30 Days

Paul and I eat what I consider to be a very healthy diet.  We eat a lot of vegetables, fruit and whole grains, with the occasional meat added in.  We probably eat 1 - 2 meat-based meals every week or two.  We're practically vegetarians at home.  However, when we eat out it's a different story...well, for Paul.  I'm more apt to eat vegetarian at restaurants and other food venues because I'm really uncomfortable with factory farming and the mass production of meat.  The meat we eat at home is local, humanely raised meat.  That's not to say that I never eat meat when I'm out, but it's not frequent.  Paul, on the other hand, tends to eat more meat when we're out than he does at home.

Recently, we watched a couple of documentaries that promoted the benefits of a vegetarian diet.  Paul didn't say much at first, but about two weeks ago he informed me that he was going to eat completely vegetarian for a month.  He wanted to see if it had any noticeable effect on his health, especially his digestive tract which has been bothering him the past few months.

So, last week we committed to a 100% vegetarian diet.  It's not hard for me because I spent 12 years as a vegetarian and I really prefer vegetarian foods.  But, I am noticing how much meat is served other places. I attended three end of the year parties and a potluck meeting during the past week, and most of the food at each event was meat-based.  I forgot what it was like to truly be a vegetarian.

So far, Paul is really enjoying the vegetarian diet and is noticing a difference in how his intestines feel.  I'm not sure that we'll commit to it fully after the month is over, but I think there is a possibility that we will.  I don't really like to be bound by rigid rules and labels, so I think if we do become "vegetarians" we'll still allow ourselves the flexibility to eat meat in very rare instances (e.g. when we're in Maine this summer...I refuse to go to Maine and not eat lobster).

So, we have three weeks left in our little experiment.  I'm curious to see how it turns out.

Green Day

No, I'm not writing about the band.  Although, I really like them.  I'm actually writing about my food.  I know, I know...I don't do a lot of food posts here, but sometimes I feel like it.  Today is one of those days.

On any given day, I strive to eat as many (natural) colors as possible.  I love to see a beautiful rainbow on my plate.  It makes me feel so healthy.  But, sometimes my day of eating ends up being a little less diverse.  Today is a perfect example.   I must have been in a green mood, because this is what I ate:

BREAKFAST

This was a delicious green smoothie made with water, baby spinach (4 cups), banana, clementine, frozen mango, frozen pineapple, chia seeds and hemp seeds.  This is one of my favorite smoothie combinations!


LUNCH

Split pea soup!  It doesn't look very vibrant, but it was yummy!


DINNER

OK, this really looks like a big mess, but it sure was delicious!  It's a makeshift "taco salad."  It's mostly lettuce and avocado with a veggie burger crumbled on top and some salsa sprinkled about.  It was the most colorful meal of the day, but it still had a lot of green in it.  Ignore the container.  I had to eat this "on the go."

I had a few snacks in between, including an apple cinnamon Chobani (green label) and a bunch of snap peas.  I also had a cup of green tea.

My day wasn't comprised of only green foods, but that seemed to be the overarching theme. I wonder what tomorrow will be like...

Do you try to eat as many colors as possible each day?  Do you ever have days where you eat mostly one color?  What are your favorite colors to eat?

Snack Attack!

I am a snacker.  Always have been, always will be.  When I was younger, I used to diet all the time (that's another topic for a different day), and I always tried to limit my eating to 3 meals and one snack a day.  It never worked, and my diets always failed.  Well, except for the period when I had a minor eating disorder.  I say minor because it only lasted a year or so and I didn't end up far below my healthy weight.  Still, during that time I subsisted on diet pills and very few calories, which meant I didn't snack much.  However, for the other 34 years of my life, I have always been a snacker.

I like to eat every 2 - 3 hours, which means I eat a lot of small meals each day.  I don't eat tons at once, but I do graze throughout the day.  Alright, who am I kidding, there are plenty of times when I eat a lot in one sitting.  The fact of the matter is that I LOVE food.  Luckily, I really like healthy foods, which means my constant snacking isn't a bad thing.

Since I love snacking so much, I always have an arsenal of food in my purse or desk.  Add two hungry kids into the mix and sometimes I feel like I'm carrying an entire grocery store around in my purse.  I have a large desk drawer devoted to snacks in my office and I'm always picking up items to add to it.  Here's what it looked like on Thursday:

It's actually a little sparse by my standards, but I'm going to pick up some additional snacks at the grocery store this weekend.  The item on top is beet chips. They're awesome!  The soy crisps are great for when I feel like a crunchy chip.  There are two packets of instant miso soup for a quick lunch addition or afternoon snack.  I also have a packet of Justin's almond butter and a bar.  The two boxes on the bottom are instant organic oatmeal.  I'm not a huge fan of instant oatmeal, but I like to keep it on hand since I eat breakfast at my desk each morning.  It's great for mornings when I forget to bring something or when I am running late. 

I also have a mini fridge in my office that I keep stocked with cut up veggies, fruit, Chobani, Baybel and laughing cow cheese.  I try to keep a box of crackers and rice cakes and some kind of nut butter on hand as well.

I know it seems like a lot of food, but I work full-time and spend about 8 hours at work each day.  If I don't keep healthy snacks on hand, I'm more apt to go to the college bookstore or cafeteria when I'm hungry which would result in a lot of unhealthy impulse purchases.

Since I'm a snacker and I have no plans to change that any time soon, I want to make sure I keep my snacks healthy.  That way, when a snack attack hits, I'm prepared.

Being Mindful

Now that the CFC is over, I have been thinking about how I felt during the week and how I want to proceed from here.  If you are a regular reader of my blog, you know that I firmly believe in the 80/20 rule when it comes to eating (and most other things, really).  I don't think any foods should be completely banned ( unless there is an allergy).  Instead, I like to make sure I eat healthy, whole foods at least 80% of the time.  That way, I don't have to worry as much about what I'm eating the other 20% of the time.  Quite honestly, It ends up being more like 90/10.  I really LOVE healthy, whole foods and my regular diet is comprised mainly of vegetables, fruits, whole grains and beans/legumes.  However, there are times when I just want to eat something that isn't as healthy, and I don't sweat it.  I know that I'm eating well most of the time.

Since I have two kids, I really try to set a good example for them.  We don't have tons of junk food in the house and they always have vegetables as part of their meal.  I don't buy a lot of processed food and avoid the big no no's like hydrogenated oil, high fructose corn syrup and too many artificial colors/flavors.  But, my kids are in school/daycare and have a social life, so these items make their way into their diets occasionally.  Since I provide a healthy foundation at home, I don't worry about it.  I'm not extreme by any means.  I want my kids to develop healthy relationships with food and understand that there's a time and place for everything.  I want them to be mindful about what they put in their bodies.

As I reflect on the CFC, I realize that I want the same for myself.  I want to remain mindful about what I'm putting into my body.  I want to eat when I'm hungry and not just because the food is in front of me.  I want to eat sweets because I'm really in the mood for something special, and not just because my co-worker is eating M & M's in her office...or these great bakery cookies, which she brought into my office today.

I had a few bites of each and then put them away.  In the past, I probably would have ended up eating all three over the course of the afternoon.


I really want to practice mindful eating.  So, that's what I'm doing.  I'm trying to make food choices that keep me feeling as good as I felt over the past week.  I'm not eliminating anything anymore, but I am going to pay attention to how much of the "unclean" foods I'm consuming.  A few chocolate chips is one thing, but handfuls each night are a completely different story.  I need to remember to practice moderation.

But, I do have to admit that I am enjoying having the ability to eat some of the foods that I eliminated last week.  Last night, I had these for dinner and enjoyed every bite.

CFC: Days 6 & 7

I'm home from Massachusetts and almost done with the Clean Food Challenge.  Today is day 7!  I'm happy to report that, other than one specific indulgence (more on that later), I was able to stick with the CFC while traveling.  Quite honestly, it was really easy and just proves that it's not hard to eat healthy even when you're on the road and at restaurants.


I had a great time in MA, especially since I was able to shop at both Whole Foods and Trader Joe's.  We don't have either where I live.  This was actually my first time at Trader Joe's and I am completely hooked. Oh, how I wish we had one closer.  I hear one is supposed to open in Albany, NY, but that's about 2 hours south of me.  I travel there often throughout the year, so I'll be able to stock up when I go, but it's not close enough for me to do my weekly grocery shopping.


Since I have two days of CFC to report, I'm going to break it down by day:

Day Six

Breakfast:

I had the orange mango banana smoothie from Starbucks, but I asked them to make it without dairy.  I also ate some mixed nuts.  I was hoping to get oatmeal at Starbucks, but they didn't have any.  So, this is what I ended up with.  It was really good.

Lunch:

I ate this in the food court at the mall.  It's Dal Makhani from the Indian restaurant.  It was really good and contained no "unclean" ingredients.  (Oops...when I just looked this up to make sure I spelled it correctly, I realized that most recipes use butter.  So, it might not have been as clean as I thought it was.  Oh, well. There's nothing I can do about it now.)




Dinner:

This was my favorite meal of the day.  It's from the salad bar at Whole Foods!  Since they list the ingredients in each item, I was able to choose things that were allowed as part of the CFC. At the bottom is a bed of greens, and on the top is kale slaw, sesame tofu, dolmas, black bean and corn salad, quinoa, cranberry and cashew salad, edamame, shredded carrots, roasted mushrooms and eggplant, roasted garlic, hummus and a falafel.  I loved this so much and wish I could eat it every day.

I didn't really have any snacks on Day 6.  We were running around so much that we didn't have the time to eat other than when we got the above meals.

Day Seven

Breakfast:

I had another smoothie for breakfast.  We went to Trader Joe's first thing this morning and then left to come home from there.  So, we stopped at Starbucks to grab breakfast for the road.  This was a perfect option!


Lunch was really just snacks in the car.  I had a tropical Lara Bar and some tortilla chips, along with orange segments and baby carrots.  It wasn't very exciting, but it held me over.


Dinner was a huge salad with tons of veggies and beans on top.  I didn't take a picture because I had two kids crawling all over me with "welcome home" excitement.


I also snacked on some cashews and dried fruit.


So, here's the part where I have to come clean (pun intended).... 


I knew going into this challenge that I was going to be traveling during the last two days of it.  I also knew that I would be traveling with one of my girlfriends and that we would want to drink wine together in the hotel room.  I mulled it over in my head in the week and half before the challenge started, and I weighed my options.  I considered postponing the challenge, but I really wanted to do it with everyone.  I wasn't concerned about eating clean during the trip because I knew I could find plenty of healthy options, and I really liked the challenge of doing it.  But, I wasn't sure I was OK with refraining from the glass or two of wine I knew we would want to drink while hanging out in our hotel room.  So, I decided that I would let myself do whatever felt right when the time came.  I didn't bring any wine with me, but my co-worker did. We didn't have any on Friday night, but last night she decided that she wanted to have some.  We were hanging out in our hotel room and enjoying some girl time, and it just felt right.  So, I decided to have a glass.  I know it's not allowed as part of the clean food challenge, but I don't feel bad about it.  I still ate clean 100% of the time I was in MA, and I still consider the CFC a success.  So, there you have it.  I'm not going to lie about my weekend and pretend that I didn't drink the wine.  After all, this blog is a reflection of my life...real life.  

CFC: Day 4

Well, another day done!  Today went just as well as the other days.  I'm so surprised about how well I'm responding to the challenge this time.  It's as if my body has been waiting for me to clean it out a little.  I feel great!  However, I did have an issue this morning.  Remember how I posted that my dinner last night was just a big garden salad and that I didn't feel like I had enough protein?  Well, I woke up this morning and a while after I was awake, I started to get that shaky, low blood sugar feeling.  I felt dizzy a couple of times and my body felt tingly all over (the only way I can describe it) and I could tell my blood sugar was low.  I was also ravenously hungry.  My overnight oats were sitting in the fridge and I didn't have time to eat them, so I just munched on some homemade granola (totally clean) and a spoonful of almond butter.  I felt off until I got to work and had the chance to eat my big container of oats.  I looked over my food list from yesterday, and I realize that my caloric intake was pretty low and I definitely didn't have enough substance.  The Clean Food Challenge isn't supposed to be a weight-loss diet.  It's meant to eliminate unhealthy foods from your system and replace them with healthy, whole foods.  Since I ran yesterday, I burned a lot of calories and I didn't take enough in.  I really felt it this morning.  I made sure to eat a lot of protein today and I feel fine tonight.

Other than early morning low blood sugar, I felt great today.  I have definitely reached the point in the challenge where I am physically noticing the difference.  I'm less bloated and sluggish and I'm not craving sugar anymore.  I was in my co-workers office today while she was eating skittles (a guilty pleasure of mine) and I didn't even feel the urge to eat any.  I wore my smallest pair of pants today.  While they always fit me, they have been snug around the waist lately.  I know it's because I have been bloated.  Today, they didn't cut into my gut at all.  It's not weight loss.  It's just the loss of unhealthy bloat.  That's why I love this challenge.  My system really feels clean after I do it.

Here is what I ate today:

Breakfast:  Hmmm...I wonder what it could be.  Oh yeah, overnight oats.  Like yesterday, I topped them with blueberries

Lunch:  A huge container of cut up veggies and hummus.  This is one of my favorite lunches even when I'm not doing the challenge

Dinner:  I made Mama Pea's Black Bean Burgers, which are yummy!  I ate my black bean burger topped with chopped jalapeños and salsa, alongside a salad of romaine, orange pepper, and avocado and a side of sweet potato and regular potato fries.

This dinner was excellent!  I have another burger to eat with a salad for lunch tomorrow.

Tomorrow afternoon I head to Boston for my girl's weekend.  I plan to stick to the challenge the whole time I'm there, and I'm actually really excited about it.  It will be a great way to show how easy it is to eat healthy even when you're on the road.  I won't have wireless internet in my hotel room, so I'll have to blog from somewhere like Barnes & Noble or Starbucks.  I'll have to figure out what to do once I get there.

CFC: Day 3

Wow!  Today was another great day.  I can't believe the first three days have felt so good.  I'm wondering if that means the end of the challenge will be difficult.  I even went out to dinner with my family and another family and was able to stick to the challenge...oh, and we went to a pizza place!  I had no problem eating my huge, fresh salad while they all ate pizza and wings, but I do have to admit that it was tough to watch our friends enjoy their delicious beers.  I really wanted a glass of wine.  Earlier in the afternoon, I went to our local pub (it's actually modeled after a traditional pub) with my boss and two of my co-workers to celebrate the end of a stressful reaccreditation visit (oh the joys of higher education).  I drank water while they all enjoyed wine and mixed drinks.  It was pretty difficult.  I'm surprised that alcohol has been my weak spot this time around.  I mean, I do love wine, but I don't drink it every day (I usually drink it on the weekends).  So, I didn't expect to notice it missing from my life this week, but I do.

Here are my eats for the day:

Breakfast:  Surprise!  Overnight oats again.  I really just love this.  Today I changed it up a bit and topped the oats with blueberries instead of raspberries

Lunch:  Huge salad with tons of fresh veggies and chick peas

Dinner:  Another huge salad

Snacks: raisins and almonds, banana, brown rice cake with hummus (I allow myself to eat rice cakes because they are only puffed rice and salt, but some consider them processed and don't allow them), dried cherries, cashews, Lara balls

I'm not usually a banana eater, but I really enjoyed the one I ate today.

I'm pretty happy with my meals for the day, but I feel like I needed more with my dinner.  We were originally supposed to go to UNO because they were donating 20% of each meal purchase to help fund a local children's museum that is in the process of being established.  I had already looked at the menu online and selected the chopped power salad (minus the chicken and feta) and the farro salad. I knew that would be enough to satisfy me.  But, the wait time was 45 minutes because of the size of our party, and we knew that the five kids with us, which included a one year old and a two year old, would never hold it together that long.  So, we decided to go somewhere else.  Since we went to a pizza place, my choices were limited.  Most of the salads had meat and cheese on them, so I ordered a large garden salad.  It was delicious and full of tons of different veggies, but it didn't have much staying power.

So, I'm almost halfway through the challenge and I'm feeling pretty good.  I'm hoping the second of the challenge goes just as well.  I'm wondering if it will be difficult to stick to it while I'm on my girl's weekend in Boston.

CFC: Day 2

What a great day!  Having done this challenge before, I know that there are good days and bad days.  There are days that I embrace the challenge and feel healthy and strong.  Then, there are days that I feel grumpy and frustrated.  Well, today was one of the good days.  I felt great eating my healthy food throughout the day and got excited about all of my yummy treats and meals.  I had a fabulous lunchtime run (4 miles) and felt energized the rest of the day.  It's days like today that make me realize how important it is to eat healthy as much as possible.  Trust me, I firmly believe there is room in every eating plan for some of these (my kryptonite):

But, I also realize each time I do one of these clean food challenges that I just feel better when I eat healthy, whole foods.  I know that some of my fellow CFCers are having similar revelations today.  For their experiences, check out Emilie's blog.

I do have to admit that I had one rough moment this afternoon.  At about 2pm today, after a chaotic and stressful morning at work, my colleague offered me some M & M's.  Any other week I would have scarfed them up, but this time I politely refused. I felt good about it, but I did find myself longing for those little nuggets of chocolaty goodness.

So, here's a rundown of what I ate today:

Breakfast - The same oats as yesterday (no picture necessary)

Lunch - A huge salad and a sweet potato (no picture because I was so hungry that I ate it and then remembered that I wanted to take a picture)

Dinner:  Mama Pea's Spanish Quinoa and cut up veggies.  I can't post a link to the recipe because she doesn't have it on her website.  But she does have it in her wonderful cookbook.  I highly recommend you buy it.


















(Wow...look how scratched my dining room table is!)

Snacks - Angela's Endurance Crackers, fresh mango, almonds, cashews, raisins, carrot sticks, cucumbers, snap peas, Lara balls (real recipe with instructions coming soon)

So, it was a day of great food and good vibes.  I'm feeling so good this time around.  I'm wondering if the whole challenge will feel good, or if I'll have one of those dreaded bad days eventually.

CFC: Day 1

WOO HOO!  One day down, six to go.  Today was a great first day of the challenge.  I had a bunch of healthy, whole food to keep me satisfied throughout the day and I'm sitting here at 9:45 pm feeling very full and satisfied.  OK, I would be lying if I didn't admit that there were some moments throughout today that I was really tempted by some of the foods that aren't "allowed," but I was able to get through the weak moments pretty easily.  My worst point was tonight at dinner.  We had yummy homemade lentil soup, and Paul and the kids were eating bread and/or grilled cheese sandwiches on the side.  I LOVE eating a hunk of bread with soup, and I also love grilled cheese.

It was tough staring at this

While I was eating this

My eats for the day included:

Breakfast - Overnight oats with almond milk, maple syrup and raspberries

Lunch - A huge salad with tons of fresh veggies (no picture because I had to eat it quickly between meetings)

Dinner - Lentil soup

Snacks - almonds and raisins, fresh mango, homemade Lara balls (walnuts, dates and cocoa powder blended together in the food processor and rolled into balls), carrot sticks and cucumbers

Water - approximately 90 ounces (not quite enough but I plan to do better tomorrow)

Tonight I made Angela's Endurance Crackers to eat throughout the week.  I tasted a few after they came out of the oven and I think they'll be a great snack to help me get through the week.

I remember from the last time that day 2 and 3 tend to be the most difficult, so I'm hoping tomorrow isn't too bad.  I have some delicious food packed to eat at work tomorrow and I have a great dinner planned, so I should be fine.  I just have to remember that handfuls of chocolate chips aren't good to eat every day...or are they?

I'm Ready to Get Clean!

OK, so tomorrow is the day I start the Clean Food Challenge.  This will be my third time doing it, but only my second time doing it as part of an organized group.  The first time I participated was in June, which is also when I started this blog.  I love this challenge, and I might have nagged Emilie a little bit to organize another one.  After weeks (OK, really months) of not eating as healthy as I should - I guess this is where I should admit that my attempt to go sugar-free was a complete flop - I am in desperate need of a clean food challenge.  I feel bloated, sluggish and just generally yucky.  My pants are snug, my skin is a mess, and I am on edge most of the time.  Sure, some of it is because of work stress and general life stuff, but a lot of it is because I have been overdoing it with handfuls of chocolate chips at night (what, you don't eat handfuls of chocolate chips at night as a snack?) and the random snacking on chips and cheese sticks and my kids cheddar bunnies.  As someone who prides myself on my healthy diet, this isn't really a great way to function. Honestly, how can I be a healthy living blogger if I'm not practicing what I preach.  Just to clarify, I totally believe in living a healthy, balanced life which includes the occasional indulgences.  I'm not an extremist when it comes to what I eat.  I have no problem eating the occasional bag of Doritos or Taco Bell bean and cheese burrito.  After all, I subscribe to the 80/20 rule.  Unfortunately, in the past few months, this has been more like the 50/50 rule, which I'm not comfortable with.

So, in an attempt to get myself back on track, I'm committing to the Clean Food Challenge for one week.  What does this mean?  It means that I can't consume dairy, sugar, gluten, processed foods or alcohol.  I will only eat clean foods (i.e. whole foods), and I will drink 120 ounces of water each day.  Some people cut out coffee, but that's not an option for me.  I fear for my husband and children if I don't have coffee in my system.  After all, cutting out wine is hard enough.

This challenge is going to be especially challenging because I am going to Boston with my friend next weekend (Friday - Sunday).  It's going to be just the two of us, which means two days of me time.  No kids, no work, no responsibilities.  I love Boston and all it has to offer (especially the food), and I really think it's going to be fun to experience it while I'm participating in the clean food challenge.  I will have to try to find healthy food places to visit that will allow me to stick to the challenge while still enjoying yummy food.  We're planning to visit Whole Foods and Trader Joe's (sadly, my town doesn't have either) while we're there, so I'm sure I'll be fine.

So, tomorrow will be day one of the challenge.  I will blog about my experience each day with recaps of what I'm eating and how I feel.  I'm excited for tomorrow, but today I enjoyed these.  

Don't let the fruit deceive you.  There was a lot of chocolate frozen yogurt underneath it.

I know I can have them again in a week, but it was still a nice way to end my phase of gluttony and get ready to clean up my act.

I jumped on the bandwagon...

If you read healthy living blogs (which you obviously do), you know that a common breakfast among bloggers is overnight oats, which is oats that are soaked in milk (nut or animal) overnight instead of cooked on the stovetop.  Overnight oats are eaten cold and they are absolutely delicious.  In fact, I prefer overnight oats to cooked oats.  I tend to eat them at least once a week.  My standard combination is oats soaked in almond milk, yogurt, and a drizzle of maple syrup and topped with frozen blueberries or raspberries.  In the morning, the oats have absorbed all of the liquid and the fruit has thawed.  It's so good that I didn't think it could get any better...but it did.  Many bloggers take their overnight oats one step further and put them in a nut butter jar that they just finished.  The jar still has the last remnants of the nut butter along the sides and bottom of the jar, and when you eat the oats, you get little bits of creamy nut butter mixed in.  I keep seeing these oats on other blogs, but I never made them myself...until last night. 

I can't believe it took me so long.  The addition of nut butter takes the oats to a new level!  Seriously, this stuff is so good.  So, the next time you take that last scoop of nut butter out of the jar, consider making oats in it instead of washing it out.  Trust me, you won't be disappointed.

Sugar Free Me: Moderation is Key

Well, after a week of trying to reduce my sugar intake, I'm happy to report that I have been very successful.  Does that mean that I completely eliminated sugar from my diet?  Nope!  Instead, I spent the majority of the week avoiding sugar-laden treats, but I did let myself indulge two times when I really wanted to.  One night, Paul and I took the kids out for frozen yogurt, which is one of my favorite treats.  It was a fun family outing, and I didn't want to miss out, so I had a cup with some fruit on top and I enjoyed every bite.  Tonight, we had a potluck get together at a friend's house and there were some delicious desserts there.  I knew I could say no and not eat them, but I decided that it was a worthy indulgence.  I enjoyed every bite.  So, during the week, I ate sugar three times (counting the first day).  Do I consider that a failure?  Not at all!  I drastically reduced the amount of sugar I normally eat.  I was able to get through most days without grabbing a sweet snack or mindlessly snacking on mini candy bars.  I didn't go to bed each night having consumed countless handfuls of chocolate chips.  Overall, it was a great week.  What I found was that I do best when I allow myself some leeway.  If I deny myself completely and think that I'm never going to be able to eat a sweet snack again, I just want it more.  But, by being mindful of the amount of sugar I consume and intentionally choosing to eat it only when I really want it, I was able to reduce my intake significantly.  Once again, I have learned that moderation is key.

I didn't even make it out of the gate!

Yeah, so, day one of being sugar free was a flop.  But, I'm not going to beat myself up over it.  I'm going to learn from the experience and move forward.  Actually, if I'm being honest with myself, most of the day was a huge success, it was just the end of the day that was a problem. 


I craved sweets at various times throughout the day and I was able to satisfy my cravings with dried fruit. 

After dinner, I so badly wanted to eat the double chocolate chip cookies that I baked for everyone else, but I resisted. 

It wasn't until tonight at my PTA meeting that I caved.  One of the other parents brought these incredible desserts for the group, and I felt bad saying no.  She was so excited to feed us, and I felt so bad refusing.  So, I ate some...and then I ate some more.  I will say, it was worth it.  These desserts were incredible!  But, I still feel guilty.  Although, now that I'm typing it out, I think I need to turn my thinking around.  Sure...I gave in and ate some sugar at the end of the day, but I was able to successfully avoid it the rest of the day.  For me, that is success.  Today wasn't completely sugar-free, but it was better that it could have been. 

And...tomorrow's a brand new day.

Not so sweet

Hi, my name is Willow and I'm a sugarholic.

I know, I know...it could be worse.  I could be addicted to crack.  Or, I could still be addicted to cigarettes.  But, the fact of the matter is that I eat a LOT of sugar...without even realizing it.  I don't drink soda and I don't even use any sweetner in my coffee (milk only for me).  So, I'm not consuming a lot of sugar those ways.  My issue is the need to randomly consume candy throughout the day.  Where I work, many of the offices have candy dishes, and I can't seem to visit one without helping myself to a little sweet snack.  When I finish eating lunch, I make a point to eat a little something sweet.  In the evening, I find myself consuming handfuls of chocolate chips. 

I used to think that my sugar consumption was pretty low, but when I stopped to think about it the other day, I realized that I'm actually eating a lot of sugar throughout the day.  Since I'm eating small servings of candy throughout the day, I don't think of it as really eating candy (does that even make sense?  Oh, the things we tell ourselves to justify our behaviors).  It's not like sitting down to a big piece of chocolate cake or eating a bunch of cookies (things I rarely do), but it's just as bad.  I'm putting a lot of refined sugar into my system, which I don't need.

So, in an attempt to get myself back on track, I'm going to cut refined sugar out of my life for the time being.  I really can't exercise moderation with it (the same problem I had with cigarettes).  I need to stay away from it for a while.  What does this mean?  It means no more handfuls of chocolate chips.  It means no more minature candy bars at work.  It means no more sneaking starburst from Amelia's candy stash.  It means satisfying my cravings with fresh fruit, natural sweetners (in limited amounts), unsweetened dried fruit, and homemade natural sweet treats like knock-off larabars.

Even though I'll miss my sweet friend, I know it's for the best.  Will I eat sugar again someday?  Absolutely!  After all, I believe strongly in the 80/20 rule when it comes to food choices.  However, I won't do so until I feel like I have a handle on my addiction.  This weekend I'm going to stock my cabinets and fridge with the foods listed above and starting Monday, I'll be (refined) sugar-free!

Ch-Ch-Ch-Chia!

Last week, while driving five hours to a conference, I started listening to the audiobook version of Born to Run.  I know, I know...that's so last year.  All the bloggers have already read it.  What can I say, I tend to be behind when it comes to trends.  I'm only about halfway through the book right now, so I can't really give it a full review, but I'm definitely enjoying it so far.  I plan to do a post about it once I'm completely done.

In the book, the author, Christopher McDougall, talks about the Tarahumara Indians of Mexico and their ability to run extremely long distances at fast speeds without tiring.  He attributes it to a number of factors, one of which is a special energy drink they consume before a race.  I was intrigued as I listened to the section of the book that describes the drink in detail, and was completely surprised to discover that the drink was made by combining chia seeds, honey, lime juice and water.  Here I was waiting to learn some secret elixir that would transform my running, and the Tarahumara were drinking a beverage made from ingredients I have in my freezer and cupboards.  I couldn't believe it!

I returned from my conference on Tuesday night, and decided to go running on my lunch hour the next day.  In preparation, I made my own version of the chia drink discussed in the book. 



It looks funky, but it tastes fine.

About 30 minutes before my lunchtime run, I consumed the chia mixtrue.  My run was fabulous.  I really felt like I was running faster and stronger than usual, and I felt like I could run forever.  I didn't give the chia seeds full credit, because I had just come off a 1.5 week rest period following my half marathon injury, so I was already itching to run.  But, I did wonder if the chia seeds might have had anything to do with it.  So, I started experimenting.  I have been consuming the chia mixture each time I plan to run, and I have to say that I definitely notice a difference in my running endurance.  I'm running faster and stronger, and I'm able to hold my faster pace for the entire run.  So, either I suddenly moved to the next level of running (which is possible), or the Tarahumara are really on to something. 

Ultimately, even if the chia seeds don't actually make me run faster or longer, they are really good for me.  Chia seeds are packed with vitamins and minerals and are highly recommended as a nutritional supplement.

Chia Seed Nutritional Information

I will definitely keep consuming chia seeds as I think they are a great way to get some extra nutrients into my system.  Some people are grossed out by the chia seed gel that forms when they're soaked in water, but I really like it.  It's an interesting texture.  But, you don't have to soak the seeds in water.  They can be added to smoothies, sprinkled on salads or oats, or ground up and baked into muffins or breads.  Regardless of the preparation/eating method, they still pack a nutritional punch.  So, rather than spread your seeds on some red clay sheep, eat them and give yourself a nutritional boost!