I decided that even though we are going out to dinner tonight, starting the clean eating challenge today would be for the best. Why put off something when you can start right now? I decided on a game plan for dinner; since I normally have to check menus ahead of time because of my sulfite issues (thank you the internet), I figured I could take advantage of this and pick out a healthy "clean" dinner meal. Why? Because this is real life and chances are that in the next 4-5 weeks, I will be going out to eat again. If I can't plan ahead this early in the game, what am I going to do when my patience is starting to wane or my self control is diminishing. Just because I am challenging myself diet-wise does not mean I cannot go out and actually enjoy life and have fun with my friends. I already planned to DD (remember, no alcohol) so my husband could drink and have fun with his friends who he doesn't get to see as often and this will allow me to be able to be up early tomorrow morning for my morning work out.
This morning I had boot camp, which is an hour-long intensive group fitness class I take 3 times a week. I really enjoy the class and the instructor. The class is small and I have had the opportunity to get to know a lot of the folks I take the class with which has made the experience even more enjoyable. I'm super competitive so this kind of training is really up my alley. We do a lot of circuit training and high intensity training, mixed with running and cardio. To say I come home drenched in sweat is an understatement. It was particularly humid this morning and we were doing laps around the building in between rounds of circuit training today which gave me some glorious extra-sweaty funk.
On the days I am not doing boot camp, I will go run at the lake next to my house (so convenient) or I will do Bodyrock (www.bodyrock.tv). Bodyrock is a fitness and health website that I stumbled upon a little over a year ago thanks to Pinterest. They focus on 12-20 minute high intensity interval training that you can do at home in your own living room. The best part about this website is that it's completely free. Also to note, their community of fans and advocates grows exponentially by the minute. BodyrockTV was also named one of the best online fitness websites by Shape Magazine back in December and that has done a lot to help get Bodyrock out there and propel it's popularity. I also follow along to Zuzka Light's work outs (www.zuzkalight.com) which also builds on the philosophy of short but intense body weight (or little equipment) work outs that you can do anywhere. The beauty of these free sites is that I can mix and match old and new work outs and do them at home, or even on our back deck (when the weather permits).
But back to my diet. I will aim to post what I am eating everyday so help give an idea of what I am eating and how I am following along to my own challenge. I do not calorie count but rather go by a basic food "goal" for the day: 3 servings of lean protein, 3 servings of healthy carbs, 1-2 servings of healthy fats, and 5 servings of fruits and veggies. This plan usually gets me to about 1600-1800 calories a day which is ideal for my height, weight, and training program. Some days I am hungrier than others and some days I am not very hungry at all. I also drink about 4 liters of water a day mostly because I love water and crave it all the time. I drink 1-2 cups of coffee a day, usually with 1 teaspoon of sugar but because of the challenge, I am drinking it black. When I do have alcohol, I am pretty much limited to only vodka and seltzer (plain carbonated water) so that is normally what I drink. I usually will have only 1-2 drinks and this is maybe once a week but more often about two times a month.
Okay my diet for real this time.
Here is a list of what I ate so far today, including a new recipe.
Breakfast (Pre-Boot Camp Work Out): 1/4 cup red quinoa, 1/2 cup old fashioned oats, 1/2 water, 1 small (like SUPER SMALL) dollop of raw honey (I realized that for something like this, since I am no longer using milk, I do need a small amount of sweetener to help and that little tiny bit of honey made a HUGE difference so I will allow myself some raw honey but only in the morning in my oatmeal and that is it).
Lunch (Post-Boot Camp Work Out): Stuffed Green Peppers (adapted from Mama Laughlin's Pinspiration Wednesday Dinner Recipe)
3 Green Peppers
2 Tomatoes
1 Jalapeño
1 Teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon
Salt to taste
1/2 Pound lean white ground turkey meat
1/2 Teaspoon of pepper
1 teaspoon of red pepper
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon of ground mustard seed
1 Avocado
Red Quinoa (cook according to package)
Chop the heads off of the green peppers and de-seed. Place peppers in a pot with water and set heat to high to boil. Boil for 3 minutes and then remove peppers to dry off and cool.
While the peppers are cooking, chop tomatoes and jalapeño. Place in a bowl with the freshly squeezed lemon and a sprinkle of salt. Set aside.
In a frying pan set on medium heat, cook turkey until cooked through. Add in chopped tomato and jalapeño and spices. Stir and continue cooking for an additional 3-4 minutes.
Scoop out avocado from shell and mash. Set aside.
Once the peppers are cooked, scoop in spoonfuls of the turkey and tomato mixture and then scoop in a spoonful of red quinoa. Continue until filled to the top. Top off with mashed avocado and serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to eat.
Snack: Leftover ground turkey/tomato mixture and 1 handful of raw almonds
Dinner: Since I have planned ahead and looked at the menu, I am going to have the Chilean Sea Bass but ask for it grilled plain (it comes plantain encrusted) and then ask for the spaghetti squash to be cooked plain (instead of caramelized), and also ask for the mango salad plain with no vinaigrette. By asking for everything plain, this ensures that I am not only sticking to my challenge but that I am also avoiding sulfited foods and a possible reaction later this evening.
I will report tomorrow if I really stuck to my dinner wits and didn't cave. Fingers crossed!
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