This has got to be one, if not the, hardest times of the year for a striving-to-be-clean girl like me (smile).
It doesn’t help that I live in New England where its bitter cold outside at 5am in the morning when I wake up to go to the gym.
And, to add insult to injury, good and un-healthy food greets me everywhere I turn, making it harder and harder for me to make the right food choices…Between office day and night parties, get-togethers with friends, family gatherings, pre-holiday dinners, after-work happy hours and the like, I almost feel like throwing in the towel and biting into that lovely red velvet cupcake!
And eating clean?!? What a joke?!? Not with all of these yummy, unhealthy but delicious snacks surrounding me…
But then this tiny little nagging voice of reason shakes me, wakes me up and tells me to maintain control because if I keep giving in to food temptation, it’s going to be that much harder come January 2nd…
So…I take a deep breath and remind myself of the little things that I have done in the past to counteract the decadence. Here are just a few tips that I have used successfully:
Drink lots of water (not only is it filling but it also cleans out toxins)
Eat slowly and take small bites
At parties, eat out of tiny dinner plates
Try not do two things at once (like eat and talk on the phone) as you will lose track of your portions
And finally, drink one large (10 ounces or more) glass of ice waterfor every alcoholic drink consumed
The holidays are truly a whirlwind of fun, good food, good drinks and activity but if you try to keep track of what you eat and drink daily and not give in to every temptation out there you can get through them with minimal damage and celebrate the post New Year in style!
I love Connecticut in the Summertime because the weather is hazy, hot and humid and there’s soooooo much to do! These ‘tropical vacation-like’ weather conditions draw folks outside so the possibilities on who to do what with are endless?.
And because it’s soooooo hot, one of my favorite pastimes in the Summer is eating out, especially at new restaurants. But an old fave will get me every time (smile).
I have to be careful though with what and where I choose to eat because of my history of Colon Cancer. So I take my time by going online beforehand to look over menus to see if they have “healthy,” “light,” or “low-fat” entrees. This way I can pick and choose from foods that are not processed or fried and that contain as few ingredients as possible. I won’t lie, sometimes this is easy to do and other times it presents a challenge…
Here are just a few of my go-to’s. The actual list is real long so rest assured there will be a Part II and III of this blog post…
For breakfast on the weekends I love Julia’s Bakery in Orange. The last time I was there I had a sausage, egg and cheese sandwich on a homemade whole wheat english muffin. All of their breads are made fresh daily and as a result, absolutely delicious! I washed my breakfast sandwich and hash browns down with an Iced Coffee. Yummy!
For my need-to-be-clean, super healthy days, I like B Natural in New Haven, a Shops at Yale restaurant. Especially the healthy juice from their Juice Bar. Here I had the All Natural Turkey Wrap with a Detox Juice. Delish!
When I’m out looking for lip-smacking, finger-licking good ribs on my not-so-clean days (smile) I make my way over to the Science Park neighborhood in New Haven to Ricky’s Rib Shack! The ribs and sides are to die for! The background music is not too shabby either (smile).
For New Haven pizza, I’m stuck on Ah-Beetz on Temple Street. I call it ‘Chipotle meets Modern’ because you truly walk the line to create your own thin-crusted 11 inch customized personal pie and healthy salad and then, when it’s finished, the servers bring it out to your table. I named my customized personal ‘meatless’ pie LJ’s Vegetarian Delight, as I topped it with all the healthy stuff.
I love downtown eateries in the Summer, especially when they have a cute little shaded courtyard patio for dining in the rear. Zoi’s on Orange Street in New Haven is a new fave that I recently discovered by way of my client, Mary Wade. We ‘ladies who lunch,’ including Laura Hutchinson of News 8, all enjoyed our hearty delicious salads on this super hot sunny day!
When I’m in the mood for Northern Italian, I love me some Gusto Trattoria on the Post Road in Milford. They have this gluten-free pasta dish which fills you up without filling you out. And their warm homemade oblong garlic bread, which you spread with garlic butter and dip in olive oil, is heavenly! Mangia!
Speaking of Italian cuisine, I love love love live theater and one of my favorite venues is the Waterbury Palace Theater. Waterbury has lots of good Italian restaurants and one of my new faves is Damelio’s Italian Eatery. It’s neighborhood location and outdoor dining on the patio make it a fun place for me and my client, Sheree Marcucci to eat. They are known for their pasta, anti-pasta and more. I bucked the trend though and had this baked fish dish and it hit the spot!
For Italian cuisine in New Haven I like head to the Upper State Street neighborhood to Portofino’s for lunch or dinner – their salmon and spinach is always a good, healthy choice!
And the old standby, Tre Scalini in the Wooster Street neighborhood of New Haven will have you coming back for more! Their salmon over ceaser salad dish with homemade croutons was the bomb!
Just across the street from one of my favorite live entertainment venues in New Haven, the legendary Shubert Theater on College Street, sits Elm City Social, a new fave because of the unique decor and the delicious New American cuisine. After eating this Kale Caeser with Chicken dish, I (almost) licked my plate clean (smile).
A Shops at Yale restaurant,Heirloom, sits inside The Study at Yale and is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. We went there for lunch and I enjoyed an Heirloom Veggie Burger with a side salad. They are known for their Farm, Coastal Cooking. Healthy!!
And just last week I dined at Atelier Florian on Upper Chapel Street in the Chapel West Neighborhood in New Haven with my dear friend and Wine Connoisseur, Janna Waite. The General Manager of the restaurant, Alexandria Pena, convinced me that I would be in for a real treat. She was right. I loved the classy ambience along with the attentive service and the delightful Belgian cuisine. We both ordered a half dozen Blue Point oysters before our meal. And then we settled on the same entree: Faroe Island Salmon with Tender Leeks, Haricot Verts and Mashed Potatoes, which just about melted in my mouth. The French wine Janna picked out that night was well suited for our meal. And the dessert, which Alexandria insisted we try, was too good to pass up, warm blueberry cobbler with french vanilla ice cream and whipped cream – Super Yum!!!
I had the pleasure of dining out at Prime One Eleven in Trumbull over a month ago because my gf Lola invited me and my partner James, along with 5 other couples, to a milestone birthday dinner party for her hubby Darryl. I enjoyed it there so much that when me and my “squad” were looking for a restaurant in Fairfield County to celebrate a belated birthday, I recommended it. It’s a relatively new, upscale eatery that’s fun to be in, has really good food, good drinks and very attentive servers. My “Composition” (Entree) that night was the Organic 1/2 Chicken with Roasted Garlic Whipped Potatoes and Wood Fired Asparagus. Delish!
And finally, if you’re looking for a fun date night alone or with other couples which involves packing your own picnic basket and purchasing one of their 5 wines, Gouviea Winery and Vineyard in Wallingford is always a good choice. It’s local for me and my partner and the picturesque vineyard presents many photo ops. Bon Appetit!
Happy Anniversary to me! On August 5, 2016 I will celebrate 5 years (Colon) Cancer free. Yay!
You see on Friday, August 5, 2011 I had surgery to remove the colon cancer so I count that day in August as my anniversary date as opposed to counting when I actually completed my 12 chemo treatments which, by the way, was in February of 2012. I’m not going to get into it here as I have already blogged about the actual experience which can be found under Blogs on my site, lajeunehollis.com – Check out my blog post: A Place of Desert…(almost) 4 years cancer free
Although I tried unsuccessfully to put on a Colon Cancer Cruise in 2015 Check out my blog post: Colon Cancer Survivors Cruise Infoit was still a learning experience that left me much richer for it…
The month of March will forever hold a special place in my heart as it is Colon Cancer Awareness Monthand without the colonoscopy I received back in June of 2011, I would not be sharing any of these stories with you today – Check out my blog post: True Blue
Eating healthy and nutritious foods is a way of life for me now, not just a passing fad Check out any one of my blog post series: My Clean Living Life – Part V
Working out at The Edge in Hamden is a great stress reliever for sure but it also serves the dual purpose of keeping me physically fit – Check out my blog post: Pit Bull or Poodle?
And participating in seasonal sports and/or activities on a regular basis brings me right back to my childhood as my parents were always good about keeping all 7 of us Hollis kids busy in a good way – Check out my blog post: Ski Date
Having good friends to lean on during a major illness (remember that old saying about the fact that you don’t know who your real friends are until you encounter a major illness) rang so true for me. Also, making new friends as a direct result of my Cancer experience was humbling to say the least Check out my blog post: Friends are like jewels…
Family is crucial and I honestly don’t know what I would have done without the love and support of my father and my siblings during this trial – Check out my blog post: Anniversary
And finally, growing up in a religious household made all of the difference in the world in terms of how I viewed my illness and how I responded to it – Again, check out my blog post: A Place of Desert…(almost) 4 years cancer free Having faith and a church home (for me, Christian Tabernacle Baptist Churchin Hamden, CT) was completely necessary for my sanity and my survival. I was then and continue now to be truly blessed.
I hate to admit this but it’s almost Summertime so I’m starting to slack off on my clean cooking. It’s too doggone hot, which means my health may suffer as I just don’t feel like getting in the kitchen and cooking clean…Yet, I’m still hungry…it’s a vicious cycle…so what’s an aspiring-to-be-clean-living girl to do?!?
You know if only there were frozen dishes that did not contain additives or unhealthy chemicals.. that would solve my problem…but wait, there are! I searched on Google and here’s what I uncovered under eatclean.com: The 9 Cleanest Frozen Entrees You Can Buy:
Amy’s Light in Sodium Black Bean Vegetable Enchilada (love Mexican!)
Luvo Turkey Vegetable Lasagna (Lasagna, who knew!)
Evol Fire Grilled Steak (You mean I can have my steak too!)
Saffron Road Chana Saag with Cumin Rice (Sounds exotic and yummy!)
Kashi Southwest Style Chicken (Kashi means good in my book!)
Tandoor Chef Lamb Vindaloo (Another exotic sounding delicacy!)
Amy’s Tofu Scramble (Yummy!)
Luvo Chicken and Harissa Chickpeas (love Chicken cooked any way and always love chickpeas!)
What’s great about all of these frozen clean meals is that they are not only delicious and nutritious but alternately low in calories, low in sodium, high in fiber, dairy free, low in carbohydrates, low in sugar, and low in saturated fat. I’m headed right over to my local health food store/market (Edge of the Woods) to pick these dishes up!
I felt compelled to write this blog today since March is Colon Cancer Awareness month and I am a Colon Cancer Survivor. I have to admit that I first started seeing “Blue” on Social Media which reminded me that I too needed to get the word out about the importance of pre-screening for Colon Cancer since a colonoscopy literally saved my life: Check out this blog post: Black coffee and lemon Italian Ice…eeech!
I realize that I have a story that everyday people can relate to which I witnessed firsthand while sharing it through one of the most popular blogs on The View from Lajeune:Check out this blog post: A Place of Desert…(almost) 4 years cancer free
and through speaking about it at my church, Christian Tabernacle Baptist Church in Hamden, CT.
People I know from all walks of my life watched me go through colon cancer and beat it so I hope they felt encouraged not only for themselves, but for their loved ones who may or may not one day encounter the C word…
As it turns out, Colon Cancer is one of the most preventable and treatable cancers out there so I felt the urge to create my own fundraising page on the Colon Cancer Challenge Foundation (CCCF) website: http://events.coloncancerchallenge.org/site/TR/Events/TributeDonateYourWay?px=1104261&pg=personal&fr_id=1060
My page is on this website because I admire the fact that CCCF “has been working since 2003 to fund screening programs for the uninsured and provide much-needed funds to young investigators who are committed to finding a cure for colorectal cancer.”
So my the answer is: I am “true blue” in a good way, for I am not only a Survivor, but a Believer…
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