clean eating – 90s California Runner Mom

I’m a few days late with this post, but better late than never! This month, I am taking part in Meatless March. This is my 3rd year in a row taking part in Meatless March. During Meatless March, I am giving up eating red meat (pork and beef), poultry (chicken and turkey), and seafood.

The first year was the hardest. I used to eat a lot of red meat and chicken, so I definitely missed it when I was unable to eat it. The second year was a little bit easier. I didn’t miss red meat as much, but I did miss eating chicken a lot. Not sure how this year will go, but I am more prepared and have learned from my past mistakes in taking part in Meatless March. One mistake I made in the first year was not eating enough iron. This led to me being anemic and having low energy most days.

The reason I am taking part in Meatless March is to get myself used to eating less and less meat and chicken. My goal is to one day become vegetarian, but I need to take it slowly. I know there are some people who are able to give up meat overnight, but I am not one of them. The easiest thing for me to give up will be pork, since I don’t like eating pork. The only time I eat pork is when I eat pizza with pepperoni. Chicken and turkey will be a bit more difficult to give up. In my family, my mom cooks dinner with meat most days, so for the month of March, I will have to make my own meals.

So far it’s been six days since I had any meat and I admit that it’s been harder than I thought it would be. Hopefully I can make it through March without eating any meat. I just need to start cooking more for myself and add more veggies, especially spinach and broccoli.

Over the weekend I went to Whole Foods in Pasadena for the first time. I always heard people making jokes about how expensive it is and how you spend your whole paycheck there and things like that. I was curious to see what it was really like.

My first impression of it was wow! Started off on the first floor and was overwhelmed by all the choices they had. I loved their bakery which had so many desserts for less than $5! They had cupcakes, mini cheesecakes, macarons, the list goes on and on! I wanted to try everything, but in the end I only got a salted caramel mini cheesecake which was really tasty.

I went upstairs and saw they had little sections where you could buy food. I didn’t get anything, but they had tacos, salads, fresh juices, and so many other choices. Next time I go, I will definitely try their tacos with jackfruit and pineapple.

I am trying to eat less meat and more vegan/vegetarian food, so I was very happy to see the selection of vegan food they had at Whole Foods. Everything I bought that day was at least vegetarian, if not vegan. They had non dairy cheeses, milk, cream cheese, etc. They also had many different types of mock meat.

It is definitely a bit pricey, but so worth it with all the healthy options they offer. I will definitely go back to this Whole Foods again, though it might be a while from now.
Here are a few things I bought. I also bought raspberries, a mini cheesecake, and veggie burgers (Beyond Meat brand), but I ate them before I took a picture of them lol