Healthy Eating

Okay, It's January which means I have come full circle with my eating choices. Let me explain, The past 4+ years I always start out January motivated to change my eating habits. Partly to shape up and partly to feel better and over all live a healthier lifestyle. So January, I'm motivated and going strong. I keep it up all winter and even through the summer. Then.... August hits and we head back to school. The working until dark, bringing loads of work home nightly, back to packing a lunch, the stress of starting a new school year hits full force. If you are an elementary school teacher I'm sure you understand. Starting a new school year is incredibly time consuming. So guess what takes a back seat? Eating healthy! All of a sudden I find myself eating quick and easy meals with no thought to nutrition. The school year starts to slow down a little by October but by then I have already slipped back into bad eating habits. That continues until January when I realize just how little energy I have and how my pants are fitting just a little bit snug..... all the motivation I need to start the circle back over with a change in my diet. Does anyone else drastically change their eating based on the time of year?

Anywho, with 2015 just beginning and three weddings this year.. MY own, and a bridesmaid and matron of honor in 2 others, I have all the motivation I need to start a diet plan..NOW. Last year I started eating clean, read here. Needless to say I slipped off that bandwagon but when I was going strong I dropped several pounds and more importantly felt amazing. I was no longer exhausted at 2:00... my energy level was just unreal. So I plan to go back to eating like that but with a few changes. I'm putting my "eating plan" into writing to try to keep myself accountable. Here is my "plan" I came up with: 

1. NO more processed foods. I know there is nothing healthy about hot pockets and frozen pizza. 

2. Drink more water. I try to walk around with a water bottle all the time. Water plays a huge roll in our bodies!! Need more convincing? Read here. 

3. Eat more fruits and veggies. This is where clean eating comes in. I would like the majority of my food to consist of fruits and vegetables. I've tried it and I know eating this way is good for my body in more ways that one. 

4. Eat lean meats. When I followed my clean eating plan last year it was a whole foods plant based diet. Which basically means eat your fruits and veggies but no meat. I'm not looking to go back to not eating meat however I do think there are health benefits to choosing lean cuts of meat. 

That's it! Nothing too crazy but 4 steps that I think can make a huge difference! I still plan to allow cheat meals and desserts every now and then-- just in moderation. If you have made a similar change in your diet I would love to hear about it! 

Summer "go to" foods

Summer is the perfect time to start eating all the right things- fruits, vegetables, lean meats. Farmers markets and produce stands are everywhere and fruit likes strawberries are at their prime. For me it's always been fairly easy to choose healthy foods in the summer. With the oh so hot air and constant opportunities to put on a bikini eating light just seems natural. I will admit being out of school has been tough to get back into a routine with my meals. I make MUCH better food choices when I plan ahead and have somewhat of a routine to follow. I am finally finding my groove and am constantly resorting to my "go to" meals. These are meals that when in doubt I resort to because they are easy and always yummy! 

Buffalo Chicken Salad 
I try to eat grilled chicken often since it is a lean meat, but sometimes that gets old. Right when I was getting in a boring grilled chicken slump a friend of mine suggested adding buffalo sauce. Since then I have been hooked! Buffalo chicken salad and buffalo chicken lettuce wraps are my favorites. (I just use lettuce, celery, a little bit of chopped onion if I have it on hand, and shredded carrots. Mix that with ranch dressing and add your buffalo chicken on top. I sometimes put rice at the bottom of the salad too.)  

before I baked it 

Roasted Squash and Zucchini 
This is probably the best vegetable combination ever. Summer squash and zucchini just go together like Pb&j. I rarely eat one without the other. I actually am making my second batch for the week right now! Lightly coat your pan with olive oil, lay down your sliced vegetables, lightly spray another coat of oil on top, sprinkle salt, pepper and parmesan cheese. Bake 30-45 minutes and wah lah.. deliciousness! 

Sweet Potatoes and Grilled Chicken 
Self explanatory- add grilled chicken and half a sweet potato to your vegetables and you have a balanced lean meal! I eat this for lunch most days and just swap out the vegetables. 

Tomato sandwich 
This is the meal that screams summer the most to me. I good old tomato sandwich. Top it off with a peach and a landshark- heaven. Normally I just go with simple mayo, tomato and a little salt but I did add turkey to this particular one.

Strawberries and Banana Snacks 
I have been incorporating strawberries or bananas into pretty much all of my snacks. My favorites are vanilla greek yogurt with strawberry slices, vanilla protein shake with strawberry slices, strawberries dipped in peanut butter/chocolate and bananas with peanut butter. All healthy choices and so good! I could honestly eat just the strawberries by their self but everything else adds protein.  

What are some of your favorite summer "go to" meals? I need to branch out and try some new things! 

J's Mexican Bean Burgers and Sweet Potato Fries

Last weekend Justin made homemade Mexican bean burgers with sweet potato fries for dinner one night. How lucky am I to date a guy who loves to cook? I think I'll keep him around (; They turned out to be absolutely delicious and fit right into my plant based whole foods diet. He has made bean burgers in the past, but these were different in that they have a Mexican kick. I even picked up some of the supplies to make them myself this upcoming week! 

J's Mexican Bean Burger

Ingredients 

1 can drained pinto beans 

1 egg or you can substitute the egg for1 tablespoon of flax seed mixed with 3 tablespoons of water. Let sit for 5 mins

1/2 cup sautéed pepper 

1/2 cup sautéed onion  

Minced garlic to taste 

1 packet taco seasoning 

2 cups salsa 

1 1/2 cup bread crumbs 

Start by mushing 1 can of drained pinto beans. (You can use any type of beans. I plan on using black beans to make mine) 

Mix mushed beans, sautéed peppers and onion, garlic, bread crumbs, salsa and taco seasoning and egg (or flax seed/water) together 

Form patties and cook in skillet on medium heat until firm. Serve with whole wheat buns and your favorite burger toppings! 

 Sweet potato fries were the perfect side item to our Mexican Bean Burgers. I have always loved sweet potato fries more than normal french fries! They are also super simple. I would actually start these before the burgers as they take a while to slice/bake.

Slice 2 sweet potatoes. 

Toss sweet potatoes with just enough olive oil to lightly coat. Add paprika, salt and pepper. Align on baking dish (try to spread them out. We probably should have used a larger pan) 

Bake until sweet potatoes are tender and browned. About 30 minutes, turning occasionally. 

Enjoy!

Changes in my diet

Today is all about a new "thing" I've been doing (I would almost call it a hobby but not sure that's the right word? I'm talking about my diet, and no I don't mean the I'm going to do this for 10 days to loose weight diet, I mean what I actually eat on a daily basis. My food diet.... Let me back up and start with a little background. I welcomed the first few days of 2014 in with the worst sinus infection ever and possibly something more. Not quite sure what I had but I know I spent 3 days in bed miserable. What did that leave time for? Netflix! Instead of starting a new show I decided to watch a documentary called Forks Over Knives. With no background knowledge of this movie I had no idea what to expect. The whole documentary was about following a plant based whole foods diet. I found it so interesting that it caused me to watch more documentaries and do way more research on the whole topic. So, with that being said I've been [for the most part] following a plant based whole foods diet the past 20ish days. 

So, plant based whole foods diet. 

What is that?! Plant based whole foods diet means you eat only plants, vegetables and whole grains. If it comes from an animal you don't eat it, if it's processed you don't eat it. Many people think "oh thats vegan" but it is actually quite different. Without going into too much detail, not eating processed foods and only whole grains versus things like white bread is the main difference between plant based, whole foods and vegan. 

Why? I totally get this question. Why would you give up things like hamburgers, fish, hot pockets, etc.. all foods I once loved! For you to really understand the why you HAVE to do the research for yourself. Watching documentaries like Forks Over Knives and Vegucated are great places to start. The book Engine 2 Diet is also awesome. What I learned is that by following a plant based whole foods diet you can drastically lower the chances of heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and much more. What has become the norm in America as far as food is causing these diseases to skyrocket like never before. I also think once you really start to think about what you are eating and where it comes from your idea of eating changes. I don't want to look at an ingredient label and not be able to pronounce 20+ of the ingredients. Chances are these chemicals are slowly poisoning our body. So whats the big deal with meat? Well meat isn't the issue but the hormones and chemicals put INTO our meat before it ever hits the grocery store is the problem. I could go on but still don't feel like I know quite enough and don't want to say anything that isn't true. If you are curious though watch the videos! It's truly eye opening. 

"Some people think the whole plant based, whole foods diet 

is extreme. Half a million people a year will have their chest 

opened up and a vein taken from their leg sewn onto their 

coronary artery. Some people would call that extreme.”

- Dr. Caldwell B. Esselstyn

But... Do you feel like you are missing out on foods? No, I honestly don't! I've been eating really awesome meals! I'm still eating burgers, pasta, pizza, tacos, etc... just without meat and with tons of vegetables! But.. you posted a picture of sushi yesterday? you put creamer in your coffee.. you ate a hamburger last week. Yes, yes and yes. I have not 100% changed my dietary lifestyle. I have made a major shift however. I think it's a process and something that takes time. It's a whole new way of thinking about food. 

The best part? I feel AWESOME. Seriously, so much energy all of the time. No more 2pm slumps. I've also dropped several pounds and noticeably have a smaller waist line. This wasn't in any way the goal but is also totally welcome! It even adds motivation to stick with it. It's also been so fun to try out new recipes and new ingredients! I've been surprised how much produce is out there I haven't ever even tried or heard of!  

The hardest part? Other people. Not everyone has supported this decision and that can be hard. It's not fun to have to justify your meals to your closest friends but I've realized it comes with the territory. It's a new way of thinking and isn't for everyone. I get that... I just wish people would sometimes keep their negative opinions to themselves (; ..Oh and chocolate. That's also the hardest part... I can't quite give that one up yet! 

In the end.. Will this be something I do forever? I have no idea.. I just know that I have enjoyed trying it out and plan to keep it up a little while longer to see where it goes. Will I eat a oh so perfect Bojangles Cajun Fillet biscuit? Probably. But will I eat one every weekend? No way. What it all boils down to is being more aware of what I'm eating and doing what's right for me. Has anyone else tried anything like this?