“Woman shows every meal for 47 days!”
If you saw this headline, would you think “she is crazy!”?
Or you might wonder, “what kind of fad diet is she trying to sell?”
As many of you know, that is what we did as part of our 2023 Lenten Challenge. And we learned a few things!
After being frequently asked over and over again, “what exactly do you eat?”, we thought “well, rather than trying to tell people what we eat, maybe it would be even better to peel back the covers and show everyone!”
And it began…we shared a short video showing what we ate every day for 47 days, from Ash Wednesday through Easter. Every video was less than 5 minutes and included a combination of video and photos of every meal, every day…breakfast, lunch and dinner! And it was all done among the chaos and craziness of life!
If you didn’t see the videos, they are all available on our YouTube channel in a playlist called “What do we eat?” We would eventually like to consolidate these into a single video.
Just in case you are wondering…
How many calories did we eat?
We have no idea.
How much protein or carbs did we eat?
We have no idea.
How many servings of fruit and vegetables did we eat?
We are not exactly sure, but we know it was at least 470 over the 47 days (at least 10 servings / day).
Did we eat vegetarian some days?
YES!
Did we eat meat?
YES!
Did we eat seafood?
YES!
Did we eat pancakes or pizza or burgers?
YES!, YES! and YES!
Did we eat doughnuts or fast food or other highly processed foods?
NO!, NO! and NO!
Did we have an occasional glass of wine or beer with our meal?
YES!
Did we eat dessert?
YES!
Did we gain weight?
NO!
Did we lose weight?
NO!
Did we ever feel deprived?
ABSOLUTELY NOT!
We loved everyone’s comments and questions…here are just a few:
“Do you and your husband really eat all of that big bowl of salad?” Yes! Sometimes, we eat the whole thing in one meal! And, other times, the leftovers make a re-appearance as a mid-afternoon snack, or they become the start to our next salad for lunch or dinner. If you watched the videos, you also saw a few occasions where they became breakfast (sometimes with an egg on top). Scott still thinks we should write a cookbook called, “Salads So Good You Can Eat Them for Breakfast!”
“Do you eat snacks? Please show us!” In case you missed this one, we show you examples of snacks and sweet treats that are a typical part of our routine. We don’t eat snacks every day because our meals typically keep us feeling full, but we do have some “go-to” snacks and sweet treats.
“If you don’t know what to have for breakfast, just do what Krista does and take last night’s leftovers and put an egg on top!” This is a true story and a frequent theme in our house. These are some of our favorite breakfasts! Don’t knock it till you’ve tried it!
“Thank you so much for demonstrating the poached eggs! I just made them for breakfast. Could not have been easier!!! Perfectly poached.” There are so many things we used to THINK we couldn’t do in the kitchen…poached eggs being one of them. On our REAL food journey, we have learned that so many things that sound complicated or fancy can actually be very easy, and the results are SO worth it.
“Oh my, this Black Forest Oats … amazing!! ” This was really funny. In one of the videos, we showed that we were making a new Overnight Oats recipe (Black Forest Overnight Oats) because we had a really early start the next morning. We didn’t even think that someone would make them just based on watching the video. The next morning, before we could even pull them out of the fridge and try them, an Eat REAL America member had already eaten hers and posted this comment. We agreed, they were amazing and, based on member feedback, we even adjusted the final version to include coconut (which was a perfect addition)!
“What I have loved about Krista’s videos is the rhythm. Plenty of new things but breakfast lots of times is leftovers with an egg. Lunch (and dinner apparently!) include a salad. Which can be just about anything! This simple rhythm is helpful to me. I have reallllly enjoyed the videos.” We are so glad this “rhythm” came through in the videos, and this is a perfect way to describe it. When we first started our REAL food journey, our rhythm was a little clunky (or even nonexistent), but over time it evolved and is now just second nature. Of course, everyone’s rhythm is going to be a little different. If you aren’t feeling your rhythm yet, keep at it and it will come!
“If you know me at all, you know I’m not a chef by any stretch of the imagination – but this has helped me preparing REAL food (some foods I’ve never dared buy before – I mean, I cooked a leek tonight and it was delicious). You make it all seem so doable, and seeing some of the recipes referenced and prepared, made me go look them up and put them on my list! I especially liked seeing the behind-the-scenes “creation” of the website worthy burger bowls. Thanks for peek inside!” We love this! Part of what we are so passionate about is inspiring people to see how easy it can be, and to give them the confidence to make and try things they might not have otherwise. And if someone experiences how easy it is – and how good it tastes – this will provide momentum to try even more healthy and delicious meals!
So, what did we learn?
This is a hard question to answer. Mainly because we really didn’t do anything different – we were simply showing everyone our REAL life and what we eat. The main difference was remembering to turn the camera on to capture the pictures and videos. However, we did learn a few things over the 47 days, including:
- It really wasn’t that uncomfortable bringing people a little more into our day-to-day lives. I have to admit I was a little anxious about videos and photos that involved pjs, hair in a ponytail, and no makeup. But especially when we started receiving comments about how people were inspired to do something after watching a video, it became much easier and more comfortable. So, thank you for your comments!
- It is true…“Actions speak louder than words.” We now have over 350 coaching tips on Eat REAL America, which include A LOT of great content to help anyone who wants to improve their health and discover the joy that comes from REAL food. But there is just something different when people can see these concepts IN ACTION! We continue to search for new and different ways to help inspire and motivate people to pursue their own REAL food journey. This experience will help us develop some new and innovative ideas!
- We still continue to learn every day! The journey never ends, which is what makes it so fun and exciting! You may have seen us trying new meals based on a leftover ingredient we had in the fridge. For example, we had some leftover sauerkraut, which became the inspiration for the Roasted Chickpea & Asparagus Potato Salad. Something inspired us to transform some of our burger recipes into “burgers in a bowl.” We had to get creative with some meals based on ingredients we had on hand. And, we bought a couple things out of season (like the star fruit and dragon fruit)…these were less than stellar – we should know better and won’t make that mistake again. Well, we probably will, but hopefully less frequently!
Source of joy! This is not new, but these 47 days reinforced the abundant joy that we feel from watching others experience REAL food success. Seeing someone get excited about learning how to poach an egg, trying a new slow cooker recipe that the whole family enjoys, making their own salad dressing for the first time and loving it, sharing a recipe that they want to “heathify,” and making a big batch of overnight oats to enjoy during the upcoming week! We just LOVE seeing your results and the successes you are all experiencing on your REAL food journeys.
To say that we are extremely grateful for the feedback and encouragement is an understatement!
We are thrilled that these videos – even if in just some small way – helped explain and show our REAL food lifestyle – and how we do it!
As always, THANK YOU for joining us on the path to HEALTH and VITALITY!
Just got the 28 Day Cookbook last week (the Lickety Split too) and I feel hungry all the time. No good reason. Under quite a bit of stress. Good news angiogram showed no blockages that scans showed. Doc said it was breast tissue I think it was fat. I need to lose 50 lbs at least. Gonna keep this up though. I love apples and cala cala oranges. I think I can manage the fruit servings.
Thx for sharing all this great info.
Barbara, so happy for the “no blockages” good news! Congrats on the stick-to-it-ness to keep this up. Not sure what to say about “feeling hungry all the time”…a ginormous salad helps, fruit to ‘end” the meal…a second serving might be warranted sometimes of the awesome “real” food meal you made. Keep listening to depict “head hunger” from “stomach hunger” and listen as your body will tell you how much you need until you feel “no longer” hungry. 😉
Loved the video series! I found myself wondering how often you shop for fresh produce. How do you store all those salad greens?? I was inspired to buy even more veggies after watching your videos but my refrigerator is just bursting at the seams, haha. Ken says we need two refrigerators! It was eye-opening to see that you normally have three-part meals: roasted veggies, salad and entree. Do you normally eat the salad as a first course, then the veggies and entree?
Oh I can attest…they have a giant fridge and another one in the garage! loaded with produce! ALL the time! and it doesn’t go to waste. OBVIOUSLY. They eat it. everybit of it! I loved these videos sooooo much! It really does show a glimpse into their “spa” life. Most people go to a spa to eat like this for a week. They do it. EVERYDAY as their lifestyle. Krista, you have no idea how important and just plain GREAT these videos are!
Thank you Zonya! It makes us want to have you back here to experience it with us!
Bev – Thank you so much and we are so glad you asked! Now that the farmers market has started, we typically do most of our produce and greens shopping there which is on Saturday mornings. Other than that, we typically go to the store a couple of times a week to load up on veggies and other ingredients. Yes, we do have an extra fridge so it helps lighten the load a little but as you can see, we plow through the veggies pretty quick! We don’t really eat as “courses”, we aren’t really that fancy! We plate up our salad at the same time as everything else and then I normally eat the salad first, but not always! We should just get together for a meal and show you! 🙂
That would be great! I make up a menu for the week and we shop for everything on my list in one big trip. For the first few days, our fridge is absolutely stuffed, then slowly things get used up. Our farmers market here is very small so it doesn’t contribute much to our veggie supply–but more variety becomes available late summer/early fall.
Anyone with a recent diagnosis like diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, overweight, kidney disease, etc. will SO value from watching these videos. You just go…”wow” and “really?”
If you lived at their house for a month, and ate this way, I KNOW your weight would absolutely be down and you’d say you ate the most delicious food of your life! AND your doctor would likely be recommending your medications are lessened or no longer needed.
EVERYTHING is on this site. It’s incredible what’s amassed here. Baby steps or “all in” GO FOR IT! REAL FOOD is the answer every one! and it’s SO. DARN. DELICIOUS!!! Thank you Krista and Scott for “raising the veil” on your delicious lifestyle done right!
Krista, you said you were a little anxious about videos and photos that involved pjs, ponytails, no makeup and (sometimes barefoot) but listen, you were just keeping it “real” because who of us hasn’t done the same and I really loved that about you.
I also loved the videos and how creative you were with your meals. That inspired me to try different and wonderful recipes from the website after viewing your videos and how delicious each meal looked.
I really appreciated and enjoyed watching you as you presented “what do we eat” and your husband did a fantastic job filming.
Thanks again for doing this.
Linda – your kind words mean the world to us, thank you! I am so happy that it helped and you enjoyed our “keeping it REAL” life! It’s funny, we have to resist to urge to take pics of our meals some days now! Thank you again for all of your support and encouragement – I really appreciate you!
I totally enjoyed the videos! Lonnie and I decided we could not eat that much salad though. We like to get our veggies in a variety of other ways. You have me thinking about leftovers for breakfast 🙂