So, it's time to start eating a little better.

I'm really, really into food. A lot. And it's mostly the bad stuff. Baking twenty different types of fall-ish deserts recently hasn't helped matters. I'm starting to feel guilty. If I'm really honest with myself, I am pretty sure that I substitued food for cigarettes when I quit...but that was about seven years ago. Sheesh. 


Oddly enough, this morning I weighed myself and I'm actually back to my  pre-baby weight. So that's good I guess, but I know I'm not eating as well as I could be right now. And more than anything, it's beginning to occur to me that one day Ben will watch me eating all of this crap, and start to eat crap too. And we can't have that.


So, I want to start being a little bit more aware of what's going into my body, and with any luck I'll feel and look better too.


Two articles have really inspired me to start thinking this way. The first was this newsletter I got a while ago from GOOP. It's all about eating for beauty, and how what we eat directly affects how we look. It's focused on superfoods, and any diet that encourages Pinot  Noir is a diet that I can live with.


The second is this one from Zen Habits, and I LOVE it's simplicity. It encourages eating foods you actually enjoy (no one will stick to a kale-only diet if they don't actually like kale), and it gives a number of ideas for meals and snacks to get you started.


To make things simple for myself, I'm planning on creating a list of foods to try to eat on a regular basis, and this will serve as my weekly grocery list too. And I'm going to clear the cupboards of cookies, m&m's, and other treats that I indulge in literally every day.  Time to be a grown up I guess. Tear.


And so, the list. I must stock up on:

• Apples
• Pears
• Bananas
• Berries
• Lemons
• Greens (I prefer romaine, but I'll try to go half and half with spinach)
• Whole grain bread
• Oatmeal (non-instant)
• Salmon
• Tomatoes
• Carrots
• Peppers
• Zucchini
• Yogurt
• Flax seeds
• Walnuts
• Eggs
• Water
• Green tea
• And of course....Pinot. Mmm.

One of the first meals I'm going to try is this yummy sounding breakfast from the GOOP article:


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Old fashioned Oatmeal topped with Apples, Cinnamon and Walnuts

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
• 3 1/2 cups water
• 2 cups old-fashioned oats
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup finely chopped peeled apple
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Preparation:


Bring 3 1/2 cups water to boil in heavy medium saucepan. Add oats and salt and stir over medium heat until oats are softened and very thick, about 5 minutes. Stir in chopped apple, and cinnamon. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook until apples are tender, about 5 minutes. Divide cereal among 4 bowls. Top with almonds and serve.


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I'll never be totally treat-free, but I can try to find some not-so-bad treats, and save the bad ones for special occasions. Now, onto find a low calorie recipe for crisp...