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Clean Eating.
Okay, I posted on instagram about our journey recently with “cleaner eating” and had NO idea what a huge response I would get, it was SO encouraging to have so many beautiful accounts to follow and look through! I have been hesitant to share what all we have been doing because it feels intimidating, I am NO expert. I guess in a way I felt unqualified to share but then reading through the comments I had this feeling wash over me- it’s just a story. I can share without knowing all the things, what a great opportunity to open myself up and learn even more!
Chris first decided he wanted to try eating cleaner and changing what he ate. He has come to me many times and I am generally like “ I eat fine!”- but this time I was okay I am in, lets do this together. I will say I have NO IDEA how I could have done this without him doing it along side me. It helped a ton to be prepping meals together, adjusting together and keeping each other accountable. Many times those first few days we’d say “ don’t do it! its not worth it! “
I really truly thought that I would do this for 6 weeks then stop. I also really felt like I would be overwhelmed and what I found was that I had never felt more free. SO much freedom to not feel like I HAD to eat whatever I was craving. I had more energy, I felt better, everything started to come together!
So this first 6 weeks we were SUPER strict. No sugar, no processed foods, mostly no grain/gluten, no fruit, small amount of starchy carbs, little to no dairy, and I personally changed the ways I would get the protein.
The goal was 6-12 CUPS of veggies a day….that is HUGE. Getting FULL on these is a game changer.
a list of some that I ate on the regular: asparagus, white beans, broccoli, cauliflower mash, brussel sprouts, carrots, green beans, cucumbers, squash, and zucchini!
for these first 6 weeks I ate almost no: potatoes, peas, corn, oatmeal, popcorn, rice…BUT at the end of the 6 weeks added all of that back in and eat that all now!
I also added back in fruit!
So let me first share what a day looked like for me the first 6 weeks and what it looks like now:
6 WEEKS OF life change: ( the one fruit i did eat in this 6 weeks was grapefruit)
Breakfast: egg whites and one cup of vegetables/ 2 ounces ningxia red
10:00am- celery with almond butter
Lunch: Protein complete shake with 2 cups of vegetables
3:00 – ningxia red, 2 cups of vegetables ( you can also make vegetable chips)/ one half grapefruit,
cashews or some kind of nut
dinner: some sort of protein, 2 cups of vegetables
brush your teeth and be done eating 6:00-6:30
DRINK TONS OF WATER
One night we ate a pizza: crust made from Cauliflower Pizza Crust, Almond cheese, and a homemade sauce. We also fell in love with Coconut Ice Cream- SO many amazing options when eating this way!
This is what we have planned for this week for our whole family ( to give you an example of what this looks like moving forward and now includes all of us)!
Broccoli Tots (GF)
Homemade Creamed Corn (GF, DF)
Scalloped Potatoes (GF, DF)
Chicken Parmesan (GF,DF)
GF Fettucine
Italian Green Beans
Butternut Squash Tacos with Cabbage and Black Bean Slaw
Roasted Mixed Vegetables
Tomato Cucumber Salad
Honey Roasted Carrots
Fajita Soup
8 Layer Taco Salad
Avocado Club Wrap
Quinoa Fruit Salad with Homey Lime Vinaigrette
GF- GLUTEN FREE
DF- DAIRY DREE
GF- GLUTEN FREE
DF- DAIRY DREE
NOW after that initial 6 weeks I have added back in sweet potatoes, potatoes, beans, peas, corn, oatmeal, popcorn, rice, quinoa, fruit, dark chocolate, corn tortillas!
What I found was that my tastebuds changed.
April-June felt like a constant choice…when will this get easier?
Then sometime in June I felt the change.
I was never going back- I said at one point at the beginning….when will I look at something that I used to eat and not want to eat it? IT HAPPENED…… my stomach issues went away, my energy level went up, everything shifted and the thought of ever going back- I don’t want to feel that way! There is no going back now.
There have been a few moments that I cheated and felt AWFUL. like so bad.
NOT WORTH IT.
I felt weary to claim anything….” dairy free, gluten free….the list goes on” because there were small things along the way sometime we would miss but for the most part really tried to stick to a plant-based way of eating. I am going to leave the comments open because I have loved looking through links from each of you, or hearing your stories, thew way food has changed your life.
I really want to celebrate choosing the best for ourselves.
I see a lot of unhealthy being celebrated and I want to be a voice for “you deserve the best for your life, your family, yourself”
I see a lot of unhealthy being celebrated and I want to be a voice for “you deserve the best for your life, your family, yourself”
The way you feel is important, you are worth it!
August 12, 2017
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Love this! Thanks Casey for sharing. I am going to spend the next couple days getting things planned out. Kids go back to school Wednesday…we always go out for a celebratory dinner…but then it's down to business. Don't be shocked if you get Voice messages from me with things like 'I'm in the chick fil a drive thru…halp!!!' LOL. I've got Ningxia, Balance Complete, Pure Protein, and oils to help me through too!
Love ya!
Hayley
YAS!!!! Seriously send me all the voice messages- I promise it gets easier and easier!!! honestly I'm excited for you!
Hey, hey friend! SO glad you shared this with all of us! <3 What are you and Chris eating for breakfast now? Thanks, love!
hi sweetest!!!! chris will eat eggs, corn tortillas, avocado! i eat egg whites and a big cup of veggies still !
Thanks so much for sharing! So inspiring! I'd love to know what your kids' menu looks like now. Breakfast for them? Lunch? Snacks? My kids are huge snackers & especially now that school has started again, the Goldfish crackers & fruit snacks come out ��. I'd love some ideas!
okay friend last night I was thinking I should do a whole post on kiddos, so stay tuned!
This is awesome Casey!!! When you mentioned your tastebuds changed – did you, prior to this eating style shift, enjoy eating all of those veggies? Or did you acquire a taste for them as you went? I struggle so much with veggies and find that because I don't like most of them, I avoid them… but perhaps persistence will pay off? Love this post – and thanks so much for sharing!!!!!!
friend!!!! hiiiii! okay so YES….like I was hoping when I started this I would look at foods that I used to love and be ( even grossed out) and sometime around June that TOTALLY happened. and i could never have even eaten a grapefruit before and now CRAVE them every day!!!! honestly though a huge part was stripping everything and then adding back in i think!
I've noticed before that you do a lot of baking.Do you still do this ? Also how do you plan
On moving forward during the Holiday's & such ? I only ask because I adore the Fall/Winter season comfort
Foods & just couldn't imagine not enjoying a cookie with the kiddos,or baking pumpkin bread. Thanks !
YES!!!!! Honestly I plan on baking with them just the same! I really truly want them to eat good, whole foods but there are so many amazing recipes for baking that are still good for them + delicious! YAY
Love this!! I did something similar a couple of years ago and am looking to get back on track now….Since you omitted fruits the first 6 weeks what did you use in your protein shakes?
almond milk!!!!
Soooo awesome. I'm on this journey too and you are super inspiring! Thank you for sharing!
so kind friend!!!
You go girl! I implemented a paleo based diet for about 10 weeks and lost almost 20 pounds! The clarity that is brought with consuming cleaner foods is amazing. Love your feed, and your pictures are phenomenal!
so sweet friend, means the world!
Yes a kids menu would be awesome!!! We use to be such good clean eaters and somewhere along the line of starting my own business and trying to be a present mom, I let the food slip �� I can tell a difference in me and my daughter. Our energy is not what it use to be and we are a little more cranky �� I just don't know where to start! School started a few week ago here so now is a perfect time for a food over haul!!!
Yes a kids menu would be awesome!!! Somewhere along the line of starting my own business and trying to be a present momma, I let the food slip 😞 I can tell a huge difference in our energy level and our crankiness😜 I just feel overwhelmed and lost at starting over.