OneMileOneMeal

This Man's Story: "Starting Off My 40's Thinner Than My 30's Because of Tiny Actions"

This guest post by @bikerly is exciting for me personally on so many levels because we have here our first One Mile One Meal transformation story. Yay!

See tiny actions can have powerful impact. In fact, @bikerly told me he started simply by cutting back on his burger consumption which led to other changes. There was no grand plan, it all started with just one thing. And seriously, how awesome is it to start off your 40's in better shape and health than your 30's? Super awesome!!

You can do it too! Our goal is to help make the U.S. healthier one tiny action at a time.

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At the beginning of this year I had a simple plan.


Like a lot of people, I had a few pounds to shed following the holiday season. I was smack in the middle of a 112 day run streak so "more moving" wasn't an issue. It was my diet.

Then I ran across Stephanie's twitter bio, "agent of awesomeness...Loves Yoda!" Who wouldn't Twitter follow somebody who loves Yoda, right? Then came the daily hydration nudges which caused me to think of getting a water bottle for my office desk. And then the One Mile One Meal Challenge. I've been doing the challenge since mid-March and it has made a huge difference.

It wasn't until I was at a local restaurant thinking, "since when does this food not taste good?" that I realized the power of tiny actions. For me, it was the tiny action of eating at least one healthy meal a day. I'm fortunate to have a healthy menu option at work where I lunch every day. And of course when I return to the office to read what's up in the twitterverse, there is the hydration nudge.

80 days later, on the weekend of my 40th birthday, I stepped on the scale and it read less than 180 for the first time in a really long time. Maybe even all of my 30s.

I'm more than excited about this. I'm starting my 40s in the best shape ever and I'm back in my skinny jeans. Now all I need is the Ice Age Trail 50 Mile finisher's BELT BUCKLE to match.

Tried Something New: Yogurt Made With Almond Milk

I like to eat yogurt like super agent Michael Weston haha! Okay, I'm no TV character, but hey, it makes eating yogurt sexy and exciting, yes?!

I have the dairy allergy but luckily today, there are a plethora of yogurts on the market that are made with milks other than cow. I also avoid soy milk whenever possible, so again, no biggie because there are yogurts made with rice milk, coconut milk, and now almond milk!

 
Amande made by Cascade Fresh is the first almond milk on the market and comes in 8 flavors. I found it at Whole Foods. This yogurt is: dairy free  •  soy free  •  fruit juice sweetened  •  gluten free  •  live active cultures  •  no gmo  •  casein free  •  lactose free.

How about that for a yogurt? I tried the strawberry flavor and added some chopped strawberries, bananas with a sprinkle of super-food trail mix I got at the Whole Foods bulk foods.

The texture and thickness of this almond milk yogurt is like that of cow milk, however, there is a bite to it that I have never experienced in cow, rice, soy, or coconut milk yogurts. It's kinda hard to describe what this bite is. It's not bad or overpowering, but it's something definitely there.

Put enough fun toppings on anything, and it will taste good. Since nuts tend to have a good amount of protein, I was expecting this Amande yogurt to be high in protein too, but it wasn't, only 3g per serving. I won't count that against Amande. This yogurt is worth trying especially if you want something non-cow or non-soy.

Meatless Monday Recipe Idea: Vegan Risotto With Cremini Mushrooms, Arugula, and Peas

I was invited to a lovely Mother's Day afternoon early potluck dinner with new friends, Kathleen, Meghanne, and Siri Chand, and wow! what a spectacular time we had.

Since I have been on this "plantstrong" kick and SiriChand is vegan, I decided to experiment and make a vegan risotto from scratch. Yes, from scratch! Admittedly, when I make risotto it's usually just a doctored up version from a box, namely one of the organic risottos from Lundberg....so tasty and easy to make.

And believe it or not, I made this risotto mostly with ingredients I bought at Walmart. Oh yes! Since being blown away by the awesome healthy foods I found at my local Walmart, I have a new level of appreciation for that big boxer. I bought all the ingredients except the vegetables. I could have gotten all the ingredients at Walmart if I used button mushrooms, spinach, and frozen peas. For my dinner, I wanted to do something a little more exotic. Next time, I will try a version with all Walmart ingredients.

Ingredients (serves 4-5):

• 1 cup Italian arborio rice

• 3 cups vegetable broth

• 1/2 cup rice milk

• 1/2 yellow or white onion chopped

• 6 cremini mushrooms chopped

• 2 cups fresh arugula

• 1/2 cup peas

• 2 tbsp Earth Balance buttery spread - I use the non-soy version

• 1 tsp garlic salt

Let's get cooking:

• In a heavy saucepan on medium heat, saute rice in the 2 tbsp of the buttery spread and stir occasionally.

• Add the onions and garlic salt to the rice, and saute until the onion gets tender.

• Add rice milk and stir for about a minute.

• Add 1 cup of the vegetable broth, and mix well with the rice and onions. Cook, uncovered, for about 5 minutes.

• Pour in the remaining 2 cups of broth, and turn heat down to simmer. Let ristotto cook for 10 minutes, still uncovered.

• Stir the mushrooms, peas, and arugula into the risotto. Continue to simmer for another 5-7 minutes or until risotto is very creamy.

• Take saucepan off the burner, and let risotto cool down before serving.

Optional: Sprinkle vegan parmesan cheese onto the risotto.

Enjoy!

 

Roach Coach Tales: Yes You Can Get Vegan or Gluten-Free Things From a Food Truck

On Wednesday's and Friday's here in Phoenix, there is a gathering of food trucks that descend upon the parking lot of the Phoenix Public Market. It's like a Mall Food Court but of Food Trucks. Pretty cool!

 

 

I went for the first time, curious to see what "healthy" foods I could find because ahem, "healthy" and food truck in the same breathe is not synonymous. But lo and behold, my head whipped real fast like Scooby-Doo as I spot this sign "Vegan and Gluten-free options" on the side of the Sunshine & Spice Food Truck.

Of course, I am blown away and intrigued. It turns out that they had Stir-fried sweet & sour veggie tacos with rice on a corn tortilla, and a Killer Kale salad. Now, I'm wholly impressed because how often do you see kale from a food truck?

 

I get the veggie taco which is vegan and gluten-free with an unsweetened iced green tea. I only got one taco because it was a late lunch and I was going to have an early dinner. Next time, I will get at least two tacos because wowza it was fantastic!

Before assuming a food truck is filled with nothing but grease and artery clogging foods, be open minded. You just might find a gem. And food trucks, the more you offer these kinds of healthier options, the more folks like me will be joyous and help spread the word!

Do you have a food truck in your city that sells healthy items?

Movie Two Cents: Forks Over Knives aka Forks Over Pills - Eating Wellness

Let's start off with some of the most delicious moist vegan brownies I've eaten in ages, and then we'll move onto the more green stuff. Last week, Whole Foods here in Phoenix hosted a free pre-screening of the new movie Forks Over Knives...that sure was a great gift!

Before the movie, the Whole Foods Scottsdale store hosted a tasting event of plant strong foods inspired by The Engine 2 Diet by Austin firefighter Rip Esselstyn and son of Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn, one of the doctors featured in Forks Over Knives. From the tasting event, here was two of my favorite dishes. The leafy green wraps...

...and the bruschetta buffet. You could literally feel the life force energy from these foods. I felt so good going into the movie!

Here I am getting my groupie shot with Rip, who by the way is a very friendly and energetic guy in person...and uh is ripped....strong firefighter arms #justsaying.

For the past 3 years, I've been talking about this concept I call eating wellness which is basically creating vibrant health through the fork. I believe one way or another you are going to pay for your health either through food or pills and needles. My belief in the power of the fork comes from my own first hand experience healing from various healthy issues that were tied to what I ate. Some significant ones for me was food allergies, stomach issues, depression and my weight.

To date, I've dropped 35 lbs and have kept if off for 3 years now...most importantly I'm no longer in a state of anxiety about my "diet." I'm not "trying" anymore. I just live...because I have developed the habits that support the body and state of health I want - long term...like eating a bowl of greens for breakfast.

Here's my 80/20 philosophy on how I eat, and over the years, I have gone more plant-based mainly because I just feel better. The meats I eat are mostly seafood and turkey. Lately, I've really been liking bison.

I personally would rather eat my way to good health because, well, food is just way more fun. I've done a cycle with the pills and I hated it. I no longer want to go back to that unless death was imminent. No one likes going to the hospital but most people enjoy going to the grocery store or to a restaurant or food event.

Forks Over Knives for me was some nice validation because the premise of the movie was about eating wellness and the correlation between diet (what people eat) and their level of healthiness.

Two things I specifically enjoyed about the film:

• Food documentaries can get polarizing, sensational or finger-waving (judgmental about your choices). You won't see any slaughtered animals in this flic. Compared to other food documentaries I've seen, Forks Over Knives is energetically on the mellow side and it focuses more on results from doctors. My left brain can appreciate that.

• I loved the message that if a food can create a disease in the body like obesity and diabetes, than equally food can reverse said disease. Just change the foods. Like I said, I experienced this kind of healing myself.

And here's the thing, you don't have to agree that going 100% plant based is the solution like what they promote in this movie, but the idea that food has that much power to heal is something very valid to consider.I really like Rip's term plant strong because it feels more empowering. In fact, here's Rip in a quick video, where I asked him what plant strong meant. (1:31min).

Do your current doctors even ask you what you eat on a daily basis? Is a pill primarily the given solution and yet you still remain illin'? Have any of your doctors ever said for example, "Let's test you for food allergies," versus here's some pills for your stomach issues? If you have that kind of doc who would focus on nutrition, I say awesome!

The story of the mother of two and her journey with diabetes was relatable to me because she's like many of us, "How do I live healthy in the 'hood?" ...when you are not affluent to afford a chef, trainer, and have more of a Walmart budget versus a Whole Foods budget.

I actually would like to see a movie focused on the works of Matt Lederman, MD and Alona Pulde, MD, and other doctors like them, the Gen X docs, who's practice is focused primarily on nutrition. Can you imagine going to a doctor who wants to get you off of pills? I would love to see more stories from doctors who literally practice Hippocrates saying, "Let food be thy medicine."

Forks Over Knives will definitely get you thinking more about the relationship you have with food and how what you eat affects your health. It's funny, since I've seen the move, I've been eating more veggies than usual, and I haven't eaten any meat except one small piece of raw tuna I sampled at the Whole Foods seafood bar. Correlation? Who knows. All I know is that life is tasty!...kinda like these vegan mini tostadas also from the tasting event.

 

Tried Something New: Homemade Strawberry Flax Milk

Behold my newest concoction: strawberry flax milk. Oh yes!

I got creative and made a vegan strawberry milk...packed with Omega-3's and enriched with B12. How often do you see that? I think Jamie Oliver wouldn't mind seeing this strawberry milk in schools, yes?

Last week, I mentioned that I went to Walmart and found these 10 healthy things which included Flax Milk. I had never heard of flax milk before, and likey so because this FlaxUSA flax milk is literally the first to market debuting on April 11 this year, and is only sold at Walmart...at the moment.

I was intrigued so I had to try it out, and it's really good! For me with a dairy allergy, it's great to find other non-dairy milk options. I would stick with the Original flavor versus the Vanilla because the Original flavor is sweet on its own and has 7g of sugar per 8fl oz serving.

Normally, I drink Whole Foods 365 brand Rice Milk in Original Flavor and that has 13g of sugar per cup. The flax milk has less sugar. Cutting down on the sugar is a good thing. Although, to thicken the flax milk they put in guar gum and xanthan gum I'm guessing so it has more of a consistency like cow milk. Personally, I kinda like things without additional thickeners.

This flax milk is lactose and dairy free, gluten-free, soy-free, kosher and made with non-GMO ingredients. And amazing, this milk is packed with Omega-3's - 1100mg per serving. If you don't like fish, flax is another good option to get Omega-3's.

The flax milk is also enriched with with Calcium & Vitamins A, D and B12. The B12 is good for vegans, and Flax USA claims that this flax milk has as much Calcium as dairy milk. If that's the case, give the cow a break and try the flax milk.

To have some fun with the flax milk, I saw this recipe for Old School DIY strawberry milk over at The Kitchn, and decided to make a version using the flax milk. My local Whole Foods had an awesome 1-day sale on organic strawberries, $1.99/16oz. carton.

Recipe

• 1-1/2 cup cut fresh organic strawberries
• 3 Tbsp Native USA brand organic cane sugar
• 1-1/4 cup water
• 3 cups flax milk

The original recipe called for 1/2 cup sugar, and I think that is too much especially when we are wanting to be healthier here and cut down on the sugar consumption. I only used 3 tbsp of cane sugar because there is sugar in the strawberries and in the flax milk, and really you don't need to add any sugar at all, but I added just a little sugar to appease the sweet tooth...compromise.

• Boil the strawberries, water and sugar for about 10 minutes until you get a nice strawberry syrup in the pot.

• Strain the boiled strawberries so you separate the syrup from the pulp. Save the strawberry pulp and use on pancakes or as yogurt topping.

• Combine the strawberry syrup and flax milk in a bottle, close the lid, and shake until all mixed. I let my milk sit overnight in the fridge so it was nice and cold.

The strawberry flax milk was sooo delish!

BBQ: Grilled Fruit Is Divine

Over at my local Whole Foods, they have started this grilling frenzy, and I was excited to see grilled pineapple and mango in the hot food bar. I love the convenience and the smokey tinge grilling adds to fruit.

If you're lighting up the 'cue this weekend, toss some fruit on the grill too. It's a fun way to get in some fiber!

 

Weecap #8 of 112-Day Streak: Eye-opening 10 Healthy Foods I Found at a Walmart Grocery

First, a big accomplishment, today is day 56 of my 112-day streak. I am officially half way done!! {doing the cabbage patch} I got a new iPhone4 for my birthday and have been playing with goofy self portraits of myself like this one.

Today, I am going to focus on food, One Meal stuff. Most of my weecaps thus far have been focused on the One Mile, fitness and exercise side mainly because I've really been getting into barefoot running, and I've been doing the #30daysofbiking April challenge which will be done on Saturday.

One Meal

This week I got adventurous and went to a Walmart grocery store...in fact I went to two. I know, some jaws are dropping on the floor. And btw, Walmart is not sponsoring me or paying me anything to do this. In fact, they've probably never even heard of me.

When I think of Walmart food, this is what comes immediately to my mind. Blueberry pancake wrapped sausages on a stick like corn dogs for breakfast...

 ...and this, Velveeta microwave Mac n' Cheese in a cup. The sight of this makes my skin crawl, I'm not gonna lie. I have nothing against instant Mac n' Cheese, it's the Velveeta part.

 

I went to Walmart completely on my own after having my eyes opened by some friends who shop for their families there not because Walmart is the top of their list or that even budget is a main concern, but because of proximity. That Walmart grocery is the closest food store to them. The next grocery store is 5-7 miles away. When you're single, that's not such a big deal, but when you got 2-4 kids, well it becomes a bigger deal. I get it.

Also, since I've been watching Jamie Oliver's food revolution, it dawned on me, that if we are to help make this country a healthier place, you have to go to the places where the damage is being done like a Walmart grocery...which is a perfect representation of the foods that are mass produced and contributing to the colossal food related health issues we have in the U.S. like obesity and diabetes.

But instead of bashing Walmart and getting on the soap box about how that place should be avoided, let's take the approach of seeing what is good there, and expand upon that.

One thing I learned after visiting the Coca-Cola headquarters was that Drinkzilla wasn't entirely evil...mostly yes, but not all. I learned of the VEB group which is all about organic and all natural drinks like Honest Teas and Zico Coconut Water. The beast understands money. If the VEB group sells a whole lot, guess where the resources are gonna go?

Walmart is the same. They will go where the sales are, so taking our own philosophy of tiny actions, let's see what kind of healthy stuff you can find at a Walmart grocery. Focus on the good and expand from there! Like the Bosc pear I got all minimalist with above, and this fresh asparagus. It's a thing of beauty.

Honestly, I was shocked....happily shocked...to find what I did, and this list is only partial to what I found. And if you remember, on Monday I posted about finding a mostly organic meal including an organic drink for under $5. I'm liking Walmart more and more to help balance out my grocery shopping.

Note: The Walmart that most of these items are from is from a store in an upper middle class to affluent area in Scottsdale, AZ so basically, I'd call it a rich people's Walmart. Therefore, these items may not be in your local store, but ask. If it's in one Walmart, odds are that it can get into another...again based on demand.

Let's start filling up our grocery cart!

• Avocados from Mexico for 50 cents. They are on the small side but so what. This was the best deal I saw there!

 

 

• Organic greens for salad and an array of fruits including exotic fruits like papaya, kiwi, pineapple, and coconuts.

 

 

• And here look, a vegan foods section with Soyrizo, soy hot dogs, and slices of veggie cheese.

 

 

• Organic milk from brands like Shamrock, Horizon, and Stremicks Heritage, and non-dairy milks like soy, rice, almond, and this new flax milk. I have a review of the Flax milk coming up. Walmart is the first store to carry flax milk. I didn't find any coconut milks, but I have hope!

 

 

• Organic soups from brands like Amy's, Muir Glen, and Pacific Natural Foods. I was surprised to see frou-frou chef Wolfgang Puck on the shelf. His soups are also sold at Whole Foods.

 

• Gluten-free brown rice pasta. I found organic pasta sauces as well.

 

• Justin's brand Nut Butters. I love this stuff! I was shocked to see Justin's at Walmart mainly because they are still a small shop out of Boulder, CO, but maybe they have hit pay dirt and are now huge. I love the small packs which you can take on an airplane as a snack!

 

 

• Earth Balance buttery spread. Walmart had my particular favorite flavor the Soy-free version. w00t! To me seeing Earth Balance is acknowledgement that there is a large demand for vegan and non-dairy "butter" options.

 

 

• Frozen meals from organic and all natural makers like Amy's and Kashi.

 

 

• And the best for last, my all time favorite So Deliciouscoconut milk based ice creams! These ice creams are nearly $2 cheaper than Whole Foods. I was tap dancing seeing this, so guess where I'm buying my ice cream now. 

 

 

So there you have it. I bet many of you are just as surprised as I was to see some of these food items in a Walmart. That excuse that organic or healthy is too expensive just weakened. Here are wonderful options at Walmart!

And like I said, if demand goes up, then supply will increase. Put those suggestions in the box at your local Walmart and let's get more healthier foods into the mainstream!

What's a cool find, you've discovered in your local Walmart?

 

7 Terrarific Ways To Get Your One Mile One Meal Groove On Earth Day, April 22

Photo on Flickr by Le Blagueur a Paris

Tomorrow April 22nd is Earth Day, and even more fantastic is the fact that the celebration falls on a Friday. Hello weekend! Although Earth Day is going to be celebrated HUGE around well, the earth, you can join in the fun in tiny ways...One Mile One Meal ways....that help you and the planet.

So, here's 7 ideas to get your noggin' spinning:

• Plenty of restaurants, national chains to local spots, are offering Earth Day specials. Look into a restaurant you've always wanted to go to, and try out one of their healthy dishes.

• Go walk a mile with an old person...like an aunt or uncle, grandparent, someone who lives in an old folk's home, your boss, hey maybe even one of your local politicians or celebs might go walk with you. Doesn't hurt to ask.

The awesomeness of walking with an old person is that you can learn life lessons that are more precious than anything you could ever get from a book, TV, or movies. If you choose grandma or grandpa, you'll make their day and perhaps learn something about your family or them you never knew before.

• Eat Green...and no I'm not taking like sustainable green (which you could, that would be awesome), I'm talking baby steps, eat something literally green, in color. I say this because there are many of you who haven't eaten anything green in color from nature in oh...how long? Not judging, just saying! And green Gatorade does not count.

• Jump in a lake, ocean, or river and take a swim, doggy paddle, kayak, canoe, or if you're like me, a stroll in the water. There's an energetic difference between being in a man-made pool versus a nature-made pool. Water from our oceans and lakes helps you connect and energize in ways that feel really uplifting.

• Go on a Picnic! This is personally one of my favorite things to do. I'm like Yogi Bear that way with pic-a-nic baskets. In fact so many people are doing the picnic thing, if you want to make some new friends, here's a map at Picnic for the Planet where picnics are being...around the world!

• Bike or take public transportation to work. I know lots of people say this one, but hear me out on a different reason why. You'll get a different perspective of the same path you take every day which can be a game-changer from what I've been learning doing the #30daysofbiking challenge. I'm seeing new things on the same roads I take every day by car. It got me thinking about my own life in how much I am missing that's right under my nose.

• Be less trashy for the day. Did you know that the U.S. is one of the largest garbage producers in the world? We're trashy people! I am guilty of this myself with napkins, togo food containers, and water bottles. Perhaps one day of being less trashy and conscious of how much garbage we as an individual actually create will help cut down the debris.

So, there are just a few ideas to get ya going in the Earth Day spirit. What are some ideas or things you'll be doing on Earth Day?

When I Wake Up: I Really Do Eat Arugula For Breakfast

After I wrote my post, "Eating Arugula For Breakfast and 9 Other Daily Habits That Keep Me in My Skinny Jeans," several people did ask me, "Do you really eat salad for breakfast?"

Yes, and here is a bowl of salad I ate for breakfast in bed.

Apparently, to some it seems odd to wake up and nosh on a bowl of greens because it's not a "breakfast" food. Well, I ask this, do we always have to eat certain foods at certain times just because they've been labeled "breakfast food" or "dinner food?"

How about listen to your body and feed it what it wants when it wants it?

When I wake up my body wants greens which at first was really kinda weird because normally I'd eat oatmeal. The morning green cravings was one of the by-products of when I did the sugar wean last year. When I cut down my sugar consumption, all of a sudden, I would get these huge cravings first thing in the morning for greens like arugula, kale, and mixed greens.

I cannot medically or scientifically explain to you what happened, all I know is my cravings for greens felt like they just shifted over night like in a Forrest Gump kind of way.

And it feels fab-YOU-lous to start the day off packed with nutrients and feel light, than to eat a bagel, a sweet cereal, or sausage and potatoes which makes me feel lethargic if I eat it first thing. I can eat those foods later on in the day and feel fine which is why it's not uncommon for me to eat "breakfast" food for dinner like cereal or hashed potatoes.

Perhaps, my body just needs a slower and lighter ramp to get the day started. Try it out. See what happens!

Have any of you made a switch to eating some greens for breakfast?