My Caffeine-Free Journey

A few posts ago, I mentioned that I had gone caffeine-free.  I started this in August of 2017.  I was never a huge caffeine drinker in the first place, so that made this a lot easier.  I was one of those people who enjoyed a cup of coffee or tea in the morning (which, technically, I think it was more than a cup) and a Diet Coke in the afternoon.  I also liked to order pop (Chicago girl here) whenever we were out at a restaurant.

I decided to stop drinking caffeine "cold-turkey."  I was fine the first day or so and then I would start to crave it.  I replaced my morning drink with caffeine-free tea.  I already had my Keurig, so I was going to continue to use it.  I had not found the K-Cup I wanted yet, so I was just brewing hot water and putting the tea bag it.  It worked just fine.

Then I found these!  If you are into hot apple cider, you have to try these!  I know this is technically not tea, it made me feel all warm inside.  My biggest issue with this transition has been the craving of the Diet Coke in the afternoon.  I need, or thought I needed that afternoon pick me up.  Some people drink coffee all day.  I could live off of Diet Coke.  But, I decided I was going to change and I stuck with it.  Rarely, I will have a caffeine-Free Diet Coke, but again, that is very rare!

It is kind of funny, because as I write this post, I have a headache.  I don't think it is related to not having caffeine, but it seems a little ironic.

People ask me why I started this journey when the school year started, but without getting into too much detail, it seemed like a good time as any.  If I was busy working, I wouldn't be thinking about it.  That actually made it a lot easier.

How much caffeine do you drink each day?  Do you have a favorite K-Cup?

Winter Break

So as most teachers this time of year, I am on winter break.  This winter break has been very quiet around here.  Which, for me, is very unusual.  I thought I would be board, but it has given me time to get back to some things I enjoy outside of education.

While I know most people who read teacher blogs, are, well, other teachers, I have decided to blog about my life outside of education as well.  And since it is winter break, and I am not currently teaching, I figure now is a good time as any to start.

So here is what I have been up to.  Like many teachers, I LOVE pinterest!  But the time I have spent on pinterest has not been looking at education ideas.  I have been looking are recipes.  I don't know about you, but I have been getting board with eating the same old stuff.

A few months ago, I started getting better with my meal prepping.  I invested in some bento-type boxes from Amazon.  Here are the ones I use.  I like the three compartments, but chose something that you will use.

On Sundays, I laid out boxes for breakfast and lunch.  I am one of those people who you might refer to as a FOODIE.  So for me, this was a challenge.  In no way, is what I do going to work for everyone, but I am the type of person who counts calories.  I have been doing it consistently for about a year now.  The reason I started with counting calories is because I knew that I would not stick with it if I could not eat what I want.  For me, it is about a balance and potion control.

This is a sample of one of my bento boxes.  This was based off of a Starbucks Protein Box.  This was enough for me for lunch.  I also have a few ideas for breakfast as well.

The basic idea is to have some sort of protein and then add fruits and vegetables.  Fruits and veggies are typically low in calories, but filling.  I tend to use what is in season at the time, but you can use what you prefer.

You can also use dinner leftovers.

I made meatballs one night with mashed potatoes and broccoli.  Since I made everything from scratch, I was able to count the calories for the portions.  I use MyFitnessPal to help me do that, but I also look for recipes that include nutritional information.  While I know this is not an exact way to count calories, eating better starts with getting a general idea of what you are eating.

While I do not have pictures of all of my boxes, I have included a limited list of ideas I have tried.  Remember, you can eat what you like within limitations.

• Water Crackers, Laughing Cow Cheese Wedge, Blueberries, Apple
• Cheese, Crackers, Fruit
• Cottage Cheese, Cheerios, Yogurt
• Banana, Toast or English Muffin, Hard Boiled Egg
• Sandwich, Blueberries, Pretzels
• Chicken, Green Beans, Apple
• Cucumber, Hard Boiled Egg, Yogurt

The other thing that has helped me be successful in the past is the amount of water I drink.  I was not always good at drinking water.  I started slowly by tracking my water in take and now it just comes natural to me.  In fact, I prefer water over other drinks lately.  For my birthday, my hubby bought me a new water bottle that holds fruit.  Did someone say strawberry flavored water!?  That kicked my water in take up!  It tastes SO good. 

Once I got my water in take all set up, I started kicking out caffeine.  I know you are asking yourself how that worked and if I have been successful, but that is for another post.