ALDI Favorites and Whole 30 finds

Happy Monday friends! Anyone out there still sticking to their New Years resolution to eat healthier? We are not doing a perfectttt job but we have made huge steps to try to choose healthier meals during the week. Today I wanted to share with you some of my favorite finds from Aldi! Everything here is Whole 30 approved and I was able to get it all for under $50. I was so surprised to see that Aldi has such healthy options on their shelves! 

• Produce- I've heard negative things about Aldi produce in the past (going bad quickly) but I personally have never had any issues. This past trip I picked up a bag of apples, bananas, sweet potatoes, romaine lettuce, grape tomatoes, a cucumber and oranges. All great things to have on hand for snacking and throwing together a salad for lunch! 
• Eggs- I eat eggs almost every morning and they sell them for  only .99 cent a dozen! I always try to get two dozen at a time. 
• Guacamole/ Salsa- Last week we made guacamole fried egg burgers and chicken lettuce wraps so I knew I wanted some guacamole and salsa on hand. Of course you can always make your own guacamole but this particular one-the Little Salad Bar Classic Guacamole, has only clean ingredients and is a steal at $2.99. (It comes with two pouches in one box which is so nice if you only need part of it! They also have Whole 30 approved salsa. I picked up some Chipotle Lime Salsa and restaurant style. 
• Meats- My favorite meat I bought was their grass fed burgers. So good! We also picked up shrimp for shrimp salads and a pork loin to make whole 30 carnitas. 
• Sparkling Water- I'm a huge La Croix fan and Aldi sells their own version called Belle Vie that is comparable! 
• Sweet potato chips- these are so addicting! They may not exactly be whole 30 but they only have three ingredients (Sweet potatoes, canola oil, sea salt) which is 10,000 times better than most potato chips! 

If you are an Aldi shopper I'd love to know some of your go to items!

Healthy Eating

Okay, It's January which means I have come full circle with my eating choices. Let me explain, The past 4+ years I always start out January motivated to change my eating habits. Partly to shape up and partly to feel better and over all live a healthier lifestyle. So January, I'm motivated and going strong. I keep it up all winter and even through the summer. Then.... August hits and we head back to school. The working until dark, bringing loads of work home nightly, back to packing a lunch, the stress of starting a new school year hits full force. If you are an elementary school teacher I'm sure you understand. Starting a new school year is incredibly time consuming. So guess what takes a back seat? Eating healthy! All of a sudden I find myself eating quick and easy meals with no thought to nutrition. The school year starts to slow down a little by October but by then I have already slipped back into bad eating habits. That continues until January when I realize just how little energy I have and how my pants are fitting just a little bit snug..... all the motivation I need to start the circle back over with a change in my diet. Does anyone else drastically change their eating based on the time of year?

Anywho, with 2015 just beginning and three weddings this year.. MY own, and a bridesmaid and matron of honor in 2 others, I have all the motivation I need to start a diet plan..NOW. Last year I started eating clean, read here. Needless to say I slipped off that bandwagon but when I was going strong I dropped several pounds and more importantly felt amazing. I was no longer exhausted at 2:00... my energy level was just unreal. So I plan to go back to eating like that but with a few changes. I'm putting my "eating plan" into writing to try to keep myself accountable. Here is my "plan" I came up with: 

1. NO more processed foods. I know there is nothing healthy about hot pockets and frozen pizza. 

2. Drink more water. I try to walk around with a water bottle all the time. Water plays a huge roll in our bodies!! Need more convincing? Read here. 

3. Eat more fruits and veggies. This is where clean eating comes in. I would like the majority of my food to consist of fruits and vegetables. I've tried it and I know eating this way is good for my body in more ways that one. 

4. Eat lean meats. When I followed my clean eating plan last year it was a whole foods plant based diet. Which basically means eat your fruits and veggies but no meat. I'm not looking to go back to not eating meat however I do think there are health benefits to choosing lean cuts of meat. 

That's it! Nothing too crazy but 4 steps that I think can make a huge difference! I still plan to allow cheat meals and desserts every now and then-- just in moderation. If you have made a similar change in your diet I would love to hear about it! 

Changes in my diet

Today is all about a new "thing" I've been doing (I would almost call it a hobby but not sure that's the right word? I'm talking about my diet, and no I don't mean the I'm going to do this for 10 days to loose weight diet, I mean what I actually eat on a daily basis. My food diet.... Let me back up and start with a little background. I welcomed the first few days of 2014 in with the worst sinus infection ever and possibly something more. Not quite sure what I had but I know I spent 3 days in bed miserable. What did that leave time for? Netflix! Instead of starting a new show I decided to watch a documentary called Forks Over Knives. With no background knowledge of this movie I had no idea what to expect. The whole documentary was about following a plant based whole foods diet. I found it so interesting that it caused me to watch more documentaries and do way more research on the whole topic. So, with that being said I've been [for the most part] following a plant based whole foods diet the past 20ish days. 

So, plant based whole foods diet. 

What is that?! Plant based whole foods diet means you eat only plants, vegetables and whole grains. If it comes from an animal you don't eat it, if it's processed you don't eat it. Many people think "oh thats vegan" but it is actually quite different. Without going into too much detail, not eating processed foods and only whole grains versus things like white bread is the main difference between plant based, whole foods and vegan. 

Why? I totally get this question. Why would you give up things like hamburgers, fish, hot pockets, etc.. all foods I once loved! For you to really understand the why you HAVE to do the research for yourself. Watching documentaries like Forks Over Knives and Vegucated are great places to start. The book Engine 2 Diet is also awesome. What I learned is that by following a plant based whole foods diet you can drastically lower the chances of heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and much more. What has become the norm in America as far as food is causing these diseases to skyrocket like never before. I also think once you really start to think about what you are eating and where it comes from your idea of eating changes. I don't want to look at an ingredient label and not be able to pronounce 20+ of the ingredients. Chances are these chemicals are slowly poisoning our body. So whats the big deal with meat? Well meat isn't the issue but the hormones and chemicals put INTO our meat before it ever hits the grocery store is the problem. I could go on but still don't feel like I know quite enough and don't want to say anything that isn't true. If you are curious though watch the videos! It's truly eye opening. 

"Some people think the whole plant based, whole foods diet 

is extreme. Half a million people a year will have their chest 

opened up and a vein taken from their leg sewn onto their 

coronary artery. Some people would call that extreme.”

- Dr. Caldwell B. Esselstyn

But... Do you feel like you are missing out on foods? No, I honestly don't! I've been eating really awesome meals! I'm still eating burgers, pasta, pizza, tacos, etc... just without meat and with tons of vegetables! But.. you posted a picture of sushi yesterday? you put creamer in your coffee.. you ate a hamburger last week. Yes, yes and yes. I have not 100% changed my dietary lifestyle. I have made a major shift however. I think it's a process and something that takes time. It's a whole new way of thinking about food. 

The best part? I feel AWESOME. Seriously, so much energy all of the time. No more 2pm slumps. I've also dropped several pounds and noticeably have a smaller waist line. This wasn't in any way the goal but is also totally welcome! It even adds motivation to stick with it. It's also been so fun to try out new recipes and new ingredients! I've been surprised how much produce is out there I haven't ever even tried or heard of!  

The hardest part? Other people. Not everyone has supported this decision and that can be hard. It's not fun to have to justify your meals to your closest friends but I've realized it comes with the territory. It's a new way of thinking and isn't for everyone. I get that... I just wish people would sometimes keep their negative opinions to themselves (; ..Oh and chocolate. That's also the hardest part... I can't quite give that one up yet! 

In the end.. Will this be something I do forever? I have no idea.. I just know that I have enjoyed trying it out and plan to keep it up a little while longer to see where it goes. Will I eat a oh so perfect Bojangles Cajun Fillet biscuit? Probably. But will I eat one every weekend? No way. What it all boils down to is being more aware of what I'm eating and doing what's right for me. Has anyone else tried anything like this?

Living Healthy

This is one of the most talked about topics with girls my age in my opinion. Everyone wants to live an active and healthy lifestyle. It's easy however to fall into a yoyo habit. A few months eating right and exercising, and then a few months of doing just the opposite. That has always been the case for me anyway! Back in January I made a goal to start eating healthy and working out regularly. I really got into it, dropping a few pounds, ran a 5K and just felt better. Since school has ended though and my summer routine changed I find myself slipping out of healthy living. I thrive on routine and the change of living, weather and schedule has started to take it's toll. 

Enough of that though! I am ready to "forget" about the last month and a half of taking the easy way and get back on my health kick. The best part about it though is Justin is going to do it with me! Everything is more fun with a partner of course! We are going to try out the couch to 5K program together. I've heard great things about it.. has anyone else tried it? If you aren't familiar with Couch to 5K it is a running program designed to ease you into running. It's a ten week program that gradually increases your running time.

I'm excited to start over my journey of living healthy. (Notice I did not say diet- it's definitely a lifestyle change!) Along with the couch to 5K program we are also going to really watch what we eat. I have lots of fresh fruits and veggies calling my name!