Nutritional Yeast

Besides quinoa, my second favorite new ingredient is nutritional yeast. I usually use Parmesan cheese on my popcorn but I'm loving this nutritional yeast.   I've also been sprinkling in my black bean burritos instead of shredded cheese.  Yummy! 

I love that it's tasty.  It's also lower in calories than cheese.  I was a little apprehensive about trying it because it does not look or sound very appealing.  From what I've read, it's packed with lots of essential vitamins and minerals.  So, it's a win-win all around!

****

I'm thinking about trying to make a pizza crust with quinoa and nutritional yeast.  We'll see.....

Curried-Cashew Cauliflower

·         Cashew butter

·         Chopped cashews

·         Olive oil

·         Curry

·         Sea salt

This was very tasty.  In fact, it really looks and much better than the photo protrays.  I took this photo with my Blackberry.  I don't think I was roast it as long or I may put it on a lower rack.

Clean(er) Eating - Salad Dressing

Yay!  So excited about my new toy – a salad dressing bottle!  Actually, I purchased two of them.

So, I’ve had it in my mind for quite some time to start making my own salad dressing.  When I review my meals, I am “wasting” calories on salad dressing.  I’m looking forward to seeing what I can concoct. 

I know I want to experiment with a “cleaner” blue cheese dressing.  I’m thinking I’ll start with a Greek yogurt base and see what happens. 

Training Dirty -- Kickboxing

So this week I had every intention of trying Zumba. I wanted to try something totally out of my comfort zone. Instead, I stumbled upon kickboxing. I love it! In fact, I think kickboxing is more my style than Zumba. 

For now, I’ve just been doing kickboxing routines at home but I think I want to try out a class in the near future. I like that I get a fun cardio workout. It’s an especially great workout to release stress.

I still plan to try Zumba some time in the future.  For now, I'm sticking with kickboxing!

Clean(er) Eating

Clean(er) Eating

One of my goals for 2012 is to adopt a clean(er) way of eating. I recently subscribed to Clean Eating magazine and received my first issue in the mail yesterday. I love that I am in the mindset of making lifestyle changes instead of trying to find a diet that works. I’ve learned a lot about my eating from being in Overeater’s Anonymous for over a year and a half. It still amazes me that I have not had any chips, cookies, cakes, cupcakes, etc. in over a year.
Anyhow, I was reading “What is Clean Eating?” in the magazine. This is what attracts me to adopting this into my food plan and lifestyle:

Clean Eating is about consuming food in its most natural state or as close to it as possible.

Some of this lifestyle’s approaches that I am learning are to:

-Drink at least two liters of water a day – this is still a challenge for me.
-Get label savvy -- I’m getting much better with this.

-Avoid processed and refined foods -- I’m doing great in this area. Now that I can make a connection between consuming these foods and what happens to my mental, spiritual, and physical state, it is becoming easier to make healthier choices.
-Know thy enemies – for me these are my trigger foods. The piece I discusses saturated and trans fats, anything fried and anything high in sugar. I’m good with the fat and sugar. Every once in a while, I want something fried like fish or French fries. Truthfully, I’m cool with having something fried every other month or so. We’ll see if that changes.

- Consume healthy fats -- I’ve been experimenting with this. I’ve recently purchased flaxseed oil and sesame oil.

-Learn about portion sizes—this is in perfect alignment with my OA food plan. There are days I resent having to measure my food but I know it’s for the best.
-Slow down and savor – for me, I will eat with mindfulness. There’s still a part of me that will be triggered if I get too much into the food. Eating is about nourishing my body, not soothing my emotions.

Clean(er) Eating: Roasted Brussel Sprouts Salad

One of my best friends posted a photo of her salad on Facebook.  It looked yummy so I decided to try to recreate it.  I added turmeric to my roasted veggie.  This was very delicious and filling.  It's a keeper:

Roasted brussel sprouts, roasted red pepper, olive oil, turmeric, sea salt, sesame sticks, romaine lettuce, basil and balsamic vinaigrette.

January Check In

Things are going well.  I'm down five pound so far this month.  I can hardly believe it. I am very grateful for the courage to make some changes to my food plan.  I am having fun trying different quinoa recipes.
I had to slow down on my physical activity.  My poor knees are acting up again.  So, I've been doing a lot of stretching and yoga.  This coming week I am trying something I never thought I'd try -- Zumba. 

I've put hiking on hold until it gets warmer.  I have to be honest.  I do not get much pleasure out of hiking in the cold or the rain. 

I'm so glad to start this year on a positive note.  I've had some emotional challenges this month but my OA program and meditation group are helping with that.  Life, being healthy and whole, is all about balance. 



Clean(er) Eating: Quinoa Protein Bars

I had so much fun making these.  First of all, I had to find quinoa flakes.  I went to Harry's, Trader Joe's, and Whole Foods; none of these stores had them.  I give up and go to Publix to get the rest of the items on my shopping list.  I happen to go down this aisle and what do I see -- quinoa flakes! I was so excited! 
I love these bars! I froze half the batch for later so I wouldn't eat them all.  I'd never used brown rice syrup before. It's pretty good. I didn't add cinnamon because I thought I had some at home only to discover I didn't.  The next time I make these I'll definitely add cinnamon.  I also used crunchy almond butter instead of smooth for added texture.  Yummy!

Clean(er) Eating: Quinoa Patties

These patties were pretty good.  When I make them again, I'll add more cayenne.  I also think I'll find some low calorie, low fat sauce to go with these:

Clean(er) Eating: Quinoa and Black Beans

Yesterday was my first attempt at cooking (and eating) quinoa.  I was a bit nervous.  My OA sponsor eats quinoa and thinks it's best prepared in a rice cooker.  Great! I have challenges cooking rice and I gave away my rice cooker when I moved last year.  Anyhow, I boiled some water and hope for the best. 

It was fantastic! I adapted a recipe I found on CookingQuinoa. I’m so glad I omitted the jalapenos. The chili powder gave it just enough kick for me. This is differently a keeper!

Stay tuned for next week's recipe.

2012 - Eat Clean (er), Train Dirty!

Eat Clean(er), Train Dirty!  This is my motto for 2012.
I'm doing pretty well with my compulsive overeating habits.  I havent' touched any of my trigger foods in over a year.  I think it's about time to take my eating to another level.  I am a bit nervous about it.  I'm a creature of habit.  I'm nervous about change.  My food plan is fine the way it is.  However, I still have about 50 pounds I would like to drop.  One thing I have learned from Overeater's Anonymous is facing my fears about food and eating because it's all about my character defects -- it's not about the food.

I am confident God will help me make these changes.  I am also confident these changes will help me on my goal to get to a healthy weight.

So, I'm trying new things with my eating.  I've increasing my calorie range and moving towards a clean eating plan.  I met with a nutritionist on Friday and she suggested I try quinoa. It sounds like a really nutritional staple to add to my diet.  For the next couple of weeks I'll be trying different recipes.  I found this really cool site - - Cooking Quinoa. 

As far as exercise, for the next couple of months I am going to be focusing my workouts on HIIT -- High Intensity Interval Training.  Let's see what happens.