Because Eating Healthy Feels Good

Disclaimer: I also drank a 12oz can of Coca-Cola today. But it felt much less horrible knowing what I ate the rest of the day.

For breakfast, I had 1/2 cup vanilla yogurt with coconut flakes, blackberries, and almond slivers.

I snacked on strawberries, blueberries, Chobani yogurt, a mini Babybel cheese, and a Clif bar before and after lunch.

Lunch was a garden salad (spinach, romaine, cucumbers, grape tomatoes, and balsamic) with a side of green peas and mushrooms.

At 3pm, I wanted a Coke. It reminded me that home wasn't that far away.

And I even managed to drink 30+ ounces of water so far! For me, it felt like 5 gallons.

So-Good, Slow-Cooked Pepper Steak

I'm at it again with the Crock Pot. Today, we enjoyed Pepper Steak and Garlic Butter Noodles. The steak was SO easy to prepare in the Crock Pot, and it was waiting on us when we got home 8 hours later.

Slow Cooker Pepper Steak

Ingredients
2 lbs boneless round steak 3/4-1 in. thick
1 small can tomato paste (6-8oz)
1 10-12oz bag of frozen fajita peppers and onions
1 12-15oz can of whole stewed tomatoes
salt
pepper

Toppings/Side Dishes
Rice, noodles, hoagie buns, or cheese

Directions
This really is going to blow your mind. Cut round steak into serving-size pieces (it's going to fall apart anyway - just cut it to fit into the slow cooker). Season with salt and pepper, then place in the bottom of the crock. Mix paste, tomatoes, and peppers together in a bowl, and add the mixture on top of the steak. I added my ingredients directly to the pot and didn't even stir it, but I'm being cautious here...

     

Put the lid on and cook on low for 8-9 hours. I served ours with garlic butter noodles and a little mozzarella.

Husband approved!

Make-Ahead Work Day Lunches: Grilled Chicken Salad, Yogurt, and Fruit

I've found that if I pack myself a lunch and take it to work, I'll eat it. If I don't bring a lunch and rely on myself to make healthy choices in the company dining room or at a nearby restaurant, I end up eating something awful for me.

Though I didn't have much extra time this evening, I was able to use some of my new Ziploc containers to throw together 3 pre-made salads. My phone was nearby, so I figured I could document it for all 2 of my blog readers.

Dressing on the bottom - this keeps all the crunchy or lettuce-y bits from getting soggy. I'll shake it up before eating. I alternated Wishbone House Italian and Hidden Valley Ranch. I know, Hidden Valley Ranch might as well be melted butter. I don't care. This salad is STILL better than eating a cheeseburger.

Sugar snap peas are next, followed by pre-grilled chicken strips and wedges of tomatoes.

Romaine mixed lettuce and crispy onions as a topper.

Healthy Crock Pot Recipe: Salsalito Lime Chicken

You'll need:
3-4 frozen chicken breasts
3 jalapeno peppers (or more for heat), seeded and diced
24oz jar of picante sauce or salsa
1 small yellow onion, diced
1 teaspoon minced garlic
3 limes
1/2 tbsp each:
cumin
salt
black pepper
paprika
onion powder

Optional for serving (not all paleo):
shredded cheese
cilantro
sour cream
tortillas or chips

Directions:
Add chicken breasts to bottom of Crock Pot. Add juice from 3 limes, jar of salsa, diced onions, garlic, jalapenos, and spices to pot and cook on low for 6-7 hours.

Top with cheese, sour cream, cilantro, or tortilla chips.

We enjoyed ours on flour tortillas with sour cream. Easy peasy and delicious.

Terrible Day at Work? Eats a Salad.

Today was rough one at work. I've had busier days and days with more issues, but today just got under my skin. I made it home over an hour later than usual, and I was starving. I surprised myself by not going straight toward the 2 packages of Keebler cookies in the pantry (that my husband has seemingly forgotten about... shh), but by reaching for a bowl, some romaine, grape tomatoes, and fresh sliced carrots. Once I sat down with my salad, I stopped to make a puzzled face directed at myself and my shocking behavior.

"Amy, are you really assuaging your cubical woes by eating a salad?" It was so, and the moment deserved to be noted. So, here it is. A blog post and a meme-style image for all 3 of my readers to enjoy.

Not A Juice Fast: Day 3

WEDNESDAY

Okay, so at this point my breakfasts and lunches are about the same every day.

Breakfast: Egg white omelet with spinach and pico de gallo from the dining room at work. Some days, I add hot sauce. And lots of black pepper, because apparently I am afraid they are running out of the stuff.

Lunch: Garden salad with ham or baked/grilled chicken. I know. Black beans are beans, and they are totally not paleo. I'm a big, fat, fraud liar-head. Get over yourself.

Dinner is where things get interesting. Wednesday night, I made a paleo version of chicken cacciatore. It was fresh, and full of tomato, onion, and garlic flavors. Yum.

One more day until cheat day. Not because it's Friday, but because it's our 3-year wedding anniversary. Woo! :)

Juice Fast: Day 1

MONDAY

Breakfast 5:00am
Juice: Mean Green - Celery, kale, cucumber, lemon, ginger, spinach, green apples

Once my husband is off to work at 4:40am, I usually crawl back into bed and drag myself out of bed by 7:15am to arrive at work on time at 8:00am. This morning, I drank my juice before I went back to bed, and I found i couldn't fall asleep. I spent some time sleeping in this weekend, so the energy could be because I was caught up on sleep, or because I was anxious about the whole juicing thing. Either way, I took a shower and used the extra time to blow dry my hair and take my time getting ready for work. I arrived at work at 7:00am.

It's now 8:00am, and my stomach is missing my usual breakfast taco. I have a Camelback of ice cold water, and I'm hoping it helps curb my appetite. I plan on using my lunch break to get some walking done at LA Fitness, and I have a delicious-looking juice waiting for me in the office fridge.

10:30am Update

I'm hungry. I want to go down to the dining room and wait for it to open so I can order a cheeseburger or something crunchy and cheesy. I've had 20oz of water, and I've refilled my Camelback. I got up for a restroom break, and I felt sick to my stomach. No lightheadedness and no dizzyness. I don't feel weak, as I normally do when I've been too long without food. I honestly think my body is just pissed at me for not feeding it carbs and yummy things. I'm going to drink this water and head out to LA Fitness within the hour. Bleh.

Lunch 12:30pm
Juice: Pineapple, carrots, oranges, lemon

This one tastes good. I was ready for it, too. I couldn't go quickly enough to the fridge and grab this sucker off the shelf. The color being a rich, vibrant orange, my brain tricked me into thinking it was going to be sugary and filled with artificial colors and flavors. Not so. Though the juice is naturally sweet, I left the orange peels on, and this has given the juice that tart and bitter taste of the rind. I'm not complaining. Actually, I think I like that. The orange oil leaves kind of a tingle/cooling sensation on my tongue. Either that or I'm going into some kind of shock because I have not eaten anything fried or cheesy today. Dancing taste buds is how I can best describe it. No, really.

Amy's 10-Day Juice Fast

My husband and I have been talking about a detox to jumpstart our 2013 routine, and the documentary "Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead" sucked us in. We even went out and purchased a Breville juicer (AKA Juice Fountain) from Bed, Bath & Beyond.

If after the 10 days I feel like I can and want to continue, I may push through to a 30-day fast. We'll have to see. I'll be posting an update every day of this 10-day fast. I plan on doing a bit of writing after each juice/meal to include how I feel and whether or not I'm hungry. I'll also include any working out I do, as I will be attending the gym throughout the fast.

Nervous, excited, and curious about results!

.Amy