Monday, May 17, 2010

A Lot of Changes Have Been Made

A lot of things have changed over the last six month. Two things in particular: my exercise routine and my eating habits. It has definitely been a challenge to change bad habits. Here is what a day of eating looked like six months ago:

I loved Soda Pop or anything that was flavored. I used to love to freeze Sobe drinks for a couple hours and eat it like a slushy.
My poor children got a lot of fast meals: pizza, fast food, eating out. Sometimes cooking a meal just seemed like to much work. Now that I don't do that anymore, it is just as much work to prepare a fast, healthy meal, as it is to buckle the kids up, drive to a place, and wait for my food.

I loved donuts. I wish I didn't, but I do.


And then there was the junk. I always had it lying around somewhere. This was my stress reliever. If the days were rough, it seems like that's all I ate, for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Sure I felt sick. But it was worth it to not feel the stress of whatever was going on that day.


Things have change, drastically. I have a new kind of shopping list. Here are some of the staples I keep in my house:

Whole Wheat Bread
I used to not like Whole Wheat Bread
It was to dense
But now, I don't like white bread.

This is also a new favorite: green onions
I have a little bit each day to flavor my salads I have for lunch.


Tomatoes are always in my fridge

Kind of funny, but Tofu has become a staple. I use it in my salad for protein. My favorite way is to saute it in a bit of Hoisin Sauce until it is nice and crispy.
I can't get enough Sugar Snap Peas.
They are always located in my vegetable drawer.
And yes, a salad wouldn't be complete without Spinach. Low calories, and healthy for you. Almost a daily treat.
I've started using lemons and limes as salad dressing. Slice a piece off and squeeze it over the salad. I know I've made a good salad when I don't need any dressing to top it off.
I've become a protein shake kind of girl. This is the kind I used to have, but I'm trying a new brand now and I really like it. I have a protein shake almost everyday for breakfast.
Sometimes cucumbers are just the only vegetable that's a good side for a dinner and all three of my kids love it.
I always have frozen blueberries in my freezer for protein shakes. I've tried other fruits, but the blueberries are the only ones that do the trick for me. I can't buy them anywhere but Costco, because they are so expensive at the grocery store.
MMMMM, Peppers....
My mouth is watering just thinking about them.
My salad wouldn't be complete without a bit of avocado, two tablespoons to be exact. They are so healthy for you, but those calories can sure add up.
I've tried to workout early in the morning without eating anything. My workout suffers. This is my pre workout snack. It gives me just the right amount of energy to get a good workout in. Do you eat before a workout?

An apple a day does what??
Oh I can't remember, but it sure does taste good!
So there you have it: the staples of my house. I'm sure there are more, but those are the regulars that are always on my shopping list. Is it just me, or does anyone else notice their shopping bill is higher now that they are eating healthier? I think there's something wrong with that. Like I'm being punished for having a healthier lifestyle.

8 comments:

  1. Oh Alicia, I want to come eat at your house. Chad and I just sat down yesterday to go over the budget because of my grocery bill last month. It grew too much! Yikes!

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  2. Great post! Great eating habits my friend! Yes, our bill is higher too. My kids love to eat (well all but Emily) healthy things too. It's not fair for me to keep the good stuff to myself so sometimes I can't get exactly what I want. But it's cheaper than hospital bills right?

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  3. Eating healthy does seem more expensive but I think that eating healthy off sets the medical cost that eating unhealthy may bring.

    I think a key thing is to eat things in season. Try not to buy to much of things that you know you won't go through quickly so you don't have too much waste.

    It's great that you've made so many changes. All your food looks yummy. I'm not a big apple eater but my 8 year old is.

    Now if I could only get the desire to cook dinner. I rock breakfast and lunch but many nights I get to dinner and I'm just tuckered out.

    It doesn't help that my husband gets home so late, and I'm putting the kids to bed usually when he gets home. I'm having a hard time just making the dinner eating and then offering him the left overs. I just need to get over it and MAKE DINNER!

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  4. I love to eat everything you showed pictures of Alicia but I don't have any of the first 4 food items in my house. Until three months ago diet coke was my main source of fluid, no more! Since quitting coke my arthritis pain as just about disappeared. I love fizzy sodas but have decided to quit all of it. I do plan to occaisionally eat a donut or piece of candy and when I do I'm not going to feel guilty but for now they are on my taboo list.

    It is more expensive to eat fresh fruits and veggies. On the postive side as I've said before we are so blessed to live at this time when so much is available. Plant a garden if you have good soil and grow some of this good stuff in your own backyard, that will help keep your costs down.

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  5. Wow, good job! Spinach and peppers are always in my veggie drawer too! And I've got some heirloom tomatoes on their way!

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  6. That apple is calling my name. Other favorites at our house are carrots with hummus, juicy oranges or fresh pears and red leaf lettuce.

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  7. Everything looks so fresh and inviting. I love all onions these days: red, green and yellow.

    I love whole wheat bread...always have. In my house, I call white bread "sick bread" because, on my watch, the kids only get it when they're really sick (as it will likely come right back up).

    I made roasted cauliflower the other day with olive oil, S & P, and a sprinkle of parmesan cheese. Really good.

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  8. Can I come over to your house and eat? Yum.

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