I’ll admit, this was a tough week. While I still ate clean and actually got a lot more exercise in, I found myself losing a bit of the excitement. Perhaps it’s the third week of paying so much for groceries. Maybe it’s the third week of three bean salad. I’m not sure, but it was a lot harder to stay clean this week.
Sunday prep was a lot shorter and I made fewer meals making the week tougher. Lunches have been a struggle as I am sick of the same thing and I can’t find anything that appeals to me. Still, despite being a bit on the bored side, I easily turned down cake and ice cream not once, but THREE times at work this week. It was an insane week for birthdays! It’s not the sugar or the desire to eat whatever is at hand that is hard, it’s making myself eat. Remembering to eat every few hours has suddenly been harder as I’m not constantly thinking about food and eating clean has just become habit. I came home with snacks still in my cooler bag, not bothering to eat them.
So, this week I need to find more appealing recipes; new, exciting recipes that I’ll look forward to eating. No more three bean for a while 🙂 I plan on scouring the web for some fun, new ideas and branch out. I’ve never been a recipe kinda gal, but I’ve found I’m using spices and ingredients I would never have thought of. It’s fun!
And the cleaning up has lost it’s full glory too; it seems like there is always a slew of dishes to wash all the time–despite trying to keep up as I go. I still do it. But it’s not as exciting. I have to make myself stay in the kitchen in the mornings and not go back to my routine of getting a cup of coffee and checking my email and twitter. Like I said, I still do it, but I’m grumbling to myself as I do. Luckily it’s Friday and I’ll have a few days to get recharged and caught up on my sleep. I’ll find some fun, new recipes, organize my kitchen and head to the closest (1 hour away) health food bulk store to stock up on grains, cereals, spices and nut butter. Some honey too! I’ll make a new batch of jump start granola that my husband RAVES about and experiment with some power protein bars to rival Luna.
I knew it wouldn’t be easy. Like everything else in life, the newness has worn off and it’s not as exciting and fun anymore. But the important thing is that I’m still making the small, important choices everyday. Plain yogurt with granola and fruit over chocolate cake and ice cream. Whole wheat pita pizza with fresh mozz and spinach over burrito bake. Ezekiel bread over biscuits. Each small choice is one step closer to making eating clean a lifestyle change. Sure, it’s glossy greatness has diminished a bit, but that’s okay. Like a long marriage (of which I enjoy!) every day is not wine and roses. Sometimes it’s routine. Sometimes it’s grand. But the majority of time it’s just a part of life that runs in the background among chaos. It makes you strong, makes you happy, but you just don’t think about it all the time–it’s for a lifetime. So is eating clean. Whether I think about it or not, it runs in the background of my thoughts helping me make good decisions. I don’t focus on it and there will be times I find it tedious to eat every few hours, but I will get in the routine and make it happen.
Trekking The Soul 