Five weeks down, nine more to go!
The ups and downs of this challenge have been, quite honestly, very surprising! We’ve fallen into more a groove with our eating habits, know what to purchase where and are feeling more comfortable with spending a little more money on less food that is more nutritious. We’ve become quite intentional with our food and waste so much less than we have grown accustomed to in the past…I’ve actually found myself feeling quite protective over the amounts of ingredients I’m using because I don’t want anything to go to waste. Good stuff, right?
Now, let’s talk about a few details and where we’re at with this whole Local Bite Challenge.
Tea…I’m drinking it. Yep, I caved. I usually drink loose black tea with milk and honey, but haven’t purchased any since about a week before the challenge began in an effort to lessen any potential cravings. Well, there have been headaches and stresses and conversations about how different teas are affecting my body and so I caved. I actually began caving by scrounging around in the pantry last week and finding some really old individual tea bags and using those for a few days. It was OK, but not necessarily good as so not worth the cheat. Then, yesterday, I completely caved, went into the grocery store and purchased some loose black tea, thereby giving myself full permission to drink it once a day as my morning ritual. So, here I sit, tea in hand, 2/3 local, 1/3 so.not.local and I’m OK with that.
Gluten…I’ve been bad this week and have had a couple of meals with flour tortillas. My kidneys are mad for it (an achy back is no joke), so I’ll intentionally pull back again. When will I learn? It is true that old habits die hard, but this is something I really need to focus on.
We’ve Hit a Plateau…We have fallen into a pattern of eating the same meals over and over…lots of beans and hamburger, pork sausage and potatoes, spinach and green onions, and eggs…lots and lots of eggs. Good food, but boring when it’s eaten all.the.time. So, with a foundation in place, it’s time to get some creativity flowing. The truth is, I’m not incredibly creative in the kitchen (I like recipes I can follow). Luckily, Kim is very creative, so I am enlisting her help as we transition from a place of surviving this challenge to thriving in this challenge!
I will say though, that even though we are eating way more greens that we were before this challenge, I’m over them already. I long for squash and beets and tomatoes that don’t cost an arm and leg. I’m ready for some more color on our plates beyond radishes. The season is picking up, and I’m grateful for it! I trust the variety shifts that are coming up will also help with the boredom in the kitchen and on our plates 😉
I am also looking forward to the opportunity to visit some You Pick Farms this summer! I found this mostly outdated but still cool website that has been helpful in giving me a few ideas as to where we can visit, but I haven’t set anything in stone yet since I’m still doing a bit of research. Freshly picked berries, though? Oh yeah, we’re coming for you!
Looking ahead, the next two weeks are going to be beastly. Beginning tomorrow, I am going into two weeks of co-facilitating a training for ~15 adults. This will be the 11th summer that I have either participated in or facilitated this training and there are definite patterns that have emerged; I eat like shit, don’t drink enough water (but drink way too much coffee) and usually don’t get enough rest. Stress is a bitch.
This year, the snack foods that were purchased for the training are definitely better than they have been in the past, but there is still much to think about since 100% of said snacks are not local in any way, shape or form.
So, my plan of attack includes…
- Eat breakfast at home every morning before leaving the house (most days I will be at work around 7am)
- Bring lunch (egg salad, beans and chile, leftovers from the night before…)
- Bring my own snacks***
- Bring my own water bottle and drink at least two of them throughout each day
Sound good, right? Except for the fact that we have been struggling in a big way when it comes to snacks! I usually (challenge aside) will eat nuts, carrots, snap peas, cottage cheese, crackers, hummus and other healthy-type snacks but none of these items can be found locally. I could find some of these items from California, I’m sure, but with the exception of a little rice or quinoa from time to time, I’m trying to avoid California because it really is not local at all.
So, I’m in need of some serious help here to keep myself from eating like crap for two weeks straight. Do I simply purchase some of these snack type items and call my snacks a wash for the next two weeks? I think that’s the route I’ll take, but would love to hear any other ideas you might have to get me thinking outside this little snack box I’m in!
Alrighty then, I think we’re all caught up! Now it’s your turn! How is the challenge going for you? Any exciting news, plateaus or favorite recipes come about over the past week? Please share your experiences in the comments below or in our Local Bite Facebook group so we can all keep each other motivated, inspired and supported through is amazing change in habits and intentions!
xoxo,
M
