Finding Time

Prior to doing this challenge, I didn't realize how much I let my schedule dictate what I ate. I grabbed foods on the go which were often high calorie/sugar/salt/caffeine. In the morning, I would sleep in so all I had time for was a quick stop at the coffee shop between buses to grab a latte and pastry. In the afternoon, I would caffeinate or sugar myself through a missed lunch or just a loss in energy (around 2:30pm usually.) Dinners and lunches often involved grabbing something off the coop deli or from a local restaurant.

I can't do those things with the challenge and adjusting has been something of a challenge itself. Last night, we checked out the Plantstrong Crookpot meals tasting at the Lake Calhoun Whole Foods which meant going there from work. The tasting demonstrated 4 recipes that were 8+ hours in the crockpot (perfect for putting on before you leave for work.) I learned a great tip with my favorite sample, Hearty Winter Stew, which was to use a box of potato leek soup as the base instead of broth to bring out more flavor and stew thickness. The samples and a California Quinoa Salad from the Whole Foods Deli didn't quite fill me up and I was hungry for dinner on the ride home, but didn't have time to cook something before I had to start a 12-hour fast for my physical in the morning. I grabbed a handful of carrots and an apple and called it a night.

Today, the challenge was passing up a work lunch and dinner in favor of eating Engine 2 foods. I think I would have faltered today had I not got the great news at the doctor that I've lost 25 pounds over the past year and my blood pressure has dropped 20 points to the normal range!  I was happy about that progress and it made packing a hummus sandwich with fixings, kiwis and carrots for my Board meeting lunch okay. Later in the day, it might still have been the good news from the doctor or maybe that the headaches have subsided, but I was able to stay focused and stop at home to make a stirfry of mushrooms, onions, green peppers and brown rice with a handful of almonds and an apple before heading to a dinner with colleagues. I didn't even tempt myself by looking at what I was passing up, but did enjoy some raisins and a peanut butter sandwich at home before calling it a night.

One other sweet treat of eating healthy? Smoothies made with frozen blueberries and pineapples and soy milk/yogurt so thick it's like eating good-for-you ice cream for breakfast!