Clean Eating Challenge
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I mentioned last week that I had started a two week clean eating challenge and I’ve got to be honest, I kind of love it! Believe it or not I found it on Buzzfeed (which I now know can provide me with more than fun quizzes 🙂 ) It makes trying to eat healthier so much easier. It lists all of the recipes, grocery lists, etc., which for me is so amazing. I love that this tells me what to eat and when to eat it. You can click here to partake in the challenge if you want, which I highly recommend!
I had been in a bit of a slump of trying to eat better, which wasn’t going all that well. I could totally blame this all on the Cook Out that recently opened nearby, but then I’d be playing the victim. I had fallen into a major rut and when I saw this challenge I knew that it could help. I was nervous because I am a sugar addict. Every night I would have dessert, which would usually consist of ice cream that was well over the serving size of 1/2 a cup. I was afraid that I would be a crazy person by day 3, but I have been completely fine and in fact I feel pretty good. There have been only a few times where I have been craving ice cream or a cookie, but I power through and the craving subsides. And it helps that I lost 4 pounds in the first week, which helps keep me motivated.
This “detox” is gluten and processed food free and every meal is homemade. It is a lot more prep on my part, but I’ve enjoyed doing it. I’ve learned some great new recipes that are creative and only show me that eating healthy and clean can be easy and taste great.
I’ve taken some pictures of some of the food I’ve eaten over the last week. One of my favorites is a salad that is really easy to make (recipe below). There is also this awesome omelet with feta cheese and scallions, which will definitely become a weekly meal in my home.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil, divided
- 1 medium shallot, thinly sliced crosswise
- 1/2 bunch green asparagus (about 8 medium stalks)
- 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
- freshly ground pepper
- 2 cups arugula
- 1 large beefsteak tomato, cut in 1/4-inch cubes
- 1/2 ounce feta, crumbled
- juice of 1 lemon
- 1 tablespoon parsley, coarsely chopped
- 2 large eggs
Instructions
Trim an inch off the root end of the asparagus to get rid of the woody part. Using a vegetable peeler and starting from the root end, shave the asparagus into thin ribbons (6-8 large stalks should yield about a cup).
In a medium nonstick skillet, heat 2 teaspoons olive oil over medium-high heat, then add the thinly sliced shallot. Cook for 1 minute, until shallot has softened slightly. Add asparagus ribbons, season with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, and cook for 2 minutes, tossing occasionally, until asparagus is cooked al dente (should be crunchy, not soft). Transfer asparagus mixture to a medium mixing bowl, add arugula, chopped tomato, feta, lemon juice, and parsley, and toss.
In the same nonstick skillet, heat the remaining olive oil over medium heat. Crack the egg into the pan, season with freshly ground pepper, and turn the heat to low. Cook the egg 2-3 minutes, until the white is completely opaque and set and the edges are starting to brown.
Transfer the asparagus salad to a bowl and top with the fried eggs. You could also do this with hard boiled eggs, especially if you're bringing it for lunch. I found a hard boiled egg to be easier.
https://2beesinapod.com/clean-eating-challenge/
Doesn’t this look so good? And so easy to bring to work!
A lot of our dressings have consisted of lemon, lime and parsley, which have been great and give the food a lot of flavor. I never really thought parsley tasted like anything, but I have been proven wrong.
Word to the wise, drink the smoothie immediately after making it. I thought I could take it to work, but that didn’t turn out too well.
This parfait was good, but so filling!
This was their take on fried rice, but with quinoa and I’ve got to say it was pretty darn good.
Like I said, if you’re trying to eat better this challenge will put you on the right track. It has really helped me see how much of an emotional eater I am, as well as how much I was hurting my body. That’s not to say that I won’t ever have ice cream or a burger again, but they don’t need to be an everyday staple of my diet 🙂
