Finding Real Food

How amazing is this chart? It made me laugh a little bit...very helpful!

Megan's Effin' Enchiladas

I make the best enchiladas. You really can't go wrong with the combination of salsa, cream cheese and green enchilada sauce. It's heaven! Except when you can't eat any...then it might be slightly more like hell. Bart has been such a good sport the past three weeks and has hardly complained that he isn't getting fed like normal. I came home today and decided to make him dinner. GOOD TASTING dinner. So I made our favorite:  My Effin Enchiladas. (We just named them today and I think it's going to stick...) They are so good and so easy to make! It was hard to not eat a spoonful of the filling like I usually do. I may or may not have licked the fork and HELLO my stomach is mad at me for it. Apparently I'm not quite ready for cream cheese (and by not ready I mean I probably won't ever be eating that delicious ingredient from heaven ever again.) 

I was just kind of struggling today and came home to pig out. I munched on celery and almond butter as I was cooking. This would be one of those situations where you would see my portion sizes and say "Hey Megan, want some celery to go along with your almond butter?" After that snack I made some Sweet Potato Fries..which are really Yam Fries but those just don't sound right so we'll ignore the true name. I then proceeded to eat Sweet Potato Chips that my bff introduced me to. Bad idea! It was partly wonderful to feel full and a tad bit sick, but only partly.

I am going to blame it all on PMS. Isn't it great that we can do that? Feeling fat today? Blame it on PMS. Grouchy? Tired? Want to eat everything in the pantry? Aunt Flow is at fault! It's a lovely scapegoat. Men don't even like to hear the word period so they won't argue with you if that means they get to stop talking about it!

yes, this is me looking on the bright side. You're welcome.

p.s. one day I will have something to blog about besides food...but until then the fat kid in me rules!

Day 14

A few weeks in and I have learned a few things. First, my attempt at making yummy recipes is about 50% successful.

I already told you about my Quinoa fail x 2. For now I have given up on making this shiz

Chia Seed pudding-- has potential to be okay, but since I can't have any sweeteners it was just gross

Churry Chicken Broccoli "Casserole" I put the word casserole in quotation marks because like Bart asked...how can you have a casserole with no cheese? You can't my dear...you can't. This was probably the worst thing I have eaten. Bart was such a good sport and choked it down...I about cried at the dinner table.

I have however found a few tasty things to eat...

Turkey burger and veggie stir fry. Bart made this for me and it was delicious! So much natural flavor comes from the mix of all those pepers!

Yams. Cook these in the oven...add sea salt and BAM my favorite meal/snack. I have yet to cook them perfectly like my mother-in-law does...but I'll get there.

Sweet Potato Fries. These are a special treat too. Just cut the sweet potato, heat up some olive oil and in a few minutes it's a tasty treat that makes you think for a second it's unhealthy...

Almond Butter + carrots...sugar snap peas...on a spoon...This stuff is pretty much good on anything. Who needs peanut butter? Not me!

Avocado smothered on Chicken. Chicken only has so much flavor..but I love adding some avocado with every bite.



So, lesson 1. Don't make the full amount the recipe calls for unless you know it tastes good. I wasted lots of food by throwing it out. Since it's really just me eating it I could probably get away with using 1/4 of the recipe.

2. Chia seeds are a good snack! I have a baggie at work and just munch on them throughout the day. Don't misunderstand me...they are in no way satisfying...but they aren't gross and that's half the battle.

My Dr. says I am doing great and I'm looking forward to more improvements. Plus I have lost 7lbs which is kinda nice too...Also, he gave me the green light to do The Dirty Dash! Depending on how I feel during training I should be able to do that race. Since it's not until June he thinks it will be okay! *cue party dance*

Corpse Pose

So after talking to my Dr. on Wednesday he said I could do easy to moderate exercise a few days a week and then see how I feel.

Well I thought Yoga would be easy to moderate exercise and I was wrong. dead wrong. I convinced Bart to come with me Saturday morning and let's just say we are both having a hard time walking around today!

About 30 minutes in whenever the instructor said "downward dog" I looked at Bart and we both had a look of despair in our eyes...eventually I had to stop looking at him because laughing and yoga don't mix.

Bart actually did pretty well with this move....his bald head was supporting him as he leaned forward and he was lower on the ground...but you get the point.

Our favorite position was the very last one "corpse pose". We could do that one all day long!

There is another yoga class tomorrow night and I'm going to go. At this point I don't care what kind of physical activity it is..I just need to do something!

The Memory of Your Successes

I was reading old general conference talks this morning and found a few amazing quotes. I love reading talks that are decades old because what they say still applies today. The gospel is amazing that way isn't it? God is the same yesterday, today and forever.

"Yes life is eternal, so:

What through the skies seem dark today,

Tomorrow's will be blue;

When every cloud has cleared away

God's providence shines through."

- Author Unknown

"Hang on the walls of your mind the memory of your successes. Take counsel of your strength, not your weakness. Think of the good jobs you have done. Think of the times when you rose above your average level of performance and carried out an idea or a dream or a desire for which you had deeply longed. hang those pictures on the walls of your mind and look at them as you travel the roadway of life."

- "Great Experiences" Sterling W. Sill 1971 April Conference 

I loved this whole talk. He said we focus too much on our insecurities and problems and don't take enough time to celebrate our great experiences. It's so true! I don't know how we got here, but for some reason it's somewhat unacceptable to celebrate your great experiences. You don't want to brag...or seem prideful...or make others feel bad. But that shouldn't be the case. If you have done something amazing, share it with the world!


The last quote I loved is talking about people who never have to work for anything in their lives and why working for what you have is a great virtue.

"The tree that never had to fight
For sun and sky and air and light, 
But stood out in the open plain
And always got its share of rain,
Never became a forest kind
But lived and died a scrubby thing.

The man who never had to toil to live,
Who never had to win his share
Of sun and sky and light and air,
Never became a manly man
But lived and died as he began.
Good timber does not grow at ease,
The stronger wind, the stronger tree."

Sick Like a Normal Person

"When people complain they want to eat like a normal person, I say fine, then you will be sick like a normal person".

I read this quote before I started my anti-inflammatory diet and it has stuck with me since then.

Walking into a grocery store is overwhelming because 90% of the food offered isn't something I can have.

Isn't that crazy?? Most of the food we eat is processed and sugar/salt/fat filled. Don't get me wrong, before I was forced to eat this way, I thought I ate healthy.... but I also had my bowl of mac and cheese and my Rocky Road ice cream every once in a while.

Eating 100% fresh food is hard. It's expensive. It's time consuming. and it's not as fun. Do I feel like superwoman with tons of energy and beautiful hair and skin? nope. My hair is dry, I'm breaking out like a 15 year old and I still have to be in bed by 9. That being said, I haven't stressed over eating too much and I haven't had to "watch what I eat" (which sounds weird because I actually have to watch everything I eat...but you know what I mean). Eating this way takes away the food guilt and the food pleasure.

I know I will see results and get feeling better soon...

It takes time and planning. I spend my evenings before bed getting my meals ready for the next day. As you know, I am not the biggest fan of cooking. Before this whole thing started I actually spent more and more time in the kitchen and started to enjoy myself...now all that progress is gone..I hate it all over again!

Needless to say this situation has drastically changed my life...I'm not asking for sympathy, I just want to share my story!

Day 6

I figured it was time to check in! 6 days down, -insert number here- to go! To be honest, the diet hasn't been as hard as I thought it would be...here are a few thoughts.

. There are many different ways to eat chicken...learn those ways

. carrots for breakfast? why not?!!

. It's amazing to have a best friend who is going through exactly the same thing. What are the odds? God knew what he was doing when he put us together all those years ago.

. Quinoa is still nasty. I invite anyone to cook me "tasty" quinoa and bring it to me so I can learn what it's supposed to taste like.

. Apparently 80oz of water a day isn't enough...potty breaks anyone?

. a week of being sugar, dairy and process food free and my skin is breaking out like a teenager. Where's the justice in that??

. the "I feel full" feeling only lasts about an hour.....I miss you carbs....

. Coconut Milk and Almond Milk mixed together kinda sorta tastes like Fat Free normal Milk

. I felt super healthy at the grocery store. helllloooo produce aisle. 

It's amazing how your outlook on your body and health can change so drastically in such a short period of time. There is something in the brain that just switches over when you know you can't eat certain foods. There is no internal struggle or cravings because you just know the answer is no.

It's been an adjustment, but I'm doing it!

On a side note...my niece Ameri turned 6 today. I still remember going to visit just weeks after she was born. It was during one of the darkest times in my life and that baby girl invited in the sunshine just when I needed it! She's such a smart, talented and beautiful little girl and I look forward to watching her continue to grow up.

Quiona

It tastes about as good as it sounds.

Turkey Bacon is pretty good, and I can put it in the oven to cook and still get ready in the morning.

I've already gagged twice over my kitchen sink thanks to the supplements I am taking.

...This should be interesting!!