DAY 8 CHALLENGE

1st week down, on to the 2nd week....

Homemade granola was FABULOUS this morning!

Trail mix is a pretty filling snack for in between meals....I love adding the jumbo golden raisins to mine....so delicious...I actually look forward to them everyday!

I am almost out of my homemade muffins, need to make some more.....kids are even eating them....they may just join this challenge with me (ok, a little too much wishful thinking)

Made homemade guacamole tonight and added feta cheese, lime juice to add flavor but also to prevent browning and I also added a little pumelo juice (slightly sweeter than a grapefruit....not as tart)....sound weird but added a hint of additional flavor....for my dippers, I used whole grain tortilla chips with all natural ingredients....I actually like them better than regular tortilla chips, these particular ones have sesame and flax seeds in them with give them a boost of flavor....may have to stick with these.....(FOOD SHOULD TASTE GOOD is the brand name)

Another product I love is FLATTENED BANANA from Trader Joes.....it's basically dried banana.....the only ingredient is: BANANA....so yummy!

HOMEMADE GUACAMOLE, WHOLE GRAIN TORTILLA CHIPS AND SOME RED WINE.....I can do this!

I feel great and am sleeping better therefore not as tired......until tomorrow......

DAY 7 CHALLENGE

I made it through the first week with no slip ups.....woohoo!

Still feeling good but I have to say, it is starting to become a challenge on what I drink.  I am drinking a lot of mineral water, unsweetened ice tea, hot tea, and coffee, and the occasional wine with dinner but I am starting to need a different taste in my mouth...I am open to suggestions if anyone has any  :)

Made some homemade granola today using ALL natural ingredients at a very low cost.....don't think I will ever by the boxed stuff again, mine is WAY more tasty!

Am loving my all natural peanut butter (just ground peanuts....that's it...no other ingredients) and all natural fruit sweetened jam on 100% whole wheat bread for my lunch......it's fun to be a kid again and eat a healthier version of PB&J  :)

made some air popped popcorn and seasoned with olive oil, a little salt, pepper, and a dash of cinnamon....sounds weird but actually pretty tasty......not nearly as fatty, greasy, and delicious as movie theater popcorn but it was a satisfying afternoon snack

Am loving all the fresh veggies I've been sauteeing with a little olive oil, salt, and pepper.....when you eat fresh, it's hard to go back to packaged stuff.....a lot more affordable when in season and at Farmer's Markets......Sunflower and Sprouts Markets are becoming good friends of mine too....very reasonable prices on the products I am buying.

Homemade granola with cranberries......only cost less than 4.00 to make an entire batch which is probably about 10-12 servings!

1 week down....6 more to go.....until tomorrow.....need to go find something I can drink  ;)

DAY 6 CHALLENGE

Well, I made it through the weekend and all is still well...phew!
We are on Day 6....just 34 more to go!

I am good....not as tired as I normally am at night, my body temperature seems to be changing...I am not as cold as I normally am which is a very nice surprise for me...don't have to always be bundled up.

This challenge has forced me to look at ingredient labels and it amazes me how processed so many things are and how not as processed some things are that I thought would be....very enlightening!

I've been experiencing with recipes and am very pleased with the plantain chips I made today....I sliced plantains, sprayed with a little olive oil and baked at 400 for 20 minutes flipping over halfway through.  They were so delicious and so much more affordable to make.....made chips out of 3 plantains for 99cents!

Still loving my granola and fruit for breakfast and had a brussel sprout salad for dinner similar to my coleslaw in previous blog.

I am hardly hungry due to all the filling fiber I am getting but I have to be honest and say that I did lose a little bit of weight due to a lot of running and not enough calories....I know now that I need to increase my calorie intake with maybe more nuts and cheese and dried fruit .

Still trying to figure this out but enjoying myself in the process.....I just may continue this (on not so strict a scale) after my challenge is done.

homemade baked plantain chips....used a mandolin to slice thin, that is the key!

It feels so good to put nothing but "nutritious fuel" in your body!.....until tomorrow....

DAY 4/5 CHALLENGE

First weekend of the challenge and was WAY better than I thought it would be!

I am really looking forward to my morning granola every day.....pretty tasty and filling!

Unsweetened Dried Mangos from Trader Joes are delicious and only 1.99 per bag....have to go get some more when done...could munch on those all day!

All natural peanut butter on wheat bread have become delicious and filling lunches as well especially spread with all natural, fruit sweetened jam from Whole Foods.

I am totally out of Plantain Chips (my family decided they loved them too)...need to get more at Trader Joes for only 1.69 per bag and hide them from everyone else!

Went out to dinner last night and we hit "Home Town Buffet" because I knew I could raid the salad bar and not starve.  I thought I would only be able to get lettuce and veggies with no dressing but as it turns out, they have a spice station with a big variety of oils and vinegars that went nicely with my lettuce and veggies.  I was also able to fill up on fruit and hard boiled eggs and there was a very nice variety to choose from....wasn't able to get dessert  ;( so finished the meal off with a nice cup of hot tea....left feeling very satisfied!

We went to the movies after that and was almost going through withdrawals from smelling the buttery scent of popcorn (which in my opinion is a MUST if you are going to the movies) but was good, skipped the popcorn and enjoyed the movie empty-handed.

MY TREAT IS THE ONE ON THE RIGHT ;)

I have to say, one of the best things so far about this challenge is how healthy your body becomes getting rid of all those extra toxins in your body and how regular you become.....what a welcomed surprise!.....more tomorrow.....going to watch the Oscars and munch on all natural air popped popcorn while watching flavored with a little salt and REAL BUTTER!

DAY 3 WHOLE FOOD CHALLENGE

So far still so good!
Loving my homemade granola with fruit for breakfast everyday and homemade muffins for snacks.

For lunch, I made a coleslaw salad with red onions and my salad dressing from last night.....ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS....I would eat it even if I wasn't on this challenge!

I do have to get creatvie when I go out to eat though....that is my challenge....still working on that.

I need to take in more calories I think and eat more nuts along with my dried fruit.....lacking a little energy on my run today....

HOMEMADE COLESLAW SALAD.....YUMM!

It's a work in progress and I am up for this challenge.....more tomorrow!

FRU-GAL'S DEAL OF THE DAY

My shopping adventure only cost me 13.86 today for all this ( a dry fit basketball shirt, good running socks, kids tie, christmas ornaments, and a pair of black pants for me)....the socks alone costs 10.00 but when you shop only clearance racks and pair that with a coupon.....you spend as little as I do!

DAY 2 OF CHALLENGE

It's day 2 and so far so good!
My coffee doesn't taste as good without my coffeemate creamers but sweetening it with cinnamon or ginger is a nice substitute with lite coconut milk which is just milk from the coconut mixed with water.

lunch may get a little monotonous so I will have to start getting creative.

My muffins have been a treat I look forward to everyday and bananas never tasted so good.

I am missing my diet soda I have to say but mineral water isn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be.

For dinner tonight, I made homemade tomato sauce with green bell peppers to top my whole wheat spaghetti  and homemade salad dressing using fresh rosemary and garlic for my salad.....I really wanted a piece of sourdough bread but resisted and had fresh cucumber and grape tomatoes instead.....actually a pretty filling meal.....till tomorrow....