Mostly Fruit & Veggie March!

January was getting started.  February was portion control.  As March begins and I think about my focus / goal I've decided to try to have 75% of what I eat be fruits & vegetables.  I'm not giving any specific food groups up but I know that the more produce I eat the healthier I'll be!   I had been trying to figure out what I should do this month and looking at my fridge yesterday after putting away all the groceries it hit me that I already had a goal - I just hadn't made it official!

 If you look at the top shelf you'll see eggs, cottage cheese, yogurt, cabbage, pineapple, melon & 

mushrooms.  

The middle shelf is a huge tub of baby spinach, a head of romaine, 3 cucumbers, some grape tomatoes and a full lettuce crisper with green leaf & arugula.   The little shelf there is full of cheeses and some pancetta.  

The bottom shelf in the back I've got my cilantro & parsley in mugs of water & covered with plastic bags (I still can't believe how long it lasts like that!).   There is part of a papaya.  Whole milk and water.   The two bottom crispers crack me up.  One is full of kale and the other spinach.  Any young kid would go "eeeewwww!" 

In the door we have about 25 carrots, 6 beets and a head of celery.  This is our "juice bin" since we are both so addicted now.  It empties as fast as we fill it!  

  And of course on the counter we have .... 

That's about 10 apples, 3 mangoes, 2 pears, 2 lemons, 2 kiwi.  In the veggie basket I've got 4 onions, 3 yams, a huge chunk of fresh ginger and a bunch of brussels sprouts.  

Needless to say I'm READY for this goal and this is just the groceries for Sunday through Wednesday ... there are more for the second half of the week shopping list!   Like February I'm going to take pictures of what I'm eating and put them here.  This will keep me thinking about my portions but also give me a visual of the ratio of fruits / veggies to everything else.   I forgot to take a picture of my breakfast today - which was just a bowl of fruit - papaya, melon & pineapple.  I did take a snap of lunch so here goes!   

Lunch:  Smoothie of just papaya, peach, pear , fresh ginger and water. 100%

Dinner: Quiche (with onions), roasted onion, apple & brussels sprouts 75%

Breakfast:  Quinoa, whole yogurt, nuts / seeds, mango & blueberries 50%

Lunch:  Seriously weird green smoothie with an entire head of romaine, apples, celery, lemon, banana, cilantro & parsley.  Will not be doing as a smoothie again .. maybe a juice next time.  Still - that is 100% fruit / veggie lunch!

Dinner:  Phyllo dough, feta & veggie 'pizza' & salad 75%

Breakfast:  Big green juice with LOTS of kale, spinach, plus apple,  pear & lemon ... and I even went without my coffee!   This gave me plenty of energy and just a minor caffeine headache easily cured by a cup of tea later in the day. 100%

Lunch:  Leftover Phyllo dough veggie 'pizza' with extra spinach on top! 75%

Dinner:  Kale, mushroom & spinach 'pie' - literally just a little phyllo dough and a HUGE amount of veggies inside! 75%

Breakfast:  Quinoa, whole cottage cheese, nuts, seeds, mango & blueberries 50%

Dinner:  Leftovers night - quiche (onions) & Kale, spinach & mushroom 'pie' with a side of leftover veggie juice from lunch.  (forgot to take pic of lunch but it was a HUGE glass of spinach, kale, beet & carrot juice) 75%

Breakfast:  Needed to use pineapple before it went bad so loaded up! Quinoa, berries, cottage cheese & some nuts hidden underneath.  50%

Lunch:  JUICE!  Kiwi, apple, kale & spinach ... yes all that from the first picture = the juice in the 2nd! 100%

Breakfast: Quinoa, yogurt, mango, blueberries, sunflower seeds & almonds 50%

Dinner: Polenta with roasted veggies & red pepper sauce ... 50% 

Breakfast:  Obviously a hit this week! 50%

Dinner:  2 egg omelette with cheese, green onion & parsley   - not a lot of veggies ... this was after a night / day of GI issues  when I figured out beets do NOT agree with me so I was avoiding fiber for a reason! 10%

LATER: 

Before I knew it it was time to load up on more fruits & veggies!  Here's the result from our Thursday night grocery run: 

On the top you'll find squash& eggplant.  I still have some leftover cottage cheese, yogurt & eggs.  New blueberries, cucumbers and more pineapple!   Cheese drawer less full but still have all whole / real in there.  Second shelf is my leftover quinoa that I'm using in my breakfasts, green onions, asparagus and yep that is 2 full bunches of kale.  That bottle you see is homemade pear / almond salad dressing.   Bottom shelf has my cilantro, milk and water.  A small package of chicken breasts for one of the dinners I've got planned. 

Not as full but that is b/c this is the later part of the week which means I do another run on Sunday. 

Um ... less beets this time for a GOOD reason!  Just enough for hubby!  But carrots replenished & add some fresh herbs. 

Did I mention that the bottom 2 crispers are again full of GREEN.  2 heads lettuce & some brussels sprouts in one and the other is full to the top of spinach. 

Fruit & Veggie counter replenished too!  More fruit than veggies this time since most of the veggies I've bought need to be refrigerated but you will see some garlic, sweet potatoes, an avocado and an onion hidden under there.   Hubby is pretty big on juice right now so LOTS of apples and he got extra pears too as he's learned they make a tasty twist on the juice. 

After reading the book and watching the documentary Fat Sick & Nearly Dead we are going to give a try at a juice feast this coming week!  I'm excited but also a little scared.  I'm still trying to decide if I'll only do juice or if I'll let myself eat raw / cooked fruit  & veggies too.  All juice is extreme to be sure & let's face it - this time of year it is also EXPENSIVE since it isn't in season.  These last 2 weeks grocery bills have jumped up with all the fresh produce - not unmanageable but definitely can't say I'm still spending less than I did before.  Factor in not eating out and definitely but we are up to about $300 for 7 days with only a little rolling over into the next week.  For 2 people that is A LOT!   That being said I keep reminding myself that we are both well overweight and it surely is a good investment in the long run! 

We don't start yet but I've been upping my juice to prep so to that ... here's lunch: 

Lunch: 1 large bunch kale, 1 large bunch spinach, 1 pear, 1 apple & 1 sweet potato (did you know you can juice sweet potato?!  Me neither ... it's actually pretty damn good!) 100%

LATER: 

Hubby & I talked more about full juice fast vs. something modified.  We decided that for now we are going to go for a week of almost 100% fruit / vegetables.  I'm fully comfortable with this as I feel like I'm already pretty close to it and it is right in line with my goal for march.  So planning begins!  I'm going to allow for some of the following if they are part of a mostly fruit / veggie meal:

Whole dairy:  Cheese, Milk, Butter
Nuts, Seeds & Beans
Grains - minimal:  Quinoa, brown rice, minor amounts of bread crumbs, etc. if in recipe
Oils & Vinegars:  For cooking / flavor
Meat:  Only in the form of chicken broth or maybe a slice of bacon for a stuffed pepper or a small flavor enhancement in a recipe.
Condiments / Seasonings: Spices, mustard, soy sauce, etc. that already are part of the 'real food rules'.
Sweets: Honey for tea only (no coffee - I gotta leave myself something!)

Dinner:  Last meal before turning up the VEG!  Brussels Sprouts & Noodle Stir Fry 50%

Getting ready meant one heck of a shopping trip to Whole Foods!

LATER: 

  I mean look at this!  My 2 regular bowls are overflowing and I had to add a plastic bowl to the counter just to hold it all - and this is just for 1/2 of this week.

Top Shelf:  Huge tub spinach, cucumbers, green onions, 2 heads celery, bag grapes,  yellow pepper, eggplant and what you can't see is the 2 heads of broccoli & one of cauliflower in the back!   Cheese drawer - lots of parm and some goat cheese but all are a minor part of a mostly veggie recipe.  Second shelf:  All those plastic containers on the side are full of fresh herbs, leftover juicing scraps (for making dog treats), leftover quinoa (also will go in dog treats), berries, full to the brim salad spinner!

Bottom shelf 2 containers grape tomatoes, parsley, cilantro, whole milk and water.  Crispers: One full of kale and the other with spinach and zucchini.

And of course our 'juice bin' - 2 beets (for Hubby!) and lots of carrots!


... here we go! ...

Monday Breakfast: Juice! 100%

Monday Lunch:  More Juice! 100%

Monday Dinner:  Farmers Market Salad -with Goat Cheese 90%

Tuesday Breakfast:  Juice  100%

Lunch: Broccoli Soup (made of just broccoli, onion and white beans with a little parm & pinenuts on top!) 90%

Dinner:  Stuffed Tomatoes (stuffing is mushrooms, ricotta, spinach and parm) 90%

Wednesday Breakfast:  Juice 100%

Wednesday Lunch:  Juice 100%

Wednesday Dinner:  Leftover stuffed tomatoes 90% 

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Breakfast: Sunshine Smoothie
100% 

 Lunch:  Juice! 
100% 

Dinner:  Roasted Veggie & Chickpea Salad 95%

Throughout the week:  Tea! 

Breakfast:  Juice!
100%

LATER: 

There are a couple of thing that I forgot to take my own pictures of but I definitely got close to that 100%!  The only things that I ended up using other than fruit and vegetables were:

Heavy Cream, Parmesan & Ricotta Cheese
Eggs
White Beans & Chick Peas
Pinenuts & Almonds
Honey (for Tea)
Olive Oil
Vinegars
Rice

And in incredibly small amounts!  Can you believe it?!  That's IT!  We even went out to dinner last night and I managed to have just veggies with some brown rice.  I've felt great - no "detox" symptoms. I suppose because I've been eating so well already.  Hubby made it much of the way but the last few days he gave up and went back to his no breakfast & lunch out pattern.  I didn't complain - it's up to him to take control of his health, not me.  I'm still surprised that he's been so on board in the first place!  It did change the meal plan to get rid of the second shopping trip and left me with some leftovers but I'll use them this week.  So all said instead of $300 for the week it was closer to $200 - I had forgotten some items for the recipes on my list so Hubby had to hit Whole Foods for a quick run on Monday.   Looking at my fridge and counter this morning ... I can't believe nothing went bad.   And it looks so pathetically empty now:

Leftovers:  Baby Spinach, parmesan, ricotta & cheddar cheese.  Mushrooms, grape tomatoes, olives, 1/2 lemon, melon, lettuce & cream.  Parsley, cilantro.   (that tupperware on the bottom are my juicing remnants made into dog treats)

Okay - I take back that "nothing went bad" comment ... that big jug of whole milk?  Didn't touch it all week and it definitely went bad!

Juice Bin:  EMPTY!  Just a container of garlic, some yogurt and 3 eggs.

Counter:  So sad and empty ... just 2 bananas, some garlic, ginger and shallots.

I can't believe I'm going to say this but I could actually be a vegetarian and not mind!  Note I didn't just say I'm GOING to be one ... but even realizing I could is a huge change in me.  As I was planning for this coming week I caught myself choosing all veggie meals again!  I did stop myself and added the chicken that I have in the freezer to one and just a bit of meat to a pizza I've got planned.  Grains will be there too in the form of bread & whole grain pasta.  Even so -I've got juice planned for breakfast every day and for most lunches.  Yes, this is part of my goal for March but honestly I did it because I really like it!   I literally have not missed my coffee!!  That just sounds like a flat out lie ... even to my own ears ... but I swear on the life of my dogs it is NOT!

LATER: 

Here's the fridge / counter after the grocery trip:

Top shelf:  Celery, yellow bell pepper, grape tomatoes (2 containers) & KALE KALE KALE!

The drawer is still where we keep our cheeses.  Middle Shelf - big tub baby spinach, rasberries, eggs, melon, grapes, lettuce crisper. 

Bottom Shelf:  Parsley & cilantro, leftover shallot & olives in tupperware, dog treats in tupperware, whole cream & whole milk.  

The bottom 2 crispers are cut off in the shot but they are also full of veggies!

Juice bin:  Carrots & eggplant.  (The eggplant isn't for juicing - just fit there nicely.)

Counter:  FULL!

Breakfast: Juice 100%

Dinner:  Pizza with Cauliflower crust, sausage, mushroom & kale 75%

Breakfast:  Juice in a Guinness glass (St. Patrick's Day!) 100%

Dinner:  Portobella Mushroom with egg, avacado, bacon & toast 25%

Breakfast:  Juice  100% 

Lunch:  Eggplant Dip with Veggies  90%

Breakfast:  Juice 100%

Dinner:  Portobella mushroom, avocado, bacon & toast. With Juice! 50%

Breakfast:  Toast with all fruit jam & melon 50%

Lunch:  Smoothie - spinach, blueberries, yogurt. 75%

Breakfast:  Juice 100%

Lunch:  Juice 100%

Dinner:  Chicken with 2 veggie sides   50% 

Lunch:  Juice 100%

LATER: 

I didn't do as well with taking pictures this past week - I kept forgetting.  I'm keeping up with my goal though.  Not as extreme as last week but when I look at what I eat each day it is usually 75% fruit & veggies!  For this final week of March I continue to have meals planned that will ROCK my goal!

Top Shelf:  Eggs, grape tomatoes, blueberries, strawberries, cucumber, eggplants, tomato & cream.

Middle shelf: Cheese drawer.  Big tub baby spinach, leftover shallot & black olives.  Lettuce.  Whole wheat pita bread.

Bottom Shelf:  Sweet Potato Brownies with PB Fudge topping.  Parsley.  Milk behind it that you can't see.  Water.

Crispers:  Celery & leek.  Bell Peppers.

Juice Bin: Carrots, garlic & ginger

Counter:  OVERFLOWING!

Dinner: White Bean & Veggie Chowder. 50%

Dessert:  There are SWEET POTATOES in a brownie! I know - right?
25%

Breakfast:  Smoothie - 90% (has yogurt in it) 

Lunch:  Juice!  100% 

Dinner:  Sausage & Veggies - 75%

Breakfast:  Juice & whole wheat toast with all fruit Jam 75%

Dinner:  Veggie Ratatouille over brown rice 75% 

Dinner:  Chickpea salad, eggplant dip & whole wheat pita 50%

Breakfast: Juice! 100%

Lunch:  Juice!  100% 

Dinner:  Spinach crepes with ricotta cheese & tomatoes inside 75%

Breakfast: Juice!  100%

March 31st:   Well ... I definitely rocked my goal for March!   I didn't get a picture of everything I ate but I feel confident that 75% of my diet was fruits & vegetables.  I'm also shocked that it was kind of fun!  I actually WANT fruit and veggies now - I know ... SHOCKING!!!!

Spring is finally here - you can just tell outside.  With that I am even more excited for things to be 'in season' and for the farmers markets to start!   Not to mention getting my own plants in the ground and seeing what luck I have growing my own!