Day 21 of 30 day Eat Clean Challenge

Victories: Met my water intake! No refined sugar! Gluten free!

Way too much fruit today, but better than eating those donuts that were in the break-room at work! There was this 3 ingredient pancake recipe (gluten free!) tonight that I had to try.

Clean food consisted of:

• Quinoa, peanut butter (no sugar), strawberries, banana
• Cucumber
• Mixed whole fruit: pineapple, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, and melon
• Plums
• Apple
• 1/2 Tolerant lentil pasta and 1/2 Gluten free pasta
• Homemade pasta sauce with organic ingredients and extra veggies
• Mama Chia – Strawberry Banana
• LaraBar – Pecan Pie
• Sweet potato
• 1/2 corn on cob
• Banana pancakes: banana, eggs, cinnamon (that’s it!)
• 64+ oz of fluids (water & decaf tea)

Not-so-clean foods today:

• Yogurt butter

Total Servings (estimated):

• Fruit: 7
• Veggies: 2
• Legumes: 1

Day 20 of 30 day Eat Clean Challenge

Victories: Met my water intake! Good amount of veggies!

Arguing with someone prior to and while waiting in line for free ice cream leads to eating said free ice cream. A breakdown in my challenge, but looked at it as a ‘test run’ for this weekend. I have concerns about how my body will handle my ritual day-before race fueling (carbo loading) of gluten free pancakes with syrup, and gluten free zucchini bread after 20+ days of low sugar. I bet these sugars the day before the race will help me sleep well the night before my FIRST full marathon!

I’m backing off of the legumes and the broccoli/cauliflower because I need my system moving freely over the next two days.

Zoodles are amazing. It was fun to eat and great knowing that it contains more vegetables, nutrients and water than pasta.

Clean food consisted of:

• Quinoa, peanut butter (no sugar), strawberries, banana, slivered almonds
• Black grapes
• Carrot
• Salad: mixed greens (half spinach), zucchini, carrots, sunflower seeds, homemade vinaigrette (evoo, balsamico, lemon, salt and pepper)
• White rice
• zucchini, basil, tomatoes, garlic, pine nuts, EVOO, salt
• 64+ oz of fluids (water & caffeine tea)

Not-so-clean foods today:

• Dried cranberries (sugar)
• Full gluten chocolate chip cookies (2)
• Soy mint chip ice cream

Total Servings (estimated):

• Fruit: 2
• Veggies: 4
• Legumes: 1

Day 19 of 30 day Eat Clean Challenge

Victories: No artificial sweeteners! Gluten Free! Met my water intake!

I’m going to stop eating diary greek yogurt (and continue to stay away from other dairy) for the remainder of the month. I’d like to know if my sinus problems are because of the diary.

Clean food consisted of:

• Oatmeal Breakfast Bars: ½ c oats, 1 banana, 1 tbsp honey, ¼ c blueberries, 2 tbsp slivered almonds, 1/8 tsp cinnamon, 2 egg whites
• Black grapes
• Laurabar – Cocnut cream pie
• Broccoli, coliflour, carrots (organic)
• Baked Salmon salad: Mixed greens, carrots, cucumber, avacado
• Carrot
• Pear
• Celery with peanut butter (No sugar)
• Carnitas, onion, corn tortillas
• Chicken, onion, corn tortilla
• 64+ oz of fluids (water & caffeine tea)

Not-so-clean foods today:

• Wine
• Dried cranberries (sugar)
• Hummus olive tapenade (long ingredient list but no sugar!)

Total Servings (estimated):

• Fruit: 4
• Veggies: 5
• Legumes: 2

Day 18 of 30 day Eat Clean Challenge

Victories: No artificial sweeteners! Gluten Free! Met my water intake!

Wow, today and yesterday, I had massive headaches. I wonder if it’s the heat or stress about the marathon on Sunday or something I’ve eaten (hummus & coconut milk are new)? Maybe hormones because I’m having feelings of needing something and finding that I want to eat to fill that need.

Clean food consisted of:

• Non-fat Greek yogurt
• Strawberry
• Banana
• Smoothie: Banana, pumpkin, coconut milk, cinnamon, nutmeg, pecans, non-fat Greek yogurt
• Black grapes
• Salad: mixed greens, carrots, mushrooms, cucumbers
• Salad dressing: Balsamic vinegar, EVOO, salt, pepper, lemon juice
• Peanut butter (no sugar)
• Tolerant lentil pasta
• Homemade pasta sauce with organic ingredients
• Celery
• 64+ oz of fluids (water & tea)

Not-so-clean foods today:

• Trail mix: mixed nuts, craisins (sugar), semi-sweet morsels (long ingredients list)
• Crunchmaster Multi-seed crackers
• Dark chocolate

Total Servings:

• Fruit: 4
• Veggies: 4
• Legumes: 1

Day 17 of 30 day Eat Clean Challenge

Victories: No sugar!! No artificial sweeteners! Gluten Free! Lots of vegetables! Met my water intake!

Whoo! Today the veggie intake and fruit intake was great! I feel healthy and alive.

Clean food consisted of:

• Eggs
• Homemade taco seasoning
• Onion
• Zucchini
• Banana, strawberry, coconut milk smoothie
• Banana
• Pear
• Black grapes
• Brocoli, cauliflower, carrots
• Salad: mixed greens, carrots, zucchini, peppers, baked pumpkin seeds (with evoo), sunflower seeds
• Peanuts
• Tea
• 64+ oz of fluids (water & tea)

Not-so-clean foods today:

• Olive tapenade hummus (long ingredients list, but no sugar!)

Total Servings:

• Fruit: 5
• Veggies: 4
• Legumes: 1

Day 16 of 30 day Eat Clean Challenge

Victories: No sugar!! No artificial sweeteners! Gluten Free! Met my water intake!

Wow, a day without refined sugar! I didn’t think this day would come. Even my ‘not so clean’ items were pretty healthy. I’m surprised because I ate a number of processed bars, but none of them had “sugar” or “Syrup” on the ingredients label. I even squeezed in olives even though I’m not a huge fan of them, I love olive tapenade. This day was an increase in my legume intake too.

Clean food consisted of:

• Oatmeal Breakfast Bars: ½ c oats, 1 banana, 1 tbsp honey, ¼ c blueberries, 2 tbsp slivered almonds, 1/8 tsp cinnamon, 2 egg whites
• kettle chips sea salt
• Curried potatoes: potatoes, corn, green beans, peas, carrots, curry powder, onions
• Carrots
• Celery
• Nectarine
• Hint water
• Tea with mint
• Sparkling water with mint
• 64+ oz of fluids (water & tea)

Not-so-clean foods today:

• Mama chia pouches:  apple cinnamon, strawberry banana, and a wild raspberry (long ingredients list but organic non-gmo and no sugar!)
• Olive tapenade hummus (long ingredients list, and no sugar!)
• Healthy cookie dough (chickpeas, honey, peanut butter, semi-sweet chocolate morsels)

Total Servings:

• Fruit: 2
• Veggies: 3
• Legumes: 2

Day 15 of 30 day Eat Clean Challenge

Victories: No artificial sweeteners! Met my water intake!

Half way, and the lines of what’s clean and not clean is blurring. I think part of it is not being prepared. I don’t have my meals prepped for this week and I think I’ve been eating larger meals.

Clean food consisted of:

• Non-fat Greek dairy yogurt
• Homemade Granola (oats, flax, chia seed, sunflower seeds)
• Nectarine
• Larabar apple pie
• eggs, gr peppers, gr onions, spinach
• tolerant lentil pasta
• Corn on the cob
• homemade pasta sauce with organic CSA box veggies (tomatoes, zucchini, green peppers)
• tea with lemon
• sparkling water with mint
• 64+ oz of fluids (water & tea)

Not-so-clean foods today:

• chorizo (sugar, long ingredient list, not organic)
• Gluten Free Beer, Omission (sugars)

Total Servings:

• Fruit: 2
• Veggies: 3

Day 14 of 30 day Eat Clean Challenge

Victories: No artificial sweeteners! Met my water intake!

Wow, two weeks of eating clean and I’m really enjoying this lifestyle!

Clean food consisted of:

• Non-fat Greek dairy yogurt
• Homemade Granola (oats, flax, chia seed, sunflower seeds)
• Nectarine
• Pear
• Apple
• Salad: mixed greens, carrots, zucchini, peppers, baked pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, egg
• 3 oz salmon with dill butter sauce
• brown rice
• Mini bananas (mango banana?)
• Mixed fresh fruit (pineapple, cantaloup, strawberries)
• Mixed nuts
• 64+ oz of fluids (water & tea)

Not-so-clean foods today:

• “Healthy” Cookie dough: chickpeas, honey, agave, vanilla (sugar, long ingredient list), peanut butter, semi-sweet non-dairy chocolate morsels (sugar)
• Mama Chia granola
• French Fries

Total Servings:

• Fruit: 5
• Veggies: 1

Day 13 of 30 day Eat Clean Challenge

Victories: No artificial sweeteners! Met my water intake!

Hmm, I didn’t really eat much today and certainly not enough vegetables. I had prepared a salad, which I probably should have eaten, and would have helped curb chowing down on “healthy” cookie dough this evening. Lately, food seems less of a focal point and eating small pieces of food throughout the day is the norm.

My fluid intake has progressed to earlier in the day so I’m sleeping at night now and only getting up once in the middle of the night. The food preparation on Sunday was well worth it! It was great to have quick grab lunches every day this week.

Next week will be dedicated to increasing legumes! Though, the avocado intake will have to be watched as 3/4 of one yesterday made me gassy. 

Clean food consisted of:

• Non-fat Greek dairy yogurt
• Homemade Granola (oats, flax, chia seed, sunflower seeds)
• Blueberries, Peach
• “Unstuffed” peppers (rice, tomatoes, peppers, garlic, etc)
• Pear
• Apple
• Orange
• Dried fruit
• 64+ oz of fluids (water & tea)

Not-so-clean foods today:

• “Healthy” Cookie dough: chickpeas, honey, agave, vanilla (sugar, long ingredient list), peanut butter, semi-sweet non-dairy chocolate morsels (sugar)

Total Servings:

• Fruit: 5
• Veggies: 1

Day 12 of 30 day Eat Clean Challenge

Victories: No artificial sweeteners! Met my water intake!

I will take the small victories and relish in those. Tomorrow is a new day and I will avoid the sugar! =)

I have realized that it’s not just milk fat that gives me a runny nose. All milk does since the only milk I’ve had the past two weeks is non-fat dairy yogurt.

After November Project, a group of folks go to Jane on Filmore for breakfast and there is always a slew of good gluten free treat options. I couldn’t resist buying the gf snickerdoodle cookie and bought a chocolate chip too. After buying it, the cookies sat in the bag on the table for 30 mins… then they made the trip home. Then they sat on my counter while I showered. I decided to cut them in quarters and freeze them and it was only then that one of the pieces was eaten. I’m amazed by this because usually the treats don’t make away from the register before I bite into them.

Then, I went on a work appreciation cruise that was catered. I was SO good by eating before I went and avoiding all their sauce covered meats and vegetables. Then dessert came. I was happy to see fresh fruit so I piled my plate high and at the last moment, I put a piece of these little bite sized cakes covered in chocolate on my plate. I kicked myself all the way back to my seat but I still ate it. haha.

Clean food consisted of:

• Non-fat Greek dairy yogurt
• Homemade Granola (oats, flax, chia seed, sunflower seeds)
• Blueberries, Raspberries and a Banana
• “Unstuffed” peppers
• Salad: mixed greens, carrots, zucchini, peppers, avacado, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds with evoo
• Cantaloupe, pineapple, honey dew, strawberries
• Apple
• Mixed nuts
• Peanut butter
• Go Raw carrot cake sprouted cookies (coconut, sesame, carrots, dates, nutmeg)
• 64+ oz of fluids (water & tea)

Not-so-clean foods today:

• 1/4 gf snickerdoodle cookie (sugar)
• One bite of chocolate cake
• Craisins, semi-sweet morsels
• Crunchmaster chips

Total Servings:

• Fruit: 5
• Veggies: 4