I have to say how shocked I was this week by how great I can feed my family and not send more than usual at the store. As many of you know we eliminated processed foods about 6 months ago, started eating organic and as much non GMO as possible about 3 months ago, and last month we eliminated gluten from our diet. We have made a lot of changes to our lifestyle in a short period of time, and all for the better.
At first, it definitely felt like eating better was more expensive but now that we are adjusted to the changes it really does cost us about the same. Our average grocery bill is $130 per week for a family of 3 (2 adults and 1 toddler).
We do the majority of our shopping at Whole Foods and Trader Joe's, with supplemental shopping at Stop and Shop and meats from a local butcher and seasonal farmers markets.
This week we tried a few new things. I usually buy a months worth of meat from the butcher, but I am running low and dint want to get my dear daughter out of the car an additional time, so I grab a "big buy" pack of organic chicken breasts at Whole Foods, 4 boneless, skinless breasts for about $10. A little higher than the butcher, but worth the savings this time.
Surprisingly I got 3 meals out this buy, so in the long run, SCORE!
1. marinated 2 breasts in teriyaki and served with a quinoa veggie stir fry
2. marinated 2 breasts in citrus vinaigrette and blood oranges and served with roasted potatoes, carrots, and beets
3. poached the tenders (that I removed from the breasts on day 1) in a seasoned bath of chicken stock, shredded and used them for yummy enchiladas. (Recipe below)
So, it can be done. I remarked to my husband tonight how much farther meat goes when you increase your veggie intake and reduce your meat consumption. Just make sure you are still getting plenty of protein in your diet and healthy fats!
Chicken enchiladas (makes 6 enchiladas)
4-5 chicken tenders
Southwest seasoning blend
squeeze of lemon
Chicken stock
Shredded cheese of choice
Enchilada sauce
Corn tortillas
Olive oil
Brown rice
Beans of choice
Rub tenders with a generous amount of seasoning and squeeze of lemon, refrigerate overnight
Place chicken in saucepan and cover with stock. Bring to a slow boil and reduce heat to medium low, poach until cooked threw. Place in a bowl to cool.
Strain stock. Return to pot and add rice. Add water if needed and cook rice.
In a small pot, heat beans, I used an open can of white beans. Once warm, smash some of the beans with a potato masher. Stir and add a splash of enchilada sauce. Keep warm.
Once rice is cooked, drain any liquid remaining. Add a sprinkling of cheese and splash of enchilada sauce. Stir and keep warm.
Place cooled chicken in mixing bowl, using the paddle attachment on low shred chicken, or use two forks. Once shredded, add a handful of cheese and a generous amount of enchilada sauce and stir.
Spray a glass dish with olive oil and set aside. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Warm a skillet sprayed with olive oil, warm corn tortillas one at a time until just warm. Fill with chicken mixture, roll, place seam side down in dish. Top with remaining enchilada sauce and shredded cheese. Bake until warmed threw and cheese melted.
Serve with beans and rice.
Enjoy!
Monday, February 11, 2013
Friday, February 1, 2013
Detox...almost over...lots learned
So our 21 day detox, well 20 really-thank you Super Bowl- is coming to a close. Thank you Joanne of Getting Real Health (http://www.gettingrealhealth.com) for your guidance and support!
We learned so much over the 20 days, I hope I can inspire all of you to try this out! It is incredible what you can learn from your body by just eliminating certain items and seeing how you feel.
We will definitely be doing a cleanse again this summer and eliminating different things- I am thinking eggs and dairy next time- and we will be remaining gluten free going forward, more on that in a minute.
Let me share some of the things we learned:
1. For the first time, maybe in my life, I understand why our bodies need hydration. I have never been a water drinker. When I got pregnant I increased my water intake for the health of the baby, but this was different. I know what it feels like to be thirsty now, I know that sounds simple but believe me it is totally different then what you think. Once you give your body the fluids it needs to work properly you notice a change. After a few days your system looks for that hydration, and if you ignore it, you will know what thirst feels like.
By hydrating my body better (I never got up to 1/2 my weight in ounces. I got up to just over 1/4 of it and I am still striving for the full goal) I noticed an increase in detoxification, my skin is less oily and more nourished, my eyes are not as dry, I can wear my contacts longer each day (before I was lucky to get 6-8 hours out of them), my mouth isn't as dry, weight loss increased slightly and my body fat has dropped. Water really is the gas for your system, and my tank has been on empty for quite some time!
2. Gluten has no positive effects on our bodies. I don't miss gluten. I easily found alternatives to bake and cook with that have no effect on taste at all, in fact some of them actually taste BETTER! Prior to this cleanse, we would have pasta as a meal, now we view it as a side dish, and make sure it is made out of a body benefiting substance, and not an over processed flour.
I look forward to the challenges ahead keeping gluten out of our diets. I enjoy cooking and baking, even more so now that I can control exactly what goes into our system. Homemade everything is better :) there will be times when we will slip, but those times will be few and far between.
3. Dairy is my friend, and I have missed her! I know a lot of people have opinions on why you shouldn't eat dairy. Example: it is highly inflammatory, it comes from an animal--more often than not that animal isn't humanely treated or fed properly. I will strive to purchase better dairy going forward. I will read labels and buy local when able.
Removing dairy wasn't all punishment, we discovered that our 15 month old has a milk sensitivity. She seems to be fine with yogurt and cheese, but milk causes a rash and eczema to appear within a short time after digesting it. So no more cows milk for us....almond and coconut milk here we come!
4. Processed foods have no place in our home. We made this change about 5 months ago, but I wanted to mention it here as well. The amount of chemicals and GMO foods in the large array of processed foods out there is really disgusting. Stop and read what you are eating. If you can't pronounce it, don't eat it. If it isn't organic, it's loaded with pesticides. (As of now that is the only way to rule out GMO foods in the US. Hopefully that will change). If it has more than 5 ingredients, do you really need to have it? If the answer is yes, can you pronounce and know what all those ingredients are? If no, don't buy it! Find an alternative!
We still have so much to learn!
1. We need to be more active, since we have more energy now that won't be as hard.
2. We need to learn to stop "boredom eating" and only eat when we are hungry. This might be the hardest thing ever! Old habits are hard to break!
And many more things, but lets start with those two whoppers!
Overall, we have expanded out fruit and vegetable intake, more than doubled our water consumption, and learned so much about how food effects our bodies. My husband lost about 10 lbs in 20 days (he had soda a few times, and gained a pound or so back) and I lost about 6 pounds and 5% body fat in 20 days. I am we'll on my way to my weight loss goal...down 45 pounds total...only 35 pounds to go. Once the winter weather goes away, I hope to shed the weight that much faster (my daughter loves to be outside!)
I challenge you to try and eliminate the useless items in your diet. Fuel your body with organic, healthy food and see how much better you feel! If you need help, don't hesitate to contact Joanne, she is great! She works with people nationwide!
Thank you for reading and coming along on this journey with me. Stick around, I hope to share many more recipes, organic skin care tips, and healthier lifestyle tips with you all!
Feel free to subscribe to my blog and check out my skin care Facebook page, www.facebook.com/skin-care-by-Jen
We learned so much over the 20 days, I hope I can inspire all of you to try this out! It is incredible what you can learn from your body by just eliminating certain items and seeing how you feel.
We will definitely be doing a cleanse again this summer and eliminating different things- I am thinking eggs and dairy next time- and we will be remaining gluten free going forward, more on that in a minute.
Let me share some of the things we learned:
1. For the first time, maybe in my life, I understand why our bodies need hydration. I have never been a water drinker. When I got pregnant I increased my water intake for the health of the baby, but this was different. I know what it feels like to be thirsty now, I know that sounds simple but believe me it is totally different then what you think. Once you give your body the fluids it needs to work properly you notice a change. After a few days your system looks for that hydration, and if you ignore it, you will know what thirst feels like.
By hydrating my body better (I never got up to 1/2 my weight in ounces. I got up to just over 1/4 of it and I am still striving for the full goal) I noticed an increase in detoxification, my skin is less oily and more nourished, my eyes are not as dry, I can wear my contacts longer each day (before I was lucky to get 6-8 hours out of them), my mouth isn't as dry, weight loss increased slightly and my body fat has dropped. Water really is the gas for your system, and my tank has been on empty for quite some time!
2. Gluten has no positive effects on our bodies. I don't miss gluten. I easily found alternatives to bake and cook with that have no effect on taste at all, in fact some of them actually taste BETTER! Prior to this cleanse, we would have pasta as a meal, now we view it as a side dish, and make sure it is made out of a body benefiting substance, and not an over processed flour.
I look forward to the challenges ahead keeping gluten out of our diets. I enjoy cooking and baking, even more so now that I can control exactly what goes into our system. Homemade everything is better :) there will be times when we will slip, but those times will be few and far between.
3. Dairy is my friend, and I have missed her! I know a lot of people have opinions on why you shouldn't eat dairy. Example: it is highly inflammatory, it comes from an animal--more often than not that animal isn't humanely treated or fed properly. I will strive to purchase better dairy going forward. I will read labels and buy local when able.
Removing dairy wasn't all punishment, we discovered that our 15 month old has a milk sensitivity. She seems to be fine with yogurt and cheese, but milk causes a rash and eczema to appear within a short time after digesting it. So no more cows milk for us....almond and coconut milk here we come!
4. Processed foods have no place in our home. We made this change about 5 months ago, but I wanted to mention it here as well. The amount of chemicals and GMO foods in the large array of processed foods out there is really disgusting. Stop and read what you are eating. If you can't pronounce it, don't eat it. If it isn't organic, it's loaded with pesticides. (As of now that is the only way to rule out GMO foods in the US. Hopefully that will change). If it has more than 5 ingredients, do you really need to have it? If the answer is yes, can you pronounce and know what all those ingredients are? If no, don't buy it! Find an alternative!
We still have so much to learn!
1. We need to be more active, since we have more energy now that won't be as hard.
2. We need to learn to stop "boredom eating" and only eat when we are hungry. This might be the hardest thing ever! Old habits are hard to break!
And many more things, but lets start with those two whoppers!
Overall, we have expanded out fruit and vegetable intake, more than doubled our water consumption, and learned so much about how food effects our bodies. My husband lost about 10 lbs in 20 days (he had soda a few times, and gained a pound or so back) and I lost about 6 pounds and 5% body fat in 20 days. I am we'll on my way to my weight loss goal...down 45 pounds total...only 35 pounds to go. Once the winter weather goes away, I hope to shed the weight that much faster (my daughter loves to be outside!)
I challenge you to try and eliminate the useless items in your diet. Fuel your body with organic, healthy food and see how much better you feel! If you need help, don't hesitate to contact Joanne, she is great! She works with people nationwide!
Thank you for reading and coming along on this journey with me. Stick around, I hope to share many more recipes, organic skin care tips, and healthier lifestyle tips with you all!
Feel free to subscribe to my blog and check out my skin care Facebook page, www.facebook.com/skin-care-by-Jen
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