Challenge Re-Cap

Holy crap April went by fast! Did it for you, too? May just totally snuck up on me and I'm actually kind of disappointed -- there are so many other things I wanted to do for this blog during April! I'll just have to keep it going so I can get to everything. :)

So, I feel like my challenge to cut out processed/industrialized foods and only eat from-scratch food for the month of April was a complete success. True, there were a few instances where I was in a position in which I didn't have many choices and a couple times where I chose to sort of cheat. But overall, I'm very happy and feel like I'm in such a great space mentally and physically.

In order to be 100% honest, here's a list of my cheats:

2-3 Chipotle meals (traveling)
2 In-n-Out meals (also travel)
1 gelato
3 cupcakes
2 meals at weddings
2 meals at LA Farmer's Market
2 meals in Sequoia Nat'l Park
prepared chicken salad and rolls from Whole Foods

What I'm most proud of is making meals ahead of time to take on the road with us. I believe there were about 6 times where I made sandwiches and fruit to bring along to eat while traveling in the car or to eat as a picnic after getting some place. It was fantastic! Cheaper in some instances, and WAY better quality in all instances! We will continue doing this for sure when at all possible.

I learned to make my own tortillas (and can't ever go back to store-bought), have nearly perfected my yogurt making method, discovered an excellent pizza dough recipe, my butter making skillz are killer, we wasted much less food, and I learned to be even more organized in my meal planning and preparation, along with eating with pure enjoyment.


These photos are of yet another Jamie Oliver recipe, that I mentioned once before. This is the Shrimp and Avocado with an Old-School Marie Rose Sauce (his dishes always have these long names. :) I had no idea if we would like it or not, but we all ended up loving it. Very tasty. Can't wait to make it again, in fact!

So anyway, I hope everyone had a successful April and is inspired to continue eating well. I will keep on with my research and I'll share what I learn in case you want to continue on this journey with me! Coming up also are a couple more tutorials and lots more recipes. Thanks for visiting!

Classic Tomato Spaghetti

Oh bliss. This Classic Tomato Spaghetti was another perfect Jamie Oliver recipe. If you haven't bought this cookbook yet, go get it asap. Truly, everything I have made from this book has been incredible. I'm in love. It's all my favorite food to make and to eat.


And now it's May! My challenge is officially over. I'm working on a post recapping the month -- my trials and triumphs -- so watch for that coming soon!

Day One-Three

Well, people, how's it going? I meant to post on the 1st about how my first day of the challenge went but my night got away from me. So instead, here's a re-cap of the past few days.

04/01

BREAKFAST
oatmeal (organic oats from our CSA)
brown sugar (Trader Joe's organic)
tiny bit of butter (homemade and organic)

SNACK
2 organic kiwis (from our CSA)

LUNCH
Minestrone soup

SNACK
guacamole (homemade with ingredients from farmers' market)
carrot sticks (organic from our CSA)

SNACK
honey stick

DINNER
Shrimp & Avocado with Marie Rose Sauce (from Jamie's Food Revolution cookbook)
mandarin orange (organic from our CSA)

DESSERT
Paciugo gelato


First, let's talk about dinner. Wow. I didn't know what to expect with this one, but the delicious looking photos in the cookbook really made me want to try it. The dish is super simple -- lightly breaded shrimp seasoned with salt, pepper and paprika along with a watercress and avocado salad drizzled with Marie Rose sauce (which turns out to be mayo, ketchup, worcester, lemon, salt and pepper -- I left out the whiskey that the recipe called for!). So, it sounded kind of strange but turned out to be super good! We all loved it -- even the two-year-old kid. We will make it again for sure.

Second, let's talk about dessert. This was not one of my anticipated cheats. A friend's birthday just happened to be that day and we were invited out to celebrate. However, as far as cheating goes, I think this barely qualifies. We went to a gelato place called Paciugo and it is amazing. At Paciugo, all of their gelato are made by hand every morning. The ingredients are all natural, with no preservatives or artificial ingredients. So, even though I personally did not make this, it was not made in a factory and only has good, real ingredients. Woot! Good to know that there is such a place to go for a treat now and then. :)


04/02

BREAKFAST
oatmeal (organic oats from our CSA)
brown sugar (Trader Joe's organic)
tiny bit of butter (homemade and organic)

LUNCH
guacamole (homemade with ingredients from farmers' market)
carrot sticks (organic from CSA)
yogurt (homemade -- tutorial coming soon!)
*weird snack-y lunch*

DINNER
chicken pesto sandwich (homemade bread and pesto, grilled free-range organic chicken breast)


04/03

BREAKFAST
oatmeal (organic oats from our CSA)
brown sugar (Trader Joe's organic)
tiny bit of butter (homemade and organic)
*do you sense a trend here?*

LUNCH
greek salad
fruit
chicken
tiramisu
baklava
*Remember I had a wedding to go to? So this was a cheat day in that I didn't make the food myself. However, the food was really good quality and fresh and real, so I felt good about it anyway. Plus, best baklava I've ever had!*

DINNER
Classic Tomato Spaghetti (from Jamie's Food Revolution - really yummy! Simple and fresh and fast. I'll add a photo as soon as I can.)


So, not too shabby, right? As I mentioned, this month is kind of a crazy one to do this challenge. On Tuesday I am going to a concert directly from my kid's gymnastics class -- when am I going to eat dinner? I'm going to try really hard to bring something with me to eat cause I reeeeaaaallllyyy do not want to end up junk in desperation. And then on Thursday we're off to a friends' house for a few days to party. I'll be bringing along my own yogurt and a few other things and happily, my friends like to cook real food, too, so I should be good. Phew.

I will try to post every other evening or so with details (and hopefully a photo or two) about what I've eaten each day along with recipes, some favorite things and more information I learn about processed foods and the food industry. Please join me in this challenge! Even if you can't go hard-core and make everything from scratch, just cut out all fast food for this month. Make healthy, fresh food your priority even if it means some other projects get put on hold for a couple weeks. I know that you will feel so fantastic that you won't want to revert back to how you were eating before. Real food makes such a difference in how our bodies feel! Happy bodies!

For those of you who have already started doing this with me, please comment with an update on how you're doing. And good luck!

Jamie Oliver & Jamie's Food Revolution

I'm sure you've all heard about this show by now, Jamie's Food Revolution (Fridays at 9pm on ABC). I have been a big fan of Jamie Oliver for several years now -- I used to watch his various shows on the Food Network all the time. Then for Christmas, my husband gave me Jamie's beautiful cookbook Jamie at Home and I absolutely love it. The food is so rustic and earthy and beautiful and whole, not to mention delicious! So when I heard about Jamie's Food Revolution a few months ago, I was very excited!

The show is basically about changing the way Americans eat, starting with public school lunch programs (which are horrible -- I remember from my own school days!)and the way families eat at home. Of course the show is a bit "reality show"-y (it is on ABC after all, and produced by Ryan Seacrest) but I am just thrilled that a show like this is on network television. It is something that people need to see! If you've missed the first two episodes, you can watch them online HERE and make sure you catch the next episode on Friday. Also, take 10 seconds to sign the petition supporting Jamie's effort to change the food that is being fed to American kids at school.



AND, not only is there a tv show, there is a cookbook called Jamie's Food Revolution. It is incredible!! I have read it cover to cover probably about 5 times now since I got it a week ago. The photography is beautiful, the recipes are exactly the kind of food I love, and Jamie's personality makes reading about boiling rice super entertaining (to me, anyway!) I can't really express how much I love this book. I carry it around the house with me (even to bed!) cause I want it near me. Unbalanced? Probably. But I just LOVE it!

The book is so perfect for people who have not cooked before or who only know a few basics but is still great for people who cook regularly. The first section has lists and photos of the equipment and pantry items needed to have a well-stocked kitchen that will enable you to make healthy, fresh food easily and quickly. I actually already have bought several copies as gifts and I wish I could buy a copy for everyone! Teehee.

In the past week I've made a few recipes from JFR: Chicken Tikka Masala (holy CRAP I can not tell you how amazing it was!), A Cracking Burger, Lemon Dressing, and Shrimp and Avocado with An Old-School Marie Rose Sauce is on the menu for tonight. I also made Light and Fluffy rice to go along with the Chicken Tikka that turned out so perfectly. Seriously, that meal tasted exactly like we were at our favorite Indian restaurant. It was brilliant! So, basically, I'm in love.

Get yourself to Amazon or the bookstore and get the cookbook asap! I can not wait to make and eat every single recipe. And then, make sure to start watching the show this Friday at 9pm on ABC!