Eating Right, Feeling Good

Anyone who knows me, knows that I have an obsession food! As long as the food I come across taste good, it’s getting into my belly.  I remember being a teenager and being proud that I could finish a whole large pizza in one setting. I was the fastest and gulping my Strawberry Kiwi Snapple down in under 1 minute. I would eat whole cans of biscuits with butter, and be the happiest girl on earth.

I decided, a few years ago, to become more mindful of what I was putting into my body. I stopped waking up in the middle of the night to eat bowls of cereal or  candy and go right back to sleep. I cut back on eating out by myself. I was eating out regularly. While everyone was in school and at work, I would be at someone’s restaurant for lunch grubbing whatever my stomach craved. Giving myself a food coma in the middle of the day. Not only was it costing me money, I could see that my body was showing the effects of what I was putting into my body.  I made the choice to cut back on my favorite sugary snacks. Candy, ice creams, chocolates, cakes, donuts, and cookies. I cook a lot of desserts but I rarely eat them. I taste my creations to make sure that all is well. I let the family to have some before I share with others. I remember when I was pregnant with my first son I had a growing appetite for candy. If it’s something I liked, you better believe that I would be eating a whole pack of whatever candy it was before my day was done. Something else I have changed is the amount of vegetables that I eat. I eat more vegetables now daily now than I have done in the last 10 years.  I never had a problem eating vegetables before. Not even when I was a kid. I just didn’t eat very much of it over the years. I went from just eating it at dinner time to eating it at breakfast, lunch, snack as well. I eat more of a variety of vegetables now, and I eat mainly raw vegetables.

I noticed that when I made these changes in my diet, I started to feel better physically. Not to say that I wasn’t feeling better beforehand. I’m just say that my body felt good. I didn’t have the heavy the feeling I had before when I wasn’t eating right. Being full from a plate of kale, tomatoes, and garbanzo beans is different from the feeling of being full from a greasy burger. I noticed my energy level changing. I have more energy than I had before.

I love trying new healthy recipes to eat. Wanting to stay on track with my health and my stomach happy, I have been able to come up with different salads and other healthy meals to satisfy my taste buds.

Avacado, Tomato, and Mozzarella Salad

• 1 Avocado
• 1 Tomato
• 3 slices of Mozzarella cheese
• 1 cup Salad of your choice (mines was the Power Greens from Trader Joes)
• 1 Tablespoon Balsamic vinegar
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Slice up your veggies
2. place food onto your plate
3. eat the food from your plate

Portobello Mushroom Stuffed with Couscous

• 2 portobello mushroom, (cleaned and gills removed)
• 1 1/3 cups of Couscous
• 1 1/2 Tablespoon Olive Oil
• 1 3/4 cups of vegetable broth (warmed up)
• 1/2 green bell pepper (diced)
• 1/2 red bell pepper (diced)
• 1/2 Cup diced onions.
• 1 Tablespoon Minced Garlic

Directions:

1. Warm up 1 Tablespoon of oil in a saucepan.
2. Saute the couscous over medium heat until it is lightly browned.
3. After about 5 minutes, pour in the vegetable broth.
4. Bring to a boil. Reduced heat, cover and cook on medium heat for 10 minutes
5. While your couscous is cooking, sauté the bell peppers and onions in a small pan with 1/2 Tablespoon of oil. Cook until onions are transparent.
6. When the couscous is ready, add the onions and bell pepper mixture to it.
7. Prepare you mushrooms by seasoning them with salt and pepper.
8. Spoon the couscous mixture onto the mushroom.
9. Bake for 10 minutes

*Top with cheese if you’d like.

 Spinach Patties

• 1 bag of thawed and well drained chopped spinach
• 2 egg whites 1 whole egg
• 1/4 Cup diced onion
• 1/2 Cup shredded cheese
• 1/2 Cup bread crumbs
• 1 Teaspoon salt
• 1/2 Teaspoon garlic powder

Directions:

1. mix all of the ingredents
2. form into patties
3. cook on medium in pan
4. Mix all ingredients in a bowl.
5. Shape into patties
6. cook over medium high heat in a skillet with a small amount of cooking spray.
7. Patties are done when they are golden and firm. (about 5 minutes)

 Lox, Avocado, Open Face Sandwich

• 1 English muffin ( I love these double fiber whole wheat english muffins)
• 2 oz of Lox
• 1 Avocado

Directions:

1. Toast your english muffin
2. Spread the avocado across your toasted muffin
3. place the Lox on top of the avocado

Simple Salad

• 2 Cups of Kale
• 2 beets, sliced
• 1 persian cucumber, sliced
• 1/2  Cup mushrooms
• 1 Tablespoon of Balsamic Vinegar
• 1/4 cup Tuna

Directions:

Cut an mix how ever you would like. Drizzle with the vinegar.

Don’t have time to make a salad everyday? Why not try a Salad In A Jar? I have a few recipes listed on this post here.

I have noticed that my energy level has sky rocketed ever since I changed my eat habits. I don’t feel heavy after eating. I’m not as irritable, and I just feel better all around.

Changing my eating habits is not just a diet fad, it’s a lifestyle. My way of life. What are you eating habits like? Do you have a favorite vegetable?