Market Shopping and Fresh Eating

Hello everyone and good morning! 

Baton Rouge Farmers Market 

If you read my first blog post, then you know Saturday was my first day going clean and also the day we went to the stores to find all the healthy (vegan, organic) foods. My first day was pretty easy... and I blame most of that on the fact we spent the day running around. So, I had no time to sit and think "what can I eat next." I never felt hungry throughout the day and I found myself starting to crave fresh foods by the end of the day. I went to bed that night filling full and motivated for the next days ahead. Shopping was... a little crazy. We started about bright and early with the hopes of catching a local farmers market in downtown baton rouge. It was a hot sunny morning and the farmers market was in full swing by the time we arrived. We found a few fresh items and headed to our next stop.... Trader Joe's. Now, shopping on a Saturday is crazy--- just crazy. If you can look past the busy parking lots, long check out lines, and the fighting over the last container of hummus, you can actually find lots of nice sales on this not so friendly market day. I was a little nervous about what foods I would find that I could actually eat. But, to my surprise, Trader Joe's had the hook up. We left with six dinners, six breakfasts, five lunches, a few snacks, and a bundle of sunflowers all for $50. Whole Foods was not so lovely on the wallet but we did find a few lunch items and a few snack items. I love the bulk section in Whole Foods! It was my best friend for all the little things like: mango slices, rolled oats, cereal and spices (all organic, of course).  Our last stop was to Target. Surprisingly Target offered lots of vegan friendly foods. Unfortunately for me, most of those items contained soy (the little devil). We did find the rest of my lunches, dinners, and cotton candy grapes (yes! Fresh grapes that taste like cotton candy!!) We also found meatless, soy-less chicken patties; My favorite score from Target. And of course, from each market we were picking up fresh fruits and veggies left and right. Over all, it was a wonderful shopping trip. Our game plan was to only purchase what foods I would need for two weeks at a time. So, every two weeks we will jump into our shopping mission once more. I made a little check list to ensure that we were not over spending (our little way to stay on budget). This check list was a huge help and I highly recommend doing this if you are needing/wanting to stay within a budget.  

Kelsey buying pears

I already spoke a little about how eating went on day one. So now on to Sunday (day two) and this morning (day three). Day two was a nice day. Kelsey had work so it was the real challenge day. She has been so wonderful with keeping me motivated and "looking on the bright side" that I was a little worried I would go crazy being in the house all alone with food. The animals kept me straight. Anytime I would open the fridge or look into the pantry, their little eyes would scream, "Don't do it, mom! Don't do it! We will judge you!" Even with the fur babies horrible looks, I actually wasn't looking to "cheat". Something about this is different... it's like my mind and body came together to say "you have to do this, so get over it." And funny enough, I actually do trust my body now. Just after one day of eating clean, I felt better than I had felt in a year. Maybe there really is something to this lifestyle. This feeling of "I feel so alive and well" kept me calm all day long. After a wonderful and filling lunch, the fur babies and I caught up on Desperate Housewives and cuddled the afternoon away. Dinner was perfect and again, like day one, I went to bed full and ready to take on my Monday. 
Monday is.... going. It's a Monday at work... like really? Those are as terrible as soy. Sipping on some newly purchased organic pumpkin tea that my darling prepared for me... I guess it isn't all that bad (Smiling). Breakfast this morning was a delicious vegan British muffin with a little agave nectar drizzled on top with a side of red raspberries. Yum, Yum, Yum! The vegan British muffins were purchased from Trader Joe's and I highly recommend them. 
So far, things are smooth sailing and I could not be more thankful for that.

Thank you everyone for reading.