Do You Have a Different Diet Than Your Friends and Family?

At a restaurant called The Gin Mill with most of my family. Good beer, bad clams.

When I am told we are going out with the family for whatever reason, my first response is usually not a happy one. Kelley hates my first response. I don’t blame her. It’s selfish to worry so much about where we’re going and what I’ll be able to eat when being with friends and family is the important part.

Playing "Mexican Train" at Grandma's; I think this game makes for the best times!

Nonetheless, I have strict guidelines for the food I’ll eat, and refuse to eat something that I don’t know exactly how it was prepared. This usually leaves me with the option of an overpriced salad (no dressing, cheese, or croutons please) that lacks substance and a stomach that’s as full as a bear cave in the summer. If it’s a clean place, I’ll add lean protein like smoked salmon, grilled shrimp or chicken, etc. that helps fill the void.

I have been getting better about my poor response almost every time there's another “outing”, but I still need improvement. Either way, I refuse to change my diet for these occasions and have become pretty good at Intermittent Fasting as a result. It’s really not so bad once you get past some rough patches.

Last pic before we left back to TX
From Left: Uncle Rob, Aunt Jeanne, Kelley, Mom, Grandma

When I don’t feel like IF’ing, a pb & banana sandwich will do the trick, but results in a lot of stares and comments from everyone else. If you’re reading this and you go through the same thing, please, comment to let me know I’m not alone here.

I was in PA with my mom and Kelley to see my family last week and we stayed with my dear grandma. She’s in her 80’s and moves and looks better than most people do in their 50’s or 60’s! Despite her peppiness, she does have diabetes and suffers from restless leg syndrome. Right when we got there, I found items with unacceptable ingredients for her conditions and nicely (but sternly) got on to her.

Grandma frequently falls victim to the claims made on product labels, so I went to the store with her to help her make better choices. To avoid overwhelming her with information overload, I just gave simple advice to look for certain “bad” ingredients along with some other tidbits I mention in this past post. When we got back to her home, I cleared out many expired and unhealthy foods from her fridge and tossed them in the trash to make room for the healthier food. She made a healthy change before and noted how much better she felt, but she just needs to keep consistent. Wish I could be there everyday to walk with her and help prepare healthy food!

Acting dumb with Mom and Grandma in Baltimore, MD

While I was there, I made overnight oats with pumpkin puree, stevia, sliced almonds, and yogurt using my guidelines here. I made sure she watched me put everything together the night before so (hopefully) she will make them herself!

As far as how to handle the prying questions of what I will eat, I just keep it as simple as possible; mostly foods that aren’t packaged or have hydrogenated oils or sugar. I would love to sit down and explain my reasoning in its entirety, but it’s no good unless someone is determined to change for the better.

So, besides scolding grandma about the foods that are affecting her health, I tried to keep to myself on my food views. Ha, I just realized I’ve been yapping on and on about this. I feel extremely passionate about this topic and would love to get all of my family members on board because I love them and want nothing but the best.

Q: What do you think when it comes to lecturing relatives on healthy habits? Yay or nay?
I think you know my feelings now!

WIAW #13 Steamed Veggies Have Taken Over My Diet!

Vacations are great; time spent away from work and with people you love help you forget the daily stresses and relax (hopefully).  But then there's the dreaded end of vacation where the little worries start popping back into your head and you dread the return to routine. I'm sure most of you know what I'm talking about, and I have some of that feeling now.

From Left: Me, Kelley, and my Grandma on a visit to Baltimore, Maryland.

This can really zap the motivation to cook right out of me.  Do you ever get this feeling? Luckily, I am set in my ways and determined to make healthy choices.  Thank goodness there's frozen produce to fall back on!

Although most of my vacation eats entailed steamed veggies at grandma's house, I thoroughly enjoy eating these and haven't grown tired of them yet. Upon our return home, I gathered several bags of Earth's various frozen gifts and quickly created meals for our shortened work week lunches.  Since veggies reign supreme in our home, I had extras for breakfast and dinner too.

These may not be extravagant foods, but they sure are healthy and I feel they keep my ticker ticking better than the person in a McDonald's line.  No offense if you're one of those people, I just chose Mickey D's, but it could be any fast food chain.

With that said, I'm home and ready for another What I Ate Wednesday post! Happy WIAW!

Breakfast – Microwave scrambled egg whites mixed with a generous medley of steamed beans and veggies. I seasoned everything with pepper, cayenne, cumin, garlic powder, and dill. See that full cup of coffee? I didn't need that to wake me up for the morning, the spice was good enough....but no need to waste good coffee, I drank that too.

Snack – Unique Sprouted Whole Grain Pretzels I brought back from PA and green tea. I'm pretty sure all the best pretzels and made in PA; even the smallest convenience store has at least 4 different brands to choose from! Mmmm, pretzels are my Prozac; they're comforting crunch and salty goodness flips the "I'm stressed" switch to OFF.

Lunch – Spicy chilled quinoa and vegetable bean salad; organic golden delicious apple; baby carrots and baby bok choy

Snack – Ugh, back to work after being gone for over a week; no snack today.

Dinner – Even more steamed veggies (not complaining, really); the Brussels Sprouts were green globes of goodness satisfying both my sweet and savory taste buds; Baby Bok Choy Lump Crab Sliders (recipe to come soon....it's easy); chocolate squash protein smoothie; plain non-fat Chobani Greek yogurt with dry roasted almonds.

Awesome! That was a lot of vegetables and I am not complaining one bit.  The best part is that there are so many vegetables to try that it's hard to truly get bored of them, despite what some people say or think.  So many friends and family talk as if it's hard to eat like me, but after slowly making the change from packaged foods to whole foods, it becomes second nature.

I've read enough ingredient labels and food articles to view a slice of chocolate cake at a restaurant as nothing more than a combo of hydrogenated oils, sugar, corn starch, more sugar, and a little crap.

My apologies if you think I'm being too harsh, it's just a topic I'm passionate about and don't like to hold anything back when discussing it.

Don't forget to comment on this post for your chance to win a coupon for a free Zevia 6 Pack of your choice.

Q:  Do you feel passionate about a certain food, food group, or diet?  How do you proceed to explain when talking about it with others who don't understand?

How to Survive Vacation as a Health Food Fanatic

My Mom, Kelley, and I made it back from visiting our beloved family (Mom's side) in Pennsylvania; too bad we couldn't stay longer.  By now, my family knows how I strive to eat healthy and I'm as cautious as a Celiac in a wheat factory when going out to eat.

For this reason, 9 times out of 10, I end up with a "non-dressed" salad and maybe a few toppings every time we eat out. Besides trying to figure out what, if anything, I'm going to eat, being known as a health conscious person means everyone else has to say something about what they're ordering. They might ask "Is this good for me?" or just make a known statement like "I know this is bad."  I know my family reads this blog sometimes, and I love you all; I am set in my ways, and there's no need to bring attention to what you're having.....I promise. Unless you want a genuine opinion! : )

When traveling, you may not always have the option to purchase grocery items, but if you do, frozen produce is your friend.  Buy things that don't have anything else added like salt or sauces. Look for mixes with beans for a healthy dose of protein.

Take advantage of roadside produce stands or nearby farmer's markets if available.  Most of the time, these places offer fresh, local foods and give you the chance to try something new.  There are plenty of stands in Pennsylvania's Amish land that I went to with my grandma and I flocked to the fresh Brussels Sprouts every time!

This was how most of my meals looked when we didn't go out.  No complaints from me, I love all of these things!

Mmmm, can't get enough of the Brussels!

At restaurants, don't be shy to play 20 (or more) questions with your server.  You are ordering food for refueling and should allow quality ingredients to make you feel and look great.  Taste doesn't have to be sacrificed unless you are a junk food junkie and only know foods high in fat and sugar.  It may take some weening off of these high calorie train-wrecks, but it'll pay off in the near and distant future.

Kelley's Salmon with steamed veggies with no butter or oil on anything.
The mashed potatoes under the salmon were like rubber.....they stayed on the plate.

Beware of how food is prepared and ask the server what it's cooked in. "Broiled" may sound healthy, but is it coated in butter and oil with a salty seasoning? Ask for your food to be cooked dry or in a broth if having fish or meat and make sure you know what seasonings they use.  The option I use most is having a salad with no dressing, any fresh cut veggies they have, and maybe a protein that has been cooked as mentioned above.  Ask for a side of oil and vinegar or even better, salsa, to use as dressing that you control.

My steamed clams were supposed to be a good choice, but these were all broken and gritty.
I had a salad to put them on top and didn't use the butter cup.  It would've been better if they were good. Does that make sense?

A much better choice for my meal; lump crap meat over salad greens. This made my taste buds dance with each succulent bite of the slightly sweet crab meat.

Yes, you'll get some flak from the friends and family that are with you, but maybe they'll be inspired to try the healthy route too!  I don't like being pushy after giving my reasons for why it's good to make healthy choices, so I try to keep to myself on the topic after I've already explained the reasons.  This is hard to do when it is continually brought up from family wanting to make a meal for us and the question always becomes "Will R.C. eat this?"  The answer is usually "No.", and I tried to make it a point that I can fend for myself and be okay.

My aunt and uncle grilled chicken and potatoes for all of us and made special ones for Kelley and me by adding nothing to them while the rest were marinated.  How hard is that?  Just do less and we're happy.  I love marinated chicken and plenty of seasonings, but I "have" to know what is used and it's better to just do that myself.  Plus, plain chicken with pepper and brown mustard and a baked potato with salsa on top works for me.

There are plenty of stories from our vacation; check back soon for how I cleaned grandma's fridge (again) and helped her walk faster than the other old folks on a tour bus!

Q:  Are you a health conscience consumer with friends and family constantly bringing it up? How do you deal with the unwanted attention?


I try to just act like I didn't hear anything or just keep it simple with "Don't worry about me."

Going on Vacation: Healthy Travel Tips

I should really be packing right now. Kelley went to take our Golden (Abby) to her parents house since they will be watching her while we are away.  Thank you, Steve and Kathy....and Stephanie (Kelley's sister) too!

We are going to a small town in PA called Myerstown.  I wish I could count the number of towns in PA that end with "town", "ville", or "burg".....I bet it's a lot! All of my Mom's side of the family lives in PA (she's coming with us) and it seems like forever since we've seen everyone.  We're all excited to go, but why is it that packing and preparing for a nice, relaxing vacation feels so stressful?  It should be a happy time, but what if you forget something; what about your lucky pair of socks you always bring with you when travelling?

If you obsess over making sure your food is healthy, going somewhere away from home where your safe food is neatly stored in the fridge and pantry, this can be another added stress to deal with.

But there's no need to worry, last time I checked, most other areas in the US have stores too, and you can buy similar foods there!  So, I will bring a few things from home, and just grab anything else I "must" have at a grocery store when we get there.

Do you ever worry about how to avoid choosing unhealthy options while travelling?  Here are a few of my tips for a healthy trip for your next venture.

Make your own portable foods you can pack:  I made a couple batches of my Overnight Oatmeal Crisps that make a great portable snack, and they're healthy too! Or just bring oats to make Overnight Oats.


Pack portable produce:  Apples, bananas, carrots, and basically any citrus fruits travel well.  These make a great choice for a snack while driving or in between changing flights.


Nuts keep you from going "nuts":  Protein, fiber, healthy fats, and delicious; nuts can go anywhere and will help keep the hunger pangs away.  Choose your favorite type and look for dry roasted or raw so you don't have added oils.


Herbs and Spices:  You need spice in your life; pack what you use a lot of at home as these require little space anyway.  I like to a make a mixture of the savory spices I use on salads and veggies.  My favorite combo is cayenne, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, dill, cilantro, and paprika.  Then I just bring cinnamon by itself.


Healthy cereal without the milk: What do you get?  A super easy, super portable snack that is usually lower in fat and sugar than even "healthy" baked goods in the chip/cracker aisle.  Kashi has tasty shredded wheat biscuits with cinnamon or vanilla flavors that, although still kind of high in sugar, are a better choice than most other options.  I also like to pack a cereal like Food for Life Ezekiel 4:9 to have once at the destination.


Protein powder:  Whether you use soy, whey, hemp, or another source of powder, it travels well and keeps you satisfied.  Search for natural powders without a lot of extra ingredients you can't pronounce, and preferably sweetened with stevia.

If you have the choice, plan to pick up a few quick prep foods at the store once you get to your destination. I plan on buying plenty of frozen fruit and veggies, plain, non-fat, Greek yogurt, canned pumpkin, and rolled oats.

One of my favorite travelling treats is to mix canned pumpkin, Greek yogurt, vanilla protein powder, a few nuts, frozen blueberries, and a bit of oats together really well and let sit in the fridge (if you have that option). Within a few hours, you'll have a thick combo of very healthy ingredients that taste like dessert.  You might need to add a sweetener if you desire, I'll use liquid stevia or stevia packets that I brought.

I don't plan on posting anything while away, but hopefully I'll come back with some exciting stories.  Kelley and I plan on going to some fun trails to hike and to go kayaking while there; I can't wait.

Do you have any healthy travel tips?  Did any of these help you plan for your next trip?

Overnight Oatmeal Baked Donuts.....My New Favorite Treat

Do you spell it "Donut" or "Doughnut"?  Meh, no matter, they taste great either way!

I really like my new donut baking pan; it makes a fun shape (Donuts!) and having the hole in the center helps to cook the batter evenly. After successfully baking a few good batches for Kelley and myself (see yesterday’s post on Baked Zevia Pumpkin Protein Donuts), I decided to try using my overnight oats mixture as the batter.

As you can see, they turned out pretty good. They are just a tad soft in the center, which I like, and plan to make more soon!

Are you interested in making these for yourself? It’s easy peasy….as my mom likes to say.

First you prepare overnight oats, then pour into donut-shaped baking pan at 365 degrees for 20 to 30 minutes.

Depending on if you like things really crunchy (more time in the oven) or a little soft in the middle (less time), these are a fun and easy way to make a healthy snack for everyone.

Let the delectable oat spheres cool in the pan for 5 to 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack. Cooling in the pan is necessary for the baked goods to cool down and contract a little; pulling away from the sides. If you’re impatient like me, you know what happens when you don’t wait.

For those with kids, let them help by preparing their own overnight oats mixture; I bet they’ll be more inclined to eat healthy treats they made. This is way better than any kid’s treat in a box!

These Baked Oatmeal Donuts make a great snack for home or on the go. Kelley and I are leaving to Breckenridge in 2 days and the baked donuts I posted on yesterday along with these oatmeal donuts will make great companions for us both. I love road trips, and road trips with Kelley have always been fun.

Except for last year at this time when we went to Breck….I had MRSA and it was miserable! My unfortunate infection while in Breck was not very fun, but I did learn a tasty new recipe with sweet potatoes and black beans!!

Well, not this time, I will be illness-free and ready for a good trip with my wife! Her parents will already be where we are staying and we will have a great time enjoying the fresh air and good coffee from local shops. We also plan on making a couple trips to go snowshoeing as well. Coffee, snowshoeing, no work, minimal plans, good company……I think I’m ready!

For the trip, we will bring our own food since we are against most options (besides coffee) along the main roads. As I mentioned already, I’ll bring the baked donuts I made and the overnight oatmeal crisps I always talk about. Kelley’s must-haves are creamy goat cheese and good whole wheat rye bread. We will also have fresh sliced deli meat, plain Greek yogurt, baby carrots, organic apples, and mixed nuts for the trip.

I dehydrated carrots, zucchini squash, beets, and bananas in a dehydrator I just purchased and will bring along as well. Dehydrating foods will be in a future post…stay tuned! The few packaged foods we will bring include Annie’s Homegrown Bunny Grahams, Corn Thins, and Food For Life Ezekiel Cereal.

Do you have any go to road trip foods? Do you put convenience or health as top priority while traveling?