There is a lot of talk about ‘Clean Eating’ these days…And I don’t know about you, but when I first heard these words, I was wondering what all the ‘buzz’ was about! I was pretty excited when I started learning more about clean eating, as I came to find out that about 90% of my recipes fall into the category of clean eating without me even knowing it! Yippee!

Because clean eating has become pretty popular these days, I have decided to discuss it further to shed some light on the topic! (Keep in mind, I don’t claim to be an expert…Just did my fair share of research, and thought I’d share my findings and my point of view!)

In a nutshell, clean eating is just a simple way of talking about a way of eating, (not a diet or short term thing, but more like a lifestyle). This way of eating incorporates whole foods that are unprocessed, don’t have chemicals added to them. Simply put, any food that has been stripped of all nutrient value by man, and injected with a bunch of chemicals is not considered ‘clean’. 

You may have noticed that most of my recipes are listed as  ’Clean Eating’, which again simply means that I use foods in their most natural state, and don’t include any processed ingredients. One example of this is that I use whole grain oats in my baked goods rather than white or whole wheat flour, (which is essentially a whole grain that has beens stripped of it’s nutrition in a factory).

There are many benefits to ‘clean eating’… Some of the most common being weight loss, increased energy, and improved digestion just to name a few!

So, if this sounds like something of interest to you, you may be wondering how to get started!?! Well, to start here are a few basic choices from each food group that are considered ‘clean’ to start you off:

• Protein Sources: Chicken, Turkey, Fish, Egg Whites, Greek Yogurt, Cottage Cheese, Protein Powder
• Veggies: Broccoli, Cauliflower, Zucchini, Squash, Green Beans, Onions, Sweet Potatoes
• Fruit: Strawberries, Apples, Blueberries, Bananas
• Whole Grain Sources: Old Fashioned Oats, High Fiber Pasta, High Fiber Wrap Bread, Ezekiel or Whole Grain Bread
• Healthy Fat Sources: Avocado, Nuts, Nut Butters
• Sweeteners: Stevia, Honey, Agave Nectar, Maple Syrup

These are some of the clean eating foods that can be found in most Dashing Dish recipes, which can be found under the ‘Clean Eating’ tab under recipes! 

Christmas breakfast is unquestionably one of the most celebrated meals enjoyed by families all over the country! Enjoy a healthier alternative to the most craved breakfast foods with some of these popular Dashing Dish breakfast recipes!

*I starred some of the recipes that I will personally be making this year!

 Pancakes

Football season is upon us which means it is also officially tailgating season!  Unfortunately, tailgating also comes with a slew of unhealthy food.  Here are some of my healthy alternatives that are sure to impress the crowd at your next tailgate.

A Well-Rounded Lunch Box Includes:

• Whole Grains (Examples: High fiber wrap, pita, or sliced bread with at least 3 g fiber per serving, (I like LaTortilla wraps, Brownberry protein and health-full bread, and Ezekiel brand wraps and bread. Other ideas include whole grain cereal in a ziplock, high fiber pasta, or a Dashing Dish muffin!)
• Lean Protein (Examples: Low sugar Greek yogurt, lean deli meat, cheese sticks, thinly sliced cheese slices, hard boiled egg, or chicken or tuna salad.)
• Veggie/Fruit (Examples: apple slices, strawberries, blueberries, grapes, bananas, sliced red peppers, cucumbers, baby carrots, etc.)
• Healthy Fat (Examples: Small portion of nuts, hummus, or even olive oil based mayo or avocado on their sandwich. You don’t have to focus too much on incorporating a healthy fat, as many foods have at least some fat in them, like cheese or the yolk of a hardboiled egg for example! )

Other Tips for Preparing a Lunch Box:

• It’s great to get kids involved in making their lunches! It gives them a sense of independence as well as sparking an interest in learning healthy habits at a young age! These habits will most likely carry them through life, so any time you can get kids in the kitchen to cook with you is truly a wise investment!
• I have found in my own life that it is best to prepare lunches on the weekend, (I sometimes will prepare as many as a week’s worth of lunches on Sunday night!) or the night before. This prevents any feelings of being overwhelmed in the morning!
• Leftovers often make great lunches as well and prevent any unnecessary wasting of food!

Need Inspiration? Check out the ‘Kid Friendly Recipes’ section of Dashing Dish!

Hello Zucchini & Squash Season! If you have zucchini and squash in abundance right now, you are not alone! Check out these zucchini I just recently received from a friend!

The way I see the holidays is that it’s a special time of year that is meant to be enjoyed with family and friends, while gathering around the food we share. Here are a few tips that have allowed me to enjoy the holidays in a balanced way!

1. The FIRST FEW BITES are what counts!

Have you ever noticed how a child eats a dessert? It takes them what seems to be forever to finish eating! They truly enjoy every bite! Now let’s think about how adults typically eat.  Often the treat is gone before we ever realize what we ate!  If we ever stop to consider at what point the food was is enjoyable, we would realize it is in the first few bites.  Since there are plenty of treats surrounding the holiday celebrations, go ahead and indulge a little bit, but as soon as you find yourself losing the enjoyment of the food, stop there!

Well, if your anything like me, you’re already thinking up what you’ll be serving (or bringing) to your Thanksgiving table! I thought I’d share the list of our Thanksgiving dishes with you.  Who knows… maybe it will inspire you to make something new! And look closely…. some of the items on the list are coming to a Dashing Dish this week!  (DD recipes that is!)

I’ve found that it’s the little thing that have really helped me enjoy and continue on my journey to healthy living! As a way of saying THANK YOU to all of the amazing people that support Dashing Dish, I would like to share a few of these ‘little pleasures’ that have made living a healthy lifestyle all the more enjoyable!

Three Winners Will Receive:

• Nu Naturals Stevia- A 50ct  box of NuStevia Packets and a bottle of NuNaturals Vanilla Stevia Liquid. I love this brand of stevia, because after trying many brands out there, it’s the only one that I can say doesn’t have a funny aftertaste, and it tastes just like sugar!
• Power Body ICE with Jody Trierweiler DVD- An intermediate to advanced workout, that really get’s you working! And no equipment is needed, so you now you never have an excuse not to workout! Workout DVD’s have been a lifesaver for me when I’m running short on time, but need to fit a workout in my day! This one is particularly amazing, and was created by one amazing lady who loves the Lord!

To enter this giveaway you could do one of two things:

• Find your favorite Dashing Dish recipe, and put a link back to it on your Facebook page!
• If you have a website, mention, and put a link back to your favorite Dashing Dish recipe on your site!

Then leave a comment here saying that you did!

Winners will be announced on August 9, 2001~ which is one week from today! Good Luck and Thank You again for all your love and support!!!

I am THRILLED to announce that all of my recipes will have Weight Watchers Points Plus! The fabulous and inspiring Jennifer Swafford from “It Sux to be Fat.com” is an amazing woman of God, and she talks all about her journey on her site!

She has personally lost tons of weight using Weight Watchers, and she offered to use the official Points Plus Calculator to factor the Weight Watchers points for all of my recipes! Now anyone on Weight Watchers can enjoy my recipes without having to figure out the points~ how awesome is that!?! Thank You Jennifer!!! Be sure to check out her amazing weight loss journey at www.ItSuxToBeFat.com!