Now I'm cookin'

I didn't like to cook. It never seemed worth the effort. I thought fast food always tested better than anything I made. If I made dinner, I usually ate it while dreaming about what I would have ordered at a restaraunt. Amazingly enough that is changing.

Since trying to figure out 'eating clean' I've been cooking a lot. I'm learning to like the food I make. The idea of how much I used to eat McDonald's starts to make me ill.

But today....Today was the first time I really enjoyed the process of cooking. I made a roast in the crockpot and learning from my past didn't put the potatoes in there with it. They always turn out wierd. So I cooked those separate. But in the midst of it all I made my first loaf of wheat bread. Holy cow, it was yummy. I only did one, cuz I was afraid I'd mess it up royally. But it turned out great and I can hardly wait to make more. Maybe soon I'll even get a wheat grinder so I can make my own fresh flour for the bread. But let's take babysteps.

A question for any clean eaters out there.....Is honey clean? Should I be using something different for a sweetener? I know I've heard of Agave Nectar but haven't found it yet.

Any cooking blogs you love and want to pass along to me? I'd love to check them out too.

Clean eating....I don't even know what that is!

Over Valentines weekend my brother and his wife and baby stayed with us which I was so excited about because I love visiting with family. My sis-in-law lives in Utah so I don't know her really well. I know she's sweet, a great mom, and healthy. Healthy in that she doesn't eat processed foods. No white flour, no sugar. WHAT?

So in order for her to feel more comfortable, I threw out the molding veggies in my fridge and picked up new fruits and veggies and some wheat bread and wheat pasta. That's all I knew to do.
I couldn't even comprehend how to live that way! We went to fast food pretty much every day. And me....sometimes twice a day. So I decided to browse the internet to see what things to fix for dinner.

What I read shocked me ----> having a lean physique is 80% what you eat, 10% fitness and 10% genetics.

Whether it was absolutely true or bloated statistics to tout a diet plan, I figured there had to be something to it. And that something meant that no matter how much I work out, if my diet is mainly consisting of chocolate chip cookies and diet coke (not kidding I'd have that for breakfast and lunch if I could) then I would NEVER reach my weight loss/fitness goals.

When I saw my sweet sis-in-law I believed the numbers. That girl is stick skinny...and not in an unhealthy way...she ran like no-one I've seen....I was trying to keep up with her on my bike (my no gear, pedal backwards for the break bike that I recently replaced - more on that later :)

So since she's been gone. I haven't had even one diet coke. I'm drinking only water. I've replaced all breads with whole-wheat breads. I've gone through the giant Costco sized containers for grapes and strawberries and broccoli etc. My fruits and veggies haven't gone bad before I had to buy more! I've cut out sugar. No cookies! I switched to Adam's Peanut butter and I've packed healthy lunches for my kids everyday this month.

I'm trying to learn the basics of eating clean. It's a big change for me because I've never liked cooking. Now I cook almost every meal. We've gone from going out almost every day to going out almost once a week. I still haven't cooked with whole grains. It literally scares me to see a picture of a wheat berry (which I didn't know what that was until about a week ago).

It's been a little over a month, and the weight loss seems a little slow. I can't watch The Biggest Loser because my 1.5 pounds a week feels like nothing in comparison. But I FEEL a lot better. A LOT BETTER! The first 3 weeks without caffeine....whoa. I would fall asleep anywhere, anytime. But now I feel great from morning to bedtime. My running has also improved. I've gone from dying if I ran for 10 minutes to being able to keep a fairly steady pace for 35 minutes.

I tell myself I get a cheat day, on Saturdays. This helps me deal with the cravings. Sometimes I take it, sometimes I make it one cheat meal. Maybe I'll have to stop this if I want the weight loss to go quicker....but for now I'm afraid if I do, I'll give in to weekday cravings. I also recently read that it can take 3 months for your body to realize you're eating clean and then the weight will come off. I must admit I haven't been calorie counting or WW Point counting. When I do that I start to feel like if it's only about calories then why can't I have the same amount in a cookie then in a banana.

Well, if you've read through this long post- thank you. And I'd love to know of any blogs or websites you refer to for healthy eating.

Fair Weather Trainer

I have always considered myself a fair weather 'athlete'. I use that in the loosest sense possible. More like a trainer.
So today I was totally freaked out when I hopped on my bike to go for ride. I decide to go to my sister's house...about 4 miles away.
On my way home - HOLY CRAP! The wind starts blowing the rain sideways, my hands are frozen and a giant tree branch falls and flies across the road in front of me. I hide behind a fence and think about calling Rich to pick me up. But Josie's home in bed with a fever; I didn't want him to have to wake her.
I was near the lake trail and so I see the small tunnel and think about taking refuge underneath.
Then the wind let up ever so slightly so I figure I'll just head home. I found myself laughing on the highway as I can barely see and the cars are splashing more water on me.
When I got home, my clothes were soaked like I had jumped in a lake. My right hand was numb and when I took off my shoe water was able to drip out. Rich was just about to load up the girls. He had a blanket and a towel and was going to come find me.
It was an adventure and it was fun. But I'll probably wait for better weather to ride again.

It's hard to stay up.

(that's what she said)

But seriously...I'm having a day where I feel like crying but keep fighting it. After 8 1/2 months on the market, our house brought in it's first offer. We were over the moon excited when we heard it was coming in. THEN it came in. WAY lower than we could even consider. And it turns out our counteroffer was too high for them to do. So now my emotions are a-tumble. But I love to laugh more than I love to cry...so I'll stay up and happy.

So if you happen to see me with red eyes today, you should know that I alway cry during the Price is Right.