Eating Differences

I can tell people think I’m crazy when they discover that, generally speaking, I cook 2 meals every night. I don’t impose my dietary beliefs on my family (yet!), and so every night at the Fischer house 2 meals are served. That’s usually when I hear, “I could never do that!” It floors most women because let’s face it – that’s the worse part of our day, at least for the mortal mom. We can manage our way through any temper tantrum, come up with 100 ways to use a popsicle stick, conduct the most interesting science experiment in our backyard, and power our way through any work task with grace, but dinnertime is the monster that most often defeats us. Well, it’s easier than even I thought it would be to do this and I’ve only been cooking for the past 18 months.

I thought sharing one of my weekly menus would show how easy it really is.

Monday
Family:
Spaghetti with ground beef, marinara
Salad*
Bread

Me:
Spaghetti squash (cooked in microwave for 7 minutes) with marinara and chicken breast
Salad*
*Prep enough salad to store in Ziploc with wet paper towel for next few days.

Tuesday
Family:
Pizza (frozen not homeade)

Me: Chicken breast
Rice* with sautéed veggies
Salad
*Make 2-4 cups of rice for lunches during the week.

Wednesday
Family:
Chunky bean and chicken chili (everyone in my family loves this BH&G recipe and my
husband hates chicken typically)
Asparagus

Me:
Chunky bean and chicken chili
Asparagus

Thursday
Family:
Heavenly Ham Casserole (Crock pot recipe)
Bread
Edamame

Me:
Baked salmon filet
Quinoa with black beans* topped with avocado
Mango-jicama salad with cilantro dressing*
*Since this is a crock pot day, I make a batch of these recipes that will last me for lunch or other dinners in the week to come.

Friday
Family:
Breakfast night (pancakes, bacon, eggs, grits)

Me:
Something egg based like breakfast burritos with corn tortillas or omelette with spinach
and mushrooms, grits with sea salt and vegan butter

Saturday
Family:
Leftovers

Me:
Leftovers

Sunday
Family:
Steak
Baked sweet potatoes
Edamame

Me:
Baked tilapia
Baked sweet potatoes
Edamame

What are some of your tips and tricks if you eat differently than your family? Would love to hear everyone's ideas...

Benefits of Eating God's Way

It’s been a little over a month since I committed myself to a more nutritional diet. And when I say diet, I don’t mean a crash diet to reach a number on the scale or a certain size dress or in hopes to put on a bikini this summer (my kids ensured I would never wear a bikini again!). I mean a lifestyle committed to my God and His temple that was fearfully and wonderfully made. So my general rules are to eat whole foods or minimally processed foods, as well as eliminate certain other foods as follows:

:: No red meat, pork, or shellfish
:: No hydrogenated oils
:: No gluten
:: Limited dairy
:: No white sugar (although I do put a bit of raw sugar in my coffee in the morning –does that count? I don’t know.)

So what have I noticed in the last month?

First and foremost, more energy! Before my new eating habits, I drank coffee all day long, and not because I necessarily enjoyed it but because I felt like I needed it to get through the next hour. Now I barely drink a cup in the morning.

As a direct result from more energy is more productivity. I have actually stayed caught up on household chores in the midst of a busy time of year with my side business as a CPA. The fridge has stayed stocked, menu planning has been more successful and my house is more organized… so far anyway.

I’ve noticed other things as well. Like I went out and ran a 5k without training and posted a time akin to my pre-pregnancy splits. My skin is clearer, more radiant. (This according to my husband who barely notices when I get my hair cut!) My body feels good, like it is in synch, and I’ve dropped at least a size, if not 2. I don’t feel bogged down, which I believe is a direct result of purging gluten from my diet. My head is clear, focused. My mood is more stable. I feel like I am a better wife and better mother because I’m taking care of myself which allows me to take care of my family.

But above all, I am closer to my God. I have had to rely on Him every step of this journey. There have been so many times the scent of foods I once devoured have been overwhelming and it was His strength that kept me from them. Believe you me! This post is not to boast in my own strength! This well-fed, wife of a chef, girl with southern roots is WEAK and could not under any circumstances make these sacrifices without some serious Divine Intervention!

And notice something? I haven’t even integrated a real exercise routine yet! That’s when the real toxin flushing begins! This was just about prepping my body to start training for the Bolder Boulder again. Oh, have I learned the importance of nutrition! Even when I ran 30+ miles a week, I figured I could eat whatever I wanted because I was working out so much. But does that amount of exercise make a body healthier? Not necessarily. You can run until Jesus returns, but if you are putting garbage in, you will eventually get garbage out – cancer, heart disease, diabetes. Oh, the hours I wasted at the gym and on the trails because I didn’t start with the proper nutrition!

Lord, please help us all choose the right foods for Your temple. Please give us the wisdom and discernment to know what is from You and what has been altered by man. Our heart’s desire is to glorify You in all we do, starting with Your temple. May you grant us a willing spirit to sustain us and a will power to say no to what we once could only say yes to! It is in the precious and powerful name of Jesus Christ we ask these things. Amen.

Dear Diary...

So for about the last month, I have been keeping a daily diary,… or more like a log. In it, I write any exercise I did that day and what I ate at each meal. And I have found that over the last week, I haven’t been writing it down and… you guessed it! I haven’t been as good at sticking to my guns! Accountability is one of the most effective ways to stay on course for me. The other most effective way for me to stay on course is to be prepared. It’s easy to desire to eat well but much more difficult to put it into action when the hunger monster attacks with chocolate in the pantry, leftover pasta in the fridge and an otherwise low food supply.

When I started this blog, I thought it would be much more about exercise than nutrition, and perhaps as the Bolder Boulder approaches and the warmer months grace us with their presence it will be. But right now, God is showing me the importance of what goes in His temple, the importance of preparation. After all, we eat 3 or more times a day and only exercise 3 or so times a week. So focusing on exercise before nutrition is like putting the cart before the horse. Nutrition will carry us through all of our daily demands. I'm a different mother entirely when my blood sugar is low!

So, this week, I am going to spend some considerable effort making sure I am prepped up in the kitchen. Keeping in mind that I would love to keep my weekly grocery bill under $125, I menu plan and shop to TRY to fit this budget. Places like Sprouts give me a tremendous bang for my buck and a little elbow grease saves more than a few pennies as well. Here is my plan for the week:

1. Fruit, veggies and more fruit and veggies: I read an article that suggests having a fruit bowl or tray on the counter filled with enough servings of fruit for the week for each person in the family, to the extent it will keep. Good idea! It all starts with having the right food in the house. For our family (me, 2 kids and a husband that barely eats fruit), our list of fruits and veggies for the week include:
:: 5-7 mangoes
:: 2 bunches of bananas
:: 4-6 kiwi
:: 7 avocadoes
:: 3 lbs. apples
:: Bag of Clementine oranges
:: Bag of red grapes
:: 2 lbs. strawberries, 1 lb blueberries
:: Broccoli (fresh) – 2 dinners
:: Asparagus (fresh) – 2 dinners
:: Edamame (frozen) – 2 dinners
:: Spaghetti squash – 2 dinners (I eat this instead of spaghetti noodles on spaghetti night, then serve also as veggie for 1 family dinner)
:: 3-5 sweet potatoes
:: Bag of onions
:: 1 lb. package whole mushrooms
:: 3 medium jicama
:: 2 – 3 lbs spinach, 2 heads lettuce, 2-3 bunches romaine
:: 3 cucumbers
:: Carrots, radishes, green onions
:: I’ve probably missed something… I always do!

2. Keep tossed salad ready to go in the fridge. I can chop up 3 bunches of romaine with about 3 cucumbers, some carrots and some radishes and pack in a Ziploc bag with a wet paper towel, and it will keep for about 5 days. It’s a quick, easy base to build on for a salad meal or simple enough for a quick, green side.

3. Make a batch of Cilantro dressing for salads and for 4 below.

4. Make a batch of Mango-Jicama Salad.

5. Hard boil ½ dozen eggs to keep as quick protein snacks in the fridge.

6. Cook off about 4-6 cups of brown rice, packaged in one portion servings. Then all I have to do is sauté my veggies (spinach, mushroom, onion, peppers, broccoli, snow peas, etc.), microwave the rice and mix together.

7. Make a batch of Quinoa and Black Beans as another whole grain option. I top with avocado for lunch or serve as a side for dinner with salmon or diced chicken.

8. Make a batch of steel cut oats with fruit for breakfast during the week. Still searching recipes.

I’ll let you know how I did next week… I’d love to hear some of your tricks in the kitchen to save time, keep within your budget and stay healthy!

Is There a Nutritionist in the House?

There are so many opinions out there as to what we need to put in our bodies and not put in our bodies, what causes cancer and what cures cancer, what makes us fat and what doesn’t! What scientists told us was bad for us 10 years ago is suddenly good for us today or vice versa. It’s mind boggling!

I believe in simplicity. I don’t believe in research, I believe in my God. So, if God made it, it’s probably good for you. But, God made a lot of things that are good for us so there are still a lot of choices to make in one grocery trip! I’m not a nutritionist, but I have done my own investigative work and discovered a list of what some call the Superfoods. Superfoods are those packed with multiple vitamins and minerals and are the most beneficial to the body. And you’ll probably notice something – a lot of these foods are located in a grocery store’s perimeter… what a time saver!!!! These are just my thoughts… I would love to hear yours!

Superfoods and other good stuff
-Black beans (and other legumes)
-Blueberries (and other berries)
-Green veggies like broccoli, asparagus, and Brussels sprouts as well as crucifer veggies like cauliflower.
-Chocolate!!! Dark chocolate is best. Nutritionists say Dove’s processing preserves nutrients best.
-Oats – the less processed the better. For the gluten free ladies in the house, you’ll get the same benefits from beans and lentils as well as apples.
-Onions (raw is best) as well as garlic, shallots, leeks, green onions and chives.
-Salmon (and other Omega-3 rich fish like tuna). Of the 5 types of salmon, King salmon are richest in Omega-3.
-Soy such as tofu, Edamame beans, soymilk just to name a few.
-Dark, leafy greens like spinach and kale
-Sweet potatoes as well as carrots, butternut squash and orange bell peppers.
-Tomatoes
-Turkey
-Nuts (walnuts and almonds are at the top of the list)
-Avacado
-Red wine, green tea and black tea
-Yogurt (watch out for the sugar-packed varieties!)
-Eggs (keep hard boiled eggs in the fridge for hunger attacks – they keep for 7 days after boiling)
-Use sea salt instead of table salt
-And the best for last, WATER, WATER, WATER and more WATER! The more you exercise the more you need!

Sugar substitutions
Use cinnamon, honey or agave nectar instead of white sugar. And whatever you do, avoid artificial sweetener!!! By definition, this one should be obvious but you can find it in the most unexpected places. Most of the mainstream brands of yogurt labeled “light” have artificial sweetener.

A note about oil...
Extra virgin olive oil for cooking and nut oils for salad dressings are best. Avoid hydrogenated oils!!! Here’s the lowdown – fully and partially hydrogenated oils have been altered by man by adding a hydrogen atom and thus making the molecules unrecognizable to the human body. Why do manufacturers add this molecule? It extends the shelf life. Read the ingredients not the trans-fat content. And just know that the more processed the food, the more likely it is to have hydrogenated oils.

Pray for wisdom and will power. Don't throw everything in your pantry away and start over. Make small changes - replace one bad food with one good food each day. What is working for you? What recipes do you have that incorporate some of these foods? Let's encourage and help each other!

"And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together,... but let us encourage one another..." (Hebrews 10:24-25)