The last 2 weeks I’ve been participating in the “Spring Reset” challenge from my friend Megan at http://www.thelyonsshare.org/
I’ve always had pretty good eating habits but we can all use a little tune up from time to time right? My goal was not weight loss and I did not weigh myself before or after the two weeks. Instead my goal was to fine tune some of my eating and become aware of where I might make some small changes.
What I noticed:
1. I was eating a lot of processed foods that I assumed were healthy (i.e. veggie burgers and veggie sausages etc and power bars)
2. Everything has so much sugar in it.
3. There are so many ways to make healthy meals if I just do a little more planning.
4. I feel so much better when I eat better! (A no brainer huh?)
Eating well isn’t about restricting yourself. It’s about making good choices to fuel your body.
What I changed the past few weeks:
1. I started the day with a cup of warm lemon water which is supposed to aid in digestion and work as a natural diuretic. I kind of thought this was b.s. but I feel good after I drink it so I’m continuing it.
2. I continued to have coffee but I cut out the sugar free flavors from Starbucks that were just chemicals. I added cinnamon to my coffee instead. Didn’t miss anything there.
3. I switched to Ezekiel bread and I really like it. Because it doesn’t have preservatives, it is better to leave it frozen and toast as needed. Learned that the hard way.
4. I cut out the veggie sausages at breakfast and went back to egg whites. I made this amazing Kale, mushroom & tomato breakfast casserole. Recipe below.
5. I started adding lemon to my water and found I drank a lot more throughout the day
6. I’m searching for yogurts with less sugar and have made a few small changes. Still investigating that one.
7. I started snacking on hard boiled eggs filled with hummus or guacamole-so good and filling. You should definitely give that a try. It held me over in the afternoons when I get really hungry.
8. I pretty much cut out pretzels and other empty calories and started snacking on more veggies & hummus. Sometimes you just need some carbs so I ate Skinny Pop and these Blue Diamond (Gluten free!) Rice Crackers.
9. I got more creative with lunch and dinner. Favorite lunch of the week Cucumber “noodle” salad with a peanut dressing and avocado. Favorite dinner of the week Spicy Quinoa stuffed red peppers. Both recipes found below.
- package of baby bella mushrooms-cleaned and diced
- bunch of Kale-chopped (can sub spinach)
- small package of grape tomatoes (can sub a can of tomatoes)
- 5 eggs & 5 egg whites
- 6 oz goat or feta cheese
- splash of milk, salt and pepper to taste
- garnish-salsa of choice
- Saute mushroom, kale and tomatoes in olive oil until soft
- transfer to a 9×13 casserole dish sprayed with pam
- In a med bowl, whisk eggs and egg whites with splash of milk
- Pour mixture over veggies
- sprinkle goat or feta cheese on top evenly
- Bake in a 375 degree oven until eggs are at desired firmness about 20 min.
- Cool and slice into indiv portions. Simply microwave to reheat and enjoy!
- 2 large cucumbers
- bunch of fresh cilantro-chopped
- 3 small or 1 large red pepper-sliced
- 1 avocado-halved and sliced
- dressing:
- siracha to taste
- 3/4 c natural peanut butter
- 3 tbl rice vinegar
- 3 tbl Tamari
- 1 tbl sesame oil
- 1 Tbl lime juice
- 1 clove garlic chopped
- 1 tsp grated ginger
- dash of red pepper
- 2/3 -3/4 cup warm water
- Garnish:
- cilantro
- red peppers-slices
- avocado slices
- crushed peanuts
- Grab that vegetable slicer and create “noodles” with your cucumbers. (If you don’t have a slicer you can cute them into matchsticks)
- set aside.
- Dressing:
- whisk together all ingredients. Slowly add water to reach desired consistency. Add siracha to taste.
- Lay “noodles” on plate and drizzle with peanut sauce. Garnish with avocado, peppers, cilantro and sprinkle with peanuts.
- 1 med eggplant-diced
- 2 zucchini-diced
- 1/2 onion diced
- 1 can of diced tomatoes 15oz,
- 1 can of black beans-15 oz. rinsed
- 1 can Chipotle peppers in adobe sauce-dice per your spice desire
- 1 c Quinoa (cooked per package instructions)
- 2 large red or yellow peppers (halved & seeded)
- Mozzarella cheese to top if desired
- salt, pepper, garlic powder
- Saute onion, zucchini, and eggplant in olive oil until soft
- Cook Quinoa per package directions
- combine quinoa, vegetables, tomatoes, black beans and chipotles set aside
- par boil peppers for 3-4 minutes and remove from heat
- lay peppers in a casserole dish
- stuff each on equally with the Quinoa mixture
- add mozzarella cheese to garnish
- bake at 350 degrees until cheese is melted about 20 min
- Enjoy!
Hope you enjoy my Clean Eating recipes this week! I’d love to know if you try them.
Look good? Post a pic of one of the recipes I made for a shout out!
What’s your favorite Clean Eating meal?
These are incredible changes, Deborah!!! I’m so excited for everything you accomplished and love your focus on celebrating each small achievement. It was great getting to know you better through the Spring Reset- thanks for participating and sharing!
I’m happy about the small changes I’ve made as well. I plan to continue them. Thanks so much for the encouragement.
Obviously, I LOVE this post!! I wish everyone else would realize that eating whole unprocessed foods is way better (even those veggie burgers that everyone thinks are “healthy”) 🙂
You got me thinking that I need to add some fruit or something to my water. I am horrible at drinking enough water throughout the day. I even buy different water bottles thinking that will get me motivated to drink more, but in the end it doesn’t.
Great job on all the changes you have made to your “diet”! They are small but when you add them up they make a huge difference! Keep it going!!
I know it’s really not that hard to eat cleaner. No one’s perfect but small changes make a huge difference. Thanks for taking the time to stop by and read the post. Let me know if you try any of the recipes
I love my lemon water in the morning. I have to have it before my eggs and coffee. It really does help to wake me up! In the summer I like adding cucumber and fresh mint too.
As for processed foods, I have managed to cut out most of them. It was a lot easier to do then I had thought! Sugar is a non issue too. I know I have a few areas of my diet that can use a few tweaks though. This is a good reminder to step back and look at what can be changed.
I’ve come to really enjoy the lemon water as well. I will have to try the cucumbers too. Thanks for the tip. I could definitely still cut out some sugar but baby steps right? Thanks for stopping by!
I really enjoyed this post. I’ll have to try adding lemon to my warm / cold water. I do love cinnamon in my coffee!
You should add in the lemon you will love it! Cinnamon is good-I’m not even missing the flavor. Thanks for taking the time to stop by and commenting.
Thanks for the yummy recipes! I make similar stuffed peppers and my family loves them! My problem is LATE NIGHT SNACKING on pita chips and hummus…terrible? No…but not the best choice at 9 pm! LOL
Yea some nights I need a snack too. Have you tried the skinny pop it’s really good and filling. Thanks for stopping by and taking the time to comment. Have a great day!
I am absolutely loving these tips! I just started clean eating myself and can’t wait to apply some of these, and try that yummy looking breakfast casserole! Thanks so much for sharing!
So glad you liked the tips. The lemon water is a must! Enjoy the casserole- I just ate it myself. Thanks for stopping by the blog and taking the time to comment. Hope to see you back soon. Headed over to yours as well.
Wow! It was so much fun to be part of your taste test! Loved the veggie burgers. I went on Amazon and got the water pitcher/fruit infuser – can’t wait until it comes! Thanks for all the great ideas. 🙂
I was so glad to have you there! Great that you enjoyed the veggie burgers. They are an easy, healthy lunch or dinner. I love the water pitcher and you will too. Let me know if you add any great fruit combos in there. Thanks for stopping by and taking the time to comment.
Wow, these recipes looks amazing. I am going to try the egg recipe, I am always looking for good, filling breakfast meals and I LOVE eggs!
Thanks they are good-just finished eating mine. Try with a little salsa on top! Thanks for stopping by hope to see you again soon. Have a great day!
Love these recipes,, Deb!
I nominated you for the LIebster Award… stop by my blog today to find out more. Happy Tuesday! http://matmilesmedals.com
oh my gosh! Thank you so much. I’m truly honored. I was wondering if anyone would be interested in reading what I had to say! Thanks so much for stopping by and I am heading over to your site now
Yum! Those recipes DO look AH-mazing! 🙂 Thank you for sharing!
Thanks hope you try them out-they are really easy to make. Thanks for stopping by & have a great day!
Love this post! The 4 points at the beginning are things I’ve been noticing/doing too! I didn’t realize how processed even “healthy” foods were. Soo much sugar in everything. I definitely get to get better at meal prepping/planning. And I feel better when eating better, too! I’ve been so used to eating for weight loss that I forgot how to eat for health. My issue is that I am SUPER picky, so I gotta figure out a better variety of meals. I used to do warm lemon water every morning, I love it! I think I’ll give that a try again 🙂 I’m so glad you had a positive experience with this!
yes it has been important for me to remember to eat for health and not for dieting. Since I’ve stopped doing that I’m so much happier and I feel so much better.I do like the lemon water in the morning. Good luck with yours. Thanks for stopping by and taking the time to comment.
Yum, they all look delicious! The only way to get the low sugar in the yogurt I think it to eat plain yogurt and add honey or stevia and fruit!
Thanks! I have been eating the chiobani 100 and I like it. I really don’t like the taste of stevia. 🙁
I can’t tell you how much I love this post! I was recently diagnosed with diabetes, so I flipped the switch on all simple carbs and preservatives. So far, no need for insulin!! I pinned your egg recipe because I am now CRAVING it. I’ll keep following for more!
Thanks so much! I have tons of recipes to share with you. I had the eggs today it’s great to have something healthy ready to go. It’s so great that you were able to keep your Diabetes in check by changing your diet! I had gestational diabetes with one of my pregnancies it was tough going. Good for you! Thanks for stopping by hope we connect again soon!