Dinner

Hey guys!!

Jeeze, sorry I’ve been MIA for awhile on here! Since we opened for the season at The Prairie Club, I’ve been busy busy with work….all the more reason to dive into this topic on how I keep healthy eating simple with a super valuable acronym/practice taught by my best friend & registered dietitian Robyn Johnson. I’ve bragged about her before in other posts (like this one) about how valuable she’s been in my health journey & the good news is, she can help you too!

The concept is called CPF+ and it stands for:

C = Carbohydrates
P = Protein
F = Fat
+ = The BEST, most nutritious version of all 3 (aka: REAL FOOD)

Seems pretty simple right? Well, the good news is that it IS!

What I love about this way of viewing nutrition is that it is BALANCED & that’s what I’m striving for in all areas of my life! This is NOT a diet. I hate diets to be honest with you because I know that, quite simply, they don’t work for long-lasting health. There’s plenty of research backing that, but more importantly, I can speak from personal experience that obsessive calorie counting & any form of deprivation, including restricting calories to an unhealthy level (which most diets do), can & will completely backfire eventually! CPF+ is a way of thinking about your nutrition & practicing healthy habits that you can sustain for LIFE.

Since implementing CPF+, I’m healthier, but more import than that, I’m WAY happier! Eating real food & listening to my body for what it wants & needs is way more sustainable than relying only on the numbers & counting every little thing that I put in my mouth. I’ve learned that not all calories are created equal, so eating the right calories instead of getting under my calorie “limit” is the key to lasting health (and sanity….ha!). I now focus more on the ingredient list (the shorter the better) instead of the calorie or fat content.

OK, so let’s dive in shall we?! I’m going to keep it pretty simple today, but will include a link to more info from Robyn if you want to dive in further.

C = CARBS

No, this does not mean highly processed, junk carbs, like most breads, cereals, & pastas.
The most nutrient dense (+) carbs are found in the form of good ol’ fruits & veggies!!
Contrary to some popular diets (ugh) out there, YOUR BODY NEEDS CARBS. They’re our main source of energy in the body. Don’t listen to any diets that suggest cutting out or extremely limiting one of the macros (CPF). You need all 3!
My go-to healthy carb sources: all fruits & veggies, beans, rice, oats, & quinoa

Carbohydrate Foods

P = Protein

Protein is essential for muscle building, hair & nail health, tissue repair, & so much more!
Complete proteins contain all 22 amino acids, which are essential for our body to function optimally.
My go-to healthy protein sources: beef, pork, chicken, fish, gelatin, eggs, & greek yogurt

protein

F = Fats

One of the most detrimental dietary recommendations in America has been the low fat craze!! We NEED healthy fats (just make sure they’re the right kind)!
Fats are essential for carrying nutrients throughout the body, building hormones, absorbing vitamins, & providing satiation.
Avoid any food product that’s labeled “fat free” or “low fat,” as they’re always supplemented with artificial, crappy ingredients like sugar, artificial sweeteners, or preservatives, to retain the flavor that is stripped away when they take out the fat.
My go-to healthy fat sources: olive oil, coconut oil, organic butter, avocado, olives, natural peanut butter, almonds, chia seeds, & flax seeds
Fats that I avoid like the plague: vegetable oil, canola oil, margarine, shortening, or any food product with “partially hydrogenated oil” in the ingredients list

Foods containing healthy fats

That’s IT! Pretty simple right? Just remember CPF+ when meal building & you’re good to go! I keep this in mind any time I eat meals or snacks & it really helps me control blood sugar imbalances, curbs my hunger, & keeps me energized & satisfied throughout the day.

Here’s some examples of my favorite CPF+ meals:

Breakfast

Local eggs (P+) cooked in coconut oil (F+) with a banana (C+) & natural peanut butter (F+)
Smoothie with spinach, bananas, & strawberries (C+), gelatin powder (P+), & chia seeds (F+)

Lunch

Salad with mixed greens, tomatoes, & carrots (C+), deli turkey breast (P+), homemade olive-oil based dressing (F+)
Burrito bowl with rice, black beans, tomatoes, & salsa (C+), diced chicken (P+), olives & sour cream (F)

Dinner

Grilled steak (P+) with a side of potatoes, peppers, onions, & mushrooms (C+) grilled in a foil packet with organic butter & olive oil (F+)
Sweet potato hash made with diced sweet potatoes, onion, peppers, kale, & other veggies (C+), cooked in bacon fat or coconut oil (F+), mixed with chopped bacon & topped with 2 fried eggs (P+) – find recipe here!

For more awesome information about this, click here for Robyn’s free CPF+ nutrition guide! You can also follow her nutrition facebook page, or follow her on instagram @personalizednutrition_

I hope this is helpful information for some of you striving to live a more balanced, simpler, happier, healthier life. I’d love to hear what you think so comment below or like this post if you found it useful 🙂 Also, if you liked this, don’t forget to follow the blog so that you’re notified when I post new content!

Thanks so much for following my journey.

Until next time,

– Janeen

Hello everyone!

One thing that I love to do is COOK & experiment with healthy, balanced recipes 🙂 So, today I thought I’d share one of my go-to recipes for ANY meal! Seriously, I make this at least twice a week & always make enough to have leftovers (that is, if my husband doesn’t eat it all first!) It is super quick & easy, not to mention healthy & DELICIOUS!! The other thing I love is that is is very customize-able (is that a word?) – you can throw in literally any veggies that you like or have on hand & it’s always fabulous.

OK, so here is how to make Sweet Potato Hash (this recipe makes around 4 large servings, so feel free to adjust as needed):

Heat up your electric skillet (or large saute pan on stove) to medium heat. I like using an electric skillet b/c it is BIG, & like I said, I like to make a lot of this stuff 😉
Cook up some bacon! I usually just throw in however many slices I have on hand or however many fit in the pan. This time I cooked 9 slices of bacon. Cook approximately 3 minutes per side or however long it takes to get nice & browned & cooked through. Mmmm bacon…..

3. While the bacon is cooking, start dicing your sweet potatoes. I diced up 2 medium sweet potatoes this time around.

4. When bacon is cooked through, remove from pan & place on a plate lined with paper towels. Leave a couple tablespoons of bacon grease in the pan (you might have to drain some off depending on how much grease your bacon produces).

5. Toss the diced sweet potatoes into your pan.

6. While your potatoes start to cook, dice up some onion. I used 1/2 of a medium sized yellow onion. Toss those in the pan with the sweet potatoes.

7. Next, you can add any other veggies you’d like! This time I chopped up some sweet mini peppers & kale, but have used lots of other veggies in the past (mushrooms, bell peppers, carrots, spinach, broccoli, etc.). Let me just tell you though, I’d highly recommend kale because sweet potatoes & kale go together like PB & J. Sounds strange, but trust me, it’s a fabulous combination. Toss the rest of your veggies in the pan, add about a tablespoon of chili powder (or to taste), & salt & pepper to taste. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the sweet potatoes & rest of the veggies are cooked through completely (usually about 20 minutes total for the sweet potatoes).

8. While veggies are cooking, chop up your cooked bacon. Add to the pan when veggies are cooked & heat through (about 1-2 minutes).

*Look at this bacon/veggie yumminess!

9. Turn off heat & cover veggie/bacon mixture with a lid to keep warm. In a separate pan, fry 2 eggs over-easy (keep yolk runny in the middle) for each serving. If serving 4 people, fry up 8 eggs. I just did 2 here because I was just eating 1 serving for me! Use a healthy fat option to fry, like organic butter or coconut oil (my personal favorite with this recipe). Sprinkle with salt & pepper.

10. Spoon some hash onto your plate & top with the 2 fried eggs! Sometimes I top this with some avocado slices, but I didn’t have any on hand this time around.