Clean Eating

I just wanted to share something with you that has been changing my energy level, way of eating, and most importantly, my waist line. Look at my weight loss tracker. I started shedding pounds when I made a few simple and 1 not so simple changes. 1 was hard for me, but other's in my class found it was very easy to do, but those same individuals struggled with things that I found very easy to do. So keep that in mind when you are reading this post.

First: Read THIS book! It has been so empowering to recognize how food affects me mentally and physically. It is really easy to be healthy with this new knowledge. Just being aware of how I am feeling has been a huge eye opener. I have struggled so long with depression and this book has helped me gain some major ground (along with my AMAZING counselor Helen Bair. You can read more about her HERE).

I took a class from the author of this book and learned a few things I wanted to share with you.

Make sure you are getting enough protein in every meal. I am WAAAAAYYY under and it has been a stretch to get myself up to the right amount. This was one change that wasn't really easy for me, but has made the biggest impact on my weight loss. I am fuller longer and eat less.

To calculate how much protein you should be consuming The equation is to take your weight in pounds..let's use 180 as an example.

Then you divide that by half so you would get 90 as the total number of grams of protein you want to have each day.

You will want to have about 1/3 of that at each meal or about 30 grams.

In the class she recommended eating HARD CORE proteins. That means eating items with denser protein per serving. (ex: a cup of yogurt has 8 grams of protein, a cup of cottage cheese has 28. Cottage cheese is more dense)
To find a list of proteins go HERE. Click on the W on protein for the list.


We also talked about eating within 1 hour of waking up and eating breakfast EVERY day. It jump starts your metabolize for the day. Don't eat breakfast and your body goes into starvation mode and actually hangs onto fat instead. Did you know sumo wrestlers do this to bulk up quickly? It's true. NEVER skip breakfast. This wasn't an issue for me because I always wake up hungry and ready for breakfast.

Lastly, we talked about getting enough complex carbs. Whole grains, brown rice, oats, etc.  per meal. So, the bowl of cold cereal isn't going to work well for breakfast anymore because it doesn't help me reach any of these goals.

All in all, I have learned that my usual easy bowl of cereal is not working for my health goals. I have been planning ahead for breakfast because in the mornings I want what ever is easiest. So, I started making breakfast items in advance. Here is my FAVORITE breakfast item that is easy, loaded with protein and healthy:) I found this recipe in the Clean Eating magazine


Make-ahead breakfast quiche

2 cups chopped mushrooms (I don't like mushrooms, but you can't tell they are there in this recipe)
3/4 chopped roasted red peppers (from jar) squeezed of liquid
1/2 cup chopped artichoke hearts (in water not marinated) squeezed of liquid
1/2 cup finally chopped green onions
1 tbsp. olive oil
liberal sprinkle of herbes de Provence
cooking spray
6 eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/2 oz goat cheese
1/2 oz grated parmesan

Preheat oven to 350*F
Saute mushrooms, red peppers, artichoke hearts, and onions in olive oil and herbs de Provence until softened and warmed through. Prepare pan by spraying with cooking spray. Then Place mixture in a round cake pan, or divided among 4 large ramekin. Cover with eggs and small drops of goat cheese. Sprinkle with parmesan. ( I actually mix everything together and put in a large muffin tin then put cheese on top! Also, I just add what ever veggies I have on hand. No bottled or canned stuff for me because I don't like the taste of most canned items.)
Cook in oven for 25 minutes or until set. Cover and store in fridge.

You can use what ever veggies you have on hand. I am KNOW it is still quite tasty.

Nutrients per serving (quarter of quiche with 1/2 cup vegetables) calories: 168, total fat: 8g, sat. fat: 3 g, carbs: 7 g, Fiber: 3 g, Sugar: 2 g, Protein: 17 g, sodium: 367 mg, cholesterol: 8mg