June “Clean Eating” Challenge: What do I eat!?

Since my last post, I have received some great feedback on people interested in my June Challenge. Which makes me ecstatically happy!

The first and most frequently asked question is, “what the heck can I eat?” I know limited your intake of processed foods, sugar and flour seems like you are left with no options, but it is not true in the least! You can still enjoy the foods you love, just perhaps prepared in a different way.

With Summer unofficially here, fruits and veggies are in season, grill are out, fresh light food is easy to come by. All you have to do is omit the junk.

So, I thought I’d help all of you out by offering up some clean and delicious recipes and snack ideas. I promise you it is not as hard as you think and you will feel and see the rewards even in one month:

Breakfast

Oatmeal: I usually make a cup of organic quick oats with fat free milk, a few shakes of cinnamon, a bit of vanilla extract and fill that bad boy up with banana and berries. This keeps you full for a LONG time. I usually don’t feel like I need to eat again for at least 4 hours.

Eggs: Anyway you want ’em. Have some eggs! Full of protein, it will keep you plugging along through your day. If you want to get fancy, add a bit of cheese and heaping amounts of veggies. I personally love spinach and tomatoes. And keep those egg yokes in!

Greek Yogurt: 0% plain greek yogurt has about as much protein as an egg and with 0% fat, how can you go wrong? Some don’t love how tart the yogurt is, so try sweetening it up with some homemade fruit puree ( add some very ripe fruit to a food processor with a bit of coconut water to get it moving ) vanilla extract, cinnamon and other spices.

Lunch

Grilled Chicken and Veggies: This is self explanatory and it doesn’t have to be chicken. I personally am getting a bit tired of the same ol’ chicken, but it is crucially important to maintain high amount of protein this month, especially if you are exercising frequently. Add what ever protein of your choosing. This is an easy meal to throw together at the beginning of the week and split it up for lunch.

Soup: I know, soup in summer? Am I nuts? Maybe, but I love me a good soup any time of year. It is filling and unless you are eating it outside at noon in July, you won’t suffer. Add a salad and make it an extra hearty meal. Try using your slow cooker for the soups. It is a time saver and don’t we all want to save time? I love this Split Pea Soup Recipe.

PB&B: While I am omitting flour and some of you are planning to as well, you can still have bread. What? Game changer? Thought so. If you are new to this clean eating this, Ezikiel Bread will be your best friend. It is bread made out of sprouted grains. Some find it a little to hearty for their tastes but I love it, especially with some all natural nut butter. You can find Eziekel Bread in the frozen section of your health food store. I add sliced bananas to this for some added protein and as an athlete and runner, bananas keep me going. Ezikiel Bread also makes wraps and english muffins. All wonderful!

Dinner

Kabobs: The other night I made some kabobs with beef marinated in clean BBQ sauce, peppers, tomatoes and onion. Since we unfortunately dont’ have a grill nor the outdoor space to put one, I threw them in the oven for a half an hour and it was AWESOME. The perfect Summer dinner

Roasted Sausage and Veggies: Sausage is tricky to find clean. You really gotta read the ingredients, they love putting sugar in there. It is available though, I opt for the chicken sausages to make it leaner. Chop up whatever veggies you enjoy and some chopped potatoes, sprinkle with some olive oil, salt and pepper and let the magic happen in the oven for about 45 mins.

Stir Fry: This is my go to meal when I’m low on time. Grab some beef stir fry strips at the market and some broccoli and bok choy. Mince 3 cloves of garlic, heat some oil in a pan, throw in the garlic and cook the beef about 2 mins. Set the beef aside, add some minced shallots and cook down your veggies so the bok choy are slighted wilted and the broccoli is still crisp. Add reduced sodium soy sauce, throw the beef back in, top with some fresh ground ginger and you are good to go! You can serve with brown rice or, if you have some time, try this fantastic Cauliflower Fried Rice.

Snacks

Nuts, any nuts!

Raisins

Rice cakes with nut butter

Veggies and Hummus

LaraBars

As we all continue on this journey, I’ll be here to help. Just send me an email with any questions and keep checking the blog for helpful tips and receipes. You can do it!!!

And just a reminder, I’m still hoping for some more donations for my GoFundMe account to get me started on my yoga teacher training/fitness training journey. Any help and love you can send me would be greatly appreciated!

Namaste!