Meatballs, Greek Yogurt and Veggies

A big part of this program is understanding food.  

Understanding food and what happens to your body when you eat food.

Understanding your body.

The things you eat are probably the most important aspect to losing weight and being healthy.  The Colorado Diet puts an emphasis on the foods you eat because of the science behind what happens in your body.  You start Phase I with foods that are supposed to help reignite your metabolism, start on unclogging that drain in your bathtub.  
I have learned a lot about what foods can do to make you healthier and what is happening in my body when I eat certain things.
It has helped me realize why I have struggled with weight all of my life.
Which is important to help me make better choices and better habits.

So like I said the food is important, it is a habit and a choice everyday of our lives.  And I will admit I had some bad habits and made some poor choices.  
Which means I have a lot to learn on what to do better.


These are some of the foods for Phase I
Lean Meats: Beef, Chicken, Turkey
Greek Yogurt
Almond Milk
Pumpkin
Almonds
Walnuts
Just about any Non Starchy Veggie
Herbs
Olive Oil
Spinach
Egg Whites
White Fish
Tuna
Oatmeal
Soy Sauce
Garlic
Salmon

I must say, when I first looked over the list of foods that we were to stick to on the Phase I, I was excited. I liked all of the foods and it did not seem limiting or bland.  There were lots of flavor options to spice things up and keep it tasty. 
 It helped that Phase I is only 2 weeks.
Then we get to add more foods to the mix.

You still have to be creative so you don't get burnt out on eating the same thing, but the key is making it fun.

Phase I is only 2 weeks, but when you eat 6 times a day, that is a lot of meals in a short amount of time.  I like getting in the kitchen and getting ideas on new things to do with ground beef or veggies.  

One of my favorites was Meatballs.

 I used ground up oatmeal instead of breadcrumbs and lots of yummy spices, oregano, basil, some garlic and a little bit of egg whites.  Instead of pasta I used squash, grated it with a cheese grater and it was really yummy. Homemade tomato sauce that simmered for a couple of hours.

I like things that are easy to make in bulk and use to prepare meals for the week.  I make baggies full of baby carrots to have at the ready.  Actually I use baggies for everything, instead of tons of tupperware, that we don't have room for, I use baggies for salsa, salt and pepper, ground beef, even pumpkin puree.  It is all about creativity for the situation, we have a small kitchen and little storage, so its important to make it work for me.

That is a theme throughout this program, how to make it work.  Don't make excuses, stay positive and find a way to keep promises.  This is harder than you think.  For some that means changing things in your child's life, adding another thing to your day, staying up later to prepare for the next day.  But when you think about it, those should be the easy things, because we really want to make a change in our life.  We should want to do those things because that is the only way to be true to what we say, true to who we are, and  true to who we want to be, to keep promises to ourselves.

Another meal I tried was a recipe from the State of Slim book, Herbed Chicken Rollups with Spinach and Red Peppers.
  I decided to give it a try after watching a cooking demo at the Bistro Elaia, located inside the Anzchutz Health and Wellness Center.  They are working with SOS to make meals that are friendly to our diet.  

The trick is to use cling wrap to roll it up nice and tight, then wrap it in aluminum foil and cook in a pan with a little bit of water in the bottom.  This helps to keep it tight while cooking and works to poach the chicken and keep it moist when it's done.

Just chicken breast butterflied, pound it out a little then put wilted spinach and red peppers in the middle with seasoning and some garlic.  Then roll it up and put it in the oven.

Then you get this beautiful result

If you know me, then you know that Adam is the cook in this relationship.
But I have taken to getting in the kitchen and getting creative with these meals, and trying new recipes.  I do better with recipes, while Adam is better at just winging it and coming up with something amazing.  He still does quite a bit to help me out, anything he can because he is just awesome that way.  While I appreciate all that he does, it is better for me to do things myself, so I can make it my own and find my own routines. 

That is my main objective through this whole process, how to make it my own.
Making changes in your life is never easy, but I am relishing the challenge.

Like I said, food is an important part of this process and understanding how it can help you,  how it can control you if you let it, how to take control.  
That is what I am doing, taking control.

There will be more about food later....
Next time I will share some about the fitness side of things.