Improve Your Life One Meal at a Time

Day 29

I read this headline in Clean Eating Magazine today... "Improve Your Life One Meal at a Time" It was designed to get people to subscribe to the magazine (which I highly recommend). But, that statement is fairly profound.

Is it really impossible to improve your life one meal at a time?
I think so.

Clara, a BFLspirit.com friend of mine, reminded me today that cleaning up one's diet takes practice. She said she's gone from eating about 80% of her food out of a box/bag to eating about 10% from boxes and bags, which she generally does on her free days. She also told me it took her close to five years to achieve this. I've cleaned up a lot. But, it's comforting to know that I don't have to build "Rome in a day."

 

We are conditioned to get our food from boxes and bags. Sit down on any given night to watch television and you'll be bombarded with commercials encouraging us to simplify our lives with boxed dinners and drive through meals. My years of eating this crap has not made my life easier. In fact, it's made it more difficult. It's more difficult to find clothes that fit...to move around... to get up the stairs... and to look in the mirror.

Some might even say that it's cheaper to eat these foods. Sure, that may be true in the short term from a dollars and cents perspective, but the long terms costs to ourselves cannot be denied. Everyone has to pay up at some point. If you really think about it, it's not that much cheaper in monetary terms either. Plus size clothes cost more than regular size clothes. Life insurance costs more when you're fat. Doctor's visits to combat high cholesterol, high blood pressure, insulin resistence, etc. all add up too.

My grocery bill has gone up some. That said, if I'm worth the splurge of a $5 cup of coffee am I not also worth a few organic apples and 97% lean ground beef? The amount of money we spend dining out has gone way down too. I used to eat out everyday for lunch and we'd eat out for dinner 3-4 times a week. Fast food on Mondays because we were too tired to even think about cooking. Tuesdays at Buffalo Wild Wings. Pizza on Friday night and lunch and dinner out both Saturday and Sunday.We were likely spending a few hundred dollars a week on restaurant meals that did nothing but make me feel bad about myself and increase my waistline.

Besides, I love to cook. Sometimes I don't feel like slaving away in the kitchen. But, I can throw together a healthy pizza just as fast as I can toss a Totinos in the oven. And, I can have pork loin chops, green peas and healthy mashed potatoes on the table in the same amount of time that it takes to drive to McDonalds and back. If time is that much of an issue, I can throw the ingredients for taco soup in the crockpot in less than five minutes before I leave for work. It's ready for me when I get home.

It comes down to choice. It's true Oreos taste Good. Pringles are postively divine. And, bacon! Oh how I love bacon. But, you know when it tastes the best? When it's a "treat" and not an everday occurence. No one says we have to give up everything.

So, yes! I'm improving my life one meal at a time. If 80 percent of those meals are real whole food, then I'm doing just fine. Now that I'm off my soap box, I'll leave you with a recipe for pizza that I'm going to try next week.

Barbecue Chicken Pizza
Courtesy Clean Eating Magazine

INGREDIENTS

• Olive Oil Cooking Spray
• 1 Medium Yellow Onion, sliced (I leave this out. Onions are vile weeds)
• 4 oz. white mushrooms, thinly sliced
• 1/2 medium red bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 1/2 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast, pounded to 1/4 to 1/2 inch thickness and cut into strips (you can also purchase cutlets which are already this size)
• 5 oz can unsalted tomato paste
• 3 Tbsp Apple Cider vinegar
• 1 Tbsp raw organic honey or pure maple syrup (have neither? regular honey will work. But, I don't suggest whipping out the Mrs. Butterworths)
• 1 Tsp onion powder
• 1 Clove minced garlic (more if you love garlic and I do love garlic)
• 1/4 tsp Spanish Paprika (it's sweeter than regular, which is fine if you have it)
• Fresh Ground Black Pepper to taste
• 12 oz whole wheat pizza dough (you can buy a whole wheat pre-made crust if you can't find packaged whole wheat dough)
• 2/3 cup pre-shredded low-fat mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 425
2. Heat a large nonstick or cast-iron skillet over high heat for 1 minute. Reduce heat to medium-low, mist with cooking spray and add onion (yuck). Saute for about 8 mins or until caramelized (ok i might try that... caramelized onions aren't so bad). Add mushrooms. Mist with more cooking spray, if needed, and saute until cooked, about 5 minutes. Add red pepper, saute for 2 more minutes or until just cooked. Remove vegetables from pan. Mist pan with cooking spray, turn heat to medium high and cook chicken strips until golden brown on each side, about 2 to 3 minutes total. (note this is going into the oven, the chicken does NOT need to be fully cooked at this point. If you cook it until it's completely done at this stage, your pizza will be dry).
3. Prepare barbecue sauce: in a medium bowl, whisk together tomato paste, vinegar, honey, onion powder, garlic, paprika and black pepper.
4. Mist a nonstick cookie sheet or pizza pan or pizza stone with cooking spray. Roll dough onto sheet. If dough comes out of package lumpy or uneven, use a rolling pin to thin it. It should be about 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick. Spread barbecue sauce over dough and sprinkle cooked chicken evenly across pizza. Then evenly distribute cooked vegetables, sprinkle mozzarella evenly over top and add oregano. NOTE: if you are using a prepared crust, you can just place it directly on the oven rack as opposed to on a pan.
5. Bake for 15-18 minutes or until cheese is melted and just starting to brown and bubble. Remove from heat and cut into 8 equal slices.

Nutrients per 2 slice serving: Calories: 390, Total Fat: 7g, Sat. Fat: 2g, Carbs: 55g, Fiber: 7g, Sugars: 12 g, Protein: 26g, Sodium: 200 mg, Cholesterol: 40 mg.


Cheers!
Margaret