H2O

Do you know how much 2-3 liters is??!!!  2 liters is about 68 ounces or about 8 cups. 3 liters is about 101 ounces or about 13 cups. Let me tell you, that is a lot of water. Today my goal was to focus on getting in my water, so first thing in the morning I filled up my big 30 oz. water jug.  It is now 8:00 PM and I've filled it about 2 and a half times and I've been to the bathroom about 15 times...no joke. I started with the water principle because I thought it would be easy. Well I overestimated how much water I already drink each day...apparently not enough. I had to purposely make myself pick up the cup and drink, even if I didn't feel thirsty.  I think the only way I'll get used to drinking this much is if I carry around my big souvenir hospital jug marked with ounce measurements. So that is what I plan to do.

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Back to Basics

So this weekend included a lot of compromises on my part...too many.

• Friday: You know, I'll just have a couple of margaritas because it is margarita night with the girls.  I guess I'll also throw in a cheese & chicken quesadilla...because that's what I eat with margaritas.  
• Saturday: I'll just have one burger because my dad did grill it and it would be rude not to eat it.
• Sunday: Okay, I'll have just a small glass of wine because my friend doesn't want to drink alone!

So....I'm thinking it's time to get back to the basics.  That is what Mondays are all about, after all. Now I'm not opposed to compromising once in awhile, but I can't do it every. single. day. of the weekend.

So here are the basic principles of eating clean.  Everyone's different and some people have more or less guidelines for themselves.  These are the ones I'm focusing on:

• Eat breakfast every day 
• Eat every 2-3 hours/6 small meals a day
• Drink 2-3 liters of water a day
• Eat lean protein & complex carbs at every meal
• Avoid over-processed food, eat fresh, whole foods (in general, avoid labels with ingredients you don't recognize or with more than 5 ingredients)
• Avoid white flour and sugar
• Limit alcohol

I think I'll take a day to focus on each one.  I've gotten pretty good at eating breakfast every day (usually oats, egg whites, and coffee), so I'm going to start with getting in my water.  

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Three Little Words

Ugh...I just heard three words that threaten to completely derail my clean eating....Girl. Scout. Cookies. I totally forgot that it's Girl Scout cookie time.  Otherwise, I may have delayed my clean eating venture. (Just kidding....) Last year at this time I was big, happy, and pregnant.  I remember spinning around in my wheelie chair behind my desk while devouring a sleeve of "Lemonades". Mmmm..those were the days.  Now that I can see my feet again, I'd like to keep it that way. So while I do not promise to completely forego my Lemonades and Caramel Delights, I do promise not to double fist them.  In fact, I'll try to limit it to one a day and only one box total.

Yes, I am completely aware that these are not clean.  However, I am also aware that they only come around once a year. Anyway, what kind of citizen would I be if I didn't contribute to the local GS troop?

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Subbing

Last night my parents invited us over for dinner.....beef and noodles. My mom loves making big, hearty, down-on-the farm meals. There's always, noodles, mashed potatoes, a giant ham, or some sort of roast involved in her dinners. I didn't want to turn down the invite, but I also didn't want to devour a big plate of noodles and white potatoes.  So I decided to bring along a dish of whole wheat couscous to substitute for the noodles.  I even got my mom to try some. 

 I also tossed a lemon, chia seeds, and Stevia packets in my bag to make a couple of Chia Frescas for my husband and me. This made it a little easier to turn down the wine.

To get your mind off of wine...oh, wine....here's an interesting article about chia seeds: The Powerful Health Benefits of Chia Seeds

Okay, when I first saw "chia seeds" on my detox grocery list I immediately thought of Chia Pets. (I killed many of these as a child.)  After a quick Google search I found that it's true! Not only can I make a healthy drink, but I can also grow an amazing head of hair for my terra cotta pots.

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Veggie Lasagna

Yesterday I made a big vegetable lasagna that I thought would last for a couple of days....and it's gone. My husband loved it and even our baby boy devoured it in his highchair.

It was very easy...

cauliflower, bell peppers, eggplant, tomatoes, red onion, a little tomato sauce and mozzarella on top

The eggplant and cauliflower made it nice and firm, so you didn't miss the pasta. YUM!

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Menu Planning

Before I went grocery shopping I sat down with my Eat Clean cookbook, laptop, and notebook to try to get a grip on what dinner will look like at our house this week.  I basically looked through and picked out the recipes that looked the best to me and ones I thought my husband would enjoy.  I figure we have a better chance of staying on track if we're eating well! 

 Here's what our dinner menu looks like this week:

• Sweet Potato Patties & Cucumber Salad
• Chicken, Apple, & Onion Sandwiches with Kale Chips
• Shrimp in Saffron Sauce with grilled Asparagus (Looks like I'm going to have to rethink the sauce for the shrimp because it turns out saffron threads are ridiculously expensive!)
• Vegetable Lasagna
• Lettuce Wraps
• Clean Eat Pizza

Other things I plan to make:

• Clean Chocolate Walnut Brownies
• Yogurt Bread (similar to banana bread)
• Citrus Spread
• Clean Tortilla Chips (The one thing my husband has really been missing is this tortilla chips for his salsa.)

Here's a link to my grocery list.

I actually had a lot of fun while grocery shopping.  I spent most of my time in the produce section and the natural food section.  Even though this is my third trip to the grocery since I started cleaning up my diet, this is my first all out meals planned-list made- shopping trip.  I was so proud to fill up my cart with clean food and I didn't spend much more than I usually do, probably because I saved a lot of money by skipping out on chips, frozen pizzas, cereals, etc.. 

Here's my cart on the way to the check out lane (I swear, I didn't touch that Valentine's candy in the background!)

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Chia Fresca

Something caught my attention while watching one of the morning shows today.  Some health guru was talking about eating healthy and mentioned how Chia seeds are a "superfood".  That made me think...'Hey!  I have a big bag of those in the kitchen left over from my detox'.  Other than the pudding I had made, I wasn't sure what else to do with the expensive little things.  What to do in such a dilemma? Pinterest, of course!  When I searched "chia seeds" I found all kinds of recipes for Chia Fresca and since I had the ingredients, I gave it a try.

All you need is:

• 3tsp.chia seeds (I found mine in the body section of Whole Foods, near the supplements)
• 2tsp. natural sweetener (agave nectar, Stevia, etc.)
• 1 lemon
• cold water

Put about 3 tsp. of Chia seeds in 12 oz. of cold water and let it sit for about 10 minutes.  This allows the seeds to soak in the water and soften.  Remember to stir it occasionally so that the seeds don't all clump together. Next, add the sweetener, squeeze in the juice of one lemon, and stir.  It makes a really refreshing lemonade-like drink.  I loved it and am planning on having many more of these! It was a nice change from water. (I've been missing my juice lately.)

I snapped this with my phone. It's not a great picture, but you get the idea. (Plus the cup briefly made me think I was drinking a margarita...almost.) Don't let the floating seeds turn you off.  They get really soft and are easy to drink.  Even my mom, who is currently skeptical about my new eating clean venture, thought it was really good!

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