Beef, it's what's for dinner...not really

Day two and I'm doing great (which is more than I can say for the last 15 times I attempted to renew my healthy living lifestyle)! Instead of munching on anything and everything that can be instantly inhaled, I am putting forth serious effort into cooking well balanced meals. I figure that if I take the time to cook, not only will I make healthier decisions but I will also enjoy the food to a greater extent.

For dinner I decided to make vegetarian fajitas. I used a whole wheat tortilla (1 skinny point), cooked lots of fresh veggies on the stove (2 skinny points), made my own corn and avocado salsa (3 skinny points) and mixed soy veggie meat with fresh cilantro (4 skinny points!). I was literally radiating beams of pride as I watched my family reach for seconds. Below you can see a couple dishes, as well as the brand of soy meat I used.





Although I'm not a vegetarian, I do eat a lot of vegetarian meals. Not long ago I decided to eliminate meat and poultry from my diet for a year. My reasoning?
*I've never been a fan of most meats.
*I sometimes feel bad eating animals that didn't necessarily have to be eaten.
*I have grown a bit concerned with the health ramifications of regularly consuming the typical grocery-found chunk of meat.
I should probably add that I continued to eat fish and eggs throughout this process. Hypocritical? Get over it. To be perfectly honest, one of the few reasons that I returned to my carnivorous ways is simply convenience. And cost. And, okay, I do acknowledge certain benefits of eating some meats (iron in turkey, etc etc etc).

I love and highly recommend the Skinny Bitch book by Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin, both of whom are vegans. Take their dietary advice with a grain of salt, as they hold strong opinions on many commonly eaten foods. If you don't want to read about veganism, I still advise you to read their books. Their in-your-face style of writing and ruthless tone is absolutely hilarious.

Another book I really enjoy is The Essential Vegetarian Cookbook by Diana Shaw. Not only does this book contain tons and tons of simple recipes, but it also acts as a guide for maintaining a well-balanced diet. There are lots of instructions for things like food preparation, grocery shopping, food storage, and explanations on various ingredients.

While many meals I will be blogging about will be vegetarian meals, many will also contain meat. And dairy. And maybe some will contain sugar. Speaking of sugar, I have a minor confession: Last night at around 3 o'clock in the morning I snuck out of bed and binged on almost an entire roll of Thin Mint Girl Scout Cookies! I blame it on temporary insanity...

Love and cupcakes,
Coley

I admit it, I have a sweet tooth.

I used to be skinny. I swear. Not long ago actually. It's amazing how much weight a person can gain in such a short amount of time. I enjoy eating healthy foods. In fact, I prefer eating healthy foods. I've never been a fan of greasy fried edibles or thick slobs of meat. Anytime I attempt to drink a can of pop I begin to burp and hiccup uncontrollably. Potato chips, Cheetos, pretzels - they do nothing for me.

Okay okay, I'm not being completely honest. There is a multitude of unhealthy foods that I crave all day, everyday. I absolutely, under zero circumstances, cannot live without sugar. Not even for a couple hours. Cupcakes are both my best friend and worst enemy. Eating a pint of ice cream in one sitting is not out of the ordinary. It doesn't even take a broken heart or stressful day to lead me to commit such a crime. I love cheese. The great thing about cheese is that it tastes great with EVERYTHING.

I'm getting a bit off track here. The point I was originally trying to make is that I'm generally a healthy person. Even though I often surrender to such deplorable eatables, I am usually able to offset any wrong doing by exercising and maintaining a diet full of necessary nutrients. What's the problem, you ask? I have fallen off the wagon of healthy living. Better yet, I have been chucked from the wagon and thrown so ferociously that it has become impossible to find my way back. The foods that I have been eating lately were not the least bit appealing to me a few months ago. My daily workout currently consists of nothing more than walking up and down a flight of stairs and traveling from one room to another. I look unhealthy, I feel unhealthy, I'm embarrassed, and its time to change.

There is no need to articulate the various reasons describing why I've let myself go. God knows I have plenty of excuses. It's just ridiculous that I have allowed one shortcoming in my life to snowball into a plethora of new obstacles. I hope to use this blog to hold myself accountable for my personal return to healthy living. I want to enjoy food again - get excited over cooking a nutritious meal or preparing a healthy snack. In addition, I hope to obtain followers who empathize with my love/hate relationship with food and exercise. I have a hunch that I am not the only unfortunate soul dealing with such shortcomings. As a result I invite you to share any advice, thoughts, or stories of your own pertaining to the topic at hand.

Warning: There may be lots of wining, more excuses, and many failed attempts throughout the process of my blogging experiment. I can be quite irrational and unpredictable at times. I will do my best to be positive but please bare with me. Lets get going!

Love and cupcakes,
Coley