Eat This, Not That

We have been doing raw, full fat milk for quite some time now.  It keeps us healthier.  The local cows are eating local grasses, local pollen, local allergens.  We are then ingesting their milk that has these local allergens in it.  The kids allergies have completely disappeared.   When milk was first "factory farmed" they started feeding the cows things that were left over from beer/brewing companies.  Cows are meant to eat grass, not grains like that.  Their stomachs cannot break down corn and grain. Therefore, people started getting sick from their milk.  So they started to pasteurize it, which kills everything in it.  Even the good stuff.  Whenever milk is raw it has good antibodies in it that kill the bad antibodies that make people sick.  Meaning that if cows are fed properly and their bodies are breaking down the grass properly (which it will if they are pasture fed) their raw milk is so much better for you than pasteurized milk.  I highly recommend the book Raw Milk Revolution by David Gumpert for those of you who are skeptical about raw milk.  It is unbiased, fact based reading.
I have mentioned many times that I replace most oils with coconut oil.  It can be bought in big tubs at Costco,  or online, reasonably priced.
This list is a great tool to use if you are feeling overwhelmed with converting your family to clean eating/whole foods.
Let me know if you have any questions!

Change

You all know how much I LOVE Insanity, right???  I mean, I think I have mentioned it a few times. ; )  Well, when that was over I thought I would stick with another Shaun T workout, because I have a tiny, little obsession with him.

Tiny obsession...
Well, I was not loving Hip Hop Abs.  It's a great workout.  I could feel it in my abs the next day, but it wasn't enough.  Sooooo, Jeff bought Les Mills Pump and I decided to give that a try.
I am so glad I decided to do it too!  It is amazing!  Here's the description right off my website.

"This barbell-based rapid weight loss and accelerated strength-training program incinerates calories to help give you the ultimate tight, toned, and lean body you want. The secret is THE REP EFFECT™, which uses lighter weights at a higher rate of repetition so you can burn up to 1,000 calories per workout and get lean and strong without bulking up."

So, let me tell you that I love it!!! It is such a great program!  It comes with a barbell and the 5 and 10 lb weighted plates.  We need to get more/heavier plates, but I am seeing some serious results and it's only been two weeks!  My quads are growing and my back and abs are also feeling it!  It is a winner in my book!  

The recovery day is called Flow.  It's basically yoga, which I have never been into, but I am loving it now.  Insanity really improved my flexibility, so I can get to where I need to be to really feel these stretches!

So, there ya have it.  My newest workout crush.  Check it out!  It's really good stuff!

Another Pumpkin Recipe

This is another Spartan Race FOD.  They have awesome recipes!

Ginger Apple and Pumpkin Soup

by Rose-Marie Jarry

25 minutes
8 servings
98 calories per serving
Gluten-free, vegan

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of cooked pumpkin
• 2 cups of diced potatoes
• 5 cups of vegetable broth
• 1 onion
• 1 apple
• 1 tablespoon of fresh grated ginger roots
• 1 tablespoon of coconut oil

Directions

1. Combine all ingredients together in a big pot, except the coconut oil, which should be placed to the side.
2. Cook on medium heat for approximately 15-20 minutes.
3. Once everything is cooked through, add coconut oil and serve.

I haven't tried this yet, but the ingredients are on my grocery list so that I can make it next week!  If you try it, let me know how it is!!! 

Eggs

I signed up to receive emails from The Spartan Race.  They send a Workout Of The Day and a Food Of The Day.
Thursdays Food Of The Day (FOD) was Eggs.  Here's what they had to say about it...
 Eggs contain an abundance of choline (primarily in the yolk), which is a key nutrient for boosting brain function, as well as reducing fatty liver deposits. Eggs are a great source of protein, selenium, and vitamin A, an important nutrient for good vision. Contrary to popular belief, eating eggs does not contribute to heart disease! For the sake of happy chickens and healthy eggs, choose local, free-run eggs from a reputable farm.

We have ten chickens!  Therefore we eat a lot of eggs around here!  And people always say "What about the cholesterol?!?!"  Well, eggs have about 180mg of cholesterol in them, and healthy individuals should only have about 300mg of cholesterol a day.  If you are eating lots of other foods with cholesterol then maybe limit your egg intake.  I average about 250mg of cholesterol a day.  That includes a hard boiled or scrambled egg.  Moderation, right???
But, don't fall into the mentality that eggs are a terrible thing.  The yolks are really good for you!  Egg whites are great, and contain no cholesterol,  but don't always skip the yolk!

So

Pumpkin Turkey Chili

Some of you may have seen this on my Instagram feed last week.  It was a huge success around our table!  Recently someone asked for more pumpkin recipes since they will be roasting their pumpkins after Halloween.  I thought of this recipe right away!  I used one small pumpkin for this recipe.  Small like maybe three pounds.  

The recipe came from The Gracious Pantry, which is where I get most of my clean recipes from.

I did use some substitutions.  I used freshly roasted pumpkin.  A lot more than it calls for.  And I used tomato juice instead of  tomato sauce because I thought I had sauce, but it turns out I really just had juice.  That's why mine is wetter and less orange looking.  And I used 2 lbs of turkey.  Just because I have a big family and was trying to bulk it up!  It tasted amazing!!!  My husband thought I should have added beans, but the kids LOVED it just as it was!  And so did I!  Let me know if you make this!  

I'd love to hear about it!

Amazing Healthy Snack

Oh. Em. Gee.  These are seriously so delicious.  They feel like a total cheat!

Oatmeal Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars.  So good. For real.  You won't even know that they are healthy. I replaced the regular chocolate chips with organic, high cacao percentage chips.
Get the recipe here.  Her pictures are much prettier, too.  Mine was from my phone.  There was no time for a real camera.  They were being devoured at a very fast rate!

Clean Eating Dinners

After posting my grocery list in this post I decided to write a post with dinners and recipes that I made from that list.
Turkey Meatloaf
2 lbs pure ground turkey
Onion (as much as you like. I happen to love onion, but the rest of my family not so much.)
1 cup oats
2 whole tomatoes diced  
Mix together and shape into a loaf.
Bake at 350 for 50-55 minutes.

Salad with chicken, apples and almonds
Lots of organic spring mix
3 chicken breasts chopped into bite sized pieces
2 apples diced with the skin on
1/2 c whole almonds
Homemade dressing- 1/3 c lemon juice, 2/3 c coconut oil, 1 tbsp honey, 1 tsp salt and 1 tbsp chopped green onion, chives or red onion.  Pour it all into a jar and shake.

Filled Cabbage
2 lbs pure ground turkey
1 cup brown rice
2 tbsp olive oil
1 small onion 
1 head of cabbage
32 oz sauerkraut
4 or 5 cups tomato juice (no sugar added)
Heat the oil in a pan. Add onion and cook until tender.  Add the rice and heat for 3-5 minutes.  Let this cool.
Pull the cabbage leaves apart. Boil them until they are tender.
Add the onion/rice mixture to the turkey.  Stir.  
Place about 1/4 c of the turkey mixture on a cabbage leaf and roll tucking the sides in.  Do this until all the meat is used.
Place extra cabbage leaves in the bottom of a dutch oven (or crock pot) Top with half of the sauerkraut.  Place cabbage rolls on seam side down.  Repeat layers.  Pour the tomato juice over the top and cook about 2 hours on medium/low heat or longer if using the crock pot.  

This is before they cooked all the way through.  I made about 16 rolls.

Mediterranean Chicken Breasts

6 Chicken breasts

3 tbsp tomato paste

1/2 c feta cheese

onion to taste

chopped black olives  

Smear the paste on each breast.  Top with cheese, onions and olives.

Bake at 350 for about 40 minutes.

Bean Casserole

(This was not a huge hit at our dinner table)

Dried Pinto beans (soaked 6-8 hours and then simmered for 2 hours)

4 tomatoes plus a handful of cherry tomatoes. Pretty much every tomato I could grab from the yard!

1 c cheddar cheese

Add the tomatoes and cheese during the last 20 minutes that your beans are simmering.  Serve with organic tortilla chips.  2 out of the 6 of us went to bed hungry the night this was served.  I hate when that happens, but they were really being ridiculous!

The meatloaf and chicken breast were served with sweet potatoes and a veggie.  

Hope this helps you feel a little less intimidated by eating clean!  Really you can make most recipes clean by replacing any ingredient with sugar in it for one without sugar, or a sugar substitute.  My filled cabbage recipe calls for brown sugar.  I just didn't use any sugar.  No white potatoes, no regular pasta, no white flour, etc.  Here's to a dinner with no complaints tonight!

Snacks I Make

Snacks I Make:
-hard boiled eggs
-Lara Bar Balls
-granola
-yogurt
-cookies
-clean ice cream
-dried fruit
I make most of our snacks, as you can see from my grocery list.  I have the luxury of being a stay at home mom, so I have the time to spend in the kitchen.  I don't slave in the kitchen all day, though.
For the hard boiled eggs, I use Eggies.  We have our own chickens and I don't know if you knew this, but, you cannot successfully peel a hard boiled, fresh egg.  Trust me.  I've tried it.  So, I have to grease the eggies, crack the eggs into them, cook them and then clean them up.  It takes me maybe 40 minutes start to finish.  If you aren't using fresh eggs this should take about 20 minutes.
Everything else is easy.
The yogurt is super easy and I was so intimidated by the thought of making that on my own!  You put a half gallon milk into your crock pot.  Heat it on high until it reaches 180 degrees (about 2 hours). Turn it off and let it cool to 115 degrees or until your pinky can stay in it for 10 seconds without you screaming, blistering or losing it in the milk.  Then you stir in the starter (1 cup of plain yogurt) and let it sit for 8 - 12 hours.  Super easy and not a lot of time in the kitchen!

By the way, any planking going on yet?  I use the timer on my phone to get mine timed properly! 

My Weekly Grocery List

Okay.  I had a request for a post with information regarding my grocery list and menu.  Here is a list of items that I bought for this week.
Fruit
-1 cantaloupe
-4 pineapples
-6lbs apples
-2lbs green grapes
-14 bananas
-3lbs oranges
Veggies
-celery
-kale
-lettuce
-tomatoes
-baby carrots
-asparagus
-cabbage
-sweet potatoes
Pantry Items
-whole wheat flour
-raisins
-honey (raw, local)
-brown rice
-natural peanut butter
-tomato juice
-oats
-lite coconut milk
Snacks
-honey wheat pretzels
-organic blue corn tortilla chips
-hummus
Meats
-12 cage free, no hormone, no antibiotic chicken breasts (I don't remember how many lbs.  Maybe 3 or 4)
-4lbs 100% pure ground turkey
-1lb uncured bologna made with local, grass fed beef
Dairy
-raw milk (usually 3 gallons)
-all natural cheddar cheese
Splurges
-chocolate chips
-ice cream
Let me explain the "Splurges".
I make granola for the kids to eat, with milk in it, as a cold breakfast.  I add a handful of chocolate chips to that.  I also made clean chocolate chip oatmeal cookies one day for an after school snack.  I have a boy who hates raisins, so I can't make oatmeal raisin.  I only add a small amount of chocolate chips!  And the ice cream is for the kids as well.  Just because I want to eat clean doesn't mean that they can't have a few goodies every now and then.  It's not like I'm sending kool aid and Cheetos in their lunches.  I think they deserve treats!
Look for my next post about snacks!  I know you can't all spend the day in the kitchen!  My snacks are easy to make and take just a small amount of time in the kitchen!

Are You Up For A Challenge?

Let's do this together.  We can start October 1st!  You up for it?

Planks are so good for your core.  A strong core can help with so many things! Balance, posture, ease back pain and help you get a leaner middle.  Try it out.  If you need to modify it, put your knees down, but don't go into a table top. Don't bring your butt up. Keep your hips down.

Source

Maybe by November you'll be able to plank without your knees on the floor!  Let me know if you take the challenge!

An Easy Dinner

I recently made this Ratatouille recipe.  It was delicious!  I added a few shredded chicken breasts to the mix and, voila, a complete dinner!  This was super easy and everyone ate it with no complaints!  Buying clean tomato sauce is harder than you'd think!  They all have sugar or HFCS in them!  Make sure you're reading labels if you are really trying to cut out the sugars!

Source

Recipe Links

My friend asked me to post more recipes, so that's the plan here.  I get most of my recipes off of Pinterest. You can follow my clean eating board here.  And if you aren't on Pinterest, well, you should be.  Or I can link some of them for you, too.  
Here is the recipe for my clean eating ice cream.  It has become a staple in my diet.  I used to be such an ice cream addict!
This is the recipe I use to make my homemade Larabar balls.  I make the Chocolate ones, but add a tiny bit of organic, fair trade, chocolate chips that are very high in cacao.  Super delicious.  Super. Super.  Mmmm. So, while I haven't officially posted any recipes (sorry Anna!) I have posted some links.  'Kay?
And, I did just see something on Pinterest that said you shouldn't eat dried fruit if you are clean eating.  To that I say "bologna!"  You can definitely eat dried fruit as long as it is just the fruit.  It can't have any added sugars, coatings or preservatives.  I have been drying apples and, darn right, I am eating them.  It sure beats a handful of potato chips.

Motivation

Progress

I just realized I never posted this pic on here!  I am proud of the progress I have made with Insanity, even though I know I have more work to do!  If you follow me on Instagram and Facebook you are probably tired of seeing this picture, but I am kind of proud of it, so......
This was 27 days into Insanity plus clean eating.  I've never had results like this before.  I have never done the clean eating thing before this round of Insanity either!  The two combined make for amazingness.  
This to me is so worth the lifestyle changes I've made.  It's also enough motivation to continue.

Breakfast For Dinner

Yum!  Last night I made these Clean Eating Pancakes.  Super easy and very tasty!  They are only three ingredients.
1/2 c oats
1 egg
1 banana
1/3 c water
Make a flour out of the oats.  I used my food processor and added the ingredients right into it.  Just add all the wet ingredients and process until smooth.
Pour about 1/3 c onto heated pan or griddle.  Makes about 4 5 inch pancakes.
I added blueberries to mine.  And drizzled with a little bit of honey.

For Jeff, I made plain ones and for the kids I added a handful of Organic, Fair Trade, 42% Cacao, Chocolate Chips.  No complaints from anyone!!!  Success!

Sugar Alternatives

I mentioned in a previous post that I was still looking for a good sugar substitute.   I found one! It's coconut palm sugar.  It tastes like sugar and is used exactly the same way. So if your recipe calls for 1 cup of sugar, you use 1 cup of coconut sugar.  The amazing thing about coconut palm sugar is that it is naturally nutrient rich.  It's also low glycemic so you won't get that sugar low.  It slowly absorbs into your bloodstream.   It is awesome stuff.

A lot of recipes will call for agave syrup.  

I just made a Clean Eating ice cream that called for this.  It's not my favorite,  but it works.  Of course, honey is great for sweetening plain yogurt or hot tea.  My two year old loves plain yogurt with a little bit of honey drizzled on it.  When you buy honey, always try to buy local and raw.  Raw just means that it hasn't been pasturized.  It will still have all of the great nutrients in it. 

There you have it. My opinion on sweeteners. Now go get some coconut sugar! 

Oh Good Gracious!

Remember in my last post I said I would work on getting a video up for you about proper squat form and bootstrappers???  Well I did it!
Ahhhhh!  My first official YouTube video!
I'm a total dork and at the time of filming my bathroom was the only clean-ish room in the house, so it's taped in my bathroom.  And, I am so PMSing right now, with major bloating and a zit on my forehead!  Ugh.  But, I said I would do it, so I did!
And I have a cold/allergy thing going on right now, so I actually itch my nose and sound a little stuffy!  Oh Good Gracious.  What have I done???
Here.  Just watch it.  Have a good laugh at my expense.  I don't even care!

Insanity

I want to talk about Insanity today.
A lot of people ask me about it.  I always tell them that I love it.  The results have been amazing.  I have never been so fit in my life.  Even before kids.  I know that I have more stamina, endurance, strength and muscle mass than ever before.  It has been life changing for me.  I have butt shots to prove it.  Yes, butt shots.  Avert your eyes if you don't want to see it.

The "Then" pic is from 2011.  The "Now" pic is from yesterday.  That is progress y'all.  (Don't laugh.  I know I still have a lot of work to do!) I wasn't really doing much except for running in 2011.  Now I'm killing it with Insanity, SQUATS, running and other random workouts that isolate particular areas.  Da butt (Ladies Man reference) comes from the squats and leg work that I do.  Lots of squats, lots of deadlifts, lots of bootstrappers.  I want to get a video posted of myself doing these exercises so that y'all can see the correct form and what the heck "bootstrappers" are!  I'll work on that this weekend.  

Insanity involves a lot of jumping.  A lot of squatting and it is ALL cardio!  It is insane!  But, I love it!  I really, really love it!  I haven't missed a workout since I started.  That means for the past 26 days I have been pushing play and committing to getting it in! Even on my off days I get in a run and do upper body weight training, Insanity style!  I've never sweat during weight training like I do when I do it with Shaun T.  He is no joke!  I big, fat sloppy {heart} that man.  In a totally platonic, I want to be your bff kind of way, okay?  He's gay, ladies.  It didn't really shatter my dreams too badly when I found out.  : )

So, here is a little preview of Insanity.

Sigh.  I just love it!

Clean Eating With a Family

The one thing about me eating healthier is that everyone in my family has to eat healthier, too.

{For the most part}

I do still bake goodies for them.
Jeff got a Jewish Apple Cake last week and the kids always get brownies or cookies.  I am using whole wheat flour for all of my baking.  But, sugar is the one thing that overwhelms me when I think of replacing it.  I need something that will come in mass quantity and is still inexpensive.   We are a one income family of 6.  I have a very strict grocery budget.  So, I need to research this more.
But, other than that, the kids and Jeff eat what I eat for dinner. Always.  I will not make two separate meals. That's absurd.
Last night I made this Clean Eating Pot Pie.  I did not make my own cream of mushroom soup.  That is just more work than I felt like doing.  So, I made a roux with wheat flour and used that for moisture.  So yummy!

I have also found that cooking all my chicken for the week, at once, makes dinner prep so much easier!  A lot of these clean eating meals call for chicken, so it just makes sense to buy mass quantities and cook it all up at once.  I can also take a little bit and throw it on my salad at lunch for a quick protein boost!  

Today's lunch ^.  50/50 Baby Spinach and Spring Mix, chicken breast, nuts, seeds and raisin trail mix and dried apples.  And I have this great homemade dressing that I love to use!  This lunch was a total of 354 calories.  I try to keep my meals in the 300-400 calorie range.  Www.myfitnesspal.com is a great way to track your calories.  And yes, it really does matter and make a huge difference!  I don't feel deprived at all at the end of the day.  It works!  Check it out!  

Homemade Salad Dressing 

2/3 oil (olive, coconut)

1/3 lemon juice

1 Tbsp chopped green onion (I use more!  And I've also used chives or just onion)

1/4 c sweetener of your choice (honey, stevia, agave)

1 tsp salt

Pour all of this into a jar.  Shake it up.  Keeps for about 2 weeks in the fridge.  

I'm not sure you're all on board with the whole "clean eating" thing or not.  I want you to know that abstaining from processed white flour and sugar has made a noticeable change in my body.  I used to be bloated all the time!  I always hated my belly.  It was definitely my problem area.  Since cleaning up my act in the kitchen and doing Insanity for just 25 days, I've flattened it out and I am starting to see ab muscles!  Ab muscles!!!  I haven't ever had that. Ever.  Even when I was skinny (and thought I was fat).

I encourage you all to just try it out.  Give it just 10 days and see if you notice any changes!  You can google "clean eating" for all kinds of lists that tell you what is clean and what isn't!  Pinterest is awesome for that, too!  

Good luck!

Be Warned

This is my new blog!  Which makes perfect sense given my new lifestyle.  My previous blog was full of recipes and carbs.  Not this one.  Nope.  Here I will talk about the clean eating I'm doing.  If I post recipes they will be free of any processed white flour and sugar.

I will probably talk a lot about Shaun T, Insanity, workout gear, fitness in general and maybe even my own body.  If you don't want to hear about any of that then I think you should probably just click out, right now, mkay?

Now with that off my chest, let me tell you that this makes me really nervous.  I have "friends", and I'll use that term loosely, on Facebook who would get so upset with me for posting before and after pics of my progress on this weight loss, fitness, healthy lifestyle journey.  I would get phone calls and emails about the fact that I shouldn't have said the number.  195lbs is where a lot of women are.  That's fine for them.  If they're okay with that.  I was not okay with that.  That's where I was when I delivered my fourth baby.  The heaviest I have ever been.  When I got pregnant with that baby, I was at 165lbs.  The heaviest I have ever been pre-pregnancy.  I have lost 60 ish pounds at this point.  It has taken me two years.  It has taken me a lot of sweat and changing habits.  I feel like I should be able to brag about that on Fb because it has been hard work.  It has not been easy!  And I'm not done yet!!!   I don't want this to turn into something like that. I don't want women feeling insecure about themselves after reading my blog.  I am not obsessed with the number on my scale.  I am obsessed with being healthy.  For my future, and for my kids.  I want them to have healthy habits here at home so that it is just normal for them to eat clean and take care of themselves when they are on their own.  It's NOT about NOT being fat.  It is about being HEALTHY!  And it is for ME!

So this here is a little journal I'm keeping to keep myself motivated and accountable to something.  I hope you'll follow along and maybe even be a little bit inspired to clean up your lifestyle!