Skip to main content
October 3 - October 24, 2018
Holly DeGrow's avatar

Holly DeGrow

Sustainable Saints

POINTS TOTAL

  • 0 TODAY
  • 0 THIS WEEK
  • 371 TOTAL

participant impact

  • UP TO
    110
    meatless or vegan meals
    consumed
  • UP TO
    165
    minutes
    not spent in front of a screen
  • UP TO
    11
    more servings
    of fruits and vegetables
  • UP TO
    12
    whole food meals
    consumed

Holly's actions

Food

Weekly Meal Planning

I will reduce food waste and save money by planning a weekly menu, only buying the ingredients I need.

COMPLETED 12
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Whole Foods Diet

I will enjoy 1 meal(s) each day free of processed foods.

COMPLETED 12
DAILY ACTIONS

Simplicity

Limit Social Media

I will limit my social media use to once each day reducing my daily use by 15 minute(s)

COMPLETED 11
DAILY ACTIONS

Health

More Fruits and Veggies

I will eat a heart healthy diet by adding 1 cup(s) of fruits and vegetables each day to achieve at least 4 cups per day.

COMPLETED 11
DAILY ACTIONS

Health

Go get a check up

I will make an appointment for my annual physical.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Reduce Animal Products

I will enjoy 6 meatless meal(s) and/or 5 vegan meal(s) each day this week.

COMPLETED 10
DAILY ACTIONS

Participant Feed

Reflection, encouragement, and relationship building are all important aspects of getting a new habit to stick.
Share thoughts, encourage others, and reinforce positive new habits on the Feed.

To get started, share “your why.” Why did you join the challenge and choose the actions you did?


  • Holly DeGrow's avatar
    Holly DeGrow 10/24/2018 5:04 PM
    Hey, this challenge was fun! I had hoped to have more time but October is a tough month for me. Still, it was good to be mindful about food and media consumption... the busier we get, the less mindful we get about these specific things. 
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Health Go get a check up
    How do you practice self care?

    Holly DeGrow's avatar
    Holly DeGrow 10/24/2018 5:03 PM
    Well, I’m not too good at this, but it’s important for me to regularly go to the dentist, as that is my main health issue. I try to get better sleep, not stress so much about work, take time to hang out with friends, and do a little reading every night before bed. 
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Food Reduce Animal Products
    What do you think contributes to people in North America eating more meat than in other places, and what does this say about North American values and ways of living? How do we start shifting a meat-focused food culture?

    Holly DeGrow's avatar
    Holly DeGrow 10/22/2018 2:05 PM
    It's easy to think we "need" meat to make a meal, but choosing one meal a day, or one meal every few days, that will include meat, and making the other days meat-free is a good way to enjoy meat every so often without relying on it as a staple. 
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Food Weekly Meal Planning
    An average American throws out about 240 lbs of food per year. The average family of four spends $1,500 a year on food that they throw out. Does this surprise you? Where would you rather use this money?

    Holly DeGrow's avatar
    Holly DeGrow 10/22/2018 2:04 PM
    Meal planning is tough, especially when family members have very different tastes .As the parent of one carnivore and one vegetarian, I like meals with separate components, like tacos or baked potatoes with either veggie or meaty toppings. That way, everyone can build their own and I can just plan one meal per evening instead of two or three. 
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Food Whole Foods Diet
    Michael Pollan states that "it is better to pay the grocer (our edit: or the farmer!) than the doctor." What are your thoughts on this?

    Holly DeGrow's avatar
    Holly DeGrow 10/22/2018 2:02 PM
    Eating a whole foods diet definitely starts with meal planning. I like to make large quantities of "stock" items like brown rice and black beans, so I have them on hand and can easily use them to create the basis for other more complex meals like bowls, stir fries, and salads. 
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Simplicity Limit Social Media
    Social media is a great way to keep us connected with loved ones, makes us laugh, and helps us to learn new things. It can also take more time than we realize or intend to give. After doing this action for a few days now, how do you feel? What do you notice?

    Holly DeGrow's avatar
    Holly DeGrow 10/22/2018 2:01 PM
    To be honest, I don't really use social media that much, but as the parent of a 13 year old, I've had to create a few accounts in order to be able to help her understand how they work and safeguard her privacy. I can see how people get sucked in. Instagram in particular has the visual appeal that keeps us turning the pages. I'm trying to make more of a concerted effort to pick up the phone and call people I care about, not just learn about them via what they decide to post. 
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Health More Fruits and Veggies
    What do you think contributes to people in North America eating more meat than any other places, and what does this say about North American values and ways of living? How can we start shifting from a meat-focused food culture to a more plant-based one?

    Holly DeGrow's avatar
    Holly DeGrow 10/22/2018 2:00 PM
    we may eat meat because it is widely available - in fact, the government subsidizes corn production, making animal feed cheap. Proliferation of factory farms also brings down cost and raises availability. I think the gov't needs to shift what they subsidize, to start encouraging growing and purchasing plant products rather than animal products. Also, meat is an acquired taste - one that we have definitely acquired! Scaling back portion size is a good first step. 

  • Holly DeGrow's avatar
    Holly DeGrow 10/03/2018 12:08 PM
    I'm adding more beans and tofu to my diet to get to my goal of subbing in vegetarian/vegan meals

  • Holly DeGrow's avatar
    Holly DeGrow 9/11/2018 12:16 PM
    Thanks for the reminders to be less wasteful, more mindful, more healthy!