Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Clean Eating


Like many Americans, the weeks surrounding my Christmas were spent eating, drinking and socializing. And then I went away and ate and drank too much again. It could be the winter "blah's" and lack of vitamin D, but my body is telling me get back on track. So I am.

Starting yesterday I decided I'd cut out all refined sugars (cookies, cake, sugary cereal..) and processed carbohydrates (chips, traditional gf bread, french fries...). And dairy too. I've been eating dairy in small amounts in social situations for a few months now without any instant reactions, but I don't think it's necessarily meant for me in the long run. So that's out too. And then there's alcohol -- sigh. I do love wine. I'm not planning on restricting all of these foods completely from my diet, but just for a week or two to give my liver a bit of a break, and then they'll be incorporated back in small amounts.


So, I'm hoping to chronicle what I've been eating here -- on my food blog. Crazy, huh?

Breakfast Day 1: 1 cup oatmeal w/tablespoon almond butter, green tea & green smoothie (spinach, frozen blueberries, fresh ginger, cucumber)
Lunch Day 1: a whole lot of Mexican chicken soup (recipe below)
Dinner Day 1: a whole lot of sauted veggies (onion, carrot, kale seasoned with salt, red pepper and garlic powder) & a cup of cooked pinto beans

Breakfast Day 2: 1 cup oatmeal with 1 tablespoon sunbutter (tastes amazing on oatmeal), 1 grapefruit & small cup coffee

Before I get to the simplest. recipe. ever. I have to give a shout out to my two healthy eating inspirations: Ricki of Diet, Dessert & Dogs and Melissa of Gluten Free for Good. I have been reading both of their blogs for quite awhile now and their recipes and insight continue to inspire me to eat well and healthfully. Thank you ladies.

This recipe was given to me by my mom who was inspired by Mexican soup she had here at a local IL restaurant. It's good stuff - and perfect for a "blah" day.

Mexican Chicken Soup (gluten-free, dairy-free)

2 quarts of Organic, Low-Sodium Chicken Broth (homemade would be great)
Shredded meat of one small roasted Organic chicken
1 jar of salsa (or fresh salsa would be great here too)
1 bunch of fresh cilantro

Bring the broth to a boil, add the chicken and salsa and simmer for at least ten minutes. Serve in a bowl and garnish with fresh cilantro (this really adds freshness to the dish)

So simple. And so tasty.

8 comments:

Jen said...

Yeah, I need to do this too! :)

Ricki said...

Good for you! And thank you for the shout-out :) Glad the blog can be of help!

This soup does sound incredibly simple, but such a great idea! Who would have thought to combine salsa and broth? Yum!

Cynthia said...

I love your blog! I was GF/CF for many years. Recently I've had to start doing the Specifc Carbohydrate Diet because I never felt better with GF/CF. However, I still love reading your blog and the Green Smoothie sounds delicious! That is actually something I can eat on this new diet so I am going to give it a try. I've been looking for more breakfast ideas. :) Good luck with your clean eating. It looks like you are doing great so far.

Liz said...

Oooh, and mom says add fresh lime juice!

Cynthia -- thank you for the comment :) It sure can be tricky to eat this way, especially in social situations. I hope to read about your journey.

Iris said...

I love how delicious that soup looks and how simple the recipe sounds!

Liz said...

SO simple, Iris! I think it's going to be a recipe I make often.

Brenna Kate Simonds, Living Unveiled said...

I made this soup, and added avocado the first night. The leftovers had a high broth to chicken ratio, so I added pinto beans and bean sprouts. Very good - thanks!

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