Taste the Rainbow!!!

I just thought I would share pictures of the food I had today. (I did not take these pictures by the way) Such a colorful variety of food!

I have to keep in mind, You don't have to eat skittles to taste the rainbow!!

Clean Nachos

I LOVE Mexican food. I could eat it everyday. Unfortunately it is not that good for you. I came up with this version of Clean Nachos last night.

Clean Nachos

2 whole wheat pitas

1/2 pound of ground turkey

1 cup of black beans from a can

1 cup of frozen corn thawed

1 med tomato diced

1/2 avocado diced

Fat free plain Greek yogurt

1tsp cumin

1tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp cayenne

1 tsp garlic powder

1/4 cup of water

Preheat oven to 350.

In a small bowl add 1 cup of black beans drained, 1 cup of corn drained, diced avocado, and your diced tomato. You can eat this cold, but I normally toss it in the microwave for about a minute so it's hot.

In a medium skillet on medium heat add ground turkey, cumin, onion powder, cayenne, and garlic powder. Chop up the turkey just like you would ground beef. Stirring and flipping often. Once it's cooked all the way through it will start to get dry. Add a little bit of water at a time and cook until the water is reduced.

While the turkey is cooking, cut your pita into 6 pieces like a pizza. Then pull those pieces apart so you have 12 pieces. Place them on a cooking sheet, inside up. Cook for about 10 minutes. They should become crispy like a chip.

Once your chips are done remove them from the oven and arrange them on a plate. Add about a tablespoon of turkey, a tablespoon of the black bean and corn salsa, and about a 1/2 teaspoon of the Greek yogurt to each pita triangle. Some people could eat all 12. I am trying to lose weight and eat smaller portions so I shared them with my husband.

Enjoy!

Oh and by the way....I lost 1.5lbs when I got on the scale this morning. Since starting to diet I have lost a total of 5lbs. (I started before Thanksgiving, but with the food then, then Christmas, and then my best friend was in town, I kinda fell off the wagon!)

This Lala wants to be a Mama!

UPDATE POST 08/06/12
UPDATE POST 07/31/12


So, I am now 31 and childless! Most of my married friends have 1,2 and even 3 babies! I haven't really had to much baby fever. I like being lazy on the weekends. I like my freedom to pack up and go on vaca when I want. I like to have spontaneous date nights with my husband. You get the point, I just haven't been ready! Well now it's official, this Lala wants to be a Mama!

A long time ago I gave myself a goal and told myself that if I didn't reach this goal then I could not start trying for a baby. This goal is to get down to 145 and stay at that weight for at least 6 months. So here we are January 1st and I have 80 pounds to lose. That is A LOT of weight to lose and then keep it off for 6 months. If I want to start trying in 2012 I have a lot to work to do....HOLY COW! I have a feeling I might be starting on December 31st ;)

I am jumping on the eat clean bandwagon and here is why.....I have done every yoyo diet on the planet. Some with success some without. I was on the Atkins diet and lost 55lbs just to turn around and eat like a normal person and gain it all back plus some. Here is the deal, I like to eat. I am a foodie. I love rich, tasty foods. I LOVE to cook. I love creating my own recipes. I feel like the the clean eating diet is not a diet, it's a life style change. You can eat 90% clean and still get your indulgence sometimes. On the Atkins diet I once thought I drank a Dr. Pepper and not a DIET Dr. Pepper and I went home and made myself throw up and jumped on the treadmill for 45 minutes because I thought I was going to gain 2 pounds just from one bad thing. With the clean diet I can still eat my favorite foods, I just have to alter the recipe. It's fun for me to try to change it up and get creative. That is the part I love about cooking anyway. I also like that if I eat something that is not clean I don't feel like I need to become bulimic.

Another reason for the eat clean bandwagon is the name....clean! So many foods out there are so processed and disgusting and we don't even know it. After watching Food Inc. and The Truth About Food, it really changed how I feel about food. Don't get me wrong, I love a hot dog from a Braves game or to sit and eat a whole box of cheez its while watching TV (did I say that out loud). Eating clean doesn't mean I have to stop that all together (well eating the WHOLE box should come to an end!), but I need to stop that at least 90% of the time and I think I can do that.

Everyone needs help when it comes to loosing weight. I went to an OA meeting in 2011. I never went to another one. Not because it wasn't good. It was good. If that is what you need then by all means go to them. Go to them every week. I am just to busy to go to them every week or I would. Ok, back to my story. I went to an OA meeting in 2011 and the best piece of advice I have ever been given is that you need God. (OA is not a Christian program, when they say God, they mean any God). For me, this is Jesus! I had a "why didn't I think of that" moment. I mean duh! He will help you with anything and everything. Of course your peers around you need to be mindful and not shove a burger in your face, but you can't expect them to eat like you are eating since this is your fault that you got this way and not theirs. So, I will be praying a lot about my weight in the next coming months. "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to the Lord" Phillipians 4:6 (side note: I just typed up that verse without looking it up. This is one I have been trying to memorize and I just got it!!! Yay me)

Normally I use this blog as a creative outlet. Sharing recipes, craft ideas, party ideas, and so on. It will still be all that. I probably won't have as many fattening recipes as I normally do, but I am sure a few will sneak in 10% of the time ;) And just because I am eating clean does not mean I am not still going to make crafts and plan parties. What kind of world would that be!

Today I will leave you with a recipe that I made this morning. I TOTALLY forgot to take a picture of it, but you can imagine that it was pretty!

Clean Huevos Rancheros

1/4 of a whole wheat pita

1 egg

1/4 avocado

6 grape tomatoes

clean refried black beans (recipe below)

When I say 1/4 of a whole wheat pita, this is what I mean......a pita is round and there are 2 layers to it. I cut mine in half and then peel the 2 layers apart from each other. It will look like a half moon.

Preheat your oven to 300. Start the beans (see recipe below). Once the beans are done, put your pita in the oven with the inside up. Cook for about 6 minutes. It should become crispy, but not too hard. While the pita is cooking, start your eggs. I do mine over medium. ( I am not going to teach how to cook an egg, sorry!). While your egg is cooking dice up your avocado and tomatoes.

Pull out your pita, smear some refried black beans on it, put the egg on top, add the avocado and the tomatoes and voila! you have yourself some clean eating Huevos Rancheros. I add a little cilantro to mine when I have it on hand! My husband adds hot sauce to his, I choose to omit that!

Refried Black Beans

1 can black beans

1 tablespoon of ground cumin

1/2 tablespoon of garlic powder

salt and pepper to taste

In a skillet on medium heat spoon in black beans from the can. As you spoon them in, try to reserve as much liquid in the can as possible as you will need to use it later. Once all the beans are in the skillet add the cumin, garlic, pepper, and salt. Take the back of a wooden spoon and start smashing the beans. Continue smashing and stirring until the are creamy. As you cook the beans they will become dry. This is where the liquid from the can of beans comes from. Pour a little at a time until you get the consistency you want. In a lot of restaurants they use oil or fat at this point. We could use olive oil and they would still be clean, but I would rather them be clean and low in fat. My husband says he can't tell the difference and he loves my refried black beans!

Enjoy!

Creamy Chicken Pasta With Roasted Tomatoes

Last night I wanted pasta for dinner. I wasn't really sure what I had in my fridge or pantry so I just started pulling stuff out. I came up with the recipe below.

Disclaimer: I NEVER measure anything so the below measurements are not exact!

Creamy Chicken Pasta with Roasted Tomatoes

2 chicken breasts thawed and cut into cubes

3 tablespoons of Light Boursin Cheese

1/2 can of 98% Fat Free Cream of Mushroom Soup

3 table spoons of freshly grated parmesan cheese

salt to taste

2 cups of uncooked pasta

1/2 cup of grape tomatoes

1 tablespoon of parmesan cheese from the shaker

1/2 tablespoon of Italian Herbs

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

5 fresh basil leaves

Preheat oven to 450 degrees

Sauté chicken in nonstick skillet on medium heat until cooked all the way through.

While it's sautéing, heat 4 cups of salted water to a boil. Boil pasta until desired tenderness. (I like mine al dente).

While the chicken is sautéing and the noodles are boiling, cut grape tomatoes length wise and place on a cookie sheet cut side up. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with the parmesan in a can and the Italian herbs. Place in the preheated oven for about 7 minutes.

Once the chicken is cooked add the boursin cheese, grated parmesan, and the cream of mushroom soup to the skillet. Stir until all the chicken is covered and sauce is heated through.

By this time your pasta should be done. Drain and return back to the pot. Add the chicken and sauce and stir until the sauce is well mixed into the pasta (be sure not to stir to much and make the pasta starchy)

By this time your tomatoes should be nice and roasted. Plate the pasta and add the tomatoes to the top. I always scrape up some of the parmesan that cooked up crispy around the tomatoes and sprinkle it on top as well.

Cut your basil strips lengthwise and sprinkle on top of the pasta and voila! you are done!! Enjoy!

Workout Room

I got these fun colorful posters for my workout room from all posters. I think they will look good with the gray walls and give me encouragement!

Detergent and Softener

I spray painted a a square on my detergent with chalkboard paint to dress up my laundry room a little bit. This bottle was purchased from Melaleuca with the pump on it. We don't normally use this brand so I will just pour my tide in it from now on. I know it seems like a lot for detergent, but I think it's cute! When my sister comes over I will have her rewrite it since my handwriting is horrible!

Flowers from the yard

It's so easy to grab some flowers from the yard and spruce them up. Just put them in a mason jar and add some jute and voila!