Daily morning chat

What a great fake out! (Or, It tastes like real rice!)

I made a super yum dinner tonight. I added 2 diced chicken breasts, already cooked quinoa and frozen peas. 

Quinoa Fried "Rice"

3/4 cup uncooked quinoa

1 1/2 cups water

1 tsp olive oil

3 eggs

1 medium onion, thickly sliced

2 large garlic cloves, minced

1/2 cup cooked peas

1 tsp dark sesame oil

3-4 tbs soy sauce

2 tbs vegetable oil for frying

Place the quinoa, water and olive oil in a medium saucepan.  Bring to boil, cover, reduce heat and cook until all the water is absorbed.  If you are using a rice cooker, add the quinoa, water and olive oil and set to COOK (it is done when the rice cooker switches to WARM).

Heat the 2 tbs of vegetable oil in a large skillet or wok.  Break eggs into pan and with a spatula, scramble the eggs.  When eggs are almost set, add garlic and onion (and meat if you are adding).  Stir fry until onion is almost translucent.

Add cooked quinoa, sesame oil and soy sauce.  Stir.  At this point taste the quinoa--you may have to add more soy sauce depending on your personal tastes.  Stir in peas, and heat through.

Makes 3 hearty servings or 6 side dish servings.

Eating Clean....

Soooo, for me, meal planning is always the hard part. Every diet I've ever been on (and that's kind of a lot) has required a ton of legwork. I went food shopping Monday night and spent a ton, because I was forced by Mother Nature to go to Shaw's. When the week started, I was excited. I felt like I had so many more good choices than usual. I'm trying to follow Allan's advice that Sarah posted, mainly staying away from fake sugar and carbs.
The thing I miss the most is Diet Coke. I especially missed it while I was in NY and at restaurants a lot. I don't miss sugar at all, which is shocking me.
My favorites so far are chocolate and vanilla almond milk (hardly any calories!) I love smoothies made with the chocolate, a banana and a spoonful of peanut butter. This afternoon I threw in some leftover coffee and ice and skipped the banana. I am also madly in love with steel cut oats (the healthiest oatmeal choice, but time consuming) made with vanilla almond milk. I mixed in a banana and some dried cranberries (not Craisins because they have added sugar) - it tasted like ice cream and I would've licked the bowl if people weren't standing there.
Dinners haven't been too exciting yet, due to lack of time because of my workouts. I microwaved a big spaghetti squash last night and ate half with low sugar spaghetti sauce and parm for dinner - so yummy and filling. I have a bunch of sweet potatoes to use too. I really enjoy not eating meat every day but know I need to bulk up my calories a bit and that's probably how I should do it.
I'm psyched. Especially now that I have a bridesmaid dress to buy soon :)

On the right track!

So I finished the cleanse last Friday ( so it's been 4 days since). In that 4 days a lot has happened! I've begun a healthy eating lifestyle that DOESN"T limit me to foods I hate eating etc... I'm take a few things Allan (Lean and I's kickboxing instructor) emphasized to us and have put them in place. Here they are:

1. Eat all starchy carbs before noon time (this is so your body can burn them rather then turning into fat)
2. Eat healthy fats before bed  to get your body to burn the fat over night (i.e almonds, avacado, etc)
3. Eat every 2 -3 hours
4. Eat a minimal of 1900 calories (that is for me due to my metabolic rate)

So all in all things are going great! I feel like I constantly eat, but that is a good thing because I never find myself truly hungry throughout the day. I have found a variety of things that are natural, healthy and full of protein that I enjoy throughout the day! One thing that has been different (which I give props to Leah on finding this) is the use of Chia seeds! You get the benefits of using them as a source of Omega 3 and they're high in fiber! They can be added to pretty much everything and you don't taste a thing (except maybe their texture, which is like raspberry seeds).

I weighed in this morning because I was dying to know if I had all of sudden put back 5 pounds on, but to my surprise I hadn't! I was down another 3 pounds! My next goal is to track my measurements and see how those go - I need to remember to take them first!!

Okay, you dumdum automotive dieters. Tell us what Allan said about eating healthy and still having energy! How about not starving to death? Because for me, that's key. Today I decided to go for a run, thinking after three months of Torture Camp it would be a piece of cake. Wrong! My foot hurt, my hip hurt, and I hated every inch. When I got home I ate three Oreo truffles. See? I'm doomed. And I need help.

Bananas, eh?

So I woke up not only to it being -26 degrees and dreading the cold, but I was dreading eating bananas all day. I started off with a banana smoothie consisting of one banana and a cup of my almond milk. It was fine, but I knew I wouldn't be able to last all day just on bananas. About snack time I made another one and new that would most likely be the last one for the day!

Lunch time was a complete tease - I had duty so I ate a banana and drank water while watching everyone in the cafeteria eat hearty meals. I made it through and just continued to drink my water to keep my stomach full. For the remainder of the time I just keep eating my bananas and drinking water.

I can honestly say, I don't think I'll be eating bananas anytime soon! On the bright side I'm getting excited to make the transition to eating and having a healthy all natural life style. I''ve begun planning out different options I can eat for breakfast, lunch and snack. Yes, I'll eat dinner, but that always seems the easiest! I'm going to allow myself carbs (from breads) if I want in the morning for breakfast then not eat any more for the day so that way it can be burned out. 

TOMORROW IS FRIDAY! I can't wait for meat and I can't wait because this will be the last day as I'm shortening it a bit!  I feel as though this cleanse has set me up to begin healthier eating habits, which I'm pumped for!!!

That's all for now!

50 Best Snacks Under 50 Calories

Satisfy your cravings without putting on a pound

Satisfy your sweet tooth
1. 1⁄2 medium apple, baked, topped with 1 Tbsp lowfat yogurt sprinkled with cinnamon (45 calories)
2. 1⁄2 small banana, frozen (45 calories)
3. 4 oz unsweetened applesauce sprinkled with cinnamon (49 calories)
4. 1 miniature box of raisins (45 calories)
5. 2 sugar-free ice pops (30 calories)
6. 1 sugar-free fudge ice pop (35 calories)
7. 12 cherries (48 calories)
8. 1 individual serving sugar-free gelatin with 3 Tbsp light whipped topping (40 calories)
9. 1⁄2 cup strawberries with 21⁄2 Tbsp nonfat yogurt (47 calories)
10. 14 seedless red grapes, frozen (48 calories)
Indulge a salt craving
11. 11⁄2 cups salted air-popped popcorn (46 calories)
12. 1⁄4 cup shelled edamame with sea salt (37 calories)
13. 8 oz miso soup (36 calories)
14. 1 pretzel rod (37 calories)
15. 1⁄4 small bag of Glenny's lightly salted soy crisps (35 calories)
16. 1 medium sliced cucumber mixed with 1⁄4 cup sliced onion, 1⁄2 cup chopped celery, 4 Tbsp vinegar and salt to taste (45 calories)
17. 6 oz eight-vegetable juice (39 calories)
18. 1 kosher dill pickle (10 calories)
Crunch and munch
19. 1⁄2 cup jicama with 4 oz salsa (49.5 calories)
20. 11⁄2 cups sugar snap peas (40 calories)
21. Small celery stalk smeared with 1⁄2 Tbsp natural peanut butter (49 calories)
22. 1⁄2 small apple with 1 tsp soy butter (46 calories)
23. 1 brown rice cake with 1 Tbsp sugar-free jam (44 calories)
Smooth and creamy
24. 1 Laughing Cow Light Garlic & Herb wedge spread on cucumber slices (35 calories)
25. 1 tsp almond butter (34 calories)
26. 1⁄2 cup fat-free Greek yogurt with 1 tsp sugar-free strawberry jam (43 calories)
27. 1 oz avocado (about 1⁄8 of an avocado) squirted with lime (45 calories)
28. 8 grape tomatoes dipped in 1 Tbsp light cream cheese (46 calories)
Cheesy whizzes
29. 6 pieces of endive filled with 1⁄2 oz reduced-fat feta cheese (49 calories)
30. 1 slice fat-free American cheese (30 calories)
31. 1 large tomato, sliced, topped with 1 Tbsp Parmesan, broiled (44 calories)
32. 1 oz fat-free cottage cheese on 1 slice caraway Finn Crisp Crispbread (38 calories)
33. 1 oz fat-free mozzarella dipped in 1 tsp marinara sauce (46 calories)
Power up on protein
34. Turkey rollups: 2 slices white meat turkey rolled in 2 lettuce leaves (46 calories)
35. 1 oz smoked salmon (about 1 slice) on 2 Wheat Thins crackers (Multi-Grain) (48 calories)
36. 1 tofu dog with 1 Tbsp sauerkraut (48 calories)
37. 1⁄2 cup plain fat-free yogurt sprinkled with 1 tsp sunflower seeds (49.6 calories)
38. 1.3 oz water-packed tuna with 1 tsp Dijon mustard (48 calories)
39. 2 large hard-cooked egg whites with 1 cup sliced cucumber (48 calories)
40. 1 slice Wasa Fibre Crispbread with 2 tsp hummus (45 calories)
41. 1 medium water-packed sardine with slice of red onion (35 calories)
Solid standbys
42. 1⁄2 cup melon with 2 Tbsp 1% cottage cheese (47 calories)
43. 1⁄2 small grapefruit (32 calories)
44. 1⁄3 cup blueberries with 1 Tbsp light sour cream (47 calories)
45. 1⁄2 cup carrots with 1 Tbsp light ranch dressing (45 calories)
Thirst quenchers
46. 1⁄2 cup nonfat milk with 1 Tbsp Walden Farms calorie-free chocolate syrup (40 calories)
47. 1 packet of sugar-free hot chocolate made with 1⁄4 cup skim milk and 3⁄4 cup hot water (47 calories)
48. 3⁄4 cup almond milk (45 calories)
49. 3⁄4 cup seltzer with 1⁄4 cup cranberry juice and a lime wedge (33 calories)
50. Homemade iced green tea (with artificial sweetener if desired) (0 calories)