Fitness Friday - Cutting out Processed Food

I've had a really good week. Very happy to have stayed on track so well. 
One of the hardest things, in my opinion, when trying to start eating clean is cutting out processed foods. Let's face it, a bag of noodles with chicken seasoning and spices in it that you boil in water is easy. Boiling whole grain noodles, using your own seasonings, etc, is a little harder. I've yet to get that same flavor I can get from a packaged meal.

This weeks biggest challenge for me is food prepping. I'm not someone who sits down and plans the whole weeks menus. Like with writing, I'm a fly by the pants kinda person. I'm currently in a Beachbody challenge group and I have a nice graph for each day for me to fill out my foods. This has helped. My current meal plan is 4 primary vegetables, 2 secondary vegetable and/or grains, 2 fresh fruit, 4 lean protein, and 3 healthy fats.

Sure, seems easy. I'm on day 12 of this meal plan, and I've only mastered the rights amount of each 5 times. That's okay. My struggles is eating more vegetables. Which brings me back to my processed foods topic.

When you remove the easy side dishes from your pantry. You're left scratching your head on side dishes with your meals. Potatoes aren't your enemy, contrary to what many believe. It's really about how you eat them (and how often-not an everyday good idea). I love to add a little oil to mine and roast them with spices and then have another vegetable on the side. Sometimes it's all about changing the way you think. Another veggie we eat a lot in place of the packaged noodles I always loved, is zucchini. There is so much you can do with this one vegetable. I love to sauteed it with just salt and pepper. Or dip it in egg before you place in the frying pan.

Snack - this is another hard one. It really has been a struggle for me to not walk to my pantry and get out a bag of chips or a handful of cookies. In fact, in these 12 days, I'm beginning to find I don't go to the pantry any more for snack. Most of my snack items are in the fridge.

I like cheese with gluten free/whole grain crackers.
Carrots and hummus
Carrots and peanut butter
yogurt
fruit
cucumbers
almonds

Changing the way you eat is hard. Sometimes you have to follow the 80/20 thinking. As in you'll do your best for 80 percent of your food, and won't beat yourself up if 20 percent wasn't on your meal plan. Let's face it, we're human. We're gonna mess up.

I admit, I have not gone 12 days without a cookie (my mom made fresh chocolate chip, how I could not have one?!) or a piece of chocolate. I've not had one everyday, but if I'm craving a piece of chocolate, then I eat one (just one---don't go overboard). Denying yourself food will make you fail. I'm currently looking for a healthy chocolate--if that exists. lol

One of my current coaches even instructed. If you know you're gonna cheat, then plan it in to your week so you don't feel so guilty.

See ya next Friday!