Tag Archives: cleaneating

The Clean Eating Experiment

I have blogged about Clean Eating magazine previously.  I have one issue.  The new issue – March/April – is out on newstands now but I have not had time to go pick it up.  I keep reading the magazine and looking at the recipes.  I, then – just last Saturday, decided to take matters in my own hands.  

 

The magazine features a list of dinner recipes for one week that cost under or around $60.  I thought great!  This fits in my budget plus would give us a new variety of foods to eat.  Off I went to the local Giant to shop.  My total – I also needed some staples that were fresh out in my pantry so I am higher than $60 – was less than $80.

 

Well, the experiment started off bad.  Monday was suppose to be a really lovely Asian marinated turkey breast.  Being the frugal shopper I am, I did not buy fresh turkey breast but a frozen one that was on sale last week for $1.49 a pound – great buy for anyone needed a dinner and meat for lunches.  By Monday, the turkey breast, which weighed just over seven pounds, was not totally thawed.  Okay, I adapted.  I put the turkey breast into the marinade anyway and left it covered in the fridge to finish thawing and marinate.  We had leftovers from Super Bowl Sunday for dinner.

 

Tuesday, we had the turkey breast.  It was extremely delicious.  I may  use this recipe again.  I will definitely keep the marinade in mind when grilling season starts as it was fantastic.

 

Wednesday, I opted to have the Tuesday meal which was Portabello mushrooms and carmelized onions and red peppers rolled in flat bread.  My kids are skeptical of mushrooms in all forms so I made the entire items and left in the oven to keep warm so that when everyone got home around 5 I could just pull dinner out of a warm oven.  The boys ate two of the roll-ups – a separate post will be coming on the process as I took pics of everything but the finished product.  I ate two of the roll-ups.  I still have three in my fridge.  Anyone want to stop over and try them?  Normally, when trying a new recipe, I will make it exactly as written the first time.  This particular one I substituted creminis for the portabellos simply due to cost.  I could not justify, knowing in advance that the boys would not be happy if they found out there were mushrooms in the roll ups, the cost of portabellos.  The taste was very good.

 

Tonight is suppose to be fish tacos which  I am going to pass on.  I am thinking I will jump right to the Tortilla Soup.  More coming on that.


Clean Eating – the Magazine

I have Val Tokarz to thank for turning me on to Clean Eating and, consequently, sending me on a searching frenzy in the magazine section of our local Barnes & Noble. 

 

Now, I am hooked on the recipes, if not the concept, of clean eating.  Clean eating is the philosophy of eating things as close to their natural state as possible.  Clean eating is the practice of eating whole, natural foods such as fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, and complex carbohydrates.

 

I try, desparately, to eat clean.  In upstate NY in winter, eating local is not a big option so eating clean is.  My favorite recipe in the January/February issue is for hot cocoa.  Now to be honest, I didn’t go out and by agave nectar.  I used splenda – not exactly clean.

Mint-Infused Hot Chocolate

 

1 mint green tea bag (decaf or regular)

¼ cup boiling water

¾ cup unsweetened almond milk

2 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tablespoon light or amber organic agave nectar

 

Instructions

1.    Place tea bag in cup.  Pour water over it to make a tea essence, letting steep for about two minutes.  Squeeze tea bag and remove from cup.

2.    Meanwhile, heat almond milk over medium heat in a small saucepan until very hot, but not boiling.  Add to tea essence, then stir in cocoa powder and agave nectar.  Mix with a spoon until all the cocoa powder has dissolved.  Garnish with a sprig of mint, if desired.

 

Nutrients per cup:  calories 98, Total Fat:  3g, Sat. Fat:  0g, Carbs:  19.5g, Fiber:  2 g, sugars:  16g, Protein:  1.5 g, Sodium:  136 mg, Cholesterol:  0mg


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