That’s Water In My Mug…And Other Shocking Confessions

Ok, I’m about to admit some things. Not in a preachy do-as-I-do kind of way. But in a holy-cow-who-am-I kind of way. Because I’ve made some changes. For me they’re big ones. And they weren’t all so easy, but I did it. Ok, ready?

In the last two months, I’ve only had three cups of coffee (total, not per day). Now I actually prefer warm lemon water with a dash of cayenne pepper in the mornings.

I not only have all the veggies shown in the picture, I used them to make soup. (Yes, me.) And it’s delicious.

One of my favorite sweets is carrots. Dipped in hummus or tossed with red pepper, zucchini and mustard vinaigrette are two of my new go-to lunches.

I not only know how to pronounce quinoa, I know how to make it.

I *think* I like dark chocolate almost as much as than milk chocolate now. (Because, let’s face it, there isn’t a world where chocolate and I don’t co-exist.)

When I go out to dinner, I look at the salad section of the menu first. Not because I should, but because I want to.

Deli fresh salsa makes brown rice not only tolerable, but crave-worthy to me.

Recently the twenty-seven-year old J.Crew clerk told me I didn’t look a day over twenty two (shout out to my bangs for covering the deepening lines across my forehead). She asked if I eat a lot of vegetables and I got to answer, “Yes.” Without lying.

I haven’t had a sip of soda in two months.

Natural peanut butter, with no sugar, tastes just as good to me as the other stuff.

I polished off about 6 pieces of stale Halloween candy the other day anyway. (Just keepin’ it real. Though not real enough to rehash my wine intake at a dinner out last week.)

Sure these changes may have been prompted by a desperate attempt to lose ten pounds before heading to Cabo with thirty of Lenny’s closest colleagues. But they’ve stuck. (For the most part.) And it feels really good to know I’m making better choices for myself and my family (though you may still find a Happy Meal toy or two around these parts).

Thank you, Cristie, for your ongoing teachings, encouragement and realistic outlook on healthy living. I couldn’t—and most certainly wouldn’t—have done it without you.

So, anybody have any healthy, family friendly recipes for me to try? Bonus points if they’re made in a slow cooker where I can’t screw them up too much!

This post was inspired by the health plan I’ve been doing with my talented, knowledgeable friend, Cristie of Real Life Wellness. As she builds her business, she’s got lots of great ways to work with you to teach you how to navigate the grocery store, how to get your family eating healthier and how to find the best foods for your individual needs—and all of it can be done remotely. She’s done all the research I don’t have time to do, I just have to buy and eat the right things. It’s totally changed the way I look at food—in the best way possible.