Food for a day. By Amanda Rice

Hey everyone! I was told today that I am looking thinner and great!  Just like any woman, that was sweet music to my ears!  If you know me, you know I am a mother to a 17 month old.  And like most mommy's I still have some unwanted fat on my body.  Who am I kidding, even women without kids can relate to that right?  Then I'm asked "How did you do it?" or "What do you eat all day?".   Well to make it easy, I'll just tell you what I ate today.  How's that? This is an example of my daily life. 

I'll start by telling you that currently, right now at 8:36 p.m., I am thoroughly enjoying some raw pecans, 70% cacao chocolate chips and dried cranberries.  This is a fantastic and healthy snack.  I eat this throughout the day as well.  Now, in moderation people! I'm having like 10 chocolate chips, 10-15 cranberries and about 10 pecans, about twice daily.  You can still have these sweet treats in doses.

Anyhow.  I started today with a bowl of plain, non-fat Greek yogurt with apple skins(because Sophie snatches my apple), and pecans.

Pretty delicious photo right?  Now, a lot of people can't take the tart taste of plain Greek yogurt, and I get that.  However, the options available that are flavored do contain some "not so clean" ingredients.  A lot of them have hidden nasty sweeteners.  So, with that said, I encourage you to buy the plain and sweeten it yourself with some good ole raw honey. Please? ok thanks!

Ok.  That's breakfast.  Usually about two or so hours later I will have either a couple of oat chocolate chip cookies (check my previous blog for recipe) or maybe a piece of fruit. 

For lunch today, I had leftover lasagna that I made on Sunday.  Again, I will remind you that that glorious lasagna is under 180 calories per serving.  And it's a healthy amount too. I'd say about 6 inches long and 3 inches wide are the measurements of the portion I eat. Yes, 180 calories!
(check previous blog for that recipe!)

Now for dinner, I made us a big hearty veggie plate(like most nights).  Tonight's consisted of sautéed purple cabbage, fresh green beans, broccoli, quinoa, caramelized onions and two eggrolls.  This entire meal comes up to be about 400 calories and no fats.

Make cooking easy on yourself.  Throw all that you can in one pan! 
I happen to have this huge non-stick pan that my lovely parents got me for Christmas one year. I use it so much!!  I sautéed these veggies for about 10-15 minutes with just a tablespoon of sunflower oil. Easy breezy people! I season them with garlic powder and a dash of salt. 
 

 

Nothing fancy.  Just a good veggie plate with some quinoa and a tablespoon of red chili sauce to dip my eggrolls in.

 

I know there's nothing fancy about this blog post.  I just wanted to simply state that this is what a day of food looks like for me.  Again, I make the cookies that I posted above to snack on.  I eat about 3 a day.  I also make hummus and eat it with veggies if I need a snack.  But after calculating before I began this post, I consume about 1200 calories a day.  I am not hungry.  In those 1200 calories, I maximize every single one of them by eating whole foods.  No empty calories.  Just eat food that will fill you up and keep you full longer!  It's really that simple.  Honestly, it's all about dedication and knowledge about the foods you are putting into your body.  There is a lot of truth to the statement, "You are what you eat".  We truly are!

Thanks everyone for your support! This blog is so much fun for me.  Since becoming a mom, I have been so wrapped up in focusing all of my attention on Sophie, which is great!! But it is nice to have something that is just MINE! And I really appreciate you all taking the time to make a girl feel special and reading it.  Cheers! Amanda