Eating Clean

In other news--I rode an hour yesterday continuously with minimal pain. Sweet!

Ok, back to the blog. A recent hobby of mine is finding and downloading free podcasts on iTunes. After I had listened to all the free This American Life's, Ricky Gervais, and dabbled in a few NPR podcasts, I started looking for some on diet and nutrition.

I already know a ton about nutrition--as I have a history of counting calories since 1995ish in high school--my poor brain. I know how many calories are in a pound, how many calories are in a gram of fat, protein, carbs, etc. I have read almost every book about metabolism and every other pitch out there. Even with all that, I have still always been attracted to the eat clean angle. Perhaps because it is pure and it's really how you're supposed to eat. Plus, every time I drink a diet coke, I have a feeling a guilt like I KNOW this is not good for me. (I don't feel that way when I eat cake though--chaw chaw chaw--so bring on the Valentine's CAKE!) Maybe I feel that way because diet coke burns going down your throat if you haven't had one in a while? But it's so good. I'll go to a bar and order a diet coke--it's like going on a binger. "Awww man, I had 8 diet cokes tonight. I'm wasted! PARTY!"  Everyone thinks I'm drunk anyway, so it's not like I'm just sitting in the corner sipping my diet coke and wishing I was at home watching Dexter--my newest fling. I'm cheers-ing with my diet coke! Yeah! Next round of sodas are on me!

Anyway, I digress. End diet coke fantasy.

So I ran across this Tosca Reno podcast about how she was 40 and took on a challenge from Robert Kennedy (he owns Oxygen magazine and other fitness mags)--part of it was eating clean. I had seen her before in some fitness magazines, but I liked reading about her because she's over 40 and so I thought about my mom and her struggles to stay fit. I mean, she was the one who got me into sports in the first place. She used to drop me on 3 mile runs and I would cry and say, "You're trying to beat me on purpose!" Then the next summer I'd drop her and she would cry and say, "Jenny, why do you always have to go fast?!" Maybe in an upcoming blog I'll write about how I thought it would be a good idea to ride rental mountain bikes up Haleakala and after a few miles she cussed at me so loudly that the families in the rental vans would rubberneck as they drove by. I would push her just enough where she was cussing BUT still riding. A few minutes more and she would have thrown her bike off the side of the volcano.

Anyway, I digress again... the eat clean principles are:

1. Eat 6 meals a day--I already do this. Does cake count as a meal though?
2. Drink at least 2 liters of water a day--I already do this.
3. Cut out all processed foods, including sugar--Diet Coke doesn't have sugar....what? Wait...do you think it's processed?!!!??!!!
4. Mix complex carb with lean protein in every meal--Not a new principle for me. I just don't do it.
5. Buy a bunch of Clean Eating books--Don't need to! I have then Intertrons! Mwahahaha. There are tons of eating clean blogs.

So, will I be doing this? Can I cut out diet coke? Should I cut out diet coke? Is restriction good for my personality? No. But even so, I can make changes and see how it goes.

Speaking of clean eating, here is a muffin recipe. People have been asking for it cause the muffins are good for snacks on the bike. I originally got it from http://enlightenedcooking.blogspot.com/ and I modified it to fit the needs of a vegan-tarian way back when and have kept the changes cause it's better. OH but it has sugar and stuff and doesn't really follow the rules. But I guess writing it down doesn't mean I'm eating it.

Green Muffins That Taste Good

1 and 1/4 cups wheat bran (I use Bob’s Red Mill Miller's Wheat Bran)
1 and 1/4 cups white whole wheat flour (I use King Arthur brand)
2 tablespoons ground flaxseed (flaxseed meal)
1 and 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 and 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
2/3 cup dried blueberries (or dried cherries or cranberries or raisins)
Chocolate CHIPS!!! As many as you'd like.
1 tablespoon roasted walnut oil OR some type of oil
1 and 1/3 cups unsweetened applesauce
1 or 2 large very ripe banana, peeled and broken apart
2-3 heaping handfuls of fresh spinach (I use pre-washed bagged spinach leaves)

Preheat oven to 400°F. Line the cups of a standard 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners, or spray with nonstick cooking spray.

In a large bowl, whisk the bran, flour, flaxseed meal, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, and brown sugar until blended; stir in the dried fruit, nuts, and chocolate chips.
Place the oil, applesauce , banana, and chopped spinach into the blender. Blend at medium speed until smooth, then pour over the dry ingredients. Stir gently just until moistened.

Spoon the batter into the prepared cups. Bake for about 18-20 minutes until just set. Cool. Makes 12 muffins.