Miss Maria keeping it real

It's been quite the journey that I actually enjoyed but it's coming to an end....... I can actually say that I have successfully completed 18 days of my challenge and haven't slipped once 🙌  Pat myself on the back.....🤚 What this challenge has done for me is actually forced me to eat more real foods; fruits 🍌🍏, veggies 🥕🍠, and 100% whole grains.  I feel more full and satisfied with more energy than before.  When you put good things into your body, your body thanks you and you feel good. You truly are what you eat 🍽 I have been more creative with snacks and although I always have, I read more labels thoroughly really dissect 🗡the nutrition information and have more informative decisions because of this.  I feel like I have been a happier person and look forward to the day ahead 🌞🌻 Friday is my last day, so I'll write back on Saturday my final thoughts on this challenge.....Happy Hump Day everyone!             ...

2 WEEKS DOWN, 1 TO GO..... I'm finishing up my 2nd week and I have to say, it's been just as easy as the 1st 🙌 I've been in the kitchen more, eating out A LOT less (although, I don't really eat out much anyway), having more energy, feeling really good about myself, and saving a lot of money 🙌🙌 I have enjoyed the occasional glass of wine....however.....I'm drinking wine that's grown with ORGANIC grapes which has such a bold and rich flavor that you don't need a lot to be satisfied 🍷 I've been eating a lot of fresh fruits 🍌🍎🍐 and veggies 🌶🍠🥔 My coffee has only cream (which I make myself with pure extracts added to it) ☕🥛and no sugar added to it...which I have surprisingly gotten used to.  I have limited my sugar intake by so much that I had a yogurt yesterday with a small amount of sugar in it (less than 8g is acceptable since yogurt has other added benefits) and it tasted really, almost too sweet to me 🤷 I'm going to have to be c...

THE FIRST WEEKEND OF THIS 20 DAY CHALLENGE HAS BEEN A SUCCESS 🙌 I abstained from meat 🐮🐷🐔 on Friday, had all beef 🐮 sliders without the bun and homemade beans with caramelized onions 🧅on Saturday, lots of water 🥤, and A LOT of produce 🍌🌶🥑 throughout the whole weekend.  It wasn't hard at all and I felt very satisfied and less hungry the entire weekend.....score 🙌 I made a delicious and nutritious homemade version of Rice Krispy Treats  this weekend using: organic brown rice cereal 🌾, a tablespoon of real grass fed local butter 🧈, all natural crunchy peanut butter🥜, real dark cocoa powder🍫, and a touch of honey🍯 spiced with cinnamon and a dash of cayenne 🌶 The end result was a decadent but healthy chocolaty treat/snack with a softer/chewier consistency (which I didn't miss) (since there are no marshmallows) filled with a depth of flavor from real high quality ingredients 😋  I don't think I'll make rice krispy treats any other way again.  A fun c...

Week 1 is nearly complete 🙌 This week has been flying by and I really don't miss sugar or white flour at all 🤯 I have been in the kitchen more, making my own version of my favorite foods which has been a lot of fun 🍳 My latest homemade food is sweet potato fries  🍠 I prefer sweet potato to regular potato anyway......it has more flavor and way more nutrients than regular potatoes.....and.....it is the most nutrient dense  (most nutrients per weight) product in the produce department .....the biggest bang for your buck 💸 However, I have always let someone else do the work and have bought them pre-made.  I was a little intimidated to make my own but I gave it a shot and was very surprised at how easy the process was and how delicious the end product 🤭 I ate the sweet potato fries along with a portabello mushroom burger which was so meaty and filling that I didn't miss the meat at all!!  It was a delicious dinner 🍽 Week 1 has been surprisingly easy........

I'm on my 3rd day of Keeping It Real by Keeping It Clean ..... I have to say......it has been quite easy 👏 I will say, I do miss truvia in my coffee every morning but my homemade coconut creamer with lots of spices (cinnamon, ginger, allspice) added to my morning cup of Joe has been very doable....I'm actually quite surprised 🤯 With eating real, clean foods, I notice that I am fuller longer (more fiber in real foods) and feel more satisfied than I thought I would.  I feel good throughout the day with a good amount of energy.  Now, I realize it's only day 3 but I think this is a real positive ➕ One of my favorite snacks that I have made are homemade Kale chips 🥬  I placed kale in oven tossed with olive oil, spices (chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder), and a little salt and pepper and baked until crispy....delicious.....only 33 calories in 1 cup of cooked kale 🙌 I also made a 3 bean chili with organic beans and lean ground turkey with bell peppers and...

So.....I'm going clean for 20 days this Lent 🤯 I eat and live a healthy lifestyle normally but am going the extra mile this Lent.  I'm actually excited about it and am interested to see how my body is going to feel and look 🙌 I am cutting out added sugars (only naturally occurring sugars in whole fruit), no fried foods, white flour, artificial sweeteners, or processed foods 😏 From March 1 to March 20, I am going to give this a try.  I will be making a lot of my own foods and hopefully saving a lot of money 👏 The challenge for me is going to be not having sugar/truvia in my coffee or coffee creamer.  However, I have made my own coffee creamer using coconut milk and pure extracts like vanilla or cinnamon.  It's actually pretty good and doable 👍 I've made homemade egg bites using 100% egg whites, real cheese, and veggies I've made homemade 100% whole wheat graham crackers which are actually pretty good but less sweet.....which is fine for me....I plan on ...