Why am I taking the Real Food Experience Challenge again, years later, and inviting you to come along?  Well, that’s quite a story, and to put it simply, it all has to do with our favorite subject around here, which is obviously real life.   

Life is hard.  It just is.  While I was raising my 4 active kids and working full-time in an office where I was in charge of almost everything, there wasn’t much time at the end of the day to shop and plan for healthy meals. Throw in a pandemic and family illness, and it is quite easy to lose the motivation for real food that was once so important to me and my family.  For years and years, I juggled it all, but at some point, I let go of how important it is to eat healthy foods regularly.  

How far did I slip?  I’m not sure that I want to admit to all of this, but since you are my besties, here goes.  I still don’t eat at McDonald’s. It’s been so long that I don’t even know what they serve there anymore. Ummm………except for Shamrock Shakes. I know about them. Starbucks is still a treat, but I have needed more treats to cope with life. I still try to include vegetables with every meal, but it is often an afterthought and a small portion. Meatless meals, which used to be at least once a week, usually only happen by accident. Highly processed foods have come into my house to a greater extent than the ingredients to prepare healthy meals. Sweets are definitely my Achilles heel. We are back to not planning enough of our meals and grabbing take-out consistently.         

Why start fresh now? If you have known me since my early “Juggling” days, you are not going to believe how my family has grown. My baby just graduated from high school, and my oldest son has made me a grandmother. I now have an amazing daughter-in-law and two spunky granddaughters. Time has passed, and I’m feeling older. Frankly, I liked how my body felt when I was eating real food. Processed foods make me feel sluggish, bloated, achy, and tired all of the time. I may be older, but I’m too young for that nonsense.   

I’m excited to get started again with an all-new Real Food Experience Challenge.  I really miss the real food community and can’t wait to get back to sharing ideas, recipes, and friendship. If you are interested in making long-term healthy change for your family, please follow along as I provide lots of tips, motivation, recipes, and helpful products that will truly help you to Juggle Real Food and Real Life. Take a look around this site and all of its resources.  There are recipes and tips to get you started and to keep you motivated each day.  It’s a juggling act for sure, but it is possible to eat real food even with a busy family. You just have to keep your eye on the prize.  Want to look at the original Real Food Experience Challenges? You can check them out here.  

Leave me a comment and let’s get the conversation going. I’m looking forward to talking with all of my old real food friends and making lots of new friends. Let’s do this!