend. Then add seasoning, and additional add-ins, blend again and I’m done.
• Yogurt can also be frozen into cubes and added to the pre-made smoothie packs.
• Greens are great to add to smoothies and if you add in just a handful, the taste should not even be noticeable (a handful of spinach for example).
• Berries are also a wonderful fruit to add in if in season, instead of the Pumpkin or Nut butter (strawberries, blueberries, raspberries… all lower in sugar than many fruits and so high in nutrients).
• I recommend the use of all organic ingredients.

With all the tips I have mentioned, though, I realize we all have different constraints (be them time related, physical, financial, etc). On this journey to health each of us needs to do the best we can with what we have and what we know. As long as we are doing that, we will continue to grow!

Healthy, Simple & Clean Meal Ideas

Pictured above is one of my meals from last week… I had wanted to make some sort of mushroom chicken so I googled ‘healthy mushroom chicken recipe.’ I ended up choosing this one: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/tyler-florence/pan-roasted-chicken-with-mushrooms-and-rosemary-recipe/index.html. I had planned to make a salad that night and it just happened that my boyfriend had brought home a pomegranate from work, (very lucky that he works at a fresh food market!) so I decided to use strawberries and pomegranate seeds on the salad. Then I put some of the pomegranate seeds, a few strawberries, an apple, and a tiny bit of fresh apple juice (with my juicer, again lucky to have) in my blender to make the dressing.

I usually don’t photograph my meals but I was kind of excited about how this one looks (and how it tasted too). I definitely am getting more creative, and it’s getting easier to come up with ideas, make things up on my own, etc. And the best part is the ingredients! No yucky added sugar or high fructose corn syrup or MSG, etc. None of that, just real food : ).

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Keeping it clean for two:

The last several weeks, I have been trying something new and I’m loving it so far. When the week is almost over I create a dinner menu for the following week and a grocery list. My boyfriend and I then buy everything we need for the whole week. It makes it easier for me to stick with my healthy dinners since they are all planned out already and since I have everything needed in the fridge. It’s also nice, financially, because we timed it out where we grocery shop for the week right after payday! Then, no last minute worries pop up of having no money for food. I start with a few nights of ideas using things I already have and go from there.

For example for this coming up week, here is my plan:

Sat: Breakfast for dinner (eggs, turkey bacon, hashbrowns, whole grain corn tortillas)

Sun: Mango Habanero Chicken/ Salad (going to google a recipe for the mango habanero marinade and salsa to go on top too)

Mon: Adult Grilled Cheese (whole wheat toast, avocado, tomato and cheese), homemade baked fries

Tue: Stuffed Bell Peppers (lean ground beef, tomatoes, onions, brown rice and cheese)

Wed: whole grain pancakes (with cinnamon) and turkey bacon

Thur: Spaghetti (whole grain noodles, lean ground beef)

Friday: Healthy-ish frozen dinner (I work late Friday nights so it’s a little break for me, this is usually like a pre made stir fry, etc… paying attention to the ingredients listed of course)

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Some tips that have worked for me (for health purposes and to save money :)…

I buy chicken in the larger packages (at least 5-6 + breasts), then I use medium size freezer ziplock bags to bag 2 breasts at a time to freeze (I do two because I have found that’s the perfect amount to feed two, for us anyway, but bag however many would feed the family or yourself). This way it’s easy to just defrost them as needed and not waste any.

I have been making all my own marinades for chicken (because unless you want to spend a generous amount on a healthy natural marinade, you end up with high fructose corn syrup, etc everytime) …. generally you want to have either a vinegar (apple cider vinegar or white or red vinegar, etc) or a citrus (orange, lemon, lime) which has the acid needed to break into the meats, and then you can add oils, spices, herbs, zest (grate a ginger, or any of the citrus fruits), soy sauce, etc. I will either come up with an idea (like mango habanero) and look on google or pinterest for ideas…. or just come up with my own combination. Take care as to the amount of time to marinade the type of meat you are working with, steak can be hours, chicken should be about one hour, and seafood about 30 minutes.

I try to avoid red meat for the most part. We eat it every couple of weeks (yes it is on our menu two nights this upcoming week!! But that is so we don’t waste any meat :). But chicken all the time can get boring. I spice it up with my own marinades (as I was saying above), and by changing up the cooking methods. One night I will cut it into chunks, another night I will leave it as whole breasts. I will pan fry it with olive oil, or bake it sitting in the marinade in a glass pyrex dish covered with aluminium foil (usually around 50 minutes at 350), or recently I have been trying a combination (using an oven safe pan) where I pan fry it for 5-10 minutes with olive oil and then throw herbs or slices of lemon, etc into the pan and bake it at 350 for 15-20 minutes afterwards.

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You might be wondering what I eat for breakfast and lunch, while it varies a bit, I generally stick with the same things all the time. Juice (with my $30 black and decker juicer), which is cucumber, strawberry, ginger and greens (either chard, spinach, kale, etc). Smoothies (generally banana, almond milk or greek yogurt and whatever else I have, peanut butter or pumpkin or other fruit). One egg and a slice of turkey bacon. A slice of toast with whole foods 100% peanut butter and slices of banana on top. Things like that.

Serenity — and Desert!

My Blogs title is Clean (eating) and Serene. Serenity has been in/out the past several months. But I have finally realized that whatever Serenity is, in the big picture it is a choice. Each week, day, and moment. It is a choice.

Choosing to release anger and frustration the moment it hits you (and it will hit you, but it doesn’t have to knock you down). Choosing to understand what in your life that you do have control over (even big things, where you live, where you work, what you do on a daily basis), and what you do not (other people, the weather).

Even health (of course, always to an extent), is our choice. I can choose to drink shots, to eat Jack in the box, to never move a muscle. But I now know these truly are my choices. And when I slow my roll, and allow myself to make decisions (instead of letting that voice inside my head talk me into or out of it, or otherwise making me feel guilty), I can see what I truly want. And it is health, I think it always has been.

Anyway, these days, I am trying to be compassionate to myself. Allowing myself to make choices. Not beating myself up over them. Not being afraid of making them. Just making choices.

Also, I have been playing around with baked fruits!! So yummy and healthy. Reminds me of the ‘Champagne diet’? I’ve tried apples and pears so far, peaches with blueberries are next! These pears were sliced and topped with cinnamon, then baked, then topped with a Tuscan cinnamon cheese. The apple was peeled, covered in cinnamon, and simply microwaved (2 min 30 sec)!