One Week of "Eating Clean"

A couple of weeks ago I came across BuzzFeed's Clean Eating Challenge.

It described itself as:

 

 "a two-week detox plan that’s all about eating real food in order to feel great and have more energy. All of the food is low-carb and gluten-free with an emphasis on lean protein (no red meat) and fresh produce. There’s no processed food allowed; every meal is homemade."

 

Well, challenge accepted! I'm aware that the phrase "clean eating" is trendy term and has a different definition depending what website or blog you are on. (It can get confusing! And some authors can get pretentious.) I was also dubious because BuzzFeed isn't exactly the most serious of websites. However, after reading the meal plan, I thought it seemed doable. I also figured I would have nothing to lose except maybe those last few pounds of baby weight. So we gave it a go! Here are some of the highlights from the last week:

 

Breakfast

 

Kale and banana smoothie

 

Blackberry parfait

 

 Scallion and feta omelet

 

Lunch

 



Fried eggs and shaved asparagus

   Asian chicken salad

 

Greek salad

 

Kale and black bean salad

 

Dinner

 

 Roasted chicken, quinoa, and kale
 

 Roasted cauliflower and lentils

 

Chicken, fennel, and spinach salad

 

Simple roasted salmon

 

Black bean chili with Greek yogurt

 

Turkey meatballs made with rolled oats and collard greens

 

 Cutting out carbs and coffee made me sad the first day. (Ok, fine, I was as angry as a bear and starving.) Each day got a little better, even though I felt like all I was ever doing was prepping food as all other housework fell to the wayside. And there was that one night we fell off the wagon... wine, beer, Doritos... don't want to talk about it! However, we mostly stuck to it. After one week, we each lost weight, so that was encouraging. We are continuing week two, but with a little more flexibility (meaning, we are going to drink coffee again!).
 
For me, the best part about doing this was learning new ways to incorporate vegetables in our diet and learning a few new cooking techniques. Prior to this week I had never prepared lentils, fennel, collard greens, or kale. I had never made my own meatballs or had ever successfully made an omelet. (The omelets were probably my favorite meals. And the homemade red sauce tasted delicious and smelled wonderful while it was cooking.) I also learned how to make several different vinaigrettes which made me feel kiiiiinda cool.

You can find the challenge and all of the recipes here in case you are interested in checking it out.

Happy healthy eating!