Eating Close To The Earth

I mentioned a little earlier that I was mulling over my eating habits.  So I've been trying to change a couple things here and there without getting myself all worked up in a frenzy about it.  And what I've found is that it's not really that hard to change.  Eating crappily is more about convenience than necessity and the last couple of weeks have really hit that point home.

            It only takes 3 extra minutes to make oatmeal and eggs for breakfast instead of whipping into the McDonalds drive thru.  And with my handy dandy egg poacher it only takes one minute to actually cook the eggs.  Thanks Mom.  Or Grandma.  I can't remember which...maybe both.  I've actually had the aforementioned egg poacheer since college and 10 years later I'm actually loving it.  

            Morning snack?  Easy.  Almonds in my desk drawer. 

            Lunch is sort of tricky.  I like to eat lunch WITH people.  My good buddy Lisa.  Or Taco Thursday with people from work. Or Hubs.  Seriously, lunch is my weekday social life.  Which makes it quiet difficult to eat "close to the earth" since I like to eat loads of bread at Panera or 5 Tacos at Taco Thursday or vats of cheese dip with Hubs.  So, I've been trying to only eat lunch WITH someone once a week.  When I eat by myself the choice is easy.  Hy-Vee produce department (yeah, I know Hy-Vee sounds like a disease but seriously, their ginoramous lunch area is to die for--they have everything!  They have an entire isle full of small prepackaged veggie, fruit, cheese, or fruit/veggie/cheese combo cups prepared daily.  They are super fresh and the perfect size.  Then I grab some chicken or turkey off the salad bar.  And viola!  The perfect healthful lunch.  My favorite part?  They have tons of variety so it's not just carrots and celery every day.  It's a long list of things to choose from daily--so it doesn't feel like I'm eating the same old boring thing every day.  And they are super portable so I can eat them in the car if I need too...and I can get a fruit, a veggie, and a meat for under $5!  So, it WAY cheaper than social lunches....BONUS!  

            Afternoon snack is easy to as I'm usually home by 4 and I can grab something at home.  Or if I'm not going home, I will grab a fruit cup at Panera before Fusion.

            Now, dinner (and all weekend for that matter) is much more difficult.  Let's just say we have an entire baking dish full of left over spaghetti Hubs made last weekend.  It was delish but seriously, if there is spaghetti in the fridge why would I want to cook something else?  I have such a hard time sticking to the healthful eating when he's around.  It's so much easier to just eat what he's eating.  I'm trying to stand my ground but it hasn't been easy.    

            Anyway, "eating close to the earth" is mostly stuff that I enjoy eating anyway.  I like veggies and fruit and salads.  And looking at the ingredients list before putting something in the cart makes a world of difference...at least for me.  Hubs still put the Country Crock Loaded Mashed Potatoes in after he saw the 35 ingredients but hey, who am I to judge? 

            Oh, I've been drinking tons more water too.  I've basically limited my soda intake to 2 (maybe 3) a day.  Which may not seem like a great adjustment but I used to ALWAYS have a soda in my hand so 3 small sodas a day is a HUGE improvement.

            Now, if I could just figure out how to go to actual restaurants and still make wise food choices this would be a much more enjoyable process!  I'll keep you updated on that front :)