Sorry for the lack of post yesterday – Adam and I decided to go on a little impromptu date at Bertucci’s. Let’s just say I was not on my healthiest behavior yesterday (or these last couple of days) but today is a whole other story. As always, when I get back into the swing of things, I feel great! I feel like I’m taking care of myself while nourishing my body with not only nutritious foods but also crazy delicious foods

Now, before I get into today’s eats, let’s cover a few things I wanted to mention….

1) I joined Annabel’s This Ain’t No Freshman 15, this is the Final 10 Challenge. I’d like to lose more than 10 lbs but honestly I’ve been trying to stay away from the scale. I know when I’m being good (I see results in my body, not just on the scale) and I know very well when I’m being bad. I would really really love to lose 10 lbs by August 1st, but instead of concentrating on the number I chose a different goal – I decided to stop my mindless eating and bingeing as part of the challenge. I just think if I get rid of this nasty habit, everything else will just really fall into place. I truly love exercise and I love healthy eating (in general) so the weight eventually would have to come off. Well, I’m sorry to report I already fell off the wagon! That means I’ll have to donate $50 to a charity of my choice (because I didn’t meet my goal) but that does not mean that I’m going to give up on it! I will continue with the challenge and report back here. I am motivated to stop this horrendous cycle!

2) Reading about Heather’s Cleaner Life Challenge also inspired me today. At first I was like: “Oh I could never go for 30 days without sugar and white flour without blowing my brains out!” but then I thought about it. I mean, really thought about it… and I think I want to try! I am going to NYC this weekend and I plan on enjoying it to its fullest, so the challenge will begin on Monday, June 15 (hey I kind of like this round number ) and will go on for 30 days. Here are my rules – they are much looser than Heather’s but it’s still going to be a challenge for me. Baby steps.

• No tofu, less soy in general
• Organic dairy after I run out of the stuff we already have at home (I just stocked up on chobani – which is not organic!).
• Organic meat to the extent possible. *Organic meat is crazy expensive and my husband likes meat most nights with dinner (and I cook for both of us the same thing). Once I run out of the stuff we already have, I will try to find a way to eat organic meat.
• No artificial sweetener, except for gum. I already cut out artificial sweetener out of my diet (except for a very rare diet coke here and there) but I really like chewing gum and unfortunately it contains artificial sweeteners. I don’t think this small amount will kill me.
• No white sugar!!!!!!!! Ok this is by FAR the hardest part of the challenge! I will allow myself up to 1 Holey Donut a day. I just put a purchase in that will arrive next Tuesday. I was really looking forward to them and I know I will go crazy if they are in my freezer, mocking me. I think having a treat waiting for me at home will also help with avoiding other treats with white sugar in the ingredients list. Let’s hope
• No white flour (second hardest challenge) – again 1 Holey Donut a day is the exception.
• No white rice or white pasta
• When purchasing produce, consult the Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides. If it’s in the top 20, only buy if it’s organic. Otherwise, try to buy organic whenever possible. If it’s not organic, it should be at least local.
• Avoid highly processed foods.
• Continue to replace conventional cleaning products with environment friendly counterparts
• Replace current body products (lotions, washes, etc.) with 100% natural products, with the exception of my prescription acne medication

Oh and I should mention there are a few very special occasions happening over the next 30 days, including my first year wedding anniversary (!!!), my dad’s birthday, the 4th of July, and potentially a special dinner with my parents. On those days/meals, I will allow myself to fully enjoy myself and that will inevitably lead to some white sugar consumption. Yep, I’m a junkie but I’ve been waiting for nearly a year to eat the top of our wedding cake, and I will not wait 1 extra day to do it!

I think that will do it for this challenge Does anyone want to join my less hardcore challenge? Thanks, Heather, again for inspiring me!

3) I’m hosting a potluck dinner for bloggers and readers on June 21st. Does anyone want to join us? Comment here or shoot me an email if you’re in the Boston area and are available. It’s going to be a small crowd so far, but I’m sure it will be a lot of fun

Ok, now that we’re done with “business” let’s take a look at today’s food, shall we?

BREAKFAST

I started the morning on the right foot with this green monster. This was the best batch so far… I’m getting good at this

[316 calories]

Looks like every other monster, but this guy had 1 frozen banana, 1/4 avocado, 2T ground flaxseed, 1/2 cup soy milk, 1/2 cup water, 1 scoop of vanilla Whey Protein (key!!), a bunch of ice and a bunch of baby spinach (maybe 3 cups?). It was so creamy and delicious. It was definitely the Whey Protein. I think it may have junk ingredients, though. It’s really old so I just decided to use some up because I wanted this breakfast to last me through the morning without other solid foods. It did! It will likely not qualify for the Cleaner Life challenge though.

LUNCH

Oh my – this was such a delicious sandwich. I bought some fresh mozzarella at the farmers market the other day (it was made that morning! SO cool!!) and used up the leftovers in this yummy sammie with prosciutto and balsamic vinegar on TJ’s sourdough bread. I also packed up an organic fuji apple, which I ended up eating as an afternoon snack.

[384 calories]

SNACKS

[189 calories]

[100 calories]

DINNER

Dinner was the perfect way to end the day! I made pasta with zucchini and toasted almonds using this recipe from Cooking Light. This was from Cooking Light’s 20-minute meals section, which I’ve loved in the past and this meal once again blew me away. Fresh pasta with zucchini, grape tomatoes, garlic, cheese and almonds… I mean how could I NOT love it? Adam bought his pasta and it wasn’t whole wheat, but boy was it delicious! Once in a while regular pasta is ok, I think. I can’t wait for lunch tomorrow when I get to eat the rest of the leftovers

[~325 calories - I used 2.5 tsp less of EVOO than Cooking Light]

Total calories for the day: 1344

No exercise today – I worked for 11 hours straight instead. I feel good, though, because with my recent love/hate relationship with food, it’s good to be in love again Happy humpday! Did you enter my Holey Donuts giveaway yet?