28-day Re-boot

Today was day 4 of my self-devised 28-day diet re-boot. While I eat healthy most of the time, I find myself in ruts, eating desserts way more than I'd care to tell you, and snacking just because it's in front of me or because the clock says its time to eat.  60 animal crackers anyone?Portions get a little out of hand, and my love for plant-based eating gets all but forgotten. A few months ago I did a 28-day clean eating challenge- I loved it. Sure, I cheated a few times but managed to stick to it for the entire month. What I didn't like about that particular diet challenge was how vague the diet component was. I wasn't sure if bread was allowed or discouraged, was red meat OK, or why plain yogurt was ok but not Parmesan cheese. The recipes I tried were tasty, but no nutritional info was provided (and I was too lazy to figure it out). I craved a more detailed plan to follow. I also knew I wanted a cleanse program that progressively added foods back in so I could detect any food sensitivities, and see if I felt noticeably better by avoiding certain foods. My plan uses what I believe to be the healthiest way to eat, and encourages a key component - establishing a  healthier relationship with food. This means learning how to balance your plate, whether vegan or carnivore, and consuming whole foods rather than the processed & packaged version. The biggest challenge for me - mom to almost 4 babes- is the extra time and planning this lifestyle takes. There is no getting around this, it's just part of the commitment. So, I guess you have to ask yourself how committed you are willing to be. And it's perfectly acceptable to me to admit to yourself (and the entire blog-reading world) that you are about 75% committed. I'd say that's about where i'm at with clean eating, and damn proud, too. Hey, I've come a long way. 

Anyway, Jordan and I are test-driving the re-boot plan and some recipes. All of which I will share with you once we make it through. I'll post updates as we go, so far so good!

Here's a picture of yesterday's lunch: trader joes spicy egg white salad atop a super greens salad. Yum!