Since Nathan and I are now reformed foodies, we went from eating anything and EVERYTHING to being annoyingly organic/health conscious. It is a fun challenge to find new foods to filter into our routine. Brown rice and quinoa are two regular staples in our diet. For a while we got super hyphy off using quinoa in replacement for rice in asian and mexican inspired dinners, however the novelty wore off quickly. We decided to kick up the rice tactics and dress it up in a completely clean, organic, non seasoning type way. By making some good old guac and thoroughly mixing it into brown rice, you have something completely foreign and oddly delicious. I added my avo-brown rice to a salad, and Nathan ate his with some black beans and corn, scooping it all up with tortilla chips and salsa, for a nacho-ey vibe. This rice made my salad drool worthy, and now I think I want to always have a tupperware around to dress up and add some protein to future salads.
You will need:
2 cups brown rice, already cooked and cooled.
2 avocados
1 lime
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
salt and pepper for seasoning
chili flakes if you can handle the heat
Mash up all your avocado thoroughly.
All all the ingredients.
ONEEEEEE more picture because that is a glorious sight to me.
Add it to your brown rice and mix, mix, mix.
YUM!!!
I make a lot of fancy meals, but to be completely honest, most of those are for Nathan. When I got engaged I went into fitness overdrive. I got an amazing personal trainer, went to the grocery store, bought all new food, and literally changed my eating over night in preparation for our wedding! After the first month of this change, I got into an extremely satisfying and consistent groove. I began this change in July and by my wedding in October I lost a whopping 26 pounds! I truly had no idea I had that much to loose or that it was even possible to feel so good. Since our wedding and month long honeymoon I have gained some of that back. We spent a month in Europe, it was expected! I am not discouraged though; I am back on my pre-wedding regiment and am beginning to feel just as amazing again! It really is a whole life change.
I used to be a food addict, I admit, but some simple changes I made have really shifted and changed my thought-life completely. That's exactly what unhealthy food addiction is: the result of an out of control thought-life! I used to find myself thinking of food from the minute I woke up. It was an out of control battle, truly like an addiction! I wanted to be healthy but the mental pull to eat the bagel with a pound of cream cheese overpowered the much smaller voice that said "don't you want to feel great AND look great?" I actually used to cry - CRY - to Nathan, asking, "am I really going to live my entire life with this out of control mindset?" The unhappiness that comes with wanting to look and feel better but for some unexplainable reason wanting food more seems crazy, but people who aren't driven by food simply can't understand.
When I got engaged, I got an amazing personal trainer who basically gave me the most straight-forward guide to weight loss. Even though the formula was SO simple and SO familiar to me, hearing it from someone else made it completely click. I rushed to the store, bought an excessive amount of salad things, veggies, some quinoa, black beans, and literally GALLONS of water. I got home, tossed anything that was not organic and completely natural away, and started with this clean slate. I viewed each meal as an opportunity to make something amazing out of a few clean ingredients. I even started to food journal! This was a WHOLE new me. I found myself feeling amazing and even getting extremely excited and happy to deny unhealthy food and stick to my regiment. My anxiety levels were down, my happiness was at new heights, my skin was glowing, and a bonus was I was dropping pounds QUICK, and it did not even feel like I was trying!
I wanted to start by sharing my lunch I actually eat EVERY day! I know it is not very exciting - just a simple salad - but I love this salad and look forward to it everyday! If you guys are interested in hearing more about my daily health routines comment and I am happy to share!
-organic baby greens
-organic avocado
-organic heirloom baby tomatoes
-kalamata olives
-sun flower seeds
-I usually add a blob of organic hummus right on top
-balsamic vinegar
Thats all; so simple yet so tasty. The sunflower seeds satisfy me and fill me up completely!
