Challenge Week: Food Prep

The very moment that it was suggested we issue each other challenges, Cale already had a challenge prepared for me: no eating pre-prepared or pre-packaged foods.  For those of you who don’t know me well, a typical lunch or supper for me consists of either a pizza Lunchable, Tim Horton’s chili, taquitos, or something I ordered from the Broadway Cafe.  Occasionally, I might buy a discount salad at Extra Foods (50% off, if you buy it the day before it expires), or we’ll decide to order Chinese food or subs for lunch at work.  As a result, I knew that this challenge would be, well, challenging for me, to say the very least.  But as I have been known to do (far more often than I should), I declared it CHALLENGE ACCEPTED.

After hammering out a few rules, it was decided that I could eat nothing that had already been prepared for me or that came ready-made.  Exceptions could be made for beverages, which I would be able to consume already prepared.  (Hello, Starbucks and alcohol!)

The easiest part of this challenge was breakfast.  I do occasionally skip breakfast, but even when I don’t, it’s rarely something I don’t make myself.  I’ll buy oatmeal on Saturdays (the only morning I work), but other than that breakfast is generally prepared by me, myself, and I.  Transitioning it to this challenge was simple.  I did face a few hurdles and roadblocks, and it may appear to most readers that this was a complete and utter failure, but I still count it as a personal success.  (“If anyone asks, I didn’t eat this oat fudge bar,” I said to my coworker as I shoved its deliciousness into my mouth.  Erm... not my finest moment.)  By and large, I enjoyed undertaking this challenge.  It did require me to be a lot less lazy than I normally am, but my body is probably thanking me for the extra effort.

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Day 1

(Not pictured: the aforementioned oat fudge bar and an iced green tea lemonade)

Day 2

(I know that soup was cheating, but it was a very busy day at work.)

Day 3

(Not pictured: an iced white mocha and sangria)

Day 4

This is where the extreme cheating begins.  And by "extreme cheating", I mean the Fringe.  I probably would have had much different results in this challenge had the Fringe not been taking place at the same time, but alas food trucks.

Delicious food truck burrito.  Delicious theatre popcorn.  Delicious food truck poutine (maple bacon to be precise.)  Working and living on Broadway combined with actual attendance at the Fringe led me into temptation.  A lot.

Day 5

Delicious food truck burger.

(Not pictured: delicious food truck fries)

Day 6

I'm not entirely sure why I ate so little this day.

Day 7

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As I stated before, this blog may look like a record of my failed attempt at a challenge.  And I suppose, in a way, it is.  But those of you who know me quite well know that this was actually a huge accomplishment for me.  I prepared more food for myself in a week than I normally would in a month (this is not an exaggeration).  Small victories.

Jazmin