Day 1: Clean Eating - Penne Pasta with Chicken, Broccoli, & Tomato

My first day of clean eating was a huge success! Here's a quick rundown of the day:

Breakfast: Protein Shake

Lunch: Protein Shake

Snack:  Handful of Almonds & Dried Berries

Dinner: Penne Pasta with Chicken, Broccoli, & Tomato.

Dinner was by far the highlight of my day. I wanted to start my clean eating with a recipe that had ingredients I knew I would like, so this was a great fit. I feel like it is important to mention I had no idea what a food processor was, until today. The recipe mentioned using a food processor to puree some of the ingredients, so I went to the store and bought one on my way home from work.

I literally do not know how I have lived without one of these amazing machines! They can chop, dice, slice, puree, and basically anything else your can think of! The recipe said it takes 20 minutes, however, it took me a little over an hour (mostly spent putting the food processor together). Here is a quick rundown on the recipe contents:

• 1 1/2 Cup: Red Bell Pepper
• 1 Cup: Fresh Basil 
• 1/2 Cup: Fresh Cilantro
• 1 Garlic Clove
• 3 Chicken Breasts
• 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 1 Package Whole Wheat Pasta
• 1 Zucchini
• 12 Cherry Tomatoes

I started by boiling a pot of water and added the package of whole wheat pasta. I then added the fresh basil, cilantro, garlic clove, red bell pepper, cherry tomatoes, and zucchini to the food processor and pureed them all together. It made a really nice sauce like texture. I then moved to the chicken breasts. I cut the chicken into small chunks and cooked them in a skillet on medium heat. I drained the pasta, and then added all the ingredients into the skillet together. I let all the ingredients marinate for a few minutes and then VOILA!! I made a plate for both myself and my hubby and put a little bit of mozzarella cheese on top.

The fresh spices and herbs were amazing and so vibrant in this recipe. I absolutely loved every bite. I will say that I did get full about half-way through my plate, so I saved a little bit for later. Also, the recipe makes 4 servings, which is nice because my hubby like leftovers. I am so glad today went so well, it made me really excited for cooking tomorrow!

This recipe is definitely one to try!

My Clean Eating Journey Begins!

Have you ever been told your a picky eater? Well, I am probably the pickiest eater you will ever meet. I basically have the food pallet of a 7 year-old, which means I have been missing out on ALOT of delicious foods. It also means that my go-to-foods are not always the healthiest. So, in an effort to expand my food pallet and develop healthier eating habits, I decided to look into "clean eating."

What does "clean eating" mean? Well in a nutshell it means incorporating a well balanced diet of fresh vegetables, fruits, nuts & legumes, and protein. Now, let me tell you what it means to me. No chocolate, candy, chips, chicken strips, bad-carbs, soda, alcohol, basically all my favorite foods! I could go on-and-on but I think you catch my drift. It turns out those prepackaged and easily accessible processed foods are really bad for you. So instead of going on yet another diet, I am starting my journey to discovering healthier ways of eating and ultimately to change the way I think about food.

I want to touch on that last part for just a minute. A friend of mine recently told me to change the way I think about food. Over the past few days I have spent some time really pondering over what she meant by that and here is what I came up with. 

1. Don't Eat When Your Emotional: Listen when your life at work or home gets a little stressful, there is nothing wrong with turning to a little bit of chocolate to help you get through right? WRONG! I recently started noticing that I turn to comfort foods in certain situations. Which means, regardless of if I am actually hungry I am eating to help suppress an emotion. Here is what I have found:
• Emotional eating throws off your biological hungry signals. Now I don't know if I am eating because I am actually hungry and need food or if I am just eating to suppress an emotion. For me these emotions range from boredom, sadness, stress, and excitement. I think emotional eating is by far the most difficult issue I have with food, but it is also the one I want to change the most. 
• I am not living my life in the moment. In general life experiences help shape you and make a you a better person, however, by turning to food during these experiences (even the difficult ones) I am missing out on all the personal growth. 
2. Eat to Fuel Your Body: I want to learn how eat foods that will help fuel me through life. Have you ever heard of athletes eating a ton of carbs before a marathon because they need a lot of energy for the big race? Well, that is what I want to do, but for my life.  I want to eat foods to help me perform at my best in whatever I am doing. That could mean eating foods that help promote brain power to help me concentrate at work, or foods that promote skin health for when I go for a swim, or foods that help muscles recover after a hard workout. 
3. Stop Obsessing: I don't know if this is a girl thing, a fat person thing, or maybe just a me thing but I am always obsessing about food. Is food "good" or "bad", is it to much, should I not eat this, I should eat more of that. Basically I think about food quite a bit. I keep thinking of all the time I spend obsessing about food and all the things I am missing out on because of it. So its time to start thinking about something else for a change.

That was a lot right?! So what now? 

Getting Started: Over the next few months I will be exploring a variety of clean foods that promote healthy living and change the way I think about food. Stay tuned for some hopefully delicious recipes, lots of laughs, and maybe a few tears as along the way.