I Can If I Want

My last post "My Relationship with Food" was about my freedom from food. My plan is to stop eliminating almost all food groups and to start incorporating foods back into my eating habits that I haven't eaten in YEARS to see how my body reacts.

No more diets, just me eating healthy food choices 
and enjoying occasional treats without guilt
http://freedombeautyhappiness.com/222/

Since it has only been a few days since my mind shift and eating habits happened I know it will take longer to really see how things are progressing for me, but a lot has already changed and I wanted to update everyone.  After that blog post, I gave myself permission to eat. To live my life and enjoy. To not stress over every single food option. To not panic at the thought of eating out. To not freak out if I ate too much. To not listen to everyone else tell me what I should or should not be eating. I went to bed that night with those last thoughts. I woke up Saturday morning and the only word I could use to describe my feeling in that moment is FREEDOM. I was free; from myself, judgment, criticism, fear of failure, stress of eating, and the feeling of lacking.

For a brief moment this is exactly how I felt,
but then I remembered it's not just weight loss, but my health

I also decided that to keep myself still in check a little, I would start tracking again on myfitnesspal. So I made my goal any where between 1200-1300 calories and I added carbs back into my calculations. I had a delicious breakfast and then went off shopping. I felt giddy almost at this fresh start. Later that day at my parent's house I enjoyed some yummy food...nope I didn't everything in site but I did enjoy every piece that went into my mouth and enjoyed having energy to run around outside and play with my nieces, it was finally a nice spring day outside.

I had energy!
First time in a long time I wasn't being Aunt Cin, the lump on the couch taking a nap
I can't wait for more days like this

Sunday was brunch in the morning with a girlfriend of mine, we try to meet once a month to always keep updated and just laugh like school girls. There I was with the menu in my hands, thinking well I gave myself permission, I can eat anything on this menu I want. Drum roll....what did I get......2 eggs overeasy with a side of veggies and some bacon. I didn't feel deprived at all. It was so yummy and I picked it because that is what I wanted and I knew I would feel good after eating it.

Sunday afternoon I ended up spending the day with the man in my life and his 9 year old son. The time flew!! I didn't even realize how long it had been since I last ate anything because we were running around having a blast. Then, it happened, as I was running around with the 9 year old, his dad said I ordered a pizza for dinner should be here in 45 minutes.  Ummm, ut oh. I haven't had pizza in over 2 years. It was a forbidden food. Should I ask him to call back and order me a salad with dressing on the side by only oil and vinegar because who knows what is in the other dressings? Should I just say I am not hungry and starve? Those thoughts quickly went through my mind as if I was programmed to think like that. Then they went away, I felt an instant calm and thought just enjoy it. Have a slice of pizza, not the entire pie, but a slice. Not every day, but tonight is okay. The pizza arrived. I may have actually been drooling at the smell of it. He ordered a Hawaiian pizza (his son's favorite). There I was pizza to lips, I could hear my mom saying, don't do it. I could hear years of my own training saying are you CRAZY women it's PIZZA!  I did it, I took a bite of the pizza and smiled. I looked over to the 9 year old who said isn't it delicious with a huge smile on his face and I couldn't have agreed more. I had 2 slices of pizza and appreciated and loved every bite of it. I was stuffed for the rest of the night and slept better than I have in ages. I know the pizza didn't cause me to sleep better, but I didn't feel bad or stressed or deprived at all. I felt good, I had an amazing wonderful day that included pizza.

Shout out to my blog friend Gwen who writes The Sunny Coconut . She recently wrote a post called S Foods; it was about how everyone's body reacts different to different foods. I highly recommend checking it out, I enjoyed reading it and completely agree!!  I know I will never be able to eat a couple of chips and put the bag away, but I can eat a piece of chocolate and be satisfied. What are your trigger foods that you avoid?

Excellent Egg Muffins

As you know, I love eggs! They can be cooked so many different ways, combined with different foods, and so filling. 

I started back at my gym this week, which feels painful and wonderful at the same time, and I wanted to try switching up my pre-workout snacks. I was looking for something full of good protein and fat, not too high in calories, and of course low carb. One of the trainers I was talking to suggested making egg muffins. Egg muffins!  Why didn't I think of that. They are so easy to make and I can stick a couple in a zipblock bag to take with me. Off I went food shopping...

Ingredients: 

(Makes 12 muffins)

10 eggs

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

6-7 Broccoli florets

Salt

Pepper

Cooking Spray

Egg muffin ingredients; eggs, broccoli, cheese...sounds easy, because it is!

** You can use whatever cheese you like, and also add in any type of vegetable. I think next time I am going to try it with bacon added in. YUM! **

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and spray the muffin tin with the cooking spray. 

Crack all 10 eggs in bowl. I like to crack the eggs first just in case some shells sneak past me I can get them out easier. 

Cracking the eggs and trying to not get any shells slip past me

Mix the eggs up and then it's time to add the 1 cup of cheese (add more or less to your tasting).

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese added to the mixture

Since I am not the most professional or technical I just took a couple of broccoli florets and broke them apart with my fingers, it was quick and easy. Then just add your salt and pepper to taste.

Broccoli adds another level of nutrition and deliciousness

I used a 1/4 cup measuring spoon to make sure each muffin tin received the same amount of the mixture, it also helped me when figuring out the nutritional properties to enter into myfitnesspal. 

By using the measuring cup I knew exactly how much mixture
was going in each tin

Ready for the oven!

I set my timer for 15 minutes and was very excited to see how they turned out. Light and fluffy and delicious!!

Low calories, low carb, highly delicious egg muffins!

I love how easy they are to store!

These are an easy to store and quick to grab and go snack idea

I will definitely be making these again, just as soon I finish this first batch! 

Easy Cheesy Burger Pie

There are some foods that get you right down to your soul. You eat them and they make you happy and warm inside. My mom would make this dish for us growing up that she called meatloaf. It wasn't until years later when I tried someone else's meatloaf that I realized my mom's dish was not meatloaf, but a million times better. My sister renamed the dish cheesy burger pie, after you read the rest of this post you will understand why.

When I started playing around in the kitchen I wanted to get a few dishes under my belt that I knew I could make, and make well, before really trying out different recipes. I turned to my mom who taught me how to make her delicious, low carb, mouth watering, cheesy burger pie. I could not believe how easy it was to make.

Very few ingredients, BIG time taste!

Ingredients:
3-4 lbs ground beef
** I prefer to use 80% lean ground beef (I like a little fat) **

3 eggs
Shredded mozzarella cheese
** You can use your favorite cheese if you don't like mozzarella **

Salt and pepper to taste

Yup that's all it takes. I know it doesn't sound like much and if you are someone who needs a lot of spices and kick to your meals I am sure you can adjust it to taste the way you love. Me I love the cheese and meat combination flavors and I don't need much else.

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.

Spray a  9 x 13 baking dish with Pam or something so the meat doesn't stick to it.  I also like to put that on top of an aluminum foiled baking sheet just in case it splatters at all the baking dish will catch it and not my oven.

Crack 3 eggs into mixing bowl.
I do this first just in case any shells get away from me

Add mozzarella cheese
When it comes to the cheese, I don't have an exact measurement.
I put in as much I want. So I will leave that to your preference. 

Time to add the meat
Mix everything together.
I use my (clean) hands to get everything good and mixed

Get ready for a delicious low carb and tasty meal

Transfer the meat mixture to the baking dish and flatten out as best you can. Put additional cheese on top of the meat and stick in the oven for about 60 minutes.

Flatten meat mixture in a 9 x 13 baking dish

Add extra yummy cheese on top

About halfway through cooking, check it and see if the cheese on top is starting to get crispy. You don't want it to burn too much, a way to avoid this is to put tinfoil over the top for the remainder of cooking.

Let the drooling begin!
One taste of my cheesy burger pie and your taste buds and heart will be hooked

I love to let it cool off a little and then dig in! You will be hooked. Good thing it is so easy to make, because I make it often.

I hope you and everyone you share this with enjoys my favorite cheesy burger pie.

mmm beef, cheese, side salad and  lot of delicious flavor!

Bring on the Filling Healthy Food

I wanted to share some new favorite food finds for the week. Last I told you I was going to try and incorporate some more protein and healthy fats into my daily menu. After shopping and talking with my mom I got some ideas and decided to try them out. I know it's only been a few days, but what I can tell you is I have way more energy than I have had in weeks and my thoughts aren't always about food and what will I eat next. Instead I have been able to concentrate more, I am working out after work and tonight I even went shopping with my dad to Sports Authority. He was helping me find a new belt to hold all my stuff when I go for walks.

Let's talk breakfast. I love eggs, cooked all different ways. Lately I have been enjoying them cooked overeasy, mine usually come out somewhere between overeasy and overmessy, but still taste just as yummy. To add extra protein and healthy goodness I added some shrimp on the side; and for my veggie fix I cut up half a zucchini, cooked it in coconut oil with garlic, salt, and pepper. DELICIOUS!! And very filling.

Eggs overmessy (Cindy style), shrimp, zucchini cooked in coconut oil

My next idea was for snack time before the gym. I really don't like going to gym and feeling like I have no energy or halfway through I am starving. I also needed to find something that I could eat at my desk at work. I took some romaine lettuce, spread spicy mustard, added Boar's Head Turkey (less process and no nitrates like other lunch meat) and Colby-Jack cheese. It was so filling and delicious. I used 3 oz of the turkey and 1 slice of cheese cut up. It was surprising how many lettuce rolls you can make with all that.

Easy and healthy snack idea for work

Lettuce, turkey and cheese rolls

I can definitely get used to eating this way and on a lighter note, my pants aren't suffocating me when I button them. WOOHOO! 

Feel free to share any other food finds that might help me along my food and health journey and I hope you like my food finds if you decide to give them a try. More to come....

Family Brunch

Happy Father's Day! I hope everyone had a fun filled day whether you were celebrating with your family or doing something else.

I decided to start the day off right, I went for a 4 mile walk with my headphones on and my energy high. My mom let me know halfway through that we would be celebrating the day over brunch. Okay I admit I was a little frustrated, my breakfast is my favorite part of my day and my routine after my walks is just as much enjoyable. After I was done with my walk, stretching, shower, and yes pouting I decided to not let it stop me from having a great time and off I went to my parent's house.

My mom was already cooking away in the kitchen and it smelled amazing! The good thing is my mom and I are really big into lower carbs/more protein meals. She was making eggs, bacon, sprinkle pancakes and even picked up a delicious fruit bowl. I was feeling pretty secure I could make it through this brunch and not completely blow my eating for the day.

But then it hit me, the growling stomach, I hadn't eaten since my walk and I was starving!! Okay Cindy remain calm, do not reach for the sprinkle pancakes. I reached for some fruit instead. Soon my growling calmed down and I found it was actually easier than I thought to not indulge in sprinkle pancakes, in fact, I didn't even want them. Now that was a very good feeling and I was feeling pretty proud of myself. I may have overindulged a bit with the grapes and blueberries, but I like to think that was better than indulging in pancakes and later cake.

We had a fun day and I'm guessing my dad did too, when I was leaving he was out cold in his recliner snoozing away, and I'm pretty sure there was a smile on his face.

I'm really thankful my family, especially my mom, respects my food choices and always has something yummy for me on hand. I can't even tell you the last time I saw my mom buy a fruit bowl, but it was absolutely a lifesaver for me today and I think she will be getting them again for future fun family events!!

Cindy