Challenge Begins! (Tomorrow)

Last post I mentioned the Whole 9 Thirty Day Challenge, and that I was considering it as a healthy jumpstart.

I wavered. Up until the time where I was forced to start a meal plan and list, I was seriously afraid I would not enjoy this challenge. I mean, they say no peanut butter....HOW CAN THEY EXPECT ME TO GIVE UP MY PEANUT BUTTER! (image from here)


Alas, I had read too much. I was inwardly convinced that the principles worked. I had actually gone one whole day without the delicious peanut-y goodness, and felt great. The past week has proved that my tummy doesn't enjoy junk food. Thus, the lack of legume meal planning began.

I forged my way through the "under construction" Kroger, and read several labels before deciding against nitrate-ridden bacon.

Here's the general meal plan for this week:

Breakfast: eggs, home made sausage (which is just ground beef and seasonings), coffee (nothing added, although I did buy coconut milk, and may see how that tastes in my coffee) and strawberries.
Lunch: leftovers from dinners. Alex and I both work days, so I'll be making use of the microwave. I did buy baby spinach, so I may make some salads too.
Dinner: This is where I switch up my options. I had one plan, but ended up buying a few different meats,  since some were on sale and "Manager's Special." I stood in front of the meat area for a long time...

• Pork tenderloin (I use various spices and fruit juice with olive oil to season. I've recently put some lime and cinnamon together) and green beans
• A chili recipe that sounds yummy-click here to see it!
• I was going to make a roast, but then I found stew meat on Manager's Special, so I got that instead. I'm dumping this with some red potatoes (the whole 9 said to avoid white potatoes, so I'm not sure about red ones. We have them leftover from vacation and I didn't buy enough sweet potatoes for this recipe), carrots, onions, and peas (maybe, haven't decided for sure on the peas yet) for another meal.
• Steak seasoned with "steak seasoning" from Aldi. I'm cooking mushrooms, peppers and onions for topping and veggies
• Brazilian Chicken Curry-seems easy enough, and it's in the crock pot!
• Burgers made from ground beef and seasoning, sweet potato fries, and cooked broccoli
• Grilled Chicken and broccoli. I may add another veggie, but this dish is fine as is. I buy chicken thighs because they are cheaper and tastier. They're frozen, and all the other meat is fresh. Therefore, this meal will be eaten after the others, since it can last longer before going bad. 

I tried to make sure we have plenty on hand, so that I don't have to go to the store, and we aren't tempted to go out to eat. I didn't buy beef broth for the chili, because they all had some not-so-great ingredients in them. Therefore, our chili will be a bit more boring. Oh well.

I end up improvising sometimes. I think something will taste good together, so I try it. I look up a recipe and like the picture, so that's what I decide to try. My fridge is full of perishables, my cabinet covered in fruit, and that's they way I like it :)

(Those are kebob stick on the side, NOT noodles)

One last thing: I put this at the end, because I don't care if anyone reads this part. One not-food-related challenge is to avoid the scale during the challenge. So, I weighed myself this morning, and will do so again after 30 days. (I did gain some pounds on vaca, due to junk food. Not a big deal, but I thought it would be fun to record and see if it makes a difference).

Weight as of today: 128