Eating Clean with a Family

Many of us have been there.  We want to change how we eat, usually a new fad diet.  One of the reasons we fail is that, in addition to making our meals, we have to make a meal for our partner and maybe the family too.  (Of course, the fact that they are fad diets is another matter!)  I recently had a friend ask about how to go about starting clean eating while still making food for the family.

My personal experience with this was that my husband readily ate what I made.  The thing about clean eating is that it's about eating real., whole, natural foods.  So it's not a lot of weird recipes.  As a matter of fact, I think we both started to enjoy cooking and eating more because of the great blends of flavors we were beginning to experience.  My kids are adults, but still seem to live at home from time to time.  #1 Son is 25.  Even though he always asks, "Is this clean?" he still will eat about 90% of what I make.  My daughter doesn't mind if it's clean.  But even if they didn't ask, I'm not sure they would know the difference.

Probably the most notable difference is the switch to whole wheat flour.  There is a difference in taste and consistency, but personally, I can't stand the taste of white flour now.  This may be the toughest hurdle for your family though.  Trader Joe's sells a white whole wheat, so if you can get that, I would recommend it.  Of course the other big difference is that they will know you are now cooking more from scratch.

I am not suggesting you try to trick them, but eating clean is of benefit to everyone.  And, I agree, it's tough to try to cook twice ... once for them and once for you.  Plus it's extremely hard to stay on track when you're doing that, as you probably know.  But just starting cooking differently.  See what they say.  You may be surprised.

A Clean Eating Family!

The person that particularly asked the question about changing to clean eating with a family lives with her parents and her father is ill.  It's hard to get them to change their ways, I'm sure.  I know MR's parents are somewhat resistant, but when we cook they always eat it!  So while they may eat other things, when I am cooking they willingly eat what we eat.  The best suggestion I have here is that you ask to do the grocery shopping and they try to stick with only buying real food and move away from the prepackaged stuff.

Also MR loves his sweets.  His motto has always been, "Life is short, eat dessert first!"  And he still enjoys a treat now and then.  The difference is that he makes an effort to keep it clean.  We have both learned to enjoy food more.  For the real flavor of real food.

I hope this is helpful.  I hope you can be successful with clean eating!

Making a List and Checking it Twice!

(This post has been edited)

Making my grocery shopping list for the week, that is!  Big plans for Christmas dinner, of course.  Also MR's birthday is Monday so have to have something extra special!  And Baby Girl is on her way home... somehow got sidetracked in Baltimore...  But when she gets home we can run around and do fun Christmas preparations together!

In addition to eating regular meals this week, of course we will have some treats.  I think we will flavor roast some almonds or something for one snack item.  And I want to make Paleo Toffee Caramels!  <---Pretty awesome stuff right there!

First, real quick... here's what for supper this week...

Sunday
Tortilla soup - I know I have made this a lot lately but we were pretty busy this weekend, between church and getting ready for the kids and the grandparents to come into town!  Plus there are always leftovers for a super quick lunch later this week.  By the way, my friends at www.thenakedkitchen.com have some really great recipes besides this one.  You should check them out!

Monday
Ham loaf, mashed potatoes, and corn (not our usual clean eating meal!)- This is MR's birthday supper.  The ham loaf is from Gene Wenger's Meats in Elizabethtown, PA.  I should mention that this ham loaf isn't clean, but it's a family favorite.  You may recall that many people believe in an 80/20 clean eating plan where they eat clean about 80% of the time.  We tend to do it more than that, so the occasional ham loaf is certainly within the realm of acceptable.  We will also have a shoo fly pie.  This is awesome stuff, and another non-clean item.  Chalk Monday up to a cheat!

Tuesday
Christmas Eve!  With the grandparents in town, we have to focus more on food throughout the day.  Usually MR and I just eat leftovers for lunch.  But ftoday we will make pizza for lunch using Trader Joe's fresh whole wheat crust.

For dinner, a slow cooked beef roast with carrots and onions.

Wednesday
Merry Christmas!  We bought a nice honey baked spiral ham.  We will serve this with homemade applesauce and sweet potatoes.  Not sure yet just what else... but we will round it out, no worries!

For breakfast I will see about making some cinnamon raisin braids!!

Cinnamon raisin braids (from the Naked Kitchen)

Thursday
Cheesesteak wraps!  We use very thinly sliced steak meat, grilled with onions and peppers.  Then melt some provolone over that and wrap it up in a whole wheat flour tortilla.  If you like you can add a little marinara sauce on top!

Friday
The fridge will probably be full of leftovers by now, so this is "mustgo" night.  Everything MUST GO!

The other thing that's been on my mind a lot lately has to do with affording to eat healthy.  I have been reading about people getting their SNAP (food stamps) cut, and I have been giving a lot of thought to how healthy one can eat on a really tight budget.  One of the most important things has to be to make a plan.  If I have a plan, then I can think about how I can re-use leftovers for another meal.  That Tuesday night beef roast will probably be repurposed into either barbecue beef sandwiches or soup or both.  When I buy fresh produce, I try to buy only what I will need so it doesn't spoil before it gets used.  But sometimes it does start to go bad, so I usually try to get to it before it's too late and puree it and freeze it in ice cube trays to make smoothies later.  Also, I generally make any snacks or treats that we have, with the exception of fresh fruit or nuts of course.  You can save a lot of money just by not buying processed, pre-made snacks.

Beef is especially expensive, so I would say that trying to buy chicken when it's on sale might be a cheaper way to get protein.  Also if you buy a whole chicken and roast it, that is one meal and you can, again, usually get one or two meals out of the leftovers.  If you really can't afford beef or chicken, think about other protein foods -- black beans, lentils, etc.  You can buy these canned and ready to use, but if you have time, it really pays to buy them dry and prepare them as you need. More time consuming, but saves a lot of money.

Really, the bottom line is that if you want to eat healthy on a budget, you have to make a plan and work your meals around each other to save ingredients and money.

If you have any questions about any of these recipes, leave me a comment.  I am happy to help.  Until then, keep it clean!

Clean Out the Fridge! The Grandparents are Coming!

The grandparents are coming for the holidays and they always bring a ton of food because, apparently you cannot buy food in Maryland!  It's actually pretty amusing how much food they bring.  It took me a long time to realize I don't need to stock the fridge and cupboards for company when they are coming.  They will take care of it for me!  In the meantime, we still have to eat.  So recipes this week are planned mostly around what's in the cupboards.  Save money, makes use of what I have, and frees up space for the grandparents' food!

We had a beautiful beef roast the other day and since it was just the two of us, there are plenty of leftovers that will be repurposed twice this week!  I also have some super easy soup recipes that require things I typically have on hand.  Lots of soup this week, but that's probably a really good thing as we get ready to make room for MR's birthday shoo fly pie (Oh, decidedly NOT clean, but it is an indulgence we both have once a year)!

So what's for supper????

Beef Vegetable Soup

Beef vegetable soup - Yep, leftover beef, broth, crushed tomatoes, whatever vegetables you like, add some seasonings.  So easy.  So versatile.

Barbecue beef sandwiches - More leftover beef, mixed with MR's barbecue sauce recipe -- mostly tomato paste, blackstrap molasses, mustard, and honey.

Chicken Tortilla Soup - I have some leftover cooked chicken, so I will make this soup and add some chopped up chicken to it!  The best part is I can then have leftovers for lunch the next day!

Chicken Coconut Soup - I told you there would be a lot of soup this week.  This is really good stuff.

Veggie and black bean burritos - I still haven't tried this recipe... maybe this week!  I have some whole wheat tortillas I need to use up!

Chili - It's a go to when you can't think of anything else... and that's where I am right now.  Out of ideas!

This isn't supper but I have to keep telling you... MAKE THESE!  So good!
Flourless cranberry scones - Did you make these yet!?  I cannot tell you how truly quick and easy they are!  And so very tasty!  I will have to make some more in preparation for Christmas morning!

So what are you eating this week?  Just keep it clean!

Back to Basics

I don't know if it's because it's that time of year when we all seem to just watch our waistlines expand at the wonderful treats laid out before us or what but I have been asked about clean eating more lately.  That's okay, because I am happy to share!

This post is really just about the basics.  What is clean eating?  I think there are probably a few definitions of it, but for me (and for MR), it's about eating things as close to their natural state as possible.  No white sugar and no white flour are two key essentials.  Beyond that, we try to make everything from scratch.  Over the last couple of years we have found a replacement recipe for just about every processed food we ever put in our bodies.  And they taste better and, most importantly, we feel better!

This is pizza.  It's clean!  Can you imagine?!

The hardest part, as Cher used to say (remember the Vic Tanney commercials?  Remember Vic Tanney?  Okay, then you are also officially old), the hardest part is getting started.  For some people it's baby steps.  Not me! I am an all in kind of person!  Both feet, hold your breath, here we go!  But if you are a baby stepper, that's perfectly fine.  Make small adjustments each week.  Soon you will notice a difference in how you feel and, quite possibly, in how your clothes fit.  (And that's a good thing!)  (Did I tell you I dropped two full sizes doing this?)

Here are the basics:
First, every time you eat, every meal, every snack, be sure to pair a complex carbohydrate with a lean protein.
Next, eat three  meals and two or three snacks every day so that you are eating about every 3 hours.  Personally, I don't usually do the third snack.  But you might want to start out that way.  If you really follow this you will feel like you are eating all the time.  But if you are eating the right things, it will be okay!
Third, what are the right things?  Again, think of it as food as close to its natural state as possible.  Eggs, fresh fruit, plain Greek yogurt, lean meats, vegetables.  Most importantly, read labels!  If you don't know what it is, or can't pronounce it, you likely shouldn't be eating it.  If it has more than a few ingredients, you probably shouldn't be eating it.

Okay, but what do I eat?!  If you are stumped for what to eat, check out my other blog posts.  I try to post my weekly menu for two reasons.  First, because if I don't post it I lose track of the recipes and then I have the ingredients but can't remember what to make!  Second, so that you can get ideas on what to make.  I work full time and have a 75 minute commute (each way, each weekday), so most of my entrees are not complicated.  Occasionally one of us works from home so we throw in a slow cooker meal in the middle of the week.  Sometimes on the weekends we have a meal that takes a little longer to prepare.  But for the most part, you will find simple, but tasty meals.  From time to time, okay a lot of times, you will also find yummy treats to make.  One of the reasons I couldn't stick with any "diet" in the past is because I would start feeling deprived.  On this lifestyle change, and I emphasize that it is a lifestyle and not a diet, you shouldn't have that problem.

A quick sample menu:
Breakfast:  Smoothie
Smoothies are a great way to have breakfast in a hurry and still get lots of good nutrition.  Seriously think about what goes in it, though.  Your base should be either skim milk or almond milk (my personal favorite) or plain Greek yogurt.  Than add fruits and/or vegetables to your taste.  I don't post a lot of smoothie recipes in my blog because there are tons of websites out there.  I don't use protein powder usually because I don't really understand the ingredients, so that means they probably aren't clean.  Get your protein from Greek yogurt!

Snack:  1 TBSP (clean) peanut butter and an apple
Read the labels.  Some peanut butters marked "natural" have added sugar.

Lunch:  Leftovers from last night
LOL  Obviously this would be a little harder to do the first day, but that's typically what I have for lunch... whatever we had for supper the night before.  If you don't have any leftovers or don't want to eat that, throw together a yummy salad the night before.  Remember to include a protein.  I like this recipe.  It's really fast and easy to make.
http://www.fortheloveofcooking.net/2013/06/black-bean-salad-with-avocado-tomatoes-red-onion-and-cilantro.html

Snack:  Cheese stick and a clementine
Get a good quality cheese stick made only from milk.  Trader Joe's has some great ones!

Dinner:  Rosemary Pot Roast and a vegetable
This is one of my favorite recipes for two reasons.  1) You make it in the slow cooker and 2) It tastes incredible with just a few ingredients.  The really good news?  You should have some leftovers for lunch tomorrow!
http://www.threedietsonedinner.com/2012/07/rosemary-pot-roast-cauliflower-butter.html

Snack:  Small handful of almonds mixed with a few raisins

Do you have a sweet tooth?  Or like cream and sugar in your coffee or tea?  There's an app for that... okay, not an app, but there's a substitute!  First replace the sugary prepared creamers with half and half or milk.  There are also some recipes online for making flavored creamers that are not full of sugar and junk.  Just search "clean eating coffee creamer" and you will be amazed at the many choices.  Next replace the sugar with either honey or coconut sugar.  Coconut sugar is available at more stores now.  If you can't find it, try Whole Foods.  For other sweets, coconut sugar, black strap molasses, honey, and Medjool dates are my go to replacement sweeteners.  The main thing is to stay away from processed stuff.  White sugar is not permitted at all on clean eating.  Brown sugar is just white sugar mixed with molasses so don't be fooled.

Okay, this post just hits the most basic idea of clean eating.  If you have questions or are looking for a particular kind of recipe, post a comment and I will see what I can do to help.  It may seem intimidating, but I found that it was not that difficult.  Is it expensive?  Well, maybe at first because you need to buy all new flour and sweetener.  But maybe that's where the baby steps come in.  The next time you need flour, buy whole wheat.  The next time you need sugar, buy honey and/or coconut sugar.  When you start buying fresh produce, buy only as much as you need for a few days so it doesn't go bad.  Although when I find that I have fruits or vegetables going bad, I just puree it and pour it into an ice cube tray and freeze it for smoothies or soups!

I am a firm believer in, when it comes to food, all things in moderation.  Many people believe that if you eat clean you should do it about 80% of the time and then have cheat meals the other 20%.  I don't cheat much because I find that I can't really control it.  That's it!  That's who I am!  If I have a few peanut M&Ms, I will want more.  So I find it's better if I just don't eat them, or do so only very rarely.  But there are some things that I indulge in occasionally...  A glass (or two) of a really good wine or soup and salad from Panera are probably my most frequent cheats and even that is not so often.  Yes, Panera soup and salad is a cheat.  Read their ingredients sometime.  I was really disappointed, but at least I recognized that it's a cheat.  Anyway, the point is, you can occasionally have  a cheat meal.  Just don't make THAT your lifestyle!

Whatever you do, keep it clean!

Wait for it... it's menu time!

Saturday morning!  Laundry is started, scones are baked (go back one post if you missed that!), and I am making my weekly menu.  It looks like we are in for some chilly weather, so lots of comfort foods this week!

Once I get all my other stuff done around here this morning, I am going to start making Christmas treats.  I will make unclean cupcakes for MR and me to take to work.

These are not clean!  But they sure are cute and fun to make!

And I will also make some dark chocolate treats and some other clean treats.  Of course, I will make a batch of granola this morning!  I love a handful thrown in with some plan Greek yogurt.  MR adds a little honey when he does that, but I like it just fine with granola and yogurt.  Fortunately, I have most of the ingredients for my menu this week so that means a cheap trip to the grocery store.  Good thing since I dropped a bundle at the Amish market and Trader Joe's last week!

Tortilla Soup - This is such a versatile recipe.  I don't always have every ingredient on hand, so I just wing it.  Sometimes I throw in some cooked, chopped chicken, and sometimes I throw in some prepared black beans.  Sometimes both!

Pizza - MR loves his pizza!  We indulge in this occasionally with a fresh whole wheat crust from Trader Joe's.  We also like to use their Quattro Formaggio cheese (I know, that's redundant).  He makes his own pizza sauce with crushed tomatoes, olive oil, and some Italian seasoning and garlic.  Good stuff!

Potato Corn Soup - We don't even know what this is.  We are going to make it up!  We love potato soup.  We love corn soup.  We are going to combine the two and make our own recipe!  MR is good at that.

Rosemary pot roast - This goes in the slow cooker.  I love love love it!  And it only takes a few ingredients!

Beef and vegetable soup - Another recipe we kind of make up as we go along.  Leftover pot roast, some frozen mixed vegetables, some broth... what else, what else?

Baked chicken and acorn squash - This is just what it sounds like.  Rub some olive oil on your chicken, sprinkle on some seasoning (we usually use Italian) and bake it.  You can bake this at the same time as your acorn squash.  I think acorn squash is the ultimate comfort food!  My mom used to make it for me!

Mustgo - Either eat what's left in the fridge (everything must go), or go to Plaza Mexico for a taco if there is nothing left to eat since we do repurpose for lunches most of the time!


Check out earlier posts this week for lots of yummy treats to make if you're in the mood!  No matter what, though, keep it clean!

Treats Treats Treats!

I love staying in the house on cold Winter days and making Christmas treats!  And this is the perfect weekend for it.  Weatherman says Sunday, especially, will be a wicked one.  So what to make?

I am going to list a whole bunch of different recipes.  I probably won't get them all made this weekend, but I can do more next weekend.  Isn't that what Christmas is all about?  Yum!  Can't wait!

Clean Eating Sticky Buns!

Flourless cranberry scones - I added these after I posted this blog because they are just so darn good!  And super quick and easy!  I have to put them away when they finish cooling or I will eat them all!  AMAZING!!!  You can make these in about 5-10 minutes, plus 10 minutes bake time.

Sticky buns - These are made with the dough from Cinnamon Raisin Braids over at The Naked Kitchen (www.thenakedkitchen.com).  I linked to the original recipe, but if you want to make sticky buns, just make the dough as indicated.  Then instead of rolling into ropes and braiding, divide the dough in half and roll each piece out into a rectangle.  Mix a little bit of honey with some chopped pecans (or other nut of your choice). It should be mostly nuts.  Roll it up jelly roll style, and cut into individual rolls.  I like to use dental floss to do this because it doesn't squish the dough.  Then place in a buttered cake pan, side touching.  Bake at 350 about 20 minutes.  When done, brush with honey cinnamon mixture (see recipe link).  Allow to cool as long as you can stand it.  Makes two batches of sticky buns.

Dark Chocolate Coconut balls - These are like eating a Mounds bar.  Yummy coconut drenched in dark chocolate!  Oh yeah!  Better than a Mounds!

Paleo pumpkin muffins - I love to make a batch of these and keep them in the fridge to heat up for breakfast.  Throw a handful of fresh or dried cranberries in for a great tart POP in your mouth.  I use unsweetened cranberries, so it's pretty tart.  But I love it like that!

Molasses oatmeal cookies - My husband created these one day when we didn't have enough coconut sugar.  I like to make them extra big for grab and go breakfast cookies!

Gourmet S'mores - I know, s'mores are for Summer, but I just love these.  If you are going to a party or holiday gathering, a plate of these is always a big hit!

Peppermint patties - I could eat a whole bag of peppermint patties in one sitting... one reason I had to switch to clean eating!  But just one or two of these totally satisfies me!  So delightful!

Dark Chocolate Orange and Pomegranate Truffles - I haven't made these yet but I really hope to this year!  They look beautiful and sound even better.  If you make them let me know how they turn out or, better yet, invite me over for a taste test!

Dark Chocolate Covered Toffee - You won't even know there's no refined sugar in this.  Amazing stuff! And so easy!  You really need a candy thermometer, though.

Apple Pie Balls - Easiest recipe ever!  No baking and can be made in just a few minutes.  Everybody loves these... even #1 son who doesn't eat clean!


Have fun!  Share a recipe with me if you like!  And remember to keep it clean!

Sometimes it's not just about the clean eating!

Yay for the holidays that fall from November to January!  I love this time of year with all the excitement, festivities, family, and friends!  If you're like me, you also have that one little thing always hanging over your head though...  will I gain any weight this season?  Will I at least maintain the weight I have lost?

The holidays are often a sugar-filled whirlwind.  MR and I try to offset that as much as possible by making clean treats.  There are lots of great baking and candy recipes.  I will post some of my favorites in the days to come.  But this time of year, more than ever, I know I have to also ramp up my exercise.  Last year we did the weight gain challenge.  You weigh yourself on the day before Thanksgiving and then again on New Year's Day.  The goal is to weigh less on January 1st.  MR actually did it last year.  I did not.  But I only gained two pounds, so I put a small "w" in the win column.  (Previous years would have told a different story!)  This year we are doing it again.  And I know I will have to be extra vigilant this year, especially after that awesome (Paleo) pie I made for Thanksgiving.  Desserts are desserts, folks, and should be eaten in moderation, even when made without refined sugars!  (Tell that to my taste buds!)

My idea of exercise on a regular day is walking.  It has been so ridiculously cold lately that I haven't even been able to do that as much as I'd like.  So I have added the Plank Challenge to help build my core, and have also committed to a minimum of 30 minutes of exercise every day.  Not an average over a week but every single day.  Today, because it's the first day and I am all excited about it (call me next week to discuss), I did the Plank Challenge and a Kickboxing video (I can view it free through my Roku... I am all about free), and I am about to walk 3 miles (round trip) in the freezing cold to buy some coconut sugar.  I don't need the coconut sugar today, but I do need the walk so it's a good excuse and gives me a reason to keep moving.  Truth be told, the walk may turn into a bike ride... we'll see.  Nonetheless, exercise!

This is my idea of how to spend the next 30 days, and it doesn't have to be yours.  But none of us want to gain any weight this season, so find something you do enjoy, and move it move it!

And keep it clean!