What We Eat

OK OK, I wanted to read my book during nap time but all the texts, messages, and comments have nudged me into getting this done for ya'll. Thank me later :)
Preface: I have told you that I personally, for the most part, follow a clean eating lifestyle--which I read about and was sold on from reading Tosca Reno's book The Eat Clean Diet. A friend once told me that Dave Ramsey changed the way she thought about money, and Tosca changed the way she thought about food. I could not agree more, (though I need to learn more about Dave sooner rather than later :O)It is not a diet, it is definitely a lifestyle and small changes are necessary and bends in the rules have to be allowed. (This being said, this is not at all like a meal plan I write for a weight loss client, and this is not what I did when I lost the bulk of my weight.) These recipes are about HEALTH not necessarily about WEIGHT LOSS which are two different things ok?
If you need a detailed meal plan for you to follow to meet a weight loss goal, you need to meet up with me--we need to discuss goals, what you are and are not willing to do and go from there. There is no one size fits all in this game. Everyone is different so this DOES work for me now that I am at my desired weight/body fat  level, it doesn't mean it will work for EVERYONE 100% of the time.
How do I choose my foods?
I try to eat clean whole foods. Food without ingredient labels. I am not 100% but I try very hard to mostly do this. My recipes are filled with mostly WHOLE foods, and because I have been doing this for a long time--real food tastes REALLY good to me. I don't need added sweeteners or added seasonings for the most part because I have cleaned my system of high fructose corn syrup, and hydrogenated oils. (NOTE: I did not do a cleanse, my body cleanses itself daily by drinking a lot of water and mostly whole unprocessed foods. I do not recommend cleanses.)

I try to eat from all the food groups. Do I think carbs or bad? NO! Do I only eat protein and veggies? NO Do I have some crazy thing you should sprinkle on your food? NO! Do I weigh and measure all my food? Not anymore, but I used to. Now that I am pretty rooted in my lifestyle after three years I know how to listen to my body. I don't go to extremes, I eat well and for health most of the time, but if I want a piece of pizza I eat one. I don't eat 6. I eat one. If I want a cookie or make cookies for the neighbors, I eat one or two...I enjoy it--cuz I really love cookies--and then I move on. I don't ruin a whole day because I ate a couple things that "omg weren't on my plan!" That's called borderline eating disorder--been there done that, bad idea. The stress that accumulates from associating guilt with food actually increases cortisol levels which increases belly fat. Did you eat a cookie? Who cares. Eat your chicken and butternut squash and avocado for dinner and move the heck on mmmmmk?

Any other easy yes or no questions I can answer without going off on another tangent? Do I drink diet soda? YES I do. I don't recommend or not recommend it because I could very well die from cancer from drinking it. It is bad for me, it is not clean. I drink one everyday because I like it. You should too if you like it and then move on :)

I am not known to be good cook. I have always thought back to a post I saw on facebook a long time ago that said "What is up with all these commercials and people thinking every meal needs to be an orgasm in their mouth?" I could not agree more. I do enjoy food and there are occasions when my food is simply about enjoyment, but for the majority of the time--95% of the time, my food is fuel for health and fuel to push me through a workout that I love. I don't stay home from parties, I don't not go to dinner I just flex what I need to flex to make those things work with my lifestyle. I am a mom, wife, friend, trainer, church goer etc. That adds in some social occasions that revolve around food.

So my cooking has evolved from having to have an orgasm in my mouth every time I eat, to getting the necessary food groups in at each meal. I try to structure my day eating every 3 hours give or take, and I try to eat a serving of protein, complex carb, veggie, fruit and healthy fat at my first 4 meals and a protein and vegetable with a healthy fat for my last two meals of the day. These are guidelines the get in shape girl helped me with two years ago and they have worked very well for me.

Now my food is often times in a bowl, all jumbled together and I have come up with or found several good combos that turn into deliciousness. Then there are other times, like today my food did not go together at all-- example. Lunch : 2 of those pancakes, tbsp peanut butter. 4 oz coconut walnut chicken breast, and a butt load of broccoli with half an orange. Weird combo? Yes. Hit my food groups? Yes. Did I love it? Yes. I don't always love my food though ok? I have eaten brown rice chicken and broccoli for lunch more times than I can count and I think it's boring and gross but it fits, it's easy, and it is cheap. I need all three of those things sometimes.

Ideas you have seen me post about: (These recipes have come clear across the web, the get in shape girl, bodybuilding.com, Eat clean magazine, Big Jon, friends blogs etc. I have no clue where some came from and I made a few of them up myself--I have done my research :)
Breakfast:
my favorite: steel cut oats, blueberries, serving of slivered RAW almonds and a side of egg whites/spinach
-old fashioned oats, half banana, tbsp peanut butter, whey protein
-daves killer bread, tbsp peanut butter, dab of honey, egg whites/bell peppers
-smoothie: whey, 8 oz unsweetened original almond milk, banana, pb2, spinach (a ton of spinach)
I have literally eaten one of these three meals (With the exception of contest prep probably 355 days out of each year...I like it)
Protein pancakes- 1/2 scoop whey, 1/2 c almond milk, 3 egg whites mixed together (its lumpy) cook like a pancake and top with peanut butter and fruit
Pumpkin pancakes
1.5 c oat flour
2 tbsp stevia
1 tbsp baking powder
2 tbsp cinnamon
4 egg whites
1/2 c raw pumpkin
1.5 cup almond milk
*mix all together and cook in a skillet I drop by the 1/3 c measuring cup and then my serving is 2 ( i add 6 dark choc chips to a few of my batch)
Cottage Cheese Pancakes (my kids LOVE LOVE LOVE these!)
4 egg whites
1/3 c 2% cottage cheese
1/2 c old fashioned oats
vanilla
cinnamon to taste
blend in blender and cook on skillet (I have to double the batch to feed my family of 4 for one meal)

Snacks:
pumpkin protein bars
1/2 c stevia
1 4 oz jar baby applesauce
2 t cinnamon
1 t baking powder
1 t baking soda
1/2 t sea salt
2 t vanilla
4 whites
15 oz raw pumpkin (I just buy libbys or whatever from winco)
2 c oat flour
2 scoops whey protein (I use vanilla)
1/2 c almond milk
1/2 c chopped nuts if I have them
mix dry seperatly from wet ingredients, the mix well and cook in a 9x13 pan 350 degrees for 20-25 mins

Carrot Cake protein bars
1 c oat flour
2 scoops vanilla whey
2 t cinnamon
1/2 t baking soda
1/4  sea salt
4 whites
3/4 c stevia
8 oz baby food carrots
4 oz h20.
bake 20-30 mins at 350 in an 8x8 dish
(These don't sound as appealing but they are SO SO good, kids and hubby approved)

FROYOFREEKYO GO NUTS (named by my children, yes they like it too!)
3/4 c plain non fat greek yogurt
1/2 scoop vanilla whey
dash of stevia. mix and freeze for 10 minutes. Then add your favorite nuts--I like Emeralds dark chocolate or dark chocolate peanut butter mix.

FROYOFREEKYO Reeses style
3/4 c plain non fat greek yogurt
1/2 scoop chocolate whey
2 tbsp pb2
freeze and add some nuts or for a real party in your mouth FROZEN banana pieces

LUNCHES/DINNERS
quinoa bowl
quinoa cooked in water, but add one low sodium chicken broth
chicken
avacado
sauteed onions, peppers, spinach
1 egg scrambeled in the sauteed stuff
mix all together and eat...amazing.

Spicy Peanut Chicken (this is from Jon and Shawna and my prep meal plan it's amazing)
2 oz dry measure rice noodles
2 tbsp spicy peanut sauce
4 oz chicken
side vegetable salad or broccoli

Spicy Feta Turkey Burgers
extra lean turkey burger
1/2 c oats
6 tbsp almond milk
2 eggs
2 tsp evoo
2 tbsp worshersire sauce
1/2 c chopped onion
little garlic
1 tsp chili flakes
1/4 c crumbeled fat free feta cheese

mix all together and grill. Use a sandwich thin and top with veggies (spinach, onion, tomato, avacado is our favorite)

Enchilada Casserole
Brown 1 lb grnd turkey or chicken with some onion. While that is browning get a 9x13, spray with spray olive oil and tear up some corn tortillas. Put one layer of tortillas down so no glass shows through to the pan.
Finish your meat and then add some beans (we like black) and one can low sodium cream of mushroom soup, and a 28 oz can of diced tomatoes, (or if you are lucky like me, you have a neighbor who canned some and shared with you). Mix all together then put half meat mixture on top of corn tortilla layer. Make another layer corn tortillas then add other half meat to top. Top with a little shredded cheese (I buy fat free cheddar)
Bake 350 for 20-30 minutes
side salad

Coconut Walnut Chicken (This one is from the get in shape girl I remember for sure!)
4 chicken breast
4 oz chopped nuts (i use walnuts or almonds both are good)
1/2 c unsweetened coconut
1 beaten egg
mix nuts and coconut, mix egg up so you can dip your chicken in it, then dip in coconut mix and put on baking sheet.
Bake 350 degrees 20 minutes or until your chicken is done

Chicken Tacos
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tbsp sea salt
1 tbsp black pepepr (mis and rub chicken down 4 chicken breasts, then grill chicken)

garnish with corn tortillas, black beans, ff cheese, cabbage or romaine (I like the cabbage)

Turkey Cranberry Sandwich
2 slices daves bread
2 tbsp plain non fat greek yogurt
2 tbsp dried cranberries
2 slices of real turkey not deli meat
spinach
toast bread, mix yogurt and berries top bread. then add turkey and spinach and enjoy. This is only one serving so double or tripple if you need to

Turkey Chili
2 lbs ground turkey
1/2 c chopped onion
1 T garlic
2 small cans green chilis
2 15 oz can of beans (I like black and garbanzo)
28 oz can diced tomatoes
1 T chili powder
1 T brown sugar (i use half tbsp brown sugar and half stevia)
2 T white vinegar
3 T yellow mustard
1 t sea salt

Stuffed Bell peppers
mix ground turkey with 1 c cooked quinoa. Sautee onions, peppers, spinach together. Add to the mixture and add some feta or some ff cheese. Mix a little Franks hot sauce and a dash or two of low sodium soy sauce. Fill 2 peppers or maybe 3 might fit and bake at 350 until your pepper is as baked as you like. I like mine soggier so 30 minutes I think

We eat tacos a lot, we eat turkey loin a lot, spaghetti with whole wheat pasta,

Desserts :
I don't do a lot of clean desserts because we don't eat sweet stuff that often and when we do, I make the real unhealthy kind :)
We have had these though and they are good
Almond Butter Cookies
1 c almond butter
3/4 c stevia
1 egg
1/2 t baking soda
1/4 t sea salt
3 oz dark choc chips
bake 350 for 10-12 mins

Clean Oatmeal Chocolate Chip cookies
1/3 c cooked oats
3 T honey (i used less)
1 t vanilla
1 t cinnamon
1/8 c oat flour
1/2 c dark choc chips.
bake on parchment lined pan at 325 for 20 mins

The get in shape girl has a pie that I have made that's really good too, I think I adapted it a bit and made it like this
1 graham cracker crust
1 fat free sugar free cool whip mixed with a pudding mix (just the dry powder) filled in the crust and top with blueberries, banana, or strawberries