Clean Eating anyone????

RoxyPink started this discussion · 1/5/2010

okay so I have recently ventured into the realm of clean eating. I've always been a pretty healthy eater and being mindful about what was going into my food and my body. Clean eating is so much more than that! Anywho, I feel great since I've started, I'm never hungry and I'm so excited to try new foods.....but here is the problem!! Even with all the clean eating mags and recipe books (Tosca Reno) I have YET to find something that is quick and kid friendly (I'm waiting on her kids and family cookbook in the mail *taps foot*)...So are there any clean eaters out there??? know of any great recipes? have any tips?? And BTW I am a vegetarian so I live off of beans, quinoa etc...but I have yet to find a piece of tofu that I like...maybe I just don't know how to cook it! So any tips on that would be great too!! 😀 Happy Clean eating...and Poling!!!

25 replies

litlbit · 1/5/2010
There are vegans on mybodysite.com that can help you with that. One thing that my kids loved was grilled cheese with apple slices on whole grain bread...you use a buttery spray to cook it...I can't believe it's not butter works great.
RoxyPink · 1/5/2010
I'll give the grilled cheese a go...but I thought spreads and stuff were a big no-no?? I'm fairly new to the whole EC game so please correct me....I mean If I could have had my toast with some buttery spray vs nothing..then I would have done that!! LMAO!! 😀
litlbit · 1/5/2010
It's ok to have them in moderation...the only time they are not allowed is for competition diets.
litlbit · 1/5/2010
Oh you might want to try the protein pancakes...I love them! For 1 pancake. 1 whole egg, 3 egg whites, !/4 cup oats (prefereably old fashioned oats), 4 packets of splenda, 1/2 to 1 teaspoon cin. 1/2 teaspoon vanilla flavoring. Spray pan with cooking spray (preferably olive oil spray)...cook about two minutes on one side...then carefully flip and finish cooking. You can spray some buttery spray on it (just a few spritz of it) and top off with sugar free syrup...or you can use fresh fruit with a packet of splenda.
xoxoHeatherxoxo · 1/5/2010
I'm not sure exactly what qualifies as clean eats, I also have Tosca renos cook book and love to make soups in bulk. One that my kids like: Protien Power Soup one package chicken Breast (3 breasts) cover w/ water and boil 20 min. Remove chicken to cool, add to pot 2 or 3 cloves diced garlic one diced onion, 2 or 3 each slicced zuccini and summer squash, 2 cans seasoned crushed tomatoes, saltand pepper. while this comes to a boil shred chicken and put back in pot w/ veggies. add about 2 cans chicken broth (fat free, low sodium) to cover all ingredients. let simmer for a while and right before you serve add a bag of baby spinach. like I said I make a big pot on my day off so I can just heat up. Also my kids love meat balls so I make them with turkey, egg whites and mashed sweet potatoes, instead of bread crumbs use oatmeal and season with soy sauce or bbq and salt and pepper. make in bulk and freeze them then you can take em out and heat them up in the microwave. pair them with brown rice and some veggies and your done. I love this thread, can't wait to try Lilbits pancakes!
SissyBuns · 1/5/2010
Yeah those protien pancakes look like a good idea. I've ventured into clean eating too but I was never able to take my kids on that journey with me LOL. I mean, they'll eat what I give them for the most part but I can usually tell that they really don't enjoy it LOL
deetron · 1/5/2010
Ooh lilbit! Your pancakes sound cool!! I recently tried to make a protein-heavy pancake and I devised this recipe of 1 large egg, 1/4 cup oats, approx 1/2 cup greek yoghurt or cottage cheese (the latter in low-fat version is prob preferable for anyone monitoring the fat intake.. but personally I don't) Your egg-white version is even more protein-packing, though!! Will try 2m!!
litlbit · 1/6/2010
Here is a very kid friendly recipe for pancakes...the other ones some kids don't like because of the texture. 2 whole eggs, 1 cup cottage cheese, 4-6 pks splenda, 1 cup uncooked oatmeal, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/2-1 tsp. vanilla. Optional one banana. Mix all ingreds in blender in the order given, when smooth cook as you would regular pancakes...these are very high in protein and keep you full because of the complex carb. THEY ARE AWESOME!!
chemgoddess1 · 1/6/2010
I started eating clean last year after my husband ended up in the hospital. We have gotten away from it a bit but were just talking last night about breaking out the cookbook again and my magazines (I have Oxygen and Clean Eating subscriptions!!). Panko breading is godsend. You can bake it and it still comes out crispy. Chicken breast cut up, dipped in mustard or home made honey mustard, dipped in panko and then baked...yum. I know she has a kids book out and just came out with a men's cookbook. I will say that while eating clean my pooch was the smallest it had been in YEARS.
RoxyPink · 1/6/2010
These pancake recipes looks great...I must try them this weekend! I'm trying to get my whole family eating more clean! I can't wait for my new cook book to get here so I can try some of Tosca's "kid friendly" fare!! 😀
SissyBuns · 1/6/2010
These pancake recipes looks great...I must try them this weekend! I'm trying to get my whole family eating more clean! I can't wait for my new cook book to get here so I can try some of Tosca's "kid friendly" fare!! 😀 That's it. I'm ordering the kids book too. Now that my mom is here to help me she's having a hard time eating the way I do LOL. She tried to fry me some chicken the other night and I almost passed out when I heard the oil popping. She looked at me all confused like...what? LOL. I said I don't fry foods Mom. She still fried herself some but baked mine. Now I'm on a mission to convert her to clean eating. She's already lost 4pounds in the week that she's been here!
chemgoddess1 · 1/6/2010
Sissy....even in the clean eating book there is some fried stuff, but it is done in very small amounts of olive oil. Remember that we still all need fats in our diet.
deetron · 1/7/2010
I should add about my recipe.. just in case anyone tries it: 1 whole egg, 1/4 cut oats, 1/2 cup greek yoghurt or cottage cheese, optional cinnamon, vanilla extract, splenda. 1/2 cup greek yog / cottage cheese is alot for this recipe, but that's because I'm trying to pack the protein. The pancake is easier to fry and closer to a traditional pancake with more like 1/4 cup greek yog / cottage cheese. FYI! 😀 PS: I dont add cinnamon / vanilla / splenda but eat mine with 3/4tsp honey, some sea salt and another fried egg on top. Isn't that weird?!! Happy clean eating ladies!!
amcut · 1/7/2010
Interesting. I did some googling, and I guess we eat fairly clean around here. We do eat commercial cereals and designer proteins in my house, though.. and while I do often go without the cereal in favor of oatmeal .. I would NEVER give up my protein shakes! Oh, and I also use artificial sweeteners, though I prefer natural when it's.. reasonable. I'd suggest using ricotta instead of cottage cheese, yogurt, whichever in the pancakes too! just as a variant! delicious! I have a buttload of frozen yogurt recipes if anyone has an ice cream maker. I've become sort of a flavor master with that. ...(i also know how to make -very- unclean ice cream. 😉 )
poledanceromance · 1/9/2010
It makes me sad to see how many people don't k ow how to handle tofu, because it's a great addition to the diet even for meat eaters like myself. My personal favorite way to use extra firm tofu in a dinner is to cut it into really small pieces and put it in a noodly stir fry or lo mein sort of thing. It works in fried rice, too. If you use whole weat pasta and organic veggies, it's a very healthful meal. Really intense Asian flavors work great with tofu, just play replace the protein. Not to mention most kids I know totally dig Chinese food.
chemgoddess1 · 1/9/2010
I just made the mushroom stroganoff and it was really freaking good. It replaced most of the cream and sour cream with blended tofu and used whole wheat noodles and used white and portabella mushrooms. This thread gave me the push to go back through my magazines and look over the recipes. I now have stuff in the house to make at least 4 clean meals.
poledanceromance · 1/10/2010
Amcut: ricotta pancakes are fluffy delicious heavencakes!
RoxyPink · 1/11/2010
Then do you have tips on cooking tofu...although I'm a veggie I have yet to cook or eat a piece of tofu that I like! I'm a big "texture" person and can't seem to get over the slimy feel of it. I am constantly trying new recipes that involve tofu...but I don't know if it's something that i'm doing (or not doing)...that just dosen't appeal to me. I tried a recipe for baked tofu the other night. I pressed the tofu and marinated it over night..cooked it like the recipe said and it still had that super mushy soft center...which I could not handle! lol I have another one on the list to try this week but I'm getting to a point where I'm almost done trying....help anyone!! 🤔
deetron · 1/11/2010
Yuck, I hate tofu too!!! I have an excuse not to have to eat it... my mom is a breast cancer survivor, and believe it or not, she has been advised by her consultant to steer clear of soy products! This is a typical article that you might find if you google "Is soy a health food?" http://www.healingdaily.com/detoxification-diet/soy.htm"; I guess there are many "studies" both for and against the health-giving properties of soy products - but I'd love to know others' opinions on this matter.
amcut · 1/11/2010
Roxy, have you tried freezing your tofu?
poledanceromance · 1/11/2010
You should try some dessert recipes that call for silken tofu, like vegan pumpkin pie. That can be a good way to ease into it, too. The trick for getting it into stir frys imo, is to make sure the pieces are tiny, like 1cm thick at the largest. Like amcut said freezing can help, just gotta get nice firm tofu. Sautee in wok with the oil/whatever you're using for sauce so it browns and cooks and add other ingredients as needed. Just like if you were using meat, you'd brown it in the pan with the flavorings first (or at least that's MY philosophy 😂 ). Then it cooks longer than anything else in the pan and by the time the noodles or rice are cooked it's got a texture more appropriate for a protein. Read: not gooey. 😂
chemgoddess1 · 1/11/2010
Deetron, I have been having a conversation over on a bodybuilding forum discussing soy in men. I will post a few articles for you. Notice release dates. There was a lot of pseudoscience floating around a few years back and many "experts" are still basing their theories on outdated information. Women With Breast Cancer Who Consume Soy Food Have Lower Risk of Cancer Recurrence If you look to the right side of this article you will see related stories. There is a lot of new research on breast cancer and soy. There is also a lot of new research involving men and soy.
RoxyPink · 1/11/2010
You should try some dessert recipes that call for silken tofu, like vegan pumpkin pie. That can be a good way to ease into it, too. The trick for getting it into stir frys imo, is to make sure the pieces are tiny, like 1cm thick at the largest. Like amcut said freezing can help, just gotta get nice firm tofu. Sautee in wok with the oil/whatever you're using for sauce so it browns and cooks and add other ingredients as needed. Just like if you were using meat, you'd brown it in the pan with the flavorings first (or at least that's MY philosophy 😂 ). Then it cooks longer than anything else in the pan and by the time the noodles or rice are cooked it's got a texture more appropriate for a protein. Read: not gooey. 😂 i'm going to try again...I bought some extra firm cubed...threw it in the freezer last night. gonna thaw it for tomorrow's "attempt" lol Here's hoping b/c I really do want to incorporate it into my diet! My mother-in-law is also a breast cancer survior and she has to stay away from soy too! I wouldn't know what to do if I couldn't eat anything that was soy based!!
SissyBuns · 1/11/2010
You should try some dessert recipes that call for silken tofu, like vegan pumpkin pie. That can be a good way to ease into it, too. The trick for getting it into stir frys imo, is to make sure the pieces are tiny, like 1cm thick at the largest. Like amcut said freezing can help, just gotta get nice firm tofu. Sautee in wok with the oil/whatever you're using for sauce so it browns and cooks and add other ingredients as needed. Just like if you were using meat, you'd brown it in the pan with the flavorings first (or at least that's MY philosophy 😂 ). Then it cooks longer than anything else in the pan and by the time the noodles or rice are cooked it's got a texture more appropriate for a protein. Read: not gooey. 😂 i'm going to try again...I bought some extra firm cubed...threw it in the freezer last night. gonna thaw it for tomorrow's "attempt" lol Here's hoping b/c I really do want to incorporate it into my diet! My mother-in-law is also a breast cancer survior and she has to stay away from soy too! I wouldn't know what to do if I couldn't eat anything that was soy based!! Lemme know how that goes Rox.
deetron · 1/11/2010
Deetron, I have been having a conversation over on a bodybuilding forum discussing soy in men. I will post a few articles for you. Notice release dates. There was a lot of pseudoscience floating around a few years back and many "experts" are still basing their theories on outdated information. Women With Breast Cancer Who Consume Soy Food Have Lower Risk of Cancer Recurrence If you look to the right side of this article you will see related stories. There is a lot of new research on breast cancer and soy. There is also a lot of new research involving men and soy. Interesting, chemgoddess, and it's a fairly recent study - I'm not sure what to think with the soy foods any more! Well, I don't enjoy tofu anyway so I guess it's an easy decision for me! Thanks for the link.