I threw out the cheese but kept the Greek yogurt

If I was a more humble person I would tell my Hubby he was right but who wants to encourage their spouse to comment more on their food choices LOL. As part of the Engine 2 Diet Challenge eliminate dairy week I read carefully the label on the pepper jack cheese that I really, really like (after I had it on a sandwich!). Hubby was right. Way to high a level of fat overall and of saturated fat specifically. The half package that was left went into the trash.

I have two cartons of Trader Joe's Greek yogurt in the frig too and they aren't too bad on the measures I am targeting - saturated fat and sugar. No fat but some sugar. I eat half a carton at a time with fruit as a snack or part of breakfast so I am going to finish them and then decide if I am buying any more. I already switched to soy milk as my cartons of milk kept spoiling before I finished them. We have used a non-dairy butter substitute for years so I'm done with this week's challenge.

Next week's challenge is to eliminate all meat, poultry, fish and eggs. Not going to happen in this house, but I will increase the number of days we have vegan dinners and make other meals more "plant strong". This part of the challenge will have to wait a week as we will be on vacation in N CA starting Thursday and so I will be focusing on how to eat healthfully when staying at someone else's house and eating out a lot.

How are any changes you are trying to make in your diet going?

Engine 2 Diet/Plant Centric Eating

Oh, the internet and social media do drive our choices these days don't they. I saw a posting on Facebook about a friend attending the Engine 2 Diet Challenge kick off at her local Whole Foods store, looked up when it was happening at my nearby store and signed up. I went to the first of 4 sessions tonight which was on cutting out dairy products which is relevant because Hubby is somewhat lactose intolerant and uses light plain soy milk although he eats some cheese. It was interesting and we got to try different nut, oat, soy, etc. milks. I won a carton of almond milk. What I didn't do was by the Engine 2 Diet book for $25. They have a website with lots of recipes and Whole Foods has recipes on their website too. And of course vegan recipes abound.

I am interested though in seeing how we can change our diet to help reduce our marginally high "bad" cholesterol levels. Tonight's dinner was ratatouille (always makes me smile while thinking of the movie of the same name), sourdough French bread (thanks Trader Joe's) and salad. Oops, forgot the wine for me and beer for Hubby.

Next week focuses on how to eliminate meat/poultry/fish - which we will simply reduce. I like being able to try different products without buying them so I will keep going. It helps me decide what to try which will increase our repertoire of foods.

A recipe passed out tonight was for kale-almond bruschetta which I think I will try for the next book club meeting.

Are you making any changes this year in your cooking or eating habits to improve your health?