Healthy Lifestyle Challenge #15 – Start Your Day the Right Way!

Good morning and welcome to Week 3 of the the Healthy Lifestyle Challenge!

Are you ready to add another healthy habit to your daily routine? I sure hope so!

TODAY’S CHALLENGE, which is also our WEEKLY CHALLENGE is to:

Eat breakfast everyday within one hour of waking up.

Why?

Starting your day with a healthy breakfast gets your metabolism revving and can help you make healthier choices all day long.

According to The Huffington Post, when compared to non-breakfast eaters, people who eat a healthy breakfast:

– are 4.5 times less likely to become obese

– are more likely to have good blood sugar levels

– have a decreased risk of Type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease

– are less likely to be hungry later in the day

– feel more energized throughout the day

– have better cholesterol levels

– eat approximately 100 fewer calories each day than breakfast skippers

– have improved short term memory

– consume less fat and more nutrients

How?

Healthy breakfasts – like healthy lunches and dinners – consist of four things:
1. Protein – an egg, Greek yogurt, protein powder
2. Whole Grains – oatmeal, who,e grain cereal or toast
3. Fruits and/or Vegetables – berries, avocado, spinach, grapefruit
4. Healthy Fats – nut butters

Here are links to some of my favourite healthy breakfast choices

Eat Clean Hash Brown, Sausage and Egg Muffins

Oatmeal Pancake

Eat Clean Cottage Cheese Pancakes (scroll down)

Crockpot Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal

Overnight Oats

There are also a TON of smoothie ideas and recipes on my blog – just click on the green smoothie challenge tag on the left.

Let me know how you make out this week. And please share your favourite healthy breakfast ideas in the comments section below.

And don’t forget to continue to drink your water and get 30 minutes of exercise each day!

WIAW #3

It’s Wednesday, which means another instalment of What I Ate Wednesday!

My focus this week has been on packing a bigger “lunch” with more snacks to help me make it through the 3pm sugar cravings!

My work schedule allows me the opportunity to eat between 9:30-11, 12:15-1:30, and after 3pm. Although most people would be ok eating lunch at 12:15, I am not! There is no way I can go from 6:30 am to 12:15 pm without eating! No way!

So, I pretty much split my lunch into smaller snacks and eat at little at 9:30am, a little more at 12:30pm, and the rest at 3pm. And, I’m pleased to say, it’s working! By eating more frequently throughout the day, I am craving less sugar and not eating like a hug pig the minute I walk in the door after work!

So, here’s what I ate today….

Breakfast (6:30am)

2 egg omelet with shredded cheddar cheese and a slice of light rye toast with raspberry jam. My husband bought me an awesome little omelet maker for Christmas and I have to say, it makes THE best omelettes ever! The are so fluffy!

Snack #1 (9:45am)

One avocado. This was the first time I had ever eaten plain avacado…it was yummy…but really filling!

Snack #2(12:30pm)

Crackers and Cheese, 1 Apple (sliced) and one Eat Clean Dark Fudgy Brownie

Snack #3 (3pm)

Banana

Dinner (5:30pm)

Pork Tenderloin, Broccoli and Grilled Red Pepper

Snack #4 (7:00pm)

Eat Clean Apple Crisp This apple crisp was ah-mazing! Seriously, probably the best I’ve ever had! You should make it, it’s easy, quick and clean…what more could you as for?

Here is a nutritional summary of my day:

How was your Wednesday?

What do you eat?

Waking Up to Yumminess!

I’m super pumped to be waking up to deliciousness!

I just spent less than 5 minutes making this recipe from He & She Eat Clean (actually, I cut the recipe in half, otherwise I’d be eating this stuff f.o.r.e.v.e.r!) and tonight, while I’m getting a full nights sleep, my crockpot will be prepping some delicious Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal!

Now this might seem a little silly, but I’ve set my timer for 8 hours so I don’t overcook/burn it! It’s all set to come on at 10:30 tonight and shut off at 6:30 tomorrow morning…I hope it works!

With breakfast taken care of for the week, I’m off to bed!

Have a great week everyone!

Have you ever made crockpot oatmeal? Do you have a delicious recipe you can share?

What about other crockpot breakfast ideas?I’m always looking to easy, healthy breakfast ideas!

Clean Eating Challenge: Day 31

Thursday, June 21
Day 31

 

 

 

Breakfast – Oatmeal Pancake with Fresh Strawberries.
Oh how I have missed you oatmeal pancake…Since starting the Green Smoothie Challenge on June 1st, I have pretty much been having smoothies to start the day. But today, shy on smoothie ingredients, I resorted to my  most favourite  breakfast ever! The Eat Clean Oatmeal Pancake.

Lunch – Green Smoothie # 21 – Chocolate Banana – can you say HELLO! This was freaking delicious! Might have to have it again tomorrow.

Ingredients:
2 cups baby spinach
1 cup almond milk
1 frozen Banana
1 tbsp cocoa
1 scoop protein powder
2 tbsp ground flax

 

Snack – Eat Clean Chocolate Chip Cookie

Dinner – Grilled Chicken, Asparagus and Red Peppers

Water Consumption:
8 glasses

Sleep:
6.5 hours. Uninterrupted which was awesome, but not enough!

Clean Eating Challenge: Day 21

Monday, June 11
Day 21

 

 

 

 

 

Breakfast – Green Smoothie #10 – Seeing as we were away for the weekend, and there was nothing in the house to make smoothies this morning, I took the easy way out and headed to Booster Juice. I picked up a Strawberry Sunshine Smoothie which is made up of strawberries, passion fruit, guava, bananas and yogurt. I brought it home, poured it into the blender, added 2 cups of kale and mixed it up. It was d.e.l.i.c.i.o.u.s.!!

Lunch – Green Smoothie # 11 – Strawberry & Raspberry Protein Smoothie – one word… yummo!

Ingredients:
2 cups kale
1 cup frozen strawberries
1 cup frozen raspberries
1/2 cup vanilla Greek yogurt
1 scoop protein powder
1 cup water

 

 

 

Afternoon Snack – one Eat Clean Chocolate Chip Cookie – yep, I showed a little restraint and actually only ate one. I’m thoroughly impressed with myself!

Dinner – leftover Pizza and Salad

Water Consumption:
8 glasses

Sleep:
8 hours straight!

Clean Eating Challenge: Day 17

Thursday, June 7
Day 17

 

 

 

 

 

Breakfast– seeing as I have been a little laid up this week, I didn’t make it to the grocery store yet to replenish my Green Smoothie ingredients. So, I went back to my old favourite, Eat Clean Oatmeal Pancake with Fresh Blueberries.

Lunch – today was the last day of Ryan’s Gymnastics class so Lisa, her mom Sharron, and I went out for lunch with the kids. We went to Sgt. Peppers. The menu didn’t have many clean options, so I went went a Chicken Teriyaki Stir-Fry. I was actually really good!

Afternoon Snack – the last two Eat Clean Caramel Coconut Chewy Bars – straight out if the freezer! Yummo!

Dinner – I totally did not feel like eating…or cooking for that matter, so we headed to the grocery store for some fresh ingredients and dinner was a smoothie…Green Smoothie # 7 – Peanut Butter and Banana. This one is definitely my favourite so far!

Ingredients:
2 tbsp peanut butter
1 banana
2 handfuls baby spinach
1 cup unsweetened almond milk
2 tbsp ground flax seed

Water Consupmtion:
5 glasses – not great…will focus more on that tomorrow.

Sleep:
7.5 hours…no wake- ups! Woohoo!

Clean Eating Challenge: Day 15

Tuesday, June 5
Day 15

 

 

 

 

 

 

Breakfast – Green Smoothie #5 – Mixed Berry Banana…again! A little tweaking = delicious!

Ingredients:
2 cups baby spinach
1 cup PC Organics Unsweetened Almond Beverage
1 cup Europe’s Finest Frozen Mixed Berries
1/2 cup vanilla Greek yogurt
1 tbsp hemp hearts
1 tbsp chia seeds

Morning Snack- the last 2 (finally) Eat Clean Chocolate Walnut Brownies! I’m definitely going to make these again, but will either either freeze half right away, or make sure I have lots of people to share with!

Lunch – Today I had a lunch date with my friend Melissa and her little guy Dawson. We met at a little restaurant down near Fairy Lake called Cachet…the food was amazing!

I enjoyed a Pear Salad with Goat Cheese and Pecans (with added Chicken) and Melissa had a Turkey Club on a Croissant with a side Caesar Salad.

And here is a picture of Melissa with her son Dawson (left) and Tanner. So cute!

Afternoon Snack – Pear and Almond Clusters

Dinner – Eat Clean Chicken Quesadilla Casserole– This recipe is another one from Eat Clean Classic Comfort Foods 1012. This recipe was quick and easy to make, but didn’t turn out very ‘casserole-ish’. Maybe it was just mine, but it just fell apart and basically ended up being a pile of beans and corn with some chicken tossed in. There was very little cheese, and since it was only sprinkled on top towards the end of cooking, it didn’t help at all in keeping it together. It did taste pretty good, but overall, I was a little disappointed. This might be the first Clean Eating recipe that I probably won’t make again…well, at least not without changing it up a bit!

Water Consumption:
8 glasses

Sleep:
7.5 hours, up once for about 15 minutes to feed Tanner.

Clean Eating Challenge: Day 13

Sunday, June 3
Day 13

Breakfast – Green Smoothie #3 – Banana-Berry – I totally thought this smoothie would be awesome…but it was actually kinda boring! Not sure what to add to jazz it up a little, but it definitely needs a little something….

Ingredients:
1 banana
1/2 cup raspberries
1/2 cup blueberries
1 cup pc organics unsweetened almond beverage
2 cups spinach

Morning Snack – Eat Clean Chocolate Walnut Brownie

lunch – leftover Eat Clean Spicy Sausage Hash Brown Pie – I wasn’t too sure how this would taste as leftovers, but I actually think it tasted better today than yesterday!

Afternoon Snack – Organic Blue Corn Tortilla Chips and Guacamole – So yummy, actually had seconds!

And then I had another brownie

Dinner – Buffalo Chicken Wraps – Eat Clean Style – Buffalo Chicken Wraps are a family favourite, but since we normally make them with store-bought chicken fingers and load them up with cheese and Ranch dressing, they really don’t fit into Clean Eating. Well, until today…when I made Eat Clean Chicken Fingers, used Whole Wheat Flax Tortilla Shells, and very little cheese. Pairing it with a tossed salad – made with fresh lettuce from our garden – with an olive oil and balsamic vinegar dressing, it was healthy and delicious meal.

Evening Snack(s) another 4 more Eat Clean Chocolate Walnut Brownies. Yep, I said FOUR! Holy pig!

So, after eating a total of SIX brownies today, I thought I’d check out just how bad it could have been…had I not been Eaton Clean. Here’s a comparison:

The Eat Clean Brownies had almost half the total number of calories than the regular Chocolate Walnut Brownie of the same size. They also had half the carbs, twice the protein, and 1/4 less fat.

I’m totally a sweets girl, always have been, always will be. At least I know that by Eating Clean I am definitely eating healthier, even when it comes to sweet and treats.

I have no idea why, but I was super hungry today…maybe it was the disappointing smoothie I had for breakfast that left me wanting more, or maybe it had a bit to do with boredom and the fact that it was ANOTHER crappy day out, and we’ve pretty much been stuck inside for 3 days…who knows…but what I do know is that those brownies are D.E.L.I.C.O.U.S.! You should definitely try them!

Water Consumption:
11 glasses

Sleep:
4 hours. Tanner woke at 3 and I’ve been up ever since…maybe I was all those brownies! I definitely see a nap in my future!

How is your Clean Eating Challenge going?
Have you tried any new recipes you can share?

Clean Eating Challenge: Day 12

Saturday, June 2
Day 12

 

 

 

 

 

Breakfast – Green Smoothie #2. This recipe was one listed in Oatmeal in my Bowl’s 30 Delicious Green Smoothies list. Created by Ashley at (never home) maker, it contains

1 frozen banana – which I nearly froze my fingers off trying to peel!
2 large handfuls of spinach
2 tbsp smooth peanut butter
2 tbsp cocoa powder
1 cup of unsweetened vanilla almond milk

It looked disgusting, but tasted pretty good. Maybe a little chocolatey for my taste – did I really just say that? What is the Clean Eating Challenge doing to me??

Morning Snack – just a Timmy’s Peppermint Tea. We were outside this morning watching Daddy rig up a Land Rover for a commercial shoot, and I needed a little something to warm me up afterward.

Lunch – leftover Eat Clean BBQ Chicken Deep-Dish Pizza

Afternoon Snack – one Eat Clean Chocolate Walnut Brownie and one piece of Eat Clean Caramel Pudding Cake… couldn’t resist, both still warm from the oven!

Dinner – Eat Clean Spicy Sausage Hash Brown Pie from Clean Eating Classic Comfort Foods 2012. This is another first for me, time-wise this one was ok, taste-wise…yummo! I love the spicy sausage!

Evening Snack – Kashi Roaster Almond Crunch Bar 1 package

Water Consumption:
6 glasses – need to drink more!

Sleep
7.5 hours with only a slight interruption to feed Tanner. I am definitely falling back to sleep a lot quicker after nighttime feelings. Yay!

Clean Eating Challenge: Day 11

Friday, June 1
Day 11

 

 

 

Breakfast – Green Smoothie #1 – The Easy First Timers Monster posted by Amanda at Run to the Finish

Ingredients:
1 cup PC Organics Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Beverage
2 cups Baby Spinach
1 Banana
1 scoop Vanilla Protein Powder

Morning Snack – I was seriously still full from my smoothie this morning, so I just packed a couple of Eat Clean Lucky Ginger Spice Cookies to take with me to the gym for after my 11:30 workout.

Lunch – Veggies and Hummus – Again I was still feeling a little full from my smoothie, so I opted for veggies and hummus to start – I was going to have a slice of Eat Clean Deep-Dish Chicken Pizza with it, but the veggies seemed to be enough.

Afternoon Snack – 1 cup of Cherries and a 1/4 cup of Unsalted Mixed Nuts

Afternoon Snack #2 – It was such a cold, rainy day, Ryan and I decided we needed a little something to warm us up – normally I would have headed over to Starbucks and picked up a Chai Latte, but since I’m Eating Clean, and a Chai Latte has 43g of sugar in it!!! I decided to make us some homemade Eat Clean Hot Chocolate, super yummy and only 17g of natural, not refined sugars. You can find the recipe, as well as many other great Clean recipes over on my friend Meagan’s blog Megified.

Dinner – 1 serving of Eat Clean Deep-Dish Chicken Pizza

Evening Snack – 2 Eat Clean Lucky Ginger Spice Cookies theses have to be one of my favourite Eat Clean cookies so far. The are so chewy! I will definitely be making them again very soon, next time I think I will double up on the spices to give the cookies a little more ‘kick’!

Water Consumption:
7 glasses

Sleep:
7 hours of uninterrupted sleep! Now I just need to start getting to bed a little earlier!