What is Clean Eating?

I feel like there is so much noise around Clean Eating. Even in my own head. I have been working on my own lifestyle changes for the past year now and I want to share what I have learned with you.
Hopefully this will help you with the learning curve and get you on the road to permanent lifestyle changes!

Here are some Clean Eating basics...I will do another post with some more advanced Clean Eating options (Clean Eating 201).

What is Clean Eating?
- eating 5-6 meals daily, spaced 2 1/2 - 3 hours apart
- combining a lean protien with a complex carb at each meal
- drinking 1/2 your body weight in ounces of water daily
- eating whole foods that are unprocessed (found in nature) or minimally processed
- incorporating heathy fats into your daily meals
- adhering to proper portion sizes
- eating breakfast within 1 hour of rising
- limiting or eliminating alcohol
- planning and prepping meals in advance (weekly or daily) to prepare for unexpected circumstances in order to eat clean where ever you are


What Clean Eating isn't:
- it's not a temporary diet
- eliminating entire food groups from consumption
- eating processed foods that are fat free, sugar free or carb free
- eating clean 100% of the time - it's nice to indulge or treat yourself every so often, using the 80/20 rule

Run for Heros - September 20th, 2015

As September approached and Back to School was here for the girls, I found it difficult to maintain my workout and running schedule.
At the Run for Heros race, I was planning on seeing and running with some amazing friends I have met through work, running and others I have just known forever :)
I tried not to overthink this run, and decided that based on my training or lack there of, I would set a reasonably tough goal for myself of hitting the hour mark.  It was slower than the previous two 10Ks I ran earlier this year but again, my training leading up to it was not as consistent.

The morning of the race, I got up and prepped like I had for previous runs and races. I tried to calm myself and not put too much pressure on. As I met up with friends and family, I grew excited.

It wasn't too busy at start line, and after the gun went off, and we all took off out of the gate, I checked my Garmin (Forerunner 330). I was running at a 6:30 pace, I wondered if maybe it reverted back to kms, but it was on miles so I knew I had to slow down...as I wouldn't be able to sustain this pace. I settled into 9:00-9:10 min/mile pace.

I felt great for the entire race and I was so excited when I finished with a time of 56:53, far quicker than I was expecting!

Now it's GO time as I prep for my 1/2 Marathon in Toronto in October.  This run certainly build my confidence as we head into October!

After the run, I was thrilled to have some of my friends back to my house (since it was in Amherstburg). Luckily we all had a great run that morning, so I didn't feel too bad when I brought out the cheese, bread and flavoured oils :)

Sweet Potato, Egg and Cheese Skillet

All I can say is wow!! This was even more amazing that I had imagined!

I had some baked sweet potato in my fridge from my plan and prep day on Sunday. 

This was a savoury dish but also a little sweet and quite filling!! 

Ingredients:

1 sweet potato, baked, removed from skin and cubed

1/4 onion, chopped

1 1/2 c chicken broth 

1 tsp oil

Himilyan salt

1 tsp paprika 

1 tsp cumin

Pepper 

2 eggs

1/3 cup goat cheese, divided 

Directions:

Put oil and broth in a skillet over Med-High heat. 
Add onions and begin to soften. Add spices and salt. Stir. Add sweet potato and add pepper. 
When broth comes to a boil, make a space in the middle and add the eggs. As the water starts to evaporate and when the top of the egg isn't full cooked, turn the heat off and cover the skillet for about 1-2 mins. Add the goat cheese on top of the eggs and cover again until the cheese is warm and smooth. 

Serve immediately. 

Weekly Meal Plan and Prep - Part 2 Meal Prep

Meal prep is a very customizable task. We prep our food for the week but we do make our lunches as a family the night before. 

In order to do that this is how our meal prep work on Sunday's looks. 

- Wash, cut and store all the veggies in large containers in the fridge. This way the kids can self serve for an after school snack as well as lunch packing. 

- Hard boil eggs for the week - it's roughly a dozen for us

- Pre-cook any rice or quinoa for the week depending on the meal plan

- Pre-cook sweet potatoes and or squash 

- Cook up chicken breasts for the week

- Sunday's are when I create my Mason Jar salads, overnight oats or just pack Greek yogurt with frozen fruit for snacks

- Prep any other snacks for the week like Shakeology Balls or Bars

I have attached a quick video outlining exactly how I prep my weekly meals!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vTypVa0lE20

Mason Jar Madness

I have been using Mason jars for everything lately.
They are glass, which makes them easy to care for and no worries about the plastic chemicals. They are portable, inexpensive, and look kinda pretty :) You can make mason jar salads or anything else for 5-7 days in advance!

This is a glimpse of what my meals look like for a day (although my dinner is not here)!
This is the breakdown and 21DF containers:
Breakfast – Chocolate and PB (my favourite and the healthiest meal of the day!) (1 red, 1 tsp)
Morning Snack – Greek yogurt with frozen cherries and mango, sprinkle of seeds - which I added right before I gobbled this up! Seriously my favourite snack! (1 red, 1 purple, ½ orange)
Lunch – Salad Jars…I'm a little mad for mason jars right now - oil & vinegar, veggies, chickpeas, chicken breast, feta, seeds, lettuce (1 green, 1 yellow, 1 red, ½ blue, ½ orange, 2 tsp)
Afternoon Snack - veggies and roasted red pepper hummus (1 green, ½ blue)
Dinner – would be something with 1 red, 1 green, 1 purple, 1 yellow – so for example: a chicken salad wrap with salsa
Here is a short video I made around making mason jar salads.  Check it out, I would love to hear what you think!!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zAab4bMfxK0

Canada D'Eh - July 1st, 2015

A friend of mine had a Bib for the Canada D'Eh Race in my hometown of Amherstburg. She was not able to participate, so she gave the bib to me. I took it because I was going to be around that day, but honestly hadn't been training too consistently after the Moon in June. Since this was a 5K, I wasn't too concerned and just thought, I would do the best I could, given the training.  I didn't have a pace watch, I didn't know how I was going to do. I thought to myself, it's fine...just go out and do the best you can, run based on how you are feeling instead of what a watch is telling you!!!

I had no idea how I was doing until the very end when I crossed the finish line...out of breath and sick to my stomach...maybe I pushed a little too hard at the end, but I still had a little gas left in my tank and I wanted to finish strong. I was incredibly pleased with my 26:20 finishing time!!! It's good to mix some 5K's in with the longer distances...it pushes you in different ways and actually help to boost my running confidence some more :)

Portobello Steak Fajitas

We have been trying to incorporate more meatless Monday's. So last Monday we tried out this recipe...I modified it slightly. It's from Oh She Glows by Angela Liddon.
Corrie and Amelia were surprised at how much they enjoyed the mushroom fajitas. Presley does not like mushrooms at all, so she tried a bite, but opted for some left over BBQ chicken fajitas instead.
These were fairly simple to make and put together on a weeknight!

Ingredients:
For the Portobello Steaks:
2 tbsp + 1 1/2 tsp EVOO
4 large portobello mushrooms
2 tbsp fresh lime juice
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp ground cumin
3/4 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp sea salt
fresh ground pepper
For the Stir-Fry:
1 green pepper, sliced thin
1 red pepper, sliced thin
1 small onion, sliced thin
1 tbsp EVOO

shredded cheese
1 avocado, sliced
salsa
plain Greek yogurt

Directions:
Wash and remove gills from mushrooms.  Cut into 1/4 inch slices. Marinade in the oil and spices for 30mins to 1 hour.
Heat a few the EVOO in the frying pan, add the onions and peppers and fry until they are soft.  Add the mushrooms and stir gently until they are heated all the way through.
On a whole wheat or multi-grain wrap, add mushrooms, peppers and onions, top with salsa, avocado, and a dollop or two of Greek yogurt.

What is a Challenge Group?

I was tired of feeling sick and tired.  I knew that the ‘dieting’, intermittent workout spurts and incredibly negative self-talk was just perpetuating that feeling. I was doing the same things I've always done…I've gained and lost weight in the past and I ‘knew’ what to do to lose the weight. But the feelings didn’t go away, and the weight seemed to always creep back on. I knew that in order to change that cycle, I had to do something different.

To get something you’ve never had, you have to do something you’ve never done.

That stuck with me.  I set about to do something different…but something ‘better’ different. During my research I came across the 21 Day Fix, Beachbody, Shakeology and ‘Challenge Groups’.  They were truly unlike anything I've done in the past….they were a game changer!  So you are probably asking yourself what makes them so different? I thought I would give you a little insight into Challenge Groups…

What is a Challenge Group?

It’s a closed Facebook Group of like-minded people who are looking to make changes in their health and wellness LIFESTYLE.

There are daily motivational posts, sharing of recipes, meal plan and prep info and help.

There is encouragement, support and friendship.

Challengers hold themselves accountable with progress updates, sweaty selfies, pics of their meals and shakes.

It’s a safe place to be yourself, to share successes and seek support, to show strength and vulnerability.

It’s a tribe…with a healthy vibe.

If you are looking to get something you’ve never had…it’s truly time to do something you’ve never done.

Fill out my Challenge Group Application Form below!

Weekly Meal Plan and Prep - Part 1 Meal Plan

One of the biggest things I've learned since participating in a Challenge group and becoming a Beachbody coach is the importance of meal planning and prepping.

It is also one of the questions I'm most often asked. How do you meal plan? How long does it take? How do I get started? 

I made two videos Meal Planning and Meal Prepping. 

This post is about Meal Planning - I have a whiteboard in our kitchen with the days of the week. I start thinking about the meals I'm going to make the week before or on the weekend. We have about 10 recipes we eat regularly and I try to make one new thing each week. The key is not to over complicate the process. If you like a certain meal, just think of how to make it healthier to keep it in your rotation. 

To come up with new recipes to try, I check out my cookbooks, browse Pinterest, Skinnytaste.com or other healthy blogs. 

When I take out my whiteboard, I put all of our weekly activities in there (and make sure I schedule my ME time with running or workouts). Then I start to put my meals in the week based on our activities. I also usually schedule a leftovers day near the end of the week. 

Once that is done, I check my cupboards to ensure I have all my ingredients and make my shopping list based on my meals for the week. 

I typically eat the same things for breakfast, lunch and snacks to keep things easy. One thing you can to is make extra dinner for lunch the next day also!
Check out the video I made below:

https://youtu.be/mAXBoE84OT0

Chocolate Pumpkin Spice Homemade Protein Bars

A few months ago I made homemade protein bars for the first time. The girls really loved them and were happy they could have a healthy treat. Of course most of the protein bar recipes contain nuts or nut butters so the girls were not able to bring them to school as a healthy snack for their lunches.
Now that we are in September and back to school, the request for homemade protein bars came in again from the girls!
I knew I needed a binding agent that was sweet, and since Pumpkin season is gearing up, what a perfect  time to use Pumpkin Puree!

Chocolate Pumpkin Spice Protein Bars
Ingredients:
1 can white beans, rinsed
1 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 - 1 banana (mashed)
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup vanilla Shakeology
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 1/2 cup rolled oats
1 cup mix of dark chocolate chips, unsweetened coconut and craisins

Directions:
In a food processor, mix the first 6 ingredients until well combined.
Add the Shakeology, cocoa and oats. Pulse to just combined.
Add the last ingredient and pulse briefly to combine.
Spread into greased 9x13 pan.
Bake at 350 for 15 mins.
Cut into 24 small bars.
Store in airtight container for a week.  Freeze and take bars out as needed.