BuzzFeed Clean Eating Challenge: Day 1

Breakfast:  Kale Banana Smoothie

Ease of Process: 9; Taste: 3

Easy to make, not easy to drink…  I didn’t prep smoothie packs the night before (I work from home, so this isn’t really an issue for me), so I just grabbed the ingredients out of the fridge/pantry, tore the kale from the ribs, threw them in the blender, and voila!  First “meal” was ready.  Easy peasy, right?!  Ya, until I went to drink it… First, it wasn’t very cold, which made its thick consistency difficult to stomach.  It was also fairly perfume-y, and you could actually feel the consistency of the kale, which is not my favorite.  Needless to say, I was able to get half of it down, and threw the rest in the freezer for in case I got hungry later.

 - Nutrition Facts:  392 Calories, 13g Fat, 59g Carbs (17g fiber), 19g Protein

Lunch:  Shaved Asparagus Salad with Shallots & Fried Egg

Ease of Process: 6 (without shaving asparagus); Taste: 7

From the outset, I was pretty excited about this meal, and I felt like it looked pretty delicious!  Once I got all of the ingredients out on the counter, I set out to “shave” the asparagus.  Let me tell you – this is NOT an easy task.  My asparagus was pretty thin, and my peeler just wasn’t doing the trick.  I tried using a knife, but after almost chopping my finger off trying to cut super thin pieces, I opted out.  I ended up leaving the asparagus whole, and cooking it as prescribed, although left it in the pan to sauté for about 10 minutes to assure it was tender.  I followed everything else to the tee, which was fairly standard salad assembly.  It did take about 20 minutes all together.  (Note that if you shave the asparagus, it could take you hours. Lol.)  As an FYI, I omitted one of the yolks in each of our salads to cut down on the fat content.  (So 1 full egg and 1 egg white went into mine, 2 full eggs and 1 white into Danny’s.) The salads were very portable, and proved to be pretty good! (Maybe not as delicious as I’d hoped, but for something this healthy and nutritionally sound, what more can you expect?)   The taste was good, and the lemon juice was a perfect dressing substitute.  The texture was also pleasing, and helped make them filling.  We ended up really enjoying this meal, and felt great heading into our first afternoon.

- Nutrition Facts (my way):  296 Calories, 14g Fat, 28g Carbs (8g fiber), 24g Protein

 (Guy Version w/ extra egg & feta: 383 Calories, 19g Fat, 28g Carbs (8g fiber), 34g Protein)

Snack #1:  Carrots and Hummus

Ease of Process: 10; Taste: 8

In the late afternoon, I started getting cravings for something to eat… not sweet, but savory.   And there it was – the perfect remedy: a snack of carrots and hummus!  To make this very simple snack even easier, I got Organic, pre-peeled baby carrots in lieu of regular.  Since the cleanse called for 4 regular carrots, I substituted 12 baby carrots (assuming 3 baby make up 1 full-sized carrot).   I measured out ¼ cup hummus into bowl, threw in the carrots, and there it was!  So easy, so refreshing, and so delicious!  And plenty filling to tie me over through my workout and to dinner.  LOVING this thing so far!

- Nutrition Facts:  187 Calories, 9g Fat, 19g Carbs (5g fiber), 5g Protein

Dinner:  Roasted Chicken with Quinoa & Kale

Ease of Process: 6 (bearing in mind that you are preparing for the week); Taste: 8
Feeling great, we went to the gym for a great workout before dinner.  When we got back, I started in immediately on dinner.  This meal requires you to cook a bunch of “big batches” in order to prep for future meals.  Nothing about it was particularly difficult, it was just more time consuming because of the multi-tasking and large quantities required.  If you can manage multiple tasks at once, it should only take you about 30-35 minutes.  My strategy was to start with the quinoa, then the chicken, and finish with the kale, since it’s the quickest.  Rather than taking the time to steam the kale on the stove, I summoned one of my favorite kitchen lifesavers – Ziploc steam bags.  These things ROCK, and allow you to steam just about anything in a matter of a few minutes.  I cooked our kale in two batches in steam bags in just over 5 minutes.  Pretty sweet.  Once everything was ready, I left our “leftovers” out to cool while we ate.  The meal itself was pretty tasty – the chicken came out juicy and well-seasoned, and quinoa is one of my favorites.  Not huge on kale, but it went well with this meal, and I enjoyed combining all three in one bite.  After dinner, I packed up the leftovers, and squeezed them into our puzzle of a refrigerator for future use.  All in all, this was an enjoyable meal, and I looked forward to the ease its prep would bring for the coming days.

Nutrition Facts:  330 Calories, 12g Fat, 26g Carbs (6g Fiber), 32g Protein

(Guy Version w/ extra 2 oz. of Chicken: 390 Calories, 13g Fat, 26g Carbs (6g Fiber), 45g Protein)

Snack #2:  Pear & Almond Butter

Ease of Process: 9; Taste: 10

What a more perfect way to end the first night of the BuzzFeed Clean Eating Challenge than with a delicious, sweet treat!  Super easy – just slice the pear, scoop the almond butter, and you’re set.  Exactly what you want at the end of your first day.  Went to bed feeling satisfied and AMAZING.

Nutrition Facts (if you eat the whole thing yourself):  195 Calories, 8g Fat, 30g Carbs (8g Fiber), 5g Protien

DAY 1 NUTRITION FACT TOTALS: 1400 Calories, 57g Fat, 162g Carbs (44g fiber), 85g Protein ... (My thoughts: A little high in fat, but otherwise, pretty awesome. ^^)

BuzzFeed Clean Eating Challenge: Day 0

Prep – Tuesday, 6/10/14

Yesterday, I went and bought all of the stuff for the first week of the cleanse.  I knew from a lot of people’s comments, plus the sheer length of the shopping list, that it was going to be pretty expensive.  And it was.  My cart was brimming by the time I got to the checkout lane, and as I watched the cashier ring it up, I felt my wallet getting lighter by the second.  That being said, I was committed to going through with it – especially after the hour I’d just spent in the grocery store collecting all the stuff – so there was no turning back.

When it was all said and done, my grocery bill for the first week was $247.01 for both Danny and I.  When I thought about it, this actually didn’t seem THAT bad, considering what we spend when we eat out a couple of times a week.  (Disclaimer: I cook a lot, so I did have some of the common items, like oil and vinegar.)  This was one of people's biggest complaints about the plan, so if you're on a tight budget, that is something to consider before committing to BuzzFeed's Clean Eating Challenge.  That being said, eating healthy is expensive, but being unhealthy has FAR greater future costs, so if you can make it work, it's worth it IMO to bite the bullet.

When I got home, I found myself faced with the next challenge... getting it all in the refrigerator!  This was a complicated task, as there is a TON of produce that takes up a lot of room -- especially when 2 people in the same house do the plan together.  That being said, I used my trusty car-packing skills and was able to puzzle it all together and get the door closed after about 20 minutes... WINNING!  I stood there admiring my work, snapped a pic (see above), and found myself excited about starting the challenge!  Only 12 hours until go time!

LMS Returns to try out BuzzFeed's Clean Eating Challenge!

I'M BAACCCCK!

Yes, after a year and a half hiatus (I changed jobs and am planning a wedding, people!) - I have decided to come back to LMS!  I haven't stopped cooking healthy, delicious meals.. I've just stopped blogging about it.  So, here's my effort to get back into the swing.

A couple weeks ago, my fiancé, Danny (a BuzzFeed junkie), forwarded me the following link with the subject line: Wanna do this?
BuzzFeed's Clean Eating Challenge

After reading through it and thinking it looked amazing, I got super stoked on the idea!  But then, I started reading through all of the (mostly nasty) comments.  My lord people!  If you don't have any interest in doing a cleanse, why would you read the post in the first place, yet less feel the need to comment on it and drag everyone else down?!  I felt a certain NEED to not only do the cleanse, but blog about my experience so others would have more to go off of than just people's stupid reactions to seeing healthy food regimens and calorie limits.

So if you're interested in reading on about my experience doing the BuzzFeed Clean Eating Challenge, you've come to the right place!  And if you aren't, DON'T!  But please refrain from talking mad shit about something that you've never tried.

Thanks, and stay tuned! :)

OMG Chicken

 OMG Chicken! 

(EASY, Healthy, & oh so good!!)

Servings: 4

Time it'll take: about 35 mins

What you'll need:

• 4 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts (4-6 oz. each)
• Salt & Pepper (to taste)
• 1/2 cup reduced-fat Sour Cream
• 2 Laughing Cow Light Garlic & Herb wedges (*Optional)
• 1/4 cup shredded Parmesan Cheese
• 1 tsp. Garlic Powder
• 1 tsp. Italian Seasoning
• 1 tsp. Lemon Juice
• 4 tbsp. Seasoned Bread Crumbs

What to do:

• Preheat oven to 425.
• Cover a baking sheet with tin foil, and place Chicken Breasts on it.  Sprinkle with Salt & Pepper.  Set aside.
• Mix next 6 ingredients (Sour Cream, Laughing Cow, Parm, Seasonings and Lemon Juice) together in a mixing bowl.
• Spread mixture evenly and generously atop of chicken breasts.
• Top each breast with 1 tbsp. of Bread Crumbs.
• Bake for about 30 minutes.  Take out, let cool for a minute, then serve!

It's that easy! Serve with a simple salad or other green veggie -- I went with asparagus! Mmm!

ENJOY!

Nutrition Information (per serving):

250 calories, 7g Fat, 5g Carbs (no sugar!), 1g Fiber & 36g Protein

Skinny Scottish Farmhouse Egg Skillet

Skinny Scottish Farmhouse Egg Skillet

Servings: 4

Time it'll take: about 30 mins

What you'll need:

• 1 tbsp. Light Butter or Margarine 
• 2 slices Whole Wheat/Multigrain Bread (I used Orowheat's Double Fiber bread, hence the extra fiber content of the dish)
• 6-7 Eggs
• 3 Green Onions, finely chopped
• Salt & Pepper (to taste)
• 3/4 cup shredded Cheddar Jack Cheese
• 1 cup Lowfat Milk (I used 1%)

What to do:

• Preheat oven to 400.
• Grease your skillet with the Butter, spreading it evenly over the bottom.
• Toast your Bread, and let cool.  Once cool enough to handle, tear into chunks, and spread out in the skillet, covering the bottom.
• Now take your Eggs, and carefully crack them, placing them one at a time gently over the bread crumbs, WITHOUT BREAKING THE YOKES.  Space them evenly throughout the pan.  (**NOTE: How many eggs you use is really up to you.  I used 5 whole eggs and 2 extra egg whites in between, and that was perfect.)
• Chop your Green Onions, and sprinkle them over top of the eggs.
• Season with Salt & Pepper, to taste.
• Top with the Cheese.
• Now, pour in your cup of Milk, ensuring that it spreads evenly to cover the bottom of the pan.
• Place the skillet in the oven, and cook for 20 mins. (Be sure NOT to open the oven while cooking, as it will prevent soufflé'ing.)
• When done, remove from oven and let cool for 5 mins. or so, then serve!

Serve with a side of turkey bacon or ham, if desired.

Happy Brunching! :) ENJOY!

Nutrition Information (per serving):

236 calories, 12g Fat, 14g Carbs, 4g Fiber & 20g Protein

Skinny Lemon & Goat Cheese Pasta with Chicken

Skinny Lemon & Goat Cheese Pasta
with Chicken

Servings: 4

Time it'll take: about 30 mins

What you'll need:

• 10 oz. Whole Wheat Pasta (I used Rotini)
• 1/2 lb. Asparagus Spears, trimmed & cut into 1-1.5 inch pieces
• Cooking Spray
• 2 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts (4-6 oz. each)
• Salt & Pepper (to taste)
• 1 tsp. Minced Garlic
• 1 tbsp. Olive Oil
• 1 tbsp. grated/zested Lemon Peel
• 2 tbsp. fresh Tarragon
• 1  4oz. Log of Goat Cheese
• 2 tbsp. reduced-fat Sour Cream
• Lemon Juice (to taste)

What to do:

• Bring a medium pot of water to a boil over high heat.
• Put pasta into boiling water and cook until almost al dente, about 6-7 mins.
• While the pasta is cooking, cut up the Asparagus.  When pasta reaches "almost al dente," throw the asparagus into the pot with the pasta, and cook another 3-4 mins.
• Meanwhile, grease a skillet with cooking spray and heat over medium.  Throw in garlic and allow to cook about 30 sec.-1 min.
• Cut up Chicken into cubes, sprinkle with salt & pepper, and toss into pan with garlic.  Cook until cooked through, about 7-8 mins.
• Once everything is done, remove both pot and pan from heat.  Drain the pasta and asparagus together.  Set aside.
• Combine Olive Oil, Lemon Peel, Tarrago, and Goat Cheese in a large mixing bowl, breaking up cheese as you put it in.  Whip until as smooth as possible.
• Slowly pour pasta & asparagus into the bowl with the mixture, and combine to coat.  Then mix in your chicken, and then the Sour Cream in order to mix more smoothly.
• Now, try it!  If you desire more lemon flavor (I did!), then squeeze in some lemon juice.  (I simply took the half lemon that I used for the peel, squeezed it over the bowl and mixed well.  Delish!)  Serve immediately.

Serve with a simple salad, like the LMS Favorite Salad, or, if entertaining, our Killer Artichoke Bread!  It's amazing! :)

ENJOY!

Nutrition Information (per serving):

410 calories, 12g Fat, 54g Carbs, 8g Fiber & 32g Protein

Skinny Italian Chicken Bake

Skinny Italian Chicken Bake

Servings: 4

Time it'll take: about 50 mins

What you'll need:

• 2 Tomatoes, cored & chopped
• 1 can Diced Tomatoes w/ Basil, Oregano & Italian Spices
• 1 tbsp. Minced Garlic
• 1 can Artichoke Hearts
• 1 tbsp. Olive Oil
• 1 tsp. Sugar
• 2 tbsp. Flour
• Salt & Pepper (to taste)
• 4 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts (4-6 oz. each)
• Cooking Spray
• 1/4 cup finely shredded Mozzarella
• Fresh Basil

What to do:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Cut up fresh Tomatoes, and place them in a medium mixing bowl with the Diced Tomatoes, Garlic, Artichokes, Olive Oil, Sugar, Flour, and Salt & Pepper.  Mix Well.
• Take your the Chicken Breasts and give them a healthy sprinkling of Salt & Pepper.
• Grease a baking pan or pyrex with the Cooking Spray. (I used an 8 x 8, but a 9 x 13 would work as well.)
• Spread half of the Tomato, etc. Mixture into the bottom of the pan, and place the Chicken Breasts in among it.  Then, top the pan's contents with the other half of the Mixture, so that the chicken breasts are fully surrounded by the mixture.  (Make sure there's not too much on top of the chicken, though, otherwise it'll be tougher for it to cook through.
• Place in oven and bake until almost done, 35-40 mins.
• Remove from oven and top with Mozzarella.
• Return to oven, up the temp to Broil, and broil for 5-10 additional minutes, until cheese it melted and slightly browned.
• Remove and top with Basil.  Serve immediately.

Serve with a small helping of your favorite whole wheat pasta, or, if you're trying to save on carbs (like we ALWAYS are!) with a simple salad, like the LMS Favorite Salad.

ENJOY!

Nutrition Information (per serving):

295 calories, 9g Fat, 19g Carbs, 4g Fiber & 33g Protein

Credit: Jill at Our Story (http://aaronandjillw.blogspot.com) via Pinterest.