Enjoying the Holidays without paying for it!

I discussed this topic in my last Food post, and it seemed to suit me well over the holidays! I had a few items I was so excited to eat and savor with my family and friends, it really made the wait worthwhile.

What I have found over the past few years is that if I completely lock the cupboards and don't allow myself any sort of sweets or fats, I end up cracking in a huge way and going way over board. Making the damage much higher than if I had adopted the approach of moderation. There was a time I was so strict with my intake, that I would flip out and buy a baugette and block of cheese and mow it down on a park bench solo! Gone are those days with the slice of cheese here, spoonful of nutella there, just enough of a taste that it will hold me over.

I also have learned to LOVE many different fruits and vegetables. Pears and strawberries are some of the sweetest creations around, and nothing beats a ripe apple with some natural peanut butter on it. Great healthy snack can usually be found in the produce section of the market!

Here's one of my most favorite holiday treats: Brie en Croute!

There are thousands of recipes out there for savory or sweet baked brie. And they are super easy! It is a great cheese because a little goes a long ways! If you invite me to a holiday dinner in 2011, I just might bring one of these along. But until then, I will just research the best recipes for the occasion!

Prepping for the holiday sauces, soups, and sweets!

The holidays tend to stress me out because more than 1 meal quickly gets taken out of my control and spirals into a a mess of empty calories, high fat levels and self-deprication.

Here are a few things I have done this week - yes I know, it is only Tuesday but at least I am trying - to attempt to stay on track!

I made all my usual things. Sundays I usually make a crockpot of oats. Check. I also make a gluten free carb like rice, kasha or quinoa. Check. I chopped all the veggies, grilled tofu and stocked the bin with all the favorite fruits. Just as I would if I was heading to work all day.

Since I have school holidays being a teacher, I am sticking to my normal eating routine and not having any extra goodies close by, so I won't be tempted. I am also thinking ahead to Christmas Eve where we have been invited for a delicious dinner. My thoughts: Don't go big, go moderate. Breads and jams, mashed potatoes and pie will be just fine. I just won't eat a lot of them! Small portions are the best and if I did eat a lot I would feel horrible! My body just wouldn't be used to them!

When I go to these dinners, and I need to bring a dish, I usually opt for a stellar salad. I may splurge and add candied walnuts, but our salads have a reputation for being huge and delicious. Multiple types of lettuce; cherry tomatoes; avocado; craisins; nuts; feta; purple onions with dressing as an option. When I serve up, half my plate is salad and it is filled with nutrients and good fats! Plus it helps fill me up with the good stuff.

So don't worry about getting off your plan. Start thinking ahead now with the challenges you will be faced with and create an exit strategy! And realize all your hard work will pay off and that one meal won't ruin your objectives.

I also think about a dish maybe moms coffee cake or grandmas pumpkin pie. Now those I will eat! Not too much but part of the holidays is sharing, and these important ladies put hard work into making a delicious classic which they know I love. So I plan on enjoying a piece with them and savoring the flavors of Christmas. After I go for my bike ride. :)

A week's worth of food

I thought winter would show up by now, so for the past month or so I have been prepping crockpot food for lunch. But that means I have to heat it up and eat something HOT while I am outside in the HEAT doing lunch duty. It's all good though, because it is delicious!

This week I went for Minestrone Soup - and I was not disappointed! I probably should have let the beans cook a bit longer, but oh well! Being on a Gluten Free option recently, I put rice pasta in, keeping with the theme.

I also cracked and made Gluten Free Cornbread! I wasn't about to make that from scratch however, way too many odd ingredients that I just do not have. A little legwork and research found me Bob's Red Mill and it worked out perfectly!

After an extremely long bike ride, which of course left me totally wasted and starving, this was awesome to come home to! No prep, good calories, REAL food, ready and waiting!

If your nor prepared, you will crack! Or at least I will...

I had the privilage of attending the Redlands Tri Club monthly meeting last night to talk about racing, training, and coaching! Kylie asked me a few questions about my most favorite thing EVER! FOOD! How to stay on track, stave off the wants and callings of the "bad" foods! One of the easiest ways I have found to stay on track is to plan ahead! If I make it half way through the day, and run out of food, I'm running to the teachers lounge or closest Mexican food place for some grub!

This is ALL the food I packed for today! I have 8 hours of work, and 2 hours on the bike, before I get back to home-base. There is no way I will eat ALL of these "snacks" but they will last me through the week. All things that GREW or in there near-virgin form! Nuts, veggies, some hummus along side crockpot black beans, salad, and brown rice.

Now I REALLY do not have any excuses for grabbing the junk food!

Just keep it simple!

Every weekend is pretty much the same. Up before the sun, eat on the run while getting ready to ride or heading to a race. This weekend I had the luxury of racing after 1pm! Although this did force me to miss my 2:30pm coffee encounter, it did allow me to sleep in and eat at a table!

Now people were asking me what in the world i got going on here! It isn't part of any crazy plan or diet, just some of the things that make me feel full and strong and capable of tackling the days duties on the bike!

Of course the best coffee from Stell Coffee!
Then a banana, strawberries, greek yogurt, random granola, and almond milk
On the plate we have egg whites with spinach and feta! YUM! with a side of sliced avocado and cherry tomatoes.

Most of these things I have in stock all the time, everything low on the processing level, natural and simple. The hardest part was getting the egg whites in the pan without any yellows!

So eating a balanced breakfast isnt as hard as it seems! Although an Eggo and a pop tart may be a bit faster, your gonna feel a little bit more satisfied if you take a few minutes, and grab something fresh!

Eat whatever you want! sometimes...

It's Thanksgiving ok, and chances are you could be away from home. And the social faux pas of hiding your lunch cooler under the table and bringing out your pre-made Tupperware oddities, is just too destructive!

Instead, load up on the salad (hopefully the cooks were kind enough to leave the dressing on the side) and search for Clean veggies with a lot of flavor! Find those good cuts of turkey and if they are cooked just right, you wont even need to bother with the gravy! Watch out for those breads and white carbs though, yikes! Looking at potatoes, hopefully there is a yam option that hasn't been bastardized by marshmallows and brown sugar (never understood that one). And trust me, I can make some killer mashed potatoes from scratch, but I would only about 1/4 cup, once a year. What makes things so delicious??? BUTTER! ; )

So don't go into the holiday season about to commit social suicide or create that high level of guilt that will ravage you for days to come, be calm, cool and collected and remember, its JUST ONE MEAL!! That meal alone, will not make you squishy!

YAWN....

WOW...what a blogging snooze-fest this has been! I am even feeling let down! Lame-sauce!

With work/coaching/training all in FULLLLLLLL swing, eating and food prep has become condenscend and sporatic. Both quite bad! I have found a few secrets along the way, that have helped eleviate some of the stress associated with Calories and caloric density when i just can not prepare REAL food!

Pictured here is a meal from Amy's! Awesome stuff! You can find many Organic meals, most are WELL under 300 calories, and if a grain is included such as rice, it is brown or whole wheat! Sodium content is low as well. This one's protein is tofu, but I am pretty sure you can buy them with meat as well. Another GREAT easy meal is one made by Helen's Kitchen!! Excellent stuff! Now I haven't seen many selections of these in the standard grociery stores, but I know here locally Clarkes carries them and I think Vons...YUMMY!!

Dinner salad packed with WOW: Goji berries; avocado; spinach; cherry tomatoes' peppers; papitas and some GOOD cheese....can't go wrong! And you can eat the WHOLE mixing bowl worth of it

Lunch packed with Things That Grew

Grab your favorite veggies! Here we had cucumbers, tomatoes and avocado with a little salt on them. Ezekiel muffins (AWESOME bread selection) with egg and tomatoe with some tofu (or your favorite) cheese! Easy, light, and HEALTHY!! On the side a banana sliced (we figured that weighs in at a whopping 109 calories) plus some fresh strawberries covering 1/2 cup Greek Yogurt! Drizzle some Agave nectar on top and BAM! Dessert!

And for some Delicious Desert on the go?!?!?!?! Trader Joe's PB & J bar. Although a friend said it has POTATO CHIPS in it (erm...i used to put them IN my PBnJ in grade school...) Excellent cap to a long day of work and training with that excellent dark chocolate to cap it off!