So, I’m wrapping up the series I started at the beginning of April.

I covered the clutter-busting tips and my friend, Grace, helped me determine which appliances to keep. But, what about the big thing…the one thing I said I was going to STOP DOING and START DOING.

I said I was going to stop cooking and go raw, didn’t I? Well, I did it. Kinda. And it made my life a bit more simple. Here’s what I did:

1) I outsourced dinner. This isn’t a blog about ‘saving money’. If it were, then I definitely be a big failure in this area. But, this is one way I made my life more simple. While I managed to find healthy things for dinner most nights for myself, I ‘outsourced’ dinner for my husband to any restaurant of his choosing. Sometimes he ate sandwiches or leftovers at home. Sometimes he went the carry-out pizza route. The bottom line: I vowed to stop stressing over dinner. Mission accomplished.

2) I did go raw. About 75%, anyway. I consumed tons of veggies, salads, handy fruits and nuts. The lovely Grace gave us a nice little list of quick no-cook food choices, which I share at the end. If you want more of Grace’s help, then schedule a one-on-one with her. She’s a cutie.

Photocredit for Healthy Chickpea Salad

Photocredit for Warm Coconut Millet Porridge

3) Cooking was minimal. I once thought sweet potatoes were a PITA, but honestly, that’s because I had never cooked a sweet potato in my life. And if that wasn’t bad enough…Grace giggled when I asked “And just how does one cook brown rice?” (In the oven, silly!!) My food choices were made simple with her help: Hard boiled eggs, brown rice, baked sweet potatoes…and lots and lots of soup.

And how do I feel? Fan-Freaking-Tastic! Now, I can focus on a few tasks a ‘dinner’ time, like cuddling with the Little Guy, folding laundry beside him while he plays, and making his dinner while I make my own. (Yep, makin’ baby food. How domestic of me, right??)

I lost 4 pounds in April – a pound a week, which is healthy – and I never counted a single calorie. I drank wine, ate some ice cream (okkkay…..A LOT of ice cream. Whatever. Gosh!) and enjoyed my popcorn with real butter. I switched to whole milk which cut down on buying SKIM MILK for breakfast and HALF & HALF for my coffee. Beside, whole milk is really good for you despite what Weight Watchers tries to tell you.  The point is, when I stopped focusing on extensive meal planning and storing massive amounts of food for the apocalypse, it all seemed to work out better for me.

I’ll get back to the heart of simplicity and my journey next month. But this month was a fun experiment and I think it’s something I will continue as my path to simplicity.

Grace’s Simple NO COOK Meals:

Yogurt with nuts, dried cranberries, and honey.
Apples with Almond Butter
Tortilla with any nut butter and raisins
Salad topped with Garbanzo beans, nuts, & dried cranberries
A sandwich on Sprouted Bread
Any Grain* + Beans + Veggie combo

*Oven baked brown rice: 2 1/3 c. of water and 1 1/2 c. of brown rice, 1 TB EVOO, 1 tsp. salt. Bake in a 8X8 baking dish, foil covered for 1 1/4 hours at 375*.  Portion this out and freeze for later.

And those sweet potatoes? Bake them. Easy breezy!!!!!