Menu Monday - Eating Clean

Last week we started having eating more clean foods. No processed foods. In one week Art lost 6 pounds. It wasn't even a diet. I do get jealous how easy it is for men to lose weight. Art didn't even restrict as much stuff as me and he lost twice as much weight as me. I counted calories and restricted more foods. The nice thing about eating clean is that if you are hungry you just eat something. I tried to limit my calories between 1500-1800. I wasn't super strict on the calories since I am nursing. Some days I ate 1500 and others 1750.  I really noticed a difference in how I felt as far as feeling less bloated, more energy, cravings went away some and less fatigue. I still want some type of sugar each day. I am going to work on cutting that out completely this week. No M&M's or cookies etc. 

Last week I cooked ahead to put food in the fridge for us to heat up. I cooked up some chicken, ground beef, couscous, farro, roasted veggies, cup up fresh veggies. This really helped me make better choices during the day. I have to grab food when I can with a little baby. 

For breakfast I made an egg and a piece of toast. I would have a smoothie as a mid morning snack. Lunch I would have a carb, veggies and protein. Usually I made a bowl of some sort - farro, chicken, and roasted veggies. I would mix it all together, heat it in the microwave and eat it while I fed the baby. It worked out really well. 

I pack breakfast & lunch for Art to take with him each morning. Neither of us eat breakfast at home. We eat once we are at work. It is just much easier for us. We rush around in the morning to get to work and then eat while we check email. Art likes to eat cottage cheese with fruit for breakfast. His lunch I would make him a burrito bowl - couscous, ground beef, lettuce, tomato, sour cream and avocado. I sent cut up fresh veggies and ranch for him to snack on. He came home eat night feeling full instead of starving. One day I made him eggs for breakfast, changed up the lunches with a salad or farro with a protein. 

This week we are going to keep going with the clean eating. I will continue to make the same breakfast for us. Lunches I am planning to make tuna to put on a salad, taco salad (meatless) using beans, brown rice, farro, chicken, roasted - zucchini, onion, brussel sprouts, turnips, yams. I really love farro! 

Dinner:
Burrito Bowls
Chicken & roasted veggies
Steak & sweet potatoes
Cuban Pork Chops, brown rice and a veggie
A lot of places are offering a free meal for Veterans Day, so we will go out for dinner. I told Art we could go to 3 places for each meal on Tuesday to take advantage of all the free stuff. lol 
Breakfast - Starbucks is giving away a free coffee, Krispy Kreme a free donut and small coffee, iHop red, white and blue pancakes. 
Lunch & Dinner - Texas Road House, Hooters, Applebees, Red Robin are all offering free meals or a discount. 

I am going to keep trying to plan ahead with our meals, so we continue to eat healthy and lose weight. Most importantly I want us to eat healthy. I want little George to eat healthy from a young age. My goal is to keep as much processed food away from him as possible. Right now he is getting what I eat, so I need to avoid processed foods.