What is Clean Eating

What is it? 
Clean Eating is based on removed all processed foods from your diet. The diet consists of eating mostly fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins.

How it works:
Follow the eat clean principles as listed below.

What to do:

• Eat more- eat six small meals each day.
• Eat breakfast every day, within an hour of rising.
• Eat a combination of lean protein and complex carbs at each meal
• Eat sufficient (two to three servings) healthy fats every day. Example: Avacados
• Carry a cooler packed with clean foods each day.
• Depend on fresh fruits and vegetables for fiber, vitamins, nutrients and enzymes.
• Adhere to proper portion sizes. See image below.

What to Avoid:

• All over-processed foods. Example: white flour and sugar.
• All chemically charge foods.
• Any foods containing preservatives.
• Artificial sugars.
• Artificial foods Example: cheese slices.
• No saturated and trans fats.
• Avoid sugar loaded beverages. Example: Soda or juice.
• Limit Alcohol intake.

 
Complex Carbohydrates from Fruit and Vegetables:
6 portions each day. A portion is:

• 1 cup or a handful or a piece of fruit such as berries, grapefruit, melon, apples and mangoes.
• 2 cup or a handful of vegetables including broth based/vegetable puree soups.

Complex Carbohydrates from whole grains and starchy carbohydrates:
2-4 portions each day. A portion is:
1 scant handful of high-protein, sugar-free cold cereals. Example: granola.
1 cup of cooked cereal
1 piece of whole grain bread or wrap
1 handful sized serving of sweet potato, yam, banana, corn, carrots or squash

Lean Protein
6 portions each day. A portion is:

• 1 cup or handful of dairy products. Example: low fat soy, almond, rice, or skim milk, cottage cheese, yogurt or plain fat free sugar free yogurt.
• 1 handful of raw, unsalted nuts (also a healthy fat)
• 2 tablespoons of all natural nut butters such as almond or peanut butter (also a healthy fat).
• 1 palm sized portion of lean meats

Sweeteners: Use in moderation.

• Agave Nectar
• Maple Sugar Flakes
• Raw Honey

Beverages:

• 2-3 liters per day of fresh water with no sodium
• Clear herbal tea (unsweetened)
• Black coffee in moderation
• Green/Black tea

P90X3 90 Day Results!!!!!

Completing P90X3 meant a lot more to me than just the results I received. I lost over 20 lbs, I lost over 25 inches, but the fact that I finished this program has completely changed my life!

I used to look at losing weight as a destination. Once I hit my goal I would go back to my normal habits. Using P90X3, participating in a challenge group, it allowed me to see that others fail on a daily basis but they see the journey in the process. Just because you fail one day does not mean you give up. You shake yourself off and get back up and keep going. I've learned how to eat clean and incorporate the different foods into my meal plans. My children are slowly getting to like the clean eating food better and asking for it more.

When I started this program, I was skeptical that I would get these kinds of results with only 30 minutes a day. People keep asking me what I am doing and I have to keep telling them all I do is workout and eat clean and drink shakeology. That's it! As a mother of two, I am still self conscience about my body, but I know one day I won't be. I know I still have a bit to go, but I'm not giving up on myself. Are you ready to make a change? The first step is the hardest!

Stuffed Zucchini

INGREDIENTS:

·         3 tsp olive oil, divided

·         1 clove garlic, diced

·         1 small yellow onion, diced

·         8 oz mushrooms, diced

·         1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

·         3 tbsp whole-wheat bread crumbs

·         2 tbsp Parmesan cheese

·         2 zucchini, halved, seeds and pulp removed

INSTRUCTIONS:

1.       Preheat oven to 350°F.

2.       Prepare stuffing: In a large saute pan on medium-high, heat 1 tsp oil. Add garlic, onion and mushrooms. Sauté until mushrooms soften, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and add remaining 2 tsp oil, vinegar, bread crumbs and Parmesan. Mix thoroughly.

3.       Spoon an equal amount of stuffing into each zucchini half. Bake on a foil-lined cookie sheet for 10 minutes.

Nutrients per 1/2 stuffed zucchini: Calories: 110, Total Fat: 5 g, Sat. Fat: 1 g, Monounsaturated Fat: 3 g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1 g, Carbs: 12 g, Fiber: 2 g, Sugars: 5 g, Protein: 5 g, Sodium: 135 mg, Cholesterol: 2 mg

Avacado

My new favorite snack!!

 

I haven't like avacados for long, but since I have tried them, I can't get enough for them.

I put the below on them.

1. 1 avacado
2. 1 tablespoon of lemon juice
3. 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
4. Dash of pepper

You'll love it!

The Scale!!!!!

When I started my weight loss journey it was all about losing weight. So of course I was glued to the scale. I would weigh myself everyday sometimes three times a day. I was obsessed. The first few weeks were horrible, I gained some weight (which is normal), but I kept going, trusting in the process. Then I decided to do something. I threw my scale away!!! I know that was a little extreme, but I needed to get a new one, I had an ancient one and wanted to get a new one. So I decided to wait for a few weeks. I COULDN'T believe the difference it made in how I felt. I wasn't worried about what I weighed, instead I focused on how I felt and how my clothes begin to feel. My husband couldn't stand it any longer and so I bought a new one after a few weeks. Very nervously I stepped on the scale, I had lost weight!!!! I couldn't believe it! It felt good!

I thought once I got back the scale I would go back to my old self again, but I didn't. I really enjoyed not having it, and letting myself actually feel the changes happening and not letting a scale define my success. I started this weightloss journey to get healthy and fit. It was not about a number on a scale and I had made it that way. I had made it all about the numbers, driving me crazy.

Now I weigh myself once a week. When I'm done, I put the scale up and don't think about it until the following week. I'm less stressed and I feel like I make better choices because I'm not stressed.

Don't make it about the scale, make it about making one healthy choice after another. If you trust in the process, it will happen. You will get stronger, eating healthier will get easier, and one day you'll wake up and you'll be there!

Meal Planning

Meal Planning

When I first heard about a meal plans, it made total sense. Who would have thought about planning out your meals for a week and then on those days make what your meal plans said to make! What a concept! I used to go to the grocery store and just put random food items in my shopping cart without a plan and then I would get home and half the stuff on my list would never get made and eventually it would get thrown away.  I used to spend on average between $200-$250 every two weeks just on food items. Now that I have a meal plan,  spend on average $145-165. I actually save money AND I am buying items that are healthy.

I'm not going to lie, it is hard to adjust if you been doing it the way I did before, BUT now that I plan my meals each weeks, I can't imagine doing it any other way. So how do I complete my meal plan, WELL, I usually start with my snacks to be honest. I usually go through spurts where I want specific items. So I make up meal plan I like to give myself two snack options for my morning snack and two snack options for my afternoon snack. On your snacks you want to mix a complex carb such as fruits and vegetables and mix this will a protein such as nuts or peanut butter. This gives you both energy and keeps you full until your next meals.

Once I have my snacks I will then start on breakfast. I usually batch cook most of my breakfast items. I get up at 4:30 and have to get two children up and ready before 6:00am, so my mornings are very limited in the morning. So if I choose to have boiled eggs, I will batch cook all eggs on Sunday.

For my lunch I usually drink Shakeology. This is my one meal that will give me all my vitamins and nutrients for the whole day. It curves my cravings that I usually give in the afternoon and it gives me energy.

I always plan dinner last, I don't know why, I just do. I have a binder full of recipes and I go through and choose meals depending on what I have going on for that night of the week. Example, if my kids have something going on after school one night, then for dinner I choose something that is going to be quick and easy so I'm not spending a lot of time in the kitchen. If I know that I might have to drink shakeology for breakfast one day, then I choose a meal that is going to have left overs so that I can take something in my lunch. Once I have my plan together, then I start putting my grocery list together. I will go over that is my next post.
(Below is an example of the template that I use-email me if you would like the template)

Black Bean & Corn Quesadillas

Ingredients

1 (15 oz) can	Black beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup	Corn
1/3 cup	Rotel or Salsa
2 tsp	Taco seasoning
1/4 cup	Fresh cilantro, chopped (or green onions)
1 cup	Mozzerella
8	Whole Wheat tortillas
Directions

 

1.       In a medium bowl, mix together beans, corn, rotel or salsa, taco seasoning and cilantro.

2.       Preheat a large skillet over medium low heat, sprayed with cooking spray. Place one tortilla in the skillet, and scoop 1/2 cup of the filling onto the tortilla in the pan. Sprinkle 1/4 cup cheese over the bean mixture, and place second tortilla on top of the cheese. Press down on top tortilla lightly with the back of your spatula, so you can meld the tortillas together as the cheese melts. When the bottom tortilla begins to brown, flip the quesadilla over until both tortillas are lightly browned and crispy and the cheesy filling has melted. Cut into wedges if desired and enjoy!

 

Note: If you don’t want to make all four quesadillas right away, you can put the bean/corn mixture in a Tupperware, and make quesadillas throughout the week! You can also freeze the quesadillas after you make them! Simply fill each one and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Place in the freezer for one hour, then transfer to a ziplock bag. To reheat the quesadillas, microwave for 30-60 seconds to thaw and follow cooking method above.