Freezer Meals

Recently, I was asked about some good recipes to make ahead and freeze - to make dinner time easier. I think just about anything you make can be frozen and heated up or thawed later. The Eat Clean Diet recipes usually make a ton and I have to freeze half because it usually makes way too much for the 3 of us. Especially if its one of Tosca's soups.

I actually freeze alot of my leftovers, so we aren't eating it for 2 weeks straight! You can freeze just about anything, including cheese. I have a friend who buys me a block of this really good sharp white cheddar every time he travels near this cheese factory. We don't eat very much cheese, so I freeze it. Then, when I know I'm gonna need it, I pull it out of the freezer, cut off what I need and throw it back in the freezer.

If I have too much of a homemade salad dressing or fixins to a big salad (like beans, beats, hard boiled egg, little corns, water chestnuts, etc.) I freeze them and when I need them again, I just let them thaw either on the counter or in the fridge. I'm not sure there is anything that you can't freeze. I make extra oatmeal, quinoa, protein bars, cookies, etc., etc. and I freeze them all.

The cookies and protein bars are actually really yummy to eat frozen in the summertime! A cool treat!

One more thought: Just today, I had two bananas left over from last week, so

when I got home from the store, I put the fresh bunch

in the hammock and I peeled the other two and put them in my freezer. I will use them in my protein shake or oatmeal next week. If you have any fruit that is on the "ultra" ripe side, cut it in half (& pit it or peel it, if necessary) and pop it in the freezer. No more wasted fruit! You can toss it into a shake or smoothie for extra flavor & coldness without the ice!

The key to freezing your meals/leftovers is to actually use it later; which I'm pretty good at doing; however, I am really bad at labeling the containers, so I have to remember what stuff is and sometimes we have a little surprise when it thaws cuz it wasn't what I thought it was!

Keep checking my Recipes page for more ideas. There is a sensational Chicken Parmigian recipe by Guy Fieri that is not "clean", but man, is it good for a splurge. I'll try to get some stuff like that added to my page in the next couple of days.

In the meantime, just take your favorite recipes and double it - freeze half - and enjoy it later.

An Excellent Article for Eating Clean!

This is from the Beachbody Newsletter. It is good information and really explains why processed foods and low fat/no fat foods are not a great option. Check it out -

http://teambeachbody.com/about/newsletters/-/nli/184#68207360

New Recipe Posted

Please check out my Recipes Page for the Whole Wheat Flax Cookies - Yummmmmm!!!

Sweet Tooth

So, I have a confession to make. I have a huge sweet tooth. I love desserts and candy, so having lots of fresh fruits and healthy sweet alternatives in the house is a life saver for me. Now, don't get me wrong, we do occasionally buy candy as a splurge for like... movie night, but I definitely don't keep any in the house because I have zero will power when it comes to that stuff.

The same is true for chips and crackers. If they are in the house, it is so easy to snack on them instead of eating something better for me. Even the so called "healthy" crackers are still processed foods. I feel so proud of myself when I grab some fruit, or almonds, or some celery with some nut butter as a snack instead of processed crackers. I keep a container of prepared carrots and celery in the fridge so they are easy to grab. Here's a tip: I put cold water in the bottom of the container and then include just a touch of carbonated flavored water (the zero sugar kind at WalMart). It keeps the carrots and celery crisp longer. I will replace the water and do it again halfway through the week if the water is getting murky or slimey from being in the fridge too long. My veggies stay fresh & crispy all week long.

Anyway, once you get use to not having the excess sugar in your diet, your taste buds change. At least ours have changed. When I first started cooking and eating clean, I was worried that my son wouldn't like the things I cooked, but slowly and surely as he tried each new recipe, even he came around. The first time I made a bean soup recipe, he didn't like it, but the next time I made the same recipe... he liked it - go figure! He even likes the Quinoa dessert (which his friends didn't), but oh well! It's yummy! I don't care what they say.

A happy by-product of cleaning up our diet has been that my son has just naturally slimmed down without even knowing that it was happening - by only having healthy snacks and eliminating the processed foods, refined sugars and flours and replacing them with yummy healthier alternatives, he has slimmed down and he's noticed the change.

Hopefully, we are modeling a behavior and lifestyle that he will continue throughout his life. It would be nice if he would never have to struggle with weight issues again.

Favorite Recipes

OK, so I've been meaning to write more about the actual inspiration for my blog... FOOD! I have some favorites to share with you from Tosca Reno's Eat Clean Diet.

Clean-Eating Power Protein Bars on page 303 of The Eat Clean Diet Cookbook. This recipe actually has the most ingredients I think I've seen in her recipes, but it is still soooo easy and good! My husband and son love them too!

The next one I want to mention has to be her Grandmother's Favorite Oatmeal Cookies! OMG! These are sooooo good! These are husband and son approved as well, not to mention others that I've shared with - though I try to be stingy because I have a sweet tooth. This recipe is on page 249 of the book.

Her Low-Fat Almond Date Biscotti are fabulous with your morning coffee!

And, the absolute most fabulous dessert I think I've ever had is her Tofu Chocolate Mousse! Yes, tofu... I'm not a big fan of the stuff, but this is to die for. You have to try this one!

Ok, so that's my favorites so far in the sweet category. Let me tell you a few in the savory category.

Her Adobo-Rubbed Pork Tenderloin with Black-Bean Pico DeGallo is at the top of the list. It is on page 200 of the book. The Stellar Legume Soup on page 238 and the Hearty White Bean Chili on page 245 also top notch and well loved in my household.

I'm still working through the cookbook, so I'll keep you in the loop as I try new recipes! In the meantime, give a few a try yourself! It is actually yummy to eat clean! Her books are also at the local library, check them out.

Check my Recipes page for my favorites.

Breaking Through a Rut!

I've been working out to Beachbody products for over 2 years now. Most of my first year was spent solely on P90X, then I moved on to P90X Plus, so I hadn't really gotten bored with my workouts until just recently, this summer.

I found myself not really applying myself anymore. Feeling bored with the workouts, I decided I needed something new, so until I could purchase my latest workout (Brazil Butt Lift), I decided to change up my existing routine. I started by alternating between the two programs I already had - regular P90X and the Plus. Instead of doing the 90 day program straight through on one or the other, I would do one week on schedule with regular P90X and then switch the next week

to the Plus schedule.

I would also reverse the order of my workout. Instead of starting at the top of the workout sheet, I would start with the last exercise and move up the sheet in reverse. That may seem really simple, but it made a big difference. Doing that was a really great way to confuse my body and break up the monotony of my workouts. It's amazing how you get so use to doing the workout in the same order each time. I found that I could do alot more reps (or weight) than before when I was doing these excercises at the end of my workout - doing them at the beginning, when I was fresh and rested.

I also use music as a motivator. I love music, so I have found that it really helps me to apply myself more. Especially, on workouts that aren't my faves, like Plyo. If I can get lost in some great music, I find that the exercise is over before I know it and I'm dripping sweat.

Another thing to remember, that can be very effective, is to maybe just take a good long break. I do something easy, like walking (quickly) on a treadmill. Sometimes it's nice to just do a brisk walk on the ol' treadclimber, getting lost in a magazine or book or music while I walk/climb.

Or here's a novel idea... sometimes, I just... sleep in!!! Whaaattt?! I give my body a rest - I don't allow myself to feel guilty - and I come back in a week (or more) revived and renewed in my commitment to workout.

What does it mean to "Eat Clean" anyway?

So, last year I came across an article in a fitness magazine about The Eat Clean Diet by Tosca Reno. She has a book by the same name (& several subsequent recipe books). The article was interesting. I liked what she had to say, so I bought the book and actually read it cover to cover.

I learned about sugar intake, sodium, good fats & bad fats (i.e. trans fats) and I learned how to really read labels (I never really knew what to look for before). What an eye-opener!

I found out that eating clean is more about simplifying the way we eat/what we eat; and cutting out the "processed" foods (think lunch meats, snack crackers, salad dressings, sweeteners, frozen prepared meals, etc., etc.) and getting back to the whole, fresh foods of the past.

Eating clean is not about counting calories. In fact, she doesn't pay too much attention to calories, but about minimizing processed foods and cutting refined sugars and reducing sodium intake. Did you know that when something says "light" or "reduced fat/calorie" or "diet" it will often times have extra sodium in it?

Now, I am nowhere near being as clean-eating as she is; and I don't even know if I want to aspire to be that dedicated to it, but I did take the information she gave and gleaned what I could from it and applied what made sense to me to my lifestyle. Every little bit of knowledge helps and pretty soon, a year later, I look back and can see that I've incorporated quite a bit from her books into my life and it was pretty painless. I took small steps as I learned and little by little, recipe by recipe, small changes happened here and there.

Also, I love her recipes because they are simple. They have a handful of ingredients and just a few steps. I like to cook, but I don't like complicated recipes with extensive ingredients lists and hours in the kitchen.

Take a look at her book. It has helped me so much in my fitness journey. My husband read somewhere that "you can't out train a bad diet" and trying to eat clean has really helped in that department.

I just got back from a week long camp trip with my family. We went to Bull Trout up near Stanley. We had some excellent food and fun! Everyone usually tries to go all out to bring meals that will wow everyone! It’s always so much fun to see who will come up with something totally new! My sister-in-law made a fun dessert using hallowed out oranges. It was neat and very yummy!

I have a recipe to share for a dessert I made with avocado from the book “10 Things You Need to Eat” by Dave Lieberman. It is Yummy!

Ingredients

· 1/2 cup whole wheat flour

· 1/2 cup Dutch-process cocoa

· 1/2 teaspoon salt

· 1 cup almonds

· 4 ounces good-quality bittersweet chocolate

· 1/2 cup canola oil

· 1 large, ripe Hass avocado, pitted and peeled

· 6 eggs

· 1/2 cup granulated sugar

· 1 cup dark brown sugar

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9 x 13-inch glass baking dish with parchment and grease the parchment.

Whisk the flour, cocoa, and salt together in a large mixing bowl.

Grind the almonds in a food processor until roughly chopped. Stir the nuts into the cocoa mixture.

Break up the chocolate and add the pieces to the food processor. Pulse just until coarsely chopped and stir into the cocoa mixture.

Wipe out the food processor; then add the oil, avocado, eggs, and sugars and process until smooth.

Use a rubber spatula to transfer the avocado mixture to the bowl with the cocoa mixture; then gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.

Pour the batter into the baking dish and bake for 35 minutes, until the batter has

just barely set in the middle. Allow to cool fully before slicing into 3 4-inch brownies.

I prepared all of the dry ingredients before we went and just had to throw together the wet ingredients and then incorporate. We camp in a trailer and we take a generator so I can use my mixer when I have recipes like this. I had a total splurge week and served this with vanilla ice cream, but you could just as easily use frozen yogurt.

Now, to work off all of the wonderful food that we had, my husband and I tried something new for our workout routine, besides our normal camping activities of swimming, hiking, biking and horseshoes, we also got up each morning and went for a run. Now, please bear in mind that I am not a runner (though I have tried it on a few occasions) and have never been able to go very far without stopping, but we gave it our all. It was fun to try it together (he ran in the army every morning) and I did surprisingly well. I was sure sore in my shins and hips. It was a nice change from our ordinary routine and was a good break, but I've learned that I am not a runner. I think you either are or you aren't, but it was fun to try it for a week.

It was nice to get back into my P90X routine this morning. I did Kenpo Cardio from the Plus routine. I was pouring sweat and it felt great to get back into it after my week off camping.

This next week I am going to write about Tosca Reno & "The Eat Clean Diet". Which was definitely not the theme for this last week's camp trip, but we did o.k. with plenty of fresh fruit and veggies, homemade cereal bars, Tosca's homemade protein bars, oatmeal cookies & biscotti.