Healthy Lifestyle Changes

Remember the old saying "you are what you eat"? It's definitely true, because your body is a reflection of your lifestyle. For the longest time, I never really thought about what I ate, ignorance was bliss. Besides, I wasn't eating McDonald's everyday and thought I was doing okay. But then again I didn't have a desk job, I was outside the majority of my work weeks...haha, see where I'm going with this? Then I settled for the desk job and the activity lessened, my eating habits stayed the same and the pounds started coming on. I blamed it on metabolism, getting old, yadda, yadda, yadda.

Over the past year, I've made some serious changes when it comes to my eating habits. I started taking a real hard look at what I was eating and was surprised by how much CRAP (Carbonated drinks - Refined sugars - Artificial food - Processed food). OMG the amount of processed food that was supposedly 'healthy' that I was consuming was alarming. I would purchase the easy pop in the microwave meals because I didn't have time to cook. Those of you who eat the process food just take a gander at the Nutritional Facts...what got me was the amount of sugar and sodium in some of these meals. Well, no wonder why I'm so bloated. Then I started noticing how I felt when I would eat processed food and junk...yeah, it might have tasted good at the moment, but I was lethargic and just meh all the time.

When I first started clean eating, it was hard. But the reason it was hard was because I was going through withdrawal, craving sugary and salty snacks...fried food, etc. But a few days in and I started noticing differences. I didn't need to snack a lot, because I was giving my body the needed nutrients it needed to be satisfied. The bloat had reduced, I had more energy and just overall felt better. Not to mention I lost about 4 lbs in a week...love seeing those kind of results! I don't eat clean 100% of the time, but try at least 75-80% of the time. I am human and if you know me, you know I'm a self-proclaimed chocoholic. :-)

I'll leave with this, eating healthy doesn't mean boring. I've made some really tasty meals that are really good for you too. And even Chris enjoys them, although he still wants his burger with a fried egg on top when we go out. :-)

Last night's dinner was Chinese Chicken served over brown rice. Super good and super easy!

Adjust the measurements for the number of portions. Below is for 1 serving (300 calories per serving)

• Non-stick cooking spray
• 4 oz boneless, skinless chicken breast cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1 cup of broccoli florets
• 1/2 cup sliced mushrooms (I left these out....not a fan of the fungus)
• 1/2 cup of snow peas
• 2 tsp reduced sodium soy sauce
• 2-3 tbsp low sodium chicken or vegetable broth
• 1 tsp peanut oil or sesame oil
• 1/2 c quinoa, cooked or brown rice

1. In a large skillet, lightly coat with cooking spray, cook chicken over medium heat until cooked thoroughly, about 7-10 minutes
2. Remove chicken from pan and add broccoli, mushrooms, and snow peas. Cook until vegetables begin to soften, about 6-8 minutes.
3. Add chicken back to pan with vegetables and season with soy sauce, broth and oil.
4. Serve over quinoa or brown rice