Spring Cleaning!

(whispers...)
"Taste The Rainbow"
We all know about eating the rainbow. And shopping on the outer part of the grocery store. Yes yes. But what is clean eating really anyway? I have come to feel it's necessary to speak on this matter, because it's not talked about enough. It's just always supposed to be some how self explanatory, right? You have a friend whose lost a lot of weight and you ask them how and they simply state... 'I eat clean now, and exercise'. Ummm yeah. To some this is not good enough of an answer. I clean potatoes before I fry them. Thats considered clean food right there! Right? You see how this could be confusing for some ;) No but truly. All jokes aside. I feel there is this wall people put up, if they have now transformed into a nicer looking, fitter, cleaner- eating person. And for some reason they do not want to share their tips, their advice, their diet, with the people still struggling. As if-they found this special prize on their own, and now you have to fin for yourself. 

Well, Not here. Not at the Daily Kale,  If I can help it! I'm here to help you in anyway I can. We all have the same struggle, believe me! Yes! The person that is 100 pounds overweight and looks in the mirror and wishes they were a size 12. And the person who is a size 12. -That person wants to be a size 6, and sees them selves as overweight. Etc. It goes onnnn and onnnnn. All it really comes down to is we can't judge others for their own goals!! And we do all have our own. Some wish to be slimmer, some wish to have lots of muscles everywhere. And some are simply OK with themselves just the way they are ! (And thats great! ) but maybe they don't eat healthy and would like to change just that. -Cause as I've said before again and again. It does not matter if your FAT OR SKINNY. what matters, deep down is if you are healthy. Eating clean isn't a diet, per-say. It truly is a way of life. You have to think about your future. You really, really do. I know we are all in the NOW, but we must prepare for the future as well. And feel the best we can right now. So how does one follow a Clean Eating diet plan? I will explain my thoughts on this.

Lets clean up your diet! Here are my tips on what to eat and how to prepare them to keep them clean. Also what it can replace that your eating now, thats not clean.

-Fruits - Any and all! (Raw)
-Vegetables Any and all. (Raw, if not steamed, and/or Baked/Roasted with veggie broth)
-Protein (Grilled with no added oil, Just lightly spray pan with Olive oil.)
     + [Lean Chicken and Fish. Egg whites, Tofu, Tempeh, Black Beans, Lentils, Cheese]
-Desserts (Home made frozen banana ice cream, Lara Bars, 70% (or higher) Dark chocolate, 2 ingredient cookies (Banana + Oatmeal) )
     +Recipe soon to come for Banana Ice cream
-Drinks (Coconut water, Kombucha, WATER, and sometimes wine ;)
-Snacks- Nuts, Fruits, Greek Yogurt, Protein Smoothies, Home made Protein Snacks ( Recipe soon to come)
-Carbs- Whole Grain Pizza, Pasta, Bread, Crackers, Cereal, Oats, Kamut, Brown Rice, Quinoa
(One little note. Say NO to all white things, Read the ingredients. Unbleached white flour is the same as white flour. Always stick to whole grain, whole wheat everything, if it says enriched, unbleached and white anything. It is not good! the fewer the ingredients the better.) 
-Sodium- This means when your buying canned beans, or even peanut butter. Reach for NO SALT added. We do not need extra salt. It is not good for us. Please check ingredients for this. And use soy sauce or Bragg's sparingly when cooking. It's got a LOT of sodium. 
- Eat as little packaged foods as possible. I treat myself to the occasional Luna bar, which is low in sugar and sodium. But a home made dessert is a much better choice than packaged!

Here are a few fun things to exchange carbs for. As well as just good substitutes for baking and other creations! Recipes coming to you soon! <3
Exchange this --> for that:


Pizza Crust --- Cauliflower Crust, Cauliflower Rice 
Spaghetti Noodles ---- Spaghetti Squash or Kelp Noodles
Fried Chicken --- Baked Tofu with whole wheat bread crumbs
Tacos---- Romaine Lettuce Leaves for Tortillas
Butter/Mayo--- Avocados and or Unsweetened Apple sauce
Fatty Ice Cream---- 1 Banana + Almond Butter, blended then frozen= Ice cream!
French Fries---- Baked Sweet Potato Fries (No oil, smother with Veggie broth)

And many more tips I'll be posting this month!

Basically Clean Eating is none of the extras. No added oils, etc.
It's sticking to clean proteins, fresh fruits and vegetables. Not drowning them in dressings and oils. Not adding sugar to everything. And staying away from package foods, due to the amount of sodium in them. Start loving to cook on your own. Get creative in the kitchen. Ask for dressing on the side when you order a salad from a restaurant. They truly drench most dishes in oil and dressings or butter. No good, not clean. So clean it up! Happy Spring Cleaning ya'll!