Clean Eating Foods

Some of the  clean meals I've had the last week:

Chicken Fajita salad: I grill tenderloins seasoned with either Greek or taco seasoning and cut into strips. I sautee onion and green pepper. For this one I had a box of mixed carrot/edamame/black beans in my freezer I wanted to get rid of so I steamed it in the microwave and added it. It was ok, but I wouldn't add it again. I love a fajita salad, though!

Grilled italian chicken, salad with cucumber and tomato, and sweet potato. I marinate the chicken in 1/2 bottle of light Italian dressing and then grill. It was very tender. To make the potato I poke and microwave one potato 6 minutes. They are so good!.

Breakfast cups. scramble up 6 eggs with salt, pepper, and about 1 tbsp milk. Pour into greased muffin tins. Add anything you would like- I added some ham. Bake about 20-30 min at 350 degrees- until the egg is set.

Taco salad. I used ground turkey, homemade taco seasoning, and black beans. Sauteed onion and green pepper. I am trying to cut out the cheese and sour cream so I used just a little.

Vegetable beef soup

My cheat meal: Chicken salad- I used grillled tenderloins seasoned with Greek seasoning. Bacon- Sams has a package that is chopped real bacon that is good to keep on hand. Cheese. Ranch dressing (not shown) For a non cheat meal I add cucumber, chopped boiled egg,tomato, omit cheese and use low fat dressing.

Firm Body Sculpt and Slim in Six Abs

I pulled the nail up on my toe over the weekend so couldn't do a full cardio workout. So, instead today I did the upper body portion of the Firm Body Sculpt tape. I also did the 10 minute ab video that goes with my Slim in 6 workouts.

I used to do the Firm tapes all the time. Back before I gained so much weight. I was doing these videos, the Windsor Pilates video, sometimes the Slim in 6 which uses resistance bands instead of hand weights, and I was walking 3 miles with a friend every day. Then, I got to swimming and worked up to 32 laps, which is 1/2 mile.

The Firm tapes are awesome. They combine cardio with weights. So many workouts for women are all cardio or don't encourage you to lift weights. With the Firm you can add weight and keep challenging yourself. Every time I have started over I can barely get through a workout.

I wasn't real thrilled with the 10 minute ab tape from Slim in 6. It is an extra tape, so I had never done it, but it was just ok, not super challenging. I think I will stick to the Firm Ab tape or Pilates or one that I've pulled out of Oxygen magazine.

I have to tighten up my diet this week and eat more clean. I got off at Easter and ate candy, chips, and icecream. Ok, the ice cream was LAST NIGHT! So, I am focusing on no sugar and really getting in my 5-6 meals and drinking a lot of water. I really struggle to eat every 3 hours. I get busy and forget. Going to set a timer.

Freezer Meals: Taco Meat, Chicken, and Vegetable Soup

 I found Jeannie-O patties on sale so I am flash freezing them so I can pull out what I need later. Not shown, I made up 8 patties of a mixture of ground chuck and ground turkey to make the family burgers.

 I had a little bit of fajita marinade in the refrigerator so I put it on some chicken tenders and baked them. These are good over a salad with corn and black beans. Or, I  sautee onion and green pepper and serve over brown rice.

 I sprinkled these tenders with Greek seasoning and baked. I eat them in a chicken ranch salad, over brown rice, or as they are to accompany a sweet potato and vegetable. I flash freeze the tenders and then freeze in a Ziploc bag so I can pull out just what I need and they aren't stuck together.

 I made up a spaghetti sauce with ground chuck/turkey. I put it in this jar to freeze.

 After making chili for tonight, taco meat, veg beef soup, and spaghetti sauce I had four servings of cooked meat left. I put in Ziplocs and roll to remove all the air and keep them in a bin in the freezer for ground beef. I add these to beef dishes like Shephards Pie, enchaladas, tater tot casserole.

The three tall containers have the vegetable beef soup. The small container has leftover spaghetti sauce that wouldn't fit in the jar. It is perfect for a lunch. The large rectangle is taco meat. Since it doesn't fill the container I will put a piece of wax paper over the surface so no air touches the surface to keep it from getting a freezer burn taste.

New Challenge

The group I am in that is following the Eat Clean Diet started a new challenge. It is 12 weeks and isn't about the most weight, but the most overall change. It started last week, but I am starting today. I half heartily did it last week, knowing Easter was coming. But, today I am focused and ready to follow not eating sugar, drinking my water, eating small meals every 3 hours to keep my sugar levels right, and exercising. I need to run to Sams to get some Jeannie-O ground turkey so I can make some dishes up.

I am doing my FIRM Sculpt tape today. I have had to transfer it from VHS it is so old, but I love it. I have the double "fanny lifter" which is awesome. You use it one level for some exercises and double it for squat sits and lunges which really work your butt. It is a good overall toning video. You add weights as you improve to challenge your muscles. It is really hard and challenging for me. My son walked in while it was playing/recording to DVD and said, "YOU'RE going to do that?!?" That should tell you something, Ha, he thinks I am a sissy.

Derailed

I exercised every single day in January. Every. single. day. I was eating clean and doing so good. Then, I let excuses happen. Within two weeks I had major stuff happen in my life and I just couldn't do it. I first had a bleeding stomach. It was painful stomach pains and then I started having blood in my stool. I had this before, except it was bleeding in my large intestine, so I knew it was very important to get it seen about. Last time I went to ER and they did a CT scan and gave me IV antibiotics and then sent me home with an oral antibiotic. So, I went to the ER again as it was a Saturday. This time they made me stay three days and I had a scope and biopsy. I left and had pain for about a week after discharge so didn't push myself to workout. Fail #1. I should have at least walked and really could have pushed to do weights. I was not good with eating clean either, which was just a matter of I gave up and didn't push myself to eat right. I fell back on old comfort foods.

The next week my 19 year old decided to move out. He is in college so it is going to make it difficult for him to support living expenses and pay for college. At home we pay car insurance and everything and he is only required to pay college tuition. It really broke my heart. I am trying to understand that he isn't mad, he is just a boy and so many men say boys of that age want to be independent. I still don't get it and it still hurts when your baby leaves. I worry he will not complete school as it will be too much for him to pay for. I am trying to leave him in God's hands and allow God to lead him on the right path.

Then, my dad was diagnosed and started chemo in January. He goes every 3 weeks for his treatment. I couldn't go in Jan because we were fighting colds around here and I didn't want to take any germs over there. My dad is 6'4" and has always been a strong man. He just turned 76, but he is a young 76. All his family lives to be active in their 90's. He has just always been the strong one that you depend on and go to. He lives 4 hours away so I was on my way to see him and my step-mother called to say he had to go to the ER the night before so he was in the hospital. His white blood count was extremely low and he developed an infection so he was running a fever. To visit we had to wear a gown, mask, and gloves and were to really stay away from him as much as we could. To see him so weak was really hard. He has lost down to 169 lbs fully clothed. He couldn't stand alone. He couldn't eat because of being sick.

While I was there in Atlanta visiting him we got a call. My brother suddenly passed away. He was 10 days away from his 50th birthday and had no health problems. He was visiting his son and had a massive stroke. That just tore me up and I left dad's to go home to prepare for the funeral. I cried the whole way - four hours. My dad couldn't go to the funeral as he was so sick with his white blood count so low and that broke my heart that he couldn't go. 

I know all this is just excuses. That is what I fight.... making excuses. I could have continued to exercise. Yes, my body might have been in pain from the stomach bleeding. Yes, it would have been more difficult to be in someone else's home and have to adjust to not having a gym. I have hand weights and a resistance band and could have walked.

I also could have prepared meals to eat and continued eating clean. I just didn't. The spark within me to fight for me was pushed deep down and I let the easy route take over. What's bad is after all this passed I went all of March without getting back on board.

Well, I started again yesterday. I've cleaned out all the junk and have foods I need to eat clean. Just have to get back up and fight for it!

Weigh In and Week Two

Well, I did week one! Whoo-hoo, learning to make it a habit. I was a little discouraged to weigh in yesterday and I have only lost 1.2 lbs. I've worked so hard all week and really wanted a higher number. I know that sounds whiny, but I am just being honest. I can feel changes already... changes in my endurance, in my energy level, in my ability to shut out the voice that tells me to skip this one. I wasn't going to do measurements until week four, but in a group I am in someone posted their 1 week stats and it was amazing. So, I measured.
Bicep- zero loss
Bust-1 1/4"
waist- 3/4"
abdomen- 1"
hips- 1/2"
thigh 1/4"
So, that made me a little happier to see some progress there. I need to measure my calf because it wasn't on the Eat Clean Challenge form to do, but I want to add that one since one goal is to be able to wear boots. I can't fit into boots now because my calves are too big. I guess I am used to losing quickly because of water weight. Since I am eating 6 meals and drinking tons of water maybe that is why that didn't happen. Whatever.... I feel the changes and will keep on.

I did the 2nd day of the Shred video. I am going to do it this week along with my weight and walking to do twice a day workouts. It gives me a challenge and something where I can see my progress as I am better able to do it. I am looking for my Firm Sculpt video to do once a week for weight workout. I had taped it from my VHS but I cannot find it. I can't do the VHS upstairs.

Tonight is the Alabama game so I am making red beans and rice and wings. I am using this as a cheat meal for the week. I am not supposed to have the sausage in the beans. I need to go to the store for more food for the week, but don't have time today.

Cheat Meal Day

I get a cheat meal each week so today was my day! I didn't plan for it so just got lazy tonight and decided it would be cheat meal. I didn't get real bad I had a salad with grilled Greek chicken, boiled egg, cucumber, tomato, Ranch, bacon bits, cheddar cheese. I also had 8 white chocolate with peppermint kisses to polish off what has been on my counter all week. I have thought every day that I would just have one, but every day told myself I would not give in and save it for my cheat meal.

I didn't exercise today. It was raining which brought on a headache all day. So, tomorrow would have been an off day and I will go walk or do something tomorrow to get in today's workout. I am learning to make it a priority and not let it get totally pushed off my schedule. It really helps me to think of my big goal and that it has been broken down into bites and this is what portion I "have" to get done this week or today. I will weigh Monday morning and get to see if anything is changing yet. Well, I KNOW there are changes I can feel them. I have more cardio endurance after just one week. I feel I am not as dependant on sugar.... hope I didn't kill that with my kisses tonight! I feel I am making working out a habit. My muscles have been sore. So, whether the scale shows it or not there are changes going on.