Day 1 of My "New" Life

Today is the big day. It's Day 1 of my new Eating-Clean way of life. No, this isn't my New Year's Resolution...I don't do those. My dear sister-in-law asked me what I wanted for Christmas this year. Normally, I have this hang-up with telling anyone what I want or making a gift list. My standard response is "just a gift card somewhere" or "I don't want anything." It dawned on me this year that she was going to buy me something whether I asked for it, wanted it, needed it, liked it or not. Why not tell her a little something I really wanted and knew I would use? So, I did it. For the first time in my adult life, I asked for a gift I truly wanted...Tosca Reno's Eat-Clean Diet Book. I've been wanting it for many months and just never bought it for myself. To my surprise, she also bought me the Eat-Clean Cookbook to go along with it!

I was so excited with my gifts, I rushed to email my close friend and fellow health-nut, Jennifer M. After hearing my raves of the books, she marched right out (in the snow & freezing cold!) on New Year's Eve to get them. Our Eating-Clean partnership was formed. We've agreed to do this together and to journal & share our experiences along the way. We know that with each other's support and many other eyes upon us, we're more likely to stay on the path.

I named this journal My Eating-Clean Adventure, because that's what I feel it is...an adventure. It's not a diet. It's a whole new, exciting way of life. I realized it was an adventure as I started to clean-up my diet and add more fruits & veggies over the weekend. It's been cold (for FL!) and I really had been wanting some soup. I decided to make the Pumpkin Tofu soup in the cookbook. First of all, I'd never in a million years combine pumpkin & tofu on my own! Secondly, it called for leeks. I thought to myself, "Hmmmmm, I've heard a lot about leeks. I know what they are and what they look like. But, to my knowledge, I've never, ever touched a leek in my nearly 35 years of life." I came home from the grocery store soooo excited to throw this odd combination together. It was amazing and the smell of the leeks, garlic & pumkin simmering warmed me up before I even took the 1st bite! This has made me slow down, think about what I'm feeding myself & my family and get excited about preparing nutrient-dense, wholesome foods.

Follow me. The adventure has begun...