My family and I are in the second day of the Clean Eating Kick Start and I am amazed how differently we are all reacting and handling this go-round. We did our first round back in May.
Back then, we were worried about failing. About what in the heck we would eat. About how hard it was going to be. The kids were worried about how different their lunches would look from their classmates. We whined. We longed for whatever our specific thing was...I longed for Coke Zero and a giant wheel of Parmesan!
This time around, we were actually excited to start. Ready to start feeling our very best again (we got a little off track from Christmas Eve until New Year's Day). Happy to look our best too. I haven't heard any whining (and yes, I know it's only the second day!) or seen any longing looks into the pantry or when we drove down restaurant row. Seriously, last time, there were audible sighs every single time we drove by Sonic!
Day 2 is different too. Last time, I was struggling. It was REAL. I had cleaned out my pantry, my fridge, the cupboards and desk drawers and we were in it. I didn't know how to make meals quickly or efficiently without bread or pasta. We ate a LOT of eggs and salads that first week! I spent every free minute searching Pinterest, Instagram and the internet for recipes and meal ideas. I wasted so much time at the store because I didn't have everything and I didn't really know that I didn't have everything and I definitely didn't know the best places to buy the things I would grow to rely on.
This time, Day 2 is a blessing. I woke up feeling renewed. My body is responding wonderfully to squeaky clean eating. No bloat. My knees didn't bother me in the night. I can tell I gained a little over 2 pounds during the holidays, but I don't feel puffy. I am having a great hair day! The kids got their lunch totes filled with fresh fruits and veggies and clean proteins and a delicious snack (today I put in the Trader Joe's strawberry apple bars) and they seemed happy to get back to healthy eating.
I have my weekly menu planned - not down to the day, because I don't need to anymore, but I prepped for about 4 hours yesterday, so my fridge and freezer are full of wonderful things. I made ground beef 2 ways and ground turkey 2 ways. I roasted 6 pounds of spice-rubbed wings. My daughter and I made 6 pounds of baked chicken nuggets (breaded with almond flour and tapioca starch) and I modified a favorite Asian recipe from Paleo Takeout, my favorite paleo cookbook of all time! (One of my 2016 goals is to make all the recipes I haven't attempted out of this book...so, probably half of them...talk about a delicious resolution!!!) and I made cauliflower rice and a giant pan of roasted root vegetables.
My produce bins are stocked. My onions, mushrooms, peppers, broccoli and garlic are prepped and ready to toss in a pan. I found some heavenly black seedless grapes for the kiddos and a new box of Cinnamon Apple Spice Tea in the cupboard.
I say all this to reinforce for anyone who might be struggling today or even contemplating giving up - if you can give this 30 days, you just may have your entire life and well being changed for the better and you'll crave getting back to it when you stray. Really surprising is that my 2 teenagers were ready for crisp apples and veggie sticks and chunks of grilled chicken instead of pizza at a friend's house or a trip through a drive-thru.
Good luck with Day 2 - it is harder than Day 1 for most of us...Make sure you look back or think back to why you decided to change the way you feed your body. The best things in life require some effort - you can do it!
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