Newbie

[kketterman]

Hey Everyone!

My name is Krystal. I am 24 years old and I need a healthier way of living. My husband introduced me to this site a week or so ago and I've been debating about joining it since but here I am and I do believe it is time for a change. My husband is trying to live a healthier life and I do believe that it is about time that I do the same. I try to be supportive of him because I know he has a hard time with dieting due to me. He's overweight and I've just recently got to a weight that is in my weight group because I've always been 5 to 10lbs underweight. However, I am not satisfied about how I've gained this weight and honestly I've become lazy. I eat very unhealthy which I know, even though he doesn't say it, but it bothers him a bit that I eat all this junk food. I used to be active, drank a lot of water, and ate a bit healthier than what I do now.

In high school, I was active in marching band and JROTC which meant we worked out. In band if we made a mistake we ran laps or we did push-ups. For JROTC, we had physical training every Friday. When I did all that I felt like I could take on the world. Then I hurt my back, found out I had a slight heart condition and had surgery on my ankle and I couldn't do JROTC my senior year because of it. However, I tried to continued to work out until a few years ago when I was going to school and working a full time job. I just started eating snacks whenever I could and I started drinking more soda in order to stay focus and awake on some occasions. Now I am just tired all the time and feel very sluggish. I do not like this feeling at all and wish I was active like I used to be.

One of my goals is to start eating healthier than what I do and I know it will be hard because I am a very picky eater but I am willing to start trying different foods in order to be healthier. Another goal, is to start exercising again and become as active as I used to be. I also need to learn how to keep a steady but healthy weight for myself in the process. Hopefully with both my husband and I both trying to become healthier that we can succeed together

[20mb13]

what do you mean by picky eater? what do you eat and not eat as far as healthy things go? and what foods do you want to substitute other things with? for example, soda for something healthier but similar to soda? like flavored water perhaps? of course anyone would say water buuuut we all know going from soda to water is a big step!

[kketterman]

I don't eat seafood at all and I hardly ever eat vegetables. I mostly eat chicken, beef, snack foods and a lot of starchy foods. I would like to cut back on the snack and starchy foods and try eating more fruits and trying different vegetables (which I'm not a big fan of). I did do good on only drinking either one soda or one cup a coffee a day and then I worked a midnight. For this shift I had to stay up after working a day shift and after this shift I had to stay up all that day so I could go back to sleep at night in order for another day shift so I depended a lot of caffeine and haven't really cut back since. I have crystal light here at the house and I drink it while I'm home but once I'm at work it soda. And I'm still trying to figure how things out....Sorry if I wasn't much help to answering your questions.

[20mb13]

instead of beef eat bison, instead of snack foods try eating, low fat or fat free yogurt, fat free cottage cheese (they come in cups like yogurt in 4 packs) , cheese believe it or not isn't terrible for you. low fat mozzarella sticks is a nice snack. of course there are a ton of fruits you could eat as a snack as well.

starchy foods... like pasta, rice, and potatoes, breads and things? sweet potatoes are quite good for you, and brown rice certainly isn't bad either. a lot has to do with how often you eat them and portion sizes. if you love pasta try to switch to whole wheat pasta, do smaller portion sizes but also add a lot more healthier things to your pasta. an absolute great time for you to get more into vegetables actually. i could give you some great recipes, albeit they aren't the healthiest things in the world but they will help to get you on the right track. as far as breads go, a slice of whole wheat or better yet rye toast dry with some protein isn't bad at all.

if you eat around 7 meals a day, 4 of which preferably the first 4 containing simple carbs you won't need as much caffeine. carbs give you energy. they also store fat but if you eat the right carbs and the right portions that will not be a problem, especially if you work out as well. personally i think if you get energy from carbs versus caffeine you'd be better off and healthier. keep in mind this is just steps to take before going all out and altering your diet. slow and steady ya know.

making small changes will make a very big difference and get you to where you want to be if you have persistence and patience.

[rketterman]

and Yes we can work on this together! if you have questions and I can help you with them obviously just ask. Otherwise, I've found that nerd fitness is a great resource and the members can probably help you if I can't.

[kketterman]

Baby steps is what I'm thinking. And if you wouldn't mind I would love to have some of those recipes you mentioned. And Thank you for the advice

[Tanktimus the Encourager]

rketterman is right. There are more diets than just paleo out there. Basically any diet works if you stick with it. rketterman is describing something like phase 3 of the south beach diet, or at least that's what it reminds me of. If you control what you eat to healthy levels and workout effectively you will be healthy. Welcome to the rebellion.

[20mb13]

level of hardcore healthy diet eating… beginner but you'll become more acclimated to eating veggies and quite possibly learn to like them.

***protein packed pasta of yumminess***

ingredients:

boneless skinless chicken breast. 1 1/2 pounds.

(or the closest you can get to around that much it doesn't have to be exact.)

bison steak. 16 oz.

(you can buy this in a package of 2 totaling 16 oz's i believe)

baby spinach. 11 oz.

birds eye steamfresh corn. 12 oz.

birds eye steamfresh sweet peas. 12 oz.

(you can buy the following things pre-diced at wegmans and whole foods)

pre-diced onions. 8 oz.

pre-diced celery. 8 oz.

matchstix carrots. 10 oz.

tomato. 2 small ones.

(you can buy it in a can diced petite 14.5 oz. it's more processed than a natural tomato but pfft i'd prefer the ease of opening a can over having to dice it up myself. eh to it being a bit healthier.)

minced garlic in water. 2 tablespoons.

whole wheat pasta. 1 box.

(whichever style you prefer, as long as it isn't lasagna. but i'd recommend ziti or penne.)

salt. season to taste.

black pepper. season to taste.

parsley. season to taste.

oregano. season to taste.

*** we're going to make our own sauce using these cheeses and half and half, with that being said exact amounts will be determined by you as far as the thickness goes… also you can buy your own sauce if preferable, i tend to eat a drier pasta than your traditional pasta loaded with sauce. thus i do not add sauce to it***

kraft shredded mozzarella fat free. 7 oz.

ricotta fat free. 15 oz.

grated parmesan. 5 oz.

half and half. fat free or skim. 1 qt.

extra virgin olive oil. 4-6 teaspoons.

preparation:

cube your chicken and bison steak into nice bite sized pieces.

heat up a pot of water and add your whole wheat pasta to it with a couple dashes of salt and sugar if you'd like but definitely salt, watching it as you cook your other things. you will have two burners going for most of the cooking process. so make sure pasta doesn't overflow or the water doesn't cook down too much start this on a high heat, after your meats are done turn this down to a medium heat. or until your water starts to boil over. i'm not a pro at cooking pasta by the way. haha. but watch your pasta and check it every now and then. when the texture is to your liking, i cook it until it is al dente, remove from the burner strain it run cold water over it while running your hands through your pasta making sure to cool down all of your pasta so that it doesn't stick.

heat up frying pan on high heat, adding 2 teaspoons of extra virgin olive oil wait until hot and then add your pre-cubed chicken, cook for 5 minutes stirring constantly so that all pieces cook evenly. add in your bison and do the same exact thing making sure not to burn your chicken in the process. stir until all of your chicken is cooked through, and set your pan aside, off of the burner.

you'll need a big big pot now, put that on the burner add 2 teaspoons of extra virgin olive oil, wait until it get's hot. add your garlic, onions and celery and cook until your onions are browned but not burnt. approximately 5 minutes or so. add in spinach, stir and cover pot for 5 minutes to let spinach steam and wilt faster. add in carrots, and tomatoes and stir. microwave your corn and then your peas for given amount of time on the bag. add those in and stir. after 5-10 minutes of stirring everything in add your meats to the veggie mix and yay stir some more. turn the heat down to a low temperature and watch it stirring it occasional just to make sure nothing burns.

your pasta should have been done by now and sitting in strainer. this step isn't mandatory but i like to do this. take either the frying pan your meat was in or get a new frying pan, if using a new frying pan you'll need to add 2 teaspoons of extra virgin olive oil and fry your pasta now… you might need the extra 2 teaspoons even if you use the same pan your meat was in. but yes fry it to get rid of all of that water and to give it a certain type of crispiness that is quite yummy. but this isn't exactly the healthiest thing to do since you're adding more extra virgin olive oil keep in mind, but it's not terrible either. your meal won't be dripping in oil that is for sure. anyway fry and constantly stir this on a high heat for about 5-10 minutes or until pasta starts to get a tiny bit of color to it and water is all cooked out. i also like to season my pasta during this step, so let's season it to taste. if you're doing this.

after pasta is ready and your veggies and meats are still on a low heat you can either set your pasta aside or what i like to do is put the pasta into the big pot of awesome veggies and meat. and stir it all in. either way now is when you will finally make your sauce. i would add the entire thing of mozzarella, but add the ricotta and half and half as you go, determining how much you want in order to create the consistency you are looking for as well as taste. season to taste, turn your burner off and add your parmesan cheese lastly, add this to taste. i love cheese so i just add the whole thing in usually but it might be too cheesy for your liking.

hope you enjoy.

serves 8-10 people it is a big pot of food!!! when i use to cook this i would have leftovers for about 3-4 days but i usually ate it all myself.

[20mb13]

a bit healthier of a meal and easier to cook, also faster to cook.

***Mediterranean scallops***

ingredients:

fresh sea scallops. 1 pound.

baby spinach. 5 oz.

grape tomatoes. 1/2 cup.

mediterranean crumbled feta cheese. fat free. 8 oz.

(mediterranean crumbled feta might be hard to find fat free, so regular fat free crumbled feta is highly preferable.)

half and half. fat free or skim. 8 fl. oz.

cream cheese fat free. 2 tablespoons.

minced garlic in water. 1 tablespoon.

roasted red pepper. season to taste.

black pepper. season to taste.

basil ground. season to taste.

half lemon.

half lime.

extra virgin olive oil. 2-4 teaspoons.

preparation

firstly you want to prep your scallops, rinse them in cold water and pat dry. cut off the muscle from each one, very important because the muscle is quite chewy but if you forget to cut the muscle off it isn't the end of the world. you can eat them all the same.

get your frying pan nice and hot with 2 teaspoons of extra virgin olive oil, on a high heat sear your scallops until they're a nice color brown on each side, approximately 3-5 minutes on each side maybe even less, my stove sucked so eh. once those are done put them in a bowl and off to the side you can even put them in the fridge until everything else is ready.

leave stove on a high heat you may or may not need to add another teaspoon or two of extra virgin olive oil at this point as well. in the same pan add in your garlic, after it browns a little, approximately 1-2 minutes, add in your grape tomatoes (don't forget to rinse them first. you can also halve them if you want.) after 3 minutes add your spinach. sauté your garlic, grape tomatoes, and spinach until your spinach is wilted.

add your half and half and your cream cheese stir in cream cheese and add your feta, you want to stir this in until it becomes a bit more of a creamier composition, but not overly creamy. (add more cream cheese or half and half to your liking.) adjust temperature to a lower heat as needed so as not to make it overly creamy or burn your food. squeeze your half lemon and half lime into the mix and grate some lemon and/or lime zest in for a little extra flavor. season to taste. keep in mind the more roasted red pepper you add the more kick and heat it will have. when the consistency and flavor is to your liking turn stove off and add in the scallops let simmer for 5 minutes so that scallops take in the flavors, and warm up in your yummy sauce of awesomeness!

if you don't want to use sea scallops you can just as easy substitute it for a pound of cubed chicken, the only difference in cooking it is you can leave the chicken in for the entirety of the cooking process. and of course you want to brown the chicken before moving on to any other steps, like adding your garlic or grape tomatoes.

serves 5-6 people.

[20mb13]

this is something i posted in a different thread

***modern take on a southwestern burrito***

ingredients...

ground turkey, at least 94% lean. 16 oz.

ground bison. 16 oz.

diced onions. 8 oz.

diced celery. 8 oz.

small green, red, yellow, and orange peppers. 2 of each equalling 8 in total. they should be on the sweeter side as well.

jalapeno peppers. 5-8 depending on how hot and spicy you want it.

habanero peppers. 3-5 depending on how hot and spicy you want it.

triple washed baby spinach. 11 oz.

diced garlic in water. 2 tablespoons.

diced tomatoes. 1 can. for a healthier option 1 tomato and dice it up nice and small.

green giant southwestern style corn. 1 can.

cream style corn. 2 cans.

brown rice. 1 cup.

taco mix, whatever your fav type of flavor is. 2 packets.

4 cheese mexican reduced fat, shredded. 8 oz.

sour cream fat free. 16 oz.

salt season to taste.

black pepper season to taste.

coriander season to taste.

cumin season to taste.

roasted red pepper season to taste and to add more heat.

lemon. 1.

lime. 1.

extra virgin olive oil. around 2 teaspoons or so.

i didn't add beans but white beans would be a nice addition.

preparation…

chop up any vegetables that need chopping before cooking.

get giant pot!!! put stove on high add extra virgin olive oil first, after it gets hot add garlic and one after another add your vegetables and meat in what ever order, it doesn't matter. don't drain anything. there should be liquids in it from your meat and cans of corn and tomatoes. you shouldn't have to add any liquids to it.

turn heat down to medium and let it cook for about an hour or two every ten to fifteen minutes stirring it, until your veggies are nice and soft. add your rice and if the liquid cooked out, which it shouldn't have, add just enough water for rice to cook properly, (just enough to give it some liquid). at this point you will have to stir it more to cook the rice properly, keeping the bare minimum of liquids in it until your rice is soft, (again you shouldn't have to add more liquids to it).

cut lemon and lime in half and squeeze juice into pot, both halves, you add lemon and lime zest as well for extra yumminess. add all of your seasoning to taste. add your sour cream and mix it in. at this point it should be a lot thicker, provided you didn't add too much water. turn stove off and add the rest of your cheese, stirring it in nicely.

get your burrito wraps and add just a tiny bit of your mix… depending on the size of your burrito wrap. and get rolling =)

i made like 20 burritos maybe more with pretty much those ingredients and the exact amounts of each. the smaller the wrap the more burritos you can make obviously. they freeze great and cook awesome in the microwave, a minute should do it maybe 2 even when frozen. the only thing is you want to turn them half way through but you don't have to.

and in my opinion they're pretty damn filling and healthy… and really yummy. provided you season perfectly to taste.

[20mb13]

as you can see i'd use a lot of the same ingredients but in different ways and they all had very different tastes. i'd also use to make a damn good risotto, vegetarian, non vegetarian and vegan. as well as vegan pad thai and vegan indian dishes. as well as vegetarian and non vegetarian versions of each.

haha they're all pretty healthy but i stopped eating them because one thing cooking time can be long as well as prep. and mainly i prefer the absolute minimum i need to get by xD so all i eat is turkey and spinach wraps, with fat free cottage cheese and/or light rye crackers as a snack. oh and protein shakes with blueberries and once in a while almond butter. 3-7 times a day 7 days a week. =)

[kketterman]

Thank You for the recipes! One day rketterman and I will have to try them and see how they taste.