A healthy way to clean things up

I canNOT believe it's July already!  and the 5th nonetheless! 2016 is flying by, and before we know it, it'll be fall! For now though, I am soaking up summertime and everything it entails: from BBQs, late night froyo runs, and beach trips! 

It's been an eventful and fun summer, and actually an eventful past few months. We went on our Parisian adventure in April, came back home and entered escrow a week later, moved into our new home a couple weeks ago, and are just now calming down and living a "normal life." My hubby and I are excited to finally be winding down on a busy season, and hopefully entering a season of rest and relaxation.  

But during this stressful and busy season, I must admit I've let my healthy lifestyle fall by the wayside. And yes, that DOES happen. It is comical to me that people think dietitians have it all together when it comes to healthy eating, because we most certainly do not (which is why I think we are equipped to help those who need some extra guidance...we know the feeling!) I am human just like you, and I have massive sugar cravings, chips and salsa indulgences, and a love of double stuffed Oreos. My husband and I have indulged in our fair share of takeout, fast food, and Papa Johns pizza (our favorite!) and while it's been relaxing to just eat freely, we both definitely feel the need to balance that freedom out with nourishing choices as well. My body is definitely not feeling as energetic as it used to, and I'm ready to get that fire back in my bones, crush my morning workouts, and feel like myself again!

It IS interesting isn't it...how freedom works differently during different phases of our life. Freedom for me in the beginning part of the year was indulging in carbs, sweets and anything else I wanted to while consuming nourishing foods 80 to 90% of the time...and mostly plants. But now, I am finding freedom in structure, in routine, and in more nourishing and wholesome foods. My struggle lately is that with SO many events, family get -togethers, and the laziness of summertime, I've made excuses as to why I can't take better care of myself. And I am now realizing that I am worth way more than excuses, and just because there is an event or two, doesn't mean I should embrace the unhealthy choices every other day of that week (all or nothing people out there??I know you understand). It IS okay to "clean up" your diet in a healthy way that doesn't trigger restrictive habits, so that is precisely what I am doing to do. Feeling nourished and free is so important, but feeling sluggish is not freeing to me, so in this season, cleaning up my diet does sounds freeing and OH so good. 

Even though we are going away this Friday for Church family camp, I am still going to meal prep and plan for the next 3-4 days so that my husband and I can feel more like ourselves again. And since July marks the middle of the year, why not make some new intentions for the second-half of the year, while cleaning up our eating a bit!

Intentions: 

- Run 2x/week

- Hammer and chisel workouts 4x/week

- Cleaning schedule for our new house! It is much bigger than our itty bitty apartment, which took about 20 mins to clean from top to bottom, so I definitely want to get into a better routine now that there's more space to clean!

- Put pictures up in our new home

- Eat at home 5 nights out of the week

- Meal prep!

And speaking of meal prep, I am doing my best to use up what we have at home and pair those foods with healthy vegetables and carbs to last us through the week! Here's the plan!

Breakfast: eggs, oatmeal, fruit, Shakeology

Lunch/Dinner:

Proteins: Tilapia, chicken, turkey (we had all this on hand at home already, yay for the freezer!)

Vegetables: green beans and broccoli (I am SO over salad lately, so sauteed vegetables are winning this week)

Carbs: roasted potatoes, rice

Snacks: carrots, nuts, Larabars, Justin's nut butter packets, bananas

Keeping things basic and simple is the best way to not only stick to healthy choices, but also make the healthy choice the easy choice. And it is helpful in the money department as well! I am excited to get back to my routine, clean up my diet, but also maintain a healthy and balanced mindset in the process! It is possible as long as you show yourself grace, love, and keep things as simple as possible! ;)