Let's keep this my dirty little secret...

I have eaten like crap for the last week!  I've had clean meals sprinkled in here and there (orange buckwheat pancakes were tasty), but it has been mostly over-processed birthday foods.  It was such a wonderful week though!  Hard to believe my baby is 2 already!

This lapse into dirty eating habits has me wondering - can food really make that much difference in your body?  It must because I've been much more lethargic, bloated, and battling headaches the last couple of days - a drastic change from my energetic, slim+mer feeling self from a week ago.  That definitely gives me motivation to get back on track!  Tonight I'm whipping up a shrimp stir fry with buckwheat soba noodles.  It smells sooooo good (soy sauce, honey, ginger, lime, and garlic).  I can't wait to see how it turns out.

Next week I'll fully be back to cleaner eating.  It truly is all about planning!  There was nothing prepared for my lunches this week, so I stuck to grab-n-go type meals.  Of course, these are anything but clean.  I'll have to get some cleaner options in mind for next week :)

A clean spin on an old favorite

Today's shopping trip was a lot less tragic than last week!  I spent the normal amount, but bought much cleaner foods.  I'm finding that it is not at all difficult to maintain a clean(er) eating lifestyle, but it does take quite a bit of planning.  This weekend we kind of took off, since we were running around and are still trying to work through some of our processed foods in the freezer and pantry.  I definitely notice that I am more tired, but it could also be the sleep interruptions from Natalie's cold :(  Back to regular clean eating tomorrow!

This week for lunches I'll be taking "Loaded Black Bean Burritos" and they smell delicious!  I took an hour this evening to make them all up, so they are ready to be heated each day.  For snacks, I'll stick to nuts with dry fruit, fruit with a hard boiled egg, and greek yogurt with granola. 

I was really excited for tonight's dinner.  I used a recipe from the Clean Eating Magazine's website to figure out how to "clean up" my favorite stroganoff.  It turned out pretty well!  The differences weren't too drastic.  I used whole wheat noodles instead of egg noodles, low-sodium beef broth in place of canned consumme, seasoned with a sprinkle of sea salt and pepper in place of the teaspoon of table salt, and carmelized onions and mushrooms with cooking spray instead of butter. 

Successful first week!

I'm not yet to 100% clean eating, but we've made some great progress this week!  The majority of my snacks and meals were clean.  I've been checking out clean eating recipe websites and found some great options!  There is not a single thing I am disliking about the clean eating philosophy.  We've had some super tasty clean meals this week (Clean Chicken Cordon Bleu was definitely one of the highlights).  Best of all - I have yet to feel hungry, my energy levels are much improved, and my weight loss continues with minimal effort!  I was a bit incredulous to believe I would see that much of a difference in such a short amount of time.  It sure is motivating to continue with such positive outcomes!

Clean Shopping

Wow - that was the most expensive grocery trip ever!  I almost fainted when they told me the total.  It is important to remember that I bought a lot of clean spices, stocked up on EVOO, replaced a few unclean pantry items and purchased numerous other "must-have" ingredients to have on hand (coconut milk, unsweetened soy milk, 100% pineapple juice, low sodium chicken stock, etc.).  In addition, I bought salmon, shrimp, and enough all-natural chicken to last us a month or so.  Really, I shouldn't be that surprised that it was almost $60 more than an average week of groceries.  Hopefully next week will just be stocking up on the standard produce, thus less expensive.

On a more exciting note -  I'm going to try my first clean meal tonight - Curried Mango Chicken with Quinoa!  I've been dying to make quinoa since I bought it a little over a week ago.  Here's hoping it turns out as good as it sounds :)

It starts...

Since my daughter began eating table foods, I have become much more aware of the types of foods I am purchasing and preparing for my family.  I have moved to more whole, organic foods, but we certainly still fall victim to the overly processed, quick-to-prepare meals.  Things get busy with an active toddler, two dogs, and a full-time job!

This will be my outlet to write about my successes and failures toward an all around healthier lifestyle.  It isn't going to be an easy journey, but it is one I'm passionate about!  I'll have to get creative, since we have limited access to natural food stores and there are many long standing habits to break.  My motivation to live a healthier life goes beyond simply being a mother.  I'd like to do what I can to avoid my family history of diabetes and high blood pressure.

What I've done so far:
1. Read through the principles of Clean Eating (using The Complete Idiot's Guide - a fun, easy read)
2. Decided on small steps to take to get the process started (replacing food in the pantry/fridge with cleaner options)
3. Joined Planet Fitness to improve what had become a sedentary lifestyle
4. Looked for stores nearby that have healthier items
5. Joined a USDA certified organic CSA (Community Shared Agriculture) - the first bounty is mid-May!

I hope to add more steps in the next two weeks.  Darn gas prices keep me from driving 30 miles to Wegman's and Healthy Grocer, so I'll be adding those stops to our circus trip next weekend.  Stay tuned!