Eating clean for rookies {part 11}

You know why this series is called "eating clean for rookies" and not "eating clean for professionals?" Because I went to the grocery store super excited and determined to buy spaghetti squash to bake and eat with my clean meals. I picked up a vegetable near a sign that read "Spaghetti Squash," took it home, washed it, cut it open, took the seeds out…and didn't see anything spaghetti-like on the inside…

Turns out I had actually purchased pumpkin squash. Which explains why it looked like a greenish-yellowish pumpkin… #rookiemove #lol If you're wondering, I did eat the pumpkin squash. Even when I added pepper, I wasn't really a fan. And I now know hat spaghetti squash looks like and will be trying it (for real this time) after Thanksgiving.

I say all that to say…I'm learning, exploring, and making mistakes on my clean eating journey just like most people. I get the most emails asking how I do it?..I do my best. Make an effort to eat clean twice a day, and naturally I eat less processed foods. Take a look at some of my favorite clean meals from the past week or so:

Chicken breast in mushroom sauce (made by my dad!)

Ingredients

Chicken breast

Mushrooms

Celery

Onions

Green peppers

Grapes

In a pan, add water, mushrooms celery, green peppers, black pepper, green grapes

Then add the chicken and bake to 350 degrees for 45 minutes, or until cooked through

This was one of my favorite chicken dishes!!

Chicken breasts baked in tomatoes (made by me!)

Ingredients

Chicken breasts

6-8 Tomatoes

Spinach

Basil

Pinapples

In a pan, add smashed tomatoes, raw spinach, onions, pinapples

Then add the chicken that has been sprinkled with basil

Bake in the over on 350 degrees for 45 minutes, or until cooked through

This was a hit! I made it for my family and everyone loved it.

Honey Chicken with Spinach Salad

Baked chicken breast dipped in honey

Carrots

Mushroom

Two handfuls of spinach (one raw, one sautéed)

Squash, sliced and smashed. Sprinkled with black pepper. 

This is my meal when I ate a clean meal with my parents! We had squash, salmon seasoned in basil and black pepper, chicken cooked in mushrooms and celery, and green beans. I drizzled some lemon juice over my plate. It was so good and I felt great after eating it!

This was a quick meal I made last week after work. I keep spinach/carrots/mushrooms stocked in my fridge because they can make so many quick meals. This was a simple spinach salad with mushrooms, sliced tomatoes, and carrots. And I added a side of sweet potato fries sprinkled with paprika and black pepper.

Slicing up ingredients for salad and a soup I made using mushrooms, asparagus, pineapples, and tomatoes.

Another photo of my quick simple spinach salad.

I love doing quick sautéed meals. For this one I added the following to some olive oil in a skillet: white onions, black pepper, white mushrooms, carrots, basil, spinach.

I let it heat up for 3-5 minutes then drain the olive oil and eat it. Super easy, super quick!

My mom made a really cool clean meal using spinach and kale, yum!

She put washed and cut spinach & kale in a pot with red onions and  garlic.

She let it cook for 15-20 minutes. It was seriously so good and such a great green side dish!

I've gotten lots of emails asking what to do about the Thanksgiving day meal and the clean eating lifestyle. It's all good. Thanksgiving food can also be clean food. I'll be going for the green veggies as my main dishes and having a spoonful of other dishes. Because I will never turn down my aunt's macaroni & cheese :)

But be sure to stay active over the break! It's easy to put back on the pounds quickly over this kind of holiday if you're too stationary!

How is clean eating going for you?

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