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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Plated Review 2

So I got my first Plated order yesterday and tonight I made my last two plates of a different meal. If you didn’t read yesterdays post here’s a link to explain Plated and their food delivery service.
https://mchellerussell731.wordpress.com/2014/04/23/plated-review/

Today’s dish was Sicilian Style Swordfish with Parsley Garlic Potatoes

I can say that I don’t have one complaint about the ingredients, the quality is great, fresh, herbs show wilting so fast and the fresh basil and parsley were perfect.

This recipe required a bit more prep than yesterday’s but I didn’t mind.

The recipe was straight to the point and I felt it to be easy and enjoyable. I would say this dish was restaurant quality.

Any downsides?
I would say that the 30-40 minute time was a little off, but when I cook at home I do not rush. The potatoes needed to roast for 25 minutes after every ingredient was prepped and then plating time. Again, like yesterday’s post I find it pricey. But I can now appreciate this company after doing it for two days.
I have the food knowledhe to know that pieces of fish range in size and had to cook accordingly, some people may not be trained to do so. As well as the potatoes, some were so small they could be left whole, some halved, some quartered, etc.

I had everything I needed fresh and on hand
I didn’t have to go to a store
I didn’t have to try to plan a meal
If someone has limited time to plan out a meal and shop but they do have that one hour or so to still be involved in cooking this is a great option.
If someone has limited food skills/knowledge this is great because they don’t have to worry about what goes with what, etc (I’ve literally had someone express their anxiety over what constitutes as a pinch of salt) so having everything ready for them is a plus. They could even watch videos.
I like calorie content displayed.

Portions:
Even though this was a fish dish the portions were still very plentiful. Two people couldn’t even finish their plates and there were some leftovers before plating.

I’d gladly review more, send them my way Plated! 🙂

Questions? Thoughts?

❤ Shel

 

Plated Review

I have excitedly waiting for my first Plated order to arrive and it did! For those of you who are unfamiliar with Plated it is a website where you can choose a meal, order it and everything comes shipped to you to cook it. All the ingredients, the recipe, etc.

I saw this on Shark Tank and was intrigued. I then saw the promo code GETPLATED for 4 free plates and definitely wanted to try it, I just had to pay $20 for shipping which means my plates cost $5 each instead of the non-member price of around $15 each.

My package arrived right on time on the day I chose. Everything was packaged superbly with ice packs and an insulated bag organized by meal type. Every item was fresh, all the proteins, herbs, everything.

The first meal I tried was 2 plates of their Spice-Rubbed Steak with Roasted Carrots and Israeli Couscous. I had all the ingredients there ready to go and all measured out for me. The instructions were simple and easy to follow. I especially liked that there was a picture showing each step. You could also watch a video as you cook but I was fine with just reading it. The meal came out great, tasted great, no problems cooking. I liked the included calorie information as well.

Minor Downsides:
The recipe shows lots of baby carrots with their cute little tops on and I did not receive those. I received a bag of 3 large ordinary carrots which I felt made for a less appealing presentation. I cut them smaller to resemble the baby carrots more but I chose that picture when I ordered it and expected to receive exactly what I chose. Not a big deal but still. The honey was a diner style Smuckers which wasn’t too impressive. Also, the recipe said it took 30-40 minutes to cook but the steak had the option to marinade for up to one hour which I didn’t take into consideration into my cooking time. I cooked this in a leisurely manner and it probably took around an hour.

Portions:
The portions were surprisingly plentiful. I could not even finish my plate and I already had some leftovers before I plated so if you’re worried the portions will be skimpy because they’re measured out precisely I wouldn’t.

This was fun to try, I still have another recipe to make which I will review as well. However, it is pricey. My meal would have cost around $30 but I am only cooking for 2 people so a family of 4 would cost around $60 for 4 plates and you still have to then cook it. So far I would order again if I was offered another deal.

Here’s the site if you’d like to check it out, I believe they have a special going on right now to get your first order free and just pay shipping. If you want to order it’d be super cool to let me know because you get free plates for referring people 🙂
http://www.plated.com/

Questions? Thoughts?

❤ Shel

Give Me The Beef….And Hog

I don’t eat a whole lot of red meat but when I’m in the mood to cook steak I usually get one nice one and grill it and slice it thin for two portions.

Yes, I like my steak on the rare side 😉 This was grilled ribeye over baby spinach with roasted asparagus, roasted russet and sweet potatoes and roasted bell pepper.

This was another dish I made recently.

Spinach and Brie Stuffed Pork Chop Over Mashed Potatoes

Oh how I do love mashed potatoes. If you’d like a full recipe let me know but I basically did this:

Stuffed pork chops with a mixture of:

Brie cheese, thawed frozen spinach, garlic, sundried tomatoes and cooked. To the pan afterwards I added some lemon juice and chicken stock and reduced and served over mashed potatoes.

Questions? Thoughts?

❤ Shel

 

Working Out (or lack of) & Yummy Burgers

Okay, for realz I’m finding it really hard to start working out. I have good intentions in my head but my body would pretty much rather do anything besides work out. How do you guys make yourself?? Wouldn’t you rather watch the newest episode of The Real Housewives on your dvr? I feel like it becomes a habit but man, I’m finding it difficult to start

And now, because I’m a fatty I will share one of my favorite burger recipes. This was originally a Giada DeLaurentis recipe that I changed slighty by using whole wheat buns and reduced fat mayonnaise.

Chicken burgers with Rosemary Garlic Mayonnaise and Arugula

I know the thought of a burger made with ground chicken sounds like it could be dry but adding some of the mayonnaise to the meat keeps them moist. I usually like a runny egg and bacon and cheese on my burgers so this is definitely healthier for me and they taste great! Here’s the original recipe: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/chicken-burgers-with-garlic-rosemary-mayonnaise-recipe.html

What’s your favorite healthy burger?

Questions? Thoughts?

❤ Shel

When You’re Lazy

I love to cook and pretty much do it everyday but here’s some other stuff I’ve been eating recently.

This was carry out but I did this the last time we went out to eat as well. I order a house green salad and I add a protein, this was shrimp, the last time I got grilled chicken. You could add salmon, just ask them what they have. I added avocado and got balsamic and asked for a few lemon wedges. Just because its not on the menu doesn’t mean you can’t order it. This house green salad came with carrots, sunflower seeds, raisons, hardboiled egg, tomato, cucumber and a house salad is also cheaper than one with fattening dressings and everything else!

I’ve also had Qdoba a few times and have gotten a burrito bowl with brown rice, grilled chicken, pico de gallo, veggies and guacamole.

I happened to see these Healthy Choice dinners at the store and they have a line of 100% natural ones so I picked one up to try. I don’t believe I’ve ever had a Healthy Choice/Lean Cuisine type meal before so I wasn’t expecting it to be very good but I actually liked it! It came with a steamer basket inside which I thought was pretty cool. I got the pumpkin squash ravioli in a butter sage sauce. It is vegetarian, contains no preservatives, it was 260 calories, 100% natural, no artificial flavors or colors. I added a little bit of crumbled goat cheese and a few avocado slices just because I could 😉

I’ve been trying to find healthier juices to drink. I don’t eat breakfast but I usually drink 2 glasses of juice when I wake up. This one has been my favorite so far and each glass contains a full serving of fruit and a full serving of vegetables. It’s 100% juice, no added sugar, and no artificial colors, flavors or preservatives. I tried the Light version of this brand and I didn’t like it very much. I also tried the Bolthouse Farms Green Goddess smoothie juice and I didn’t hate it but I wouldn’t buy it again, if you don’t drink it fast it begins to separate and it looks like swamp water. It’s also expensive.

Monkey picked up this Skinny Pop popcorn as a snack and it was surprisingly good (and addicting). He got the black pepper one but there are many other kinds. It’s 39 calories per cup, no artificial anything, cholesterol free, gluten free, non gmo verified, and the ingredient list is: All natural popcorn, sunflower oil, salt and black pepper.

What are your favorite healthy convenience foods?

Questions? Thoughts?

❤ Shel

Dominican Snacks

I brought back a few things to try from La Romana, Dominican Republic. I was planning on getting more at the Punta Cana airport but unfortunately we only had 7 minutes before boarding and I choose to grab a sandwich for the plane (fatty). The sandwich was actually not very enjoyable, it had sweet pickles in it! A little different.

This is a guava nectar juice box which was actually really good, it was sweet and strong flavored. I just got a wonderful idea: Guava Mimosas!

These are a bag of Plantain chips. Plantains are very popular in the Dominican, they look like a banana but are actually savory vs sweet which can be deceiving. In one of the restaurants in our resort for lunch they served chips and pico de gallo but instead of the typical tortilla chip they were plantain chips. These chips are 100% natural with only 3 ingredients of green plantain, oil and salt. I ate one, they were okay, kind of bland.

And lastly, what appears to be some sort of cookie. I know this is a processed food item, although I can’t read the ingredients because they’re in Spanish but I just wanted to try them and I only had one bite. The package has a stick of butter, an egg, pecans, and a strawberry on it. They were good, they reminded me of a pop tart and reminded Monkey of a fig newton.

I thought it would be a new fun thing to do to start going to ethnic grocery stores and buying random foods to try.

Thoughts? Questions? Comments?

❤ Shel

La Romana, Dominican Republic

Went to La Romana, Dominican Republic for a week! I love the Dominican! I should’ve taken more pics but I did take some food pics to share. I ate a lot….. Dinners are long when you consider 1-2 appetizer courses, entrée course and dessert course. Not having much of a sweet tooth I believe I only had a dessert two times. Like for real, lunches have a dessert course. I tried to eat lighter lunches like grilled fish, chicken, salads, etc and it was on average around 88′ and sunny so I didn’t have huge appetites during the day. But I suppose my midnight (or later) room service orders counteracted that…. I didn’t work out at all while on the trip but in my defense I did feel like I did a good amount of walking. 😉

Caprese salad

Shrimp cocktail with mango mousse

“Mixed Grill” it was fish, pork, steak, shrimp, veggies

They called this dish “Ham” it was prosciutto, melon and manchego cheese

I didn’t take a picture of the dish “Stewed Pigeon” I tried…..it wasn’t bad.

We traveled to Santo Domingo for a day and it was pretty interesting. Santo Domingo was the first place Christopher Columbus discovered of the new world. We visited a bunch of sites including the church where Columbus’s ashes were brought to, we had to cover our shoulders and legs with shawls to get in. We also had a tour of his family palace that had all their original furniture and belongings still inside. One thing I did notice about the town of Santo Domingo is that the toilets do not have toilet seats. Like for real, it’s just a tank. I thought at first that I must have just encountered a broken toilet but as the day went on I realized that was not the case.

This was taken on the balcony of Christopher Columbus’s family palace, a view of Santo Domingo.

I want to go back already! Actually I want to move there.

Thoughts? Questions? Comments?

❤ Shel

Miss Me?!

Hey all!

I took a little bit of a break from the blog and I also traveled to the Dominican Republic! I will be back to blogging this week! I am still trying to make healthier food changes, trying to not eat fast food and processed foods although I am not perfect. I have Dominican Republic foods to share with you as well as more healthy recipes that I’ve been making!

I was also thinking of doing this:

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