See Ya Later #26!

I am a lover of many things--sewing, crafts, ridiculous 90's music, long walks on the beach. . .the usual. One of my greatest loves, however, is food. I love it. LOVE IT. I eat when I'm happy. I eat when I'm sad. I eat when I'm bored. I eat when I stressed. I eat when (insert any emotion/action/feeling here).

There are three major issues with my love of food:

1. I love good food. I would almost always rather eat nothing than food that is just "okay." If you ask any die-hard football fan if they are okay with watching any old football game, they will tell you, "Absolutely not." The game of football alone isn't enough. It's the great games, the ones that are a constant battle for a win, that fuels their passion for the game. For me, it's the same with food. Food that has flavor > a bland piece of chicken every day of the week.
2. My love for good food often means I sacrifice healthiness for taste 9 times out of 10. Let's just say its a good thing I work out. I could eat chips on command all day long. Celery? No thanks. This little issue of mine causes other issues. See #3 on my list.
3. I hate to cook. If you know me, this is no shocker. This issue, however, is less about cooking itself and more about the fact that cooking for one person sucks. Very few meals are easy to cook for one. Who has two thumbs and hates leftovers? This girl. And, putting in a lot of effort for a meal that is just for me seems unnecessary. Eating out, however, couldn't be easier (and tastier).

When putting my list together, I wanted it to be full of things that would stretch me. And, my love of food kept coming to mind. There's a reason this challenge was #26 on my list. I didn't want to do it.  But, I knew I needed to.

I wish I could say there was some incredible story about why I picked this past week for this challenge. Instead, it was a total whim. The entire story could be told in one sentence--" I was sitting at home on my couch last Sunday morning and decided, "I'm not going to eat out this entire week." 

So, below is the breakdown on my glamorous week of eating. You all will be totally jealous.

SUNDAY: 

• Breakfast--Waffle Sticks with Syrup, Coffee
• Lunch--Leftover veggie pizza from Friday night
• Dinner--Crescent rolls with roast beef and provolone

Typically I eat dinner out on Sundays after church with a group of friends. This week, I went home to eat instead.

MONDAY:

• Breakfast--Nutrigrain Bar and a banana
• Mid-morning snack: Fresh pear
• Lunch--Roast beef wrap, fresh veggies and low fat ranch dip
• Dinner--Leftover veggie pizza
• Snack at Bible study--Apple cake

TUESDAY:

• Breakfast--Leftover apple cake, banana
• Mid-morning snack: Apple
• Lunch--Progresso Light Chicken Pot Pie Soup, veggies with lowfat ranch dip
• Mid-afternoon snack: Grapes, Right Bites
• Dinner--Spaghetti with marinara, 1 piece Texas Toast
• Dessert--Single serving of chocolate mug cake

My usual Tuesday routine includes a stop at Jersey Mike's for a turkey and provolone sandwich after teaching since class isn't over until 7:30 (out of the center by 8 after cleaning up). Driving past it on the way home was a little rough.

WEDNESDAY: 

• Breakfast--Leftover apple cake, banana
• Mid-morning snack--Pear
• Lunch--Progress Lite Beef Stew, veggies with lowfat ranch dip
• Mid-Afternoon Snack--Grapes
• Dinner--Spaghetti with marinara, 1 piece Texas Toast

This is another regular Jersey Mike's night after teaching my 6:30 class. This week I had to run a work errand after class to pick up referee whistles for Friday's Alumni Homecoming game, and since these bad boys are hard to find, I ended up on the Westside of town at Dick's to pick them up. In the same parking lot as Chipotle. On a day where work that had been less than a blast. When I wanted nothing more than to emotionally eat. TALK ABOUT WILL POWER.

THURSDAY:

• Breakfast--Banana
• Mid-Morning Snack: Apple
• Lunch--Progresso Light Creamy Potato Soup with Cheddar and Bacon, veggies with lowfat ranch dip
• Dinner--Spaghetti with marinara sauce, 1 piece Texas Toast
• Dessert--1 serving chocolate mug cake

FRIDAY: 

• Breakfast--Nutrigrain Bar
• Lunch--Cheddar Rice Cakes
• Dinner--City Barbeque Catering at Alumni Homecoming (I know what you are thinking--CHEATER! This meal was already scheduled as part of an event that I was already attending for work. Not cheating.)

This day was especially rough. I was running around the entire day preparing for an Alumni Homecoming event (at the end of the day, I realized the only time that I had actually sat down throughout the entire day was when I was in my car running to pick up the Alumni game t-shirts). Planning soup for lunch on this particular day was a terrible choice. Had it not been for this challenge, I would have swung through a drive-thru to grab food while out picking up the shirts, but that was not allowed. So instead I ate the cheddar rice cakes I keep in my car for post-workout snacking. Lack of my ability to eat out=Beth didn't eat much this crazy day.

SATURDAY:

• Breakfast--Waffle sticks, cup of coffee
• Lunch--Tuna salad with crackers, Pringles
• Dinner--Spaghetti with marinara, 2 pieces of Texas Toast

I had to be at a basketball game at work around lunch time, but needed to eat. So, I actually packed a lunch to take to a basketball game. If that isn't dedication, I don't know what is.

There you have it. One week. Zero meals eaten out.

Things you might have noticed:

• Healthy food options--I've been on a mission to eat healthier since January 1. So far, it's working. But, healthy foods tend to be less filling, so I end up eating way more often. I feel like I'm always walking around with a snack of some sort. But, I am well on my way to accomplishing goal #3, so I'll take it.
• Repetition--Remember earlier when I said cooking at home means eating the same meals over and over? Well, it's true. I am constantly battling between buying food that is proportioned for 1-2 even though it costs more vs. buying the cheaper option that will mean repetitive meals. This week, my Westside "why pay more for less" mentality won out (notice that I ate spaghetti 4 times because I had opened a jar of sauce).
• Struggle--This challenge was hard, yo. And, this was a rough week to choose to do it because of a crazier than my normal crazy work schedule. But, I did it. Do I plan on doing this every week? No. Do I know that I can do it more often? Absolutely. 

Obviously, you all are expecting me to be writing this while stuffing my face with fast food from at least five different places at once, right? WRONG. Another side effect of my awesome "I'll plan to do this challenge on a whim" decision? Tonight is the Super Bowl (which you obviously weren't aware of) which means Super Bowl party at church. Which means no meal out after church. Which means I made this 7 day challenge an 8 day victory.

Bonus points?