{take that, McDonald's!}

Tonight's treat? Sweet potato fries. :) 

I had absolutely no recipe whatsoever...I just knew I had a sweet potato and needed/wanted something to do with it. So basically, I cut it up into french-fry sized pieces, covered the pieces with a little olive oil, salt, and pepper, and stuck them in the oven, pre-heated to 350. I baked them for 30 minutes, then flipped them over and baked them another 30 minutes. Baking time depends on your preference {do you like your fries soft and gooey or not?!} Personally, my favorite french fries are the soft, gooey ones...so these were *perfect* for me! The salt added a nice touch with the sweetness of the sweet potato...a perfect blend of sweet and salty! I thought these were perfect! :)

{sorry I didn't make the picture prettier...it's late and I'm tired....I just pulled them out of the oven, snapped a picture, am writing this up...then I'm going to bed!}

{spinach and artichoke pasta}

Oh BOY was this meal a hit! {at least with Jesse and I...Candace said it could have used a few adjustments. BLAH.} I got the recipe for this pasta from here. Rather than re-write it, I'll just link you to the site I found it from. I did make a few minor adjustments, though. 

Adjustment 1: I used more noodles than her recipe called for {and a different type of noodles}. I was/am very unfamiliar with these 'Orecchiette' pasta noodles and didn't even see them on the store shelf {is this a specialty item?!} so I bought dumpling noodles. They seemed like they'd make a good pasta noodle {and they did}. This bag had 16 oz. {her recipe calls for 14 oz.}.

Adjustment 2: It humored me that the blogger made a comment that this meal was FULL of veggies! It had spinach, artichoke, and onions. That didn't shout 'full of veggies' to me. So I was chuckling over this fact...but the wheels started turning and I began to wonder, "what can I add to make it 'full of veggies?" Well, I had just bought red peppers {on sale at Bi-Lo this week for $.99!}. It seemed like they'd taste good - so I sauteed some up on the stove. {I cut them up in pretty small pieces just in case they didn't taste well with the pasta.} We also had a can of black olives {which I LOVE} so I cut those up and added them in as well! I snacked on a bunch of the olives while I was cutting them {hehe} so I think the only adjustment I would make for next time is to not do that. I thought they really added a nice flavor to the pasta! {As did the red peppers...and I also liked the little bit of crunch they added}.  I think this is a 'flexible' pasta in that you can add whatever veggies you choose! yay! 

Adjustment 3: Because I used more pasta than the recipe called for, I also added in more of the other ingredients {such as the sour cream}. 

Adjustment 4: I didn't want to buy a lemon to get the lemon zest {because we wouldn't use the lemon and it would go to waste} so I opted not to include that. It might have helped give it more flavor - but I think the olives and red pepper worked well to fix that.

NOTE: Because I used more noodles - I was able to make two meals and have one waiting in the freezer to be baked in the future. Yay for making my future life easier! :)

As I said earlier, this meal was a smashing success! Jesse was literally hovering in the kitchen waiting for this meal to be finished 'because it looked and smelled so good.' and when he took his first bite, he was like, "MMMMMMMM this is SO good! Also, between the 3 of us - we finished that 9 x 13 pan in one meal. yeah, it was just that good. :)

{thankful for freezers}

I just wanted to take a brief moment to say that I'm so thankful for such a thing as a freezer! :) I generally take the time every weekend to prepare a cup or two of quinoa and get it ready for the next week {I make my quinoa porridge and then separate it into single serving baggies, yes baggies and stick it in the freezer}. As well, when I prepare multiple person meals as I have been {like my eggplant parmesan for instance}, I automatically separate some servings and freeze them since I know I won't be able to eat all of it before it goes bad. Plus, who wants to eat eggplant parmesan 7 days in a row anyways?! This week has been INCREDIBLY BUSY as far as work is concerned {I probably shouldn't even be taking time to blog...but I figured I'd take a couple minutes to write this while my food is heating up}. Since I've had little time to prepare 'fresh' foods, I've been using my frozen foods and it's been so helpful! I've been able to keep up my healthy eating and still be as busy as I've been! Before this experiment, I probably would have been at McD's letting them prepare my food for me...so I'm thankful I haven't resorted to that! Now I'm just ready for this busy-ness to be over!

{ }

I didn't give this post a title because I don't know what to call it. I am having some WICKED huge sugar cravings today and I thought maybe if I blogged about it {and thereby felt a sense of 'accountability'}, I wouldn't give in to said temptation.  It's not that I haven't eaten any sugar - heck, I had some girl scout cookies last week...but I ate those when I wasn't 'having a craving'. My sister bought them and I made the choice to eat them. 

But with a 'craving', I feel differently about it.  I KNOW that I don't NEED this sugar and my body {brain?!} is just craving it {for some unknown reason}...so I strongly feel the desire to overcome this craving and not give in. Because I'm better than that. I WILL WIN! {I hope}.

{random thoughts}

I started a garden yesterday. Well, I planted my baby seeds in an egg carton. I only had enough room for 30 seeds, so I planted carrots and cucumbers. I'm hoping to plant more soon. I'm not sure how this 'experiment' is going to go. As bad as I am in the kitchen arena...I'm even worse at gardening. I planted some seeds last year and seriously treated those seeds like they were my babies...watered them every day, set them by the window to get sun...they were my little pretties. Then, they got knocked over one day. My beautiful babies! These tomatoes were about an inch tall, so I tried to save what I could and took them outside and planted them. My one-inch tall seedlings then died. It was a sad day. My grandma thinks maybe I moved them outside too early. I also know they're in a plot that gets a lot of shade {but that's where my brother-in-law put the plot and since he spent a LOT of time on it...I don't have the heart to ask him to move it!}...so we had absolutely no garden last year. I'm trying again...we'll see how this goes. Wish me luck!

Also, I started a fitness bootcamp yesterday. I only get 8 classes worth during the month {groupon deal} so it's not a ton of time...but 8 is better than nothing, right?! I can barely move today...it's ridiculous! But I'm hoping this well really help with this 'plateau' I have found myself on!

I've also noticed that I'm feeling a lot better lately. Maybe it's all in my mind...I don't know, but I've felt 'healthier, fresher, and lighter' since I've started this vegetarian thing. Maybe there is something to not eating meat. I considered trying the Paleo diet as I've heard a lot of good things about it {but this diet is the EXACT opposite of what I'm doing now - the main staple is meat in that diet!} The key to the paleo diet is that they want you to eat all grass-fed, cage-free meats...and unfortunately, I'm not sure my budget can afford that...so if I were to try this diet, it would probably be on regular store-bought meats and I'm not sure that's a good idea...so we'll have to see.

{'fried' quinoa}

So...this meal was really simple. But since I told you I'd blog about it, here I go. :) We had some fried rice flavor packets that we bought on sale a couple weeks ago {we're talking, quite a few}. I don't know the 'health' factor of these packets {any preservatives? etc.}...but I decided to use it anyways. {please note: I actually  made this meal in February, before I 'officially' started this experiment...so when/if I make the fried quinoa again, I'll attempt to make my own sort of fried rice flavoring...with the help of google, of course. :)} Anywho, I prepared the quinoa as per the instructions {just like rice - 1 cup quinoa, 2 cups water....bring to a boil and then let simmer for 15 minutes. piece of cake.} A little tip that I learned by researching quinoa recipes and reading through the comments on recipes {yeah. i'm one of those people...I love reading the comment section}...is to also add chicken {or beef if you prefer, I suppose} stock to the quinoa to take away some of that 'bitter' flavor. I say 'bitter'...because to me, it doesn't taste bitter. but some people think it does...and they say this helps mute that. So I usually add 1 cup chicken stock to it. {does using chicken stock count as eating meat?!?! Hmm. I should look into that... :)} Once the quinoa was ready, I added in some peas and carrots, as well as fried up an egg and added that in...and voila, I had my 'fried' quinoa! 

For someone that doesn't cook and has little experience in the kitchen arena {seriously, hate cooking}, this recipe was so simple and yet so delicious! I did take a picture...but it didn't look too pretty...so I decided not to post it. :) Since I made this in February before I started the no-meat thing, I actually cooked up some chicken and ate that with it as well. Don't worry, I won't be doing that during March...but haven't had this meal since then! It is definitely on my to-have-again list, though. If you have any ideas on how I could tweak this, I'm all ears! :)

{week 2 recap}

So...I didn't post at all last week. :( The thing is, I was out of town for work {we left Monday evening and came back on Friday evening} so I a.} didn't have much time to blog and b.} didn't have much to blog about.

As far as the 'recap' goes. Well, I ate vegetarian all week...but everything was from restaurants. When we travel {for work - as a nanny}, I am limited in what I can do/where we eat. I enjoyed a vegetarian quesadilla from Moes a couple times {I also learned that their meats are all grass fed/cage free...so guess where I'll be frequenting when I am back to eating meat?!}. One night, we ate at a seafood place {we were in Charleston - on the coast of SC if you don't know...but you probably do...so seafood places are EVERYWHERE}. Anywho, we were at a seafood place and I REALLY {and I mean REALLY} wanted to get the shrimp and grits {thank heavens I didn't give up fish! - shrimp counts haha}...but it had sausage in it...so I refrained. My tastebuds are still saddened that I didn't get to enjoy that deliciousness {yes. I'm southern. I love grits}...but I'll make it back to Charleston at some point and will most definitely get it then! We also ate at Wild Wings one night {a wings/hamburger/steak kinda place} and my boss ordered these potato appetizers. I hadn't had them before {forget the actual name} so I didn't know what to expect. Basically, they cut the potatoes in half and scoop out a teeny bit of the inside and fill that with bacon and then cover it with cheese and cook it. I ALMOST ATE MEAT!!! AHHHH!!! Thank goodness, the first bite I took just had potato and cheese. For the second bit, I happened to look down just before I put it in my mouth and saw the meat! hehe. So I just scraped the meat out and ate the rest. I'm sure the waitress thought I was psychotic. ;)
This weekend - I made Eggplant Parmesan. I am going to blog about that shortly {separate post}. I actually REALLY liked it. {shocking!}. I also made a taco salad version of quinoa that I am now in love with...and will tell you more about that later as well. Blogging about recipes takes time, peeps! :) 
I started a fitness bootcamp today {i'm telling ya, if I haven't lost pounds by the end of this month...well...I don't know what i'll do...but it won't be pretty! ;)}. In preparation for waking up at 4 in the morning {yes. I said 4}, I boiled some eggs yesterday to have those to snack on {before bootcamp and then probably throughout the day}. I also bought two jars of pickles as I remember from Weight Watchers that 1 cup of pickles is worth 1 point...so they're a good snack food. Now, I'll tell you, mine are just the regular Vlassic pickles....I didn't buy the organic/healthy ones. Yes, those exist. :) My sister buys those...and truthfully, I just wasn't a fan of the taste!
So that's my weekly recap. Stay tuned for those recipes. I'll get them, eventually! :)

{weekly recap/diary}

Dishes I've made this week {that I can remember off the top of my head HA!}:

• tuna with avocado
• spaghetti squash 'pasta'
• quinoa porridge
• 'scrambled' spaghetti squash {haven't blogged about this yet}
• Black bean brownies {also, haven't blogged about this yet}
• 'fried' quinoa {think 'fried rice'}

I didn't 'officially' start this meatless thing until 3 days ago...but I technically started on Monday so I can say it's been at least 5 days now and I'm doing well! I've been surprised at how easy it is to prepare the foods I've been having...but not only has it been easy - I've LOVED them as well! I thought it would be hard to give up meat {and maybe it helps that I still have tuna in my diet?}...but I don't miss it like I thought I would. Not yet, anyways. :)  I'm also surprised at how cheap it has been for me. There are some items that I'd like to buy that are way expensive {almond butter - $9 for a small little jar?! crazy talk!}...but for some items, it's not expensive at all...actually, it's way cheap!  Take the quinoa, for example. The bag I bought has approximately 3 cups in it. Each cup {I tend to cook one cup at a time} makes enough for 5 breakfast porridges {depending on portion size, of course}. The bag costs $4. So...$4 for 15 meals? I say you can't beat that! And the same with the spaghetti squash. It was $1.99 a pound and cost around $6 total. I thought that was a ridiculous price until I realized that sucker gave me enough spaghetti squash to last about 6 meals...so that equals out to about $1 per meal {not counting in the additions like tomatoes and such}. So giving up meat might actually be good for my wallet as well! I never considered that to be an option.

My sister stopped at McDonald's while I was in the car and ordered two sandwiches {and yet, she's the skinny one! I hate her! LOL}. I actually have been avoiding McDonald's since watching youtube videos about mechanically separated meats {I'm sure I'll go back to eating McD's eventually...but for now, ugh}. Rabbit trail. Anyways, being in the enclosed car and smelling those burgers...man, they DID smell good! I actually rolled the window down to get rid of some of the smell and that helped me avoid caving. :) {That and picturing the youtube videos!} I also had a hard time not caving and eating an Oatmeal Cream Pie. I was tearing one up for the girl I nanny for and it just felt {tearing with my hands} so gooey and soft and smelled so ridiculously, insanely delicious...I just wanted to take a small bite! ...BUT I RESISTED! GO ME! I googled some recipes for homemade ones and might give that  a try. I don't actually NEED them...but I figure making a batch and having some on hand might help me in times like this when I'm afraid I'm going to cave. {it will be okay to eat one if it's homemade and doesn't have all the preservatives/chemicals in it!}

I have felt GREAT this whole week! I can't say for a fact that it's because of the change in my diet...maybe it's just a coincidental fluke...but I have felt better. And I just feel healthier/lighter as well. A lot of my meals have been more 'light' and with fewer calories. I've noticed that my complexion has been a lot better this week and my nails are growing like weeds. Again, I can't say for a fact that it's related to my diet...but these are changes I've observed.

I used to spend an hour to two hours {sometimes} at the gym. I've actually cut this time in half this week because I'm consuming way fewer calories. Tuna has something like 70 calories in it and the spaghetti squash has something like 40 calories per cup! {something like that...I wrote the number down in my blog about it}. So I figure, since I'm consuming way fewer calories, I don't need to work out as much. It has been nice to get a little bit of extra time in my day!

Tomorrow is family lunch day and I've been pondering how those are going to work {family lunch every Sunday}...since the main course of Sunday meals usually consists of meat. I have the leftover spaghetti squash from tonight so I'll probably end up taking that tomorrow and eating my own food while they eat meatloaf {what my mom said she was planning on fixing].

So that's my diary for the week. this girl is getting in bed now...  

{day 3}

{lunch}

I had someone recommend tuna with guacamole and to be honest...I thought they were smoking something! {my nice way of saying they're crazy :)} however, since I'm being all crazy this month and giving up meats {with the exception of tuna, of course}, I thought I'd give it a shot. I was genuinely surprised at how much I liked it! {Side note - I'm finding myself 'genuinely surprised' at the number of foods I've prepared that I originally thought would be weird/gross...but they turn out to be good!}

My sis makes her own guacamole just by buying the avocados and adding a bit of stuff to them. I tried to go that route {and need to ask if there's some trick to it?!} because I could NOT get my avocado to get all mushy! It was not cooperating. But it worked out well to just cut it up into chunks and add it to my tuna. I put no mayo in the tuna - just added the chunks of avocado, tomato and green onion. Yep, DELISH! Personally, I think the added ingredients were enough to give it flavor without needing the added fat of the mayo {but I've been known to open a can of tuna and just eat it with a fork...so I might be alone on this one!}  I ate it on white bread {would have preferred wheat...but white was all we had.}

Easy. and yet yummy.

{dinner}

Ok. Confession - I had EVERY intention of eating spaghetti squash for dinner; however, my brother in law ordered pizza for dinner and was so proud of himself for ordering one I could eat {meatless - cheese and black olives}...so I didn't want to hurt his feelings and decline. :) The things we do for those we love! {I mean, come on, it was so painful to eat pizza! :)}

{day 1 - dinner}

{dinner}

I am actually more excited about this dinner than I think you can even understand! Why?! Well, it was super yummy, super easy...and super healthy for me! Here's the thing - I'm not really a 'pasta' kind of girl...just ask my sisters. If you give me a choice of pasta {and/or soup and salad, really} or steak...I'm going with the steak. What can I say, I just love my red meat! But with that being said, I decided to give spaghetti squash a try and it is similar to pasta...so I wasn't sure I was going to love it. {Mind you, I don't hate pasta...it's just not my favorite. Really, the only way I like it is in the Americanized spaghetti form - ya know, with the meat added in and the red sauce...MMM! What can I say, I have very "American" tastebuds.}

My first struggle was figuring out how to cook the darn thing. I originally was going to cook it in the oven {I googled 'how to cook spaghetti squash"}. So I started trying to cut it in half and boy, was that complicated! Well, I also read that you could 'cook' it in the microwave {which would help soften it to cut more easily} so I decided to go that route. It worked out well anyways because it takes an hour in the stove and 15 minutes in the microwave and I was HUNGRY! Once you get it softened/cooked, all you have to do is take a fork and start scraping it out. If you don't have it cooked all the way {which originally happened to me}, it's nearly impossible to scrape out {and you'll find yourself wondering if it's worth the time...} but after getting it cooked all the way {microwaving for a few more minutes!}, it was a piece of cake! So definitely, learn from my mistake and if you're having troubles scraping it out, immediately cook it some more...don't keep struggling with it. 

The other 'mistake' I made on this meal was forgetting to stop at the store on the way home. I was chatting on the phone with a friend and had a one-track mind that took me home and by the time I realized what I'd done...I didn't want to drive back into the store...so I just decided to try using what we had around the house. 

I opened the fridge and found a green onion. I cut off a little piece and took a bite with some spaghetti squash - it tasted ok, so green onion went into the pan! {I had a saucepan on the stove with some olive oil and the spaghetti squash}. I found a tomato so I taste-tested again and it 'passed the test.' We had some blue cheese so I gave that one a test...it did NOT pass! :) Then I found some leftover feta cheese and oddly enough....LOVED that with it! I added some basil from our spice cupboard and some garlic powder as well. I wanted to use a garlic clove but we didn't have any...so the powder it was.

So basically, those were my ingredients: spaghetti squash, tomato, green onion, basil, garlic powder and feta cheese. It was SO delicious...I amazed myself! {Please note, I will admit to the world...I am NOT a culinary chef or even CLOSE....I don't like cooking.}

It tasted just like pasta {still surprised I loved it so!} but was SOOOO much more healthy than pasta! According to Livestrong.com, "Spaghetti squash is low in calories, yet high in vitamins and antioxidants. One cup of spaghetti squash has 42 calories and has no saturated fat or cholesterol, according to NutritionData. The vegetable is an excellent source of beta carotene, also is known as vitamin A. Vitamin A helps to boost the immune system and maintain healthy eye function. Spaghetti squash also contains significant amounts of niacin, vitamin B6, potassium, manganese, fiber and vitamin C, according to the World's Healthiest Foods." You can read more on it, here.

The spaghetti squash cost $1.99 a pound {from Whole Foods} and my eyes about bulged out of my head when I paid over $6 for it...but seeing as how none of the other members of my household will try it, I'm beginning to think eating healthy won't actually cost me that much. As a matter of fact, it will probably save me money! That $6 has already fed me for two meals {had it for breakfast today...will blog about that later} and there's still enough for 2-3 meals remaining...so $6 for approximately 5 meals? You can't really beat that. :) 

Sorry I've been pretty long-winded on this post...I am just so excited about this amazing vegetable! :)

{day 1 - lunch}

{lunch}

I didn't plan ahead and prepare a lunch...so I had to scrounge up what I could at work {I nanny}. I found a can of tuna {since I'm not giving that up - yay!} in their pantry so I decided to make a tuna sandwich. I opted to not put mayo in {which is not unusual for me, actually}...but wanted to put 'more' in to give it extra flavor. At home, I cut up pickles {I do NOT like relish...don't ask me why} but they didn't have any. They did, however, have an onion...so I decided to give that a shot. I like the 'crunchiness' of the pickles...so I figured the onion would solve that. They also had grape tomatoes in the fridge, so I figured, why not?! :) Also, I found a spring mix salad bag...so I used that as well. It even sounds strange to me...but I think my sandwich turned out well. It could have used some extra flavoring, I think...I was wondering if guacamole would work (sounds strange, but I've heard it's good in tuna} so I will give that a go sometime. I also had a friend suggest mustard.

They had apples - so I ate one of those and I found a thing of Stonyfield yogurt {that was organic}...but then I read the expiration was in October of 2011...so I put it back in the fridge. :) I also had some Sargento string cheese. 

It's about 3 hours after lunch and I'm still not feeling hungry so it has held me over well. Overall, it wasn't the best 'meal' I've made...but it was edible...so that's good. :)

{Day 1 - breakfast}

I assure you, I won't be posting every single day...but I have the time today so I thought I'd give it a go. And rather than having a really long post about both/all my meals...I will be splitting them up into seperate blogs. 

{Breakfast}

When I bought my first bag of quinoa {I'll discuss this in more detail later}, I went ahead and cooked up enough of it as 'porridge' to last a while...so that was my breakfast today. I'm rather loving it...not going to lie.  I added a banana to it this morning to get some fresh fruit in my diet and it tasted well with the other berries! 

{Quinoa Porridge Recipe}

{Ingredients}

• 1 cup of uncooked/rinsed quinoa
• 2 cups water
• 1 cup of Almond milk {optional - but I think it helps with flavor}
• Organic Maple syrup {I don't use a specific amount - just pour and taste test. :)}
• Vanilla extract {Again, I don't use a specific amount}
• Cinnamon
• You choice of dried berries/fresh fruit {optional}

{Preparation}

 Bring quinoa, water, and almond milk to a boil. Once it has come to a boil, add the desired cinnamon, maple syrup, and vanilla extract. Cover and let simmer for approx. 15 minutes. Then add any berries/fruits.

SUPER easy and super delicious!  I have also prepared a batch in which I've added brown sugar while it's simmering...for some added sweetness. Some think that quinoa (I've read comments online...I'm not an expert haha) have a bitter taste. I don't think it does, but if you do, I would suggest adding the brown sugar. I also think the almond milk helps minimize that bitter taste. 

The beauty of quinoa is its versatility! This recipe comes out like oatmeal/porridge - so you can add whatever flavors your little heart desires. :) I used dried blueberries and cranberries in mine {the batch I was going to freeze} and then once I'm ready to eat it, I add whatever fresh fruits I have around the house {such as apples/bananas}.

I read that this recipe really needs to be eaten within 2-3 days but it works well frozen, so I saved out enough for 2-3 days and have the rest sitting in the freezer for later in the week.

{The interogativity of it all}

{who}

 Just me. :)

{what}

During the month of March, I have decided to not eat meat of any kind {with the exception of tuna}. According to Wikipedia, this is called a "Pescatarian." I could probably use the term "vegetarian" to describe what I'm doing and get away with it {because it seems to be a VERY broad term}; however, it's generally understood to be no meat/dairy and that's not the case for myself. I have no intention of giving up dairy products {can't help myself - I love them}, but I am going to try and *minimize* my consumption of them, at least.

My original plan was to just forego the meat...but after spending a week with my *very* health-conscious sister, I decided to attempt going more 'healthy' as well. What do I mean by this? Well, in short, eating more all-natural and organic products {to minimize the amount of preservatives and chemicals that I ingest} and eat way more items that are good for my health such as fruits/vegetables/salad. 

{why}

I don't think there's a short answer as to why I'm doing it - other than, "because I want to"...but every time I try that one, I get blank stares {or rather, stares that suggest the listener is thinking, "you're an idiot."} 

So to try and easily/quickly explain it: 

• I have heard/read there are health benefits to foregoing meat. According to Mayo Clinic, "A plant-based diet, which emphasizes fruits and vegetables, grains, beans and legumes, and nuts, is rich in fiber, vitamins and other nutrients. And people who eat only plant-based foods — aka vegetarians — generally eat fewer calories and less fat, weigh less, and have a lower risk of heart disease than nonvegetarians do."
• I fully believe that the processing system of/for our food today is ATROCIOUS to our health {all the hormones, chemicals, preservatives added in, etc.} I have had many arguments over this belief and, frankly, don't care what you think. ;) I've done two research papers {specifically on the topic of milk and its negative affect on our bodies}, so I've done my fair share of research. While my papers mainly covered milk {most specifically, the added hormones -rBGH}, these same hormones are found in the meats we eat...hence, I'm giving it up {for a month}. I also believe there are many chemicals and preservatives that will lead to health issues later in life. I'm not a scientist - I have no proof of this whatsoever - but I've read a lot on the subject and believe what I've read to date. So I'm going to try and minimize the amount of those products I put in my body. Does this mean I won't be eating any chemicals/preservatives? Heck no. I'd love to buy cattle fed beef and all organic products...but I'm living on a probably-less-than-yours budget...so I'm just going to work with what I can. :)
• I had a friend that tried going vegan for a month...and I'd have to say she's the original inspiration for this; however, I have no desire to give up tuna {eat about a can a day, true story} and/or dairy products {as mentioned, I love them!}, so I had to tweak the plan to suit me. 
• I started trying to lose weight about 6 months ago and have done GREAT {20 pounds!!}...but recently, I've hit a plateau. I signed up for a fitness boot camp this month and found myself thinking that altering my diet {which is something I haven't really done} would also help me get over this speed bump...so I'm doing both this month. If I haven't lost weight by the end of this month, I might murder someone. {totally just kidding}

  {how}

This is pretty much explained in the "why"...but in short, I'm giving up meat and as many chemicals/preservatives as I can. I will be home-making the things that I can {such as coffee creamer and vanilla extract - and anything else I can make from home rather than buying from the store}.