Clean Eating Challenge

I have mentioned before the importance of cleaning eating to me but I must admit I have struggled, well honestly failed, at providing my family with clean meals. This is a lifestyle change that isn't easy to make. I mean think about how many different ways advertisers throw food advertisements at us. We see ads for the newest industrial food creation on TV, in store, as we are driving around town, and honestly even in our own kitchens. I am determined to succeed and provide clean foods and meals for my family, no matter how many times I fail trying. It is a constant struggle for me that is for sure.

Food has always been a challenge for me though. I have had weight issues most of my adult life and have finally conquered them or at least gotten to a healthy weight, though I am still working on those stubborn last pounds. So the thought of eliminating all the processed junk from my kitchen is a bit overwhelming. Food has always meant a lot to me, memories often come from meals, food is comfort to me, etc. I must find new ways to fill the void that some of my favorite industrial foods have filled but I know I can if I focus on my goal.

I am currently in the research phase and plan to begin slowly implementing my family's clean eating plan. I don't want to go through my cupboards and just throw everything processed out instead I want to find healthy replacements and start changing our lifestyle. I think in the past I have always started full force and gotten overwhelmed and failed. So rather than burning out in the next few weeks I am going to go slow and steady...that wins the race right?!?

As we start changing our lifestyle I will be sure to share our experiences with you so that you too can change your eating lifestyle if you so choose. I will also share what I learn while I research what it means to eat clean and the tips I find about how to successfully eat clean.

There are a few things we are already doing in our household that I believe are good starts to our clean eating lifestyle change. They include:
-all of our beef is Grass fed, hormone, antibiotic free, as is our chicken which is also free ranging.
-the only milk we drink is Organic milk.
-our weekly basket from Bountiful Baskets is organic and for the most part all of the produce we eat is organic.

I don't have a solid plan for implementing our clean eating lifestyle yet but will be creating a flexible plan soon and of course will share it. Clean eating is important to both S and I so I know that if we are determined to eat clean we will. It just takes determination and willpower to ignore all of the industrial food advertisements thrown our way day in and day out.

Menu: November 7th through November 13th

First of all how is it November already? This year has flown by I guess partly because S was deployed for a good part of the year and then we took a long trip back home. I can't believe how time flies. I love the holiday season though so I am always excited to see November.
Monday: Baked Spaghetti Squash with Garlic Bread and mixed Veggies
Tuesday: BLTs
Wednesday: Oven Baked Salmon with Mashed Potatoes and mixed veggies
Thursday: Baked Potato Soup
Friday: BLTs/ Tacos
Saturday: Leftovers/Baked Potato Soup
Sunday: BDubs/Leftovers

I am still alive

Sorry I have been MIA for a few weeks. Life got a little busy for a while and unfortunately this blog didn't take priority. I apologize for that and hope to get back to regular posting now. I haven't been getting getting our basket from Bountiful Baskets regularly lately simply because Saturday mornings have been fully. But I am back on track to start getting it so I will share our basket this weekend.
It is starting get chilly here in Las Vegas, FINALLY, so I am looking forward to preparing more comfort foods and the "warm" foods that I love. I also look forward to cooking from our basket as it seems the cooler weather foods I have a harder time finding recipes so I get to broaden my horizons now too. I am working on next week's menu and will share it once I get it done. Again I apologize for falling off the face of the earth for a bit.

Mil Spouse Fill In

1.A word that always makes me laugh is ice cream. I used to babysit a little girl that called it, "asscream". Whenever I hear that word I think of Kenzie telling my Mom all about "asscream"!


2.If you looked in my refrigerator right now, the oldest thin you'd find would be red wine. S and I don't drink ever but a recipe this past summer called for red wine so I bought a bottle and used 1/4c, I think, and the rest is just hanging out in the fridge....I really should just throw it away. 

3.If I were written about in the newspaper today, on the front page, the headline say Woman Still Working on Her Degree

4.The last movie I saw (in the theatre) was um....still thinking....yeah still thinking....honestly I can't remember, that is BAD! S deployed for a good portion of this year and I guess we just haven't made it to the theater. I want to see Contagion but haven't done it yet. 

5.The best thing that happened to me in the last few weeks was S & I got a new, to us, truck. My current truck is an older vehicle that was starting to need some serious maintenance. This new truck is truly a blessing we will be forever thankful for. 


Head over to Wife of a Sailor to check out all of the other Mil Spouse blogs!

Dr. Pepper Pulled Pork

I adapted this recipe from Pioneer Woman but put my own little twist on it. I love Pulled Pork recipes because they are so versatile. This recipe was so easy to make and turned out really tasty too!
Ingredient list:
20 oz bottle of Diet Dr. Pepper
4lb Pork Shoulder Roast
1 c. Ketchup
1/4c. Brown Sugar
3 T. Worchestshire Sauce
1 onion (chopped)
Garlic Powder
1 T. Molasses

Instructions:
Mix all ingredients except Dr. Pepper and Roast together in pan and bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes. Stirring occasionally. Place onions in the bottom of the crockpot, place roast in the crock pot on top of onions. Add Dr. Pepper and then pour sauce over roast. Cook on high heat for 3-4 hours then cook on low heat until roast easily shreds.

I served this on buns and on nachos. It makes a lot of meat. We have made several meals out of the roast and even have some to put in the freezer. This is a great recipe for potlucks and get togethers too.

PBS Keeping Kids Fit 5k Run

This past Saturday S, H, and I participated in the 2nd Annual PBS Keeping Kids Fit 5k run. It was so much fun. S and I are not seasoned runners by any means but we can run at a nice slow pace. H got to see Elmo so he was happy of course. We participated in last year's run too but this year we felt much more prepared. We actually knew the route this year and I was in much better shape this year. We shaved 4 minutes off our time too which I was pretty proud of, I know it wasn't much but I haven't been on a solid run training schedule for while. S and I took turns pushing H in his jogging stroller and H talked to everyone we passed and everyone that passed us. I had never really pushed the stroller while running but didn't do half bad.
We are not morning people so I will admit that getting up at 5am to go run wasn't exactly the most exciting thing in the world but I take pride in the fact that I actually did get up and run. It is so easy, for me at least, to make excuses when it comes to things I am not completely comfortable with. I think that this run will become a family tradition that we will look forward to each year. Next year I am hoping to shave a few more minutes off our run time!

Menu 10/10 through 10/16

As you can see this week we have Monday night football game as well as a Sunday night football game. So we will be spending two nights at Buffalo Wild Wings this week. I am again sharing all of our meals because I find myself referring to my blog whenever I am trying to remember what I had intended for us to eat. :) This week am trying a new recipe, which I will share Tuesday, that actually will cover several meals. I can't wait to try it! 

Monday

                B: Toaster Strudel/Oatmeal

                L: BLT’s with chips

                D: BDubs

Tuesday

                B: Eggs with Bacon

                L: Dr. Pepper Pulled Pork Sandwich with veggies and chips

                D: Turkey Salads

Wednesday

                B: Oatmeal

                L: Beef Stew

                D: Pulled Pork Sandwich/Tuna Salad

Thursday

                B: Eggs with Bacon

                L: Pulled Pork Nachos with black beans and corn

                D: PB&J/Turkey Salad

Friday

                B: Oatmeal

                L: Beef Stew

                D: Tacos

Saturday

                B: Pancakes

                L: Turkey Sandwiches, Chips and Fruit

                D: Frozen Pizza

Sunday

                B: Cinnamon Rolls

                L: Tacos

                D: Bdubs