Day 21 Recap

Now that I have my days back on track I will recap the proper day! lol  I knew that would happen sooner or later, was just thinking it would be sooner!  Yesterday was day 21, a Monday, and a really ho-hum day.  Nothing eventful challenge wise (though All My Children is back on the internet, and if you know me, you know that that is probably the most exciting news of the year for me!).  It was a busy day at work, so I was stuck at my desk a lot, but took the stairs when I could.  Fortunately, I went to a Zumba class after work, so I was able to meet my fitness goals for the day.
I am thinking of posting a blog soon that discusses how much and how little I know about clean eating.  A Clena Eating 101, if you will, where I want to talk about what it is and how it works, and how it isn't a diet (for the first time in 11 years I feel liberated).  There is so much I want to share, and I have all of this crazy energy going on, so it makes me want to tell everyone LOL.  I will write and post it soon.  For now, my Day 21 Recap of the 30-Day Challenge.

Breakfast - 2 brown rice cakes, 2 tbsp raw almond butter, 1 banana

Lunch - leftover mushroom strogonoff

Snack - apple

Dinner - Garlic shrimp and veggie stir-fry over quinoa

Exercise - 1 hour of Zumba

Product Review - FitBit One

I promised a review of a product I bought and started using 2 weeks ago.  When I bought it I thought this would be the greatest thing ever, based on what I was told it would do.  But I said I would use it for 2 weeks first before giving a review, just to make sure it was all it was cracked up to be, and that it was worth the money. 

What is it? - THE ONE™ WIRELESS ACTIVITY & SLEEP TRACKER

http://www.fitbit.com/one
If you want to turn fitness into a lifestyle, the One™ is for you. For starters, it never rests. During the day, it tracks your steps, distance, calories burned, and stairs climbed. Come nightfall, it measures your sleep cycle, helps you learn how to sleep better, and wakes you in the morning. The One™ motivates you to reach your goals by bringing greater fitness into your life – seamlessly, socially, 24 hours a day.
The One™ automatically syncs your data to PCs, Macs, the iPhone 4S & 5, iPad 3, Retina & mini, iPod touch,
and select Android phones. All you need to do is sign up for your free account on Fitbit.com and
register your device (which you can also do via select smartphones). After that, voilà. Your stats will sync
on their own, giving you real-time access to all that outstanding data on your Fitbit dashboard.

First thing I should mention is, it is so much more than a pedometer.  For me, it's perfect.  I love it.  It motivates me, because if I don't have my 10,000 steps done by 7:00 p.m.  I will stand up and walk in place throughout a TV show just to make sure I get my steps in.  Same with the stairs.  I have a 2-story home, so I will go up and down my stairs to ensure I reach my daily goal.  Same with the calorie burn.  I think I'll break down the pros and cons to this product, for more detail.  Like good news, bad news, I will start with the cons, because that leaves good news to follow :)

Cons -
- Remembering to put it on.  This has not been a problem for me, at all.  I don't know if my mind is just clearer from living a healthier lifestyle lately, but I have not once forgotten it in 2 weeks.  I don't forget to put it in the wristband and on my wrist when going to sleep, and I don't forget to clip it to my bra (or belt) when leaving in the morning.  I put this as a con, because I THOUGHT this was going to be my biggest problem.  But like brushing your teeth, it just becomes something you do in the morning.  (With this con I just realized I forgot to take my thyroid medicine this morning, something I am supposed to do at the same time every morning...well at least I remembered my FitBit One lol)

- I do not believe the calorie burn is accurate.  I believe that they are telling you the calories you are burning while asleep, and when you do daily activity, but I do not believe it is incorporating the full calorie burn for the daily functions of your body.  Based on my lifestyle, plus activity, plus height, weight and age, my Daily Total Energy Expenditure is about 3600 - 3900 calories, but my Fitbit One never gets above 3000.  To figure out your daily total energy expenditure, use the link below.  I use it then to go to the weight loss tracker, to see how many calories I should be consuming a day.  NOT how little calories, but how MANY calories.  I am not about counting calories anymore because I will never again be on a diet, but I want to make sure I am eating ENOUGH calories, so my body does not store my fat for energy, leading to loss of lean muscle mass.  You should definitely try it, especially if you are in the mindset of restricting yourself or eating below 1400 calories a day.  You are actually doing more harm to your body than you think.

http://www.health-calc.com/diet/energy-expenditure-advanced
http://www.health-calc.com/diet/weight-loss-calculator

(those are the only cons I have come up with in my 2 weeks of wearing the FitBit One)

Pros -
-By far my favorite feature of this product is the sleep monitoring.  It comes with a little wrist band that you slip the FitBit One into when going to bed.  When you are ready to sleep, you click the button to start the stopwatch and go to sleep.  There is a vibration alarm built in (that you set online for what time you get up each day) and it will only wake you, not your partner (though maybe your cat lol)  You press the button when the alarm goes off and it stops tracking your sleep.  On your computer or phone (or both) it will tell you how long it took you to fall asleep, how many awakenings you had, and how much sleep you had.

-Motivation - I have watched entire episodes of Glee while walking, just to make sure I hit my daily target of steps.  Or climbed up and down my stairs to reach my stair goal.  I am motivated to reach all of my daily goals.  The FitBit One will have a default goal set up for you, but you can change those and create your own goals, if you choose to.

-If you have a Sparkpeople or Myfitnesspal account, the FitBit One site does the same thing.  You can track your food, calories, activity all on your free FitBit One account, and all of the information from your FitBit One is synced to the page.  It is very convenient, and definitely helps anyone trying to lose weight or increase fitness.

-Discreet.  Wear it comfortably in your pocket, on a belt, or a bra – the silicone clip will keep it secure. Use the sleep wrist band at night.

-Recharges the battery right on your computer (USB) and the charge holds for 5-7 days.

-Sweatproof - you can wear it during exercise (duh), but it's also rain proof...just don't wear it in the shower!

- Makes fitness fun...really it does, because when you see the results of what you've done on the FitBit One, you can't wait to do it again!!


So the bottom line is that I am very happy I made this purchase.  I obtained mine from BestBuy for $99.  But I have been told you can find them online for about $90-95 through Amazon and Ebay.  I know it is an investment, but I think it is a solid investment.  It's easy and convenient, and a definite fitness motivator.

Day 18, 19 and 20 Recap!!!

While I doubt you were waiting with bated breath for my daily recaps, I do apologize that I didn't blog all weekend, but this weekend was completely FULL!!  Friday I was up earlier than when I go to work to have my car in for a recall (dropped it off at 7:00 a.m.!)  My mom picked me up from the dealer and came back to my house with me, where we cleaned for 3 hours, then I made some breakfast, we watched the last 2 episodes of Friends (I had on the DVR and my Mom, a big fan, hasn't seen since it went of the air in 2004).  I have not heard my Mom laugh like that in a while!!  She even said, "oh I forgot how funny this show was, I miss Joey." LOL  Her being up so early and then cleaning and then laughing so hard made her doze off for a while, so I finished up in the kitchen and let her sleep for about 30 minutes.  We finished up at my house and went back for my car.  I then made my monthly travel up to Trader Joe's in Marlton, then over to the Williamstown Farmers Market, back to the Mays Landing area where I had to make a few stops, then home to have a late lunch, shower and get to my nephew's hockey game, pick up his ice cream cake, back to my folks to sing happy birthday, then met some friends for a club soda (well, they had drinks, I had club soda), but I was home before midnight! (but I could feel myself yawning at 10:00 because I am used to going to bed at that time). 
Saturday was non-stop, as well.  Up early, small workout in, breakfast, shower, and Beth was at my house by 10:30 because we had a baby shower in Buena at 12.  It was a wonderful shower for my friend Maria, really beautiful.  I got to see some of my great friends that I haven't seen in over a month, so that was really nice.  After the shower, Beth and I did a little shopping, went by the house she and her husband are buying (and looked in the windows lol).  They go to closing tomorrow, so happy for them, it's beautiful.  Made Beth dinner, and then we met those friends from the shower out for a few clubs sodas (for me!  beers for them!)  It was really great catching up and I laughed so much my cheeks hurt!!!
Sunday I woke a little later than usual, and was still pretty tired because I threw my sleep pattern off a little this weekend.  I just sat on the couch watching a movie until I had to get ready for work at Chili's.  I don't mind not getting a full workout in on the weekends, because Chili's takes care of that lol  I worked, went home and showered, ate, and met 2 other friends I have seen, but haven't had a chance to hang out with.  Sam I at least see every weekend, because she is a manager at Chili's (and one of my oldest friends), and Courtney I don't see as much because I no longer work Monday nights at Chili's.  It was great getting to see them, and catching up with Courtney.  Unfortunately, her cousin was horribly injured in the Boston bombings, but hearing the story of his resiliency was inspiring.  She was telling us funny stories, and the people she met while visiting him.  I really think he is going to be ok!

I told you all about my busy weekend in detail not to brag, but to show you that no matter how busy you get, or how many times you go out with friends, you can still find ways to be healthy.  I still ate clean all weekend, and didn't drink (due to my 30-day challenge, not forever...there will be a blog post about this lol)  Things went much better than I would have anticipated.  Sure, I didn't get in as much exercise workouts as I would have liked, but since I was running around so much, I did get in my daily steps/miles/stairs climbed/calories burned...which is much more than sitting on the couch!  Now on to the food...

DAY 17 -

Breakfast - 1 egg scrambled, 2 piece of center cut bacon, 1 slice of tuscan pane with mashed avocado, made into a sandwich

Snack - 14 almonds

Lunch - Leftover chicken nuggets with broccoli

Snack - banana

Dinner - fresh made natural peanut butter (from the farmers market, made right there!) with a clean strawberry fruit spread I found at trader joe's on wheatberry bread (loved having peanut butter and jelly!)

DAY 18 -

1 mile walk/jog

Breakfast - 2 eggs scrambled with feta cheese, 1/2 piece of chicken sausage (stuffed with spinach and feta) and 1 slice of tuscan pane with organic butter

Lunch - small mixed veggie salad with oil and vinagar, 2 thin slices of pork loin and green beans

Dinner - London Broil, sauteed onions, yam and roasted broccoli (I made dinner for Beth!!  She realy liked it)

Snack - 14 cashews, 4 dried turkish apricots

DAY 19 -

Breakfast - 2 slices of Tuscan Pane Bread with drizzle of EVOO

Lunch - Cottage cheese with 1 tbsp strawberry fruit spread

Dinner - Mushroom Strogonoff with some leftover roasted broccoli

Snack - Banana/peanut butter ice cream!!!  - This is an amazing, easy recipe I will be sharing.

Day 17 Recap

More than halfway through the 30 day challenge. Going to see my family tonight to have cake for my nephew's birthday. I won't be eating any, which isn't a big deal cause I don't really like cake...then they told me it's an ice cream cake (my favorite), but I'm not going to budge. After the 30 day challenge I can always have a small piece, as long as I remain 90% clean eating, but I called this a 30 day challenge for a reason, it's supposed to be challenging lol.

Breakfast - 1 slice of Tuscan pane bread, 1/3 mashed avocado, 1 egg, 2 slices center cut bacon. Made into a sandwich.

Snack - apple

Lunch - leftover salmon with 1/2 cup brown rice, 1/4 black beans and some green beans

Snack - 14 almonds

Dinner - clean cooked chicken nuggets with marinara, roasted broccoli, and a yam...recipe for the chicken nuggets will follow. And a glass of almond milk.


Exercise was an hour of Zumba!

Day 15 and 16 Recaps

Sorry guys, I was sooooo busy yesterday that I didn't get to recap Day 15, so I have included it in this blog with Day 16.  We're over the hump.  So yesterday was my first challenging day.  I apologize to any men who read this blog, but it was the first day of my monthly visitor and boy was I craving chocolate!!!  But I did Zumba instead of eating chocolate and that actually helped.  Yes, I can induldge in dark chocolate that's not processed, but I was craving a snickers or reese cup, which happens every month.  I'm not usually a sweet-eater, my downfall with junk food was french fries and potato chips, but with eating clean I don't even crave them anymore.  I take it that it's the body being fed nutritious foods in a smart portion that takes away the craving for things I usually would go overboard on, because I can honestly say that I never feel famished.  I make sure I space out my meals and snacks and in the last 15 days I have felt satisfied all day.  It's crazy, because I thought I would be craving a lot more (especially cheeses like american and cheddar, but no).

Day 15 -

Breakfast - 1 slice whole wheat Tuscan Pane toasted, 1/4 mashed avocado, 2 slices center cut bacon, 1 egg scrambled, made into a sandwich.

Snack - apple

Lunch - Left over 4 oz flank steak over mixed veggie salad with olive oil and balsamic vinegar

Snack - 11 raw almonds

Dinner - 3 oz whole wheat spaghetti with Michael's of Brooklyn tomato sauce and roast zucchini


Day 16 -

Breakfast - 2 brown rice cakes, 1/2 mashed avocado

Lunch - Leftover spaghetti with tomato sauce and zucchini

Snack - 11 raw almonds

Dinner - 5 oz herbed salmon with roasted broccoli

Day 14 Recap

This is the recap of Day 14, which means I am actually on Day 15, and that means I am half way through the 30-day challenge.  This hasn't been so much challenging as it has been eye-opening.  I am learning a lot about how certain foods affect me, and learning to cook things I never thought I could cook (salmon!).  I am finding that just 2 straight weeks of fitness has me feeling so much stronger and has increased my endurance.  I'm glad I took this challenge.  I am not ending the blog when I end the challenge, but I promise not to make you read my daily meals lol  I will share when something is good, and provide recipes or links.

Breakfast - Oatmeal Pancakes (I had made a few extra on Sunday and brought them into work and ate them cold...but they were still really good!  The cinnamon made them slightly sweet)

Lunch - 1 cup leftover black bean soup over 1 cup of brown rice

Snack - sliced cucumber and 1/4 cup homemade hummus

Dinner - Seasoned flank steak with caramelized onions, sweet potato and green beans.

Exercise was 1 hour of Zumba.  This was my first time taking the class.  While I was not dazzling anyone with my dancing skills, I did keep up the pace and never got exhausted, I was able to get through the whole thing and felt great afterwards!!  I definitely recommend it to those looking for something new or fun or different.  I am proof you don't have to be graceful or have rhythm to do Zumba.

Days 12 and 13 Recap

I was so busy on Sunday (Day 13) that I didn't get to recap day 12!  It's tough on the weekends because my work schedule is different, and I'm all over the place.  At least I eat right for this challenge and get in the exercise, that's the important thing.  Also, on the weekends I serve at Chili's, and according to my fit bit, it's a mini-workout because I get more than 10,000 steps in in a 3.5 hour shift!  Wonderful!  Today marks a full week using the FitBit One, and I will be doing a product review for it on my blog.  I wanted to give it a full week before reviewing it, because I wanted to make sure I was going to remember to wear it everyday, how it worked on busier days, etc.  And I think I am ready to put it out there.  Look for that later today or early tomorrow.

Also, Day 12's dinner...such a shame.  I bought a beautiful ahi (yellowfin) tuna steak, wild caught, from the seafood butcher at Shoprite.  I love ahi tune, nice and rare, sliced thin.  I don't know what I did to it, but I couldn't eat it.  I don't know how restaurants get that beautiful sear on the outside and rare on the inside.  Mine was more of a well done on parts and cold rare on others.  I'll stick with cooking the salmon at home, since that came out beautifully!  I'll eat the tuna when I go out.  Good thing I had some lentil cake leftovers in the fridge so that I didn't have to spend time cooking something else :)  (Another reason I love leftovers!)

Day 12- For fitness I got in 2 miles walk/jog in the morning, along with 2lb weight exercises after.  I then did a muscle mile in the late afternoon.

Breakfast - I love the weekends because I am not into work until noon, so I can cook a great breakfast!  I had 2 scrambled eggs, with 2 pieces center cut bacon, and 1 slice of Whole Wheat Tuscan Pane bread with 1/3 advocado spread onto the bread.
In case you are wondering about this Tuscan Pane bread I am always talking about, it's from Trader Joe's and my favorite bread!  It's clean, and I love it as toast, sandwich bread, crustini.  I don't think it would be very good as french toast, but you know, I haven't tried that!

Lunch - Leftover mushroom strogonoff

Snack - 1 clean, whole wheat pretzel and 1/4 cup hummus

Dinner - 2 Lentil Cakes with a side of Green Beans

Day 13 - This was a short exercise day of 1 mile with ab work.  I then busted my butt at Chili's in the afternoon.

Breakfast - Oatmeal Pancakes with 100% pure maple syrup.  These turned out really well, and I will be sharing the recipe!

Snack - 12 raw almonds

Lunch - Cup and a half of Bountiful Bean Soup (leftovers)

Dinner - I usually do Sundays at my folks for dinner, but haven't in the last 2 weeks because the challenge is to eat completely clean for 30 days with no eating out.  I must cook all of my own meals.  So, I took the ingredients there and cooked for them!  I figured they would like the curry I made earlier in the week so we did that again.  Curry and Broccoli over brown rice, with fresh pineapple, tomato, banana, strawberries and cucumber. 

Day 11 recap

Bet you thought I forgot about my recap!! (Or maybe you just hoped lol). Busy day today, so I'm blogging from my iPhone. Just recapping Day 11, where I also prepared a vegetarian dinner. I got in a 4 mile brisk walk with jog intervals.

Breakfast - 1 slice of whole wheat Tuscan Pane toast with seasoned avocado and a cup of grapes.

Snack - apple

Lunch - leftover lentil cakes with cauliflower and onion

Snack - Barre Bar - product review coming soon. I received this in my Bulu Box, which is a monthly membership that sends you samples of healthy vitamins and shakes to try. The shake they sent this month was not clean, but this bar was, so I'll give you the scoop soon.

Dinner - mushroom stroganoff. This is one of my favorites that I got from skinnytaste.com, but I adapted it a little to make it completely clean. No worries, ill share :). So tasty!

Lentil Burger Recipe

This is the link for the recipe for the Lentil Burgers.  Like I was saying in my Day 10 recap, this are a little labor intensive.  Maybe not so much intensive, as take a while lol  Primarily because it takes about 45 minutes to cook the lentils.  So if you are not concerned with using dry lentils, you could probably used 2 cans rinsed, but most cans have added salt, so I wanted to use the dry.  I was originally looking for veggie burger recipe, and still am, but I found this and I love lentils.  The dish itself was extremely tasty, very flavorful, so if you have the time I recommend it.

http://cleaneatingmag.com/Recipes/Recipe/Meatless-Lentil-Burgers.aspx

Day 10 Recap - Vegetarian Day!

Hello!!  So Day 10 was all vegetarian day, and it was so nice I am doing it twice!  I will say that I should have waited until next week, only because the dinner recipe, as tasty as it was, was a little labor intensive and would have been more fun making it on the weekend, rather than starting at 6:00 p.m. after a long day at work lol  Also, you have to like lentils to like the dish, which I will post a little later.  No problem for me, lentils are my favorite!!

Breakfast - 2 brown rice cakes with 2 tbsp of natural creamy peanut butter, topped with banana slices

(Too satisfied for a snack lol)

Lunch - 1 1/2 cups of Bountiful Black Bean Soup.  This turned out delicious!!  I bought the bag (Bob's Red Mill, you can find it in the soup aisle of your grocery store) and used 1 cup dry with 4 cups of organic vegetable broth and added onion, celery, garlic, yellow squash, oregano, basil and a bay leaf and let simmer for 2 hours.  Was really good!

Snack - Red delicious apple

Dinner - 2 lentil cakes with mashed avocado, sauteed onion and cauliflower...YUM!

I'll post this recipe once I can find the link to where I got it.  I was looking for a veggie burger recipe and came across this.  Not really a vegige burger, but the flavors are delicious (but you have to like lentils, and have time to make them).  I copy and pasted the recipe, but forgot where I got it from, and I don't want to post it without recogniztion of where it came from :)

Day 9 Recap - Leftovers Day!!

I don't like to waste food, which is sometimes difficult when you cook for one and most recipes make 4-6 servings.  I usually try to cut the recipe in half, so that I get 2 servings, 1 for dinner and 1 for lunch the next day.  It's been working, but for things like Chili, it's better to make a pot!  Do what works best for you and your family if you are cooking for more than one.  If you read my blog, you'll notice it is a day full of leftovers, so nothing too exciting, but just you wait until tomorrow lol.  All of my meals today are vegetarian, healthy and delicious and I can't wait to share.  I believe in Meatless Monday's and knowing now that I have more vegetarian recipes in my arsenal, I think I will make that a tradition!

Meal 1 - 2 brown rice cakes with 2 tsbp raw almond butter

Snack - celery sticks and baby carrots

Lunch - Leftover Chicken Curry with broccoli

Snack - apple

Dinner - Leftover Chicken Chili with a whole wheat corn muffin and roasted asparagus

Exercise was good today.  I brought my walking shoes to work and walked a complete circle around the base (1.7 miles).  Planned to do the same today, but it appears it is about to rain (my luck is that I would start, get 1/2 way and it would start to pour...hmm, maybe that would get me to take up running lol!)  After work I pampered myself with a mani/pedi, but still went home and did 2.5 mile walk/jog intervals (it's more brisk walking than jogging - total of 26 minutes, 17 walking 9 jogging).  Still not in love with working out, but hey it's only been 9 consecutive days!  I do feel the want to do some fitness each day, so that's a start, just still looking for something to love :)

Since it was all leftovers, I had no picture to post, so here is a picture of my pretty pedicure and my pretty kitty, errrr, handsome ;)

Recipe - Chicken Curry with Broccoli

Good afternoon!  Like I said in yesterday's Day 8 recap, the Chicken Curry I made is now my most favorite creation to date!!  The color of a curry may be off-putting to some, but the flavor in this dish is so good!  And the best part is, it's a one pot dish (except for the rice, if you chose to make it), so it's so easy!

A funny story about me and chicken curry.  When I was a kid, my aunt would make it for my Mom and Dad, but it was a grown up version, super spicy.  She would serve it with pineapple chunks, banana slices, celery and tomatoes to cool the mouth.  My brother and I couldn't handle the spice, so we would just eat the rice, fruit and veggies.  When I started cooking I learned that not all curries need to be super spicy, the curry powder only gives it a smokey heat, not a spicy heat, so I started making tandoori chicken and creating my own curry powder, which is a mixture of cumin, corriander, tumeric, cardamom and a pinch of cinnamon- none of which are spicy, and a little cayenne for heat (optional).  (For this particular recipe I used a curry powder that I picked up at the Williamstown Farmers Market, cause it saved me time!)  When I was in Ireland alittle over 2 years ago, my cousins took me to a Chinese Restaurant for a meal, and I ordered the Chicken Curry.  To this day, I still say, "The best Indian food I ever ate was at a Chinese restaurant in Ireland!"  That is, until I made this!  It was so close to the creaminess and flavor that I got in that restaurant.  This was a total score, and I really hope you like it!

Ingredients - Serves 3 to 4

-1 Lb Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast - sliced 1/2 inch thick lenght ways, or cut into 1 inch chunks
-4 cups of broccoli (or use any vegetable you like!)
-1 can lite coconut milk
-2/3 cup chicken broth
-1 to 1 1/2 tsbp curry powder
-1 tsp garlic powder
-1 1/2 tbsp of corn starch (I use organic to keep it clean)
In a high sided skillet or large pot, combine all ingredients except the chicken.  Bring to a soft boil.  Add chicken and boil until chicken is cooked through (about 7 minutes).  To thicken the sauce just whisk in 1 to 1/1/2 tbsp of corn starch toward the end of the cook time (about 2 minutes before it's done).

Serve over brown rice, quinoa or whole wheat couscous and pieces of fruit and veggies.

Recap of Day 8 - plus a 10 minute intense workout detailed

So one week was finished on Monday and Tuesday started week 2.  Because I am not eating a restricted diet, just clean, healthy, whole foods, and getting in activity everyday, this 30-day challenge hasn't been too challenging.  I am thinking that once the 30 days is over, I will need to find a more intense exercise challenge.  The eating portion of this challenge has been great, as has the sleeping part lol  The fitness part, well I have been doing it, but as you may have seen from my other posts, I am bored already.  It's not that I don't want to work out, I am doing it, but I am not feeling like I am finding something I am going to WANT to do.  So I have decided to try group Zumba classes, we'll see how it goes.

Breakfast - Green Smoothie - (I think I will post this recipe to the blog, since I make it so frequently)

Snack - Baby carrots and homemade hummus

Lunch - Leftover London Broil over salad greens with sunflower seeds and EVOO and Vinegar

Snack - 1/2 serving of leftover Chicken Chili and a whole wheat corn muffin

Dinner - Chicken Curry with broccoli over brown rice with side of sauted onion and 1/2 banana  (This is by far my favorite thing I have ever made and so easy!  Recipe will be on the blog later today!!)

Exercise - I logged 10,000 steps yesterday, I also did  2 muscle miles (2 mile brisk walk with 2lb weight in each hand, using the weights for upper body strength training).  And a 10 minute intense workout, which I have copied below.  Let me tell you, this 10 minute intense workout had me dripping in sweat, but only took 10 minutes so I was thrilled!

1 minute - Brisk walk or march in place

1 minute -

Light jog in place or outside, moving the arms up and down

1 minute -

Jumping jacks

30 seconds -

Long jumps - jump forward, landing with both feet, turn around and jump back

30 seconds -

Jog in place

30 seconds -

Long jumps

30 seconds - March in place

30 seconds -

Burpees

30 seconds -

Mountain climbers

30 seconds - March in place

30 seconds -

Burpees

30 seconds - March in place

30 seconds -

Jog in place

1 minute burn:

Squat jumps1 minute - Slow march in place to cool down

Recipe - Quick and Easy Marinade for Steak and Chicken, even Veggies!!

This isn't rocket science, you have probably used these exact items to marinade meat and chicken, but I wanted to share this for those who never have.  Just grab a Ziploc bag big enough to fit the amount of meat you are cooking.  The ingredients below are sufficient for one pound of meat, adjust more or less depending on how much meat you are cooking.  I really think this could be a good marinade for vegetables, though you probably don't need to let them sit as long.

Ingredients -
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tsp minced garlic (2 cloves, minced)
1 tsp herbes de provence (this is one of my favorite blends of spices and I always put it on beef.  It's about $3.00 at the grocery store, and trust me, it can wake up some dishes.  It's a blend of rosemary, marjoram and thyme, and is great on steak, chicken, roast potatoes, in scrambled eggs, and in stuffing!)  I have linked the brand I use below and it can be found in the spice/baking aisle of your local grocery store.

Just throw all of the ingredients into the ziploc bag, then add the meat.  Let marinade for at least 2 hours and up to 24 hours before cooking.  I preper to grill or grill pan the meat when done, but you can bake, as well.

Day 7 Recap

Hey guys,  so I knew I had a pound of organic london broil that I wanted to make, with carmelized onions.  I got home from work and was getting ready to do a 3 mile DVD of cardio walking and strength training when I realized I was out of onions!!  So I put on those walking shoes and walked to Shoprite!  To be fair it's only 1/2 to 3/4 mile away, so roundtrip was a mile to a mile and a quarter, but still!  I was pretty proud of myself, especially since I came home and still did the 3 mile DVD!!  This, in combination with some 2lb weight exercises and taking the stairs multiple times at work  (3 flights), gives me a pretty good work out day!!

On to the food....

Breakfast - 1 mashed avocado (seasoned) with 2 slices of Tuscan Pane whole wheat bread

Lunch - Turkey Chili and a whole wheat corn muffin

Snack - banana

Dinner - London Broil with carmelized onions, medium baked yam, and roasted asparagus

I didn't eat as much as most days, not because I wasn't hungry enough (though I never felt deprived), but I recently started wearing a FitBit One (I plan to do a product review once I have worn it for a couple days) and it's telling me I should be eating less calories than my other sources are telling me (for my height, weight, age, activity level) and I think I got caught up in the dogma of weight loss, and probably should have eaten more yesterday.  Old habits of dieting are as bad as the old habits of eating unhealthy...ugh.  I am trying to shake those stigmas and learn from my body, not weightloss gurus!

Recipe - Hearty Chicken Chili

I love Chili...it's comfort food at its finest!  I don't care if it's hot or cold out, I am always down for some Chili.  I have lightened it up a bit by using fresh veggies and lean ground chicken.  With this substitution, you will certainly trick and red meat eaters out there.  I saw a recipe for Turkey Chili at www.thegraciouspantry.com and really just used that recipe with a few twists (ie, I use chicken), so I definitely need to give her credit as it turned out really good!!!  Enjoy!

Ingredients -

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 large onion, chopped (red, white, vidalia, choice is yours)
1 large green bell pepper, chopped
6 cloves of garlic (or 6 tsp of minced garlic, or 3 tsp of garlic powder)
1 to 1/2 pounds ground chicken
4 tbsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsbp chili powder
3 cups fresh tomatoes, chopped
1 cup of vegetable or chicken stock
1 (6 oz can) tomato paste
1 (15 oz) can red kidney beans (rinsed)
1 (15 oz) can tomato sauce (no sugar added preferred, it might not say it on the front of the can, just check the ingredients)

Directions:

1. In a large soup pot, sauté the onion, bell pepper and garlic cloves in the oil.
2. Once the onions are translucent, stir in the ground chicken. Continue to stir until the meat is cooked.
3. Stir in cumin, coriander and chili powder.
4. Pour in the stock.
5. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste and beans.
6. Keep at a low and steady boil for about 5-10 minutes to allow the spices to really absorb.
7. Add the can of tomato sauce.

There you go!  I served mine with a Hodgson Mills Whole Wheat Corn Muffin.

Recipe - Baked Herbed Salmon

Fact - I hated all seafood except canned tuna until about 5 years ago.  I then liked real tuna (ahi), and some shellfish (shrimp, crab, sea scallops), but not fish...nope.  Then I found that I like Haddock, as long as it was beer battered and served with fries (or chips, as I was having them in Ireland).  I then tried salmon, and depending on where I was getting it, I either liked it or didn't.  I have recently learned that I really like Chilean Sea Bass.  Now, liking some fish and cooking it are two completely different things, because why spend money on food you are pretty sure you are going to mess up.  Therefore, I left eating salmon or shellfish for when I was out and someone else was preparing it.

Until now!!  I decided to be bold and buy an 8 oz piece of wild caught salmon filet (skin on one side) from the seafood butcher at my local Shoprite.  I figured, I was only shelling out $4, and would face this fear head on.  I can't tell you how pleased with myself I was LOL.  The taste from this fish was delicious, and I served it with some whole wheat spaghetti mixed with roasted broccoli, olive oil and a little parmesan cheese.

Baked Herbed Salmon

Ingredients - (8 oz filet made 2 servings, the recipe below is for 4- 4 oz servings)

1 pound salmon filet (you can use frozen filets, just let them defrost in the refrigerator before cooking)
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
2 tsbp butter
1 tsp dried parsley
1 tsp dried basil
1 clove garlic or 1/2 tsp garlic powder
juice of 1 lemon (half before cooking, half after)
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Heat olive oil and butter in a small pan on low heat until butter is melted.  Place salmon (skin side down if you bought it with skin on once side) in a glass baking dish sprayed or drizzled with olive oil.  Pour butter/olive oil mixture over salmon.  Squeeze juice of half a lemon over salmon.  Sprinkle seasonings on top.  Bake at 425 for 15-20 minutes depending on thickness (and how well you like your salmon cooked).

I swear I ordered this out, there was no way I cooked something this delicious!

Recipe - Chicken Sausage, Peppers and Onions

Friday morning I made a trip to the Williamstown Farmers Market.  This was my first time there and I was pleasantly surprised.  It's not your typical (city) farmers market as it was indoors (which was good because it was pouring rain all day).  I was able to buy spices, seasonings, nuts, and flours at really good prices, much better than Whole Foods or my local grocery store.  They also had fresh meats, a complete beef and pork butcher and a poultry butcher.  I didn't really buy much as far as the meats, because I was already pretty stocked up, but something peaked my interest at the poultry butcher.  They had fresh spinach and feta stuffed chicken sausage.  Of course I asked them a bunch of questions on how it was made (processed?) and I found that the chicken was cage free farm raised, steroid free, and ground on the premises.  As well as stuffed and cased.  So I bought 2 links (about a half pound) to try it.  I was really excited so I had to make it that evening.  I don't eat much pork (only bacon every now and then), so I am not used to cooking sausage, though I have had Al Fresco's brand chicken sausage (which is pre-cooked, you just have to heat it up, and that was very yummy).

I decided on Sausage, Peppers and Onions, over brown rice (I did not feel like a tomato base, as I really wanted to taste the spinach and feta).

Ingedients - (For 2 servings, adjust the ingredients for more servings)

1/2 pound chicken sausage
1 orange bell pepper
1/2 red bell pepper
1 onion
1 tbsp olive oil (2 tsp for veggies, 1 tsp for sausage)
salt and pepper to taste

Slice veggies 1/2 inch thick and saute in 2 tsp ofolive oil until they reach the firmness you like.  Meanwhile saute the sausage in a separate pan until cooked through.  Combined the sausage and the veggies and cook for another 2 minutes on medium heat.  I served mine over brown rice, but choose any whole grain you wish.

Recipe - Lean Ground Turkey Stir-fry over Quinoa

This recipe makes me laugh, because it turned out that not being prepared for dinner turned into something quite delicious!  I had planned to make something completely different, but forgot to put the main ingredient from the freezer to the refridgerator to defrost.  So since I had lean ground turkey (99% fat free) already defrosted, I decided to come up with something as I went along.

****A product side note here.  It is very hard to find organic ground turkey, but I am very happy to note that Perdue sells ground turkey and chicken that is cage free, vegetarian diet, non-hormonal, and very close to fitting my bill of clean eating.  And they are no more expensive than regular ground beef or grocery store brands.  (bonus when they are on sale!)

Ok, so continuing this story, I realized I also had some zucchini and yellow squash and though it could be interesting mixed together with the turkey, and I could put it over quinoa.  So I got the quinoa going in the rice cooker, and the turkey browning in a pan on the stove.  Veggies are diced, plus an onion.  So I decide to saute the onion first, as I like them a bit carmelized, and if cooked with the zucchini and squash (which have a lot of moisture) they won't carmelize.  I then add the veggies to the onions.  I am looking at the turkey and thinking, this is going to be really dry.  So I grab my handy organic, low sodium veggie broth from the fridge, and add 1/2 cup to the turkey, along with a tbsp of whole wheat flour and whisk.  This creates a bit of a sauce.  Once the veggies are cooked, I add them to the turkey meat and splash a little more veggie broth.  This was really a fly by the seat of my pants meal.  It also did not look at all appetizing and its texture was a bit mushy, but the flavor was really excellent.  Think Hamburger Helper texture.  I guess if I cooked the veggies a little less there would have been some crunch, but I like my squash a little soft.  So that the "how to", and here are the ingredients:

3 tsp olive oil (divided - 1 tsp to brown turkey and 2 tsp to cook veggies)
1 lb lean ground turkey
salt and pepper
1 zucchini
1 yellow squash
1 large onion
1 tbsp whole wheat flour
1/2 cup (plus couple splashes) veggie broth

Serve over quinoa, brown rice, millet, couscous...your choice.

Day 6 Recap and how it's going...

So I am on Day 6 of my 30 day Clean Eating Challenge and I am really glad I did this.  Not only do I feel much better, skin is clearer, sleeping more soundly, and have energy (this is hard to come by when you have an underactive thyroid), I have lost a couple pounds, which is a bonus, as I do have some weight to lose, but that is not at all the main reason why I challenged myself to 30 days of clean eating eating and fitness.  I wanted to go big to start, to get me into a constant routine of healthy eating and exercise, so in the future it doesn't feel like a diet or chore.  I want to be able to maintain this lifestyle once I reach my body's healthy weight.  I want to be able to go out with friends for dinner and drinks 2 or 3 times a month and not gain weight for it or feel guilty.  I want to be able to have some ice cream without feeling like I just blew an entire week of a diet.  By eating clean, whole and healthy for all meals other than those few nights out a month, or that ice cream once in a while, I will be able to maintain a healthy lifestyle and my body be healthier for it.  Just some thoughts on this Monday morning lol  Good news is that I will post the recipes of the dinners I made over the last 3 nights.  I have to tell you that the salmon was to die for!!! (And I am not usually a salmon eater!)

Meal 1 - 1/2 cup Ezekiel Cinnamon Raisin Cereal with 3/4 almond milk

Meal 2 - Green Smoothie (1 frozen banana, 1 tbsp natural peanut butter, 1/4 cup plain greek yogurt, 1/2 cup almond milk, 2 cups baby spinach, blended)

Meal 3 - 4 oz leftover baked herbed salmon, with 2 slices of Whole Wheat Tuscan Pane bread and 1/2 mashed avocado

Meal 4 - Chicken Chili with 1 whole grain corn muffin

Meal 5 - Apple with almond butter

Really should have gotten in more veggies today.  Something to work toward.  This 30 Day Challenge is really making me focus on eating the right amount of calories, carbs, fats, proteins, fruits and veggies.  I just need to get better at the application part.  Working on it.  I am planning on making more vegetarian meals in week 2, so that's a start with getting in more veggies!

Ah, the exercise.  Well there was 4 hours of serving (lol) and then I did a 4 loads of laundry, going up and down the stairs (lol), and finally I did 30 minute aerobic DVD with resistance bands (the real stuff).

Day 5 recap

Day 5 was my first weekend day of the challenge, where I have to go to work from 12-4, serving food to others. It wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. I did get 2 workouts in as I promised myself, and am feeling a little sore today, which I love because no pain no gain, right?

Activity - I did a 2 mile walking/cardio video in the morning and then 30 minutes of strength training with 2lb weights after work.

Meal 1 - leftover ground turkey stir fry with quinoa (we have breakfast for dinner, why not dinner for breakfast!)

Snack - mixed summer fruit

Meal 2 - leftover spinach and feta stuffed chicken sausage with peppers and onions over brown rice

Snack - 2 brown rice cakes with almond butter

Meal 3 - 4oz seasoned baked salmon with whole wheat spaghetti and roasted broccoli (this was my first time cooking salmon and it was perfection! I can't wait to share the recipe!!)

Iced Vanilla Latte

You have no idea how excited I am about this!! Every Saturday when I get done my serving shift at Chili's I usually head to Starbucks for a venti, non-fat, decaf, vanilla iced latte. I'm aware their syrup is not healthy, so I skipped it today and decided to try to make my own! I found one that tastes almost the same!!
I have a keurig and used a decaf espresso cup on the lowest setting to make it strong, but you can use strong coffee or instant espresso.

Fill a glass with ice, fill half way with espresso or coffee. Fill the rest with unsweetened vanilla almond milk. Add 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract and agave nectar to taste (I used 1 tsp, but you might need more if you like it extra sweet). Stir and serve! Enjoy!
If you like frappacinos you could put it in the blender!

Day 4 recap

Hello, happy Saturday! So yesterday was an extremely busy day. I was off from work, but on the go all day. I ate very well, but was unable to get in my activity (though I am sure the amount of walking around I did yesterday gave me a few calorie burns). When I created this challenge I knew that the clean eating would never be a problem, but I knew there may be a day or 2 I'd have trouble getting the activity in. Because I was prepared for this I have a way to keep the challenge legit :). For any day I miss a workout, I need to double up the very next day! So I'm on it!

Meal 1- brown rice case with 1/2 seasoned avocado and 1 hard-boiled egg.

Snack - strawberry/banana/chia smoothie (1 banana, 1cup strawberries, 1/4 plain Greek yogurt, 3/4 cup almond milk, 1 tbsp chia seeds)

Meal 2- ground turkey stir fry (leftovers)

Meal 3 - spinach and feta stuffed chicken sauce with peppers and onions over brown rice.

Snack - 2 celery ribs and 1/4 cup homemade hummus

Day 3 recap

Day 3 was interesting as I got a great night's sleep the night before (a rarity for me), so I was able to do 30 minutes straight of intense cardio. I put in the sweat version of Just Dance 4 and while I completely kept up I was fighting off fits of laughter cause I could only imagine how ridiculous I looked. I also did 15 minutes of yoga on my Wii Fit. The weather here got cold again, and a it started to shower a little so I didn't want to go for a long walk in case it started to pour at the midway point. Find it where ya can :)

Meal 1- 2 brown rice cakes with 1 mashed avocado (seasoned with salt, onion and garlic powder) 2 hard boiled eggs (I was hungry, and this sustained me so much that I was good until lunch)

Meal 2- flank steak salad (mixed greens, some assorted salad bar veggies, EVOO and balsamic vinegar with the previous night's leftover steak and some sunflower seeds)

Snack- 1/2 cup homemade hummus with some baby carrots

Meal 3- lean ground turkey stir fry over quinoa (the story behind this concoction will get its own blog post, with recipe, later today)

Snack - green smoothie. I'll also share my favorite smoothie recipe.

Seasoned Flank Steak Recipe

When I cook at home I usually make chicken, veggies, pasta, etc.  I hardly ever make steak or fish out of fear I'll pay good $$ for it and screw it up.  I usually reserve those dishes for when I eat out.  But since I am not eating out for 30 days, I decided to try to make a steak at home.
I have not had a chance to get to Trader Joe's or Whole Foods (the closest are 45 minutes from my town), so I relied on Shoprite (within walking distance of my home) to find some organic beef.  I was lucky enough to find that they sell a brand that turned out really good.  Clayton's Organic Beef Flank Steak.  Since I cook for only 1, I just bought a half pound (Was $7.99 a pound, so this cost me almost $4.00, which isn't so bad for me because I got 2 meals out of it).

Ingredients -

.5 to 1 pound flank steak
1 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp garlic powder
kosher salt and pepper to taste
2 tsp extra virgin olive oil

Directions -

Trim visible fat from steak (on a flank steak you won't find much).  Pour 1 tsp olive oil on steak and massage.  Add 1/2 of all seasoning to meat.  Heat a grill pan or your outdoor grill until it's hot.  Put seasoned side of flank steak down.  Rub oil and remainder of seasoning to the side of the steak that is facing up.  Cook 2 minutes each side, then let rest on a cutting board for 5 minutes (this is for medium rare, cook 3 minutes each side for medium and 4 minutes each side for well).  Slice steak against the grain.

This was the result of last night's dinner.  I served 4 oz of steak with a medium sweet potato and 1 cup of roast broccoli.

And I used the leftovers for lunch the next day, serving it over mixed greens, veggies, sunflower seeds and olive oil and balsalmic vinegar.

Homemade Hummus - Recipe

I don't know about you, but I LOVE hummus.  It's a low fat, high fiber, high protein, filling snack...what could be better!  I have always bought my hummus from the store, because I thought it would be tiresome to make at home, but I was very wrong!  And by making it at home I don't have to eat potasium sorbate and "natural flavors."  What exactly are "natural flavors?"  I swear that is the one question I yearn most for the answer to!  So here is my recipe for homemade hummus.  This is just plain hummus, you can obviously add anything you want to it, I plan to try roasted red pepper, artichokes, spinach, roasted garlic....I could list all day!

Ingredients -

2  - (15 oz) cans of organic chick peas (garbanzo beans)  - Shoprite has a store brand, which is great cause they are maybe 10 cents more than the non-organic, which have preservatives.
1/2 cup tahini (jars of tahini are found by the pickles and relish, and are just a ground sesame paste)
1 lemon, juiced
3 garlic cloves
water, to attain desired consistency

Directions -

Put chick peas, tahini, lemon juice and garlic in a food processor or blender.  Blend on high (you may need to stop it and spoon down some of the chickpeas).  It should be really thick, so pour just a bit of water in and blend.  Add water until you reach your desired consistency (I like it thick!)  I topped with some paprika.

Serve with baby carrots, homemade tortilla chips, celery, etc.

Day 2 Recap

2 days in and I feel better than I have in 2 weeks.  I know it's only 2 days, and maybe it's all in my head, but I really do feel better physically and mentally when I am taking care of myself.  I am not sure if I ate a very balanced diet yesterday, I am still learning to plan my meals to give me the proper proteins, carbs and healthy fats, and to increase my veggie intake.  I am also trying to limit my fruit intake to 2-3 servings a day.  Fruits are great for you, but when you should be getting 5-8 servings of fruits and veggies, I prefer to make more than half of those veggies...less calories, less sugar, more nutrients.  But by no means is fruit BAD for you!  It's crazy how many fad diets out there will steer you away from fruit.  In the grand scheme of things I am just trying to adjust my ratio of fruits and veggies, but even if you eat 10 apples a day it's better than a bag of Doritos!

Meal 1 - 1/2 cup rolled oats cooked in 1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk, with 1 tbsp of natural peanut butter and 1 tsp cinnamon.

Snack - 3 oz baby carrots and 1 hard boiled egg

Meal 2 - Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps, leftovers (You'll find for lunches I am always eating leftovers from the previous evening's dinner.  It's easy and more economical)

Snack - 1/2 of a large red delicious apple

Meal 3 - 6 oz seasoned Flank Steak, 1 cup roasted broccoli and medium baked sweet potato (Recipe for seasoned Flank Steak will be posted)

Snack - 1/2 avocado mashed with seasoning on brown rice cake, 1/2 cup strawberries

Activity - 1 mile walk with hand weights, 2.5 mile brisk walk with jog intervals, 15 minutes strength training

Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps Recipe

I, obviously, got the idea to make Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps from P.F. Changs.  There is nothing like them, and I don't think anyone could completely duplicate their deliciousness, but for a clean eating, less fat/calorie/sodium option, mine turned out pretty darn delicious!! 

Ingredients -

1 pound lean ground chicken (or you can ground boneless, skinnless chicken breast in your food processor)
3 tbsp liquid aminos (or soy sauce, for clean eating stick with the liquid aminos)
2 tsp sesame oil
1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
1 tsp fresh grated ginger
1/2 cup of bean sprouts (if you use canned, make sure you rinse them)
1 - 8oz can of water chestnuts (rinsed)
1 to 2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tsbp scallions
unsalted sunflower seeds
Head of iceberg lettuce (or lettuce of your choice)

Directions -

Combine liquid aminos (or soy sauce) with 1 tsp of sesame oil, rice vinegar, ginger and some salt and pepper.
In a larger mixing bowl, combine the ground chicken with the water chestnuts and pour the previous ingredients over the chicken and marinate for 15 minutes.
After 15 minutes, heat a large skillet and add the remaining 1 tsp of sesame oil and the garlic.  Cook the garlic for just about 10-20 seconds and then add the chicken mixture.  Stir fry until browned, breaking up the chicken into bits (about 5 minutes).  Add bean sprouts and cook about 3 minutes longer.
Fill lettuce wraps with the chicken and top with scallions and sunflower seeds.

This would be delicious served with some asian veggies, or even roasted broccoli or cauliflower.

Day 1 recap...

Hello Lovies,
So Day 1 went down without a hitch, probably because I have been cooking clean for a while now, but am only starting to document it.  The food is not as much a sacrifice when I am cooking, it's when I am out....that seems to be the real problem.  So like I said yesterday, I will not eat out at all for these 30 days.  It does not mean I am going to lock myself in the house and not be social...I'll drink club soda with lime or water with lemon when out with friends for cocktails (I mean, we know I am better sober, so this is good for everyone).  Alcohol is not a trigger for me, but eating out and not really knowing what's going on in the kitchen isn't something I want to do...for these 30 days, not forever (Let's not be ridiculous lol).

So I promised to document the foods I am eating and the exercise I am doing over these 30 days, in case someone is up for the challenge, so that they'll have something to refer to and not have to do all the research...you're welcome :)

When eating clean, some days I eat 6 small meals, or 3 larger meals with 2 snacks.  After a few days you'll get the gist.  But you need to eat the food when hungry...we must break the mentality that under eating is healthy.  Also, I have 2 cups of black coffee every morning (I have been drinking my coffee black for almost 10 years, so this was not difficult for me) and I drink at least 100 oz of water a day.  Dehydration's first symptom is false hunger, so combat that with water!  I also have a cup of decaf green tea in the afternoon.

Meal 1 - 2 eggs scrambled in coconut oil with sauteed onion and red pepper.  2 slices of uncured bacon crumbled into scramble.  (This surprising kept me full all morning, I never realized eggs potential as an appetite suppressant.

Meal 2 - Spinach & Tuna Salad - 3 cups baby spinach, 1 hard boiled egg, 4 oz tuna packed in water, assorted veggies (cucumber, broccoli, tomato, onion), 2 tbsp sunflower seeds.  Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Balsamic Vinegar as dressing.

Snack - 1 hard boiled egg and 2 ak mak crackers (http://www.akmakbakeries.com/wholeofthewheat.html) available at Trader Joe's

Meal 3 - Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps (Recipe will be posted in separate blog post for those who only want my recipe not my rant lol)

Snack - 1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk with small banana topped with almond butter

Exercise - Walked 2 miles at 15 min miles.  20 minutes of strength training on my Wii Fit (it was a start).

Day 1 and done!!! LOL

Ok, so I talked to a medical professional last night and then did some research online.  I will NOT be challenging myself to 30-days primal.  I am still, however, challenging myself to 30-days completely clean and with some form of activity every day.  I invite you on this journey with me, and it begins today! 

I thought by testing my body with a primal diet for 30 days, I would reap benefits of improved sleep quality, lean muscle gain and fat loss, which I believe one can obtain, but through my conversation and research, I am learning that I can do all the same without eliminating food groups and their benefits.  I also learned that as I am someone with hypothyroidism, my hormones would not react well to a low-carb push, even if only for 30 days.  I really should have started this research on primal/hormones before the day I wanted to start lol.  Better late than never.  I did start this morning and at the end of each day will share my food consuption/recipes/exercise through my blog and facebook page.

Bottom line, I will continue a 30-day challenge of healthy, wholesome, delicious food that serves my body well.  I will exercise every day.  I will share new and old recipes with you, and share this entire experience.  30 days doesn't seem like a long time, but when you work 6 (some weeks 7) days a week, have functions to attend, and have friends who love to do dinner and drinks, it's going to seem like an eternity.  While I may now be able to have some hummus and quinoa (primal wouldn't allow that), I will not partake in eating out or alcohol.  Wish me luck!!

Officially a Blogger

Well, here it is, my first blog.  If you are following this and reading what I am writing, you'll have to bare with me for just a bit while I learn how this works :)  So this was half of my exciting news...I don't expect this to be a popular blog, just one that friends can follow about all of the clean food I am cooking.  I honestly believe that to feel my optimum, I need to eat clean.  However, eating clean can be tricky, too, as every body is different.  But if I can at least help people cook healthier, than I feel good in sharing the knowledge.

So for the second half of my exciting news, I wanted to share that I am doing a 30-day detoxification, and will be blogging daily what I am eating and how I am feeling, along with the exercise I am doing.  I feel like this will be helpful not only to the people who follow "Stef Cooks Clean," but also helpful to me, as I will have to be accountable.  The first thing I want to point out is that I am not an advocate for "fad" diets.  I do not believe in eliminating any food group from my lifestyle (of course I do advocate a vegetarian or vegan diet, when chosen, as they are cutting out animal products, not protein), but I do believe that eliminating certain food groups for a short period of time can help reset my metabolic rate, improve sleep quality, increase energy, and promote a healthy weight loss.  Therefore, I am embarking on a 30-day detoxification of sugar, alcohol, tobacco, grains, legumes and processed food.  The alcohol and tobacco are easy, the sugar and processed foods will be a bit more difficult, but I am hoping having this blog, and being accountable will help with the transition.

At the end of my 30-day detoxification I hope to have curbed all sugar cravings, and can implement back into my healthy diet legumes and grains.  This may sound like a Paleo Diet I am embarking on, but I am not really an advocate of that lifestyle, as I have said before I do not believe in completely eliminating any food group from a healthy, whole, well rounded diet (for me!  If it works for you, and you are happy, that's awesome!) I am following this strictly scientifically.  I have completely destroyed my metabolic rate through years of fad diets and yo-yoing weight.  I spent my youth chubby, my teens overweight, dropped a lot of weight after high school, only to gain back a good amount after being diagnosed hypothyroid in my late 20's.  I have tried every fad diet and have learned that while you can lose weight with every one of them, they are all so restrictive in nature and are hard to commit to as a lifestyle.  So it just becomes a viscious cycle.  Eating healthy whole foods along with physical activity is the key to maintaining weight loss.  I have been doing it and seeing results, but I still have pounds to lose and will use this blog and page as my demonstration that we don't have to give up tasty foods to live a healthy lifestyle.