Been A Long Day

Well, it has been some time since I've written last. Lets just say that these past few weeks have been crazy. The show i'm in is up and running which is why I am able to take more time to focus on writing again. Today I bring you a recipe for beer cooked chicken in a beer sauce. Sounds good, right? The great thing about this recipe is the fact that is also just 450 (approx) calories per serving if you divide into three servings. I will note that the sauce is a little thin, but adding some cheese can probably help that.

Beer Chicken Pasta

Ingredients

1 Cup of Tomato Sauce
1/2 Cup of diced Tomatoes
2 Diced Chicken Thighs
1/2 Diced Large Onion (I like onion, so feel free to add less)
1 Cup of Beer (of your choice)
2 Garlic Cloves, chopped
1 Tbl of Butter
Half a box of Whole Grain Noodles
Basil/Oregano/Salt/Pepper

1. Heat pan to medium heat and bring water to a boil for pasta
2. Once pan is heated place butter and garlic in pan and brown the garlic just a tad.
3. Add chicken, onions, basil, oregano, salt, pepper, and 1/2 cup of beer.
4. Cook until the chicken is fully cooked.
5. During this time make sure you have cooked your pasta and are keeping an eye on it till it is done.
6. Once chicken is done cooking, add tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, and remaining beer and bring to a simmer
7. Once it is heated, add to noodles, top with cheese, and enjoy!

Grain, Nuts, and You

On to the third section of my food group. Grains and nuts. Now, if you need a recap of the other items on my food list you can check out the meats and the veggies, by clicking on the respective words. The links will take you directly to the blog post. Magic!

Almonds - These nuts make the perfect snack, especially for that mid-afternoon crunchy salty craving we all get. Almonds pack a bunch of protein and calcium in them and provide other health benefits, such as lowering bed cholesterol and giving us the good fats we need in our bodies. Eat about a handful of these as a snack and you will be full.

Noodles - Basic carb packing material and pasta is just plain downright amazing. If you don't love pasta, you probably should learn to love it.

Rice - Again, carbs carbs carbs. Great side dish and many different ways of cooking rice. Try making yellow rice! My roommate has an amazing, easy recipe on how to make yellow rice. I will post is sometime in the future for you guys.

Bread - PB&J's, toast for cheese, toast for your avocado. So many uses!

Peanut Butter - Packed with protein and important oils, peanut butter works like magic to fill you up and works well in a smoothie to give you that extra protein boost. Later on I will post an protein shake recipe.

Happy eating!!

A Picture... Can motivate you more than I can

This picture says it all.

So, I heard something about Spinach

We all know vegetables are good for the body. An old cartoon taught us that eating a can of spinach gives us strength like no other! I don't suggesting eat a can of spinach because it isn't the healthiest version of spinach for you. What I do suggest is trying to eat these veggies weekly. These are the ones that I have on my list of items to eat every week. Now, I must inform you that some of them are for no other reason that I like to cook with these items.

Carrots - Good snack food not to mention great for your eyes.

Spinach - This ingredient has multiple benefits that include bone, skin, blood pressure, and vision. For more info on these and more just follow click this link.

Mushrooms - Cooking ingredient

Onions - Cooking ingredient

Asparagus - Chalk full of vitamin C and vitamin K, asparagus can help with diet, digestion, and heart healthy. Not to mention this ingredient can be added as a side to almost any dish and you can also add it to past to add some green color. For more health benefits click this link.

Avocado - Avocados are full of fats, oil, and cholesterol that is healthy for your body. They are filling and help to keep you full. Avocados are also versatile in how you can use them. You can use them as a snack, on a sandwich, in a pasta, or as the sauce itself. Check back to an early blog post to see a simple recipe for a great tasting snack.

Beans - Need I say more? Fiber and just plain healthy. Warning, farting my occur if you consume too much of these guys.

Cucumbers - Great snack food, just add salt, pepper, and a little bit of ranch.

I'm back!

I. Survived.

I rarely ever get sick, well, until I moved to Atlanta that is. I believe it has something to do with the fact I am used to clean country air of the south and this big city captures smog like no other. Anyways, last week I ran a fever for three days and all I had the energy to do was sit on the couch and watch Ru Paul's Drag Race on Netflix. Side note: that show makes everything better!

On top of having a fever I also caught an infection and am now on antibiotics. After today, I have two days left of my pills and I will be good to go!

What does that mean for me? Well, I am going to be taking a few more days of rest and looking at hitting the gym again on Thursday. I cannot wait to get back into the routine I had to step out of for awhile. My training program over the next few months will be different because I am in the middle of a show. Goal is still to hit 150 by end of April, but with these setbacks I've had, I won't be upset if I don't hit my goal by then. I will also be adding more running to prep for a 5k on April 26. To do this my roommate has suggested looking into the couch to 5k training program. I plan to take a look at it and let you guys know what I plan to do. Since I use to be on a cross country team, and pretty good might I add, I hope that with a few weeks of intense training I can easily build back up to a 3 mile run. Fingers crossed!

Tomorrow, you guys can expect a clear detailed look at what veggies (maybe fruit also) I eat. I am also hoping to cover this week what kind of snacks I keep around outside of my 25 items. Have fun living healthy!

Delayed Report/My Diet

Slightly delayed, but that is what I get for having a Monday off from work!

So, good news is that I have gained another pound, which I personally thought was going to be impossible. Looks like my healthy habits are really working and working out almost every day is paying off! Just goes to show that we have to start somewhere and keep up the momentum. Also, this picture isn't the best picture, but I promised I would post one every week... even if nothing has changed from last week.

Weight: 141.2 lbs

This post is two part, I also plan to introduce what I eat since more and more people are starting to ask, "What exactly is your diet?". Well, lets talk about the basics and build up... I decided when I started this healthy living that I was going to stick to only 25 ingredients (not including spices, etc) while I was cooking at the house. What does this mean exactly? It means when I go out to a friends or out to eat, that I really don't care what I eat. The reason for this being is that eating healthy all the time actually will slow your metabolism  Guys, this is bad for those of us that are trying to consume massive amounts of protein. Here is my challenge to you, make up a list of 25 ingredients that you will stick to buying when you go out to the grocery store. Break down this list into meats, veggies, fruit, grains, and other. Soon I will post my list, but I also want to see yours! Feel free to comment below on what 25 items you plan to buy, if you feel like this plan is good for you.

Have fun! I will post later on in more details what I eat and when I eat them. So, keep reading and sharing with friends!

TGIF: Cookie or Nuts?

Happy Friday everyone! One month away from St. Patrick's day and we all know that means a break in our healthy eating, lots of drinking, and celebrating with friends. So, how do we keep up our healthy eating before we go all crazy for a weekend? Not to mention all the chocolate we ate yesterday! Easy, nuts. You heard me. Every afternoon around 3ish, while you at work/class/studying, eat a handful of nuts. I typically eat almonds because they are healthier than most nuts, but any will do. Nuts typically will keep you full till dinner and it also fulfills the salty-sugar-crunchy snack craving we all get after lunch. They also have plenty of good health benefits, which you can find if you look it up online. Happy Snacking!

Keep it Simple

Dieting, eating healthy, healthy living, healthy lifestyle... All of these are words, buzzwords, most people have used at one point or another and then stopped for no reason. Why? Because a habit wasn't formed that allow the person to live in a healthy way. A habit will keep you healthy and keep you eating right. How do we form a healthy lifestyle habit? Simple, start simple. Don't over complicate what you are trying to do. Just don't go from eating burgers, hot dogs, chicken all the time/every day to vegan over night. Before I started cutting back on different foods, I decided that I was going to limit what I drank. So, I decided to only drink water, milk, juice, coffee, and the occasional sprite if I was really craving it. I started this back in November and I haven't broken this habit. I can't stand the taste of most sodas now because I am so use to having water all the time.

What is your goal? What is a way you can break up your goal into stepping stones? Answer these questions and work your way up to your goal. Start Simple.

Here are some starting goals that might help you start a healthy lifestyle at an easier pace...

1. No Soda
2. No Pork
3. Eat carrots every day for lunch
4. Drink a glass of milk with breakfast

There are others you can do, so pick the one that fits best for your life!