Good Eats

Hiyo!

Lately, a combination of frequent breakouts and too-tight jeans has gotten me to take a good, hard look at my diet. Unfortunately, I see lots of dairy, lots of junk, and lots of beer. We were so busy in April, which I think led to extra stress and extra meals out. Plus, getting back into fueling for (and after) long runs always takes a little trial and error.

I decided to take things back into my own hands and have been consciously trying to eat better. I'm not calorie counting or restricting myself, I'm just trying to shift my focus to eating as much whole food as possible. Cleaning out the fridge and stocking it with tons of bulk produce from Costco was a good start. Here is what my meals have been looking like, as of late.

I had some strawberries that were looking pretty sad, but I didn't want to throw them out. However, I find it difficult to eat berries that are no longer bright and juicy. Instead, I tossed them into a blender with half of a (peeled) orange, and made myself a nice fruity drink for breakfast!

I thinned it down with a little sparkling water, which ended up being a really good idea.

I packed it, along with yogurt and a bit of homemade granola, for breakfast. Lunches have consisted mainly of salads and fruit. This was a Greek spinach salad with tomatoes, cucumbers, feta, olives, and pine nuts. Popcorn and V8 juice were a light afternoon snack.

The next day, I decided to pack two lunches at once. Salads take lots of chopping and dicing, so you may as well only do it once, right?! I had Chobani and granola for breakfast, fruit and spinach salads with tomato, bell pepper, cucumber, olives, and Indian spiced chickpeas for lunch, and cottage cheese with more fruit for snacks.

Dinners have been simple with the help of a big pot of quinoa that I cooked earlier in the week. I can quickly mix it with jarred tomato sauce, fresh spinach & tomatoes, and a little feta cheese for a rather tasty meal.

It pretty much tastes like lasagna!

By the way, this sauce is awesome. (Awesomesauce?)

I got it at Costco, and I have no worries that we'll use it before it expires (a typical concern with all bulk purchases.) It's a little bit sweet, which I like. Kind of like Valentino's sauce, for any locals that may know what I'm talking about. And check out the pretty awesome ingredient list.

Just be sure to shake it before use, otherwise you'll find a layer of oil at the top. It warns you on the label, but I'm a slow learner.

I thought the brand sounded familiar, and with a little searching I found that Angela from Oh She Glows raved about it a few months ago. Are you not now convinced that it's a good one?

I also decided that now was the time to cash in my Bed, Bath, and Beyond coupons to finally get ourselves a juicer!

We've been wanting one for ages, but I wasn't sure how much we'd use it. So, now's the test! Of course, it's still in the box so I can't tell you one way or the other how it's working out.

I plan on giving it a whirl this weekend, so I'll let you know how it goes. Speaking of which, the downtown farmer's market opens tomorrow, and I plan on raiding it...so look out!