Kitchen Overhaul- bringing it all together for my health

As you may remember from my last post, recently my camera took a nose dive in usefulness and was kindly replaced by fellow bicycle blogger Sarah of I Bike U Bike. Sarah and I chatted back and forth a little on Twitter and she jokingly challenged me to watch the movie Forks Over Knives and try out a ten day challenge to eat more veggies, less meat and less refined products. I explained to Sarah, as I will to you now, that I had already seen the movie and actually used to be vegetarian for many years, and then vegan for a few more. I'd even go as far to say that I know more about the vegetarian lifestyle and the benefits of whole foods than some people that make a profession out of teaching the "vegan gospel". Sadly, I strayed away from that way of eating many years ago and have since dabbled here and there in it, but never been fully committed to restoring myself to a healthier lifestyle.

The kitchen ready to get it's veggie on

I agreed to watch the movie again, and so late last week, Kyle and I streamed it from Netflix and got a refresher course in how we should probably be eating. Whilst dietary ideals are different from person to person (please translate this to read I'm not ready to start preaching vegan-ism, quite yet;), I have always known that a well balanced high veggie/fruit diet works well for me, and cutting out sugar, dairy and refined grains makes me feel more energetic too.

Collection of dry goods in glass jars I've been saving

My green shelf- sprouts, cilantro and green onions

Well, despite the fact that Sarah's challenge was meant to be a lighthearted joke of sorts (I'm sure she hoped I'd really watch it) we did decide to take her up on the challenge of eating more whole foods, less meat and dairy, which meant I had some work cut out for me!  First of all the kitchen needed a makeover and so as to get a fresh start, I decided to clean out all the bad stuff and make way for the new healthier foods, that sometimes require more preparation and organization. On Saturday and Sunday I spent my time cleaning out the cupboards, tossing out anything refined and sugary, then I organized my dry goods storage (a collection of glass jars I've been saving from the landfill because our area doesn't recycle glass) and set to work making an extravagant grocery list.  I wish I could say kyle and I spent the weekend hauling groceries from 3 shops on the bikes, but we didn't and took the car instead so we could get it "over with".

I'm pretty impressed with how much we've accomplished so far, including sprouting our own greens, making our own rice milk and huge batches of rice and beans for freezing, but it has been a rather busy week! We've been enjoying vast quantities of Hummus, have re-dedicated ourselves in our love of Bragg Liquid Aminos and discovered that a little applesauce makes a very good sweetener for whole grain cereal.

I think this is the sensible next step for me, I've taken the first six months to get used to regular riding again, now it's time to add some healthy eating into the mix and hopefully take my challenge to the next level. I also feel like I still have a long way to go in regards to cycling- I just don't feel like I get out enough and part of it is that I haven't been feeling very well for a while now, but also part of it is that I need to re-commit myself to blog-accountability...if I state it here, it has to happen, I love how that magically works for me! As the end of the month is just around the corner, and a fresh one is approaching, it seems only fitting that I state my goals here and now for July.

July's goals are going to be pretty simple. I'm going to commit to riding or walking daily, mainly riding, but I do like to add the "walk" option, so Jack can get some exercise in too (always nice to wear the little guy out with a long walk!) Then the other part of my challenge is the lifestyle challenge- I'm going to go 30 days with no meat, no sugar, and no dairy. Instead I'm going to eat lots of unprocessed veggies and fruits, whole grains (rice, lentils and beans), up my water intake and stop eating late night snacks.

Yikes- I'm kinda nervous about July! Especially now I see the words in print and know that the accountability is there.  It's going to be a big challenge for someone who previously chowed down on burgers and fries a few times a week, but I'm positive I can manage it. I will most likely be blogging daily check-ins and progress reports and as always, I will enjoy the support of my community here- thank you, wish me luck!