So I know I was really bad and forgot to post notes on my day yesterday, and I apologize. But I am back on track and to catch up, I am going to talk about yesterday and today all in one!
Yesterday (Day 3) was the day to "eat the rainbow". And when I say eat the rainbow, that doesn't mean have a bag of skittles and you're good to go. I mean that you need to eat something that is naturally each color from the spectrum of the rainbow. This includes: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, and even white.
My day looked a little something like this:
Breakfast- Greek yogurt with fruit and nut granola (purple in the raisins)
Snack- Red apple (red in the apple)
Lunch- Chicken salad sandwich with vegetable chips (white onions)
Snack- Peanut butter and banana smoothie (yellow banana)
Dinner- Salmon with a sweet potato and a salad (green salad, orange sweet potato)
Although there were more of each of the colors throughout the day, those were the big ones that I had. And I must say I did a better job than most do on a daily basis. I got every color but blue! I thought we had blueberries at the house, but I was sadly mistaken :(
As far as today went (Day 4), I did an average job. Today's challenge was to get a full days serving of fruits and vegetables. I didn't quite get all my servings of fruit, but I know that I got my veggies!
For fruits, I had a handful of red and green grapes with my breakfast, an apple as a snack, and salsa in my tuna sandwich (if you are one of those that counts tomatoes as a fruit).
For vegetables, I had onions and peppers in the salsa that was in my sandwich, mixed vegetables (carrots, celery, and cucumber) with hummus for a snack, and a big fat chopped salad or dinner with onions, zucchini, and tomatoes.
That being said, I know there are definitely things in my day that I could have done better (like having fruit for dessert instead of a cookie ... or a side of fruit or veggies with my lunch), but all in all, I feel like I did a good job -- especially since I packed everything up and brought it with me when I left at 7:30 am to get to and stay at school until 6:30 pm.
I know that there is a lot going on in my life, and it makes it difficult to stay on track with this challenge, but I am still trying very hard to stick with it and do my best! And I hope you all are too :)
Hope you're having a great week and just keep your head up because the weekend is just around the corner!! and PS -- I would love some feedback if you have any!!
Happy Thursday!
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Day 2: Naw on the Raw
So it's Day 2.... and I'm sick. This sucks. Of course I would just happen to get sick the weekend before I start my challenge. I mean, why not? Just adds another level of challenge I guess...
Anyway, I am still going to try my hardest to stick to the challenge of the day and stick to raw foods -- although, I may have to make a few exceptions due to the state that I am in. Since I am still in the (excuse me for being gross) mucousy faze of being sick, dairy is not really my friend. So unfortunately, that cut outs a lot of sources of carbohydrates and protein for me. And as much as I want to stick to the challenge, I don't want to make myself worse either. I have work tomorrow and school starts Thursday, so I have to be at my best for that!
So far, I have been going strong (I know, I know, it's only 9:30 am... but still). I had a delicious breakfast of bananas and nut butters and a glass of refresh tea. I am hoping that I can keep this up the whole day..... We'll see.
I will be back later to update on how everything is going. So if you have any ideas for snacks, meals, etc for today please let me know!
Until then,
HAPPY TUESDAY!
Anyway, I am still going to try my hardest to stick to the challenge of the day and stick to raw foods -- although, I may have to make a few exceptions due to the state that I am in. Since I am still in the (excuse me for being gross) mucousy faze of being sick, dairy is not really my friend. So unfortunately, that cut outs a lot of sources of carbohydrates and protein for me. And as much as I want to stick to the challenge, I don't want to make myself worse either. I have work tomorrow and school starts Thursday, so I have to be at my best for that!
So far, I have been going strong (I know, I know, it's only 9:30 am... but still). I had a delicious breakfast of bananas and nut butters and a glass of refresh tea. I am hoping that I can keep this up the whole day..... We'll see.
I will be back later to update on how everything is going. So if you have any ideas for snacks, meals, etc for today please let me know!
Until then,
HAPPY TUESDAY!
Monday, August 22, 2011
Day 1: H2O Explosion
Today marks the day of the first day of my 30 day challenge. Today's challenge consists of drinking water and only water. This basically means that there should be no consumption of any other liquids -- i.e. coffee, tea, juice, soda, alcohol, etc. I am doing this as the first day of the challenge because I wanted to kind of flush out the body and help to start out with a clean slate. I also wanted to take this opportunity to check in and see if I am ACTUALLY getting the appropriate amount of water.
When I say "getting the appropriate amount of water" I am not only talking about getting the recommended 8 cups of water a day. There are several things that go in to how much water you should be drinking:
When I say "getting the appropriate amount of water" I am not only talking about getting the recommended 8 cups of water a day. There are several things that go in to how much water you should be drinking:
- Size of the person
- Activity level
- Location
- Time of the year
- Other liquids being consumed
Based on these criteria, I need to be drinking the recommended 8 cups of water plus some for my activity level, the fact that I live in Texas and it is still summer months (aka 100+ degrees every day), and that I drink coffee on a daily basis.
So far today I have done a pretty good job at sticking to only water, although I did have a minor slip up at breakfast. I accidently had some milk in my cereal this morning. But in my defense, 1. it was almond milk 2. it wasn't very much and 3. it was 5:30 in the morning.
Other than that, I have been doing a great job solely drinking water, and lots of it. Although I do miss my daily dose of coffee and/or tea, I have a feeling that I will sleep nicely with the decreased amount of caffeine running through my blood stream. I feel like it is a great start to what will be a great challenge. I am all cleaned out and am starting with a clean slate. I can't wait to start the more in depth stuff tomorrow!
Until then, have a great night! And just keep sippin' that H2O!
Friday, August 19, 2011
30 Day Challenge!
Like I promised, I am posting the 30 day challenge a few days before it begins so you can see what the first half of the challenges are, allowing you (and myself) to prepare for them! But before I share the challenges, I have a bit of a preface -- a question that I have been asking myself for quite some time.
Have you ever noticed the negative stigma that had been put on to eating healthfully? But why? Why is there such negativity towards being healthy? It's good for you, helps you feel better, look better, live longer .... So why wouldn't you want to do it? Yes, I know that sometimes eating healthier can cost a little bit more, but if you go about it the right way, it can be in your budget and so flavorful and tasty that you will forget all about the foods you used to like. But I always feel like most people aren't/can't be proud of eating healthy. It is almost as if you have to hide the fact that you are health conscious and actually enjoy healthy food.
I have decided to take on a challenge, in hopes that not only will I finish the whole thing and feel better after, but that you all will join in on it and feel the positive changes eating healthy can do to you. The challenge I have come up with is designed to cleanse the body as well as the mind. It is composed of 30 daily challenges (one for every day of the month) varying from trying new foods to following the food pyramid.
My plan is to start off slow, and with each day ease in to harder "challenges". Every day will be a new challenge for me (and hopefully you too!) to take on and conquer. I am going to start off by listing the first 15 today, and in about a week or so I will post the second half of the challenges. Tomorrow will be my first official day of the challenge. Each day I will post something in the morning with my plan for the day. Then, periodically through out the day I will add on updates to let you know how the day is going. I will then post a follow up each evening with how it all went and my ideas for the next days challenge.
The first 15 challenges will go like so:
Day 1 - Drink water and only water: AKA no soda, no juice, no coffee, etc. Only drinking water and drinking enough water. (The avg person needs approximately 64+ oz of water a day, not including the water needed to replace anything lost if you have worked out or significantly sweat)
Day 2 - Eat ALL raw: Basically this means exactly what it sounds like. Eating only foods in the state that they occur naturally. This means no meat (unless you enjoy raw fish sushi), no cooking of your vegetables, no bread/pastas/rice/cooked oats&grains, and so on. It may seem like there are no options left, but this means sticking to nuts/legumes, fruits, vegetables, and natural grains in their purest form.
Day 3 - Eat the RAINBOW: By this, I mean making sure that you eat something throughout the day from every color group. More color = more antioxidants, more nutrients, and just more over all health benefits.
Day 4 - Get full servings of both fruits and vegetables: Most people don't get enough of one or both of these. The recommended amounts are 3-4 servings of fruit and 6-7 servings of vegetables a day (with one serving being roughly half cup to a cup of either).
Day 5 - Make all grains whole grains: Basically making sure that any grain that is eaten (bread, cereal, pasta, etc) is a whole grain. This means that the first ingredient on the list is whole grain flour/oats.
Day 6 - Follow the most recent "Food Pyramid": The food pyramid has changed a lot over the decades. My suggestion is to go to http://www.choosemyplate.gov/downloads/MyPyramid_Anatomy.pdf and follow those guidelines.
Day 7 - Follow the "Food Plate" model: Again, go to http://www.choosemyplate.gov/ and follow the "plate model". (Explore the site too! There is a lot of neat and educational stuff on there)
Day 8 - Eat from the earth: This may be a little confusing, but what "eating from the earth" means only eating foods that grow out of the ground. For example: Whole grains, legumes, nuts, potatoes, fruits, and vegetables. This excludes things like dairy, meat, processed foods, things with saturated fats (like butter), candy, etc.
Day 9 - Eat vegetarian: No meat, no poultry, no fish.
Day 10 - Eat all homemade: No eating out, no microwave/prepackaged meals, just pure homemade food for all meals/snacks.
Day 11 - Make a new recipe: Ever saw something on TV or online that looked amazing, but you've never had the time/desire to put in the effort of actually making it?? Well now is the chance to change that! Make something that you have never made before.
Day 12 - Try a new food: Be adventurous. Try something crazy new that you have never eaten before!
Day 13 - Use left overs to make something new: Take what ever left overs you have from previous meals and food from your pantry/fridge and come up with a new twist on those ingredients.
Day 14 - No HFCS: HFCS = high fructose corn syrup. This means read your labels of everything that goes in your mouth and make sure that no where in the ingredients is HFCS. (You'd be surprised how many places it hides!)
Day 15 - No preservatives: No preservatives means no ingredients in a food that are put in it to make it last longer. Examples of these additives are: salts, acids, Calcium Propionate, sulfites, chemical additives. That being said, fewer/natural ingredients are better.
So wish me luck! (As I do you) And I will keep you posted each day with how the challenge is going on my end -- and feel free to give me feedback on how I am doing as well as how you are doing!
Also ... keep your eyes peeled for the second half of the 30 day challenge!!
Have you ever noticed the negative stigma that had been put on to eating healthfully? But why? Why is there such negativity towards being healthy? It's good for you, helps you feel better, look better, live longer .... So why wouldn't you want to do it? Yes, I know that sometimes eating healthier can cost a little bit more, but if you go about it the right way, it can be in your budget and so flavorful and tasty that you will forget all about the foods you used to like. But I always feel like most people aren't/can't be proud of eating healthy. It is almost as if you have to hide the fact that you are health conscious and actually enjoy healthy food.
I have decided to take on a challenge, in hopes that not only will I finish the whole thing and feel better after, but that you all will join in on it and feel the positive changes eating healthy can do to you. The challenge I have come up with is designed to cleanse the body as well as the mind. It is composed of 30 daily challenges (one for every day of the month) varying from trying new foods to following the food pyramid.
My plan is to start off slow, and with each day ease in to harder "challenges". Every day will be a new challenge for me (and hopefully you too!) to take on and conquer. I am going to start off by listing the first 15 today, and in about a week or so I will post the second half of the challenges. Tomorrow will be my first official day of the challenge. Each day I will post something in the morning with my plan for the day. Then, periodically through out the day I will add on updates to let you know how the day is going. I will then post a follow up each evening with how it all went and my ideas for the next days challenge.
The first 15 challenges will go like so:
Day 1 - Drink water and only water: AKA no soda, no juice, no coffee, etc. Only drinking water and drinking enough water. (The avg person needs approximately 64+ oz of water a day, not including the water needed to replace anything lost if you have worked out or significantly sweat)
Day 2 - Eat ALL raw: Basically this means exactly what it sounds like. Eating only foods in the state that they occur naturally. This means no meat (unless you enjoy raw fish sushi), no cooking of your vegetables, no bread/pastas/rice/cooked oats&grains, and so on. It may seem like there are no options left, but this means sticking to nuts/legumes, fruits, vegetables, and natural grains in their purest form.
Day 3 - Eat the RAINBOW: By this, I mean making sure that you eat something throughout the day from every color group. More color = more antioxidants, more nutrients, and just more over all health benefits.
Day 4 - Get full servings of both fruits and vegetables: Most people don't get enough of one or both of these. The recommended amounts are 3-4 servings of fruit and 6-7 servings of vegetables a day (with one serving being roughly half cup to a cup of either).
Day 5 - Make all grains whole grains: Basically making sure that any grain that is eaten (bread, cereal, pasta, etc) is a whole grain. This means that the first ingredient on the list is whole grain flour/oats.
Day 6 - Follow the most recent "Food Pyramid": The food pyramid has changed a lot over the decades. My suggestion is to go to http://www.choosemyplate.gov/downloads/MyPyramid_Anatomy.pdf and follow those guidelines.
Day 7 - Follow the "Food Plate" model: Again, go to http://www.choosemyplate.gov/ and follow the "plate model". (Explore the site too! There is a lot of neat and educational stuff on there)
Day 8 - Eat from the earth: This may be a little confusing, but what "eating from the earth" means only eating foods that grow out of the ground. For example: Whole grains, legumes, nuts, potatoes, fruits, and vegetables. This excludes things like dairy, meat, processed foods, things with saturated fats (like butter), candy, etc.
Day 9 - Eat vegetarian: No meat, no poultry, no fish.
Day 10 - Eat all homemade: No eating out, no microwave/prepackaged meals, just pure homemade food for all meals/snacks.
Day 11 - Make a new recipe: Ever saw something on TV or online that looked amazing, but you've never had the time/desire to put in the effort of actually making it?? Well now is the chance to change that! Make something that you have never made before.
Day 12 - Try a new food: Be adventurous. Try something crazy new that you have never eaten before!
Day 13 - Use left overs to make something new: Take what ever left overs you have from previous meals and food from your pantry/fridge and come up with a new twist on those ingredients.
Day 14 - No HFCS: HFCS = high fructose corn syrup. This means read your labels of everything that goes in your mouth and make sure that no where in the ingredients is HFCS. (You'd be surprised how many places it hides!)
Day 15 - No preservatives: No preservatives means no ingredients in a food that are put in it to make it last longer. Examples of these additives are: salts, acids, Calcium Propionate, sulfites, chemical additives. That being said, fewer/natural ingredients are better.
So wish me luck! (As I do you) And I will keep you posted each day with how the challenge is going on my end -- and feel free to give me feedback on how I am doing as well as how you are doing!
Also ... keep your eyes peeled for the second half of the 30 day challenge!!
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Who's up for a challenge??
Starting very soon, I will be endeavoring on a 30 day food/health challenge. I love having healthy habits especially when it comes to food, and I would love to share those habits with everyone else. That is why I have decided to come up with 30 different "challenges" that I will take on over a 30 day period. Each day is a new challenge, progressively getting more difficult.
I have a couple of things going on this week and the week after so I am going to wait until the week of August 22 to start my challenge, but I will be posting the challenge sooner than that so if you have time to decide if you will be joining me. It will give you a little bit of time to look it over and plan things out. And after I post the challenge, I will be periodically posting how I will be going about it and meal ideas for the different challenges. So keep an eye out!
And please don't hesitate to give me any feedback or ideas for other challenges for in the future!
Have a great TGIF and weekend!!!
I will be paying attention and logging how I feel from day 1 to day 30 to show that there really is a positive correlation between eating healthier and feeling better (physically, emotionally, energetically, etc). In taking on this challenge myself, I hope that you all will join in and take it with me.
I have a couple of things going on this week and the week after so I am going to wait until the week of August 22 to start my challenge, but I will be posting the challenge sooner than that so if you have time to decide if you will be joining me. It will give you a little bit of time to look it over and plan things out. And after I post the challenge, I will be periodically posting how I will be going about it and meal ideas for the different challenges. So keep an eye out!
And please don't hesitate to give me any feedback or ideas for other challenges for in the future!
Have a great TGIF and weekend!!!
Saturday, July 23, 2011
Two loves combined (AKA: Food + Coffee)
Since working at Starbucks, my passion and interest in the nitty gritty of coffee (no pun intended) has grown and continues to grow tremendously. I have been blessed to find a job that feels like anything but a "job". I recently got the chance to showcase my "Coffee Master" abilities and set up a pairing for partners in my store. By pairing, I am simply referring to taking one of our Starbucks roasted coffees and extracting its individual flavors using food pairings.
Every coffee that Starbucks carries falls under several different categories -- origin, acidity, body, roast, etc. Depending on where the coffee falls will help to determine the complementary foods and flavors that come from and pair well with that specific coffee. The coffee that I chose to use for my tasting this time was the Starbucks French Roast. Because of the long roasting that it goes through, French Roast has a strongly developed flavor and pairs well with toasted nuts, caramelized sugars, and roasted vegetables. So when making up my pairing, I decided to make a caramelized onion puff pastry topped with toasted walnuts. This pairing would incorporate all three complementary flavors, making it a sure win!
Not only was it DELISH, but it was oober easy to make! PLUS, you can do it with just about anything -- sweet, savory, tart, crunchy, soft, etc. Here's what you've got to do:
In your local grocery store, go in to the frozen dessert isle. Usually around pie crusts and frozen cakes/pies there will be frozen puff pastry dough. Once you have your dough, let it thaw out in the fridge for about 2+ hours. As it is defrosting, you can gather and prep your filling.
I have tried a couple of different "innards" to my puff pastry, and they all have turned out quite delightful, if I say so myself. Different things that I have put in mine are: caramelized onions, cinnamon sugar, chocolate chunks, and goat cheese + portabella mushrooms.
After you pick and prepare your filling, and the puff pastry has thawed out for a couple of hours, it is time to start making your creation. Take out the dough, unroll it and cut it in to a few same sized strips. Then take each strip and cut them in to square pieces of dough. Get your filling and put a small spoonful in the center of your square. Then fold over the pastry dough to make a triangle shape (or any shape you prefer). After all of the squares are filled and folded, take a lightly beaten egg, and brush the top of each one with a thin layer of the egg wash.
When putting them in to the oven, there is a little trick to doing it. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, but as soon as you put the dough in, turn the oven down to 325. I'm not exactly sure what it does, or why you do it, but that it was I was taught. Leave them in approximately 10-12 minutes, or until the tops are golden and flaky. And then..... ENJOY!
Every coffee that Starbucks carries falls under several different categories -- origin, acidity, body, roast, etc. Depending on where the coffee falls will help to determine the complementary foods and flavors that come from and pair well with that specific coffee. The coffee that I chose to use for my tasting this time was the Starbucks French Roast. Because of the long roasting that it goes through, French Roast has a strongly developed flavor and pairs well with toasted nuts, caramelized sugars, and roasted vegetables. So when making up my pairing, I decided to make a caramelized onion puff pastry topped with toasted walnuts. This pairing would incorporate all three complementary flavors, making it a sure win!
Not only was it DELISH, but it was oober easy to make! PLUS, you can do it with just about anything -- sweet, savory, tart, crunchy, soft, etc. Here's what you've got to do:
In your local grocery store, go in to the frozen dessert isle. Usually around pie crusts and frozen cakes/pies there will be frozen puff pastry dough. Once you have your dough, let it thaw out in the fridge for about 2+ hours. As it is defrosting, you can gather and prep your filling.
I have tried a couple of different "innards" to my puff pastry, and they all have turned out quite delightful, if I say so myself. Different things that I have put in mine are: caramelized onions, cinnamon sugar, chocolate chunks, and goat cheese + portabella mushrooms.
After you pick and prepare your filling, and the puff pastry has thawed out for a couple of hours, it is time to start making your creation. Take out the dough, unroll it and cut it in to a few same sized strips. Then take each strip and cut them in to square pieces of dough. Get your filling and put a small spoonful in the center of your square. Then fold over the pastry dough to make a triangle shape (or any shape you prefer). After all of the squares are filled and folded, take a lightly beaten egg, and brush the top of each one with a thin layer of the egg wash.
When putting them in to the oven, there is a little trick to doing it. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, but as soon as you put the dough in, turn the oven down to 325. I'm not exactly sure what it does, or why you do it, but that it was I was taught. Leave them in approximately 10-12 minutes, or until the tops are golden and flaky. And then..... ENJOY!
Saturday, July 9, 2011
Frozen summery goodness
Have you ever been out on a hot summer day -- running around, swimming, playing outside, etc -- and get the craving for something sweet and frozen? Well when you are living in a constant furnace with 100+ degree temperatures every day, you get that craving a lot. Normally, a good popsicle did the trick, that was until I looked at the ingredients and sugar contents of them.
A normal popsicle is made up of basically fruit concentrate and either sugar or high fructose corn syrup. All that sugar does is cause a spike in the blood sugar, ultimately leading to a drop in energy levels and afternoon grogginess. Wouldn't it be nice to find a good frozen snack that satisfied your craving while keeping you energized and was good for you too? I think I found it!
Homemade frozen yogurt pops! ... No no no, actually, homemade frozen greek yogurt fruit pops! Yummmm, I can taste them already. And what's even better is they are SUPER easy to make, and you can customize them to your liking. Fruity, yourty, sweet, not as sweet, etc. Here's what you need:
A normal popsicle is made up of basically fruit concentrate and either sugar or high fructose corn syrup. All that sugar does is cause a spike in the blood sugar, ultimately leading to a drop in energy levels and afternoon grogginess. Wouldn't it be nice to find a good frozen snack that satisfied your craving while keeping you energized and was good for you too? I think I found it!
Homemade frozen yogurt pops! ... No no no, actually, homemade frozen greek yogurt fruit pops! Yummmm, I can taste them already. And what's even better is they are SUPER easy to make, and you can customize them to your liking. Fruity, yourty, sweet, not as sweet, etc. Here's what you need:
- nonfat greek (or plain) yogurt
- fresh/frozen fruit of your choice (berries, melon, pineapple, etc)
- milk of your choice (nonfat, lowfat, almond, soy)
- a pinch of cinnamon
Although plain nonfat yogurt is a very healthy choice (especially compared to the fruity kinds), i still prefer greek yogurt. The reason that I like greek yogurt versus plain yogurt is mainly because of the protein content. For every serving (about 6 oz) of plain nonfat yogurt, greek nonfat yogurt has almost double the amount of protein. And when looking for a snack that will satisfy and keep you going, protein is a must! Therefore, greek yogurt is my first choice whenever possible.
When choosing a greek yogurt, my personal favorite is Fage Total 0%. It has a good consistency and a nice well-balanced flavor.
But any yogurt of your choice will work just as well. The same freedom goes for the milk as well. You wont need a lot of milk, just enough to help thin out the mixture a little bit. Usually I reach for the lowfat or 1% milk, but on occasion I like to mix it up a bit with some vanilla almond milk. The vanilla almond milk gives it a slightly sweeter and nuttier flavor, making it a nice change from the norm.
Now it is time to start putting it all together. Get your blender ready and start layering in the yogurt, fruit, milk, and cinnamon. The proportions are rough, but quite simple as well. I usually start out with 1 cup yogurt, 1 cup fruit, and about 1/4 cup of milk and a pinch of cinnamon. This makes a couple of cups of the yogurty goodness, so if you are wanting to make a bigger batch, you can easily double or triple this.
Once it is all blended together, feel free to throw in a couple of chunks of fruit if you would like some whole pieces in there as well. Then take the mixture and pour into popsicle molds. If your popsicle mold didn't come with the plastic stick tops to place over each mold, then you can pick up a pack of popsicle sticks from the grocery store for a few dollars and use those instead.
Leave the yogurt pops in the freezer for at least a 2+ hours until their set, and then enjoy at your liking!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)