Food Challenge #1: Day 4 - Why I Have to Quit This Challenge and Move On To The Next One
Well, I failed this challenge. Why? Because the food I was eating was aggravating my gastric reflux BADLY, and I was in a lot of pain, so I have decided to move on to the next challenge, which is to eat at least 5 fruits and vegetables a day.
I'm Not Much Into Cooking
I need things to eat that I can fix quickly, because I get very busy working or cleaning or gardening and just don't have time to cook much. I've tried cooking a big pot meal for the week, but I get sick of it around day three, so it ends up in the freezer, where it inevitably has to be thrown out.
Since part of my goal is NOT to throw so much away, I'm going to try to eat a lot of raw foods and cook only what I can eat in a couple of meals. I'm not very good right now at making menus and sticking to them, again, because I get tied up doing other things.
Life Is Harder Without a Car
Some of the things I do take a lot longer than normal, because I don't have a car. For instance, to go to the grocery store, I either walk or take the bus. Walking time depends on which store I go to. If I go to Aldi, it's about an hour round-trip walk. I count this as my exercise for the day, so killing two birds with one stone, sort of, except that I would never exercise for an hour every day. If I just run down to Earthfare to get a few pieces of fruit, it's only about a 20 minute round trip. They are pretty expensive, so needless to say with a $50 a week grocery budget, I don't go there much.
WalMart is where I do most of my shopping in the summer, because I'm very sensitive to heat, so walking is out and sitting waiting for buses in the sun is out. There is a bus transfer station right across from WalMart, so I can get in and out of there quickly and avoid long waits for buses. The buses run a reduced schedule in the summer, so I try to keep track of exactly when they are coming using my bus app on my phone, so I don't have to wait outside too long. I also go very, very early in the morning - like about 7 a.m. - so I can get out and back home before it gets too hot. By 10 a.m. in the summer, I'm usually inside under the air for the day.
Aldi doesn't open until 9 am, and I have to walk several blocks to get to the bus, and usually wait about 20 minutes to 1/2 hour for it to come. There really is no place to stay inside until the bus comes, and walking and sitting outside in the heat is very bad for my health. If I can get a ride to Aldi in the summer, I'll go there. I do have one friend I can get to take me sometimes, so I try to do that as much as I can just to save money, but it's usually WalMart.
Why Don't I Ride a Bike?
I have a bicycle that was gifted to me, but I don't especially like it. It has 21 gears, which confuses me, so I tend to leave it in one gear that is not too hard and not too easy to peddle. I could get baskets on the bike and use it for more shopping, but honestly, this is not an especially safe part of town to ride a bicycle. There are more and less safe routes, but the shortest route is pretty unsafe, so I'd have to take a much longer route where there are sidewalks. I also worry in the summer that I'll have a flat and have to walk the bike back home in the extreme heat. There is one route I could take that has a bus line, so if I had a flat, I could wait for a bus and just put the bike on front and get home that way, but I haven't really tried it yet.
I'm not skilled at working on bikes, and I'd like to take the bike repair class that is given at the local bike co-op, but haven't made it there yet, mostly because of money considerations. I need to do that as quickly as possible, though, because it's going to be getting hot soon.
What Did I Learn From This Challenge?
This challenge taught me three things:
1) Yes, I can live simply on what I have in the house, which I knew because I've done it before.
2) I need to keep a stockpile of healthier foods in the house for such an occasion, because the foods I had here were bad for my health.
3) I need to concentrate on healthy foods that I can prepare quickly or eat raw, so I don't have to spend so much time cooking.
So I guess it's not a failure if you learn something, right? So on to Food Challenge #2 - Eating at Least Five Fruits and Veggies a Day.
But first, I have to get through today and go shopping tomorrow. Going to make my list now.
I'm Not Much Into Cooking
I need things to eat that I can fix quickly, because I get very busy working or cleaning or gardening and just don't have time to cook much. I've tried cooking a big pot meal for the week, but I get sick of it around day three, so it ends up in the freezer, where it inevitably has to be thrown out.
Since part of my goal is NOT to throw so much away, I'm going to try to eat a lot of raw foods and cook only what I can eat in a couple of meals. I'm not very good right now at making menus and sticking to them, again, because I get tied up doing other things.
Life Is Harder Without a Car
Some of the things I do take a lot longer than normal, because I don't have a car. For instance, to go to the grocery store, I either walk or take the bus. Walking time depends on which store I go to. If I go to Aldi, it's about an hour round-trip walk. I count this as my exercise for the day, so killing two birds with one stone, sort of, except that I would never exercise for an hour every day. If I just run down to Earthfare to get a few pieces of fruit, it's only about a 20 minute round trip. They are pretty expensive, so needless to say with a $50 a week grocery budget, I don't go there much.
WalMart is where I do most of my shopping in the summer, because I'm very sensitive to heat, so walking is out and sitting waiting for buses in the sun is out. There is a bus transfer station right across from WalMart, so I can get in and out of there quickly and avoid long waits for buses. The buses run a reduced schedule in the summer, so I try to keep track of exactly when they are coming using my bus app on my phone, so I don't have to wait outside too long. I also go very, very early in the morning - like about 7 a.m. - so I can get out and back home before it gets too hot. By 10 a.m. in the summer, I'm usually inside under the air for the day.
Aldi doesn't open until 9 am, and I have to walk several blocks to get to the bus, and usually wait about 20 minutes to 1/2 hour for it to come. There really is no place to stay inside until the bus comes, and walking and sitting outside in the heat is very bad for my health. If I can get a ride to Aldi in the summer, I'll go there. I do have one friend I can get to take me sometimes, so I try to do that as much as I can just to save money, but it's usually WalMart.
Why Don't I Ride a Bike?
I have a bicycle that was gifted to me, but I don't especially like it. It has 21 gears, which confuses me, so I tend to leave it in one gear that is not too hard and not too easy to peddle. I could get baskets on the bike and use it for more shopping, but honestly, this is not an especially safe part of town to ride a bicycle. There are more and less safe routes, but the shortest route is pretty unsafe, so I'd have to take a much longer route where there are sidewalks. I also worry in the summer that I'll have a flat and have to walk the bike back home in the extreme heat. There is one route I could take that has a bus line, so if I had a flat, I could wait for a bus and just put the bike on front and get home that way, but I haven't really tried it yet.
I'm not skilled at working on bikes, and I'd like to take the bike repair class that is given at the local bike co-op, but haven't made it there yet, mostly because of money considerations. I need to do that as quickly as possible, though, because it's going to be getting hot soon.
What Did I Learn From This Challenge?
This challenge taught me three things:
1) Yes, I can live simply on what I have in the house, which I knew because I've done it before.
2) I need to keep a stockpile of healthier foods in the house for such an occasion, because the foods I had here were bad for my health.
3) I need to concentrate on healthy foods that I can prepare quickly or eat raw, so I don't have to spend so much time cooking.
So I guess it's not a failure if you learn something, right? So on to Food Challenge #2 - Eating at Least Five Fruits and Veggies a Day.
But first, I have to get through today and go shopping tomorrow. Going to make my list now.
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