AVOCADO, FRIED EGG, TOMATO AND ARUGULA TOAST

 

This quick and easy to prepare Avocado, Fried Egg, Tomato and Arugula Toast (along with a few other things) will help turn your weight loss program around.  It certainly did for me.

 

 

As I grew up in a small country town, most of my diet consisted of grass-fed beef from our ranch or one of the 2 local meat markets and fresh vegetables from either my mom’s or my grandmother’s large gardens.  I have always been primarily an all-natural, clean eater.  (Well, maybe not during my college years.)  I have NEVER eaten low-fat anything or artificial sweeteners, and I try not to use many processed foods.  I certainly did not grow up on low-calorie, low-fat, fake-sugar foods. As my mother was a great, country-style cook, we had mostly freshly prepared food…very little processed food.  I have always been anti-diet…well, until now that Joel and I needed to lose some weight and get our bodies in shape.

I don’t know about most people, but our kids have completely transformed our lives in so many ways.  Joel and I would not be the people we are today, if not for choices our kids have made in their lives.  Their journeys have made us much better people.

The newest transformation for Joel and me has come from our son-in-law, Bennie, who is a Strength and Conditioning Coach. When our oldest daughter, Jennifer, met him, he was the Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach for the Dallas Cowboys. He went on to be the Head Strength and Conditioning Coach at Texas Tech University with Mike Leach as the Head Coach for 7 years, the University of Tennessee for 1 year and then The University of Texas under Mack Brown for 3 years.

Our youngest daughter, Abby (my Mother Earth child), had started me on the path of mostly natural and organic foods, but the real motivation for a healthier lifestyle came from the next career step Bennie took.  He was chosen as one of the top 10 strength and conditioning coaches in the country to participate in Dave Broome and Sylvester Stallone’s NBC STRONG reality TV show.  (To see the series, go to NBC.com/STRONG.)  It teamed up each coach with a 30ish-year-old woman who wanted to lose a minimal amount of weight and get strong both mentally and physically.  The transformations in these 10 women were truly amazing and so inspirational.  I simply decided that if they could get stronger and leaner, so could I!! (Even though I am 66???)  Yes, it can be done with commitment…and it is NOT THAT HARD!!

 

 

 

Jennifer was the main inspiration for us to lose weight.  During the 3 months Bennie was gone to California filming the show, beside working and taking care of 3 little ones, she committed to a 30 day eating program and supplement regimen called Xyngular.  All of the supplements are plant-based, and the food allowed on the program is all very clean. She managed to lose 20 pounds in just under two months.  She even inspired our son, Zach, to get on a working out/healthy eating journey.

 

 

 

Joel and I had talked about losing weight and getting fit for years.  We finally decided it was time to commit ourselves to being healthier.  We decided to get more committed to our workouts and eating cleaner.  (If you know me, you realize just how amazing this is…I HATE to work out!!!) Joel wanted to lose 25 pounds, but has no self-discipline when it comes to food. He decided that a structured program like Xyngular, the one Jennifer had done, would be the only way he could lose weight.

I, on the other hand, decided to try simply cutting out most sugar and carbs and mostly eating the food he was allowed to eat on Xyngular.  Honestly, I wanted to see if I could lose 10 pounds without giving up my 5 o’clock Martini, buttered popcorn and coffee with cream and sugar.  My theory is, “decide on the things you love and work around that to lose weight”, but you have to commit yourself to those decisions.  In one month, we both achieved our goals on our own programs.  Joel actually loved the structured supplement program and clean eating plan of Xyngular! He never felt hungry, and he felt great through out the 30 days.  I ate clean, cutting out most sugars and carbs, and MOSTLY ate the food he ate, but I think the real key was I added a 1 hour walk/run on the treadmill at least 4 to 5 days a week.

A side benefit for us is…we feel so much better!  Joel was on Prilosec for acid reflux and still had to take Zantac on a regular basis.  He hasn’t had either in months!  I had to take Zantac about once or twice a week, and now, no more for me either! The bottom line is…it is so worth committing yourself to a “healthier you”!  I promise, you will thank yourself!

So, with all of that said, I will try to provide healthier recipes and more information to help you on your “healthy journey”, should you choose to make the change!  (OK, so not all of the recipes will be healthy, as we have to have some balance in our lives.)

Now to the Avocado, Fried Egg, Tomato and Arugula Toast.  As I was a Home Economics major at The University of Texas at Austin, I have always been interested in food and nutrition; so trying to eat cleaner was a natural progression and fun for me.  One of the things I recently read, explained that most people cut out all fats when they want to lose weight.  Not smart!  You need healthy fats like avocado and olive oil.  So, I created a healthy, quick and easy breakfast, that I love, and I think it helped turn my weight loss around.  It was my Avocado, Fried Egg, Tomato and Arugula Toast.  (If you are in a hurry, leave out the egg and if you don’t love arugula as I do, either substitute another green or leave it out.)  

 

 

In trying to cut out products with GMOs, I have discovered a healthy, organic bread that I love.  It is Dave’s Killer 21 Whole Grains and Seeds Bread.   Even better is their Good Seed Bread which I have just discovered.  I saw it yesterday at Kroger, and decided to give it a try.  I now have a new favorite!  I like it better than the Dave’s Killer 21 Whole Grains and Seeds as the texture is not as dense, and it is softer.  When my grandkids were here a few weeks ago, I tried the Dave’s White Bread Done Right.  As they are very picky eaters, I did not expect much.   To my surprise, they did not notice that it was not their regular Potato Bread.  A miracle!