Clean Eats on the Cheap

OK. We're broke this week. (But by choice, because I decided I really wanted to spend $150 on concert tickets to see Jewel... !!!!)

Luckily, my pantry & fridge are well stocked, so I've been making things stretch. But when it came to dinner time I was a little worried. My friend brought in a tv dinner for lunch that looked really yummy, but was full of sodium and preservatives. Eeek. So to the grocery I went. Her dinner had penne pasta, marinara sauce, broccoli, and grilled chicken. A couple of weeks ago I cooked up a bunch of chicken breasts, so I didn't need any of that.

At first I grabbed some tomatoes, carrots, and onions inspired by the Eating Clean mag's Chicken Pomodoro recipe, but it quickly added up to $10+, a little more than I wanted to spend being super-broke. So I headed to the pasta aisle in hopes of finding something that would be relatively clean. The first 6 jars I picked up had sugar in the ingredients, including the generic organic brand. Finally I found a brand that worked!

Culinary Circle

Tomato & Basil Pasta Sauce

I found this at our local discount grocer, Shop 'n Save. It's available at Jewel-Osco, Acme, Albertsons, Cub Foods, among other places.

For a 1/2cup serving there's only 90 calories, 6g fat (0 trans) and 2g fiber. The only downside is the 380mg of sodium, but for the price ($2.88 I think) it was well worth it. I ended up also buying their spicy Arrabiata sauce as well. I'm going to be cooking that up with some lean bison meat. Hopefully Dan doesn't get Pasta-ed out...

Weigh In: 199.9 Whoo-hoo! Goodbye 200lbs.

Traveling & Caffeine

I suck at travelling. I don't make good choices and I succumb to peer pressure. Pizza? Sure. Steak? Abso-freaking-lutely. Ice Cream from Braum's the best ice-cream store in the world. Why not? Thank god no one offered me a donut. I did make some decent breakfast choices. A piece of toast with St. Dalfour Conserves, and some scrambled egg whites. A breakfast power sandwich from Panera/St. Louis Bread Co. But I also skipped some meals... SHAME!

But I didn't skimp on my water intake. I just kept chuggin it. And I worked out a TON. I've been cleaning my grandmothers house, so for 3-5 hours a day I hauled, swept, threw, and carried pile after pile of junk to the truck and then to the dump. My obliques got quite the workout.

I've found that most essential to this diet, or any diet really, is a well-stocked kitchen. The very first thing I do when I arrive in Tulsa is go grocery shopping. I buy fresh fruits and veggies, whole grains, my favorite peanut butter, and lean meats. I can't imagine being able to do this without a kitchen. But I'm sure it could be figured out.

Also, on the trip down to Tulsa, I was driving late at night and worried about falling asleep. So I got one 12oz glass bottle of full sugar, full caffeine Mt. Dew. Followed by a 12oz can. Followed by a 20oz plastic bottle. All in all it was 44 oz of syrupy craziness. When we arrived in Tulsa at 1:30am I was still buzzing and couldn't fall asleep until 4am! While the caffeine did keep me alert, it also kept me up super late and my whole sleep schedule was thrown off. I didn't wake up until 11am the next day, a big change from my usual rising time of 7am. And I still feel groggy and all out of whack.

Weigh in: 201.0 - despite travelling I managed to lose 3 pounds. I guess all the work paid off!

THIS is healthy!?!?!?!?

That's what my husband said to me last night. I served up a ground pork mixture with roasted red potatoes. It had zucchini, red pepper, corn, peas. onions, paprika and garlic of course. It took about forty minutes, with most of the time spent chopping because I suck at it. I got the pork, extra lean, from Whole Foods. It was the first time I'd ever cooked with ground pork and it was really really good, although I think this recipe could have just as easily been made with turkey. I over-cooked the potatoes a little, but that's ok really. I HATE tough skins on potatoes.

Needless to say, Dan loved it. His reaction was seriously "THIS is healthy!?!?!? We've been missing out!" It's nice to know that the food that I spend time and energy on keeps him so satisfied. Not only does it taste unbelievably good, it's also good for us and leading us to find our slimmer, healthier selves.

I got to try Goat Cheese for the first time. YUM. Fattening, so use sparingly. Also, this is the first time I've ever liked zucchini in anything. It makes me feel bolder, and more confident when it comes to cooking it.

Energy & Bee Pollen

I can't believe how much energy I have. It seems that no matter what task I have at hand, I always have the energy, both mental and physical, to complete it. I'm still a little sleepy in the morning, but I'm hoping that's just been because I am sick. Yesterday when I woke up though, I wasn't sleepy at all.

Yesterday I went grocery shopping for nearly six hours, from 11am to 5:30pm with an hour break for lunch with the hubs, Dan. I went to Sam's Club for a few of my bulk items. I scored some freshly frozen green beans and freshly frozen broccoli florets. I'll let you know how those taste. I also went to Whole Foods, and our local bargain grocery store Shop N Save.

Then I managed to squeeze in a car wash and stop in at work to pick up some dog food.

When I got home, I cooked cleaned out my fridge and threw out all my unclean/anti-food. Miracle Whip, Ketchup, barbeque sauces, ranch dip, tartar sauce... ice cream... It all had to go. Then I cooked dinner: Salmon. I was under the impression that salmon was difficult to cook. But it was actually REALLY easy. 12 min in the oven at 350degrees. On the side was a corn saute (made of roasted red peppers, corn, and onion) and a black bean salsa with tomatoes onion, garlic, cilantro and lemon juice. I took the recipe from this months Clean Eating magazine. YUM.

After dinner more cleaning commenced! This time I attacked my pantry. I boxed up half a dozen hamburger helpers, pasta that wasn't whole wheat, more ketchup, more dressing, Crystal Light (because I'm avoiding aspartame too), and those ready made soups and chilis that dominated my life not so long ago.

All the while I was multitasking! I was boiling eggs and grilling up a dozen chicken breasts for the week, washing dishes (GOD I NEED A DISHWASHER!), and jamming to my favorite music. But seriously, I just kept going. Sure I was tired, but it was more like the fatigue you get from a good workout. And whenever I thought surely I'd run out of energy soon, I just kept going. My brain was firing away too.


Favorite Product of the Week:
St. Dalfour Fruit Conserves (I like the strawberry)

This is exactly what I've been looking for! A little runnier than typical jams, jellies, and preserves, but with NO added sweeteners. It's 100% fruit. So it's a clean option for when I'm really craving a PB&J or toast
and jam.



Favorite New Food Ingredient:

YS Organic Bee Farms Fresh Bee Pollen

This is what I attribute my energy to. Collected from the bees before they enter the hive, this is actual pollen that's mixed with tiny bits of honey left on the bees legs. It tastes a little like honey, a little like flowers/pollen. But it's a complete protein, with a bit of a sweetening affect on your food. I mix it into my oatmeal, which I eat at least 5 times a week. Start off slowly, with about 1/4 teaspoon, and increase the amount up to a couple tablespoons if you want. It's also been known to increase libido in some.

Weigh in: 204.6

HYDRATION

Ok. I'll be honest. Disgustingly, shockingly honest, because that's how I roll. As recently as a few weeks ago I used to drink nothing but diet Pepsi. And I would drink 2-4 LITERS a day. I would bring a 2L to work and drain that then when I got home my husband and I would split one or two additional 2Ls for dinner. And I was always thirsty. And my lips and mouth were always dry. And I can't fathom how much money we spent on pop. (yeah I'm from OK and I say pop). It was very similar to a smokers pack-a-day habit. And I was always tired, so groggy, even after my 32oz cup was emptied.

When I went Clean I switched to water. I've been drinking somewhere around 3L of water a day and I'm loving it. I don't want pop. When I drink it I feel dried out crash pretty shortly after from the caffeine. So I'm a water baby now. I bought a groovy little water bottle from Target (photo to come later), and I take it with me everywhere.

Of course, it can get a little boring to only drink water for some. Not for me, really. I really like water. Always have. I don't even know why I stopped drinking it. But when I'm craving a little variety I drink the Sobe LifeWater drinks that have no sugar in them (the ones with the white label - the ones with the darker label have both Sugar AND Erythritol/PureVia). They are really tasty. And I also buy the Simply line of fruit juices. They come loaded with sugar so I usually dilute them a bit. I do about 2/3 juice 1/3 water and stir it up really well. I'm looking into making my own infused waters. We'll see.

The upsides though, to the water vs pop debate are that my skin is insanely soft. It's a wonder to me that all these people find topical creams and potions to treat the symptoms of dehydration instead of treating from the inside out. A friend of mine touched my arm the other day and actually commented on how soft my skin was. The first of many diet-related compliments, I hope. The other upside is one I really didn't expect. When I'm groggy in the morning, I perk up MUCH faster with a glass of water than I did with pop. As the ice-cold liquid hits my stomach I get a little burst of energy. I feel rejeuvenated. And everytime I take another sip I feel crisper, cleaner, and healthier. I know I'm doing the right thing for myself.

Weigh In: 206.1 (almost 4lbs lost in 2 weeks)

First Impressions

Well, when I started on Tuesday I weighed myself. 209.9 ICK. That means I've gained 10lbs since losing 30 on weight watchers. Lots of math here. I know I should only weigh myself weekly, but I couldn't resist yesterday morning (Thurs). And after only 2 days on the diet, I have lost 2 pounds (207.9). It took everything in me not to weigh myself this morning. But perhaps I will weigh again tomorrow.

My personal training sessions this week were a little bit easier. Either Tracy went a little easier, or I'm getting better, or my two in-between sessions of cardio really helped out. On Monday night before the (haha wouldn't it be funny if I referred to the time before eating clean as BEC, and since starting to eat clean as AEC...) we played a few games. I really like the game push-pull where we use those stretchy exercise ropes (Resistance Bands?) and looped them together and pulled against each other then turned around and pushed against each other. It was fun and unpredictable. We also sat on our Bosu trainers (like a stability ball but with a flat bottom) and tossed a 6lb weighted basket ball varying leg positions. I like the games a lot.

I haven't had ANY High Fructose Corn Syrup this week. It's crazy how many things it's in. I've also managed to DRASTICALLY reduce my sugar intake. I don't eat anything with added sugar in it, or at least I try really really hard to avoid it, except for one thing: ice cream. I am in love with Breyer's All Natural. It's so good. It's like how I remember ice cream used to be. But last night I ate some and had an instant sugar high and crash. I haven't felt that in awhile. But, regardless of the high/crash, I need my ice cream. It's so yummy.

Yesterday I had a lean turkey burger (the patty's made by Jennie-O). It was super easy to cook. 5-7 minutes on each side, from frozen, and they are ready to go. I actually cooked them in a foil packet, so cleaning was a synch. Chopped some garlic, sprinkled some olive oil, fresh ground pepper and sea salt. Then I put it on my whole wheat, whole grain bread, topped it with fresh sliced tomato, onion, and pickles. And then, for a treat I added just a tablespoon of A1. A1 contains no HFCS, but does contain Corn Syrup, not the best, but worth it.

Anytime I start to miss processed food, I remember how good all that fresh, clean food is, and how good I feel after eating it, and how good I'm GOING to feel when I'm lean and fit.

So that's where I'm at.

Eating Clean - Day One

I'm setting up this blog because I'm taking on a new adventure. Dan & I are starting the Eat Clean Diet, popularized by Tosca Reno, on the recommendation of our new Personal Trainer Tracy (Phibetafit.com).

We just joined the YMCA here in town (ymcastlouis.org/recplex) and after a month of going it alone we decided that we really wanted to make the most of our time to get the results we wanted. The last thing we wanted to do was put our time and energy into something and then not get results. So streamlined, and no bullshit was the way we chose to go. (And yes I will cuss on here a lot. Get used to it or don't read it.)

So. My story. I was a chubby grade schooler (probably because my diet consisted mostly of Kraft Macaroni & Cheese and PBJs and pop/soda/coke). I grew out of being chubby into a large busted soft-bodied teenager. Looking back I wasn' t fat at all. But nothing was toned from the waist up. I did have the good fortune of having nice legs, but I took those for granted.

I also have a rather large body frame. The smallest size I can remember fitting into after 16 was a 9, and I really had to squeeze into it. The summer after I graduated high school I decided to take up jogging and doing the Ab Slide "machine". That combined with little to no understanding of safe exercise habits lead to some pretty incredible knee strain. But at least I got down to 140lbs... or at least that's what I told myself

When college started in the fall of 2002 I gave up what little exercise habits I had, but was happy to sport a size 10 jean and narrow-for-me waistline. I still remember my measurements being about 42 bust, 35 waist, 40-41 hip.

Enter the all-you-can eat crappy dining commons/cafeteria. My school's meal plan, that is. I would arrive for dinner at 4:45 (when it opened) and sometimes stay as late as its 7:30 closing time. I would casually graze on hamburgers and french fries, a slice of pizza, waffles, bowls of cereal, ice cream and ice cream floats in any and all combinations. Always accompanied by gallons of pop. Then after a brief few moments studying in my room, I'd head down to the student union and chow down on more ice cream, frozen slushy drinks, and fried mozzarella cheese sticks. Looking back, I can't believe how much I ate, easily enough for three people. And it's no wonder why that academic year alone I gained 30lbs.

I steadily gained more throughout college, eventually totaling an 87 pound gain to reach a startling 227lbs. During that time I met and married my husband, a husky-er guy who has weighed around 245-265 the entire time I've known him. He's always been known for his "belly". The real shocker came during my Senior Recital (I was a vocal major) in the spring of 2006. The photos of me were almost unrecognizeable. When I compared the photo of me and my two best college friends in our freshman year to the same pose of the three of us our senior year I was apalled. I was disgusted. And still I wasn't ready to change.

Finally in the spring of 2007, Dan and I had had enough. We joined the Weight Watchers Online program and the pounds just melted off. We ate mostly cereal or a bagel for breakfast, a t.v. dinner for lunch, and a homecooked meal for dinner. Our work schedules were the same, so it was really easy to plan and execute. By mid-late June we had both lost nearly 50 pounds. I ended up getting down to 181 and Dan had gone from 266 to 215. We were ecstatic with the results and had every intention of continuing on.

But then a job and city change threw everything up in the air. At one point we were crashing with some friends while looking for a place to live. Without a steady work schedule and kitchen of our own, we gave up. And the pounds crept back on. I ended up gaining it all back by late 2008 but Dan was fortunate enough to only gain back up 30lbs, totalling about 246.

Now it's Spring of 2010. A full 3 years since our first attempt. And we're fed up. We're tired, grouchy, and unmotivated. Or at least we were a few weeks ago. And now we're trying Tosca Reno's diet. And it seems CRAZY. But it also makes sense. Dan likes to call it "evolutionarily appropriate". And that's exactly what it seems like. No high fructose corn syrup. Limited simple sugars. It's a diet based on consuming whole grains, fresh fruits and vegetables, a little bit of protein, and healthy fats. I'm really excited about it. But I'm scared too. It means a big lifestyle change. It means severely limiting dining out (one of my favorite things to do). We've also cut back out pop-drinking habits. Seriously, I used to average about 4liters of pop/soda a DAY! Lately I've cut it down to 12-44 oz a day. A big difference. I've also started drinking beverages with Truvia/PureVia/Stevia like Sobe Lifewater. It is so good. And I like to refill the bottle with ice water.

So what does eating clean realistically look like for me? Well today I had 1/2 cup of plain oatmeal cooked with 1cup water. I added a pinch of cinnamon and a splash of vanilla. And I topped it with half a cup of sliced organic strawberries, followed by 4 hardboiled egg whites and 1 hardboiled egg yolk. At first I thought the oatmeal was dreadfully plain. But I paired each bite with a slice of strawberry and ended up loving the combination. I can tell that my tongue has to work harder to taste the flavors, which I like. It's not the instant gratification and instant withdrawal that sugar provides. The protein of the egg is for muscle building and good cellular development.

I have to eat small meals 5-6 times a day, or every 2.5-3 hours, which will be interesting. I'm not quite ready/educated enough to take this on full-steam, but I'm reading my book and improving my nutritional intake one meal at a time. I look forward to cataloguing the changes in my body as they occur and I hope you'll enjoy following my journey.