So it’s official; it’s the last day of March, which means that the “No ‘Poo/Go Natural” challenge is officially over.  So what now?  Will I continue to blog about hair?  Well, no.  I’m a little hair-ed out for now; so though I will continue with my baking soda/apple cider vinegar in the shower, I will no longer be blogging about it (save an interesting update or two if I think there’s anything worth sharing).

Is the blog over then?  Well, though I began this blog to chronicle the events of my 30 day no shampoo challenge, I’ve decided that the blog should live on past the ‘poo.   So… you’re not blogging about hair anymore… what the heck is this going to be about then?  Well, if you haven’t taken a look at the “About the Blog” tab on here, I’ll tell you.  Because the no ‘poo challenge went so well, I’ve decided that I will be challenging myself to try something new every month, then blog about it.  This month, I’ve decided to do a digital food diary (as this appears to be quite popular in the blog world… who knew?)  No, I will not be going on a diet (in fact, given that Easter and my birthday happen to fall within this month, it will probably be quite the opposite); nor will I be measuring my portions or counting calories.  I will simply be photographing and posting what I eat everyday (hopefully).  Unfortunately, I think that this even includes the almost-certain late night Easter candy raids I tend to go on around this time of the year…

Ok, so a little background.  I have very strong views when it comes to food.  I come from an Italian family who sat down for dinner together every night; and I’ve pretty much never had a family gathering which didn’t revolve around food.  My mom cooked dinner for our family every night — a tradition which I have adopted since moving out on my own, along with my mom’s philosophy that you should know what’s in what you’re eating (yes, even that “no calorie” salad dressing…).

I believe in REAL food, not highly processed, meal-in-a-can type things or pretty much “diet” anything.  I try to eat healthy, but don’t deny myself things that I love (yes, I have chocolate almost every night).  I believe in moderation.  Most of all, I believe in keeping your kitchen a “crap-free” zone.  I know that if I buy junk food, I will end up eating it (ahem, yes, those Girl Scout cookies my mom bought me?  Gone in a matter of days thanks to yours truly).  Thus, I try to keep only healthy, unprocessed foods in my kitchen (for the most part).  In fact, here’s a look into my fridge, post-Sunday grocery shopping:

In case you’re wondering what everything is, there’s leftovers on the top shelf (Coconut Curry Red Lentil Soup, Turmeric Roasted Cauliflower, and brown jasmine rice — all made by moi), TJ’s organic: hummus, cottage cheese, half & half, tofu, free range eggs (hard boiled).

Below there’s: TJ’s Organic: non-fat milk, oranges, lemons, more free-range eggs (raw).  Vanilla soy milk, 100% cranberry juice, leftover coffee (yes, I save it), water bottles, beer (by the way, keeping beer stocked in your fridge keeps your fridge running more efficiently.  As though you needed that excuse…), and hiding in the back is some ancient spiced apple cider from when KC was sick.  There’s also a veggie drawer and a cheese drawer, but we can get into that later.

This is a pretty typical reflection of what I have in the fridge at any given time.  Clearly, I’m not a calorie-counting health nut (yes, that Organic Half & Half is always on my shopping list because I use it in my coffee daily), but there’s not a whole lot of processed food in my fridge — no soda, no sugared-up juices, not much that’s even pre-made really.

Alright, here’s my first official entry: dinner was (surprise) leftover Coconut Curry Red Lentil Soup and brown jasmine rice, with (my staple drink) cranberry water; which usually consists of soda water + a splash of 100% cranberry, but my Soda Club is out of gas so I’m out of my beloved fizzy water for a bit. Thus, my cranberry water was just that: cranberry + water. Much more boring.

This will probably be followed up by some dark chocolate (my favorite) and maybe some tea since it’s so darn cold out!  Ok, more on food tomorrow.  Night!