I am half-way through the Whole 30.  But today I must confess, Mother’s Day weekend caught me totally off guard.  Restuarants and family events simple do not have healthy choices.  So I had a few slip ups and am now officially back on track.  Being in my home and planning my meals makes this whole process a whole bunch eaiser.

Things that baffle me about how folks cook on the outside.

1. Every single meal has processed flour of some sort.

2. Everyone seems to think that adding milk to eggs will make them fluffier. (milk makes them tastes like milk not egg)

3. Apparently the countless articles on processed meat contains nitrates and nitrates cause cancer have not been taken to heart by even the most intelligent people in my life.

I could go on for days but I really need to workout this morning, it has been several days!

Peace out,

Momma

I can’t believe its is day nine!  I am almost a third of the way through this charming process. The only problem is life and family are blocking me from my workout time.  I need a routine for at home strength training that does not revolve around bouncing around and stepping.  Because I grew up as a musician strength training is not in my repertoire.

I did have some excellent crockpot success last night for dinner. A succulent turkey breast with the only seasoning of sage and black pepper I kept it simple and even my nine your old was digging that crazy ample sage seasoning. I really should take pictures of my food. Maybe the next Whole 30 I will be more relaxed and camera ready.

Since I can now wear my goal jeans I am going to get a new pair of goal jeans today to put in my goal drawer! So excited. lol

If someone could point me to a good strength training routine I would smile!

I would like to say that my Whole 30 Day Eight was a walk in the park with lots of spring flowers and birds chirping. I would like that but it would be a flat out lie.

I don’t like to write very many negative thoughts on blogs. I think we get so much of that stuff in the news that it really is a downer to try and read a blog that should motivate and not drag you down into an unhappy place.  Wait, my day wasn’t that bad. I mean my dog is still alive, my truck is not broke and my husband did not leave me for a blue eyed blonde at the local tavern.

Life is pretty good. However…. my planning and prepping have not been so good for the Whole 30.  I think the wildfires really screwed with my schedule. I ended up eating raw nuts most of the day yesterday and then had quite possibly the most disgusting stir fry on the planet with odds and ends from my freezer and pantry.  I did learn an incredible lesson, pineapple and jalapenos are not always good together, especially when paired with last minute mega splash of coconut milk and fajita vegetables and way too much cracked pepper.

I did not have dinner, I ate a plate full of college dare food. I should now be ready to pledge the Mama Can’t Cook Sorority.  It was really that bad and I pride myself on cooking. I mean it paid the bills for several years.  Apparently cooking grain and dairy free takes a little more thought.  But  I will learn, I mean I am wearing a pair of my goal pants today and will hopefully be wearing them loose pretty soon.

Later taters!  Oh how I miss your white fluffy goodness.

This is will be short and sweet because I am catching up on housework and design work from the crazy, crazy fire week we had in Southern California in and around my town.  The fire are just about gone in our areas, but the fire season has just begun.  When you see  firemen and your are from California make sure you thank them.  They put their lives on the line in situations most would run from in a New York second.  They simply rock.

Why I wrote “ One The Outside Looking In”.… Red Lobster.  We went to Red Lobster last night for dinner and the pickings were slim.  I had the Blackened Tilapia with steamed broccoli and some shrimp on a skewer of some sort.

My husband and son had their usual fried garbage.  Apparently Mommy is not being a very good role model.  The hardest part for me last night was not eating those Cheddar Biscuits.  I mean I normally do not eat bread at home anyway and am pretty sure at this point in the game that I have some kind of wheat or grain intolerance.  But man…. turning down those Red Lobster Biscuits, felt difficult, sad and empowering all at the same time. It almost like turning down birthday presents and Christmas.  Well, no that is kind of an exaggeration, but you get what I am saying.

Yep, I need to got to Greasy Carb Addict Rehab, because I am still apparently very addicted.  Its not just a physical addiction but mental as well.  I am a southern girl, I was raised on grits and biscuits with sawmill gravy. bleh

Well, on to rocking Day Eight.  Rambling is Over…. and Out.

The fires are dying down and this momma is tired.  We were finally able to put away most of our photographs, computers, my husband’s precious guitars and my little guy’s favorite toys.  I was so proud of how my son handled the fire chaos.  He said “ I am pretty sure we will not be evacuated mommy, but its a good thing we are ready and I don’t feel scared anymore”.  I don’t want to toot my own horn, but isn’t that a pretty positive reaction form a 9 year old?

Well on to the Whole 30.

I want to tell you not measuring myself for 30 days is just about to KILL me. I am a creature of habit, borderline OCD crazy mom.  I religiously have exactly one cup of coffee and then measure and shower every single day.  Skipping this one step has been such a learning experience.  Now when I get up and have my coffee I wander upstairs to boot up the shower and strip down to and stair at myself in the mirror.  This is not an easy task because after the breast tumor I am  still a bit terrified to look in the mirror. I have to avert my eyes just enough not too see my breast. I will take a quick glance but am so afraid to take a close look.

( I had a tumor removed in September of 2012, it is something called a wort tumor, I don’t know much about it but so far its benign so Yeah! However it can and probably will come back… boooo!) 

What I am mostly gaging by is my gut.  I mean it is the the reason I have to wear mom jeans.  I am laughing at myself right now you know.  I am probably a bonafide lunatic.  As a matter of fact, I know I am rambling right now and I don’t really care, it has been a hard long week. I am hoping this week is not as tough.

Anyway my gut feels smaller, I am not sure if it is smaller because when your are wearing your birthday suit things can look smaller. So honestly I have no idea if  I am gaining muscle or losing weight or gaining fat or losing muscle. However, I had bought a pair of pants a few days ago from Nordtroms.  Cute light tan pants with a straight leg.  They were just a tad snug on my mom gut but now they fit.  Yep. I am now going to buy three pairs of different sized pants and try each one on every morning. ( is that cheating)

My favorite meal yesterday was a beef stir fry with carrots, bell pepper, onions and tomato.  I know that beef was not free range. I gave myself a break because these fires have been messing up my schedule.  I will be wearing my chef apron all week to make up for this past week.

Have a rocking day!

Day Five was another day of worrying about where the fire was heading in our town.  It is surreal waking up to the sound of helicopters overhead and looking at the hills. If you have ever seen the television show M.A.S.H. it was filmed in these mountains and seeing  all the smoke and air vehicle activity can really make you jumpy.

My Paleo Whole 30 Day Five ( I can’t believe I am saying that because my life is upside down right now)  did go pretty well.

For breakfast I had Turkey sausage, a bit of banana and coffee, my mind was wandering the whole morning as I quietly asked my grade school son to pick his top 10 favorite toys and place them by the door. Each time I walked by those items so precious to my son my heart would squeeze tight in my chest and I would worry.

For lunch I enjoyed something super spicy, eggs with sliced jalapenos, I wanted my mind and body to know I was eating and not to just go through the motions. I had a small apple and nuts right after my short workout before heading out the door to watch my son receive and award and then quietly take him out of school early so I could talk to him about what was going on at home.

His father artfully packed all those toys ( stuffed animals and light sabers) in a suite case and they were waiting by the door along with computers, favorite guitars and photo albums.

For dinner we ate at the local mall.  We could not travel far because we may have to turn around and load up the rest of our cars and leave the area quickly.  I ate without thinking, but it was still  a pretty focused Paleo meal.  Steak, cucumbers and a sweet potato. I don’t remember how it tasted, but I remember looking at the  guys in my life and thinking how lucky we are to just be here together.

I am going to sign off now, I need to rinse out my dog’s water bowls, they are filled with ash and then plan a workout around this crazy, crazy, day.

Stay Safe

Yesterday was a tough day. The crazy, raging wildfires in the areas very near our neighborhood consumed most every one of my thoughts.  I am tearing up right now as I write.  Just thinking about having to grab my shoes and my dog and leaving my house immediately when the fireman knocks on the door is really hard to wrap my head around.

My Whole 30 Day Four was tough, but for the most part I stuck to the plan. I did have one glass of wine to calm my nerves. And if the Gods of the Whole 30 frown, then so be it. This photo was taken when I discovered there would not be time to cook tonight and my son and I had lettuce bun burgers at Carl’s Jr.  This was our view from the Drive- thru.

I am still worried about my friends who may be close even now to the line of the fire.  We are safe.  There is an enormous billowing cloud of smoke hovering over my backyard.  That monster is a constant reminder to me that life can change in a blink of an eye.

Day Three! What an interesting day three I had trying to stay on track while dining out for two of the three major meals of the day.  Lunch was easy, the restaurant had many good salad choices and free range  chicken.  Dinner was Pasta Night at the Golf Club.  This was tricky.  Luckily, I ended up being able to order off the bar menu  and the chef was kind enough to steam a few vegetable for me. Therefore, dinner was grilled ribeye artfully paired with  steamed broccoli and cauliflower. Turning down the chocolate lava cake was a little bit of a downer but worth it.  I feel pretty good about my dining out day.  I am not sure how I would fair if I went out of town for a week or so.  I did learn that asking questions, looking at menus on-line prior to dining out, and a postive attitude will get you the food you need cooked in a manner that will not mess with the Paleo- Whole 30 plan.

I guess the phrase “One day at a time” takes on new meaning when you are learning  totally different habits.

Looking forward to a easy, peasy day four enjoying a possible one dinner out and breakfast and lunch at home.

Whew!

Well I made it through day two in my Whole 30 journey. It was full a full impact busy day so all the healthy cooking and prepping really scrambled my already super, crazy busy schedule.  But I made it!
I swear I have never chopped, diced, sliced, grilled, baked and steamed so much in one day and I ran a cafe twenty years ago!

I did learn a couple of things yesterday. 

1. I discovered that the cool cup that comes with the immersion blender was probably something I should have kept.  I donated it right away after I purchased the immersion blender 4 years ago.  Yesterday I really could have used that nifty cup.
2. I learn how to whip up my own Paleo Mayo.  I hand whipped until I saw stars and probably burned just enough calories to make up for eating chicken salad for lunch and dinner!

Today, I did not feel so tired and moody, but it was probably due to the exercise of walking for twenty minutes followed by whipping up mayo for 20 more minutes.  All in all I am feeling pretty good and gearing to tackle Day Three of my Whole 30 journey.

As soon as I actually make Paleo Mayonnaise more than three times I will post the best recipe.  There are several methods and variations but I believe the one I made yesterday was pretty darn good .

Day one as a Whole 30 newbie was I believe, pretty successful.  It could be that following a loose version of the Paleo Diet for 9 days before my week Anniversary Stay-cation helped to ease some of the sugar and processed garbage carb withdrawals. However, I did feel a mighty pinch and panic around 3:00 pm in the afternoon.  I believe I ate too light of a breakfast, so had an early lunch and ended up being so freaky hungry at 3;:30 pm that I ended up eating all the protein steak I had prepared for my lunch for day two.

Breakfast was two scrambled eggs and a half tomato.  On day two I will add one more egg and more vegetables.

Lunch was grilled grass fed steak, a portion of sweet potato and french style green beans with no flavoring at all. I love green beans plain and dressed up.My favorite meal of the day was dinner. Baked chicken breast, mashed-cauliflower, romaine lettuce and tomato salad with lemon juice and a spritz of good olive oil.  The chicken was bright and satisfying using a generous portion of Mural by Penzey Spice and finished with ground pepper and a fresh squeeze of lemon. The cauliflower was blended until smooth and flavored with a touch of Grassfed Organic Ghee , sea salt and fresh ground white pepper.

For movement I walked like a rock star on the treadmill for 20 whole minutes and did my Curves workout in the evening. I am trying to keep my exercise in a logical mode. I am a very busy person and taking on Crossfit or something similar is just very time consuming.  As the days go by I am going to try to find ways to lift and strength train more at home.

Overall, I am pretty sparky happy about my first day on the Whole 30 journey.  I am looking forward to day two and all the interesting meals I can have without the grains and dairy getting in the way of their textures, tastes and colors.