Pistachio Crusted Eggplants

Pistachio Crusted Eggplants- yummo!https://www.evernote.com/shard/s164/sh/d6e8a440-8703-4632-80f4-de5d6e3fb197/103dc8c466e30eb93735c06e5efe6d27

Madras Lentils

Stats:300 cal 10gfiber 14gprotein
Great for a fast fix. My version is water, tomatoes, lentils (1/2c set aside), kidney beans, black beans, onions, chili powder, cumin, splash of whole milk.

When the guy at the Trader Joes check out says "whoa veggie city!" you get the feeling most people don't shop this way. Ok I'll admit it-I felt a little pride wheeling my 4 bags, $100 worth of organic goodness, out to my hybrid. And it came with confidence that my family can and will eat this before it goes bad. We are trying the 7 day challenge from jan/feb issue of vegetarian times. After my initial heart attack when my husband told me he like to eat vegetarian, I've since picked myself up off the kitchen floor and am giving it the old college try. Of course I'm cleaning it up- the first meal was eggs cooked in butter- but I'm curious to see if I feel any different after a week. I do feel slightly nervous not having any meat around, as if I might starve. Haha! Ill keep you posted! 

Dirty dozen! EWG's Shopper's Guide to Pesticides in Produce: Note-Commodity crop corn used for animal feed and biofuels is almost all produced with genetically modified (GMO) seeds, as is some sweet corn sold for human consumption. Since GMO sweet corn is not labeled as such in US stores, EWG advises those who have concerns about GMOs to buy organic sweet corn.

Dirty DozenBuy these organic
1Apples
2Celery
3Strawberries
4Peaches
5Spinach
6Nectarines
– imported
7Grapes – imported
8Sweet bell peppers
9Potatoes
10Blueberries
– domestic
11Lettuce
12Kale/collard greens
Clean 15Lowest in Pesticide
1Onions
2Sweet Corn
3Pineapples
4Avocado
5Asparagus
6Sweet peas
7Mangoes
8Eggplant
9Cantaloupe
- domestic
10Kiwi
11Cabbage
12Watermelon
13Sweet potatoes
14Grapefruit
15Mushrooms
http://www.ewg.org/foodnews/summary/

Green on the go! I've often wondered while shopping are any of these chocolate bars fair trade? Or is tide green just as good as planet green cause it's on sale? But the Antsy toddlers in and around my cart, the fast approaching meal rime and general exhaustion prevent me from ever getting any closer to an answer. But id genuinely like my money to make a difference, im just... lazy? Solution found. Good Guide is available for your bookmark bar (when shopping online) and as a mobile app that lets you scan product barcodes to see instantly how Eco-conscious your purchase is. It gives products a 0-10 score based on health, environment, social categories. It has a browse feature so you can look up which mascara to buy without havng to compare them all yourself. And you can filter based on personal concerns/values like organic or fair trade. (Watch out Costco, here I come!) did I mention it's FREE! Avail at iTunes store or goodguide.com

Serving sizes. Basically it looks like a whole fruit (apple. Orange) is considered a serving, but I don't think they shop at Costco. 1/2 cup is good for fruit or veggies or 1 cup for lettuces.

Toddlers needs 1/2c./DAY of veggies, kids 4-8 yrs need 1-1.5c

From:http://nutrition.about.com/od/fruitsandvegetables/f/servingfruit.htm

Making the numbers work. So I feel a little lost without my CE Meal Plan. I'm looking for an on my own strategy that doesn't have Hours of planning involved. I found a list/formula at the back of the Eat Clean Diet Favorites and translated it to a workable menu for me. The daily breakdown:
 2-4 starchy carbs (whole grains like oatmeal, bread, bulgur, quinoa & veggies like sweet potato, carrots, bananas, beans, lentils) some of which double for protein. Translation: 1-meal + a banana.
4-6 veggie/fruit carbs: spinach, tomatoes, broccoli, cucumbers, etc. & apples,berries, melons, citrus, pears etc. Translation: 2 fruits for snacks, and 2 veggies at lunch and dinner. CE Menu Plans have more like 6-7 veggie, so I'll aim for a few veggie omletes thru the week and mastering those lunch salads.
5-6 lean proteins like chicken breast, beef & pork tenderlion, yogurt, beans, nut butters, eggs, tempeh. Translation: 1/meal&snack
A few Tablespoon size healthy fats like avocado, flaxseed, nuts, nut/seed/olive oils. (Nut butters were not on her list but I would put them here) Translation: (this one was hard) I love my fats with my veggies so I'd say lunch and dinner. But peanut/almond butter is an easy way to sneak protein into breakfast or snack, but ill try to limit it. 
So my ideal day would be
B:Kashi cereal with blueberries and milk or oatmeal with raisins and walnuts

S1:Greek yogurt with apples and cinammon or cottage cheese w/fruit 

Lunch: Salad with grain and meat like Chicken spinach orzo salad or sandwich salad where up chop up a bread for croutons and pile deli meat on leafy greens with tomato, bell pepper and cucumber- drizzle both with lemon juice or balsamic vinegar

S2:(pre-work out) banana & PB or protein shake w/ banana

D: lean meat with potato, rice or pasta, steamed or roasted veggie, and side salad or leftover casserole where u throw it all (above) together-like shepards pie.

S3: if I am still hungry (which I always am), a small handful of almonds

Somebody check my math- how did I do?

What is clean eating? The 10 CE Commandments: 1.) Eat 5-6 times a day
2.) Drink at least 2 liters of water a day. No, the water in soda or soup does not count.
3.) Read labels. Avoid anything with too many unrecognizeable ingredients, or foods high in fat or sugar.
4.) think like a caveman. avoid processed and refined foods like white flour, sugar, bread, pasta or anything fried.
5.) eat healthy fats everday: avocado, nut butters, salmon, eggs etc.
6.) learn about portion sizes
7.) pack a cooler and plan for success
8.) be green: buy local, organic , seasonal when possible
9.) slow down. Enjoy your food and share the experience with others.
10.) save wine for special occasions.

CE Jan/Feb 2012 Meal Plan Week 1 Review: Some fabulous & delicious meals this week with lots of, as my sons calls them, "make again" recipes. The Grean Bean &Potato Salad was a huge success- hot or cold. The Sardine & Spinach Salad was surprisingly good. (CK had 2 helpings). The Thyme Lentil Salad was delicious as was the Friday Snack 2 of lentils, bell pepper and hummus. The Chopped Chix Salad with cabbage and carrots was a surprise-so simple but good and got quite a bit of attention in the lunch room. Also the Shrimp Salad was surprisingly good- I used Greek yogurt & ketchup instead of horseradish. I used smoked salmon instead of pouched for the Sat. breakfast-yummo! The Chix and Mushroom Stir-Fry was also hearty and yummy. I had a hard time with all the egg breakfasts just because the involve too many steps and my limit in the morning is pouring a bowl of cereal and milk. I'm also surprised I didn't get sick of the rice cakes and but butters. But the lavish bread has to go- I'm subbing a yummier flatbread and I'm forgoing pita this round (hate it!) and use tortillas.

Mark & I were craving the Greek pizza from CPK, but not relishing the idea braving the busy Spectrum parking, or long wait times with 2 toddlers in tow. I went to the store hoping to find a frozen one that would suffice and satisfy the boys picky pizza eating. I came back with a CPK 4 Cheese and Mark had a go at adding a salad. I Honestly didn't think he would make anything great, just based on the fact we didn't have anything great veggie wise in the fridge. I was blown away. I may never eat at CPK again! Not only was it better- it was CLEAN-er!:) Chopped romaine, kalamata olives, sundried tomatoes, toasted pine nuts, diced red onion. Dressing: Greek yogurt, garlic powder, kalamata juice, EVOO. Throw it on top of any cheese pizza, but we had it with CPK 4 cheese frozen pizza:)