Keeping It Real

    Back in October I went to see the doctor, Tony and I had been trying to have a baby and things weren't going smoothly. While I was given A LOT of information and plans of action, one of the "easiest" instructions I was given was  to cut out "refined food" and "bad carbs" from my diet. To be completely honest I didn't really know what that meant. What exactly is a refined food? Which carbs are good? Which are bad?

    I didnt grow up on junk food, either did Tony, and we didnt consider ourselves bad eaters. I know in comparison to some people we weren't all that bad but we definitely had room to improve. Those "doctors orders" were just the kick in the pants we needed.

    I did my research and through that and my common sense to not eat neon foods or ones that will out live me on the pantry shelf, I have found a way of eating that I dont feel is a diet or restrictive but rather the best thing for me and my body. Simply, I eat REAL food.

   My list of no-nos are:

• artificial colors
• refined grains (white flour/ white rice)
• refined sweeteners (white sugar, splenda, corn syrup)
• artificial preservatives 

   The list isnt long but unfortunately the majority of what you will find in a supermarket will have one or more of these. This process of switching to a "whole food" or "real food" diet is making me try new things and new ways of preparing my food. And to be honest 90% of the time I like this new way better. We are still using trial and error to find what we like and what we don't and coming up with some very tasty options that I can't wait to share with you!

    One of the biggest steps we have made recently has been with meat. I love meat and so does Tony. A lot. So no fear of this house turning vegetarian, however for the past few years we have bought, free range, hormone free, antibiotic free meat here and there. I liked doing it because I knew I didn't want those things in my body but sometimes I would forget or I would say its too expensive and go with the normal stuff. Well last week we watched Food Inc. and that was that. I will NEVER and I mean NEVER eat meat that is not humanly raised and slaughtered locally. I will go into what struck me the most in movie in another post but for now I beg you to go watch the movie yourself.

   Lastly I want to share our weekly meal plan so you can get an idea of what this way of eating looks like day to day.

Tuesday
Whole crock pot chicken and balsamic glazed veggies

Wednesday
Hamburgers with mushroom sauce and sauteed squash

Thursday 
Sweet and Tangy crock pot meatballs over quinoa with roasted broccoli

Friday
Apple sausage and cheese panini with salad

Saturday
Grilled steaks with raw veggies and ranch

   All meat is from a local farm, all vegetables are organic and locally grown if possible and things like the ranch, bread for paninis and bread crumbs for meatballs are whole grain and homemade. For a great resource on this topic and wonderful recipes check out this blog. I hope this gives you something to think about and maybe start making some changes of your own!

xoxo
Ashlea