Feeling Motivated {And this week's meal plan}

Yes, you read the title of this post correctly: I'm feeling motivated! This past week (okay, okay, week and a half), Stephen and I have indulged way.too.much. We went out to eat with friends and family, then went to my parents' home this past weekend for a friend's baby shower. Going home always involves eating my old favorites that I can only get there... it's a habit that's going to be difficult to break.

All of that said, it's inevitable that we've both gained more weight than we care to admit (though we did admit it to each other, and we both recognize that it's likely a lot of water weight from eating crap), and it's time to get back to that exercising that we haven't done much at all in the past few weeks.

We've decided not to stay completely Paleo. While it wasn't nearly as difficult as we feared, it isn't something we want to strictly continue for the foreseeable future. We will definitely follow many of the principles and we will certainly watch ingredient lists (one of the best things learning about eating Paleo taught me), but we are going to add back in whole grains and high-quality dairy--in moderation of course.

Another important thing our Paleo adventure did for us (or at least for me, since I'm the only person who lives in my apartment and I have complete control over pantry and fridge) is that it cleaned all of the processed, sugary, boxed crap out of my apartment. I don't have the opportunity to slip up and eat junk at home because I simply don't have it. I intend to keep things that way.

We'll have a food haul coming soon (we are grocery shopping in spurts since we weren't home this weekend), but for now, here's my game plan:

Breakfasts:
Raisin Bran (Sue me. I just can't help it!)
Smoothies (with some combination of frozen fruit, almond milk, almond butter, chia seeds, flaxseed... you get the picture)

Lunches:
Quinoa with chicken, broccoli, and mushrooms
Chicken soup (with homemade broth, carrots, leeks, and celery)
Leftovers (obviously! ha!)

Dinners:
Monday: Quinoa with chicken, broccoli, and mushrooms (Stephen is having "boys' night")
Tuesday: Paleo Pepper Nachos
Wednesday: Leftovers
Thursday: Grilled pork chops, roasted sweet potatoes, Brussels sprouts (for me), broccoli (for Stephen)
Friday: Greek meatballs, pita, tzatziki, salad
Saturday: Friends' wedding

Stephen will join in on (most) dinners, of course. I'm not sure what his breakfasts (yeah right, he sleeps until lunchtime!) and lunches will be.