If you know me well, you know that I have completely changed the way I (and because of that, my husband) eat over the last 4 months. Ever since our Whole 30 experience in June (that you can read about HERE) – I’ve been hooked. Whole 30 totally wrecked my idea of food. In the best way. Honestly, it really bothers me that just 6 months ago (although I was eating “healthy”) I didn’t really know about what I was putting in my body and how it was affecting me. SO, now that I know… I can’t keep quiet.

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At home, we stick to an (almost) all Paleo ‘diet’ for those of you who want a label. But I don’t think of it as a diet or a label at all. We’re simply eating real food that our bodies were made to recognize, need, and love and only choosing ingredients that we can easily pronounce. (Side note: Because I know someone is thinking “HEY! I saw you eat a cookie last weekend!!” … Know that we do stray away most weekends, on vacations, and in social settings in order to still have friends 🙂 )

Our weekly grocery list includes:

• Organic fruits and vegetables (“Dirty Dozen/Clean 15” list HERE)
• Meats (all natural chicken, porkchops, grass-fed beefs, nitrite free bacon)
• Organic brown eggs (vegetarian fed)
• Quinoa (both grain & pasta forms)
• Organic whole fat plain unsweetened yogurt
• Organic black beans (in a bag)
• Organic tomato sauce/paste
• Unsweetened almond milk
• Unsalted almond butter
• Larabars
• LaCroix
• Wine

We even took it a step further a couple weeks ago when we signed up for a farm box though Vesterbrook Farm! Now we will receive a box of Certified Naturally Grown (CNG – a grass-roots certification which holds to stricter standards than the conventional organic certification) fruit & veggies every Thursday from our Farmers, Mike and Carol Brabo…)

If you need it broken down even more, that means we have completely cut out (at home)…

• All processed food (basically everything that’s in the isles of the grocery store)
• Almost everything with GMOs (It’s estimated 80% of processed foods (soda, soup, crackers, condiments, etc) contain genetically engineered ingredients… Oh, and the US is one of the very few countries that even allows GMOs.. YAY America! 😐 )
• Canned items (Exception: Muir Glen Organic tomato sauce/paste that uses BPA free cans) … (Yes, this means I overnight soak and boil beans. You can too!)
• Dairy (Exception: WHOLE FAT organic yogurt and occasionally, Kerrygold pure butter (milk from grass-fed cows) )
• Table salt (replaced with Himalayan Sea Salt aka “pink salt”)
• White & brown sugar (replaced with erythritol sugar or coconut sugar)
• White flour (replaced with almond and coconut flours)

…So basically all foods and ingredients that are considered “toxic” to our bodies.

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I know some of you think I’ve gone crazy (my family being the first to raise their hands) but this lifestyle change has NOTHING to do with weight loss or fad dieting and EVERYTHING to do with no longer being fooled by what the government says is “okay” to eat and eating real food that actually fuels our bodies. I can’t believe how much better I feel, energy I have, my skin looks, I sleep at night, on and on… Just by changing what I eat!

It’s amazing to me that there is research proving that the majority of the “food” on our local grocery shelves is toxic to us. We know that processed and fast foods are linked to things such as cancer, premature puberty, heart disease, autism, infertility, etc… Yet the FDA still says, eh, well, “it won’t kill you”. The fact is, what you eat matters. The huge growth of processed and engineered foods is literally changing our generations and it’s something to be concerned about.

Here are some of the ingredients/additives we have decided to avoid: (We were surprised at how many things from our fridge we needed to throw away)

If you can’t already tell — I have literally been craving knowledge when it comes to food, my body, toxins, and the FDA. Research, blogs, documentaries, random conversations… I’m into it all. (Thank you to those who put up with my endless questions!) If you’re interested in learning more about what you’re eating I would recommend looking into the NON GMO project, watching the FOOD, Inc documentary on Netflix, downloading the EWG food score app, or just simply start reading the ingredients that are currently in your fridge. Seriously, check your labels, people! You will be amazed. 

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And if you are one of those people that thinks they could never change the way they eat… you’re wrong. I was the girl who would eat pasta and a bowl of ice cream every night and considered mac and cheese a vegetable. I would literally LOL at the idea of cutting out pasta, bread, and chocolate and now…. I rarely miss it. I CANNOT EXPLAIN THIS!

I also was one of those people convinced that eating whole/healthy/organic was not in our newlywed budget. But that is just simply NOT true. I was amazed to see that we spend the same (if not less) now that we aren’t buying processed ingredients/boxed items/snacks/etc.

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My husband doesn’t think this post will get as many views as my others… and maybe he’s right. And that’s okay. But if there is anyone reading this that is interested in finding out ways to replace things they are eating or recipes they love – I would love to chat! Or share some of our favorite recipes!

I know it sounds weird but I find joy in making a lasagna without cheese/noodles or brownies without flour/sugar. It’s like a fun science experiment! I promise – you too can do it, it will be delicious, your body will feel great afterward, and you will be so proud of yourself!

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And just for fun…

Here are the 5 items our kitchen is never without:

1. Zoodle Slicer – I LOVE this thing! Making zucchini noodles has been a fun and yummy way for us to replace spaghetti noodles. Cheap and super easy to use.
2. Ezekial 4:9 Cereal – Sprouted Whole Grains (Gluten Free/Vegan Free). I eat this on top of yogurt with sliced bananas, chia seeds, and honey. YUM.
3. Himalayan Sea Salt – aka “pink salt” aka the purest form of salt aka the only salt our bodies can actually break down. We buy ours at Trader Joe’s and go through it pretty quickly.
4. Coconut Oil – Did you know that coconut oil is one of the only oils that can be heated to high tempatures without going rancid? We use it with every. single. meal. with the exception of still using olive oil to make cold salad dressings.
5. LARABAR(s) – The Fine’s favorite energy bar! Gluten Free • Dairy Free • Soy Free • Non-GMO • Vegan • Kosher. We buy them in bulk. My favorites being: Coconut Creme Pie and Blueberry Muffin!

And lastly, for my baker friends:

Here is a snapshot of the ingredients I’ve slowly invested in to make cookies, brownies, muffins, etc. These plus bananas, eggs, and almond milk make delicious desserts! (The best part is you can essentially eat a whole batch and it won’t make you feel gross… what?! ALSO, husband approved!)

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Stay tuned for Part 2 (Healthy Home)!

Then I promise to get back to blogging about things that don’t make you hate me 😉