Since Mom and I have decided to eat healthier together, it has been easier to stick to it and make the healthier options for us because it's not just me that I feel responsible for. I cook the majority of the meals in the house, and I already know how to make a lot of the clean eating recipes that I've had for a while, so I'm kind of in charge of the menu around here. If I don't cook the healthy option, I feel like it won't only be myself I'm letting down, but her, as well. However, last night Chad and I did go to the venue where we are getting married, Stone Bridge Farms, and try out some of the food that is going to be on our menu for the rehearsal and reception, and it was so delicious, but not the healthiest of foods. But, come on, a free meal that lets you see what your wedding guests will have to choose from... Who can argue with that? I did it for the guests! ;)
Anyway, back to healthy food. Mom and I made a trip to the grocery store the other day and picked out some fruits and vegetables and things like that for us to start out with. Some of my favorite things to get for clean eating dishes are:
- spaghetti squash (you can do SO much with spaghetti squash, it's definitely my favorite veggie)
- asparagus
- cauliflower (I love cauliflower pizza crust, mostly because I just can't do without pizza, ever)
- broccoli (sometimes I do a combination of cauliflower and broccoli crust for my pizza if I'm running low on cauliflower)
- apples
- oranges
- pomegranate
- bananas
- CHEESE (feta, mozzarella, string cheese, cream cheese, cottage cheese, sliced cheese, parmesan... I like cheese, okay)
- tuna
- ground turkey/chicken
- spinach
- plain Greek yogurt
- carrots
- edamame
- oats (not only for oatmeal, but also to make oat flour, because I think it's silly to buy it, I just blend it up in a food processor)
- vanilla protein powder (for pancakes, quick breakfasts, etc.)
- almond milk
Really, I could go on, but those are just a few of my personal essentials. If I am loaded down with those types of things, I find it easier to stick to it because a lot of those things don't last very long and will go bad if you don't cook them. That's another reason why it's easier having my mom do this thing with me, because there's two people eating all of that instead of just me. And not all of the things that I make are 100% clean. I don't do the specific types of oats that they recommend you use, because we buy the cheapest dry oats you can get at Walmart in the biggest container they have to save money, and it's not organic, blah blah blah. It's the basic rolled oats in a big blue container. And I feel just fine about that.
We got a big bundle of bananas the other day when we went shopping, so I wanted to try to create a better pancake recipe than the one I had been using. I've tried the kind that are just egg whites and bananas, and they're good, but they're too eggy, and felt more like scrambled egg whites with bananas rather than banana pancakes. So, I decided to just start throwing things in a bowl and sampling things a few times until I found the right balance so that I could have healthy banana pancakes that didn't leave me feeling like I had made a compromise in order to eat better. The recipe that I've stuck with is actually the first combination I tried, and I've had them every morning this week.
Banana Protein Pancakes
Ingredients:
- 1 banana
- 2 egg whites
- 1 scoop vanilla protein powder
- 1/4 cup oat flour
- 2 Tbsp almond milk
All you do is put all of the ingredients in a food processor and blend until it's smooth. And if you want the batter to be a bit thinner, you can add some more almond milk. Then, cook them like regular pancakes in a skillet or on a griddle.
My cousin, Alli, made us some amazing blueberry preserves for Christmas, so we topped them with some of that, and they were perfect.
This recipe makes about 6 pancakes, or 8 if you prefer smaller pancakes. We like to make them a little bit bigger around here.
Tonight I have one of my bridesmaids, Sofia, coming to stay with me from Atlanta for a bridal shower that my sister in law is hosting for me tomorrow, so I'll be making some homemade pizza for her, daddy, and Chad, and the clean cauliflower crust pizza for me and mom, so hopefully within the next few days I'll have another recipe going up!
To everyone who's trying to be healthier in 2014, good luck! It's hard to do, and I suck at the exercise part, but that's why I try to be as healthy as possible to kind of balance out my lack of physical exertion. Hopefully if you are trying to be healthier, some of my recipes will help out.
Now if I could just get rid of all the peanut butter balls in the house....
Andrea
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