Stir-fry-ish

So I’m not sure if it’s just a phase because there are so many delicious looking recipes I want to try or if I’m just becoming someone who actually cooks on a regular basis, but for several days in a row I’ve done more than just combining a few packaged ingredients. I’m not going to be the next Ina Garten  anytime soon, but it’s definitely an improvement. Low standards…whaaat?

Anyways, last night I created my own stir-fry-ish creation AND re-discovered the genius that is planned leftovers. This is sort of major, people. Planned leftovers will probably become my new go-to.

Best dinner (last night) and lunch (today) I’ve made in a while. Yum!

However,  be warned – it’s not a very pretty meal. 🙂
 
What I ate: Shelled edamame (protein), broccoli, carrots, celery, and onion over quinoa (more protein), topped with a mixture of low sodiom soy sauce, peanut butter and sriracha. I’ve seen both the low sodium soy and sriracha used in other clean recipes from  legitimate sources, so while they may have minuscule amounts of “unclean” ingredients, I’m still okay with including them in this clean meal.

Very Pinterest-ing

Lately there have been a lot of clean or nearly clean foods turning up in my Pinterest feed.  I decided I should actually make some of the recipes I’ve been pinning, rather than just wasting my time pinning them for “sometime in the future.”  Obviously, I don’t think I’ll ever make even half of the stuff I’ve pinned- or I’d spend the rest of my life in the kitchen- but at least I’m making an effort! 🙂

Today I tried a recipe that someone pinned from the Glamour website.  Apparently it’s celebrity fitness guru Harley Pasternak’s creation, and he seems to know his stuff, if you can judge from his client’s nice bods!

Honestly, I had high hopes for this smoothie, but it was just “meh” in my opinion.  It was lacking in flavor a bit, but it did make a lot and was filling.  Maybe I was expecting too much, who knows.  Give it a shot if you want, maybe you’ll love it!

What I ate: Harley Pasternak’s Breakfast Smoothie

Mediterranean Quinoa

Continuing on my trend of exploring alternate (non-meat) protein sources, I made quinoa. I’ve had it before, and liked it, but mostly in the context of a boxed mix. Tasty, but not very clean.

Sidenote- the more I actually read the ingredients panel before I buy something, the more concerned I am about our food supply.

I try not to be a grocery store judger, but the woman in the check-out line behind me last night was not buying a single item of fresh food. Not a fruit, vegetable, or even a bagged salad in sight. Maybe she shops around and buys her produce somewhere else, but still. The standard American diet is pretty sad!

Anyways! Sorry for the tangent there. My quinoa concoction was pretty tasty, and even the hubs was asking for some (after he ate his own favorite soup). I think he’s realizing how good this stuff really can be, which is nice for both of us because I plan to stick with these dietary changes & make more meals like this one.

What I ate: Quinoa with cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, onion, garlic powder, lemon juice, olive oil, lemon pepper, parsley, salt, pepper, and some low fat feta cheese.

1.29.13

Mixing it Up

Finally breaking out of my rut and eating something totally new!

I hit up the salad bar for some beans and veggies and then came home and doctored them up with spices, lemon and olive oil. Oh yeah, and some crumbled fat free feta cheese. I LOVE this salad and will definitely be making it again soon. Yum!

I’ve seen limited amounts of cheese used in clean recipes from (seemingly) legitimate sources, and specifically low fat feta, so I’m still calling this clean.

What I ate: Garbanzo beans (a/k/a chickpeas), artichoke hearts, celery, onion, lemon juice, olive oil, lemon pepper, parsley, salt, pepper, and garlic powder.

One for the Road

I was on the road again today,  and successfully avoided buying much of anything beyond some coffee and a healthy-ish breakfast sandwich. I packed almond milk and protein powder separately because, as I learned earlier this year, the shake does NOT taste right if you don’t drink it immediately after combining the powder and milk.

What I ate: Jay Robb Vanilla protein powder with almond milk and blueberries. An easy to prep and eat clean meal for a roadtrip.

Motivation

I’m not going to lie. Seeing the numbers on the scale go down is definitely a good source of motivation for me. But more and more (especially in light of yesterday’s post) I’m finding that just knowing that I’m making better choices for my health is really motivating for me. I figure even when the scale stalls, something good is going on inside with the extra nutrition I’ve been getting.  It’s also easier to be motivated when I actually like and begin to crave healthy/clean foods over junk food. Slowly but surely, positive changes are happening.

What I ate: Ezekiel bread with 2 tablespoons peanut butter and 1/2 a grapefruit. The clean taste of the grapefruit was a good compliment to the heavy/sticky pb.

Perspective

Some life events really put everything into perspective.  When precious lives are cut short by horrible diseases, and everything else seems so insignificant by comparison, I have to remember that this quest for health is significant for that very reason.  The scary part is that no matter how healthy a lifestyle you live, diseases/illness/viruses can still happen to anyone.  But, hopefully by eating healthier and exercising more we can either avoid disease altogether, or at the very least prolong the good/healthy times. I only wish this were a foolproof method, because there would be a lot less pain and suffering in this world.

What I ate:  One Mango, one clementine, one hard boiled egg, half an avocado.  There are two eggs in the picture, but I couldn’t eat both.  Not really in the mood to eat today.

I Heart Peanut Butter

It’s true- I love peanut butter and would eat it all the time if I wouldn’t end up being huge.  As I mentioned earlier this week, I’m trying to vary my protein sources, and this time I had peanut butter paired with Ezekiel bread (which is about the only “clean” bread I’ve been able to find that’s commercially baked and sold).  Ezekiel bread has a decent amount of protein too, so today’s clean meal kept me full for several hours.  The bread definitely has a different consistency than the average wheat/multi-grain bread, but I could get used to it I think.

What I ate: One piece Ezekiel bread with peanut butter (just ground up peanuts- got it at Whole Foods) and blueberries.

1.24.13

Fitting it All in

Long, busy day, but I still fit in at least one clean meal.  I had one or two other meals that were pretty clean too.  And delicious, I might add.

What I ate:  Greek yogurt (plain/nonfat) with apples and cinnamon.  The fresh apples added a nice crunch and the cinnamon took away some of the sour flavor from the Greek yogurt.

1.23.12

Catching Up

These last few days have been super busy, so I’m just going to do a few quick catch-up posts to get back on track.  I’ll start writing regular posts again soon.  

What I ate: Steel cut oats with banana, almond milk and cinnamon with one hard boiled egg and Numi mint tea.  *There are two hard boiled eggs in the pic, but I only ate one because I was too full.  I will get away from eggs soon, but I need to use up the ones I have first.

 

1.22.13