Have you
ever heard the expression before, “Abs are made in the kitchen”? Well they are!
I am a firm believer of the 90-10 motto: 90% is what you eat, 10% is what you
do. Does that mean you can never
splurge? Of course not! How boring would that be?! I develop the 90-10 approach to my eating as
well – 90% of my diet is eating good, wholesome foods and 10% of my diet is the
“God, I have to have” foods. This keeps
me sane, on track, and exhibiting healthy eating habits for my family, my
clients, and myself.
Now, I
know some people have no trouble eating clean; it’s just what they know. I can honestly say I didn’t grow up in a
household that ate clean all the time and I definitely lived off my share of
Doritos and pizza for much of my youth.
I was never really exposed to different ways fruits and veggies can be
prepared and consumed, and really had a huge disdain for them. It wasn’t until
my 20’s that I had a house and a kitchen of my own and began to explore
different foods and ways to cook them. I
would have never ate an eggplant back in the day and it’s one of my favorite
veggies now. Brussel sprouts –ewww!!!!
But my hubby makes a mean roasted brussel sprout dish that makes even the kids
ask for seconds. And I have come to
realize that salads really are the best bang for my buck and I can make a
healthy, nutritious and filling one without tons of dressing and packed with
protein and nutrients, all under 200 calories.
I used to think I can run that extra mile or workout 15 minutes longer
to balance it all out, until the 6 pack stays hidden forever under that never
ending layer of belly fat. I know that
if I want to have them make a revival again, my food choices are key. And most importantly, I know I am feeding my
body food as fuel, that keeps me stronger, prevents me from injuries and
illness, and it actually tastes yummy!
I am not,
however, a cook or kitchen connoisseur.
I cook because we have to eat, not because I enjoy it, and I have found
a stockpile of favorite recipes I either created myself and stick to or rely on
my trusty clean eating websites. Meals
are pretty simple and rotate weekly. I
drink the same protein smoothie and eggs every day and like the same salad for
lunch. You can ask my hubby, variety is
not the name of the game in our house unless he’s in town and cooks! But it’s healthy, keeps us from ordering
pizza or hitting a drive thru line (which we don’t eat by the way – after
seeing “Supersize Me”, no way!!) I shop
weekly and buy fresh as much as I can.
That means foods without and ingredient list. Do we still have some goodies in the pantry, sure, but’s that’s where my
10% hides so I try to keep it to a minimum.
I buy organic on anything I am going to eat whole, skip the bananas
because you peel them anyway, but items like meats, eggs, berries, lettuce,
etc. definitely. If I had a green thumb,
I would grow my own but anyone who knows me can attest that it would surely die
within a week. Maybe one day…
So eat
clean, shop often, indulge a little, and try to hand at something new. I am
trying a new lentil and quinoa recipe this week that I will let you know how it
goes. Keep cooking, clean eating, and
enjoy your week!
Top Clean Eating Websites
Check out
my YouTube channel, fitbackyardbodies, for my daily smoothie and kale chips
recipe. And these fine favorites!
Lentil and quinoa recipe is from food network.com - very yummy!
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