Chicken, Turkey, or Fish

So to help boost my goal to being super healthy and all natural I have decided to cut out any meat that isn't Chicken, turkey, or fish. Surprisingly, not hard at all. You want tacos? Use ground chicken, it's actually much tastier than ground beef. Bacon? Well there is turkey bacon but to me that isn't really satisfying my ultimate goal. So what I have been doing is completly trying new options.

This past weekend I was in portland for work. All weekend I took the vegetarian option instead of the unhealthy meaty option. You know what? Seriously some of the best meals I have had. A had a spinach wrap loaded with vegetables and hummus....AMAZING.

Now why do I feel the need to take out all meats but Chicken, turkey or Fish? It is the affect it has on my meals as a whole. If I didn't take out red meat I would have had sliders for lunch in Portland. Instead? A salad and a crab cake. It was a small meal but by the end I was full. For dinner I was craving that hamburger again, instead I had a turkey sandwhich loaded which red peppers and mushrooms topped with Pita bread and a fruit bowl. Had I not cut out red meat I would not have tried a single one of these meals. You would be surprised what your bad cravings keep you from trying.

For instance, Shawn and I went out for breakfast yesterday. There were the obvious options...biscuits and gravy (yum!) or two eggs bacon and toast. Don't take me wrong those are all noble choices but my goal is to intake healthier options every meal. So I took another look at the menu and found this:

Omelet with crab, red peppers, mushrooms, and onions. Also I only had two potatoes :)

Don't worry guys I'm not delusional this is not the healthiest meal on the block. However from the list its such a great alternative to biscuits and sausage gravy or greasy strips of bacon. It's not about starving yourself....it's about nutrients.

This week we have been eating way more vegetables and juicing at least 4 cups a day. I feel pretty great guys!

So my challenge to you this week:

Every meal you sit down at or plan try to think alternatively. Instead of hamburger use chicken or add more vegetables. Instead of chips try an orange or carrots and hummus. There are so many alternatives daily that you can take and believe me that craving for bad food? It goes away as soon as you are full of whatever healthy item you chose instead.

Dear Texas.... I loathe you but I do miss your food.

If you know me very well then you know I absolutely HATE Texas. I'm talking firey burning hate. Unfortunately some people I love are still stuck there slowly dying away in the wasteland. Since they are there next week I will be taking a trip to Dallas, TX to throw a shower for one of my favorites Jenn. She is getting married in September so we are throwing her a bridal shower and mini bachelor party.

To make myself feel better I am going to write two lists: all the reasons I hate TX and all the things I miss and must do before leaving the worst state in the world. (I know I have a flair for the dramatic)

Hate list:

- It's hot. It's almost always way too hot. I'm talking 115 you don't even want to leave your house to check the mail right outside your door hot. Miserable.
- Nothing to do. I love being outside enjoying the mountains, fresh air, ocean, trees....In Dallas, tx this really just doesn't exist. I can't imagine my life again without being able to see mountains every morning.
- People have a never undending supply of fakeness. I mean there are 45 year old guys driving BMWs that they lease (not own) trying to impress 20 yr old girls. It's disgusting. Not to mention everywhere you look there are girls with fake boobs, noses, hair.....come on ladies you are beautiful the way you are! Did no one ever tell you that as a kid??
- No one can think for themselves. The hard facts are most Texans are republicans....which is just fine. However most are republicans that have no idea why they are a republican. Oh you hate Obama? Why exactly is that. "He doesn't have a birth certificate." That's it? "Yep he's not an American and he's a Muslim." Yep that's literally what they say, not even kidding. No facts just a chain email they read one day....
- Traffic. There is always traffic! always always always.

OK so there are probably a thousand reasons I could list but I've decided to move on and go to the things I miss to make myself feel better about the journey I'm about to take next week.

Miss list:

- Sushi. Yes Sushi. I miss the creative rolls. The ones with tempura flakes and spicy mayo on top. Don't take me wrong we have great sashimi and nigiri here but the rolls? Eh
- Family. My sister and BIL with their 3 kids are in Ft. Worth. I miss them a ton and am always trying to convince them to move to the NW. (On another note I am very excited for my niece Stef to come visit. She is pretty badass)
-JBeezy. My long time friend Jenn is also somehow still in TX. I'm not really sure how she managed to get stuck there. I suppose it's partly my fault since she moved there to live with me. She is definitely more a NY or Cali girl. Maybe one day she will make it out.
- Jasmine Thai II. There is an amazing thai place in plano tx that everyone deserves to try once in their life. They have a fried rice that has the perfect little crispy peppers that provide the perfect amount of zing. OH man!
- Ok so I used to miss TX roadhouse. However since I am cutting out red meat these days I suppose it cannot be on my list anymore.

Well that concludes my list. Most of the things I miss are food. I guess that explains why Texas is in the top 5 for the most obese states.......

Well send me good energy and wish me luck for next week. The Devil lives in Texas and I'm sure he is waiting for me. If I don't make it back, cremate me and if one single ash gets left in Texas I will haunt all of you.

Going Raw

Going raw

Nope not being dirty I am referring to eating raw fresh foods. I have been finding that healthy foods are always at the back of my mind.  I recently started following on facebook a guy named "Dan the man, the life re-generator". Yes his name is funny but if you know anything about fresh food it's like a slap in the face. I will take you back a few generations. America as a culture has gone so far away from what eating should be and used to be.  Back when food wasn't so readily available people ate for nutrition, not for pleasure. (granted some ate whatever they could being so poor). The only time families ate a grand meal was when guests came over and it was an occasion not a daily event. Now every meal we eat for pleasure and our bodies are suffering for it.

I am constantly being reminded that we as a culture do not eat the proper foods I would say almost 90% of the time. I will say though I love that this generation is starting a movement, with gyms, low calorie snacks, and overall thinking about our appearance. However I still want to scream some days. Just because you eat at home.....doesn't mean you are eating healthy. Your body is dying to have those raw vegetables sitting in your refrigerator rotting. Please eat them, please.

 But hey I am not throwing stones here. Don't take me wrong I am a fairly good girl, I rarely EVER eat fast food nor do I ever drink soda. However that's still not eating healthy to me, that's just not being stupid. However there are plenty of days when I will grab that tostino's from the fridge and call it dinner. I usually feel my body screaming at me, "this is not what I asked for!". So this being said I have decided that twice a week Shawn and I will eat an entirely raw dinner on top of us already juicing raw fruits and vegetables once to twice a day.

What is raw? 

OK so I have had this question a few times. Raw is something that came from the ground that is fresh - non cooked. There are debates online that I have seen, some raw foodists will cook some of their foods to around 212 degrees. They claim most nutrients are not lost until the food is cook above 212 degrees. If I ever go full Raw Foodist I am sure I will follow this rule. Until then these two meals must be all fresh raw food.

First Meal

So for our first meal we are going to make raw food tacos. I will place "Dan the Man, the life regenerator's" video on how to make raw tacos on here so you can watch if you desire. I might even make my own video when we make the tacos. Yep it's all raw, using various nuts, spices, zucchini for the chips, and lettuce for the shell.  Call me crazy but it actually looks pretty tasty, or interesting anyways.
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eAaSPotlZB0&feature=youtu.be


Going Vegetarian 

On top of our 2 dinners a week rule, we are also cutting out all red meat. Sounds extreme but it's actually really easy to do here in Seattle. There is tons of fish readily available, ground chicken (seriously amazing in tacos), and ground turkey. Eventually I am hoping to move to only fish but I will take it one step at a time and see where it lands me!

Inspiration

Many will ridicule or ask "Why are you trying to eat so healthy? Do you think you're fat?".  NO, I definitely do not think I am fat or need to lose weight. Eating healthy is not all about weight loss, it's a lifestyle and it changes the way you feel all together. I want you to watch 3 minutes of the video I posted, or go on you tube and watch videos of people who juice fast. What do you see? Well I see radiant, happy people. Look at their skin and the way they hold their selves, they are better because of the extremely healthy lifestyles they hold. I find this lifestyle very challenging and therefore so tempting.

There are other reasons I have been inspired to slowly move into a healthier lifestyle one being my brother. Due to his new arrival among other reason he has gone back vegetarian. He was a vegetarian for 7 years then stopped for about a year. He spoke on his reasoning, "I simply felt better when I didn't eat meat". Seems like enough proof for me! I have always admired my brother and found his truths to well be my truths as well.

Lastly, I want to be an inspiration. I have a new niece among three other nieces and a nephew. I want them to be able to look to me for a way of life. I hope that they are happy and healthy individuals,but  the only way they will do that is with someone to show them how. Kids will not magically eat the right foods or behave the right way. I hope that in my life I can help guide them to happiness and fullness in other ways than a big mac.

I would love it if anyone would like to join me on my journey to eating raw food or juicing daily!! It always helps when you have support. Miss everyone like crazy :)