We all fell...

Off the wagon that is.  We started a Forks over Knives (FOK)/Engine 2 way of life a month ago and have felt great.  I a self proclaimed night owl started going to bed earlier and getting up earlier.  I hate mornings...truly I do.  We are eating better, exercising, and sleeping better.  I wasn't tired all day.  Well this week I caved.  It wasn't because the food is bad (although there have been a few bad recipes).  It was due to poor planning, late night work sessions, busy schedule, and Valentine's Day.  Man I am a sucker for a holiday.  haha!  I didn't not plan my menu this week and I think that is key when you are doing something new.  You are still too new to depend on yourself to "come up" with things.  There were two late nights of working until 1am.  We were all over the place this week with unplanned events that threw a monkey wrench into being at home during eating hours.  Well and last, the awesome Valentine's skating party with our homeschool group.  I love food!  I love bad food!  It was everywhere.  haha!  At least I got my skate on and skated off some of the cookies.  ;)  Yep these are the ones that got me. lol!  I stayed up late making them...and then ate them.

So we fell!  Boy did I notice too.  I felt like crap.  Seriously.  I was sluggish this week.  Haven't gotten up on time and I actually missed it.  To be honest, I am glad that we fell off.  For me, it was kind of the proof in the pudding.  Now I am not going to say that we won't cheat.  I have already confessed to being a firm believer in cheating (with food that is).  I just know that it won't be a week full of it. 

I am back on the wagon and already feel better.  In just one day of good eating I could tell a huge difference.  In fact I was able to push past my 3 mile run and go for 4 miles.  It was tough but it felt great!  I was up early this morning.  I feel back on track.

I want to tell you about a few of my favorites so far...Bok Choy Fried Rice (it is in the FOK cookbook).  Yummers!  We have been having it once a week actually.  I am also a huge fan of the salad I mentioned in my previous blog.  That is going to be my go to salad.  I prefer hearts of Romaine and green leaf lettuce mixed together.  I then "squish" up (with my hand) an avocado over it and add the juice of one lime.  A small amount of sea salt and pepper.  I add tomatoes, edamame, and maybe some green peppers.  So tasty!  Soy yogurt!  Didnt' even know they made it.  It is really tasty.

I also picked up my new running shoes yesterday.  I was due.  My old ones may look new but I knew they had too many miles and I wanted to have enough time to break the new ones in before CRBR.  I ONLY run in my running shoes.  My old running shoes will now be my fun shoes.  :)  I highly recommend Foot RX Running on Hendersonville Rd.  They are great!  Went back to old faithful...Asics.  Good shoes are key in my opinion.  I have had a lot of problems with my legs, two leg injuries, so when I don't have a good shoe I can tell.

Okay so as the saying goes "Don't live to eat, eat to live".  :)

Really? No knives?

Okay so the last time I posted was October and I was trying to clean out the bad food in my kitchen so I could start buying better food.  Well that didn't happen...and then came the holidays.  I gave up!!  January 1st, while hubby was working, I dumped every bit of it.  Seriously!  Okay well I kept a couple of special things the girls had bought for my stocking...but otherwise...GONE!  :)  It took 3 large shopping bags and one trip to the fire department.  I couldn't see wasting it and firemen love to eat.  :)

About the same time that we were throwing out the bad and committing to eating good, my husband found a couple of documentaries on Netflix that he wanted me to watch.  One was about being a vegan (not sure I want to go that far at this point) and it was very...umm...interesting.  It was after this video that we found out about Forks Over Knives.  Clean eating.  Okay I am listening at this point.  I want to get healthy.  (Not that I am super unhealthy)  I want to do better for my kids.  So we went and got the cookbook because I need help.  I like to cook don't get me wrong but I have developed bad habits obviously.  I needed ideas.  He made the first dish a Thai soup.  Man was it good.

Last weekend we were being lazy (because I had yet to start exercising) and we watched the Engine 2 Rescue or something to that effect.  Well I don't know if it was because the guy is a fireman (which I obviously have a thing for) or because he made sense but I was sold.  I loved that he went to someone's house cleaned out their pantry and fridge and then took them shopping.  They all came home and made a dish or two that the family would enjoy.  He is sold out to that eating lifestyle and I dig that.

I would like to say that both of those "diets"...sorry side note...I really don't like that word.  It is not really a diet.  I think of a diet as a fad or trendy way to lose weight.  That is not what I wanted or needed for my family.  I needed a new way to eat.  Something that we could all do together.  I don't have time or money to be making two different meals.  I also do not want to continue to put all that junk into my kids.  I also couldn't see myself never eating certain foods again...I wanted the healthier version of them.  Okay so both of these "eating lifestyles" are clean, plant based.  Clean foods.  Fruits and vegetables.  No meat.  No dairy.  No oils (what?)  Nothing processed.  No salt.  I know what you are thinking "no meat?" and "no dairy?"  Well that sounds vegan to me.  Well yeah it is.  haha!  However, my husband and I are committed to this with the knowledge that we do like meat and dairy.  We will add a chicken breast or steak to our menu on occasion.  I will still have eggs in my house.  Milk I am not sure about.  Nothing against it, but I tried Almond Milk and I like it.  :)  We will however buy local grass fed beef, local free range chicken, and local free range eggs when we do.  Oh and don't you 3 people that are reading this go calling the police on me if you see me at Ingles and I grab some eggs.  I am sure it might happen.  haha!  Oh and we made homemade pizza the other night and hubby and I left cheese off of ours.  I think I like it better.  So there!  haha!

So exercising.  Blah!  As we were sitting there watching the E2D Saturday morning I knew that I still had one thing to get going and that was exercise.  The weather was amazing here last weekend and it really was what I needed to kick my butt in high gear.  We went to the park and I walk/ran for about 2.5 miles.  The next day I did it again.  I really think that if God had not blessed us with such nice weather my hiney would still be on the couch.  Man there is something about spring weather.  The sun on my face and a nice breeze.  Love it!  So I am all signed up for our annual 10k in April and I can't wait.  I have set a hefty goal for myself of finishing in under an hour.  In the past my times have ranged from 1:08-1:16.  I am tired of being last in our group to come across.  I can do this! 

As I am writing I have been baking.  LOL!   Seriously!  Well no processed foods for us...so we made them homemade.  No white sugar....we use sucanat.  No bleached flour...we grind our own wheat.  Now if I can just switch the girls to carob chips?  I think those are the "healthier" version.  haha!  I have so much to learn.  The girls  have been great about it all so homemade chocolate chip cookes seemed like a reasonable request....at least they weren't Pillsbury.

I will leave you with tonight's dinner.  Stopped at Earth Fare and picked up some ground beef (see still doing meat) to make hamburger patties.  (Girls wanted hamburgers.)  I mixed in onion, fresh garlic, a pinch of sea salt, and some pepper then I broiled them in the oven.  I mixed kale with a smashed up avocado, juice of a half of a lime,  pinch of sea salt, pepper, edamame, and diced roma tomato.  I also sauteed onion and yellow bell pepper.  It was so good.