A little bit of this and a little bit of that....

I've come to the conclusion that you absolutely cannot be a picky eater while eating clean/healthy.  I mean, I've heard so many people say they can't do this because they don't like veggies or they can't eat that way because they can't give up beef.  Here's the thing...you can do it...you just have to be open minded. (FYI, you don't have to give up red meat to be clean; that was my own personal choice..what you do need to do is make sure you're eating grass fed beef/red meat and very lean cuts.)

I found that I ate the same veggies over and over again and things quickly became redundant.  This is where and when I found that I love all greens...dandelion, turnip, collard...you name it, I eat it.  This was also the point that I tried okra.  This was one vegetable I was not budging on, at all.  That is until I ate a certain dish at our local Cajun restaurant.  They put the plate in front of me and I saw the veggie of doom, okra, but it looked different this time.  I tried it, I didn't gag...so I ate a little more. Low and behold, I actually liked it.  Y'all, we aren't talking fried okra dipped in ranch or anything super unhealthy, I'm talking straight up okra.  The following week I decided to buy frozen okra and play around with it to see if I would still like it, and I did.  So, a total win for me!

I guess what I'm trying to say is, once you change the way you eat and you cut out sugars and fast food and any "bad" stuff, your taste buds will change.  You won't need as much salad dressing on your salads and certain foods will almost be too sweet to eat.  When starting this journey, even if you're just trying it out, allow yourself to try new things, don't be afraid of anything.  Believe me, vegetables won't kill you, even if you try one bite...pinky swear.

So, I promised a recipe on my Facebook page...so here it is!  My very own stewed okra...it's delish.

1 frozen bag of okra
1 tbsp diced garlic
1 med. vidalia onion
1/4 cup diced celery
1 can diced tomatoes
1/2 cup tomato sauce
1 small basil leaf
garlic and onion powder, sea salt, black pepper - to taste
**saute onion, garlic, celery in extra virgin olive oil until the onion and celery are soft.  Add the basil leaf and saute for a minute.  Add the diced tomatoes and tomato sauce, then add the frozen okra.  Simmer until okra is no longer bright green (it'll turn a dark green when it's ready).

On another amazing note, I remembered my food today.  WOOHOO!  Here's my list:
*8am - 3 hard boiled eggs and a banana
*10am - 1/4 cup roasted almonds
*12pm - roasted chicken breast and stewed okra
*2pm - 1.5 cups watermelon
*6pm - pork roast in the crock pot, green beans, and leftover okra.

Who wants to share something they've come to love or something they still refuse to try?  I also despised sweet potatoes and I can eat one baked and plain now...it's amazing how things change.  I hope everyone has a fantastic Tuesday!!!