meat loaf & brussel sprouts

I would like to know...who AM I?! What has happened to me?? I am an adult, capable of making my dinner & what did I make myself?! Freakin' meatloaf & brussel sprouts! LOL

Can I let you all in on a little secret? In college, I used to eat cereal,grilled cheese, fries & drink massive amounts of pop. I seriously lived off of that stuff. For my 16th birthday, I'm pretty sure I got a 24 pack of Pepsi! HAHA! And you know what, I LOVED it & probably drank it all within a week...by myself. UGH! SO, just so you know, this is a HUGE lifestyle change for me.

Yes, I am a 32 year old mom now, but my eating habits have only recently gotten better than that of my college days. I have been trying new things, even things I previously didn't like. I grew up HATING meatloaf, just the mere thought of ground beef in the shape of a loaf was enough to turn my stomach, yet here I am, years later, making it for myself (while my kids called it gross & once again, went without dinner). It was Paleo meatloaf, but still, super delicious! Like a big loaf-shaped meat ball! Don't even get me started on brussel sprouts.

I actually never had them growing up b/c my dad hated them so much, my mom never made them. I started seeing yummy looking brussel sprout recipes on pinterest awhile ago, so I figured I should try them out! Now I am trying to use up a bag of shredded brussel sprouts I bought last week. I had a kale & brussel sprouts salad last night & then cooked up some bacon, threw in some of my b. sprouts with a dash of balsamic vinegar & voila! Yummy side dish to aforementioned meat loaf. YUM!

So I am on Day 27 of the 30 day Challenge! WHAAAAAAAAT?! How did the month go by so quickly?! I am amazed at how well I adjusted to the challenge. It was a rocky start, I'll admit, but now I don't want to go back to the SAD (Standard American Diet)! I lost about 7 pounds so far & I am nervous about gaining it back, but really I wanted to challenge myself to eat better, to eat the way I know I SHOULD be eating & I've honestly come to embrace it. Now I DO miss some added sweeteners. I am currently battling a sinus thing & my throat is on fire, I would LOVE to have some hot water, lemon & honey right now...but I'm holding out until after I hit Day 30. I miss pizza & I craved some really cheesy bread at one point, but all of that passes & I am really enjoying eating clean :)

It has finally happened! "They" tell you that after you start eating clean, "normal" foods begin to taste even better, like tasteX10000!! I had that happen to me yesterday!! I was eating strawberries at breakfast & realized how sweet they were, I had some meat at lunch & could taste every little bit of it, even the fat didn't freak me out & turn me off, it had a taste all of it's own! At dinner I was literally almost licking the plate b/c it was SOOOOOO good (another dish my kids wouldn't eat! BAHA! Eggplant strata strikes again). I made some energy bites for running (foolishly hoping I would be able to run today) and OMG- the TASTE! They were SO GOOD!!! My husband said they looked like little poops, but all the better, if the rest of my family is freaked out by them, I'll get to eat them all myself!!

So add me to the list of converted, clean eating freaks that you know!! I'm not stopping once I hit Day 30! :) I also love that I feel amazing when training. I am not a crossfitter (although I would LOVE to be!), but I do run & lift weights (*ahem* & do Jillian Michaels' DVDs) and I can tell that I have more endurance & am starting to see some definition to my arm muscles!! That really thrills me actually. :)

I am struggling with being at the very beginning of where I want to be, but I know that everyone starts SOMEwhere & this is the start for me.