The actual tangible goal is to eat clean 90% of the time for one month.
Since my typical diabetic diet is 3 square meals plus 3 snacks, that would mean that basically I can have one unclean snack or meal every other day.
Yelp.
What is clean eating?
In a nutshell, it's eating whole foods, as natural as possible.
No processed food.
Minimal sugar.
No high fructose corn syrup.
Most clean eaters prefer their foods to be organic and non-GMO.
Which is definitely where I fall.
So basically, simple, natural foods.
Two of my other goals in my 101 were to lose 20 lbs. and to be able to wear a bikini.
I really hope clean eating helps get me there.
My spin on clean eating also includes eating organically and most importantly, locally.
Here's what my diet is consisting of...
Free-range, antibiotic-free local meat from our local family farm. (Pictured below).
Our monthly share includes beef, pork, chicken, lamb and eggs.
Plus we purchased an additional 1/8 of a cow to have plenty on hand in our freezer.
Home grown or Farmer's Market fruits and vegetables.
If it's the off season, then organic from the market.
Home canned fruits.
Homemade whole grains.I'm making all our bread and tortillas, and they are made with whole wheat, flax seed and wheat germ.
Local Shatto dairy.They produce milk, butter and cheese.If I need dairy that they don't produce, then it will be organic.
For beverages, it will be water, juice (for low blood sugars) and milk.The occassional soda and things will be treats.
And....our budget is $200/mo.
This includes toiletries and paper products!
Really, the money saving comes from making things from scratch.
Yes, it can be costly up front, but over time it saves SO much money!
And if you aren't buying snacky processed crap and soda, you can save a ton of $$$$.
Really....this new lifestyle makes sense for me.
It really is the right way to eat.
Processed food is not good for our bodies.
Plus, with tying in local and organic eating, it is good for our environment and local economies as well!
Such a great thing!
Eating this way does involve a bit of thought.
All of our food is homemade, and begins with as natural of state as possible.
This means making our own breads, and dinners are from scratch.
Now, I still love eating out and a good Starbucks Caramel Brulee, but those will now have to be saved for treats.
Here are two great resources if you are interested in clean eating:
Here's our meal plan:
On the weekends, I make a loaf of homemade whole wheat bread, thanks to borrowing my mother in law's bread machine.
If needed, I also make a batch of tortillas for the week.
I also get our weekly fruits, vegetables and dairy.
About once a month I stock up on any additional pantry supplies I need (grains, additional dairy like yogurt, etc.). Whole Foods has wonderful bulk bins that are priced very well.
The first Saturday of the month we also pick up our monthly share of meat and eggs.
On Sundays I make our meal plan for the week.
Most days I have hard boiled eggs, oatmeal or overnight oats for breakfast.
For lunch, I eat leftovers from the dinner the night before.
For dinner we will have a lean meat, a vegetable or two and maybe a fruit.
Snacks are where I struggle, so am going to aim to stick to yogurt, nuts or fruit for my snacks.
For anyone who is already a clean eater and has some tips, I would love to hear them!
If anyone is interested in clean eating or has any questions, I'd love to help!
I really feel this is such an important way of living that is best for our bodies and communities.
It just takes time.
It's definitely not a convenient way to eat.
But with some thought and well-planning it is very do-able for the modern working woman.
Here's to a healthy 2011!
