Read about week one here.

Day 8

Breakfast: three scrambled eggs, banana/blueberry/coconut flake mix, black coffee (I liked it better this time)

Lunch: leftover chili, salad with tomatoes

Snack: none

Dinner: a fake chicken marsala with local (no-sugar-added) bacon, and a side of broccoli. My husband liked the chicken but I was disappointed in the whole thing. I bet it’s a really good recipe if you use wine (I subbed chicken broth), regular bacon, and butter, so I’ll try it again when I can have that stuff. This was my first time cooking this kind of bacon and it was really different. I had an apple for dessert.

I felt: pretty tired after work again. I did a 20-minute fairly easy yoga session, and my muscles felt drained. I was stressed out making dinner because I was trying new things and there was a lot going on with the kids, but it turned out okay. I think I’m gonna stick to what I know during the week and try new things on the weekends.

Day 9

Breakfast: four small fried eggs, banana/blueberry/coconut flake mix, black coffee

Lunch: leftover chicken marsala, salad, strawberries

Snack: Larabar

Dinner: taco salad, broccoli, and cinnamon apples (yum)

I felt: I woke up feeling mildly sick, like I was getting a cold. Not surprising since Meredith had been coughing on me for days. So after work I was exhausted again.

Day 10

Breakfast: three fried eggs, banana/blueberry/coconut flake mix (can you tell I’m a person of habit? And I’m not sick of eggs yet! Thankfully I love eggs!)

Lunch: broccoli, cinnamon apples, a few bites of taco salad (wasn’t very hungry)

Snack: nuts

Dinner: slow cooker Italian chicken soup (it was fine, needed salt). That’s all I ate because I wasn’t feeling well.

I felt: woke up feeling a bit more congested and it got worse as the day went on. Nothing terrible, but I didn’t have much energy and I kinda lost my appetite for awhile. For me it was one of the harder days because I would have reached for comfort food in the past. There was a lot of mental struggle but mostly it went back to my lack of energy.

Day 11

Breakfast: four scrambled eggs, banana/blueberry/coconut mix. One of the eggs was for Meredith but she actually scarfed down half of them before I could take a bite.

Lunch: leftover chicken soup (it tasted better to me as leftovers), cinnamon apples, baby carrots

Snack: nuts

Dinner: omelet with onions, green pepper, and tomatoes. Grapefruit.

I felt: I was even more congested today, but ironically I had my energy back! It made such a huge difference in my attitude. So maybe my malaise wasn’t related to the sickness, maybe it was just a hump that I had to get over with my body adapting to this new eating pattern. This day I also noticed that I think my milk supply is dropping overall. It’s hard to tell what is really causing that, but I’m going to up my water intake again and snack on nuts daily. (Technically they tell you to try not to snack, but I think with breastfeeding it might be important.)

Also to note, I got my first Greenling delivery which was exciting. There were a couple things in it I can’t have (sweet corn, Yukon potatoes) and I don’t have it in me to make those things for my family, so I passed them to my mom. But the majority of it looked great! Pondering if this is a good deal for me financially and how often I’d like to do deliveries.

Day 12

Breakfast: three fried eggs, banana/blueberry/coconut flake mix, Chameleon cold-brew coffee (so smooth!)

Snack: nuts

Lunch: leftover Italian chicken soup (not much appetite)

Dinner: My in-laws grilled steak for us and I ate two. Also had a salad, green beans, and fruit salad. Making up for my light lunch. :)

I felt: Still sick, but energized. The cold-brew coffee had more caffeine than I usually have and I’m not complaining one bit.

Day 13

Breakfast: Three scrambled eggs, banana, cold-brew coffee

Lunch: taco salad, apple

Snack: dried fruit & nuts

Dinner: Dijon chicken thighs, broccoli

I felt: Physically I felt good, except for still having a cold. But mentally I was weary of scrutinizing every meal and the extensive planning (I plan my meals on Saturday and I just wasn’t in the mood) and ready for more variety. I don’t even crave the bad stuff, just something different! Hoping that once my cold goes away I’ll be more motivated.

Day 14

Breakfast: Three fried eggs, banana/blueberry/coconut flake mix, black coffee

Lunch: three pickles wrapped in sliced turkey, leftover chili, applesauce

Snack: banana

Dinner: ground turkey seasoned with cinnamon & nutmeg mixed with diced apples, fruit salad

I felt: Reaching the end of two weeks is exciting. Almost halfway done! And another pair of pants that didn’t fit me previously just slid right on. I do feel like it’s time to start adding more workouts. That’s a goal for the coming week. I also realize that I’m still not eating enough vegetables and probably too many fruits. But you know what? Even so, this is a huge change and improvement for me. So I’m not going to worry about it and just do my best.

Overall I’d say that things are going well so far. I am so glad that I found an easy, delicious, and filling breakfast that I love to eat every day. I look forward to it and it sets a good tone. Meredith eats at least one egg and some fruit with me every day even though they serve breakfast at her daycare, and I hope that maybe she doesn’t eat as much there (because it’s probably carby and sugary) as she used to. Although I do feel like I’ve broken my dessert habit, I do rely on fruit and I’d be struggling hard without it.

During week two I had some mediocre meals that I had put effort into which was disappointing. For the upcoming week I planned mostly easy stuff. I’m looking forward to this being over with, but at the same time I kinda feel like I’m cruising along. Weekends are definitely harder because meals are more up in the air and planning can overwhelm me. Because I wasn’t that experienced in the kitchen prior to this, I am having to learn a lot about how to cook things along the way. It’s a good thing, but can be hard too.

Anyway, I feel pretty good about the coming week because my planned meals are simple. I expect my cold to go away within a few days, and just to be in the second half of the challenge is a great feeling!