Back to Basics

This image has been going around FB lately. It was a good reminder for me that eating healthy and eating healthy can be two different things.

There's the 'eating healthy' where you limit your calories, eat more salads and fruit, and basically watch what you eat. (Weight Watchers, Jennie Craig, etc).

Then there's 'eating healthy': eliminating processed foods, added sugar, added fat, and getting back to the basics of nutrition. By that I mean eating 'whole foods.'

This winter my diet just spiraled out of control. I managed to maintain my weight fairly well because of the heavy LJ100 training load. But that doesn't mean I haven't noticed the negative side effects of a poor diet: lethargy, loss of motivation, unable to focus, longer recovery times, and mediocre workouts.

A few weeks ago I finally faced reality and admitted that my diet had swayed far into the high processed, added sugar and fat zone. It wasn't an easy thing to do, but it was necessary.

Although I've been eating 'better' by many peoples standards, I still haven't been fueling my body with nutrient dense and unprocessed foods that it craves.

Now that LJ100 training is in official "taper" mode, I have a bit of extra time to refocus on something else. I've made a meal plan for the week that includes lots of salads, nuts, legumes, and fresh fruit. I'm even making homemade salad dressing.

My body is going to be so happy with me!

Cashew Blood Orange Salad Dressing
Kale and Carrot Salad
Baked Apple with Cashew Raisin Cream Sauce
Vegetable Shepherd's Pie
Chinese Apricot Stir Fry
Nuts and Bolts Squash

Salad Slaw

Occasionally I get serious about what I'm eating (like when my pants stop fitting or I go to look down at my toes and I see my belly-button instead).

When that happens I start journaling what I eat. My main goal is not to hit 'x' number of calories but rather to consume the right mix of fuel: leafy greens, cruciferous veggies, root veggies, fruit, lean protein, healthy fats, nuts, seeds, grains, blah, blah, blah.

As I go throughout my day, I check off each category of food. By the time I get to dinner, I look at what categories are left and that's my dinner. I end up eating some very unusual meals, like salsa with sunflower seeds and spinach. Or a table spoon of peanut butter and a bowl of broccoli and eggs. This all goes back to my lack of ability to plan-ahead.

Anyways, the other day I got to dinnertime and I glanced down my list, oye, I had not consumed any of the many variety of vegetables my body was craving. I pulled all of the vegetables out of the fridge and stared at them, waiting for inspiration to strike!

Disclaimer: I'm not a chef. Most things I make are edible to me while no one else in my house would dare come near my unusual creations. I think that's because my sense of pride in cooking something overcompensates for my taste buds. 

After staring at the pile of vegetables for a long time, a vision came to me, clear as the 80 degree and fully sunny March day we were having in Michigan. And this is what I saw:

Salad Slaw

For those of you that want to try this at home, here is the recipe:

1 sm. summer squash
1 sm zucchini
1 beet
1 large carrot (washed and peeled)
1/2 red onion
1 small bunch broccoli
1 small bunch kale
1tbl spoon EVOO
Handful of Raisins

Wash veggies. Cut the florettes from the broccoli stem--so you have little bushes instead of big trees. Using the a large grate (because I'm too lazy to cut things to matchstick size), grate the remaining broccoli stem, summer squash, beet and carrot. Finely chop up the Kale and red onion. Mix together in a bowl. Add raisins.

In a large skillet, add the olive oil. Toss in the vegetable slaw and cook on medium heat for a few minutes. Just enough time to tenderize the broccoli and remove the bitterness of the vegetables. Sprinkle with sea salt and seasonings as you like.

Let cool to room temperature and then refrigerate. Serve cold, garnished with roasted sunflower seeds.

Surprisingly, I've really enjoyed this meal. I've served it as is or on top of a bed of mixed greens. I'll probably make this again sometime soon.