Fresh Friday - My Two Week Challenge

Starting Monday I am challenging myself to a two week eating healthy challenge. This shouldn't be TOO hard since I believe that I already eat pretty healthy. I have a lot of knowledge about what is healthy and what isn't, but that doesn't mean I always make the right choices. My busy schedule and late nights at work often hinder my ability to eat healthy, but I know there are better choices I can make. For example, if a fall of the wagon, I FALL off the wagon. For example my thought process will go like this, 'well I already had a cupcake today and ruined today's plan, so I might as well eat pizza for dinner.' This is the WRONG way of thinking. I should be thinking, 'I ate a cupcake today so the rest of the day needs to be healthy to make up for it.' That's why I feel I need to reset the way I think with a two week challenge.

Here are the guidelines:

1. Eat mainly vegetables, fruit, lean protein, and whole grains and legumes.
2. Avoid gluten - bread, flour, etc, in favor of brown rice, quinoa, lentils, etc.
3. Limit intake of dairy, especially cheese.
4. Absolutely no refined sugar or sweets.
5. Absolutely no fried foods.
6. No processed foods or snacks.

Here are the exceptions:

1. Low-fat cheese can be used in salads or with veggies to make them more appealing so I am more likely to eat them.
2. Sweeteners like honey and agave can me used in marinades. Teriyaki sauce is ok also.
3. One cheat meal each weekend.

The Goals:

1. To have at least one veggie or fruit serving with every meal.
2. To get rid of (or at least tone down) my cravings for sweets.
3. To loose some weight.

I will post what I am eating on the blog each day in order for me to keep track and be held accountable. I'm hoping this will help jump start a healthier way of eating that centers around vegetables, fruits, and home cooked food. I truly believe that if you make it yourself it is much more nutritious than what you can buy in a store or even a restaurant.

Here are some recipes I'm going to use as inspiration during my two week challenge.

{photo from Yummy Mummy}

Yummy Mummy's Apple Salad with Avocado, bleu cheese, and pomegranate.

{photo from Smitten Kitchen}

Smitten Kitchen's Carrot Ginger Dressing.

{photo from Everybody Likes Sandwiches}

Everybody Likes Sandwiches' Miso Ginger Chicken Marinade.

Some ideas I have:

- Chopped salad with zucchini, kidney beans, garbanzo beans, corn, tomatoes, and light mozzarella cheese.

- Green Monster Smoothies for breakfast - my fav! Post on those later.

- Lemon Garlic Parmesan Chicken on zucchini noodles.

Well, that's it until Monday! I'm gonna go stuff my face with all the things I WON'T be eating in the next two weeks! Just kidding. Kinda. Not really.

Wish me luck!

Peace, love, healthy living, and happiness!