Our new clean eating journey has us experimenting with new foods, new spices, and new ways of making some of our favorite recipes. We’ve cut out refined sugars, GMO (genetically modified organism) foods, and artificial sweeteners, as well as reducing dairy and gluten. Most of the time we are primarily eating lean meats, fruits, and vegetables.
I’ve always heard that sugar cravings will decrease and I’ll admit the first month was hard but now I have very little craving for the sweet stuff. I feel free (and I’ve lost a fair amount of weight—gotta love that)!
One of my favorite dairy foods is Greek yogurt. Plain Greek yogurt is way too plain for me. I love flavored Greek Yogurt, but it’s always full of sugar.
Enter my newest favorite thing: infused olive oils and balsamic vinegars.
While I love vinegar for chemical free cleaning, I’ve never been a fan of vinegar as a food in any way! However, infused balsamic vinegar is one of my new favorite things!
We’ve been using Fig Balsamic Vinegar and Persian Lime Olive Oil on our salads! The Fig Balsamic is INCREDIBLE! We’ve also been popping our popcorn in butter infused olive oil and its amazing how buttery it tastes without the unhealthy melted hydrogenated butter poured over the top!
Then there’s the flavored Greek yogurt that I’ve been missing. I decided to give my new balsamic vinegar discovery a try. I purchased plain Greek yogurt, added Cherry Infused Balsamic Vinegar, a squirt of liquid stevia, and some fresh fruit like blueberries or strawberries.
Oh. My. Goodness! So yummy! And so much more healthy than store-bought flavored yogurt!
My friend Traci is the one who introduced me to infused olive oils and balsamic vinegars! Her new store, The Olive Bin, is just a mile from my house. A little too convenient if you want to know the truth! (Even if you don’t live in Central Illinois, you can order online if you’d like to try something new!)
I’m loving experimenting with new ways to make some of my favorite things!
What about you? Do you have a clean eating recipe to share? What about a yummy way to modify something you love in an effort to make it more healthy?
Congrats on moving to healthier eating! It’s a process, isn’t it. I invite you to check out Wildtree, too. Wildtree is a certified organic, all-natural food company that offers delicious, healthy and all natural groceries through Home Tastings, Freezer Meal Workshops or On-line ordering. I LOVE helping families eat healthier, reduce dinnertime stress, save time and money through our meal planning tools. We are expanding our Gluten-Free line so that 65% of our products will be certified Gluten-Free. Our goal is 100%. I’d love to answer any questions you might have. 🙂
Jan, I’ve been to a Wildtree workshop. I love the Scampi Seasoning and the Bacon Grapeseed Oil! Yum!
Your popcorn sounds SO good! If you want to try something a little different, try sprinkling “nutritional yeast” on it. It is a dry powder that has a hint of a cheesy flavor to it and a good source of vitamin B12. (Buy a small amount at a health food store to see if you like it.) That’s what we put on ours and use it in other cooking also. Keep up the great work!
Also, we now make “ice cream” in our heavy duty blender:
Use 2 frozen bananas (in 1″ chunks), almond milk, a small amount of nuts and blend it tastes like ice cream. You can add milk to make it into a shake/smoothie or less milk to make it a thicker consistency. You kind of have to experiment with the amount of milk but it’s all good. You can also sub other frozen fruit, but the bananas make it creamy. 🙂
Thanks Rebecca! We will have to try the yeast on the popcorn! It sounds good! We’ve done the banana ice cream and love it!