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How to survive a home reno? Err- maybe that should be how not to survive a home reno. Because to tell you the truth- I’m s-t-r-u-g-g-l-i-n-g. Struggling! Mr. A and I just bought our first home at the end of January. And like many first homes- it is a long way from our “dream house”, but I love it so much. I love it even with its old windows, popcorn ceilings, florescent tube lighting, and carpet in the kitchen. Yes, I said carpet in the kitchen. Don’t believe me? Here it is—-

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Our cute new-to-us house has turned us into DIY-ers. We are “that couple” at Home Depot. You know the ones. The ones that are greeted by name in the store, that ask a ton of questions, and feel like we can master any task. Yep, that’s us. And guess what the number one project has been? The kitchen. We now have a popcorn and carpet free kitchen! Whoop-whoop!

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Mr. A checking out the non-carpeted floors

With every reno, you take the good with the bad. So we don’t have a cushioned floor or popcorn stuck to the ceiling anymore (YAY!), but we are also missing some key appliances and counter tops. And it will be this way for another few weeks. So I have used this as an excuse for the last three weeks to not care about what goes into my body.

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We have been frequenting drive thru’s often and know the local pizza delivery person’s name. I was using all the typical excuses- I don’t have time, there is too much going on to eat well, I don’t have counter tops in my kitchen…. My turning point came late last week. I felt terrible. My stomach hurt. I felt listless and run down. I was irritable (can anyone say mood swings?). I would crash about an hour after we ate dinner every night.

So how do I get out of this foil wrapped, brown bag filled, cardboard box carrying coma I find myself in? It takes some planning and forethought- but it has worked for the last few days! Here are my ideas-

  1. Choose wisely at your “fast food” places. Did you know that Carl’s Jr has a low carb menu? They have fantastic lettuce wrapped burgers and chicken sandwiches! I found out we have a Jimmy Johns down the road- an unwich from there has my name written all over it. Plus, they deliver! Other fast food restaurants have started carrying salads on their menus like Braums and Wendy’s. They are good options in a pinch.
  2. Look at the hot bar at your grocery store. Rotisserie chicken and a bag of pre-washed and chopped salad is great for a tasty meal (some assembly required). Whole Foods has a great hot bar with chili, grilled meats, and veggies all day long.
  3. Slow cooker options. Some slow cooker recipes are perfect for this situation! This morning I grabbed a bag of frozen chicken breast and a jar of chunky salsa- dump them both in the crock pot on high for 4 hours and you will have some great chicken to munch on. photo (2)
  4. Keep ready to eat foods on hand. Deli meat and cheese is an easy go to if you are in a time crunch or have no cooking appliances. My favorite this week has been tuna salad (without the boiled egg) and the high protein pretzels from the WW store.
  5. Water, water, water. It was really easy for me to let my water intake slip. I got in a bad habit of drinking coffee all day to combat the fatigue from eating poorly. Once I pumped my water back to normal, my hunger and cravings were more under control.

Everyone slips up sometimes- but it is important to figure out what your reason (excuse) is for letting good, healthy habits fall by the wayside. Mine was time and my kitchen. But hopefully I have found enough ways to work around that. What is your excuse and what are you trying to do to change it?

Look for more “non-cooking” recipes coming from me in the near future! ~Lauren

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