Just a quick hi!! I've been busy and just haven't been able to check in like usual! Keeping in clean and had my yummy pumpkin oatmeal for breakfast today!

Hope everyone is doing well! I'm going to try out some new recipes this week, one for a pumpkin curry soup. I'll post it if I think it's worth trying!

Hi everyone! My name is Marisa and I just joined MFP and recently started transitioning to clean eating!! I am on day three and I am loving it! Why didn't anyone ever tell me that oatmeal is YUMMY?! I have noticed that I have more energy and I feel happier. I am a senior in college and have a 9 am class and I noticed yesterday that I was the only one in my class that wasn't falling asleep! I know that I have a ways to go, but I am extremely excited about this lifestyle change. I am mad that it took me this long to figure out that eating clean is the best way to take care of my body. Well, I wanted to introduce myself. If anyone has any tips for me I would love the advice!!

Welcome, Marisa,,,,you have made huge step in the right direction. You will be amazed at the energy and brain power you'll have with clean eating.
Barbie

I tried your pumpkin oatmeal the last couple days, it IS good! Cept my protein powder is hemp which isn't flavored so I use a packet of stevia in the raw. Today I mashed up a banana and mixed that in too, soo good!

Marisa congrats on eating healthier! It is amazing how much better clean eating can make you feel! I am twenty one as well and I get so sad when I see all the poor nutritional choices that are out there for young adults our age, especially at college campuses (but anywhere for that matter!). Go you for taking charge of your body and health by eating real food!

OK, I tried out the Curried Pumpkin Soup today- awesome!!! Here's the link and I'll post it also.
http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/Curried-Pumpkin-Soup

4 ServingsPrep/Total Time: 25 min.Ingredients
1 small onion, chopped
1 teaspoon canola oil
2 cups chicken or vegetable broth (I used the lower sodium)
1-1/2 cups canned pumpkin
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon curry powder
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt, optional
Dash pepper
1/2 cup half-and-half cream or evaporated milk
Chopped fresh parsley, optional
Directions
In a saucepan over medium heat, saute onion in oil until tender. Add the broth, pumpkin, lemon juice, curry powder, sugar, salt if desired and pepper; bring to a boil.
Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Stir in cream; heat through. Garnish with parsley if desired. Yield: 4 servings.


Diabetic Exchanges: One 1-cup serving (prepared with low-sodium broth and evaporated skim milk and without salt) equals 1/2 starch, 1/2 fat; also, 67 calories, 60 mg sodium, 3 mg cholesterol, 11 gm carbohydrate, 3 gm protein, 2 gm fat.

Hey clean eaters!

It's been a while since I have checked in. Things have been going pretty well on the clean eating front. Feeling it a bit more in the wallet, but it's worth it. November will be pretty interesing as I have to head out of state for work for a couple of weeks and hotel living can get tough. lol

Hope you all hav a great day!

Jess - the soup sounds great - will try soon.

Spyguy - Great to have you on the thread too. I'm worried about my upcoming vacation as well, much more difficult to eat healthy when travelling, will pack what I can and hope to stop at a grocery when I get there to get a few healthy things, will eat out more than normal - just have to do the best I can.

Just a check in! How'd everyone do over Halloween? No candy for me, not one piece!! My kids got a haul of candy too! We already organized it into their favorites and I have a gallon sized Ziploc baggie of candy that is going to work w/ my dh tomorrow.

Hope you are all doing well and keeping it clean!

Question for you, clean eaters-

I met with a dietitian on Friday (long story) and she asked what I normally eat for each meal. Aside from telling me that I don't eat enough she told me that I should try to stay away from protein powder and stick to animal proteins. I usually have 1/3 scoop powder with my breakfast, and sometimes another 1/3 scoop in something later in the day. She says I should have eggs or something instead. She says protein powder is broken down in your stomach more quickly than natural animal proteins (eggs, cheese, chicken, tuna...) so the animal proteins keep you feeling fuller longer. I think protein powder fills me up pretty good, though.

Anyone have any thoughts/insight?

I have two meals a day of Isaganix shakes that are made with whey protein from New Zealand. They keep me full longer than any other meal, they taste great and they have been part of the 62 pound weight loss I've achieved since January.

We gave quarters instead of candy at Halloween so we didn't have to deal with having any candy in our house.
Happy November.

I think you are doing fine adding protein powder as long as you don't use it for every meal!! I add 1/2 scoop to my morning oatmeal and that's about it. Sometimes I'll use it for a recovery drink, but that's it. I have read that it is broken down a little quicker, but that's why it makes a good recovery drink. I stay full longer from eating protein anyway. And I am just not one to eat eggs or anything like that after working out.

Just remember that is *her* opinion. What works for you, works for you!

That is a good idea!! My kids would love quarters. And congrats on your 62 pound loss!

OK, I had posted the Ribbon Pumpkin Bread from the recipes section here. I made it again and made some changes to make it even healthier. And better, my family said!!

Ribbon Pumpkin Bread (in database under Jess's homemade Ribbon Pumpkin Bread)

2 cups solid pumpkin
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
2 egg
2 egg whites
2 tbsp canola oil
3 cups whole wheat flour
1/3 cup wheat germ (optional, you could use another 1/3 cup of flour)
1/4 cups white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 tsp baking soda
1 T. ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp ginger

Filling:
12 oz. reduced fat cream cheese
1/4 cup sugar
2 tbsp whole wheat flour
4 egg whites

1. For filling, combine the cream cheese, sugar, flour, and egg whites in a bowl; set aside. In a mixing bowl, beat the pumpkin, applesauce, egg, egg whites, and oil. Combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and cloves; add to the pumpkin mixture. Stir in walnuts.

2. Divide half of the batter between four 8-in. x 4-in. x 2-in. loaf pans coated with cooking spray. Spread each with filling; top with remaining batter.

3. Bake at 350° for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely. Refrigerate leftovers.

Makes 4 loaves (10 slices each)

Calories: 68.0
Total Fat: 1.7 g
Cholesterol: 7.6 mg
Sodium: 35.5 mg
Total Carbs: 11.7 g
Dietary Fiber: 1.0 g
Protein: 2.0 g

Anyone around still??

Whole cranberries are out in the stores now!! Try adding some to your oatmeal... yum!!

I'm still lurking, Jess

I'm still around. I have squash just coming out of the oven on the way to being made into more squash apple soup. Just came back from an hour at the dog park, walking while the dogs run and play.
hugs Barbie

Jess- threw cranberries in my pumpkin oatmeal this morning .. soo good! this is going to be my new breakfast allll season haha. And that pumpkin recipe looks AWESOME I am totally making some this weekend!

kelynn- I don't eat a lot of animal protein as I am a vegetarian, and I think I get enough. I try to even get more than enough, which is easier than it sounds. The protein powder I use is hemp protein powder, but I don't think you even really need protein powder except after a hard workout really, and even then a glass of chocolate milk will do fine. Most "normal" food has plenty of protein. I put a scoop in my oatmeal and that meal is pretty much the most satisfying one of the day. Eggs are filling too though (I eat free range organic eggs.. and cheese and such. Vegan = too hard!), i usually eat eggs for dinner though to help cut down on my nighttime carb consumption. Anyhoo that probably wasnt helpful but its my two cents. As long as your body feels good with what you are doing, I would say it is fine. But you can try switching it up for a day or two and see if you notice any difference in appetite/ energy, etc.

Ooh, even better. Pumpkin AND cranberries!! I had my cranberry oatmeal w/ 1/2 scoop strawberry protein powder. YUM YUM!!

Let me know if you make the soup. I made a double batch and ate it for lunch a few days... I loved it!

Yum... squash! Squash apple soup sounds interesting... care to share the recipe?

Hi, lurker!!

CheshireKat, thanks for the info- it does help! Good to know- thanks for sharing!

Cranberries and strawberry protein powder = AWESOME!!!

Breakfast:
1/2 c. old fashioned oatmeal + 1/2 c. whole cranberries (cooked together w/ 3/4 c. water)
+ 1/2 scoop strawberry protein powder + 1/2 c. cottage cheese + 1/3 oz walnuts
Medium banana

Lunch:
Spinach, mushrooms, brocc, carrots, & snap peas +
3 oz tuna + 1 oz reduced fat feta + balsamic vinegar

This is the Apple Butternut Squash soup recipe. I got it from cheshirekat on this thread and revised it a little after I made it the first time. The soup I made this time was from a sweet meat squash that someone gave me and apples from a friend's tree.......so my conclusion is that any apples and any squash that is orange inside will work.

Apple-butternut squash soup

1 medium onion, diced
1 butternut squash (about 2 pounds), peeled, seeded, and chopped (cut in half and bake 30 minutes at 350 degrees for easier peeling and chopping)
3 red or golden apples, cored and chopped
1½ teaspoons ground cumin
½ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
2 cups homemade or store-bought low-sodium chicken or vegetable stock
2½ cups water, plus more if needed ( I used less water and made it very thick)

1. Put onion and squash in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add chicken stock, cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 10 minutes.

2. Add apples, cumin, , ginger, cayenne, black pepper, and the water (just enough to cover). Bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, and cook until vegetables are very soft, about 30 minutes.

3. Puree in batches in a food processor or blender until smooth or don’t puree and just serve it chunky, and return to saucepan. Heat for a little longer, thinning with more water if necessary.

4. To serve, ladle into shallow bowls; garnish with diced apples, jalapeno slices, and sour cream if desired. (I didn't do any of this, but it sounds good but will add calories)



Meal Details For: Barbie's butternut squash and apple soup

Items In This Meal Calories Sodium Fat Protein Carbs Fiber
Butternut Squash 32 oz 352 0 0 10 74 13
Sweet, raw, 1 onion 106 26 0 3 25 3
Apple - Fuji, 3 medium 240 0 0 3 66 1
Chicken BrothLow Sodium, 2 cup 30 280 2 2 2 0
Total: 728 306 2 18 167 31

does anyone have ideas for bread/pita/wraps that are clean eating? i have tried the josephs pitas, which i love. how about cereals?