Clean..er

i have talked a lot about cleaner eating here.

having tried it several times, i can 100% tell you that it's worth it and that it makes you feel so much better.

my crazy schedule is what makes me fall off of the wagon with it, but i'm a bit more determined these days.

so not only was it part of my 2013 goals, it's also direct doctor's orders if i want a baby.

hellooooo clean eating!

i feel like there are a lot of misconceptions about clean eating.

one being that the food is gross.

well please listen up here...if i can eat clean and be satisfied, so can you!

i am a self proclaimed veggie hater. although, i have branched out tremendously in the last couple of years and have learned that it's not all as terrible as i once thought.

so i thought it would be fun if i shared some of the recipes i come up with so that you all can join in the clean eating fun. i've see this resolution and tons of bloggy lists over the last few days!

now...i must say that we have not gone 100% clean and green. i'm working my way into it. but at the end of the day, one piece of garlic bread is nothing compared to something i'd get at a restaurant. so i still feel good about the choices i've been making.

every day i have a smoothie. it has become my favorite. and it's sooo filling.

i stumbled across a ginormous bag of frozen whole strawberries at costco for like $7. this was beautiful because 1.) i could use the strawberries as ice and 2.) i didn't have to worry about cleaning them or using them before they went bad

so far i've made about 8 shakes and haven't even used half of the bag.

you could use any fruit combo you want. i prefer strawberries and blueberries.

enough chatting...here's the recipe.

6-8 frozen whole strawberries

1/2 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen)

1-2 TBS peanut butter - i use organic natural pb

1 tsp chocolate syrup - you could also use cocoa powder (the dark chocolate is nice)

1 cup of green machine or green goodness juice (it's literally like a salad in a bottle but tastes fruity; it's also 100% natural juice)

1 cup of fresh spinach. please don't block me out here. you can't even taste the spinach at all. so it's an easy way to get an extra kick of goodness for your body.

so all that goes directly into the mixer and makes a heavenly concoction. it makes about 16-20 oz, which keeps me full for hours. but surely feel free to modify the amounts to make a smaller batch. when all is said and done, it tastes a lot like a PB&J sandwich, which i super adore.

costco has gotten me into a bit of trouble. you see i love asparagus. and well, they have a HUGE bag of it for about the same price as one bunch in the regular grocery store. so i bought it. and we have had asparagus 3 nights in a row with dinner. i finally finished it all!

so new year's night we had a grill feast to welcome in our cleaner life.

complete with grilled salmon, grilled asparagus and garlic bread. yumminess was had by all!

i bought 1 fresh salmon filet at the store, and chris and i split it. it was huge - about $10. i seasoned it with some olive oil, lemon pepper, cracked pepper, a little salt and threw it on the grill.

for the asparagus, my favorite recipe is so easy and yummy. i use the same recipe whether i roast in the oven or on the grill.

i toss it in a little olive oil (enough to get a little on every spear), cracked pepper, salt, and crushed fresh garlic. then spread it out on some foil and throw on the grill. it's done in about 10 minutes. i super love when the tips get crispy. heavenly!

for the bread, i bought some fresh baked sourdough rolls from the bakery of my local grocery store. 1 roll made 4 small pieces of bread, so we had 2 each. i took a little olive oil and brushed on the bread. then a little crushed garlic (if you don't have a garlic crusher, you're missing out) and parsley...with a little dash of salt. i threw it on the grill too. keep an eye on it so it doesn't burn.

this feast cost me less than $15 total. Not too shabby for a grilled seafood feast for 2.

see, this cleaner life isn't so hard!