Image from HERE
We figured if we're going to highlight a huge new, greener and cleaner lifestyle change we've made here at CasaCullen then we'd better feature a green, clean and totally hip kitchen. We completely adore the color palette, wide plank floors and awesome utilitarian feel that this kitchen oozes. Moving onto our big news, we've changed up our eating habits around CasaCullen and are very excited to share with you what is going on.
A good friend of ours here in Austin started telling us about eating clean. She continually talked about fruits, veggies and lean meats and all the different ways of pairing these together for your body to work at it's ultimate peak ability. Finally I told her, "We're super healthy eaters...how is it that much different than what we're already doing?" I just didn't get it! She urged me to purchase one of Tosca Reno's books just to better understand all the information she was flooding me with. Finally, I asked my sister if she and her family would be on board and we all ordered our books promptly. We purchased Reno's The Eat-Clean Diet Recharged book and my sister and her family purchased The Eat-Clean Diet for Family and Kids (more info on both books HERE).
So we have actually been on board with a completely clean diet for the last SEVEN DAYS! Ok, don't laugh, that's huge for us! I figured since we already eat at home for 5-6 nights a week, there should be no reason why we can't tackle this new lifestyle and way of eating. I don't consider this a diet (because I actually don't believe, agree or support diets because I'm really a big fan of moderation). I see this more as learning what foods your body breaks down and sort of a mini-nutrition manual.
We are enjoying learning about why we need to opt for oatmeal and boiled eggs for breakfast and why eating 7 small meals a day can really amp up CC Hubbies energy (I'm already a firm practitioner of a smaller meal diet). I'm loving that I can cruise into the bulk foods section of the grocery and play with new ingredients like wheat germ and flaxseeds. We're also no longer chugging organic milk but are now slurping on some almond or rice milk with some added whey protein powder. Our diet has changed so much in the last week but we're doing this as more of a lifestyle/eating change and not for true blue weight loss reasons. There's nothing bad about eating more fruits and veggies and curbing our non-lean meat intake to nearly nil. We are already pretty stoked about how much The Eat-Clean Diet has made us feel.So, with that being said, we've already found a recipe we can't wait to share. Featured below and also some step-by-step pictures. But take note, these are NOT your normal muffins. They are the heaviest and most power-packed energy makers I've ever had. They are purely addicting (after you see how your body feels post muffin eating) and are precisely the pick-me-up for that late morning hunger kick or mid afternoon snack. I kid you not, I love that CC Hubby can pack one of these muffins and two hard boiled eggs (with only one yolk) as a breakfast he can grab and go and take with him. It makes it just so much easier on those busy mornings when sitting down to oatmeal just can't happen!
So what's been the hardest part? Absolutely curbing our alcohol intake! CC Hubby can have at most 6 drinks on a weeked. That's 2 beers each day on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. I'm usually coming in around four drinks for the entire weekend. We like our good beer and yummy wine so this was the hardest part! But we know it's better for our health to cut back too. We're a bit more laxed on discipline on the weekends but still try to do our best to eat as clean as we can. As for the weekdays, we're all about being clean! Read on readers and let us know if you try the recipe! Get ready, they are intense but very hearty and healthy! Enjoy!
All the ingredients are sitting pretty in the mixing bowl! There are a ton of ingredients so I suggest you bust out your biggest mixing bowl!
Ridiculously and embarrassingly enough, we don't have an electric mixer so this recipe rocks because I just mixed all the ingredients together with a table fork...SCORE!
Into the oven those tasty 18 muffins go!
Even though the recipe called for paper liners, I didn't have any so I went for a bit of organic spray and oh my gosh, DUMB MOVE! They stuck like it was nobody's business! These are sticky muffins so I highly suggest you use liners. Here's the finished product above and I set three aside for our Monday and three more in the fridge for today/tomorrow and I froze the rest for the next few weeks. Cooking on Sunday afternoons alleviates some of the weekday stress of meal prep so it always makes life easier for us!
PS - You can print the recipe HERE too! And just remember, these are going to taste nothing like your sugar-laden goodies that you grab and go at Starbucks. They truly got 4 stars from us because they are hearty, healthy and great option for a quick breakfast that actually makes a difference in your body!
Take a minute and check out our other awesome weekly recipe re-caps we've featured so far: Healthy for Life's Stuffed Peppers, Mango, Dill and Cilantro Gazpacho, Women's Health Curried Sweet Potato and Chickpea Stew, Real Simple's Vegetarian Tacos, Aunt Beth's Pineapple Souffle, 15 Minute Cream Biscuits, Sunset Magazine's North Indian Style Spinach Chicken, Mrs. O'Callaghan's Soda Bread, Jordan's Momma's Quiche Lorraine, Shelby's Leek and Lima Bean Soup, Rosemary Grilled Kabobs, Homemade Tomato Soup, Easy Fruit Cobbler, Macho Man Meatballs, Super Bowl Dip Trio, Nana's No Bake Cheesecake, Rum Cake and Microwave Spiced Nuts.
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