My food log

Today was a busy day for me, without much time for meals, so I thought it would be a good idea to show you guys how I managed my food! 

I didn't eat breakfast this morning... just had coffe on my way out the door.  Sometimes, I prefer to wait until after my morning classes at the gym to eat. 

Lunch was meatballs I had cooked in the crockpot the day before,  with store bought Muir Glen organic tomato sauce on top of a pile of sautéed spinach. It took about 7 mins from the fridge to my bowl!

2 protein (meatballs) + 3 fruit/veg (2 fist sized raw spinach and 1 fist sized tomato sauce)

For a snack, I had half of a banana topped with dark chocolate and a little bit of flaked coconut and walnuts. I created a post on Instagram and Facebook about making these!

0.5 fruit/ veg (banana) + 1 fat (dark chocolate)

I ran into Starbucks before the kids' soccer games and found a pack of meat and cheese, and had a bottle of green veggie juice with it.  Score!  Whole veggies are best when you can, but when you can't, the juice will help get in those nutrients! 

1 protein + 1 fat (cheese) + 2 fruit/veg (that bottle is two veg servings!) 

Tonight was Johnny's Pizza pig out night for the middle school, so we stopped after the games to pick up pizza for the kids.  I dug through the fridge and threw this together for myself.  It's 1 cup of organic cottage cheese (this stuff is packed with protein!) and I added pumpkin (seasoned with pumpkin pie spice and stevia) and topped it with flax seed and chia seed to add a boost of fiber and a bit of healthy fat.  If you can't stomach the cottage cheese, this is even better with plain Greek yogurt, too!   

1 protein (cottage cheese) + 1 fruit/veg (pumpkin) + 1 fat (seeds) 

Total= 4 protein + 6.5 fruit/veg (0.5 was fruit) + 3 fat

Even though I did a workout today, I didn't have any carb servings.   That was by choice, and that's my norm, because I feel much better with more fat and less carbohydrate.  It's not for everyone, though... find what works for you!

See?!  It doesn't have to be complicated. It can be done even on the busiest of days 😉. I'm going to have my fish oil supplement, too, since I didn't get it in food form.  

Week 8- Supplements

The definition of a supplement is, "something that completes or enhances something else when added to it."  Nutritional supplements do just that... they complete or enhance your diet, but are not replacements for a healthy diet.  

Through the first 7 weeks of BodEvolve you learned what a healthy, balanced nutritional plan looks like.  Adequate amounts of protein, fruit and veggies, and the right fats and carbohydrates will help your body thrive.  But you aren't perfect, and there will be days when you don't get all of your servings of each of those items in.  This is where supplementation comes in!

There are tons of supplements available, but for the purposes of this program, there are three supplements you should keep on hand:

1. Protein powder 
2. Greens supplement
3. Omega-3 fish oil

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1. Protein

My personal preferences for protein powder are Bone Broth Protein and a "clean" whey protein.  By "clean", I mean that there isn't much else in there.  Check the ingredient label!  Bluebonnet is a brand I tend to gravitate toward because it contains whey protein isolate, natural vanilla or chocolate, and stevia.  Nothing else!  There are other brands like this, too.  You just have to read the ingredient labels!

On days you miss a protein serving, add in a scoop (2 for guys!) to supplement!

2. Greens Supplement

There are many greens/ superfood supplements on the market, so experiment with them to find one you like.  I like to use Green Superfood by Amazing Grass.  Again, just check the ingredient label to be sure there aren't any added chemicals in there that you don't recognize.  And also be sure the ingredients are organic!  You don't want to supplement with a concentrated dose of greens that have been treated with pesticides.

Add a scoop of greens on days you haven't been able to get in all of your veggie servings.

3.  Omega-3 Fish Oil

Quality is important when it comes to all supplements, but especially with your fish oil!  Don't go for the less expensive brands you can find in the drugstore or grocery store.  Fish oil can be contaminated with PCBs and mercury,  and it goes rancid easily, so you need to be sure your oil is pure and fresh.  (More about that here.  Unfortunately, the recommended brands aren't available in Monroe!  I use Nordic Naturals from Fiesta)    If your fish oil has a really fishy taste, it may be rancid and you shouldn't take it.  It's always a good idea to store your fish oil in the fridge after you get it home.  

I take 2-3g of fish oil on days that I don't eat a serving of fatty fish, like wild salmon or wild sardines.  

This week, your job is to start using your supplements to fill in the gaps on days your eating is less than perfect.  Always shoot for getting in all of your nutrient needs from foods, but learning how to fall back on supplements is a valuable tool to have in your toolbox!

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Summary

1- meal plan and prep

2- eat slowly and stop at 80% full

3- eat 3-4 meals daily: all anytime meals on non workout days, and up to 2 post workout meals on workout days

4- 100 oz of water daily

5- record daily: AT meals, PWO meals, freebies, and water intake

6- fill in with supplements on any days you don't get in all of your meal requirements

Recipe- Energy balls

Check my instagram feed or Facebook page for a quick how-to video! 

Ingredients

For the filling
1/2 Cup walnuts
1/2 Cup hemp hearts (hulled seeds)
1/2 Cup raisins
1/2 Cup shredded, unsweetened coconut
2 Tbsp Buff Bake Pumpkin Spice Peanut Butter* 
1 scoop vanilla protein powder (I used Bone Broth protein)

*Any nut butter will do, but this was tasty!

For the coating:
1 block of unsweetened baking chocolate (I used Scharffenberger) 
Add stevia glycerite*, to taste
-or-
Lily's sugar free chocolate chips, about 1/2 cup

*Stevie glycerite can be found at Fiesta with the sweeteners.  It's similar to liquid stevia, but in a glycerine solution.  It doesn't seem to have the same bitter taste as the liquid stevia does, so I prefer this version when cooking with stevia.

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Method

Blend up all of the filling ingredients until it resembles consistent, coarse crumbs.  Test it by pinching some of the mixture together to be sure that you can make it stick together.  If it won't hold together, it's too dry- try adding more nut butter or raisins, a little bit at a time, until it's moist enough to stick.

Roll the mixture into balls.  I got 11 equal sized balls from my mixture.

If using a block of unsweetened chocolate, chop it into small pieces, add about 1/2 tsp stevia glycerite (or other sweetener, if preferred) and put into the microwave for about 30 seconds and stir.  Continue to heat in 10 second intervals and stir until the chocolate is completely melted and smooth.  Taste, and adjust sweetener as desired.  If using chocolate chips, go through the same procedure to melt, but skip the sweetener!

Next, cover the balls in the melted chocolate by dropping them one at a time into the chocolate.  I used a fork to toss them around until they were completely covered.  Set them on a sheet of waxed paper on a plate and refrigerate until firm.  Or if you're as eager to dig in as I was, stick them into the freezer, briefly!

Feel free to experiment with other nuts and dried fruit to change up the flavor, too!

Week 7- Hydration

I know the food goals over the past 4 weeks have been a bit of a challenge.  We've been moving quickly to get all those goals in, and I promise that things will be simpler from here on out!  You still need to focus on those protein, veggie, carb and fat servings, but we'll be adding easier goals along with them, so you can continue to really work on getting those right.

For week 7, your goal is to get in 100 oz of water every day.  But keep in mind that only plain, clear water actually counts as water!  Tea isn't water, and neither is coffee.  You can still have those, but only in addition to your 100 oz of water!   Watch the video for all the details, or keep reading below the video.  But be sure to scroll to the bottom of this page for a couple of printable resources!

Uploaded by Shannon Dahlum on 2016-10-14.

The rules

You need to avoid any calorie containing or artificially sweetened beverages.  This means avoid juice, soda (diet, too!), Crystal Light, Gatorade, and yes... even alcohol.  Hold on, don't quit on me yet!  Keep reading, and I will show you how to fit in some freebies.  The exception to this rule is milk (nut milks, coconut milk, cream in your coffee, etc) and coconut water that you may be using in your smoothies and protein shakes.

Zero calorie beverages that are sweetened with stevia (like Zevia) are ok in moderation.  La Croix, San Pelligrino and other flavored unsweetened drinks are ok, also.  Just be sure to check your ingredient label!  Some San Pelligrino waters are sweetened!  And even though these are all ok in moderation, they still may not replace any of your water requirements.  You can only have one of these in ADDITION to your 100 oz of plain, clear water.

"But you said something about freebies."  Yes, I did.  Keep reading, we'll get there...   

Rather than continuing to write down everything you ingest in a food journal, you're now going to check off whether your meal was an "anytime" meal, a "post workout" meal, or a "freebie".  Your protein + veggie + fat meals are your "anytime" (AT) meals, and your protein + veggie + carb meals are your "post workout" (PWO) meals.  Anytime you eat something that doesn't fit into the AT or PWO meal categories, or drink something that isn't an allowed beverage (ahem... glass of wine?), you will mark it as a "freebie".  You will also be checking off your water intake.    

Resources

Need help figuring out your AT and PWO meals?  Here's a cheat sheet to help!  Download and print it out, or take a screenshot so you can refer back to it.

I also made a meal journal sheet you can use, to replace your food journal.  Print it out and check off the boxes as you go!  Using this sheet isn't a requirement- use whatever method works best for you.

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Summary

1- meal plan and prep

2- eat slowly and stop at 80% full

3- eat 3-4 meals daily: all anytime meals on non workout days, and up to 2 post workout meals on workout days

4- 100 oz of water daily

5- recor d daily: AT meals, PWO meals, freebies, and water intake

Recipe- Pumpkin Protein Smoothie

Ok, so this isn't exactly a "recipe".  You just throw a few ingredients into a blender and you're done!  Here's what I added- keep in mind that I didn't actually measure anything!  I'm just guessing on the amounts here:

3/4 cup of canned FROZEN pumpkin
1 cup milk (almond, coconut, etc)
a few shakes of pumpkin pie spice
1 scoop of vanilla protein

Blend frozen pumpkin, milk, and pumpkin pie spice until smooth.  Using frozen pumpkin is key!  You'll get a nice smooth texture without adding ice, which can wind up watering it down.  Then, add in a scoop of protein and blend on low for a few seconds, just until incorporated.  If you over blend the protein, it can get really airy and fluffy, and I don't like that texture.

I then topped mine with a big spoon full of the Buff Bake pumpkin spice almond butter to get in some fat, and a shake of cinnamon.  SO GOOD!  

Feel free to play with it!  Add banana, some spinach or kale leaves.  Need to get some fat in?  Try blending in some full fat coconut milk or coconut oil, or top with pecans or walnuts.  You can also try blending in a few tablespoons of uncooked rolled oats to add some carbs, and flax or chia seeds will give you a good dose of fiber.

This is the protein I used.  You can find it at Fiesta Nutrition.

Order this online at www.buffbake.com

Recipe- Granny Smith Apple Crumble

This recipe was a big hit for everyone during the 21 Day Sugar Detox, and came straight out of the 21DSD book.  This would count for a fruit serving (apples) and a fat serving (nuts and butter or coconut oil).  Watch your serving size, though!  Remember that a fruit serving is about the size of your fist!

For the filling

4 green apples, peeled and thinly sliced
juice of 1/2 lemon
1 tsp ground cinnamon

For the topping

1 1/4 cups almond meal or other nut meal of your choice
1/4 cup unsalted grass fed butter or coconut oil, softened
1 tsp ground cinnamon
pinch of sea salt
1 Tbsp unsalted grassfed butter or coconut oil, melted, for greasing pan

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350*.

Make the filling: In a mixing bowl, toss the apples with the lemon juice and cinnamon.

Make the topping: In a separate bowl, mix together the almond meal, butter or coconut oil, cinnamon, and salt until completely incorporated.

Brush the bottom and sides of a 9 x 9 inch or similar sized baking dish with the melted butter or coconut oil.

Place the apples in the baking dish and cover evenly with the topping.

Bake for 20 minutes covered with foil, then for an additional 25- 30 minutes uncovered, until the apples are soft and the topping begins to brown on the edges.

Week 6- Fat

This week, you'll be focusing on adding healthy fats into your diet.  You need to add in one thumb sized portion of fat at every meal in which you are not eating a serving of carbohydrates.  Remember that you should be eating 1-2 servings of carbs on workout days, so you need to add your fat serving in to every other meal.  Watch the video for more explanation!  And be sure to scroll down this page to see lists of fats you should be eating, as well as a handy meal planning guide to make building your meals simple!

Uploaded by Shannon Dahlum on 2016-10-07.

Smart Fats

EAT A VARIETY OF THESE
avocado
nuts and nut butters
pasture raised eggs (2= 1 fat serving)
fatty fish (like salmon and sardines- wild only!)
dark chocolate, at least 70% (yay!!)
oil- more info below
butter and full fat dairy from pasture raised animals

Use the right oils!

FOR COLD USES
avocado oil
nut oils
olive oil
sesame oil

FOR HOT USES
coconut oil
palm oil
grassfed butter
other grassfed animal fats

AVOID
margarine
all "buttery spreads"
hydrogenated oils
canola oil
corn oil
grapeseed oil
safflower oil
grapeseed oil
soybean oil
sunflower oil
vegetable oil

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Clearing up the carb confusion...

In case you missed it, here's the banana bread recipe I posted to the BodEvolve group on Facebook. 

How much to eat
1-2 servings per day on workout days- a serving is one cupped handful.  If you aren't working out at all right now, then add your carb servings in 2-3 days per week.  Later, we will get into how to tweak your carb intake to be appropriate for you, because everyone's needs are different.

Carb Sources
Breads and pastas (100% whole grain only)   
Grains- wheat, oats, rice, barley, rye, quinoa, grits, buckwheat, etc (100% whole grain only)
Potatoes, sweet potatoes and yams
Corn
Plantains
Legumes, beans and lentils (I forgot to mention beans earlier!)

What does NOT count as carb sources
Veggies and Fruit

Yes, all fruits and veggies do have carbs, but not as many as grains and starches, so we aren't counting them!  Bananas are frequently categorized with starches, and I did mention bananas in the video explaining this week's carb goal, but I'm changing that!  Sorry, I know that doesn't help with the confusion.  I don't think they are high enough in carbs to ban them from your fruit servings.  So continue to have them as one of your 2 allowed fruit servings each day, if you'd like!

What about refined/ processed carbs?  
Your goal is to eliminate all refined carbs completely for now!  This includes white bread, pasta, chips, cookies, white sugar, etc.  

I can't make it through this program without some treats!  Can I have any kind of treats?
Yes!  You CAN make your own treats out of real, unrefined food ingredients, and eat them in moderation!  This would be like the paleo banana bread recipe I posted to the Facebook group.  It doesn't contain any refined ingredients, like white flour, white sugar (or any other kind of refined sugar) so it's allowed!  You can make anything you want, as long as it doesn't contain processed or refined ingredients.  As far as sweeteners go, this means that honey and maple syrup are safe.  Paleo recipes are always a good choice, because they are grain free, and contain only natural sweeteners.  But remember that these items, paleo or not, are TREATS.  Just because they're made of real food doesn't mean it's ok to eat them in unlimited quantities.  These are "extras"!  You still need to get in all of your protein, fruit/veggie and carb servings, so any real food treats are "extra" items.  And keep in mind that the more "extras" you have, the slower any weight loss progress will be.  

Week 5- Carbs!

It's time for a progress check!  You need to submit your current weight, waist and hip measurements, and progress pics.  Click the button below to head to the form!

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This week is all about carbs!  Your goal is to add in one serving of carbs to 1 or 2 meals on workout days.  On non-workout days, you won't add any!  You only get to eat the carbs you earn, and you earn them by training for them.  For all the juicy details, watch the video!  I tried several times, and just couldn't figure out how to put it into words on the screen, so I decided to tell you about it instead...

Uploaded by Shannon Dahlum on 2016-09-30.

What counts as carbs?

Whole Grains & Starches

Whole Grains- brown rice, whole grain bread, whole grain pasta, oats, barley, rye, corn
-->optional: leave out the grains if you prefer to use a Paleo approach and get all your carbs from starches

Starches- potatoes, sweet potatoes, yams, bananas, plantains

Avoid all refined carbs

White bread, white pasta, white rice, chips, baked goods made with white flour, etc, do NOT count toward your carb servings!  If you buy packaged goods, look for "whole grain" in the ingredients list.  "Enriched wheat flour" is refined, wheat flour, and that won't count!     

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Summary for week 5

1- meal planning and prep
2- eat slowly and stop at 80% full
3- 1-2 servings of protein per meal
4- 1-3 servings of fruit and/ or veggies per meal
5- 1 serving of carbs at 1-2 meals on workout days
6- continue your food journal

Recipe: Super Smoothies

Chocolate Green Smoothie found at Goodies Against the Grain.  Lots of great recipes (by a 14 year old!!!!)

If you're having trouble getting in all of your servings of protein and fruit/ veggies, try adding in a smoothie for one of your meals!  It makes breakfast time really easy, too, since you're probably trying to rush out the door and may not have much time to eat.

1. Start with 4-8oz of liquid, depending on desired thickness: water, coconut water, unsweetened almond or coconut milk, iced green tea, etc.
2. Add a protein powder. 
3. Add a veggie: spinach, kale, cooked or canned pumpkin, cooked sweet potato, cooked beets, cauliflower, etc.  I know this sounds scary, but trust me!  Spinach is practically undetectable when combined with fruit.  I tried one with cauliflower and seriously had my doubts, but didn't taste it at all!  I like to keep spinach in the freezer, and I also use frozen cauliflower, because the frozen veggies help with the texture of the smoothie.
4. Add a fruit: Anything!  Again, I prefer frozen fruit for texture.  Berries are my favorite, but bananas work very well, too.  Avocado can also be added, which creates a smooth texture and gets in a good dose of healthy fat!

Other optional additions: Greek yogurt (no added sugar!), nuts or nut butter, cinnamon or other spices, cocoa powder, chia or flax seeds, coconut flakes... whatever you feel like!  I like to make my smoothies nice a thick, top them them nuts and/or berries and eat with a spoon :)

Here are a couple recipes you can try...

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Chocolate Green Smoothie (above)

From Goodies Against the Grain
Makes 1 large or 2 small servings

1 small avocado
1.5 cups unsweetened almond milk
2 scoops chocolate protein powder
1/2 cup frozen cauliflower
1 cup packed baby spinach
1/2 cup frozen blueberries
1 handful ice cubes

I split this in half for 1 small serving.  When I made mine (pictured above), I used vanilla protein powder and added 1 Tbsp of cacao powder.  I also omitted the blueberries and it just tasted like chocolate!

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Pumpkin Spice Smoothie

From 21 Day Sugar Detox
Makes 1 serving

1/2 cup canned full fat canned coconut milk
1/4 cup water
1/2 of a green tipped banana, frozen
1/4 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
small handful of ice
1 scoop vanilla whey protein

Week 4- Start your food journal!

This is a goal I wanted to work into the program, but I wasn't sure where to fit it in.  There are so many important pieces to the puzzle that I wanted to get you started on from the beginning, that it was hard to decide what needed to come first!  So I'm going to go ahead and add in a second goal for this week that I want you to get started on.  In addition to the fruit and veggie goal for this week, you're going to start keeping a food journal.  You can jot it in the notes app on your phone, you can snap a photo of everything before you eat it and save the pics in a food journal album, you can use the MyFitnessPal app or something similar, or you can go the old fashioned route and just write everything in a notebook.  You can even make notes on your meal plan.  It really doesn't matter where you record it, but you must write down everything you eat AND drink every day in a place where it won't get lost.  Make it as easy as possible for yourself so this will become effortless.  It doesn't need to be complicated!

Food journaling is going to be an important part of the process as we move along.  Recording what you eat will help you to be aware of everything that you're ingesting (or not ingesting!) and will help you hold yourself accountable.  It's also vital to know exactly what's going in, in order to know what's working for you and what  you need to change.  Your food journal, along with your progress stats (your initial weight, measurements and photos) will be your keys to unlocking what good nutrition means for you.  

Week 4- Eat fruit and/ or veggies at every meal

Fruits and vegetables are packed with vitamins, minerals andy phytochemicals that are essential for your body to function optimally.  The fiber is also needed to keep your digestive system healthy.  Not only this, but plant foods provide an alkaline load to your blood, which balances out the acid load contributed by protein and grains.  Maintaining an acid/ alkaline balance is so important, because an acidic state will contribute to bone and muscle loss.  

The standard American diet (SAD for short, with good reason!) is loaded with acidic foods.  Not only protein and grains, but sugar, processed foods, fried foods, and alcohol also contribute to an acid load in your blood.  If you don’t balance your acidic foods with alkaline foods, your body will figure out how to create a balance on it’s own, and this means leaching calcium from your bones and teeth.  If Americans ate a more balanced diet, I’d be willing to bet we’d see far fewer cases of Osteoporosis!  

In order to maintain a balanced diet, you need to be getting 1-3 servings of fruit and/ or vegetables with every meal (the ultimate goal is 8-10 servings per day!).  Keep in mind that fruit has more sugar, and if you have weight loss goals, you should keep your fruit servings to 2 or less per day, and the rest of your servings should come from vegetables.

What does a serving look like?  The size of your balled up fist.  More specifically, it would be 1/2 cup of chopped fresh veggies or fruit, and 1 cup of raw, leafy greens.  But let’s keep things simple, and if the fruit or veggie portion you have looks approximately the same size as your fist, then it’s a single serving.

I know you’re probably thinking, “Crap, Shannon, how am I supposed to do that?!  I’m still learning how to get protein in at every meal!”  It doesn’t have to be complicated.  An example day could look like this:

1. Greek yogurt with a handful of berries (1 fist) on top.
2. Salad greens (3 fists) with chopped tomato, cucumber and bell pepper (1 fist combined), and chicken strips.
3. An apple (1 fist) with peanut butter. 
4. Fish with green beans (1 fist) and cauliflower (1 fist).

That’s 8 servings right there, and no more than 2 of fruit.

However, the fruits and veggies that count towards this goal are only the fibrous, non-starchy ones.  This means that bananas and plantains, corn, potatoes, sweet potatoes and yams do not count (we’ll cover that stuff in an upcoming week).  Everything else is fair game! 

Fresh fruits and veggies are best, so go with those when possible.  The next best option are frozen ones, and last on the list are canned.    

Summary for week 4

1- Meal planning and prep
2- Eat slowly and stop at 80% full
3- 1-2 servings of protein per meal
4- 1-3 servings of fruit and/ or veggies per meal

Week 3 questions and comments...

"Hectic days lead to less than three meals per day and insufficient protein...how can i get a score in the WIN column even if my food intake isn't a win?"

Yep, hectic days make it really tough to get those meals in.  Keeping some convenient foods on hand, even if they're less than ideal, is always a good idea!  Gulp a protein shake or eat a stick of beef jerky, or even a handful of nuts.  (Read through the response to the next question for another approach to this problem!)

As far as getting a "win", you are getting your win every day that you do your check in form!  Whether you check the "yes" box or the "no" box, you are working on improving your eating habits, and that's a win.  Having you consistently doing the check ins is what I'm after, because it means that you will get into the habit of at least thinking about the goals every day.  While you may not hit the goal every time, you are aware of it, and slowly improving on it.

"I feel like I am getting my protein in ok, but it may not always be at all three meals. Some meals may have more intake than others. In other words, I may not always have the full serving at one meal, but may have more than one at another. I guess getting in the full daily requirement is the bottom line or goal? And is it just me, or is it difficult to take in that much protein a day? Seems like a lot. ?? Lol"

Yes, that's right!  If you're getting in 3-4 servings of protein per day, exactly when you eat it isn't so important.  Trying to work one serving in per meal is an easy way to approach it, but it isn't the only way to do it!  This also applies to the question above... if you can't get your protein serving in at lunch because of a hectic day, you can always make up for it by having a larger serving of protein with breakfast and dinner.  Find what works with your schedule and go with it!  Setting the goal of 3-4 servings of protein a day, rather than one per meal, is perfectly acceptable!

A lot of people do find it hard at first to get in all that protein, but it's because it's something you aren't used to!  Protein is the most satiating macronutrient (it makes you feel more full, and for longer, than either carbs or fat do), which means you don't usually feel like eating a lot of it!  But once you get used to it, your metabolism will ramp up and you'll have more of an appetite for it.  This is a good thing!

If you wind up not getting in every serving of protein every day, it's not a failure!  Remember that eating right takes practice, just like any other skill, and consistent practice will make you better at it.  If you're getting more protein in now that you were before you started this program, then you're making progress and that's what counts!

 

Another nice little perk from getting in your protein...

Protein is the most thermogenic food, meaning that your body expends a good deal of energy just to digest it.  In fact, you only absorb about 70-80% of the calories in protein dense foods, because you burn the other 20-30% off just by digesting it!  Digestion from carbs only burns off about 5-10% of the total calories, and only 0-3% of the calories from fats are burned off.  So basically, just eating more protein increases your metabolism, and should help you eat less of the carbs and fat, because you aren't as hungry after getting in that protein!

Recipe: Scotch Eggs

This is my easy take on Scotch eggs.  I love these things!  Add a veggie on the side and you have lunch!

Ingredients
4 eggs
1 pound ground pork sausage*

*I buy my sausage from For His Temple Foods in West Monroe.  It's from Mahaffey farms in Shreveport- happy, free roaming, grass-fed pigs make healthier meat!

1. Boil your eggs.
2.  Peel your eggs.
3. Divide your sausage into 4 equal portions.
4. Wrap each egg in one of the portions of the sausage.  I like to flatten the sausage as much as possible, then, enclose the egg inside and pinch the edges closed.
5. Bake in a 375 degree oven for 25 mins

DONE!

Recipe: Protein Truffles

Protein Truffles

I like these when I'm craving a little bite of something sweet!  You can experiment with different flavors of protein powders and nut butters.  I like to add some cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice, too.

Filling Ingredients
2 scoops whey protein (I used Bone Broth Protein in Vanilla)
1/2 cup unsweetened almond or coconut milk
1/4 cup almond flour
2 Tbsp coconut flour
1-2 Tbsp almond or peanut butter

Coating Ingredients
Dark chocolate (70% cacao or darker is best!)  I don't really know a specific amount here... just enough to roll your balls in!  Stop it with your dirty mind.

Directions
Blend all filling ingredients until smooth.  Divide dough and roll into 8 equally sized balls.

Heat dark chocolate and stir until melted.  Feel free to add a bit of stevia if you like your chocolate sweeter.  Dip each ball into the melted chocolate one at a time, and using a spoon, make sure each is completely covered in the chocolate.  Lay each ball on a sheet of parchment paper on a plate, and refrigerate until firm.  

Nutrition Information for one truffle
Calories- 76
fat- 6g
carbs- 1g
protein- 6g
 

Links to some recipe ideas...

I've had some requests for quick and easy recipes, so I've compiled some things here for you!  Make sure that when you're planning your meals for the week, you don't overstretch yourself.  Create a plan that is doable for you, and it's not a bad idea to keep a few prepared options on hand, in case something unexpected comes up that prevents you from sticking with your plan.  Soups in a can or carton, and some frozen meals (look at the ingredients, and make sure it's nothing but real food in there!) are always good to fall back on when needed. 

Crockpot Recipes

Healthy Crock Pot Recipes
35 Healthy Crock Pot Recipes
Healthy Slow Cooker & Crock Pot Recipes

Quick and Easy Meals

Stupid Easy Paleo
Meals in 30 mins or less
20 Fast Dinner Ideas
Top 10 5-Ingredient Dinners
107 Quick and Easy Dinner Recipes

If you try any recipes that you really like, please share them with us in the Facebook Group!

Week 3- Eat protein at every meal

Proteins are the building blocks of life.  They are present in every single cell of your body, and are responsible for everything from your structure, to your hormones, to your enzymes, to your immune chemicals.  Without adequate protein in the diet, your body will break down it’s own enzymes and structural proteins to get what it needs to keep functioning.  Without ANY protein in the diet your body would literally cease to function.  You can’t live without protein, and you certainly can’t function optimally with inadequate amounts of it.

So what exactly are optimal amounts of protein?  Our dietary guidelines suggest that 0.8g of protein per kg of bodyweight is sufficient for a sedentary, healthy adult.  This means that a 150 pound adult should consume about 55g of protein daily.  However, this is the minimum amount of protein needed to prevent deficiency.  Research suggests that higher amounts of proteinmay be vital for immune function, metabolism, satiety, weight management, and performance.  Because of this, many experts recommend intakes of 1g of protein per pound of bodyweight. 

This week, your goal is to have 1-2 servings of protein at every meal (3-4 meals daily).  A serving size is 20-30g, but counting isn’t necessary- visually, it’s about the size of the palm of your hand, so you can just eyeball it.  Women should be going for one serving per meal, and men should get two servings per meal.  

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Ideal sources of protein

• All forms of meat, poultry and seafood*
• Eggs- local, free range, and/or organic, if possible
• Dairy, such as cottage cheese, Greek yogurt, cheese, etc (avoid added sugar!)
• Beans, peas, legumes, tofu, tempeh, etc
• Protein supplements- I recommend Blue Bonnet whey protein, or Bone Broth protein (both available at Fiesta).

*For beef and pork, choose grass-fed as much as possible.  When you have to get conventionally raised meat, choose the leanest cuts possible.  For poultry, try to find organic and/or free range.  Wild caught seafood is best.

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To summarize, here’s what you should be doing for week 3, beginning on Monday, September 19:

1. Meal planning and prep done by Monday night.

2. Eating slowly and stopping at 80% full.

3. Having 1-2 servings of protein at every meal (3-4 meals daily).

Week 2 questions/ comments

I know the meal planning and prep thing really isn't easy, but it's far easier than trying to throw together a good, quick dinner every night with whatever you just happen to have on hand!  Getting it done at the beginning of the week is a real game changer, and it seems that most of you are realizing that.  Keep it up!  I promise it will continue to get easier!

I had a question about substituting one meal with a protein shake, and which meal is best to sub it for.  Real food is always best, but when that isn't an option, a protein shake is certainly better than nothing!  It's a great way to get in some nutrients when you truly just don't have time to eat.  As for the best meal to have the shake, I'd say the meal that's the hardest to get in!  Time of day really isn't important here.  Whatever works best for you and your schedule is what you're going for.

Slowing down and eating seems to be a challenge for many of you.  I get it!  The days are so busy, it's hard to make time to just sit and eat.  Just do your best.  If you can set an alarm for lunch time and stop what you're doing even for 5 mins to eat, DO IT.  Fifteen minutes would be better, but 5 is better than nothing!  Schedule your meal times on your calendar if you have to, just as you schedule time for everyone else.  You deserve to be on your schedule, too!  But there may be meal times when you truly have zero time, and that's ok.  As long as you are making an effort to eat slowly and stop at 80% full every time, then you're making progress!  You don't have to be perfect in achieving every goal every day, but you do need to be conscious of the goal, and doing the best you can to achieve it.  Doing better than you did last week is a great step in the right direction!  So don't beat yourself up if you don't get it right every single time.

BUT... even if you don't meet the goal for the day, I still need to you to fill out check-in the form I text you in the evening so that we both have record of what you are able, or aren't able to do.  This is the only way you will know what is or isn't helping you make progress, and it will also help me see what's going on with you and try to help you find other solutions when something just isn't working for you.  I'm not using these forms to judge you if you check the "no" box.  I promise!  Think of this as your own science experiment to find out which eating habits get you closer to your goal.  First, you need a baseline (your intake form- finish those if you haven't yet!!!), then you need detailed information on what you're doing (your daily check-ins), then you will compare your next progress check to your baseline to see if anything is changing.  The information is vital!  The forms can be done right there on your phone, and shouldn't take more than a minute or two.  If you're having any issues with them, please let me know and I'll see what I can do to help :) 

Week 2- Slow down!

Before we can even begin to discuss WHAT you eat, we need to fix HOW you eat.  Everyone seems to be speeding in on two wheels everywhere they go these days, and none of us have any free time for "fancy" stuff, like eating.  Seriously, though, we all tend to treat meals as an afterthought, and don't give the nourishment of our bodies the respect it deserves!   How frequently do you scarf food while checking email, driving down the road, or rushing between meetings?

The problem with eating at warp speed is that it causes you to override your body's natural "I've had enough to eat" mechanism, and you wind up eating far more than you need.  Your gut and your brain "speak" to each other, but this communication takes about 20 minutes to happen.  It's as if you have a feeble old man living in your gut, and when your food gets down to him, he slowly starts climbing the steps to your brain, where he knocks on the door to let it know your belly is full.  Often, by time the old man finally gets word to your brain that your belly has had enough, you've already eaten far too much and need to change into your Thanksgiving stretchy pants.

Since you can't get the old man in your belly to climb the stairs to your brain any faster, the only way to fix this problem is to eat more slowly.  Sit down at a table to eat your meals, set your fork down after EVERY bite, thoroughly chew your food, taste it, and enjoy it.  Also, stop eating when you're no longer hungry... don't wait until you feel FULL.  Meals should take about 15-20 minutes to finish, and you should stop when you feel about 80% full.  

Slowing down and stopping when you notice that you're 80% full can make a huge impact on greatly reducing your consumption while increasing your satisfaction.  Beginning on Monday, September 12, your new goal is to focus on this every time you eat; eat slowly and stop at 80% full.  Of course, you'll be adding this to your goal from last week, which was the weekly food prep.  So get your prep for the week done by Monday night, and start slowing down your meals!

Stress Eating

For a lot of you (me included), the cravings really hit when you're stressed, so the question is how to deal with this situation.  First of all, it helps to know WHY this happens.  Certain foods are addictive- they stimulate the pleasure centers of your brain, just like drugs.  There is a pretty immediate release of some feel good hormones and you wind up with this nice warm, fuzzy feeling, which is really what you're craving when you're stressing out.  Some people reach for alcohol, some reach for drugs, and some reach for food to get their high.  We are a society of food abusers, people!

So when you're stressed out, you aren't really craving chocolate (or Doritos, or cake, etc); you're craving the warm, fuzzy FEELING those foods stimulate.  The key here is to find other ways to stimulate those feel good hormones, and to deal with stress before it gets overwhelming.  Deep, belly breathing (like the box breathing we did, or the ujjayi breath in yoga) actually stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system, which essentially turns off the body's stress response.  Exercise, laughter, gratitude, helping others, and connecting with friends all release feel good hormones.  Adequate amounts of quality sleep help you handle stressful situations better,  and excessive caffeine can exacerbate feelings of stress.

If stress eating seems to feel out of your control, it's not a food problem; it's a problem of dealing with situations you find stressful.  Your best bet is to work on ways to keep your stress in check daily.  Don't wait until your head is about to blow off before you decide you need to work on it!  Some things to try: work on getting adequate amounts of sleep; take 5 minutes out a few times each day to focus on deep, slow breathing; start a gratitude journal; find ways to make someone else's day brighter; exercise regularly; laugh with a friend.  The list goes on.  And when you do get into a situation where you're feeing overwhelmed and all you care about is chocolate, just know that it's not the chocolate you need- it's the relaxed, happy feeling you get from it.  So have a glass of water, take a few deep breaths and a walk if you can, find something you're grateful for (there is ALWAYS something to be grateful for), and figure out how to deal with your situation one single step at a time.