30 days of clean eating
Thirty-three days ago my family and I made a goal to start a clean eating challenge. We didn’t have huge expectations. It was a tool to get me organized in the kitchen. I did the shopping and meal prep on Sundays and every other day for that matter. I never knew how much food my family would consume while eating in for nearly all three meals a day. The other thing I never imagined was how much I would run our dishwasher! That damn thing is constantly beeping at me telling me to empty it and before I can empty it the sink seems to already be full. INSANE! The fam seemed to be happy and after most meals the kids would be screaming at me, “thank you mommy for the yummy food!” It definitely makes you feel good inside knowing the ones you love the most are appreciative and notice the change.
The other component of the challenge was to get my booty to The Dailey Method fifteen times within the thirty days. I felt fatigued the first week, all I wanted to do was nap. The second week I was faced with the tragedy of losing a friend. The third, I felt determined and the fourth I just wanted to kick ass. It was truly a roller coaster of a month. I got in eighteen classes and I couldn’t be happier about it. I don’t even know the last time I attended that many classes. I guess when your husband opens that dreaded drawer of skinny jeans and says, “it’s time“you can either cringe or embrace it. I embraced that drawer and you know what? After nearly five years, two kids, forty-one pounds and a whole lotta soul searching later those beloved jeans don’t even fit because they’re TOO big! Holla!
:::Does a happy dance:::
Back to the food… We wouldn’t have made it if it wasn’t for the food! I tried to document what we ate so for everyone who has questioned, what the hell are you even eating? could see. We ate yummy (well almost everything was), natural, whole, sugar and preservative free foods. Let’s take a walk through the 30 days shall we…
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| Snacks – you aren’t supposed to snack but my homemade “Lara Bars” served as a pre and post workout snack if I went during odd hours like 6 am or 7 pm. They were also a special treat for the kids and hubby. I even came home one day and the hubby made a batch! Boom! |
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| Egg Cups – These had mashed sweet potato on the bottom and an egg layer with fresh veggies. |
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| Banana “pancakes” – the best damn pancakes EVER! 1 banana, 1 egg and 1 TB almond butter. Voila! |
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| Artichoke Lemon Chicken “spaghetti”. An artichoke pesto sauce, sauteed chicken served over spaghetti squash. |
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| Romaine with chicken apple sausage, sauteed peppers and avocado. Drizzled with homemade balsamic vinaigrette. |
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| Scrambled eggs, purple sweet potato (delish!), bacon and berries. Green juice was also consumed on most mornings because I would rather drink my greens. |
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| typical day. salad was shredded chicken, blackberries, avo, blueberries and toasted pecans. lara bars and dinner that evening was roasted cabbage and a yam with a cup of black coffee with coconut milk (canned). |
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| pancakes round two. always a crowd pleaser. |
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| my autumn inspired salad. |
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| crispy crockpot carnitas served in lettuce cups. |
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| cauliflower spanish “rice” |
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| coconut chicken fingers with mango “ketchup”, brussels, mini squash and sweet potato fries. |
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| weight loss goal achieved. :::does happy dance again::: |
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| typical breakfast. If you haven’t tried Applegate products RUN! Especially their chicken and apple breakfast sausage. I am not a sausage lover by any means but this stuff is amazeballs. |
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| Panera Mediterranean chicken salad off their hidden menu. |
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| told you it was typical…drinking my greens too. |
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| I work three nights a week. It is rough working in a restaurant but luckily they make me whatever I want. Turkey patty, grilled onions, steamed veggies. |
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| Post workout lunch came from Baron’s market salad bar. Not something I typically do but it hit the spot and this salad fed both of us. |
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| Souplantation – I haven’t been there in a while and I was surprised that they added kale to their salad choices. Again, not organic but compliant. They also offer yams so I had two along with this salad. |
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| sweet potato hash with fried eggs. |
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| Tender Greens – Ordered the roasted veggie salad and when I asked if their was cheese the worker said no, however, you can see the cheese right there. Not going to kill me. |
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| I tried another “natural” sausage brand and these patties were sub-par. Go with Applegate. |
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| In & Out – I had to. I was craving a burger, little time and well, who cares. I’ve already pooped it out anyway. |
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| Banana Nut Porridge – raw, yummy and so creamy! |
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| NY strip marinated in coconut amino’s and black garlic. Grilled alongside zucchini and artichokes. |
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| Mini turkey meatloaf. The best I have ever made. Look for a post next week. |
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| Roasted acorn squash filled with scrambled eggs and blueberry/apple sausage. |
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| farmers market omelet. |
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| Chipotle – my go-to salad. nom nom nom. |
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| My FAV brekkie – sweet potato hash, scrambled eggs with Applegate chicken & apple sausage, green onions, cilantro and avo. |
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| Cauliflower “tortilla” tostadas. Sometimes I just amaze myself. |
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| We capped off the challenge with a potluck party for all the TDM participants. This is what I brought. Raw strawberry “cheesecake” bars. Heck yeah!
Did I cheat? Yeah, I did. I ate popcorn at the movies. Gasp! It was the day after I reached my weight loss goal so I took it as a reward, sad! Annnnd! It was hella good. Other foods we ate: |
Autumn Inspired Salad with Pear Vinaigrette {paleo, clean eating & yummy!}
If you know me well enough you know that there is one meal a day I love going out for, lunch! It’s a time where the kiddos and I get to spend some time together, eat some yummy food and get out of the house. I would always stick to my guns when we were working on our budget, too stubborn to give up my coffee trips and lunch dates. That was until we began The 30 Clean program. During the first few days I was itching to get out for lunch but by day six the thought of eating out didn’t sound appealing at all. I was craving whole foods made by me, that in itself is a goal achieved from this challenge.
To help recreate some salads I would typically order while dining out I came up with an Autumn inspired salad with a homemade pear vinaigrette. The salad has a colorful plate of: roasted purple sweet potatoes, bright orange yams, crimson pomegranate perils, plump blueberries, crunchy toasted pecans and roasted chicken. Eating this salad in complete silence as the hubby worked and the baby slept made it that much sweeter! Not to mention I felt like I was rewarding my body with yummy whole foods and preservative free!
On Sundays I prep a lot of our food, like sweet potatoes and chicken. Adjust the amount of toppings based on how many salads you’re making.
Ingredients:
baby mixed greens
roasted purple sweet potato, diced
roasted yams, diced
pomegranate perils
roasted chicken, diced
raw whole pecans, toasted
blueberries
Pear Vinaigrette:
1 whole pear, diced
2 TB Bragg’s apple cider vinegar
1 TB olive oil
salt & pepper to taste
In a blender emulsify the pear, vinegar and oil. Season with salt and pepper. Dress greens prior to topping with ingredients. Enjoy!
pumpkin steel cut oatmeal {recipe}
Like every other pumpkin loving fiend out there I have found myself trying to incorporate the beta-carotene packed purée into just about anything. I would love to indulge into a silky slice of custardy pumpkin pie everyday, however, my waistline would not thank me. I began The Dailey Method Fall 30-Day challenge this past Sunday and with that came a plant-based whole/clean eating meal plan. So far on day three I am enjoying the change. My biggest problem no matter what day it is or what kind of meal plan I am following, breakfast is always the hardest meal for me. I love cheerios with sliced banana and maple oatmeal. Since I am following the diet 99% of the time I mixed my Fall favorite with a breakfast item I know I will eat. I introduce to you, an overnight slow-cooker version of pumpkin steel cut oats.
Pumpkin Steel Cut Oatmeal
inspiration from the yummy life
ingredients:
1-3/4 cups plant based milk such as unsweetened vanilla almond milk
1-1/2 cups water
1 cup uncooked Bob’s Red Mill steel cut oats
1/4 cup Wholesome Sweetners maple flavored agave (Sprouts)
1 can organic pumpkin purée (trader joe’s)
1 tsp vanilla
2 TB pumpkin pie spice
1 TB chia seeds (I used whole chia seeds not ground)
toppings: chopped toasted pecans and walnuts, agave, fresh fruit, toasted pumpkin seeds, organic frozen blueberries.
directions:
If your slow-cooker will fit a medium sized heat safe mixing bowl go this route, if not spray your slow cooker with cooking spray. In a medium bowl combine all the ingredients and mix until combined. Place the bowl into the slow cooker and fill water into the slow cooker around the bowl, about half way. Set your slow-cooker onto low and cook for 7 hours. I turned mine on at 11:30 PM and it was all ready to go for the hubby before he left for work at 6:30 AM.
The oatmeal is really thick, you can add in additional almond milk if you wish. I added in a swirl of maple agave and nuts. It was perfect and really filling.
*I prepped the mixture earlier in the evening so all I had to do was place the bowl into the slow cooker late at night. I will be doing this a lot more, it was nice having breakfast ready for all us before we even woke-up. Great for busy mornings!