Super Clean Eating

Hello all!

So, if you follow me on fb you'll know that today starts my super clean eating. I already eat pretty clean but I really want to push it to the next level and see what my body is capable of looking like when I give it my all. If you plan on starting this challenge the first thing you need to do is go food shopping. (MY FAVORITE). My top three food stores are Stop & Shop, Trader Joes, & Whole foods in that order and from least expensive to most expensive. I also hit up my local farmers market FIRST, because they have the cheapest produce and usually the best. I will always load my cart with the following things:

• Spinach
• Kale
• Tomatoes
• Mini cucumbers
• Celery
• Orange peppers
• Eggplant
• Cabbage slaw
• Sweet potatoes
• Apples
• Bananas
• Mangos
• Blueberries
• Strawberries
• Avocados
• Cilantro
• Scallions
• Mushrooms
• Frozen Tilapia (Walmart has a bag very cheap)
• Egg white Carton
• Unsweetened almond milk
• nonfat plain greek yogurt
• Natural peanut butter 
• Fruit preserves - no sugar added
• Single serve minute brown rice (microwavable)
• Whole wheat/ gluten free pasta
• No sugar added pasta sauce
• Tuna- solid white in water
• Flax seed & whole wheat wraps
• Ezekiel bread
• Frozen blueberries
• Steamfresh veggies/Birds eye frozen veggies
• Cottage cheese- my favorite kind is the friendship brand. 
• Larabars
• Veggie burgers
• Shredded mozzarella and string cheese 
• Low acid orange juice
• Kashi crackers
• Kashi go lean cereal (6 sugars and under for cereal choice)

Hope this helps get you prepared. Obviously if you eat chicken or meat get lean versions. I only eat fish and eggs so this is what my list looks like :) 

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. I can't stress the importance of eating breakfast every day. Some of us are on the run (if you're running that late start waking up earlier- no excuses). A fast and yummy breakfast option for me is to buy the birds eye frozen veggies (tri color pepper and onions) I throw the frozen veggies in a pan, they warm up super fast, and then I pour eggwhites over them. Let them cook, sprinkle a little bit of cheese and either add it to a flax seed wrap with a little ketchup (organic) and take it to go. Or I eat it as an omlet and make some oatmeal or a slice of ezekial toast. We don't have to sacrifice enjoying breakfast even when we are limited to time. You can make really delicious meals in under 10 minutes. So eat up and enjoy! 

Happy Friday!

<3deborahbrittany

PANCAKES!

I eat breakfast all day lol my favorite meal! These bad boys are my protein pancakes! Yes. These are clean! Crazy right? Again, I used my Hamilton blender now as a mixer to mix all the ingredients. Put liquid first then dry this way it doesn't get stuck to the bottom :) you start with 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk, 1/4 cup egg whites, 2 tbsp vanilla protein powder, 1/2 cup oat flour, 1 tsp baking powder, 1 tbsp cinnamon and 1/2 banana and pulse the blender until creamy. Then cook mixture just like normal pancakes. I topped mine with nonfat plain Greek yogurt and warmed frozen blueberries with a 1/2 packet of stevia. Enjoy!

Kale smoothie

Kale smoothie? I know what you're thinking. I AIN'T DRINKING THAT! Before you get your panties (or boxers) in a bunch, hear me out.

Before taking the plunge into the world of kale I would see the bag of kale in the grocery store, look at it, cringe and walk away. I saw people start making kale smoothies and I thought it would taste like dirt but it didn't! It takes on a tasteless flavor so when combined with fruits like mango, pineapple, and apples it takes on a yummy smoothie taste!

The benefits of adding kale to your diet are fantastic. Incorporating kale into your daily diet can help protect against cancer and lower cholesterol. Kale is known to be one of the healthiest vegetables on the planet. And it's available in your local food store for under 4 dollars. Who knew? Kale provides vitamin A, B6, C & K along with calcium, magnesium, potassium, iron and manganese.

My smoothie recipe!

I use the Hamilton beach single serve blender. It's 12 dollars. And FABULOUS.

- add 1 cup of kale to blender
- add 3/4 cup water
(blend)
- add chopped fruit of choice. I used mango and banana.
(blend)
- add shredded coconut, 5 ice cubes and a splash of OJ.
(blend)
- poor into favorite cup, grab a straw and enjoy!

Clean Eating Challenge!

If you are following me on instagram or facebook you already know that I'm holding a Clean eating challenge group starting June 11th! For more information on the go to facebook.com/deborahbrittanyfitness.

Okay, so let’s start with the basics. What is “eating clean”? The simplest answer to this is, if you can’t pronounce an ingredient or if you have no clue what it is, don’t eat it! The fewer ingredients the better. Just because an item says it’s “natural” or “nutritious” doesn’t mean it really is. For example: nutrigrain bars. Nutri & grain are in the name yet it has the same nutritious intake as eating a candy bar. Eating clean is eating whole foods including fruits, vegetables, lean protein and complex carbohydrates. Clean eating creates a balance in your diet and by no means limits you or depletes any certain food group. While clean eating you should be consuming 5-6 small meals a day. You should always be eating breakfast and packing your own food for lunch and dinner and snacks if needed. When you do eat out try to eat as clean as possible.

Like it or not you quite possibly can be addicted to food. People who switch to clean eating have a really hard time letting go of things like white bread, white rice, candy, cake, and fried foods. They think they are "missing out" on something rather than realzing that they are poisioning their bodies. If you are going to "treat" yourself to cake and fried food when you reach goals this is probably not the right challenge for you. I'm here to help change your current lifestyle. This is far from a diet fad. It's recognizing how eating whole nutritious foods will change your life in the most positive kind of way. By eating clean I have lost weight, gained energy, and managed health concerns- all medication free. After the first 2 weeks of clean eating you'll notice that you'll start to crave the new clean foods. Why? Because your finally giving your body what it craves and needs rather than processed & sugar loaded junk.

Things you should avoid:

• Diet soda
• Sugar free anything- sucralose and aspartame are TERRIBLE for you. Choose stevia as a healthy alternative.
• White bread, White Rice, Pasta, White potatoes etc
• Fake "healthy" treats such as fiber one bars, nutrigrain bars, special k bars etc. Check the ingredients. Not so healthy anymore huh? Didn't think so.
• High Fructose Corn Syrup. (But I saw the commercial and it says it's ok) Just, stop.
• Any cereal with more than 6 grams of sugar.
• Icecream, cake, cookies etc. (don't have a heart attack, there are clean ways to enjoy these treats)
• Fast food/fried food
• I stay away from meat. Red, chicken, turkey etc. My body doesn't process it well and odds are if you have intestinal problems/ bowel movement problems, cut out meat and magically you're cured. But this a whole different topic.
• Dried fruit-it's loaded with sugar. Want fruit? eat the fresh kind or frozen.
• 100 calorie packs. Again, read the ingredients. Clean eating isn't calorie counting. So hop off of that band wagon :)

Things you should enjoy:

• Fresh/Frozen fruit- blueberries are loaded with nutrients to get you through the day. I buy frozen this way I save money by not wasting them due to their short shelf life.
• Whole grains. If you like to have toast/sandwiches pick up Ezekiel bread. It's the best bread you can eat.
• 100% whole wheat wraps with flaxseed. A bunch of stores have wraps. Read the ingredients. The fewer the better. Make sure there is no sucralose, high fructose corn syrup and a bunch of chemicals.
• Egg whites- You can use them in almost anything. So versatile and nutritious.
• White fish- Tilapia, cheap, easy to cook, and delicoius.
• Solid White Tuna Fish
• Lean chicken/meat
• Veggies! - The greener the better. The greener your veggies are the more nutrient rich they are. I typically put kale in my smoothies so I can get the added benefits without adding it to my salads and meals. The only salad I eat contains spinach or baby spinach and occassionally red leaf lettuce. Romaine lettuce is mostly water so I stay away. I want my food to count.
• Celery- mostly water but excellent when you need that crunch factor. I eat my celery with nautral peanut butter and part skim cheese.
• Natural peanut butter- I'm a feign. Don't be a feign! Remember keep a balance. I'm still telling myself this. Love my pb.
• No sugar added preserves
• Oats, not the maple brown sugar stuff, just traditional oats. Warm them up yourself so you can monitor what's going into your body.
• Protein powder- again try to read the ingredients. No sucralose, aspartame etc. Also try to stay away from soy protein just because it has conflicting research on the amount of estrogen and hormones it provides.
• Almond milk or skim milk- I no longer drink cow's milk. Preference.
• Greek yogurt. Yoplait, Activia, etc etc etc. is not good for you. It's loaded with sugar and chemicals. GROSS. Nonfat greek yogurt, add your own fresh fruit and granola and you're good to go!
• Cottage cheese. - Amazing source of protein and works well as a evening snack because it has casein which processes slowly throughout your body this way while your sleeping your still getting the nutrients you need.

I can keep going with this so I'll leave it here for you all to absorb :) I really love clean eating. I love how exciting it is to try new recipes and how great my body feels. I only hope you will share on this excitement soon!

Here's to clean eats <3

<3 deborah brittany

Progress

Month 1 of Insanity has made me a very happy fit chick. I only hope month 2 brings on more definition!



Here's to clean eats and abs of steel 💪👸

<3 deborahbrittany

HOLY BATMAN!

Right now I am on week 5 of Insanity & it is straight up INSANE. I'll be real with you. The first month of Insanity is tough but it's do-able. 100%. You just need to be dedicated and find motivation, if not in yourself in other places. I honestly find motivation on Instagram. The Fitness IG family is absoultely amazing, supportive and informative.

Insanity Month 2 HOWEVER is a bitch. Plain and simple. Today was day 1 of week 5 and I had the "fit test" as well as "max interval circuit". For one, the fit test is a good 20/25 minutes then I press play for the second workout and it's an hour! I worked my butt off on the fit test so by the time I started the max interval circuit I was seeing double. I pressed pause. Scoffed down a protein bar and drank water before starting. I usually don't eat breakfast before working out because I get nauseous but for the upcoming month I'm going to have to figure something out because I'm going to need hellah energy. It doesn't help that I'm out of my energy and endurance and I'm patiently *NOT SO PATIENTLY* waiting for it to ship to me. :p

Here's what the Insanity Program looks like:



When you order it, the program also comes with a food guide which has REALLY helped me. It gives you a bunch of recipes for every meal along side of 100 calorie and 200 calorie food block ideas so you have meals in between your main meals. It provides a guide that teaches you about nutrition and what your* body needs. I almost exploded with excitement when my Insanity came in the mail and I've been so happy with my results. I feel SO much stronger. I love it. If you ever want to contact me for more information regarding Insanity or any other beachbody product I am an email away :)

Email: deborahbrittanyfitness@gmail.com

Here's to happy, healthy eating and powerful, successful workouts. Cheers!

<3 deborahbrittany

Insanity.

Want to know how I KNOW the Insanity workout is the shiznit?! Because it WORKS. Not only is my outside changing but my inside as well. I could never finish 2 miles at a fast speed. Hell. I could barely finish at a slow speed. First run since starting insanity was today and it was fucking fabulous. I didn't stop once and finished off with 50 power squats and a nice long stretch. Going to go for a nice long run at least once a week. It's really good for my stress :) so much more productive than me punching someone in the face over bumping me with their cart or something. I'm so temperamental when I'm stressed. A nice run puts me into a good CALM mode.

Keep calm and run on ✌

<3 deborahbrittany