Keeping TRUE...

So, one area that I have been wanting to stay TRUE about is my health. I really got it together towards the end of 2009. Lost enough to start feeling like it was something that I could at least work on - that it IS possible to start losing weight and moving and feeling good again.
It's no secret that I like to eat. I am not even afraid to say it. I do love food, I love cooking, I love feeding others and sharing from my kitchen...but in being TRUE... I also know that I love looking and feeling good more than I love food.
I've been reading a lot about the Paleo or Primal way of eating. Some people think that it's the same as Atkins, but it really isn't. It's so much more, but I am not going to get into all of that right now. Think of all the "bad stuff" we aren't indulging on anymore.
For this post, I just want to share some of the low-carb dinners I've had recently. My lunches and breakfasts have been amazing as well. I KNOW that this is healthier. I am not afraid of meat. I have been eating more vegetables than I have in a long time...and a beautiful variety at that! Fruit? We love fruit! I don't eat as many grapes in one sitting, but we have them. Oh, by the way...my hubby and my two oldest girls are in it with me as well. I have totally re-vamped our pantry.
Well, let's take a look at some of the beef dishes...

Here is some roast beef that was cooked in the crock pot, with steamed cabbage and instead of mashed POTATOES...mashed CAULIFLOWER!!! Yes! Everybody (including the kids) loved it. Plenty of beef broth or "au jus" as gravy....big hit.

Instead of carne asada tacos, we had carne asada lettuce wraps. Side of avocado for those that care to have it, romaine lettuce and monterey jack cheese. Salsa verde or green salsa to top!

There was a great sale at the market on good steak (I rarely buy it 'cause it's too much for a family of 6)....anyway, I had also purchased a little bit of mussels and a bag of raw frozen shrimp as a "go to". Here we have grilled steak (seasoned perfectly), garlic butter shrimp scampi and some mussels steamed in white wine/garlic/pesto sauce. We ate those like an appetizer. Oh, and the sauteed zucchini was to die for!

The two older girls were out the night I served this. I had two of the steaks left and had Marco grill them. He opted out of the brussel sprouts and had a big salad, but after tasting one of these....yeah. He was all in my business.

Grilled steak with steamed brussel sprouts with butter and shredded cheese. LOVED this!!

Well, maybe I will post some chicken meals soon and then fish...sounds good, eh? Along with exercising, we are seeing the pounds drop...not melt away....we are working hard at this, but I am really hoping to keep it real. You know how I do, I want to be TRUE! =]

My version of the CPK Lettuce Wraps...

So, as some of you know...I've been trying to lose some weight, get in shape, get healthy...you get the idea. Well, I've never been able to go to Weight Watchers or anything like that where you learn to count calories, points...whatever.
The only thing I understand is low-carb. Now before any of you start screaming...don't worry. I am not stuffing my gob with high fat meats and cheese and Diet Coke.
I occasionally eat salad, too. LOL Just kidding.
Anyway, here is a meal that I came up with that reminds me of the lettuce wraps at California Pizza Kitchen. Have you ever tried those?? Yum!
So, here's what I did to throw this together.
4 - Boneless skinless chicken breast
1 - Handful of shredded carrots
2 - Small cans of water chestnuts (chopped)
1 - Chopped Red bell pepper (mostly because I had it and for color)
1 - Tablespoon of fresh, minced garlic
2 - Tablespoons toasted sesame seed
3 - Heads of endive (red or yellow...I used both)
Sesame Seed Oil
Light Sodium Soy Sauce
Rice wine vinegar
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Okay, so I just eye-balled all of this and made it up as I went, but you'll figure it out.
Cut up the chicken breast into thin strips.
Add minced garlic - keep it moving...you don't want to burn garlic. Yuck!
Sautee in olive oil
Add carrots. Cook until slightly tender.
Remove and when cool enough - chop into very small pieces (I used the Pampered Chef chopper)
Return it to the pan and add bell pepper and water chestnuts.
Continue to sautee. Add soy sauce, sesame oil, and rice vinegar to taste.
Turn off heat, cover and let sit for about 5 minutes.
Add toasted sesame seeds as a garnish.
Serve in a bowl with separated endive leaves (or you could use the small leaves of a romaine lettuce)
Enjoy!
Even my kids loved this!!

Healthy even tastes better!

I read a quote somewhere that "Nothing tastes as good as thin feels". Well, I think in most cases that would be true, but not tonight. We had such an awesome dinner. I made chicken fajitas. For those that have been keeping up on my blog, you may have noticed our goal of losing weight, eating and thinking healthier, etc. Well, I am happy to report that we are doing very well! We've cut out all blatant sugars, traded white bread, pasta, rice, etc. for brown rice and whole grain, 100% wheat products. We have also been doing very good on drinking lots of water. No soda - not even diet! Here's basically what our fajitas consisted of:


Boneless, skinless chicken tenderloin - grilled in a little EVOO with spices and seasonings


Green, red, and yellow bell pepper


Red onion


Cherry tomatoes


Roma tomatoes


100% Whole wheat tortilla


NO Cheese (that's a hard one for us to control, so I just skipped it tonight)


Light sour cream - just a little


Home-made salsa - I may have outdone myself. It was sooooooooo good!





I am all about home-cooked meals and family eating together, so that has not changed. I am all about flavor and color - that has become better! At first, I think our taste buds were numb from all of the salts, sugars and additives. Now that it's worn off, I feel like there is a whole new world of flavors out there for us to experience. Oh yeah, we love food - but we also want to take care of ourselves. What are you doing or can you do to be healthier with/for your loved ones?