Is Okra a Fish?

Have you signed up for my Dietbet? It starts on July 24th.

Home from vacation! Whew!!! Unpacking is a lot of work. First on my list when I got home was to download my new emeals menu plan for clean eating. After sharing the plan with hubby he was down with giving it a shot. I told the kids that we were trying a new menu plan. They gave me the confused and concerned list. Someone, who will rename nameless, asked if okra was a fish when I was describing the first nights dish. No, okra is not a fish.

The first meal was pork chops, peaches, and okra. Too tired to do "big" shopping, I decided to just get what I needed and go back tomorrow for everything else. Sadly, I roamed the produce section and couldn't find okra. Major clean eating sadness. Frozen veggies it is. I bought a variety hoping that if the kids could choose that there'd be more buy-in. I had to buy baslamic vinegar, pork chops, and peaches. I was surprised at the extras that I already had in my cupboard. Hubby grilled the chops and peaches. Kids chose carrots and peas. I boiled the veggies.

Here's dinner (excuse my messy stove- don't judge):

 

 

The verdict? I loved it! The husband liked the grilled peaches and pork. He ate a few veggies. The kids HATED it. They finally gave in and ate some peaches and then talked for hours about how they were starving. Sissy "tried" the chop, barely and Bug just snubbed the entire meal. He claimed full status after 3 bites of peaches.

 

The best part for me was that I was still FULL 3 hours later. No measuring required. I didn't need seconds. I was full.

 

Hubby has committed to trying the clean eating meal plan for 3 months.

I'm encouraged.
My kids may starve to death.

 

~Kari

 

 





Ready...set...Go?

Tomorrow is our last day of vacation. I have loved spending time with the family and am ready to head home. We will spend one last day lounging by the pool and digging up shells. It has been relaxing and refreshing.

My mind still drifts to Fitbloggin when I wake up in the morning. That conference had such an impact on me and allowed me to refocus on my health and fitness goals. I finished reading Eat Clean for Families and Kids and am more convinced than ever that is this the direction that I want, that I need to go. Hubby is scared. He has worried about cost, time, and taste. Maybe he's right. Maybe my post-fitbloggin/vacation lounging mind has bitten off more than I can chew. When people complain that they don't have the "time" to exercise I get so irritated. I have the time. They have the time. I think the same way about food prep. We all have the same amount of time in our days. It's all about how we choose to spend that time. Many of the blogs I read around clean eating talk about how they spend hours (!!!!) prepping food for the week. Hours? Do I have hours????

We use emeals for our meal planning for dinners. Do you use emeals? We were reluctant at first and have now found them to be a lifesaver. Currently we are on the classic meals plan. We are going to try the clean eating dinners. I'm going shopping on Wednesday night for our first round of clean eating dinners. Kids and hubby hate vegetables. I foresee dinner being a battle for the next week.

I want this. For the first time ever in my weight loss journey I want to eat healthy because I want to feel good and I want my body to perform at optimum. It's not about losing a few pounds. It's about being the healthiest me that I can be. Am I worth the time and extra money (this one is still in question) that it might cost? The rah-rah cheerleader in my says YES!, the fat girl in the corner has her doubts.

~Kari