Cheat meals...and finding a balance...

Yesterday's post hit home with a lot of you.  I had a feeling that it would, as I was pretty sure I'm not the only one who struggles with the devil that is unhealthy, processed, unnatural foods.  Those are the foods that fill voids that no amount of healthy eating could ever fill.

But let's be real.  I can't ever, nor do I ever want to give those foods up.  I don't ever want to deprive myself too much.  Life is too short and you only live once, so indulging every once and awhile never hurt anyone.  BUT you have to find a balance between going crazy one way or the other.

That said, although I do love me some greasy, cheesy, nacho cheese sauce covered tex-mex and a big 'ol margarita on the side to wash it all down, followed by a Sonic shake for dessert, (like I said, #innerfatgirl) I only allow myself that type of meal twice a week.  Usually for the weekends when we go out.

So, what do I do about all 20 some meals + snacks the other days of the week?  Well, y'all asked pretty much the same thing yesterday when it came to your questions about my "clean" eating.  You wanted to know what a typical day of meals looks like for me when I'm eating clean.

Now, I probably should have prefaced that "clean eating" statement with the fact that I'm no expert.  And my idea of "clean" isn't anywhere near where it should be, but it's more of a loose term I use when I say that I am eating healthy. I'm a real person, not a machine that scours the aisles at Whole Foods for the all organic, natural food items that make something clean.  That said, when you look at this example of my meal plan, you are probably going to be saying "is that really considered clean?"  And the answer probably isn't yes...but it's a healthier alternative to a lot of crap that is out there!

So, without rambling anymore, here is a look into a typical day of Jenna's "clean eating":

7:30 a.m.: Breakfast ~ Peanut Butter Oatmeal

 10:00 a.m.: Snack #1 ~ Chocolate Covered Strawberry Protein Shake

12:30 p.m.: Lunch ~ Mexican Baked Sweet Potato

3:00 p.m.: Snack #2 ~ Peanut Butter Banana Roll-Up

5:30 p.m.: Dinner ~ Chicken Tortilla Soup

6:30 p.m.: Dessert ~ Chocolate Covered Strawberries and Pineapple

This stuff is amazing.  Walden Farms Chocolate Syrup.  Calorie Free, fat free.  I find it in the Health food section at my local grocery store.  They also have caramel and blueberry and maple syrup flavors.  It is delish!

You already know of my love for these bad boys...

I just pour some frozen pineapple and strawberries into a bowl and drizzle them with that delicious chocolate syrup.  It totally hits my sweet tooth, while filling me up and not making me feel guilty!  Plus, since the fruit is frozen, it takes me longer to eat it, which is always a bonus when eating...the slower you eat, the faster you become full.  It's quite the concept!

So that's it.  A typical menu of my "clean eating" days.  Honestly, I could have added a million other recipes to this post, which would have made it a mile long, so I just chose one of my favorite days.  Not only are these meals super yummy, they are super easy and fast to whip up.  Easy is key when it comes to eating healthy.  If you just do a google or Pinterest search for "Easy Clean Eating Recipes" you will likely find thousands of recipes.  That is typically where I get a lot of my ideas.

If you have any other questions, please feel free to email me (schabenj@gmail.com) and I will answer them specifically to you!

Until next time...