Weigh-in Tuesday, plus our contest winner!

It's weigh-in Tuesday, and now that I've gotten far enough away from the flu, I hopped on the scale this morning.  I do hop on the scale a few other mornings during the week, which helps me stay in touch with my body... but I only record it on Tuesday mornings.  That way, I get to see a clearer picture of my progress, because everyone fluctuates up and down naturally.

Today I'm down another 2 pounds since my last weigh-in, which brings me to 59 pounds lost!  And Tom's down to a total of 53.7 pounds lost - he's only a few pounds away from his goal weight!

Progress!

 
Yesterday I posted my first blog contest... to guess how much my produce haul cost.  A big thanks to everyone who entered!  It was really fun to see everyone's estimates.  Our winner is... Matthew!  Congratulations!

Matthew guessed $30.01, and he was only 22 cents off!  Our total came to $30.23.  He has won a customized meal plan from Tom and I!  We'll discuss Matthew's favorite foods with him, and Tom and I will create some healthy recipes inspired by them.  We'll share the menu and recipes in an upcoming post.

What can you do with $30.23?  Since we're comparing with groceries I bought in Los Angeles, I'll quote the Los Angeles prices.

• At McDonald's you could buy 5 Quarter Pounder Value Meals. 
• At Whole Foods you could've bought just the fruit in our purchase (3 oranges, 6 peaches, 6 ounces of blueberries, 1.5 pounds of grapes.)  I love the quality of produce at Whole Foods, but they're simply not reasonable.
• At my favorite fancy-schmancy restaurant, Osteria Mozza, you could buy one appetizer salad, and one mozzarella appetizer - but it wouldn't include the tip. 
•  At my favorite healthy restaurant, Tender Greens, you could buy Tom's favorite meal (the Oxnard Veggie Hot Plate) and my favorite meal (the Seared Albacore Hot Plate) plus my very favorite hibiscus iced tea, and one of their organic desserts of the day.

Or, you could buy what we bought at Super King, and cook at home, and get ALL of this:

• 5 servings of Kabocha squash soup (2-cup servings)
• 3 servings of tomato-cucumber salad (2-cup servings)
• 3 servings of soba noodle ginger veggie stir-fry (2-cup servings; noodles purchased elsewhere for $2)
• 4 appetizer servings of stuffed squash blossoms (8 blossoms/person; goat cheese purchased elsewhere for $4)
• 4 servings of steamed broccoli with lemon (2-cup servings)
• 4 servings of grilled vegetable salad (2-cup servings)
• 2 sides of roasted corn on the cob with chili and lime.
• 4 portions of sandwich fillings for grilled mushroom/onion/tomato wraps (tortillas purchased elsewhere for $2)
• 3 cups of lemon-lime and herb salad dressing (that's a lot of servings.)
• 27 servings of fruit, to go along with those meals.

The lesson here is that eating healthfully on a budget is MUCH easier than it's made out to be.  One of the biggest excuses I hear is that "eating healthfully is too expensive."  And I say... if that's the case, you're not looking in the right places for your food.  I highly recommend checking out these options....

• Find international markets near you, like our beloved Super King.  Many medium- or large-sized towns have them, and it's worth a look.
• Check out farming co-ops, where you pay weekly to help support a farm, and receive a weekly box of produce in return.
• Check out your local mom-and-pop shops. They often have local produce sources and are inexpensive as a result.
• Visit farmer's markets/u-pick/farm stands during harvest season... 
• Help a friend in her garden. Or start your own, or if you don't have space, look into getting a few square feet in a community plot.

All right!  I'm off to work, but tomorrow I'll be back with the last edition of the epic Italian Honeymoon Recap!  Have a beautiful day - and take care of you!