New Year, New You! and how many TV shows do you flip through that talk about New Year's Resolutions and pretty much the overwhelming thing they talk about is people making Resolutions to LOSE WEIGHT and get HEALTHY. I have been working away on a bunch of little things at home today and have the TV on and every show that was on TV talked about Diet and Exercise and why you should do all the things they say to GET FIT in the New Year. So even if you didn't plan to lose weight you get brainwashed to think that you aren't good enough the way you are. The pressure to conform to a certain way of looking is really high at this time of year. What if you are already fit? Do you still feel like you aren't doing enough after the bombardment of all the media stories and commercials? If you are Obese does it make you feel like there is too much pressure to do all the things they say?
Well I guess I am one of those people that feel like it's a good time to start to work on a Healthier Living Plan. The New Year's Resolutions aside it's just a reminder and also because there are so many experts on tv telling you how you can look like a supermodel by following their tips. I am trying to take in some of those tips and modify them to my needs.
My resolution for this year is to try and modify what I eat to eat better quality food that my body can process properly so that I can increase my energy throughout the day so that I feel better. I am not committing to a NUMBER but choosing to just modify what I normally do.
Today I was trying to think about what to make for dinner with the ingredients I had in the fridge. I had some chicken breast defrosting and I had some leftover vegetables from a party that I had last week that I wanted to use up. While watching TV and getting things done around the house I saw one EXPERT make a Stir Fry with Tofu. Bingo! Stir fry with Chicken Breast. Inspiration. I was already half way there with some of the vegetables I already had semi prepped. They used Brown Rice... hey I have some I never think to use... so less than an hour later and Viola!
Chicken Stir Fry
Directions:
2 pieces of Chicken Breast cut into chunks
1 tbsp cooking oil
Marinade:
1 tbsp honey
2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
1 tsp siracha sauce
1 tsp soya sauce
2 garlic cloves finely chopped/grated
1 tbsp Fresh Ginger grated
Vegetables:
Green, Red, Yellow Peppers cut into chunks or strips
1 Onion cut into chunks
1 large carrot cut into 1/4 pieces or baby carrots
1 cup of broccoli florets
1 celery stick cut into chunks
Marinate the Chicken in the Marinade for at least a half an hour to develop the flavour.
In a Hot Frying Pan or Wok add Oil and heat until the pan is hot. Add the chicken Breast and cook until almost cooked. Take the chicken out of the pan and reserve on the side.
Add the vegetables into the pan and add water if there isn't any liquid left in the pan. Stir Fry the vegetables until they are tender. Add the chicken back into the pan and toss the whole thing together and cook until everything is fully cooked.
Serve on a Bed of Brown Rice.
AS FOR MY NEW YEARS RESOLUTIONS... this is what I am going to attempt to do:
- Use Brown Rice instead of White Rice
- Cook with healthy proteins like Turkey, chicken and Salmon
- Cook with Spices and Garlic and Ginger to boost flavours - I already do this but will bump it up more.
- Increase the amount of Vegetables I consume during the day.
- Try and decrease the amount of sugar in food.
- Cut out fancy coffees
- Switch to healthier whole grain breads or make my own bread.
- Eat and cook with less processed foods.
- Try and plan what i will eat so that I don't break down and get junk food.
- Try and find new recipes that increase nutrition while keeping flavour and calories down.
I am not going to obsess about it and I won't be hopping on the scale every 5 minutes with the pressure of obtaining a certain number. The goal is to feel better and have more stamina so I will be able to measure that by how much more I can accomplish during the day.
Diets don't work because as soon as you say you can't have certain foods and restrict certain things you end up wanting them even more. I am going to try and eat better more than I eat badly. More of an 80/20 rule.. Eat well 80 percent of the time and leave room for favourite things 20 percent of the time.
I watch all the Shows and Know all the right things to eat and do but it's the willpower to keep going that is the tough part.
Most people feel compelled to start a diet because they can't fit into their skinny jeans anymore after binging on Holiday Party foods throughout the holidays. I didn't go to a bunch of Holiday Parties but I finally have the time to focus on taking better care of myself.
It does take a bit more time to go to the store and buy fresh groceries that need to be prepped and cooked, instead of just picking up some fast food. It does take a bit more planning to try and make a variety of things that hold your interest in keeping it up. I am going to try and take all of my Food knowledge and whatever culinary skills I have to try and eat better while still enjoying what I eat.
As I experiment with different recipes I will post any great results here. And if it works and I lose weight I will post the results as well. I am at a point in my life where the weight is really stubborn so I am not going to beat myself up if I don't lose numbers on the scale. Just feeling better and doing what I need to do to prevent any future illnesses is what I need to focus on.
Wish me luck!
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