*Active*

So how are your resolutions going?  I am actually proud to say that I am following through with my word: active.  I have exercised 3-4 times a week and finished my Clean Eating Challenge...and kept up with it. I consider myself to be eating "clean" 80% of the time.
I actually found out that I enjoy healthy foods!  My breakfasts consist of steel cut oatmeal with a pinch of cinnamon and frozen fruit or dried fruit. Yum. (Note-steel cut oatmeal takes a long time to cook, so I would cook my weekly batch on Sundays so I only had to reheat during busy mornings)  I snack on a piece of fruit, unsalted almonds or a cheese stick.  Lunches are usually leftovers from the night before or cheese and whole grain crackers, with veggies or fruit.  I have only had water to drink for 6 weeks. Dinners are generally clean for me. If we go out to dinner, I stay away from white bread products, and steer towards salads with light dressing.  That is a big deal for this salad dressing freak...I bought an organic italian dressing and drizzle lightly. I actually can taste the lettuce now! Ha!  We had In and Out Burgers, and I had the "protein burger"-wrapped in lettuce with no cheese and sauce.  It was delicious...
I ended up doing the challenge by myself...my husband couldn't make it (but he is going to try it starting this week!)...and I didn't force my kids.  Though, just by seeing what I ate and what choices I was making, I saw them grab fruit for snacks more often and think about the sugar content of what they were eating.
The good news is that I lost 5 pounds, too! I'm not actively trying to lose weight, but like any mom who has birthed three children, I could stand to lose some baby pounds.  Now here goes my realization-I exercised pretty well starting last spring through the fall...and yes, I could see my arms were more toned and I felt better about myself...but I didn't lose any weight.  This time, combined with eating much better and exercise, I did. I really think I have discovered the secret to weight loss-it's eating well! (And maybe limiting carbs :-))
I am not one to ask about clean eating.  I know I ate some things that die hard clean eaters would say is a no-no, but for me, I think I did well!  There are tons of good ideas and meal suggestions out there. Some recipes we loved...some we did not.  I recommend starting here or here if you'd like some ideas.  The first one had good suggestions, grocery lists and lots of recipes. The second one had a great meal plan, I used quite a few of her recipes. She has two different sets of meal plans, so look at her other set as well for meals.  If you follow me on instagram, I share some of my meals on there.

Then...this weekend hit...and I got sick. Sick with a dizziness and vertigo. Still feeling it...4th day in my jammies. And my diet took a hit. I ate too many valentine chocolates and Taco Bell. And-I had a coke! Oops!  It's called survival when mom is sick. But,  as soon as I'm better, Joe and I plan to stock up at Trader Joe again and I will be back on track. I am actually looking forward to doing the completely Clean Challenge with Joe soon.  As someone who does better when she has a challenge, I enjoy it.  And since Hawaii is only 2 months away, I better continue to get ready to be bathing suit ready!