Trial and... ERROR!

So, I said I would tell you about the new things we've been trying.... here's a word to the wise:

Since we've been trying to eat much less meat, my kids were begging for some chicken nuggets, since I haven't given them any for a while.  While I was at Sprouts, I saw some meatless nuggets called Quorn.  I read the ingredients.  It said they were made from mycoprotein and the labels lead me to believe that mycoprotein was a fungus much like a mushroom.  Well, we brought them home, made them and they tasted EXACTLY like a chicken nugget!  My kids loved them.  I even took a picture of them eating them:

So after lunch  I got online to research this "mycoprotein" stuff that tasted so much like chicken! And... I found tons of controversy about it. :(  Basically, it's not like a mushroom at all.  It's like a bacteria and some people have become violently ill from eating it!  It scared me to death. I felt like the worst mom in the world for just feeding my kids something and trusting dumb labels when I know better than that! I was terrified that one of my kids was gonna start vomiting, but luckily nobody got sick.  There is an article about it here that will help you understand the controversy a little more.  But when I read all of the reviews from people who had become sick, I decided never to touch that stuff again!  Just thought I would let my readers know, so that you don't make the same mistake :/

2 Weeks of Good Efforts!

I have ended my first two weeks of striving to eat much less meat/dairy.  Here are my thoughts so far:

I have done very well with not eating meat!  I have had meat twice in the last two weeks.  So going from twice a day, to once a week, is HUGE!  It's not too hard to not eat meat, but it is SO HARD to not eat dairy.  Dairy is in EVERYTHING!  For now, I am satisfied with being conscious of my meat/dairy intake.  And I am still being very strong in cutting back in all of it.  I'll admit, today I was at a wedding for a lot of the day so when everyone went to a burger restaurant,  I had a salad with ranch, but no chicken!  The ranch was the first dairy I have had in a few days, and I'll say, it was so yummy! :)  Tonight at the wedding reception they had delicious looking tacos!!  I held strong, I had a tortilla and some chips and salsa, no meat, no cheese.  I should also mention, that since January 1st I have tried to stay away from sweets.  I have been surprisingly really good at this!  I have been at bachelorette parties, birthday parties, weddings, and haven't touched a thing, but one night this month I did have a cupcake and one graham cracker (I'm confessing.)  But I think that is pretty good for two full weeks!  And here is what I want my readers to hear from me today:

It is hard to live in extremes.  So don't set yourself up for absolute perfection. It is hard to be perfect all the time.  Am I going to be a Vegan, or a Vegetarian? No way, because I know I will fail tremendously.  I am happy and satisfied with the fact that I am trying to live a healthier life style.  I am celebrating the fact that I am making major efforts to be healthy in my diet.  And I want any of you who are trying to accomplish goals right now, to be proud of yourselves too.  If you give in every now and then, its okay!  Just wake up in the morning and keep on going.  Don't let one little cupcake ruin all of your efforts.  You can eat that cupcake and then start fresh again the next day!  I believe in having a balance in all things.  I knew from the beginning that trying to eat whole foods, and plant based foods would be tough,and that I wouldn't be able to do it every single day, but I have enjoyed the efforts in doing it, and will continue week after week.  And you should too!

 

Keep on keeping on!  

You will feel great about yourself if you do.

A New Diet For a New Year

It has been a while since I have posted, because I have been so busy with the holidays, but i'm determined to do better this year! With that being said...

Hello! And Happy New Year! It's a perfect time to start fresh and make healthier decisions.

I have been accomplishing some goals of my own, and it feels so good to make good efforts. Who's with me?!

Today i want to encourage any who read this, to watch a few documentaries about food. The first, is "FOOD INC." the second is "Forks Over Knives." You can find both of these on Netflix. In my opinion, it will help push you in the right direction for your diet this year. I want your feed back, so watch them and then comment, so I can hear your opinions.

I have been considering for a while, whether I want to try a Vegetarian or a Vegan diet for a while now. It's just such a big commitment. If you are rolling your eyes at me, please know that it has nothing to do with saving animals, or me being against hunting, or anything like that. I LOVE MEAT! That's why this decision has been difficult. BUT, I have been doing my research and the more I study, the more I discover that we, as a society, eat way too much meat/dairy. I know that we should "eat meat sparingly," but in the world we live in today, it's not convenient to make that change. The more I've been conscious of my meat intake, the more I realize I eat it for almost two meals a day, most days. There's no way that can be sparingly, in my opinion. So how do I change this?

Are some of you thinking... "Wait, but you need meat to give you protein!" or "You have to drink milk and eat cheese for calcium!" The truth is, you can get those nutrients from so many other kinds of foods. Just get educated about food, so that you can understand how to balance your diet!

In all honesty, I have been slowly cutting meat out of my personal diet for a while. Not because I'm involved with PIDA, or I am an animal lover, but because I would like to experiment. I want to see the improvement in my body by eating a whole foods plant based diet. This requires creativity with recipes and a little extra money buying organic foods, but in my opinion I think it will be worth it.

So, here I go on my journey to eating much healthier! I will continue to post about it. For right now, I'm simply cutting out meat, and eating much less dairy. My goal is to cut the dairy out for a while too, and see how it goes. Will I do it for a month? A year? Who knows, but for now it is purely experimental for me.

I bought a bunch of groceries over the last few weeks and have been trying new things, new recipes and such.  I will post things that are tolerable, and things that I just can't choke down, so that if you decide to make some changes, you won't go through trial and error like me :)

Go watch the documentaries I recommended! Let me know what you think:)

Beauty on the Inside

It's been a while since I have posted anything and this isn't a great post, but it's a great song.  For the last few months I've been glued to this song.  I play it over and over because it helps me feel good about my day, about my life, and about myself.  If you haven't heard it, here it is.  It's easy for us to listen to the world around us and think that beauty is defined but what everybody else thinks.  I love that this song says that it doesn't matter what everyone else thinks.  Goals are accomplished by what we, ourselves, think and set out to do. What I love most about this song is that she emphasizes that we need to love who we are. We shouldn't want to be anybody else.

Last week of Boot Camp

So I just finished our last week of Boot Camp on Thursday and I have so many feelings about it...

What have I learned? What have I tried to help others learn? Well, here it is:

I have learned:

*In all honesty, I've learned that this is my passion. This is my forte.  I am good at creating workouts and at helping others become motivated.

*I have learned to be stronger and more accountable in my own health and lifestyle.

*I have learned that everyone is different.and not everyone actually wants to do hard things, and that I can't be depressed or disappointed in someone else's choice.

I have tried to help others learn:

*That your mind is not in charge of you; you are in charge of your mind.

*That the things you think you can't do; can be done.

*That when you put your mind to something, it becomes easier to accomplish.

*That at points in tough workouts, where you think you are "dying," remember: You are not "dying."  People with cancer in hospital beds are "dying."  What you are doing by pushing your body and exercising to your max; ... is LIVING!

Here is another blog post by one of my boot camp girls.  She had never run a single mile before she came into this.  On the fourth week I made her run a mile and she was beaming with pride because though it was hard, it was something she didn't think she was strong enough to do.  She proved herself wrong.  Then this last week I had a sprint/jog workout for her to do, but didn't tell her how far it was until the next day.  It was 2.25 miles.  She was pretty happy with herself, and I am too.  She couldn't do more than 2 or 3 push-ups when she started and now she can do a minimum of 10.  Way to go Jessica!  Here's what she had to say:

http://zaakandjessica.blogspot.com/2011/03/last-week.html

The Attitude to Have

Mindy Gledhill sets the perfect example in this song.  It's the perfect attitude to strive for.  It's not always easy to be optimistic and adventurous, but if you can ignite some inspiration and find a little motivation, you can do anything.

I love the lyrics...
"I'm gonna walk a hundred miles, I'm gonna whistle all the while, if that's what it takes to make me smile, i'm gonna walk a hundred miles. I'm gonna run right up this hill, summer sky or winter chill, if i need to take a break i will, but I'm gonna run right up this hill."

Feeling Better About Your Body After Baby

http://www.parenting.com/article/feel-better-about-your-post-baby-body