Hey guess what? It’s October first. That means another year of Unprocessed October, my 7th if you’ve been tracking. This is the time when I commit to giving up processed food for 31 days. It really shouldn’t be that hard to stick to; it shouldn’t. And yet, despite many strong starts, somewhere along the way I skid sideways. Life intercedes every damn time. That doesn’t really bother me too much because I’ll do it again; I like the challenge and the reminder to avoid the garbage ingredients. It is SO easy to backslide without even realizing it. I have always been an end goal oriented person. So here we go.
Here’s the gist: avoid processed food for the entire month of October. No fast food. No processed food. No ingredients you don’t recognize, can’t pronounce and can’t realistically make in your own kitchen. Just real, whole foods each and every day. We can do this. It’s all outlined here.
So what am I going to eat? If I’m at home, it’s usually not a problem. My issue has always been work lunches and client dinners, late nights and most of all, snacks. The snacks kill me. I default to sugar every time and I’ve got to stop. My approach this time is to realize my weaknesses and have some easy, simple options available that come together quickly. This means I have to plan better, much like a did earlier this year with a brief “foodie cleanse”.
Not long into the new year, I started the Bon Appetit “foodie cleanse” that was in the magazine the last few years (and spawned a cookbook). I didn’t quite finish the whole two weeks but the recipes were quite good, fruit/vegetable heavy, little dairy, very little sugar, gluten free and very satisfying. I was pretty happy and I felt great. Most surprisingly, I had a ton of energy. The menu requires some serious planning and organization as there are recipes for breakfast, lunch, dinner (including dessert) and a snack each day but you always cook a little extra for the next day’s lunch or snack. I really liked everything I made and would recommend it. Here’s the information for 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, and 2011. If I can get myself together and organized, I may try to do a full month of the plan as best as I can. We’ll see.
So jump on board folks and give it a shot. For some it’s incredibly easy, for others not so much. Regardless I think it will make all of us more aware of what we’re eating on a daily basis. That’s a good thing.
Past Unprocessed October posts: 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011
STRESSCAKE 
Ha! At first glance those wax beans looked exactly like a big old bag of McDonald’s fries, right down to the red and yellow on the bag.
This sounds like a worthwhile challenge. I try and make lots of things from scratch, but a quick check of my pantry revealed some weak points, dry pasta and asian condiments in particular. I think I’d better start reading labels a little more closely.