90 Day Clean Eating Challenge - Day 3

As I was trying to find recipes for this challenge I came across something I didn't know existed that was extremely helpful to me in choosing seafood options. Monterey Bay Aquarium puts out a
Seafood Watch pocket guide that helps us choose ocean-friendly seafood. What does ocean-friendly mean? It means that the fish are "well-managed and caught or farmed in ocean-friendly ways".

To get the most up-to-date information you can log onto www.seafoodwatch.org, access their mobile site or use the seafood watch app. I hope you find this information as useful as I did in making good seafood choices.

Menu Day 3
Banana
Whole-wheat cinnamon chip toast
1/2 whole wheat ham sandwich
Clean Kettle sea salt chips
10 Almonds
100% Fruit Leather
Stir-fry veggie/beef tacos on corn tortillas (I found great tortilla's at Walmart of all places. They are not cooked, clean, corn tortillas in the cold section).
1% milk

Exercise
3 mile hike

90 Day Clean Eating Challenge - Day 2

After just two days it is already getting easier to eat clean. It amazes me how quickly I can feel the difference. I love that when I am eating clean I feel satisfied quicker and stay fuller longer. I don't have as many cravings. That is because I am eating foods that have loads of energy value. I am avoiding sugars and refined products and my body likes it a lot. Have any of you had a similar experience or does it take longer for some to feel the difference? I would love to know.

Menu Day 2
Green Smoothie
Whole-wheat toast with small amount of butter
Green Smoothie
1/2 veggie sandwich
Kettle chips
Raw almonds
Clean eating crepes with strawberries, blueberries and bananas
1% milk

Exercise
Walking 60 minutes up canyon

Clean Eating Crepe Recipe

found at sparkpeople.com

1/2 cup whole-wheat flour

1 egg

1 egg white

1/3 cup milk

1/3 cup water

1 tsp. oil

1/2 tsp. vanilla 

Mix ingredients together in a blender. On a non-stick skillet pour 1/4 cup mix and swirl the pan until the batter is thin. Cook until firm then flip to the other side. Keep crepes in the oven on the lowest setting to keep them warm. Serve with fresh fruit, unsweetened homemade whipped cream and real maple syrup.

90 Day Clean Eating Challenge - Day 1

Ok. So last time I attempted switching to clean eating I learned a lot.

1. I learned that I feel much better when I eat clean food. My family feels much better. I have more energy. 
2. I learned that I needed to determine what clean eating meant to me. Some don't do dairy or sugar. For me, we include dairy in our meals. I also used organic sugars as unprocessed as I can find. I mean the point of clean eating is to eat the food as close to the way it appears in nature. I am ok with my decisions. I feel better about eating butter and organic sugars than using other non sugar sweeteners. Decide what works for your family and be okay with it.
3. I learned that when trials come, it can be harder to eat right. If I'm not in my own kitchen just do my best, it isn't the end of the world
4. I learned it is okay to be flexible. I learned that it is a way of life but should not take over every social function my family and I attend. We are okay to "cheat" sometimes...moderation in all things - very wise words. 
5. I learned that it is not more important than relationships with family and friends.  I can't expect others to fix things especially for me and I don't want them to have that burden. 
6. I learned it isn't always easy to find the food products I need to eat clean. It is a process and I am continually seeking new places to shop, new items that are clean or where to get clean meat. 
7. Overall I learned that it is the healthiest way to eat for me and my family. I have seen people do lots of crazy eating things to get the results they want. This seems intuitive and doesn't restrict a certain type of food.

After 2 major floods I am back. During our floods we were in and out of our home and clean eating became more difficult. As a general rule I have stuck with the clean eating idea, but felt fine with moderation of other foods. Now that my home is back and it is summer I am once again trying to reach my goal of going 100% clean for 90 days.

I am doing this so that I can see how I feel after a strict 3 months of eating clean. I won't hold my children to the same standard. They are boys and don't like the idea of "restriction". I see it as empowering, they see it as restriction:) So, at home we will eat clean because I fix the food and truth be known they won't even know. I think it is good to educate kids about healthy food choices, but it isn't something we constantly harp on or talk about. I believe healthy body images and healthy habits are important and can be ruined when there is too much focus on food.

Join me if you can and let's see how it goes. Today is my first day and I will always post my meals for the day and my exercise because it is important to do the two together.

Meal plan Day 1
1 egg and 2 egg whites scrambled with 1 slice whole-wheat bread. (I added a bit of cheese and ham)
1 glass 1% low-fat milk
Clean corn chips and homemade salsa (roma tomatoes, cilantro, jalapeno, green onions and salt)
Green Smoothie (coconut water, spinach, bananas, gala apple, tangelos, ice)
Apple for snack
Tilapia with brown rice, pineapple and soy sauce for dinner
Water is my drink of choice

Exercise
Walking 3 miles in canyon
Running/kettleball cross fit workout. (4 rounds: run 400m, 800m, 1200m, 1600m. Each run is followed by 30 kettle ball swings)

Here's to feeling great!
Carri

Yum! Chocolate "Moose"

 With all this clean eating that has been going on at our house, my boys thought they were so funny to 

find some chocolate "moose" to eat by the lake :)

 Open wide!

Where to buy Clean Meat??

After a few weeks of changing my diet over to clean eating, I am at a point where I can focus on finding the best sources when it comes to purchasing food. Up until now, I haven't worried too much about the meat we are eating because there were so many other big issues that needed to be changed.

Now I find myself wondering what is in the meat my family and I are eating. Upon further inquiries and label reading I found preservatives in almost everything.

Today I made it my goal to find some places to purchase meat without preservatives. I started at our farmer's market on Saturday. I placed my name on a list where 2 or 3 families will share a cow. The place they have the meat processed (in Lindon I believe) is one of the best they could find and the meat is flash frozen without preservatives. This will take some time to get our meat.

Next, I googled butchers in my city. A list came up and I started to call. Most of the meat I can purchase is preservative free :) The only catch is that it takes a bit of planning. I must log onto their website and put an order in. It will take 2-3 days to fill the order then I can pick it up. They have shredded meats as well that do not have preservatives...but be careful. As I was talking to her she stated that their BBQ meat is put into BBQ sauce. This typically means that the sauce has preservatives in it.

The last option that I found today is Costco. This is quite convenient when I need something today for dinner. I talked to the meat department and he said that all their meat is cut fresh right there and packaged. No preservatives at all. YAY! We love Costco meat in our family of 4 boys/men...good news for me. The no preservatives pertains to all the meat in the long freezer under the meat department windows. When I asked about the salmon, it is farm raised and often times when that is the case, there is color added....which we want to avoid.

So, the bad news? Almost all deli style sandwich meat has preservatives. I haven't been able to find any without preservatives yet. I will keep looking and let you know when I find some.

Happy Eating!

Clean Eating Lime Chicken Tacos

This recipe is a cinch! And it got thumbs up all around the table tonight.

Crock Pot Recipe

Place 3-4 Large Chicken Breasts in the crock pot on low. (My chicken breasts were rather large)
Juice 2 limes and add 1 Tbsp Chili Spice...mix and pour over the chicken (or add 2 drops of doTerra Lime essential oil in 1/2 cup water with spice).

Let cook for 6-8 hours.
Shred the chicken and return to the pot.
Add 1-2 cups of frozen white corn.
Add 1 1/2 cups of your favorite salsa.

Heat thoroughly and serve up in warm clean corn tortillas with lettuce, cherry tomatoes halved and salsa. Mmmmmm. This recipe is so simple and yummy. A keeper.
I will have to get photos next time...we ate it so fast that I did not have an opportunity to snap a picture!

I adapted this recipe from A Taste of Home recipe.

Clean Eating Day 16

Clean eating Day 16

Breakfast

Waffle (from thegraciouspantry.com) 

Pure Maple Syrup

Milk

Lunch

Tortilla Soup 
Green Smoothie (2 cups red grapes, 1 cup spinach, 2 nectarines, 1 banana, 1/2 cup frozen fruit)
Almond Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Dinner
Chicken Sicilian Soup
Macadamia Nut Crusted Talapia
Steamed Cauliflower and Broccoli
Fresh Bread
Carrabba's Restaraunt

Clean Eating Day 15

Clean Eating Day 15

Here is what I have eaten today. I am going to try to post my daily menu FYI.

Breakfast

Banana

Snack

Nectarine

Trail Mix (cocoa covered almonds, dried mango, almonds, peanuts, dark chocolate covered fruit)

Lunch

Melted Cheese Sandwich

Kettle Chips

Milk

Dinner

BLT Sandwich (whole wheat 5 ingredient bread, bacon, tomato and lettuce)

Milk

Exercise for Today

3 hours mountain biking (1 Shot Blok out of necessity)

Orange Salmon Tagine Recipe

Even before starting to eat clean, I wanted a tagine. A tagine is a Moroccan cooking vessel. It is a 2 inch deep base with an upside down funnel looking piece for the top. The idea is that the juices from the meal congregate in the funnel end and then drip back down into the meal. This makes the meat tender and the meal more flavorful.

I realized that almost every recipe I have made with my tagine is clean. Fresh veggies, fruit, spices and typically a portion of meat are called for in most recipes. I serve most of my tagine meals over couscous.

Here is the latest recipe that I tried:

 Orange Salmon Tagine

1.5 tsp round cumin
1 tsp tumeric
2 broken cinnamon sticks
1/4 tsp cayenne
1/4 tsp nutmeg
2 bay leaves

Mix above ingredients in the base of the tagine on medium. When they smell fragrant add:

3 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp salt
1 medium onion chopped in larger pieces
4 garlic cloves minced
1 Tbsp freshly grated ginger

Cook until onions are soft then add:

3 cups chopped zucchini
2 cups chopped yellow squash
1/3 cups dried apricots
1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice

Toss mixture well. Set the remaining ingredients on top:

Salmon fillets (1.5-2 lbs)
Naval orange sliced thinly
Handful of parsley cleaned and chopped

Cover and simmer gently until salmon is thoroughly cooked. About 20 minutes.
Serve over couscous. (Spoon sauce over couscous).

Happy eating!

Cantaloupe Carrot Beet Juice

Last night I tried a new juice. It was pleasant tasting and my husband said how much he liked it. I threw in what I had on hand. Here is the basic recipe:
 
3 Bunches Beet Greens
1 Beet
1 Cantaloupe
1 Handful Watercress
2 Peaches
7 Carrots
1 Cucumber

I always juice my greens first followed by the softer fruit and vegetables and then the harder ones. The softer fruit and veggies should be juiced on a low speed and the harder ones on high speed. The lower speed allows the juicer to extract more juice from them.

I have definitely felt better since starting to eat clean and juice more. I also love to make smoothies in my blender.

Give this recipe a try. I think you will like it and it is full of healthy nutrients our body's need.

Happy Juicing!

Yummy Clean Eating Nachos

Mmmm. These tasted so good. They were very simple to put together and warm in the oven.

Take your favorite clean corn tortilla chips and place a thin layer on the bottom of a 9x13 dish. Top with your favorite cheese, green onions sliced, black beans, freshly diced jalapenos. You can add chicken if you wish.

Now repeat the layers one more time. Put in a 350 degree oven for 10 minutes and enjoy with your best homemade or clean salsa. They tasted yum!

I love simple and YUM!

Happy Eating!

Cucumber Watercress Beet Green Juice

This morning I got up and headed right to our new farmers market. It was small, but I was able to pick up corn on the cob, cucumbers, peppers, squash, local honey, watermelon, tomatoes and beets. It was great and I hope that it continues to grow. I love being able to know where my food is coming from and that it is organic.

The juice that I made is very mild and may seem a bit bland due to the refreshing cucumbers I added to the mix. The kids all drank it and said that it wasn't a favorite but that it was "OK". I will take that. As I learn and create recipes, I am all for whatever my kiddos will drink. I noticed that the apples did not juice well this go around due to the fact that I used my apple peeler instead of putting larger chunks of apple into the juicer. That may account for why it was a mild flavor.

Cucumber Watercress Beet Green Juice

1 Bunch of Beet Greens (I used the greens from 3 beets)
1 Bunch of Watercress
1 Yellow Squash
7 Carrots
2 Cucumbers
2 Green Apples
1 Peach


Juice the produce starting with the greens, cucumbers and other produce. 

Here is a photo of the finished product. It is not as pretty as some of my other juices. My kids wanted to know why it was a gross brown color :)

For your info, watercress has many benefits including: Anti-anemic properties, anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, anti-oxidant, eye health, colon cleaner, improve thyroid function, liver detox, improves digestive function, relieves eczema and maintains healthy and strong bones. Wow. And this is just from one ingredient in this juice. 

I am going to start one of the reboot juicing programs myself this week to see how I feel. Visit www.jointhreboot.com to find programs, recipes and nutritional information about juicing from the star of Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead. If you didn't receive the movie free for being a BzzAgent like I did, you can find the movie at the link above and check out his incredible story of finding health. Then you too can learn all the benefits of juicing. Let me know if you try any of the reboot programs. I would love to know how you liked it. I will be reporting on my experience at the end of the week so stay tuned!

Happy Juicing!

Clean Eating Week 1 Update

This has been quite a ride for me this week. Clean eating is harder to do than I thought, especially with kids. With the exception of July 24th, a holiday here in Utah, I have eaten clean. My family has done a good job and are improving everyday. I won't ask for more than that.

I have tried several new recipes this week and ruined two of them right off the bat. I have noticed that on many clean eating websites some people opt to not eat dairy in their clean eating. I love milk and my body craves it now and then. I feel that it is important for my children to get dairy in their diet as well. We will not be cutting out milk and other dairy products. With that said, however, we will cut out yogurts with sugar, etc.

My kids have done well so far. They have had a few set backs, but they are aware of what they are eating. They ask me if certain foods are clean or not. I like that they are becoming more aware of what they eat.


I can tell you that since starting to eat clean, I have not been near as hungry. My cravings have practically disappeared in just 5 days. I feel satisfied longer throughout the day. It is wonderful to feel content don't you think?

If you are starting to eat clean one of the best things to be done is to decide what clean eating means to you. What will you incorporate and is there that one thing you are going to allow? For me, dark chocolate is my treat. Only far and few between, but nonetheless I have a treat that I love. I am allowing my kids a few holidays if they choose. I am hoping that they will not want as much after eating clean for a number of weeks.

As for me, I am going to incorporate clean eating as much as possible into my home and family, but there is the concept of moderation in everything and I strongly agree with that. After my 100 days of clean eating challenge, I will see if I indeed do feel better. I will at that point determine if it is a way I want to live my life. This is important to me because if it isn't a lifestyle change, I will not reap the benefits. At this point I am already feeling better and that is what I was hoping for when I started this challenge.

I enjoy socializing, eating out occasionally and being at family get togethers. The reality is that I cannot always control what is served and I have to eventually decide if I want to pack my own food everywhere I go. That seems a bit improbable to me at this point. I think I will most likely eat clean 99% of the time and allow for some variation at social gatherings making the healthiest choices available to me.

I enjoy eating clean foods and whole foods. Eating clean is definitely a healthier way to go about losing weight, increasing overall health or just to feel more energized. As a trainer I would recommend this type of eating to my clients as a positive lifestyle change.

So far so good.

Nectarine Banana Green Smoothie

Whenever I make a smoothie or juice that my kids like, even my middle picky eater child, it is worth posting. This smoothie was a winner in our book. It is a "clean" smoothie as well. This recipes serves 5 (5 - 8 oz. glasses) and fits well into my Blendtec blender. If you have a smaller blender you may want to half the recipe so it doesn't explode all over the kitchen...or if you are up for an exciting morning :)
Buy organic or wash well with 1 part vinegar 10 parts water in the sink for 10 minutes.

3 cups washed red seedless grapes

1 nectarine pitted

1/2 cup washed blueberries

2 cups baby spinach (I keep mine frozen in the freezer and take it out when needed. It freezes nicely)

1 peeled banana

1 cup of ice

Put ingredients into the blender and push the whole fruit button.
Pour into cups and serve immediately. Enjoy!

Happy Eating!

Why Organic Produce for Juicing?

There is a huge amount of information available today via the internet. As I change my eating habits it is sometimes difficult to know what information is vital for my success in eating the healthiest foods available to me. Juicing brings in the extra challenge to get the best produce knowing that everything in or on the produce will go into my juice and therefore into my body. With many pesticides used in the commercial production of food, I feel it is important to know how to minimize the pesticide impact on my body and my family.

The USDA, Consumer Reports and The Environmental Working Group got together and listed the produce containing the highest levels of pesticides. With this knowledge I am able to know which produce I am going to work to get from local farmers, farmers markets or organic from the grocery store. I try to buy organic, but it is not always possible for me. This list of produce consists of fruits and vegetables with the most pesticides.

• Celery
• Peaches
• Strawberries
• Apples
• Blueberries
• Nectarines
• Bell Peppers
• Spinach
• Cherries
• Kale/Collard Greens
• Potatoes
• Imported Grapes

And here is the list of produce with the lowest amounts of pesticides.

• Onions
• Avocados
• Sweet Corn
• Pineapples
• Mangoes
• Sweet Peas
• Asparagus
• Kiwis
• Cabbage
• Eggplant
• cantaloupes
• Watermelons
• Grapefruits
• Sweet Potatoes
• Honeydew melons

In my quest for information I love these lists to help me diminish the probability of pesticides harming my family and having a negative affect on our health.

Did you know? You should not put Bean Sprouts, Figs, Bananas, Avocado, Bok Choy or Mushrooms into your juicer.

This information and more can be found at www.jointhereboot.com. Although this information was provided to me free of charge along with the documentary Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead for being a BzzAgent, all opinions in my blog are my own and I feel strongly about the information presented. 

Happy Eating!

First Clean Eating Obstacle

Yesterday was my big day of starting our clean eating challenge. It did not go as planned and actually was a complete disaster. For reasons I will explain, I am starting "cleaner" eating this week and 100% clean next week.

Here's the story:
Yesterday we got up and quickly got ready for church. My kids came in and asked what they could eat for breakfast that was clean (I was so happy that they were taking the initiative...that was unexpected). After we got squared away, we ran out the door to attend Church. Church is 3 hours long.

Upon returning to our home we walked into utter caos and disaster. While at church our water line under the kitchen sink broke and water was shooting out all over. There was at least 1 1/2-2 inches of standing water on the tile, it went into our dining room, family room and the entire downstairs great room ceiling was pouring water.

After my initial reaction of wanting to cry we got started on cleaning up, calling the insurance, etc. The sad thing about this whole story? We just finished cleaning up a flood in a different part of the house and had spent less than 1 1/2 weeks in our finally cleaned up house. My new carpet is now ruined among many other things including our couch and nice rugs.

There is always an excuse to put off clean eating. I am not putting it off, in fact I am going to do my best with my circumstance. We now have to eat out for the next 4-5 days and I always find it difficult to eat as healthy as I want at a restaurant and it is almost impossible for my kids. I decided to wait to start as a family until next week due to these crazy circumstances and to allow my family to fully participate.
In the mean time I am going to do some extra juicing meals, which are clean, and do my best to pick healthy options at the restaurants.

I hope you had a more successful first week than I did :) Haven't started yet? Join me next week then and keep getting yourself and your pantry ready.

Happy clean eating!

Week 1 Clean Eating Menu

I have searched through recipes and websites to find my week menu. It is easier for me to plan ahead in week chunks so that I can be sure I have all needed ingredients. Planning ahead takes out that last minute Uh-Oh...the second I realize dinner is in 30 minutes and I don't have any idea what I can make.

A lot of times I have failed by simply not being prepared. It is often times easier to grab something less healthy when I don't know what I am going to cook. I don't want to fail this 100 day clean eating challenge because I am not prepared. My son just returned from scout camp and Be Prepared is their motto...I am going to adopt that into this part of my life. I am sure I won't be nearly as stressed if I have a plan.

I have not tried some of the recipes. As I try them, if I like them, they will appear on my blog. For now, I have links to the recipes if you want to try them out with me:)



Day 1 - Breakfast: Egg white omelets with fresh veggies
             Lunch: Caldo Verde
             Dinner:  Gnocchi with homemade pasta sauce, warm homemade bread sticks and salad
Day 2 - Breakfast: Waffles
             Lunch: Lemony Pasta Salad
             Dinner: Tortilla Soup
Day 3 - Breakfast: Lemon Coconut Almond Muffins
             Lunch: Banana Peanut Butter Wrap
             Dinner: Grilled Chicken, asparagus, salad and quinoa
Day 4 - Breakfast: 2 egg whites and green smoothie
             Lunch: Chicken Salad
             Dinner: Corn and Leek Chowder
Day 5 - Breakfast: Steel Cut Oatmeal with honey and fresh fruit
             Lunch: Hummus and veggies, corn chips and salsa
             Dinner: Pizza with whole wheat crust
Day 6 - Breakfast: Banana Muffin and egg whites
             Lunch: Green Juice concoction
             Dinner: Nut Crusted Chicken, veggies and salad
Day 7 - Breakfast: Green Smoothie with Whey
             Lunch: Rice crackers, hummus and veggies
             Dinner: Morrocan Chicken

Good luck. I would love to know if you find or create any great recipes along the way...keep me posted.

Happy Eating!


            

Juicing...Worth the Hype?

As a bzzagent I have the opportunity to try products out for free, report back about them and talk with others about how I did or did not like them. I recently had the opportunity to receive "Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead" to watch and give my opinion about it.

How many of you have seen the documentary "Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead"? It chronicles the life of one man who decides to take his life into his own hands. Weighing in at over 300 pounds, the realization that he is unhealthy and headed down the wrong path hits him. He can either continue down this path of self-destruction or he can do something about it and fight for his health and a better life.

He chooses the latter and begins his journey with 60 days of juicing. In the end, he is healthier, happier and an advocate of juicing and healthy lifestyles.

There is no need to jump in and do 60 days of only juicing. I think many individuals get scared thinking that they need to go to the same extremes to get any benefits. Visit this website to read about his program called the "reboot" program. The nice thing about the reboot program is that there are a number of different programs to choose from. Some are all juicing no solids while others incorporate juicing at the beginning of the day and then eating a well-balanced, healthy dinner. One program is simply as many and as much fruits and vegetables as you want. Simply click here to take an assessment to find out which program fits your lifestyle. I love that it is FREE to access these juicing and meal plans.

I am incorporating juicing into my family's 100 days of Clean Eating Challenge. My kids like juicing and it gets them to eat more fruits and especially vegetables each day.
This morning we had this juice:

Apple, Carrot, Kale and Cantaloupe Juice

1 Cantaloupe

2 Apples

2 Handfuls of Baby Kale Leaves (found at Costco)

7 Carrots

Mmmmm so good for me!

The vegetables this site recommends to juice are: Arugula, Beets, Asparagus, Broccoli, Brussel Sprouts, Cabbage, carrots, Cauliflower, Celery, Collards, Cucumber, Endive, Fennel, Garlic, Green Beans, Jerusalem artichokes, Kale, Leeks, Mustard Greens, Onions, Parsnip, Pumpkin, Radish, Sweet peppers, Romaine, Scallion, Snap peas, Spinach, Sprouts, Squash, Sweet potatoes, Swede, Swiss chard, Watercress, Zucchini and Tomato.

There are recipes, guides to what fruits to eat and general juicing facts and information. The main guideline is to eat a rainbow everyday. Make sure you get enough different colors into your diet so that you are receiving all the benefits.

The downsides to juicing are that it costs more money because lots of produce needs to be juiced and it is more time consuming to clean-up. Each time you use the juicer you must clean it up. My new juicer is much easier to clean than my old one and I have a system that works for me. I fill my sink with hot, soapy water. As soon as I am finished juicing I rinse off each part and put each piece in the soapy water. I scrub the piece with all the tiny holes in it before putting it in the water. Then after drinking my juice and getting picked up I pull each piece out, thoroughly wash them and replace the pieces for next time.

Considering the health benefits, I say incorporating juicing into the diet is worth the effort. Give it a try and let me know what you think.

Happy Rebooting!

What is Clean Eating?

When I approached my family about the idea of doing 100 days of clean eating the initial response was confusion. No one knew exactly what I was asking us to do. In their minds they believed we would not be able to eat the foods we enjoy. They asked me if we were "dieting". After assuring them that our food is not going to be horrible and that we can make dessert occasionally, things seemed to calm back down.


Eating clean is the gateway to a healthier lifestyle, healthier body and increased energy. It is not about depriving yourself of the food that you love, but of teaching and showing your body that there is something better. And guess what? It tastes good, improves health and helps us feel better. Our bodies will begin to crave these healthier foods.

Eating clean is eating food as close to it's natural state as possible. For example, grapes. Eat them straight off the vine vs. grape jelly. Eggs. Eat the free-range, hormone free variety. Fish. Eat wild salmon vs. farm raised salmon.

These are a few examples of what is meant by clean eating. Learn to read labels. If it has ingredients that you do not know or you cannot pronounce...it's best to stay away from the item. Look for food that has 5 or less ingredients as a rule of thumb.

Avoid sugar. Sugar is in so many foods. Again, read the labels. As I was cleaning out my pantry I was a bit shocked by the sugar I found in so many different foods. No soda pop, avoid alcohol and anything else that is processed. Water is a great drink that is good for you and has zero calories!

Fresh fruits and vegetables, whole-grains and lean proteins...a simple way to explain "clean eating". Check out this shopping list for a more in depth answer to what foods are considered clean.

Eating Clean Grocery List

Here is a list of "clean food" that gives me a good idea of what kinds of foods I should be trying to stock my pantry, fridge and freezer with. I will be making a few modifications such as under dairy they recommend margarine and I know that butter is healthier for me in terms of how it is made so I will be sticking with butter. Also, I do not drink tea or coffee so I will be loving me lots of good old water :) 

I found some containers at Costco that hold my different grains nicely. They are see through and air-tight. I took a sharpie and labeled each one with the contents and how to cook it. For example, "organic short grain brown rice. 1 1/2 cups water to 1 cup rice". It is quite handy and I can see not only how to cook it, but when I am almost out.

I will be keeping an eye out for other clean foods that I want to add to my list. Just remember that a good rule of thumb is: if it has 5 ingredients or less and/or you know what every ingredient is...it is probably a good choice:)

It's shopping time...wish me luck.

Produce: (choose in-season options) you can choose any of your liking.

Vegetables:

❑ Cucumber ❑ Romaine lettuce ❑ Mushrooms ❑ Green beans ❑ Asparagus ❑ Broccoli ❑ Squash ❑ Turnip ❑ Spinach ❑ Onions ❑ Garlic ❑ Celery ❑ Sweet Potatoes ❑ Potatoes ❑ Zucchini (baby squash) ❑ Tomato

Fruit

❑ Fresh berries (blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, strawberries) ❑ Apples ❑ Bananas 

❑ Pears ❑ Avocado ❑ Un-sweetened dried fruit (apricots, cranberries, raisins, apples, prunes, figs, dates)

Bakery:

❑ Whole-grain breads ❑ Brown rice wraps ❑ Whole-grain wraps (Ezekiel wraps)

Meat, Poultry, Seafood:

❑ Chicken breast ❑ Pork tenderloin ❑ Salmon ❑ Tilapia, cod, or other white fish ❑ Firm and silken tofu ❑ Textured vegetable protein ❑ Beef tenderloin ❑ Bison ❑ Lean ground turkey

❑ Lean ground chicken

Dairy:

❑ Eggs (omega-3 variety) ❑ Skim or 1% milk ❑ Fat-free soymilk, rice milk or almond milk ❑ Fat-free, sugar-free plain yogurt ❑ Olive oil-based margarine ❑ Kefir

Nuts, Seeds and Oils:

❑ Unsalted almonds, cashews, walnuts ❑ Unsalted sunflower seeds ❑ All-natural nut & seed butters (almond, cashew, peanut, tahini) ❑ Flaxseed ❑ Extra-virgin olive oil ❑ Safflower oil

❑ Pumpkin oil ❑ Pam (or non-stick spray) ❑ Other exotic oils

Cereals:

❑ Muesli ❑ Weetabix ❑ Kashi Go Lean ❑ Shredded Wheat ❑ All-Bran ❑ Steel-cut oats ❑ Cream of Wheat

Dry Goods:

❑ Brown rice ❑ Wheat germ ❑ Oats ❑ Oat bran ❑ Quinoa ❑ Bulgur ❑ Millet ❑ Baking soda ❑ Whole-wheat flour ❑ Baking powder ❑ Vanilla, best quality ❑ Sea salt ❑ Sugar substitute (Agave nectar, Sucanat, Rapadura, stevia) ❑ Other whole-grain flours (quinoa,

amaranth, spelt) ❑ Spices (cumin, nutmeg, cinnamon)

Canned Goods:

❑ Chickpeas ❑ Beans (navy, white, kidney, etc.) ❑ Lentils ❑ Tomatoes (crushed or whole) ❑ Water-packed tuna ❑ Water-packed salmon ❑ Low-fat, sugar-free, low-sodium soups ❑ Low-sodium corn and peas ❑ Tomato paste ❑ Low-sodium chicken or vegetable stock

Condiments:

❑ Mustard ❑ Salsa ❑ All-natural, sugar-free tomato sauce ❑ Unsweetened, organic applesauce ❑ Honey

Beverages:

❑ Green tea ❑ Maca tea ❑ Tulsi tea ❑ Coffee 

❑ Bottled water

Supplements:

❑ Bee pollen ❑ Protein powder (hemp, whey, rice) ❑ Omega-3 fatty acids ❑ Creatine (optional) ❑ MSM ❑ Magnesium ❑ Calcium ❑ Vitamins B, C, E ❑ Spirulina

Misc.:

❑ Balsamic vinegar ❑ Rice vinegar ❑ Lemon juice ❑ Lime juice

❑ Apple cider vinegar