I did something yesterday that I sincerely hope I remember to never do again – I bought a fully processed and synthetic lunch because I had failed to prepare my own. What seemed like a good idea at the time came back to haunt me a few hours later when every part of my body screamed in disgust.
Recently I have been very smart about my food choices. With only the occasional “treat”, I have been preparing all of my own meals so I know exactly what my body is ingesting and I have really enjoyed cooking again and experimenting in the kitchen. The only processed items that have passed my lips are the ones that I have processed myself so I know what kind of food is in my food. My body made it abundantly clear today that it will no longer put up with my bad choices and laziness when it comes to preparing my own meals.
It is simple to adhere to a proper diet when you take a few moments to prepare in advance. I love when I have a full day in the kitchen and am able to think ahead about what I want to use to fuel my body for the coming week. I make all of my own soups and freeze them so I am not overwhelmed by the hidden sodium and preservatives in canned soups. I make ‘Salad-in-a-Jar’ for each day of the week and sometimes even prepare sectioned grapefruit or ‘Refrigerator Oatmeal’ for breakfasts. It takes the guess-work and stress out of having to prepare meals each morning for the work day ahead and it can prevent those bad choices when you are hungry and pressed for time.
Salad in a jar was an amazing discovery for me. I bought a case of Mason Jars and made a week’s worth of salads for lunch. Each day I opened a jar onto a plate, the lettuce was still crisp and it was a quick way to have a healthy lunch. For those of you who may have heard of these but never tried them, I urge you to buy some jars and spend and hour on the weekend making your lunches for a week. Knowing those go-to lunches are always there during your work week will alleviate the stress of wondering what you will eat at the office and you can add any ingredients you like to your salad.
I listened to my body today and got the message loud and clear. I’m not 25 anymore. I can’t just eat what is available and go about my day without ever giving it a second thought.
Your body’s voice is the most important voice you will ever hear and you should heed its advice. It will be more honest with you than any of your friends or your family and only has its best interest at heart.
polysyllabic profundities 
I can still eat piles of crap and do so on occasion, but those salads in a jar look interesting, please tell more.
They are great….you can make them all ahead and they last for a week – all the veggies are still crisp and fresh because the jars are air-tight. Then you just grab and go. Here is a site with some ideas for salads.
http://www.organizeyourselfskinny.com/2014/03/17/the-ultimate-mason-jar-salad-tutorial-and-recipe-round-up/
Thanks for the link, I will be looking into that.
What a great idea! I’ve just given up bought lunches (for same reasons) and already I’m finding the prep/organisation a bit overwhelming, so this is a great read. Thanks for sharing 🙂
It’s great…..I spent an hour prepping last night and have breakfasts and lunches for a week. 🙂 If you click on the Salad in a Jar link under the picture, it will take you to a great site to get started.
I love the idea of the salad in a jar, and have a girlfriend that did it – for like a week, I don’t think she stuck to it, but I make a massive salad and leave it in the fridge and then I can go fix a bowl as needed (I work from home, so that helps!). I love taking the time so we can eat whole foods and not processed junk!
Me too….and my energy level is so much higher when I eat properly.
That looks amazing! Will the jars keep things like chicken/tuna fresh as well, do you know?
I’ve had chicken in them before. I’ve never tried tuna, but the jars are air-tight so tuna should be fine as well. Everything else stays crisp and fresh and even my avocado stays green.
Refrigerator oatmeal. Yum.
Sooo good!
This is such a great idea, Susan! And, it makes for such a colorful photo. 🙂
They are such a great way to have a healthy meal at your fingertips. 🙂
I hadn’t heard of salad in a jar. I bookmarked the link because I think when things settle down, I’m going to try this. I work from home most days, but still, I get busy with work and don’t really have time to make lunch so I often end up eating something like cheese and crackers. (I can relate to the body rebellion of eating fast food. There is one restaurant I absolutely won’t go to anymore. After the second time I had an issue, I finally got the clue we weren’t friends anymore!)