New website to share with you

I was looking for a recipe for Onion Soup Mix that wasn't full of chemicals and preservatives and came across this website: http://www.simplecleanliving.com/ Not only are there food recipes, there are ideas for cleaning and beauty needs that are 'clean'.  I'm looking forward to exploring it more, but thought I'd share. Enjoy!

Jessica's Bouquet- almost done!

I've been working on a wedding bouquet for my niece.  Since she is in a different state, I wanted to post it so she can tell me what she thinks so far.  Still needs the ribbon. The boutonniere is by the side.

Protein

I've been wanting to do a post about protein for quite awhile.  I ran across this Protein Quality Chart and thought I'd share it as a place to start.  I'll be talking more about protein later!

http://healthylivingforyou.tumblr.com/post/11535122727/protein-quality-chart

What's what?

As you may know, the federal government came out with an update to the Food Pyramid this summer.  They keep trying to tell us what and how to eat, but we can't seem to get a handle on it for some reason.  This is their newest guideline which is, admittedly less confusing than that pyramid!:
http://www.choosemyplate.gov/



I stumbled on a blog this morning that has another version- one that is even more to the point!:
http://ediblearia.com/2011/07/28/dietary-guidelines/


Love it! Yea for clean eating!

Ugh!

Today I had the first fast-food burger/diet Coke/French fries that I’ve had in a long time.  I was out shopping, I was starving and it sounded so good.  And it was good, going down.  Now a few hours later, I am stuck on the couch with absolutely no energy and feeling like a slug.  Could it really make such a huge difference in such a short time?  I’m guessing that yes, it does.  So- my little step outside of clean eating has just proven to me that it’s not worth the few minutes of enjoyment to lose the energy and healthy feeling that comes with eating clean.  

How Important is Nutrition?

I have started re-reading the Eat-Clean book.  It is so packed with information that I wanted to make sure it's cemented in my brain.  I studied nutrition in college and I know how important it is to put the right kind of food into our bodies so that they can run at optimum level. Eating healthy is the best way to avoid disease and sickness, and to have the energy to exercise and just keep up with daily life.  It may come as a surprise to know that nutrition is also the most important aspect in shaping a lean and healthy body.

According to Tosca Reno (TR) from Eat-Clean Recharged (page16) Nutrition accounts for 80%, Exercise for 10% and Genetics for 10% of how our bodies are shaped.  As a personal note I have to say that this should not discount the importance of exercise in anyone's mind! (We'll talk about that later!)

The thing that has been SO FRUSTRATING to me, and I believe the public in general is the constant barrage of mis-information when it comes to what we should be eating.  The government told us years ago that fat was bad so everyone stopped eating it and as a result we have become overweight and obese  ("two out of three North Americans are overweight or obese..." TR pg. 18).

The principals of eating clean are so common sense that most people who try to follow it will find themselves happier, healthier and thinner.  Please also remember that it may take awhile to see results.  Our bodies are creatures of habit and have to be convinced that the changes happening are going to continue- so it might as well start co-operating!

In a nutshell, here are the Eat-Clean Principles- (pg. 21 from Eat Clean Recharged)

What to do:

• Eat six small meals each day
• Eat breakfast every day, within an hour of rising
• Eat a combination of lean protein and complex carbohydrates at each meal
• Eat sufficient healthy fats every day
• Drink 2-3 Liters of water each day
• Depend on fresh fruits and vegetables for fiber, vitamins, nutrients and enzymes
• Adhere to proper portion sizes (this is important or you may end up gaining weight!)

What to avoid:

• Avoid all over-processed foods, particularly white flour and sugar
• Avoid chemically charged foods
• Avoid foods containing preservatives
• Avoid artificial sugars
• Avoid artificial foods (such a processed cheese slices)
• Avoid saturated and trans fats
• Avoid sugar-loaded beverages, including colas and juices
• Avoid (or do your best to limit) alcohol intake
• Avoid all calorie-dense foods containing little or no nutritional value. (Anti-foods)
• Avoid super-sizing your meals

My husband and I have discovered some of the tastiest food through eating clean!  I have a renewed interest in cooking and eating again too! 

New Mission

Since I've discovered Eating Clean, I have been on the search for good "clean" recipes.  So far I found found some amazing ones!  As my husband and I are starting to see the benefits from eating clean (weight loss, extra energy and just an overall feeling of being healthier) I will be sharing some of the better recipes I find, along with information I learn about health and nutrition in general.

Last night I made these Quinoa Patties with Peanut Ginger Dipping Sauce.  Oh my- they are so flavorful and delicious!  Here is the website:  http://thejoyofcleaneating.com/recipes/clean-eating-quinoa-patties-with-peanut-ginger-dipping-sauce/

This picture is from the website:

Day 30: Place I Love

When I was growing up, I LOVED the mountains that were just above our house.  I spent a lot of time up there exploring with my cousins and have some wonderful memories of spending time there.  When I moved away, I always missed the mountains, they had helped me feel oriented and kept me from feeling lost.  (You can see them in the background of the picture below).

But- as I have spent more time near the ocean I have also come to love it.  I love the power and vastness of it, the peace and beauty of it.  Sometimes I just long to be on the beach to soak up the sight and sound of it.   I'm not necessarily a fan of going into the ocean- just looking at it and loving the sight of it.

This officially ends my 30 day challenge!  OK, it took a lot longer than 30 days- but it's been a fun journey!

Day 29: Something I Could Never Get Tired Of

Okay, I know that this may come across as a little corny, but I love holding hands with my husband.  We don't get to spend a lot of time together and whenever we do, we hold hands a lot!  There is something to be said about the human connection of touching someone you love!

For your listening pleasure:  I Wanna Hold Your Hand- The Beatles

Day 28: Something You Don't Leave the House Without

I rarely leave the house without my cell phone!  I feel lost without it!  We have spent a lot of time the last couple of months trying to decide if we should switch carriers and get new phones. Tonight we wandered through Target and started talking to a phone rep there.  Before we knew it, we had decided to switch from T-Mobile to Sprint.  We will be getting new phones that will give us access to internet, email all sorts of fun stuff.  In other words- we are joining the 21st century!  Now if we can just figure out how to work them!

Update:  July 15th. Nope- we took the phones back to the store today and canceled our contract with Sprint.  It just didn't feel right.  It was like we were paying for a Cadillac when a Honda would do just fine.  So- we're back to square one looking for a new phone- probably stay with TMobile to take advantage of their mobile to mobile minutes.

Day 27: A Recipe

I know I've already posted one recipe, but we really enjoyed this one last night and I think it's a little more interesting than the next suggested 30 day challenge posting of "what's in my purse"!  Anyway, it's another eat-clean recipe. Just so you know, I liked it better the first night- the next day the tortillas were a bit soggy.


Enchiladas

Ingredients

• 1.5 lbs Ground Chicken (I used ground turkey)
• 6 Whole Wheat Tortillas
• 1 Jalapeno, diced
• 1 Onion, diced
• 1 Garlic Clove, pressed
• 1 Green Pepper, diced
• 1 Cup Mushrooms, Diced
• 4 Cups Spinach, chopped or torn
• Taco Seasoning*
• 1 Cup Greek Yogurt
• 1 Cup Cottage Cheese
• Plain Tomato Sauce
• Sliced Black Olives
• Sliced Avocado
• Green Onions, Chopped

Instructions

Preheat Oven to 350 Degrees

In Medium Skillet add Chicken, Onion, Garlic, Jalapeno Pepper, and Green Bell Pepper and saute until browned. 
Add Mushrooms to meat mixture.
Add Spinach to meat mixture (heat until wilted) mix well. 
(I had some zucchini so I chopped it up small and threw it in too)                                                                                                                        

In Medium Bowl mix greek yogurt with cottage cheese and add Taco Seasoning (recipe at the bottom), stir until well blended.

In baking dish put enough tomato sauce to cover bottom of the dish. In each tortilla place a spoonful of meat mixture and a spoonful of cheese mixture. Roll tortillas and place seam side down. Cover tortillas with tomato sauce, and any remaining cheese / meat.

 Bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until hot and bubbly

Remove from oven and sprinkle with sliced black olives, green onion, and sliced avacado. 

* Taco Seasoning
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon black pepper

http://www.eatcleandiet.com/the_kitchen_table/recipe/recipe.aspx?id=978

Day 26: Favorite Books

These are a few of my favorites:

 The Poisonwood Bible, Barbara Kingsolver

Three Cups of Tea, Greg Mortenson

All three of this series by Barbara Kingsolver

 I have really enjoyed these three books by Mitch Albom.  He tells stories that make you think but are entertaining at the same time.

The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd

 Chocolat by Joanne Harris

Favorite Books that taught me:

         

Day 25: Celebrity Crush

Bon Jovi- Yep :)

Day 24: Hobbies

Well, this is another post that I've been putting off.  My list of hobbies mostly fall under the "hobbies I used to do" category.  I haven't done much lately but have plans to get back into them.  Some of my favorite from the past include:

• Flower arranging.  My dad worked in the floral industry for all of my growing up years.  I loved the sights and smells of it all.  Going to work with him when I was young was always a treat.  He taught me the proper way to care for fresh flowers.  When I was old enough, I worked at the same wholesale floral- budding mums and planting cuttings.  In fact- that's where I met my husband!  I always loved playing with flowers and trying to arrange them into something beautiful.  I even had a job working for a grocery store managing their floral department.  Growing up, my dad was never a big fan of holidays that involved flowers- after that job I certainly understood that feeling!
• Playing the piano.  Thanks to my mom's example and my grandma's (among others) lessons I learned to play the piano.  I remember pounding out some of my favorites when I was a teenager- they really helped me to relieve some of the stress I felt during that time.  I inherited my grandma's old upright piano but I sold it when we moved to Germany.  After that I bought an electric piano but it was never quite the same as pounding on the old "ivories".  Yep, I need to start playing again.
• Sewing.  I used to love to sew.  In high school I made a fur jacket for myself and a pair of slacks for my dad. I was pretty proud of them.  I also sewed the dress I wore for graduation.  As my daughters grew I was able to make a few dresses for them.  Some of my proudest were prom dresses.  My mom makes beautiful quilts and one day soon I want to try my hand at quilting.

Day 23: A Detailed To-Do List for Today

My days are pretty laid back and relaxed right now so I don't have a lot of detail to give, but I'll tell you what I did today!

• Exercised with Jillian (you know, from the Biggest Loser)
• Went to our town's Fourth of July parade and helped the grandkids collect lots of taffy!
• Took those grandkids to the park where we all got hot and tired.
• Did laundry
• Started packing for my trip tomorrow
• Watched a couple of episodes of McCleod's Daughters on Netflix
• Ruined my diet
• Visited with my daughter-in-law and grandbaby Sky
• Still packing :)

Day 22: A Favorite Vacation

About ten years ago we bit the bullet and took the family on a trip to Cancun.  It was just before the kids started moving out and we figured it may be our last chance to go on vacation together.  It was so worth it- we had such a good time and saw some amazing things.  Here are some pics:

Day 21: Something You Are Looking Forward To

First I thought I would talk about some deep, life meaning, sort of thing but that's just not where my brain is tonight.  So I thought I'd talk about the upcoming Fourth of July weekend!  I'm looking forward to having my family over for food and fireworks, and then the local small town parade with taffy and high school bands and horses.  I'm also excited to be able to celebrate the fourth with my hubby in DC.  Fun times!

Day 20: My Favorite Music Artists

Yep, I'm a total slacker at this challenge!  Today I'm going to share with you some of my favorite musicians- they are varied and wonderful!

• Jack Johnson- I first heard his music from my son listening to him.  I fell in love with his easy going laid back style.
• Lady Antebellium- Probably my favorite country music artists, though there are many I love!
• Neil Diamond- An oldie but a very good goodie!
• Cecilio and Kapono- First heard these guys back in college- from Hawaii they have an easy, rich sound.  I have their records!  I guess it's time to update to some CD's!
• Andrea Bocelli-  I'm crazy about this tenor's voice- love his music.

Day 19: Something You Want to Buy

OK, I admit that there are several things that I would like to buy.  But today when the temperature outside hit 92 degrees I decided that I would really like to buy a car that has air conditioning!  I love our old van- it gets great gas mileage and it has been trusty and dependable but during the summer I have to admit that I fantasize about having a car with air conditioning.  Well, maybe someday!

Day 18: A Recipe

A couple of weeks ago, I'm pretty sure I would have posted a recipe of a favorite dessert but I've been trying to "eat clean" lately and this is a recipe I tried.  It was delicious and I had requests for the recipe so it must be a winner, right?  Anyway, eating clean is basically trying to stay away from refined flours and sugar, foods with a lot of preservatives or that have undergone a lot of processing.  You also eat up to six small meals which include a lean protein and complex carbohydrate, every two to three hours versus three meals.  So far I'm enjoying the challenge and the extra energy that comes from eating this way.  If you give it a try I hope you enjoy it!

Couscous Salad Greek Style

Ingredients:

1 cup dry whole-wheat couscous

¾ cup low-fat, low-sodium chicken or vegetable stock

¾ cup fresh squeezed orange juice

2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil          

1 Tbsp lime juice (juice of one lime)

½ cup grape tomatoes cut in half

¼ cup green onions, chopped

1 cup cucumber, chopped and seeded

¼ cup chopped fresh oregano

½ cup goat cheese or feta cheese

Sea salt and black pepper to taste

Preparation:

1.       Bring stock and orange juice to a boil. Add couscous and stir. Then turn off heat and cover pot tightly. Don’t peek. Let stand.

2.       Make dressing by combining olive oil and lime juice. Whisk and set aside.

3.       Back to the couscous. Remove lid and fluff grains with a fork.  Add chopped vegetables. Crumble the cheese over the salad and drizzle with dressing. Add oregano and season with sea salt and ground black pepper.

Nutritional Value per serving:  (Six servings)

Calories: 233/ Calories from Fat: 77/ Protein: 7g/ Carbs: 33g/ Dietary Fiber: 6g/ Sugars: 4g/ Fat: 8g/Sodium 222mg

Source: The Eat-Clean Diet Cookbook, Tosca Reno

Day 17: A Baby Picture of Your Sister :)

This was actually supposed to be a picture of myself, but somehow I ended up with her picture and claimed it as my own.  Maybe it was a sub-conscious slip because I've always admired her and thought she was beautiful and amazing.  She is talented and thoughtful and fun and energetic (she has four sons who are all active in sports- as is she)- and I'm grateful she is my sister.  Anyway- love you sis!

Day 16: Something You Miss

In honor of today being Father's Day, I would like to make a change to the title of this post to SOMEONE I miss.  My dad has been gone for a year and a half and I miss him- especially on days like today.  I have so many wonderful memories of my dad- of the things he taught me, mostly through his example.  He loved sports and I was never much good at them, though I wanted to be for his sake!  I remember being up early on many a Saturday morning and the two of us going to the local diner for hot chocolate and a doughnut.  I remember the lessons I learned when I did something that disappointed him- what daughter wants to disappoint her dad?  Not me! He was a humble man who served his family and community and loved my mom.   I could go on, but for now I just want to say how much I love my dad and how grateful I am for having known him.

Day 15: A Fun Memory

First off, I will say that my 30 day challenge hit a road-block!  Between getting ready to travel and traveling well... Anyway- I'm going to take a stab at it again.

When I read the title for today's post, I immediately thought of two different vacations that I have taken.  I'll post about the other one in another post.  Chuck and I took a vacation to New York to celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary a couple of years ago.  We took a week and just tried to do everything we could during that time.  We were able to go to two Broadway shows- In the Heights and Shrek.  We went jogging in Central Park, went to Ground Zero, and the Statue of Liberty/Ellis Island. The day we went to the Empire State Building, it was foggy and cold and we couldn't see a thing- but we went anyway!  I loved just hanging out at Time Square to people watch.  We also toured a battle ship- I can't remember the name of it though :(

Central Park

Aboard the USS Intrepid

Statue of Liberty (of course)

Before the show!

           

Time Square!

Empire State Building on a cold rainy day!

         

Our hotel room was so small that there was basically only room for a bed and a small chair but we didn't mind cause we were in New York City!

Day 14: What I Did Today

Today we had the opportunity to visit Annapolis, MD, and the Naval Academy there.  It was a lot of fun and it was a beautiful day too!  I love to look at the water- I'd prefer a beach and an ocean, but the view was pretty awesome. I thought I'd share my day through pictures.

In the background, the original state capital in Annapolis, the first in the United States.  

Lot's of fun shops and eating places!

Chuck at the water front

Beautiful buildings on the Naval Academy campus.

More water front pics.

Day 13: A Picture You Took

I was on a military post today and saw the preparations for a funeral.  I don't know anything about who the funeral was for but you can see the caisson being pulled by the horses.  I'm pretty sure the burial was at Arlington.  Anyway, in light of Memorial Day which was a few days ago, I thought I'd share these pictures and express my gratitude to military members and their families for their sacrifices.

Day 12: Favorite TV Shows

I tend to go through phases of what kind of show I like.  I went through my queue on Hulu and chose the ones that I've enjoyed most.  Some are off the air now, but still favorites:

• Parenthood
• Eureka
• Monk
• Doc Martin
• Castle
• Friday Night Lights
• Modern Family
• Army Wives

Day 11: My Dream House

My Dream House has an amazing front porch.  I've dreamed about a lovely porch for as long as I can remember. A place where friends and family can gather to spend time together. The one other thing that I would want in my dream house is a gathering room that is big enough for the whole family to meet together and have the space to be comfortable.