Eating Cleaner and Working Harder

I've read many times that what you eat determines 80% of what your body looks like, and exercise makes up the other 20%.  For some people this may be true, and I completely agree that you ARE what you eat, but for me it is 50/50.

When I started eating cleanER over 2 years ago I was so excited that I didn't have to exercise! If you eat healthy then you'll have a rockin' bod right?

WRONG!

I lived in denial for the first year or so and just continued teaching dance and counting that as my exercise, but in October of 2011 the scale hit a new high and I decided something needed to change.

Thankfully I met a wonderful trainer, Krista Estrada, who trains out of her home. I personally trained with her once a week for 8 weeks and I fell in love with fitness! 

Since October, I participated in the Annual Thanksgiving 10k Turkey Trot as well as the 5k Warrior Dash.

       

 March - June of this year I have been doing group circuit training with the amazing Krista at a park in Mesa.  However, it is now JULY and WAY TOO HOT outside to work out.  

Since stopping the circuit group training I have fallen into a slump.  I convinced myself that I don't know how to put together workouts on my own and that I won't be successful.  But working out isn't difficult and doing ANYTHING is better than doing NOTHING!

So as part of my new fitness goal, I will be recording my weekly workouts to hold myself accountable, and to hopefully give a few of you some workout inspiration if you too are in a rut.

Remember that eating cleanER is a lifestyle and so is exercising!

The workouts will be posted under the FITNESS tab at the top of the page.

  If you have any questions about the workouts or an exercise, just comment on the post and let me know!

Hungry For Change

I just finished watching the documentary

"Hungry For Change"

I've watched almost all of the food documentaries out there and this one was one of my favorites.  So much important information that SO many people don't know about.  Informing yourself and becoming knowledgable is your greatest tool to being successful with your health and weight goals.

This film can be viewed for free until

MARCH 31st!

Just click on the link below

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/03/24/hungry-for-change.aspx

Here is a summary of the documentary:

Story at-a-glance

• Hungry for Change, the sequel to the popular documentary Food Matters, continues the story about how you can create vibrant health, abundant energy, and achieve your ideal body weight without dieting
• Leading medical experts explain the reasons you crave certain foods, and how the food industry has secretly engineered foods to be addictive, as well as what you can do to eliminate food cravings once and for all
• Food additives, such as artificial sweeteners, high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), and MSG, can lead you down a path of food addiction, obesity, and metabolic syndrome, while increasing your risk for chronic disease
• You can escape the diet trap and optimize your health naturally by gradually replacing processed “faux-food” with organic, nutrient-dense real foods, and other lifestyle changes such as regular exercise and proactively reducing your daily stress

Why Spend More $$$ On Organic Meat?

About two years ago, I watched the documentary  " FOOD INC. " which exposes America's industrialized food system and its effect on our environment, health, & economy.  This was the first time I had ever stopped to think about where my food came from and how it was prepared. 

Then a few months later I watched " Food Matters " which is an AMAZING documentary explaining how food can be our medicine. 

With nutritionally-depleted foods, chemical additives and our tendency to rely upon pharmaceutical drugs to treat what's wrong with our malnourished bodies, it's no wonder that modern society is getting sicker. Food Matters sets about uncovering the trillion dollar worldwide 'sickness industry' and gives people some scientifically verifiable solutions for overcoming illness naturally.

Also after reading countless articles such as:

1. http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/03/23/what-to-know-if-you-ever-want-to-eat-chicken-again.aspx

2. http://bodyecology.com/articles/how_to_choose_healthiest_meat.php

3. http://bodyecology.com/articles/the-health-benefits-of-grass-fed-beef

it has become clear to me that spending a few extra dollars on high quality meat is more than worth it.

"You are what you eat"

Well the same thing goes for cattle!

"If cattle eat a diet that they are not meant to consume, they become unhealthy. If you’re willing to buy beef from an animal that has been fed chemically treated corn because you think it’s the same stuff that comes from 100% pasture-raised cattle, think again. These two products are drastically different. After eating grass-fed beef, you can literally feel the difference in your own body"

As I have mentioned before I buy my 100% grass fed beef from http://www.desertrootsfarm.com/  They take orders about once a month and pick up is at Udder Delights in Gilbert. When buying beef it is crucial that it says 100% grass fed.  The label "Organic" does not mean grass fed and also "grass fed" does not mean 100% grass fed... i know it's confusing.  Grass fed cattle are sometime CORN finished!

Oh and guess what! Grass fed beef tastes SOOOO GOOD! Just an added bonus

I have not found a local place to buy order organic chicken but I buy mine at Trader Joes. Important labels to look for when buying chicken are: organic, free range or cage free, hormone free, and antibiotic free. Sprouts sells "all natural" chicken for cheap that is labels as farm fresh and containing no preservatives?? Says nothing about hormones or antibiotics... I'll stick with Trader Joes.

When it comes to improving your health with diet, buying organic meat is said to be the best first step!

So what are you waiting for!

Living Cleaner

Happy Wednesday everyone!

Hope all our healthy goals and resolutions are still in tact 11 days into this new year!

I wanted to post today about LIVING CLEANER

  We all know how important it is to EAT real food that contains REAL ingredients

But what about the ingredients in our laundry detergent? Or our shower cleaner? Or the wipes we use on our kitchen table?

Our bodies are affected by everything they come in contact with.  Especially the toxic chemicals and fumes contained in most household cleaners.  

Almost every company these days now offers a "GREEN & CLEAN" version of their product.  Some are better than others and some are way more expensive than others.

My checklist for cleaning products are:

*Affordable

*"Clean" Smell

*Plant-based

*No harsh chemicals

My absolute favorite brand is 

METHOD from Target

Their products fit all my requirements and I just LOVE their packaging. I'm a sucker for cute design

 

Check out their website for more info!

http://www.methodhome.com/shop

 

Also here is my DINNER menu for the week! 

As of January 1st I am attempting a gluten free diet. I'll get into that later!

Monday: Chile Lime Chicken Nachos w/ Homemade guacamole

Tuesday: Tostadas

Wednesday: Potato Broccoli Soup w/ Side Salad

Thursday: Madras Lentils w/ Rice

Friday: Eat out or Leftovers

Do you have a favorite "Clean" Cleaning product?! Tell us your favorite!

Broccoli Cauliflower Cheddar Soup

I am LOVING this cooler weather and trying some new soup recipes for the winter.  I had the best Broccoli Cheese Soup at Pita Jungle awhile back and I have been on a mission to find a recipe that could compare.  I whipped this up for dinner a few weeks ago and was pleasantly surprised how yummy it turned out!
Nutrition tips:  My quest for nutritional enlightenment is never ending and I am constantly reading books, magazines, news articles, and websites to further my knowledge.  Since this is also a spiritual journey for me, it is fitting that probably my favorite source of inspiration is the Word of Wisdom Living blog.  My friends over at Please Hold the Onions posted about it awhile back, but it wasn't until recently that I really began to read it.  I would recommend it to everyone interested in health.  He is one smart man who has read countless nutrition books, and he goes really deep sometimes but try to stay with him.  He takes his knowledge and then applies scripture to write his posts.  I love how he breaks everything down into making one healthy change a week and then adding another one when you are ready.
Anyways, a growing amount of recent research shows the importance of eating your cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, etc.) because they are thought to be very protective of cancer.  Therefore, I have been making sure they are on our menu multiple times a week!  Luckily, this little one cannot get enough and tries to steal the broccoli from me before I can get it cooked.  That's okay though, raw food can be even better!

Broccoli Cauliflower Cheddar Soup
adapted from Panera Bread
INGREDIENTS:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1/8 cup melted butter + 1/8 cup olive oil
1/4 cup flour
2 cups milk
2 cups vegetable broth
2 cups fresh broccoli
2 cups cauliflower
salt and pepper, to taste
4 ounces grated sharp cheddar cheese
PREPARATION:
Saute onion in olive oil. Set aside. Cook melted butter/oil and flour using a whisk over medium heat for 3-5 minutes. Stir constantly and slowly add the milk (this is called making a roux). Add the broth whisking all the time. Simmer for 20 minutes.
Add the broccoli and cauliflower. Cook over low heat until the veggies are tender for 20-25 minutes. Add salt and pepper. The soup should be thickened by now. Pour in batches into blender and puree. (This gives it that smooth consistency.)  Return to pot over low heat and add the grated cheese; stir until well blended.
Someday I will get better at taking my own pictures, but for now this one looks yummy.  (As does this newly discovered website… foodformyfamily.com.)

Enjoy!!

Dirty Dozen & Clean Fifteen!

 This weekend my sweet husband spent hours upon hours working in the scorching hot sun to create our GARDEN AREA!

Last year my dad built us a small garden box to experiment with and we had SO MUCH FUN growing our own food!

But this year we are going FULL out!

Jess started by killing the grass on the side of the yard, then dug it all up by hand. Next he leveled all the dirt, dug out a tree trunk, had curbing put in, built 2 boxes out of redwood, laid down landscaping cloth, and shoveled in 1 and a 1/2 TONS of rock! 

It was a pain in the neck (literally) but we are so pumped now that it is all done. Can't wait to start planting! Thanks JESS!

So why is it so beneficial to grow your own food or buy ORGANIC food at the grocery store?

***PESTICIDES*** 

Read below to find out WHAT foods you should ALWAYS buy organic and which ones aren't such a big deal

The Dirty Dozen

Of the 12 most contaminated foods, 6 are fruits: apples, strawberries, peaches, domestic nectarines, imported grapes and domestic blueberries. Notable findings:

• Every sample of imported nectarines tested positive for pesticides, followed by apples (97.8 percent) and imported plums (97.2 percent).
• 92 percent of apples contained 2 or more pesticide residues‚ followed by imported nectarines (90.8 percent) and peaches (85.6 percent).
• Imported grapes had 14 pesticides detected on a single sample. Strawberries, domestic grapes both had 13 different pesticides detected on a single sample.
• As a category. peaches have been treated with more pesticides than any other produce, registering combinations of up to 57 different chemicals. Apples were next, with 56 pesticides and raspberries with 51.

Celery, spinach, sweet bell peppers, potatoes, lettuce and greens (kale and collards) are the vegetables most likely to retain pesticide contamination:

• Some 96 percent all celery samples tested positive for pesticides, followed by cilantro (92.9 percent) and potatoes (91.4 percent).
• Nearly 90 percent of celery samples contained multiple pesticides, followed by cilantro (70.1 percent) and sweet bell peppers (69.4 percent).
• A single celery sample was contaminated with 13 different chemicals, followed by a single sample of sweet bell peppers (11), and greens (10).
• Hot peppers had been treated with as many as 97 pesticides, followed by cucumbers (68) and greens (66).

The Clean Fifteen

The vegetables least likely to test positive for pesticides are onions, sweet corn, asparagus, sweet peas, eggplant, cabbage, sweet potatoes and mushrooms.

• Asparagus, sweet corn and onions had no detectable pesticide residues on 90 percent or more of samples.
• More than four-fifths of cabbage samples (81.8 percent)  had no detectible pesticides, followed by sweet peas (77.1 percent) and eggplant (75.4 percent).
• Multiple pesticide residues are extremely rare on vegetables low in overall contamination. No samples of onions and corn had more than one pesticide. Less than 6 percent of sweet potato samples had multiple pesticides.
• Of the low-pesticide vegetables, no single sample had more than 5 different chemicals.

The fruits least likely to test positive for pesticide residues are pineapples, avocados, mangoes, domestic cantaloupe, kiwi, watermelon and grapefruit.

• Fewer than 10 percent of pineapple, mango, and avocado samples showed detectable pesticides, and fewer than one percent of samples had more than one pesticide residue.
• Nearly 55 percent of grapefruit had detectable pesticides but only 17.5 percent of samples contained more than one residue. Watermelon had residues on 28.1 percent of samples, and 9.6 percent had multiple pesticide residues.

Goals and Menu

We’ve got some new goals around here.  I was super happy to see that Michelle Obama introduced My Plate this summer to replace the old Food Pyramid.  She is a big health advocate and this is definitely a step in the right direction for our country.  Also, I love using this plate as a visual reminder and am trying to teach this to my children too.

Balancing Calories

● Enjoy your food, but eat less.

● Avoid oversized portions.

Foods to Increase

● Make half your plate fruits and vegetables.

● Make at least half your grains whole grains.

● Switch to fat-free or low-fat (1%) milk.

Foods to Reduce

● Compare sodium in foods like soup, bread, and frozen meals ― and choose the foods with lower numbers.

● Drink water instead of sugary drinks. 

To learn more about the government’s new guidelines, go here. 

 

Anyways, back to my goals.  I haven’t been feeling my best lately, and I have learned of some changes I need to make to get my strength back.

 

1.  Make at least half of my plate fruits & vegetables.  (Hard for me, but I feel so much better when I do and our Bountiful Baskets are definitely helping!)

2.  Eat more protein.  (Especially for breakfast.)

3.  Cut back on sugar and carbohydrates.  (Even organic sugar and whole grain carbs…waaaahhhh.  I am determined to keep all sugars under 25 grams a day, then work down.)

4.  Exercise.  Regularly.  Get stronger.  (Hard for me, again.  Thanks to my super awesome trainer who is getting me motivated!)

 

This inspiring quote is keeping me going as well.  Love it.

 

So, what are we eating around here this week?

 

Breakfasts

My Favorite Steel Cut Oats (protein powder added) & Peaches

Eggs and Veggies (Loving this high protein breakfast combo lately.  Thinking of trying this and this.)

Peach French Toast Bake

 

Lunches

Salad, salad, and more salad…

Seriously, what a great way to get lots of vegetables!  I also discovered that if you involve your children in the entire salad-creating process, they are much more likely to eat it!  This was Olivia’s very first bowl of salad and she was certain that croutons were vegetables! 

 

Dinners

Veggie Spaghetti Dinner 

Our Favorite Pork Enchiladas

Salmon Cilantro Grains Salad (Tanner’s dad gave us some freshly caught wild Alaskan salmon from their recent trip!  I haven’t had the best of luck cooking salmon, so we’ll see how this recipe turns out!)

 

Snacks

Best Granola Ever (My friend Brittany brought me some in a cute bag for my birthday and I’ve been dying to make more.  Recipe and my own pics coming soon.)

(Copied cute picture from here.)

 

Smoothies

(We have been on a smoothie kick again around here after a long break from them.  The one pictured below was some frozen mangoes and coconut milk.  Wow.  Our daily concoctions usually consist of… )

- some sort of liquid (almond milk, coconut milk, 100% juice)

- usually some organic plain yogurt or Greek yogurt (I just bought Kefir to try for the first time this week!  Yay for probiotics!)

- frozen fruit (pineapples are a must, berries, peaches, whatever)

- 1 T. flax oil (Read here.)

- 1 scoop fruit & veggie mix (trying to use up this super healthy powder I bought awhile back)

The girls are also having a blast sitting on the counter and choosing what will go into our daily smoothies, then we all get our glasses and enjoy!

 

Carrot Apple Muffins – I’m off to go make these right now to use up the carrot shavings that were leftover from my juicing this morning.  That is, after I go workout my legs and core…

 

And just one more picture that I took last week.  I can’t even tell you the excitement I had coming home with healthy goodies from my favorite store and getting a new issue of Clean Eating in the mail!!

Product Favorites & Dinner Idea

Man, life just never slows down does it?

Sorry Kristen & I have been blog slackers lately (come on Kris!)

She has been enjoying her month off of teaching piano and I have been busy with my first month OF piano!

* But let's get back to business here *

Remember how Trader Joe's is my heaven on earth? Well here are a few of my current FAVORITES.

* 100% Pineapple Juice *

This stuff makes amazing smoothies! I find Jess drinking it straight from the can all the time :)

And seriously with the cans?? How stinkin cute are they?

* Unsweetened Coconut Milk *

Gluten/Dairy/Sugar Free and Smells so delicious

 4 oz coconut milk + 4 oz pineapple juice + frozen fruit + flaxmeal or flaxoil = Favorite Breakfast

 * Chocolate Icecream made w/ Coconut Milk *

Dairy Free and surprisingly addicting :) They also sell strawberry

* Chile Lime Chicken Burgers *

Find these in the frozen section! They are healthy with all REAL ingredients

 Now obviously this messy pile of goodness is no masterpiece but let me tell you it was phenomenal.

Chile Lime Chicken NACHOS!

(This recipe made enough for 2 adult servings. If you use ALL 4 burgers, double the RED ingredients)

Ingredients:

These ingredients in RED are optional but highly recommended!!!!

* 1 mexican grey squash (or a regular zucchini works too)

* 1/4 c. chopped onion

* 1 T. chopped cilantro

* 1 small garlic clove, minced

* 2 TJ's Chile Lime Chicken Burgers

* TJ's Reduced Guilt Tortilla Chips

* Extra Sharp Chedder Cheese

* Homemade CLEAN Guacamole

* Pico de Gallo

Directions: If you want to take the super simple route, heat some oil in a large skillet over medium-high flame and add the 2 chicken burgers. Cook through, crumbling burgers into taco-style meat as you cook. Construct a layer of tortilla chips on your plate, add SMALL amount of *Extra Sharp Cheddar Cheese, top with chicken, guacamole, and pico.

This time around I used my mexican squash that I had gotten in my Bountiful Basket! Heat oil in a large skillet and add chopped mexican squash (or zucchini) & onion. Saute for 5 minutes or so until softened. Add cilantro and garlic and stir for 1 minute. Add 2 Chicken Burgers and cook thoroughly, crumbling into taco-style meat. Layer goodness and directed above :)

*p.s. Extra Sharp Cheddar Cheese has a much stronger flavor and taste than regular cheddar cheese, so you can use LESS but still get MORE flavor. WIN WIN Situation.

Thanks for READING!

Bountiful Baskets

 

My cute sister-in-law, Holly, found out about Bountiful Baskets recently.  We got our first baskets last Saturday (for only 15$) and I am in love for these reasons…

1.  Saves me time at the grocery store.  (Hooray!)

2.  Saves me money!

3.  Forces us to eat even more fruits/vegetables than we normally do.

4.  Supports eating local and seasonal produce.

5.  Encourages us to try new foods.  (I just found out that purple thing is kale, a serious superfood.)

Go here to read more about them and how to order.  They also offer amazing deals on fresh, clean bread and other yummy foods.  I just ordered my basket for this week along with a box of organic mangoes!  I believe you have until Tuesday at noon to put your order in, but they go pretty fast.  Thanks, Holly! 

READ THIS POST! Menu & Super Food Reveal!

How is it already Tuesday July 12??!!

...Time needs to SLOW DOWN...

On Sunday I must have gotten side tracked because it's TUESDAY and I have NO DINNER PLAN!

For the next two week I am teaching a dance camp from 3-6pm everyday and that really puts a damper on my dinner making time. 

Time to get creative I guess.

Also, I find I am spending more $$ on food lately than I would like. Probably because I am not utilizing LEFTOVERS properly.

Must fix this dilemma...ASAP.

(Vegan) Monday: Whole Wheat Rotelle Pasta, Italian side salad 

Tuesday: Leftover Broccoli Chicken Calzones made with THIS homemade Pizza Dough

(Vegetarian) Wednesday: Breakfast for DINNER! Hashbrown Egg White Nests, fresh fruit smoothies

Thursday: Parmesan Chicken Wraps

Friday: Eat out or Turkey Sandwiches on Homemade Wheat Bread

Saturday or Sunday: All you can eat Veggie Party: cook as many veggies as i can stuff my face with! 

Phew! Now that that is over, on to bigger and better things

...I present to you... 

CHIA SEEDS

 What are they?

Chia seed originated in South America and was a staple in the diets of ancient Mayans and Aztecs. Today, chia is grown by passionate farmers dedicated to this miraculous seed. 

What are the nutritional benefits of Chia seed?

#1: Antioxidants

Chia seed packs more antioxidants than acai, pomegranate, artichoke, or blueberries.

#2: Protein

Chia seed is a complete source of vegetarian protein providing all the necessary amino acids to fuel muscles and build up tissue strength.

#3 Fiber

Chia seeds are extremely nutrient dense, containing nearly 50 energizing nutrients in one small seed. They are gluten free and very abundant in vitamin C, protein, minerals, essential fatty acids, and fiber. The soluble fiber content of chia (about 11 grams in just one ounce) is more than 1/3 of the USDA recommended daily amount. Chia makes you feel full for hours and can absorb more than 10 times its volume in water so that you can fill up on fewer calories!

Also regulates the bowels and can start to work in just one day.  Whether your bowels are "too tight" or "too loose", chia can balance all types of gut grief and calm your colon.

#4 Omega-3s

One ounce of Chia yields about 5 grams of omega-3s, making it the highest source of omega-3s gram to gram of any of the omega-3 rich foods-including flaxseed and salmon. The omega-3s in Chia have also been proven to reduce belly fat.

#5 Minerals

      Once ounce will give you nearly 200 mg of calcium, making this the highest vegetable source of this macro mineral. Chia is also loaded with magnesium, potassium, and zinc!

 How do I store Chia Seed?

  Chia does not need to be refrigerated or ground up to release their spectacular nutritional benefits, however it has been said that soaking the seeds in water for 12 hours releases the omega-3s and makes them more EASILY digestible. Since they soak up 10 times their volume in water, eating them without soaking can cause them to soak up the liquid in your stomach and cause cramps. 

How do I soak Chia Seed?

The ratio for chia seed soaking is 1 cup of water : 1 Tablespoon of seed

I usually do 4 cups at a time in a large pitcher and keep it in my fridge and allow to soak for atleast 12 hours before consuming. 

Can I eat Chia Seed without soaking?

Of course! These seeds are great in oatmeal, smoothies, dressings, soups, stews, eggs, etc. The possibilities are endless. I personally have not had any "stomach trouble" consuming them without soaking. 

What do they taste like?

I have tried chia sprinkled on top of my oatmeal and I notice NO taste difference. When the seeds are soaked, I will say that the TEXTURE is not pleasant. But they have NO TASTE, which is a plus. They just taste "earthly" if that makes sense. The texture can only be described in two words... "slimy balls"

      

How can I down soaked Chia seeds and make it more pleasant?

GATORADE! Put 1 cup of soaked chia seeds in 1 1/2 cups of any flavor COLD gatorade and enjoy. Seriously NOT BAD AT ALL!  

 

So there you have it my friends

A cute little seed packed with mega nutrients and no taste

As always... EVERYTHING IN MODERATION

Just because this seed is amazing doesn't mean you should down the whole bag in a day. I try to drink 1 cup of soaked Chia a day, which equals 1 Tablespoon of seed. I have noticed the fiber benefits most of all. When your bowels move correctly you feel skinny and healthy! Not bloated and sluggish. 

Give these a try, about $7 for a whole pound bag.