Clean Eating mac & cheese

This is not a typical elbow-pasta-slathered-in-orangey-cheese-topped-with-buttery-crumbs kind of mac & cheese. But it still ranks mighty high on the decadence scale, without the side of guilt. The recipe comes from the March 2012 issue of Clean Eating Magazine, which accompanied me to Chicago. With a few minor tweaks, I was able to make this gluten-free so The H could enjoy it, too. Because it'd be pretty rude of me to make dinner for the family and then stuff my face in front of him while he looked on forlornly (and hungrily), don't you think?

Clean Eating Mac & Cheese
from Clean Eating Magazine, Vol. 5 Issue 2
serves 4

I had a really great [camera phone] picture to post, but it was deleted before I could have The H send it to me. Alas, you're stuck looking at this dimly-lit, slightly unfocused version.

The broccoli and red pepper, not usually one of my favorites, were vegetation perfection in this meal. After a few bites, The H and I agreed that we could've done without the beans, though--too smooshy. However, we both think adding some cooked chicken would be delightful. The little guy was in a bad mood and pretty much refused to try this, even though it's packed full of things he usually loves. I'm sticking the kid-friendly tag on this anyway, because I truly believe if he was having a better day, he'd have asked for seconds of this one.

Clean Eating Wheat Bread

The past few weeks around our house have been all about getting creative with the meat in the freezer, using the all the veggies languishing in the crisper, and making do with what we have. I've gotten tired of shopping when the first layer--the "good stuff"--gets used up, leaving the same old rock-hard roasts and soggy celery dreaming of their chance in the spotlight.

OK, maybe I'm dramatizing the contents of my kitchen just a little. But for real, we did need to start using what we already had. Some unexpected expenses this fall have made me very aware of where our money is going. Bonus, I've always loved the nerdy satisfaction of using something up completely, whether it's toothpaste or a loaf of bread. Maybe it reassures me that I can provide for my family without going overboard or leaving them up a creek. In the name of provision, tonight I found myself making bread. Because a hunk of frozen lunchmeat just isn't very tasty by itself.

As I was making this, and a loaf of GF bread for The H, I wondered why I got away from homemade bread to begin with. The recipes are so simple! They come together remarkably quickly. And they saved me about $10 off the grocery budget this week.

I posted a link to this bread recipe years ago, but recently discovered it no longer works. Here is the recipe, from Clean Eating Magazine, with my minor tweaks at the end.


Whole Wheat Bread
3 cups whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons yeast
1 tsp kosher salt
2 Tbsp honey
2 Tbsp olive oil
Warm water

Mix 1 3/4 cups warm water with the flour and yeast. Let this mixture rise until doubled in size, approximately 30 minutes. Add salt, honey, and oil to the dough and stir in completely; dough will be sticky. Let rise another 30 minutes, then knead or stir and let rise for 30min once more. Bake at 350* for 40 minutes. Slice and serve.



Tweaks: I know, from making this in the past, this has the texture of primordial ooze and will not tolerate kneading. It works well to simply punch/stir instead of kneading. Also, I moved 3/4 of the dough to a greased loaf pan before the final rise and made a flat focaccia out of the leftover. Tonight I was out of olive oil, but substituted blood orange infused oil with amazing results. Place a baking sheet under the loaf pan just in case.

Digging out

A few months ago I posted a giant whinefest of self pity. Good news: this is not another one. Even better, I'll keep this short and sweet, giving you the bullet points of what I've been doing to dig out of that waist-expanding hole:

1. Ran a half marathon
2. Stopped eating multiple weekly cupcakes
3. Invested more time in meal planning
4. Registered for another marathon
5. Joined some new people for long runs
6. Cut back my drinks-with-dinner consumption
7. Eating more good fats to feel satisfied longer and not mindlessly munch

After all this I am happy to report that my jeans fit better, though the number on the scale hasn't moved much. As long as my clothes fit like they should, I'm trying not to think too much about the number. Now that the weather is truly warming up, I'm looking forward to taking the dog on longer walks (he's 10 next week; can't keep up on my runs anymore), playing at the park with the little guy, and of course, beginning a marathon training plan in the middle of May.

Happy spring!

This is how we roll

Some people hear that we'll be spending (another) week in a hotel and comment about how great it must be to let someone else do the cooking and cleaning for a change. Well, yes, to a point. I'm not going to turn down fresh towels and someone else making the bed. I won't be begging to vacuum anytime soon. But I'm also not going to let a week or two away from home completely derail our habits.

This time around, we traveled a little "heavier" than we have in the past, simply because we drove here in a rented van rather than flying with limited suitcase space. This allowed me to bring more kitchen goodies than I usually do--such as my smallest slow cooker and our wonderfully amazing rice cooker. Not pictured is the mini bullet blender I usually pack, even when flying, to make my green smoothies.

Lined up here along the edge of the two-burner electric stove that is the bane of my two-week existence are some of the ingredients for lentil soup that the little guy and I are so excited to make.

He's traveled with us enough to know that eating out in restaurants isn't really all that great when you do it night after night. I try to cook dinner for us "on the road" at least twice a week. Last week we had the lemon chicken pasta pictured here, a meatless feast of taco-inspired quinoa and black beans, and a breakfast dinner of gluten-free pancakes and chicken sausage.

With a little planning ahead, the little guy and I are often able to enjoy breakfast and lunch in our hotel room, without being subjected to the insanely delicious-smelling Belgian waffles and heaps of sweet baked goods in the breakfast buffet area. This morning after my 3-mile run, I nuked some Trader Joe's steel-cut oats with fresh blueberries and walnuts, which did come from the buffet, and whipped up a green smoothie to accompany that. My willpower is somehow stronger when I've just broken a good sweat. :)

Lunch this afternoon will either be the lentil soup I mentioned, or PB&J on Udi's gluten-free millet bread, courtesy of the nearby Whole Foods. Oh, how I hate to love that store! But I do enjoy having a wealth of GOOD goodies at our disposal, so I can't get too down about it. Sure beats facing another day of rubbery eggs, fast-food lunch, and overportioned dinners.

This is not to say that we don't indulge when we travel. I did, of course, have to try a real Chicago-style hot dog (spicy peppers? genius!) and sample at least one slice of deep-dish pizza. Both were delicious and have been checked off my to-do list, leaving room for more new things. Like the chocolate-cake shake I've been hearing about, or some almond milk hot chocolate at XOCO... guess I'm going to have to run tomorrow, too. :)

First of two Tuesdays

Our trip to CT is longer than a week, but shorter than two. We left on a Sunday and get back on a Thursday. So today is the first of two Tuesdays here. I'm going to be so confused when we get home.

After a different breakfast than yesterday--Kashi GoLean Crisp, with fresh blueberries and low-fat milk--the little guy and I slapped on some newly-purchased sunscreen and headed out into the sunshine to explore our surroundings on foot. Yeah, that didn't take long. From our hotel, and not even all on sidewalk, we can get to a gas station, Dunkin' Donuts, two nail salons, a convenience store, Subway, a pizza joint, and Bank of America. He was less than thrilled. I was wondering where in the world I (and The H) will get to run. The side street(s?) that are nearby look to be straight uphill. The memory of the prehistoric treadmill I pounded on Monday makes me determined to at least TRY running outside.

After wandering, we came back to our room for a little guy quiet time (he has been up before 6:30 every day since he turned three, and I'm NOT a fan!) while I made lunch. His plate was loaded with strawberries, hummus, and GF pretzels, with a cup of macaroni on the side. I'm a sucker.

Remembering that I needed more vegetation and variety in my meals, I made a sandwich on seedy-wheaty bread with hummus, spinach, and low-sodium turkey lunchmeat. On the side I had green grapes the size of golf balls, and a dish of strawberries with yogurt. It was quite a bit more filling than yesterday's soup; go figure. :)

Summer dress

This is semi-related to clean eating...

I don't own any shorts that fit.* My smallest pair, which was tight a few years ago (and *just* fit in this photo)

are now saggy and baggy. They get me by for one wearing, fresh from the dryer.

So I've been leaning heavily on my skirts--brown cotton, black cotton, and denim. That denim one was a reach for me, since it's quite a bit shorter than the other two, but I'm happy with my legs and don't mind showing them off (yay running!).

For awhile now, I've been scoping out clearance racks at various stores, trying to add to my summer (and heck, year-round) wardrobe in my new smaller size without breaking the bank. I was thrilled to find two dresses that are not only cute on the hanger, but feel like they were made for me! I have a wedding shower to attend soon, and was dreading the thought of opening my closet to stare once again at the empty hangers and shapeless (on me!) garments that I can no longer fill out, top or bottom. When I tried this dress on, I knew I'd found my shower outfit.

And when the little guy looked up from the bench where he was reading a book and said, "Mommy looks fancy," I knew we had a winner.

Two years ago, I would never had chosen such a dress-it's so low cut! It's shorter than my shins!--but for whatever reason now, I was drawn to it, and was beyond pleased with the results.

There are so many great colors in the pattern; my next challenge will be finding jewelry to complement it. Thank goodness I didn't out(under?)grow my earring collection!

*Since drafting this post, I've been blessed with a pair of perfect denim shorts and a pair of linen-blend "walking" shorts, both for ridiculously good prices. But I still adore this dress. :)

Squeaky-clean eating

Ah, Sunday night. How'd you get here so fast? Having The H gone Thursday/Friday, planning the little guy's birthday party (and then hosting and cleaning up after it) on Saturday, spending time at church, then grocery shopping, meal planning, and a bit of gardening (more on that later) on Sunday all have a way of making precious "time off" go by too quickly.

In the interest of efficiency, I focused on just one resource for planning my menu this week, rather than pulling favorites and newbies from various places. The majority of my meals come from the book "Squeaky Gourmet: Simple * Clean * Food" by Maureen Jeanson and Jamie Wilson.

 (source)
The authors were kind enough to send me a copy this past winter, when I was out of work and looking for some hobby reading to occupy my time. I'm excited to try them--we made three of them today alone!--and share the results with you. Virtually, of course. Unless you call ahead.

Here's what I came up with:
Mexican Burgers + Mom's Mexican Rice
Chicken with Olive-Tomato Relish + Quinoa with Caramelized Onions
Honey Lime Chicken + Lemon Quinoa with Asparagus
Sweet Potato Breakfast Cakes + Vanilla Cappuccino Shake
Thai Coconut Shrimp - this will be a lunch for me, since The H is allergic

I *love* flipping through a new cookbook or magazine for fresh ideas. The H couldn't believe how many sticky-notes I had flagging the pages of this book already. It's shaping up to be one of my new favorites! Hopefully in a few days I'll be able to post a more thorough review as I get a chance to cook through more of the recipes.

Good news/bad news

Good news: I was able to maintain my weight while eating mainly from restaurants (ok, and a few street vendors...) for two weeks straight
Bad news: While the number is the same, I can tell I'm more "fluffy" than usual, no doubt due to decreased mileage and no work with weights

Good news: I get to shop and cook in my own kitchen this week!
Bad news: The H is out of town at least two nights
More good news: I can make the Thai Coconut Shrimp I came across in an old Clean Eating Magazine

Good news: The little guy's birthday is Saturday!
Bad news: In less than a week, I'll be the mom of a THREE year old
More good news: My parents, grandma, in laws, and sister (+ bro-in-law + nephews!) are coming to celebrate with us :)

In other news, on my menu this week:

Coconut Chicken
Thai Coconut Shrimp
Leftover chicken-salsa-rice
Electric Cheetah
Girls' run (salad night)
*Possibly* chicken-fried steak (yes, it's a clean-eating recipe!) if it's not too hot
Pizza for the little guy's birthday, per his request

Oh, and yes, I did get my familiar-turf run done today! That felt good. :)

Once upon a time...

Once upon a spring day in 2004, I ran a 5K. My time was 34:18. Average pace, 11:02 per mile. The next year, I ran it again. My time was 34:05. Average pace, 10:58 per mile. The NEXT year, I ran it again. My time was 34:05 (funny, right?). Average pace 10:58.

Five years later, I ran it for the fourth time. My time was 23:43, and I won 1st place in my age group. Average pace, 7:38 per mile. How NUTS is that?!

(Yes, I realize I could pack for a week's vacation in the sacks under my eyes. While I had the foresight to put on earrings--uber fancy for me--makeup was *not* happening before that race, and I hadn't had any coffee yet! Focus on the medal, people.)

My parents were there doing the 5K walk, and The H pushed the little guy in the jogging stroller. After the 5K, the little guy "ran" in his very first race: a one-lap journey around the indoor track, which he finished piggyback-style on The H. Running is hard work, especially when you're only three feet tall.

I find it delightfully amusing that I've gotten faster as I've aged, but not only that, I'm in such better shape now than I was in my mid-20s. My diet no doubt plays a major role in that, and I'm so glad I've been able to adjust my lifestyle to accommodate a mostly-clean eating plan. The payoffs have thus far proven well worth it.

Below are my splits from the race--the first two miles are my warmup. SO glad I was able to get those in! Being loose and warm only worked in my favor, I'm sure. (Besides, to meet my marathon-training mileage for the week, I had to run a total of five miles! Four weeks to go...) While I was getting a little freaked out seeing 7:09 and 7:11 as part of my moving pace on the Garmin during the first mile, I tried not to think about it too much, since I knew it would all be over soon. :)

Split	Avg Moving Pace	Distance
1	9:37	1
2	9:33	1
3	7:17	1
4	7:42	1
5	7:29	1
6	7:11	0.18
Summary	8:17	5.18

Carbs + protein: Why?

One of the principles of clean eating is to eat 5-6 times a day, including a lean protein and complex carbohydrate in each meal or snack. But why the combination of carbs + protein?

For one thing, it helps me feel like I'm having more than just a mindless munch. Combining fruit and nuts with cheese, or chicken with vegetables, makes it feel more mini-meal-ish. Not only does it physically make me feel more full, it also works mentally. Knowing I just ate a real, solid combination of good, clean foods rather than just a handful of pretzels or a single piece of fruit encourages me to *not* keep eating.

On a more scientific note, according to Tosca Reno in The Eat-Clean Diet Recharged, "Eating protein causes your metabolism to speed up as a direct result of the numerous chemical reactions required to digest protein... Eating a meal that combines lean protein with complex carbohydrates causes your BMR to begin to rise within one hour. This increase lasts from three to twelve hours..."

Eating these mini-meals of carbs + protein helps your metabolism stay stoked all day long and keeps your blood sugar stable. The best part of that? No mid-afternoon crash! Once I started eating clean, I felt more energetic, calmer, and less mood-swingy. Now when I slack on eating quality carbs and protein throughout the day, I can definitely feel a difference. I'm more sluggish, less motivated, feel more tired, and have a general foggy-headed feeling. Not fun! I'd rather fuel up with carbs and protein and get on with life--I have things to do, after all, despite being semi-retired. :)

What IS clean eating? A refresher course

It was brought to my attention tonight that, after nearly two years of living a (mostly) clean-eating lifestyle, The H is unclear just exactly what "clean eating" means. Can you say "FAIL" on my part? Without further ado, here are what I believe to be the ten most important principles of clean eating, paraphrased from a cut-out section in every issue of Clean Eating Magazine:

1. Eat five to six times a day--each meal or snack should include lean protein + complex carbohydrates.

2. Drink at least two liters of water a day--bust out your pretty and reusable bottles!

3. Choose foods with one or two ingredients--if you can't pronounce it, don't eat it (edamame and quinoa are exceptions). ;)

4. Avoid processed and refined foods--ditch the white flour, sugar, bread, and regular pasta. Use whole grains instead. This is the heart and soul of clean eating for me.

5. Skip the bad guys--avoid foods that are high in saturated fat, trans fats (note: if a food contains hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils, it DOES contain trans fats, regardless of what the per-serving nutrition info says), things that are high in sugar, and anything fried.

6. Shop carefully--try to purchase local and humanely raised meats if possible. Produce that is in season is tastier and usually more affordable.

7. Some fats are good--the body needs essential fatty acids daily.

8. Eat proper portion sizes--pretty self-explanatory.

9. Take your time--slow down and savor your meals.

10. Be prepared--pack a cooler for work and/or outings so you are armed with clean-eating foods even when you're not at home.

In the future, I'll try to be better about describing the "why" behind some of the choices I make, rather than assuming everyone (even those in my household...) understands what I'm doing.

Which aspect of clean eating is most important to you?

Derailed: update

(This is an update to my gripe last Thursday)

One week, four runs, 27.5 miles, and 2,169 calories (burned by running) later, I'm happy to say my jeans are fitting better... but then I split a piece of Cheesecake Factory flourless Godiva chocolate cheesecake with The H after dinner tonight. Oh, and I made fresh whipped cream to put on top. Insert big sigh here. I've never done that before. Why is self-sabotage so easy?

On the plus side, my running this past week has been strong and very enjoyable. I've gotten to run with some good friends that I haven't run with in awhile. Oh, and I've mostly stuck with our meal plan for the week, aside from a junky lunch with the little guy today and GF, egg-free pancakes for dinner instead of my planned spaghetti squash. That makes tomorrow's dinner a no-brainer, AND gives me a meal for Sunday.

Maybe I'll take the dog for a nice long walk tomorrow...

So far, so...ok.

I'm trying not to jump the track again today, but it's not as easy as it was yesterday. Breakfast was kind of delayed; the little guy stayed home from daycare with a slight fever, so when I would normally be sitting down with my coffee (and work...) and breakfast, I was still running around getting him fed and comfortable, and doing some kitchen clean-up. I did eat a homemade allergen-free waffle with Earth Balance on it while I swigged some coffee; it was entirely unsatisfying. But then I got caught up in playing with the little guy and doing laundry, and forgot to eat anything else until it was after 10am.

For snack, I made a peanut butter-banana-Nutella (yeah, I know...) sandwich on sunflower seed bread. After more laundry and more playtime, I scoured the fridge and cobbled together a Buffalo chicken wrap (sprouted wheat tortilla, spinach, cooked chicken, Frank's, organic yogurt dressing) for lunch. With each of those, I drank a 500mL of water. Other than semi-skipping breakfast, this isn't too bad so far.

But now I'm munchy. And that could be dangerous. I need to stop thinking about the Hershey's kisses and Ghirardelli squares I have in the cupboard and think about a *clean* snack... hardboiled egg whites and half an apple? Why does the junky stuff sound so much better? But I know that if I'm not "hungry enough to eat an apple" then I'm likely just eating/grazing out of boredom or thirst. Ever heard of that rule of thumb? Time to refill my water bottle.

Derailed

For the first time in two years, my jeans were tight this morning. ::collective gasp:: Just like a normal person! (You know, 'cause I am.) No really, my weight fluctuates even on a clean eating plan. Usually it's within the same 5lb range (even throughout marathon training) but my pants always fit the same. So their squeeziness is either a sign that I shouldn't let The H dry my jeans on high heat anymore, or that I have been getting too lax in my eating/meal planning. Since fresh-from-the-dryer jeans have never been a problem for me, I'm sadly going with the latter. Perhaps being out of work has affected my eating habits more than I've cared to admit.

Rather than wallowing in self-pity about my lack of employment (and newfound muffintop), I've decided to shape up my habits and get back on track. There's no time like, well, NOW. Here's what my day looked/will look like:

Breakfast - steel cut oats with a few dried cherries, 1/4 cup chopped walnuts, maple sugar flakes, cinnamon, nutmeg, and low-fat milk

Snack - Green monster (spinach, milk, flax meal, 1/2 scoop protein powder, banana), half a grapefruit, string cheese

Lunch - Leftover chicken and garbanzo soup (chicken, leeks, garbanzos, homemade stock)

Snack - Half an apple with a small yogurt cup, two small squares of very dark chocolate

Exercise - 3-4 mile run (-5 windchill doesn't thrill me...may stick with the treadmill today)

Dinner - BBQ chicken pizza (chicken, Trader Joe's barbeque sauce, green onion, sharp cheddar, red bell pepper, GF crust)

Snack - (undecided) GF banana bread and decaf

I'm also carrying around a water bottle, something I seem to have gotten out of the habit of doing now that I'm not parked in front of my computer for work. Hopefully by this time next week (I know, these things can't be rushed) I'll be fitting into my jeans like I normally would. That's solid motivation to be mindful of my eating at this weekend's SuperBowl party!

Stay normal!
-Kate

Initiate!

Part of my occasional hangup with clean eating is that too often snacks and meals are not so easy to grab. So many other things "sound" better because those are the things that are faster to open, easier to access. You know, like opening a bag of potato chips and mindlessly munching a handful or six instead of boiling some edamame to have alongside your sandwich at lunch, or cracking into a package of cookies instead of taking the time to make your own. You've been there. Me, too.

I realized today as I prepared lunch--using some leftovers and other odds-and-ends that would otherwise have been overlooked as we opted for another restaurant meal--that I have control over this. (I know, right?) It's my choice to buy the chips, which then makes it an easier choice to open and EAT the chips. (Brain surgery here, folks.) I need to take the initiative to buy and prepare healthy foods for myself and my family. INITIATE the action you want to see in your own life.

As inspiration struck, I grabbed three clementines, zipped their skins off in a flash, and plunked the ready-to-eat sections into a bowl to go with lunch. The little guy nommed half of a kiwano that we bought earlier this week. All three of us enjoyed our Dr. Praeger's patties, and that bowl of oranges was *gone* before the chips (what, you thought they were fictional?) were even mentioned.

And then I went and boiled some edamame. The little guy saw them in the pot and said to me, "HEY, dat's you! You are my edda-mommy!" :) Happy, healthy Sunday, everyone!

"Just say no" to HFCS

Have you seen those annoying "high fructose corn syrup is just like sugar" ads on TV? The frumpy mom at the kids' birthday party, the carefree girl-and-boyfriend picnicking in the park? I can't stand those. They're so misleading. HFCS is *not* just like sugar, it's *not* natural, and it's nearly impossible to enjoy in moderation due to its increasing presence in so many foods. But often when people ask me *why* I avoid HFCS, my mind goes blank. I might stutter something like, "Because it's GROSS." I'm not great under pressure.

This article provides a short, to-the-point FYI in case you are the same, or even if you've never known why HFCS (I mean, corn sugar) is a nasty little bugger. It's one of the first things I cut out of my diet even before I had ever heard of clean eating.

If you're new to the clean eating scene and this is foreign-sounding to you, do yourself a favor and check out the labels on the foods and beverages you purchase and consume this week--even the ones that may already be in your fridge/pantry. You may be surprised at how many things contain HFCS. Chances are, for most of those products, either you'll find that you can buy or make a better (healthier, cleaner) alternative, or you don't need it all that badly after all.

Who's afraid of the big bad Kate?

More than once in the past week it has come to my attention that some of my readers and real-life friends feel intimidated by this little bloggity blog, for one reason or another. Yes, I run a lot. But that's just for ME, not something you have to do to make clean eating a success. Yes, the recipes I blog are (mostly) clean, but please understand that's not all we eat. I drink wine, I like beer. And I don't always wait for a special occasion to have a drink. Sometimes The H saying, "Want some wine with dinner?" is occasion enough for me. The fact that I drink less than once a week has more to do with a medication I take than the clean-eating factor.

I don't mean to be misleading when all I post are cleaner recipes, but I don't think a clean eating blog that blathers on about how many times we ate leftovers and/or fast food (yep, we do) in a week would go over so well. We're not perfect. There have been times when I'm simply too lazy--oh yeah, it happens--to prep a CrockPot meal on a Tuesday, so we've blasted through the Burger King drive-thru on the way home from running group. Sometimes I feel bad about that, but mostly not.

If you've been reading me for any length of time, you know that I believe a peanut butter cup flurry is a vital part of my long-run training. Oh, and last week I bought a box of Trader Joe's assorted holiday "Joe-Joe's" cookies (for the uninformed: chocolate-enrobed Oreo-like cookies with various flavored fillings, like peanut butter) just for myself. I have recently developed an insatiable taste for Indian food, particularly chicken tikka masala and garlic naan.

These are rare instances, indulgences, that round me out (haha!) and keep me from losing my mind or being a complete stick-in-the-mud, inflexible, hard-nosed clean eater. That works for some people. But, and I don't know if you know this about me, I HATE being told what to do. That's part of the reason that following a strict training plan for my marathon in October was so hard for me. Of course I like running, that's no secret, but I don't like being told WHEN and HOW FAR to go on my runs. Likewise, I don't like being told I CAN'T eat certain things. If I want fries, I want FRIES already. I won't get a large, and I won't make it a daily habit, but I will eat them. Sometimes my indulgent cravings come back to bite me in the rear, but overall I believe that moderation has been the key to my continued success.

There are times when I need to pull back and rein in my indulgences because I see them becoming more habitual than I'd like. Days when jeans that fit fresh out of the dryer last week are a wee bit snug this week, even on their 2nd wearing. That's when I really dig into my books and magazines and create a solid, clean meal plan for the week. That's when you see a higher weekly-post average from me. It's when I'm quiet about it that I'm stuffing my face with flourless chocolate cake, Andes mints, and flamebroiled goodness.

Now you know my secret... I'll try to give a more accurate representation of our habits, even the not-so-clean ones, if you promise to send more comments my way! Please. :) And now, I'm off to lunch at a Mexican restaurant with coworkers, where I will proceed to order whatever speaks to me at the time. I'm thinking super-spicy beef burrito, actually...

Clean doesn't mean perfect

There seem to be a misconceptions floating around that people who eat clean eat nothing but rabbit food, are afraid of desserts, and generally think themselves to be better than the rest of the population. Can I just say that, for me at least, NONE of those are true? Yes, when I decided to follow a clean-eating lifestyle, I chose to eliminate some things from my diet. The key word there is CHOSE. Nobody forced me to do it.

But you know what I like about that system? I can *choose* to add them back in if and when I want. Not eating white sugar, white flour, fried foods, and a lot of processed stuff on a regular basis makes me feel healthier, happier, and, well, cleaner. There is no clean-eating police that is going to haul me away if I decide to have a piece of birthday cake or a few glasses of wine in any given week (or day...).

Contrary to some feedback I've received in person, I don't have to stop eating at restaurants with friends or family. When I do eat out, I may or may not make a super-clean-eating choice for my meal. We don't eat out all that much, so I feel perfectly justified in splurging now and then.

What keeps me in check from going off the deep end and completely reverting to my old unhealthy habits is the fact that I feel better when I eat clean, as long as I'm doing it properly and eating healthy carbs + protein every few hours. My skin is clearer, my pants fit better, my mood in general is more even-keeled. The physical benefits are remarkable to me. I've lost 30 pounds. I'm wearing sizes I never even dreamed of putting on myself. It's easier to have a good run--whether it's 3 miles or 10 miles--when I've been providing my body with good, clean fuel instead of sugary processed snacks.

BUT but but but... I'm not perfect (and I don't expect any other clean eaters to be, either). Some days I eat cold cereal (that may or may not contain HFCS) when I'm too lazy or too hungry to wait for oatmeal, or just sick and tired of eating sprouted grain toast with peanut butter. I might have a turkey hot dog for lunch if I don't think I'll get a chance to make something cleaner because my son is having a demanding, clingy day. After dinner, I might reach for the Lindor truffles hiding in the candy jar instead of blending up a frozen banana and dark chocolate because my son is in bed and I don't want to make too much noise with the blender.

Usually after a few off-track meals or munchies, I realize I could have done better if I'd planned ahead and had easy-to-grab clean snacks in the fridge. It's days like that when I make a dozen Larabars or a boil a half-dozen eggs and grill some chicken breasts on the Foreman. And that's exactly what I'm going to do right now!

I made Larabars!

After being impressed with the Cashew Cookie Larabar I had the day I forgot to eat lunch, someone shared this link with me--a homemade version! The recipe sounded simple enough, and I only had to buy dates in order to make them in my own kitchen. The $3.49 I paid for the container of dates was a great investment, considering each bar I was buying was $1.29--so I'd spent $6.45 on these bars before I finally decided to man up and make them myself!

When I was preparing these, we were planning a road trip with The H for work (which has since fallen through) so I wanted several varieties for a quick, clean snack. The recipe as written makes two bars, which would last about 10 minutes in our house (did you know Larabars are also gluten-free? A winner for The H!), so I doubled each batch to get four bars, and made three different flavors. I figured if I was going to the trouble to pulverize a few nuts and some dried fruit, I might as well make it worth my while and get more than two measly bars out of it.

The original directions said to mix the fruit and nuts together by hand, like Play-Doh, but in the comments someone posted that she accomplished the same thing using a zip-top freezer bag. That was more my style (I hate having anything under my fingernails)! I discovered that it was really easy to get the mixture into the bag if I lined a large plastic cup with the bag first--no mess on the bag zipper, no sticky hands. And now, without further ado, here is my Larabar experience:

All my supplies ready and waiting:

I did not use the chocolate or apricots this time.

Finely ground nuts in the food processor:

I tried using my 1-cup mini-chopper, but the blade just spun everything around without chopping.

My uber-fancy bag-in-a-cup system:

Gold star if you can tell me where the cup is from!

Cherry pie flavor, all mushed up. Yummy...or not (yet!):

Weighing in order to get equal portions (this was 1/3 of the cherry pie batch):

Isn't it cute?

All wrapped up and ready for the fridge:

The flavors I made were cherry pie, blueberry bliss, and peanut butter cookie. I didn't use enough dates in the peanut one, so they are crumblier than I would have liked. (However, The H just said "I loved it! I would eat those all the time" so they can't have been too bad.) The fruity ones came out much stickier, more like an actual Larabar--at least, the ones I've had.

My advice, should you decide to attempt these yourself, would be to make sure your dates are fresh and sticky (get whole, pitted dates and not pre-chopped ones), don't skimp on how many you use (make the measurements a firmly-packed 1/3 cup, for example), and take your time forming the bars if you care how they look. By the time I made the peanut butter cookie flavor, I was afraid I was getting carpal tunnel syndrome from kneading the bags so much, so they are less than appetizing--which is why I only posted pictures of the first ones. :)

Revamped protein bars

I made protein bars again today, but this time I used chocolate protein powder and pecans instead of vanilla and almonds. I switched up the vanilla extract for almond extract, too. There was no need for a new picture, since they look basically the same only browner (oh, and I made 8 of them instead of 6), but I did feel it necessary to tell you that I think I like them this way better. I've only had the trimmings so far, but they are tastier to me than I remember the vanilla ones being.

The almond extract makes my tongue think there's cherries in there, even though I won't be able to experiment with adding actual dried cherries until after co-op pickup next week, and I really, really like the bites that have nuts in them, so in the future I might increase the amount I use. Also, I was pleased to note that my chocolate protein powder contains 2g of sugar, whereas the vanilla had 3g. I'm not basing my life around the nutrition facts, but it's nice to know. Naturally the changes you make will alter the info listed in the first post, so use it as a guideline only.

Let me know if you make these, and how you made the recipe your own! It's one with lots of possibilities.