Wednesday, August 28, 2013

Clean Eating: Where to start?

I am still learning about clean eating but what I have learned is it means something different for everyone.  If when you look at the ingredients list on the package and you can't pronounce them and have no idea what they are you can't have it.  If it doesn't have a mother or come from the ground you don't want it. Less CRAP, More FOOD.

 
Where does cheese come in to play? I found an article on The Gracious Pantry that explains it pretty well.  Basically cheese isn't clean unless your buying it raw from the Amish which is illegal. I think if I was at the phase of just needing to drop a couple pounds I would try a non-dairy alternative but for now I am just going to stick with what we have been doing, and that's drinking skim milk.
 
If you have been interested enough in clean eating to hit up the healthy food aisle at the grocery store it was probably a whole lot of mumbo jumbo you didn't understand.  My first clean recipe had non GMO frozen corn in it... what the heck is that and where do I even buy it!? Here is what I've learned so far about the health food lingo.
 
Non-GMO: Genetically Modified Organisms, basically plants and animals created by a scientist. Check out the Non-GMO project if you want to learn more.
 
Organic: Most people have heard of this its ingredients grown without the use of fertilizer/pesticides/etc.
 
Natural: Food can only be labeled clean if it contains no artificial ingredients or added colors and is minimally processes.  This does NOT mean clean! Read your ingredients!
 
Gluten Free: means not derived from wheat, rye or barley.
 
That's all for today, if you want to learn more about food lingo check out this post I came across.  
 
I am also interested in buying produce in bulk if anyone knows how and where I can do that and is interested in starting a co-op with me let me know! I looked into it a little bit today and I know that Richardson's in White Marsh sells wholesale to the public in "everything" apparently. Just need to know if anyone is interested in splitting the produce with me!

Water!

My friend gave me the idea of getting a liter water bottle to bring to work so it's easier to keep track of how much I'm actually drinking.  So far, so good 1 liter down all before 9a! 2 more to go to reach my daily goal.

Thanks Chris for running to the store and getting me a water bottle last night! 

Tuesday, August 27, 2013

Welcome Friends!

Hi friends! Most of you are probably reading this because I just texted you the link! lol some of you know what I have been up to, some of you do not. I originally made this blog just to have somewhere to put all my thoughts and to keep me accountable for all my new goals but I figure since this is part of my life now I my as well invite my friends in! Don't worry nothing crazy but it's a lot! Biggest thing is eating clean, if you are a Pinterest addict you may have heard of it before- you see all those inspiration posts "eat clean- train mean" basically what it is, is a 100% natural diet. If it doesn't come from the ground or have a mother you don't want to eat it, if when you look at the ingredient list and have no idea what half of them are you can't have it. I don't think it's a diet, I just find I need to do more research before I eat and find different recipes for our meals and meal planning (<- that's a huge one!) You're also not suppose to drink alcohol... Lets just say I'm not 100% committed to that minor detail! But other then that I'm pretty dedicated, I'm doing this for me and the kiddos, I want us all to be a lot healthier!

Along with clean eating I am going to plant a garden in the spring and can things from my garden to last all winter. I bought cloth diapers (yeah it's THAT serious) from one of my mama friends the other day just waiting for them to come in the mail and then I am taking that plunge.

All of this while Chris is taking paramedic class, both of us working full time & part time, and raising our amazing kids.  I know it's not going to be easy but I am VERY excited for this new adventure! One reason I am sharing my blog with you is so if you want in on any of my adventures or want to know any of the details they will be here.

What I've learned in my first week of clean eating:

- meal planning is key! Without it I find I am making not clean choices

- you have to drink a LOT of water... And I mean a lot! I read 2-3L a day or half your body weight in ounces every day.  This is still a work in progress for me!

-SUPPORT!- you need it; you can't do it alone (part of the reason I'm sharing with you in case your interested) and HINT HINT Chris!

- this is a learning curve; everything isn't going to be 100% clean and turn out perfect... Which leads me too...

- I am a horrible cook! But I am dedicated so I have faith I will pull this together.

- & every time I have to get my hands dirty Hunter WILL need something.

With everything going on I know it will be easy to forget about this blog but I am going to do my best to keep it up to date with my day to day adventures. I apologize in advance for my spelling/grammatical errors... I'm a dispatcher what can you really expect from me haha. I added a spot on the side where you can sign up for emails and you will get emails (not sure of its every time I post or once a week) but that's a good way to keep up with this blog if you want too! Oh, and one last thing if anyone does any projects; recipes etc that you want yo share with the world (Pinterest and what not) you can be a guest blogger on The Abrams Adventures :)

Wish me luck everyone!

Friday, August 23, 2013

Grocery Shopping- Round 1!

Today we went to Wegmans to find some things that are not available at my local grocery store.  Grocery shopping went great! I found everything I had on my list... Once I got home things didn't go as planned.  The ground beef I was going to use for my first clean recipe wasn't any good. So I used ground turkey, turned out okay.  I think it would have been delicious with ground beef!  Lex seemed to like the burgers so I will take that as a half win!

Once the kiddos were in bed I attempted to make clean salsa... One word SPICY!!! I couldn't even eat it! I'm hoping that when Chris gets home in the morning he will know how to save it. (Edit- we saved it! Just added more tomatoes)


Other then that I bought the pot I need for canning and a recipe book I am looking forward to reading.   Oh, and I'm adding Cloth diapering to things I want to try! Call me crazy but I bought some today!

Crunch time!

Maternity leave is coming to an end :( It is back to work for me this Monday coming up. I keep adding things to my to do list before I go back to work and its time to get those things done! It's going to be a busy few days but I'm optimistic and up for the challenge :) Tonight I found a few simple clean recipes and tomorrow I will be going grocery shopping and then I'm diving head first into this lifestyle! I keep saying lifestyle rather then diet because that's honestly how I feel. This is a huge change for me but I don't feel like I'm giving up junk food I just think I'm finding healthy alternatives to all my favorites. Ahhhh! So excited!

This adventure we call life!

I started this blog awhile ago as a way to document our lives but then I never posted anything. After having my second child something changed for me. I all of sudden wanted to makeover my life and be the best person for myself & my children. I'm starting the clean eating life style, I plan on starting a garden in the spring and I want to can some of what I get from my garden to have to eat through the winter. All this while working full time, working Scentsy part time, my husband working full time & part time AND taking paramedic class, raising two amazing kids and keeping my house in working order. I know it's not going to be easy but I am more then ready to start this adventure!