Holy moly.

I’ve spent the last week with out internet or phone service at our new (pretty rural) homestead. I. Was. DYING. I’ll be the first to admit that I love technology. I’m glad to be out in the country, but I still need my connection to the rest of the world. I’m so far behind on everything!

Yesterday we had internet installed, a land line (who has those anymore?!) and a cell-booster installed. PS – if you live in an area where your cell doesn’t pick up a great signal, call y0ur service reps up. Sprint sent us a free tower. FREE. Who’s got 5 bars of 3g? THIS LADY

The (only) thing I love about moving into a new space is that fresh feeling. It’s like getting a new purse or wallet; organizing and sorting everything into it’s perfect place. Anyone else love that? Buying a house is like buying a hundred purses. Must FILL and ORGANIZE ALL THINGS!

Starting with: the fridge. Adam and I seized this opportunity to start over in our eating habits. We set out to focus on fresh, filling, and minimally processed foods. We try to stick to a $100-a-week budget to feed all three of us. It can be tricky, but we pulled it off!

What a new and improved fridge should look like!

A few of the items we already had from family members, who were nice enough to supply us with some goodies during the big move. Example : that pink container is full of banana cake. With cream cheese frosting. *drooooooool* BUT! We left the store with a cart overflowing with fruits, veggies, and (non)dairy products. When I was unpacking, I was stunned that we had only picked up a few “middle isle” items. Veggie Chips, bread, and popcorn. No doritos? WIN!

Having your house full of healthy choices makes an enormous difference. At least for me. If there’s a bag of chips? I’m eating them. If there’s a bag of broccoli? I’m eating it. It didn’t take to long to realize that if I surround myself with junk, that’s what I’ll chose. No matter what healthy intentions I have. 

Maybe someday we can have a little junk here and there and it won’t tempt me. For now I’m committed to keeping our household food 90% clean. This week I’ve dropped two pounds, and I know it’s because of the food choices I’ve been making! (And bootcamp, but that’s another story for another day.)

With all this fresh produce in my fridge, I’m loving the “snack” type lunches, lately. My pal Tara has been making similar lunches recently, and it totally inspired me. I posted this on Instagram (@emilyuhl .. follow me!) and got some good responses!

 Flat out wrap with turkey and veggie cream chz | red peppers | cucumber | grapes | broccoli | hummus |

232 cals of awesome

I’m going to hold on to this fresh feeling for as long as I can. Evey day (every moment, really) is an opportunity to start over, wipe the slate clean, make a better decision. I won’t always make the right ones, but that doesn’t mean giving up. You pick yourself up and move on.

Here’s to a happy and healthy weekend!

– Emily

Be strong. Be fearless. Be you.