Are YOU hungry for a change?

Sugar is bad, mkay?  If you know a smoker or have ever been a smoker, you know how bad breaking that addiction can be.  Sugar is the same way and you know what...it's in EVERYTHING!  Well, it's in everything that's in a box or can on a shelf.  I'm sure there are a few things here and there that don't contain it, no need to call me out, I'm just making a point. ;)  It's the food industry's way of keeping us coming back for more like crazy sugar zombies.  

Watching Hungry for a Change today was pretty enlightening.  I've always been a proponent for clean and healthy eating, but there were plenty of science based statements that I know I'll carry with me forever.  Bye bye diet sodas, bye bye crazy (albeit sometimes delicious) sugary foods.  I don't need your crazy chemicals.  I truly believe that I can change not just how I look, but how I feel and how my body ages.  I want to feel and look young for-ev-er.  (catch that Sandlot reference?)

Once you understand that sugar is a drug, just like cocaine/weed/alcohol/meth, the better off you'll be.  It's addictive!  We're all probably addicted, if you're not, congrats!!  I am the first to admit that I have a sugar problem.  My sweet tooth is HUGE.  I'm not saying I will never ever put sugar in my mouth again.  Will it be a daily thing?  Hell to the no.  Weekly, maybe.  I'd like it to be even less often than that.  I've done it before, I can do it again.  There's plenty of ways to have a treat without compromising my health.  Seen those recipes on Pinterest for Avocado Chocolate Pudding or Sweet Potato Brownies? Yah.  Delish. 

Bread, pasta, soda, candy, chips, and ANYTHING processed has sugar in it.  Do yourself a favor and start eating real, whole foods.  Real food is delicious.  Very few Americans are eating real foods, we're eating food-like substances.  Don't just eat to look good, eat to feel good.  The looking good part will follow.  Eat to live.  Eat to nourish your body and soul.  Cheetos, though yummy, do not nourish your soul.  Mac & cheese used to be my drug comfort food.  Right now, I get that "ahhh" feeling from my brown rice and lean meat.  Tonight, I got that same feeling from my trusty baked chicken, asparagus, and sweet potato with a sprinkle of cinnamon.  

What's the easiest way to avoid sugar?  Don't buy it.  Shop the perimeter of a grocery store.  Fresh veggies, fruits, nuts, seeds, lean meats.  Better yet, find a co-op, grow a garden, shop local.  Two of my favorite quotes from Hungry for a Change was the tip of not thinking "I CAN'T EAT THAT" but "I can, but I DON'T WANT TO" and "People are overfed and undernourished".   Watch the first part of the movie here.

A scary fact was that a lot of the chemicals we're exposed to in our food are lipophilic (fat loving).  So here we are, sweating and trying to burn fat.  Unfortunately, we're not riding our toxins that have built up.  What can help?  Chlorophyll, think parsley and cilantro.  Both are great cleansers.  Cilantro detoxes heavy metals (think mercury) and parsley not only freshens breath, but cleanses your entire blood supply.  Make some homemade salsa and BAM you're cleansing!  Just don't dig into said salsa with chips...use it as your dressing on salad or in your morning eggs!  I also love drinking hot lemon water in the morning.  I LOVE coffee, but definitely feel better when I drink my hot lemon water.  I even just use a drop of my Young Living Lemon Oil!  Chia seeds and other gelatinous fibers will bind to those fat loving toxins and sweep them out of your system.  Chia seeds don't just have to grow on your terra cotta head/dog/other strange form from 1980.  You CAN eat them and even drink them!  Weight will come off when you cleanse.  It's more than that though, cleansing your body is like giving your car a tune up, it just runs better.

Try this chia seed recipe:   

Skinny Banana Bread with Chia Seeds

I'll be making a version using almond milk and a gluten free flour. :)  Enjoy!!

Food Prep Made Fun!

My coach, Jeff, had a pretty kicka$$ bootcamp on Saturday.  There's a trainer, Josh, that's been helping him with his team and had posted about a leg workout for Saturday.  I decided that I would blast my upper body on Friday night since I knew I probably wouldn't be able to walk after the leg workout on Saturday.  Great plan, right?  Well, it would have been had my workout been with Josh.  It wasn't.  I walked in almost 10 minutes late to the bootcamp because I got caught behind a funeral procession.  I could have let it annoy me, but instead I reminded myself to be thankful that I wasn't one of the cars in that line.  Anyway, I walked in and P says to me "you missed push-ups till you drop as our warm-up!".  Jeff took that as a great idea and had us start off our circuit with push-ups...till I dropped.  I surprised myself (remember that upper body workout about 18 hours prior?) and busted out 30 "big girl" push-ups.  *pats back*

Right now, if you were to look inside my pantry, you'd see almost every single Mrs. Dash that is made.  There's a Southwest version that's not too shabby.  However, what I've been jonesing for are tacos.  I love Tex-Mex and there's not a lot (other than fajita meat) that goes along with my bikini prep meal plan.  Go figure. ;)  With me slowly saying bye-bye to starchy carbs, I need to find ways to keep my brain and taste buds satisfied.  Enter "Homemade {Salt-Free} Taco Seasoning" from the blog Olives n Wine.  I loved the idea of homemade and salt-free.  This way I know exactly what is going into my food.  Her recipe: click here calls for sugar, but I omitted that.  I also tweaked it adding 1 tsp of Chipotle Chili Powder in with the regular Chili Powder (still a total of 8 tsp). 

I followed the rest of what her recipes called for and the decided to add in 1 tsp of Cilantro at the end, just because I'm a rebel like that.  It turned out SO GOOD!!!  Flavor explosion of spicy with each bite.  If you want it less spicy, cut back on the Cayenne.  I added 2 Tbsp of the mix (that is being stored in that little Gladware container) to my pound of lean ground turkey.  De-lish.  It looked like taco meat and smelled like taco meat, so I was very happy when it tasted like taco meat.  I ate it solo with my green veggies and sweet potato, but plan to put it on top of greens for a taco-like salad.  

Try it and let me know your thoughts and what you do to make it "yours"!  

  

 

All hail Hail Merry!

As if The Movement Co-op wasn't already exciting, Hail Merry was there handing out samples!! Have you heard of Hail Merry yet? It's a new line of AMAZING raw goodies. My favorite is...well...all of it!

I sampled the blonde and chocolate macaroons, the crazy good chocolate tart, and I've been snacking on the grawnola all afternoon. Hail Merry was started by Susan, a Dallas-based Raw Food Chef (and all-around fun chick!). She wanted to spread the word about the benefits of healthy fats. What better way than through yummy delicious food! Hail Merry products are organic, raw, vegan, gluten free, full of omegas, contain no trans fats or processed anything. Could it get any better?!

The Movement Dallas is among one of the newest places to carry Hail Merry products. You can also find her stuff at Roy's, Whole Foods, Central Market, Green Spot, South Paw Organic Cafe, and Exhale Spa. Since the stuff is raw, it can be found in the refrigerated section.

I could probably sustain on the grawnola alone, I can't praise it enough! You are what you eat, so choose wisely. Remember, not all fat is bad fat!

Check out the website at http://www.hailmerry.com/

Have you tried Hail Merry? Tell me what you think!