Preparing for Our 7-Day Real Food Challenge with LINKY

Did you hear about the 7-Day Real Food Challenge that I'm hosting here at Mary's Kitchen?  Read Details and Recipes for the "scoop" and to get signed up!

<a href="http://maryshealthymeals.blogspot.com/"><img border="0" src="http://i1287.photobucket.com/albums/a627/greenmary_smith/FOODSfor7days_zps6d9cb1d6.jpg"/></a>
 
At the moment we are 7 bloggers participating in this challenge...more are welcome!
Joyce @ It's Your Life
Lydia @ Lydia's Flexitarian Kitchen
Maureen @ It's All Connected
Jules @ My Mom's a Whack Job
April @ WhyTheSimpleLife
Melinda @ Auntie Em's Guide 
and me...Mary @ Mary's Kitchen and Back to the Basics 

I've said it before and I'll say it again...Preparation is KEY to success in any challenge or project.

So what am I doing to get prepared for this challenge?
-Clearing out the fridge: my fridge needs a good cleaning anyway.  This will give me a chance to see what I need to get from the farmer's market and what needs to get chucked out or thrown in the compost bin.  

-Farmer's Market:  Our local market is open Saturday and Sunday.  I chose to start on Sunday because it gives us Saturday to get ready. 

-Make a list:  I provided a brief list of recommended foods to consume during this challenge.  I also compiled a list of recipes to get started.  Next I'll make a shopping list to take with me to the market and BJs (Costco).

-Buy in Bulk: Our local BJs and Costco offers a great selection of Organic and Non-GMO grocery items such as dry beans and quinoa, milk and yogurt.  *We don't drink milk but I'm going to try to make homemade yogurt*

-Food Prep: carrots and celery can be chopped ahead for convenience snacks.  Fruits for smoothies can be chopped ahead and frozen.  I'm going to try to limit the amount of bread we consume but I know my husband likes his homemade bread so I'll make a batch on Saturday.  
 

Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Garlic...YUM!

-BEANS!  Beans in a pressure cooker take no time at all.  In the slow cooker I first soak them for 12 hours then cook on low for 8+ hours.

-SPROUTS!  I'll need to start my sprouts about 3 days ahead so they're ready when I need them.  LOVE homegrown sprouts!

I encourage everyone who is participating in this challenge to keep a journal or blog about it.  I say journal because some personal stuff you might not want to share on the blog but would be helpful to document.  If you decided to continue this challenge past the 7 days we'd love to hear from you!

This is a Real Food Challenge!  Join Us!
The linky below is ONLY for "Real Food" recipes and related posts.  
Sorry to be the linky police but any "junk food" recipes will be deleted.