Showing posts with label Burning. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Burning. Show all posts

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Fat Burning Meals you and your family will love

This week my sister is visiting me in South Carolina from New Jersey. I absolutely love it when my family comes to visit and we always have an absolutely incredible time. The other great benefit about these family visits is that, without fail, everyone always goes home lighter.
What do I mean?
Inevitably, when friends or family spend a whole week eating with me they quickly learn how delicious healthy eating really is (and how easy it is too!) I promise I do not starve my guests. Actually, it’s quite the opposite. They always feel like they’ve “eaten TOO much”, but somehow managed to lose weight over the course of the week.
So what exactly do I eat all day? People ask me this question all the time because with the demands of being a mom, working full time and being pregnant (5 months now), they just can’t believe how I’m still able to keep up with a healthy lifestyle.
Here’s exactly what I ate yesterday and how I was able to keep my eating plan delicious and simple even with the demands of a busy day.
6am Wake up – Have to wake up before my son (18 months) to get a little time to myself in the morning. I check my emails and sip on some Green Tea with a bit of stevia.
6:30am – Flax seed and Athletic Greens shake.
Athletic Greens has become an absolute staple in my eating plan. It’s made from a variety of organic fruits and vegetables with added probiotics and digestive enzymes…it’s like “nutrition insurance” in a jar. Not only does this stuff taste great, it’s quite satisfying and energizing, especially first thing in the morning.
Try Athletic Greens Here
I put 1 Tbsp of fresh flax seeds in my Magic Bullet (you can also use a coffee grinder). I grind up the seeds to make flax powder. I then add 1 Tbsp Athletic Greens, water, ice and a touch of stevia and blend. Yummy morning shake!
7:30am. By this time my son is awake and ready for “FOOD, EAT, FOOD, EAT”…that’s exactly what I hear until I get his breakfast on the table. We both have 2 soft boiled eggs, sautéed spinach, and fresh blueberries and strawberries (yes, my 18 month old son eats exactly what I eat). The eggs were quick and easy to cook and the spinach was left over from dinner the night before.
I pack some raw nuts (Brazil nuts, macadamia nuts and almonds), 1 apple, and a bag of baby carrots for my snacks and my lunch (see below).
9am – My son goes to grandma’s and I’m off to work.
9:30am – 10:30am – As I work I snack on my raw nuts, baby carrots and ½ of the apple. I have the same snack in the afternoon. I don’t always do this, but sometimes it’s just easier.
12:30pm – Lunch. I actually made my lunch the night before while I cleaned up after dinner. I’ve got some Chilean Sea Bass (broiled in the oven), over a pretty big salad (greens, tomatoes, cucumbers, artichoke hearts, peppers) with 1 sweet potato. I use apple cider vinegar and extra virgin olive oil as my dressing along with some salt and pepper.
Packing my lunch in the evening while I clean up after dinner has become such habit and routine for me, I don’t even think about it. I have definitely found that creating a “system” for packing and prepping your food will make following a healthy eating plan much, much easier. Find a “system” that works well for you and your family.
3:30 – Afternoon snack is the same as morning snack. Again, I don’t always do this and many times I will have 1 slice of Ezekiel Bread with 2 Tbsp of almond butter and 1 Tbsp of apple butter (my favorite snack!)
5:30pm – I head home. We put some skirt steaks in to marinate and my hubby got the grill going (it was 80 degrees and sunny, a phenomenal day in the south!) We also grilled eggplant and zucchini that I marinated in balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper and Italian spices. I made some brown rice to go along with the meal.
9pm – before bed – Almond butter and apple sauce with cinnamon sprinkled on top. I love this snack because it is a bit sweet and filling and really helps to curb any sweet cravings that may start in the evening.
There you have it…nothing complicated and nothing bland and boring. I love my clean, healthy food and love how it makes me feel all day. I always choose foods I enjoy and never “make” myself eat something just because I think it’s supposed to be good for me (although it is important to be open minded and adventurous).
Stay tuned for a couple new, delicious recipes I just made for my family and got rave reviews!
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Saturday, May 28, 2011

A delicious Fat Burning Food that’s easy to make

Coconut milk has become an absolute staple in my diet. I use it in sauces, coffee and tea, and in any recipe that calls for regular cow’s milk…I just love the stuff!
When I first started using it, I purchased the canned variety at my local health food store and would go home and transfer it into a glass container in the fridge. The ingredients list was very short (coconut and water) and it seemed like a delicious, healthy option for me and my family.
But there was 1 thing that continued to bother me a bit. With the frequency that I began to use the stuff, I didn’t like that I was using a “canned” product so often. Unfortunately, any canned foods are going to contain chemicals that leach from the actual can and I just didn’t feel good about using something like that SO often.
Don’t get me wrong. I’ll use canned products from time to time, and there’s nothing wrong with using some canned items every week, but when it is a food that has become a daily staple, I felt I needed to take a bit more of a natural approach to this particular food.
Next I found the coconut milk varieties you find in the refrigerator section of your grocery store. That seemed like the next best thing. Unfortunately, once I started going through the ingredients list, I quickly found ingredients like carrageenan, guar gum and evaporated cane juice and decided I wanted to enjoy my coconut milk without these added ingredients.
So I decided to do what any super busy, working mom would do…make my own…hahaha…as if I really have the time to do this!
In all seriousness, the recipe below is so super easy and fast that even a pregnant, working mom (yes, I’m talking about me) can handle it and keep it in the fridge on a regular basis.
Homemade Coconut Milk (I learned this method from Tropical Traditions)
Ingredients
· 7/8 cup of shredded coconut
· 1 cup hot water
· ½ cup hot water
You will also need:
· Blender
· Colander
· Cheesecloth
· Large bowl
Directions:
Add shredded coconut into the blender. Then add 1 cup hot water into the blender. Blend at high speed for 2-3 minutes. Put your cheesecloth over the colander. Pour the pulp (from the blender) into the cheesecloth. Squeeze the coconut milk into the colander. Put the pulp back into the blender. Add ½ cup hot water. Blend on high speed again for about 1-2 minutes. Pour the pulp back into the cheesecloth. Squeeze more coconut milk into the colander (Basically repeating the process to get as much coconut milk out of the shredded coconut as possible).
This may sound like a lot of steps, but I assure you its super easy. It’s just blending water and shredded coconut and squeezing the milk out of it. You will notice right away this homemade version is much tastier and healthier than any store bought canned brand.
Let me know what you think!
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