Bangers & Mash

When I first started eating clean(ish) I thought that meant  I was in for a life of grilled chicken breasts, green beans and sweet potatoes. I found myself always veering off and having cheat meals weeks. It was a roller coaster of health and it wasn't doing anything to help my body. That's when I discovered the 80/20 rule. I eat clean(whole foods/not processed) for 80% of the time and the other 20% I allow myself to eat what I want...within reason. This has helped me SO much. I'm able to have my little treats when I want & without the guilt. Life is way too short to never have the things you love...which for me is food. Now this plan may not work for everyone, but if you find yourself yo-yoing with your nutrition then I encourage you to give it a shot. 

I also discovered that I could create cleaner version of meals without worrying about whether or not its perfectly healthy. Healthy eating does not have to be boring!! Get creative...take your favorite all out cheat meal and try to recreate it in a healthier version. There are so many alternatives to things that you can make just about anything healthier. 

Bill & I have recently been hooked on Chicken Sausage...so I've been coming up with fun new ways to cook with it. I created this recipe the other day because I just happened to have these items on hand. That's the fun part though...creating something from what you have. No need to spend tons of money! So below is the recipe I came up with for a healthier take on the classic Bangers & Mash.

I hope you love it! I would love to hear from you what some of your favorite healthier recipes are! Remember...eating clean does not have to be boring, bland or pricey. Get creative!!

 

Hammer & Chisel Meal Plan Week 1

So today is THE day. Hubby & I officially started Hammer & Chisel. We are both SO excited to start this program and see some awesome results. We've had bad habits in the past of falling off the wagon with the nutrition portion of programs. We'll do so well for weeks and then binge for a day week. So this time we are DETERMINED to not slip up...well not drastically anyway. A treat here & there may happen ( ;

I have always seen other people plan out their meals for the week and I thought 1. WAY too time consuming 2. I'm a free bird and I don't want my meals planned. I had fully convinced myself that eating without planning was working. Well...it wasn't. So I've decided to jump on the weekly meal plan bandwagon. So I was right about one thing...it's time consuming. I literally took breaks from doing it. I will say though that the following weeks should be much easier. I can just shift things around instead of starting from scratch. Plus I realized how much time I'll be saving by not standing in the kitchen for 15 minutes trying to decide what to eat 6 times a day. So without further ado...I'd like to share this beauty of a meal plan with you:

I'm prepared and ready to take on Week 1. That old saying "failing to plan is planning to fail" really is true. I can't wait to share more about this program later in the week with you. If this meal plan looks like something you would like, it's not too late to join my New Year Group. Just click on the "New Year, New You" picture on the right to get started!