100 Days of Eating at Home: Day 30 Update

Eating ALL my meals at home or making them at home has proven more difficult than I originally predicted!  So, I started sort of slow.  The first week, I tried to eat 2 out of 3 meals at home, and I've been scaling down from there.  So far, it's going well this week.  I did forget my lunch at home today (doh!), so I went to Crazy Bowls and Wraps for a chicken-veggie-rice wrap for lunch.

I think I have learned that meal planning and taking the time to prep food for my work week on the weekend to be the most important things.  I am trying to make myself stick to the plan instead of making an impulsive, emotional choice of food during the day.  This is getting better!  I am finding it comforting that I have already decided what I will eat each day, and it's lowering my stress a little bit. :)

I also just weighed myself last week.  Honestly, I hadn't weighed myself since mid-July last year!  So, I was surprised to see I had lost 20 pounds!  And, since then, I have lost 6 more pounds!  Am I exercising regularly?  Uh, no.  So I'm going to just continue what I'm doing until I plateau, then add more exercise into the routine.  I have a goal to lose a total of 50 pounds by the 1 year mark in July.  It's an ambitious goal, but I'm sure I can do it if I try!

How is your meal planning and eating at home going?  What is the hardest part?

Sugar Free Challenge Day 2

Day 2

Sugar Free Challenge, Day 2 is about done.  Not so bad today, except for the lingering chocolate craving.  I did, however, experience some shakiness around 2pm today, but it was short lived after downing some water.  I feel like I’m having a hard time staying hydrated which seems weird because I’m pretty sure I’m taking in less caffeine.  Maybe it’s just a transitionary thing.  Here’s what I ate today!

--Scrambled eggs with sharp cheddar cheese; 2 pieces of sprouted bread toast with pastured butter and –ehem—strawberry jam.  YES, AGAIN. 

--Unsweetened ice tea and water throughout the day.

--Homemade beef barley soup

--Mozzarella cheese (snack)

--skipped dinner (not feeling so great, so didn’t want dinner.  Feeling like a bug is coming on…pretty sure it’s unrelated to the sugar thing.)

I have to share my happy little bit of awesomeness today.  Last weekend, I bought a really great thermos to take with me to work.  I have really been wanting to eat homemade soup for my work lunches, but alas, I usually eat in my car (and am usually lucky to have 10 minutes to eat).  So, hot soup was a little elusive since I don’t have a microwave in my car.  However, this thermos from Target stated that it could keep things piping hot for up to 7 hours!  Honestly, I doubted it.  Boy, was I wrong!  This awesome thermos kept my beef barley soup steaming hot until lunchtime, even though it was left in the freezing car.  In fact, it was SO hot that I still had to blow on it so I wouldn’t burn my tongue.  Fantastic.  I’m super excited about taking soup and hot meals for lunch!  I may need to invest in another one for coffee or hot tea to keep with me in the car.  We’ll see…  Check it out:  Thermos at Target.com  

I still need some creative things to eat for snacks.  I’m going to try to make this avocado dip for veggies.  Looks like it might be good…might help with my snacky needs.

Sugar, Sugar

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x1dqt4_the-archies-sugar-sugar_fun

This week I decided to participate in the Sugar Free Challenge over at “The Nourishing Gourmet” blogsite.  I’ve been reading labels for a while now, and I get very frustrated when nearly every product I pick up off of a grocery shelf has some derivative of sugar or corn syrup – most of the time as the first ingredient.  UGH!  Why does everything have sugar in it?  Probably because of it’s highly addictive properties.  Companies continue to sell high quantities of super unhealthy food because these products are crazy addictive.  I really think that if most Americans took an honest look at how sugar affected them, they would admit they are addicted. 

Today was DAY 1 of the Sugar Free Challenge for me.  I tried to follow the advice over at The Nourishing Gourmet to gradually decrease sugar intake over the weekend to lessen the blow.  Saturday:  check.  Sunday?  Wicked cravings for Coca-cola and a chocolate covered strawberry blizzard from Dairy Queen.  I know that I have some hormonal things that have been also affecting my cravings, but I went ahead and indulged.

Today, I have stuck to the rules:  No refined sugar (and trying to do no refined white flour as well).  Natural sugars are okay.  I did accidentally have a cheat at breakfast:  strawberry jam on my toast.  But I honestly didn’t even think about it.  Here is what I ate today:

1.     1. Scrambled eggs with sharp cheddar cheese; sprouted toast with pastured butter and –ehem—strawberry jam.  Apple juice (no added sugar).  Also a small swig of kombucha.

2.     2. Homemade beef barley soup.

3.     3. Frozen strawberries with vanilla whole milk organic yogurt (I love the Brown Cow brand for yogurt).

4.     4. Cheese and walnuts.

5.    5.  Iced tea.

6.     6. A bite of a fermented pickle (didn’t taste as awesome as I thought it would…)

7.    7.  Left over pork chop and quinoa.  ½ tablespoon of raw fermented sauerkraut.

8.     8. Mozzarella cheese snack.

I felt like I was eating ALL . THE . TIME .  And I drank a lot of filtered water.  But at this very moment, I have a wicked nasty chocolate craving.  I think the hardest thing for me when I’m trying to eat differently is my car.  I can go to the g-store and buy smart.  I can meal plan.  I can prepare.  But, I can also walk outside, get in my car, and go to any of the infinite fast food restaurants near my home that will sell me sugar filled and other crap food without me even getting out of my car.  I mean, honestly.  There is a McDonald’s directly across the street from my apartment complex, along with a Golden Corrale.  Additionally, within walking distance is a Taco Bell, Jack in the Box, Mexican Place, Stephania’s to go, Hardees, Walgreen's, and two grocery stores.  Right now, I could WALK to Walgreen's and buy as much chocolate as my checking account could handle.

But I haven’t yet.  And honestly, I’m too tired at this moment to walk my butt to the car, let alone to Walgreen's!

Today I was lethargic.  I had crazy chocolate cravings.  I had trouble concentrating on anything but getting a piece (bag) of chocolate.  And I had a lingering headache all day.  I eventually took 2 Aleve this evening…but I’m just realizing that I didn’t check to see if the Aleve had sugar in it.  Wouldn’t that just be a kicker if the ALEVE had sugar in it?  ACK!

I’m a little worried about tomorrow (Tuesday) because of being at work all day.  I need to remember to take a bunch of snacky stuff with me that can survive being in the cold car all day and can be eaten while I drive.