…but Summer is around the corner and I have some shaping up to do. I want to feel my best inside and out. So instead of taking on another challenge, I am going for a “Spring into Summer Throw Down”.
Not so much of a challenge, much more of some goal setting.
As Winter turns into Spring, and Spring turns into Summer, we go back outside and get to PLAY!I want to make sure I am taking full advantage of this weather 
Getting in shape for the summer season is going to be fun! I just love to get outside and workout instead of being stuck inside.
Goals:
- To wake up every morning by 6am.
- To walk Bosco at least 3 times a week.
- Commit to doing more core work. (work the abs)
- Walk around more at work.
- Drink at least 64 oz of water a day.
- Ride my bike at least once a week.
- Eat more salads and veggies.
- Finish the RFC strong!!!!
- Bootcamp class twice a week.
- Hot Yoga once a week.
- Run three times a week.
- Kettlebells twice a week.
- Go on hikes!
Desired Outcomes:
- To look and feel great
- To get outside more
- To keep on track
- To feel comfortable in my bathing suit
Week of May 1
- S: Run 10 miles
- M: Hot Yoga +Kettle Bells
- T: Run 5 miles + Bootcamp
- W: Kettle Bells +Teach KB
- T: Bootcamp
- F: Run 6 miles
- S: REST /fun bike ride
I made a fun google calendar to help me stay committed through the first day of summer, JUNE 21st! We ave 51 more days Get your goals started today!
Set your own goals for your personal “Spring into Summer Throw Down”. Print them out and stick them where you are going to see them daily.
Question: Do you need a little Spring into Summer Throw Down in your life??
]]>
Letâ€
s be honest, it hasnâ€t been easy and I havenâ€t really felt much different, because I normally eat pretty well as it is, but there has been change.
What do I mean by change? Well I have LOVED eating at home a lot more. Like last night for instance, we were so tempted to go out and have a birthday celebration dinner and break all RFC rules, but I had planned a great meal and I knew that once I started cooking I would be much happier. Donâ€t get me wrong I enjoy eating out once in a while, but as we all know that itâ€s not only better for your wallet to eat at home, but itâ€s much better for your waistline.
I am loving all the fruits and veggies I have been eating and finding new and fun recipes.
I wasnâ€t expecting to LOSE any weight on the challenge, but I have lost a little and more then that I have felt a bit lighter. Not sure that make sense, but I do.
Budget wise, we are staying on track. We have about $155 to left to spend and still 2 more weeks to go. I forgot there was 5 weeks in March, which gives us one whole week to add to the budget.
Hubby on the other hand was just about ready to quit on Thursday. Itâ€s really just the Crystal Light limitation that he is having a hard time with. He is ALWAYS thirsty and is not a huge fan of water. So we have decided that as soon as all the juice is gone, he will be adding Crystal Light back (but limited). But, everything else is going to stay the same.
Also I have added a new challenge for myself, I am going to make a new recipe from one of my cookbooks every week. Â
I miss Pink Berry…dark chocolate…and thatâ€s about it.  I will stick it out and keep playing in the kitchen!!!
 P.S. I think we need more how-to videos on NHS!!!! I feel a movie coming on
#1. Check out EVAN’S recipe for Vegged-Out Quinoa: http://www.thewannabechef.net/2011/01/13/vegged-out-quinoa/Â so good!
#2. Host a REAL FOOD dinner. Invite your family and friends over and make them a really good meal, like this one and talk about what you are doing. The more educated others are about eating real food, the more they can learn to appreciate what you are doing.
#3. Shop at Fresh and Easy and Trader Joe’s  for your poultry. A lot of their beef is grass fed and their chicken is FREE RANGE. They also have cage free eggs But stay away from the corn fed beef.
Why grass fed over corn fed?
 “In the past, all beef was grass fed beef, but today what is commercially available in the United States is almost all feedlot corn fed beef. The reason? It’s faster, and so more profitable. Seventy years ago, steers were 4 or 5 years old at time of slaughter. Today, they are only 14 or 16 months. You can’t take a beef calf from a birth weight of 80 pounds to 1,200 pounds in a little more than a year on grass. It takes enormous quantities of corn, protein supplements, antibiotics and other drugs, including growth hormones. The end result, and this is what ends up on you plate, is corn fed beef full of growth hormones, protein supplements and antibiotics. This is a virtual breeding ground for toxins and bacteria to develop.”-source
#4. Homemade pizza lunch-ables with fruit! I got this idea from Lisas blog and love it. I basically bake whole-wheat pizza crust plain, cut it into triangles and freeze them in a big bag. I also freeze seasoned tomato sauce (or pizza sauce) in ice cube trays. Once the cubes are frozen I move them out of the trays into another big freezer bag. You can then pull out 2 or 3 crust triangles, 2 sauce cubes, grate some cheese and add some fruit. My HUSBAND loves this lunch and it is one of the easier ones to put together the night before (once all the advance preparation is done of course!).
#5. You can eat “ice-cream” or a banana soft serve as I like to call it: Place 4 frozen bananas in a food processor. Pulse several times to break into smaller pieces, then turn on and run for about five minutes, stopping occasionally to scrape down the sides of the bowl. The bananas will start to resemble soft serve in a few minutes. Transfer to a bowl and place in freezer for about 15 minutes, if you’d like, or serve immediately. I topped mine with a tablespoon of pure maple syrup mixed with 2 t dark cocoa powder (Makes four 1/2 cup servings)
#6. Do you miss your sweet coffee?? Well here is a real MOCHA you will love
Ingredients
- ½ teaspoon unsweetened cocoa (this recipe will work with regular cocoa, but I think it is SOOO much better with the pictured “special dark†variety…which most stores carry)
- 1 teaspoon 100% pure maple syrup (honey would work as an alternative)
- 1 shot of espresso
- ¾ cup of milk
 Directions
- Measure 3/4 cup milk into a glass measuring cup and heat it in the microwave for 2 minutes. If you want to get fancy you can use the frothing attachment on your espresso maker to heat the milk, but I personally think that makes way too much of a mess for the small added benefit of foam.
While the milk is heating up, stir together the cocoa and maple syrup
Pour the hot espresso and milk into the chocolate mixture…and voila! You have a “mochaâ€
Here is some Feedback from RFC participates thus far:
“In just a short amount of time this has really opened my eyes to the processed foods I still eat. I’m not reading more labels than ever and I didn’t think that was possible. Now I’m counting ingredients and not just looking for the usual animal products and HFCS. I’m stuck on Green Monsters for lunches on the weekends though. And I’m finding that making my own snacks helps a lot. I make my own granola and trail mix. I went to Whole Foods and stocked up at the bulk bins on dry beans and grains. I also love that LaraBars fit into the 5 ingredient whole food rule. I just tried the peanut butter and jelly one for the first time and it has quickly become my favorite.”-Kelly
“So far the last 3 days have been easy… I have tried a new vegetable and a new recipe… and even though it has only been 3 days I feel great and haven’t had any cravings for any of my old food”-Crystal
“Week 1: Well I survived, but I realized I need to make/prep my breakfast and lunches the night BEFORE. I started class this week (getting my commercial real estate license) and classes are Tuesday and Thursday from 6-10pm…..so on those days I had to pack breakfast, lunch, AND dinner. Need more ideas for dinners on those nights….?”-Kaitlyn…anyone have any tips for Kaitlyn????
I would love to hear what you guys would like to know about how the RFC has helped you, or if you have more questions for me send them my way!
]]>
Peanut/Almond Encrusted Baked Chicken Fingers (a mouthful I know)
I have made something similar, but this time I used my own recipe.
Ingredients:
- 2 boneless skinless free organic chicken breasts
- 2-3 eggs
- 1/3 cup peanuts ground up peanuts
- 1/3 cup almonds ground up almonds
- 1/3 cup whole wheat flour
Directions:
Place chicken on a cutting board and cover with plastic wrap. Then beat the heck out of it with a mallet (I used a rolling pin) until about 2 inches thick. Then cut up into strips.
Line up your dipping station. Flour, eggs, and peanuts (then after your our of peanuts switch to almonds).
Can you belie this is only two small chicken breasts?? It’s all in the pounding! Into the oven at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes.
While those baked away so did my sweet potatoes! The best I have ever made. I just sliced one sweet potato up, drizzled with a little EVOO, sprinkled with sea salt and paprika and put in the oven at 450 for 20 minutes. Then stuck them in the broiler for about 5 minutes!
TA-DA! Home made baked fried chicken! I liked the almond and peanut crunch!
I also made myself a Mocktail. Thanks to POM Wonderful, who sent me some of their newest flavor Cranberry Pomegranate, to try out. I added a little Pellegrino for some bubbles.
All in the POM glass
Dinner for two.
I ate every last bite!
I also steamed some broccoli and added a little fresh graded parmesan cheese.
One REAL GOOD meal!
Before I made dinner I blended up some frozen cherries and made homemade popsicles!
Dessert here we come
We just threw in the ingredients to our new bread maker. Hubby and I are crossing our fingers and hoping this bread actually comes out !!!!
Now time to edit some photos in Photoshop and then write my first letter
Hope you all had a wonderful Wednesday!
P.S. Check out Hubby’s new post!
DAY 7 – http://mattmccormick.com/?p=35
DAY 8 & 9 – http://mattmccormick.com/?p=38
This morning I emailed all the RFC paricipants REAL FOOD “Tricks and Tips” to help keep us motivated through this JOURNEY! I wanted to share these tips and tricks with all OF YOU too. Although you might not be doing the RFC, this is a healthy living blog so I am sure this information will be just as useful
Here are just a  few resources that have really helped me understnad and belive that it is possible to eat REAL FOOD, even with a busy schedule like me.Â
Â
1. If you haven’t picked up one of Michael Pollan’s books on food, I would highly suggest it! I just finished “In Defense of Food”, and he really made me fall back in love with real foods and enjoying it for what it is and not for the nutrients,. Instead of food, weâ€re consuming “edible foodlike substances†— no longer the products of nature but of food science. Many of them come packaged with health claims that should be our first clue they are anything but healthy. He talks about how Western diet, food has been replaced by nutrients, and common sense by confusion. The result is what Michael Pollan calls the American paradox: The more we worry about nutrition, the less healthy we seem to become. I plan on doing a FULL REVIEW on the blog this weekend. (and watch out for a give-away!)
2.Rent the movie Food Inc. It really opened my eyes to the meat and dairy industry, I am not ready to become a Vegan, but it has changed my view on where I will be purchasing meat! They also have a great blog you can follow. http://www.takepart.com/
3.Join a co-op! You can buy super fresh, organic produce at wholesale prices!! Co-ops are a community of people who get together every week to pool their money in order to purchase organic produce in bulk at wholesale prices. We have a local one that is $23 a week. You can find a local farmers market or co-op at this great website http://www.localharvest.org/.
4. Blogs I have fallen in love with :Clean Green and Simple  , and 101 cook books.
5. Last tip for today…MAKE THESE!! I love Jenna’s blog! I am going to make them next week, Spinach and Feta Turkey Burgers!
Happy “Real” Eating Friends!!!
Â
P.S. I would love to include some of your tips and tricks in the next Thurday edition to Real Food “Tips and Tricks” …please send your ideas my way
Week 6 is in process for the 14 week kettle bell challenge can you believe I am Almost half way there. I can totally see some major changes!
Now on to the eats…..
Snack #1
2 Hard Boiled eggs…YUM!
Lunch
My lunch
Spinach Salad with Strawberries, a Tangerine, shredded Carrot, Red Onion, and sliced Almonds.
With some black berries and Fage.
Hubby’s lunch + Snacks.
Brown Rice+Chicken+Pineapple+Strawberries+Peanuts and Raisins.
Around 2 I was craving a sweet, instead I had one of these.
at 5pm I had some of the whole wheat bread I made last night and PB.
While I went to KB, Hubby made dinner!!! He made us "Real" nachos. He cooked up some of the Organic Beef we got at Costco.
With fresh black beans
Cheese
His bowl.
Oh and we had home made whole wheat tortilla chips. I made whole wheat tortillas this past weekend and cut them into triangles (recipe for the tortillas to come soon).
I drizzled them with a little EVOO and threw them in oven on broil for 4 minutes.
I think this is the best bowl of nachos I have ever eaten, I savored every bite!!! I also added in some organic corn (from Costco), spinach, olives, and Fage.
You must try!!!
Guess what? I finished my book!!! This book will change your world. I will post a full review soon.
Ok now it’s time to get in the kitchen and peel some potatoes!
]]>Ok so last night I finished the film Food, Inc. If you haven’t seen it, I so recommend it. Warning, it’s not for the faint of heart. I am not here to tell you how to eat, but to tell you how this film really affected the way I see food.
Here are just a few things that I learned:Â
Mr. Pollan and Mr. Schlosser discussed “Wal-mart” and its recent 5-year plan to reconstruct their packaged goods to lower fats, sugars, and sodium. Obviously they are anti-big corporations (not a surprise), but they both also admitted that Wal-mart, as the biggest grocery store in the United States that feeds 40% of America, holds a lot of power in the food world. That’s CRAZY! In the film you see the fact that Wal-mart is recognizing a need to make some changes, good news! But the fact that it still has so much power is Bad news.
Basically, practically everything we eat right now has been monopolized by major food and farm corporations…which allows for cheap food, but at the risk of our personal health. You see workers being treated poorly and immigrants working for these companies only to be arrested years later.
I agree that it’s sad that 4 meat-packing industries can feed the vast majority of America. As history has proved, unchecked, incredible power can be extremely corruptive. Oh, and if there are only 4 meet-packing industries out there, then your really just buying the “label”.
I also find it shocking that 75% of what American farmers grow go to feeds for livestock (which are raised in horrible conditions), and that 50% of human food products are wasted.
Itâ€s also insane that Monsanto—a company known for producing toxic substances—can have so much control over what we eat. A little too much power in my opinion.
I love this quote “Itâ€s just so ironic that America, one of the most democratic nation in the world, has the least democratic and free-market capitalism in food—which, essentially, enters our mouth and becomes who we are.”
You can start obsessing about buying local produce and organic everything. As Mr. Pollan said, you can now buy organic apple juice that has the fine print: “Made In China.â€
In addition, as both Mr. Pollan and Mr. Schlosser admitted, the current food system feeds two types of groups:
1) the wealthy, and
2) the vast majority of average citizens who canâ€t afford to get organic eggs, raw milk, and personal trainers.
Mr Schlosser insists that biggest loss to the food movement, is apathy: People just donâ€t really care.
However, that is also because they simply “donâ€t know…or worse—they know, but are daunted by the complex, multi-layered problem of politics, ethics, and economy.”
“We are a culture of irony and cynicism,†Mr Pollan said. “There is an utter lack of faith that yes, we can change. Compared to toppling dictators, this is nothing—so why are we so intimidated?â€
He added: “Under social pressure, these companies (Monsanto, ConAgra, Wal-mart, etc) will have no choice but to break down and allow governmental regulations.â€
The discussion, would very INFORMATIVE TO ME. Did I understand it all, NO! But I, want to be informed.I understood the dire situation of the abysmal food production and consumption in America. I mostly agreed with what Michael Pollan and Eric Schlosser said.
So where do I lie? For the greater good of mankind and the earth…or for my own personal mental health?
To eat, or not to eat…that is the question.
“Knowledge is a burden,†Mr Pollan confessed. Of course, he was quick to add that he also finds great joy in a piece of grass-fed steak.
“The food movement will only get so far unless people start cooking again,†Mr Pollan said, ever so wisely. “Cooking is the solution to the problem of how you can start eating well.â€
What Mr Pollan said made me understand better, since I do cook and bake a lot.It makes you appreciate food other than just calories and nutrition..
I am just so torn about eating organic foods, but do know that now I only want to eat Grass Fed Beef. We rarely eat beef in our house, but after seeing this movie I have had a big change of heart. I would really like to just give up meat all together, but Hubby might have my head
3 key things I learned:
1. Buy organic or sustainable food with little or no pesticides.
2. Protect family farms; visit your local farmer’s market.
3. Make a point to know where your food comes from? READ LABELS.
We all need to find a healthy balance somewhere, somehow. Currently at the moment have a lot to digest, and mull over.
I know this my interest and I know a lot of people just don’t care or think that eating organic and homegrown food can be unrealistic. To each his own.
****In other news I got this book in the mail today, thanks HUBBY!!!!
Â
Â
OFF TO CHEER ON MY FRIEND JUSTIN IN HIS 100 MILE RACE!!! BOY IS CRAZY!!!!
Questions: What are your thoughts on the documentary film Food, Inc.? What are your thoughts on the food industry, and the growing food revolution? How the heck do we digest all this torrent of information, and incorporate it to our lifestyle in a balanced manner? Any opinions, arguments, discussions welcome.
]]>Breakfast:
- Homemade granola cereal (pictured) with milk and berries
- Scrambled or fried eggs with whole-wheat toast1, butter, jelly2, and fresh fruit
- Whole-wheat banana (or berry) pancakes topped with 100% pure maple syrup
- Plain oatmeal (follow directions on package) topped with a dash of honey, cinnamon and raisins or other dried fruit
- Whole-wheat crepes with a side of fresh fruit
- Store-bought plain Shredded Wheat cereal with milk and fruit
- Whole-wheat muffins (pictured below) with a side of fresh fruit and a hard boiled egg
- Egg omelet, bacon from the farmerâ€s market, whole-wheat toast1 with butter and jelly2, and fresh fruit
- Fruit smoothie or PB&J Smoothie (pictured) and whole-wheat biscuit
- Whole-wheat waffles with fresh fruit
- Fried Matzo Breakfast with fresh fruit
Lunch:
- Peanut butter and jelly2 on whole-wheat bread1, sliced fresh fruit, and crackers3
- Whole-wheat tortilla filled with hummus, cheese and optional veggie (spinach, cucumber, carrot, lettuce or tomato), side of fresh fruit and store-bought whole-wheat pretzels4
- Grilled cheese on whole-wheat bread1, applesauce, and popcorn
- Caprese salad with basil pesto
- Whole-wheat macaroni and cheese with frozen peas mixed in and a side of fresh fruit
- Fruit smoothie or PB&J Smoothie (pictured)
- Whole-wheat tortilla filled with chopped cucumber, tomato, feta cheese and sprinkled with dried dill or leftover grilled veggies and goat cheese
- Crackers3 with hummus, grapes, cheese, and celery or carrots
- A big salad topped with nuts, cheese and olive oil/balsamic vinegar for dressing
- Grilled pimento cheese sandwich with a side of fresh fruit
- Diced avocado and brown rice with a little bit of low-sodium soy sauce
- Leftovers from any of the dinners below!
Snacks, Salads, and Appetizers:
- Dried fruit (make sure there is no added sugar) and nuts
- Fresh fruit (make them into kabobs for kids)
- Popcorn (with 5 or less ingredients)
- Sesame or sunflower seeds
- Homemade granola bars or store-bought “Lara Bars†with 5 or less ingredients
- Olives, crackers3, and cheese
- Whole-wheat muffins
- Caprese salad with basil pesto
- Celery topped with peanut butter or cream cheese and raisins (ants on a log)
- Hard boiled egg
- Crackers3 topped with hummus
- Powerballs
- Salad with a twist (including glazed nuts)
- Zucchini bread
- Tomato, corn and black bean salad
- Pumpkin bread
- White gazpacho
- Store-bought whole-wheat pretzels4
Read more on whole food snacks for kids, the best store-bought snacks, and prepackaged snacks for school.
Dinner:
- Farmerâ€s market stir fry (with veggies and/or seafood or local meat)
- Quiche with a whole-wheat crust (if using meat make sure it is local) and a side of veggies
- Premade store-bought dinner option: sushi with brown rice (no deep fried ingredients or sugar/HFCS)
- Whole-wheat pizza (pictured) with a salad or veggies on the side
- Whole-wheat macaroni and cheese with a side of veggies
- Grilled or sauteed fish with green veggies, and potato skins
- Breakfast for dinner…pick from one of the egg choices above
- Homemade chicken nuggets with a side of sweet potatoes and apples
- Vegetable and/or local meat (such as chicken, sausage or beef) kabobs over brown rice
- Fajitas with homemade whole-wheat tortillas
- Homemade spaghetti sauce over store-bought whole-wheat pasta
- Collard greens, potatoes, and whole-wheat buttermilk cheese biscuits
- Veggie burgers and kale chips
- Tomato bisque with grilled cheese on whole-wheat bread1
- BLT with (or without) crabmeat and corn on the cob
- Homemade butternut squash ravioli
- Jambalaya with brown rice
- Peanut squash soup with whole-wheat biscuits
Dessert:
- Homemade popsicles, ice pops, snow cones and push ups
- Powerballs
- Maple pecan ice cream
- Chocolate torte with whipped cream and chocolate sauce
- Banana ice cream
- Homemade peach sorbet
-All of these meal ideass were barrowed from http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/.
Question: What is your favorite real food snack??
I think I have the meals donw, but I am struggling a bit with real snacks.
P.S. I got measured for my Kettle Bell Challenge last night and lost 1% fat! Pretty good for not going on that crazy diet!! More reaults to come soon
YUMMY!!!! I think this is something I need to eat more often, compliments to the chef
100 Days Of Real Food “Experiment” Budget + Grocery List
Thank you all sooooo much for all the votes on the amount we should spend every week on groceries. I even got some very informative emails!
First things first we are going to try and stick with $75 a week grocery budget. This is a little more then we spend as of now, but because our eating out budget will be lower it gave us a little flexibility at the market. I hope to spend less then that if possible, but it’s a lot less stressful this way. I also plan on trying to busy some of our produce through a Farmers Market, we have two locally and they are open on Thursday nights and Sunday Mornings. I like having the options. But the first week might be tough.
So how do I plan on sticking to our budget. MEAL PLANNING! You all know how much I LOVE planning. I have something thing I forgot to mention, just because we are eating REAL food, doesn’t mean that we will be eating the same thing over and over again. I plan to try new recipes and have as much fun in the kitchen as I always do.
So far I have compiled an excel spreadsheet for week 1 of the challenge. Sadly Hubby doesn’t EAT breakfast so the breakfast items are only for me.
Some of this will be just for the first week and then will last me at least a month.
We also are making our own bread and tortillas…OH FUN!!!! Oh and for dessert I plan on making homemade banana ice-cream and dried fruit.
As I read through “In Defense of Food” I am getting so excited to get rid of preservatives!!
Here is who I have joining me on this journey:
If you are in and your name is not on the list, please email me!!! Also I would love to send you all the link to the excel spreadsheet so you can update your biggest fear about the challenge as well as your thoughts along the way If your name is not in the excel spreadsheet you will not be entered in to any of the fun give-aways!!
Ok now on to kick some butt at kickboxing and kettle bells!!!
]]>- Eating as much processed food that we already have on hand as much as possible.
- Making a list of the things that we love already that are real foods.
- Finding fun new recipes to make for the month. I plan on having a folder that is dedicated to all of my REAL FOOD recipes that way I always have ideas on hand.
- Making a Budget…this one I need help on.
- Checked out some books from the Library that have great Real Food recipes, instead of purchasing them.
- Going to buy Michael Pollen’s Book today!
- Collecting Real Food recipes to share from some awesome bloggers.
- Getting creative with lunch/snack ideas for Hubby.
- Going to try infusing fruit in Hubby’s water this week.
- Finding out what Farmer’s Markets to visit as well as what restaurants we can eat at.
I emailed Lisa about Stevia and Hubby’s addiction and here is what she said:
Hi Bobbi –
Thanks so much for your email and also for taking on our challenge! For our 100 days we only ate foods with honey or maple syrup and that was it. The main reason for this decision was that you can’t really find any pre-made items flavored with these (and also with 5 or less ingredients) so it forced us to make everything ourselves that had a sweetener in it. Since factories add way too much sweetener this was a way to ensure that we were monitoring our consumption. And we also believe that honey and maple syrup are the most natural sweeteners out there, although they are still high in calories and low in nutrients so they should be consumed in moderation as well. So to answer your question we did not have any organic or pure cane sugar because to be honest we don’t really see them as being that much different from regular sugar.
Also, I saw your email about Stevia and my biggest issue with that is that (according to wikipedia) it was just commercialized in the 1970s and as Michael Pollan says “Don’t eat anything your great grandmother wouldn’t recognize”. Pollan believes that innovation in food is bad, and my guess would be that it would even apply to “natural” items like stevia. Even white sugar and white flour are technically “natural”, but we felt strongly enough about avoiding those during our pledge.
In regards to your husband and the Crystal Light…I am assuming you guys have read the ingredients? I used to drink there lemonade, and I was shocked to see there was nothing lemon about it. Could he stand to drink some watered down juice until he kicks the habit all together (and switches to water)? I have a pretty big sweet tooth and struggled a lot at first without being able to have chocolate anymore. I think with any “addiction” you can sometimes just replace it with something else. I’ve also heard of blending red grapes and lemon juice as a lemonade alternative.
I hope that helps and good luck with your pledge! Also, it is your pledge so if you want to make modifications that is up to you. Maybe you could just follow our rules for the 10-days (to see how that goes) and then add in some different sweeteners if you want for the remainder of your 100 day pledge. Either way I think you are doing a lot better than most people out there!
Lisa
WOW what a great response this helped me sooooo much. So we will be sticking to honey and pure maple syrup.
So now on to the budget. This is where I need some advise from all of you. And I need your vote (through the comment section below) to help me decide what our new budget should be.
We are just a family of two and I will be tracking our food budget weekly. Things like household products, alcohol, entertaining, food while traveling, and eating out will not be included, but just about everything else will be coming out of this weekly budget.
I have been doing some “research†and I see a couple normally spends somewhere between $60 – $100 a week. I want it to be challenging, but reasonable…and I would love to get your input on the final number
I am a little nervous about eating real food on a strict budget, but I want to see if eating REAL FOOD will cost us more or less in the long run. I hope it is less…but I am sure it will be more like the same. I think you can get really carried away when buying organic foods.
Stay tuned and donâ€t forget to leave your weekly budget vote below…I will be getting started very soon!
If you still want to join in on the challenge it’s not too late! Just send me an email and I will add you to the list. I am excited for the accountability!
]]>