Oil Pulling & I Think I’m Falling Off The Wagon……

Oil Pulling Day 2:
Went well, I woke up and did it before work first thing after waking up. I took in a bit less oil and it was better than day 1. I found the 20 minutes to go by fairly fast, I set a timer on my phone and since I had just woken up I busied myself with checking my emails, social media, and general news websites I frequent.

Oil Pulling Day 3:
Went well, I am actually not minding it at all. I don’t find it overwhelming like I did day one, the taste I might actually say I find enjoyable. I haven’t had any issues at all, no issues with accidentally swallowing. So far so good.

Oh yeah…. So since before I did the Master Cleanse I was drinking one Pepsi a day, which I really enjoyed. I cut that all out completely as well as caffeine and since I have never been a coffee drinker I didn’t find it to be too excruciating. But now I’ve been in a new job for almost a month and I just feel like I need something to keep my energy up. For the first 3 weeks I was drinking natural juices with fruit and vegetable servings and natural energy from tea included but I broke down this week and got McDonalds before work……twice……
I know, I drive right past one everyday on my way to work and the thought of that large coke was just too tempting for me after weeks of driving past. Each time I got a large coke and ate just half a sandwich which I don’t think is terribly bad but still not ideal.

I’ve told you guys before it’s hard to turn a fat kid straight……Okay, I went into Whole Foods with a large coke from McDonalds poured into a re-usable cup that pretty much could’ve passed for a super healthy dark veggie juice or tea….. sigh…. okay, okay I did this twice….
Well, it gets worse….
I was so tired from working one night this week I picked up a frozen pizza and box of chicken wings for dinner…from Walgreens…. and for the first time in 4 months I bought Pepsi for home…
Hence the title that I feel like I’m falling off the wagon! I feel like I’m half one person and half another sometimes. On one hand I’m buying organic grass fed beef but then on the other hand I eat a little bit of McDonalds! I drink servings of fruit and vegetables but then I drink a pepsi like I’m drinking liquid diamonds!

Any healthy energy tips?
Questions? Thoughts?
❤ Shel

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Oil Pulling: Why Not Try Another Weirdo Thing

So I was thinking of trying coconut oil for cooking and oil pulling was brought to my attention. What is this weirdo thing people are speaking of? What? Swish oil in my mouth for 20 minutes at a time? Sounds like a party to me…. But then I spent a few days doing some research on it and here I am, swishin.
So I have mentioned before that I have been having some pain, soreness, puffiness, gums torn from my wisdom teeth coming in and apparently oil pulling works wonders for oral health. And let’s be honest, it hasn’t been very flattering when I get remarks from people who know me saying things like my face looks puffy.
But also, oil pulling is a natural way to detoxify your body which I am interested in.
How to:
I’ve found a variety of information but to sum up a general consensus:
Best first thing in the morning when your body and mouth has the highest amount of bacteria.
I’m using coconut oil but you could also use sunflower oil, olive oil, etc.
Take anywhere from 2/3 teaspoon-1 tablespoon of oil and swish it in your mouth, around your gums, in between your teeth for 15-20 minutes.
Spit into the garbage, or a disposable cup (clogs drains)
Rinse with warm water
Brush
The goods:
Just like with the Master Cleanse if I’m going to do something I want to be sure I have the exact right products or else I really don’t see a point. So I bought a 14 oz jar of organic UNREFINED pressed virgin coconut oil. I got it from Whole Foods and it was $5.99.
Tell me the real deal:

Day 1:

Out of complete habit I woke up and immediately drank a glass of juice before remembering that I am supposed to oil pull first thing so I will have to make a new habit of oil pulling first thing which might be weird.
Okay, so coconut oil solidifies so I started with a heaping teaspoon full and I will admit it was slightly unpleasant to put a mouthful of solid oil in my mouth that slowly melted into a liquid.
Taste: I felt that it definitely tasted and smelled like coconut. However, I actually like coconut so I didn’t find it unpleasant.
Gag Status: I think a heaping teaspoon solid was too much for me. As it melted and as my saliva and apparently my bacteria built up in my mouth I found it to be overwhelming. I lasted the whole 20 minutes but towards the last few minutes I felt if I continued to swish then my mouth would explode so I just kind of sat with it all in my mouth. The 20 minutes wasn’t  as bad as I anticipated, I recommend doing it while busying yourself with other things so you’re not even thinking about it. My jaw wasn’t sore either from all the swishing I wondered if it would be.
Also, it’s very important not to swallow the oil because it is gradually becoming more and more full of the bacteria that you are removing from your body, to swallow would be ingesting all of that bacteria.
So, I am going to try to continue, we shall see!
Here’s a link to some oil pulling, I’ve read a bunch and watched several videos but this one seems thorough enough
http://coconut-oil-pulling.com/
Thoughts? Questions?

❤ Shel

Welp I Ate Fast Food

Well I ate McDonalds. It was late and I hadn’t eaten and was on the road from Indianapolis to Chicago. I had a chicken sandwich and a few chicken nuggets (and a few fries). I wasn’t exactly excited about it but I’m not going to dwell on it either, life happens sometimes.
Went grocery shopping at Trader Joes yesterday and all I bought were fresh produce and proteins, I didn’t even look at the tempting frozen meal isles for anything I might want. I’m even switching Monkey over to whole grain pancakes (I make a big batch and freeze them in portions for him because I’m that awesome).
Although I did eat fast food I have also eaten some healthy stuff too.

I made a healthier egg salad over greens. I substituted some of the mayonnaise with sour cream, it was yummy.

I also whipped up a healthier version of chicken fried rice by substituting in brown rice (you can’t even tell the difference) and loading up on the veggies with onion, carrots, celery, scallions, red bell peppers. I was pretty pleased with it considering I normally buy frozen fried rice from Trader Joes because making it myself I know exactly what’s in it.

Questions? Thoughts? Want full recipes?
❤ Shel

McDonalds Remake

Since the Master Cleanse I still have not eaten any fast food! I made a remake of McDonalds Egg McMuffin!

Remake Egg McMuffin

• 1 whole wheat English muffin
• 1 slice cheese (I used low-fat cheddar)
• 1 slice Canadian bacon
• 1 egg white

These are great for freezing too, I made 10 and individually froze them. Really good for a quick eat, on the go, when you’re lazy, tired, etc. Just wrap in paper towel and microwave for 1 min.

Toast English muffins. Cook Canadian bacon in dry skillet about 3 mins per side. Spray a muffin tin with non stick cooking spray. Crack egg whites into a muffin tin, add s&p (salt & pepper) Bake at 350′ for around 12 mins until set. I had the ingredients all going simultaneously. While the eggs cook, you can cook the Canadian bacon while toasting the English muffins. I ran a knife around the edges of egg whites for easy removal and they all came out easily.

Gather ready ingredients for assembly

Assemble and eat or let cool and wrap and freeze!

The facts:

McDonalds Egg McMuffin                      Remake Egg McMuffin

Calories: 290                                               Calories: 209

Fat: 12g                                                          Fat: 4.5g

Cholesterol: 260mg                                  Cholesterol: 20mg

Protein: 17g                                                 Protein: 21.3g

You could reduce this even more by:

• Using Turkey Canadian Bacon (I couldn’t find any and I didn’t feel like going to another store)
• Using non fat cheese

I think they taste good too, I wouldn’t eat it if I didn’t. Monkey likes them too, they’re great for a quick bite for him after a late night of work (chefs work long, late hours) or a quick bite for him before work.

McDonalds Egg McMuffin is actually their best sandwich as it is compared to their others. Their biscuit and bagel sandwiches range from mid 400 calories up to 1090 calories.

Now if I could make a healthy Big Mac that actually tastes the same………hmmm…..

Questions? Comments? Thoughts?

❤ Shel

-Chick Fil A Enter Butter & Hollandaise

So the Chick Fil A dinner party was canceled, phew! Poor Monkey accidentally soaked his contacts in Bactine disinfectant overnight instead of contact solution resulting in no fun the next day when he put them in his eyes. So he canceled due to his burning, swollen eyes. Although I might not have looked so weird after all with him wearing sunglasses there at night.

I realized that trying to eat low fat while your boyfriend has a bowl of hollandaise and a bowl of clarified butter in the fridge could possibly pose as a challenge. A few nights ago he made me salmon poached in white wine with a blood orange hollandaise (yum) and the leftovers have been staring at me in the fridge now. As a result I made this and it was so good I could drool thinking about it.

Sautéed garlic spinach topped with a paprika poached egg and blood orange hollandaise. There are few things in life that get me more excited than a runny egg yolk. Like for real. Okay, maybe bone marrow.

Went out to dinner last night for the first time since the sushi post Master Cleanse, I did well. I looked at the restaurant’s nutritional facts before going and picked the lowest calorie entrée that sounded good to me: Grilled chicken with a mushroom sauce and broccoli and potatoes. Plus I only ate half of it. I did not partake in the giant nacho tower that was ordered as an appetizer. I was going to get a steak but I would’ve ordered in with a gorgonzola cheese glaze and I knew that would be like over 300 more calories. No dessert (never do anyway) wine was my dessert 😉

I’ve been changing around some recipes to make them healthier, I’ll be posting some. I also started buying low fat items vs regular which I’ve never done before. Just trying to be healthier overall. Oh, and I haven’t had pop since the cleanse either (I used to have one Pepsi a day). I haven’t worked out since the sad yoga attempt, I promise I’ll go do that right now!

Questions? Comments? Requests?

❤ Shel

 

Chick Fil A Dinner Party???!

So Monkey has a friend who is married with 3 kids (two twin toddlers!) I have never met this friend (I don’t think he gets out much). So he invited us over for dinner and said he would “order a big spread from Chick Fil A”

Why this is a problem is that since coming off of the Master Cleanse I have not eaten fast food (nor do I want to) and I’m also trying to eat as little processed and high fat foods as I can as well.

But since I have never met these people I don’t want to:

1. Seem rude if I don’t go because I do think it was a really nice gesture
2. Seem rude if I do go and don’t eat
3. Seem like a weirdo

“What happened to my girlfriend who used to love Big Macs?”

– Monkey

Help! Advice? Thoughts?

❤ Shel