Eat Clean: Cooking With Friends

When your friends love to cook as healthy as you do, you can never go wrong!

Recently, my friends and I made this dish for dinner. It’s a citrus spring salad, an herb sole turbot with a bell pepper salsa, and roasted brussel sprouts. I picked some blood oranges for the salad since it’s such an “unusual” ingredient because its short harvest season. I love how colorful and fancy this dish looks even though it was super easy to make.

We bought whatever we found “in season” at the nearest grocery store. For the fish, I really wanted something with more firmness than a trout and yet, not as bland as a tilapia…so we opted for a turbot. It tasted like a really buttery cod with the texture of a trout and the bell pepper salsa was the perfect complement to this fish. LOVED IT!

We prepared and cooked everything in less than 30 minutes, so it was definitely a meal I’d duplicate again.

I’m hoping to have more cooking parties with my friends so we can all swap healthy recipes and still eat like kings!

What I Ate Today: Jan 18

I don’t believe in healthy and “unhealthy” days. I always try to eat what I want, when I want. Moderation is the name of the game and I never completely eliminate something from my diet.

Sure, I may eat it less frequently but unless it’s something that tastes disgusting,…I’ll probably have it down the line. Lately, I’ve been craving a lot of veggies…it’s weird but true. My body wants some more greens and I guess this weekend I’ll really have to go grocery shopping to get some.

Breakfast:

• 1 cup whole milk
• 1 peppermint bark cookie
• 1 apple

Lunch:

• 1 tortilla
• 0.5 plate of California Pizza Kitchen Chicken Chimichurri
• 2 oz. smoked salmon

Dinner:

• 2 slices of California Pizza Kitchen The Works pizza
• 1 orange

Total Calories Consumed: 1400

What I Ate Today: Jan 17

Feeling a little under the weather today that I compensated with a little chocolate. I never really like chocolate but once in a while, I indulge…especially since I got it as a New Year’s gift.

Breakfast:

• 1 gala apple
• 1 orange
• 1 serving salami

Lunch:

• 1 tortilla
• 2 oz. smoked salmon
• 1 tbsp. cream cheese
• 2 pieces of dark chocolate truffles

Dinner:

• Beef soondubu (Korean tofu stew)
• Purple rice

Snack:

• 1 serving salami
• 1 fruit & nut bar
• 1 glass of champagne

Total Calories Consumed: 1500

What I Ate Today: Jan 16

I am still not very hungry in the mornings but I try to eat a little before starting the day. I’m slowly starting to run out of fruits and veggies…time to go grocery shopping!

Breakfast:

• 1 banana
• 1 Trader Joe’s Fruit & Nut Mix granola bar

Lunch:

• 2 fried eggs
• 1 bowl of ramen- sesame flavor
• 1 can of sardines in spring water

Dinner:

• Chicken Chimichurri (0.5 plate)

Snack:

• 2 servings of BBQ chips
• 1 gala apple

Total Calories Consumed: 1650

What I Ate Today: Jan 15

I haven’t been feeling very hungry in the mornings so I don’t eat as much. But I think that’s because my body isn’t full awake yet. It was an “unhealthy” day since I didn’t eat as many fruits and veggies as I wanted to because I didn’t go grocery shopping for the week yet.

There’s always tomorrow.

Breakfast:

• 1 sweet potato
• 1 cup orange juice

Lunch:

• 1 sandwich: Acme sweet batard, salami, cream cheese

Snack:

• 6 slices of salami
• 3 servings of BBQ chips

Dinner:

• Beef Soondubu (spicy tofu stew)
• 1 bowl purple rice
• assorted banchan (Korean appetizers)

Total Calories Consumed: 1600

What I Ate Today: Jan 14

Monday morning is one of the hardest days to have a full breakfast but I try to grab a few things before I head out. I met most of my vitamin goals but I need to add more protein into my diet. Although I’m not vegetarian, I just don’t eat enough meat…or so I think.

Gotta keep it going!

Breakfast

• 1 banana
• 1 carrot
• 1 cup orange juice

Lunch

• 1 apple
• 1 cup coconut milk
• 1 sandwich: Acme sweet batard, cream cheese, salami, and lettuce

Dinner

• 1 bowl white rice
• 1 bowl cream of mushroom soup
• 1 serving of baked sea bass
• 1 serving of soy sauce sauteed shrimp
• 1 serving of steamed napa cabbage

Snack:

• 1 cup coconut milk
• 10 Kalamata olives
• 1 serving Feta cheese

Total Calories Consumed: 1750

What I Ate Weekend: Jan 12 & 13

As it is the weekend, I slept in only to discover that my family consumed half my supply of bacon! Lesson learned: never leave bacon unattended.

Because I sleep in, I usually eat less than usual but since my friend made dinner on Saturday, I definitely splurged. Cookies….first time this year. I don’t often eat cookies, but if they made it for me, I try to eat a few.

SATURDAY

Brunch:

• 1 bowl of steelcut oatmeal
• 1 serving of mango
• 1 carrot
• 2 fried eggs
• 1 cup orange juice

Snack:

• 1 chile and onion tortilla
• 1 tbsp. reduced fat cream cheese
• 1 oz. smoked salmon
• 1 cup strawberry kefir

Dinner:

• kale salad with apples and dried cranberries with sesame dressing
• 2 chorizo empanadas
• 1 bean and plantain stuffed pepper
• 1 glass of red wine
• 4 cookies: 2 snickerdoodles and 2 candy cookies

Total Calories Consumed:  2200

SUNDAY

Brunch:

• 1 carrot
• 1 apple
• 1 banana
• 1 cup coconut milk
• 0.5 cup strawberry kefir

Snack:

• 1 chile and onion tortilla
• 1 tbsp. reduced fat cream cheese
• 1 oz. smoked salmon
• 1 cup orange juice

Dinner:

• Mango Chicken
• 1 bowl of steamed rice

Total Calories Consumed: 1350

What I Ate Today: Jan 11

For some reason, I wasn’t very hungry so I didn’t eat as much as I usually do. Since it was pretty cold, I was craving a hot bowl of ramen…so that pretty much makes dinner a pretty fatty meal.

Breakfast:

• Steelcut oatmeal with 1 apple and 1 serving of dried cranberries
• 1 carrot
• 1 cup coconut milk

Lunch:

• 1 tortilla
• 2 fried eggs
• 1 cup orange juice

Dinner:

• Lobster Pork Ramen with 0.5 Soft Shell Crab

Total Calories Consumed: 1650

What I Ate Today: Jan 10

Today was a heavy calorie day because I knew I would be rock climbing. Usually I go for about 2 hours and it gets pretty intense. So, I needed a little extra energy to get through the climbing session.

I got a lot more potassium and iron today with the banana and the beef patty. Now, I just need to keep going.

Breakfast:

• 1 package of Nissan Ramen with sesame oil (0.5 seasoning packet)
• 2 fried eggs
• 1 carrot
• 0.5 serving of kale
• 1 cup black tea

Lunch:

• 1 banana
• 1 cup orange juice
• 0.5 cup coconut milk

Dinner:

• Cheesecake Factory sourdough bread (3 slices)
• Cheesecake Factory arugula salad (dressing on the side)
• Cheesecake Factory Cajun burger

Snack:

• 1 cup strawberry kefir

Total Calories Consumed: 1908

What I Ate Today: Jan 9

My main goal of today’s eating plan was to get more potassium and iron but I didn’t really accomplish it. It was a busy day and I ate out with friends at a sushi restaurant. Instead of getting a giant entree, I opted for a small chirashi bowl.

Breakfast:

• Trader Joe’s Chile Verde Burrito
• 1 orange
• 1 carrot
• 1 cup coconut milk

Lunch:

• 1 tortilla
• 1 serving of orange chicken (no sauce)
• 0.3 serving of kale

Dinner:

• Chirashi sushi bowl
• Miso soup
• 0.25 green tea tiramisu

Total Calories Consumed: 1700