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whole30 week three

Previous updates: week one / week two

Day 15

Breakfast: three fried eggs, banana/blueberry/coconut flake mix, cold-brew coffee with coconut milk

Lunch: leftover Dijon chicken thigh (it was not that great reheated), broccoli, fruit salad

Snack: nuts and a few pieces of dried apricot

Dinner: I had a church book club to go to so I didn’t have time to cook. I put some seasoned ground turkey (leftover – ate it cold) and diced apple on a bunch of salad greens and used olive oil + raspberry balsamic as dressing. It was so good! Also had more fruit salad. At book club I tried a peach/pear flavored carbonated water. Yuck – couldn’t do it.

I felt: my cold has been lingering for a week now, but I think it’s starting to see its way out. I did a light yoga flow after work. Overall I’d say it was an easy day. :)

Day 16

Breakfast: three fried eggs, banana/blueberry/coconut flake mix, cold-brew coffee with coconut milk

Lunch: same salad as last night (still good), plus baby carrots dipped in dijon mustard and an orange

Snack: nut mix

Dinner: Moroccan chicken and a big salad with strawberries. After pan-frying the chicken I deglazed it with chicken broth, added 1 1/2 tsp cumin and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/2 cup coconut milk, and 1/4 cup raisins. Bring to a boil then simmer until it thickens. I got this from the book It Starts With Food and I loved it.

I felt: blah blah blah I still have a cold. I’m so tired of being stuffed up! But other than that things are great. I’m feeling so energized all day and hardly struggling mentally at all. We took a family walk tonight and I surpassed my Fitbit step goal.

Day 17

Breakfast: three fried eggs, banana/blueberry/coconut flake mix, cold-brew coffee with coconut milk

Lunch: leftover Moroccan chicken, salad with strawberries, a peach

Snack: dried apricots and nuts, a Larabar. I was so snacky today!

Dinner: we went to my in-laws’ house and my FIL grilled me a steak and made me a salad and fruit. :)

I felt: my cold is definitely getting better but is lingering. Today I started waking up 30 minutes earlier, at 5am, in order to guarantee myself a bit of alone time. I’ve been sleeping great and it really wasn’t hard at all to pop out of bed at this time.

Day 18

Breakfast: three fried eggs, banana/blueberry/coconut flake mix, cold-brew coffee with coconut milk

Lunch: leftover Moroccan chicken, salad greens, fresh berries

Snack: nuts

Dinner: skillet sausage & apples with cinnamon, baby carrots dipped in Dijon mustard

I felt: I still have a cold and it was hard to wake up early. Nothing really new to report, except that with it being Independence Day weekend coming up I was REALLY craving a full burger and ice cream.

Day 19

Breakfast: three fried eggs, banana/blueberry/coconut flake mix, cold-brew coffee with coconut milk

Lunch: skillet burger with tomato “bun”

Snack: random fruits, a few nuts

Dinner: two burger patties with tomato and pickles, fruit salad, baby spinach with olive oil & balsamic

I felt: I’ll be honest, this was probably the hardest day for me so far, mentally. It was July 4th and I felt very grumpy and deprived. We had a family gathering and there was all kinds of stuff I wanted and couldn’t have. I even felt like crying a couple times! I’m glad I held out strong though. I know the weekends are hardest, and this will be over soon. I don’t want to cheat myself out of the benefits.

Day 20

Breakfast: three fried eggs, banana/blueberry/coconut flake mix, cold-brew coffee. I ran out of coconut milk to mix in it, and I missed it.

Lunch: burger patty with tomato

Snack: banana

Dinner: my mom made stir fry chicken and veggies with coconut aminos (this is a soy sauce alternative, a little sweeter but still a good substitute!), cinnamon apples, banana “ice cream” (which really was smooth and creamy like ice cream, although obviously banana flavored. I added cinnamon and cocoa powder, yum!)

I felt: Today was much better than yesterday, mentally. But I didn’t time my meals very well because I was out and about most of the day, so I was pretty hungry in the afternoon and not happy about it. I do continue to feel excellent physically. My cold is almost completely gone now. I treated myself to some new clothes in my regular size (ie: pre-pregnancy) and that was very encouraging. :)

Day 21

Breakfast: three fried eggs, banana/blueberry/coconut flake mix, cold-brew coffee with coconut milk

Lunch: two burger patties, a big salad with strawberries

Snack: fruit salad

Dinner: we went to Chipotle! Apparently the only meat they have that isn’t cooked in soybean oil is the carnitas, so I got that on a salad with pico and mild salsa. It was really good!

I felt: I’m fine. Energized. I admit I’m so over all the planning and trying new things that I’ve done up to this point. For the coming week I didn’t even really plan meals or do a lot of shopping. I had a bunch of stuff left over and I cooked some ground beef and shredded chicken and I plan to do a lot of easy meals with this. I guess this could just be a sign that I’m getting used to this style of eating…I don’t need to spend forever planning anymore. That’s a good thing!

With only one full week and a couple days left to go, I am definitely ready for more variety in my food and I am looking forward to a splurge. My friend (who is doing this with me) and I already have an ice cream date for day 31. But I also really want to stick to the reintroduction rules and to continue eating mostly paleo and with very little processed foods and sugar when this ends. I have to keep reminding myself that this is a lifestyle change and I didn’t put myself through this just to go back to my old ways! Anyway, the end is in sight and I’m pretty excited. :)

I plan to do one more post like this at the end, and then I’ll follow that up with some more thoughts I have about the process. Thanks for following along!

July 7, 2014
lazy potty training for the win

So, just like that, Meredith is potty trained. And it was easy.

I’m not bragging because I had very little to do with the whole process. Like most moms, I’d guess, I both looked forward to Meredith being potty trained and dreaded the process. I couldn’t stand the thought of having to follow her around all day asking if she has to potty, putting her on there every thirty minutes, accidents aplenty, etc. So I put it off.

Of course we have been talking to her about it for awhile. We got a training toilet a year ago, and Meredith got her first pack of underwear for Christmas (she was 2 1/2 years old). She occasionally wanted to wear them over her diaper but that’s it. We got her a book about it a few months ago that she liked to read. We sent pull-ups with her to daycare instead of diapers, and by the power of peer pressure and institutionalism she began using the toilet pretty regularly there.

I really didn’t have a timeline of when we’d get serious about it at home. I figured she’d let us know when she was ready and she showed zero interest in it for us. But then daycare told us that she couldn’t be moved up to the next classroom with her friends in August if she wasn’t potty trained. That would really bum her out, so I decided I’d plan to just take away her diapers completely one weekend. My hope was that once she wet herself once she’d hate it and realize how to not let that happen. In the meantime I printed out the above chart I found online, told her that if she completed a row she would get a special trip to somewhere she loves (like Chuck E. Cheese or Yogurt Mountain). She didn’t care.

Then, one morning last week, she was jumping on her bed naked when I was trying to get her ready for the day. She just would not put on her pull-up, so I asked her if she wanted to wear underwear instead. Her face lit up, she said yeah! and came to put them on. I figured what the heck? We’ll see how this goes. I enforced to her that she shouldn’t pee in her undies but tell her teachers when she needed to go. And of course I packed lots of clothing changes.

We didn’t need them. She used the potty eight times that day and had zero accidents. Since then she has done perfectly at school every day including nap times. The real challenge was to keep this going at home.

The first night at home she threw an incredible fit when we tried to get her to sit on the potty. I’m talking screaming, sobbing, body going rigid type of fit. We refused to put a diaper on her and she had two accidents (thankfully outside) that made her even more mad.

The second night she still wouldn’t sit on the potty at first but I didn’t try to force it. She had two more accidents, both while sitting on the counter, but then consented to sit on it afterwards.

The third day was Saturday and she held her pee all morning long until she fell asleep, and then she let it go (I had a pad under her because I figured that would happen). The evening was still a struggle.

Then, on Sunday – day 4 of no diapers – it clicked for her. She woke up and said, “I hafta go potty,” and it’s been easy ever since. No more accidents, no more fights. Dry diapers in the morning. I’ve learned that if we ask her if she needs to go and she resists or says no, then she really doesn’t need to. She will agree if she needs to.

I’m sure there will be occasional accidents in the future and I’m not quite ready to send her to bed without a diaper considering she sleeps right next to me, but for the most part, it’s done.

So basically my method was:

1. Put it off.

2. Let daycare do most of the work.

3. Spontaneously go cold-turkey.

Hey, whatever works right?

July 3, 2014
things i’m working on

I’m working on Liam’s stocking. It’s progressing very nicely and I don’t think I’ll have a problem finishing this summer.

I’m working on getting 10,000 steps on my Fitbit each day. Without trying, I average 7500, depending on how busy we are at work. So to make my goal, I’ll probably have to add in a walk each evening.

I’m working on upping my pumping output. For me that means more water and timely pumping sessions. What else can I do?

I’m working on potty training Meredith. Actually it’s pretty much done, and it was quick & easy. I’ll share my “secrets” soon.

I’m working on making it halfway through Lonesome Dove (the book) by July 13 for book club. It’s a long one so we broke it up into two parts.

I’m working on waking up earlier. My kids are just really early risers so if I want any time alone in the morning it looks like I have to get up around 5. Kind of a bummer, but I’ve also been sleeping so great since starting whole30, so it’s not too hard.

I’m working on catching up on my podcast queue, and thinking about how I can add audiobooks back into my life.

I’m working on my personal style. I pretty much know what I like but I don’t have the wardrobe yet. Since I’m back down to my regular size I look forward to another closet purge and slowly adding pieces that I love.

I’m working on a letter to my pen pal.

I’m working on coordinating Meredith’s 3rd birthday party. The plan is: family only, local park, evening, a few balloons, a banner, bubbles, grilling, and a big chocolate cake.

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Post idea from Ali Edwards who is inspiring as always.

July 2, 2014
olivebox

Last month I was excited to see that I won a giveaway for an Olivebox! This is a monthly subscription service that is filled with products revolving around paper. I used to subscribe before daycare costs started eating us alive, and I loved it. I just wanted to share with you what was inside, in case it’s something you might be interested in!

The theme was “sweet as honey” and it was adorable. It contained a little composition book (not sure what I’m going to use it for yet but I have some ideas), a greeting card, a package of notecards, some all-purpose honey balm, and a link to a free printable matching the fabric line Sweet As Honey by Going Home to Roost as well as a discount code.

I still love the subscription box idea, and if I had to choose just one this would probably be it.

Do you subscribe to anything like this? If you had to choose one, which would it be?

July 1, 2014
whole30 week two

Read about week one here.

Day 8

Breakfast: three scrambled eggs, banana/blueberry/coconut flake mix, black coffee (I liked it better this time)

Lunch: leftover chili, salad with tomatoes

Snack: none

Dinner: a fake chicken marsala with local (no-sugar-added) bacon, and a side of broccoli. My husband liked the chicken but I was disappointed in the whole thing. I bet it’s a really good recipe if you use wine (I subbed chicken broth), regular bacon, and butter, so I’ll try it again when I can have that stuff. This was my first time cooking this kind of bacon and it was really different. I had an apple for dessert.

I felt: pretty tired after work again. I did a 20-minute fairly easy yoga session, and my muscles felt drained. I was stressed out making dinner because I was trying new things and there was a lot going on with the kids, but it turned out okay. I think I’m gonna stick to what I know during the week and try new things on the weekends.

Day 9

Breakfast: four small fried eggs, banana/blueberry/coconut flake mix, black coffee

Lunch: leftover chicken marsala, salad, strawberries

Snack: Larabar

Dinner: taco salad, broccoli, and cinnamon apples (yum)

I felt: I woke up feeling mildly sick, like I was getting a cold. Not surprising since Meredith had been coughing on me for days. So after work I was exhausted again.

Day 10

Breakfast: three fried eggs, banana/blueberry/coconut flake mix (can you tell I’m a person of habit? And I’m not sick of eggs yet! Thankfully I love eggs!)

Lunch: broccoli, cinnamon apples, a few bites of taco salad (wasn’t very hungry)

Snack: nuts

Dinner: slow cooker Italian chicken soup (it was fine, needed salt). That’s all I ate because I wasn’t feeling well.

I felt: woke up feeling a bit more congested and it got worse as the day went on. Nothing terrible, but I didn’t have much energy and I kinda lost my appetite for awhile. For me it was one of the harder days because I would have reached for comfort food in the past. There was a lot of mental struggle but mostly it went back to my lack of energy.

Day 11

Breakfast: four scrambled eggs, banana/blueberry/coconut mix. One of the eggs was for Meredith but she actually scarfed down half of them before I could take a bite.

Lunch: leftover chicken soup (it tasted better to me as leftovers), cinnamon apples, baby carrots

Snack: nuts

Dinner: omelet with onions, green pepper, and tomatoes. Grapefruit.

I felt: I was even more congested today, but ironically I had my energy back! It made such a huge difference in my attitude. So maybe my malaise wasn’t related to the sickness, maybe it was just a hump that I had to get over with my body adapting to this new eating pattern. This day I also noticed that I think my milk supply is dropping overall. It’s hard to tell what is really causing that, but I’m going to up my water intake again and snack on nuts daily. (Technically they tell you to try not to snack, but I think with breastfeeding it might be important.)

Also to note, I got my first Greenling delivery which was exciting. There were a couple things in it I can’t have (sweet corn, Yukon potatoes) and I don’t have it in me to make those things for my family, so I passed them to my mom. But the majority of it looked great! Pondering if this is a good deal for me financially and how often I’d like to do deliveries.

Day 12

Breakfast: three fried eggs, banana/blueberry/coconut flake mix, Chameleon cold-brew coffee (so smooth!)

Snack: nuts

Lunch: leftover Italian chicken soup (not much appetite)

Dinner: My in-laws grilled steak for us and I ate two. Also had a salad, green beans, and fruit salad. Making up for my light lunch. :)

I felt: Still sick, but energized. The cold-brew coffee had more caffeine than I usually have and I’m not complaining one bit.

Day 13

Breakfast: Three scrambled eggs, banana, cold-brew coffee

Lunch: taco salad, apple

Snack: dried fruit & nuts

Dinner: Dijon chicken thighs, broccoli

I felt: Physically I felt good, except for still having a cold. But mentally I was weary of scrutinizing every meal and the extensive planning (I plan my meals on Saturday and I just wasn’t in the mood) and ready for more variety. I don’t even crave the bad stuff, just something different! Hoping that once my cold goes away I’ll be more motivated.

Day 14

Breakfast: Three fried eggs, banana/blueberry/coconut flake mix, black coffee

Lunch: three pickles wrapped in sliced turkey, leftover chili, applesauce

Snack: banana

Dinner: ground turkey seasoned with cinnamon & nutmeg mixed with diced apples, fruit salad

I felt: Reaching the end of two weeks is exciting. Almost halfway done! And another pair of pants that didn’t fit me previously just slid right on. I do feel like it’s time to start adding more workouts. That’s a goal for the coming week. I also realize that I’m still not eating enough vegetables and probably too many fruits. But you know what? Even so, this is a huge change and improvement for me. So I’m not going to worry about it and just do my best.

Overall I’d say that things are going well so far. I am so glad that I found an easy, delicious, and filling breakfast that I love to eat every day. I look forward to it and it sets a good tone. Meredith eats at least one egg and some fruit with me every day even though they serve breakfast at her daycare, and I hope that maybe she doesn’t eat as much there (because it’s probably carby and sugary) as she used to. Although I do feel like I’ve broken my dessert habit, I do rely on fruit and I’d be struggling hard without it.

During week two I had some mediocre meals that I had put effort into which was disappointing. For the upcoming week I planned mostly easy stuff. I’m looking forward to this being over with, but at the same time I kinda feel like I’m cruising along. Weekends are definitely harder because meals are more up in the air and planning can overwhelm me. Because I wasn’t that experienced in the kitchen prior to this, I am having to learn a lot about how to cook things along the way. It’s a good thing, but can be hard too.

Anyway, I feel pretty good about the coming week because my planned meals are simple. I expect my cold to go away within a few days, and just to be in the second half of the challenge is a great feeling!

June 30, 2014