Today is a Struggle

OK - time for a little TMI. I am stressed at work. I've had to stop taking birth control for health reasons so I'm no longer getting hormones I need to alleviate fatigue. On top of that, I've added a new daily medicine that can cause fatigue. There's nothing quite like fatigue with a side of fatigue! This week marks my first cycle since stopping birth control and it's a doozy.

I'm an emotional and hormonal terror. Do not cut me off in traffic today. And do not argue with me about ANYTHING. I'm on the verge of tears and about to snap.

I know this will pass and the only reason I'm sharing it is because of the bad habits I've lovingly and carefully cultivated for the past 25 years: emotional and stress-based eating. When my hormones took me on a roller coaster, a trip to Sonic or Chick-fil-A made the ride somehow less harrowing. When stressed and agitated for any reason, a processed food snack and soda calmed the raving monster. Maybe that is not what really happened. Maybe I was using food to distract myself from the emotions and stress. I distracted myself into obesity who brought along no self-confidence, extreme self-consciousness, and self-deprecating humor so the party could be complete! My own little entourage! I am fortunate that I have not had any serious obesity-related health issues (so far). However, I do know that I have been damaging my body for years and, one day, I may have to pay the piper for the years of poor nutrition and lack of exercise. Only time will tell. I cannot take back all those years, but I can stop adding to them.

Today, as so many of my "old friends" are ganging up on me at once, the pull of the vending machines is strong! Those "friends" know about the one dollar bills in my wallet, too.

I do not have a plan for thwarting my foes. I had a banana and a handful of almonds. My "friends" were not impressed. I may have heard some giggling and scoffing.

As much as I have posted about the success and the joyful revelations I have been experiencing since deciding to eat only good, real, healthy foods, I felt I should share the struggle I'm having today. It's not all rosy. It's not always easy. I am committed to my new eating lifestyle, though. I will just have to ride it out today. And probably tomorrow. As long as it takes.

Maybe I'll have a little bit of a cry (woman's prerogative). I will do my best to remain non-violent (in words and deeds) to the innocents around me. I will find some other way to deal with the raging emotions and hormones. I will take a deep breath and remember that my job is not my life - let it go.

I will get through this without the "help" of potato chips, candy, soda, waffle fries, or a Sonic burger. With "friends" like that, I am my own worst enemy.

Hallelujah!

My husband found organic macaroni and cheese at our local Kroger tonight! We haven't actually tried it yet, but I was in a mild state of mourning about giving up the blue box. I don't eat mac n' cheese often. It is a comfort food that I just want occasionally. Hubby doesn't care for homemade mac n' cheese so that wasn't an option. When we try the organic variety, I'll let you know how it tastes and if I can make the switch from the blue box to the organic stuff.

The real food journey is getting a little easier now that we have "sourced" which stores have what. We have discovered that the SuperTarget has the largest variety of organic produce. Our local Kroger has a large variety of organic and all natural cereals, granola, dairy, and canned goods. They also carry a small, but nice, selection of organic produce. With gas prices expected to go up, that extra $0.10/gal discount for shopping at Kroger will come in handy this summer! So, we have realized we can continue to shop at our local Kroger more often than originally expected.

We are still looking for meat options. West Wood Farms is a clear winner in taste and quality! It helps that they deliver so close to our house, too. We have found good items at Costco and SuperTarget. This week we took an exploratory trip to the Schnuck's closest to our house and found they have all natural beef, pork, and chicken. We will give those items a try.

Maybe one of the biggest things is that I cannot remember the last time I had a soft drink of any kind. It has been maybe two months?!?!?!? That is CRAZY! I am actually drinking mostly water. That is also CRAZY! I won't lie and say "I really love water now," because it wouldn't be true. I just know that I can't keep drinking sodas. I have my coffee, espresso, or latte in the morning and then drink water the rest of the day. It has to be done. So, I'm doing it.

Both the husband and I are eating more fruits than before and maybe a little more vegetables. We have not eaten a lot of fish. We are still working on that.

For now, we feel better and we sleep better. That is an improvement in our quality of life we are already enjoying!

Farm Raised Chicken from West Wind Farms

Our order from West Wind Farms in East Tennessee was delivered this past Saturday. The "free with purchase over $15" beef jerky was very good! The ingredient list was not too long and did not contain a bunch of stuff we couldn't indentify.

Some of the items were put in the freezer for later but I did put the whole chicken in the fridge to thaw. The chicken went into the crock pot around noon on Sunday covered in Penzey's Mural of Flavor spice blend and stuffed with a half a lemon and some fresh basil. I did not notice a strong odor from the chicken when I took it out of the plastic bag it was in. Normally, the chicken from the local grocery has a distinct odor that I don't find too appetizing, so I don't care to eat chicken very much. I was very pleased that the chicken did not have that same odor!

While the chicken cooked, we went out to enjoy the gorgeous weather.

When we arrived back home some 6+ hours later, the most delicious aroma greeted us at the door! I used some of the organic butter we bought from WWF and cooked onions, yellow summer squash, and zucchini in a skillet until the squashes were cooked but still firm. Although I usually steam squash, Sunday felt like a good old fashioned meal day, so I cooked 'em up in butter like my grandmother does!

We sat down to a beautiful dinner. The chicken was superb! The lemon and basil came through just perfectly and matched well with the Mural of Flavor spices. The squashes were not too mushy, which was just luck since I did not time how long they cooked.

We were very pleased with the chicken from West Wind Farms and look forward to trying the boneless pork chops with rice tonight!

Organic in Bulk

The hubby and I went to our local Costco yesterday and were pleasantly surprised at the number of organic items available! From tomato sauce to peanut butter to milk, we discovered many items that we are now consuming at a good prices. We also discovered grass-fed ground beef and natural sausages without antibiotics and added hormones. We will definitely be going to Costco more often for some of our grocery needs!

Thanks, Costco, for helping folks who want to eat better do so at competitive prices!