Clean Eating, my definition

You hear tons about clean eating in the fitness world. To some it means one thing to others another. I wanted to give everyone an idea of what I consider clean eating. To me it is making healthy whole food choices. Period. Yep it is that simple. If you want to go organic by all means do so, but for my meal planning I do what I can.
I think everyone makes things so complicated these days. It is time to go back to a simple way of life and thinking. What did our ancestors eat? Well they did not have fast food. They ate fruits and veggies that they grew. This also had them eating seasonal crops, when you are living miles away from your nearest neighbor you can not just order a watermelon in January. Now I am not saying I am 100% seasonal. In fact I think it is a huge blessing that we can eat most fruits and veggies at any time of the year. That being said, if you can go to your local farmers market, or grow your own, that is always the best. Might not all ways be the most practical though.

So here is a few guidelines I use in my "clean eating"

1. Drink water!!! I know I know you hear that all the time! It is true! Cut out those sodas!!! Even the diet ones are so bad for our bodies it is unreal! I must say though Southern girls need ICED TEA! So drink one! If you can do unsweetened all the better, I can not. But there are a ton of artificial and natural sweeteners that are ok in moderation! I personally drink 3-4 large Sonic teas with 1 packet of sweet n low a week. When I am finished with the tea I just add some water to my cup. Same thing goes for coffee, if you must have it then have it but remember moderation!! I have actually found that if I drink a bottle or large glass of water as soon as I wake up I do not want coffee as much. It has really helped me with that habit!

 2. Fruits and Veggies>>> Like I said if you want to go organic you can, that is your choice. The fresh section in your local HEB / Market Basket is your FRIEND! If you must do canned fruits, only in juice and with as little to no sugar as you can find! Canned veggies are ok but try to get the no salt added, it also helps keep sodium down if you rinse the veggies once they are out of the can. Same goes for frozen veggies. Now frozen veggies have become the staple in my home. I have found they have less salt than the canned. I love steamables!!! Great for when you are the only one at home!

 3. Meats / Protein >>> Lean, but you already knew that didn't you. Chicken is going to be you new BFF. To me it is the most value for you money, and you can do anything with it! If you do ground turkey make sure it is the white meat! The cheaper brands are just as high in fat as getting ground meat. I have found that sometimes it is better to just go ahead and get the leanest ground meat because it is cheaper and just as lean as the turkey. Roasts and steaks are the same way, leanest cuts or cut the fat off yourself. What Southern kitchen can not cook a roast now and again? Eggs...oh man what more can I say? Boiled, scrambled, over easy...and yes it the yolk! I said we are southern here, and no southerner is gonna eat an egg white and really like it. Peanut butter...this gets a little tricky. Most commercial brands have tons of sugar. You can make your own or buy the peanuts only kind at HEB. There are some that have lower sugar if you are a PB lover and need to wean yourself.

 4. Breads, Pasta & Rice >>> No respectable cajun would not have rice in the house! Brown is best, but sometimes you just gotta have white. If you must have white, moderation! I have found I love the steam bags of rice in the freezer section! This also helps if you are the only one in the house that is eating brown rice and everyone else wants white, which happens in my house. Pasta and bread..once again wheat. I want to take a moment and make sure you guys realize that just because it says wheat and it is brown does not mean it is really wheat! Sometimes those tricky companies just add coloring to make it brown. READ LABELS!! If the first ingredient is not whole wheat then put it back, it is not worth it to buy that when you can just be getting the white.

 5. Meal prep >>> I will get more detailed on this later but to make it simple. Pick a day of the week, cook as much as you can, store it in some containers and stick it in the fridge or freezer. THIS IS A LIFE SAVER!!! I do not prep all meals but I do prep. It has saved my butt so many times. Let's be honest most of us work, it is really easy to stop by the drive thru and grab a bite instead of coming home and cooking. If you take the time to prep, you have easy good for your food at your fingertips! Yes you can still go out to eat sometimes. Just make the best choices that you can when you go. Most places have the nutritional information on their website. Look at it. Be informed about what you are putting in your body!

Ok Ladies and Gents, that is all for now. I am sure most of these things will be talked about over and over and in more detail. Main thing I want you to remember is this>>> KEEP IT SIMPLE! IF YOU DO NOT KNOW WHAT IS IN IT SO NOT EAT IT!