Honing Healthier Habits

I started a new diet about a week ago, but it is not really a diet … it is a lifestyle adjustment … at least that is what the nutritionist and my personal trainer called it.  I am warming up to the idea, but the jury is still out.

When I first got my new plan I practically had to hold back the laughter.  I looked at it and thought “there is no way this is gonna work … I am going to be starving.” 

The morning meal is granola, soy milk, and a banana.  This is super filling and may favorite meal of the day.  The morning snack is fruit.  I love pretty much all fruit (except melon) so this is great too!

Lunch is chicken and veggies.  Let me tell you, this one is a struggle for me.  While I love chicken, vegetables have never been my strong suit unless you count corn or lettuce swimming in salad dressing (unfortunately for me my nutritionist doesn’t).  I have had to get a little bit creative/childish.  So far my creativity has been in the form of soup which has been the only successful way I have been able to down veggies in the past.  First I tried Tortilla Soup (see recipe below) that I have made before.

TORTILLA SOUP

Soup Base

3 cups boiling water

1 Roma tomato

1 carrot

1 rib celery

1 thin slice onion

1 garlic clove (peeled)

1 thin slice yellow squash

1 thin slice bell pepper

1 thin slice cabbage

1 mushroom

1 Knorr chicken bullion cube

Salt and pepper to taste

1 table spoon Adobo with cumin seasoning OR

McCormick Spice Blend Santa Fe Style

Additions

½ cup cooked chicken

½ cup fresh jalepenos

¼ cup pitted olives

¼ cup canned corn

1 cup tortilla chips

Place all ingredients, except additions in Vita-Mix container  in order listed.   Secure lid.  Select Variable speed 1, turn on and increase to Variable 10 and then High.  Run for 3-4 minutes until steam escapes through the top.  Reduce speed and then add any variable items.  Run for 10 more seconds and then serve.  (If you don’t have a Vita-Mixer you could probably use a different blender or mixer but the point is to puree everything except the “additions” … If you are looking for a new blender though, the Vita-Mixer is AWESOME!  Click on the link to check out the Vita-Mixer. I got mine at Costco and it is a slightly different version than the one I have linked, but you get the idea.  It is a bit pricey, but worth every penny!)

While I love this soup, I can only eat so much of it, and 2 days in a row was enough for me.  That meant that I needed to come up with some other way to get my veggies in.  My mom came to the rescue on this one.  She made this awesome vegetable beef soup for me when I was sick and it was FULL of veggies.  I have requested it several times in the last couple of months, and if I forgo the actual meat in the soup, then it is the perfect way to get my veggies in. 

VEGETABLE BEEF SOUP

Soup Base

Water

2 packets of McCormick’s Beef Stew seasoning

1 bag of frozen lima beans

1 can of corn

1-2 stalks of celery

1 sweet onion

10-15 small carrots (or more if you like them!)

1 large potato

1-2 cups of peas

1 london broil or roast

Fill your crockpot (I suggest a big crockpot if possible) half way with hot water.  Then add the seasoning packets and let them dissolve.  Cut all vegetables into bit sized pieces or smaller.  Cut beef into pieces about 2 or 3 inches square or smaller if you prefer.  Add everything into the crockpot in no particular order.  Then just let it cook for 8-12 hours on high.  (If you like your veggies to still have some firmness, then 8 hours is fine.  If you are like me and like veggies soft then wait the 12 hours because it is worth it.)

These are the only ones I have tried so far, but if anyone has some great soup recipes or vegetable recipes in general please send them my way!!

So now that we have covered breakfast, snack, and lunch, the two remaining meals of my day are super small – snack of 20 raw almonds and then another snack of greek yogurt.  Can you see why I would be apprehensive that this would not work??  It doesn’t even include dinner!!

Boy was I wrong.  I am so full I can hardly finish all of the food I am supposed to eat!  I feel great and more motivated than ever to continue down this path to a healthy life. 

Developing new eating habits for a healthier lifestyle takes gumption!