Starting Over

It's time to take a moment and start over. Things have really changed for us lately. Over the last month and a half we have been going through our food and making more informed choices about what we're keeping in our house and what we're putting in our bodies. This is not to be mistaken with dieting for weight loss. We are making a lifestyle change, not fad-dieting.

You can read some of the behind-the-change here so that I don't repeat myself.

But we're in a place right now where I feel I can be a bit more organized and focused with what we're doing. We've made it through the rough winter months and the illnesses and it's Spring. I instinctively feel more motivated in Spring anyways, but we've had some great developments from our changes.

What we've done:

• Switched from refined flour and sugar to organic or unrefined or Whole Grain.
• Look at the Ingredients (find purest, shortest list possible, check for sugar type and how much and where it is on the label).
• Switched breads to a Breadsmith bread (better ingredients)
• Purged our Pantry of sugary or HFCS foods.
• Purged our fridge of expired, rarely used, or sugary foods.
• Organized our fridge for accessibility.
• Pre-portioned any snack items into baggies.
• Store our few snacks in the pantry on a specific shelf. If the shelf is full, no new snacks.
• No snacks on the counter. Out of sight, out of mind.
• Make our own tortillas with yellow corn (Masa).
• Use mostly Bob's Mill products (researched their quality control)
• Look for Whole-Grain Wheat or Brown Rice substitutions for most things (Brown Rice Wrappers, Whole-Grain Wheat Organic Udon, etc.).
• Cutting our sugary cereals for our daughter. Looking for reasonable options.
• Staying out of the middle aisles of the grocery store unless necessary.
• Spending lots of time in the Produce section.
• Menu Planning for lunches and dinners.
• Vetted restaurants to eat at, attempting to fit our expectations. 
• Trying to make our own "treats" such as coconut bars and mini rice flour chocolate cakes.
• Bought a breadmaker to start making our own bread. (We'll be starting next week.)
• Cooking breakfast more, when I can. (This will be easier over the summer. It was a breeze over Spring Break.)

What has changed:

• We have actually developed a slight aversion to eating out.
• We are fuller faster. 
• We are eating less without feeling excessively hungry.
• We're not insane craving.
• There might be some weight loss, but we're not focusing on that right now. More of a healthy lifestyle.
• Our daughter is slightly more accepting. Still struggling, but more willing to try things and is very interested in helping pick healthy foods.
• Our daughter is caring about what she's eating and isn't arguing as much when we tell her no, addressing the issue of sugary foods and healthier choices.

What we are still working on:

• I'm going to attempt a small garden with my daughter.
• We're cleaning out our cabinets to organize our cooking items.
• We're purging the freezer (fridge and pantry are done).
• Compiling more recipes that can be made with little stress.
• Going to attempt the Farmer's Market (crowd anxiety).
• Reorganizing our kitchen to provide more room for streamlining our changes. 
• Updating kitchen equipment and filtering out unnecessary items (like... who needs THAT MUCH TUPPERWARE!!!!).

The minute my husband was on board for the changes everything became so simple. Snacking isn't occurring unless something is made (salsa or popcorn). If you want a pre-portioned snack, you have to not only open the cabinet in the pantry, but you have to bend down (sneaky sneaky). All food is kept off the counter, except for the bread and bananas. I like that it takes extra work to get the food out. It almost makes you a more thoughtful eater, because you didn't just grab whatever was handy.

This process has really made a difference and I'm hoping to continue updating on what we're learning, our menus, and maybe even some other things. With all these changes and with my time off from work, I've had time to really embrace this new life and I am loving what it has to offer. Dare I say it includes ample amounts of walking? 

More updates soon!