It's all about the food

Yes, working out is a huge way I've lost the "huge" about me. But it's the food that really counts in seeing the pounds, and more importantly, the inches drop. During my first round of Tabata bootcamp I paid more attention to the workouts than the food. I lost 11 pounds in that 8 week period. But the second round I made a decision to focus on both the working out AND the eating, and boy did it make a difference.  To date I've dropped 38-40 lbs since starting my healthy journey last summer.

I choose to eat clean, mostly a paleo-esc diet of giving up wheat and dairy in favor of meals that are filled with protein, fruits and veggies.  But where paleo and I differ is I include potatoes and rice into some of my meals. I choose to eat as limited amount of processed foods as I can. If it comes in a box or with a label I tend not to put it in my shopping cart.

That was very difficult in the beginning with my extremely busy lifestyle and very picky taste buds. But, I have come to love my crockpot (this time around - I hated it years ago because everything was a bland, mushy mess). I make a conscious effort to ensure I have a homemade, healthy breakfast every morning, I eat leftovers for lunch of meals I made in the weekend or evenings before, and a super awesome dinner, fresh or leftover, at night. And when I do need to rely on a snack or a meal out, I try to stick as close to clean eating as possible, by knowing every ingredient that goes into my mouth. Yes its time consuming, and yes it can be expensive. But I think my body, my increased sleep, and my mind are worth it. I plan to share some of my awesome recipes as I discover them, and please, PLEASE share yours as well!

For example, one of my favorite meals is beef and broccoli. But getting it from a Chinese Food restaurant can be dangerous. So I crock pot my own.

Ingredients:

2 lbs of grassfed beef roast
1 large head of organic broccoli
1-2 cans of water chestnuts
1/2ish bottle of gluten free teriyaki marinade (should cover the meat)
2 Tbs ground ginger
2 Tbs garlic
1 Tbs chili powder

Cut the meat into smaller chunks and put in crock pot. Add seasoning. Pour in teriyaki sauce until it about covers the meat. Stir everything to make sure meat has good coverage of sauce and all spices are mixed in the teriyaki sauce. Cover, low 5-6 hours depending on preference of meat temperature and doneness.

Prior to serving, steam up broccoli florets and add to crockpot. Also add water chestnuts. Serve over rice. Enjoy!