The Clean Eating Handbook 31 Essential Rules For Health, Wellness, and a Fabulously Fit Life

Written by Mareya Ibrahim

Edited by Ryan Chandler Brown  

© Copyright 2013 Mareya Ibrahim. All Rights Reserved.

Published by EatCleaner.com

First Electronic Edition, May 2013

This book is protected by Federal Copyright laws and treaties and, as such, any

 

 

unauthorized reprint or use of this material is strictly prohibited. Making or distributing copies of this book constitutes copyright infringement. It may not be reproduced in whole or in part, by any means, without written permission by the copyright holder. This book is not designed to and does not provide medical advice, professional diagnosis, opinion, treatment or services to you or to any other individual. Through this book EatCleaner provides general information for educational purposes only. The information provided in this book is not a substitute for medical or professional care, and you should not use the information in place of a visit, call consultation or the advice of your physician or other healthcare provider. EatCleaner.com is not liable or responsible for any advice, course of treatment, diagnosis or any other information, services or product you obtain through the use of this book. IF YOU BELIEVE YOU HAVE A MEDICAL EMERGENCY, YOU SHOULD IMMEDIATELY CALL 911 OR YOUR PHYSICIAN. If you believe you have any other health problem, or if you have any questions regarding your health or a medical condition, you should promptly consult your physician or other healthcare provider.

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Table of Contents

Who  is  The  Fit  Foodie?  

How  The  Fit  Foodie  Filosophies  Saved  My  Life  

The  Secret  To  Losing  Fat  Permanently  

• Key  1  –  Understand  REAL  Nutrition  

• Key  2  –  Ditch  The  DIET  Mentality  

• Key  3  –  Make  It  A  Habit  

The  31  Fit  Foodie  Filosophies  

1. Rehab  Your  Refrigerator  &  Purge  Your  Pantry  

2. Kick  the  Habit,  Sugar  

5  

8  

12  

 

 

 

18  

 

 

 

3. Skim  the  Saturated  Fat  

4. Swap  In  Veggies  For  Fat  

5. Deny  the  Fry  

6. Forego  the  Salad  Saboteurs  

7. Dial  Back  the  Alcohol  

8. Learn  the  Language  of  Labelese  

9. Fill  Up  On  Fresh  Fruit  &  Veggies  To  The  Core  

10. Choose  Cleaner  Carbs  

11. Go  Wild  with  Seafood  

12. Get  Nutrient  Dense  

13. Fuel  Up  Like  A  Super  Hero  

14. Join  The  Hydration  Nation  

15. Eat  The  Fit  Foodie  Triangle  Frequently  

16. Practice  Portion  Control  &  Go  Sharesies  

17. Go  Meatless  Mondays  

18. Practice  Safe  Snacks  

19. Get  The  Right  Tools  For  The  Job  

20. Shop  Smart,  Save  Green  

21. Grow  Your  Own  

22. Save  Your  Green(s)  and  the  Planet  

23. Don’t  Let  Your  Food  Go  Foul  

24. Tote  Your  Own  Treats  

25. Grow  A  Family  Of  Fit  Foodies  

26. Break  (Better)  Bread  Together  

27. Know  Your  Burn  Rate  

28. Exercise  Less,  Eat  More  

 

 

29. Don’t  Count  On  Calories  

30. If  It’s  Not  Organic,  Don’t  Panic  

31. Think  Before  You  Bite  

Cleaner  Plate  Club  Recipes:  

• Artichoke  Hummus  

• Spinach  Sundried  Tomato  Paste  Spread  

• Carrot  &  Avocado  Soup  with  Fruit  Relish  

• Supercharged  Protein  Smoothie  

• Angel  Berry  Trifle  

• Lettuce  Cup  Tacos  

• Creamy  Butternut  Mac  N’  Cheese  

• Savory  Oven  Fried  Chicken  

• Dark  Chocolate  Chip  Cupcakes  with  Cream  Cheese  Frosting  

                 

Who  is  “The  Fit  Foodie”?  

Mareya Ibrahim (aka “The Fit Foodie” ) is an award-winning clean food chef, writer, food

expert, educator and inventor, and the creator of EatCleaner.com, the premier lifestyle

destination for fit food how-to’s and information.

Mareya is a featured TV chef on ABC’s Recipe Rehab, the only competition-style network

cooking show produced by Everyday Health, which is viewed by over 1 million unique

100  

 

 

households every week. She is also a Clean Eating expert for eHow.com, LiveStrong.com and

is a regular on San Diego’s Channel 6 news, offering bite-size health and wellness tips. Her

backpage column, “The Fit Foodie”, appears in Edible Orange County Magazine.

She is the creator of EatCleaner.com, the premier destination for clean food on the internet, and

Eat Cleaner® products, a patented line of all natural food wash and wipes that she co-invented.

Mareya was a finalist for Inc. Magazine’s Newpreneur of the Year 2010 and is the winner of the

Disney iParenting Award and the World’s Best Technology Gold Prize. She is also the recipient

of the 2013 Women Making a Difference Award for demonstrating extraordinary dedication and

contributions to health and well-being, a designation awarded by California Senator Lou Correa.

As a nationally recognized expert on food safety and clean eating, she has been featured in a

myriad of top publications, including Oprah.com, The Huffington Post, Parents Magazine,

Sunset Magazine, The New York Times, Epoch Times and INC Magazine.

And now she is your personal clean eating COACH!

The Clean Eating Handbook

 

 

 

31 Essential Rules for Health, Wellness, and a

Fabulously Fit Life

 

 

“A fit, healthy body—that is the best fashion statement.”

–Jess C. Scott

It’s  so  simple,  but  hard  to  always  remember.    Food  Feeds  Us.  

Is  it  possible  to  eat  food  that  not  only  tastes  as  delicious  as  the  foods  you’re  used  to,  but  also  

provides  your  body  with  everything  it  needs  to  function  perfectly,  have  more  energy,  heal  itself  

from  the  inside  out,  get  fit  automatically,  feel  amazing,  and  burn  fat  all  day  long?  

 

 

The  answer  is  YES!  

 

Companies  will  try  to  sell  you  exercise  and  workout  gimmicks  all  day  long,  but  ask  any  trainer  or  

professional  athlete  and  they  will  tell  you  that  95%  of  your  success  in  your  health  and  fitness  is  

determined  by  WHAT  YOU  EAT!  

 

I’m  Chef  Mareya,  The  Fit  Foodie,  and  I’m  going  to  show  you  how  to  transform  your  favorite  

foods  into  fat  burning  fun,  and  protect  the  environment  in  the  process.  I’m  not  a  superhero,  

just  a  single  mom  of  two  young  kids  who  figured  out  the  secret  to  achieving  a  fit  approach  to  a  

healthy  lifestyle  out  of  a  sheer  need  to  achieve  balance,  de-­‐stress  my  life,  and  keep  myself  and  

everyone  around  me  sane.    You  see,  food  was  my  pain  for  a  long  time  but  I  knew  that  if  I  didn’t  

get  things  straight,  I  was  going  to  put  my  family  in  jeopardy.    I’ll  talk  about  that  more  in  a  

minute  but  the  point  is,  if  I  can  do  it  with  my  fast  paced,  hectic  life,  YOU  can  too!  

 

Remember  this:    Sound  nutrition  is  the  key.    You  can  look  and  feel  better  than  you  have  in  your  

entire  life  in  31  days  by  following  what  I  call  my  “Fit  Foodie  Filosophies”.    

How  do  I  know  this?    Because  they  have  transformed  thousands  of  lives,  including  mine…  

 

 

 

 

HOW THE FIT FOODIE FILOSOPHIES SAVED MY LIFE

 

Sometimes  you  have  to  starve  your  ego  to  come  clean.

I  have  a  confession  to  make.    About  10  years  ago,  I  finally  beat  a  severe  eating  disorder  that  I  

had  lived  with  from  my  late  teens  into  my  twenties.    I  never  admitted  it  to  ANYONE,  including  

my  own  parents,  because  I  thought  it  meant  I  was  a  complete  failure.    

 

Today  I'm  coming  clean  with  how  I  kicked  junk  food  and  my  eating  disorder  to  the  curb  because  

I  don't  want  anyone  to  have  to  go  through  such  struggles  alone.    

 

The  doctors  called  it  Bulemia  and  Anorexia.    I  called  it,  Hell  on  Earth.  

 

 

You  could  say  my  fear  of  food  was  eating  me  alive.  When  you  come  from  a  family  that  plans  

lunch  while  eating  breakfast  and  has  conversations  about  dinner  at  the  lunch  table  -­‐  where  

you’re  not  supposed  to  leave  the  table  without  stuffing  yourself  to  the  gills  -­‐  it's  easy  to  get  

crazy  about  the  subject.    

 

My  eating  disorders  started  in  my  late  teens.    Somehow,  I  lost  my  way  from  the  dinner  table.                      

I  swung  from  gluttonous  overeating  binges  where  I’d  make  myself  sick  from  excess  to  a  

starvation  diet  because  I  got  tired  of  making  myself  throw  up.      

 

I  would  fast  until  3:00pm  everyday  then  maybe  eat  a  bagel,  some  rice,  celery  sticks,  a  few  rice  

cakes  and  a  green  salad,  washed  down  with  a  bottomless  supply  of  black  coffee.  I  counted  

every  bite  as  though  my  life  depended  on  it  and  if  I  indulged  in  anything  that  I  perceived  as  

excess  I’d  kill  myself  at  the  gym  until  late  in  the  evening  so  I  would  avoid  eating  dinner.      

 

After  a  few  months,  I  became  too  weak  to  exercise  and  cut  back  my  intake  even  more.    At  my  

lowest,  I  reached  87  pounds.    In  a  twisted  way,  I  thought  this  was  an  incredible  achievement,  

and  in  my  mind,  restricting  my  calorie  intake  and  getting  to  that  new  low  showed  discipline.    

But  my  body  was  clearly  in  distress.      

 

I  started  losing  clumps  of  hair.    I  became  an  insomniac  and  began  having  panic  attacks  and  

memory  black  outs.    One  night,  I  was  out  with  some  friends  and  had  a  panic  attack  with  

hallucinations  so  intense  that  I  was  rushed  to  the  hospital  because  I  felt  like  I  was  going  to  die.      

 

 

 

It  even  affected  my  memory.    It’s  so  hard  for  me  to  admit  this,  but  there  are  significant  life  

events  that  I  blacked  out  on,  like  being  given  a  cat  by  my  parents  for  my  birthday  –  I  don’t  

remember  it  ever  happening!      

 

I  had  such  an  unhealthy  relationship  with  food  that  I  avoided  any  social  events  where  eating  

was  involved,  which  alienated  me  even  more  from  friends  and  family.    Birthdays,  anniversaries,  

weddings  –  life’s  most  cherished  events  –  I  found  an  excuse  to  get  out  of  them  every  time.  

 

I  knew  that  being  fat  and  overeating  wasn’t  healthy  so  I  became  focused  on  being  the  skinniest  

girl  around.    Wasn’t  that  supposed  to  make  me  feel  happier?      NO.    It  did  just  the  opposite.    I  

felt  weaker,  sicker,  and  more  depressed  than  at  any  time  in  my  entire  life.    I  had  less  energy,  

less  concentration,  and  less  confidence  than  ever  before.  

I  had  succumbed  to  the  biggest  lie  about  weight  loss:  Being  skinny  makes  you  happy.  

 

My  first  step  towards  balanced  health  came  through  my  job.  The  year  I  graduated  from  college,  

I  started  working  for  a  natural  foods  chain  in  Colorado.  The  idea  of  entering  into  a  job  that  was  

centered  on  everything  edible  scared  the  cheesepuffs  out  of  me.    But  this  didn’t  look  like  any  of  

the  other  local  stores.    Filled  with  clean,  locally  grown  produce  and  natural  alternatives  to  the  

stuff  I  found  on  most  grocery  shelves,  I  started  to  warm  up  to  the  idea  –  and  more  importantly,  

I  needed  this  job.      

 

Gradually,  I  began  my  clean  culinary  education  and  became  the  editor  of  our  monthly  magazine  

called  Healthy  Choices.    I  also  ran  the  demo  department  for  all  11  stores,  so  my  role  was  to  help  

our  customers  understand  what  “certified  organic,  hormone-­‐free,  and  non-­‐chemical  

preservatives”  meant  and  to  create  simple  recipes  around  the  foods  we  featured.      

 

 

I  was  hungry  for  knowledge  on  what  eating  healthy  actually  meant.    I  started  reading  labels  on  

the  shelves  like  books  in  a  library  and  looked  up  every  ingredient  I  didn’t  know.    I  interviewed  

every  department  manager  and  asked  an  abundance  of  questions.    I  read  nutrition  and  recipe  

books  voraciously  and  immersed  myself  in  cooking,  focusing  on  what  was  in  season  and  playing  

with  textures,  cooking  methods  and  colors.    This  kick  started  my  own  food  rehab  and  I  began  

warming  up  to  this  “natural  food”  idea,  albeit  one  bite  at  a  time.    That’s  when  the  

transformation  happened.  

 

As  soon  as  I  started  eating  regularly,  it  was  like  I  had  gotten  a  shot  of  adrenaline.    I  looked  

forward  to  waking  up  in  the  mornings  and  I  had  an  INSANE  amount  of  energy  and  enthusiasm.    

My  boss  even  noticed  the  change  and  gave  me  kudos  for  sharing  it  with  others.    The  insomnia  

began  to  turn  into  hours  of  deep  sleep.    The  panic  attacks  went  away.    I  felt  comfortable  

showing  up  at  food  functions  and  even  began  hosting  dinner  parties  to  flex  my  culinary  

muscles.    

 

I  learned  and  lived  what  it  meant  to  feed  my  body  at  the  cellular  level,  not  just  my  face.    I  didn’t  

have  to  be  tempted  by  a  sponge  cake  filled  with  cream  and  a  20  year  shelf  life.    What  was  that  

going  to  do  for  me,  anyway?    Food  was  meant  to  keep  my  body  moving  and  thriving  and  even  

though  there  were  a  lot  of  choices  out  there,  I  learned  which  ones  were  best  for  me  inside  and  

out.    I  finally  understood  what  it  meant  to  “Think  Before  You  Bite”  and  I  wear  that  on  my  tank  

top  as  a  constant  reminder.  

 

My  mission  is  to  get  you  fabulously  fit  with  your  food  and  lifestyle  choices.    If  I  can  help  one  

person  avoid  the  turmoil  that  I  went  through,  it  makes  all  the  pain  I  went  through  worth  it.  

 

 

 

 

 

THE  SECRET  to  Losing  Fat  Permanently!  

 

One  of  the  most  important  and  overlooked  keys  to  controlling  your  weight  that  I  learned  is  

managing  your  blood  sugar.  If  your  blood  sugar  levels  and  insulin  levels  are  spiking  and  dropping,  

it  puts  an  enormous  strain  on  your  metabolic  system  and  signals  to  your  body  the  “I'm  in  distress  

mode”  message  to  store  fat  and  energy.  Your  body  is  pre-­‐wired  to  take  care  of  you  in  the  event  of  

an  emergency.  Stop  telling  your  system  that  it  needs  to  store  fat  and  you  can  turn  your  body  from  

a  fat  storing  machine  into  a  fat  burning  machine.  

 

Caloric  intake  will  vary  based  on  your  sex,  age,  activity  level  and  pre-­‐existing  health  conditions.    

But  if  your  goal  is  to  get  leaner,  you  MUST  start  by  eating  cleaner  -­‐  not  by  going  on  a  diet  that  

focuses  on  deprivation.    

 

The  way  to  real,  effortless,  and  permanent  weight  loss  is  a  proven  formula  of  eating  the  right  

combination  of  foods  –  or  what  I  call  “the  Fit  Foodie  Triangle”  (pg.55)  –  at  regular  intervals  

throughout  the  day.    While  the  point  is  not  to  be  a  slave  to  calories,  this  proven  formula  of  eating  

cleaner,  unprocessed  meals  and  focusing  on  the  right  combinations  at  the  right  times  will  help  get  

you  where  you  want  to  go  and  keep  you  there  for  LIFE.      

 

 

 

 

There  are  3  keys  that  helped  me  unlock  the  fit  life  for  good:  

 

Key  #1:    

Understand  REAL  Nutrition    

WARNING:  Most  people  skip  this  first  step.    They  don’t  fully  educate  themselves  on  what  they  

actually  need  to  eat  in  every  category  in  order  to  turn  on  their  body’s  natural  fat  burning,  energy  

producing  power.      

 

Human  beings  are  amazing  machines.    Keeping  our  engines  humming  is  a  pretty  clear  cut  science,  

but  most  people  don’t  eat  enough  healthy  food  and  don’t  eat  often  enough  for  their  bodies  to  

work  efficiently.    Eating  the  right  natural  foods  at  the  right  times  will  rev  up  your  metabolism  

higher  than  you  ever  thought  possible!  

 

The  secret  to  balancing  your  blood  sugar  and  revving  up  your  metabolism  is  eating  smaller,  

perfectly  balanced  meals,  and  eating  them  more  often.    This  book  will  teach  you  the  basics  of  this  

new  art.    For  more  step-­‐by-­‐step  examples,  I  created  my  Cleaner  Plate  Club  Meal  Prep  Program  to  

show  you  how  to  do  it  effortlessly  right  from  home,  every  day.    

 

Imagine  if  just  by  eating  delicious  food,  you  could  turn  on  innate  powers  in  your  body  that  will  heal  

you  from  the  inside  out.    Your  system  was  designed  to  heal  itself,  to  burn  fat  effortlessly,  and  to  

produce  endless  energy.    Guess  what  it  needs  to  do  that?    Clean  fuel!  

 

 

 

That  is  what  happened  to  me.    I  was  an  87  pound  sickly  shell  of  a  human  being.    Then  I  started  

eating  MORE  of  the  good  stuff.    A  year  later  I  was  fit,  feeling  fabulous,  and  on  my  way  to  becoming  

successful  in  every  area  of  my  life.    Not  surprisingly,  my  weight  balanced  itself  right  where  it  

needed  to  be  without  excessive  calorie  counting.  

 

Put  in  the  right  fuel,  and  your  body  does  what  it  was  meant  to  do  AUTOMATICALLY.  

 

When  you  have  that  AHA!  moment  where  you  realize  that  food  is  energy  and  vitality.    It  shapes  

your  physical  being.    Even  though  there  are  a  lot  of  tempting  choices  out  there,  you  can  weed  

through  the  muck  without  getting  stuck.    You  can  exercise  for  wellness  rather  than  as  penance  for  

overeating.    At  the  corner  of  'eat'  and  'diet',  it’s  time  to  take  the  right  path.    

 

 

 

I  did,  and  it  changed  my  life  forever.  

 

 

 

 

 

Key  #  2  

DITCH  THE  DIET  MENTALITY  

The  key  to  a  balanced  diet  is  not  to  diet.    I  mean,  why  would  you  be  motivated  by  something  

that  begins  with  the  word  DIE?  

 

One  of  the  most  common  questions  I  get  from  clients  is  about  why  they  aren’t  losing  more  

weight.  Most  of  them  sound  something  like  this...  

"But  I'm  barely  eating  anything..."    

"I've  completely  cut  out  fat…"  

"I  stop  eating  after  4:00  pm..."  

"All  of  the  frozen  meals  I  buy  are  400  calories  or  less,  and  I  eat  3  a  day..."  

   

Guess  what  their  REAL  problem  is…THEY  ARE  NOT  EATING  ENOUGH  GOOD  FOOD!!!  

When  I  tell  them  they're  not  eating  enough,  they  raise  their  eyebrows  in  surprise.    America  is  

on  a  perpetual  diet,  but  we  just  keep  getting  bigger.  Obviously,  something's  broken  here  

because  the  binge  and  purge  routine  just  isn't  working.    How  can  the  number  of  people  dieting  

increase  at  the  same  time  as  obesity  in  America?    Because  DIETING  DOESN’T  WORK!  

 

Diets  come  from  a  place  of  deprivation  and  no  one  likes  to  feel  that  way.  If  you're  not  eating  

enough  of  the  right  foods  in  the  right  combination,  it  can  actually  undo  all  the  good,  including  

burning  muscle  instead  of  fat.      

 

 

When  you  eat  cleaner  and  exercise  effectively,  you  are  living  a  sustainable  lifestyle  -­‐  the  Cleaner  

Plate  Club  Lifestyle  -­‐  that  feeds  your  sanity,  not  your  face.    

 

Being  too  restrictive,  not  eating  the  right  combination  of  lean  protein,  healthy  fats,  and  

complex  carbohydrates,  and  not  eating  often  enough,  can  all  sabotage  your  efforts  to  get  slim  

and  healthy.    This  is  exactly  what  diets  do.  

 

There  is  nothing  more  stressful,  mentally  and  physically,  than  trying  to  reinvent  what  your  body  

requires  you  to  do  to  survive  and  thrive  daily.  The  better  and  more  consistent  your  habits  

become  concerning  what  you  eat,  when  you  eat,  the  quantity  of  food  you  eat,  the  quality  of  

food  you  eat,  and  how  those  foods  combine,  the  easier  this  concept  of  health  maintenance  

becomes.    

 

Key  #3:    

Make  It  A  Habit  

Once  the  knowledge  of  how  to  eat  cleaner  is  in  your  head,  you  need  to  get  it  in  your  belly,  eat  

and  repeat!    Fortunately,  this  is  the  fun  part.  

 

Your  body  needs  regularly  scheduled  care.  Not  sporadic,  when  stuff  starts  to  break  down  kind-­‐

of-­‐work.  It's  the  little  things  every  day  that  will  keep  your  engine  humming  like  the  well-­‐tuned  

machine  that  you  are.      Make  proper  nutrition  a  habit,  and  your  relationship  with  your  plate  

will  never  be  more  fulfilling.  

 

 

 

When  I  finally  got  healthy,  I  went  wild  in  the  kitchen  with  veggies!    I'd  find  out  what  was  in  

season,  play  with  textures,  and  mix  cooking  methods  and  colors.  Soon  I  had  married  these  

wonders  of  nature  with  picks  from  the  seafood  and  poultry  case,  which  was  always  brimming  

with  real  fresh  food.  Even  the  bakery  offered  goods  made  with  whole  grains,  vegetables  and  

low  sugar.    I  was  amazed  at  how  many  healthy  choices  were  out  there,  and  how  great  they  

tasted  when  combined  in  the  right  ways.  

   

Once  I  got  the  hang  of  how  to  put  it  all  together,  it  took  preparation  and  practice  to  be  

consistent.    They  say  it  takes  21  days  of  repetition  to  create  a  habit,  but  when  it  comes  to  food  I  

think  you  need  31  days  –  enough  days  to  get  you  through  even  the  longest  months  of  the  year.    

 

My  31  Essential  Rules  for  Health,  Wellness,  and  a  Fabulously  Fit  Life  are  bite-­‐sized  approaches  

that,  when  practiced  every  day,  will  help  you  establish  the  most  important  habits  you’ve  ever  

wanted  to  make  –  the  ones  that  will  carry  you  through  your  months  and  years  of  the  fit  life.                  

I  call  them  my  Fit  Foodie  Filosophies  because,  as  guiding  principles,  they  are  a  mindset  for  your  

new,  cleaner  lifestyle.      

 

Just  like  anything  new,  don’t  worry  if  there  are  days  that  don’t  go  as  planned.    That  will  happen  

because  life  happens  every  day.    The  idea  is  to  just  get  back  on  board  and  keep  practicing,  

eating,  repeating  and  doing  it  all  over  again.    Soon  enough,  you’ll  be  making  some  beautiful  

music  in  that  kitchen  of  yours.    Your  body,  mind  and  spirit  will  thank  you  for  your  new  vitality,  

unprecedented  energy,  and  fabulously  fit  body.    Are  you  ready  to  sink  your  teeth  in?  

 

 

 

 

 

 

THE FIT FOODIE FILOSOPHIES

 

These  are  the  31  essential  steps  to  becoming  a  Fit  Foodie  for  LIFE.    Read  one  a  day  

and  put  them  into  practice  until  you  get  through  the  month.  Then  repeat  every  

day  until  you’ve  established  the  habit.  Practice  makes  a  perfect  plate.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fit  Foodie  Filosophy  #1:  Rehab  Your  Refrigerator  &  Purge  Your  Pantry.    To  eat  cleaner  and  

get  leaner,  start  with  cleaning  out  your  fridge  and  pantry  to  make  way  for  the  good  stuff.      

 

How  to  Clean  out  your  Cabinets:  If  it’s  processed,  bleached,  contains  high  fructose  corn  syrup,  

anything  ‘hydrogenated’,  the  word  ‘artificial’,  ‘trans  fats’,  8  syllable  words,  or  anything  on  our  

Steer  Clear  List  (pg.35),  it's  outta’  there.      

 

Sodium  and  sugar  are  also  something  to  look  for.    Your  goal  should  be  to  keep  your  sugar  

intake  to  less  than  50  grams  per  day  and  sodium  to  2300  mg  (1.5  teaspoons).      

 

 

If  you  have  a  box  of  ‘emergency  cookies’  or  ‘only  eat  them  when  there’s  nothing  in  the  house’  

bag  of  chips  on  the  top  shelf,  you  better  believe  they’re  going  to  find  a  way  into  your  mouth.    

Toss  them!    Just  like  your  closet,  once  you  purge  the  foods  that  don’t  fit  you  anymore,  you’ll  

have  room  in  your  wardrobe  for  the  new  ingredients  that  suit  your  cleaner  lifestyle.      

 

Do  I  really  have  to  get  rid  of  all  this  stuff  I  love  to  eat?  

 

Something  happened  to  us  as  a  society  right  around  the  end  of  WW  II  when  we  entered  into  

the  Cold  War  Era.    Manufacturers  began  making  ‘phood’  –  you  know,  that  chemically  injected,  

processed  fake  food  that  could  survive  nuclear  devastation  unaltered.  

     

Processed  beef  and  pork  byproducts  molded  into  a  square,  canned  anything,  and  cello-­‐wrapped  

cakes  with  an  infinite  shelf  life  were  bomb  shelter  favorites  and  made  their  way  into  the  hearts  

and  clogged  arteries  of  Americans  everywhere.    Sadly,  these  complex  chemistry  experiments  

with  ingredient  lists  a  paragraph  long  quickly  bulked  up  our  grocery  store  shelves.    Did  we  ever  

stop  to  ask  ourselves:  should  we  be  eating  it  if  it  can  never  decompose,  and  will  it  do  the  same  

once  it  gets  inside  my  body?  

 

We’re  happy  to  report  the  cold  war  is  officially  over.  So,  if  our  diets  become  full  of  fresh  food  

that  does  have  a  shelf  life  –  mostly  fruit  and  vegetables,  lean  protein  and  high  quality  fats  –  

we’re  eating  as  nature  intended.  

 

It’s  time  to  get  fresh.  

 

 

 

Your  refrigerator  should  look  more  like  a  salad  bar,  with  less  emphasis  on  shelf  stable,  

processed  foods  in  a  box.    One-­‐ingredient  foods  reign  supreme.    Pantry  and  fridge  items  should  

help  you  round  out  your  balanced  meals,  including  good  sources  of  protein,  complex  

carbohydrates,  what  I  call  ‘superfood  add-­‐ons’,  spices,  condiments  and  high  quality  oils  that  

contribute  essential  fatty  acids.    

Some  of  my  favorite  fridge  and  pantry  items  include:  

q FRESH  PRODUCE  –  GO  SEASONAL  AS  MUCH  AS  POSSIBLE:  

q Grapefruit  

q Apples  

q Pears  

q Bananas  

q Mixed  Berries  

q Lemons/Limes  

q Fresh  baby  spinach,  kale  and  chard  

q Romaine,  red/green  leaf  or  butter  lettuce  

q Mixed  salad  greens  (arugula,  watercress,  tatsoi,  etc)  

q Fresh  mushrooms  (cremini,  shitake,  portabello,  etc)  

q Broccoli  

q Carrots  

q Sweet  Potatoes  

q Avocados  

q Tomatoes  

q Red  Onion  

q Shallot  

q Garlic  

q Ginger  

q Cucumber  

 

 

q BAKERY/BREADS:    

q Whole  grain  or  sprouted  grain  tortillas  (gluten-­‐free  options  include  spelt  and  brown  rice)  

q Whole  grain  or  sprouted  grain  bread  (gluten-­‐free  options  include  spelt  and  brown  rice)  

 

q MEAT/FISH:  

q Wild  caught  salmon,  mackerel  or  sardines  

q Free  range/organic  chicken  breasts  

q Ground  lean  white  meat  turkey  or  beef  

q Organic  tempeh  

 

q DELI/DAIRY:  

q Cage  free/organic  eggs    

q Egg  whites  

q Plain  non-­‐fat  Greek  yogurt  

q Lowfat  shredded  cheese  (I  like  dairy-­‐free  Daiya  cheese)  

q Unsweetened  coconut,  almond  or  sunflower  milk  (sunflower  is  nut-­‐free)  

q Sliced  natural  meats  (nitrate/nitrite  free)  

q Earth  Balance®  spreads  and  baking  sticks  

 

q PASTAS,  GRAINS  AND  CEREALS:  

q Whole  grain  couscous  and  bulgur  wheat  

q Quinoa  (any  color)  

q Brown  rice  and  brown  rice  pasta    

q Steel  cut  or  old  fashioned  oats  

q Gluten  free  flour  

q Puffed  brown  rice  cereal  

 

 

 

q FREEZER  SECTION:  

q Mixed  berries  (good  for  smoothies  and  purée)  

q Organic  edamame  

q Veggie  burgers  

 

q SHELF  STABLE:  

q Low  sodium  beans  (black,  garbanzo,  cannellini  or  any  variety  you  like)  

q Low  sodium  chicken  or  vegetable  broth  

q Albacore  tuna  pouches  

q Almond  or  sunflower  butter  (sunflower  butter  is  nut-­‐free)  

q Powdered  peanut  butter  

q Linwood’s  ground  flax  or  hemp  seed    

q Unsalted  raw  nuts  (almonds,  walnuts,  cashews)  

q Unsalted  seeds  (sunflower,  pumpkin,  sesame)  

q Dried  cranberries  or  raisins  

q Unsweetened  shredded  coconut  

q Vega™  One  All-­‐in-­‐One  nutritional  protein  powder  

q Dark  chocolate  (70%  or  more  cocoa)  

q Unsweetened  cocoa  powder  

 

 

 

 

 

 

q CONDIMENTS/SAUCES:  

q Powdered  peanut  butter  (sunflower  butter  as  an  allergen-­‐free  alternative)  

q Sesame  tahini  

q Coconut  oil  or  grapeseed  oil  (high  heat  cooking)  

q Extra  virgin  olive  oil  

q Sesame  oil  

q Non-­‐stick  olive  oil  cooking  spray  

q Balsamic  or  red  wine  vinegar  (for  green  salads)  

q Rice  wine  vinegar  

q Soy  sauce  or  tamari  

q Stevia  or  approved  natural  sweetener  (See  FFF  #2)  

 

q SPICES/HERBS/CITRUS:    

q Fresh  limes  and  lemons  

q Garlic  

q Ginger  

q Fresh/dry   herbs   (rosemary,   basil,   oregano,   curry   powder,   paprika,   cayenne   pepper   –  

experiment  with  what  you  like  -­‐  these  are  calorie-­‐free  flavors!)  

q LoSalt®  Reduced  sodium  substitute  

q Black  pepper  

q Colman’s®  mustard    

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fit  Foodie  Filosophy  #2:  Kick  the  Habit,  Sugar…  

 

Sugar  is  EVERYWHERE!    Sweeteners  are  rampant  in  “diet”,  “lite”  or  “sugar-­‐free”  products.    

Aside  from  the  obvious  cakes,  cookies,  cereals  and  beverages,  sugar  is  used  in  dry  mixes  for  

instant  coffee  and  tea,  gelatin  desserts,  puddings,  non-­‐dairy  creamers,  chewing  gums,  breath  

mints,  diet  soda,  yogurt,  and  even  children’s  medicine  and  vitamins.      

 

The  problem  with  sugar  is  that  it  spikes  insulin  production,  causing  your  blood  sugar  to  go  wild,  

which  makes  you  crave  more  and  more  sugar  –  a  treacherous  cycle.    

 

Even  ‘low  fat’  foods  that  contain  excessive  sugar  are  counterproductive  because  the  unburned  

calories  can  be  stored  as  fat.    

 

 

 

Don’t  be  seduced  by  the  calorie-­‐free  promise  and  think  that  diet  products  are  any  better.    

Artificial  sugars  were  created  to  pacify  those  cravings  but  they  do  more  than  sweeten  your  food  

—  they  serve  as  a  health  hazard.      

 

Aspartame,  Acesulfame  K  and  Saccharine  are  all  chemically  produced  to  sweeten  our  foods  

without  the  calories  of  sugar.  Artificial  sugars  have  been  linked  to  behavioral  problems,  

hyperactivity,  allergies  and  may  be  carcinogenic.    Ironically,  these  empty  calories  can  create  a  

vicious  cycle  of  craving  more  sweets,  with  the  inevitable  consequences  of  weight  gain.    

 

Stick  with  natural  sugars  and  keep  your  total  intake  for  the  day  to  50  grams  or  less,  opting  for  

cleaner  choices  like  stevia,  derived  from  the  stevia  plant,  which  is  much  sweeter  than  regular  

sugar  so  a  little  goes  a  long  way  –  and  calorie-­‐free,  a  big  bonus!    

 

Other  NATURAL  options:  Xylitol,  Erythritol,  Agave,  Black  Strap  Molasses,  Maple  Syrup,  Sucanat,  

Brown  Rice  Syrup,  Lil  Shuga™  Cane  sugar  with  Stevia,  Raw  Honey  and  Natural  Unsweetened  

Fruit  

 

 

 

 

 

 

Slim down Your Sweets If your sweet tooth is nagging, there’s a way to appease it without any calories and tons of health benefits. Stevia to the rescue! Stevia is a plant that is native to South America and has been used for hundreds of years as a weight loss aid, and for treating diabetes, high blood pressure and heartburn. It makes a great alternative to other sweeteners because not only is it calorie-free, it’s derived from a plant and is all-natural.

It comes in liquid and granular form, so it’s really versatile to use. You can add it to tea or coffee, use it in baking and cooking, and it dissolves easily. Stevia is about 10 times sweeter than regular sugar, so a little goes a long way! As a substitute for sugar in recipes, I usually recommend cutting the sugar in half or less depending on your taste. This is one natural alternative that’ll satisfy your sweet tooth, sugar.  

 

 

 

 

Fit  Foodie  Filosophy  #3:  Skim  the  Saturated  Fat.      

 

If  there’s  a  word  that  strikes  fear  into  the  heart  of  people,  it’s  FAT.    But  fat  is  actually  an  

important  part  of  our  daily  intake,  and  just  like  calories,  not  all  fats  are  created  equal.            

“Good”  fat,  the  kind  that  actually  lowers  your  cholesterol,  helps  with  brain  function  and  

balances  hormones,  is  an  essential  part  of  weight  control.  

 

The  operative  word  here  is  to  skim  ‘saturated’  fat  –  meaning,  the  fat  that  clogs  your  arteries  

and  stresses  your  heart.    It  can  wreak  havoc  on  your  heart  health  and,  quite  frankly,  your  booty.      

 

In  developing  the  Cleaner  Plate  Club  program,  we  work  with  what  we  call  “the  Fit  Foodie  

Triangle”  approach.    The  Triangle  is  an  easy  way  to  remember  how  to  get  the  balance  you  need  

at  every  mini  meal  and  it’s  based  on  sound,  documented  nutritional  needs:  

40/30/30  breakdown  of  macronutrients  –  40%  carbohydrates,  30%  protein  and  30%  fat.      

 

 

 

That’s  right,  30%  fat!    Now  of  that  30%,  I  recommend  only  5%  or  less  to  be  saturated.    You  can  

easily  find  this  breakout  on  any  nutrition  label  and  the  good  news  is,  you  don’t  have  to  sacrifice  

flavor  for  it.      

 

Good  sources  of  fat  in  moderation  include:  

• Nuts  (raw,  milk,  butters,  oils),  coconut  (raw,  oil,  milk),  seeds  (raw,  milk,  butters,  oils),  

avocados,  olives,  and  Omega  3-­‐rich  seafood,  like  salmon  and  mackerel.      

• Instead  of  full  fat  butter,  try  alternatives  that  are  free  of  trans  fats,  like  Earth  Balance™  

Natural  Buttery  Spread  and  Baking  Sticks.      

• Extra  virgin  olive  oil,  coconut  oil  and  other  nut/seed  oils  (hemp,  flax,  chia,  sesame,  

sunflower,  etc.).    For  sautéing,  I  like  coconut  and  grapeseed  oils  since  they  do  better  in  

high  heat.    Save  the  extra  virgin  olive  oil  for  dressings  and  uncooked  dishes.  

• Opt  for  non  or  low  fat  &  organic  milk,  yogurt,  and  cheese.    Also  try  dairy-­‐free  options.    

• Cook  with  low  sodium  stocks,  broths,  and  wine  for  lots  of  added  flavor.  

• Use  pureed  beets  and  apple  sauce  to  replace  fat  in  baked  goods.    

• Enjoy  dark  chocolate  with  70%  or  more  pure  unsweetened  cocoa.    

 

 

 

Fit  Foodie  Filosophy  #4:  Swap  in  veggies  for  fat.    

 

If  you’re  looking  for  a  way  to  lower  fat  and  up  the  antioxidant  quotient  in  your  meals,  turn  to  

produce.    Beets,  sweet  potatoes,  butternut  squash  and  fruit  purees  can  cut  or  replace  fat  in  

many  dishes,  including  baked  goods.      

 

Have  you  tried  my  Recipe  Rehab-­‐winning  chocolate  cupcakes?    No  butter  at  all,  just  beets  and  

cauliflower  in  the  frosting.    I  took  out  all  the  cholesterol  and  the  family  couldn’t  taste  anything  

but  deliciousness.  

 

Or  how  about  trying  my  Recipe  Rehab-­‐winning  Mac  &  Cheese,  where  butternut  squash  is  the  

creamy,  dreamy  hero.    

 

Swap  in  pureed  produce  cup  for  cup  and  experiment  with  flavors.    You  can  also  use  it  as  a  

substitute  for  eggs  –  about  ¼  cup  for  every  whole  egg.  You  may  find  that  you  actually  don’t  

need  all  that  cholesterol,  cream  and  buttah  for  a  whole  lotta’  flava.        

 

 

Fit  Foodie  Recommendation:  Using  veggie  purees  in  baking  is  one  of  my  favorite  tricks  to  

eliminate  fat  from  butter  and  cream  and  lots  of  cake  and  cookie  recipes:  

 

• Beets,  sweet  potatoes,  butternut  squash,  cauliflower  and  pumpkin  are  a  few  of  my  tried  

and  true  ones.    I’ve  used  these  in  cupcakes,  cookies,  breads  –  because  the  moisture  and  

density  of  these  ingredients  do  just  what  butter  does.    In  my  decadent  mocha  chocolate  

chip  cake,  which  won  ABC’s  Recipe  Rehab  challenge,  the  secret  ingredient  was  beets  -­‐  

and  the  family  was  floored  at  how  good  it  tasted.    The  amazing  part  is,  we  were  able  to  

entirely  eliminate  the  butter  from  their  original  recipe.  Gone.    Like  zero.    It  is  ok  to  use  

canned  beets  in  this  preparation.    

 

• Cauliflower  can  add  body  to  frosting  while  butternut  squash  and  pumpkin  are  great  

complements  to  spiced  cakes  and  cookies.    These  purees  also  make  a  great  creamy  

filling  for  desserts  like  cannoli  and  sweet  ravioli  or  as  a  substitute  for  butter  or  cream  

when  blended  with  coconut  or  almond  milk.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

For the Love of Avocados

Avocados   are   a   tree   fruit   which   contain   lots   of   nutrients   and   heart-­‐healthy  fats.  The  mild,  creamy  flavor  of  avocadoes  make  them  perfect  for  many  dishes:  whether  it  be  in  your  favorite  guacamole  recipe,  on  wraps,  or  blended  into  smoothies,  soups  or  baked  goods.

They  contain  more  potassium  than  bananas,  which  is  essential  for  muscle  growth  and  organ  function,  and    they  are  full  of  essential  vitamins  like  C,  E,  K  and  antioxidants   that  keep   the   immune  system  strong.  The  creamy  green   flesh   is   also   full   of   healthy   fats   –   the  monounsaturated   fats   that  won’t  raise  your  cholesterol  levels.      

Just  be  aware  that  1  oz.  of  avocados  contains  almost  5  grams  of  fat.  If  you  eat  an  average  of  2,000  calories  per  day,  indulging  in  one  whole  avocado  would   take   up   half   of   your   daily   recommended   fat   allowance,   so   keep  that  in  mind  when  you’re  savoring  these  succulent  little  gems.  

 

 

 

 

Fit  Foodie  Filosophy  #5:  Deny  the  fry.      

 

In  the  cultivating  of  palates,  something  big  happens  between  the  departure  of  baby  foods  and  

most  children’s  menus.  The  color  fades  from  the  plate  like  a  person  about  to  faint.    From  a  

palette  of  red,  orange,  green,  purple  and  blue,  we  introduce  white  to  brown  food  that  gets  

deep  fried,  bathed  in  sugar  or  salt  and  over  takes  our  plates  and  palates.      

 

French  fries,  doughnuts  and  those  other  deep  fried  delights  you’ve  been  munching  are  not  only  

soaking  in  the  grease,  they  can  lower  the  pH  levels  in  your  body  and  induce  acidity  and  can  

bring  on  a  variety  of  unsavory  side  effects  like  acid  reflux,  gastrointestinal  disorders  and  other  

chronic  diseases.      

 

 

 

 

The  act  of  frying  acidifies  foods  and  delivers  excess  fat  that  your  body  can’t  use  for  healthy  

operating.    If  the  urge  takes  you  to  that  perfect  golden  french  fry,  southern  fried  drumstick,  or  

chocolate  dipped  donut,  you  can  make  your  own  fitter  versions  with  these  simple  tricks:  

• Spray  sliced  sweet  potato  wedges  and  chips  with  nonstick  cooking  spray  and  bake  in  the  

oven  until  crisp;  use  fresh  garlic  and  oregano,  spicy  chili  powder  or  cinnamon  to  boost  

the  flavor  quotient.  

• Use  a  dehydrator  to  make  perfect  potato,  kale  and  banana  chips  with  very  little  oil  and  

without  the  high  heat,  which  destroys  valuable  enzymes.    

• Purchase  an  electric  doughnut  maker,  which  allows  you  to  bake  your  holey  delights.    

Swap  out  white  flour  for  whole  grain  or  gluten-­‐free  alternatives  and  sweeten  with  all  

natural  stevia  and  real  dark  chocolate  (look  for  the  bars  made  with  70%  or  more  cocoa  

powder,  like  Vega™  Maca  chocolate  bars).  

• Try  my  recipe  for  perfect  oven  baked  chicken  (pg.  112)  that  beat  out  the  fried  version  on  

Recipe  Rehab.    I  make  it  with  spices,  Dijon  mustard  and  ground  flax  meal,  which  you  can  

also  use  on  other  lean  meats  and  seafood.    This  is  still  thumb-­‐lickin’  good  and  forget  

about  the  splatter,  honey!  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fit  Foodie  Filosophy  #6:  Forego  the  salad  saboteurs  

 

A  good  quality  salad  is  a  great  meal  and  a  mainstay  of  a  Fit  Foodie  because  it’s  a  terrific  way  to  

load  up  on  those  nutrient  dense  greens  and  create  the  necessary  macronutrient  balance.  But  if  

you’re  ordering  a  restaurant  version,  a  lot  of  add-­‐ons  can  put  your  dish  into  the  same  calorie,  

sodium  and  fat  zone  of  a  double  cheeseburger  with  fries.      

 

Forego  the  fatty  dressings,  fried  wontons,  cheese  and  croutons  and  focus  on  the  main  stars:  

fresh  veggies,  lean  protein  and  high  quality  essential  fats,  like  sunflower  seeds  and  nuts.      

 

 

Think  about  your  salads  as  seasonal  masterpieces.    Grilled  asparagus  and  wild  caught  salmon  on  

a  bed  of  mixed  greens  screams  Spring,  while  Tuscan  kale  topped  with  Japanese  style  broccoli,  

broiled  tofu,  shredded  carrots  and  sesame  seeds  feels  like  a  Fall  day.    Adding  grilled  or  fresh  

fruit  to  your  greens  will  make  your  plate  pop.    

Make  your  own  simple  dressings  with  good  quality  oils,  like  extra  virgin  olive  oil  or  nut  oil,  a  

flavorful  vinegar  like  balsamic,  apple  cider,  rice  wine  or  red/white  wine  and  spices.      

I  love  adding  in  a  little  dry  mustard  and  dill  or,  for  Asian  inspired  salads,  a  low  sodium  tamari  

with  sesame  oil  and  rice  wine  vinegar.    Growing  up,  we  would  mix  in  tahini,  a  paste  made  from  

crushed  sesame  seeds,  with  olive  oil,  cumin  and  a  little  sea  salt  for  a  Middle  Eastern  inspired  

dressing  –  amazing  on  sliced  tomatoes  and  cucumber!  

 

What  to  keep  in  stock  to  make  your  salads  sing:  

• Good  quality  oils:  Extra  virgin  olive,  avocado,  walnut  oil,  sesame,  coconut  

• Flavorful  vinegars:  Balsamic,  rice  wine,  white  wine,  red  wine,  apple  cider,  natural  fruit  

flavored  vinegars  

• Low  sodium  condiments:  Dijon  or  whole  grain  mustard,  wasabi,  tamari,  horseradish,  

nonfat  Greek  yogurt,  sesame  tahini,  vegan  mayo  and  hummus    

• Herbs  and  citrus:  Cilantro,  basil,  parsley,  lime,  lemon,  orange,  grapefruit,  black  pepper,  

cayenne,  LoSalt®  Reduced  Sodium  Alternative,  dry  mustard  

• Lean  Protein:  Chicken  or  turkey  breast  (deli),  sautéed  ground  turkey  or  chicken,  grilled  

chicken  or  pork  tenderloin,  organic  tofu  or  tempeh,  beans,  lentils,  wild  caught  salmon,  

tuna,  shrimp  and  scallops    

• Nuts  and  seeds:  Walnuts,  almonds,  cashews,  pine  nuts,  sunflower  seeds,  pepitas  

(pumpkin  seeds),  black  and  white  sesame  seeds,  flax,  chia  and  hemp  

 

 

 

Fit  Foodie  Filosophy  #7:  Dial  back  the  alcohol.  

I’m  not  going  to  dedicate  a  lot  of  space  for  this  one,  because  you  probably  already  know  why  reducing  your  alcohol  intake  is  important.    Your  body  is  a  temple  and  if  you’re  soaking  in  it,  any  

attempt  at  eating  cleaner  will  be  reversed  in  no  time.    Liquor  is  loaded  with  calories,  especially  creamy,  sugary  froo-­‐froo  drinks  and  can  also  send  your  system  into  metabolic  chaos.    Alcohol  

can  create  an  acidic  environment  in  your  body  and  introduce  imbalance.    Most  of  the  chronic  

diseases  we  face  today  feed  off  of  this  acidity.      The  other  consideration  is  sugar.    The  average  Piña  Colada  weighs  in  at  over  500  calories  due  to  

a  whole  lot  of  sweetness,  which  can  be  more  calories  than  a  meal!  If  you  are  going  to  have  a  drink  every  once  in  a  while  you  can  cut  your  cocktail  content  with  club  soda,  and  water  down  

wine  with  an  ice  cube  or  two.  Or  have  a  toast  to  champagne!  It  weighs  in  at  only  78  calories  per  

glass.    Consider  these  as  being  ‘normal’  serving  sizes,  and  keep  your  intake  in  moderation  accordingly:  

 Average Serving Sizes Average Calories

1  glass  wine  or  champagne  –  5  oz Red  Wine:  127,  White  Wine:  121  calories Champagne:  78  calories

1  beer  –  12  oz Regular  Beer:  182  calories Light  Beer:  110  calories

     Of  course,  portion  size  is  king,  so  check  your  mug  size  before  you  indulge.  

 

 

 

 

Fit  Foodie  Filosophy  #8:  Learn  the  Language  of  Labelese.    

The  language  of  labels  can  be  quite  tricky,  but  reading  the  ingredient  panel  before  you  buy  a  

product  is  a  must.    

 

There  are  over  14,000  additives  used  in  commercially  prepared  foods  today.  Some  are  far  more  

complicated  and  potentially  dangerous  than  others  and  manufacturers,  restaurateurs  and  those  

who  make  our  food  are  not  required  to  disclose  the  hazards.      

 

Read  the  labels  on  packaged  foods  and  avoid  artificial  chemicals,  colors,  chemical  preservatives  

(MSG,  BHA,  BHT,  Nitrates),  bleached  white  flour,  hydrogenated  fats  and  8-­‐syllable  words.      

If  you  can’t  pronounce  it,  does  it  belong  on  your  plate?    

 

 

The  Steer  Clear  List  

This  is  a  list  of  foods  that  you  should  under  no  circumstances  put  in  that  precious  body  of  yours  

or  anyone  else  you  care  about:  

1.  Artificial  colors:  Food  colorings  are  used  to  make  food  look  more  appealing  or  to  replace  

colors  lost  in  processing.  However,  don’t  let  these  colors  deceive  you.  Artificial  colorings  are  

synthetic  dyes  that  are  often  coal-­‐tar  derivatives.  They  are  suspected  to  cause  allergies,  asthma,  

hyperactivity  and  are  potentially  carcinogenic.    

 

Chief  culprits:  Candy,  beverages,  soda,  gelatin  desserts,  pastries,  sausage,  baked  goods,  even  

fruits  like  green  oranges  sprayed  with  red  dye  to  make  them  look  ripe.  

CLEANER  PLATE  CLUB  Tip:  Keep  it  real  with  a  rainbow  of  fresh  fruit  and  veggies,  natural  

juices  and  additive-­‐free  snacks.  

 

2.  Artificial  preservatives  (BHA,  BHT,  EDTA,  Sodium  Benzoate,  etc):    You  may  see  these  

ingredients  in  chips,  fried  snack  foods,  baked  goods,  carbonated  drinks,  cheese  spreads,  

hummus,  salsa,  chewing  gum,  ice  cream,  breakfast  cereals  and  even  cosmetics.    

 

These  preservatives  are  actually  synthetic  petroleum-­‐based  and  fat  soluble  antioxidants,  used  

by  manufacturers  to  prevent  oxidation  and  retard  rancidity.    They  can  cause  cancer,  allergic  

reactions  and  hyperactivity,  and  BHT  may  be  toxic  to  the  nervous  system  and  the  liver.  

CLEANER  PLATE  CLUB  Tip:  Choose  food  and  drinks  labeled  with  “no  artificial  

antioxidants.”    Avoid  poor  quality  vegetable  oils.    Look  for  cold-­‐pressed  virgin  oil  which  

contains  natural  antioxidants  such  as  Vitamin  E.    Eat  fresh  produce  that  doesn’t  contain  

these  preservatives.  

 

 

 

3.  Nitrites  and  Nitrates:  Love  your  bacon  in  the  morning  and  salami  at  lunch  time?  Cured,  

preserved,  smoked  meats  are  often  saturated  with  nitrites  and  nitrates  to  preserve  shelf  life  

and  give  it  a  “healthy”  pink  hue.  These  two  preservatives  may  prevent  the  growth  of  bacteria  

but  can  also  transform  into  cancer-­‐causing  agents  called  nitrosamines  in  the  stomach.  They  

may  also  produce  noticeable  side  effects  like  headaches,  nausea,  vomiting  and  dizziness.  

CLEANER  PLATE  CLUB  Tip:  Look  for  nitrite  and  nitrate-­‐free  processed  meats  and  opt  for  

meat-­‐free  alternatives  to  mix  it  up.  

 

4.  Monosodium  Glutamate  (MSG):  You  may  be  happy  that  you’re  dining  in  restaurants  that  say  

“No  MSG”,  but  did  you  know  that  MSG  lurks  in  all  kinds  of  sauces  used  to  prepare  the  foods  

that  you  thought  were  MSG-­‐free?    There  are  also  significant  amounts  in  all  kinds  of  snacks,  

seasonings,  candy,  even  infant  formula,  over-­‐the-­‐counter  medications,  and  nutritional  

supplements.  

CLEANER  PLATE  CLUB  Tip:  Buy  MSG-­‐free  snacks  and  read  labels  so  you  can  make  

healthier  choices.  

 

Practice  this  for  31  days  and  before  you  know  it,  you’ll  become  a  label  queen  or  king,  knowing  

how  to  decipher  ingredients  like  a  polyglot.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fit  Foodie  Filosophy  #9:  Fill  up  on  fresh  fruit  &  veggies  to  the  core.  

If  half  your  plate  should  be  fresh  produce,  then  half  your  fridge  should  be  too.      

 

The  mind  shift  here  is  to  reverse  the  order  of  priority  when  building  out  the  elements  of  your  

meals.    Start  with  fresh  produce  –  the  more  color  the  better.    By  getting  your  fridge  in  order  

with  a  variety  of  pre-­‐prepped  veggies,  the  task  to  get  them  in  your  dishes  becomes  a  lot  easier.      

 

How  to  Prep  for  Success:  Take  15  minutes  to  pre-­‐wash  fruit  and  veggies  for  the  whole  week  

with  Eat  Cleaner®  Fruit  and  Vegetable  Wash  and  store  in  see-­‐through  containers  for  easy  

snacking,  soups,  salads,  sautés  and  sandwiches.  You’ll  be  less  likely  to  eat  the  stuff  you’re  not  

supposed  to,  and  the  wash  will  help  your  produce  last  up  to  200%  longer!    That’s  free  money!  

 

 

 

Tips  to  Get  More  Veggies  on  Your  Plate:  

• Make  veggie  chips  out  of  kale,  carrots  and  beets  

• Vinegar-­‐based  slaws  made  with  firm  root  vegetables  

• Purees  made  with  sweet  potato,  cauliflower,  bell  pepper,  tomatoes  and  greens  added  

into  soups,  sauces  and  baked  goods  

• Steamed  veggies  that  can  be  added  into  sautés,  baked  goods,  stocks  and  combined  with  

legumes  or  high  quality  grains  like  quinoa,  farro  and  whole  grain  couscous  

• As  the  vessel  for  stuffed  meals,  like  stuffed  peppers  (bell,  Anaheim,  etc),  zucchini  and  

Japanese  eggplant.    You  can  also  add  veggies  into  the  filling,  like  sweet  potatoes,  

cauliflower  and  broccoli  

• Pickled  vegetables  that  can  be  placed  on  sandwiches  and  in  wraps.    Cauliflower,  carrots,  

celery,  onions  and  garlic  are  great  options  to  add  crunch  and  texture  –  and  hold  up  great  

 

3 Reasons Fit Foodies Let Loose the Juice

Packed with live enzymes, vitamins, minerals, fiber and antioxidants, fresh juice also helps boost metabolism, fight infection, build tissue and strong bones, and helps keep everything running smoothly inside.

1. It’s alive! Most of the juice you purchase at the store has been heat pasteurized, which destroys bacteria along with many of the beneficial nutrients. By making it at home you get the benefit of live enzymes that activate your digestive processes.

2. The cleaner way to get leaner. You get the best of fruit and veggies, including concentrated nutrients, while reaping the benefits of instant energy. This can make you feel fuller faster and get a variety of fresh produce into your meals.

3. You get your daily dose. Squeezing in half a plate of fruit and veggies each day is a cinch when you sip it.

 

 

 

 

Fit  Foodie  Filosophy  #10:  Choose  cleaner  CARBS.      

Let’s  set  the  record  straight  on  this  very  important  point  –  carbohydrates  are  your  friends!    

Carbs  are  a  critical  part  of  your  daily  nutrition  intake  and  give  you  quick  energy,  brain  fuel,  and  

the  fact  is,  you  can’t  metabolize  protein  –  the  building  blocks  of  your  muscles  -­‐  without  them.    

 

That  said,  good  sources  of  slow  burning  carbohydrates  metabolize  differently  in  your  body  than  

refined  versions.    This  is  a  fundamental  part  of  maintaining  blood  sugar  at  healthy  levels.        

The  higher  the  glycemic  index,  the  harder  your  body  has  to  work  to  keep  your  blood  sugar  

balanced.    Here’s  how  some  average  foods  pan  out.    Don’t  be  fooled  by  sweetness  as  an  

indicator  of  glycemic  index.    Some  fruits  are  much  lower  than  you  might  think.  

 

 

 

 

On the High End On the Low End Baguette Whole Wheat Tortillas Bagels Pearled Barley

White Potatoes Chickpeas (hummus) White Rice Peanuts

White Bread Grapefruit, cherries Corn Flakes Green Veggies

Pretzels Lentils

 

 

 

While  ‘gluten-­‐free’  has  become  a  big  buzzword,  it  often  contains  white  rice  and  starch,  which  

can  also  spike  your  blood  sugar.    Be  sure  to  read  your  product  labels  and  look  out  for  these  

hidden  processed  carbs.    

 

Replace  the  bleached  versions  of  rice,  pasta,  bread,  tortillas,  bagels  and  other  baked  goods  with  

sprouted  grains,  quinoa,  spelt,  brown  rice,  teff,  black  beans  and  other  grain/legume  

combinations  for  fitter  fiber  choices.      

 

Equally  important  are  serving  sizes.    One  serving  =  ½  a  bagel,  tortilla  or  1  slice  of  bread.      

 

You  also  find  carbohydrates  in  fruits  and  vegetables  so  keep  that  in  mind  as  you’re  balancing  

your  intake  for  the  day,  which  should  weigh  in  at  about  40%  of  your  total  food  intake.      

 

Fit  Foodie  Recommendation:  Toasting  whole  grains  transforms  their  flavor  to  the  fullest  and  

may  just  satisfy  you  faster.    Also,  take  care  to  chew  carbohydrates  slowly  and  thoroughly.    

Unlike  protein,  much  of  their  digestion  happens  in  your  mouth  –  so  try  and  avoid  gulping  them  

down.  

 

 

 

 

 

Fit  Foodie  Filosophy  #11:  Go  WILD  with  seafood!      

 

There  are  a  lot  of  reasons  why  going  wild  is  better  for  your  health.    According  to  Fishwatch.gov,  

about  86%  of  all  the  seafood  we  consume  in  the  U.S.  is  imported,  and  only  about  half  of  that  is  

wild  or  line  caught.      

 

There  are  a  host  of  health  related  issues  with  fish  farms.  Farm  raised  salmon  are  housed  within  

small  pens  that  are  set  up  in  the  ocean  or  in  small  ponds.    They  are  usually  confined  and  often  

kept  in  overcrowded  conditions  that  increase  their  risk  of  infection  and  disease.    

 

 

In  addition:  

• Farmed  fish  are  given  antibiotics  and  are  exposed  to  much  higher  concentrated  doses  of  

pesticides  than  their  wild  counterparts.  

• Instead  of  being  allowed  to  find  their  own  natural  food  sources,  they  are  fed  dried  food  

pellets  made  up  of  fish  oil  and  fish  meal.  

• Salmon  farmers  give  farm  raised  salmon  a  richer  hue  by  feeding  them  a  synthetic  

pigment  called  canthaxanthin.  It  has  since  been  banned  in  Great  Britain.    To  make  

matters  worse,  pellets  can  contain  cancer  causing  agents  such  as  dioxins,  flame  

retardants  and  PCBs,  or  polychlorinated  biphenyls,  considered  highly  toxic  industrial  

compounds,  which  you  end  up  ingesting.  

• They  are  high  in  Omega  6’s,  which  actually  cause  inflammation  and  are  not  what  you  

want  to  put  in  your  body.  

• They  harm  the  natural  environment.  According  to  the  National  Academy  of  Science,  lice  

from  fish  farms  kill  up  to  95%  of  juvenile  wild  salmon  that  migrate  past  them.      

 

On  the  wild  side,  line  caught  salmon  have  a  20%  higher  protein  content  and  a  20%  lower  fat  

content  than  farm-­‐raised  salmon,  according  to  the  FDA.    They  also  average  33%  more  Omega  3  

fatty  acids  (the  good  kind)  than  farm  raised  salmon.      

 

They  may  be  the  same  species,  but  if  we  are  what  we  eat,  that  wild  salmon  munching  on  other  

wild  fish  is  faring  far  better  than  his  pellet-­‐eating  friends.    This  significantly  affects  the  taste  of  

the  seafood  too.    It  is  on  par  with  eating  grass  fed  beef  or  free  range  poultry.  The  intricate  

flavors  and  textures,  and  even  the  color,  of  the  fish  itself  is  in  a  class  all  its  own.      

Don’t  be  afraid  to  ask  restaurants  and  your  supermarket  for  the  wild  stuff!  

 

 

 

 

Fit  Foodie  Filosophy  #12:  Get  Nutrient  Dense.      

 

As  omnivores,  we  have  the  liberty  to  eat  whatever  we  truly  desire.  But  when  you  get  dense  

with  your  food,  you  don't  just  eat  -­‐  you  nourish  that  amazing  machine  of  yours  to  optimize  its  

potential  to  the  fullest.    You  have  to  learn  to  make  conscious  decisions  about  what  you  eat,  

starting  with  the  foods  that  contribute  the  most  micronutrients,  including  vitamins,  minerals,  

phytochemicals  and  antioxidants.    

 

Think  of  these  choices  like  cash.  You  wouldn't  want  to  blow  your  hard-­‐earned  green  on  things  

that'll  give  you  buyer's  remorse  in  the  end.    You  want  to  buy  things  that  will  last.  

 

 

 

 

It's  the  stuff  that  feeds  your  body  that  counts,  and  the  best  way  to  get  dense  is  with  leafy  

greens  like  kale,  mustard  greens,  watercress,  spinach,  broccoli  rabe,  brussel  sprouts,  swiss  

chard,  and  arugula.    

 

Leafy  greens  are  some  of  the  most  nutrient  dense  foods  on  the  planet  based  on  ANDI  scores  

(the  Aggregate  Nutrient  Density  Index),  meaning  that  when  comparing  calories  to  

micronutrients  delivered,  they  are  your  plate's  densest  rock  stars.  We  can’t  even  begin  to  

understand  the  number  of  phytonutrients  they  bring  to  the  table.  

 

The  goal  is  to  get  as  many  of  these  on  your  plate  as  possible  and  build  up  your  meal  with  lean  

proteins  and  essential  fats.  By  getting  your  fridge  in  order  with  a  variety  of  pre-­‐prepped  greens,  

the  task  to  get  them  into  all  of  your  dishes  becomes  a  lot  easier.    

 

Junk  Food  Confessions  

 

When  you’re  about  to  say  something  you  shouldn’t,  you  might  bite  your  tongue.    We  all  need  

to  learn  to  do  the  same  thing  when  we’re  about  to  eat  something  we  shouldn’t.    The  fact  is  

much  of  your  ability  to  control  your  entire  body  lies  in  that  little  pink  bundle  of  muscle  in  your  

mouth.    

 

Your  can  naturally  sense  sweet,  sour,  salty  and  bitter  flavors,  but  sweet  and  salty  tastes  are  

heightened  by  your  sense  of  smell,  making  foods  that  fall  into  these  categories  even  more  

difficult  to  resist.    

Do  not  despair,  however.    There  is  a  solution!  

 

 

 

For  every  poor  choice  there  is  a  nutrient  rich  alternative  that  will  satisfy  your  cravings  and  your  

wagging  tongue’s  need  to  feed.    Give  these  alternative  snacks  a  try:  

 

CLEAN  POTATO  CHIPS  Whole  grain,  or  sprouted  grain  pita  chips  with  chia  or  flax  seed  or  kale  brushed  with  olive  oil  and  dusted  with  paprika,  baked  until  crunchy.  

   

CLEAN  SODA    Sparkling  or  ionized  water  with  fresh  cucumber  slices  and  a  squeeze  of  lime  or  a  light  purée  of  fresh  fruit.    

   

CLEAN  FRENCH  FRIES  French  green  beans,  carrot  sticks  and  zucchini  spears  steamed,  then  lightly  brushed  with  sesame  oil  and  sesame  seeds  and  then  baked  in  the  oven  until  crisp.    

   

CLEAN  CHOCOLATE  CHIP  COOKIES    Try  my  EatCleaner.com  recipe  for  Fit  Bites  -­‐  power  packed  with  oats,  protein  powder,  dark  chocolate  chips  and  unsweetened  coconut.  Your  new  go  to  treat.    Say  yum!    

   

CLEAN  ICE  CREAM  Blend  almond  milk  with  your  favorite  Greek  yogurt  and  a  spoonful  of  honey  or  stevia,  plus  a  few  spoonfuls  of  raw  almonds.  Freeze  and  eat.  

 

 

*Additional  recipes  are  included  at  the  end  of  the  book.  

 

 

 

 

Fit  Foodie  Filosophy  #13:  Fuel  Up  Like  a  Superhero.      

 

Superfoods  deliver  a  potent  serving  of  nutrient  density  and  phytochemical  power-­‐per-­‐bite  like  

nothing  else.    Focus  on  these  powerful  food  choices  for  an  array  of  beneficial  side  effects  

including  improved  brain  function,  anti-­‐aging,  and  healthy  cell  regeneration.    

 

Superfoods  -­‐  Get  these  onto  your  plate  whenever  possible:  Green  leafy  veggies,  berries,  sweet  

potatoes,  Omega  3  rich  seafood,  eggs  (whites,  or  whole  when  recommended  by  a  doctor),  

legumes  (lentils,  beans),  and  green  tea.      

 

 

 

 

 

 

Superfood  add-­‐ons  -­‐  Add  these  into  baked  goods,  smoothies,  oatmeal,  pancakes  and  waffles:  

Flax,  chia,  hemp,  acai,  goji  berries,  blue  green  algae,  chlorella,  spirulina,  kelp,  nuts,  seeds,  and  

dark  chocolate  (70%  or  more  cocoa).    These  are  all  in  Superman’s  pantry  –  we  checked.  

 

Super  Foodie  Tips:  

• Fill  your  blender  with  spinach  and  kale  and  add  coconut  water  for  the  base  of  a  killer  

smoothie.      

• If  you’re  making  eggs,  puree  a  variety  of  greens  like  arugula,  chard  and  watercress  and  

blend  with  egg  whites  to  make  a  ‘green’  omelette.    Fill  with  more  veggies  to  add  

texture.        

• For  lunch  and  dinner,  try  to  enjoy  as  many  raw  veggies  as  possible.    You’ll  preserve  the  

enzymes  and  nutrients  when  eating  them  uncooked.      

• Aside  from  salads,  I  like  to  make  slaws  out  of  firm,  crunchy  veggies  with  a  vinegar  base  

that  will  hold  up  for  several  days  in  the  fridge.    This  makes  it  easy  to  grab  for  every  

meal.    Purple  cabbage,  carrots,  jicama,  beets,  turnips  and  radish  are  good  options.    Add  

sesame  or  poppy  seeds  to  boost  essential  fatty  acids  and  give  them  a  nice  pop.  

 

 

 

 

 

Fabulously Fit Fennel

Fennel is a white, bulbous vegetable with large green stalks and an anise flavor that resembles black licorice and although there’s no family resemblance, they’re a relative of carrots. In ancient Greece, fennel was held in high esteem and was believed to enhance longevity, strength and courage.

The fact is its one of the world's healthiest foods and is an excellent source of vitamin C, folate, potassium and dietary fiber. At only 27 calories a cup and zero grams of cholesterol, it’s also rich in antioxidants. The vegetable’s clean, crisp texture works beautifully chopped into salads and eaten raw or roasted in the oven and the dry seeds are great into tomato sauces and in homemade turkey sausage. You can even use them in brewed tea.

So next time you pass this in the store, you may want to pick one up and give your new fit friend a try.  

 

 

 

 

Fit  Foodie  Filosophy  #14:  Join  the  hydration  nation.      

 

Ahhh,  water.    You  can  live  without  food  for  weeks,  but  without  water  your  system  will  shut  

down  within  a  few  days.  We  have  to  constantly  remind  ourselves  how  important  pure,  natural  

spring  water  is  to  our  success  in  maintaining  a  healthy  weight  and  vibrancy.        

• The  human  body  is  more  than  60%  water  

• Blood  is  92%  water    

• The  brain  and  muscles  are  75%  water  

• Bones  are  about  22%  water  

 

 

Every  metabolic  function  your  cells  perform  requires  hydration.    It’s  that  important!    

H2O  Rule  of  Thumb:  

• Strive  to  drink  ½  your  body  weight  in  ounces  of  water  (including  unsweetened  tea  or  fresh  vegetable  juice)  every  day.      

• Example:  If  you  weigh  200lbs,  drink  100  ounces  per  day,  which  is  about  12,  8oz  cups.    

• Keep  a  water  bottle  near  you  at  all  times  to  encourage  regular  guzzling.  

 

 

In  fact,  being  dehydrated  can  fool  you  into  the  sensation  of  feeling  hungry.    Keep  your  system  

from  getting  clogged  up  with  lots  of  pure  water  and  you’ll  have  fewer  cravings.      

 

Drink  warm  tea  or  water  with  lemon  with  food  to  encourage  digestion,  and  cold  water  to  speed  

metabolism  during  off-­‐eating  periods.  You  can  flavor  them  naturally  with  some  sliced  cucumber  

and  mint  or  some  lemon  and  lime  wedges  and  you  might  feel  like  you’re  at  the  spa.      

 

Get  a  little  tropical  and  add  some  fresh  strawberries  and  pineapple  or  any  seasonal  fruit  you  

have  on  hand.    Fill  an  ice  cube  tray  with  slices  of  fresh  fruit,  citrus,  or  cucumber  wedges,  and  

freeze  for  added  color  and  flavor  in  your  glass  without  any  added  calories.      

 

Fit  Foodie  Recommendation  -­‐  Drink  unfiltered  apple  cider  vinegar  with  water:  

• Try  adding  1  teaspoon  for  every  5-­‐6  ounces  of  water.    The  flavor  really  does  grow  on  

you,  but  if  you  find  it  less  than  palatable,  you  can  add  a  couple  of  drops  of  stevia  and  

enjoy  a  sweeter  version.      

• For  thousands  of  years,  vinegar  has  been  used  to  address  health  problems  and  promote  

weight  control.      

• Hippocrates,  the  father  of  modern  medicine,  recommended  apple  cider  vinegar  for  joint  

pain,  digestive  distress  and  blood  disorders.    

• The  ancient  Egyptians  even  used  it  for  weight  loss,  as  a  digestive  aid  and  to  help  them  

feel  fuller  faster.      

• It’s  even  been  shown  to  help  prevent  the  spiking  of  insulin  production,  which  can  be  

very  helpful  for  diabetics,  and  for  managing  your  blood  sugar.  Big  Bonus!  

 

 

What  do  I  think  about  energy  drinks?    Just  take  a  look  at  a  nutrition  label  for  a  popular  energy  

drink  and  you’ll  find  tons  of  high  fructose  corn  syrup,  artificial  preservatives,  colors  and  gasp  -­‐

oil!      

POPULAR  ENERGY  DRINK  INGREDIENTS:  Carbonated  water,  high  fructose  corn  syrup,  citric  acid,  natural  

flavor,   orange   juice   concentrate,   guarana   (paullinia   cupana)   seed   extract,   sodium   benzoate   ,   sodium  

hexametaphosphate,   maltodextrin,   caffeine,   gum   arabic,   ascorbic   acid,   taurine,   panax   ginseng   root  

extract,   calcium   disodium   edta,   potassium   benzoate,   brominated   vegetable   oil,   yellow   5,   b   vitamins:  

niacinamide,  calcium  pantothenate,  riboflavin,  vitamin  b12,  pyridoxine  hydrochloride;  blue  1.  

To  replace  electrolytes  after  a  workout  you’re  better  off  eating  a  banana  with  water,  water  with  

cucumber  slices,  some  coconut  water,  or  a  fresh  avocado  –  they  are  all  potassium  rich.  

 

Most  leafy  greens  and  fruit  are  high  in  water  content  too,  so  getting  them  in  your  meals  

throughout  the  day  will  keep  you  hydrated.    You  can  make  your  own  fresh  juice  in  a  Vitamix  or  

juicer  simply  by  combining  ingredients  like  kale,  spinach,  celery,  beets  and  apples.    Add  some  

immunity  boosting  ginger  and  garlic  and  forget  the  $7  drinks  at  the  corner  juice  bar.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Get  mighty  with  the  little  green  leaf.  

Tea  is  a  tradition  in  countries  around  the  world  and  for  good  reason.    Looking  at  the  research,  one  might  think  this  little  green  leaf  could  save  the  world.      

Green  tea  is  linked  to  fighting  cancer  and  heart  disease,  lowering  cholesterol,  burning  fat,  preventing  diabetes  and  stroke,  and  staving  off  dementia  just  to  name  a  few.    Green  tea  contains  a  variety  of  enzymes,  amino  acids,  carbohydrates,  lipids,  sterols,  polyphenols,  carotenoids,  tocopherols,  vitamins,  caffeine  and  related  compounds,  phytochemicals  and  dietary  minerals  that  are  great  for  your  body.      

Create  an  afternoon  tea  tradition  and  use  it  as  a  time  to  take  a  breather  from  your  desk,  socialize  with  your  co-­‐workers  or  pause  during  the  day  to  reflect  on  how  great  you  feel  now  that  you’re  eating  cleaner.  

 

 

 

 

 

Fit  Foodie  Filosophy  #15:  Eat  the  Fit  Foodie  Triangle  Frequently.      

“Take  5-­‐6  clean  meals  a  day  and  call  me  in  the  morning.”  

 

A  funny  thing  happened  on  a  plane  heading  back  from  NYC.  I  was  waiting  to  use  the  restroom  

when  a  woman  behind  me  asked  if  I  was  cold.  She  was  wearing  a  full  length  wool  coat,  a  

sweater  and  a  turtleneck.  I  was  in  a  thin,  long-­‐sleeved  shirt.  When  I  replied,  “No,  I'm  very  

comfortable,”  she  went  on  about  how  freezing  cold  the  plane  was.    

 

I  asked  her  when  she  had  eaten  last,  and  she  curtly  replied  that  she  had  'a  lot'  to  eat  right  

before  getting  on  the  plane.  Curious,  I  asked  her  what  ‘a  lot’  meant,  as  she  was  very  petite.                  

I  mentioned  that  when  your  blood  sugar  drops,  you  can  feel  cold.  She  blasted  back  that  she  was  

a  cancer  doctor  and  that  it  had  nothing  to  do  with  digestion.  

 

 

 

A  nutrition  challenge?  Of  course,  I  took  this  as  an  opportunity  to  delve  into  discussion  further.  

Here's  a  recap  of  our  conversation:  

Doctor:  "Food  has  nothing  to  do  with  feeling  warm."  

   

Me:  "But  doctor,  you  know  that  digestion  causes  your  body  to  burn  calories,  creating  heat  

through  energy."  

   

Doctor:  "Whenever  I  eat,  I  always  feel  very  sleepy.  Eating  makes  me  feel  tired.  I'm  very  

hypoglycemic."  

   

Me:  "All  the  more  reason  to  eat  the  right  combination  of  foods  more  frequently.  If  you  did,  you  

would  feel  more  energetic.  What  do  you  usually  eat?"  

   

Doctor:  "Oh,  I  only  eat  protein.    Very  little  carbs."  

 

Me:  "Doctor,  that  may  be  the  problem.  If  you're  not  eating  carbs,  your  body  will  have  a  hard  

time  metabolizing  the  protein,  and  you  will  not  have  energy  quickly  available  to  burn.  Perhaps  

you  should  try  eating  more  fresh  vegetables  with  your  protein  and  essential  fatty  acids  and  eat  

every  3-­‐4  hours.  I  could  suggest  a  good  meal  plan  if  you'd  like  to  try  it."  

 

 

 

I  wanted  to  say,  eat  5-­‐6  clean  meals  a  day  and  call  me  in  the  morning,  but  then  it  was  my  turn  

to  go  to  the  bathroom.  With  all  due  respect,  I'm  not  saying  I  know  more  than  a  doctor,  but  if  

eating  makes  you  feel  tired  and  sluggish,  it's  probably  time  to  re-­‐evaluate  what's  on  your  plate.  

 

Not  eating  frequently  enough  triggers  a  signal  that  your  body  thinks  it’s  starving  and  it  will  hold  

onto  fat.    Stoke  your  body’s  natural  fire  with  the  Fit  Foodie  Triangle  approach  by  combining  

lean  protein,  essential  fats  and  quality  fiber  sources,  and  you’ll  burn  MORE  fat  and  calories.      

 

 

 

 

 

 

I  want  you  to  throw  the  idea  of  3  square  meals  a  day  out  the  window.    This  may  be  one  of  the  

most  important  shifts  in  thinking  when  it  comes  to  being  a  Fit  Foodie.      

 

Eating  5-­‐6  meals  with  the  right  balance  of  lean  protein,  slow  burning  carbs  and  essential  fats  

–  the  Fit  Foodie  Triangle  –  every  3-­‐4  hours  –  is  the  most  effective  way  to  stave  off  hunger  and  

stabilize  blood  sugar.      

 

I  promise,  you  will  NOT  gain  weight,  because  you’re  eating  clean  foods  and  you’re  consuming  

smaller  portions.    Clean  foods  +  smaller  portions  =  higher  metabolism!  

40%  Quality  Carbs  

30%  Essential  Fats  30%  Lean  Protein     The  Fit  Foodie  Triangle  

 

 

Remember,  veggies  add  fiber  and  bulk  to  make  you  feel  fuller  longer  and  at  a  low  calorie  intake,  

so  keep  them  high  on  your  priority  list.    You  can  always  add  more  veggies  to  your  dish.  

 

Here  are  a  few  examples  of  a  well-­‐balanced  300-­‐500  calorie  meal:  

• Chicken  breast,  arugula,  sprouts  and  chopped  tomato  in  a  low  carb,  whole  grain  tortilla  

with  artichoke  hummus  

• Grilled  fish  with  steamed  veggies  and  cucumber,  garlic  and  dill  yogurt  sauce  

• Oatmeal  made  with  old  fashioned  oats,  flax  meal,  fresh  fruit  and  unsweetened  nut  milk  

• Protein  shake  made  with  high  quality  protein  powder,  egg  whites,  spinach  and  coconut  

water  

• Sushi  rolls  made  with  toasted  seaweed,  vinegar-­‐seasoned  brown  rice,  avocado,  tuna  and  

cucumber  

• Sprouted  grain  English  muffin  topped  with  almond  butter  and  sliced  apples    

 

Hungry  yet?    In  my  Cleaner  Plate  Club  Meal  Prep  Program,  we  created  every  dish  like  those  

above  with  the  perfect  combination  of  nutrients,  so  you  already  know  that  you’re  getting  the  

right  40/30/30  combination  of  macronutrients  in  every  meal.      

 

The  plan  gives  you  a  blueprint  and  a  prep  guide  to  pre-­‐plan  each  week  with  every  meal  coming  

in  at  about  300-­‐500  calories.    Depending  on  your  activity  level,  you  may  need  to  double  or  even  

triple  that  number.  You’ll  know  what  you  need  based  on  your  “Burn  Rate”  (see  Tip  #27).      

Visit  EatCleaner.com  for  more  information  on  joining  the  Cleaner  Plate  Club  Meal  Prep  Program.  

 

 

 

 

Fit  Foodie  Filosophy  #16:  Practice  portion  control  and  go  sharesies.  

 

I  remember  hearing  Oprah  say,  “When  you  have  something  that  you  know  is  going  to  taste  

soooo  good,  it’s  so  much  better  to  share  it  so  both  of  you  will  say,  ‘That  was  soooo  good.’”      

 

I  love  that  because  it’s  true.    When  it  comes  to  food,  sharing  is  not  only  caring,  it  helps  you  

control  how  much  you  eat.    According  to  the  National  Restaurant  Association,  the  average  meal  

is  1,000  calories.    For  many,  that’s  half  the  calories  you  need  in  an  entire  day!    

 

 

 

 

So  don’t  be  afraid  or  embarrassed  to  share  a  meal  or  a  dessert  with  a  friend  or  family  member  

instead  of  going  full  bore.    Studies  show  that  when  you  eat  with  others,  you  tend  to  eat  less.    

There  must  be  something  to  those  happy  social  hormones.    

 

When  YOU  aren’t  controlling  your  portion  sizes,  restaurants  are.    You  should  always  consider  

the  size  of  the  meal  being  put  in  front  of  you.  Researchers  testing  the  food  served  in  29  chain  

restaurants  and  10  frozen  supermarket  meals  found  that  calorie  content  averaged  up  to  20%  

more  than  stated  on  the  labels.  No  wonder  dining  out  can  be  a  minefield  for  calorie  gluts.    

 

The  Solution:  Eat  at  home  more  often.    

 

It’s  much  cleaner  when  you  stick  to  whole,  one-­‐ingredient  fresh  foods  that  let  you  stay  in  

control  of  what  you  put  in  your  mouth  and  enjoy  the  benefits  of  knowing  what  is  on  your  plate.    

It’s  cleaner  for  the  planet,  too  –  no  take-­‐out  containers  and  plastic  to  deal  with.      

 

When  making  desserts  at  home,  I  also  like  to  use  automatic  portion  control  by  baking  individual  

cupcakes,  crisps  and  pies  in  a  muffin  pan  or  ramekins  (See  the  picture  above).    I  love  using  them  

for  dishes  like  mac  n’  cheese,  gratin  potatoes,  or  stuffing.    Plus,  they  make  for  a  beautiful  

presentation.    Use  fun  cupcake  liners  for  no-­‐mess  clean  up.    The  kids  go  crazy  over  these!        

 

If  you  have  to  eat  out  just  remember:  you  don’t  have  to  eat  the  whole  thing.  

The  key  here  is  to  enjoy  every  bite  and  not  obsess  over  whether  you’ve  taken  too  big  of  a  

serving.    Just  eat  some,  then  share  some.    Enjoy  the  experience  with  the  people  who  make  you  

happy  and  don’t  count  the  bites  -­‐  make  every  bite  count.    

 

 

 

 

Fit  Foodie  Filosophy  #17:  Go  Meatless  Monday.      

 

Even  if  you’re  not  a  vegetarian,  the  health  and  environmental  impact  of  having  at  least  one  

meatless  day  during  the  week  is  significant.    It  also  lowers  your  grocery  bill!  

 

It  is  estimated  that  1,800  to  2,500  gallons  of  water  go  into  a  single  pound  of  beef  compared  to  

about  200  pounds  of  tofu.  Cutting  down  on  meat  consumption  just  once  a  week  can  also  

reduce  your  risk  of  heart  disease  by  almost  20%,  according  to  the  Meatless  Monday  campaign.    

 

 

 

By  combining  foods,  like  beans  and  brown  rice  with  vegetables,  you  can  still  enjoy  a  complete,  

high  protein  meal  that  feeds  you  and  helps  preserve  our  planet.      

 

Plus,  there’s  a  veggie  equivalent  to  almost  every  meat  item  out  there  –  just  peruse  your  local  

grocery  store’s  freezer  and  refrigerated  aisles.    From  bacon  to  sausage,  ground  beef  to  burgers,  

vegetarian  alternatives  are  abundant  and  many  of  them  are  so  good  you  won’t  miss  the  meat.    

 

Cleaner  Plate  Club  Tip:    

• Stock  up  on  a  quality,  low-­‐sodium  veggie  burger  or  use  my  recipe  on  EatCleaner.com  

and  top  them  with  sprouts,  tomato  and  hummus  

• Slice  tofu  into  squares  and  coat  with  cornstarch  and  a  little  sesame  oil  and  broil  in  the  

oven  

• Use  veggie  crumble  and  cook  up  as  a  filling  for  tacos/lettuce  cups,  stuffed  veggies  or  in  

sauces  

• Serve  veggie  burgers  topped  with  sliced  avocado  alongside  steamed  broccoli  and  quinoa  

for  a  complete  protein  packed  meal  

• Instead  of  pasta  with  meat  sauce,  try  using  soy  chorizo.  

 

Even  steadfast  carnivores  will  have  something  to  sink  their  teeth  into  with  these  tips.    You  may  

be  surprised  just  how  satisfying  a  meat-­‐free  meal  can  be.        

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fit  Foodie  Filosophy  #18:  Practice  safe  snacks.      

Among  the  walls  of  fluorescent  puffs,  chips  and  rounds  lies  a  minefield  of  artificial  colors,  

flavors,  sodium  and  sugar.    Even  some  of  the  ‘healthy’  snacks  out  there  are  loaded  with  enough  

salt  to  fill  the  Dead  Sea  and  enough  sugar  to  give  you  a  cavity  just  by  looking  at  them.      

 

Everyone  needs  a  certain  amount  of  functional  calories  every  day  –  a  balance  of  carbohydrates,  

good  fat  and  protein,  vitamins  and  minerals  to  support  healthy  bone  and  muscle  mass  and  

organ  function.    You  can  get  these  from  a  variety  of  foods  and  beverages,  but  not  all  calories  

are  created  equal.      

 

Three  creme-­‐filled  Oreos  may  have  160  calories  and  7  grams  of  fat,  but  they’re  not  going  to  

feed  your  body  like  a  banana  with  two  teaspoons  of  almond  butter  or  a  high  quality  protein  

shake.      

 

 

 

Cleaner  Plate  Club  Tip  -­‐  Here  are  some  simple  ideas  to  keep  snacking  a  fit  part  of  your  

everyday  life:  

• Cut  up  sticks  of  cucumber,  jicama,  carrots,  and  celery  and  serve  with  spinach  sundried  

tomato  pesto  spread  (pg.102).  

• Organic  edamame  or  snap  peas  can  be  baked  and  crisped  when  coated  with  a  little  

nonstick  fat  free  cooking  spray.  

• Fill  your  fruit  bowl  with  an  assortment  of  fresh  favorites  and  have  some  Eat  Cleaner®  

Fruit  &  Vegetable  Wipes  close  by.    Always  keep  the  wipes  with  you  on  the  go  so  you  can  

pick  up  a  piece  of  fruit  and  clean  it  properly  when  the  mood  hits.  

• Fill  snack  bags  with  raw  almonds  and  cranberries  for  the  perfect  Fit  Foodie  Triangle  

energy  combo.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cucumber Cool

• It is one of the lowest calorie vegetables at just 15 calories per ounce.

• Like bananas and avocado, it’s a great source of potassium.

• They surprisingly have a high amount of vitamin K, which helps with bone strength.

• They’re antioxidant-rich and the peel is a good source of fiber.

 

 

 

Fit  Foodie  Filosophy  #19:  Get  the  right  tools  for  the  job  

Having  the  ‘right  stuff’  and  being  well  equipped  in  the  kitchen  will  make  your  preparation  much  

easier  and  more  efficient.    These  picks  will  also  help  enable  you  to  control  portions,  and  keep  

your  cooking  leaner  and  cleaner.      

 

I  want  you  to  think  about  your  tools  as  enabling  you  to  get  more  creative  in  the  kitchen.    Just  

like  an  artist,  you’ll  have  the  ability  to  whip  up  meals  with  your  signature  touch.    That’s  when  

you  know  you’re  getting  comfortable  and  your  cooking  has  moved  well  beyond  a  chore.      

 

As  a  chef,  there  are  SO  many  things  I’d  love  to  recommend  but  I’ve  whittled  them  down  to  a  

short  list.    These  are  MUST-­‐HAVE  items  to  make  your  life  easier.    I  do  have  some  name  brand  

appliances  that  I  recommend  because  I’ve  tried  so  many  varieties  and  these  are  the  ones  that  I  

think  work  best.    If  you  have  other  brands,  you  don’t  need  to  run  out  and  buy  new  ones.          

We’ll  make  good  use  of  what  you’ve  got!  

 

 

 

Essential  Tools  

• Measuring  Cups  and  Spoons  

• BPA-­‐Free  Reusable  Containers:  To  store  food  in  various  sizes,  sauce  to  entrée  

• Insulated  cooler:  To  transport  meals  

• Large  Colander:  To  wash  produce    

• 3  Cutting  Boards:  1  for  produce,  1  for  meats/fish,  1  for  everything  else  

• Veggie  Peeler:  To  make  ribbons  out  of  zucchini,  carrots,  squash,  etc.  

• Microplane:  To  grate  nutmeg,  dark  chocolate  and  citrus  zest  

• Food  Processor:  To  make  sauces,  chop  veggies,  and  process  grains  

• Vitamix®  Blender:  To  make  smoothies  and  sauces  

• Jay  Kordich®  Juicer:  To  make  fresh  pressed  juice  

• Chopping  and  Paring  Knives:  Make  sure  they’re  sharp  

• Small  and  Medium  Ice  cream  Scoop:  To  form  meatballs,  Fit  Bites  and  portion-­‐controlled  desserts  

• Baking  dishes  with  lids:  In  various  sizes  to  make  storage  and  clean  up  easier  

• Veggie  steamer  

• Swiss  Diamond®  Pans:  Grill  pan,  Crepe  pan,  large  stock  pot,  large  non-­‐stick  skillet    

 

 

Optional  but  REALLY  nice  to  have:  

• Crock  Pot:  Slow  cook  fit  meals  while  you’re  away  from  home    

• Stick  Blender:  Puree  and  blend  while  foods  are  in  the  pot  

• Yonanas®:  Makes  soft  serve  sorbet  out  of  frozen  fresh  fruit  –  a  nice  healthy  treat  

• Dehydrator:  Makes  kale  and  other  veggie/fruit  chips  without  destroying  enzymes  

• Rice  cooker:  Easily  cook  grains  and  stuffed  peppers  perfectly  

 

 

 

 

Fit  Foodie  Filosophy  #20:  Shop  Smart,  Save  Green.  

If  your  health  and  wellbeing  is  a  priority,  then  choosing  healthy  foods  has  to  be  a  priority.  

We  all  say  we  want  to  eat  right,  but  I  hear  this  excuse  everyday  –  “Eating  cleaner  is  sooo  

expensive”.    Many  people  simply  assume  that  eating  right  costs  more.    Is  it  true?  

In  reality,  as  a  country  we  spend  less  of  our  money  on  groceries  than  we  did  30  years  ago  and  

the  cost  of  most  foods  has  actually  decreased:  

         

 

 

Source:  Bureau  of  Labor  Statistics    Credit:  Lam  Thuy  Vo  /  NPR  

The  way  we  spend  our  grocery  money  has  also  changed.    We  now  spend  a  much  larger  share  on  

processed  foods,  which  includes  things  like  frozen  dinners,  canned  soups  and  snacks.  

 

It  so  doesn’t  have  to  be  that  way.      

 

Start  by  setting  aside  the  $5  boxes  of  cereal,  the  $4  coffee  drinks,  the  $3  bags  of  chips  and  the  

$2  energy  bars  –  or  worse,  the  $50  restaurant  tab  for  a  few  tacos!    

 

Just  like  you  would  price  shop  for  a  computer  or  a  pair  of  shoes,  food  should  fall  into  the  same  

category.    Be  strategic  about  where  you  shop  and  what  aisle  you  head  down.  If  you  keep  your  

focus  on  the  perimeter  or  the  ring  around  the  store,  you’ll  find  where  the  freshest  foods  live  to  

fill  your  cart.  

 

Look  to  ethnic  stores  and  farmers’  markets  for  some  of  the  best  deals  on  fresh  seasonal  

produce,  meats,  fish  and  grains,  and  look  online  for  the  best  deals  at  your  local  stores.    Farmers’  

markets  are  a  great  social  experience  for  kids  and  take  the  focus  to  locally  produced  foods.    

Shopping  can  be  fun  again!  

 

Our  Cleaner  Plate  Club  Meal  Prep  Program  actually  gives  you  a  shopping  list  so  you  can  be  that  

much  more  efficient  when  making  your  choices.    The  focus  is  on  fresh  fruit,  veggies,  lean  

protein,  and  quality  carbs.    Once  you  fill  your  fridge  and  pantry  with  clean  staples,  keeping  up  

on  the  fresh  stuff  and  fill-­‐ins  will  be  all  you  need.      

 

 

 

When  you  add  up  all  those  incidentals  and  the  cost  of  going  out  to  eat,  you’ll  soon  realize  that  

you  can  easily  feed  a  family  of  four  for  under  $100  a  week.    As  a  single  mom  of  two,  I  do  it  and  

spend  about  $75  for  the  3  of  us  –  and  we  eat  CLEAN.    I’ll  show  you  step  by  step  how  I  do  it  in  

the  Cleaner  Plate  Club.  

 

The  key  is  preparation.      

If  you  will  take  two  hours  per  week  to  get  all  your  ingredients  ready,  meal  assembly  becomes  a  

piece  of  cake.    You  pay  for  it  now  in  preventative  good  health,  or  later  in  healthcare  costs  and  

weight  loss  gimmicks.    The  choice  is  yours,  but  a  little  savvy  goes  a  long,  long  way.    

Here  are  some  more  tips  to  save  money  in  the  aisles:  

• Look  online  to  price  check.    Scope  out  what  fresh  produce  and  meat  is  on  sale.  This  is  

where  you'll  usually  save  the  most  money,  as  stores  always  have  featured  specials.  

• Buy  larger  sized  items  vs.  individual  serving  sizes  (yogurt,  nuts,  crackers,  cheese,  etc)  in  

bulk.  Pre-­‐portioned  items  are  usually  more  expensive.    Use  your  reusable  containers  and  

snack  bags  to  portion  them  yourself.  

• Shop  the  bulk  bins  for  beans,  rice,  quinoa,  bulgur,  cereal  and  other  bulk  items  since  you  

can  get  smaller  quantities  and  they  are  almost  always  cheaper  than  the  name  brands.  

• Avoid  purchasing  beverages  like  bottled  water  and  juice.  It’s  much  cheaper  to  get  a  

water  filter  or  pitcher.    Plus  it's  better  for  the  environment!  Bottled  juice  can  cost  $4-­‐5  

per  container.  Make  your  own  juice  or  spa  water  and  drink  more  everyday  -­‐  just  add  

slices  of  lemon,  lime  and  cucumber!  

 

 

• Take  a  detour  from  the  prepared  foods  section.  It  can  be  tempting  for  the  convenience,  

but  can  easily  suck  up  your  budget.  Opt  to  make  your  own  healthy  meals  and  know  

what  you’re  putting  in  them  and  your  mouth.    

 

 

Fit  Foodie  Filosophy  #21:  Grow  your  own.      

 

There’s  nothing  like  picking  fresh  produce  from  your  own  garden.    Besides  the  therapeutic  

aspects  of  gardening,  knowing  where  your  fruit  and  vegetables  come  from  and  preserving  their  

nutrient  values  are  great  benefits.      

 

 

 

Once  picked,  nutritional  value  of  your  produce  will  immediately  start  to  decline.    With  

transportation  time  from  the  field  to  your  local  store,  it’s  estimated  they  only  retain  about  45%  

of  their  nutrients  by  the  time  you  get  them  home.    Growing  your  own  is  healthier,  cheaper,  

and  better  tasting.    It’s  like  growing  your  own  money!  

 

Start  with  a  simple  herb  garden  and  add  your  favorites  as  you  get  the  hang  of  your  newly  

cultivated  green  thumb.    You  will  fall  in  love  with  growing  your  own  food.          

 

If  you  don’t  have  room  outside  to  grow  a  garden,  don’t  despair.    You  can  either  get  one  of  those  

cool  Tower  Gardens,  which  take  up  almost  no  room  and  grow  produce  aeroponically,  without  

soil,  or  you  can  plant  some  smaller  pots  inside.      

 

These  beauties  love  the  indoors  and  will  thrive  as  long  as  you  water  and  sun  them.    A  little  

talking  to  doesn’t  hurt  either.    They  love  your  attention.  

 

• Greens.    They  don't  need  a  ton  of  sun  and  allow  you  to  pick  as  you  grow.  Try  the  more  

delicate  greens  like  arugula,  watercress,  dandelion,  mizuna  and  tatsoi.  

• Fresh  Herbs.    Cilantro,  basil,  thyme,  oregano  and  rosemary.  

• Other  varieties.    Baby  carrots  and  radishes  (and  other  small  root  vegetables)  don't  need  

a  deep  container,  and  only  partial  sunlight.  If  you  have  room,  you  can  also  try  eggplant  

and  tomatoes.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

Visit  EatCleaner.com  for  more  information  on  where  to  buy  Tower  Gardens,  Juicers,  Vitamix,  Vegetable  

Washes,  Wipes  and  more!  

 

 

 

 

Fit  Foodie  Filosophy  #22:  Save  your  green(s)  and  the  planet!    

 

If  someone  took  $150  and  threw  it  in  the  garbage,  you  would  think  they  were  nuts  –  or  maybe  

dive  in  after  it.    But  if  you’re  dumping  fresh  produce  out  every  month,  you’re  basically  doing  the  

same  thing  -­‐  not  to  mention  the  invaluable  resources  that  get  

wasted.  

 

Every  year,  about  40%  of  all  produce  grown  gets  thrown  into  

landfills.  Landfills  are  huge  contributors  of  methane  gas,  which  

is  20  times  more  harmful  to  the  environment  than  carbon  dioxide  emissions!    Most  people  

never  even  think  about  what  happens  to  their  garbage  after  it  leaves  their  house,  but  the  

impact  is  significant.    

 

What  A  Waste!  

About  40%  of  all  produce  grown  ends  up  in  a  landfill,  along  with  25%  of  our   fresh  water  and  4%  of  our  oil  resources.    

 

 

More  than  wasting  food,  millions  of  people  are  wasting  money.    The  thought  of  spending  $4  on  

a  bag  of  ‘pre-­‐washed’  lettuce  absolutely  drives  me  crazy.    Why  would  you  spend  twice  or  even  

four  times  as  much  on  a  head  of  lettuce  and  get  60%  less  product?    Plus,  you’re  eating  

something  washed  with  chlorine.  (YES,  most  pre-­‐washed  produce  is  washed  in  a  chlorine  bath.)  

Or  worse,  just  water,  which  even  the  Center  for  Disease  Control  says  is  not  effective  in  

addressing  bacteria  that  can  cause  foodborne  illness.  

Plus,  I  don’t  know  about  you,  but  if  something  sits  in  a  bag  in  my  fridge,  it’s  going  to  waste  away  

and  be  forgotten.    It’s  not  going  to  make  me  healthier  by  osmosis.    Let  me  show  you  how  to  

prevent  waste  and  save  money  by  solving  both  problems  at  once.  

 

I  created  Eat  Cleaner®,  the  ONLY  fruit  and  vegetable  wash  that  removes  wax,  pesticides,  

fertilizers  and  soil  while  also  extending  shelf  life,  naturally.    It’s  not  a  chemical.    Just  a  patented  

mix  of  fruit  acids,  antioxidants,  vitamins  and  minerals.    With  Eat  Cleaner®  products  you’re  

making  your  produce  cleaner  AND  you’re  getting  up  to  200%  more  shelf  life  out  of  it.    That’s  a  

huge  return  on  your  investment.      

 

 

 

When  you  make  your  own  pre-­‐washed  produce,  you  are:  

1)  Saving  money.  

2)  Making  sure  it’s  REALLY  clean.    Even  if  it’s  organic,  fertilizers  and  soil  can  carry  pathogens  

that  cause  foodborne  illness,  which  water  won’t  do  much  for.  

3)  Helping  the  environment  by  NOT  throwing  produce  away.  

4)  Eating  MORE  produce,  because  it’s  ready  to  eat  when  you  are.  

 

 

 

If  you  pre-­‐wash  your  fruit  and  veggies  and  put  them  in  reusable  BPA-­‐free  or  glass  containers,  

you  and  your  family  will  be  100%  more  likely  to  eat  more  of  it.    Try  it.    Wash  some  strawberries  

or  blackberries  and  put  them  out  on  the  counter.    They’ll  be  gone  in  60  seconds.    Now  leave  

them  in  the  bag  in  your  crisper  and  watch  them  mold  in  less  than  3  days.    Eat  clean,  save  green.  

 

 

Cleaner  Plate  Club  Tip:    

Other  ways  to  avoid  throwing  food  (and  your  money)  down  the  drain:  

   

• Purchase  a  compost  bin  and  make  use  of  all  the  food  scraps  that  you  would  normally  

toss  in  the  garbage.    The  compost  becomes  valuable,  mineral  rich  soil  for  your  garden.    

Nature  Mill  makes  one  that’s  space  efficient  and  stink-­‐free.  

• If  you’ve  bought  more  food  than  you  can  eat,  puree  it  for  another  day.  Fruit,  veggies,  

greens  and  herbs  all  hold  up  well  if  they  are  frozen.  

• Share  the  love  with  a  neighbor,  family,  or  friends  and  pre-­‐prep  your  food  for  the  week  

together.    Make  it  a  Clean  Prep  party!    Turn  on  some  music  and  go  wild.  

• Juice  it  Up!    Before  your  food  goes  foul,  get  it  into  your  juicer  and  drink  up  the  benefits  

of  pure  nutrition.  

 

 

 

Get Juiced

You’ll get your money’s worth out of a good quality juicer, or you can put your blender to work on easy-to-mix matchups, including fresh berries, citrus fruit, melons, tomatoes, cucumber, spinach and herbs.

Apple, beet and celery with a dash of ginger are the perfect cool weather warmer while watermelon and carrot with a splash of mint makes a sweet, refreshing chiller on a hot day.

If you’re diabetic or watching your sugar intake, kick up the veggie content. Strive for two 8-oz glasses each day and let your inner gourmet shine with countless combinations. Make these at home and your waistline and your bottom line will thank you.  

 

 

 

Fit  Foodie  Filosophy  #23:  Don’t  let  your  food  go  foul.      

Committing  to  eating  cleaner  will  open  your  world  to  a  rainbow  of  fresh  food.    With  that  comes  

perishability  and  the  potential  for  bacteria,  so  handling  these  foods  with  the  utmost  care  and  

cooking  them  properly  will  help  reduce  your  risk  of  contamination  and  sickness.    

 

Every  year  there  are  a  reported  48  million  cases  of  foodborne  illness  in  the  US  alone,  including  

3,000  deaths.    While  most  people  associate  foodborne  illness  with  meat  and  poultry,  the  

number  one  cause  is  actually  leafy  greens.  Washing  your  produce  thoroughly  will  remove  the  

soils,  fertilizers  and  handling  residue  that  can  carry  bacteria  while  also  removing  the  wax  that  

can  trap  bacteria  under  the  surface.      

 

 

Wash  your  hands  regularly  when  handling  raw  foods,  especially  produce,  meat,  chicken  and  

eggs  and  avoid  contact  with  your  mouth  and  any  other  surfaces.      

The  interior  temperature  of  cooked  foods  should  be:  

• 165°F  for  poultry  

• 160°F  for  dishes  containing  eggs  

• 160°F  for  ground  beef  

 

CLEANER  PLATE  CLUB  Tips:  

 

• Avoid  bruised,  cut  skin  on  produce    

• Contaminants  get  locked  under  non  water-­‐soluble  waxes,  so  using  a  wash  like  Eat  

Cleaner®  will  help  remove  this  layer  to  get  food  truly  clean  

• Clean  the  exterior  of  melons  and  peeled  produce  before  slicing  

• Clean  uncooked  chicken  to  remove  the  ‘fecal  soup’    

• Wash  hands  regularly;  avoid  contact  with  your  mouth    

• Avoid  pre-­‐cooked  seafood  as  it  could  be  cross  contaminated  with  raw  seafood  

• Clean  shellfish  to  remove  sand  and  grit  before  cooking  

• Use  Eat  Cleaner®  Biodegradable  Food  Wipes  to  clean  countertops,  cutting  boards  and  

hands  throughout  the  process.      

 

Food  should  always  be  your  pleasure,  never  your  pain.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

*FDA-­‐regulated  products  between1990  and  2006.  

 

 

 

 

The  TOP  10  Riskiest  Foods*  

#10:    BERRIES:  25  outbreaks  involving  3397  reported  cases  of  illness    

#9:  SPROUTS:  31  outbreaks  involving  2022  reported  cases  of  illness  

#8:  TOMATOES:  31  outbreaks  involving  3292  reported  cases  of  illness  

#7:  ICE  CREAM:  74  outbreaks  involving  2594  reported  cases  of  illness  

#6:  CHEESE:  83  outbreaks  involving  2761  reported  cases  of  illness  

#5:  POTATOES:  108  outbreaks  involving  3659  reported  cases  of  illness  

#4:  OYSTERS:  132  outbreaks  involving  3409  reported  cases  of  illness  

#3:  TUNA:  268  outbreaks  involving  2341  reported  cases  of  illness  

#2:  EGGS:  352  outbreaks  involving  11,163  reported  cases  of  illness  

#1:  LEAFY  GREENS:  363  outbreaks  involving  13,568  reported  cases  of  illness  

 

 

 

 

Fit  Foodie  Filosophy  #24:  Tote  your  own  treats.      

 

You  get  to  work.    No  time  to  leave  for  lunch.    Stomach  starts  to  rumble.    Get  distracted.    Get  

tired.    Start  to  yawn.    Chug  a  bunch  of  coffee  or  energy  drinks.    Grab  a  bag  of  chips  from  the  

vending  machine.  Reach  into  your  desk  drawer  and  fish  out  a  bag  of  year-­‐old  Halloween  candy  

you  pillaged  from  your  kids  and  proceed  to  go  into  a  caffeinated  sugar  and  salt  coma  in  the  

middle  of  your  manager’s  meeting,  and  fall  head  first  onto  the  ground…    

Ok,  maybe  a  little  dramatic  but  not  far  from  reality,  right?  

 

Packing  your  own  meals  and  snacks  when  you  are  away  from  home  is  an  important  way  to  

manage  your  food  intake,  balance  your  blood  sugar,  and  make  sure  you  are  eating  quality  vs.  

quantity.    You  won’t  feel  ‘stuck’  with  having  to  settle  for  crap.    You’ll  save  a  ton  of  dough,  too!      

 

 

When  it  comes  to  kids,  here’s  the  reality:      

 

It  clicked  when  I  found  out  that  my  son,  who  was  in  Kindergarten  at  the  time,  got  a  whopping  

10  minutes  to  eat  lunch  at  school.    If  they’re  standing  in  the  lunch  line  for  10  minutes,  they’re  

practically  jamming  food  down  their  gullet  and  swallowing  it  whole  to  finish  eating  in  time.        

 

Childhood  obesity  has  grown  to  epidemic  proportions,  literally  and  figuratively.    According  to  

the  Center  for  Disease  Control,  in  the  last  30  years,  the  prevalence  of  obesity  has  tripled.    

 

It  isn’t  just  about  being  heavy.    It’s  about  the  chronic  diseases  that  can  take  years  from  your  

kids’  otherwise  healthy  lives  –  heart  disease,  liver  disease,  type  2  diabetes,  depression,  sleep  

apnea  –  the  list  goes  on  and  on.      

 

It  would  be  very  easy  to  succumb  to  those  non-­‐descript,  pre-­‐packed  wrapped  lunch  meals  and  

neon-­‐colored  ‘phood’  snacks,  but  you  know  better  than  to  slap  such  super-­‐processed,  phony  

baloney  onto  your  kids’  buns.    I  mean,  white  bread  and  fluorescent  snacks  are  so  1982.      

 

Instead  of  making  your  kids’  school  lunch,  have  them  help  you.    When  they  are  old  enough,  

have  them  make  it  with  you  the  night  before.    Offer  them  cookie  cutters  to  make  sandwich  

shapes,  teach  them  how  to  roll  a  wrap,  and  give  them  the  tools  to  safely  chop  their  own  fruits  

and  veggies.      

 

 

 

 

When  you  make  it  creative,  they  won’t  see  it  as  a  chore.    Slip  them  a  caring,  thoughtful  note  

that  lifts  their  spirits  at  lunchtime  and  lets  them  know  that  you’re  thinking  about  them.    That  

little  bit  of  love  satiates  a  deeper  appetite  and  will  make  them  look  forward  to  what’s  in  the  

bag.  

 

 

Cleaner  Plate  Club  Tips:  

 

• Make  a  list  and  buy  it  once.    Take  our  tips,  make  your  list  and  head  to  the  store  on  the  

weekend  and  buy  1-­‐2  weeks  worth  of  supplies  so  you’re  stocked  up.    Being  prepared  is  

half  the  battle  (and  half  your  sanity!).  

• The  night  before  lunch.    Prepare  lunches  the  night  before  and  put  them  in  an  insulated  

container  to  keep  them  cooler  longer.  Add  in  an  ice-­‐pack  if  food  is  sitting  out  for  more  

than  3  hours.      

• Chemical  free  is  the  way  to  be.    Always  opt  for  BPA  and  Thalate-­‐Free  plastic  or  glass  

storage  containers.      

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fit  Foodie  Filosophy  #25:  Grow  a  Family  of  Fit  Foodies.      

 

It  may  seem  easier  to  keep  your  kids  out  of  the  kitchen  during  dinnertime  prep,  but  there’s  no  

better  way  to  cultivate  a  good  palate.    Studies  show  that  children  who  are  involved  in  the  

cooking  process  are  80%  more  likely  to  try  new  things.      

 

Give  your  children  simple  tasks  like  washing  vegetables,  mixing  ingredients  or  pressing  the  start  

button  on  the  blender.    Allow  them  to  pick  and  try  out  food  as  you’re  prepping,  and  let  them  

announce  to  the  entire  family  how  they  helped  make  the  meal.      

 

The  sense  of  pride  they’ll  have  will  go  a  long  way  to  becoming  a  Fit  Foodie  for  life!  

 

 

If  they  turn  their  noses  up,  don’t  give  up.    Let  your  child  taste  the  food  21  times  before  you  

even  think  about  trying  something  different.    Taste  buds  are  like  muscles.    They  need  to  be  

conditioned,  tested  and  strengthened  so  that  they  can  take  on  new  flavors.    To  encourage  this,  

you  can  vary  textures  and  work  more  nutrient  dense  foods  into  the  mix.      

 

Here  are  some  tried  and  true  methods  that  have  helped  me  get  my  pickiest  eaters  (my  own  

kids)  to  get  on  the  Fit  Foodie  train:  

 

Do  it  raw.    Try  to  get  as  much  produce  onto  their  plates  in  their  raw  state  so  they  can  really  

appreciate  those  pure  flavors.  The  good  news  here  is  that  kids  love  to  crunch,  and  it’s  a  time  

saver  because  it’s  one  less  thing  to  cook.    Carrots,  celery,  cucumbers,  jicama,  sugar  snap  peas,  

and  bell  peppers  are  all  great  vegetable  options.    Some  veggies  get  more  palatable  with  a  light  

steam,  like  broccoli  and  cauliflower.    

 

Skinny-­‐Dip.    Offering  a  low-­‐fat,  high  flavor  dunker  for  your  veggies  is  the  perfect  way  to  get  

them  to  indulge.    It’s  also  fun.    Remember,  kids  love  to  be  creative  and  taking  a  carrot  stick  to  a  

spread  is  like  dipping  a  paintbrush.    Make  dips  like  cuke  and  dill  Greek  yogurt,  artichoke  

hummus,  and  spinach  pesto  spread.  These  are  great  options  that  also  pack  a  nutritious  punch.  

 

Get  Saucy.    One  of  the  easiest  ways  to  slip  a  ton  of  veggies  into  your  kids’  meals  is  in  a  versatile  

sauce  that  goes  the  distance.    I  combine  fresh  spinach,  kale,  zucchini,  bell  pepper,  tomato,  garlic  

and  onion  to  make  the  base  for  my  pizzas,  pasta,  bakes,  soups  and  stews.  You’ve  got  

supercharged  nutrition  in  there,  but  no  chunks.    Make  extra  and  freeze  them  in  an  ice  cube  tray  

for  smaller  servings.    Plus,  you  can  use  a  veggie  peeler  and  make  ribbons  out  of  carrots,  zucchini  

and  yellow  squash  as  an  alternative  to  pasta.  Double  saucy  bonus!  

 

 

 

Bake  it,  don’t  fake  it.    If  the  fluorescent  colors  and  artificial  ingredients  in  store-­‐bought  items  

sound  unappetizing,  join  the  club.    I  won’t  buy  those  fakey-­‐bakeys  and  neither  should  you.    I  

want  to  tell  you,  you  don’t  have  to  be  a  pastry  chef  to  pull  off  great  baked  goods.  Beets,  sweet  

potatoes,  squash,  apples,  pears  and  pureed  berries  can  be  traded  in  -­‐  trading  out  cholesterol  

and  sugar  –  transforming  baked  goods  into  functional  foods.    Just  like  that,  you  have  kitchen  

chemistry  magic.    If  you’re  more  comfortable  using  a  baking  mix,  there  are  some  good  options  

out  there  too.    Just  look  for  the  ones  that  contain  whole  food  ingredients  and  no  artificial  

sugars,  chemicals  or  colors.    Also  watch  out  for  excessive  sodium.  

 

Get  your  blender  on.    If  you  don’t  have  one  already,  get  yourself  a  good  blender  stat!    I  can  

take  coconut  water  or  almond  milk,  throw  in  a  couple  of  cups  of  fresh  spinach,  blueberries  and  

some  high  quality  protein  powder,  add  in  a  little  flax  seed  and  some  crushed  ice,  and  I’ve  got  

serious  satisfaction  in  a  glass  in  a  minute  flat.    It’s  all  about  texture  here.    These  are  smooth,  

cool  and  go  down  real  easy.    You  can  also  make  blender  smoothies  and  protein  drinks,  then  

freeze  them  for  a  decadently  delicious  dessert.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fit  Foodie  Filosophy  #26:  Break  (better)  bread  together.      

 

I  have  a  rule  in  my  house:  No  one  eats  alone.    Growing  up,  I  was  conditioned  to  eat  with  no  

fewer  than  5  people  around  the  table  and  that  was  our  cherished  time  to  catch  up  on  life  and  

reconnect.      

 

There’s  nothing  like  gathering  people  you  love  around  the  table  or  sharing  food  with  someone.    

Put  the  technology  down.    Play  some  great  background  music.    Light  a  candle.    Eat  outside.    

Whatever  you  do,  do  it  together.    It’s  the  ultimate  in  nurturing  relationships  and  it  not  only  

brings  you  closer  together,  it  helps  avoid  waste  and  shares  your  love  for  eating  cleaner  with  

others.    The  more  people  that  catch  on  the  better!      

 

 

 

To  make  it  fun,  swap  nights  where  one  family  member  or  friend  cooks  and  the  other  cleans  up,  

or  plan  an  “Eat  Cleaner”  theme  night  where  you  focus  on  a  country  and  explore  their  unique  

dishes  Fit  Foodie  style.    I  love  doing  this  with  friends  because  it  helps  prove  that  any  dish  can  be  

made  cleaner  with  a  little  recipe  rehab.      

 

For  Mexican  food  you  can  swap  out  fatty  cheeses  and  white  flour  tortillas  and  add  in  lots  of  

veggies,  low  sodium  beans,  whole  grain  tortillas,  and  lean  meats  –  or  even  go  completely  

vegetarian.    With  Italian  there  are  tons  of  quality  pasta  options  made  with  brown  rice  and  

quinoa,  plus  sauces  made  with  healthy  tomatoes  filled  with  lycopene.    Even  pizza  can  become  a  

nutritious  treat  with  better  crusts,  lean  toppings,  and  nitrate/nitrite  free  meats.    You  can  have  a  

“make  your  own”  night  so  everyone  can  individualize  their  pizza  to  their  own  tastes.      

 

I  also  like  breaking  out  the  Yonanas®  machine,  which  turns  frozen  

fruit  into  dairy-­‐free  soft  serve  sorbet:  strawberries,  pineapples,  

mangos,  coconut  milk,  and  bananas.    It’s  fun  to  make,  everyone  

can  create  their  own  flavors,  and  it  is  a  truly  delicious  treat.      

 

 

Your  work  isn’t  done  just  at  home.    Make  sure  to  bring  a  little  extra  to  share  with  your  co-­‐

workers  at  the  office  too.    It’s  amazing  what  a  little  food  can  do  to  build  friendships  and  share  

your  love  of  eating  clean.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fit  Foodie  Filosophy  #27:  Know  your  burn  rate.      

 

We  come  in  all  different  shapes  and  sizes  and  expend  energy  at  different  levels.    Based  on  your  

size  and  age,  along  with  your  sex,  it’s  important  to  know  approximately  how  many  calories  you  

should  be  eating  to  reach  your  goals,  whether  it’s  to  maintain,  gain,  or  lose  weight.      

 

6  bites  into  that  8  bite  pie  and  you  may  be  shocked  to  realize  you’ve  already  taken  in  500  

calories  –  the  equivalent  of  an  entire  nutrient-­‐dense  meal.    A  massive  salad  made  with  mixed  

greens,  a  whole  breast  of  chicken  and  a  few  slices  of  avocado  can  amount  to  the  same  number  

of  calories.      

 

 

 

 

The  last  thing  I  want  you  to  do  is  become  a  slave  to  calories.    If  you’re  eating  clean,  your  weight  

will  naturally  balance  out  to  a  large  extent.    However,  becoming  calorie  ‘aware’  and  getting  in  

tune  with  what  your  individual  body  requires  in  order  to  maintain,  gain,  or  lose  weight  is  one  of  

the  keys  to  your  success.      

 

General  Clean  Calorie  Guideline  

This  guideline  is  slightly  lower  than  most  guides  you’ll  see  because  it’s  more  focused  on  quality  

calories  vs.  quantity.    If  you  feel  like  you  need  more  calories  then  just  bulk  up  on  more  

vegetables,  lean  protein,  and  quality  carbs.      

 

Gender Age (Years) Average Daily Caloric Expenditure (Moderately Active)

Female 19-30

31-50+

1,700-1,900

1,500-1,700

Male 19-30

31-50+

2,300-2,600

2,100-2,300

 

Check  out  MyFitnessPal.com  or  LiveStrong.com  to  get  an  idea  of  where  you  need  to  keep  your  

caloric  intake.    Most  people  fall  in  the  range  of  1500-­‐2500  calories  a  day,  but  knowing  where  

you  fit  is  important.      

 

Before  you  bite,  weigh  your  choices  and  make  sure  those  hard  earned  calories  are  going  to  

have  a  positive  return  on  their  investment  in  YOU.      

 

 

 

 

 

Fit  Foodie  Filosophy  #28:  Exercise  less,  eat  more.    

Yes,  you  read  that  right!    This  is  the  truth  about  one  of  the  biggest  misconceptions  in  fitness  

today.  Moving  your  body  is  important  for  your  booty  and  your  brain,  but  don’t  think  of  it  as  a  

way  to  counter  overeating.    

Your  eating  habits  will  burn  far  more  fat  than  your  exercise  routines  ever  will.  

 

Using  exercise  as  a  way  to  purge  your  overindulgences  at  the  table  will  eventually  eat  you  alive.  

It  reminds  me  of  a  comment  I  overheard  at  the  gym  that  I  would  have  completely  related  to          

10  years  ago:  

"I  was  so  hungry  last  night  when  I  got  home  from  the  gym  that  I  ate  a  whole  box  of  

chocolate  chip  cookies  while  I  was  cooking  dinner.  So  I'm  going  to  work  out  for  two  extra  

hours  today  to  burn  it  off."      

 

 

 

I  was  once  on  that  same  gerbil  wheel.  To  burn  off  all  the  excessive  calories  I  had  binged  on  that  

day,  I  would  follow  up  my  indulgences  with  a  thrash-­‐and-­‐burn-­‐fest  as  penance.    

I  would  do  15  minutes  at  level  10  on  the  Stairmaster  and  say  to  myself  "I  won't  eat  cookie  

dough  off  a  spoon  at  midnight  again"  30  times.  Run  an  extra  4  miles  and  repeat  "I  will  only  eat  

rice  cakes  all  day  tomorrow"  15  times.    

 

Binge  and  purge,  binge  and  purge.    

 

It's  a  devastating  cycle  because  the  reality  is,  it  takes  a  lot  of  extra  work  to  burn  off  that  600  

calorie  brownie  you  inhaled  in  3  bites  while  flipping  the  channels.    Like,  a  full  hour  of  it  at  high  

intensity  just  to  break  even.  You  don't  have  to  beat  yourself  up  over  an  occasional  indulgence  

but  when  you  make  it  a  regular  habit,  the  cycle  can  be  devastating.  

 

The  purpose  of  exercise  is  to  allow  your  body  to  operate  as  its  highest  potential,  not  to  “burn  

off”  what  you  ate  the  night  before.    The  body  doesn’t  work  that  way.    Your  metabolism,  the  

natural  processes  taking  place  in  your  body  all  day  long,  are  what  get  rid  of  your  fat  deposits.  

There  are  specific  triggers  that  tell  your  body  to  burn  or  store  fat  depending  on  what  you  eat  

and  when  you  eat  it.    Using  my  Cleaner  Plate  Club  Meal  Prep  Program  will  ensure  that  all  your  

macronutrient  ratios  are  just  right  for  keeping  your  fat  burning  metabolism  turned  on.  

 

Eat  in  such  a  way  that  your  metabolism  naturally  increases,  and  your  body  will  automatically  

burn  more  fat.    Eat  poorly,  and  you  won’t  just  gain  fat,  you’ll  also  slow  down  your  system,  

which  makes  it  even  harder  to  lose  fat  and  feel  energized.  

 

 

 

Exercise  early  in  the  day  and  you  will  benefit  from  extra  fat  burn  all  day  long.    The  most  

important  thing,  however,  is  to  exercise  EFFICIENTLY.    Here’s  how:  

The  goal  is  to  do  30  minutes  of  exercise,  5-­‐6  times  per  week,  focused  on  fat  burning  with  

interval  and  resistance  training  in  your  optimal  fat  burning  zone.    Targeted  training  that  builds  

lean  muscle  is  far  more  effective  for  boosting  your  metabolism  than  an  hour  on  a  treadmill  

while  never  breaking  a  sweat.  Lean  muscle  mass  is  the  foundation  for  efficient  fat  burning.    

However,  if  you  miss  a  day  or  can’t  fit  in  a  full  workout,  don’t  beat  yourself  up.    Just  do  a  few  

push-­‐ups,  sit-­‐ups,  squats,  or  a  go  for  a  nice  walk  or  jog.    Any  movement  is  better  than  none  –  

you’re  still  moving  faster  than  everyone  else  on  the  couch.        

 

Exercise  should  serve  as  a  way  of  improving  cardiovascular  health,  building  muscle  mass  and  

hopefully  allowing  for  some  pretty  awesome  endorphins  to  kick  in  and  make  you  feel  silly-­‐

happy.    If  you're  not  eating  enough  of  the  right  foods,  it  can  actually  undo  all  the  good,  

including  burning  that  hard  earned  muscle  instead  of  fat.    

 

When  you  eat  cleaner  and  exercise  effectively,  you  are  living  a  sustainable  lifestyle  that  feeds  

your  sanity,  not  your  face.  There  is  nothing  more  stressful  -­‐  mentally  and  physically  -­‐  than  trying  

to  reinvent  what  your  body  requires  you  to  do  to  survive  and  thrive  daily.  The  better  habits  and  

routines  that  you  develop  to  determine  what  you  eat,  when  you  eat,  the  quantity  of  food  you  

eat,  and  the  quality  of  food  you  eat,  including  how  those  foods  combine,  the  easier  this  concept  

of  maintenance  becomes.    

 

That's  regularly  scheduled  care.  Not  sporadic,  when  the  stuff  breaks  down  kind-­‐of-­‐work.  It's  the  

work  that  keeps  the  engine  humming,  like  the  well-­‐tuned  machine  that  you  are.  After  all,  your  

time  is  precious.    Like  every  bite,  make  every  minute  of  exercise  count.      

 

 

 

Fit  Foodie  Filosophy  #29:  Don’t  count  on  calories.      

If  you’re  looking  to  lose  weight  solely  by  counting  calories,  think  again.      Remember,  not  all  

calories  are  created  equal.    If  you’re  driven  by  the  100  calorie  snack  packs  and  400  calorie  

frozen  meals,  you  may  be  shortchanging  yourself  of  quality  nutrition.    Many  people  think  that  

eating  500  calories  of  junk  food  will  have  the  same  effect  as  eating  500  calories  of  clean  

proteins  and  vegetables.    This  couldn’t  be  further  from  the  truth.      

 

Excessive  alorie  deprivation  will  hurt  more  than  it  helps.    As  a  calorie  counter  you  can  lose  a  few  

pounds  by  eating  fewer  calories  over  time,  but  you  aren’t  speeding  up  your  fat  burning  

metabolism,  so  the  weight  will  just  come  right  back.    If  your  goal  is  to  eat  5  meals  per  day  at  

400  calories  each,  the  meals  need  to  be  balanced  according  to  the  Fit  Foodie  Triangle  in  order  

to  activate  your  fat  burning  metabolism.    Junk  food  won’t  cut  it.  

 

To  maintain  your  ideal  body  weight,  keep  your  calories  within  the  basic  ranges  on  the  Calorie  

Chart  (pg.  85),  but  more  importantly,  eat  clean  calories.  To  eat  cleaner  means  to  focus  on  foods  

that  are  nutrient  dense,  and  that  offer  a  functional  benefit  to  that  well-­‐tuned  machine  of  yours  

–  not  to  simply  satiate  your  hunger.      

 

 

 

 

 

Fit  Foodie  Filosophy  #30:  If  it’s  not  organic,  don’t  panic.      

Not  all  conscientious  farms  or  growers  can  afford  to  go  certified  organic,  but  that  doesn’t  mean  

they’re  less  healthy.  Here’s  what  I  know  about  the  Big  O  (Organic  Companies):  

 

Organic  farms  require  a  USDA  certification  that  they  receive  after  a  period  of  about  three  years.    

During  that  time,  they’re  considered  ‘transitional.’    For  a  small  farm,  the  expense  can  come  at  a  

prohibitive  price  tag,  and  while  they  may  not  be  certified  organic  they  are  still  considered  

‘sustainable’  in  that  they  are  grown  locally  and  uphold  similar  growing  practices.    Often  these  

small  farms  have  a  reduced  carbon  footprint  because  they  sell  close  to  home.      

 

Because  of  the  consumer  surge  in  demand  for  organic  foods,  large  agribusiness  corporations  

have  pulled  up  to  the  table  in  an  effort  to  reap  the  benefits,  threatening  the  existence  of  these  

small  sustainable  farmers  and  making  it  harder  for  them  to  compete.      

 

 

 

Organic  meat  farmers  are  required  to  use  feed  grown  organically  and  are  prohibited  from  

administering  antibiotics  or  hormones  to  their  livestock.    Yet  when  it  comes  to  animal  welfare,  

they  are  only  required  to  give  the  animals  "access"  to  outdoors  with  as  little  as  an  open  door  

leading  to  a  cement  patio.      

 

On  the  flip  side,  sustainably  raised  meats,  such  as  venison  from  New  Zealand,  are  grass  fed  

outdoors  year-­‐round  on  free-­‐range  ranches  without  the  use  of  hormones,  steroids  or  growth  

promoters.  Rainwater  and  sunshine  nourish  the  pasture  the  animals  graze  on  without  

environmentally  expensive  irrigation,  waste  disposal  or  water-­‐table  impact.    They’re  just  not  

‘organic’  by  label,  but  they  are  truly  sustainable.      

 

There’s  no  denying  that  certified  organic  foods  come  from  a  good  philosophical  place,  offering  

consumers  alternatives  to  products  loaded  with  artificial  chemicals,  added  hormones  and  

pesticides.    When  it  comes  to  food  choices,  there’s  always  more  than  meets  the  eye.      We  have  

to  look  deeper  than  the  surface  of  the  label.      

 

If  you  can’t  afford  all  organic  produce,  opt  for  sustainable,  biodynamic  and  locally  grown  

produce  where  they  don’t  use  harsh  chemical  pesticides.    Prioritize  organic  animal  products,  

especially  dairy,  and  organic  soybeans  to  avoid  GMOs  (genetically  modified  food).    The  main  

point,  however,  is  to  eat  a  variety  of  fresh  fruit  and  veggies  daily.    

 

 

 

 

Fit  Foodie  Filosophy  #31:  Think  before  you  bite.      

 

Before  you  take  a  bite  of  something  that  you  know  you  shouldn’t,  take  a  couple  of  extra  

seconds  to  think.    Your  choice  to  eat  is  conscious.      

 

If  you  think  you’ll  regret  it  later,  grab  a  glass  of  water  with  lemon  or  sliced  cucumber.    Being  

thirsty  can  be  confused  with  hunger,  so  guzzle  some  good  ole  H2O  and  see  if  the  urge  to  splurge  

goes  away.      If  you’re  in  between  planned  meals  and  you  feel  like  you  need  a  little  something,  

snack  on  some  sliced  celery,  cuke,  or  jicama  with  hummus.      

 

Eat  food  consciously.    That  means  no  mindless  munching,  maniacal  multitasking,  or  what  I  call  

‘fridge  forking’  –  you  know,  standing  in  front  of  the  refrigerator  and  using  your  fork  to  taste  test  

everything  in  sight.      

 

 

 

Grab  a  plate,  sit  and  breathe.    When  your  mom  told  you  to  chew  your  food  carefully,  she  had  a  

good  reason  for  it  (besides  not  wanting  you  to  choke!).      

 

By  chewing  properly,  you  help  your  body  process  your  food  intake  more  efficiently.    The  act  of  

chewing  stimulates  your  salivary  glands  to  release  saliva,  which  helps  moisten  your  food.    Saliva  

also  contains  special  chemicals  that  help  your  body  break  down  carbohydrates,  which  is  why  it’s  

really  important  to  chew  those  thoroughly.      

 

Your  taste  buds  also  send  signals  to  your  brain  about  the  flavors  you  are  tasting  and  what  type  

of  chemicals  and  enzymes  will  need  to  be  released,  so  if  you’re  rushing  the  process,  you  may  be  

putting  more  stress  on  your  system.    Try  to  chew  everything  as  many  times  as  possible  until  it  

literally  dissolves  in  your  mouth.      

 

Taste  every  bit  of  your  food.    You  paid  for  it,  so  get  as  much  pleasure  out  of  each  bite  as  you  

can!    Food  consumed  out  of  boredom  will  leave  you  feeling  less  than  satisfied.    

 

My  grandfather  always  used  to  tell  me,  you  might  not  have  all  the  money  in  the  world  but  you  

can  share  something  with  even  the  richest  people  –  a  meal.    Food  brings  people  together  

around  a  table  in  an  act  of  caring  that  goes  way  beyond  eating.    It’s  an  opportunity  to  bond,  

catch  up  on  the  day,  and  connect  with  your  friends  and  family.    

 

Growing  up,  I  remember  my  mom  experiencing  no  greater  joy  than  seeing  our  faces  when  we’d  

devour  in  15  minutes  what  it  took  her  all  afternoon  to  cook.    For  her,  it  was  time  well  spent.  

 

 

 

Now,  we  may  not  all  have  the  luxury  to  spend  hours  in  the  kicthen  everyday  –  but  if  we  become  

more  conscious  in  our  eating,  and  spend  a  little  bit  of  time  preparing,  we  set  ourselves  up  for  

success.    

 

On  my  18  year  journey,  and  counting,  I  can  say  it’s  about  the  ‘ER’  in  the  everyday  –  CLEANER,  

LEANER,  BETTER,  FITTER,  SAFER,  HEALTHIER,  HAPPIER.      It’s  not  about  being  perfect  today,  it’s  

about  being  better  than  yesterday.  What  you  choose  today  makes  the  difference.  

 

I  can’t  say  it  enough  –  the  enlightenment  of  knowing  what  your  body  needs  and  feeding  it  

properly  is  life  changing!    It  will  affect  your  mood,  your  energy  level,  how  you  handle  stress,  

how  you  deal  with  your  relationships,  your  ability  to  sleep,  and  every  other  aspect  of  your  

consciousness.    You  will  crave  good  things.    You’ll  become  stronger  than  you’ve  ever  felt  and  

you’ll  develop  a  deeper  appreciation  for  that  incredible  temple  of  yours.    It’s  THAT  powerful,  

and  I  want  you  to  experience  it  first-­‐hand.  

 

Eat  and  repeat,    one  bite  at  a  time.  

 

 

 

 

Join  me  and  thousands  of  others  and  Eat  Cleaner  today!  

 

 

 

 

A  New  Beginning  

 

The  1%-­‐ers:  

1%  of  you  are  going  to  read  this,  understand  every  line,  and  internalize  every  principle  and  

immediately  change  your  shopping,  cooking,  and  eating  habits,  and  see  an  incredible  change  in  

your  life  from  this  moment  forward.    Congratulations!    Please  send  me  your  success  stories  at:  

mareya@eatcleaner.com.    I  want  to  read  every  single  one  personally.  

 

The  99%-­‐ers  (Me  included!):  

Now,  the  other  99%  of  you,  who  are  more  like  me,  are  going  to  need  a  bit  more  help  from  here.    

You  get  it,  and  you  see  the  importance  of  it  for  you  and  your  family,  but  you  don’t  quite  know  

how  to  start  or  how  to  put  it  all  together  tomorrow  morning  when  you  wake  up  to  make  

breakfast.      

 

 

 

 

Just  reading  this  book  makes  you  more  knowledgeable  than  95%  of  people  out  there.  However,  

you  need  to  go  one  step  further  to  really  change  your  life  and  your  eating  habits  forever.                

For  you  I  have  designed  The  Cleaner  Plate  Club  Meal  Prep  Program:  

 

When  you  join  the  Club  you  will  learn  exactly  how  to  balance  each  meal,  how  to  cook  it,  and  

how  to  eat  it  at  the  right  times  to  supercharge  your  metabolism.    I’ll  teach  you  how  to  shop,  

cook,  and  eat  foods  that  are  so  delicious,  and  so  perfectly  balanced,  they’ll  keep  you  full  and  

content  while  turning  on  your  body’s  natural  anti-­‐aging,  fat  burning,  and  self-­‐healing  abilities.  

 

As  a  member,  you  also  get  to  follow  my  simple  recipes  and  meal  plans  that  take  all  the  effort  

out  of  creating  perfectly  balanced  and  incredibly  delicious  meals  until  it  becomes  a  habit  for  

you  and  your  family.    Of  course,  every  month  I’ll  be  sending  you  new  recipes  to  try  out  as  well,  

so  dinner  will  always  be  fresh  and  exciting!    

 

If  you  fail  to  plan,  you  are  planning  to  fail.    Dedicate  a  few  hours  to  prepping  on  Sundays  or  an  

evening  with  our  meal  plan  and  you  will  succeed.  By  pre-­‐cooking  lean  proteins,  washing  and  

chopping  veggies  and  fruit,  cooking  up  quality  carbohydrates  and  portioning  your  meals  wisely,  

you’re  ready  to  tackle  whatever  the  week  throws  at  you.      

 

 

 

Transformations:  

 

As  a  health  coach,  I’ve  seen  many,  many  transformations  and  every  single  one  excites  me,  but  one  in  particular  stands  out.      

 

I  had  a  client,  let’s  call  him  David,  who  was  vehemently  opposed  to  eating  clean  and  exercise  was  not  in  his  vocabulary.    At  6  foot  2  inches  his  frame  hid  the  excess,  but  according  to  his  height  and  body  fat  measurements  we  identified  him  as  medically  obese.    But  David  was  happy  enough  with  his  fast  food  burgers,  fries,  ice  cream  shakes  and  literally  laughed  out  loud  when  I  started  talking  to  him  about  hummus  and  cut  up  veggies  as  a  snack.    “There’s  no  way.    I  would  starve  if  I  ate  like  that.”    He  walked  out  of  my  office  shaking  his  head.      

 

A  few  weeks  later,  David  came  in  with  some  test  results.    He  had  just  seen  the  doctor.    His  cholesterol  and  blood  pressure  were  so  high,  he  was  told  that  if  he  didn’t  change  his  eating,  he  was  not  going  to  like  what  was  about  to  hit  him.    That  was  his  tipping  point.      

 

He  was  ready  to  make  a  change  because  he  didn’t  want  to  disappoint  his  wife  and  kids.    Not  everyone  gets  the  good  fortune  of  a  heads  up  on  that  tipping  point.  

 

Within  8  weeks  of  our  meal  plan,  he  had  lost  40  pounds,  was  exercising  5  times  a  week  and  decided  to  enter  a  centurion  –  a  100  mile  bike  race!!  

 

The  thing  that  really  struck  me  was  his  contagious  energy.  David  became  the  pied  piper  of  health  in  the  office  and  would  wait  for  me  at  my  office  door  every  time  I  came  in  to  update  me  on  his  accomplishments.      

 

That,  my  friends,  is  called  an  about-­‐face.    And  the  best  part  is,  ANYONE  can  do  it!    He  made  the  commitment  and  joined  the  Club.      

Will  you?  

 

 

Jenna:  

Food  has  always  been  a  deep  passion  of  mine;  exploring  flavors,  understanding   how   ingredients   work   together   and   presenting  beautiful  dishes  for  the  people   I   love!  All  of   these  things  make  me  excited  about  food,  but  what  I  didn’t  understand  was  all  of  the  artificial  ingredients  that  were  in  some  of  the  products  I  was  using.     It   wasn’t   until   the   past   few   years   that   I   really   began  understanding   more   about   what   “eating   clean”   meant.   I   was  always   a   fan  of   the   convenient   “healthy”   snacks,   but  when   I   started  working  with  Mareya,   she   really  taught   me   how   to   understand   nutritional   labels   and   what   exactly   all   those   ingredients   were   that   I  couldn’t  pronounce  and  how  they  were  effecting  my  body.      After  cleaning  up  my  diet,  I  felt  better,  had  more  energy  and  decided  it  was  time  to  start  setting  some  goals,  one  being  my  first  fitness  competition.  Knowing  how  to  eat  clean  was  one  of  the  biggest  factors  in  my  preparation   for   the   competition.   Your   nutrition   really   does  make  or   break   it   for   you.  When   I   had  removed  all  of  the  artificial  ingredients  from  my  diet  and  really  paid  close  attention  to  look  for  products  with  only  a  few  ingredients  on  the  label,  I  started  seeing  great  results.  I’m  not  saying  I  didn’t  put  my  time  in  at  the  gym,  but  I  had  been  doing  that  for  years  and  didn’t  see  the  results  I  was  seeing  now.      It  was  a  great  experience,  especially  for  my  first  competition  where  I  placed  2nd  in  my  Novice  Division  and  4th  in  my  Bikini  Division.  From  here  on  out  my  life  motto  will  be  “Eat  Clean  &  Train  Mean.”    

Ryan:  

As   the  editor  of   this  book,   I  knew  that   I  wanted  proof  of  my  own  that  Mareya’s  nutrition  philosophy  was  the  real   deal.     I’d   been   working   out   for   over   10   years,  getting  pretty  much   the  exact   same   results  –  which   is  to   say,   not   much.     I   started   tracking   my   meals,  calculating   my   macronutrient   ratios,   and   found   a  perfect   meal   plan   that   worked   with   my   fast   paced  lifestyle.  Almost  as  soon  as  I  started  adding  leafy  green  vegetables   to   my   diet,   I   started   noticing   a   big  difference.    I  was  happier,  more  energetic,  and  fat  was  starting  to  melt  off  in  places  it  never  had  before.    I  even  found  my  abs  for  the  first  time!  

Then   I   really   locked   into  my  Fit   Foodie   Triangle  macronutrient   ratios   and  got   them  perfect,   balancing  each  and  every  meal.    It  was  almost  frightening  how  fast  I  started  to  burn  fat.    I  dropped  5-­‐10%  body  fat  in  9  weeks,  without  changing  my  workout  routine  at  all.    I  really  couldn’t  believe  it.    I  wasn’t  just  losing  weight  or  burning  fat  –  my  entire  body  was  changing.  My  energy  levels  went  through  the  roof  and  I  felt  more  confident  and  excited  about  life  than  ever  before.    Even  my  mind  became  more  at  ease.    Now  I  am  a  true  believer  and  am  proud  to  be  a  part  of  Mareya’s  mission  to  clean  up  America’s  plates!  

 

 

Practice  Makes  the  Perfect  Plate  

 

The  truth  is  that  you  need  to  eat  cleaner,  and  so  does  everyone  else.    Fortunately,  the  best  thing  

about  food  is  being  able  to  share.  

 

You’ve  just  learned  that  the  essential  rules  to  health,  wellness,  and  a  fabulously  fit  life  are  

centered  around  the  things  you  put  on  your  plate.    This  means  a  whole  new  perspective  on  how  

you  look  at  food  and  its  impact  on  you.      

 

There  are  delicious,  healthy  alternatives  to  everything  that  you  love.    Desserts,  snacks,  salads  

and  stick-­‐to-­‐your-­‐ribs  classics  –  you  name  it,  I’ve  shown  you  how  easy,  and  delicious,  it  can  be  

to  eat  cleaner.    Now  it’s  time  to  put  it  into  practice.    

 

As  a  gift  to  you  I  have  included  10  of  my  favorite  recipes  to  get  you  started.    Share  them,  and  

this  book,  with  your  family  and  friends,  and  pass  the  cleaner  plate.  

 

Let’s  get  cooking!  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“The  only  real  stumbling  block  is  fear  of  failure.  In  cooking  you've  got  to  have  a  what-­‐the-­‐hell  attitude.”  

-­‐Julia  Childs  

 

 

Cleaner  Plate  Club  Recipes  

 

I  don’t  just  want  to  teach  you  how  to  cook,  I  want  to  teach  you  how  to  eat.  Every  recipe  and  

meal  idea  is  balanced  with  the  Fit  Foodie  Triangle  approach,  giving  you  a  combination  of  lean  

protein,  high  quality  carbs  and  essential  fats.    This  is  just  a  taste  of  what’s  to  come!  

 

V:  Vegan  (Meat  and  Dairy/Ovo  Free)                        DF:  Dairy  Free                          GF:  Gluten  Free  

 

 

 

Artichoke  hummus  (V,  GF)  

The  perfect  protein-­‐rich  dip  or  sandwich  spread.    Scoop  them  up  with  raw  veggies  or  whole  

grain/gluten-­‐free  pita  chips.  

Ingredients:  

• 2  cloves  garlic,  chopped    

• 2  tablespoons  lemon  juice    

• 1  (15  ounce)  can  garbanzo  beans,  drained  and  rinsed    

• 1  tablespoon  extra  virgin  olive  oil    

• 1  tablespoon  water    

• 1  tablespoon  sesame  tahini    

• 1  teaspoon  LoSalt®  or  low  sodium  seasoning    

• 1  Cup  frozen  artichoke  hearts,  thawed  and  chopped  (if  using  the  canned  or  oil-­‐preserved  kind,  drain  the  oil  and  pat  dry)  

 

Directions:  

Combine  all  ingredients  except  for  artichoke  hearts  in  a  food  processor  and  pulse  until  smooth.  

Transfer  to  a  bowl  and  mix  in  artichoke  hearts.    Chill  and  serve.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

Spinach  sundried  tomato  pesto  spread  (V,  GF)  

Use  this  as  a  sandwich  spread,  a  topper  for  pasta  and  pizza  

or  as  a  filling  for  chicken.    This  version  is  cheese-­‐free.  

 

Ingredients:  

• 1/4  cup  pine  nuts,  lightly  toasted  until  golden  brown  

• 5  sun-­‐dried  tomatoes  (add  boiling  water  to  plump  them  up  and  let  them  sit  for  5  minutes)  

• 2  cloves  fresh  garlic  

• 2  tsp  extra  virgin  olive  oil  

• 1/2  cup  low  sodium  vegetable  broth  

• 1/2  tsp  fresh-­‐ground  black  pepper  

• 1  tsp  LoSalt®    reduced  sodium  substitute  

• 2C  fresh  spinach  leaves  

 

Directions:  

Combine  pine  nuts,  tomatoes,  garlic  and  olive  oil  in  a  food  processor  and  pulse  until  coarse  

meal  like  consistency.    Add  broth,  pepper  and  spinach  and  process  until  smooth.      

 

 

 

 

Carrot  and  Avocado  Soup  with  Fruit  Relish  (V,  GF)  

You  might  not  have   considered  using  avocado   in  a   soup  but   the   creamy   consistency,   coupled  

with  the  carrot  and  coconut  milk,   is  a  winner.    A  simple  fruit  relish  tops  it  off.    Serve  chilled  or  

room  temp.  

 

Ingredients:  

• 2  tsp  grapeseed  oil  

• 1/2  red  onion,  chopped  finely  

• 2-­‐3  large  carrots,  steamed  and  chopped    

• 1  small  Hass  avocado,  halved  and  seed  removed  

• 1  tsp  fresh  ginger,  minced  

• 1  3/4  cup  vegetable  broth  

• 14  ounces  nonfat  coconut  milk  

• 2  tsp  cornstarch    

• Sea  salt,  to  taste  

 

 

 

Directions:  

In  a  medium  saucepan,  sauté  onion  until  translucent.    Set  aside.    Wash  carrots  with  Eat  Cleaner  

Fruit  +  Vegetable  Wash.    Steam  or  boil  until  fork  tender,  about  8  minutes.    

In  a  blender,  combine  onion,  carrots,  avocado,  ginger,  broth  and  coconut  milk  and  process  until  

smooth  and  creamy.    Return  back  to  saucepan  and  add  cornstarch.    Heat  for  about  5  minutes.  

In  a  separate  bowl,  combine  relish  ingredients.    Ladle  soup  into  a  bowl  and  top  with  a  teaspoon  

of  fruit  relish.    Enjoy  warm  or  at  room  temp.  

 

 

Fruit  Relish  

• ½  C  seeded  pomegranate  

• ½  C  grated  carrot  

• 2  T  unsweetened  shredded  coconut  

• Zest  and  juice  of  one  lime  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Supercharged  Protein  Smoothie  (GF,  can  be  modified  V)  

Up  the  nutrient  factor  of  your  protein  smoothies  and  balance  

out  sugar  intake  by  starting  with  a  high  quality  powder  and  

add  greens,  like  in  this  version.  If  you’re  vegan,  omit  the  egg  

whites.  

 

Ingredients:  

• 1C  fresh  strawberries  

• 12  oz.  unsweetened  coconut  milk  

• 4  oz.  water    

• 1  Scoop  Vega™  One  Vanilla  All-­‐in-­‐One  nutrition  powder    

• 1C  fresh  baby  spinach  

• ½  C  crushed  ice  

• 2  egg  whites      

 

Directions:  

 Wash  strawberries  and  spinach  with  EAT  CLEANER®  All  Natural  Fruit  +  Vegetable  Wash.    Process  all  ingredients  in  a  blender  until  smooth.  Sip  and  enjoy!  

 

 

 

 

Angel  Berry  Trifle  (Can  be  modified  V)  

Trifles  are  usually  made  with  pound  cake  –  a  pound  of  butter,  sugar  and  flour.    Not  so  healthy!    

This  one  sprouted  wings,  it’s  so  angelic.    Make  it  in  a  flash.    Beautiful  in  individual  cups.  

 

Ingredients:  

• 8  ounces  light  cream  cheese,  at  room  temperature  (vegans  use  non-­‐dairy)  

• 2  teaspoons  stevia    

• 2  teaspoons  vanilla  extract  

• 2  tablespoons  lemon  juice  

• 2  cups  nonfat  Greek  yogurt  (vegans  use  almond  or  soy  yogurt)  

• 2  pint  blueberries  

• 2  pint  strawberries,  sliced  

• 1  teaspoon  lemon  zest  

• 1  angel  food  cake,  cubed      

 

 

 

Directions:  

 1.  In  a  mixing  bowl,  whip  the  softened  cream  cheese  with  stevia  and  the  vanilla  using  a  hand-­‐held  electric  beater.  Whip  on  medium-­‐high  speed  until  the  cream  cheese  is  light,  fluffy  and  free  of  lumps,  about  5  minutes.  Add  the  lemon  juice  and  the  yogurt,  a  little  at  a  time.  Continue  to  beat  until  fully  incorporated.    

   2.  In  a  separate  bowl,  combine  the  berries  with  the  remaining  2  tablespoons  of  agave  and  the  lemon  zest.  Toss  gently  to  combine.      

3.  Arrange  one-­‐third  of  the  cake  cubes  in  a  large  round  glass  bowl.  Top  with  a  third  of  the  cream  cheese  mixture,  spreading  gently  with  a  rubber  spatula  to  cover.  Top  with  a  third  of  the  berry  mixture,  scattering  them  out  to  cover  the  surface.  Repeat  the  layers  two  more  times,  finishing  with  the  berries  on  top  and  arranging  them  in  a  pretty  pattern.  Refrigerate  for  at  least  1  hour  before  serving.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lettuce  Cup  Tacos  (GF,  can  be  modified  V)  

Ditch  the  tortillas  and  fill  up  on  lean  protein,  lots  of  veggies,  and  a  ton  of  flavor.    Build  a  taco  bar  

and  have  them  make  their  own.      

 

Ingredients:  

• 3  cloves  garlic,  crushed  

• ½  onion,  finely  chopped  

• 1  pound  lean  ground  turkey  (omit  for  vegetarian/vegan)  

• 2  C  cauliflower,  washed  with  Eat  Cleaner  Fruit  +  Vegetable  Wash,  steamed  and  chopped  fine  

• 1  teaspoon  oregano,  dried  

• ¼  teaspoon  rosemary  

• 1  1/2  teaspoons  cumin  

• Sea  salt  to  taste  

• 24  pieces  of  iceberg  lettuce,  washed  with  Eat  Cleaner  Fruit  +  Vegetable  Wash,  pieced  out  into  whole  sheets  

 

 

 

SAUCE:  

• 1  cup  tomato  sauce  

• 1  teaspoon  dried  oregano  

• 2  teaspoons  red  pepper  flakes  

• 2  garlic  cloves  crushed  

• ½  teaspoon  sea  salt  

 

TOPPING:  

• 2  cups  nonfat  Greek  yogurt  with  2  tablespoons  fresh  lemon  juice  

• Avocado  slices  

 

 

Directions:  

Sauté  crushed  garlic  and  onion  in  a  large  skillet  over  medium  low  heat  until  translucent,  about  5  

minutes.    Add  the  lean  ground  turkey  or  meat.  Cook  and  stir  for  5-­‐10  minutes  until  the  meat  is  

cooked.  

Drain  any  excess  grease  and  add  in  chopped,  cooked  cauliflower.      

Add  oregano,  rosemary,  cumin  and  sea  salt  

Spoon  2  tablespoons  of  meat  mixture  into  each  lettuce  cup  

Top  with  smoky  tomato  sauce  and  nonfat  Greek  yogurt  with  lemon  juice  before  serving.    

Avocado  slices  add  a  nutritious  punch  of  good  fats.  

 

 

 

Creamy  Butternut  Mac  N’  Cheese  (GF,  can  be  made  V)  

Get  your  fix  with  veggies  to  boot.    Use  lowfat  dairy,  whole  grain  pasta  and  butternut  squash  to  

up  the  nutrient  quotient.  (Makes  8  servings)  

Ingredients:  

• 1  lb.  bag  brown  rice  noodles  (if  brown  rice  isn’t  available,  go  for  whole  grain)  

• 1  tsp  olive  or  canola  oil    

• 1  Cup  cooked  butternut  squash  (if  squash  unavailable,  use  cooked  yams)    

• 2  cloves  garlic                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              

• 4  oz  Chevre  goat  cheese  (dairy-­‐free  omit)                                                                                                                                            

• ½  Cup  nonfat  plain  Greek  yogurt      (dairy-­‐free  use  soy  yogurt)                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                

• Pinch  of  cayenne  pepper                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          

• Pinch  of  nutmeg                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        

• 1  tsp  black  pepper                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            

• 1  tsp  sea  salt                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                

• 2  Cup  shredded  lowfat  mozzarella  (dairy-­‐free  use  Daiya  or  other  brand)                                                                                                                                                                                                                    

 

 

 

 

Directions:  

Preheat  the  oven  to  425  degrees.  Coat  rectangular  (about  10x10)  baking  dish  with  a  dab  of  olive  

oil  and  set  aside.  

Bring  a  large  pot  of  salted  water  to  a  boil.  Add  pasta  and  cook  until  al  dente,  not  mushy.    Drain  

and  toss  cooked  pasta  with  a  tsp  of  oil  to  prevent  the  noodles  from  sticking  together.    Set  aside.  

In  a  food  processor,  pulse  cooked  squash  along  with  garlic,  goat  cheese  and  yogurt.    Add  

cayenne,  nutmeg,  black  pepper  and  sea  salt  and  give  one  last  pulse.    Mixture  should  be  creamy  

smooth.    Add  a  little  water  if  necessary  to  get  the  right  consistency.    

In  the  same  baking  dish  you’re  cooking  in,  toss  the  noodles  with  the  squash  sauce  until  

thoroughly  mixed.    Season  with  additional  spices  to  taste.    Add  the  shredded  cheese  and  toss.      

Bake  until  top  is  golden  brown,  about  12  minutes  and  enjoy!!  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Savory  Oven  Fried  Chicken  (GF)  

You  won’t  miss  the  fat  from  your  breasts,  wings,  legs  and  thighs  –  your  chicken’s  either!    Instead  

of  breadcrumbs,  we  use  flax  meal,  rich  in  essential  fats.  (Makes:  4-­‐6  servings)  

Ingredients:  

• 2  Cups  buttermilk                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        

• 1  tablespoon  dijon  mustard                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      

• 1  ½  C  Linwoods  Flax  Meal  (Ground  with  flax,  sunflower,  pumpkin  &  sesame  seeds  &  goji  berries)                                                                            

• 1  tsp  cayenne  pepper  

• 1  tsp  ground  oregano                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        

• 1  tablespoon  onion  powder  

• 1  tablespoon  garlic  powder  

• 2  tablespoon  black  pepper  

• 1  tsp  sea  salt    

• Non-­‐stick  cooking  spray  

 

 

 

 

Directions:  

Wash  drumsticks  with  Eat  Cleaner  Seafood  +  Poultry  Wash.    Remove  skin  and  reapply  Eat  

Cleaner  to  all  chicken  surfaces.  

In  a  medium  bowl,  immerse  chicken  pieces  in  buttermilk  and  allow  to  soak  for  at  least  30  

minutes,  up  to  8  hours.  

Combine  flax  meal  with  herbs  and  spices  together  on  a  flat  plate.      Remove  chicken  pieces  from  

buttermilk  and  shake  off  all  excess  liquid.  Roll  chicken  pieces  in  flax  meal  crumb  mixture  until  

thoroughly  coated.  

Place  chicken  in  a  lightly  sprayed  baking  pan  or  on  a  baking  sheet.  

Bake  at  400°F  for  about  40  minutes  covered  with  foil  to  keep  moisture  in.    Remove  cover  for  

final  10-­‐15  minutes  until  golden  brown.    Internal  temperature  of  chicken  should  be  at  least  

165°F.  

 

 

 

 

 

Dark  Chocolate  Chip  Cupcakes  with  Cream  Cheese  Frosting  (V,  GF)  

Veggies  in  your  cupcakes  and  frosting?    Oh  yes!    Nutritional  value  in  every  bite  and  they  won’t  

miss  a  beet.      (Makes:  12  Cupcakes)  

Ingredients:  

Cupcake  Batter:  

• 1  C  red  beets,  pureed  until  smooth  (can  use  canned  beets  or  fresh  beets,  washed  with  Eat  Cleaner  Fruit  +  Vegetable  Wash,  peeled,  boiled  until  fork  tender,  then  pureed)  

• 1  cup  Stevia  natural  sugar  substitute  

• 1  C  unsweetened  almond  milk  

• 1  teaspoon  vanilla  extract  

• 2  large  egg  whites  

• 2  cups  all-­‐purpose  gluten-­‐free  flour  

• ½  C  dark  chocolate  cocoa  powder  

• ½  C  dark  chocolate  chips  (at  least  70%  cocoa  powder)  

• 1  teaspoon  baking  soda  

• 1/2  teaspoon  salt  

 

 

 

Cream  Cheese  Frosting:  

• 8  oz.  vegan  cream  cheese,  softened  

• ½  C  cauliflower,  washed  with  Eat  Cleaner  Fruit  +  Vegetable  Wash,  steamed  then  pureed  until  smooth  

• ½  C  Stevia  natural  sugar  substitute  

• 1  teaspoon  vanilla  extract  

• Topping    

• Unsweetened  shredded  coconut  (optional)  

 

Directions:  

Preheat  oven  to  375°F.  Line  12-­‐cup  muffin  tin  with  paper  liners  or  coat  with  non-­‐stick  cooking  

spray.  

In  a  large  mixing  bowl  or  stand  up  mixer  combine  beet  puree,  sugar  substitute,  almond  milk  and  

vanilla.    Beat  until  smooth.    Add  in  egg  whites  and  gently  fold  in.  

Add  gluten  free  flour,  cocoa  powder,  dark  chocolate  chips,  baking  soda  and  salt,  and  mix  until  

well  combined  with  no  visible  lumps.  

Divide  mixture  evenly  into  muffin  tin,  taking  care  not  to  overfill.    Bake  for  20  minutes  or  until  

toothpick  comes  out  of  center  clean.    Allow  to  cool  on  a  baking  rack.  

While  cupcakes  bake,  combine  frosting  ingredients  together  and  beat  until  smooth  and  airy.    

Once  cupcakes  are  completely  cooled,  smooth  frosting  over  the  top.    Sprinkle  with  shredded  

unsweetened  coconut,  if  desired.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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