Day 28 and 29...and 30 is the LAST day!

Hi All,

Day 28 started and ended clean!  It was a rare Sunday and Dave had to work so I got up and made him a nice breakfast before he had to go in - a few fried eggs on some Oat Whole Wheat bread.  For me - yogurt with some berries.  I spent some lovely one on one time with my Julia at the pool...

...before heading up to Stew Leonard's to pick up some odds and ends. I was a bit hungry when I went into the store as I hadn't had lunch...  and I know that is a big no-no.  I did pretty well!   

Everything on my list was clean, fresh and on sale!  The only off list thing I ended up purchasing (other than some donuts for Jul!) was Yucca Bread!!! 

Seriously you have no idea how exciting this was for me!!  It is made with yucca flour, fresh mozzarella cheese, eggs, butter, milk and baking powder and absolutely delicious!  Clean!  It will be a regular in my house moving forward.  

I finished up the day with the cooked shrimp that I bought.  Didn't need to do anything but dip it in some cocktail sauce and enjoy!    I also had one of the last of my turkey quinoa meatballs...I'm already thinking next week I'm going to make them, but maybe with some yummy Mexican flavors - as I'm in the mood for taco's!! Of course I'll use lettuce wraps in stead of tortillas, but I'm perfectly OK with that.   

Ohhhh..Or maybe make little sliders out of them and eat them with Pan de Yucca!  I'm a genius.  I'll let you know how that tasted! :)

Day 29 started off poorly.  Not with my eating, but I just wasn't feeling well.  So I ate some cottage cheese for breakfast.  I tried to have some cantaloupe but either my stomach was having none of that... or I'm on my "I think I've eaten too much cantaloupe" threshold.  I'll be taking a break from cantaloupe for a bit.  

Lunch was some of my bean salad and goat cheese.  A bit boring but as I wasn't feeling well - it fit!  

I had some of the Yucca bread for dinner along with some cheddar cheese and salsa.   I just wasn't in the mood for much more than that. (Notice when I don't feel well I don't eat well nor photo what I'm eating!)

And we are now at Day 30 - the last day of the 30 day eating clean challenge.  I had some Greek yogurt, strawberries and chia seeds for breakfast.  

I must say - that fills me up so much I couldn't eat my snack and really wasn't interested in lunch.   Except... I was really interested in lunch. ;)  

I had almost forgotten that I had gotten Burrata Cheese and avocado's at Stew Leonard's.  I mean - HOW could I have forgotten that?!?  I was never so glad that Dave was rooting around in the fridge and exposed that lovely white ball of goodness!  So - lunch was Burrata with tomatoes and avocado lettuce wraps.  YUM. 

A squeeze of lime juice on it was all this deliciousness needed to bring out all the fresh, bright flavors. You've had Burrata cheese, right?  Tell me you have.  If you haven't then I insist you go out right this second (well, after you finish reading my blog!) and get some.  If you like fresh Mozzarella and you like Ricotta - you will LOVE Burrata!!  I have this often as a meal - Usually I'll make my zucchini carpaccio and eat it with Burrata... I'll eat it plain... I'll eat it just about anyway someone would serve it. Yum. Yes - I have serious cheese love going on here.  You will too!!

Dinner tonight is going to be seafood.  I am going out with friends to celebrate a big birthday... I won't be home until late so that is why I'm posting now in stead of afterward... so Lucky you will get to hear about my last meal on the challenge and what ever other random thoughts I have about it tomorrow.  Because you know already that I will be continuing to eat clean.  Now I'll just have to figure out new titles for my blog!

Until Next Time...

EAT (Burrata!)

Day 26 (boring) and Day 27 (cooling)

Hi All,

Day 26 was a boring eating clean day.  Yes - eating clean can be boring!  Not in the taste or flavor kind of way...  Just that what I ate yesterday has already been photographed and written about in my blog already - several times.  How many pictures do you really want to look at of cantaloupe and cottage cheese or turkey quinoa meatballs with ricotta cheese?  

Fridays in my office, they are offering a summer treat - either ice cream, Italian ices or frozen fruit bars - and while everyone was eating their treat, I snacked on my strawberry Greek yogurt.  I wanted Ice cream...and I'm not usually a ice cream fan (OK, well I like it but don't really eat it often)...but I wanted it - so my yogurt was a very poor substitute. 

Day 27 - I can't believe the challenge part of this Clean Eating is almost over.  I changed up my breakfast this morning and had some Oat Whole Wheat toast with Avocado and a bit of a balsamic drizzle.  I love avocado toast! I don't know why I don't eat it more often!  

 With Ice Cream on the brain and remembering a suggestion from my friend Michele, I went online and looked for a recipe for clean ice cream...using Bananas.  I had bought a bunch of them last week at the store and they were very ripe.  I read several recipes and decided to try it out.  So I took three bananas, peeled them and cut them into slices - and froze them.  

This afternoon, Dave was looking for something sweet but wasn't interested in my macerated berries (in lime juice - too tart for him!).  I remembered the frozen bananas and decided to make my ice cream.   I threw the bananas in the food processor with a splash of milk and pulsed away.  I did need to add a few more splashes of milk so that I could get the texture that I wanted - but I got exactly what I wanted...  Banana Ice Cream!  It was so delicious!!  

 And what a refreshing thing to have on a hot day!  I will definitely be making this again - and even adding different berries for other flavors.  It needed no sweetening as the ripe bananas were sweet enough!  I'm sure with berries it will be as well.  Dave suggested for next time to add some nuts as well - so I will absolutely try that too.  Tomorrow - as I've just put more bananas in the freezer! 

Lunch today was more turkey quinoa meatballs... they really are good!  Easy too - that is why I will always have a stash of them in my fridge, along with some plain quinoa - as its easy to add to any meal, or to have as a meal itself!  

It is dinner time as I write this - and I'm not too sure what I'll be eating.  I made the mistake of watching a bit of the Food Network today and the only thing I have on my mind is Mac and Cheese.  I won't be eating that - but more than likely it will be something with cheese to see if I can stash away that craving!  It is funny as I think back on the past 27 days of this challenge the one thing I really, really miss is Mac and Cheese!  Go figure.

Edit...I had dinner... Steamed broccoli with some goat cheese.  Yum.  I'm so OK with out Mac and Cheese - I don't need the carbs and I know if I ate them, I'd be feeling bad in the morning.  Literally! Clean Eating is a choice - and I made the choice to make sure I eat clean and feel good about myself. 

Until Next Time...

EAT (Banana Ice Cream)

Day 24 & 25 - Back on Track

Hi All,

So - back on track!!  No excuses, the Clean Eating Challenge is in its last legs and now that I am home - I am 100% committed to eating clean from here on out.  

And Clean Eating means preparation!   So - I made some quinoa (plain this time) that will hang out in my fridge and be available to add to any dish I want this week.  

I also made a bean salad...  Chick Peas, Cannelloni Beans, Black Beans and edamame with some tomatoes and red onion dressed in a red wine vinaigrette. 

I roasted off some chicken breasts as well, so I am prepared for this week!

Breakfast on Wednesday was cottage cheese and cantaloupe. 

My Lunch was some quinoa with bean salad and goat cheese.

Snack - Fresh Berries with strawberry greek yogurt.

And Dinner (didn't take a picture) was some roasted chicken with Brussel sprouts.  

Today - I woke up feeling like it was an avocado kind of a day!  So for breakfast I made my version of a tricolore salad.  Fresh Mozzarella, tomatoes and avocado with a drizzle of balsamic.  This is one of my favorite dishes... If I had them - I'd have added artichoke hearts too!  Yum.

And for lunch - I had my quinoa and bean salad, with avocado, roasted chicken and goat cheese.  I have to say - it was really delicious!!  :)

Dinner will be my Turkey Quinoa meatballs - I'm about to make them now.  They are so good, and very easy to keep and eat.  

It is so easy to get back on track when you've jumped the rails for a bit.  So long as you prepare.  That is really the key to any kind of lifestyle change - preparation.  I don't usually plan my meals in advance, but in doing so - it does make it easier to stick to a goal and a plan.  

Six more days to go in this challenge - but friends, I'm not going back to my old ways when its done.  I feel so much better eating clean.  Why would I go back to processed, unpronounceable food that makes me feel bad, slow, achy...  No - I will keep doing this clean eating way beyond this challenge.  It is a lifestyle change, not a diet.  It is more than just a challenge for me - it is now apart of my journey.  

Until Next Time...

EAT

Day 18 - 23 ... Clean Eating Away is Hard!

Hi All,

So - I'm back!  We just spent a fantastic weekend in Northeast Harbor, Maine - to surprise my Dad for his 70th Birthday.  I'll share some pictures with you (of course!) and some details of the weekend.  However I'll start off by saying that I had a plan going into this trip to continue to eat clean.  Well, you know what they say about the best laid plans... 

Eating clean does require a lot of planning and preparation.  When you don't have your own kitchen or a fridge to have your meals in - it is hard to eat 100% clean.  When every meal is out...and when you're in a place where there is many different dishes that you want to try, it is hard to eat clean.  

I ate as clean as I could when I could.  That's all I have to say about that! 

I'm not going to bore you with a day by day rundown of everything we did, ate, saw etc...  Just some highlights!

We were up on the 18th at the crack of dawn...well, before dawn actually to fly into Portland.  

Hello Portland!

We landed at 9am, and the first thing we did was ask the guy at the car rental counter where to eat breakfast. 

So this is where we went!  The Bayside American Cafe.  A really cute breakfast/brunch place that I would highly recommend!!   It was meal 1 on vacation and I went with Crab Cakes Eggs Benedict.  Yup - not entirely clean.  I will say - I didn't eat the English muffin.  I had a crab cake and one egg - and left the 3 potato hash alone. 

We then set out on the 3 1/2 - 4 hour drive up to Mount Desert Island and our home for the next few days - The Asticou Inn in Northeast Harbor.   This was the view from our room...

After some lunch at the Inn (who is known for their Popovers... Yes, I ate Popovers with butter and Jam!  I also had an amazing Lobster Stew and a spinach and tomato quiche and didn't eat the crust!), and a much needed nap - We did some exploring.  We drove around and discovered Seal Cove and a beach that we took our selfie on.

And as the sun was setting on Seal Cove, we decided to drive into the town of Northeast Harbor for some dinner.  It was about 7pm - and the town had already rolled up its sidewalks!  All the stores were closed and there was a bar open and one other restaurant.  We headed back to Seal Cove and had a nice meal at a place called the Lighthouse - it wasn't a lighthouse nor was it on the water, but it was a good meal.

Then back to the Inn for a gorgeous full moon rise!

Bad thing about early to bed - is early to rise!  I was up at 5:15am the next morning...whether it was just because we went to bed at 10:30 the night before, or just sheer excitement as everyone was arriving on this day - and the Surprise would happen that night...  But here I am not happy to be up, watching the sun rise!

The colors in the sky were beautiful - I really don't think the camera on my phone did it any justice!

While I never really saw the "sun" rise - the changing of the sky and the boats getting the light shined on them was beautiful.  Dave and I then got up, had breakfast at the Inn (eggs and fruit!  Completely clean!!) and went into Bar Harbor to walk around, sight see, shop and of course, eat!

Day of the Surprise Selfie

I was given the name of a restaurant to try the Lobster Roll... the Side Street Cafe.  We went - we ate the Lobster Roll (and some Lobster Mac and Cheese!) and I will say - it was the BEST Lobster Roll I have ever had.  Absolutely the Best.  So good, that when we went into Bar Harbor the next day ... we went back and brought about 25 people with us!!

That night, the surprise went off with out a hitch - My father walked into a room filled with 30 of his family and closest friends to celebrate him for the weekend.  It was quite moving to witness... and quite exciting to know we had really pulled off the surprise!  8 months of planning for that moment was absolutely priceless!

The next day was a gorgeous one again!  We lucked out with the weather!!  We had hired a trolley to take the entire group on a tour of Bar Harbor and Arcadia National Park and had a wonderful time... Just look at these views from the top of Cadillac Mountain!!

And the rocky coast line by Thunder Hole...(the sea was calm, so we didn't hear the 'thunder')

We celebrated my Dad's birthday that night with a good old fashioned Lobster Bake!  More Popovers (yum!) but then it was all clean with Lobster and Mussels and Clams.  I was too full to even think about touching a potato or the corn!   I did have a small piece of amazing Birthday Cake though...and a taste of the best Blueberry Pie! 

The next day we were supposed to go on a whale watching tour - however the Foggy Maine weather had other plans for us!  

So instead of seeing Whales, we went back into Bar Harbor to do some shopping, eating and lots and lots of walking!  Some of the Family at Stewman's in Bar Harbor where we had lunch (yup, I got the Crab Cake again!).

Poor Julia behind the Pole!

And Fog will not stop my nieces and nephews from playing in the heated pool either!  The adults sat on the deck to watch them - and eat more Popovers! 

Our Departure day was even foggier - and this time Rainy.  I think Northeast Harbor was sad to see us go!  We were sad to leave, but believe me - we will be back...  and next time - the pups will come with us!  The Inn allows dogs and it is such a dog friendly area... I think that is one of the reasons why we fell in love with it!

So we leave the rain and fog of Mount Desert Island and drive back to Portland, where it was gorgeous and sunny!  We had lunch at a wonderful restaurant on the waterfront Boone's Fish House (yummy Haddock stuffed with Scallops and Lobster!) and then even had time to visit Portland Head Light.

It was such an amazing trip.  Other than missing the Whale Watching - not one thing went wrong or was spoiled.  Everyone had an amazing time.  This will go down in my book as one of the best trips ever.  Every single meal was delicious.  Every single event was fun and filled with lots of laughs and good times. 

It was good to get home and back to my babies.  It was also good to get home and back on the clean track.  You really do feel a difference when you are eating clean and then you don't eat clean.  Your body feels it, your energy level feels it...  I am very happy that I didn't go to hell with myself and eat everything that I wanted, clean be damned.   I am proud that under the circumstances, I ate about 80% clean every day.  There were some challenges (like those darn Popovers!!) but all in all - I'd say I was relatively successful.

But now that I'm home... and the challenge end is in sight - it's 100% clean from here on out!

Until Next Time...

EAT (Popovers!! lol)  

Day 14 - 17: Remaking the old and being excited about the new

Hi there,

I've been crazy busy these past few days, so I'm going to keep this blog sort and sweet.  I've had a few great days eating clean and in my prep for the week - I made an old recipe (old, but only made it once!) and made a new recipe (that I love!!).

The old recipe:  Chia Seed Pudding. I made it once before and loved it...and didn't try it again until I wanted a bit of something sweet and clean.  So I revisited this recipe and decided - it is a WINNER!!

I'm copying and pasting the recipe so you don't have to read through the whole blog to get the recipe ... unless you want to, you can click HERE! :)

Chia Seed Pudding (serving 4)

Ingredients

·         1 cup vanilla-flavored unsweetened almond milk

·         1 cup plain low-fat (2 percent) Greek yogurt

·         2 tablespoons pure maple syrup (preferably grade B), plus 4 teaspoons for serving*

·         1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

·         Kosher salt

·         1/4 cup chia seeds

·         1 pint strawberries, hulled and chopped

·         1/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted

*I bought Grade A organic maple syrup for this recipe and I still will say - you DO NOT need the extra 4 teaspoons for serving.  It is sweet enough with out that drizzle!! :)

Directions

In a medium bowl, gently whisk the almond milk, yogurt, 2 tablespoons maple syrup, the vanilla and 1/8 teaspoon salt until just blended. 

Whisk in the chia seeds; let stand 30 minutes. 

Stir to distribute the seeds if they have settled. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

The next day, in a medium bowl, toss the berries with the remaining 4 teaspoons maple syrup. Mix in the almonds. Spoon the pudding into 4 bowls or glasses; mound the berry mixture on top and serve. 

I also made a recipe I found online.  I wanted a meatball...and wasn't sure how to make them with out bread crumbs.  Yes, I could have made my own with whole wheat - but I knew there had to be an alternative.  I was right!!   So I made the below recipe - for Meatballs, though I got lazy (um...you know I'm lazy, right?) and instead of rolling meatballs, I used an ice cream scoop and plopped them into a muffin pan! 

So - here is the recipe... (now, this isn't the exact recipe that I found, I tweaked it to what I had in the house - either way - it is now my new "go to" meatball!!  Even Dave liked it!!!!!

Turkey Quinoa Meat Cups (ha!)

·         1 ¼ pound ground turkey

·         1 cup cooked quinoa

·         ½ medium yellow onion, grated

·         2 garlic cloves, minced

·         ½ cup grated zucchini (about 1 large or 2 small zucchini)

·         ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes

·         1 tablespoon of Italian seasons

·         ½ teaspoon ground black pepper

·         1 egg, beaten

·         6 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS:

1.       Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a rimmed baking sheet (muffin pan) with non-stick cooking spray or line with a Silpat baking mat.

2.       In a large bowl, combine all ingredients EXCEPT tomato sauce. I use my hands, because you don’t want to over-mix this or it will get tough.

3.       Form into a meatloaf shape on your prepared baking sheet. Mine was long, skinny, and short because I didn't want to have to bake it forever.

4.       Bake for 50-60 minutes or until meatloaf reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.

SO - the picture below is the meat cup, along with my quinoa salad with black beans, edamame, chickpeas and goat cheese.  Yum.  I've eaten these meatballs every day since I've made them.  They are moist, delicious and oh so good!!! 

And the below picture is my chia seed pudding with fresh berries and bananas.  Soooo good!  It really can be a dessert!  The pudding doesn't 'set' like a traditional pudding.  Maybe - more chia seeds would make it more gelatinous...but either way - it is GOOD!!

So, I will be a few days before I blog again - Life is getting in the way again, but in a good way.  So I'll leave you with this: 

Believe in yourself - because I believe in YOU!  Know that  I'll see you in a few days and update how Day 18-22 went next week.  

Until Next Time...

EAT (fun things!)

Day 11, 12 and 13 ... the ups and downs of a lifestyle change

Hi there, 

  

I hope your trying to keep cool on this hot, hot, humid, sticky Saturday!! I am now in the AC and catching up on my blog (duh!).  So let me tell you about my last few days!  :)

Thursday started with my old stand by - it seems breakfast is just easy to have cottage cheese and fruit with a snack of yogurt.  While I'm not tiring of the flavor - I do not want to get stuck on monotonous meals that will discourage me from my challenge - so I think I will need to switch up breakfast a bit.

And lunch - again a stand by... but a good one!! Salad with cucumbers, carrots, Gorgonzola cheese and edamame - and a red wine vinaigrette. 

Dinner still seems to be the hardest for me - after a snack of hummus and cucumbers, when I get home for diner, I really don't want anything.  I certainly didn't want to turn on the oven or stove to cook the zucchini noodles that I had planned for dinner.   I brained stormed what i had in the house that I could have quickly and cleanly ... and came up with...PIZZA!

I took my flax, oat and whole wheat pita and put some crushed seasoned tomato sauce (tomatoes, olive oil, basil, onion and garlic!) with some fresh mozzarella and Parmesan cheese.  A quick turn in the microwave and I had my clean pizza!!

This was such a good meal - and totally took care of that pizza craving that I was having!! 

I really do think it is time to re-think my meals.  I am a creative cook and I love to eat... So why am I eating so boring?!?!   Yes - boring isn't always bad - but it can keep you stuck in "easy" and then you can loose your focus for flavor - not realizing that you can have the flavor and eat clean - if you prepare, make a plan and get it done.  Can we change this up?  Of course - I'm in charge of my own life so I can change what I am eating!! 





So - Friday started with a change!!  :)  I decided to take a page out of an old Weight Watchers stand by... an egg mug   Except I used a bowl...  So I had an egg bowl for breakfast.  Very simply two eggs scrambled in the microwave with cottage cheese.   A whole new way for cottage cheese after all that fruit!!  It was very delicious and you'll see it again! Egg mugs, mini quiches... I forgot how much I love eggs for breakfast - so next week, bring on the eggs!!

And for the first time since I started this challenge - I didn't pack my lunch!  I was simply too tired and in a rush - so I decided that I would order lunch with the group on Friday.  They had decided to order from one of my favorite pizza joints - Mama's - and usually I'd have a few slices, or a huge bowl of amazing pasta...  but since I had cured my pizza craving the night before...  I went with a grilled chicken caesar salad - and it was absolutely amazing!  The dressing is clean - but I didn't smother the salad with it - I dipped into it to get the flavor but not kill the salad.  I didn't kill the salad!!  :)

After work - I went home to walk my pups...  Life in the heat has them worn down and tired - and just in the mood for sleep!

Delilah is zonked

Sam doesn't want to close his tired eyes in case he misses something... 

And Sage just wants to sleep..

But off I went afterward, with a bit of Mozzarella to eat, to a friends house to watch a movie. It was a good movie and a nice night with my friends - but it proved to me that a bit of mozzarella doesn't cut it for dinner.  I was unprepared and while there was fresh fruit there to eat (and I did eat some) there was also chips.  Salt and Vinegar Potato Chips.  Seriously - I'm not a potato chip girl - but those... they are my go to chip.  I had a few handfuls.  Not the whole bag - just literally a few handfuls...

I felt bad about it after the fact...that I had a bit of a slip, but you know - mistakes happen.  We all can't be perfect all the time or even some of the time.  We will all make a choice or two (or three or four!) that we wish after the fact we had chosen differently.  It is not wrong.  It is not bad.  It is just life.  This is what happens in life (well... my life for certain).  I can feel as bad or guilty about those handfuls of potato chips as I want - but to quote Sharon* "Feelings are just feelings - they are not Facts".   I am OK with the feelings - they are mine and I own each and every one.  The fact is - I made a choice.  I will have to deal with that choice - and guilt or regret will just get in the way of that. 

Karma too... 

Saturday - I woke up this morning feeling something I have not felt in 13 days - BLOATED! There was simply nothing good that came out of those chips, for the brief moment they satisfied something with in me.  The side effects for me was not worth the satisfaction.  Lesson Learned.   And you know what - life will prove that some lessons are learned by mistakes.  A mistake is just that - a mistake.  Its not the end - its not a tragedy...It is a mistake that can be fixed.  

So I fixed it with my breakfast this morning!  Completely clean even though we went out to eat... and absolutely delicious.  I had one slice of whole wheat toast with four slices of mashed avocado, a bit of pepper and an egg.  So filling - and when followed up by a bowl of fresh strawberries - completely satisfying!! 

We ate late - so my lunch was mostly some snack-able items pool side!  Cucumbers with hummus and cheddar cheese. 

Pool side - my friend Dina and her girls joined me in the pool on this hot, hot day - along with my niece Julia and my nephew Andrew.  We spent about 4 1/2 hours in the pool, playing Marco Polo, having contests on who can hold their breath longest (...yes... I could!) and just enjoying the day.  After dropping off the kiddies - I did go shopping to get the house ready for the next few days of Clean eating!  Yeah me for preparing ahead of time!!   

We only have a few days home until my clean eating will be challenged - but I believe I have the tools to make this "challenge" of my challenge be for the good.  But - I'll have to get into this after the fact, for reasons you'll understand when I can talk about it. And yes - this means that I will be neglecting my blog for a bit...but it will be pretty awesome when I can write again!!  But I digress - I'm still here in the blogging world for a few more days until I go dark for a few...  :)

I made sure I had what I needed in the house to make - Quinoa!  :)  I made the base of quinoa with black beans, chick peas and edamame with a vinaigrette.  I'll leave that in the fridge to make several meals with lots of yummy additions for the next few days.  

But for dinner tonight - I took the base and added some goat cheese, artichoke hearts and a sprinkle of Parmesan.  Simple, clean, delicious and a nice, light meal on this hot night. 

You really should try it!!  OH, while I was at - I bought what I need to make Chia pudding - so you'll be seeing that in the next day or so!!

But off I am now to finish eating - and preparing my fruit for our day at the beach tomorrow!!  I hope you are staying cool, staying hydrated and having fun!

Until Next Time,

EAT (mistakes be damned!)

*by the way - you'll hear me mention Sharon quite often  She is my therapist.  She is someone who helped me take off my rose colored glasses and see things much more clearer.  I quote her a lot in my everyday life... so you bet, I'll be quoting her here.  :)

Day 10 ...What to say about 10 days of Clean...?

Hi there,

Oh, I came on a bit strong on day 9 - that how do we follow this up on day 10??   I hope you have some idea's, because I'm not so sure!!!

So - do I go back to boring?  Maybe for a bit, because I need to tell you about the food I ate today!  (and believe it or not...I'm actually eating dinner as I type this!!).

Breakfast today was.... Egg Salad on a slice of quinoa bread.  I mixed the hard boiled egg with some grain mustard, salt and pepper and a bit of plain greek yogurt.  It works, believe it or not and was a nice change from my cottage cheese and cantaloupe!

Oh - but my snack ....  Cottage Cheese and Cantaloupe!!  lol  It was such a ripe cantaloupe that you can see the juices are just oozing from it.... Oh it was sooo sweet!  It was a great snack! So I guess I'm not sick of it yet!

Lunch - a very green salad, with romaine lettuce, cucumbers, edamame, feta cheese and egg.  I was trying to make sure I got my protein in!  A nice red wine vinaigrette and some avocado just topped it off nicely!

I snacked on some fresh Mozzarella - and walked right by the sandwich lunch that was brought in by a vendor...  I did have a bit of a pickle - but didn't have the potato salad and cookies.

Oh potato salad... I do miss you!!  (but cookies - not so much!)

Dinner - Yes, I ate dinner!! Just some simple shrimp and cocktail sauce - a very spicy cocktail sauce... Like - I can breathe out of my noise once the tears clear my eyes kind of a spicy!!  My FAVORITE!!

Simple, clean and delicious!

I wonder how long does it take to stop craving carbs?  Because I am dying for a huge bowl of pasta!! I bought zucchini so I can make zucchini pasta for dinner tomorrow - but it doesn't take the place of a gorgeous bowl of Smoked Mozzarella Rigatoni a la vodka from Hudson's Mill in Massapequa. OR a fabulous linguine and white clam sauce from Mama's.  Or even a simple Macaroni and cheese!!!  

Oh Mac and Cheese was a go-to staple for me.  OH...and I walked by a bowl with some skittles - and YES, I walked by it...I'm proud of that - but I did want it.  Is it sad I miss this stuff?

No - maybe not sad. Just - silly that you can be attached to carbs and sugar so much that you crave it.  I just read that it could take 3 days - or up to 2 weeks! Well - I'm 10 days in - and waiting for day 14 for this shit to stop. I guess I'm glad that it's not like it happens every day - actually only twice in the last two days... maybe it is the last of the carbs calling out for help before they no longer are important to me.  If you have a theory - I'd love to hear it!!

What do you do to curb your cravings?  Do you substitute? Do you believe in "taking a taste so you don't eat the whole cake" theory? I'm not so sure what I believe - a taste isn't a bad thing - and that is something I'll have to wrestle with next weekend (not this one coming).  I am going away (reasons and where will be disclosed at a later date!) and there will be many meals out.  It will mean many opportunities to eat clean - but many to not.  Especially when I'm going somewhere that there are many distinct foods that are known for the area, that are a must try - but may not be clean.  I will have to navigate those waters (ha! - and you'll get that next weekend) when I get to them.

I won't deprive my self of some tasty food - but it doesn't mean I'll undo all the good work I am doing by being in this challenge.  I am going to have to exercise moderation, thought and real decision making when it comes to what I'll try - and what makes it worth it to try. But by now you must know how I feel about exercise - and trust me - it's not just the physical!

What makes it worth it??  What would make it worth it for you?  I'd love to hear your ideas...  I have some time to ponder that thought process!

Until Next Time...

EAT (thoughtfully)