October Unprocessed: Days 30 – 31 and Final Results

October Unprocessed is Complete!!

Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to stay away from the Halloween candy as I was hoping to do. This is what I ate during the final 2 days of the challenge:

Day 30: Thursday, October 30

For breakfast, I had homemade granola, a hard-boiled egg, and freshly juiced apple juice.

For lunch, I had leftover haddock and mashed potatoes.

I had a Grain-Free Pumpkin Spice Muffin for a snack. It was a recipe I had been wanting to try for a while. I finally got all the ingredients, but unfortunately they tasted too plain for my taste. One of my daughters enjoyed them, but the others did not like them at all, so I most likely will not be making them again.

Day 31: Friday, October 31 (Halloween)

For breakfast, I had homemade granola with yogurt, freshly juiced apple juice, and a slice of turkey.

For lunch, I had the rest of the leftover haddock and mashed potatoes.

For dinner, I made homemade pizza dough topped with homemade tomato sauce (using yellow tomatoes) and freshly shredded mozzarella cheese.

Friday night, I went with my daughters trick-or-treating. Unfortunately I couldn’t resist all the chocolate, so I had to have a few pieces.

Results and Thoughts

Unfortunately, this year I wasn’t into the challenge as much as I was last year. I didn’t take it as seriously, so it felt like I cheated more often than I should have.

Last year, reading labels was all new to me. I had a lot to learn and a lot of new, healthy foods and recipes to try. I feel like I gained a lot of knowledge regarding foods and nutrition over the past year and it changed the way my family eats. This year during the challenge, I feel like I just ate normal (which is MUCH healthier than we used to eat.)

While weight loss was NOT a goal for me during this challenge, last year I lost 7 pounds in October. This year, I didn’t lose any.

Going Forward

October Unprocessed 2014 may be over, but I intend to continue to eat healthy and unprocessed foods whenever possible.

Unfortunately, it hasn’t been easy to do lately. We have buckets of Halloween candy laying around the house, and it’s just not easy to ignore all that chocolate that is so readily available. And since sugar is so addictive, I can’t just stop at one piece. My daughter also just had a birthday 2 days ago, so we have ice cream cake readily available as well. Chocolate and ice cream are 2 things I cannot resist!

Aside from the temptation of chocolate and ice cream, I continue to eat healthy. I try not to buy anything that is packaged, I try to have an ample supply of fruits, vegetables, and nuts at all times, and my drink of choice is always water.

I do plan to join the challenge again next year, and I hope you will join with me!

In the meantime, feel free to join me in my November challenge: 30 Days of Thankful!

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Recipe: Homemade Granola

Oct30

As promised in yesterday’s post, here is my recipe for homemade granola. This post can also be found in my blog, Stacy Loves…

I made granola for the first time last week. I had never realized before how easy it is to make. After trying some that my friend had made, I had to have her recipe. I modified it to my liking and according to the ingredients I had on hand at the time. That is one of the great things about granola…you can use whichever nuts, seeds, and extras you personally prefer or have on-hand.

Homemade granola can be made at a fraction of the cost of store-bought granola, and it is really easy to make! It is packed with nuts, seeds, dried fruit, and nutrition. According to this article on WebMD, oats are one of the top ‘Superfoods’ that everyone needs. Granola is an easy way to get lots of nutrients and superfoods into my kids’ diets. I love to eat this plain, but it is also delicious mixed in yogurt or eaten as a cereal with milk.

The recipe I use is below, but feel free to modify the ingredients to your own liking. Just try to keep the measured amounts the same.

Ingredients:

3 cups old fashioned oats
1/2 cup pecans (or nuts/seeds of your choice)
1/2 cup cashews (or nuts/seeds of your choice)
1/2 cup almonds (or nuts/seeds of your choice)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
1/3 cup coconut oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
2/3 cups dried fruit (raisins, cranberries, etc.)
(Optional) Extras: Shredded coconut, chocolate chips, etc.

Instructions:

Spread oats in an even layer on a baking sheet. Bake at 325° for 7-10 minutes.
Transfer oats to a large mixing bowl.
Chop nuts/seeds in food processor until chopped but still coarse.
Mix nuts/seeds into mixing bowl with oats. Set aside.
In a saucepan, combine brown sugar, honey, maple syrup, and coconut oil. Bring to a boil.
Once boiling, remove from heat and add 1 teaspoon vanilla.
Pour mixture into nut/seed/oats mixture and mix until combined.
Add dried fruit.
Bake at 325° for approximately 15 minutes.
Add chocolate chips or other extras (if using).
Let cool and transfer to an airtight container.
ENJOY!!! 🙂

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October Unprocessed: Days 22 – 29

Oct29

It’s hard to believe there are only two more days left of October Unprocessed. It has gone by fast so far, but I’m definitely not sticking to this challenge like I did last year. I am allowing myself to cheat a lot more, which in turn causes sugar cravings. Chocolate chips have always been my weakness. Once I start eating them, I start to crave more. Also, I was much more strict last year about not eating pasta and breads. So with Halloween only two days away, let’s see if I can refrain from the candy!! Stay tuned for my overall results next week once this challenge is over. 🙂 Here are the foods I ate over the past week:

Day 22: Wednesday, October 22

For breakfast, I had an English muffin that my daughter didn’t finish. I also had some orange juice and an apple.

For lunch, I had some leftover chicken noodle soup.

I snacked on a few chocolate chips.

For dinner, I made chicken, broccoli, and fettuccine in a homemade Alfredo Sauce.

Day 23: Thursday, October 23

While making my daughter’s lunch, I had a slice of turkey. I had some orange juice and the leftover English muffin that my daughter didn’t eat.

For breakfast, I made a Pineapple Orange Banana Green Smoothie.

For lunch, I had some leftover chicken, fettuccine, broccoli alfredo.

For a snack, I had a cheese stick and a little piece of cookie pizza that my daughters had made.

For dinner, I made a frittata with roasted potatoes, eggs, onion, garlic, olive oil, salt, pepper, and spinach. My family was not a fan. Unfortunately, I didn’t like it much either, but I ate it anyway.

I had a little bit of chicken noodle soup as well.

Day 24: Friday, October 24

For breakfast, I had some red grapes, orange juice, and a slice of the frittata I made last night.

I had a hard-boiled egg for a mid-morning snack.

I had some of the leftover homemade chicken noodle soup for lunch.

I had an apple and another piece of my daughter’s cookie pizza.

For dinner, I had more of the frittata.

I went to a gathering on Friday night and had some tortilla chips, celery, and ranch dip.

Day 25: Saturday, October 25

For breakfast, I had some yogurt and another slice of the frittata. Fortunately, I liked it much better left over!

For lunch, I had leftover chicken broccoli fettuccine alfredo.

I made some granola for an afternoon snack. It contained oats, pecans, almonds, cashews, raisins, vanilla, maple syrup, honey, and brown sugar. I will be sharing the recipe in an upcoming post, so stay tuned! 🙂

For dinner, my husband got pizza since my daughter had a friend over, so I had a slice of that.

Day 26: Sunday, October 26

For breakfast, I had orange juice and some of the granola I made yesterday.

For lunch, my husband got Kentucky Fried Chicken for the kids. Other than a bite of the potatoes, I basically just had some Cole slaw.

For dinner, we went to a 4-H family event where they served pasta with homemade meat sauce, homemade macaroni and cheese, salad, and rolls. I had a little bit of everything. I did refrain from getting dessert, but I did eat the leftovers that my kids didn’t eat.

Day 27: Monday, October 27

For breakfast, I had some homemade granola with yogurt and some orange juice.

For a mid-morning snack, I had a hard-boiled egg.

For lunch, I had leftover chicken fettuccine alfredo

For dinner, I had rotisserie chicken and a little bit of angel hair pasta that I made for the kids. I also made some Italian Meatballs.

Day 28: Tuesday, October 28

For breakfast, I had an apple and a hard-boiled egg.

I also made a Pumpkin Pie Smoothie for my daughter, and I had some of that as well.

For lunch, I had some leftover meatballs and angel hair pasta.

I made more granola and had some of that as a snack.

For dinner, I had leftovers. A few pieces of chicken, a few meatballs, and some pasta.

Day 29: Wednesday, October 29

For breakfast, I made an omelet with peppers and onions and some orange juice.

I had some granola for a mid-morning snack.

For lunch, I met my mom at Panera Bread, and I had a Greek Salad.

For dinner, I had baked haddock, mashed potatoes, green beans, and applesauce.

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October Unprocessed Update: Days 16-21

Oct22

I haven’t been updating this as often as I had hoped I would, but I can’t believe we are already 22 days into October Unprocessed! I feel like I’m doing ok with this challenge. I don’t feel like I am as into it or as strict with myself as I was last year. This year doesn’t seem to be as challenging for me because last year everything was new to me. As I got comfortable reading ingredient labels, I continued to learn more throughout the year and eliminate unhealthy foods from our diet and make it a part of our lifestyle.

The one thing I am struggling with now is finding the motivation to take the time to make these healthy foods just for me (even if it’s just a salad). If the rest of my family would eat the same things, I feel like I would be more willing to take the time. I do feel like I am constantly eating the same foods over and over and I am looking for more variety.

Here are the foods I have eaten over the past 6 days:

Day 16: Thursday, October 16

For breakfast, I had scrambled eggs sprinkled with cinnamon and a drizzle of honey. It tasted like french toast without the bread. Yum!! To drink, I had freshly squeezed orange juice from my juicer.

For a mid-morning snack, I had 2 of the leftover “Healthy cookies” I made on day 14 with applesauce and bananas.

For lunch, I had quinoa with brown rice. I diced some tomatoes and chopped up some of the chicken from last night’s dinner and added that in with the rice.

For a snack, I had some pumpkin seeds and then I made some popcorn with butter and cinnamon.

For dinner, I had the leftover quinoa/brown rice and I added a little grass-fed ground beef to it. On the side, I had a salad and some cucumbers and unsweetened applesauce.

For a snack after dinner, I made some little mini apple crisps with my daughters and I had one of those. They weren’t a huge fan of the topping, so we probably won’t be making them again.

Thursday night, I went to a Locavore meeting (people who strive to eat local-grown food as much as possible), and there I had some Polenta with Kale & Beans. Something I had never had before, but it was delicious! There I also had a small slice of Apple Walnut Spice Cake made with all local and organic ingredients.

Day 17: Friday, October 17

For breakfast, I had a slice of Boar’s Head Ovengold turkey (while I was making my daughter’s lunch), I had one of the leftover mini apple crisps we made last night, a hard-boiled egg, and freshly made apple juice from 2 Empire apples.

I snacked on a few chocolate chips and cashews mid-morning.

For lunch, I finished off the quinoa, brown rice, and ground beef.

I made Peanut Butter Cookies for an after-school snack for my kids, and I had one of those. This time, I used maple syrup instead of honey, and we liked them even better! I did not use chocolate chips.

For dinner, I had a salad with leftover chopped chicken and diced tomatoes from the garden.

I made homemade pizza for my family with homemade dough, homemade tomato sauce, and freshly grated mozzarella cheese, and I had a slice of that as well.

I went to a gathering Friday night and had a few tortilla chips and salsa.

Day 18: Saturday, October 18

I started my day with an apple, a peanut butter cookie that I had made yesterday, a slice of the pizza I made last night, a few chocolate chips, and a Pineapple-Orange-Banana Green Smoothie (which was DELICIOUS…even the kids loved it!!)

Saturday afternoon, my daughters went to a 4-H baking club meeting where they each made cookie pizzas loaded with frosting. While helping them, I must admit I scraped a little too much of the remaining frosting from the bowl and ate it. I also had more of this super-sweet dessert than I should have. I wasn’t feeling well after I ate it. 🙁

For dinner, I had an apple and a salad with cashews and chocolate chips.

Day 19: Sunday, October 19

For breakfast, I had another piece of that cookie pizza (not a very healthy start to the day). Then I had scrambled eggs with honey and cinnamon again.

For lunch, I had a salad and an apple.

For dinner, I took my oldest daughter on a date to Panera Bread. I got a Greek Salad there. Normally, I would have chosen the Broccoli Cheese soup with a sandwich, but I have to admit, the salad was delicious and I’m glad I chose that. I’m not sure how unprocessed the dressing was, but I’m not going to worry about it.

Day 20: Monday, October 20

I began the day with another Pineapple-Orange-Banana Smoothie, a hard-boiled egg, and a peanut butter cookie that was left over.

For lunch, I had a salad.

For dinner, I made a roasted chicken and I had a salad to go along with it. My husband made pasta to go with it, so I had a few of those noodles as well.

Day 21: Tuesday, October 21

I started the day with a slice of turkey, a hard-boiled egg, and fresh apple juice.

I snacked on some chocolate chips and another slice of turkey.

When my daughters got home from school, we snacked on apples, grapes, and bananas dipped in Baker’s Chocolate.

For dinner, I made Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup with carrots, celery, onions, chicken and broth left over from the roasted chicken last night, parsley, bay leaf, salt and pepper, and the leftover noodles from last night as well.

All in all, I am feeling great and the challenge has gone by fast so far…I can’t believe I am already 22 days into it! Stay tuned to see how the next 10 days go! 🙂

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October Unprocessed: Days 11, 12, 13, 14 & 15

Oct15

We are just about at the halfway point of October Unprocessed! I am feeling great, but I am just looking for more of a variety of foods to eat. I feel like I have been eating the same things over and over again. To get more variety, it is definitely a lot of work and a lot of planning. Here are the foods I have eaten over the past 5 days.

Day 11 – Saturday, October 11

For breakfast, I snacked on some celery and some of the pumpkin dip I made yesterday. I also had some trail mix and a few graham crackers. I had a slice of Boar’s Head Ovengold Turkey.

For lunch, I had some scrambled eggs and an apple.

For dinner, I had chicken tenders (in a sauce of soy sauce, rosemary, and mustard) celery, and kefir.

Day 12 – Sunday, October 12

For breakfast, I made a strawberry banana shake. I blended together 1 frozen banana, 1/4 cup Stonyfield Vanilla Yogurt, 1/2 cup orange juice, 1 Tablespoon honey, and 3 frozen strawberries (that was all that was left in the bag). It was good, but a little too sweet. Next time I would either leave out the orange juice or the honey.

I also had a few pieces of the chicken tenders I made last night.

For the rest of the day, we were at a family gathering. I decided that I was not going to deprive myself of the traditional family recipes at this gathering, so I allowed myself to cheat a little bit.

For lunch, I had a bowl of my uncle’s Chicken Rice soup. A family gathering just would not be complete without this soup. It is certainly a family favorite! Throughout the day, I also snacked on some of my relative’s homemade fudge, apple pie, and my own “dirt pudding.” I did pass on the Twizzlers, though. 🙂

For dinner, we had spaghetti and meatballs and salad. My aunt makes THE BEST spaghetti sauce! 🙂 I even allowed myself a few slices of bread to go along with it.

Day 13 – Monday, October 13

For breakfast, I had more of the leftover chicken tenders I had made the other night. I also had some kefir. I made pancakes for my daughters, and decided to try mixing pumpkin puree into one of them. None of my daughters liked it and I didn’t want to throw it away, so I ate it.

I snacked on a few apples throughout the day. I was out with my family most of the day, and I didn’t eat anything until I got home around 4:00 in the afternoon. Then I had the rest of the chicken tenders and some scrambled eggs.

Day 14 – Tuesday, October 14

I started the day with a Raspberry Peanut Butter Green Smoothie. This is one of my favorite smoothie recipes. It was delicious! I also had a slice of turkey, a few chocolate chips, and 1/2 a banana.

For lunch, I made my girls grilled cheese sandwiches. I ate the leftover crusts.

I made some “Healthy Cookies” containing 1 1/2 mashed bananas, 2 1/2 Tablespoons applesauce, 1 cup oats, 2 Tablespoons milk, 1/2 cup chocolate chips, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla, and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon. I mixed it all together, scooped out by the tablespoon onto a cookie sheet, and cooked for 15 minutes at 350. I think they may have been ready before 15 minutes, so next time I will check at 12 minutes.

I thought they tasted really good! I was happy to discover the recipe on Facebook. My girls, however, did not enjoy the texture of the cookies.

For dinner, I had a little bit of tuna and some scrambled eggs.

Day 15 – Wednesday, October 15

I started the day with a spoonful of honey (raw, local honey from our own bees in our backyard…it’s nice to have a husband who is a beekeeper) because I woke up with a little bit of a scratchy throat. The honey seemed to do the trick, because I was fine the rest of the day.

I had a few more of the “Healthy Cookies” that I made yesterday.

I made a Banana Cashew Green Smoothie for breakfast. The first few times I made it, I really liked it, but this time I didn’t enjoy it as much. I did use regular milk and vanilla instead of coconut milk this time since that is all I had on hand.

I snacked on an apple.

Around 11:00, I was out at the grocery store, and I was starving. I bought some granola bars for school snacks for my girls, and I opened one of them up and ate it. Oops 🙂

When I got home, I had some celery with cream cheese and raisins, some cucumbers, and a hard boiled egg.

I made some chicken cutlets with salt, pepper, and butter, and I had a few pieces of that.

For dinner, I made tacos for my family and I had that along with them, although the meat I used did not have any taco sauce. The shell was probably not unprocessed, but I’m going to let that go for now.

Looking ahead to the next 16 days, I’m hoping to find the motivation and the time to try out some new recipes, spend a little more time planning the menu, and hopefully put more variety into my diet. I’m hoping to discover many delicious new foods and recipes!

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October Unprocessed: Days 8, 9, and 10

Oct10

I was feeling a little bit tired earlier in the week, but I seem to have gained my energy back over the past few days! 🙂

Day 8: Wednesday, October 8

For breakfast, I had some of of the Pumpkin Pie Smoothie I had made yesterday.

For lunch, I had leftover ground beef/onions and some of the roasted squash I made for dinner yesterday. To drink, I finished off the Pumpkin Pie Smoothie.

For a mid-afternoon snack, I had an apple. My daughters had ice cream when they got home from school, and normally I would have some with them, but I am not even craving ice cream anymore. I was perfectly happy with an apple!

For dinner, I was out with my daughter and got her Broccoli and Cheddar soup from Panera Bread. She couldn’t finish it all, and I couldn’t let it go to waste, so I did have her leftovers. I also finally finished off the ground beef and squash.

For a snack later, I had a little bit of trail mix containing raisins, dates, cranberries, walnuts, dried apples, and coconut.

Day 9: Thursday, October 9

For breakfast, I had some scrambled eggs and an orange.

For a mid-morning snack, I made a smoothie with the ingredients I had on hand. It didn’t turn out to be one of my favorites, so I most likely won’t be making this again. I juiced 1 empire apple (about 1/3 c.) and added 2/3 cup water and a handful of organic baby spinach. I blended that until smooth, and then added 1 Tablespoon Peanut butter, 1/2 cup frozen raspberries, 1/2 cup pineapple, 1 banana, and 3 ice cubes. I think the reason I didn’t like this much is because it wasn’t cold enough. I usually use frozen banana, but I had run out and needed to use a fresh banana instead. In my opinion, the colder the better when it comes to green smoothies. The warmer the drink gets, the more you can taste the greens.

I snacked on some trail mix, a roll of turkey, more smoothie, and I also made some peanut butter balls using dates, oats, chocolate chips, and flax seeds.

For dinner, I had a salad with Grapeseed oil and a sprinkle of Mrs. Dash spice blend without salt. I made Baked Ziti for the rest of my family, and I did have a little bit of that as well.

Day 10: Friday, October 10

For breakfast, I had a roll of turkey when I was making my daughter’s lunch. I also had a few of the peanut butter balls I made yesterday, and I made some fresh apple juice using 2 empire apples, cinnamon, and a few drops of lemon juice.

For lunch, I had eggs and cheese, apple slices and broccoli.

After lunch, I chopped up a head of broccoli and roasted it for a snack, and I ate the ENTIRE thing in one sitting. That I have never done before. It was really good! You can find the recipe here.

I made this Pumpkin Dip from 100 Days of Real Food and served it to my family with celery, apple slices, and graham crackers. I took the dip to a gathering tonight, and everyone loved it! At the gathering, I also had some salsa, chips, and celery.

Overall, I am feeling great and am full of energy, although I do feel a cold coming on. I have no cravings, and I feel like I don’t need to eat much to feel full. REAL food is full of nutrients and it fills me up quickly. Over the weekend, I’m planning to go to a family gathering that will contain many family favorite recipes, many of which are not unprocessed. I will do my best to eat as healthy as possible, but I will allow myself to cheat a little bit and indulge on some of those family favorites. Have a Happy Columbus Day Weekend!

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October Unprocessed: Days 4, 5, 6 & 7

Oct5

Day 4: Saturday, October 4

For breakfast, I had scrambled eggs with roasted broccoli, zucchini & onions that were left over from dinner the other night.

I had an apple, a peanut butter cookie, and some trail mix of cashews and chocolate chips as snacks throughout the morning.

For lunch, I had a green smoothie containing water, Kefir, spinach, frozen bluberries, and frozen bananas.

For dinner, I finally finished off the potato salad I had made the other day. Unprocessed foods go a long way in our house, since I’m the only one who will eat the leftovers. Next time I will make a smaller batch.

For a snack, I made some energy bites containing 1/2 cup oats, 1/3 cup coconut flakes, 1/4 cup peanut butter, 2 Tablespoons ground flaxseed, 1/4 cup chocolate chips, 2 1/2 tablespoons honey, and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla.

Day 5: Sunday, October 5

For breakfast, I made Banana Oatmeal Pancakes with pure maple syrup.

I also had 1/2 a banana and a few chocolate chips.

I had a few of the energy bites I made last night for a mid-morning snack.

For lunch, I had a salad made with lettuce, tomato, shredded cheddar cheese, cashews, chopped apples, chopped pears, and a few chocolate chips.

I also had some of my daughter’s leftover scrambled eggs and another energy bite.

For dinner, I made turkey tenderloin roasted in olive oil, salt, and pepper. I chopped it and put in in a salad with lettuce and cucumbers, and I sprinkled it with lemon juice as the dressing.

Day 6: Monday, October 6

For breakfast, I made banana oatmeal pancakes again for my daughter. I had her leftovers along with an apple and some cashews.

For lunch, I browned some grass-fed ground beef with some onions and I also roasted some potatoes in olive oil, salt, and pepper.

For a mid-day snack, I roasted some of the pumpkin seeds from the pumpkins my daughters carved on Sunday.

I also made a Pumpkin Pie Smoothie (my 7-year-old’s favorite drink!) and I had about 8 oz of that.

I snacked on a few grapes as well.

At dinnertime, I cheated a little. I made homemade pizza for the kids. While I was planning to just have a salad, I couldn’t resist the pizza, so I did have a slice. I used the pizza crust I made, freshly shredded mozzarella, homemade tomato sauce, and I topped it with the ground beef/onion mixture I made at lunch.

Day 7: Tuesday, October 7

For breakfast, I had the rest of the pumpkin pie smoothie that was left over from yesterday.

My 10-year-old didn’t touch the toast I made her (that she asked for), so I ended up eating that, too. I couldn’t bring myself to throw it away.

I had a few grapes for a snack.

For lunch, I had more of the ground beef that I made yesterday and the rest of the roasted potatoes.

For a snack, I had some trail mix containing raisins, cranberries, dates, and walnuts. When the girls got home, I finished off their grapes from their lunches and I also had the rest of my daughter’s leftover pizza from last night.

For dinner, I made baked haddock, roasted butternut squash, and a salad. The haddock did have Ritz crackers on top (which I shouldn’t be eating), but that’s the only way the rest of my family will eat fish, so I have to compromise.

So, I’ve cheated a little every day on some of the small things, but overall I’m feeling pretty good about my progress. My counter is overflowing with apples and other produce, so I’m going to be looking for some recipes in the next few days to use them up! 🙂

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October Unprocessed: Days 2 & 3

Oct3

Day 2: Thursday, October 2

For breakfast, I had a hard-boiled egg and some watermelon.

Mid-morning snack: I had a few leftover pieces of chicken from last night’s supper, some popcorn, and a banana.

Lunch: I made a green smoothie containing 1/2 cup water, a handful of spinach, 1/2 cup kefir, 1/2 cup frozen blueberries, and 1 1/2 frozen bananas. This was VERY filling and kept me full for most of the day.

Late-Day snack: I had a stick of mozzarella cheese when the girls got home from school.

Dinner: I made a chicken soup from the leftovers of last night’s dinner. I used butter, celery, onions, carrots, the leftover broth from last night’s chicken, and the cooked, chopped chicken that was leftover as well. For the kids, I also added some rotini (because that is their favorite part of the soup!) I tried to avoid eating the rotini, although I may have had a few pieces slip in (I’m not going to worry about that, though. My goal is not to be perfect, but only to become more aware of WHAT I am eating and WHY.)

I did snack on a few chocolate chips later on. I have to admit, I wasn’t hungry at all, but they were there and that’s the only reason I ate them. Overall, not a bad day other than the chocolate chips that I wasn’t hungry for. 🙂

Day 3: Friday, October 3

I had a slice of Boar’s Head Ovengold Turkey as I was making my daughter’s lunches. That is the only lunch meat I will allow myself during this challenge, as it claims to have no fillers, preservatives, etc.

I also made a batch of Flourless Peanut butter cookies for my 11-year old’s snack, and I had one of those as well.

For breakfast, I had scrambled eggs mixed with about a tablespoon of Feta cheese and a sundried tomato. It was really good! 🙂

Mid-morning snack – again, I had a few chocolate chips although I wasn’t hungry. I think I just need to stop buying them! 🙂

For lunch, my friend gave me a cup of DELICIOUS carrot soup that she had made! It contained coconut oil, onion, cinnamon, nutmeg, sweet potatoes, water, chicken broth, carrots, salt & pepper. It was really good, and the perfect thing to warm me up on this cool, fall day. I wish I had remembered to take a picture of it. It was a beautiful shade of orange, and it smelled just as great as it tasted!

Afternoon snack: I had an apple and another PB cookie.

For dinner, I had the rest of the potato salad I made the other day.

I went to a gathering tonight, and there I had celery and some chips with salsa.

Overall, I’m feeling pretty good about the challenge! I’m looking forward to see what the weekend will bring. Have a great weekend!!

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October Unprocessed: Day 1

Oct1

I survived the first day of October Unprocessed without too many cravings! 🙂

This is what I ate today:

I began the day with a glass of water.

For breakfast, I had an apple and an omelet. We have 13 chickens, so eggs are a big part of my diet. I generally have eggs every day in some form. To make the omelet, I sautéed ¼ cup onion with a Roma tomato from our garden in a teaspoon of coconut oil. I added ½ slice American cheese to the omelet as well.

Around midmorning, I had a snack of 2 peanut butter cookies. This is one of my favorite cookies, and one of the reasons I love them so much is because they are unprocessed and contain NO flour and NO white sugar. Check out my Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies recipe here (today I left out the chocolate chips.)

For lunch, I had potato salad that contained all REAL-food ingredients. Here is the recipe I used, only this time I used Greek Yogurt instead of the mayonnaise.

For an early afternoon snack, I made popcorn. The popcorn kernels I used were GMO-free from our local farm.

A little later in the afternoon, I had a few grapes to hold me over until dinner.

I roasted a chicken for dinner. In addition to the chicken, I had corn on the cob from our local farm and roasted zucchini, broccoli, and onions along with some of the leftover potato salad from lunch.

I didn’t find today too difficult because I had planned my meals ahead of time. I expect it to get more difficult as the month progresses as I try to discover some new recipes and foods. I did crave some chocolate chips at several different times today, but I held off on eating them. I will be allowing myself chocolate chips as one of my “deliberate exceptions,” but I just wanted to get through today without them. 🙂

If anyone would like to join me in this challenge, it’s not too late! You can take the challenge on your own terms. Any step toward wellness is a step in the right direction! Click here to take the pledge and join me and over 18,000 others in October Unprocessed 2014!

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October Unprocessed: The Inspiration Behind Journey to Complete Wellness

Sep30

One year ago, I took the October Unprocessed Challenge and spent the entire month of October 2013 eating only REAL, unprocessed foods. It was a huge learning experience for me! During the challenge, I felt terrific and full of energy all day long. I discovered some wonderful new foods and recipes, and I connected with a whole world of like-minded people committed to improving their health and supporting each other. It became a lifestyle change for me and my family. I found healthy replacements for a lot of the foods we ate. Overall, I felt great about all the positive changes I made to improve the health and wellness of my family. Although it certainly was not easy at times, the rewards definitely outweighed the challenges. To learn about ALL the benefits and challenges I encountered during this experience, check out my blog post here.

Upon completing the challenge on October 31, I was inspired to start this blog, Journey to Complete Wellness. What a blessing that has been! I invite you to join me and over 16,000 others in this year’s October Unprocessed Challenge by taking the October Unprocessed 2014 pledge here. Who knows what it will inspire YOU to do?

If an entire month seems too overwhelming, you can take the pledge for a week, or even a day. It is not as difficult as it may seem. You are allowed some “deliberate exceptions” (foods you can’t live without), and you take the challenge on your own terms. The main goal is to become aware of the foods you are putting into your body. It was truly an eye-opening experience for me!

Any step toward wellness is a step in the right direction. You can do it!

I plan to track this year’s progress in this blog, so stay tuned for some new and exciting REAL-food recipes!

Please leave a comment below if you decide to sign up! Good luck! 🙂

Follow Journey to Complete Wellness:

Journey To Complete Wellness

Becoming Healthy in Body, Mind, and Spirit

October Unprocessed: Days 30 – 31 and Final Results

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Recipe: Homemade Granola

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October Unprocessed: Days 22 – 29

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October Unprocessed Update: Days 16-21

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October Unprocessed: Days 8, 9, and 10

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October Unprocessed: Days 4, 5, 6 & 7

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October Unprocessed: Days 2 & 3

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October Unprocessed: Day 1

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October Unprocessed: The Inspiration Behind Journey to Complete Wellness

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