Changing the way I look at food

I was looking through my refrigerator and pantry yesterday and got a familiar pang. "There's nothing to eat. Let's go grab dinner." Immediately, I stopped myself. The shelves were packed! The freezer stocked! So what was my problem?

I need to change the way I look at food.

My friend, Kara over at And Here I Am, does an amazing job with this. She shared her holiday detox with everyone and I thought it was great. Just not for me. Not now.  After a few tweets involving lots of capital letters and DEVON!, I realized I need to do something. I'm not much of one for a cleanse, but I definitely need to step it up.

Step one last night was reorganizing the pantry. Grains at eye level, snacks down low/harder to spot. Beans together and easy to reach. Chips (my vice) on the top shelf where I have to wear 4" heels to reach. Out went the old Halloween Candy and I made a list of staples to add: more quinoa, steel cut oats, sweet potatoes, and a new variety of grab and go bars (love Luna and Kind bars!).

Next- the Fridge. Why wasn't I finding anything? Because we had processed foods and processed foods alone. Partly because we held a few gatherings over the holidays- so there were leftover frozen hors d'oeuvres and dips galore. Mostly because I was tired of cooking last grocery trip, so I stocked up on Trader Joe's Orange Chicken and Tyson chicken strips.

Again came the organizing and the lists. Sauces and dips together (tossing the ones that made my butt bigger looking at them), cleaning out the produce and deli drawers, tossing the last of the boxed margarita mix.... Off to the store to buy REAL food. Bananas, cherries, apples, brussel sprouts (love! and will share a recipe soon). More Greek yogurt. A treat or two, because a balanced diet means moderation. 

Today- I woke up excited for breakfast! (Chobani plain 0% with fresh cherries!) I packed myself a bag with snacks and a healthy lunch. I knew what I wanted! The only downside is that work didn't agree with me and I had to wait until nearly 3 to eat my meal (with interruptions), but I still felt good about my choices.

Last but not least, I started using Livestrong's Daily Plate application both online and on my iPhone. I used Daily Plate for several months as my food log, but stopped when my healthy habits fell apart. I'm back now. Daily Plate is easy to use, has a huge data base of generic and brand name foods, and also allows you to log your fitness goals.

How do you keep yourself on the right track? Do you detox and love it? To keep myself committed, I am looking forward to posting a few recipes in the future and also incorporate more wellness topics into my content. What do you want to hear about in the new year?