New Site!

My friend and I decided two Clean Eating minds are better than one. We started a brand new site together with recipes, tips and a forum where you can share your own experiences and hang out with others who are on the same journey. Come on over and say hello!

www.cleaneatingclub.com

See you there!

Jenn

Sneaky Breakfast Bar Recipe

I have not tried these yet, but they sound so good, I wanted to go ahead and pass the idea along to you! This recipe for a healthy breakfast bar was in Parents magazine. It was shared by a Mom who makes these for her girls. They don't have a name, so I'll call them Sweet Potato Bars:

1) Wash & scrub 5 sweet potatoes. Pierce them with a fork, and microwave on high until they're soft, about 8 minutes. While the sweet potatoes are cooking, heat your oven to 400 degrees.

2) Cut the potatoes lengthwise, scoop out the flesh, and place in a large bowl. Add 1/4 cup sugar, 2 Tbs cinnamon, 2 Tbs extra-light olive oil (you can use canola, but don't use regular olive oil, because it will be too strong), 2/3 cup maple syrup, and 3/4 cup orange juice (use calcium-fortified for an extra nutrition boost). Stir in 4 cups quick-cooking oats and mix well (I plan to use old fashioned oats vs quick cooking).

3) Lightly grease a 9"x13" baking pan. Pour mixture evenly into pan. Bake 23 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes. Cut into 24 squares - you can serve immediately or store for 3 days in an airtight container.

I think I'll try adding some protein powder to mine and using honey instead of refined sugar. These little adjustments will make this vitamin A rich treat even more clean! I'll let you know how they turn out.

Tip for Late Night Snackers

Do you do great with your plan all day and then give in to late night snacking right before bed? I used to all the time. Now, I do usually have cottage cheese with some berries as a late snack. However, while I was in weight-loss mode I tried to avoid eating after dinner (usually after 7PM). I saw this tip on Oprah one day when she had her trainer, Bob Greene on the show. She said she doesn't eat anything at all after a certain time at night. If she gets the urge, she has some herbal tea. I know...herbal tea and Ben & Jerry's are not even in the same ball park. The key she said, is making it a ritual. She has a favorite mug that she uses and she really makes it a special experience.

Since late night munching was my biggest challenge, I gave it a try. At that time my hubby was commuting far away and working late hours. I was used to having dinner with my son and then sitting down and having a snack (usually not a healthy one) with my husband when he finally sat down for his dinner. Instead of sitting down and eating with him, I started having my cup of tea. I still got to spend time with him and catch up on our days. I just traded the unhealthy part of that habit for a better one. Before I knew it, I was looking forward to my "tea time" and didn't even miss the chips or ice cream!

There are so many wonderful herbal teas easily available now. Experiment until you find one that gives you that "Ahhhhh" feeling and trade your late night munchies for healthier ritual. You may come to enjoy it much more than you think!

Finally!

I finally made it out for a run today! It felt really good to get my blood pumping and clear the cob webs out of my brain. Exercise (especially running) is as much a mental break for me as it is a way to stay in shape. I ran regularly with my son while I was in my weight-loss phase, but it has been extremely hit or miss the last year or so. I love that feeling of "I did it" and the endorphin rush that comes even with a short run. Why did I wait so long to go again?! I will definately find a way to get up off my booty and MOVE now that I've been reminded how awesome it feels. Can you tell I'm still basking in a bit of the "runner's high?" :)

A Few Tips

Well, things have gone a tad more off course since I last posted. I've had a bug the past few days and haven't had much of an appetite at all. The things I have felt I can tolerate haven't always been what I'd choose under normal conditions. I'm starting to feel human today, so I'm moving back in the right direction. This is life and these things happen. We just have to do the best we can and get right back with the program when we're able.

I thought I'd share a few simple tips that have helped me:

1. Make the decision to change. Only YOU can make this decision. You can say you want to be healthier until you're blue in the face, but the desire to change has to come from deep within. No one else can do this for you.
2. Write down your goals and keep them visible.
3. Read everything you can get your hands on about health & fitness. This is a biggie for me. I stay motivated when I regularly feed my brain with info on health, wellness & fitness.
4. Find a buddy or group of buddies to support you through the ups & downs. This blog is great support for me, because it keeps me accountable.
5. Plan your daily meals & workouts. If I don't write down what I'm going to eat for the day, I'm more likely to make a bad choice. When I have everything planned and prepared ahead, I don't have to stop & search for the right foods. I feel in control, because I just look at my list and know exactly what I'm eating at each meal.
6. Take measurements! Dont' get too hung up with the number on the scale. The measuring tape and how your clothes fit are much better indicators of your progress.
7. Celebrate all your victories (even the little ones!) and do not beat yourself up if you fall off course. I used to make the mistake of letting one little cheat or bad day blow my entire program. I felt like if I wasn't 100% perfect, why bother. I'm way over that now and I hope you will be soon, too!

I hope this helps some of you!

See you next time!

Ever Have Those Days...

...when you really, truly mean well, but it just doesn't come together? That's me today. I was in such a groove with my meal plan and somehow, I just lost it. It started yesterday when I didn't write everything down. I didn't eat anything bad. I just lost track of my meals...which means I didn't plan...which sorta (well, ok definately) means I planned to fail. I'm not sure if I ate 5-6 meals yesterday and I'm not sure if I got enough protein in. So, today the ship went furuter off course. I got up and really just didn't have an appetite. I ate a homemade protein cereal bar from a batch I made a couple days ago. My son had an appointment for a hair cut and my mother-in-law came with us to do a little shopping. I was in a bit of a rush and forgot to eat before we left OR bring any food with me. I didn't panic too much, because I didn't think we'd be gone but an 1.5 tops. Well, my son is the type that everyone he meets says, "Oh, he's sooooo happy!" "Oh, is he always so happy?" "Oh, he's so friendly!" Not today. He screamed bloody murder during his entire haircut. I felt bad, so I let him play with this Thomas the Train play set they have there (it's a kids' only haircut place) before we left. He screamed bloody murder when it was time to go and I had to carry him out kicking and screaming. He was the one kicking & screaming not me. Another 5 min and I would've joined in on the tantrum. My nerves were so frazzled and my blood sugar so low by this point, I totally forgot to buy something to eat while we were in the store. I made sure he had something for the ride home, but MY empty tummy didn't even cross my mind until we were settled in the car. I had people coming to pick up furniture, so I had to shove a peanut butter sandwich in my mouth while I was waiting for them to get here. So, it's 5PM and I've had a homemade cereal bar, a peanut butter on wheat sandwich, a protein shake and lots of coffee today. Not horrible, but not even close to perfect and I'm feeling it. I'm a little grumpy and tired. I'll make my last couple meals tonight really count and get in some fruits & veggies. Then I'll go to bed and start fresh tomorrow! My little guy is sleeping right now. Bless his heart...we all have those days...we grown-ups just can't get away with screaming our heads off in public like a 3 year old can! :)

Just a really quick update. It's been about 3.5 weeks now. I'm down 3.5 lbs (128 from 131.5) and 1" from my waist and 1/2" from each calf. All other measurements (hips, thigh, arms) remain the same. I'm ashamed to say this progress is a result of clean eating only and not exercise. At least I've worked out some kinks and am feeling good about the meal plan. Once I get a workout routine down, I'll really start to see some transformation! I am starting to feel transformed on the inside. My skin and eyes look brighter and I just feel so much better...and that's what this is all about!

Super Easy Way to Eat Egg Whites & Oatmeal...

...Together! Yep, my new favorite way to eat my super clean egg whites & oatmeal is mixed together and microwaved in a bowl. I've read this suggestion in Oxygen several times, but just never tried it. I LOVE it! I just put my 4 egg whites in the bowl, then 1/2 cup old fashioned oats, a little cinnamon and enough water to cook. Pop in the microwave for about 3 min (I stop and stir about 1/2 way thru) and top with fresh berries or diced apple. No extra pan or mess to clean up! My kind of cooking!

Happy Monday!

Go-To Ground Turkey

I've declared Sunday recipe day! I thought it was a good idea, since so many of us sit down on Sun and plan our menu for the rest of the week. I'll be posting clean recipes that I've personally tried and enjoyed. This one is something I threw together last night and decided that it will be one of my "Go-To" dishes! I'm sorry, I don't really measure when I experiment, so I'm listing estimates and you can adjust yours to taste.

Go-To Ground Turkey:

1 lb ground turkey breast (make sure you get turkey breast, not reg gound turkey)
approx 1/2 c onion
2 cloves garlic
1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes (I used Hunts Fire Roasted, but you can use your favorite)
pinch dried oregano
pinch dried basil
sea salt & ground pepper to taste
olive oil to coat pan

Saute onions & garlic in olive oil. Add ground turkey and cook until no longer pink. Add diced tomatoes, herbs and salt & pepper. Simmer for about 10 more minutes until heated through.

Now you have a very versitle dish that you can keep on hand to create quick & easy clean meals. I added a little to some red beans I had cooked for a simple chili. You could mix it with brown rice, whole wheat pasta, scramble it in with your egg whites or put it in a whole wheat tortilla for a wrap! I plan to freeze extra in serving size portions to have ready when I need it.

Enjoy!

Yesterday was a pretty good day. I even got in some crunches and push-ups. I did bent-knee push-ups, but would like to work my way up to 10 regular push-ups. That's a start! I thought I share what my day was like food-wise. I did not write down my times, so I'm just going to list the meals as 1,2,3, etc:

1. Whole wheat toast w/ TBS of natural peanut butter, 1/2 banana, black coffee, water
2. Protein bar while out running errands
3. 3 egg whites & 1 whole egg scrambled w/ ground turkey, onions & peppers, salsa (Newman's Own All Natural), 1/2 C natural flax cereal, 1/2 c skim milk, 4 strawberries *note: these eggs make enough for 2 meals, so I ate 1/2 and saved the rest for later*
4. 3 turkey meatballs (I had made a large batch earlier in the week) w/ a little Annie's Organic BBQ Sauce
5. egg whites & ground turkey left over from meal 3, salsa, 2 small baked red potatoes
6. cottage cheese topped w/ 4 stawberries

I drink water all day long and usually several cups of either green or black tea. I'm a little odd in that I like to make my 1st & last meals of the day almost always the same. I know...strange. But, it just helps keep things simple. 1st meal is always wheat toast w/ natural peanut butter or a meal replacement shake. My favorite last meal of the day is cottage cheese with or without berries. I also wanted to say...Read you labels, folks! I always read that cottage cheese is the perfect, high protein, healthy choice. I never bothered to read the label. It's cottage cheese, what could possibly be in there to alter this perfect food? Well, I took a peek at my normal brand out of curiosity. It had artificial flavor and several other things I couldn't pronounce! Aritificial flavor?! I mean, good grief, it's not like it tastes that great. I don't think anyone eats cottage cheese, because they like the flavor. We just eat it because it's good for us. There was 1 brand on the shelf that is all natural and it's Friendship brand. I had the same experience buying chicken & vegetable broth/stock for my Eat-Clean soups. Most had MSG and all kinds of junk. I don't understand why. Why mess up something that's perfectly wonderful without all that garbage? OK, so that's my public service announcement for the day. I consider myself a label reader and these managed to get past me for years, so I just thought I'd pass it along to those of you who care.

Make it a GREAT and HEALTHY day!

What is Clean Eating?

Ok, so I'm not doing so well with keeping things updated here. Sorry! I am going to do my best to get back much more regularly than I have been. Overall, I'm doing well with my eating plan. There were a couple days with small cheats here or there due to lack of planning on my part. I didn't get quite enough lean protein options my last trip to the grocery store. I think I slipped due to pure boredom, which is my own fault, because there is lots of room for variety in this plan. However, I'm taking it as a learning experience. Now I know I need to prepare more options and change things up some throughout the week. When you are making a lifestyle change, you have to look these things as lessons about yourself and not as failures or set-backs. None of us are perfect 100% of the time. I remember one of Bill Phillip's tips in Body-for-Life is to "fail quickly." He means when you make an oops, recognize it, learn from it and get right back on track.

I still haven't gotten into a regular workout program. I just have to do it. I have a program I'm looking at right now and I'll share that with you another day. When I started with Clean Eating, I was up 2 lbs from where I've been for over a year. I dropped 3 lbs in the 1st week, putting me right back to my normal range. I'm sure much of that was extra fluid hanging around from too many chips, etc over the Holidays.

So, what is Clean Eating anyway?

There are several principles to Clean Eating. The main one for me, is eating foods as close to their natural state as possible. If it comes in a box with an ingredient list a mile long, it does not fit in the clean category! I'm avoiding all processed foods, artificial colors/flavors/sweeteners/preservatives and trans fats (this is not new to me, as I've tried to do this for quite some time). Basically, you need to eat more to lose weight and/or gain muscle. Here are some other basic principles as outlined by Tosca Reno in The Eat-Clean Diet book:

• Eat 5-6 small meals every day
• Eat every 2-3 hours
• Combine lean protein & complex carbs at every meal
• Drink at least 2 liters of water a day
• Never miss a meal, espeically breakfast
• Carry a cooler with Eat-Clean foods to get through the day
• Avoid sugar-loaded colas & juices
• Get adequate healthy fats each day
• Avoid alcohol - another form of sugar
• Avoid calorie-dense foods that contain little or no nutritional value
• Depend on fresh fruits and vegetable for fiber, vitamins and enzymes
• Stick to proper portion sizes

A typical day for me includes 4-5 small whole food meals and 1-2 protein shakes or bars.

Something I have not given up is my coffee! I am just not there yet and don't know if I ever will be. I'm also using a tiny bit of salt on some foods. I have a very hard time eating egg-whites without a dash of salt...also tomatoes. I love a little salt on my tomatoes and have since I was a little girl. I have cut way back, though. These are about the only 2 things I'm using it on and I'm using a very small amount.

Until next time!

A Little Background

Wow...a week has gone by already?! I "officially" started eating-clean Monday, but really started tightening things up and adding lots of fruits & veggies to my diet last weekend. I've stayed on track and am definately feeling the benefits of my efforts. My energy is up, my mind is clearer and even my skin is looking better. The one area I am going to have to work on, however, is exercise. I only ran 1 day this week. So, while the 6 clean meals a day are no problem, I have to get a workout plan in place. That is the goal for the upcoming week! Today is my "planned treat" day and I have to be honest...I don't feel like going off-program. I feel so good, I'm not ready to spoil that and there's nothing in particular I'm craving. I will probably have some of my treasured dark chocolate later today for a fix. I did cave and have some one night, but I kept it at 2 squares and hey, chocolate is good for you! :)

I thought I'd give a little background to explain where I've been and how I've come this point. Like I mention in my welcome, I'm not really doing this to lose weight. I'm actually happy with my size & weight for the first time in a loooong time! In the Spring of 2004 I was 142 lbs and decided I needed to lose 10 lbs. I started eating right & exercising and soon found out I was pregnant with our 1st child. I gained 50 lbs during my pregnancy, lost 26 right away, but the rest hung around, leaving me at 166 (I'm 5'4"). I remained at this weight for 1 year. My favorite phrase at that time was, "Well, at least I'm not gaining." However, I was miserable, depressed, lethargic, my joints ached and my marriage suffered...I weighed 124 when I met my husband. No matter how many times he assured me he didn't care and loved me no matter what, I avoided being naked in front of him at all costs. Then, there was the guilt. Ugggghhh the guilt. Guilt over neglecting my hubby. Guilt that I had this amazing, perfect baby boy, so WHY wasn't I over-the-moon with joy 100% of the time. Guilt that I KNOW better, so how could I let myself end up like this? You get the picture and maybe you've been there.

When my son turned one, I made a decision that I was done being this tired, no-fun Mom. I ordered a Baby Jogger and forced myself out the door and through the neighborhood at least 3 days a week (often more). I started out walking and worked myself up to running. I cut out the junk and started eating right. I had done Body-for-Life years before, so I knew how to eat, I just hadn't been doing it. The weight started coming off, my energy improved and I was beginning to feel like me again. I lost about 18 lbs and hit a plateau. Right about that time, my company launched a new, clinically proven inch-loss plan. I jumped on it and it worked amazingly well for me. The rest of my baby weight melted off + plus another 10 lbs! I found myself smaller than before I became pregnant. I have easily maintained that weight for 1 year now. Yay me! So, why am I concerned and putting all this work into Eating-Clean now? Well, I realized that even though I'm at my goal weight/size, I was not eating nearly enough fruits & vegetables or getting enough exercise. Other than splitting an apple most mornings with my son, I was eating hardly any at all. A salad with dinner and some occasional frozen peas or green beans was about it. My inch-loss plan promotes lots of fruits & veggies...I just wasn't doing it. So, I needed a kick in the pants. Something that will take what I've accomplished over the last 2 years to the next level. It's time to see what this 35 yr old Momma's made of. I don't want to be a fitness model, but I know there's a hardbody in here somewhere and I'm ready to find it! I know the combo of eating-clean and the best nutritional products available will make it happen.

In my next post, I'll explain a little about what Eating-Clean is and how I'm incorporating my inch-loss plan into it. See you then!

Day 1 of My "New" Life

Today is the big day. It's Day 1 of my new Eating-Clean way of life. No, this isn't my New Year's Resolution...I don't do those. My dear sister-in-law asked me what I wanted for Christmas this year. Normally, I have this hang-up with telling anyone what I want or making a gift list. My standard response is "just a gift card somewhere" or "I don't want anything." It dawned on me this year that she was going to buy me something whether I asked for it, wanted it, needed it, liked it or not. Why not tell her a little something I really wanted and knew I would use? So, I did it. For the first time in my adult life, I asked for a gift I truly wanted...Tosca Reno's Eat-Clean Diet Book. I've been wanting it for many months and just never bought it for myself. To my surprise, she also bought me the Eat-Clean Cookbook to go along with it!

I was so excited with my gifts, I rushed to email my close friend and fellow health-nut, Jennifer M. After hearing my raves of the books, she marched right out (in the snow & freezing cold!) on New Year's Eve to get them. Our Eating-Clean partnership was formed. We've agreed to do this together and to journal & share our experiences along the way. We know that with each other's support and many other eyes upon us, we're more likely to stay on the path.

I named this journal My Eating-Clean Adventure, because that's what I feel it is...an adventure. It's not a diet. It's a whole new, exciting way of life. I realized it was an adventure as I started to clean-up my diet and add more fruits & veggies over the weekend. It's been cold (for FL!) and I really had been wanting some soup. I decided to make the Pumpkin Tofu soup in the cookbook. First of all, I'd never in a million years combine pumpkin & tofu on my own! Secondly, it called for leeks. I thought to myself, "Hmmmmm, I've heard a lot about leeks. I know what they are and what they look like. But, to my knowledge, I've never, ever touched a leek in my nearly 35 years of life." I came home from the grocery store soooo excited to throw this odd combination together. It was amazing and the smell of the leeks, garlic & pumkin simmering warmed me up before I even took the 1st bite! This has made me slow down, think about what I'm feeding myself & my family and get excited about preparing nutrient-dense, wholesome foods.

Follow me. The adventure has begun...