Goals For The Week

Welcome to the final week of September!  Fall is officially here (as of my birthday), and the weather is cooling off.  As the temperatures become more comfortable and bearable again, what sort of things do you have planned?  I have several goals outlined for this week.

• Log a minimum of 10 miles this week-- I already put in 2 yesterday
• Drink 180 oz of water daily this week until my water weight is gone
• Go to the gym 4 days this week
• Go to bed no latter than 10p EVERY. SINGLE. NIGHT.
• Work daily on editing my novel for at least an hour.

On the menu today:
Chai spiced rooibos custard
Red Robin monster burger (I got a free burger coupon, so Andy wanted to make sure I used it)
2043 cals, 24 carbs, 183 fat, 86 protein

UPDATE: Hit the gym this morning and my friend Melissa was kind enough to film my first sprints in my new V's.

Funny thing though, I think I broke the treadmill. I paused it after my sprint on 10 mph and it wouldn't start again! *Puffs with pride* (I so fast I broke a treadmill!)
Thanks again to Melissa for recording the footage.
FOOT-AGE! BWAHAHA!
Sorry. No pun intended there.

Dirty Dash Aftermath

As you saw on my Road to Glory post, The Dirty Dash race is great fun.  However, it did have its consequences.  It wasn't being caked in mud, picking out boogers that I wasn't sure were mud or dried blood, or brown pudding-like ear wax.  It was this:

And this (cuts on inside of leg & back heel):

  

And this (muddy wash, ew!)

But it's okay, cuz my birthday was Friday & I scored these:

And this (rad handmade tribal horse head pendant on horsehair necklace):

And this (yogurt maker!  Homemade creme bulgare = LIFE CHANGING!):

And I'm blessed with these guys:

Muscle Nog

I feel blessed to live in the great, industrious state of Utah.  It's always growing and changing (just look at the freeway constantly under contruction, hahaha).  Really, there's a reason we're called the Beehive State.  I have access to raw dairy, grass fed critter, and real honey straight from the hive.  Even better:  I live in a town full of Primal goodies!  Less than 2 miles from my house is Amano chocolate, Kara chocolate, and Crio Bru (what's really crazy is they're all within a block radius from eachother!). 
However, a new and even more exciting company has recently popped up, Muscle Nog.  If you read my Quick N Dirty Egg Nog recipe, you'll know how much I love egg nog.  Now  Muscle Nog has come along with a wonderful, creamy protein shake that is surely after the warm fuzzy cockles of my heart!  Charlie Mitchell very generously hooked me up with not one, not two, but FOUR samples of his exciting new protein powder-- two of each flavor.  He's even in the process of developing an actual egg nog flavor which I demand to get in on! ;)

The great thing about Muscle Nog is not just that it's produced locally, but that it's an egg based protein.  They don't spray dry it, or denature it in any way.  This is a highly bioavailable protein for your body.  The quicker your body can access protein after a workout, the quicker and easier you're going to bounce back.  Did you know that pasteurized egg whites you get at the store are not as bioavailable as Muscle Nog?  Pasteurized egg whites are low heat pasteurized to kill harmful bacteria, have to be refrigerated to prevent growth of harmful substances, and can cause gas.  Ew.
Muscle Nog takes the egg whites and processes them into crystals.  These crystals can be reconstituted in water or your favorite milk for a rich and creamy recovery treat.  Muscle Nog reaches into the biological bank and maintains equal value and quality as close to a freshly laid egg as you can get without all the messy, gooey, sticky cracking involved from the egg cartons.  Muscle Nog digests slowly so you get more anabolism out of it and less catabolism.  The slow digestion is especially beneficial to individuals, like myself, who have diabetes.  The slow release of nutrition results in a more even insulin response, and less of a spike and crash.  Trust me on this one, I tested my sugar like a madwoman for your benefit just so I could make that statement!

BUT HOW DOES IT TASTE?
Yeah, I knew you were going to ask that.

I stacked up Muscle Nog against my beloved zero carb Isopure creamy vanilla and low carb Isopure chocolate whey powders, aaaaaand...
It's great!  It was a thousand times better than Jay Robb's egg based protein powder, which I have also tried (IMHO, Jay Robb's egg based protein is, hands down, VILE!).
Isopure dissolves more readily when used in a shake, however whatever got stuck to the back of my spoon with Muscle Nog was good enough to chew, bite, and lick off.  The Muscle Nog was like drinking the delicious, gooey stuff that's left when your ice cream melts.  Unfortunately the ingredient list isn't quite primal, but for a protein drink the deliciousness is definitely off the richter scale! Nom, nom, nom<3

I am aware that there's a difference between egg based protein and whey based, but I honestly felt that Muscle Nog deserved to be compared to a high quality protein such as Isopure. So here ya go:

NUTRITION FACTS FOR NILLA NOG:
Serving size 2 scoops
110 cals, 2.5g fat, 2g carb, 20g protein

NUTRITION FACTS FOR ISOPURE ZERO CARB CREAMY VANILLA:
Serving size 2 scoops
210 cals, 1g fat, 0g carb, 50g protein

NUTRITION FACTS CHOCO NOG:
Serving size 2 scoops
110 cals, 2g fat, 4g carb, 20g protein

NUTRITION FACTS ISOPURE LOW CARB DUTCH CHOCOLATE:
Serving size 2 scoops
220 cals, 1g fat, 3g carb, 50g protein

But let's not be limited by shakes.  Oh, no, no, no.  I got FOUR samples, remember?  So I made myself some waffles & pancakes.  That's right, sucka.  You heard me.  Mmm-hmm... WAFFLES AND PANCAKES!


Isopure made a very dry waffle, but was easily remedied with ample sugar-free syrup and butter.  Muscle Nog made a wonderful, eggy waffle, cuz, gee, IT'S MADE FROM EGGS! 


Use your noggin, and go get nogged!

Disclaimer: Muscle Nog provided me with a free sample of this product for review, and I was under no obligation to review it if I so chose.  Nor was I under any obligation to write a positive review in return for the free product.

The Road to Glory

For the record, this is what hard earned glory looks like:

A few months ago, my Primary president announced she was going to be doing the Dirty Dash 5k.  Then she looked at me and said "And you're doing it with me."
I shrank down & went "Okay".  Cuz what good presidency member tells her president no? LOL

So we did it!  And we survived.  I completed the mud laden obstacle 5k course in the same shoes I ran my first 5k in.  They were ready for retirement, and I wanted to send them out in style.  They were worthy of a warrior's funeral, and deserved to go out fighting!  So I let them go in a blaze of earthen glory.

(Before)

(After)

I thought I was being smart doing the race without socks, but my shoes got full of packed mud and rocks.  So I did 3.12 miles in this:

This is not the end of the shoes though.  The great thing about it all, is that I donated them.  They will be cleaned up and given to some needy person somewhere!

Victory kiss!

Thanks for the fun, Lizzie!  I wouldn't have been brave enough to do it without you.

Lace Up Your Shoes

I love the song "Check Yes Juliet".  It's just a fun song.  Well, I am here to tell you, directly from the lyrics:

"Lace up your shoes, hey oh, hey oh-oh.  Here's how we do... Run, baby, run! Don't ever look back..."

I must be crazy because I am doing the Dirty Dash at Soldier Hollow this weekend, officially sending my first pair of running shoes into retirement with a blaze of earthen glory.  It doesn't stop there, though.  I've got my eye on 3 races in October, and possibly 1 in November.  I'm going to do the Love Your Body 10k on Oct 8th, thinking about a blacklight night run on the 15th, and Highway to Hale on the 29th.  Andy wants to do HTH with me, even though it's his birthday. 

So here's to cracking down and actually seriously training for the next month.  That means avoiding nightshades, too.  Why do they have to be so delicious?  Curse you bell peppers, tomatoes, and cucumbers!

I Gotta Feelin

I love the song I Gotta Feelin by Black Eyed Peas, and I'm having one of those days.

Got my once a week sprint session out of the way today. Sprints at 7, 8, and 9 mph on hamster wheel at gym, followed by weights. Enjoying chilly glass of raw milk & Nilla Nog (locally produced protein, yay for localvorism!). It's a good day.
Going to swing by Real Foods later for a few gallons of raw milk so I can finish my blog post on rendering raw cream.
Oh and Tropical Traditions sent some coconut cream concentrate for a fudge recipe I'm going to demo soon (along with a giveaway). Yeah, this day already totally Groks!

Oh, and Tara, if you're reading this, I'm totally coming after you this week in your sister's weight loss competition.  RAWR, BRING IT!

You Know Better Than I

What's the hardest thing to do in life?
Is it letting go of loved ones?
Is it giving birth to new life?
No.
It's submitting to the Lord's will. 

It completely SUCKS.  The hardest thing is giving up control of your life and being humble to the Lord's plans.  It's telling Him "Not my will, but Thine be done."

I recall a cold November night in 2008.  Grace was just 4 months old.  I stood in a meeting as the new Primary Secretary, trying to calm a fussy, screaming baby, and keep up with what was going on.  I felt completely lost and overwhelmed.  What was I doing here?  I couldn't even handle my own kid, let alone a room full of them.  I didn't belong in this calling!  Why was the Lord doing this to me?

Fast forward to early 2010.  The presidency was released, and I was kept on as secretary.  The new presidency looked to me to guide and direct them.  It was kind of funny seeing their deer-in-the-headlight stares.  "Ahhh!  What do I do?"  "No worries, sister.  I've got your back.  I'm here to make you look good."
(obviously I'd gotten a lot more confident over the past year).  The new presidency got the hang of things, and I started feeling like I fit in better with this new group than the previous one.  I belonged here!  There was no other calling I'd rather have.  I loved running around the church for 2 hours, passing out roles, and doing whatever errands were needed of me.  Staying busy suit my ADD nicely. 

September 8, 2011:
One of the counselors of the Bishopric stopped by to let me know I was being released.
Wait.  What? 
I knew we were going through another presidency change, but the new president told me she wasn't going to change much, and most likely only call someone to replace her position (she had been a counselor).  So you can imagine my shock when I was informed I was being released.  I would have a new calling in about two weeks.  "It better be in the Primary presidency," I laughed nervously.  My only console was that the person taking over secretary was in desperate need of the calling to uplift and enrich her family's lives, and that I would understand when I heard her name called.  I brought the matter to the new Primary president, and the only answer I got was her putting her arm around my shoulders and telling me "Trish, there are great plans in store for you."
That didn't help at all. 
I've been really upset over it, and I thought having it done and over with today at church would make my heartache subside.  I was wrong.  We sang Be Thou Humble in Sacrament and I just started bawling. 

Be thou humble in thy calling, and the Lord thy God shall teach thee
To serve his children gladly with a pure and gentle love.
Be thou humble in thy longing, and the Lord thy God shall take thee,
Shall take thee home at last to ever dwell with him above.

I feel like I've been dumped by a boyfriend.  I'm in mourning.  It makes no sense to me because I've always been really happy about being released from my previous callings.  This is the first release I've shed tears over. (And considering I sliced my hands open at a meeting last spring, I've officially shed blood, sweat, AND tears for my calling!)

So here I am.  I feel completely lost and overwhelmed.  What am I doing here?  I belong in the Primary presidency!  Why is the Lord doing this to me?

Because He knows better than I.  He sees the big picture for me.  I see only brushstrokes.

What I Accomplished Today

On the days Grace goes to school, I try to be productive. This morning I went back to the gym now that it's reopen after annual maintenance. I came home, posted a new recipe to my food blog:
Primal Junk Foodie Egg Nog
And got to work on editing my short story for submission now that I finally have my second set of edits back after an address mix up.
Maybe during Grace's nap I'll work on The Subtle Beauty, too. I don't know what will become of any of this writing stuff, but at least I'm feeling inspired and driven this week.
When I pick up Grace, I need to swing by an office down near Geneva Rd to pick up a couple samples of Muscle Nog. It's a locally produced protein powder and I'm way excited to try it! Stay tuned for a review in the next few days.

EDIT: Put Grace down for nap, and tried to work on The Subtle Beauty, but I feel like I need to print it out and put it in a binder so I can get a better idea of where it's at. Might be easier to piece it together that way.

The Primal Junk Foodie

I love writing. I love the worlds and excitement I can create. Consequently, blogging = writing, and I felt it was time that my Primal eats branch off from my diabetic blog into their own kingdom. So I'm introducing it here:
The Primal Junk Foodie

I love food as much as I love writing, so it made sense to share my excitement. I hope you'll check it out and read my transformation story there. I will continue to lead my day to day life on the Pregnant Diabetic, but the bulk of what I eat will be discussed in detail at The Primal Junk Foodie

Saturday Sanity

Today is a crazy day. I hope I can maintain my sanity.

I didn't sleep very well. My alarm clock is off (and somehow got another hour off during the night). I woke up at 6:30 and had a little "moment" (was supposed to pick up my Bountiful Basket at 6:30) then looked at my cell phone. My alarm clock was only an hour off when I went to bed, and my cell phone told me it was 4:30. Now my alarm clock is 2 hours off. Wha--?
I couldn't sleep though. Still nervous about missing pick up. So I got up at 5-ish and did my Facebook stuff. Left at 6:15 only to realize I forgot my receipt. Luckily I wasn't even at the end of the block from my house, so I turned around and dashed back inside.
Got to the location. It's dark out, and my eyesight is not so good. The location was supposed to be at Dream Dinners, so I go inside (deserted), and find someone in the back office. She directs me across the parking lot to the bank. I go outside and see the volunteers. I say "Good morning, frosty volunteers!" cuz it was cold out (esp if you're like me-- running around in flip flops, shorts, and a light t-shirt through October).
Yesterday I was freaking out about trying to find a basket for this thing. I get there with my box and a couple bags & they tell me "You bought organic. Your organics come with their own basket every week."
So that made me happy. The organic box was a good weight. It was shut up tight, but I opened it as soon as I got home.
So happy with my first basket!
ORGANIC everything-- bananas, papaya, peaches, grapes, limes, lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, mini watermelon, celery, and the biggest mango you ever saw (it's like the size of my head-- no joke!)
We can DEFINITELY get through this this week.
I'm seeing nice salad with dinner tomorrow, Andy going to town on juicy watermelon, Ma (who is flying in tonight) chowing down on peaches, Grace going bananas for her bananas, and that mango has a date with some cream! I've got some avocados in the fridge that would like to do the guacamole paso dobles with those limes, too.

Next on the agenda is the zoo. One of my friend's sons is turning 3, and having his party at the zoo. Grace has been very excited. She loves the zoo. Andy was going to go, but I told him I could take my best friend Jazz (and her son) instead. Andy nodded his sweet little lortab-drugged head. He says he'll organize the entertainment center, desk, do dishes, and vacuum for me in the 12 hours that I'm gone. I think he can handle 4 chores in 12 hours. Let's hope! 2 of the jobs are done sitting (big jobs, but not difficult), and the other standing. I'm feeling optimistic.

Shopping at Carters & picking up Ma from airport also on agenda today!

Debating whether or not to have breakfast. I really want to try mixing cottage cheese with chocolate protein powder and raspberries. Andy is on antibiotics, so I'm going to make him some Greek yogurt with chocolate protein & raspberries when he gets up.
Chocolate pancakes sound good too, but would be too easy to spread peanut butter all over!

No White After Labor Day

Tomorrow is going to be a busy day. At 6 AM, I'm going to go pick up my first bountiful basket. After that we are headed to Hogle Zoo for a birthday party, and hopefully hitting up Red Robin (yummmm!) for lunch. I also hope to be going to Carters to get Grace some fall clothes, cuz they're having a 50% off sale through Monday. And then, brace yourselves... THE WHITE GLOVE INSPECTOR IS COMING!
We are picking my mom up from the airport and going to dinner. See what I mean by a full say? I'm already exhausted just reading all that.
I am trying to straighten up today (and did some on Thursday too), but feeling a little overwhelmed (and lazy). Grace helped me pull out our hide-a-bed so I can get clean sheets on it.

Andy has been having some oral discomfort. He went to the dentist and they said he needs to have his wisdom teeth extracted, due to infection. He went to the oral surgeon, and they gave him 2 options. Option 1 would be a liquid diet for several days (not so fun since we plan on eating out a couple times over the next week), and Option 2 was antibiotics and painkillers. He took option 2. He'll go back in on Friday morning next week and have full surgery done.

Grace is jumping on the hide a bed.

Anyway, I guess that gives me more time to figure out some protein puddings for the man.
I made an awesome one today.

1/2c Fage Total Full Fat Greek Yogurt
1 scoop isopure zero carb creamy vanilla protein powder
nellie & joes key lime juice
liquid vanilla stevia
(255 cals, 4g carbs, 13g fat, 33g protein)

protein first into bowl, then Greek yogurt, combine super well. Add key lime & sweetener to taste. VOILA! Key lime pie protein pudding. SO GOOD! I'm going to try a chocolate raspberry one on Andy when he's ready for liquid diet. Heck, *I* might try it. (mmm... cream top cottage cheese with chocolate protein powder, raspberry chocolate stevia, and fresh raspberries. Tell me THAT doesn't sound good!)
I'm totally loving my isopure zero & low carb powders.

Oh, yeah, and in case you didn't realize, I re-introduced dairy today. Going to keep an eye on how it effects my weight loss. I hope it doesn't hinder it, cuz I have some awesome cream top cottage cheese and other goodies in the fridge.

Time for lunch (leftover paleo spaghetti & meat sauce)

GOALS FOR TODAY:

• organize entertainment center
• vacuum
• sweep
• mop kitchen & bathroom
• make Ma's bed
• scrub toilet
• scrub sink & mirrors
• make sure someone does the dishes
• try to organize computer desk
• Put clean sheets on Grace's bed

I remember an episode of Curious George where the Man in the Yellow Hat got upset cuz he came home to a BIG mess. George didn't see a big mess. He just saw lots of little messes that made it look like a big one.
I hope I can retain that kind of optimism today!
I hope Andy will feel well enough to help with some of it.

On a positive note, I achieved ALL of yesterday's goals. WOO!

Rabbit Rabbit!

When I was a kid, Nickelodeon had a daily theme thingy. The first day of every month they always said "RABBIT, RABBIT!" which was a way of saying good luck.
I adopted it myself.

RABBIT, RABBIT, EVERYONE! That's my way of saying good luck on all your worthy endeavors for the new month in September.

My Bacon 30 challenge has ended (phew!), and I have some good news. I am back in the 170s (a 10 lb drop), and have no desire to binge. Eat some yummy food, yes. Go straight for the jugular and down sugary snacks? No. The sugar-iest things I have in the house right now (aside from fruit), is mojomilk and crio beans.
I will be carefully reintroducing full fat dairy (there is grass fed heavy cream in my fridge and some cream top cottage cheese) and keeping a hawk eye on how it effects my weight loss progress.
Also I recently learned about how to get raw cream! So, of course, I want to try that out (buy raw milk, pour into sterile mason jar, allow cream to rise to top, scrape off).

I'm going to try to keep sugar out of the picture still, and only have it once in a while. My birthday is on the 23rd and I want to weigh less than I did last year!

Having waffles for breakfast (got some zero carb vanilla protein powder and eggs, and sugar free syrup), cheddar bacon burgers for lunch, and spaghetti squash with meatballs for dinner (we'll see about the meatballs, though, I might just do meat sauce).

Goals for today: Drop Grace off at preschool, get groceries, straighten up the house a little, do laundry, edit my short story.