Planning, planning, planning

Week 1 was fabulous!  I think this is my favorite challenge yet!  It is something I've always wanted to do, eliminate processed foods.

You know how you're suppose to shop on the outside of the aisles at the supermarket; where the produce and dairy products are?  I always thought I did a pretty good job at it.  My first grocery shopping trip was truly an eye opening experience as I only walked down two aisles; one for popcorn and one for diapers.  Everything else was on the outer aisles.

At the Grocery Store with my boys!
\

Secondly, I was shocked that some of the items I thought were "safe" weren't.  Why does my colby-jack cheese need food coloring?  Why does yogurt have sucralose and sodium benzonate?  So we decided to stick to organic foods whose ingredients are all recognizable.  This also stirred the "what does unprocessed mean?"  It clearly does not mean sodium benzonate?  We decided that items like natural and/or organic peanut butter, yogurt and cheese were allowed.

Planning was really key to make this week a success.  Not only did we have to meal plan like we normally do, but we had to give consideration to what we were going to substitute all the crackers and pretzels my kids snack on.  It's not like they eat oreos and bonbons all day, but we really did want to find substitutes to the processed foods they do eat.

Last weeks meal plan included grilled chicken kabobs, broiled fish with corn on the cob, and chicken Caesar salad (which just ended up being chicken salad).  Snacks for the kids (and us) were peaches, carrots and other seasonal items from the market.  We also made granola bars and muffins and had peanuts and yogurt.

Overall a great week!