I’d first like to start off with a disclaimer.  I am not a licensed health food expert, and I understand that some of the foods mentioned in this post  are not all ideally “healthy” food options.  But compared to what I was eating before, this was a drastic change and a “healthier” alternative to my previous meal choices. A typical week for me was filled with fast food runs and pretty much all processed foods and drink.  I’d squeeze in a banana every other morning and sometimes snack on blueberries, but to keep it real that was just simply not enough.

If you have read any of my previous posts, Beware of MUKBANG! or My Love/Hate Relationship with Dunkin’ Donuts. , Then you would know that I once frequented fast food chains multiple times during the week, and have also been struggling with eating healthier/ nutritious meals.  About two weeks ago, I completely ran low on groceries, and once my essentials (milk, eggs, bread, and snacks) ran out, I decided it was time to make a trip to the supermarket. I made the smart decision of not going when I was hungry, which contributed to healthier purchases, and I also wrote a list beforehand of what to buy. Milk, eggs, bread, oatmeal, fruits & veggies, and dinner stuff.

I started out in the produce section, and decided to only pick up a weeks’ worth of produce. A mistake that I have made countless times in the past was rampaging though the store and buying a months’ worth of fruits and veggies thinking that I would consume it all in a week.  This time, I went in with the mentality to get as little as possible and if I run out, I can always come back and buy more.

First item: a hand of bananas. I vowed to eat one every morning no matter what.

Second item: Peppers. 1 green, 1 red, 1 yellow.

Third item:  1 yellow onion

Fourth item : 1 pack of blueberries

Fifth item: 3 potatoes

Lastly : 2 salad kits. 1 Caesar salad, 1 Balsamic vinegar.

After finishing up in produce,  I headed over to dairy and picked up a crate of eggs and a carton of 2% milk. Although it wasn’t on the list, I picked up a pack of  individually wrapped cheese snacks. I thought they would make a great snack. For bread, I went with a multigrain bread that was high in fiber.

There were still some frozen meats in my freezer from BJ’s so I didn’t need to pick up any of that, and I also had a few packs of the Near East brand of couscous and other side grains. The only thing that I felt I needed for “ dinner stuff” were a few packs of frozen veggies and sides.

I absolutely love the Birds Eye Steamfresh brand for frozen veggies. It’s quick and easy to heat and also very tasty. Green Giant is good as well.  Yes, I know, the microwave isn’t the best way to heat food health wise, but I know myself, the quicker the food is to make, the more likely it is that I will prepare it. Especially after a long hectic day at work.  Plus it stresses me out using multiple burners at once.

The frozen veggies that I picked up consisted of broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, and green beans.  Some of them came in a light cheese sauce and others were just lightly seasoned. One of the packs also had potatoes in there was well. Each day I used one of these bags as a side for my dinner. If i didn’t use the whole bag, I would put the leftovers in the fridge for the next day.

I already had breakfast prior to going to the supermarket, so by the time I returned home it was time for lunch.

For lunch I had the Caesar Salad kit and a bottle of water. That salad was actually quite filling and I had to force myself to the bowl because I knew I wouldn’t eat it once it got all gross and soggy.

I spent the rest of the day grazing on blueberries, cheese and unsweetened tea.

For dinner, I thawed one of the individually wrapped sockeye salmon from BJ’s.  I cooked it on the stove top with olive oil and added in 1/4 chopped onion and peppers.  Lastly I prepared a pack of Near East brand couscous . The box was three servings, and the leftovers from that lasted for 2 more meals.

 

The next morning I made breakfast.

A typical breakfast consisted of the following.

• A bowl of oatmeal, oats boiled in water with added milk, vanilla, cinnamon, and a pinch of salt.
• 1 banana
• A cup of herbal tea either sweetened or unsweetened with lemon.

Or

• 2 Scrambled/ Fried/ boiled eggs with cheese on a slice or two of multigrain toast.
• 1 banana
• A cup of herbal tea either sweetened or unsweetened with lemon.

For the next 2 weeks, those were pretty much my only two options for breakfast.

Lunch was a little tricky, since 5 days out of the week I’d be having it at work. During this time I’d either run down the street to Target or Trader Joe’s and grab a packaged salad. Also twice I went to Subway and just got a 6inch sub with a side of sun chips and a bottle of water. If I was having lunch at home, I’d either have a salad or just combine leftovers and eat that instead. One day for lunch I just ate leftover mac and cheese and broccoli and cauliflower. LOL

With dinner, I had more options.

A typical dinner consisted of the following.

• 1 filleted salmon, tilapia or a chicken breast cutlet. 
• 1 pack of frozen vegetable
• 1 serving size of rice, couscous, macaroni and cheese or 1 baked/mashed potato.

Every meal that was listed above was consumed with a bottle of water.  And I also drank multiple bottles of water throughout the day. I think that the biggest changes made that impacted me so greatly was  skipping coffee in the morning, consuming way more greens daily, and preparing my dinners at home.  This also saved me some $$$ since I wasn’t spending 5 bucks every morning for coffee, and buying overpriced lunch and dinner. Fast food really isn’t all that cheap. When I did the math, I saved more eating in than out.

I didn’t start these new eating habits with the intention of losing weight, I was just tired of the fast food and last minute impulse buys. At the end of the 2 weeks, I’d lost 7 lbs, and only discovered that at a doctors appointment. So in all fairness I probably could have lost even more weight because my last appointment was 6 ½ months prior, and I STRONGLY doubt that I stayed that weight all of this time. Not with all that junk food I’d been eating  and especially not after my Mukbang fail. LOL.

Hopefully I can keep up with these changes and track my progress in future posts.

Thanks for reading! 🙂