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Friday, May 31, 2013

Food {Friday}

If you want any recipes and/or portion sizes, comment below! And no, there was no measuring involved in the making of Snack #2!

Breakfast {Cereal + Blueberries}

Snack {3 Figs + String Cheese}

Lunch {1 Salmon-Artichoke Stuffed Portobello Mushroom + Peach + Crackers}

Snack {Ice Cream + PB2 + 5 9 Graham Crackers + Chocolate}
If you read my workout post today, you know that I don't feel too great today. I'm on my period AND I've been off-and-on extremely nauseous. (I thought about not posting about the red rain, but I figured that you would understand my cheat snack more if I just told you.) I was supposed to have carrots, cucumbers, and hummus for a snack.  Now, that's all fine and dandy....if you aren't well, you know. I wanted a cheater cheater pumpkin eater meal. Now, some of you will read this and think, OMG, that's her "cheat" meal?!?! I could teach this girl a thing or two about cheating!! (Hello, Jen!) But I have to say the ice cream was "natural" Breyer's light vanilla, some PB2 (not clean, but fat/oil reduced), some organic graham crackers, and some 70% cacao chocolate. It was just as satisfying as the naughty version of the same ingredients. I simply don't have anything naughtier in my house. Actually, Colby and Alex have a HUGE stash of chocolates (Snickers, Twix, M&Ms, etc.) from the last week of school. I just don't touch it. So, I cheated with the ice cream. It was exactly what I needed. Moving on.  Oh, I guess I should mention that I had 4 more of those grahams after my bowl. Don't worry, I put a stop to it after that. :)



Dinner {Lemon Chicken + Spinach + Bulgur}

Documentary {Food, Inc.}

I cannot remember who mentioned the documentary, Food, Inc., to me.  Usually, when I hear of a good book or a good movie or something I should try out, I type it into the Notes app on my iPhone.  I actually found a copy of this film at the Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library.  We were looking in the movie section, and Alex pointed out a movie called Food. I immediately recognized the title as one listed in my phone! Woot! I didn't know how I was going to find a copy, so this was perfect.



Let me try to capture the major points of the film.

The entire point of the film is that food production in this country has changed drastically in the past 50 years. There is an illusion of variety in the supermarket. You see many different brands and variations, but they are actually all brought to you by the same few companies. Our produce is no longer true and natural. Tomatoes are picked green and kept ripe by a gas. The film even says that it's not really a tomato. "It's the IDEA of a tomato."  Packaging of food leads you to believe that food is brought to you by an all-American farm. The pastoral image of green grass, a red barn, and a tan-faced farmer. This is a sham. There is a "veil" between us and the reality of our food production. Food, Inc. is trying to lift that veil.  First of all, I don't see this documentary as an extreme scare tactic.  I have heard these same concerns from other sources.  Jillian Michaels said the SAME THING in her presentation I watched May 12.  I have watched King Corn, another documentary that discusses similar points. So, if this is your first time seeing the truth about our food, then you will probably doubt a lot of the information that is presented to you. However, if you see the information time after time (like me), you will start to realize that this is a reality.

FAST FOOD'S INFLUENCE
The McDonald's brothers started as a drive-in. They streamlined the fast food industry by not delivering to a car, but creating an assembly line type of food preparation within the restaurant. For example, instead of having cooks manage the entire kitchen, McDonald's would hire and train a burger flipper (literally). Another worker would work on dropping fries into grease. Another worker would be in charge of bagging up the food.  Train one worker to do just one thing again and again and again. This was a cheaper production method. The American food industry took this model and applied it to our meat and produce industry.

Fast food chains became huge. They buy most of the food from our food industry. They want cheap food to be able to sell us a $3 hamburger. So, the meat industry, for example, caters to the fast food chains.  In 1970, the top 5 beef factories controlled only about 25% of the market. Today, the top 4  (Tyson, Swift, Cargill, and National Beef) control 80% of the market. Food companies are huge and powerful.

Let's talk about chicken. Birds are now raised to slaughter in less time. In 1950, it took 70 days to grow a chicken. In 2008 it took 48 days. This is because of the hormones in the chicken.  Also, Americans prefer white meat.  Science and technology has been used to redesign the chicken to have larger breasts.  They've also changed the chicken farmer. Farmers have chicken farms, but the large companies own the product: the chickens. They have requirements and demands on the farmers to create a product that the large company will want to buy.  It's about money: Produce a lot of food on a small amount of land at the most affordable price.  They toured a couple of different chicken farms. The farmers were not allowed to show inside their chicken houses because the large company threatened to revoke their contract. One farmer, Carole, defied this and showed her chicken houses. Her contract was later revoked.  Major things that affected me: the chickens never see sunlight. The chickens are so large, they can't walk more than two steps. Their organs and skeletal system cannot keep up. Many die too soon.  It's not clean.

Corn is in everything.  Fertilizers and pesticides make it possible to grow an amazing amount of corn on an acre.  Corn is cheap.  This is where you should watch King Corn. It's amazing how fake the actual corn product is.  Corn is in ketchup, cheese, Twinkies, batteries, peanut butter, Cheez-its, salad dressing, Coke, jelly, Sweet & Low, syrup, juice, Kool-Aid, charcoal, Motrin, diapers, meat, and fast food.  The corn kernel can be broken down and reconfigured to create high -fructose corn syrup. This is where you look at the food labels. When you see words like: cellulose, calcium stearate, saccharin, sucrose, maltodextrin, gluten, citrus cloud emulsion, di-glycerides, fructose, sorbic acid, starch, citric acid, ethel acetate, xanthan gum, ethyl lactate, sobital, etc. These are all variations of the corn kernel that have been chemically altered to create a sugar of some kind.  THIS IS WHY I EAT CLEAN, PEOPLE!!!!  What makes it worse? We feed this fake corn product to cows, chickens, pigs, and even fish.  Think about it. Cows aren't supposed to eat corn. They are supposed to eat grass.  Our meat is poisoned by this stuff.  It's all about making a fatter animal that is ready for slaughter faster.

UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES
There is a portion of the film that deals with a mother who lost her 2-year-old son because of a meat contamination. He was dead within 12 days of eating it. Mother didn't know why he died until the meat recall was published 16 days after her son's death. She is now lobbying Washington to make changed to the federal requirements of meat factories.

THE DOLLAR MENU
Families live in poverty. They can go to a fast food dollar menu and feed a family of 5 for $11. It showed a family going into the grocery store and weighing produce. The family cannot afford broccoli. The burger is cheaper.  The dad is on hundreds of dollars worth of medication. Our population as a whole has a multitude of food-based health problems.

ORGANIC FARMERS
Their product simply costs more and people don't want to pay for it. Every thing is grass based.  The cows eat grass. The cow mows by eating, she produces fertilizer (manure), etc. Organic farmers keep integrity in the food. If people were allowed to see the industrialized food factories, people wouldn't want to buy the food. That's why the veil exists.

COSTS
The "cheap" cost of food is a mystique. There is environmental cost, societal cost, health cost. There is nothing honest about that food. It's not grown honestly, it's not priced honestly, it's not marketed honestly. There is a push for organic food now. Major companies like Kellogg, General Mills, Walmart. They are now acquiring organic products. For example, Kashi is now a Kellogg product. Does that compromise the integrity of Kashi? Does Kellogg force Kashi to actually be less organic than it once was? The question was raised in the film, but not answered. All in all, it is great that organic products are becoming available in our supermarkets. It used to be that you would have to buy local farm meat or local product to get organic.

Films like this solidify my conviction in buying organic. I want to buy food that was produced honestly. I want eggs from chickens who have seen sunlight. I want chicken breasts that are a natural size. I want grass-fed beef. I will buy organic from now on. Done.  I first went into this diet thing as a means to lose weight. Did I lose weight? Sure. But I also became more educated about what I was eating and I realized that it's not only about caloric intake. It is very important to eat natural food. Anything sweetened is a chemical shit storm.  I will go ahead and take this moment to argue my stance on Weight Watchers. They promote a point system. I get it. It's about caloric intake. However, when I see someone eating a flavored low-fat yogurt with the "WW 2 points" sticker on it, I cringe. That is a chemical disaster! Weight Watchers seems to promote and encourage processed food diets and a lack of true vegetable/protein/carbohydrate balance. Anyway, losing weight or not, start with clean eating and then reduce calories from there.

[dethrones soapbox]

Workout {Combination + Cardio}

I had to champ up this morning. I woke up feeling like I couldn't have a good workout. Let's just say I popped some Midol and got my ass in the car. I had a plan to run a hard mile in each circuit, but I knew I wasn't feeling up to it. So, I modified this plan to have a 10 minute walk on an incline. My heart rate was up. I was sweating. It did the job.  My exercises were chosen to hit all areas: arms, back, legs, abs.

The Workout
10 minute walk (warm-up)
Lateral raises (20 reps; 8 lbs)
Upright rows (12 reps; 40 lbs)
Bicep curls (20 reps; 10 lbs)
Lat pulldowns (20 reps; 30 lbs)
Walk 10 mintues at 5.0 incline
Sumo squats (20 reps; 20 lbs)
Lunges with leg lift (20 reps; 10 lbs)
Hip lift (20 reps)
Plank (1 minute)
Crunches (20 reps)
Reverse Crunches (20 reps)

REPEAT CIRCUIT

Thursday, May 30, 2013

Spotlight {Salmon-Artichoke Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms}

This recipe is out of Clean Eating magazine (June 2013). I do not see a link on the website. I think that is because it's a recipe in the current magazine. I'm sure it'll be on the website later.  I love how even the fancy recipes in the magazine are pretty simple to throw together. I have felt much more challenged by various recipes from my life before January.  I find it's helpful to assemble all of the ingredients before I even start and I always read 1 step ahead. I was VERY happy with the result. Yes, the recipe makes 4. I could have shared with Colby & Alex (They didn't want any.), but I have one stuffed mushroom for a snack coming up and another stuffed mushroom as a part of lunch.  Of course, Colby saw the finished product and suddenly wanted some. :)

The Meal:
The Recipe:
The Steps in Photos:
Roll Call.
Get the Salmon Rolling
This is bulgur. I had to soak it in boiling water for an hour.





Food {Thursday}

If you would like any recipes and/or portion sizes, comment below!

Breakfast {Cottage Cheese + Strawberries}

 

Snack {Fruit & Nut Bar}
Colby & Alex also had this one.


Lunch {Turkey Sandwich + Tortilla Chips + Cucumber}
Colby & Alex also ate this.



Snack {Greek Yogurt + Banana}
Colby & Alex ate this.

Dinner {Salmon Artichoke-Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms + Kiwi}
I am devoting an entire post to this recipe per Lindsey's request. :)
 

Workout {Yoga}

Sometimes, it's nice to have someone else tell you what to do. That's what I wanted and that's what made me think of yoga. We have a yoga-only studio here in Topeka that just opened this past winter called Lava Yoga. I have some friends who absolutely love it. I went to a "Lava Hot Flow" session back in February (I think) and I went to a "Powerflow" session also. Last night, I looked at their schedule online and it's perfect because they have a class from 6-7am. The session is "Lava Warm Flow."  Below is a class description:

Lava Warm Yoga will take basic yoga postures and make it flow! This is fun and energetic yoga practice, with the room heated to 80 degrees, allowing your muscles to stretch deeper and prevent injuries. This class is designed to reduce stress, increase flexibility and balance. All levels-Beginners Welcome! Class length is 60 minutes.
Source: Lava Yoga
 
It was a nice easy workout. So easy, I wonder if I should look for a more difficult class next time. I did really enjoy the full-body balance, stretching, and mental relaxation. In a perfect world, I would do a session once a week, but it's $15 per class. I value my gym membership more.  This might have to be a once-a-month treat!

Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Food {Wednesday}

If you want any recipes and/or portion sizes, comment below!

Breakfast {Strawberry Kefir + Crackers}

Snack {Roasted Red Pepper & Tomato Soup + Black Beans + Cilantro}
I love this soup. On this meal plan, I've had it for lunch and I've had it for a snack twice now. That took care of the entire soup carton. (That's another bonus of these meal plans...if they have you buy something special, they use it in multiple ways until it's gone.) I LOVED it with the black beans and cilantro.



Lunch {Turkey & Avocado Sandwich + Spicy Slaw}
Colby and Alex ate this with me. They loved the sandwich. I didn't make the slaw because I'm simply not a fan of slaw.



Snack {Banana + Ricotta Cheese + Almond Butter}
This combination scared me a little. But of course, I tried it. Alex was game too. So, we mixed up the ricotta and the almond butter (she had natural peanut butter) and then sliced the banana and ate it with a spoon. It was like a creamy nut butter with banana. It was so good!

Dinner {Turkey Sausage + Leftover Black Bean & Orange Quinoa}
I really like that sausage links come in a portion size of 3-4 ounces. The Black Bean & Orange Quinoa is a more complex recipe that you can find here. Let me tell you. It's worth the time. I had it earlier this week with the Cuban Halibut. I didn't have enough of the quinoa to make this exact dish for Colby and Alex, so they are eating turkey sausage on their own. Alex is putting it with leftover Chipotle. Colby is putting it in some leftover pasta from last night.


Workout {Run + Abs}

I can tell you how great my workouts have been. What I can't express is how shocked I am that I'm enjoying getting up at 5:30am. I went to run 4 miles with my puppies this morning. We went to the Washburn University campus because they have a 2 mile circle with sidewalks. I did two laps. I should have snapped a picture of the dogs! Cody is on the A team. She wants to run 8-minute miles. I'm on the B team. I want to run 10-minute miles. Chloe is on the C team. She wants to run 12-minute miles. We are an interesting bunch.  The weather was perfect. The sun was just out. It was cloudy and warm with a steady breeze. Awesomesauce. I will say that I ran a 13' Mile #1. It took my body that long to feel warmed up. Then, I pushed about a 9'45" pace.  Felt great. Then, I came home and did 3 sets of these abs. I don't know if I've shared RunTastic Fitness before, but I love it.

Nike App

Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Fridge Cleanout

We all clean out the refrigerator from time-to-time, right?  Well, since January 1, we have been operating on separate shelves. I get the top shelf and the two crisper drawers. Colby & Alex get the other shelves. Don't touch my shit.

Now, as you might remember from a recent post, I'm including Alex and Colby in my meal plans (so fun!). So, after my grocery trip today, I pulled everything out and made categories. As you can see from the pictures, we have drinks, leftovers, fruit, miscellaneous, dairy, cheese, veggies, and meats.  Side note: love the man, but hubby doesn't do well with eating leftovers. He will have a really great steak or leftover Chipotle in there and he will forget about it. It drives me crazy. I can't eat his steak or his Chipotle (in the old days, I would have), so he needs to take care of it. That's why there is a shelf just for leftovers with a note to eat ASAP. Can anyone relate with me on this one? Maybe a SIGN that it needs to be eaten ASAP will help??? We shall see....  Anyway, my categories do seem different nowadays. I didn't have categories and labeled shelves before, but now I have more of a variety of drinks. I used to only have pop. Colby drinks the 1% milk. Now, there is a variety of almond milks, V8, Naked juice, etc. The other major difference is I never used to have this many veggies. I really didn't know what to do with a vegetable before clean eating. Now, I have like 20 different vegetables in the drawer. And yes, they get used. The clean eating meal plans do a good job of using a variety of veggies constantly!  It seems like my food is more varied now.  Likey.

Top Half


Bottom Half


Food {Tuesday}

Want recipes? Comment below and I'll hook it up.

Breakfast {Morning Tart}
This is a whole wheat crust from the batch I made for the Sweet & Savory Tarts last week. It has banana, chopped peanuts, natural maple syrup, and Greek yogurt. This is so yummy!!



Snack {Pineapple + Sunflower Seeds}

Lunch {Tofu Stir Fry}

Snack {Broiled Grapefruit + Honey + Granola}
This was absolutely delicious. I used organic, natural granola. Very important because some granola is very processed and involves high fructose corn syrup!
 


Dinner {Pork Burrito}
You can't tell from the picture, but there is a salsa, Greek yogurt, cilantro cream sauce inside.  I mean, come on. That's delicious!
 
Cheat Snack {Starbucks Frappuccino}
Colby has a 4-pack of these in the refrigerator. They've been there for over a month. He is a regular mocha drinker, so I was kind of shocked that he hadn't drunk these. He said that he doesn't like them. I tried one and O. M. G. they are delicious. They are definitely a cheat--which I'm allowed to have. I shoot for 80% clean, 20% dirty (haha). I sipped on about 80 calories worth. I worked out today, so I'm not concerned at all! The old me would have devoured the 4-pack in a couple of days--a drink here, a drink there. The new me knows to pace it out.  I have the mental power to do that because I like my new body more than I like that 4-pack of Frappuccino.
 

Workout {Back + Biceps + Easy Jog}

It's summer time! I'm off of work and I have a plan. I will work out every week day at 6:00 AM. I headed out to the YMCA and did back/biceps.

Standing Reverse Fly with resistance band: 3 sets of 15 reps
Back extensions on ball 3 sets of 12 reps with 10 lbs
Face pulls with cable pulley 3 sets of 15 reps with 30 lbs
Supermans 3 sets of 10 reps
Upper back lifts on ball 3 sets of 12 reps with 10 lbs
Bicep curls 3 sets of 8 reps with 15 lbs
Hammer curls 3 sets of 8 reps with 10 lbs

I went home, grabbed the pups, and took them for a jog. I went VERY slowly. It felt great. I hardly broke a sweat, wasn't breathing hard. Yep, that's right. I ran at a 13'38'' pace.  WHAT?  I just thought the entire time about how wonderful it is to be able to run outside and how wonderful it is that I don't have to go to work today. It was relaxed and wonderful.

Nike App


The Scale

I told Colby to unhide the scale Monday morning and I weighed myself. The scale read 142.2.  Win.

Food {Monday}

If you would like any recipes, comment below and I'll post it!

A small update: It's summer time at our house. Colby and I are both teachers, so we are off for 2 months.  I explained to Colby and Alex that I will continue to eat clean. I will also continue to eat 5 meals per day. In a perfect world, Colby and Alex will eat everything with me and I can resume my roles as the doting wife/mother and feed my family.  However, that's not reality because they won't want everything on my meal plan and I'm not going to force it on them. So, I am still only looking at 2 days at a time, so I include them in my meal planning. I go through each meal and snack and ask them if they want it. They tell me yes or no and I will buy the food and make it for them.  If they don't want a meal on my plan, that means they can do their own thing.  Today was the first day of this. They both don't like cottage cheese (crazy!), so I was on my own for breakfast. Alex and I had the first snack together. We all ate the lunch. We all ate the second snack and we all ate the dinner. Today's meals were very family friendly! :)

Breakfast {Cottage Cheese + Apple + Granola}
I would have never thought to put this together. I also never would have thought to microwave it for 15 seconds. This breakfast was SO good! I love the crunchy granola with the smooth cottage cheese.



Snack {Kefir + Carrots}
I'm not sure what kefir is. I looked for it at Dillon's, but all I could find was a pre-made kefir shake. So, I'm having that.

Lunch {Cuban Halibut + Black Bean and Orange Quinoa}
This. is. amazing. I love citrus with meat.  Colby & Alex loved it too!


Snack {Sweet & Savory Tart with Chicken Apple Filling + Orange}
The tart is leftover from a big batch I did last week. Alex and Colby ate one too. They LOVE it!

Dinner {Italian Sausage Pasta}
Sausage in pasta is always a big win in this house. Colby & Alex ate this one with me too!


Monday, May 27, 2013

Weigh In

I asked hubby to get the scale out this morning. It read 142.2.  The last time I weighed, I think I was 143.  That means my choices of "cheating" with cereal and my HUGE Saturday night dinner are okay and do not derail me from my progress.  I'm so happy!

Sunday, May 26, 2013

Food {Sunday}

Today I am umpiring all day and this food is going on the road with me.  If you would like any of the specific recipes, leave a comment and let me know!

Breakfast {Burrito}

Burrito
Snack {Kiwi + Almonds}

Kiwi + Almonds
Lunch {2 Sweet & Savory Tarts (leftovers) + Strawberries}

Sweet & Savory Tarts + Strawberries
Snack {Apple + Sesame Seeds}

Apple + Sesame Seeds
Dinner {Tofu Stir Fry + Brown Rice}

Saturday, May 25, 2013

Food {Saturday}

Today I'm umpiring from 8am-4pm. Then, I head to downtown Kansas City to watch my sister, Christa, in her first bikini fitness competition. We are having dinner afterward at The Jacobsen. Dinner will be LATE (11pm).  If you want any of these more specific recipes/portions, leave a comment and let me know!

Breakfast {Oatmeal + Banana + Walnuts}

Oatmeal + Banana + Walnuts

Snack {Mozzarella String Cheese}

Mozzarella String Cheese


Lunch {Turkey Burger Salad + Crackers}
I used leftover chicken.
Turkey Burger Salad


Snack {Roasted Red Pepper Soup + String Cheese}

Roasted Red Pepper Soup +String Cheese


Dinner {TBD: The Jacobson}

Friday, May 24, 2013

Food {Friday}

If you want any of these more specific recipes/portion sizes, leave a comment and I will post it!

Breakfast {Cottage Cheese + Pineapple + Seeds}

Snack {Almond Butter + Banana + Whole Wheat Tortilla}

Lunch {Pasta}

Snack {Hardboiled Egg}

Dinner {2 Heaping Bowls of Kashi Cereal}
This is an epic FAIL. I planned on having tilapia with a sweet potato and green beans. It wasn't prepped, so I came home and made a bad decision.  If the scale doesn't move Monday, then it's okay. If the scale goes up Monday, I know exactly why!

Workout {Leggggggssss}

I did my standard leg workout. See the post here.

Thursday, May 23, 2013

Workout {Shoulders, Triceps + Run}

I spent about an hour at the gym. I targeted shoulders and triceps.  Then I ran 2 slow miles. Felt great!

Tricep Dips
4 sets, 15 reps, 5 lbs

Lateral Raise
4 sets, 12 reps, 8 lbs

Dumbbell Shoulder Press
4 sets, 12 reps, 12 lbs

Headbangers
4 sets, 12 reps, 12 lbs

Barbell Upright Rows
3 sets, 8 reps, 40 lbs

Food {Thursday}

If you want more specific recipes and/or portion sizes, leave and comment and I will post it!

Breakfast {Cereal}

Snack {Broiled Grapefruit + Greek Yogurt + Almonds}

Lunch {Mediterranean Tuna Salad + Crackers}

Mediterranean Tuna Salad + Crackers


Snack {Jicama + Hummus}

Dinner {Red Pepper Tomato Soup + Sweet and Savory Tarts}

Red Pepper Tomato Soup + Sweet and Savory Tarts}

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Workout {Bike}

Today is crazy busy. So, I worked out at 5am. I opted to ride the bike because I did arms yesterday and I wanted to hit cardio and legs at the same time. I did 30 minutes. There was sweating. Moving on. 

Food {Wednesday}

Breakfast {Pomegranate Banana Smoothie + Walnuts}

Pomegranate Banana Smoothie + Walnuts


Snack {Special K Bar}
This was unplanned and not ideal. I was in a bind. 

Special K Bar
And this is why food like this is horrible!


Lunch {Chicken Salad on Whole Wheat Bagel}

Snack {Butternut Squash Soup with Citrus Couscous Salad mixed in}

Snack {Cottage Cheese + Mango + Granola + Almonds}

Dinner {Kansas Bison Burger + Green Beans}
Ordered from The Blind Tiger in Topeka
Did not eat 1/2 bun

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Workout {Back + Biceps Circuit}

I posted about this workout on Friday. I love my leg workout that follows this circuit model. I like the idea of bookending my week with these types of hard workouts. Loved it!

Back + Biceps Circuit

Food {Tuesday}

Today's meals were fabulous. I got crazy at dinner time and ate my guilty pleasure. Cereal. And chocolate chips. Moving on.

Breakfast {Eggs on Bagel + Hummus}

Eggs on Bagel + Hummus


Snack {Pomegranate Banana Smoothie}

Lunch {Citrus Couscous Salad + Grapes}

Citrus Couscous Salad + Grapes

Snack {Organic Grahams + Almond Butter}

Organic Grahams + Almond Butter


Dinner {Kashi Cereal + Almond Milk}

Dessert {Handful of 70% Cacao Chips}

Sauce Makes You Fat.

Before January, I knew that creamy dressings were fattening. I don't live under a rock. I always would order a vinaigrette dressing for my salad.  Moving on from salad dressings, I never really worried about ordering BBQ sauce with my chicken nuggets.  The nuggets were the real problem, right? In an effort to be healthy, I would order Naked Tenders from Buffalo Wild Wings and I would dip them into a healthy dose of BBQ sauce and/or bleu cheese. I love that mix!

I didn't know that vinaigrette was made of oil and sugar until I made one myself. I guess I knew that oil was involved, but SUGAR? I swear, I didn't know.  On FitOrbit, my salad "dressing" was usually 1 Tablespoon of olive oil and 1 teaspoon of balsamic vinegar. At first I thought there was no way that would be enough flavor to help me eat the lettuce. However, I always put my "dressing" into a bowl and a lid and I shook it to coat everything. It was plenty of flavor! Another revelation. So, I will never buy salad dressing again. Most brands are not clean and I can make my own dressing using my variety of oils and vinegars in the pantry.  Just look at the ingredient list on the dressing & sauces in your fridge. I would bet that you can't pronounce most of the ingredients. Sauces and dressings are definitely a sneaky source of added sugar and unnatural ingredients.
Case and Point: Kraft Light Raspberry Vinaigrette

I am guessing that there are a lot of people who are dieting and eating salads, but they are slowing their progress because of the constant accompaniment of dressings and sauces.  That describes the old me perfectly. I'm so glad I figured this out sooner than later!

Sugar Nation