Recipe follow up.

So, the recipes I posted the other day - I've done the carrot soup, the chicken fajita roll-ups, and the Spanish quinoa. The carrot soup was ok. I didn't really get to try it yet, but the tastes I had were good. I *might* have overdone the ginger a bit :). The chicken roll ups were yummy, but I would pre-cook the peppers a bit, as they were a bit crunch for our taste. I paired it with the quinoa, and modified it to leave out the tomatoes as I didn't have them. This was good too.

Nothing much more for tonight.

Clean eating

My new thing is clean eating. I'm working really hard at it and I'm seeing results. I feel better and am starting to look better. It started with my trainer sharing a clean eating plan with me. It took me about 6 months to get on board, but when I did, it was an easy 10 lbs off. Here is what she sent me:

Eat Clean Diet Recharged

Objective – lose 5-10 pounds quickly

Length – 2 weeks ONLY

Food to eat:

1 apple or pear per day (1/2 in morning, ½ in afternoon)

2 cupped handfuls 4 TIMES a day of the following cucumbers, radishes, tomatoes, leafy greens, broccoli, spinach, asparagus, green beans, sprouts, celery, bok choy, kale, zucchini or any other high-water content, non-starchy, low glycemic index vegetables… RAW OR STEAMED ONLY

1 handful per day of cooked quinoa, brown rice, oatmeal, millet OR Cream of Wheat…top this choice with 2 TB ground Flaxseed and 2-4 TB Bee Pollen

1 hand size sweet potato (1/2 in the morning, 1/2 in the afternoon)

1 palm sized portion of LEAN protein 5 TIMES per day of chicken, tuna, egg whites, turkey, bison, elk, or non-oily fish. Protein Powder can be substituted for any protein as long as it is chemical and sugar free (no artificial sweeteners!)

Drink 1 gallon per day of distilled water, fresh water no sodium or clear unsweetened herbal tea

Eat your last meal 4 hours before bedtime.

This is HARDCORE. 

This is ONLY 2 weeks.

How bad do you want it?

Example day:  breakfast – oatmeal with flaxseed and bee pollen, scrambled egg whites…mid morning-grilled chicken breast, steamed green beans… lunch -  ½ sweet potato, romaine lettuce topped with grilled chicken breast, sprouts and squirts of lemon juice… Mid-afternoon - protein shake made with water and 1 scoop protein powder. 1 pear...dinner – Baked cod, ½ sweet potato, steamed bok choy

Week 3

2 portions of fruit per day (berries, grapefruit, mangos, apples, etc)

4 portions of veggies (this can now include BROTH based soups and pureed veggie soups)

2-4 portions of whole grains/starchy carbs (oatmeal, brown rice, quinoa, cream of wheat, Ezekiel bread or wrap, sweet potato, banana, carrots, squash  -note that bananas, squash and carrots fall under this Starchy category) 

6 portions of lean protein ( everything listed in the first 2 weeks, plus 1 cup dairy – cottage cheese, greek yogurt, skim milk, 1 handful raw unsalted nuts, 2 tablespoons nut butters, salmon)

2-3 liters fresh water, no sodium 

Use these sweeteners in moderation:

Agave nectar, maple sugar flakes, Sucanat, Rapadura sugar

Once you reach your goal weight you can add occasional treats (glass of wine, piece of chocolate) Unhealthy sugars and fats are not recommended

Example day:

Oatmeal with berries, flaxseed, and wheat germ; egg whites, water, coffee or tea

Cucumbers, carrots, cherry tomatoes with hummus

Mixed greens topped with diced tomato, grilled chicken and a squeeze of lemon juice; piece of Ezekiel toast

1 handful raw unsalted almonds, 1 pear

Roasted Turkey breast, steamed broccoli, brown rice

IF you are still hungry, nonfat yogurt topped with berries

I was pretty strict the first 2 weeks, and that is what helped. I struggle with the 3rd+ weeks. This week, I spent some time researching some recipes and found these:

Baked Chicken Fajita Roll Ups

Tortilla Chip Chicken with Spicy Avocado Dip

Turkey and Quinoa "Meatloaf"

I also planned a basic taco night and homemade spaghetti and meatballs (using a family recipe).

Today was my food prep day. I try to grocery shop and do food prep the day before trash so my trash can isn't smelly. I started using a bag method for my food. Small baggies contain a portion of veggie or fruit and 3 bags of veggies and 2 fruits go into a big baggie so I know what I need to each for my snacks each day. They can be eaten plain or mixed into my salad or used to add to my eggs. This week I put together baggies with cucumber, yellow sunshine tomatoes, celery, strawberries and blueberries, and a pear or apple

I also cooked sweet peppers (these are amazing and I"m surprised there were any left to put away!), crock pot brussels sprouts, cooked mixed greens, carrots and onions to make soup tomorrow, and hard boiled eggs

I'm hoping this helps keep me focused as far as food goes. 

As far as working out, I've got that covered. Yesterday was a 3 mile run. We were supposed to run stairs at the HS, but something about lighting and metal bleachers didn't seem like such a good idea :). Today, I spent an hour with my trainer and then went and did a 4 mile run. I'm not gonna lie, I was tired. Tomorrow, I'm toying with the idea of hitting the stairs before our 3 my run. If I can drag my hiney out of bed, I'm going to go and do it. If not, I will stick with my 3 mile run.

Enough.