Shrimp and Guacamole Tostadas

This was our clean eating dinner for tonight and it was sooo yummy! I got the original recipe here and modified it for our family.

I did not take a picture, although they were picture worthy. Ooops, sorry!

I prepared my own guacamole recipe that I got from a friend instead of the one in the recipe. I will share that recipe tomorrow. 

Coat 1 pound of shrimp with 1 Tbsp. Cumin, 1 1/2 Tbsp. Chili Seasoning and 1 tsp. onion powder. Saute in 1-2 Tbsp. canola or olive oil for 5 minutes.

Top tostada with guacamole (I smeared it on first underneath the cheese so my kids couldn't see it and guess what? They loved it :), cheese, cabbage. shrimp and cilantro. Squeeze lime juice on top and enjoy! So easy and yummy!

Happy Eating!

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.

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!

Blueberry Peach Green Smoothie

Mmmm. This recipe is for a smoothie. I used my BlendTec blender and highly recommend it over any other blender. I have used mine daily and love it. This recipe results in a full wide side blender full so if you have a smaller blender, half this recipe.

3 cups Seedless Red Grapes
1 Banana
2 Peaches with pit removed
6 Strawberries
1/2 cup Blueberries
2 cups Fresh Baby Spinach (I keep my large bag from Costco frozen and pull out only what I need)
1 cup Ice

Don't let the color of this smoothie fool you. It tastes great!

Did you know that blueberries reduce inflammation and help stop cancer growth? Strawberries have tons of Vitamin C and they fight cancer. Spinach helps your eyes stay strong with the lutein, is high in anti-oxidants and gives our bodies iron, vitamin C and beta-carotene.

So......drink up to good health:)

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!

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.

Clean Blender Tortilla Soup

Mmmmm! I am amazed that my kids love this soup. Today we ate it for lunch with "clean" corn tortilla chips and a nectarine banana green smoothie. They loved this meal from the first time we tried it over 3 years ago. I originally got this recipe from the Blendtec recipe book, but changed it just a bit to adapt to what I had on hand.

3 Roma tomatoes halved
Small handful of cilantro, washed
1/8 Small Red Onion
2 Tbsp. Taco Seasoning
1-2 inch cube sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 tsp. minced garlic
1 large carrot, washed
2 cups hot water

Place all ingredients into the blender and hit the soups button. I highly recommend holding the lid in place. Twice I have pushed my luck and both times ended up with tortilla soup on the floor, ceiling and all over me. I tried to double the recipe in my bigger blender top with the same exploding result. The hot water causes this exploding phenomena. So, follow the recipe and hold the lid in place.

Serve immediately with tortilla chips on top.

Happy Eating!

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!

Robust Red Juice Recipe

We are back in our home after our flood...for the time being. I did not do a good job at clean eating on the run, at hotels, restaurants and relatives homes so I officially started this morning. Along with my egg white omelet, I threw together a beautiful red juice that wasn't bad. In fact, I really liked it. My husband said it wasn't bad and my kids practically spit it out :) Ha. I love how honest my kids are...most of the time. (I am very careful with the "does this make my butt look big?" questions).

I went to the store to find that they did not have organic produce. Dang! I bought what I needed, came home and put 1 part distilled vinegar into 10 parts water in the kitchen sink. I placed all my juicing ingredients into the sink and let them sit for about 10 minutes. I scrubbed the carrots and the beets with a vegetable brush then rinsed everything in cool water to get the pesticides and wax off. I think it worked well.

Here is my recipe for this morning's  

"Robust Red Juice"

2 Large Handfuls of Baby Kale (found last week at Costco)
3 Collard Green Leaves
1 Beet
6 Carrots
4 Stalks of Celery
1 Golden Delicious Apple

Being a BzzAgent I received free information and the video Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead in the mail.  I get to watch and read about juicing and give my honest opinion of the product. The video chronicles one man's juicing journey to a healthier life. In the literature I received it lists many health benefits of a variety of fruits and vegetables. From this information I found that my Robust Red Juice helps protect good HDL cholesterol, protects the liver, is a great source of vitamin A and potassium, helps with muscle relaxation (we all need some of that :), increases energy, helps prevent cramps, detoxifies, helps estrogen ratios, discourages breast cancer growth, has anti-cancer properties and provides me with many potent micro-nutrients. WOW!All that in one juice.

Try this recipe and let me know what you think. Visit www.jointhereboot.com for more juicing info.
Happy Juicing!

100 Days of Clean Eating Challenge

As a personal trainer I have seen clients go from one diet fad to another and back again. The results were almost always the same. Go on the diet = lose weight = go off the diet = gain more weight than they lost. This viscous cycle happened again and again because my clients were not making lifestyle changes. They were choosing short term changes that they would not be able to continue after reaching their goal.

Each time they gained the weight back there was a feeling of hopelessness and discouragement. Those clients who did succeed were the ones who made lifestyle changes to their eating and exercising habits. A lifestyle change is giving up something for a better way of living. It is actually very empowering to know that I have the ability within myself to reach my goals and the determination to make my life better.

Having said that, I have decided to eat clean for 100 days. Why 100 days? Well, my family is doing the 100 mile summer hiking challenge, I am starting a 100 day fitness challenge and it is a good round number that will give me enough time to make this improved way of eating a lifestyle change. As I looked into "clean eating" I smiled realizing that I already cook many meals that fall in the clean eating category. The meals won't be the trick for me, but the snacks will get me I am sure. Knowing that, I am taking this week to prepare myself and my pantry for the change.

I invited my husband and kids to join me and in the end, they said they would do it. My husband agreed kicking and screaming, so to say :) I am grateful they are willing to try to give up sugar and other processed foods with me. I am not certain how long they will last, but I hope it's 100 days.

To get ready for this type of commitment I am purging all processed, boxed goods from my pantry. Getting rid of sugary treats, snacks and cereals. I am looking up clean recipes for foods we like to eat...and I am surprised that many of our staple recipes have already been converted to clean by others. I am stocking my pantry with things such as whole-wheat flour (I grind my own), steel cut oats, quinoa, couscous and whole-wheat pastas. I am planning on making my own rice and oat flour. My fridge is getting stocked with even more fresh fruits and vegetables than normal and a few new tasty cheeses. Lean protein is taking over the freezer...tilapia, salmon, chicken, shrimp to name a few.

I will post our success and recipes as I go along. Join us for this challenge if you want to feel better and look better. My motto for this challenge is that I can do anything for 100 days. This challenge for me and my family officially kicks off this coming Sunday.

Watch for my upcoming posts to find out what foods are considered clean and recipes to get you started. I found this website that has some great looking recipes to try.
Happy Eating!

Smoothies

Tomorrow morning starts my official training kick-off. For me this simply means that I will train each day and rest on Sunday. I am going to track my workouts and post total mileage for running and biking. This should be interesting to see what I can do.

Did you pick an event to train for? If so, what type of event or which one are you going for?
Did you know that when we train it is important to have 2 high intensity days/week, 2-3 moderate intensity and 1 easy or recovery workout? Each day needs to vary so that our body will adapt and change as much as possible.

Along with the training comes the healthy eating. You will not get the desired results if you do not eat right. I personally do not believe in dieting. I like to eat and I enjoy eating a variety of foods. I do however watch portion size and amount of food eaten. I can have a piece or a bite, but don't need to eat the entire thing :)

I carry a water bottle around with me to make sure that I am drinking enough water throughout the day. Another thing I find helpful is starting the day off with a smoothie. There is something about the fruit and veggies in the morning that cut my cravings for unhealthy food to the point that snacking isn't an issue for me. When I do not have a smoothie, I always want to snack.

2 cups grapes
1banana
1 cup In season fruit (blueberries, strawberries, nectarines, peaches, etc...and I usually use more than 1 kind)
2 large handfuls of fresh spinach (the bagged spinach can be frozen...the leaves freeze individually)
1/2 to 1 cup frozen fruit
1 cup Ice

Or try this one:
1 cup milk
1 banana
1 heaping scoop of chocolate mix (protein powder, ovaltine, or Nesquik)
1 Tbsp Peanut Butter
2 cups Ice
Handful Spinach


I like to mess around and try different flavors together. This is a great way to get kids to eat spinach.
Carri