Meals 12/31

Breakfast drink, eggs over easy, toast with almond butter and coconut oil
veggie omelet, wheat toast with tiny amount jelly
Veggie smoothie
Grilled scallops, butternut squash casserole

It is never too late for a new beginning
Happy New Year
Eat Like Mark

Meals, 12/30

Breakfast drink, toast with coconut oil and almond butter
Mega salad with added ground venison
Baked chicken, collards, black eyed peas

Apple, nuts
Shredded chicken with black beans, mega salad
Beet salad, nut bar

You don't need to see the entire staircase to take the first step
Eat Like Mark

Meals, 12/29

Protein drink
Nuts, mega salad, cookie
Breakfast drink
Turkey meatloaf, beet salad, nuts
Venison taco salad
Nut clusters with Nutella

Why wait
Eat Like Mark...today

Meals, 12/28

Toast with coconut oil and almond butter
Breakfast drink
Apple, nuts, orange
Baked chicken, steamed veggies in tomato sauce
Turkey/spinach wrap, avocado, apple, nuts

Brownie

Ezekial pasta with homemade tomato sauce, protein drink

There are only two kinds of people who never make mistakes..those who never try anything new, and those who lie.
Eat Like Mark

Meals, 12/27

Nuts
Breakfast drink
Venison chili, steamed green beans and carrots
Apple
More venison chili
Veggie smoothies
Spinach salad, asparagus, cheddar cheese chunks, marinated mushrooms
Protein drink

Dont ask "why",   ask "why not".
Eat Like Mark

Christmas Eve and Christmas Day

OK, I stayed away from the computer and blogging for two days and,  to be honest, do not exactly remember everything I ate.  Here is some of what I did;

Breakfast drinks x 2 each day
Nuts
Tempeh
Turkey, stuffing,  Mom's sweet potatoes which are loaded with apple sauce and sugar
Dark chocolate, Chocolate cake, Christmas cookies
Mega salad
Sardines
Scrambled eggs with black bean and guacamole salsa.

A 1.5 day indulgence...Loved every bite, no guilt..BUT...had my fill by 5pm on Christmas Day with no desire for another lick, sniff, or taste.

"Everything in Moderation, including Moderation"

Merry Christmas

Eat Like Mark

Meals 12/23

Breakfast drink, toast with almond butter and honey
Venison chili, nuts
Grilled chicken, green bean casserole

Spirulina/carob food bar, nuts

"To Infinity and Beyond"...Buzz Lightyear
Eat Like Mark

Holiday survival Tip Summary

Leave your hunger at home   Don't  head out to your holiday party hungry.  Start with a full stomach. Eat something healthy and substantial before you head out.  For example -  Oatmeal, mixed nuts and seeds, vegetable juice with some fiber powder (psyllium husk is my choice), boiled egg whites with hummus, canned meat such as tuna, or salmon with some hummus mixed in, Mark's mush(or your own concoction), or a veggie smoothie for you "Platinum Member" Eat Like Mark'ers and anyone who is up for it.

 Lemon water - Lemon is a natural appetite suppressant.  Bring a glass of lemon water with you in the car on the way to the Christmas party.  Get a glass of lemon water as soon as you arrive at the party.  Keep drinking lemon water all evening.  It will suppress your appetite making it easier to avoid the "table-of- yummies"! If you are drinking lemon water, you are drinking less alcohol.  Less alcohol means less sugar calories and less of its' appetite enhancing effects (a.k.a. "The Munchies"). 

Lemon water is also touted to have other benefits such as improved digestion and absorption of important nutrients.  Lemon water helps to alkalinize our bodies which offsets the unhealthy acidic environment created by all the crappy foods we eat.  By alkalinizing our system, we are less susceptible to infections and can better fight off the ones we get(colds, flu, etc)

The Good with the Bad  - Just another revision of an old Eat Like Mark theme..that is BALANCE.  For every piece of a cookie, cracker, cake, candy, and other holiday crap you know is bad (but tastes ohh so go good), have 2 or 3 portions of something nutritious and healthy.  Be honest, even though most holiday parties/gatherings are laden with unhealthy stuff, there is usually a lonely, underutilized veggie tray somewhere to be found.

 Use a Plate - Holiday parties typically have food scattered all over, and usually a central table full of irresistible treats.  You tell yourself that you will just "cheat a little" tonight.  However, it is impossible to have an accurate assessment of quantities when you are simply picking from the goodie table every time you pass by.  Instead, put all your food on to a plate, look at it and take mental note.  If you go for seconds/thirds/etc., do the same.  To take it a step further, after you are done looking at your full plate, put some back!

Water, Water Everywhere -  In general, I am not a fan of "overhydration" but these holiday parties can be full of disastrous temptations so it is time to pull out all the tricks.  Drink a full glass of lemon water before you leave your house, as soon as you arrive at the party and match each portion of illegal yummies with another full glass...  The water will keep you feeling full and decrease your appetite. The simple act of drinking(and then peeing every 20 minutes) may be time consuming enough to distract you from the "table of temptations".   You will feel great in the morning!!

Meals 12/22

Black bean,tomato, and guacamole mix ( no chips)
Spirulina/carob food bar, Venison Chili, Nuts
Turkey meatloaf, Nuts
Breakfast drink
Veggie smoothie

Christmas Cookies at the Matthews House...No I did not eat any ...yet

If you can Dream, you can be It
Eat Like Mark

Meals, 12,21

Breakfast drink x 2
Tempeh with avocado

Grilled chicken with hummus, green bean casserole
Venison chili, nuts

There are those who say that motivation just doesn't last..well, neither does bathing which is why you need a dose everday


Eat Like Mark

Meals,12/20

Breakfast drink
Turkey meatloaf, green bean casserole
Tempeh,  Beet salad(Earth Fare)

Grilled chicken, green bean casserole, coconut oil
Nut clusters, chocolate chips, protein drink


Life is a journey, not a guided tour
Eat Like Mark

Meals, 12/19

Breakfast drink
Turkey meatloaf

Nut bar, nuts
Green bean casserole
Salmon patty with mustard, more green bean casserole, nuts
Turkey sandwich, crappy Donatos pizza, pretzels dipped in Nutella
Protein drink




"Be always at war with your vices,  at peace with your neighbors, and let each new year find you a better man.".....Benjamin Franklin

Eat Like Mark

Meals, 12/18

Breakfast drink
Tempeh, nuts, apple
Nut clusters
Turkey burger with black bean dip, veggie smoothie, nut clusters
Akmok with hummus

Toast with almond butter, nut bar

While no one can go back and create a new beginning,  anyone can start fresh and create a new ending

Eat Like Mark

Meals, 12/17

Breakfast drink
Toast with almond butter, granola, tempeh
Seaweed salad, nuts
Salmon patties with mustard, veggie smoothie, nuts



Excellence is not a destination, but rather a  never ending journey

Eat Like Mark

Meals, 12/16

Whole eggs, Toast with coconut oil and almond butter, Breakfast drink

Salsa Chicken, acorn squash, beets, nuts
Veggie smoothie, salmon patty with mustard

The person you are today is the result of yesterday's thoughts, ...... Who is it that you want to be tomorrow?


Eat Like Mark

Holiday Survival Tip of Day, 12/16

Water, water everywhere -  In general, I am not a fan of "overhydration" but these holiday parties can be full of disastrous temptations so it is time to pull out all the tricks.  Drink a full glass of lemon water before you leave your house, as soon as you arrive at the party and match each portion of illegal yummies with another full glass...  The water will keep you feeling full and decrease your appetite. The simple act of drinking(and then peeing every 20 minutes) may be time consuming enough to distract you from the "table of temptations".   You will feel great in the morning!!

HOLIDAY SURVIVAL TIP REVIEW - See Commentary section for details
1. Leave your Hunger at Home
2. Lemon water
3. The Good with The Bad
4. Use a Plate
5. Water, Water Everywhere

Meals, 12/15

Breakfast drink
Mark's mush
Lentil bean soup with canned salmon, nuts
Tempeh, apple, nuts
"Grawnola"  food bar, breakfast drink
Salsa chicken, acorn squash

Nut clusters, plantain chips, gingerbread cookies

Mom always said..."Eat your veggies"...Just dont use them as a vehicle for cheese and dip


Eat Like Mark

Meals, 12/14

Breakfast drink, toast with coconut oil and almond butter
Mark's mush
Tuna, salmon, shrimp, crabmeat sashimi salad (at Lui Lui's)

Nuts
Veggie smoothie, Tempeh

You cannot pursue success, it must be attracted to you, and the person that you become through change.
Eat Like Mark

Meals, 12/13

Veggie smoothie, coconut oil
Nuts
Baked chicken, grilled tuna, steamed green beans, butternut squash soup, nuts
Collard and black eyed pea salad, beets

Apple, pumpkin seeds, kale chips
Butternut squash casserole, breakfast drink
Lentil bean soup with canned salmon, nuts


Maximize your yields by investing your energies in self-improvement, not in reforming others
Eat Like Mark

Meals, 12/12

Whole egg. Toast with coconut oil
Butternut squash soup, nuts
Mark's mush
Baked chicken. Steamed carrots. Kale chips
Grilled tuna, salad, mixed olives

Breakfast drink
New Year's salad (collards, black eyed peas, roasted red peppers, olive oil, vinegar), orange

Yesterday was a lesson learned... Today is a gift to behold.... Tomorrow is ours to create
Eat Like Mark

Meals, 12/11

Breakfast drink
Breakfast burrito
Lentil bean salad, Venison chili
Butternut squash soup, Walnuts
Spinach salad with grilled chicken and hummus(as dressing)
Grilled tuna, Butternut squash casserole

It's not the things you do in life...but rather it's the life you put into the things you do.
Eat Like Mark

Meals, 12/10

Breakfast drink, stuffed green pepper
Butternut squash soup, nuts
Lentil bean salad
Salad
Venison chili, butternut squash soup, walnuts

Others rarely, if ever,  remember what we said, what we did, how we looked, or what we were wearing...but... they always remember how we made them feel.

Eat Like Mark

Meals, 12/9

Breakfast burrito, veggie smoothie

Venison chili

Grilled salmon, butternut squash soup, nuts, kale chips

Breakfast drink
Shrimp, butternut squash soup

Knowledge, training, and skill load the gun...but... it takes courage to pull the trigger
Eat Like Mark

Holiday tip of the day, 12/9

Use a plate  - Holiday parties typically have food scattered all over, and usually a central table full of irresistible treats.  You tell yourself that you will just "cheat a little" tonight.  However, it is impossible to have an accurate assessment of quantities when you are simply picking from the goodie table every time you pass by.  Instead, put all your food on to a plate, look at it and take mental note.  If you go for seconds/thirds/etc., do the same.  To take it a step further, after you are done looking at your full plate, put some back!  

To truly enjoy today, you must have no regrets tomorrow

Eat Like Mark

Meals, 12/8

Whole egg, Toast with coconut oil and almond butter
Veggie smoothie
Grilled salmon, butternut squash soup, nuts

Lentil salad
Breakfast drink
Stuffed peppers

Your mistakes don't cause your failure,  but... blaming others for them does.
Eat Like Mark

Meals, 12/7

Kale chips, nuts
Lentil bean salad
Navy beans, steamed carrots and cauliflower

Salad with canned salmon,  pear
Nut clusters
Breakfast drink
Grilled salmon, butternut squash soup


"The test we must set for ourselves is not to march alone but to march in such a way that others will wish to join us". ...Hubert Humphrey


Eat Like Mark

Holiday survival Tip of the Day, 12/7/2011

Today's tip, 12/7  - "The good with the bad" 

Just another revision of an old Eat Like Mark theme..that is BALANCE.  For every piece of a cookie, cracker, cake, candy, and other holiday crap you know is bad (but tastes ohh so go good), have 2 or 3 portions of something nutritious and healthy.  Be honest, even though most holiday parties/gatherings are laden with unhealthy stuff, there is usually a lonely, underutilized veggie tray somewhere to be found.

You are Braver than you believe, Stronger than you feel, and Smarter than you think
Eat Like Mark

Meals, 12/6

Veggie smoothie
Nuts, Lentil bean salad
Naked venison taco salad
Breakfast drink
Eel and tuna sashimi, seaweed salad

"The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step"..Lao Tzu
Eat Like Mark

Meals, 12/5

Toast with coconut oil and almond butter.  Breakfast drink.  Whole egg

Baked cod, green beans, simple salad
"Organic" (Earth Fare homemade) food bar

Lentil bean salad, Earth Fare turkey meatloaf, Nut clusters
Venison taco salad(naked)
Frozen yogurt with blackberries, Dark chocolate candy bar

Action is the antidote for despair

Eat Like Mark

Meals, 12/4

Nuts
Lentil bean salad, nut clusters
Tempeh

Earth fare turkey meatloaf, beet salad
Apple
"Organic" food bar from Earth Fare, Nuts, more turkey meatloaf.

Worry not about the length of your life, but rather its' width and depth.
Eat Like Mark

Holiday tip of the Day, 12/4

Today's tip, 12/4...- Lemon water.  Lemon is a natural appetite suppressant.  Bring a glass of lemon water with you in the car on the way to the Christmas party.  Get a glass of lemon water as soon as you arrive at the party.  Keep drinking lemon water all evening.  It will suppress your appetite making it easier to avoid the "table-of- yummies"! If you are drinking lemon water, you are drinking less alcohol.  Less alcohol means less sugar calories and less of its' appetite enhancing effects (a.k.a. "The Munchies") .  Lemon water is also touted to have other benefits such as improved digestion and absorption of important nutrients.  Lemon water helps to alkalinize our bodies which offsets the unhealthy acidic environment created by all the crappy foods we eat.  By alkalinizing our system, we are less susceptible to infections and can better fight off the ones we get(colds, flu, etc)

Tis the Season to....
Eat Like Mark

Meals,12/3

Breakfast drink, toast with coconut oil and almond butter
Nuts, nut clusters
Sauteed spinach and mushrooms with chopped fresh garlic, olive oil and lemon zest

Salmon patty with dijon mustard, celery, carrot, tomato
Vegetable juice with fiber powder and wheat grass
Akmok crackers with black bean dip
Earth Fare turkey meatloaf, cottage cheese, beet salad
Apple, nuts


If the world feels cold, light a fire
Eat Like Mark

Meals,12/2

Whole egg. Toast with almond butter and coconut oil
Granola
Mark's mush
Baked chicken, green beans, seasoned black eyed peas, collards

Pear, kale chips
Nuts, nut clusters, breakfast drink
Salad with canned salmon


Modern medicine has given us a great many gifts yet, the cure for society's most deadly and contagious disease of all, apathy, can only come form within.

Eat Like Mark

Holiday Tip of the Day

December willl be a challenging month for all you "Eat Like Mark'ers".  But, as Martin Luther King said...
"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of
comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and
controversy.”
So what can we do?  Check out some of the commentary sections such as "Surviving Thanksgiving", "Setbacks",  to help answer this. 

Today's tip....Don't  head out to your holiday party hungry.  Start with a full stomach. Eat something healthy and substantial before you head out.  For example -   Oatmeal, mixed nuts and seeds, vegetable juice with some fiber powder (psyllium husk is my choice), boiled egg whites with hummus, canned meat such as tuna, or salmon with some hummus mixed in, Mark's mush(or your own concoction), or a veggie smoothie for you "Platinum Member" Eat Like Mark'ers and anyone who is up for it.

Eat Like Mark

Meals, 12/1

Breakfast drink, Toast with coconut oil and almond butter
Baked eggplant with homemade tomato sauce, Nuts
Grated zucchini sauteed in olive oil, little bit of Paul Prudhommes seafood magic seasoning

Salmon patty with dijon mustard, nut clusters
Veggie smoothie
Red Bowl - "Ma-La seafood"


Although action does not always bring happiness, there is no happiness without action
Eat Like Mark