Unprocessed Uncensored

When Katie pitched the idea of 21 days of clean eating, I shut it down with an iron clad NO. A "never, not happening, quit talking about it" sort of no. Need I reemphasize that I live in Lenoir, and diets that involve the words organic or quinoa can stay in crunchy Carrboro? My reality check came in the form of an outing to buy bathing suits. Tip for anyone who wants to lose weight: Try on bathing suits after dinner with no tan. If that's not motivation for starvation, I suggest you accept defeat and embrace a heavy waist line. But that's another subject.

Long story short, today marks day seven of clean eating. Ten pounds of left over baby weight (how long can one milk that excuse?), a drawer full of uncomfortably 'skinny' jeans, and no back up plan has led me to this stage of acceptance. For any of you 12 step followers- I'm Sally, and I'm a food addict. I admit that I am powerless over my love for all things caloric, and my life (at least my love for food) has become unmanageable.

In all seriousness, it hasn't been as terrible as I imagined. Even better, I'm down four pounds after one week! I may even get crazy and confess that my limited caffeine (no Sundrop) hasn't left me sleeping on my desk. Apparently it's true that an unprocessed diet provides natural energy! The bad news is that learning to follow an unprocessed food diet requires preplanning and preparation. Luckily, my sister is ridiculously industrious and created a handy menu and shopping list tailored to our specific food loves. Katie's sweet shopping list and meal plan will be shared if/when we wrap up our 21 days with success (and you will have to take our word on this figurative success. The obligatory tummy selfies were omitted in an attempt to maintain my dignity).

Here is some photographic evidence of my sister's hippie eating imposition:

Right top: Med Chicken and Artichoke Salad adapted from Can You Stay for Dinner
Right Bottom: Quinoa Veggie Burgers
Left Bottom: Tilapia tacos on home made corn tortillas from Eating Real Food

In other news, it's no longer a mystery why fresh squeezed orange juice is so pricey. 

Despite a brief relapse at an engagement party over the weekend and the symptoms of withdrawal that I experience when I look at the place on my desk that previously housed a bowl of chocolate, I would count week one as a success. Here's to healthy lifestyle changes (at least for the next 14 days).