Food Lately: A Diet That Works For Me.

 *Disclaimer- Before I start this post, I just wanted to remind everyone that these are my opinions; this is what I do on a day to day basis.  I am in no way trying to proclaim this as the right way, it's just what I've come to find works for me, after reading many books & watching many documentaries including: Michael Pollan's The Omnivore's Dilema, In Defense of Food, Barbara Kingsolver's Animal, Vegetable, Miracle; Food Inc.; Forks Over Knives; Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead; and the like.

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Drink Breakfast: 

Blueberry Almond Butter Smoothie Credit

Back in April, I decided I was going to experiment with smoothies a bit more intensely than I had before.  It has stuck: I've been drinking a smoothie of one sort or another every morning since.  I always use frozen fruit, yogurt/ juice/ or almond milk, add greens (usually spinach), and an element of protein (sometimes nut butter, flax seed, and/or whey protein).

Why I like it: Everything in there has meaning.  There's no wasted calories and I'm getting a lot more nutrition since I couldn't just lay all of the ingredients out and eat them- too much to eat in a sitting!  It fuels me through my morning workout- giving me a full 500 calories of goodness to burn.

 Lunch: Or, why I don't do salads.

I've never been a salad person.  Sure, from time to time I get excited about some ingredient or another and can't wait to have a salad.  But usually I pass.  Also, at this point in the day I've already gotten my daily fill on greens via my morning smoothie.  So, I skip the lettuce and usually make a plate of cut up raw veggies & fruit.  

But that alone is boring, and has no protein or fat.   I always find a way to make it exciting for myself & add in the elements of the meal that I'm missing.  Pictured above, you may remember "ants on a log".  In my version I add sunflower seeds to the mix. I also made some coleslaw to use as a bit of a dip.  Sometimes I'll make guacamole for dipping or put a bit of cheese, smoked salmon, or boiled eggs on the plate too.  Yum.

Dinner: Make the meat hard to find.  

While this might not be the theme of my husband's plate, that doesn't mean it can't be mine.  You can make meat heavy meals for the men in your life and easily make yours healthier by just cutting your meat portion down and taking most of (or all of in some cases) the vegetable elements of the meal.

I also try to avoid or eat small portions of whatever starch I've made at dinner.  Sweet potatoes?  Pile them on.  Rice, white potatoes, ect, pass for more veggies.


Summary:

So by then end of the day, my goal is to look back through what I've ate and say that yes, plants were the star.  I want to eat 2 or fewer servings of animal products, and 1-0 servings of carbohydrates/ starch foods.  This doesn't happen every day of course, but if I can meet these goals 6 days each week that's much better than never, right?

Eating this way has made me feel better in general.  I've kept off the 20Lbs that I lost a year ago and am able to power through every day with a sense of joy.  My favorite time of day is early afternoon once I've had a healthy breakfast, lunch, and a killer work out.  That feeling right there is worth it all for me.

Question: Have you found any tricks or tips in your diet that work for you?