Wonder Salad and Coffee Pangs

Learning to Love Naked Salads!

As I've said before, this detox is forcing me to think up healthier meal alternatives. My favorite salad dressing has always been Ranch. It took a lot for me to give it up, but it's been a while since I used it. Still, I have a hard time thinking of a salad without salad dressing. It just seems wrong. It looks.....naked! *gasp! 

 But I have been learning to enjoy salad, even without dressing! Some ways I deal with no dressing are to add beans and/or meat that have a lot of flavor, throw in some nuts, avocado, and onions! For today's lunch I had an amazing Spinach salad that tasted AWESOME!

 

I ripped up a few cups of spinach and chopped in some green peppers. I heated some leftover white meat chicken and some kidney beans in a little olive oil, thyme, garlic powder, and sea salt and tossed it all together with the veggies. 

It turned out soooooo good! I was really impressed. I was going to add some walnuts, but it didn't need them.  I wish I could say I was that disciplined for the whole day, but...

 

Didn't make it...

...but I drank it! One of the things we're not supposed to drink on this detox is coffee. I LOVE coffee. I've been drinking it since I was 14, and I love it. I knew it would be hard going a month without having it, and it sure is. Tonight I was feeling tired and stressed out. Normally, I'd curl up on the couch with a cup of coffee and relax. 

I ended up going for a drive after supper while hubby watched the kids. Where did I go? McDonalds. I didn't want fries, burgers, or any food. All I could think about was coffee! I got a medium and drank about 1/3 of it before guilt kicked in and I dumped the rest out. 

I've known for a while that I was an emotional eater. I'm always tempted to turn to food/drinks when I get overtired or overwhelmed. One of the good things I wish to accomplish through this detox period is to turn my frustration in a more positive direction. Get up early enough to read my Bible every day, spend more time in prayer as I seek the Lord's help to overcome food addictions, read some books I've been wanting to read for a while, and possibly even write a few things. 

What food cravings do you struggle with? How do you overcome emotional eating?