As much fun as it is having a nice cushy belly for the kids to lay their heads on…. I’m over having extra baby weight.  So is Scott.  We did well this fall – both of us lost weight and ate right.  We were feeling better.  Then we went home.  Now I’m not gonna lay our inability to stay away from sweets on anyone else but a certain someone…. who excels at making sweet treats…. was our Achilles heel.  (Thankfully, when she gets to the RV in Feb, we don’t have an oven so her only options are no bake cookies and fudge which I can regulate somewhat because I do the groceries.)

This isn’t a new years resolution because it’s an ongoing effort that Scott and I focus on every few months.  I think of it more like an albatross we can’t get off our necks.  But that’s ok… we’re working on it.  We’re eating healthy and we have a renewed focus on doing better.

How?

As head chef, I’ve got several plans of attack.  First and foremost, I bought an InstaPot.  Everyone on the RV forums talks about it being The One Item You Must Have in an RV.   I did a whole bunch of research, picked the one I wanted and… then…. Black Friday rolled around, a better one went on sale so I went for it.  Here’s what we got (surprise – this is an affiliate link – if you click on the link, we’ll get a small percentage of anything you buy on Amazon for the next 24 hours):

Instant Pot IP-DUO60 7-in-1 Multi-Functional Pressure Cooker, 6Qt/1000W

So far I’ve used it twice.  I love it already.  I cooked the most yummy small potatoes in 15 minutes (along with sautéed garlic that spread like butter).  Last night we got in late and I really didn’t want to make dinner.  But I had already planned to make chicken with lentils and string beans so I stuck with it.  The lentils were done in 10 minutes and the still-frozen chicken in 11.  Tonight I’ll probably give it a rest because it’s burger night (a mea culpa after lentils for poor Scott).  At some point I want to make my own yogurt too.

As Head Grocery Getter, I’m also spending roughly 50% of my time in the veggie/fruit area, 25% of my time in the meats and 25% in other.  Having the right food on hand makes good choices easier.  I was once told we could have at least 7 different kinds of afresh fruits and veggies available in the home at all times.  I’m usually about there – give or take.

I’m using the old world “trick” of drinking a glass of water with fresh lemon squeezed into every morning.  Apparently this helps the body become slightly alkaline which is better able to counteract the acid we put into ourselves every day in the form of sugar and other bad things.  It might be an old wives tale…. or may be not.  It’s the easiest thing to do so I’m trying it.

I’m pre-planning nightly dinners.  We’re doing meat, veggie, salad and something like rice/quinoa/whole wheat pasta.

The alcohol is gone for the foreseeable future (unless it’s a bad day – then I won’t hesitate to track down a glass of wine).

We’re drinking lots of a water (I bought 2 cases of Perrier this week!  Judge away… I love my sparkling water….  It’s my treat).

Who would have thought that the girl who ate Raman her entire senior year at university would now be the proud owner/user of a pressure cooker, a slow cooker AND a bread maker.  Furthermore, it would be been impossible to guess that all 3 of those kitchen tools could be found in the RV given the limited space.  And don’t even get me started on all the veggie eating…. I think it’s fair to say I have earned the “Most Improved” gold star in the category of Family Cooking.

We’re also implementing the suggestions in The Miracle Morning: The Not-So-Obvious Secret Guaranteed to Transform Your Life by Hal Elrod.  Scott found this book awhile ago.  He liked it so much he bought it in paperback form (I prefer to read books…. not screens… and, honestly, I used to be a little snooty about it until I fell in love with my Kindle).  Since he went to all that trouble, I read it.

I’m not a morning person…. I am much happier cleaning the house at 1 am than 6 am.  But I’m a reasonable person and if it delivers the promised benefits… I’m on board.  Plus, Evie will be 4 in Feb.  It’s time to start preparing ourselves for homeschooling…. which means getting up and into our day in the mornings.

I recommend the book if you’re looking to improve the effectiveness of your day.  If you’re not a morning person and you try it, hit me up. We can commiserate together.  This morning wasn’t so bad…. I got up at 6:45.  On purpose.  With no other reason to get up than it was time to get going.  Weird.

Scott is getting up at 5:30 to get a work out in before the kids (and I) are up.  He’s really loving it.

So… any luck wishing is appreciated.  Ask us how it’s going when you talk to us – hold us accountable.  It is my goal that my belly doesn’t hang out of my pants by July.  Some of my colleagues have colorful names for things like that and my vanity just doesn’t want to deal.  Ditto for Scott.  He doesn’t want to be the Fat Former Commando (which isn’t even really a valid concern… he’s not even close to fat but he has a weird self perception thing).  More important than all that is teaching the kids excellent eating habits.  A girlfriend of mine told me her 4-year-old asked for a snack of milk and spinach the other day….. WTH?! Time to get your butt in gear, Warren.