Ten Days as a Lean Mean Clean Queen

Ed left this early morning for a business trip to San Francisco for ten days.  (Sad.)  He's actually going to be about 30 minutes away from most of my Mom's side of the family - wish I could have tagged along!  With finishing up this semester of school and starting training for my new job, the timing was just not gonna cut it.  Bummer!  However, I've decided to make good use of this mandatory Me-time: Strict clean eating for ten days.  (If you don't know clean eating and Tosca Reno yet, you should.)  We had a pretty indulgent weekend with friends and I am feeling sluggier than usual this Monday morning, so I've decided to scour all of my past issues of Oxygen magazine and whip up a week of planned-in-advance healthy meals, tailored to my ideal calorie level and macro breakdown.

This means I got to indulge myself in some healthy grocery shopping!  Does anyone else look forward to shopping for food?  (I have grocery issues - eh, just lump that together with my scone and coffee issues.)  We've been on a tight-ish budget recently, which meant we've whittled down our pantry, fridge, and freezer foods to a respectable emptiness, so I didn't feel too bad for stocking up.  It was refreshing to replenish my clean eating staple foods.  Today's grocer choice was Trader Joe's - and I got some great deals!  Impressive.  Seeing my fridge fully stocked, I already feel more motivated to work toward my goals.

Speaking of which, motivation.. This is what is fueling my next ten days: "A goal without a plan is just a wish." Amen to that! I had a higher-calorie-than-planned weekend, but I enjoyed it, and it's not the end of the world. All I can do is clean it right back up and fire up some refreshed goals. Ed's family is planning a July 4th BBQ-Pool Party.. I want to feel comfortable in my swimsuit and be able to wholly enjoy myself.  The ultimate goal is a two-piece bathing suit for Ed and Dr. Ben's Half-Ironman in August. 

My ten-day healthy meal plan is processed-food free, which means I will be prepping a lot this week.  Get out your tupperware!  I stocked up on more varied protein sources than just the chicken, whey, tuna, and eggs I usually eat - ground turkey, wild salmon, shrimp, low-sodium lean roast beef, firm tofu, edamame, and dried beans will show up in my menu this week.  (Hopefully this will vanquish any boredom I might start to feel.)  I also varied up the regular veggie choices - nix'ed the baby carrots for the duration, opting instead for asparagus, brussels sprouts, bok choy, celery and red onions.  I will also eat bigger breakfasts and smaller dinners.  I (and a lot of people, I find) tend to eat the other way around - a quick bowl of oatmeal in the morning and then way too much food, even it's healthy stuff, too close to bedtime. 

I'm not going to give myself strict rules, and it might not be exactly what Tosca would advise (seen above.. sidenote that I just noticed.. what the heck is she mixing?  looks like black leaves?  hmm.. any thoughts on that?); I'm just aiming for some adjustments to my eating patterns and variety to my choices.  (Notice I never used the word 'diet?')  With Ed away, I won't be tempted to add sauces and cheese and extraneous carbs to our shared meals.  That's fine in moderation for maintenance, but let's see if I can lean out a bit more as summertime approaches.  I'll keep you posted on progress, and any fun finds along the way!