Alysa Remsburg

This challenge has really made me aware of how many times I reach for packaged/processed foods out of convenience. It was difficult to plan ahead, but I can eat more local foods (and save packaging and costs) if I take the time to cook potatoes, pop popcorn, and make smoothies. I also began snacking on whole foods (though not local) like celery with peanut butter and raisins.

I got out in the woods to xc ski today! I have been seriously challenged by avoiding processed foods, especially when I wanted to make pasta and eat crackers. But I instead popped popcorn (from Wisconsin growers), and for dinner I've had more potato and rice dishes than I would have otherwise (with proteins like lentils and yogurt and eggs). It was frustrating at first, but kind of cool to have a push to try something a little different.

The most difficult for me of the challenges I chose is having 3 meals per day of unprocessed foods. For breakfast this means oatmeal or eggs instead of pre-packaged cold cereal. For lunch (and snacks) this means nuts and fruit and home-made foods (like my own yogurt) instead of store-bought crackers or granola bars.  For dinner this means I will make foods from scratch/ whole ingredients instead of using pre-packaged pasta or tortillas for tacos.  Instead, I will make rice dishes, casserole with cornmeal, and potato dishes. It will take more planning ahead and looking for different recipes.