So I mentioned I started my challenge today, but really I started it yesterday by shopping at the local farmer's market for my produce for the week. Part of eating fresh, real food means that you need to buy smallish quantities, so you're able to eat it all before it goes bad. This is something I've always done; I buy fruits and veggies weekly, and then I get milk, dairy, eggs, cereal, bread and other grains as needed. One of my problems when shopping though is that all the produce looks so good I end up overbuying. I almost always end up throwing some of it away. I'm trying to do better with this because I hate being wasteful. One solution I've found is to buy all the fruit that looks good, and then portion half of it into a storage container to keep in my freezer. This makes for perfect additions to oatmeal, pancakes or smoothies. A similar way I've reduced my waste is to keep my bananas if they get overripe before I get to eating them. Usually I cut them into small chunks before freezing so they are perfect for making smoothies or homemade banana bread. It's also a smart idea to buy produce that's in season. It will likely taste better, be cheaper, and have less environmental impact because it didn't have to travel as far to get to the supermarket.
Anyway, I've gotten off track. Yesterday I stocked up on fruits and veggies (and a treat/snack) for the week at the farmer's market. Here's what I got:
Rocky Ford cantaloupe, Palisade peaches, Olathe sweet corn, string beans, okra, red leaf lettuce, romaine lettuce, zucchini and yellow summer squash, and fresh made kettle corn. Yum!
It may seem like a lot, but if I have a big salad at least 1x/day, I don't think it will be any problem to eat it all by the end of the week. And if I do have some left over, no big deal. I've got a start to my produce for the next week. :o) Also, unfortunately my apartment fridge is awful and has already frozen and ruined part of my head of read leaf lettuce. I'm salvaging any part of any leaf that isn't frozen, but that has already contributed to making sure it all gets used before it goes bad (or just helping it to go bad; however you want to look at it). I know you're probably wondering, why doesn't she just turn the temperature up on her fridge? The answer is I have, and it's already at a 3.5 out of 9 (9 being the coldest). I'm afraid if I turn it up too much it will ruin the food from being too warm. Plus, I had been dealing with it by just not putting food too close to the back of the fridge, but I guess I didn't get it right this time. Bummer, I know.
So, back to what I ate today...
Breakfast: low fat & light vanilla yogurt, strawberries and granola
Mid-morning snack: ~10 pistachios
Lunch: salad w/ romaine and red leaf lettuces, carrots, red onion, corn, broccoli, string beans & 1 tbsp honey mustard dressing (This broke a rule, but I had bought it before I decided to do this diet overhaul. So I'd rather use it occasionally than let it go to waste.) and green grapes
Mid-afternoon snack: red-pepper hummus and 8 whole grain crackers
Dinner: whole grain linguine with zucchini, yellow squash and broccoli in homemade basil pesto sauce, homemade whole grain garlic bread, a peach, and skim milk.
Overall, I think I met my goals. Good start, if I do say so myself. And now it's off to bed for as close to 8hrs of sleep I can get (lookin' like it will be 7 tonight). See you soon!
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