12 Day Pledge

I decided I'm taking this 10 day pledge and extending it for 2 extra, committing to eating nothing but real food for the next twelve days. This is how I used to eat regularly. I lived by the 80/20 rule, sticking to whole, healthy foods 80% of the time and using the other 20% for alcohol, the occasional french fries, etc. How did I get so far from this? How many times have I asked that question in the past year?

I'm SO happy and satisfied with every part of my life except my health. And that's a big one. So hopefully this can  be both a mental and physical reminder as to why I so strongly pursued a healthier lifestyle.

So here's the deal. For the next 12 days, I will eat only:
- Whole foods
- Lots of fruits and vegetables
- Dairy products, low or full fat (milk, eggs, cheese)
- 100% whole wheat and whole grains
- Locally raised lean meats (if available) like chicken and turkey
- Beverages limited to water, milk, all natural juices, tea, wine & beer sparingly
- Snacks like dried fruit, seeds, nuts and natural popcorn
- All natural sweeteners (honey, 100& maple syrup)
- Healthy fats (olive oil, avocado, natural nut butters -- sparingly)

I will not eat:
- Refined grains (white flour, white rice, etc.)
- Refined sweeteners (sugar, any form of corn syrup, can juice, splenda, etc.)
- Nothing out of a box, can, bag, bottle or package that has more than 5 ingredients on the label
- No deep fried foods

Additional Rules:
- I will blog all of my meals/snacks for the 12 day period
- I will exercise [at least!] 5 times in the 12 day period

Here's my shopping list for tonight:
Lettuce
Avocados
Tomatoes
Cucumbers
Baby carrots
Yellow onion
Bell Pepper
Bananas
Oranges
Apples/berries (whatever is on sale)
Hummus
Pickles
Salad Dressing (balsamic)
Popcorn
Kidney beans
Pasta Sauce
Diced Tomatoes
Tomato Paste
Turkey (deli)
Ground turkey
Lean chicken breasts
Eggs
Whole wheat bread
Whole wheat pasta
Cereal (need to look around for this one)
Shredded mozzarella cheese
Fat free ricotta cheese

. Here are some very easy, repeatable meal ideas:
Breakfast:
- cereal w/ milk
- eggs & toast
- toast w/ peanut butter

Lunch:
- Tuna salad
- Salad (veggies & hard boiled eggs)
- Turkey sandwich
- Leftovers from dinner

Dinner:
- Turkey chilli
- Baked ziti
- Grilled chicken
- Breakfast for dinner (eggs)

I'm excited, but a little nervous! I have a couple of things in the next few weeks I'll have to be strategic about. But I think...scratch that, I KNOW this will be a big step in the right direction for me. Here we gooo!