Grazing... Great? or God-awful?

"Grazing" is a term that can refer to snacking all day or eating several smaller meals throughout your days rather than three traditional meals such as breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Mindless Grazing:
What I am about to say should be common sense, but sometimes we all need to step back and take an honest look at our actions to see if they are conducive to the goals we are trying to obtain... Grazing on crap will lead to crappy results! It is easy to tell yourself "a small piece, a little bite, just a few chips or a few fries won't hurt me!" but if you had to add up all of those small grazing allowances, I wonder how many extra calories they would account for on your day, or even your week! You may have heard before that "1 pound = 3,500 calories". So, in order to gain weight, all you have to do is intake an extra 500 calories per day from what you are already burning. That task can be a lot easier than you would think if you are taking into account the mindless grazing you may be doing. The extra coffee creamer or sugar in the morning + the minty candies at work + the extra soda/energy drink/coffee w/ cream & sugar because you are tired + just a couple of your co-worker's chips or fries + a bite of your kid's dinner they did not finish or your mate's dessert =  Weight gain accomplished!!! If your grazing looks similar to this, you are setting yourself up to gain a pound a week & that's assuming the rest of your meals are healthy & setting you up to expend more calories than you intake! When I first had thoughts about healthy eating & my calorie intake vs. expenditure I had to do things the difficult way. I had a little food journal that I would bring everywhere with me & every time a substance of any kind went into my mouth I would write it down. Then I would calculate how many total calories I consumed during my days. Doing this can be quite surprising when you are convinced that you only ate once, or are only snacking occasionally or snacking healthy and should be losing weight. Nowadays keeping track of your grazing is much simpler with apps for your phone such as MyFitnessPal which allow you to scan bar codes & have most foods along with their calories immediately accessible.

How Many Times a Day Should I Eat?:
There are so many studies out there that claim to prove that grazing is either the corner stone of a healthy diet & metabolism or the wrong thing to do while trying to lose weight. If you visit Dailymail,  USnews, or  Prevention.com you will find very convincing articles that state eating smaller and more frequent meals daily to lose weight is not the way to go.  Jillianmichaels.com claims "if you keep eating small amounts of food throughout the day, you'll never burn any fat." Confusingly contradicting those thoughts and those articles, Webmd.com  while listing "10 Ways to Boost Your Metabolism" states "Eating more often can help you lose weight. When you eat large meals with many hours in between, your metabolism slows down between meals." In the popular, Menshealth.com you will find an article titled "Eat More Food, Lose More Fat" in which Katherine Tallmadge, R.D., author of Diet Simple states "Your body can metabolize only so much protein at one time...  Protein is metabolized better when it's divided evenly."

The point is, I can only testify to what has worked for me thus far. When I began my healthy living journey, I knew that my metabolism needed a jolt. Everything I read at that point was telling me that I should eat healthier & more frequently throughout the day which was a stark contrast from what I had been doing & what was definitely not working for me! I did not have much energy & because I was more sedentary I did not have the desire to eat more meals nor did I think "more meals" could possibly stop me from plunging further down the rabbit hole of obesity. I tried this "more meals = more weight loss" concept & it worked for me! Clearly, not just any meals will do the trick! You can not eat what comes out of a drive through window 5-6 times a day & possibly expect improvements! Whether you decide to watch your carbs like I do, or not, I wholeheartedly believe in a principle that I originally learned from The 4-Hour Body by Timothy Ferriss - You should start your day with protein & every meal should have a source of protein in it! (The 4-Hour Body is an excellent read with so many tips if you are serious about this weight loss journey & if you are like me & would enjoy knowing the specifics & the science behind why certain practices work.) In my opinion, healthy grazing is an excellent way to at least start your journey if you have a significant amount of weight to lose because it helps you omit temptation & the desire to cheat yourself. If you are already eating a healthy meal or a snack that you personally took time to prepare every 2-3 hours, not only is that box of donuts at lunch going to look less desirable, but your hunger for it will have already been fulfilled with something more nutritious. If you usually experience a slump in energy after eating, partaking in smaller more frequent feedings throughout the day that require less energy to digest all at once can give you a more sustainable energy source all day & eventually even lead to enough energy to workout during a time you are usually exhausted! Lastly, if you are like me & trying to healthy eat on a budget or hate to waste things in general, when you are setting yourself up for success in the beginning of the week by preparing all of these meals for each of your days, you are certainly not going to want to waste them and make an unhealthy choice therefore spending more money on food & letting your prepared snacks go to waste!

In conclusion, if you are out of options & want so desperately to start moving in the right direction, why not take an honest look at your grazing behaviors & then try something new? See if eating more healthy & prepped meals throughout your day gives you the same boost in energy & jump start on weight loss that it did for me! At very minimum it will definitely shrink your appetite & help you start some very healthy habits that you can continue whether you believe in all day grazing or not!

Here are some great articles that will make you think twice about mindless grazing!

The Seattle Times : Think Twice Before You Nibble On Just One

Everydayhealth.com: Quiz: How Many Calories Do You Mindlessly Eat?


This post is a part of Bri's Keys: Daily Improvements with Ease
look for other posts like it!

Honey Walnut Zucchini Beer Bread *Cheat Days*

 A rich, savory sweet bread that I love to serve warm with butter along with dinner!

Ingredients:                                                  

12 oz beer

2 cups all purpose flour

1 cup wheat flour

2 cups shredded zucchini

1 tbsp baking powder

1/2 cup honey

3/4 cup sugar

1 tsp salt

2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1 tbsp vanilla extract

This is an easy one you indulgent cheaters you!
 Just mix all the dry & wet ingredients separately
& then combine together, pour batter into a
greased 9x13 baking dish/casserole dish & bake
at 350 for 50-60 minutes!

Spicy Lemon Pepper Chicken & Noodles A quick one pot meal

Sometimes you just need to make a quick meal without heading to the market & without dirtying too many dishes! That's what this meal was for me! I simply used what I had in my fridge and in my pantry, I pulled out my pot & I got to cookin! (It just so happened this was delicious enough to be blog-worthy!)

Ingredients:
4 Pre-seasoned chicken thighs
1 jalapeno, diced
2 garlic cloves, finely diced
2 tomatoes, chopped with juices
2 scallions, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
2 tsp lemon zest
the juice of one large lemon
2 cups of broth

So I had these chicken thighs sitting in my fridge, tightly sealed & soaking in the delicious flavors of a dry rub until I could figure out what to do with them. The dry rub consisted of salt, lemon zest, garlic powder, onion powder, parsley, oregano & pepper.



I browned my chicken thighs on all sides on medium high heat in a pan of oil. I then asked myself "what else do I have that will make this delicious?" I grabbed my jalapeno, garlic, onion & scallions & threw them in with the chicken! I then added my 2 cups of beef broth, that I had remaining from a previous recipe! YES! I used beef even though this is a chicken recipe because that's what I had & waste not, want not! I then added the extra lemon zest & juice along with 2 chopped tomatoes & their juices, covered my pot & let the whole concoction of flavors marry one another while my chicken continued to cook & become tender for about 20 minutes in this delicious bath!

Next it was time to figure out what in the world I would serve this delicious meal with. Aha! I had just purchased a box of black bean spaghetti to try! Perfect! I had 4 chicken thighs, so I measured out a little more than 4 servings of pasta, transferred my chicken to a
plate & threw the pasta right in my simmering bath of deliciousness! At this point I could tell that my dish would need a little more liquid, so I added about a half cup of water & a little extra salt and pepper & then proceeded to cook my pasta for the time indicated on the box with a closed lid so I wouldn't lose any of my broth by evaporation to the heavens! (If the angels tasted this dish they might want to call me home a little earlier than my time & I have more cooking & blogging to do!)

15 g carbs - 11g fiber = 4 net carbs

Once my pasta was done cooking, I simply plated this dish with a
little of the liquids & kept some aside for serving! The black bean
spaghetti was a wonderful choice. Not only did my pasta hold the spicy lemon flavors of the broth, making a thicker sauce unnecessary, it also maintained the perfect al dente texture & it is actually a low carb option. I will definitely be using this pasta again!

 

Cheesy Zucchini Beer Bread - The Low Carb Version!

Ok, so if you are NOT living a low carb life style you might not want to jump immediately to substituting your bread, pasta & rice products for substitutions! I will admit I have NEVER tasted a bread alternative that is more delicious & emotionally satisfying than the real thing! (And through the years I have tasted A TON of substitutions & tried a A TON of recipes) A wonderful soft & puffy on the inside, firm on the outside roll, a slice of soft white bread or a chunk of hearty beer bread will never ever be replaced in your heart if you already love & are addicted to those things! But Guess what?! If you have been restricting those gluten & carb loaded delights from your diet, a low carb, almond flour or coconut flour bread product, if done right, can feel like heaven & make you wonder why you haven't eaten these healthy substitutions all along!


Ingredients:
1 cup almond flour
1 cup coconut flour
1/2 cup ground chia seed
1/2 cup psyllium husks
1 1/2 cup grated percorino romano or parmesan cheese
2 cups grated zucchini
12 oz of light beer
1 egg
1 tbsp baking powder
1tsp xanthan gum
1tbsp oregano
1 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp salt
1tsp pepper
4 tbsp melted butter
1/2 cup shredded cheese of your preference

Mix all dry ingredients in a bowl. In a separate bowl mix wet ingredients & then combine all ingredients to form a dough. Press dough into a large, greased casserole baking dish & top with shredded cheese & melted butter. Bake on 375 for about an hour. Test bread with a toothpick before removing from oven.

TIP: If you have not yet built your stock up of low carb pantry items & you only have chia seeds or psyllium husks but not both, you can easily use 1 cup of either. Both items are great to have in stock when making low carb desserts & when adding volume to baked items.

Cod & Shrimp Egg Foo Young with Gravy

Have a craving for some delicious Chinese take out? Here is the cure! Pair this with my Faux Fried Rice & you have a delicious, healthy & even low carb meal that feels like it should have come out of a delivery container!

Gravy Ingredients:

2 tbsp of Smart Balance, butter or your preferred butter substitute

2 cups beef broth (preferably low sodium)

1 1/2 cups of silken tofu

1/2 tsp xanthan Gum

2 tbs oyster Sauce

1 tbs soy Sauce

1 tsp ground pepper

1 thumb sized piece of ginger grated

a dash of garlic powder

Egg Patty Ingredients:

8 eggs whisked in a large bowl

12 oz Cod (or your preferred fish)

1 4oz can baby shrimp (want to go all out & use larger, fresh   shrimp? Go crazy, have a blast!)

1 sweet vidalia onion thinly sliced

5 baby bok choy chopped

3 scallions chopped

1tsp soy sauce

1tsp pepper

olive oil for cooking

Directions:

Make your gravy first. Melt your butter/butter substitute in a small pot on medium heat and add your beef broth. Once your liquids are simmering, add the remainder of your ingredients except for the xanthan gum & silken tofu. For the next step I used an immersion blending stick but you could also use a blender or get an arm workout in with a whisk! If you are using a device besides an immersion blending stick you may want to use a larger pot to minimize mess. Next add in your silken tofu, blend thoroughly & slowly add your xanthan gum while blending until desired consistency is reached. Remove pot from heat & keep gravy covered to keep warm.

TIP: Xanthan Gum is a low carb, vegan, gluten free thickening agent. I was reluctant to purchase it at first because a certain specialty store was selling a popular brand for $15, but I then found small packages for 50cents in my local ShopRite! Xanthan Gum is great in gravies or sauces that need thickening and also low carb breads that are missing that yummy gluten.

To start my egg patties, I first seasoned with garlic, salt & pepper & then cooked my cod fish in a little olive oil in a non stick frying pan. Remove the fish from your pan, roughly chop & place aside to slightly cool. Cook your vegetables in the same frying pan with the remaining oil & fish drippings until a little wilted. You want your vegetables to have a little firmness in your egg patties. Place vegetables aside to slightly cool. Whisk together your egg, soy sauce & pepper & then add the remaining egg patty ingredients. For the next step, I used a small 7" frying pan & a large serving spoon. My frying pan was the exact size I wanted my egg patties to be, but if you only have larger frying pans, make larger patties to share! I am hoping whatever size patty you create, you will be able to fry it golden & flip it in one shot so you do not end up with an Egg Foo Young Scramble! ( the smaller the pan, the better) Heat your pan & a little oil on medium-high & then spoon a heaping spoonful of egg mixture directly into the center. Once you can see the delicious brown starting to work it's way to the edges of your egg it's time to flip! This recipe made me 8 - 6" patties. Serve your egg patties with gravy, Faux Fried Rice or a side of real rice for those in your household who want it & top with fresh chopped scallions! 

Egg Foo Young, Gravy & Cauliflower Faux Fried "Rice"