january review: healthy eating

So....February is almost half way over and I haven't posted about my January resolution to eat more healthily OR what my February resolution is. Things have been super crazy lately! About a month ago Scott was offered a job with the Red Cross in Phoenix and since then it has been crazy trying to get everything ready for the move. So, although everything is still pretty crazy around here, I thought I'd take a minute to catch up on blogging before I get too far behind.

To kick start our healthy month off right, I wanted to try going meatless for a week. Scott wasn't quite as enthusiastic, but he agreed to do it with me. :) Probably because I do most of the cooking! Ha! Anyway, it was a great experience! I definitely don't plan to become a vegetarian anytime soon, but it was a great way to experience some new foods! I made six different vegetarian meals and we were in a rush one night and needed something quick. We went to Cubby's Chicago Beef (probably one of the restaurants we'll miss the most in Provo!) and grabbed a couple of their vegetarian "Portabella" mushroom burgers. They are awesome. Anyway, when I finally unpack my vegetarian recipes, I'll have to post a couple of our favorites. I think there was one we didn't really like as much. Oh well. Overall, I am SO glad that we decided to do this! I seriously felt great afterward - so much lighter and healthier! I even lost 5 lbs!

In addition to doing a meatless week, I also tried to curb some of my bad eating habits :) and just try to be more healthy overall. I complain about not being able to lose the last 5-10 pregnancy pounds, but the truth is, I know why. I love my comfort food. I love to eat potatoes, breads, pastas, pastries, and chocolate - and they are definitely not helping me lose any weight. So, I decided to cut back. I only let myself eat potatoes once or twice a week at the most. I've also switched out a lot of our pastas for wheat pasta. I've also made an effort to only buy whole grain breads (except on special occasions - like when I want a croissant :). I love to bake, so giving up pastries and baked goods would be really hard for me. I'm still working on this one, but in general I'm just trying not to eat as much.

Since our vegetarian week, I've also been much more motivated to include more vegetables in our meals. I word to the wise: Although it probably helped me to dive right in to a vegetarian lifestyle & eating only whole wheat and whole grains, it is probably best to make the changes more slowly. Your digestive system will thank you. Trust me. :)