Leftovers and Rashes

One of the hardest parts about living alone is food shopping. Well, I think food shopping for one can be difficult. It means you have to either buy super small portions of things, or by regular portions and just eat that same thing before it all goes bad. Buying smaller portions also usually means you are paying more for extra packaging and portioning. So, this has been a challenge for me: Re-using veggies, eggs, and even seasonings and dressings that I make and keeping it interesting. This is what I did yesterday:

                                                

Two "dippy" eggs, pan fried sweet potato "fries" in coconut oil and sea salt, fresh Israeli inspired "Italian" cucumber salad with tiny heirloom tomatoes, basil, balsamic vinegar and a touch of olive oil and sea salt

                                                

Tuna salad (white tuna in water drained, black beans, whole grain mustard, 2 small anchovies, olive oil) wrapped in huge leaf lettuce wraps like burritos, side of leftover cucumber salad

Earlier in the week I had sweet potatoes. I actually try to keep them in my diet earlier in the day because they are what is called "tubers," which are very helpful for energy, and not as starchy as a white potato.  Needless to say, you'll probably see them pop up a lot in my meals; but even though I love them, it's hard to keep it new and fresh. I decided to use coconut oil this time and just plain old sea salt since I knew I was making a little salad with vinegar.

I have a ton of vegetables but can really only conquer a few at a time. Yesterday I chose to use the rest of the cucumber I had used in my quinoa salad from a few days prior. I am definitely learning as I go, and even re-using dressings or components of the dressings like the whole grain mustard and anchovies from my "caesar"-ish dressing from earlier in the week.

These at home meals combined with my prepared meals from Hu Kitchen are keeping me on my toes, and making every meal a new experience. Eating cleaner has been a DEFINITE challenge, but when I see things like this happen to my body, I'm definitely more motivated to stay on track:

                                      

My skin on my inner thigh one week before eating clean, then again last night.

I don't know if you can see it that well, but that is a skin irritation I have (eczema) that has cleared up due my clean eating habits I am forming. There really is no other explanation. This has happened before when I have done this sort of "detox" from dairy, sugar and gluten. It is amazing how the body reacts to real, clean foods. I am still feeling the affects of this detox and feeling pretty sluggish and tired, but I just have to remember I just began and drink plenty of water. In another week or so I should be feeling back to normal (or hopefully better) - and maybe a little less addicted to sugar!

How are YOU doing on your "challenge," whatever that may be? How do you deal with leftovers? I will keep trying to make this a little more interesting as we go with my own home cooking. 

Here's to making leftovers more delicious the second time around...

-Hungry Stuntgirl