Well, today was interesting.
For breakfast, I had old fashioned oats, with fresh raspberries and almond butter stirred in. I also had a banana with almond butter, and some baby carrots. Almond butter is delicious, by the way. The oatmeal was bland, and hard to choke down, honestly. I finished most of it, but it was not pleasant.
I worked on getting that pound of raw veggies in for lunch. Do you know how much a gigantic bowl of greens weighs? Not that much. I added in some steamed peppers/asparagus and a tomato, and tossed it with some apple cider vinegar. I'm not crazy about salad in general, so eating a huge bowl full wasn't very enjoyable. I also cooked half an onion and some mushrooms, and that was pretty tasty. I also had an apple while I waiting for the mushrooms to cook.
(At this point, I had consumed about 75% of the two pounds of fresh and raw veggies that are recommended.)
For dinner, I made the Quick Corn and Bean Medley found in the ETL recipe book. Basically, a bunch of beans and veggies in some water. I used an immersion blender to make it look more like a soup. It honestly wasn't that bad, and I had an apple, and another banana with almond butter. Definitely going to have to watch my almond butter consumption!
I know this isn't about calories consumed, but I was trying to keep an estimate in my head. I want to make sure I get enough, as I am currently breastfeeding a toddler. (Though I wouldn't mind if my supply took a hit, and she weaned herself... *ahem*) I think I got enough, but hopefully not too much. It's hard to overeat on bland oats and a bowl of greens, however. :p
A few things I've learned after eating this way for one day:
1. You really have to think about what you're eating for the entire day. I do that in general, but in the past, if what I was going to eat fell through, it was easy to grab something to substitute. But when you're not experienced with this type of food, and a lot of prep work is involved... you better have a plan.
2. A fussy, non-napping toddler can really mess up your plans. I need to have some easy back up lunches, because DD2 was not down for a nap today, and I had a hard time fitting in the prep work so I could finally eat lunch.
3. Keeping a clean kitchen is more of a priority. I need counters to chop veggies, clean skillets to cook in, and an empty sink to rinse off food. It's easy to grab something "real quick" when it's too much work to start the actual work.
4. I didn't feel hungry a lot during the day today like a usually do. I think so many people have the mindset of meal, snack, meal, snack, meal snack, that we aren't recognizing our hunger cues. Normally, I would have a snack before bed, but I didn't feel hungry tonight, so I didn't have one (and in ETL, snacking is discouraged).
5. I miss bread. And cheese. While I wouldn't want to totally give up either, I don't need to eat as much as I have been.
6. I need to find a way to eat more raw veggies. I'm just not a salad person, and it was almost torturous to eat that huge bowl of greens and veggies.
7. One pounds of cooked veggies, and one pound of raw veggies, is a lot. (the 1 pounds of raw veggies seems like a lot more than cooked veggies). Eating raw veggies for breakfast feels weird, but it might be the only way I can fit more in. I'll eat what I can, because I don't want to stuff myself needlessly.
8. After just 1 day, I totally get why we should eat to live, instead of living to eat. Eating has become such a fun past time to partake in. And sometimes, that's OK. But when everything you put in your mouth has to excite you, that's a problem.
9. Decent kitchen knives are a must. I'm really thankful my MIL got us some really nice ones for Christmas.
For tomorrow, I'm hoping to make some breakfast muffins, and a different salad. Hoping DD2 is more cooperative tomorrow!
