The Pregnant Diabetic

Direction

2012-01-22T13:15:00.001-07:00

I know I've been quiet for, like, EVER. I've been a little lost in my life as far as diet and exercise go. My hA1c continued to hold strong in the 5 range (thank the powers that be!), but otherwise I was floundering. I feel a little friendless. I miss having a friend who randomly showed up at my door at 8 or 9 in the evening proclaiming "Kids are in bed, let's go!"
I thrived on that.
I wish I had more friends like that.

I'm still struggling to adjust to "civilian life" (ie: church life after being in primary presidency for 3 years), and randomly blurt out whatever I'm thinking at the moment in Relief Society. At least I make the sisters laugh, and often get little pats on the back "I enjoy your thoughts. Thanks for making it interesting." although I'm not sure if it's more of a "ohmigosh, what's wrong with her? bless her heart..." type thing or if they're genuine. It's not my fault my creative brain has panic attacks when asked "What's the first thing that will happen in the resurrection?"
I mean, naturally, it's going to scream "ZOMBIES!"

Anyway... I've been trying to make an effort, but it's still pretty painful to sit there.

I'm also tired of arguing about the Word of Widsom to my friends who tell me that my choice to lead a gluten-free lifestyle goes against the teachings of the Church.
I'll have you know that I recently got my temple recommend renewed. The stake president and I discussed my issue with the WoW. I told him why I avoid grains. I feel like I am better able to control my blood sugar when I lead a lifestyle rich in natural foods (including meat), and avoid grain. I told him I try to eat in a way that would be pleasing to the Lord, while meeting my own physical nutritional needs.
You know what?
He commended me on exercising my wisdom.

So shut up, okay?

Also today in Relief Society, the stake presidency came in and gave a presentation. The scripture D&C 29:35 came up
"Behold, I gave unto him that he should be an agent unto himself; and I gave unto him commandment, but no temporal commandment gave I unto him, for my commandments are spiritual; they are not natural nor temporal, neither carnal nor sensual"
This says to me (while thinking of the WoW) that we need to eat in a way that is not only pleasing to the Lord (ie: foods as close to their natural state/avoiding poisonous substances), but also sustaining and nourishing to our bodies.

I also went back to the WoW to remind myself what exactly it all entails. I came away with this:
D&C 89:
14: All grain is ordained for the use of man and of beasts, to be the staff of life, not only for man, but for the beasts of the field, and the fowls of heaven, and all wild animals that run or creap on the earth;
15: And these hath God made for the use of man ONLY IN TIMES OF FAMINE AND EXCESS OF HUNGER.

Hmm... God says only eat grain in times of famine. Interesting.

He also says that all manner of fruit, vegetable, and herbs are good for you. Hmm... I foresee more herbal tea in my diet (rooibos is particularly good for your immune system)
I know he says to avoid hot drink, but I think it is to the extent of those containing addictive substances such as caffeine.

Additionally, if you really dig, verse 5 says that man is to avoid strong drink (alcohol), but things that are brewed at home (fermented goodies-- kombucha, pure wine, cider, etc) are okay.
HOLY HANNAH, STOP RIGHT THERE, TRISH, THAT'S BLASPHEMY!

6: And, behold, this should be wine, yea, pure wine of the grape of the vine, of your own make

*Gasp*

Not that I'm gonna be drinking wine any time soon (I tried it when I was 10, it was nasty), but I'm definitely going to feel a whole lot less guilty about Kombucha.

Also the first thing He (the Lord) says in regards to the Word of Wisdom is in verse 2:
To be sent greeting; NOT BY COMMANDMENT or constraint, but by revelation and the word of wisdom, showing forth the order and will of God in the temporal salvation of all saints in the last days.

Right there if that doesn't say it all. The Lord encourages us to exercise our wisdom in the matter, that we should nourish ourselves in the order that would be pleasing to the Lords.
If we are aiming to please the Lord, our bodies will rejoice and reflect those choices.
A promise is given on the matter:

18: And all saints who remember to keep and do these sayings, walking in obedience to the commandments, shall receive health in their navel and marrow in their bones;
19 And shall find wisdom and great treasures of knowledge, even hidden treasures;
20: And shall run and not be weary, and shall walk and not faint

The last verse is my favorite.

And while I'm on the subject of being all churchy & junk, I also wanted to share this verse... cuz it makes me giggle every time
Zechariah 5:1-2
Then I turned, and lifted up mine eyes, and looked, and behold a flying roll. And he said unto me, What seest thou? And I answered, I see a flying roll; the length thereof is twenty cubits, and the breadth thereof ten cubits

FOOD FIGHT!!

By the way, I got a Kindle for Christmas (thanks, Ma!). I'm actually reading scriptures again.

P.S. To anyone who wants to call me out on my dietary choices in the future: I'll be over here enjoying my WoW approved Kombucha, while you apostatize with that diet coke you're holding.

Religion Does Not Define The Person I Am

2011-11-20T09:26:00.001-07:00

One of the harder lessons I've had to learn in life is the difference between having a relationship with the Lord and being religious.
My father was a member of the Episcopal church when I was a baby, and my mother was Catholic. I was baptized Episcopalian as an infant. When I was 3, my parents moved to Utah. Over time, they converted to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, as did I. My parents divorced when I was 8, and my mom had to work a number of jobs to keep a roof over our heads and food in our bellies. I learned to cook and fend for myself. I went to church on occasion, but loathed Primary. Honestly, I think I just loathed wearing a dress. Oh, and I never sang, cuz I've always had a deep contralto voice, and didn't learn to love it until I was older. Church was not enjoyable until I got into Young Womens. Then it was fun.
Mom eventually remarried and was able to go to the Temple and set an example for me. As I grew into my late teens, I was pretty devout, and felt that my faith was unshakeable. Then I met my husband online, and we were engaged 7 days later without having ever met. We were sealed in the Temple less than a year later. Oh, did I mention we will be celebrating our 10 year anniversary next month?

After I moved away from home, some things happened to my mom that pushed her away from the church. Honestly, I think she got her feelings hurt by some of the members, but I digress. My favorite aunt was going to be visiting my mom, and mom suggested us 3 girls hang out in Vegas for a couple of days. I was game, and went. I knew my mom had become a coffee drinker, which bothered me (you're not supposed to have coffee or strong tea as a Mormon), but what made me snap is when she ordered a cocktail at the show we went to. I was super upset (in tears), and we had a discussion over the whole ordeal. My mom, who had held high offices in the stake, was rapidly deteriorating as a faithful member. To this day, she still has issues with paying tithing (and chews us out for paying ours, cuz it's 10% of our income that could be going toward a new house and other things we need).
Anyway, I was feeling pretty hurt over her behavior. It took me several years to realize, through her continued charity work and leadership in the community, that you don't have to go to church in order to have a close, personal relationship with the Lord.

Personally, I think church is incredibly boring. I rather spend stake conference at home with my husband & kid, and General Conference (where the world turns in to hear our Prophet speak) is down right physically painful to sit through. No, really. It kills me. Can I blame my ADD?
When I served in the Primary presidency at church for 3 years, I was happy... but I think it was b/c I spent 2 hours running errands non stop and doing my own thing. I liked making the presidency look good by helping it to run smoothly.
I was devastated when I was released from that calling, and 3 months later I'm still struggling to adapt to "civilian life". I'm the chorister in Relief Society now, which I don't mind, but sitting through some of the lessons makes me want to blow my brains out.
Sometimes I think some of the other ladies around me feel the same way. Last week we had a lesson on what will happen when Christ returns to the Earth. One of my close, older friends (Karen) was sitting next to me.
Teacher: "Can anyone tell me what will be the first thing to happen in the morning of the Resurrection?"
Me: *biting lip. Foot thumping nervously. Leaning over to Karen* "I desperately want to raise my hand and yell ZOMBIES!"
Karen: *choke, snort laugh*
Another lady across the room: "The world be turned into Eden. It won't be cold anymore, and we'll be vegetarians."
Me: *muttering, not really realizing it's aloud* "Maybe in your Eden. My Eden will have beef and snow."
Somebody must have heard me cuz they snorted a laugh too.
Karen: "Mine will have chocolate that won't make you fat."
Me: "Mine too!"

Can you see what I mean by "having trouble adjusting to civilian life"? I blame Primary. I've been in there so long that my inner big kid forgot how to be reined in. It just blurts out whatever it's thinking at the moment.
Yet, I love the Lord fiercely, and my faith in Him is still unshakeable. Given the chance, I will be a warrior for Him. My knee shall bow and tongue confess that Jesus is the King. Did I mention I'm super bull-headed when I get into an argument? WARRIOR!

I don't lie, cheat, steal, drink, smoke, or swear. When I use WTH and WTF online, it's always "What the heck?!" and "What the Fudge?!". My version of the F-bomb is "Fudgenugget", "Frick", or "Farffenugen.". The dirtiest word I use is "Smeg", and if you're a horse person, you'll know what it's derived from.
I try to be the type of friend a friend would like to have. I love passionately, and I'm fiercely loyal. You might even say that I'm dog like. When I get to know you well, I turn into a cross of Dory from Finding Nemo and Hammy from Over The Hedge. I'll tell you like it is, and will drop everything to be with you (provided my family isn't doing anything atm). If I REALLY like you (and feel that it's being reciprocated), I'll even watch your kids so you can sneak away for a while. If I like your kids and you, it is likely I will jump in front of a car or take a bullet for them.

I have a giant ego, but I also have a giant keloid on my left ear, which keeps said ego in check (really, it's hard to have too big of an ego when you feel ugly on the outside).
I'm also a little bit gay for Anne Hathaway and Zooey Deschanel. I have involuntary dreams at night where we go shopping and they tell me their darkest secrets.
I'm constantly having an internal struggle over whether or not gays should have the right to marry. Part of me thinks it's unconstitutional to not allow it, the other part says it's unnatural and cannot condone it.
DON'T JUDGE ME! lol

I love the Lord deeply. My family and friends come first. I'm honest and fair in dealing with my peers. I think church is boring and that religion does not equal a relationship with the Lord. When I race in 5ks or try to pound on my novels, I pray before I start. I'm fiercely loyal and will fight with you and for you.
I think I'm pretty awesome.

That's the kind of friend and person I am.

My Kid's A Genius

2011-11-15T18:45:00.000-07:00

If you haven't met Grace, there are 3 things you should know about her.

She's a ham, especially around a camera
She's really funny and has a great sense of humor
She's got kid magazine model good looks

and... I'm 99% sure she's a genius. Like, her IQ is off the charts.

I am constantly impressed by what she brings home from school. Her latest piece makes me feel happy when I look at it. She also painted it with noodles. I wonder how much it would bring in on ebay...

Blah

2011-11-14T20:04:00.001-07:00

So I know I'm behind on posting about my Leptin Reset, and I think I'll just leave it at that. I give up. Not on the reset, but on this blog. Having more fun focusing my energy on The Primal Junk Foodie blog.
I'm not saying I'll never post here again, cuz of course I'm going to write my greater moments here for the world to see, but other than that... I'm out for now. Peace.

Day 8, Leptin Reset

2011-11-08T14:35:00.000-07:00

Jumped up 2 lbs (largely due to water weight, I think. Thanks, AF!), but holding steady, and largely sticking to the goals I've set for myself. Made a not so great food choice today, but I think it was more an error in my cooking rather than the food itself.
I made myself egg nog from scratch, but I made it too foamy. So I got through about half of it before deciding it just wasn't happening for breakfast.

BREAKFAST:
egg nog from scratch (1c grass fed organic cream + 6 eggs), and a side of cottage cheese
1330 cals, 11g carb, 128 fat, 47g protein
The egg nog is SUPER foamy. No way anyone can drink that much AIR.

LUNCH:
leftover egg nog (split above cals/carb/fat/protein in half)

DINNER:
pastured ham roast
366 cals, 0g carb, 18 fat, 48g protein

Totals:
1696 cals, 11g carb, 146 fat, 95g protein

super excited for our ham dinner. Gonna make a great breakfast tomorrow!

Day 6 & 7, Leptin Reset

2011-11-07T12:36:00.000-07:00

So apparently I can't remember to update this blog regularly :P
Anyway, nothing much going on this weekend other than food. I have noticed, however, that depending on my hormone levels, I'm more addicted to some smells over others. This was brought about by a recent Scentsy purchase, lol.

I had nightmares about being on a mega binge. Like eating an entire pumpkin pie, a whole thing of whipped cream, and coconut flakes. When I woke up, I wasn't sure if it had really happened or not. Then I tried to remind myself "No, the last thing you ate were a few extra fried green tomatoes at dinner. You were well within you carb limits for the day"

BREAKFAST:
hot chocolate (made with grass fed organic cream top heavy cream & protein powder)
1,010 cals, 0g carb, 97g fat, 50g protein

LUNCH:
A couple slices of my Tea-Ramisu
611 cals, 1g carb, 38 fat, 62g protein

DINNER:
Almond butter stew
350 cals, 17g carb, 16 fat, 36g protein

totals:
1971 cals, 18g carb, 151 fat, 148g protein

TODAY:
BREAKFAST:
PJF Tea-Ramisu
611 cals, 1g carb, 38 fat, 62g protein

LUNCH:
Leftover Almond Butter Stew
350 cals, 17g carb, 16 fat, 36g protein

DINNER:
chicken lo mein (Make It Paleo)
196 cals, 10g carb, 8 fat, 20g protein

Just under 1200 cals. 28g carb, looks like a low fat day, which would explain my hunger. Sufficient protein though.
on a positive note, I was asleep by 9:30 last night

Day 5, Leptin Reset

2011-11-05T09:07:00.000-06:00

Dropped 6 & 1/2 lbs this week. AF just showed up. Ladies, you know this means water weight, and I should be taking it on like the Titanic. If I dropped 6 lbs, I'm kinda scared about the week after AF leaves & all the water bails. It's going to be EPIC! I'll be droppin' it like it's hot.

BREAKFAST:
Make It Paleo Breakfast Burrito (with pork side)
578 cals, 6g carb, 39 fat, 50g protein

LUNCH:
A slice or two of my VLC/high protein Tea-Ramisu (recipe in forum shortly)
305 cals, 1g carb, 19 fat, 31g protein

DINNER:
fried green tomatoes (with tomatoes straight from our back porch garden) and smoky lime steak
878 cals, 13g carb, 49 fat, 76g protein

Totals:
1761 cals, 20g carb, 107 fat, 157g protein

Day 3 & 4 Leptin Reset

2011-11-04T09:14:00.000-06:00

I guess I missed posting yesterday.

Grace has an ear infection, but she still wanted to go to school yesterday. Teacher said she was having a bit of a rough time the last hour, but she seems to be doing a lot better today.
At dinner, I told her that we might not be having this problem as much if she had just breast fed better. To which she sticks her face into my breast and sniffs. WTH, KID?! A moment later, her hand was down my shirt. SERIOUSLY?!
There's you giggle for today.

BREAKFAST:
6 egg omelette with blue cheese, leftover meat/veggies from dinner last night & 4 slices of bacon
907 cals, 11g carb, 62 fat, 71g protein

LUNCH:
2 black pepper blue cheese burger patties
660 cals, 8g carb, 44 fat, 56g protein

DINNER:
Skipped. There wasn't enough to feed all of us, and I was doing fine anyway.

Totals:
1567 cals, 19g carb, 106 fat, 127g protein

Feeling a little bit keto today (light headache, a little whoozy. Hello mild carb flu. Nice to see you again).

Was up before Grace, but only by a few minutes.
BREAKFAST:
2 cans tuna, mashed with avocado, and homemade avocado mayo
905 cals, 77 fat, 17g carbs (all from the avo, so that's, like, 4 net carbs), 50g protein

LUNCH:
gonna try to IF it

DINNER:
homemade sausage patties (from local pastured pork *happy dance*), and scrambled eggs
480 cals, 29 fat, 4g carb, 47g protein

Totals:
1385 cals, 106 fat, 21 carbs (8 net), 97g protein

aaaand it's payday, which always makes me happy. Time to order more grass fed/pastured critter, and buy veggies for the next few days.

Down 4 lbs since Nov 1st. Buh-bye water retention! 20 to go until I'm clawing at the 160s again.

Day 2 Leptin Reset

2011-11-02T14:08:00.000-06:00

Had 100% compliance yesterday and met all my goals. Yay!
Today I confess to feeling a little anxiety, especially when I was at the grocery store. CHOCOLATE! Got home and took some magnesium to see if it helps quiet the monster (it has in the past), and brewed myself some chocolate orange herbal tea. Although I desperately wanted to put some cream or mascarpone in it.
Worried about my devon cream, grass fed heavy cream, and mascarpone going to waste.
*deep breath*
still 100% paleo for the day though. Have not deviated from food plan for the day. Going to go play a couple hands of gin at pogo to get my mind off of it.

BREAKFAST:
tuna cakes with a drizzle of EVOO
740 cals, 2g carb, 60 fat, 52g protein

LUNCH:
hard boiled eggs (possibly mashed with homemade avocado mayo)
140 cals, 2g carb, 9 fat, 12g protein

DINNER:
stuffed portabellos
860 cals, 32g carb, 48 fat, 62g protein
(the carbs may come down a bit if I only have 1 portabello cap)

totals:
1740 cals, 36g carb, 117 fat, 126g protein

100% paleo day!

6 Week Experiment

2011-11-01T09:39:00.000-06:00

Hello, November 1st. For the next 6 weeks, I will attempt to reset my leptin to see if it helps some of the issues I'm having.
Jack Kruse Leptin Reset RX
Jack Kruse obviously didn't have a 3yo to get ready for school (feed, dress, as well as feed & dress himself) when he wrote Leptin Reset. He says no stress, but I honestly don't know how you get around not being stressed out trying to make breakfast for 2 people, get your 3yo to eat it, get her dressed, and to school on time in 30 mins. Grace is almost always up by 8a, but today it's raining so her room was extra dark (like 6 in the morning dark), so she overslept. I also overslept (Grace is my alarm clock), but I was up before she was.
Half way through breakfast, I hated Jack Kruse. I was ready to barf. I'm a fan of IF-ing, so I don't eat when I'm not hungry. Today I ate when I wasn't hungry. A lot. Uuuuuugh. I choked down 3 egg cupcakes (eggs & veggies baked together), 4 protein pancakes (wondering WTH I buy protein powder), and 4 strips of bacon. About the only thing I enjoyed was the bacon. I wondered if this is how eating contest contestants felt afterwards. :-x

Leptin Reset Starting Weight: 195.4
5'5.5" 29yoF
waist: 33"
hip: 40"
thigh: 20"
calf: 15"

goals:

stick as closely as possible to 25g carbs/day
in bed by 9p, asleep by 10p
all baked goods for blog go immediately to friends and neighbors
NO SNACKING!
Limit dairy to 2x a week (sad face)
No fruit (except avocados, mmmm)
Bulk of carbs come from veggies, some from avocados
No cardio until Dec 1st, to allow my injured Achilles to fully heal. Long walks in the evening thereafter.

Nov 1st food diary
BREAKFAST:
3 paleo egg cupcakes
4 protein pancakes
4T butter (had to choke down those pancakes somehow)
4 slices bacon
1,204 cals, 84 fat, 13g carb, 92g protein

LUNCH:
Unplanned (gonna see if I can make it to dinner)
Maybe some straight herbal tea

DINNER:
apple shallot pork chops
638 cals, 14g carb, 39 fat, 64 protein

Totals:
1842 cals, 27g carb, 123 fat, 156g protein

Bummed

2011-10-22T10:19:00.000-06:00

I know I've been quiet this week, and I've been dealing with some emotions.

I was super excited for the Murray 5k Moonlight Race last Saturday. It was a night run which I've never done before. Everyone was lit up with glow sticks and blacklight makeup. It was going to be epic. I felt great, despite minor injury, and couldn't wait to get running. I was getting squirrely!

The gun went off and my racing pal & I headed out. Everything was fine. The twinge in my achilles (sustained from Love Your Body 6k) was there, but it wasn't painful. My chiro had done a good job... and then we hit a good stretch of unpacked horse trail gravel. Suddenly, my race went spiraling out of control. Pain shot from my hip down through my Achilles. This was bad. I wasn't even a mile in and already hobbling. Once we got back to paved terrain, I tried running in grass, but I stepped in a hole. I swear, I'm not making this nightmare run up! At 3/4 mile, I wasn't even sure I could make it back to the pavillion where we started, since the course was looping back that direction. I tried to jog a little, but I couldn't go more than a few steps without thinking "Ow, ow, ow!" I had to stop. The clock was ticking in my head. This was bad. A couple of groups passed asking if I was okay if I needed help. I lied and told them it was just a cramp. I hobbled past the pavillion where the crowd was cheering. Already runners were returning from their 3.12 mile run (it had only been 21 mins!) I wanted to bite them like an angry dog after the mailman. So envious.

I considered turning in my runner tag right there. It would be so easy. Why do this to myself? Because quitting was unacceptable. So I grit my teeth and hobbled by the cheering crowd who were encouraging me "You're doing great."

I grimaced, unconvinced.

Around mile 2, I saw my running buddy heading back toward the finish line. I grinned and cheered her on. She was doing great. Me? Not so much.

I cringed as a lead bike light shined behind me. He directed me into the dark unknown, past sporadically placed volunteers, then down a really creepy trail (yay, more ungroomed horse trail gravel! Pain. Pain!)

The last volunteer sidled up beside me. I swallowed. "Am I the last one in?"
"We think so."

"Crap."

I have never been last. I know there's a first time for everything, but this was seriously embarassing. Luckily, the nice young kid (who was also a runner), got my mind off the pain and I was able to be distracted enough to walk out my kink. We passed mile 3 and I felt like I could run again. He stayed beside me, and I told him I was ready to bring on the sprint to the line. He was probably pretty surprised when this chubby little mama kicked on the afterburners. "Holy-- You ARE a sprinter!" (direct quote). His breathing accelerated and we both saw the finish line. "Don't make me beat you," he laughed, obviously loving the speed. I dug in and flashed under the finish. The camera man popped in front of me and asked if I could do that again, cuz he didn't get it in time. I waved him off. I just wanted to cry. I felt so humiliated that I was the last one in. My running pal (who always beats me, even if I'm 1/2 a mile ahead-- go figure!) congratulated me, and she always comments on how fast I smoke through that last bit before the wire, but I was just SO. ANGRY.

Reliving it now gets me upset all over again.

Please don't bother with "You were injured. You couldn't help it". Or "Wow, you pushed through 3 miles of a race totally trashed". I just feel like finishing last, even while injured, is like an Asian F (A- by American grades)-- unacceptable. Quitting is unacceptable, and coming in last is, too.

I've been hobbling around all week, hoping my issue clears up. Saw chiro Thurs and he did another laser treatment on my Achilles and adjusted my foot & ankles. I really want to do Highway to Hale on the 29th, but I don't know if my legs will allow it. I feel like getting a good time in Hwy2Hale would give me some sense of vindication.

On a bright note, I picked up 30 lbs of grass fed/pastured critter today from a CSA Share from Christiansen Farms.
OMG!!! THERE WAS BAAAAAAAAAACON!!!! You should have heard the sound that came out of my mouth when I opened the little white package "pork side". IT'S LIKE CHRISTMAS IN OCTOBER!

When I got home, I ran to the corner and back. Feels like my foot is healing up, so I'll see if I can't pay for Highway to Hale today or Monday.

NEW PR!

2011-10-08T17:04:00.000-06:00

Ran my first race in Vs. GOOD GUTS! I AM A MONSTER IN THESE THINGS! Ran 1.25 miles straight (never did that before IN MY LIFE), did a little walking, but ran the bulk of the 6k race. Set a new PR: 58.43, taking at least 5 mins off from last year!
I feel incredible. Bam, boom, over the moon!
I am going to own next Saturday's 5k!

So excited.

VICTORY ROAR!

How Did You Do?

2011-10-01T13:23:00.000-06:00

So how did we do on our goals last week?

My goals were:

Log a minimum of 10 miles this week
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.

By the end of today, I will have my 10 miles-- ALL OF THEM IN MY VIBRAMS! Transitioning has been super easy. I think wearing flip flops 9 months out of the year has helped.

I managed 150 oz of water my first day, and haven't been able to force more than 60 on myself since, LOL

Went to the gym 2 days this week. Grace was sick and I slept on her floor 2 nights and woke up really sore and even more tired. I still got my miles in, but not at the gym

I think I made it to bed by 10 two nights. The rest was 11. Let's keep working on that.

I worked on my novel several days this week, but have not worked on it in the last 48 hours. However, I did WRITE every single day this week. Yay! Also had a write in on Wednesday and my friend & I are thinking of making it a regular thing, so that will be nice. She's always had a secret desire to write, so it will be good for the both of us.

I have a race coming up this Saturday. Time to really crack down on diet and exercise
Goals for this week:

Log a minimum of 12 miles this week
IF daily
Monitor my blood sugar daily (have been giving my fingers a break since my last check up)
Drink 64 oz of water daily
Go to the gym 4 days this week
Go to bed no later than 10p EVERY. SINGLE. NIGHT.
Work daily on editing my novel for at least an hour.

On a separate note, some things have been popping up on facebook that have caught my attention, primarily my echoed feelings about being anti-McDonalds. Here are 2 of the pics to look at and ask yourself do you REALLY want to put that crap in your body?

Goals For The Week

2011-09-26T08:36:00.004-06:00

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

2011-09-25T11:28:00.000-06:00

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

2011-09-24T10:20:00.002-06:00

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

2011-09-17T14:52:00.000-06:00

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

2011-09-14T10:17:00.000-06:00

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

2011-09-13T10:24:00.001-06:00

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

2011-09-11T18:26:00.001-06:00

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

2011-09-08T11:03:00.001-06:00

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

2011-09-07T09:54:00.000-06:00

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

2011-09-03T06:54:00.000-06:00

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

2011-09-02T12:37:00.002-06:00

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!

2011-09-01T06:58:00.000-06:00

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.

Bacon 30, Day 29

2011-08-29T20:49:00.001-06:00

Kind of proud of myself. Have been balking at bountiful baskets for several months now. The process kind of intimidated me, since I didn't understand how it works. Tonight I was beckoned by the promise of tropical fruit and vanilla bean pods and signed up for the organic basket. Excited now. I hope this leads to a reduced monthly grocery bill.
I get brownie points for doing my first primal basket of organic co-op produce, right? :)

Anyway, tomorrow is Grace's 3rd day of preschool. I've been concerned about her not eating breakfast before school last week. She tells me "No, thank you, Mommy. I just fine." when I ask if she wants to eat something.
I'm not trying to force her to eat, but the mom in me is desperate to make sure she gets off on the right foot. I know when I'm hungry, my ADD goes into overdrive and I can't focus on ANYTHING. I don't want that to be an issue for her.
Anyway, I picked up some protein powder today with the purpose of making her some protein cookies. Cuz, hey, what kid can resist cookies, right? And for breakfast! It will be a novelty for sure. Going to use eggs, peanut butter, protein powder, maybe some applesauce, and chocolate chips. I will get fat and protein into this kid before school if it kills me!

I know technically this is a 30 day challenge and tomorrow should be the last day, but I am going through September 1st. September 1st, it's fair game again. Cuz I'm awesome... and more or less largely crazy.

Bacon 30, Day 28

2011-08-28T21:55:00.000-06:00

Sorry for the delayed update, I've been a little overwhelmed the last week. My check up went okay. My blood sugar is amazing. My hA1c was 5.5 off of drugs. Yay me. Unfortunately, my cholesterol is pretty elevated, despite my best efforts to eat leaner cuts of meat. My total cholesterol was 247 (where 240 is generally acceptable), however my HDL is frighteningly low, and my LDL is freakishly high. It was suggested to me that I should cut back on fish oil, and I also read that copper may help, so I will try that. Going to try to tone down the bacon consumption while continuing to enjoy other healthy fats like avocado and coconut.

Went and saw The Help with my friends Thursday evening. Good movie, worth the full price, go see it! Don't think about it. "RUN, GIRL, RUN!"

Also went to my 10 year high school reunion on Friday... with a class I didn't graduate from. I went to grade school through jr high with them, and they welcomed me to the reunion. That really meant a lot to me.

Another thing I've been trying to improve is our grocery bill. I think last paycheck we were getting closer to that $250 goal, but still around $300. I've already spent $204, and I'm going to try to stick as close to I can to $50 on actual groceries next week.

So glad my self inflicted challenge is nearly over. I have missed heavy cream. I promise not to binge! I just think heavy cream is a viable way to get a good dose of fat.

Will be blogging about protein powders soon. There are a few that are low carb and I think they might make a viable pancake/waffle batter.

Bacon 30, Day 18

2011-08-18T13:08:00.001-06:00

Sorry I'm such a slacker. Still trucking along with my August challenge. I confess to some slip ups, though. I accidentally ate a slice of of tomato when we went to dinner last week (Red Lobster-- I had lobster. It really hit the spot), and we had cucumber in our shrimp salad. Why are these slip ups? Both are cucumbers & tomatoes are nightshades. I've also used pepper (red, cayenne, and black) a few times. The issue with my knee has improved with nightshades out of my diet, and I asked Andy if we were eating a lot of bell peppers in the last few months. He confirmed that we were. So, huh, I wonder if it was bell peppers causing some inflammation? Cuz the cucumber, spices, and tomato haven't bothered it. Will have to do a bell pepper experiment next month to see how my knee reacts.
Isn't it fascinating how our bodies react to certain foods?

So on a good note, I dropped 4 lbs last week, and I'm hoping to see the 170s again by Sunday. I go to Clarene for my 3 month check up on Tuesday. Had blood work done yesterday. I hope I have done enough to lower my cholesterol.

Grace officially starts preschool on Tuesday. I have been getting into a rhythm of going to the gym on Tues & Thurs since that's when she'll be in school. Unfortunately, the gym is closing for maintenance from Aug 22-Sept 5th. Great. Just when I get into a rhythm!
Trying not to sweat it.

WHAT I'M CRAVING THE MOST:
Heavy cream
Peanut butter
Ice cream (primarily b/c of the heavy cream, aaaaand I found a sugar free Egg Nog flavored syrup I wanna try)

Bacon 30, Day 9

2011-08-09T17:19:00.001-06:00

Don't worry, I haven't fallen off the wagon. The weekend got a little busy and I've been kinda tired. Like I just want to sleep... ALL. THE. TIME! And moody. And crampy.
It's nothing. Shut up.

Have been enjoying awesome fasting blood sugars since Saturday. Almost all of them in the 90s. Today's was 101, but I tested after tasting my lunch and a good work out, so it was probably a little elevated.
Yesterday Grace and I went up to Bridal Veil Falls for a little nature walk. A bunch of people were playing in the pool at the base of the falls (I don't mean swimming pool. More like local watering hole with pretty, clear water). Grace walked probably a mile before complaining she was tired. I bribed her with a little swim if she would walk back. We both dipped our feet in the water. Holy Hannah, was it cold! It took less than 5 mins for our skin to turn bright pink.
Today I went to gym. Lifted weights then did elliptical for half hour, and a 5 min cool down on treadmill.

Have been limiting my eating window to noon to six. Clarene will probably holler at me, but so far it's the only success I've had with decreasing fasting blood sugars.

TODAY'S NUTRITION:
1559 cals, 72 protein, 133 fat, 40 carbs, 771 sodium
(72.82% fat, 9.72% carbs, 17.46% protein)

Bacon 30, Day 4

2011-08-04T20:46:00.002-06:00

I confess I had a little slip up today. Grace didn't want the last bite of her chocolate chip larabar, and, without thinking, it went to my tummy. There, I'm glad that's off my chest. Technically, I should reset to day 1, but I'm hoping to stay on the Bacon 30 wagon much longer than August.

This morning I got Grace ready for camp/preschool and dropped her off. Hit the gym afterwards and did weights, then knocked out two miles on the treadmill.
Now usually I'm ravenous after the gym, but today I didn't get hungry til 3 (hence the larabar). I did have some haupia before taking Grace to school, so maybe that was it. Had some tuna fish, and then had dinner. Enjoyed a chicken breast stuffed with asparagus and chopped ham steak. The only thing that would make this dish any better is a cream sauce.

After dinner I heard the evil sugar monster calling my name. I tried to resist, but couldn't. My brain justified that I had hardly eaten anything all day and was sitting at very, very low carbs. I found this recipe:
http://lifeasadreger.wordpress.com/2010/10/18/paleo-coconut-blueberry-bark/

It looked perfect. Chocolate + fat + sugar free. How could I miss? So I made it! Only I took a few liberties and added cacao butter to it (really, if you're gonna put cocoa powder in, you might as well go full monty, right?), and used blackberries instead of blueberries. To my surprise, the frozen blackberries turned into fruity whopper candies. *dance of joy, even though I've always sort of hated whoppers*. The whole recipe made me 4 big servings, and I am totally content now. Can't wait to have a little more tomorrow.

Off to bed!

TODAY'S NUTRITION:
821 cals (you see how I justified dessert, now, right?), 67 protein, 53 fat, 26 carbs, 473 sodium
(56.25% fat, 12.26% carbs, 31.49% protein)

WHAT I ACCOMPLISHED TODAY:
2 loads of laundry-- \o/ YAY!
Sprints at gym
still have yet to use butter. Just barely ran out of ghee. Butter sounds tasty, but... meh.

Bacon 30, Day 3

2011-08-03T12:30:00.000-06:00

I went to gym last night, hoping it would help my fasting blood sugar this morning.

To my delight, my fasting sugar this morning was 113-- the lowest it's ever been off of drugs.

Note to self: spend more time at gym!

Took Grace to doctor this morning. She has been running a fever in the evenings and sprouting target/chainlink shaped rashes before bed. I was worried it was something terrible like lyme disease or cellulitis. Doc said it's viral, and everything else looked good. So relieved. Funny how we always assume the worst, yeah?

TODAY'S NUTRITION:
1237 cals, 90 protein, 88 fat, 26 carbs, 1075 sodium
(63% fat, 8% carb, 29% protein)

I keep having dreams that I do terrible things, like eat an entire bag of M&Ms, lol.

Bacon 30, Day 2

2011-08-02T13:47:00.000-06:00

I feel like I have lock jaw. My mouth is pretty tender and I can barely get my hole open to feed myself. That said, I didn't even make it all the way through my protein custard last night. I finished it for breakfast this morning, then went grocery shopping. Made myself a BAS when I got home, with bacon, shrimp, avocado, baby lettuce, EVOO, apple cider vinegar, key lime juice, and lemon pepper. Worked through it slowly, but it was tasty.
Not sure if I'll have dinner tonight.

Pulled my yogurt out of the crock pot. It's separated into 3 layers. I'm not sure what that means. I put it in the fridge as recommended and ran one through a nut milk bag (trying to make Greek yogurt). At this point, I think I just have kefir, if that.
If you have experience making yogurt, can you tell me what is up? It's a white layer (coconut milk), beige liquidy layer, and another thin white layer.

TODAY'S NUTRITIONAL INFO:
2,022 cals, 101g protein, 165g fat (the bulk from coconut milk & avocado), 52g carb, 2033 sodium
(71% fat, 10% carbs, 19% protein)

Bacon 30, Day 1

2011-08-01T13:48:00.002-06:00

Rabbit rabbit, everyone! That's my way of saying good luck on all your endeavours this month.
I'm off to a good start, nutritionally today. Although I'm very unhappy with my fasting sugar. My last meal was noon yesterday (a homemade Italian soda made with sparkling water, heavy cream, and some sugar free Torani raspberry syrup) and corned beef. VERY low carb. Fasting sugar this morning: 150.
WTH?!
*insert frustrated cursing here*

Anyway, moving on. I am doing all I can to help my body achieve low blood sugars, but it's fighting me worse than my weight.

Dear Body, WTF is your problem? I feed you good. We go for walks. We get plenty of sleep and take nice vitamins. Why can't you get it together?!

So after the drama of high blood sugar this morning and a weight gain (blah, I hate you, Body), I had some breakfast before going to dentist. I scrambled some eggs with leftover corned beef, and had an avocado. Mmmm.
Off to dentist to get numbed up (I'm so sick of being numbed up every time I go), and get cavities filled.
When I got home, I made myself my dinner-- protein pudding using coconut milk, eggs, gelatin, nutmeg, cinnamon, vanilla, and allspice.
And I also buffed up my courage and started making my very own homemade coconut milk yogurt. (Shut up. I'm putting it into my allowable pudding categories, okay?)
One bottle will be yogurt, the other will be Greek style yogurt. They should be ready to go at this time tomorrow. I hope they do okay. I wrapped the bottles in clean spit up rags and placed them in my crock pot on keep warm, and covered the crock pot with an old towel.
If all goes well, I will be having some yummy yogurt for breakfast one morning.
Will update you tomorrow with results!

TODAY'S NUTRITIONAL INFO:
1325 cals, 64g protein, 111g fat (the bulk of it is from coconut milk), 33g carb, 1725 sodium
(72% fat, 9.6% carb, 18.4% protein)

Biting The Bullet

2011-07-31T10:03:00.002-06:00

I've been avoiding it, but it really is time. I need Whole 30 like an alcoholic needs AA. August 1st, I will be doing a modified Whole 30. I know, we discussed this before "what's the point of doing whole 30 if you modify it?". I'm not modifying it that much. I'm calling it Bacon 30 (cuz I'm allowing bacon). I will post a list below of what I am allowing for myself and what I am not. Really, it's all about being totally honest with one's self anyway, and cracking down on compliance.

What I'm NOT Allowing During Bacon 30

Dairy-- dairy has been sneaking back into my diet, primarily in the form of heavy cream. Man that stuff is tasty!
Grains (no brainer)
Soy
Legumes
SUGAR-- this is my biggest baddie. I will be working extra hard to keep extracurricular sugars out of my system. No baking (will try to funnel creative urges into writing), no sugar coated treats. I will only consume sugars naturally occurring in food, such as fruit, vegetables, and meat
No nightshades (including potatoes, eggplant, bell peppers, paprika, and tomatoes).
NO POST BACON 30 BINGING!

What IS Allowed During Bacon 30

BACON! (Honestly, I don't understand why Whole 30 excludes bacon. I know it's b/c it's cured with sugar, but W30 is really hard without bacon. Bacon is delicious. Especially the chemical-free kind)
Butter
"Wait. I thought you said no dairy?"
I know, I know. I'm going to allow a little butter, okay? Ghee is great and all, but butter is freaking delicious... and I'm not gonna sit there and eat a whole block. I'll use it sparingly to cook and put some on my veggies.
Pudding
*Panic mode* "YOU SAID NO SUGAR! YOU SAID NO BAKING!"
Take a deep breath. I've been making haupia lately. I think it's a great way to get in a serving of coconut. Also baked custard (made with coconut milk) makes a terrific hot breakfast.
*grumble* "That doesn't make it okay. You're totally not doing Whole 30."
Never said I was. This is BACON 30. This is my way of cracking down. You know what? There doesn't need to be extra sugar added to coconut based stuff. Coconut is sweet on its own. *King Julien Voice* So shut up, okay?
Measuring myself (Whole 30 doesn't let you weigh or measure yourself, but I would like to know that I'm making progress. I will weigh myself on the days I go to the gym so that I can accurately set my HRM. I also have a diabetes check up mid-August)

What I Expect to Gain From This

Better compliance
Lower fasting blood sugar
Defeat the evil sugar monster that, when triggered, launches me into violent hormonal-based binges
Lose weight (cuz, face it, that's all everybody REALLY wants, right?)

GOALS IN ADDITION TO BACON 30

Go to gym at least twice a week-- this will be easier once Grace officially starts preschool on August 23
Do sprints once a week
Do better about housekeeping (I expect that cutting out sugar will help my hormones and improve my overall mood, thus improving hygiene habits)
Lose weight (see above)

August Bacon 30, here I come! And, dear friends, I hope you will take up your courage and join me.

Things No One Tells You About Parenting

2011-07-26T13:23:00.000-06:00

Today I dropped Grace off at preschool for day camp. It's the longest we've been apart without someone I know personally watching her. I've been gone overnight before, with her staying home with daddy, but this is different. This is one of those things nobody warns you about parenting.
No matter how rough, tough, or bad ass you think you are, there's going to be tears when you drop your kid off at school for the first time and drive away. You say "Pshaw. Not me." Yeah, I did to. Heck, I'm the mom who danced around with glee the first time I left Grace in nursury at church, and told them not to bring her to me unless she was bleeding or poopy. But you know what? That first day of school...YOU'RE GONNA CRY! Trust me on this one.
The way her preschool does things is both a blessing and a curse. You pull up to the door, and the teacher RIPS your kid out of their carseat, throws them into the school, and ushers you away. Okay, maybe I'm being overdramatic, but the point is-- I DIDN'T EVEN GET TO KISS GRACE GOODBYE!
I am sure I will adjust, and be thankful that I don't have to get out of my car in the winter, but it was still emotional.
It's been 3 hours, and the school still hasn't called, so at least I know Grace hasn't burned the facility down yet. I also drilled her for a few minutes about who we tell if we need to potty. Praying for no accidents, no running around naked cuz she can't get her pants up (even though I told the teacher at the door that Grace needs a little help).
And just to show you what an overthinker I am: I spent the weekend freaking out over her lunch. Started looking at bento boxes. Afraid she'd get teased no matter what I packed her. Then I realized I only had to worry about her taking lunch to camp today & Thursday, cuz she'll be home for lunch during the year. Still afraid she'll get teased for not having gogurt, bread, cookies... you get the idea, right? All the standard sugary garbage fare many parents send with their kid to school.
Now you're probably wondering "Well, what did you send?"
Bologna, cheese, carrots, juice box, and some raisins.
"I thought you said you didn't send sugary garbage--"
Shut up! I was panicking, OKAY?

So I ABANDON my kid at school with not entirely strangers (we go every Wednesday for reading time), and drive away, sniffling and wiping away the tears I thought I was too tough for, like a total loser. Guess what. I went to the gym for the first time, probably since Memorial Day week. It felt a little lonely not to have Grace's soft little hand in mine as I walked in, but I started relaxing quickly as I realized there was no pausing to take her potty, check her in at the day care there, and worry about her, or how much time I was spending. After the gym, I got some groceries at Target, and got even more relaxed. I realize more & more this really is the day of freedom I've been wistfully daydreaming about since the first week of Grace's life. I got to look at the mommy toys (kitchen gadgets) without Grace whining about going to the toy section. I just walked around aimlessly without being kicked by swinging little feet, or constantly being asked "Mommy, what's your name? Name Trish? TRIIIISH!"
Came home, had lunch, logged my exercise, watered the plants, and now counting the minutes until I pick up my worn out little monkey who will be going straight down for a nap since it's past her nap time. That's right, sucka. Another hour & a half to myself!
Maybe this preschool thing isn't such a bad thing afterall.
One of the many things nobody tells you about parenting ;)

Falling Off The Wagon

2011-07-23T18:33:00.000-06:00

So I admit I've fallen off the wagon this week. Not all the way, but enough where I'm dragging from the buckboards. It started Tuesday. This month's Relief Society activity at church was international food night. I brought low carb haupia (recipe below).

1 13.5 oz cold can coconut milk (I used Native Forest, be sure to shake well before opening)
3 packets unflavored gelatin
stevia to taste (use a little more than you think you will need, cuz the sweetness dies down a bit as the haupia sets later)
vanilla
(I used liquid vanilla cream stevia-- kill 2 birds with one stone)

Pour 1/2 cup coconut milk into small bowl & combine well with gelatin. It will be doughy. Allow to rest.
In small saucepan, warm remainder of coconut milk. Add gelatin mixture and stir constantly over low heat for 5 mins.
Pour into dish of your choice. Place in fridge 2 hours or until set.

This was my own brain child. Haupia is traditionally made with coconut milk, water, cornstarch, and lots of sugar. I've made it with arrowroot before, but it wasn't until I became friends with gelatin that I realized I could cut the dessert down to virtually 0 carb per serving.

So I bring my haupia and everyone seems to be asking for the recipe. I threw Primal out the window and caved to the wonders of a close friend's Irish soda bread with caraway and currant. It was like dessert. So good! Also someone brought authentic lamingtons. I had never had lamingtons before and HAD to have one. After my third lamington, the gals at my table started asking if I was okay. My eyes had glazed over. "Yeah, I'm great" --dashes off for FOURTH lamington--
In my defense, I did have some meat. I know. Weak defense :P

So that's where my trouble started.

When I woke up on Wednesday, I felt the effect of the sugar & gluten rush. I felt those nasty manic depressive emotions/hormones coming on. Luckily, playgroup was in a few hours, and I knew it would be good for me to be around other people. At 9:55 I decided I wanted to take food with me, so I paused to make myself a BAS (big @$$ salad). This was probably my best food choice this week. I hardboiled some eggs, griddled up some bacon, opened 2 cans of tuna, dumped in an entire bag of baby greens, and threw down some EVOO & lemon juice. I stopped to get an avocado on the way to the park. BTW, I'm becoming a total avocado junkie. Let me tell you that salad was AWESOME! It was like 1600 calories, lol.
You'd think that would be enough food to hold me over til dinner, right? Wrong. More bad food choices. I knocked out half a kind bar, some apple chips I bought Grace, and they set out otis spunkmeyer cookies at her preschool after reading time. No one's twisting my arm to eat these-- SO WHY CAN'T I RESIST?!

So there I am sitting at 2,000 cals, and it's only 3pm. Great. Hubby wanted to go out to dinner. I start to panic. He wants to go to Cocolitos which I love, but I don't really want to add to my calorie count, even though I'm hungry (shock and horror-- WHAT!), and I'm afraid of all the deep fried delicious stuffed tortilla glory. I get there and I've already told hubby how I feel. He encourages me to get a carnitas platter. It worked out. I ate a couple strips of steak and gave all the refried garbage to him. He got a solid sized lunch to take to work, and I felt a little calmer.

Thursday I woke up feeling alright, and guess what! I went for a 5 mile walk. The Chocolate (my favorite dessert place prior to going Primal. Their red velvet is heavenly!) started making handmade Italian sodas, and they had sugar free flavors. I figured one couldn't hurt. It was a nice day. I stopped by Target on the way for a grilled chicken salad. I treated Grace to a gluten free turtle tart, and got myself a sugar free cherry Italian soda. It was alright, but I figured I could just as easily make myself one at home.
When I get home, we veg, and I start on dinner, Hasta La Vista Pasta Lasagna. Andy really likes it cuz it uses one of his favorite vegetables-- zucchini. Had a healthy serving.

Friday I went for a key lime protein drink. I made key lime protein pudding on Monday & thought it would make a great drink. Meh, not so much. I couldn't figure out if I was hungry or queasy. I hate that feeling! However it was filling and got me to lunch (leftovers). Napped. Woke up and didn't really feel like cooking, even though bacon wrapped scallops are one of my favorite delicacies. Andy said "Let's go to Subway". I wasn't terribly hungry, but I got a salad, and was fine the rest of the night.
Highlite of the day: finding cream top organic cream for 40% off at Real Foods. What girl can resist a 40% off sale? I got two, vowing to make Andy some epic ice cream. I also picked up some yummy raw milk. Grace slugged it down eagerly. I also had to wrestle the cream away from her when I gave her a sip at home.

Today: I made myself an epic omelette. Couldn't finish all of it. Was going to have some avocado & tuna for lunch, but was avocado-less. All week I've been trying to score avocados at Sunflower Market. They've been on sale 2/$1. I kept going earlier and earlier. The first day they went on sale there were 0 to be had. The next day I tried, I went around 4. They were scant & picked over. Today I hit up the market around 9 or 10. They had plenty but none were ripe. There went my lunch. I bought 8 anyway (the limit), and figured I could set them out on the counter to ripen for a later date. Also got groceries for the week. Stocked up on frozen veggies mostly. Also go some sugar free syrup for Italian soda & ice cream.

Got home & the la nouba marshmallows I had Andy order had arrived. They weren't supposed to be here until the 27th, but there they were. 6 bags of carefree, sugar free, 0 carb marshmallows. I've been craving marshmallows something fierce since May! These hit the spot. I opened a pack just for Andy, grabbed the organic cream, some gelatin, almonds, and sugar free chocolate syrup. I was going to make Andy some rocky road ice cream! (recipe below)
Since I had no avocados, I just went for a homemade Italian soda which was mainly HWC, perrier, and sugar free raspberry syrup. It was good, and it filled me up until dinner (stuffed peppers).

and now my epic cooking genius brings you 0 carb rocky road ice cream!
All of the rocky road joy, without the fork in the road guilt (and resulting sugar spike)

2c cream top heavy cream (or double cream)
1 packet unflavored gelatin
1 package la nouba sugar free-0 carb marshmallows
1/2c slivered almonds
1.5c torani sugar free chocolate syrup (or to taste. Add 1/2c at a time until satisfied)
pinch sea salt

Combine gelatin, 1/2c cold cream, and sugar free chocolate syrup in a medium saucepan. Stir and then allow to rest 1 min. Stir constantly over low heat until gelatin is completely dissolved, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat.

Transfer mixture to a large bowl. Chill in freezer until the consistency of unbeaten egg whites, about 1 hour; stir occasionally.

Meanwhile, pour remaining heavy cream into bowl and whip until fluffy. Remove gelatin mix from freezer and fold whipped cream into gelatin mixture. Add sea salt, fold gently. Begin processing in ice cream maker per manufacturer's instructions

when ice cream starts to come together, break up marshmallows into small pieces and add to ice cream mixture and allow to mix. Add almonds. Finish processing.

ENJOY!

NUTRITION:
serving size - 1/2c
229 cals, 0 carb, 25 fat, 1 protein, 53 sodium

GOALS FOR THE WEEK:

Clean the f-bomb house. Unfortunately, my housekeeping reflects my emotions. When I'm happy, the house tends to be tidier (this hasn't happened since October). When I'm moody & depressed, the house is a mess. This week it's been completely trashed.
Go to gym at least once
Make better food choices by resisting sugar cravings

Progress Report

2011-07-19T11:43:00.000-06:00

Last week I made some goals to help prevent me from launching into bad behavior and subsequent manic depression:

1) allow bacon
2) pancakes once a month, if I feel so inclined
3) homemade ice cream once a month (last week I made 4 quarts. BAD IDEA)
4) no baking (except when I go visiting teaching. They will reap the goods, Andy & Grace will get any sparse leftovers)
5) 1 square of dark chocolate per week
6) limit fruit to 1/2c a week (I have a serious berry addiction. It's ridiculous, and not helping my blood sugar I'm sure)

Here's how I've done:
1) I've enjoyed bacon
2) No desire for pancakes yet
3) We had some strawberries going bad in the fridge, so I broke down and made some strawberry ice cream. Andy doesn't like it, but Grace does.
4) We had bananas going bad so I broke down & baked banana bread. I've only had 2 pieces out of the 12 piece batch, and they didn't hold too much sway over me. Yay!
5) Going through spurts throughout every day where I crave chocolate, but by the time I'm able to reach for it, the craving is gone.
7) Grace's strawberries that she's been taking care of on our back porch garden are starting to come in. She had the first ripe one, I had the 2nd ripe one today. Oh and I made raspberry lemonade from scratch last night using lemon juice, splenda (we ran out of stevia), and frozen raspberries. It's way good!

So how am I doing?

Getting Caught Up

2011-07-18T20:07:00.001-06:00

The last few weeks we've been getting caught up on our dental work as a family. Last week I got super deep cleaning done under my gums on my right side, and today I got my left side done. They numb you up to the point where you're easily mistaken for a stroke victim, and I couldn't really eat the rest of the day. Knowing this, I was prepared for my left side today! Over the weekend, I wondered if key lime juice + coconut milk + a little sweetener would taste like key lime pie. Then I had the brilliant idea to make a protein pudding of it. It worked like a charm. I had food I could easily gum and swallow post-dental.

KEY LIME PROTEIN PUDDING
2 packets knox unflavored gelatine (abt 2T)
1/2c cold water
1 13.5 oz can coconut milk (I used Native Forest-- ty to my PB friends for turning me on to it and foresaking Thai Kitchen! MAKE SURE TO SHAKE THOROUGHLY BEFORE OPENING)
1/2c key lime juice
2 scoops unflavored whey protein powder
your favorite sweetener to taste

In sauce pan, pour 1/2c cold water & the gelatine. Give it a stir so it's not all clumped together, then let it settle for 1 min. Over low heat, stir for at least 5 mins. The water should turn very nearly clear as the gelatine is dissolved. Remove from heat, allow to cool 5 mins.
In separate bowl, pour coconut milk & key lime juice, add the protein powder. With a mixer (I used a stick blender, very effective), blend until protein powder is completely dissolved. Taste, and begin to add sweetener until it meets your taste bud's satisfaction.
Slowly, drizzle the gelatin/water into your key lime base, stirring on low 30 seconds. Place in fridge. Allow to set 2 hours.

Nutritional information (for mine):
900 cals, 81g fat, 14g carb (100% from the coconut milk), 47g protein, 7g sugar, 72g saturated fat, 50mg sodium, 90 mg cholesterol, 770 mg potassium

Of course, if you divide this into portions, it'll be much lower

Also, if you switch out the coconut milk for HWC, you drop to 0 carb, but the calories go up astronomically, and you'll miss out on that terrific lauric acid from coconut milk.

I think I will try it as a smoothie in a few days. It was very refreshing for the hot weather we've been having.

While I was getting my left side done, Grace got her very first dentist check up. She was super cooperative from what I could hear. I was getting drugged up when they brought her back to the stall next to mine. That's when the trouble started. I have this ginormous syringe in my cheek and suddenly I hear "Hi, I'm Grace!"
My eyes water, I dare not move though I desperately want to burst into laughter like a knee jerk reflex. "I have toes! I'm THREE!"
Even my hygienist was giggling.

God bless my wicked awesome, hilarious kid.

Grace-isms

2011-07-13T20:55:00.002-06:00

Ever since my "episode" on Monday, Grace has been very lovey. If I go out of her sight, she starts calling: "Mommy, where are yooouuu?"
Usually I'm using the toilet.
In addition to the mommy stalking and extra snuggles (which I haven't minded at all, she's not normally a cuddly person), I also wanted to share some "Grace-isms" or things she's said over the last few days.

"Mommy, I got a drink. It's very drinky."
As we're putting her to bed, she tells us very frankly, "I'm cranky." (lol, y'think?)
Tonight at dinner after accidentally dropping her sippy cup: "My bottle is very downy."
Often when I've asked her to do something she doesn't want to, she tells me in an angry voice "I no do it. I HAPPY!". This is complete with crossed arms and pouty face on her part.
"IT'S NOT FAIR!" (Whoa, whoa, whoa. I didn't think this business was supposed to start for another decade. 3 days out from turning 3. REALLY?!)
Andy helping her with prayer before bed:
Andy: "Dear Heavenly Father,"
Grace: "Dear Thomas"
Andy: "Thank you for this day."
Grace: "Thank you for Thomas."
Andy: "Please bless me"
Grace: "Please bless Thomas"

obviously she watches too much Thomas the Tank Engine, LOL.

Love you, sugar bean.

The Game Plan

2011-07-12T09:04:00.001-06:00

Okay, sorry for yesterday's rant. Andy & I talked about how I felt when we went to bed. He's going to help me crack down on my diet, and we have some rules in place.

First of all, trigger foods are now out of the house. So that will help. Whole 30 is too strict, but I still want to crack down on my diet. We laid out some goals. Maybe I should call it Primal 30, even though I want it to last longer than that.

1) bacon allowed
2) pancakes once a month, if I feel so inclined
3) homemade ice cream once a month (last week I made 4 quarts. BAD IDEA)
4) no baking (except when I go visiting teaching. They will reap the goods, Andy & Grace will get any sparse leftovers)
5) 1 square of dark chocolate per week
6) limit fruit to 1/2c a week (I have a serious berry addiction. It's ridiculous, and not helping my blood sugar I'm sure)

I think my episode yesterday was triggered by crappy food. I asked him to help keep me in line. We're going to start grocery shopping together again so I don't splurge on unnecessary stuff.

Sorry if I scared any of my friends. I'm pretty sure I had manic bipolar depression as a teenager, but was never officially diagnosed or treated.

On another note, Andy suggested that Satan is trying to drive us away from our goals. If he's trying this hard, our future kids must be wicked bad ass kung fu warriors of awesomeness, and he REALLY doesn't want to have to deal with them. Something to think about.

Also wanted to reiterate how awesome my sweet little Grace is. Last night when I just wanted to be left alone, Andy came into the room and of course Grace followed right behind since she's a total daddy minion. One thing you should understand about the daddy minion is she's a "Monkey see, monkey do". So there I was feeling pretty numb and glumb and Andy sits on the edge of the bed. Grace pulls herself up and sits near me. Andy starts rubbing my leg, Grace rubs mommy's leg too. Andy hugs, Grace hugs. "Mommy sad?"
By this time tears are starting to stream down my cheeks as I look into Grace's beautiful little face. I nod.
"Awww," says Grace sympathetically, then touches the tip of my nose. "Moo."
Thanks, sunshine.

Revenge of the Binge

2011-07-11T16:52:00.001-06:00

So I know I haven't blogged since Everyday Paleo ended. I think I've been running and hiding in shame. I was "good" for a week after that and when Grace's birthday came (just this past weekend), the hideous fearsome binge monkey raised its head again.

Just this morning the thought re-entered my mind that, subconsciously, I may be trying to kill myself by over eating. Since May, I've put on nearly 20 lbs. This is me being brutally honest. I'm not in a good place emotionally, and I am trying to scream for help. While I feel there are people listening, and trying to reach out, I also feel like I am alone.
Honestly, I'm seriously considering shaving my head, cutting myself, and randomly disappearing indefinitely and telling no one. This is not sarcasm.

I know I said I was going to start Whole 30 right after Grace's birthday, but I've had a really hard time getting on the horse. I desperately need to get back to regular exercise, but the thought of going near a treadmill makes me die a little inside, and I don't handle the heat well. I've thought about going for an early morning walk or a walk after dinner, but the standard route causes the same feelings in me and I don't do well in the heat. I also don't want to take Grace or Andy with me, but I don't want to go alone. Can you see part of my problem here? I can lift big weights in the weight room, but I feel lost in there too since I don't really know what kind of a workout I should do to tone up and tend to go to the machines I feel comfortable in and throw myself into a rut.

I've been in the same 10 lb weight range for a year now (I'm 185 now, and I was 185 this time last year). This doesn't help either cuz when I get frustrated I take it out on food, and thus the binge cycle starts again.

I feel lost. I just want to disappear.

Everyday Paleo, Day 30

2011-06-30T21:09:00.000-06:00

You know how I mentioned yesterday that I felt like Sarah was pulling out the fireworks the last few days? Well, brace yourself for the finale, cuz it's pretty spectacular.

This morning my eyes opened at 8:38. Apparently the human alarm clock (Grace) was sleeping in. It rained all night, and it was still overcast outside, so the darkness problem made her own internal alarm clock go on snooze. I wanted to make muffins for visiting teaching this morning, but didn't want to be clunking around the kitchen and waking up Grace or Andy (who took the day off to work on sealing the roof). Finally, Grace got up at 9, and I started on those muffins (blueberry flax). They came out just in time to cool and bag and bolt out the door at 10 am. Got visiting teaching done, and was home at 11:20. Andy was getting Grace ready for our parent-teacher sit down at her pre-school. We took care of that, and also decided to try the dentist next door to her school since we haven't seen ours in a few years (he was unable to accept the new insurance we switched to, which is sad cuz I loved him & his office. Legal amount of novacaine and a movie screen in the ceiling? Yes, please!). So I'm scheduled for my first check up since Grace was a few months old, then Grace has her first appointment (yay, milestones!), and Andy has a check up at the end of the month.

Anyway, the point is I didn't get breakfast till about 12:30. Leftover pork tenderloin, mashed cauliflower, and poached eggs. Mmmm!

Got Grace down for a nap, and I laid down too. Napping is fantastic. Don't let anyone ever tell you you're too old for one ;)
When we got up, we headed out to the hardware store. Andy is still working on planting my berry bushes, so we got stuff for that, as well as things to repair the roof.
Came home & started dinner.

Dinner wasn't complicated, it was just a lot of stuff to prep and get into 3 different pans. Andy seemed a little exasperated that I was constantly asking for help, but he was instrumental in getting dinner on the table-- especially my favorite part, plantain chips (which I've never had before)
Okay, brace yourself, here come the fireworks!

Everyday Paleo, Day 30 GRAND FINALE!
Puerto Rican beef over mashed sweet potatoes with homemade guacamole & plantain chips. I am STUFFED! I mashed the sweet potatoes with coconut milk, ghee, and just a dash of cardamom. Thanksgiving Dinner would be envious. It was wicked good.

Thanks, Sarah, for a fantastic experience.

Tomorrow I will launch right into a modified Whole 30. I was going to wait til after Grace's birthday on the 9th, but I think I'm ready for a new challenge. I will be allowing bacon, butter, 1 square of dark chocolate/week, and pancakes/waffles (mainly cuz we're having them for dinner tomorrow). Yeah, yeah, I know "What's the point of doing a whole 30 then?". I'll be cracking down on my diet, and keeping you updated daily on how I'm doing.

Everyday Paleo, Day 29

2011-06-30T08:46:00.000-06:00

Breakfast was supposed to be egg houses (see Day 11), but I was kinda "Meh". So I had bacon instead. Fed Grace and got us ready for the morning, off to playgroup. It was warm, but breezy, so perfect. Munched on homemade trail mix, and shared my Chuao Firecracker bar with the other moms there (sharing chocolate = love... and less temptation for me).

(Grace at park, cuz I totally rocked her wardrobe this morning-- a dress she outgrew with jeans, a rainbow necklace, and purple hairband)

On our way out, I accidentally smacked myself pretty hard in the face with the car trunk door. My clumsiness continues to amaze me. Monday I injure my foot, Tuesday I twist my ankle, Wednesday I give myself a black eye, Thursday I probably will burn myself, and Friday I will just tell Andy to let me die in a dark corner cuz I give up & the week isn't even over yet!
After that, we headed over to Kids Village for reading time. I met a new mom who had a girl just a few months older than Grace and they are going to be in the same class together in the fall.
When we got home, I wasn't really hungry for lunch, even though Andy generously left me a stuffed bell pepper. I got Grace down for a nap, then laid down myself. My head was hurting when I got up, and dishes and chores needed to be done, and I just felt BLAH. I hated to do it, but I asked Andy to cook.

Can I just say again "LET'S HEAR IT FOR THE BOY!" The man delivers every time. It would seem that he's even getting into the spirit of food porn. Look how pretty he made the chicken piccata the other night, and tonight's dinner:

pork tenderloin with cherry sauce over mashed cauliflower and a side of roasted fennel

Did my man deliver, or did he deliver? I kind of feel like Sarah is putting on a fireworks show with these last few meals, so we must give her props, too!

Also, giving credit where credit's deserved, Andy (being the Golden Boy extraordinaire that he is) won his company's yearly prestigious coin award for exemplary performance. So proud. My guy rocks!

After dinner, I completely spaced Primary presidency meeting, despite reminding Stacey about it at playgroup. I blame the imaginary concussion! We went to Sunflower for some berries (on sale, woo!), and Grace's pool deflated right after she got out of it yesterday, so we bought her a new pool. New AND improved. It has a water sprayer thingy & water slide. She's going to LOVE it! Andy is getting a tarp tomorrow to lay on the grass & protect our investment.

Everyday Paleo, Day 28

2011-06-28T21:31:00.002-06:00

Breakfast was Spring Scramble (see Day 12). I took pictures again, though, cuz I don't think I had everything the first time around

After breakfast, I got Grace dressed cuz she wanted to play outside. It was awful warm & I thought it might be good to finally hunt down her kiddie pool in the shed. I've been meaning to do it for at least a week now.
By the way my toe is feeling better today & I only suffered a twisted ankle during this endeavour!
In case you're wondering: Yes, I am a total klutz. Thank you for asking.

While she was playing, I got brave and went inside to throw on my tankini for some quick tanning & vitamin D absorption. I only laid out for 15 mins with some SPF 12 on, but it felt good... except for the profuse sweat. I started getting hungry & dragged Grace (kicking and screaming, the poor little puddle duck) into the house for lunch which was *drumroll* coconut shrimp.

Okay, so, if you don't like shrimp, you should probably look for the unsubscribe link on my blog. Jus'sayin. Bacon & shrimp are probably 2 of my favorite foods.

I garnished it with butter & key lime juice. Very yummy!

I got Grace down for a nap, and vegged. When she got up, I ran to Walmart for some soil & bigger pots for my poor, withering squashes. Needless to say, they are going to be a lot happier now!
Once we got home, I started with dinner. Sarah suggests stuffed peppers for this evening. I've made stuffed peppers before, but never like this. Our biggest frying pan (which can probably hold about a gallon of stuff) was very nearly full, and I looked down at my 6 peppers & thought "No way is this all going to fit!"
Guess what. It did.

After dinner, we went for a quick walk (about 1 mile). I jogged 1/4 of it. Andy gave Grace some Talenti Gelato while I showered. This stuff is even more delicious than ice cream. I don't have it often (it's pricey in both cash and carbs), but it's one of those things that's definitely worth the indulgence, and it has a very short ingredient list on most of their products (BO-NUS!)

Off to watch Beastly. Have been wanting to see it.

Everyday Paleo, Day 27

2011-06-27T22:08:00.000-06:00

First thing's first.
I dropped at least a pound of frozen chicken, if not more, on to my toe this morning from about 5 feet (the freezer). It's the part that connects my toe to my foot. I didn't think much of it as first, other than "Ow, ow, ow!", set the chicken out to defrost, and moved on with my day.

Breakfast was pancakes, and ham was suggested, so I had bacon, hahaha. Now, I like my egg white flax pancakes (they are a lot lower carb), but these bad boys were just as tasty and won a place on my recommended list. Nice and thick and addicting!

Grace had a big breakfast too. I swear some days the kid has a hollow leg!

Lunch was supposed to be leftover albondigas soup, but I had to run my brother in law on a few errands. I figured I'd be back by 2 and have lunch. Nope. We got home at 4. At that point, there wasn't much point in having lunch, since dinner was going to be served in an hour or two.
Except that my foot was becoming noticeably more uncomfortable... and bruised. I don't have full range of motion at the moment, but I can move, it's just not so fun. I asked hubby to cook and he delivered!

Dinner was chicken piccata over cauliflower fried rice. IT WAS RESTAURANT QUALITY! I loved it. It took nearly two hours to cook (my poor husband), and I ended up finishing eating dinner around 8:20. I highly recommend this dish, despite its lengthiness. So worth it.

If my foot isn't better tomorrow, I'll be paying my chiro a visit. He can fix anything!

Everyday Paleo, Day 26

2011-06-26T20:57:00.000-06:00

So my idea to combine the butter chicken & curried veggie last night was a resounding success! Music in my mouth to the tune of mmmm, mmm, mm!

Got Andy up at 10 (love dog-piling him on the weekends with Grace, and playing as a family for the next half hour), got him fed, and he started helping me pull lunch together. Everyday Paleo Pizza. This was a good experience for us because now we know that meatza is far superior in taste, and we really don't miss the crust on meatza, but this paleo pizza was good in its own right, and Grace chowed down willingly.

As soon as it was in the oven, I set to work on preparing dinner. It was going to take an hour to prepare, and I didn't think we'd have time when we got home from church before going to stake choir practice. I'm glad I did, cuz I just wanted a nap when we got home from church.

Have you ever come across a food whose name you're not quite sure how to pronounce? I had that quandry. Dinner was Albondigas Soup. "Al-bon-di-gus?" "Al-bon-dee-has?". At choir I mentioned it to my friend & she said "Albon-deehas". Aha!
However you say it, it was pretty tasty. Spicy, but tasty.

It calls for 2 lbs of ground beef for the meatballs. I don't know about you, but ground beef is expensive here, but I can get ground Italian turkey sausage for $1/lb. To soften the blow of the cost, I did 1 lb ground beef & 1 lb Italian turkey sausage. It helps cut the cost of spices, and cuts back on fat if that's a concern of yours (not me, I love fat. Fat is delicious! Everyone should learn to embrace it and eat some).
I used a similar trick to help cut the cost on the pizza. It calls for 2 cups of almond flour. Almond flour is hello expensive ($10/lb), but flaxmeal is not. So I used 1c almond flour, and 1c flaxmeal. Tasty, especially with the rosemary from my garden.

Best of all, my blood sugar was 95 before dinner. Haven't seen it that low in a while. Now if I can just figure out how to get it that low in the mornings!

Everyday Paleo, Day 25

2011-06-25T19:20:00.000-06:00

The menu today was veggie curry hash, leftover stew, and better butter chicken. I wasn't really hungry for breakfast, so I made the hash for Andy. There is leftovers for tomorrow, so I will take a picture of it then (and explain more in a moment).

Was not impressed with the stew last night and still wasn't hungry, so I didn't have much of a lunch either (a few nibbles of Grace's Greek yogurt, and a nap). We went grocery shopping. Would you believe we got a week's worth of groceries for less than $70? I was thrilled. That NEVER happens. Don't ask how it happened. I think it just worked out that we had 90% of the ingredients in the house already and just needed fresh veggies.

Dinner was better butter chicken, which I had Andy cook. He was a prince about it and did great.

Have you ever had one of those meals that you don't like at first bite, but then it starts growing on you? This was one of those dishes. It came down to forcing ourselves (okay, MYSELF) to leave leftovers for breakfast in the morning. The menu doesn't call for leftovers, but I thought it would go fantastic with the hash as a protein source.

To further increase his prince-like spectacular epicness, Andy is outside transplanting my flourishing berry bushes into the ground. I am so lucky to have such a nice guy for a hubbins.

Everyday Paleo, Day 24

2011-06-24T22:14:00.000-06:00

Breakfast was Frittata For All (see day 7), and lunch was supposed to be leftover jambalaya, but there wasn't any, so I had some heavy cream & protein powder. Andy came home early so we could take Grace to Cars 2. She did pretty good, only ran around once, and threatening to take her home & put her to bed settled her right down every time.
Dinner was garlic beef stew & acorn squash.

Kinda meh for me.

Off to bed! Sorry so short.

Everyday Paleo, Day 23

2011-06-23T22:28:00.000-06:00

Breakfast was chicken sausage and sauteed spinach with bernaise. I got an apple chicken sausage pack, and steamed the spinach in the microwave. I boiled the sausage, and made the bernaise at the same time using double boiler, double duty method. Water was boiling chicken AND the pot of bernaise. Don't ever say you don't have time to eat healthy, cuz this meal took all of 10 mins. Even Grace ate it.

After breakfast, we went to Sunflower Market to get the last of our groceries. I went on a crazy shopping spree and stocked up on some vitamins that were on clearance, as well as a few other things. Good times.

Came home & started my lunch of portobello mushroom sandwich. The menu says to do turkey, avocado, and arugula, but the recipe says chicken breast, bacon, and avocado. You can guess which one I picked!

The gorgeous dressing oozing out the side is my homemade chipotle mayo. If this sandwich was human and I was single, I'd marry it! Never need bread again, tyvm.

Dinner was "Who Needs Rice" Jambalaya, made with shrimp & white fish. It was very good, despite my julienne-ing frustrations and multiple skin lacerations.

We went to Walmart after dinner for some basic household necessities, then put Grace to bed, and here I am tickety tapping at you.

Hope you had a full and delightful day!

Everyday Paleo, Day 22

2011-06-22T21:50:00.000-06:00

We had a full day today. Grace slept in, which means I slept in. Sleeping in is great! I got to work on breakfast as soon as she was up. The menu today called for eggs over easy, BACON, and bedtime blueberries.

Grace helped me make the blueberries. In hindsight, I now realize I should have taken pictures of her helping. She is such a spaz, but she's also one of the sweetest kids you could meet, and my secret wish is that she grows into a spazzy, affectionate teenager.
I plated the whole shabang just for looks, and gave my portion to Grace (which got mixed into her Greek yogurt), but put it all in a ziploc for *drumroll* PLAYGROUP! I also made some trail mix for myself using almonds, golden raisins, sunflower "nuts" (the seeds minus the shell), and the last of my Amano cacao nibs.
I was a little frazzled cuz Grace was taking her sweet time eating breakfast, and my neighbor stopped by to borrow our ladder just as I was fixing Grace some eggs (the girl packed away bacon, eggs, AND yogurt, ZOW!) & we ended up chatting for a bit. We were running very behind. When we got to the park (around 10:30/10:45, when it was supposed to start at 10), we were one of the first ones there. Stress goes poof! Gone.

Grace made a new friend at the park. They were holding hands, running around together, and rescuing eachother from various parts of the bigger slides. So cute!
After playgroup, we went to Grace's preschool for reading time. This time I came armed with "Lightning" snacks (dried fruit with Pixar's Cars characters on the package). Grace sat riveted through 2 books. HOORAY! My mission is to find more Lightning snacks for this purpose.

We stopped at Winco on the way home to start our shopping for Wed - Sat, and finally got home around 2. Grace ate a cup of no sugar added applesauce, and a couple bites of chicken before letting me know she wanted to go to bed (gotta love "Mommy, I tired. Bedtime!"). My lunch was chicken breast with leftover chimichurri & veggies. I was still kinda "eeeek" about the chimichurri being bitter, so I smothered it over my chicken before baking the chicken. It made a night and day difference! I was especially excited about the vegetables. I threw a Birdseye Steamfresh mixed veggie set into the microwave, and easily demolished the whole bag. It's, like, my entire day's allowance of carbs, but oh so worth it on the deliciousness scale.

When Grace got up, she was upset that she was wet & sticky (it was really warm today, so she was all sweaty), but I got her cleaned up, gave her something cold to drink, and headed out to Maceys to continue our shopping. Got a few extra things (discovered that gelatin has 0 carbs. I see some 0 carb pudding in my future), and made our way home by 5:30. Started dinner of steak chile rellenos with avocado dressing.

Sarah, you hit the ball out of the park with this one! Who needs burritos when there's steak chile relleno to be had? Never need a burrito again, tyvm! Even Andy said this bad boy was restaurant quality. There was 1 left in the pan, and I wanted it, but being the epic wife that I am, I deigned it for Andy's lunch tomorrow.
If you don't know what it is, it's an anaheim chile stuffed with steak, tomatoes, red bell pepper, and other nom noms.

I wanted to go to Sunflower Market after dinner to finish shopping and get Grace a balloon (she loves SM for that very reason), but Andy needed to work, and I was feeling tired myself. You know you're "done" when you lay on the couch for a minute and don't want to move the rest of the night.
So we put Grace to bed. She was soon up and a little distraught about being too warm, despite being dressed in boyshorts and a tank top. I took all the blankets off her bed, and set her up on just her sheets, opened her windows, and tracked down her fan. I gave her 1 blanket in case she gets too cold, and put it by her feet. Let's hope she'll be comfy! I hate summer heat.

Everyday Paleo, Day 21

2011-06-21T21:31:00.000-06:00

So apparently I'm a dyslexic idiot cuz I don't think to stop and read instructions prior to preparing the food.

This morning was scrambled eggs with salsa. However, I got too gung ho over the salsa and didn't read that you're supposed to cook the jalapeno & tomatoes prior to running them through the food processor. I also didn't read, until it was too late, that Sarah only recommends using HALF the jalapeno.
So now I have this blow-your-head-off salsa. Oh well, it was tasty & tamed down a little by the scrambled eggs. I had a side of sliced avocado as well. Grace enjoyed scrambled eggs, sans salsa.

Right after breakfast, I set to work on the chimichurri sauce for lunch. I read ahead this time and prepared it according to directions. Alas, I was disappointed that it was very bitter. I don't think chimichurri sauce should be bitter, should it? I had it over a chicken breast and steamed kale.

I had to muscle my way through the kale on the last few bites.

After Grace's nap, she said she was hungry, so I pulled out some strawberries. I split what was left between us (4 each), and had mine with some coconut milk. Delish! Held me over til dinner.

Dinner was delicious, but kinda dinky & pathetic, portion-wise. It says it serves 3 people, but I could have easily eaten the whole thing by myself. Our dinner was served on tea saucers. I didn't have any lemon, so I used key lime instead.

It was gone in 6 bites, no joke. We went for a walk afterwards, and now I'm kinda hungry.

Off to distract myself until morning.

Everyday Paleo, Day 20

2011-06-20T19:08:00.001-06:00

I just couldn't bring myself to eat any of the pot roast for breakfast! When I thought about it, my stomach churned. I had some custard instead. This time it was coconut milk custard with raspberries & cacao nibs, hot out of the oven.

I am pleased to say that Sarah redeemed herself at lunch. She had a burger patty with baba ghanoush on the menu. I wasn't sure that we had any ground beef, so I took out Italian ground turkey last night instead and made burgers with that. Grace was more than willing to chow down on a burger and some dried apples.

Mine was more simple. Just 2 patties with baba ghanoush. Prior to Everyday Paleo, I had never even heard of baba ghanoush, but it's delicious to be sure AND fun to say!
I think it would go great with just plain pot roast, or even roast leg of lamb & mint.

While Grace napped, I set up our new Roku. It's so cute and awesome. We are going to be fast friends. I also ran 2 loads of dishes through the washer and made a batch of coconut bark. This week's set is EVCO, shredded coconut, coconut cream concentrate, liquid vanilla stevia, and cardamom.

Isn't it pretty!

Dinner was Thai shrimp soup. I love shrimp.

It calls for quite a bit of broccoli, which I ended up not having quite enough of, so I improvised with a mixed veggie pack from the freezer. Yes, those are taters, precious!

The first thing out of Andy's mouth was "Mmm!". I was stunned. The recipe calls for 2 cans of coconut milk. Andy LOATHES coconut milk. He should totally have a Primal blog called "Andy Hates Coconuts". You can imagine how happy I was when the man went back for seconds. The stalks of lemongrass were not really edible, but they were fun to chew on and suck out the oils inside. It makes me want to make some sort of cold summer drink with them.
Sarah, you have officially redeemed yourself for the day! Yesterday never happened.

Tomorrow is Tuesday and hopefully I'll get my circulars. I love planning out my grocery trip!

Everyday Paleo, Day 19

2011-06-19T20:39:00.000-06:00

First of all, Happy Fathers Day to all my Grok Brothers & daddies.

Aside from breakfast, today's menu was Fail-button worthy. Let's start with a positive note though.

For breakfast, leftover egg cupcakes were on the menu, but we ate them all, so I got to do my own thing again. Yay! I made Andy pancakes with homemade whipped cream and strawberries, with scrambled eggs and bacon. He seemed to like it. I was drooling over the pancakes, and totally jealous Andy was sharing a few bites with Grace.

I had baked custard for my own breakfast, using heavy cream. SO GOOD! I put some raspberries on top as well. I must say that HWC makes a huge difference when making custard. So much smoother in texture than coconut milk. Plus, it rained all night, and there's nothing quite like a hot breakfast on a rainy day.

I was going to start lunch when Grace insisted on a shower before church. I heard Andy laughing and he called me into the bathroom. Grace had taken off her pants and undies and put herself in the tub. No getting out of showering now!
Normally she wants daddy to wash her, but today she let me shower with her so we could go to church squeaky clean. She even scrubbed me while I scrubbed her. It was very sweet and innocent. I wish she could stay that way forever.

After shower, I got started on the big production of skillet ginger citrus chicken and kale. Andy was already slaving away on dinner (pot roast). I must not have seasoned lunch enough cuz it was really bland. Fail 1.

Andy needed thyme from the garden, so I went outside to get a few branches. However, the planter had flooded and uprooted half of my plants. I was stressed and alarmed. I bailed my poor babies out, and added a whole new bag of soil. Andy says he will drill some drainage holes. I hope they survive.

When we got home, I felt hungry, so I caved and had another custard, this time with a square of Ghiradelli sea salt soiree. I konked out on our bed around 5:30, despite Grace trying to beat me up. I wasn't really hungry for dinner, so I suppose it didn't help what happened next.
Around 6, I realized I had completely forgotten to prepare the side dish of mashed yams. Dinner was 15 mins later. Blargh. Not happening. She says they only take a few mins in the ol' pressure cooker, but not everyone owns a pressure cooker. I guess I will have to try it on a different day.

Dinner was "Perfect pot roast". Okay, in all fairness, the meat was fine. However, the sauce looked and tasted like vomit. Sorry, Sarah. This meal is an F for me. It's down on the bottom of my list along with the curry stew.
The vegetables were too sweet. Not yummy sweet either, but like bizarre, smack-your-chops-cuz-you're-not-sure-what-you're-eating sweet. The recipe calls for red wine, but we don't keep wine in the house. We tried to improvise with grapes and apple cider vinegar, so that could be part of the problem.
I choked down the veggies and meat and ran away from the table.

I am supposed to have leftovers for breakfast, but at this point I am in tears, begging "Oh, please, Sweet Little Baby Jesus, DON'T MAKE ME EAT IT!"

Off to watch Drop Dead Diva Season 3.

Everyday Paleo, Day 18

2011-06-18T14:10:00.000-06:00

Breakfast was leftover egg cupcakes. I had mine with ketchup. I am very grateful to the Heinz company for making a "simply heinz" ketchup. No HFCS or other weird stuff, just tomatoes, seasoning, and vinegar.

After breakfast we went grocery shopping as a family. We had some splurges (I've been craving custard and there were raspberries on sale, and the naughty part of me wanted to try Lindt's chili dark chocolate, and Andy & Grace got some goodies to take to a movie tonight). The bill was about $130.

Lunch was leftover meatloaf with sprouts & bacon.

Dinner is "breaded" baked chicken with butternut squash soup. I am cooking them now since we are planning on seeing the 5:10 showing of Rio at the dollar theater, and wouldn't be having dinner until very late otherwise. This way we can just come home and warm everything up. It will work out perfectly.
If Grace sits through Rio, we might take her to Cars 2.

Everyday Paleo, Day 17

2011-06-17T20:35:00.000-06:00

Grace slept in until nearly 9:30. Awesome. I didn't want to wake her, so I held off on preparing breakfast until she got up. Once she was up, it was ninja time. Egg cupcakes stuffed with lots of veggies. It took a while to put together, and another hour to bake them all. I ate 4.
While waiting for breakfast, I made Grace a smoothie. I used several half-eaten yogurts, blueberries, and some coconut milk. Grace loves her "smokies".

We didn't get to our morning errands till 11:30. Was hunting for stuff for Andy's Father's Day gifts, but felt like it was in vain. Either the stuff was sold out that I wanted to get him, or it just wasn't in stock/back order.

Got home at 1:30 and started pulling together my lunch. The menu called for walnut red pepper dip with raw veggies and a chicken breast. I threw a chicken breast in the oven, chopped it up when it was done, threw it over some arugula, with leftover cucumbers, and the walnut pepper stuff. Was not a fan and ended up throwing most of it away. Wasn't terribly hungry to begin with, but wanted to give everything in the book a fair shot.

Got Grace down for a nap, but shortly after some kids rang the doorbell. They were on a scavenger hunt and needed a magnet. I gave them one of ours and bid them good luck. Grace was up after that. I fought with her for 2 hours to nap. It wasn't happening, so at 4:30 I made her sit on the couch with no toys, TVs, or books until daddy got home. I'm a mean mom.
In the mean time, I got dinner started. Everyday Paleo meatloaf with a side of brussel sprouts & bacon. It's always a party when bacon is involved! We've had the meatloaf before, as well as the side dish, so everyone was a happy camper.

For the last several days I've been jonesing hard core for some custard. I've been discouraged though cuz I'm trying to stay away from dairy, and when I use coconut milk it just comes out funky in the texture department. Tastes fine, just not pudding smooth. Might have to break down and get some HWC.

Everyday Paleo, Day 16

2011-06-16T19:01:00.000-06:00

So yesterday I was going on about how I long for a free day of just eating what I want on my own schedule. I ended up with that opportunity today. Breakfast & lunch was supposed to be leftovers from yesterday, but I didn't have either of them. I didn't know what I was going to do, and ended up having an IF until about 11a. I was hungry and made myself some egg white flax crepes with cardamom and vanilla, and bacon. SO GOOD! Also had a little Greek yogurt instead of butter and syrup. Crazy delicious. My tummy was way happy.

I didn't eat much for the rest of the day. Nibbled on a couple of grapes, and some of Grace's ham from lunch.

Went to chiropractor for monthly adjustment and we talked about diet and inflammation. I expressed my frustration of not losing more than 10 pounds in the last year, despite my best efforts. I've changed my diet, and the way I work out, what more does my body want? Doc mentioned digestion problems that could actually be interfering with progress, so that's something I might be exploring more in the near future.

Dinner was salmon cakes with ginger mayo. In her book, Sarah mentions how these were an epiphany for her when she first went Paleo. SHE'S NOT JOKING! I have already expressed that I'm not a big salmon fan, but these were the shiz! I could seriously eat them all day, and I'm looking forward to enjoying them again in the near future. I would also like to try the same recipe using tuna instead of salmon.

The recipe for the ginger mayo called for 2 cups of EVOO. I felt that was way too much (the mayo was already runny enough as is, and I like THICK mayo), and kept it down to 3/4 cup.

I don't know why, but I've been crazy sleepy the last few days. Not tired, mind you. I just want to sleep.

Off to veg & get ready for bed.

Everyday Paleo, Day 15

2011-06-15T22:41:00.000-06:00

So here we are. Half way through the project. Yay! I love the food I'm eating, but I'm already looking forward to July when I can have free reign over what I eat and be more on the fly again. I think I'll start cracking down early and getting ready for Whole 30, round 2. Going to try to stick to just meat & veggies with a little fruit through Grace's birthday, and then start Whole 30 on the 10th.

Today's breakfast was poached eggs over curried hash. I'm glad I made the hash yesterday and reconstituted it today because it saved me a TON of prep work. Andy said he liked the hash, and I bet he'll love the reconstituted stuff tomorrow. It had zucchini in it, and that's one of his favorite vegetables.

After breakfast we got ready for playgroup. I can't believe we were at the park for 3 hours. It worked out perfect. I munched on homemade trail mix most of the time (cashews, golden raisins, and cacao nibs). Grace ran around barefoot, and played in the drinking fountain with some of the boys from church. One of them stripped down naked cuz he was afraid his mom would get mad at him if his clothes got wet. It was really funny... also first time Grace has seen a boy. No questions arose. She probably wasn't even paying attention. She got super soaked, so I had her go play on the playground again to dry out. She started digging in the wood chips and got her pants (and underwear) FULL of chips. I had to strip her down in the trunk of our car to shake it all out. It was awful. It was really nice visiting with other moms from the ward, and I've known most of them for as long as Grace has been alive. It's nice to feel like you're connected to something.
After playgroup, we went to Grace's preschool for story time. Today's subject was bugs. Grace loved it and did MUCH better than last week. She didn't sit still, but she wasn't running wild either.

We stopped by WinCo on the way home for some yams for dinner, and I also got Grace some Greek yogurt and dried fruit snacks (they had Pixar Cars on them, and the only ingredient is, for example, dehydrated apples). Came home, fed Grace, and was supposed to have gingered shrimp salad for my lunch, but was still plenty full from the trail mix at the park (I only packed a ziploc snack sized bag, and had 3/4 of it. Grace had 1/4).
Put Grace down for a nap, but she had trouble falling asleep. She didn't konk out til 3 or 3:30, and she usually goes down at 1:30. I took the opportunity to snooze, too. When I woke up, it was 5:30. I needed to get dinner on. Pulled together the ingredients for dry rub burgers. I was afraid they'd be too spicy with the chili powder, cumin, red pepper, and white pepper, but they weren't at all. The sweet potato fries, however, were.
Sarah, I think you have an unhealthy relationship with cayenne, LOL!
Seriously, it's been in almost EVERY recipe this week.

When dinner was done, we went grocery shopping. I had $100 in my wallet, and had to make it work until Andy gets paid on Friday. He said the other day that he's missed the quality time together shopping gave us, so I decided to drag him along. We came in just under $100. Yay!
We will go shopping again on Saturday.
He wants me to start shopping twice a week because our fridge is tiny, and things will be fresher that way. I'm afraid I'll spend more, but we shall see.

Off to bed!

Everyday Paleo, Day 14

2011-06-14T20:15:00.001-06:00

This morning I was supposed to have leftover pollo con salsa roja, but there were no leftovers. So I made a meal I missed from day 6, Katrina's Sausage Hash.

I think it would have been better with scrambled eggs. I didn't really enjoy it otherwise. However, there's an abundance of leftovers from it, and I'm going to use it tomorrow for poached eggs over curried hash.

After breakfast, I took my brother in law to his therapy appointment, and hit up Walmart for some new boy shorts & camis for Grace. If you're not in the know, camis/tanks & boy shorts are the way to go for summer pajamas! Can't argue with 4 sets of jams for $6. After Walmart, we went to a nearby park. There were horses across the street, and Grace wanted to say hello. There was a fairly friendly one, and I was trying to teach Grace that we always, Always, ALWAYS feed ponies with a FLAT hand. Well, she didn't listen, and sure enough, pony got her little fingers and nearly pulled her through the fence. Accidents happen, lesson learned (hopefully)
I calmed her down, we said goodbye to pony, and I let her play on the playground a few more minutes. We picked up her uncle from the doctor's and helped him run a few more errands.
When we finally got home, I got Grace settled with some cheese, grapes, and chopped ham steak. My lunch was Ginger Shrimp Salad.

I used leftover avocado dressing from last night's dinner. I must have overseasoned the salad with the ginger & pepper cuz my mouth was on fire and I had to muscle my way through it a little.
Tomorrow's lunch is leftover ginger shrimp salad. I'm not so sure I'm excited for it.

Grace went right down for a nap after lunch, and I laid down for a few minutes too. When we got up, Grace wanted eggs for a snack. So I broke down and made some baked custard for her. She helped cook it, and willingly ate it. I used cardamom. Cardamom is fantastic. I love the way it smells! Very floral & orange-y. I did eggs, coconut milk, cardamom, vanilla, and stevia. I let her have a tiny bit before dinner, but her big portion came after dinner with Daddy.

Dinner was skillet salmon with baby bok choy. I got a ginormous salmon fillet from Walmart. I swear, it's half the fish! The directions said to toss chives with fish sauce, chili oil, sesame oil, and honey, but I didn't have chives or honey so I improvised with green onion stalks and agave. The whole whale was not going to fit into a skillet as directed, so I threw it in the oven. While that was going, I softened/steamed some bok choy in a pan with coconut oil. Top with cashews
The result was this:

I haven't had salmon since my wedding reception in 2001. I hated it. Still wasn't 100% on board with this recipe, but it's always good to try new things.

Off to put my kid to bed & spend the rest of the night at primary meeting.

Looking forward to tomorrow. Play group, reading time at Grace's preschool, and grocery shopping!

Everyday Paleo, Day 13

2011-06-13T20:55:00.000-06:00

I woke up at 8:30 this morning. My human alarm clock didn't go off. She slept in til 9, so I had a few minutes to myself. Looked in Everyday Paleo at the menu plan for the day and danced around the kitchen.

Breakfast paleo pizza. Who doesn't love pizza for breakfast? This was really more of a glorified frittata than anything else, but I am quickly falling in love with frittatas! I will one day invent a recipe for a frittata so delicious that the only name for it will be "Ta-ta, Frittata!". Cuz it will be *snarf* gone.

Isn't it perty?
It was very satisfying! I just about skipped lunch. Lunch was leftover paleo spaghetti from yesterday. I gave Grace 1/2 a cup, but she decided after a few bites she didn't want it, so I ended up having it. Other than nibbling some homemade coconut bark throughout the afternoon, I didn't eat. Breakfast was just that filling.

Around 3:45 I looked at dinner and saw that it was supposed to go in the crock pot for 6 hours on low. Crap. Luckily there was still time to throw it together on high. Pollo con Salsa Roja. Onions, carrots, celery, chicken, and enchilada sauce. By 6, I was worried it wasn't going to be done in time. I took the chicken out and threw it in the oven. So glad I did cuz it was absolutely delicious!
Andy helped me make an avocado dip to go along with it, as suggested in the book (it also suggested serving it over salad, but I didn't see that until just now).
It was fantastic.

Andy is going to a movie with his brother. Grace is already in bed. I think I will turn in early. I recently recorded Les Mis in concert 25th anniversary edition. Should be a good watch.

Random highlite of today: I was eskimo kissing Grace & told her "I love you"
Her response: "I love you most, Mommy"
*swoon*

Everyday Paleo, Day 12

2011-06-12T21:23:00.000-06:00

Kinda tired, so I'll make this short.

Spring scramble for breakfast. A great way to get lots of veggies into your day and off to a flying start.

BLT with avocado spread for lunch. Totally scrumptious. BLTs are one of my favorite meals.

Dinner was Everyday Paleo spaghetti. I used spaghetti squash for the pasta, and did a combination of ground beef & italian turkey sausage for the meat. Very yummy.

I'm always excited when dessert is offered. We had baked apples. I stuffed mine with coconut cream concentrate as well as raisins, coconut, and spices. It reminded me of apple pie, and what apple pie is complete without ice cream?

I made my ice cream using coconut milk, la crema cinnamon vanilla coffee creamer, frozen cherries, and cacao nibs. Cherry Garcia may now bow down to me!

Props to my phenomenal hubby who was instrumental in helping me get both lunch & dinner on the table in a time crunch today.

Everyday Paleo, Day 11

2011-06-11T19:23:00.001-06:00

This morning was a rude awakening. Grace woke up at 7. Her pull up had leaked and her pajama bottoms were all wet. I got her changed and put her back to bed. Just as I was cleaning up, the doorbell rang.
WHO THE HECK RINGS DOORBELLS AT 7 IN THE FRICKIN' MORNING?!
My neighbor, that's who. I don't know what she wanted. I threw a t-shirt on and poked my head around the door with a groggy, "Hullo?"
She wasn't sure if we were up yet.
IS ANYONE IN THEIR RIGHT MIND HONESTLY UP AT 7 AM ON A SATURDAY? I mean REALLY!
My poor husband busts his @$$ off all week, and Grace usually sleeps til 8. They need their rest.
*Huff* completely inconsiderate.

When Grace officially got up, I got her fed. I knew breakfast was supposed to be Egg Houses, but I was not entirely together upstairs yet, and grabbed a muffin from yesterday. That held me over for a few hours, and when I was hungry enough (around 11), I made those egg houses.
Super easy, btw. Gut a tomato, crack in an egg, bake. In the mean time, cook yourself some happy delicious pig belly. And voila! Breakfast:

Andy got up closer to noon, and I told him I would like to go back to bed since I had been up since 7. Oh, did I mention we were silly and stayed up till 1:30 last night? We watched The Black Swan (#2 WORST MOVIE EVER ON MY LIST!), then America's Got Talent. We also needed some things from the store so he could transplant my berry bushes. So, being the prince that he is, he took Grace to the store with him and I passed out for a few hours.
When he got home, he helped me prepare my lunch-- "Flying Shrimp Saucers". Now, if you know me well enough, you'll know that if there's shell fish involved (especially shrimp or lobster), I am so there! This was a very filling dish.

Though I suppose the flying shrimp saucers title would make more sense if I had mine on a plate instead of a bowl.

Dinner was lamb burgers. For the records, lamb is ridiculously expensive, so this was a rare treat.

The side dish was baked curried cauliflower:

Next time I think I will cook it in the frying pan. I would have liked it a lot crispier and the spices would have made awesome "breading".

Now you may recall that the government recently released a new and "improved" food diagram to tell us how to eat. My response was this (as was many other a Paleo/Blueprinter):

Now I'm going to show you what I ate for dinner. Ready?

Can you see the similarities? Lamb burgers topped with chili & a side of cauliflower and roasted root vegetables. Maybe I should have included a picture of my 64 oz water bottle as well.
Critter, plants, water. Keep it simple, silly. Your body doesn't need a whole lot for optimal performance. Ditch the grains, you'll feel so much better without them in the long run.

And just for good measure... whenever I pull out the camera, Grace is there. She sees me "cheesing" my food, and demands "Mommy cheese Grace!"
Tonight I looked up with my camera & saw this:

When did you learn to do that? Irregardless, Rock on little Fu. Rock on.

Everyday Paleo, Day 10

2011-06-10T20:45:00.001-06:00

Last night I noticed that breakfast was paleo apple banana muffins I have made before. I knew how I wanted to make them, but it was 11:30p and I wasn't about to stay up til midnight just to make muffins for hubby's breakfast. He said he was happy with his youbar anyway.
X-Men First Class was an okay movie. It got me thinking about my ginormous thighs. I've gotten so many compliments on the one feature I've hated the most about myself that I'm starting to embrace the concept "Mutant and proud". The more compliments I get, the more I want to work on getting them down to where I'm happy. I want to see how hard I can push them. I want to run until my heart bursts or my legs break, whichever comes last. I can't sustain a run for very long, maybe 1/4 mile, but I'm getting there.

So this morning I made the muffins, and I was really excited about it cuz there was BACON. I've said it before, and I'll say it again. Three things in the world make life infinitely better: chocolate, bacon, and cookies. If you're having all of them at the same time, you're having a pretty fantastic moment.
Anyway, breakfast was muffins, bacon, and eggs over easy. I was super happy. Last time I made the muffins, Andy complained they weren't sweet enough, so this time I added 1/4 cup powdered stevia. Also, I've decided that flax meal is cheaper and more practical than almond meal, so I used flax meal in the recipe this time. They turned out great! In all fairness to the Sarah & Sarah endeavour, I DID make them as per the recipe... last month :P

Grace, my little bacon hound, showing mommy tiger how much baby tiger loves bacon. "Bacon, grr!"

My succulent breakfast:

After my apple flax carb up, it was time for game on. I went to the gym for the first time in several weeks. I was determined to push myself. I set new PRs: 60 lb pec fly, and 100 lb chest press. After the weight room, I hopped on the hamster wheel (treadmill) and beat out a 12 min mile, also a new PR. I normally run a mile in 14 mins. I think 2 mins off a mile is pretty huge.
When I was done with that, Grace & I went to the park by the gym. I laid out a blanket, put a little sunscreen on Grace, some tanning oil on myself and just vegged for an hour. It was great. Roasted 10 mins on each side (left, right, front, bank). My arms itch like crazy, so I'm pretty sure I got some new color on me. After this post I will hop in the shower and then rub on my vampire cream. I call it my vampire cream, cuz it's got mica on it and makes me glitter when the light touches my skin. If you know anything about Twilight, you will find this "vampire cream" very funny.

After the park, I went to Target. I needed ham steak for dinner, and I was out of allspice & nutmeg- 2 of my favorite spices. Also, Andy said I could get Grace new shorts for the summer (which is great, cuz Target has a bunch for $4.50 each, so I got her a bunch). I also picked up cardamom, cuz I want to play with it. I love having a well stocked spice cupboard!
Got home, and Grace just wanted cheese & papu for lunch. Got her squared away with lunch & a movie which gave me a minute to get my leftover chili warmed up and breathe. I was less of a monster today, post-workout. Maybe it was the sunbathing at the park. Grace also had a container of skyr yogurt. I had a coupon for it, so Andy & I stopped by Harmons after the movie last night and used the coupon. I got an orange ginger & a pomegranate one. Grace wanted the orange one. I tried a bite & did not like it, but Grace apparently did cuz she ate the whole thing. It's even thicker than Fage Total. I didn't think that was possible.
Grace went down for a nap shortly after, and so did I.

When she got up, she wanted to watch Tangled. I put it on, and the neighbor came over & asked to borrow our mower. I went out to the shed to open it, got the mower for her, and figured it was as good a time as any to finally transplant my back porch garden. Grace's strawberries got moved to a much bigger pot with organic soil.

My rosemary, thyme, purple bell pepper, and Grace's mini tomatoes got moved to the green planter by the door.

Andy will move my raspberry, blackberry, and golden berry plants to the back lot along our porch, and the zucchini & crookneck squash will get moved into the pots that the berries were in. I'm just worried about what to do with them when winter comes. Will have to research that.
I already have neighbors asking me for cuttings of my organic plants. It makes me feel good inside, like I'm at least doing something right.

I came in after transplanting and lost track of time. When I looked up it was almost 6. Dinner should have gone on 1/2 an hour ago!
I started pulling the ingredients together. Asparagus stuffed chicken breast. Except, I soon realized, what was in the fridge was chicken thigh-- NOT CHICKEN BREAST. *Head-desk*. It was too late to fix, so I just went with the chicken thighs, and trimmed them of the fat. Blanched the asparagus, and chopped up the ham steak. Andy came home, and I was a little flustered.
Does anyone know how slippery beets are? It's ridiculous. I've tried beets a number of times in the past & always hated them. They were the canned/jarred kind, so maybe they were pickled or something? Anyway, this slippery little fellow was totally GROOVY after I peeled 'em.

As I looked ahead at the instructions, I noticed that the roast vegetables I was preparing took an HOUR, and at 50 degrees hotter than the chicken. This got me kinda upset (along with the beets flying everywhere as I tried to chop them) and I sort of started Yosemite Sam-ing. Andy grabbed the knife from my hand and chased me out of the kitchen. We got the beets, parsnips, carrots, and garlic into the oven just as the chicken was coming out.
By the way, have you ever had parsnips? When I went to buy them, I confessed to the cashier that I had to google them before coming to the store, just so I knew what I was looking for. They are big, white, carrot-looking things, and kind of taste like a cross between a carrot and a sweet potato.
The beets were delicious. First time I've liked them. And can we just say that this recipe (the roasted root veggies) is DESSERT worthy? That's right, you heard me! DESSERT. So sweet and succulent. It was like eating candy. So maybe it wasn't so bad they came out after I finished my chicken.
Lucky for you there was leftover chicken willing to stand in for a quick photo with the veggies.

Everyday Paleo, Day 9

2011-06-09T19:08:00.000-06:00

This morning had me frazzled. Breakfast was poached eggs with steamed asparagus and bernaise. Seems easy enough, right? I had some leftover mayo from one of the dishes I made last week and decided to use that. The ingredients were essentially the same (lemon, eggs, EVOO). So I poured a little into a custard dish. The recipe calls for a double boiler method. I figured I'd just float the dish in the pot of water. I poached my eggs, dished them up, then set the dish of mayo floating in the water. I thought it would be fine... except when the water started boiling, a little got into the dish and SANK IT! Bernaise #1 destroyed.
Did I mention I was already kinda "grr" cuz I dropped one of the 3 eggs on the floor when making poached eggs? So I let out a disgruntled noise, and Grace asked "What's wrong, Mommy?"
"Mommy frustrated"
I tried to rescue the dish from the boiling water. Dumb idea. I'm full of those. Including the TWO times I've stuck a butter knife down an electric toaster while in operation... but I digress.
So there I am rain dancing in the kitchen with boiling water going all over my hands, burning myself & my sweet, little daughter asking "what's wrong, mommy?"
Okay... deep breath... take #2.
I pulled the mayo I had made the week before back out of the fridge. This time I was going to be smart. I left the lid on the container, and set the container floating.
The lid blew off, and the @#$^ started to sink. I grabbed it just in time, there was still some salvageable. At this point, I am starting to go off like Yosemite Sam.
Deep breath. Okay, dummy, we're doing this the way we should have done it in the first place.
TAKE 3:
Pour leftover, salvageable mayo into pot while asparagus spears steam. Remove asparagus. Place smaller pot into the stupid water pot for official double boiler. Allow to thicken. Serve.
Voila, breakfast. *Grumble*

After I logged my food for the day on MFP & Daily Burn, I saw that I needed to earn a few calories to put me in the clear. I had a hard time getting myself going in a gym direction, so then I figured "Aha! I will walk to Amano for a bag of cacao nibs". Which is exactly what I did. It was windy, and I walked a mile & 1/2 in a head wind, pushing a stroller, with a nearly 30-lb kid. Great burn! Amano let me sample all of the cacao nibs and I decided I liked the Accra & Ocumare the best. We went home with a bag of Ocumare. I have plans for these crunchy little friends. Coconut Bark & a cherry garcia ice cream spin (with coconut milk, frozen cherries, and eggs).
Got home, and asked Grace what she wanted for lunch. She said she wanted "papu" (her word for lunch meat) and cheese. I grabbed Andy's pastrami from the fridge but for the life of me could NOT get it open. As I have mentioned before, I am pretty much a mean, cranky monster after a workout, and started Yosemite Sam-ing again. I gave up and told Grace to pick something else. We went with a cheese board (cheese & grapes). She was happy with that and I was able to sit down to my own lunch and become less of a bear. It was leftover sun dried tomato chicken slaw salad. I don't really care for salad with meat in them unless the meat is hot. So I didn't finish it. I could have sat there & picked out all the meat to warm it back up, but I just wanted to eat gosh darnit!

Dinner is beanless chili & carrot and fennel salad. We love chili, and haven't had it in a long time.

We loved it!

After dinner, Andy & I went to see X-Men First Class. Hooray for babysitters & quality time with hubby.

Everyday Paleo, Day 8

2011-06-08T22:53:00.000-06:00

Soooo... breakfast was so crazy delicious, I forgot to take pictures of my plate before I sucked it down like a dyson. It was blueberry pancakes. Who doesn't love them some pancakes? The recipe called for almond meal, but I was clean out, and it was grocery day. So I improvised and used flaxmeal instead. I had them with the last of the frittata. SO GOOD! Lucky for you, I made 12. Grace had 3, I had 3. The other 6 went on a plate.

Breakfast was 892 cals, 47 carbs (22 net), 45 protein, AND WORTH EVERY BITE!

After breakfast it was off to Sunflower Market. I love, Love, LOVE this store! Spent $147. They were sampling the Barleans Fish Oil, which was perfect. I had been eyeing this stuff for a few weeks now, knowing I needed something to help balance out all the meat I eat. The gal let me try all of the flavors. I was worried they would be chalky and nastay, but they were FAN-FREAKING-TASTY! I got the lemon one. Must not come in contact with a straw or IV in immediate future...

After shopping, I took Grace to her preschool for story time. It was way too close to her nap time, and she'd just been in a shopping cart for an hour, and refused to sit still. Whenever I'd try to get her to behave, she'd start to have a meltdown. I felt really embarrassed and we left as soon as the teacher was done reading. I will try again next week. Give Grace plenty of play time in the morning, hit up reading time, down for nap, THEN shop. Wednesday is my new grocery day.

When we got home, I put her in bed, and gave her a bora bora bar. It was fast and easy, and I didn't hear a peep from her for the next hour. In that hour, I fixed myself lunch. The meal today was sun dried tomato chicken slaw. I used the leftover sundried tomato dressing I made last week (since it already had most of the ingredients mixed in), and cooked up some boneless, skinless chicken thigh. Tossed it with cabbage that I broke into pieces, some almond slivers, and black pepper. It also called for an apple, but I was already way over on my carbs for the day thanks to the epic pancakes. I tossed it with some baby spinach.

I also confess to trying my hand at coconut bark today. No pictures, cuz I don't want you to know about my dirty little secret. 1/2 cup melted coconut oil, 1 oz cacao butter, 1 oz coconut cream concentrate, some dutched cocoa powder, and liquid stevia. Let it set in freezer, break it up, eat some. I think it's a great way to get more coconut oil into one's diet. I wonder what would happen if I did coconut oil & the barleans lemon fish oil I have?

After Grace got up from her nap, we finished our shopping run. Went to Winco to buy the bulk of what was left on my list. I think I spent $56-ish. After that we went to Walmart, and I spent another $67. Some of the items were NOT part of the Everyday Paleo grocery list. Just so we're clear. I got Grace some new shorts, and I'm still trying to perfect a "regular" ice cream recipe for the sake of my wonderful husband. I like coconut milk ice cream, he DOES NOT.
He was just walking into the park when I got home. He helped put the groceries away while I got dinner started.

dinner was collard wrapped tilapia.

Have you ever had collards? I've never had collards. I liked them. Andy did not. It was so easy to make them! Blanch collard leaves, place tilapia fillet down, smother with coconut oil, season with lemon pepper, sea salt, and paprika.

I did a twist of key lime on mine.

After dinner, I seriously needed to earn some calories to help balance out my day. I also had Primary in an hour. So I went for a wog. I jogged part way up the hill to hell, also jogged 3 blocks, up to medical center, around, and to Primary president's house. Had our meeting, and I jogged home in a headwind.

I'm a little winded, especially since I'm still shrugging off the last of my sinus infection/cold.

OFF TO BED! Thanks for reading.

Everyday Paleo, Day 7

2011-06-07T19:09:00.000-06:00

I say "free-ta-ta" you say "Frit-at-ah"-- Frittata For All, it's what was for breakfast this morning! How can you go wrong with bacon, bell pepper, and green onion as a base? Throw down some scrambled egg mixture with pepper and oregano, broil it, and bam! *Emeril-izing* Frittata for All. Even Grace ate it. The recipe says it serves 6, but I made 8 slices. So, in my head, that's 8 servings. I had 2 slices with the blow your head off hot sauce I made for huevos rancheros yesterday. Way yummy!

Lunch was leftover lasagna. The whole 9 x 13 dish is gone now. Andy took 1/2 of the 1/2 that was left to work for lunch, and I had the other 1/2. We were both pining away for it at dinner, wishing there was more.

Dinner was, uh... interesting. In a green eggs & ham kinda way. Garden Meatballs, made with sweet potato, zucchini, ground beef, ground turkey, and some other stuff. Today also called for baked green beans. Alas, there was no recipe for baked green beans in the book! So I had to go hunt down an online recipe. I found one by Emeril and BAM! Hubby was in love. So easy. Green beans, EVOO, tarragon, garlic salt, lemon pepper-- BAM, BAM, BAM! *giggle*

The meatball recipe says that it makes 25 meatballs. My batch made 40. FORTY! 40 REALLY. BIG. HONKIN. MEATBALLS! Sarah, did I do something wrong? It was also kinda oozy after it came out of the oven. I discovered that I like my meatballs on the crispier side. All the veggies made it kinda soggy. I had a plate of 9 meatballs, but really had to muscle my way through the last 2.

Tomorrow we will have a little weigh in to see if week 1 has affected anything in that area.

Everyday Paleo, Day 6

2011-06-06T06:19:00.003-06:00

Everyday Paleo, Day 6, AKA KETCHUP DAY!

Y'know those huevos rancheros I was supposed to have on Saturday? We're having them today cuz I don't have the fixins for the colorful hash in Sarah's book. How many points do I have in the unpreparedness box now? I'm also craving bacon & fat, so I'm having a side of that as well. Here's my morning nom noms:

Sarah, are you sure you're not supposed to seed the jalapeno BEFORE throwing it in the food processor? Irregardless, my cold thanks you! My tongue on the other hand...

The ranchero sauce is made with tomatillos, jalapeno, cilantro, garlic, lime juice, and sea salt. I had never worked with tomatillos before. Look how pretty they are!

THEY WERE STICKY!
I cooked them & the jalepeno in some leftover bacon grease. Yes, we save & freeze our bacon grease. EVERYONE SHOULD SAVE THIS DELICIOUS TREASURE!
I didn't have cilantro, so I used silver thyme from my back porch garden. I tasted the sauce after I had combined it, and it about blew my head off. I immediately grabbed the HWC from the fridge, to help quell the fire. The sauce was not so bad over the eggs & avocado, but still pretty macho! Let's just say my sinuses are clear without the use of vicks.

Lunch is shrimp tacos. WAHOO! I love me some shrimp.

Can you guess what dinner is using these pictures?

Did you guess yet? Dinner is "Hasta La Vista, Pasta Lasagna". Very excited to try this one. Andy has been saying he's been missing lasagna. I don't really care for lasagna (I think it's the ricotta), so this should be fun to try.

Tell me that doesn't look like regular la-zag-knee! Andy loved it. I loved it. Half the 9 x 13 pan is GONE. Since we are a Primal family, and not strictly Paleo, I took the liberty of adding parmesan on top & broiling it. I think it sealed the deal.

Lastly...
Y'know how I complain about not losing weight & my legs are too big? Yeah, yeah, I know. I have come to the conclusion that my body, keeping in line with my ultimate weirdness, is taking fat from weird places... like my KNEES. I am starting to get a really nice cut in my thigh & calf. Kinda proud. Cover your eyes if you're not into cellulite and massive, muscley thunder thighs.

I guess those crazy, 6+ mile walks are paying off!

Everyday Paleo, Day 5

2011-06-05T10:30:00.001-06:00

Today is Fast Sunday-- the slowest Sunday of each month. I took Ma to the airport this morning. Settling into the fast now. Looking forward to Everyday Paleo "Rockin Moroccan Chicken" for dinner.
Today's breakfast of blueberry pancakes will have to wait a day or two.
Did I mention my sinus funk has turned into a cold? Grace has been very sweet today giving me hugs & kisses. I just hope she doesn't catch it. Have been giving her Bolthouse Farms C-Boost Juice to help keep her immune system strong. On Wednesday, we're going to start going to her new preschool for reading time. Very excited to have this opportunity over the summer. She already recognizes letters in the alphabet, and can even read a couple words.
I'm super eager to get over this gambu so I can bust out the tanning oil & be active again.

Rockin Moroccan Chicken:

It was different, but tasty. Grace was fussy at the dinner table (no nap, since church is during her nap time). I let her lay on the couch to watch Beauty & The Beast while we ate, figuring she'd come back over when she was hungry enough. When I checked on her, I found this:

Sweet little angel!

Needless to say, she's gone to bed early.

Everyday Paleo, Day 4

2011-06-04T09:11:00.002-06:00

So this morning is huevos rancheros... only I have no ha-la-pen-o (jalapeno). Yay for my continued unpreparedness. Y'd'think by now I'd have all the groceries for week 1. Nope.
I told Andy my dilemma, but he just now left. It's almost lunch time! I'll be having huevos rancheros another day.
Tomorrow is Fast Sunday... Lunch is leftovers, but breakfast is pancakes *smacks lips*. I REALLY want to try it, but it's also going to have to wait.
I was so hungry this morning, I broke down and had 1/2 cup Fage Total. Eagerly awaiting lunch now.

Lunch is a nice spinach salad.

Dinner is an adventurous beef & curry stew. Which Ma hated (she's completely stone faced despite my offering to make or go get her ANYTHING she wants).

The stew called for thai curry paste. Who keeps this around on a regular basis? I hunted down a recipe online and made mine from scratch. Proud to say I had 99% of the ingredients it called for! Here's the recipe for the curry paste I used: http://thaifood.about.com/od/thaicurrypasterecipes/r/redpaste.htm.
Also proud of myself for cutting off the majority of the fat from the beef we're using in the stew. I did throw the fat into the pot, but at least it's not attached to the meat. I think it's a step forward for me.

The snack of the day is sunny deviled eggs. I kinda feel like it was a fail. Not the recipe! Me. I couldn't get the yolk to be fluffy.

Hope you had a more successful cooking day than I did.

Everyday Paleo, Day 3

2011-06-03T08:52:00.003-06:00

So you may have, no doubt by now, seen the new government "food pyramid". If you haven't, here it is:

But I think this way is better:

More on that here:
http://www.fitbomb.com/2011/06/its-not-that-hard.html

Anyway, on with the Everyday Paleo adventure!

Breakfast today is leftover egg cupcakes. YUM! I scarfed them down with salsa (which is funny, cuz tomorrow I'm having Huevos Rancheros for breakfast).

Lunch is avocado tuna boats. Yet another opportunity to warm up to avocados! Tutuuuuu tuna boats! (get it? tutu-- toot toot. Ahaha! I make a funny).

The recipe involves making your own mayonnaise. Many of the recipes are for multiple servings, but I'm just cooking for me & Grace during the day. Proud to say I MADE MY OWN MAYO! And it is goooood. I put the rest away in the fridge. I even added some whey from my Fage Total to help it keep longer. I'm tellin' ya, this is the way mayo is meant to taste.

However, I must confess I left the celery in the recipe out of my tuna. I HATE CELERY! It has to be cooked to super mush, so I don't notice it, in order for it to be edible to me. I can kind of tolerate it in an ants on a log mode, but it has to be absolutely slathered with nut butter, which kinda defeats the purpose of celery, right?

Dinner is Pecan-Crusted Chicken with Fancy Pear Salad (I added golden raisins for garnish).

Ma refuses to eat it. I'm keeping my mouth shut, and allowing her to prepare her food the way she likes. She also bought corn on the cob. Meh. She's convinced I'm very Paleo-Hitler as far as FORCING my husband to eat the same way I do. She makes me out to be a total tyrant & that my husband is afraid of me. I told him that and he just shrugged. He knows he can eat the way he wants, but he chooses to support me in this lifestyle. I think all he cares about is that he comes home to a hot dinner ;)
Grace, on the other hand, is pretty happy and VERY healthy thanks to Primal. Last night was the first time she has been sick in 6 months. Hubby said just before he left for work she was congested, and threw up a little. Can't blame her. I have a sinus infection & sore throat. Did I mention my mom brought a cold with her when she came last Saturday? lol

Anyway... Sarah has snacks listed daily, but I'm not really a big snacker. Yesterday I gave "bugs in a boat" (think ants on a log, only with golden raisins & almond butter) to Grace, which she happily munched up for lunch.
Today's snack is leftover steak skewers & macadamia nuts (aka-- CRACK-A-DAMIAS. Seriously, I can't keep nuts in the house. I go nuts. It's not pretty). Oh, and leftover steak skewers?
WHAT LEFT OVERS?! o_O

Everyday Paleo, Day 2

2011-06-02T09:57:00.003-06:00

The agenda today calls for leftovers, only I didn't make the egg muffins until last night, so they're still kinda fresh. Can't wait to hit them up with some salsa for egg muffins ala ranchero! Recipe calls for 1 doz eggs, bell peppers, green onion, baby spinach, and bacon. It made 24 "muffins". Talk about a great, easy, and quick grab-and-take breakfast.

Lunch is leftover turkey & slaw from dinner last night. I also made the sun dried tomato dressing to put on it. Very tasty.

Dinner is steak skewers with cauliflower fried rice. I think this one will be the winner today. We've made the skewers before and they were decadent! The cauliflower rice might be trickier... not sure I have cauliflower, LOL. Let's hope so!

We DID have cauliflower, and I DID make the cauliflower fried rice. It was yummy, but I didn't think to take a picture.

P.S. Must offer apology to Sarah for straying from the path tonight. My Mom (who is visiting this week) said she'd get some ice cream from the store. I told her that I could make her some and it would have less of an impact on her blood sugar. She said "That's okay, I'll just get the sugar free stuff." To which I sort of launched into a Wicked Witch of the West melting tone, BEGGING her to let me just TRY to appease her palette. I couldn't stop thinking about all the chemicals and crap in the stuff at the store, when mine is only made of coconut milk, vanilla, eggs, and a little stevia, AND SO GOOD!
She came home with strawberries... and bananas. I guess she's going to have a little faith.
I told her if she wants to move in with us that she's going to have to eat TONS healthier, and take better care of herself. She put up an argument, and said that she was happy she's already outlived her parents. Insert self *Head-desk* here.
She's my mom. I want her to live forever. Even when we butt heads. She, like most of the world, can't understand why critter, EVOO, and no grains is healthier than chips & pepsi.

RE ON ICE CREAM: Ma was a great sport and tried my ice cream. She thought it was vile. Hey at least I tried & she tried.

Everyday Paleo, Day 1

2011-06-01T09:16:00.005-06:00

A lesson in unpreparedness. I wake up, fully intending to make an Everyday Paleo breakfast (and lunch), and don't have some of the main ingredients. I also have sinus funk. I wonder if head desking will help. *Head desk* *Head desk* *Head desk*. Nope.
Stay tuned as I figure out what to do.

Back on track for now, I think.
Went to Sunflower Market. They didn't have the Coleman Bacon I wanted, so got Hickory Farms instead at the same price. Also couldn't find golden raisins or pecans, so I went to Target for that. My lunch was fantastic. We'll get to that in a sec. Breakfast was a lost cause, but I'll prepare it tonight since Day 2 includes leftovers.

For breakfast I had hemp seed porridge (NOT part of Everyday Paleo). Face it. When you wake up feeling crappy, y'just want some hot comfort food. This "no-oatmeal" did the trick.
Here's the recipe:
http://eatthecookie.wordpress.com/2011/05/13/hemp-seed-porridge/

I put a little shredded coconut on top of mine. It was awesome.

For lunch I had the Everyday Paleo Salmon Salad... only I had tuna cuz I don't like salmon, LOL. It was fantastic, too. I am slowly warming up to avocados. They have to be super squishy for me to tolerate, though.
Mixed baby greens, red bell pepper roasted with coconut oil, tuna fish, avocado, some slivered almonds, apple cider vinegar, EVOO, all deliciousness.

Dinner on Day 1 is supposed to be Spice Rub Slow Cooked Chicken. It calls for a 6 lb chicken. That was expensive. The 10 lb turkey on the other hand was not. So, yeah, we're having turkey. Also fixing the "Kids Love Cabbage Slaw" slaw. I HATE coleslaw... so if this is delicious, it's a winner, winner, turkey dinner to me!

The coleslaw was tasty, IMO

Today's cals: 2400

Footnotes:
GROCERY BILL FOR DAYS 1-5: About $80
STARTING WEIGHT FOR EVERYDAY PALEO ADVENTURE: 178
WAIST: 30"
THIGH: 19"
HIP: 38"
NECK: 12"

Sarah & Sarah

2011-05-31T08:55:00.001-06:00

When I was 6 years old, my mom was heavily pregnant with my baby sister, Sarah. Two weeks before she was due, she went in for a checkup, and was told her baby had passed away. They made her finish carrying her, and then took her. My mom was diabetic. About the same time, I started packing on weight. I was a 99 lb kindergartner and a 150 lb 10 year old.

Enter Sarah Fragoso-- fellow mom, superhero, and author of Everyday Paleo. Even if you're not interested in the Paleo lifestyle, I firmly believe THIS IS A BOOK EVERY FAMILY SHOULD HAVE! It is loaded with good ol' fashioned, clean eating, complete with 1 month grocery list, meal plan, recipes, fitness plan, and how to get your family on board.

I can't help but think that knowing about healthy eating now would have helped my mom & I back then.

In honor of my sister, Sarah, who would be in her early 20s now, I am going to pull a Julie & Julia. If you haven't seen the movie, it's really cute. Julie cooks her way through Julia Child's cookbook, and divulges her daily adventures in doing so.

Thus, from June 1 - June 30, I will cook my way through Everyday Paleo. Fun, huh!

Stay tuned.

Breakfast For Dinner

2011-05-26T11:13:00.000-06:00

So yesterday I went on a 10 & 1/4 mile walk with my friend Stacey. Thanks, Stacey, for having the bravery to do that crazy feat with me, with all 3 of our kids in tow! They were such great little troopers. What was the occasion? IT STOPPED RAINING! Seriously, it rained all of last week, pretty much nonstop. Big downer. Kinda made my hormones go crazy, and I was in a funk the last few days.

So I had my 3 month check up with Clarene on Monday. She's concerned about an increase in my cholesterol, but I asked her to let me work on it over the summer. She agreed, and we'll retest in August. I will be eating more fat, but leaner cuts of critter. I will still be eating beef, pork, chicken, and seafood, but will trim the first 3 of their fat from now on, and up my intake of yummy coconut oil, and avocados.
Which brings me to another item on the agenda. I haven't lost more than 10 lbs in the last year. Do you know how frustrating that is? I feel like I've tried everything (including switching to a diet/lifestyle that many would deem unhealthy & unsafe), and I'm at my wit's end. Needless to say, frustration has started leading me down a very dark path-- binging, and getting into foods I shouldn't be having. It's the worst on the days I'm the most upset. So I came to a decision. I set my calories on My Fitness Pal & Daily Burn to MAINTAIN for the summer. If I don't think about my weight at all, and only weigh in when I need to update my HRM for accuracy (when I know I'm going to burn mega cals like yesterday's 1,616 cal walk), then maybe it will come off. I'll focus on eating clean, and getting my blood sugar numbers under control. Maybe my weight loss wants to go into stealth mode, so I'm giving it the opportunity. Maybe more calories is what my body needs. And I also realize I'm built like a Quarter Horse/brick, not a Thoroughbred. So maybe my body doesn't want to be 148. Maybe it's starting to settle. Maybe I've been losing for too long and it just refuses to give any more. There's a lot of maybes. Can you see how that would all play with one's mind? A lot of stress, my friend. So I'm gonna worry about fixing me from the inside out for now. I still see 248 lbs when I look in the mirror, even though I'm at a healthy body fat percentage for the first time in my life, and the lightest weight I've been since middle school. Clothes I wore in high school are loose on me. Oh my heck! I just admitted I still wear clothes from 10 years ago, lol.
Anyway, I ramble, and you get the general idea, right?

Now to the title of the blog. Who doesn't love breakfast for dinner? I made almond/coconut/flax meal waffles last night, with uncured bacon, and eggs scrambled with coconut milk. I thought it was fantastic. Hubby was not as impressed. Honestly, Andy, I think you have a sugar problem & should totally do Whole 30! Anyway, he left me almost 1/2 a waffle which I enjoyed thoroughly for breakfast.

Haven't had waffles since Christmas, and just had to have one. I put warm coconut cream concentrate on mine instead of syrup.

Also, we recently made meatza. It's delicious. Try it! The "crust" is made of ground hamburg, and ground italian turkey sausage. Basically pretend you're making a meatloaf, only roll it out into a pizza shape, and cook it. Then you can treat it like a regular pizza. You don't need breading to hold it together, just eggs and a lot of dry seasoning. The seasoning acts as breading.

I don't eat a lot of dairy any more, but yes, that is mozzarella on there. And it was delicious.

Lastly, I made this on a day I was feeling BLAH. Broccoli salad with grapes, diced apple, and bacon. Andy said he liked it.

Quick, Look Busy. JESUS IS COMING!

2011-05-22T07:55:00.001-06:00

So this is what a post apocalyptic world looks like. Hmm... it's startling similar to the day before. In case you were not aware, the world was supposed to end yesterday. I confess I was a little nervous. Apocalypse movies scare the living @#$^ out of me. Luckily, I reminded myself of the passage from the scriptures "No man knoweth the hour..." when the Lord will come again. Furthermore, President Thomas S Monson, our Prophet, hasn't said anything. I figure if any man DID know, it would probably be him, since I believe he is the current voice of God on Earth. When I hear him say something, that's when I'll whip out my "Quick, Look Busy. JESUS IS COMING!" bumper sticker.
But that also got me to thinking... if Heavenly Father didn't want to tell anyone, including the prophet, would I recognize Jesus's return?
What if he looked like you and me. What if he was just some homeless man on the street? What if...?
Would the spirit speak to me? Would I know? I mean REALLY know? Is my life in line with God's eternal plan enough that I would KNOW? Is yours?
Think about it.
Because my knees are eager to bow, and tongue confess that Jesus is the Christ and King and has come again. He lives. We're just waiting.

I also cannot fear it. I was sealed to my husband and our posterity in a beautiful temple for all eternity. No mortal death can separate us. They will be there with me on the other side.
Lastly, I love those last few moments of the day when I get to hold my Gracie close. I feel her heart flutter against my hand. I close my eyes and feel the real rapture.

The Rapture

2011-05-21T10:51:00.003-06:00

Addressing the world ending today:
First of all-- are all my friends in Oz okay? Cuz it should be May 22nd there.

Secondly:
FOR THE RAPTURE: We’re going to need three goats, an hourglass, one of us is going to need to learn how to play the trumpet while the other does this:

Thirdly:
RAPTURE!

And lastly,
I don't mean to offend anyone that does believe the rapture is happening today. I, for one, DO believe Jesus will come again. Just not today. When the prophet of my church speaks up and says get your act together, that's when I will pull out my "Quick, Look Busy. JESUS IS COMING!" bumper sticker.

If you have NO IDEA what I'm talking about, see here:
http://www.ebiblefellowship.com/outreach/tracts/may21/

Off to enjoy a GORGEOUS day. So glad it finally stopped raining.

Recent Eats

2011-05-19T14:22:00.002-06:00

Grace has eaten very well today! She even ate the pancakes I made her. They were made with whipped egg white, banana, and MojoMilk (my new favorite chocolate commodity). For lunch I grated cheese over several slices of pastrami, melted it, then wrapped it up. Served it with baby carrots and pickles. Dinner is going to be shrimp tacos, recipe courtesy of Everyday Paleo.
Also I wanted to share some pictures with you of our recent eats.

Grace & Andy enjoying some homemade popsicles I made for them. Made with unfiltered all natural apple juice, fresh strawberries, and sprite zero

Egg white crepe with some Fage total & blackberries inside

Don't pretend you don't want some of this! Everyday Paleo sexy steak skewers

Everyday Paleo "breaded" baked chicken (made with coconut flour and spices)

Mmm, popsicles!

Liver lettuce wrap with tomatoes and chipotle mayo. Liver desperately needs A1 sauce!

Also wanted to mention a non scale victory today. I am trying to be super good for my checkup on Monday with Clarene. Was at mall with friend & her 2 kids, and they said "Let's get a free fudge sample from Kara Chocolates". I had no idea they did free samples. So I said cool and we went. The fudge looked so good! Cherry amaretto, mint chocolate, toffee, cookies and cream... I let Grace have some, and I wanted some, but I knew even 1 bite would probably send me into a sugar eating spiral binge when I got home. Yay me for not having any!

There's a Wild Fandango in the Zoo!

2011-05-18T09:53:00.000-06:00

Okay, I know, random title. If you've been to the movies, you may have seen the commercial with the guy trying to get into the theater & he cries out "THERE'S A WILD FANDANGO IN THE THEATER!" I think it was before Fandango started using the paper bag puppets.
Anyway, we went to the zoo on Saturday with our friends. They had never been, so we excitedly showed them around. My camera died right in the middle of the Elephant presentation, so I missed getting pics of baby Zuri doing HANDSTANDS (it was pretty frickin awesome)
But here are the pics I did get. BTW, please exhibit caution if you visit Hogle Zoo. There are dinosaurs running rampant.

Also wanted to mention a great post I read at Primal Kitchen this morning. I frequently struggle with getting Grace to eat, so this post was reassuring. Healthy Food Methods with Toddlers and Preschoolers

Overcoming The Fat Girl Mentality

2011-05-15T13:13:00.003-06:00

This week, despite my fitness accomplishments, I must confess that I have been feeling, well... FAT. I haven't hesitated to let it be known either. Earlier this week I was complaining about the way my thighs squish out. Ever since I was about 10, and aware of my body and the way it looked, I've been at war with my ginormous thighs. I LOATHE them. I can live with a tummy, cankles, and back rolls, but apparently giant thighs are unacceptable to myself. I can see some definition in them, and recently measured them. 20". I looked up what the average female thigh was, expecting something much smaller.
Guess what.
I'm average.
The average thigh is 20".
So I measured my calf, trying to justify my fatness. 15".
The average female calf is 15".
WTF! This can't be right. I AM FAT!
The size 4 shorts I tried on last week beg to argue.
So I go and measure my body fat. My bathroom scale says I'm 36% BF. People always say how notoriously wrong bathroom scales are, so I plugged in some measurements online. They all averaged 26% BF.
For the first time in my life I'M AVERAGE.
Not only that, but I'm HEALTHY.

I was in the shower this morning and had an epiphany.
"OMG, I'm turning into one of those obnoxious skinny chicks who complain they're fat!"
I remember being 248 lbs, and dying inside whenever someone even remotely close to the weight I wanted to be would complain about their weight. I swore I'd never be like them, because, Dude, I'd kill to be you! I'm sure my old self would tell my new self that. But now, I've caught myself in a place where I was becoming the exact thing I swore never to become.
Apparently embracing a new self image is the hardest pill to swallow.
Off to church to shoot the fat, jealous devil on my shoulder ;)

Photo Update

2011-05-11T10:26:00.000-06:00

So it occurred to me that I didn't post pictures of Easter or anything, so here's some updates.

EASTER EGG HUNT:

GRACE ACCIDENTALLY KNOCKED OVER HER APPLE JUICE ON THE CARPET IN THE EXACT SHAPE OF A DOLPHIN:

OUR BACK PORCH GARDEN:

Complete with watermelon, tomatoes, raspberries, golden berries, black berries (can ya tell I have a fruit addiction?), cucumbers, purple bell pepper (had to have it, never seen a purple bell pepper!), rosemary, thyme, and summer squash

KEY LIME PIE FOR A PARTY I HAD:

(It's so pretty! Hand-squeezed key limes over a coconut milk chocolate ganache bottom in an oreo pie crust, fresh key lime zest on top)

EPIC TODDLER LOVING ON HER BREYERS:

*Tease* YOU EAT GRAINS & GET FAT, I EAT FAT AND GET SKINNY-- "NEENER, NEENER!"

Thanks for playing along!

I Don't Eat Crap

2011-05-09T09:47:00.001-06:00

As much as I'd like to tell you that "I don't eat crap", I confess that, in reality, I do. Now, I don't know why, but I feel compelled to tell you about the processed food in my house. Fresh veggies don't count, same with meat in the freezer. Here's a list:

homemade chipotle mayo (using safflower mayo & canned chipotles in adobo)
stoneground mustard
yellow mustard
miracle whip
salad dressing
bbq sauce
ketchup
ranch dressing
Fage Greek yogurt
cheese
lunch meat
chocolate
coconut flour
almond flour
arrowroot powder
tapioca pearls
popcorn
coconut oil
coconut cream concentrate
coconut butter
almond butter
coconut milk
100% unfiltered apple juice
Sauerkraut
Pickles
Cocoa powder
Carob powder
Olives
Tomato paste
applesauce
hemp protein powder

NON PROCESSED FOOD:
veggies
meat
eggs
chia seed

as you can see, I'm a little bit normal. I have more processed food in the house than unprocessed (like most Americans, LOL). You may notice standard kitchen food staples missing. Let's see if you can name them! Oh, and I only eat 20 of the foods on the list. Can you guess which ones they are?

In My Daughter's Eyes

2011-05-05T08:54:00.000-06:00

Every time I hear the song "In My Daughter's Eyes", I well up with tears. As a tribute to moms, sisters, aunts, and daughter's everywhere this Mother's Day, I have created this photo blog post. Several of the photos are taken by my almost-three-year-old daughter. It's truly through her eyes.
Lyrics, of course, copyright of Martina McBride.

I have embedded the youtube video for your listening convenience.

P.S. I confess to blubbering through this entire creation process.

In my daughter's eyes I am a hero

I am strong and wise and I know no fear

But the truth is plain to see

She was sent to rescue me

I see who I wanna be

In my daughter's eyes

In my daughter's eyes everyone is equal

Darkness turns to light and the world is at peace

This miracle God gave to me

gives me strength when I am weak

I find reason to believe
In my daughter's eyes

And when she wraps her hand around my finger

Oh it puts a smile in my heart

Everything becomes a little clearer

I realize what life is all about

It's hangin' on when your heart has had enough

It's giving more when you feel like giving up

I've seen the light

It's in my daughter's eyes

In my daughter's eyes I can see the future

A reflection of who I am and what will be

Though she'll grow and someday leave

Maybe raise a family

When I'm gone I hope you see how happy she made me

For I'll be there

In my daughter's eyes

Until Later

2011-05-04T11:22:00.001-06:00

I'm going to make a post today, and it's going to be awesome, but ATM I'm not feeling so awesome. Feeling kinda vertigo-y and blah. But it's important to me to post, because tomorrow I'm putting up a VERY special Mothers Day post that will remain up until Monday, so I need to blather on today so my thoughts are out of the way. Until later... stay tuned!

Better late than never.

So first thing I wanted to address was that my copy of Everyday Paleo by Sarah Fragoso arrived 2 days early yesterday. Needless to say I was SUPER excited, as I've been waiting nearly a month for it to ship. Now call it hormones or whatever you want, but the opening she did (especially about her Mom passing away, and Sarah's serendipitous encounter with the 2 people that would change her life at her mom's favorite charity event shortly after her passing) was compelling to say the least, and I found myself tearing up in places.
If you are not Paleo/Primal, GET THIS BOOK! If you are, GET THIS BOOK! As in stop reading right now, and go GET THIS BOOK! It is fantastic and touches on why we eat Paleo, how to be Paleo, and how to help a family transition. Aside from the delicious recipes that I can't wait to attack, she has the phenomenal addition of a shopping list for 1 month, as well as meals, and what to send to school with your kids for lunch, making Paleo living entirely accessible to ANYONE who just happens to pick up the book out of the blue (HINT, HINT). She also has a complete workout plan to help you get going.

Sarah Fragoso, you are one of my new superheroes-- right next to Xena, and my smokin, drinkin, swearin, drivin, bubble-gum blowin' grandma (yeah, she was bad @$$-- God rest her soul til I get up there!)

Some more from the book. Primal and Paleo are cousins, jic you didn't know. One of the things I liked about the book (in addition to the aforementioned) was her list for a well stocked pantry, and it inspired me to discuss with you what our own personal Primal pantry looks like.

Ready? Here's what we like to keep stocked:

MEAT (Meat is like the ultimate black dress-- it goes with EVERYTHING)
Coconut milk (I go through a can every 2-3 days)
Broths and stocks
Coconut in various and asundry forms including, but not limited to: coconut flour, coconut cream concentrate, coconut butter, coconut manna, coconut oil (IMPERATIVE!), chipped coconut, shredded coconut, etc
Almond flour
Almond butter (yum!)
Canned tuna fish (which reminds me-- I made some chipotle mayo on Sunday, time to whip out some tuna fish!)
Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
Eggs (3-5 dozen every 2 weeks)
BACON (...makes everything better-- I always buy uncured/chem-free)
Stone ground mustard
Soy-free mayo (have some safflower oil mayo in the fridge that I chipotle-fied)
ALL VEGGIES
Some fruit (mainly for Grace, but I confess to being a total fruit fiend. I really shouldn't buy it, cuz I binge harder on it than any store bought candy bar)
Butter

So, yeah, that's what I eat. Meat, veggies, fruit, spices, bacon, and a butt load of coconut milk. I keep Greek yogurt on hand for Grace, and she likes cheese too. Deli meat is also in the fridge. I try to avoid dried fruits and dairy. Both are delicious, and a little bit kryptonian ;)
Same with nuts. I go crazy on nuts, so it's just best to not have them in the house except when we're having a meal that includes them as an ingredient (Waldorf Salad, for example).

Now that we got that out of the way, I wanted to mention that my awesome 2yo enthusiastically knocked over my 30 oz mug of water on to my laptop (this is the 2nd time this year its happened, ARGH!), and destroyed said Everyday Paleo book about 5 mins after I got it. I was writing recipes on our calendar, and I turned my back for 2 seconds and she attacked it with pen. This morning I woke up with a mild case of vertigo (I have noticed they're getting more frequent, and I should probably bring it up with a doctor), and Aunt Flo (hence the mention earlier of "maybe I was just hormonal...")
Awesome.

Further thoughts. I have been thinking about how awesome my Grace is. Here's the top reasons she's epic:

She asks me to sing All Star by Smashmouth to her for a lullabye... regularly
She knew what "rock and roll" was at 2, and asks for it often
She always asks me for dark chocolate, even when offered milk chocolate
She can spot a horse a mile away faster than I can (and that's saying ALOT)
She rides her Breyers and stuffed horses-- daily
She loves pirates and cars/trains just as much as princesses and ponies
She's beautiful just the way she is!

My Favorite Foods

2011-05-02T16:32:00.000-06:00

Shamelessly on a W30 forbidden food binge still, but enjoying it. Getting it all out of my system. Thought I would post my favorite foods list:

FAVORITE FOODS:
pizza
frozen custard or talenti gelato
Popcornopolis
white chocolate peanut butter (God bless Peanut Butter & Co!)
CHOCOLATE!!

FAVORITE HEALTHY FOODS:
meat (including bacon, brisket, and steak)
Fage Total Greek yogurt
almond butter (maranatha & Justin's are my fave brands)
macadamia nuts
CHOCOLATE!! (the darker the better)

FAVORITE VEGETABLES (hey, they deserve their OWN list)
peas
sweet potato (but not the orange ones)
cucumber
red bell pepper
cherry tomatoes (yeah, yeah, I know "tomatoes are a fruit". Whatev.)

FAVORITE FRUITS (nature's candy bars)
blackberries
strawberries
raspberries
mangoes
kiwi

what have I been going crazy on? Mainly what's in my house. Good thing 90% of it's from the healthy list downward. I made a chocolate chia pudding that's tasty, snarfing down the homemade grahams Grace & I made with lots of almond butter & white chocolate pb, and chocolate. Yeah, that's about as naughty as I've been. I'M GONNA GET SO FAT! lol

Whole 30 Over!

2011-05-01T11:28:00.000-06:00

I'm sure you're all wondering by now, that is if you've realized today is May 1st, how I survived my Whole 30 experience.

Well, here I am. I survived. I admit to a few slips, but Whole 30 has done amazing things for me.

Biggest blessing:
Whole 30 helped me divorce my scale. I never have to see him again. He was mentally abusive anyway. Andy will weigh me in once a month, and log my progress for me. I will also weigh in whenever I see Clarene, approximately every 3 months.

Prior to Whole 30, I would weigh myself obsessively-- several times a day. "I went to the bathroom, how much do I weigh?" "I just got back from the gym, how much water did I sweat out?" "Leprechauns are outside, WHAT DO I WEIGH?!"
You get the idea. It was unhealthy, and doing things to me emotionally.
If you are reading this, thinking "That's how I feel" or "Hey, that's me", you NEED to do Whole 30 and DIVORCE YOUR SCALE!

So what else did I gain from Whole 30? More self discipline and better compliance. I've been waiting for May 1st for a long time. I wanted some bacon, gosh darnit! And Fage Total. So this morning I had just that. Delicious bacon (oh, baby, how I've missed you!), along with some egg white crepes, stuffed ala taco style with fage total and blackberries. YUM!
Now don't laugh about compliance here, but I launched into a binge. I admit to being completely jealous of hubby & Grace on Easter, so I started chowing down on Easter candy.
IT TASTED BLECH! Fact: Whole foods are better (and a heckuva lot tastier) than processed ones.
Knowing this, wholeheartedly, compliance is going to be awesome from here on out.

"But wait", my Mormon friends say, "it's fast Sunday, why in the name of Brigham, Parley, and Joseph are you eating?"
Okay, hang on. Don't go getting any celestial wedgies on yourselves just yet. On Wednesday, I ate breakfast at 10a. I walked to gym, I did weights, I did sprints on TM, walked on track, walked home, walked up and down my street. Rested, made dinner. Walked to Walmart for prescriptions, walked to Primary meeting, walked home. Did not eat until 10a the next day. I WALKED 15 MILES, PEOPLE! It was also a body-led 24 hour natural fast. Not once was I hungry (though I did think "gosh, a sprite would be great right now!" in the sunny warmth of the day). This experience taught me that while my mind is ready for a marathon, my body is most definitely NOT. I was SO sore the next day! This experience also drew me closer to Heavenly Father as I was thanking him over and over for the invention of both the heating pad and aspercreme!
So, in all fairness-- 24 hour fast, deep grattitude to the Lord-- I think I'm set for today. I had a double fast last month anyway :P

Anyway, back to Whole 30. I know you're dying to know the results:

WEIGHT LOST: 0 lbs (well, this one's actually kind of a trick answer. On My Fitness Pal, my last weigh in was February at 169 lbs. My weigh in on March 31 on Daily Burn was 178 lbs. Today I was 169.8 lbs. You decide the weight loss)
INCHES LOST: 1 inches from my hips. Everything else the same.
BODY FAT LOST: 1%. I was 36.4% March 31, and 35.4% today

There's the facts. I'm going to do Whole 30 again in August (no holidays, no excuses, phew!). In August, I will do a Bacon 30. It will be stricter than this round of Whole 30. I'll allow myself meat (including bacon), veggies, fruit, and butter. That's it.

Yes, I'm crazy... but you already knew that ;)

Note to Self

2011-04-26T18:02:00.002-06:00

Note to self:

write a novel that divulges what happens after "Happily Ever After". Title it: "Undone" or "Unraveled".

Yummy Dinner

2011-04-23T19:54:00.000-06:00

First of all, I just want to say that if you hate brussel sprouts, it's probably because you've never had them with ghee. Jus' sayin.

Tonight I couldn't finish my 1 & 1/4 lb tri tip steak. I was in tears. As in OMG, It's so beautiful! Double rainbows, and pansy-pooping unicorns. I put 7.4 oz back to make a killer easter lettuce wrap tomorrow!

We dyed eggs after dinner. It was Grace's first time officially helping. She picked her color, and her eggs, but was more interested in continuously mixing the dye while her egg sat.

Can't wait for tomorrow. Gonna hide the eggs for Grace to find. I wish I had boiled more than 6, and done brighter colors.

Easter Miracle

2011-04-22T16:10:00.001-06:00

So happy today is payday! I dunno if I told you about my green smoothie incident yesterday, but today's breakfast pudding was infinitely more palatable. Blueberries, egg white, coconut milk, hemp protein, and cacao butter. It was more soup than pudding. After breakfast, I took Grace to the park. It was pretty outside but there was a breeze so I was cold. Was texting my mom back and forth while Grace played. Could barely feel my fingers. Grace hates leaving the park, so I bribed her with a balloon from Sunflower Market. We duck walked back to the car (cuz Grace insisted she was baby duck & I was mama duck), and headed off to Sunflower. Potty break, then the promised balloon. Grace was very good, and I got her a cadbury egg for her reward. I don't normally reward for expected behavior, but Mama Bear was feeling generous. Wait. First we were ducks, and now we are bears? I know, right?
Got 6 things of butter at SM! Sorry, but Darigold Chef's Choice (unsalted) is my favorite. In taste, I feel it beats out Kerrygold Grass Fed/Pastured Butter.
We went to Smiths afterwards, but I didn't have my new member card on me, so we left and went to Good Earth. Got some liquid stevia vanilla cream there, and one other item that I can't recall atm. After that, I swung by home to grab my Smiths card and put groceries away. Grace got a quick lunch of leftover turkey wrapped cheddar and a banana from breakfast. She was a good helper too, and even put stuff away where I asked her.
So we go back out to Smiths. So glad we went back, cuz the manager of the butcher counter was marking down critter EPICALLY! I got lots of beef at ridiculous prices. 99c for liver (yes, I am still feeling brave, venturing into the world of offal), $3 for ribs, $13 for a $21 roast. Yeah, it was fun. Also got our Easter ham *licking chops*. Can't wait to have some yummy ham shank marrow on Easter.
Went to Harmons afterwards and scored POPCORNOPOLIS! My most favoritest popcorn (not that I can have any, but hopefully there will still be a little left May 1, or I can get more next payday).
Finally we swung by Maceys. Now this, my friends, is the miracle part of my post. Grace wanted to ride in the cart that has the little kiddie car attached. The buckle wasn't big enough for her, so I asked her to sit down and behave. Like two-year-olds ever listen, right? After repeatedly asking her to sit on her bum, I finally grabbed her and put her up front. She refused, tried to plant her feet, and fell backwards into the cart, on to no less than 5 dozen eggs.
Guess how many busted.
NOT. A. SINGLE. ONE.
Not even a crack!
Seriously, I checked, like, 4 times.

EASTER MIRACLE!

Just got back about an hour ago (2 hours later than nap time), and put her down. Got the groceries put away, and am typing to you now. Going out to dinner to Dickeys for some righteous sliced brisket. Yum!

Must figure out how to manage the grocery bill better. I got just about everything we needed for $361. I'd like to try and get it back down to $250. Mind you, this is food for 2 weeks. I have been doing reasonably well about not shopping between paychecks unless desperate. All we have left to get tonight is an Easter dress for Grace, toothpaste, and some Easter basket goodies. I'd also like to go to IFA for some vegetable plants, and another carton of free strawberries. Grace has really enjoyed taking care of her little berries that are now just starting to turn red. She loves putting it out on the back porch every day, and singing to it when they come in at night. We'll have to see if our extra little splurges are in the budget. It's up to the man now.

Chow Time!

2011-04-21T12:27:00.001-06:00

You've obviously noticed I like to cook. I also like to make people squirm with photos of what we eat in a day here. Whether that squirm is with joy or disgust is up to you. Last night we had bacon wrapped scallops with zucchini & summer squash. Here they are before going into the oven:

Tell me those don't look delicious without lying to yourself! ;)

For breakfast this morning I had a green smoothie, composed of coconut milk, mango, baby spinach, eggs, hemp protein, cinnamon, ginger, chocolate, and vanilla. It was... different. Bland, yet kinda spicy. It made me crave meat. Tomorrow I'm making a breakfast pudding composed of blueberries, coconut milk, egg whites, and hemp protein. Ah, adventures in raw eating land!

Off to make some of those graham crackers I told you about yesterday.

TODAY'S PRIMAL EATS:
Breakfast: Green smoothie
Lunch: IF
Dinner: Waldorf chicken salad

What Grace ate today:
Breakfast: Bacon & banana
Lunch: cheddar wrapped in turkey, blueberry chobani yogurt
Dinner: Waldorf chicken salad (hopefully. She's such a weird little partial-vegetarian)

EDIT: Gluten free graham cracker picture time!

Before going into oven:

Grace so giddy over cookies. She helped put brown sugar & allspice on at the end & wanted to devour immediately!

Fresh out of the oven:

Grace is one happy kid right now, chowing down on her righteous noms!

Primarily Primal

2011-04-20T12:13:00.002-06:00

So yesterday I got my raw chocolate cookbook (very exciting), and today I got my coconut cream concentrate from Tropical Traditions (my referral # is 7625207 if you ever want to try TT out). Inspired (or, honestly, just entirely desperate to get out of the stupid house), we went to Sunflower Market. I got lots of goodies. I know I should be sticking to necessities until payday, but there you have it. What's done is done. I got some hemp protein powder, chia seeds, arrowroot, almond & coconut flour, and tapioca pearls. Going to have me some tapioca pudding! I know it requires sugar, but I wonder if mashed banana wouldn't be enough flavor? Hmm...
I found a recipe for graham crackers that I'd like to make for Grace (recipe here: http://www.joyfulabode.com/2010/07/26/grain-free-gluten-free-graham-cracker-recipe). Graham crackers & mac daddy butter, mmm! Mac daddy butter is my homemade chocolate macadamia nut butter, made with coconut oil, raw macadamias, and some 99% chocolate. Really tasty!

While we're on the subject of food, here are some of our recent eats. I'm having a Kentucky Derby chocolate tasting party on May 7th, and I wanted to wow everyone with homemade goodness. So I got inspired to make sweet potato chips. I got a big sweet potato and used a peeler to shaved it down into a pan of coconut oil and fried them up. OMG, THEY WERE TO DIE FOR! And yes, they lead to the picture after this one. After I fried them, I patted them dry, then tossed them in a ziploc with the DCD cocoa rub, and baked them. Outta this world, dude!

So anyway, the mind blowing awesomeness of sweet potatoes in coconut oil led me to this next inspiration. Breakfast hash! I had some leftover corned beef I needed to finish, and some organic sauerkraut. Voila! Breakfast.

I should be set until dinner, unless the draw of a raw chocolate protein smoothie from my new cookbook is too much to resist trying. Dinner tonight is bacon wrapped scallops (mine is sans bacon), with grilled zucchini & yellow squash.

And just cuz it's fun, here is some photos of Grace. These were taken after she had thoroughly enjoyed carrots & ranch. Note the ranch ALL. OVER. HER. FACE.

And me rockin' the skater tee & shorts look ;)

That's all for now. I think.

Well, okay, one more of Grace, just cuz she's epic.

Funk

2011-04-19T11:18:00.001-06:00

The last few days I've been in a funk. Just tired and kinda cranky. Don't touch me. Don't talk to me.
Today is better. I don't know why.
Seeing Sunflower Market's ad for this week might have helped. So excited that they will have my favorite butter on sale 2/$5 (gonna stock up), strawberries 4/$5, 50% off all natural chicken, 88c for summer squash... CAN IT BE PAYDAY NOW? I wanna go shopping! I love Sunflower Market. Now if only Whole Foods or Trader Joes would come to O-Town, I'd be in heaven.

Less than 2 weeks left of Whole 30. Going to treat myself to some Fage Total and bacon May 1. I will do W30 again later this summer/early fall. Going to be even more strict. It's done me good. Today my Girls On The Run shirt, that's always run a bit small on the medium size tag it bears, isn't so snug anymore. When this happens, I convince myself that I've ruined my clothes by stretching them out. I've finally tried on this shirt so many times that it's all stretched out. That's it. That's why it fits.
For whatever reason, I freak out less when I think this.
My size 6 jeans are getting more comfortable too. They must REALLY be stretched out!

EDIT: My day just got better. I heard the mail truck coming, so Grace & I went outside to greet the mailman. I am expecting a few packages in the next couple days, but one of them came today. My Raw Chocolate Cookbook came a day early. WOOHOO! Can't wait to thumb through it and plot post-Whole 30 chocolate glee.

Recent Primal Eats & Feats

2011-04-15T16:50:00.000-06:00

Got around to getting some pictures off my camera yesterday, and thought I'd share some recent goings on.

First of all... RIBS! A fellow Blueprinter gave me the recipe. Unfortunately, Andy accidentally burned my rack. I stomached it, and decided I deserved rib redemption. So I got another rack, and did it myself. Delicious result:

Om, nom, nom!

And just so anyone who lives outside of Utah can fully understand and appreciate the country's most bizarre weather... this picture was taken the day after a gorgeous, 70 degree, blue sky spring day.

Yeah, lucky us. Weirdest. weather. EVER! I swear it can be 80 degrees, mid-June, and snow the next day.

And of course, non primal eats (see? I'm a little bit normal)

This is my White Chocolate Wonderful Chocolate Mousse Pie. White chocolate peanut butter mascapone fluff layered with DCD chocolate mousse in a chocolate pie crust. I submitted it to the DCD recipe contest. I did not have a single bite, lick, or taste. Yeah, it was hard.

More random stuff:

Some girls dig the Jonas Brothers, others Justin Beiber. My girl's heart throb is Lightning McQueen. Cheers to the coolest 2yo who loves pirates and cars just as much as she loves ponies and princesses, and knows the entire world is hers for the taking!

Busy Bee

2011-04-14T09:13:00.000-06:00

Yesterday ended up being a busy day. After I posted my blog, we went outside to enjoy the sunshine. Grace drew in the driveway. Then we went to the post office, and Sunflower Market. SM had grapes on sale, 77c/lb, so we got some. I also got Grace a Larabar, b/c I wasn't sure when we'd have time to stop and eat. Tried Zico coconut water too, but wasn't impressed. It was just... funky. Went to the park after that. I am still struggling with going to park. I get bored VERY easily, which means I get antsy and cranky. Was supposed to take my best friend to a doctor appointment at 2:30, and still had a couple hours to kill. Texted her with how bored I was, she said come over early, and I somehow ended up at Thanksgiving Point with Grace instead, LOL. Got her pony ride fix in, and wagon ride, petted some of the animals, and then went to my friend's house. Grace fell asleep in car. Get to friend's house, and she informs me that her appointment is at 3:30. Yay. Anyway, we get to the doctor's at 3, and I feel relieved. Friend is convinced we're too early, I tell her that we're on time. Late, to me, is the time of the appointment. On time is 15-30 mins beforehand. So we sit and talk a sec, then go in, she has her appointment, and I take her home. It's getting close to 4 now, and I need to be to hubby's work at 4:30. Thankfully it was only a few exits, so I was there 4:30. We were going to spend time with Andy's sister and her kids who were in town from California. We went to the Discovery Gateway. I was tired, and hungry, b/c I hadn't eaten since my chocolate "pudding" incident. We went to the food court, and there wasn't really anything I could eat there thanks to Whole 30. So after everyone else ate, we went to the Hansen Planetarium. It got to be close to 8, and my hunger seemed to have given up by then. Home at 8:30, put Grace to bed, I'm exhausted, in bed at 9, asleep 10:30.
So, long story short, I haven't eaten in 24 hours. Counting the minutes now until I can dig into leftover corned beef! Snarf!

Grok on, my friends.

Of Idiocy And Desperation

2011-04-13T09:46:00.000-06:00

So you KNOW you have an addiction when you will go to any length to attain the item you are addicted to. Mine apparently is chocolate. Yesterday I went out HUNTING for chocolate that contained no sugar. I ended up going with my friend to Whole Foods at Trolley Square in SLC. I found 99% chocolate (ingredients: cacao beans & vanilla). I thought it tasted alright. The strawberry Kombucha I was nursing helped sweeten the deal. The more I nibble at this 99% monstrosity, the better it tastes. So this morning I thought I'd try to make chocolate milk. Coconut milk + 99% monster. I thought the coconut milk would make it sweet enough to drink. WRONG. So I added an egg. Cuz that helped *rolls eyes*, and then cinnamon, and nutmeg, and allspice... and almond butter... and coconut oil... and ended up with this bitter pudding THING. All the ingredients was my hoping to make it palatable. So I start dipping fruit in. Barely tolerable. I ended up pouring the majority into my heart shaped ice cube tray. Maybe they will make okay chocolates? The rest got combined with blueberries so I could quickly choke it down.
Now I want MEAT. I have shrimp defrosting & I'll cook it up in bacon grease leftover from Grace's breakfast. Needless to say, my carb count is shot for the day, and I've yet to have lunch & hang with Andy's sister and kids tonight in SLC (which will, undoubtedly, include dinner somewhere out). Ah, adventures in Primal Blueprinting! I realize now that it's not chocolate I'm after. It's sugar. So I have a small saccharine demon. Shut up. I can quit whenever I want to. I DON'T HAVE A PROBLEM! *Mumbles "17 days til I can have vanilla stevia"*

Obviously yesterday was a day of bravery (or idiocy, you choose), between the 99% chocolate, Kombucha (which was kinda tasty, despite the "May contain alcohol due to fermentation" warning), and also we went to Tucanos for lunch. Ah, Tucanos! Beloved Primal Blueprinter's paradise. I confess to getting out of control on the fried bananas. But here's my moment of bravery: I tried chicken hearts for the first time. It was one of those "Sure, what the heck." moments. Y'know what? I liked them! Not crazy, over the moon binging liked them, but they were pretty good. Chewy, very much like the lil' smokies sausages you can get at the grocery store. Now I am less afraid of offal and more curious. Andy, on his mission to Paraguay, ate all sorts of crazy things. He used to tell me that if it was cooked well (and you didn't think about what you were eating), it wasn't half bad.

Next grocery trip: buy offal.

I hope I've been able to make you smile (preferably giggle) today.

It's A Carb-A-Palooza!

2011-04-09T16:24:00.000-06:00

So yesterday I picked up hubby from work and we went to Olive Garden for dinner. I had the mixed grill and enjoyed veggies for the first time in a week. My intention was to go back to meat only today, but all that delicious fruit in the fridge that I bought yesterday beckoned me. So I caved. Fresh blackberries in coconut milk, 2 hard boiled eggs, some almond butter, coconut oil, homemade chocolate... but it didn't stop there. We had to finish up the shopping today (executive couples decisions & all that), and I picked up some more macadamia nuts & other things from Good Earth. Munched on those on the way home. I also enjoyed an organic yellow mango. SO GOOD!
The most exciting part of my day-- buying goldenberry, raspberry, and a free strawberry plant at IFA. Summer is going to be berry awesome!
Tomorrow is fast Sunday, so I guess, subconsciously, I'm sort of food hoarding in my belly.
Roast chicken for dinner. Then back to the meat only grind for 1 more week. Everything tastes 1,000,000 times better when you're only having one food group and take a break from it ;)

Confessions of a Chocoholic

2011-04-08T14:46:00.000-06:00

I am a chocoholic. I even work for Dove. Yeah, it's bad. There's chocolate in my house on a daily basis (at least my toddler always asks for dark, lol, she knows where the good stuff is). Unfortunately there is no Chocoholics Anonymous, b/c nobody wants to quit! Up until this morning, I have been able to resist their siren lure...

Today I confess to cheating on Whole 30. While out shopping today, I broke down and bought raw cacao butter (aka yummy dark-chocolate-smelling FAT). I tasted some when I got home. The aftertaste was definitely chocolate. The naughty baker in me got inspired. I went into the cupboard, grabbed my dutch cocoa powder, and coconut oil... but then I saw the remainder of my coconut manna. I tasted some. AHA! This would give it sweetness. I melted coconut manna and cacao butter in the microwave, then stirred in the cocoa powder. Taste. OMG, SUPER DARK CHOCOLATE! Like 90% or a little higher. My inner chocolatier got out of control, grabbed my heart shaped silicone ice cube tray and proceeded to pour the syrupy goodness into the compartments. It's in the freezer now. Pure, unadulterated, raw heart-shaped chocolate super food. Sugar free! Going to cheat tonight, too. Yup. Mixed grill at Olive Garden. Have been doing meat only for a week now. I DESERVE SOME @#%^ CARBS! Going to chow down on all the taters and fresh, roasted veggies. That's right, hosers. I'm cheating today, and yet broke no Whole 30 rules. AHAHAHA! I don't think I even paleo-fied chocolate (I don't think it's possible), they said nothing against coconut, or wholesome raw ingredients. My soul is already feeling better.

The day gets better. I found Popcornopolis while shopping at Harmons. I can't have any, but got some for hubby! Going to bring him some tonight as his treat for being #1 Dude in my World. He can sneak it into the movies. It's gonna be great!

The Staff of Life

2011-04-07T12:51:00.000-06:00

Recently I got into a debate with a close friend, who is concerned for my health, over my Primal Blueprint lifestyle. We talked about how in the scriptures, grain is ordained as the staff of life for man, and meat should be eaten sparingly. Honestly, this upset me, as I felt like I had been disobedient to the Lord somehow. I argued that eating the foods the Lord provided here on Earth was the way to go. That he put both flora and fauna on the planet to nourish and strengthen us. And what about those people with autoimmune disorders who can't have grains like those with Celiac's? She said "Yeah, but you're not one of those".
So later I talked it over with both my husband & my brother in law. I do have a metabolic condition (diabetes) that makes life without grains a healthier choice. Additionally, the grains that Joseph Smith ate when the Word of Wisdom was written are not the same as they are today. If people wanted processed grain, they went out to the field, harvested it, brought it home, and smashed it up by themselves. These days it's done for us, run through a machine, combined with a bunch of CRAP, and then force fed to us. There's a clear difference there.
I think it is more important to live healthy so we can be happy, because the Lord knows if we're happy, we'll be more focused on His plan and returning home to Him. "Ordained for man" does not mean you're required to do something. Ordained means it's there if you need it. It's APPROVED. A covenant, on the other hand, is a promise one makes between themselves and the Lord. I don't remember ever making a covenant with the Lord to eat grain and avoid the creatures he provided for my sustenance. I do, however, remember making covenants to harken to the counsel of my husband, dedicate my time and talents to the service of others, and take care of my body and its needs so that it can be a worthy temple to house the Holy Spirit.

Meat and fat is delicious, my friends, embrace it! The Lord's design on all creations is without flaw and unquestionable. He provided animals, fruits, vegetables, and so on, for our sustenance. Why, then, would he put fat and meat on animal if it were not to be exploited to our benefit? I know he put grains on earth, too... but he also put weeds down here to quelch out the living. I think of grain as a weed. If it makes me weak and wither, surely I should avoid it. I feel stronger and healthier without it. I wish everyone would view grain as a weed, to try Paleo & Primal and just see how they FEEL. Grain would not be the king of foods so much anymore. It would no longer be the staff of life, but more the serpent that slithers up and around it, choking out what would be a total healing of mankind.

Rising Blood Sugar

2011-04-06T12:50:00.001-06:00

So since I started eating meat only, I've noticed my fasting blood sugar steadily rising every morning. I asked some Primal/Paleo cohorts about it, and it was suggested that my body is converting the protein I'm exclusively eating right now into glucose. How interesting.
Dear body, why can't you convert my belly fat into glucose the way I want you to? I'd really like that.

Day 6 of Whole 30, still going strong. Suddenly concerned about going out to dinner w/hubby on Friday. Was excited for it several days ago, but now not so sure. What if there is stuff in my food that's not Whole 30 approved? Going to see Jane Eyre afterwards.

I've Won

2011-04-05T06:16:00.002-06:00

I confess to breaking the Whole 30 no baking rule (you knew it was going to happen), BUT! I will have you know I did not having a single bite, lick, or taste during the entire creation process. Hubby was my guinea pig. Every two seconds I had him licking the spoon, telling me what it needed. He asked me why I was making something I couldn't have. Because it makes me happy & I wanted to do something nice for him & the 2yo.

ANYWAY. I just wanted to try out a nutella knock off cookie, but the nutella I was making got too soupy, so I ended up taking the cake batter route. Here's what happened:

ground up some organic raw hazelnuts
added maybe 1/4 cup coconut oil (probably added too much)
added 4 tsp dutch process cocoa powder
added 1 tsp carob powder
added liquid stevia vanilla cream
added 4 eggs
added 1 cup stevia in the raw
poured into large bowl & stirred well
added ghiradelli semi sweet chocolate chips (was tempted to add macadamia nuts as well)
turned out batter into greased baking dish
put in oven, 350 degrees. 15 mins or until knife comes out clean. Cut immediately, then allow to cool.

So I know I broke a Whole 30 rule, but I feel like I still have some integrity. It took SERIOUS will power & focus not to lick my fingers or anything. In my mind, I've already won Whole 30!
10 more days of meat only? No problem, I got this!

P.S. I made up the entire recipe pretty much myself. Hubby says they're almost like the real thing! The 2yo loves them.

YESTERDAY'S PRIMAL EATS:
Breakfast: IF
Lunch: 1 lb ground beef
Afternoon snack: Ham shank (I was cooking a ham shank so I could have ham steak breakfast today)
Dinner: Swordfish steak with black pepper, sea salt, ghee, and parsley mashed together with some lemon rind. Way tasty! Made hubby some broccoli in bacon fat with a twist of lemon & pepper. He really liked it

TODAY'S PRIMAL EATS:
Breakfast: 1 lb Ham steak & 2 poached eggs
Lunch: preparing a rack of spare ribs for tomorrow's lunch, lol
Dinner: Chicken breast (hubby is having bacon wrapped chicken breast, but bacon is off my diet this month b/c of the added sugar in it)

Dear God

2011-04-04T15:45:00.000-06:00

Dear God,

Hi, it's me. Could you kindly make all of my loved ones & I immortal, plz? K, thx! Oh and it would be great if the Greek yogurt didn't scream my name every time I opened the fridge, and the same for the bathroom scale whenever I go pee.

Amen

"God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.

Living one day at a time;
Enjoying one moment at a time;
Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
Taking, as He did, this sinful world
as it is, not as I would have it;
Trusting that He will make all things right
if I surrender to His Will;
That I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with Him
Forever in the next."

How Many Days?

2011-04-03T09:37:00.001-06:00

What do you mean we're only 3 days into April? Are you sure it's not the 15th yet? I already feel like 3 days should be 6 days. Forgive my wimpy whineyness. Counting the days until I can eat vegetables again. Hubby accidentally burned my dinner last night. We were having spareribs. His were spared, probably thanks to bbq sauce, but I just wanted mine dry. I ate what meat I could salvage. Counting the days until I can eat bacon wrapped in lettuce with tomatoes and mustard. 27 days. Counting the days until I can have chocolate again. 27. Counting the days until I can have a sip of super nog and custard. 27. Days until I can have veggies again: 12.

What Grace ate today:
Breakfast: 1 banana, 1 container strawberry chobani, 3 pieces bacon
Lunch: Leftover spare ribs with veggies & hot chocolate, made with almond milk, coconut oil, and cocoa powder
Dinner: tri tip steak and veggies

My primal eats:
Breakfast: IF
Lunch: 4 eggs, scrambled over bacon grease, served with some ghee
Dinner: Tri tip steak