That's not what I ordered

That moment you realized you grabbed the wrong Tupperware from the fridge this morning...

Today I was supposed to have leftover taco soup for lunch. But instead of grabbing yummy taco soup, I grabbed icky garlic chickpeas. Why did I have something icky in my fridge? Because I was trying something new to see if I liked them. Well, I didn't. So they just sat there. Why didn't I throw them out if I didn't like them? I don't know, laziness I guess.

So now I have to sit here at work, hungry, waiting for Hubby to drop off some yumminess to me. (He's such a sweetheart.) Guess I'm having raisins for lunch and taco soup for afternoon snack.

Edit: I guess I have the mailman to thank for making sure I have lunch today. One of the things on Hubby's to do list today was to send out a bunch of packages. Hubby had just left the house when the mailman turned onto our street. He made a quick U-turn and went back to the house so he could just give them to the mailman. Well sometime during that whole shindig, Hubby realized he didn't grab my food from the fridge! So thank you Mr. Mailman for ensuring that I eat something today.

Hakuna matata!

One thing the hobbits got right

Earlier today, Hubby and I were joking that this new meal plan is like that of the hobbits.

• 7:00am – Breakfast
• 9:00am – Second Breakfast
• 11:00am – Elevenses
• 1:00pm – Luncheon
• 4:00pm – Afternoon Tea
• 6:00pm – Dinner
• 8:00pm – Supper

But after thinking about it, who decided in the first place that we are supposed to only eat three meals a day. Why isn't it seven? Or four? Or ten?

There are so many studies and meal plan that agree that eating smaller meals more often fights off hunger better than "3 square meals a day".

Hakuna matata!

Missing my munchies

Today was a rough day. I was really craving sweets and Hubby was missing 'real' food (a.k.a.chicken nuggets). We really had to push each other to stay on track. I snacked more than I wanted to today but at least I can say I stuck to the general meal plan. I ate a lot of raisins this afternoon and had a couple too many banana bread granola bars. (Recipe coming soon!)

I'm starting to put together the meal plan for the weekend since we have to go shopping tomorrow. It takes a lot of work to plan everything because I need to make sure we both have enough ingredients for all our juices and food items for the next couple of days. Plus I have to take inventory of the things we haven't used yet so I can incorporate them into a recipe and not buy more if I don't need it.

Hakuna matata!

A diet by any other name would taste just as sweet

I've been stuggling all week to find a term to call this new diet. Everyone know vegetarian, Atkins, Weight Watchers, fruitarian, South Beach, gluten free, etc. Up until now I've just been telling people I was on a whole food, plant based diet. A bit of a mouthful. But today I finally found a name: nutritarian.

Simply put, a Nutritarian diet is a way of eating which bases food choices on maximizing the micronutrients per calorie.

Hakuna matata!

Carrot and Sweet Potato “Fries”

Directly from Reboot With Joe's website. This is one of our favorites and great if you're craving fast food.

Makes 2 servings
Nutrition per serving: 265 kCal; 1108 kJ; 3 g protein; 34 g carbohydrates; 14 g fat; 2 g saturated fat; 6 g fiber; 10 g sugar; 133 mg salt

Ingredients:

• 2 sweet potatoes
• 2 large carrots
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• sea salt and freshly ground pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C/gas 7).
2. Cut the potatoes in half lengthways, and slice each half into 4 equal wedges.
3. Cut the carrots in half crossways, then lengthways, and cut each piece into 2 or 3 wedges,making them roughly the same size as the potatoes.

4. Put all the wedges in a bowl and toss with the oil, cumin, and salt and pepper to taste.

5. Place all the wedges on a baking sheet lined with baking parchment and bake for 30 minutes, or until tender and lightly browned, with slightly crisp edges.

Hakuna matata!

So 'beet' it, but you wanna be bad

Another shopping trip behind us. I'm pretty sure I spend all night in the kitchen making my food for today. But the good news is that now I have lunches done for the rest of the week. Today's breakfast, snack, and lunch include:

An important lesson also came out of yesterday's food prep: Wear gloves while peeling beets otherwise it looks like you were finger painting. My hand is better today but definitely still has a noticeable magenta tone to it. Hubby can do his own beet peeling from now on. Now I understand why beet juice makes such a great natural food coloring!

There was a lot of temptations at work today. We had a celebration breakfast for a few new people to our department as well as celebrating a few birthdays. It was so difficult to walk past all the bagels, muffins, and pastries that I previously would have filled my plate with (and probably my lunch plate too). But I was good and only had a few strawberries and pieces of pineapple.

Hakuna Matata!

We survived

We finally made it through Day 1 of our reboot and on to Day 2. Yesterday had some highlights and it definitely had some low points. For me, the juice was tolerable but definitely not one I'd add to my favorites list, unlike breakfast which was delicious.

The hardest part for both of us was the salads. I'm not a salad person. The only salads I ever have are smothered in ranch, caesar, or italian dressing and mostly consist of tomatoes. The lettuce is really just there to keep my tomatoes on my plate.

I could only force myself to eat about a third my lunch salad. Hubby did better and managed about 2/3 of his. We didn't even bother to make the dinner salad. We just ate the sweet potatoes. Hey, it's better than chowing down on a bag of potato chips!

After some discussion last night we decided to not follow that specific meal plan anymore. Tomorrow Hubby will go 100% juice and I made a meal plan that's part juice part whole food.

Hakuna matata!

Another beginning

Today it begins, whether we're ready or not. Last night we spent a long while cutting, juicing, cooking, and packing. Today is Day 1 of our whole food, plant based reboot. It won't be easy, especially since 'munchies' was it's own food group up until now, but this is needed.

Hubby's starting weight: 265
My starting weight: 205

Today's menu includes:

Hakuna matata!

Stocked full of produce

Today was a really rough depression day for me. Emotions and anxiety were on high alert and it took a while to get going for the day.

Once we did get going, Hubby and I went shopping for days 1 and 2 of our reboot. Yes the below picture is only 2 days worth of food for two people.

There's a lot of things we bought that will be used over time (such as the rice and balsamic vinegars, olive oil, and herb plants). But there's definitely about $100 worth of produce that is specifically for day 1 or day 2 of our reboot.

This is definitely not something that we will be able to afford long term. I'm hoping that prices drop as the weather warms up in a few months. Luckily we live across the street from a local farm and they have a produce stand most of they year. I've never stopped so I'm not sure how their prices compare but I would feel good supporting a local business.

Hakuna Matata!

Bring on the veggies

For the past several days, Hubby and I have been watching a number of documentaries on Netflix realting to healthier eating. Each of these films focuses on reducing the amount of refined sugars and processed foods and focusing more on eating a whole food, plant based diet. Our watch list includes:

Hungry for Change
Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead (1 & 2)
Forks Over Knives

By the way, I highly reccomend watching any one of these if you need some motivation to start eating healthier. What I like about these films is that they focus on the health benefits of eating more fruits and vegetables and don't focus so much on being vegan because animals are treated poorly or eating organic because of pesticides, GMOs, etc. I'm not saying that isn't happening in the world and that it's not important, but really for me that is not a motivating factor at this time to change my eating habits.

I like meat and dairy. I refuse to entirely give up meat and dairy. I also can't afford to eat entirely organic. I do however think I need to turn my current food habits upside down and eat mainly plant based foods and only have meat and dairy sparingly.

Hubby and I have both struggled with our weight and several medical conditions, especially the last couple of years. We decided to jump in together and get our eating habits in check. Starting Monday (2/16), Hubby and I will be doing a diet reboot. (Check out the plans here!)

Tomorrow we go shopping and our grocery list is huge! Hopefully my fridge is big enough to hold all this produce.

Hakuna matata!

Thinspiration #41

Water weight explained. Drink more water people!! I am not excluded from this public service announcement. Excuse me while I go refill my water bottle...

Hakuna matata!

Itsy bitsy teeny weeny yellow polka dot bikini

I hope everyone had a great holiday weekend. I spent most of it being sick but I was still able to enjoy myself. We had family come down for various parts of the weekend and hung out around the pool.

For the most part, I was able to stay on plan. Monday got a little out of hand with the cookies, but not bad considering what I would have eaten that weekend if I didn't keep myself in check. One summer BBQ down, several to go I'm sure.

The shocking thing about this weekend was the fact that I wore a bikini. Granted it was not one of those tiny skimpy ones, but it was a two piece, non-tankini swimsuit. And no it was not yellow polka dotted.

I'm still not where I'd like to be to be able to wear it out in public, but the fact that I felt mostly comfortable wearing around my family just goes to show how far I've come.

Hakuna matata!

Thinspiration #37

This weekend is going to be a hard one to get through for some people. BBQs, family gatherings, picnics... A lot of temptations. Remember your goal and how hard you've worked to get this far. Don't undo all that progress for something that will only last a day.

Hakuna matata!

Thinspiration #33

To eat is a necessity, but to eat intelligently is an art. --La Rochefoucauld

It's easy to eat whatever you want everyday. Too many of us already do that. However, it takes quite a bit of knowledge and creativity to be able to eat smart. Learn how to fuel your body instead of dumping garbage into it.

Hakuna matata!

Thinspiration #22

Eating healthy is not meant to limit us. It's to make us feel better that we are fueling our body and not just throwing junk into it. It also helps with our mindsets. Saying yes we can. We CAN do this. I have the power to make a difference.

Hakuna matata!

Why do I keep doing this?!

I totally fell off the band wagon last night. I was scavenging my house for anything and everything sweet (though I managed to leave all my NS food intact). There's been a lot going on this week and I had a temporary moment of weakness in all the stress.

I hate being an emotional eater. I'm hoping it just wasn't so weak that I totally undid my progress for this week. Not only that but I was a lazy bum. I just kept making excuses for why I couldn't exercise yet. And then I felt sick from all the junk I ate which really made me not want to exercise.

Game plan for tonight. Get home from work, take out my dog Charlie, change into work out clothes, and go running (or do 30 Day Shred if the rain picks up again).

Hakuna matata!

Thinspiration #19

Health is not simply the absence of sickness. --Hannah Green

Just because you're not sick does not mean you are necessarily healthy. Healthy means that your body is functioning efficiently. You cannot expect your body to perform its best when the fuel you provide it is overly processed junk. Fuel your body and move!

Hakuna matata!

Thinspiration #14

I thought this was too funny to pass up. So maybe this saying shouldn't be taken quite so literally but that doesn't mean it's not (mostly) true. I know I can easily feel the difference between a day where I ate on plan and a day where I ate lots of fried foods and sugary snacks. Healthy is a lifestyle, not a temporary diet.

Hakuna matata!

Thinspiration #13

Forget about getting skinny. Eat well and exercise... the weight will take care of itself. --Unknown

I wish I could say how much I love this quote. Sometimes we forget that the ultimate goal is not to get to a certain dress size or a certain number on the scale.

This journey is really about getting healthy. If we make healthy choices and have healthy habits, then the smaller weight/dress size will be a result of our successes.

Hakuna matata!

Thinspiration #10

Which do you want more? You decide. Results or excuses. It's up to you.

Hakuna matata!