Clean Eating

The Philosophy 

Clean eating means that you gravitate toward whole foods that are as close to their natural state as possible. Fresh fruits and vegetables (instead of canned with preservatives), whole grains (like whole wheat flour, almond flour, quinoa flour...no processed bleached flours), lean proteins (no fast food, no processed frozen food). You'll find yourself shopping around the outside of the grocery store in the dairy, produce, and meat aisles.

 

 And perhaps the most important thing is this: start to read the labels (and not just for calories, which is what we all do). We are paying for our food, we are eating it, so let's find out what is in it! If I look at something with ingredients I can't spell, say, or explain, then I move on and find something with natural ingredients (for example, things sweetened with honey instead of refined sugar).

 

Your skin, bowels, and sleep will thank you.

 

Recipe #1: Two Ingredient Cookies

These cookies are wonderful. Two mashed bananas, a cup of quick oats, and any other mix-ins you want (I love raisins). Yes, they have sugar and carbohydrates, so you still have to exercise portion control, but the sugar is 100% natural because it comes from fruit. 

 

This is a great alternative to cookies for kids. For instance, I made a batch last week (made 14 cookies), and I ate 7 in one sitting. Before I berated myself, I stopped and realized that I had just eaten 1/2 cup of oatmeal, a banana, and 1/8 cup of raisins. YUMMY. These are great ingredients to get into your kids' stomachs.

http://www.recipebyphoto.com/2-ingredient-cookies/

Recipe #2: Honey Cloud Pancakes

 

First picture is from the recipe site, and the second are mine! Depending on the fruit you use, it'll look (and taste) different. This was AMAZING. It has the perfect taste combination of egg and pancake. And with the drizzle of honey on top, I was in heaven. To make it clean, I used almond flour (though you could use whole wheat, etc.) instead of bleached flour. I also used almond milk, but only because I don't have regular milk anymore. The only issue with this meal is how to make multiple pancakes at one time!

 

http://thingswemake.wordpress.com/2012/02/11/honey-cloud-pancakes/