The Whole Shebang - Week 1 of Our Whole30

Captain's Log // Stardate: day #7 of the Whole30 program. 

I am only blogging to try to keep my brain alive and awake when it's been in Coma Light mode since I woke up today. And since moving my fingers on keys is the extent of physical exertion I can handle today, here we are. Let's update my Whole 30 journey!

The coma seems to mean I am right on track with the program's (hilariously written) timeline of what to expect. It annoys me that I am so predictable, but more so it's just a huge relief that crippling fatigue/falling asleep on the potty on day 6-7 means, "you're doing it right! keep it up! but also get off the toilet, maybe!?"

I was a little surprised to be hit by this fatigue symptom because days 1-6 were pretty easy for me. I did have the soaring hubris of "THIS IS SO EASY" on day 1, but wasn't brought low by any hangover on the next few days. And you'll have to ask Jesse about increased irritability on days 4-5 because  I didn't really notice any mood change  (update: YES, apparently I was presenting pretty hard with "kill all the things" symptoms those days and was a sweetie pie rainbow blossom to be aroundNOT).

Answers to the questions I've been getting:

What was your last meal before you started? 

As the last few grains of sand in the dietary freedom hourglass tumbled out (grains that contained gluten, uh-doy), around March 30, we kind of threw off the, "ease ourselves slowly into the program and not have a free for all" attitude we'd embraced the past few weeks when we knew we'd be cutting out dairy/sugar/grains/legumes. We relapsed hard for that last day and went with Mellow Mushroom's Buffalo Chicken Pizza for last dinner.

UNNNNGH . What I wouldn't do to this guy right about now.

For dessert, I wanted my most favorite cupcake: the Miss Princess from Gigi's (cream cheese icing on strawberry cake). Jesse got an oreo one. We split each with Judah and Layla so "only" a half of each sugar bomb went into our systems on Program Eve..

I do really DO miss this princess.

How do you feel? Today: tired. But until this morning, waking up had been so much easier the first few days of the program (I am assuming that will return. Name it claim it). I describe it like: I'd still be more than willing and able to sleep more if I could, but my body and brain are also very alert and accepting of staying conscious and becoming vertical. This a HUGE change for the better from my normal wake up routine which is akin to the grieving process: 

Denial: no, it simply is NOT 7am NO 

Anger: this is that freaking Jesse Dukes' fault for keeping me up so late last night by getting me addicted to Walking Dead 3 years ago so now I have to stay up and watch 5 hours straight of it!

Bargaining (aka prostitution) "Jesse, seriously, I will do ANYTHING you want if you just take the baby out of here and let me sleep an extra hours. *tries to lick lips suggestively but tongue is made of dehydrated leather and breath is of grave-dust. Gives a sexy look instead and falls back asleep winking. Jesse denies me and sends Layla in to assault me with conversation.*

Depression: WOE TO ALL THE EARTH I shall be tired forever. *Ugly cries into mirror while brushing teeth because she's the only one who understands*

Acceptance: Fine, dammit, I'm up. But I am totally getting a huge coffee AND a bakery treat for being such a hero. I DESERVE THIS.

What are you eating? Lots. The program says to try to avoid snacking, but has a caveat for breastfeeders which says that snacks are okay, just not grazing all day. I am super paranoid about my milk supply, so I don't spend a ton of time doing the "is this a craving or genuine hunger?" like non-lactators would. When i am hungry, I eat something. 

We are creating sinkfuls of dirty dishes, but besides that, I am actually enjoying the cooking and weekly prep of staples (mayo, chicken salad, soft boiled eggs, pre-chopping, mixing salad dressings, lunch-portions of salad greens into individual bags). I really enjoy cooking meals when the stupid grunt work is done for me ahead of time.

I often forget to photograph my food because I'm so excited about the meal about to go in my mouth, but I did capture all of day one's victuals:

Okay I forgot to photograph this one cooked, so just snapped the ingredients. Sugar-free bacon (1 slice...its thick like ham), and a runny egg over greens. I am not a breakfast person so forcing this one has been tough, but thinking of it as meal one rather than Breakfast has helped (pork chops! chicken salad!)

Lettuce wraps. 3-ply Bibb lettuce under applegate farms roast beef with matchstick carrots (was out of broccoli slaw) in homemade mayo and lemon juice on top. 

roasted (in coconut oil) butternut squash, sauteed (in homemade ghee) shredded brussel sprouts, and salmon ($6 for a huge arm-length filet at Kroger. Wild-caught! Not the best salmon I've ever eaten, but for $6 wild caught, I bought 7 of them).

snacks: #1: a few olives and some sweet potato hash--I keep a bag of about 4 potatoes worth of diced (I have no knife skills so this thing is my savior) sweet potatoes in the fridge to just make a little batch of (cooked with cinnamon and coconut oil in a pan) when a craving hits. #2: raw almond butter on a banana and plantain chips with compliant salsa (this brand was nasty and I will make my own next time)

So no wonder I had hubris on the first day. That was a day very well-planned and provided for. But many of my meals have looked more like this:

Car porkchop! I felt so classy at stoplights hammering down this lil' piggie.

Not ideal, but they are the very armor of the Lord at a small group party that has endless heavy hors d'oeuvres. These are 3 of the few compliant flavors or Larabar. 

What are your kids eating? A lot of what we are (they MUST try at least a bit of everything), and if they dont eat enough of that to fill them, they may have whatever is in the house that we might normally eat. 

Judah is enjoying giggling and mocking us with "you can't have soda!!!" 

What's been the hardest? So far the cravings haven't hit us hard, and we have planned well in being full (bellies or lunchboxes) of our whole foods when we go somewhere where all kinds of yummy non-program stuff will be served so that we arent tempted.  The biggest temptation has been ambush food. 

Like yesterday I caught Judah bingeing on Easter candy he had snuck down from the shelf--Reese's eggs, a favorite. He had eaten a few already, but I caught him just as he was unwrapping another. After I talked to him about why that was wrong, I was just standing there holding this chocolate egg in my hand. I could almost taste the salty fake peanut butter inside the egg--unencumbered by the pointy crenellations on the conventional Butter Cups that I don't like. If it had been wrapped it wouldn't have been as hard to just chuck it. But I was hungry, it was already naked, and it was only a foot from my mouth. I could almost fall down and accidentally eat it. Walking it over to the garbage (Judah's punishment was losing the rest of the candy) was very hard. But not as hard as pouring the soap on top of it to make sure it was truly beyond my reach. (Big mommy is NOT above eating out of the garbage like a dirty Costanza).

The biggest thing (and yall warned me about this) is having go-to stuff ready or ready-to-make for when you didn't plan a specific meal but it's almost time to eat. For us it's pre-diced veggies and always some meat defrosting in the fridge.This way we can pop something in a pan or on the grill ASAP. We also lean on the chicken salad batch I make every Monday for MUSTEATNOW situations (great on greens). 

So you are drinking black coffee? LOL. No. I thought I was in a step-down program in  to get me from candy-latte to black coffee by April. Jesse had said he was only putting a little bit of flavored creamer in--and less and less every morning--so I thought I could do it and it would be peachy that first morning. I even made almond milk from scratch to try that. NO. I even looked up recipes for things to add to coffee to make it more palatable. Coconut butter, coconut oil, coconut milk. No No No. Nonoe of these natural things taste like Almond Joy (the true coconut source) flavored creamer.

My first sip on Day 1 I literally gagged and almost threw up very expensive bacon. It tastes like ASPIRIN! So I am just not drinking coffee. (I have yet to try the bulletproof version of Whole30 coffee, but I have realized it isnt the milk I am missing, but definitely the sugar element that make coffee drinkable for me). All those pinners saying that they have a delicious "so sweet" Whole30 coffee recipe are loco!!!

How is your milk supply? Completely unaffected as far as I can tell. If anything, I feel fuller in that department.

Any other physical side effects? I am getting headaches sometimes, which was very expected. I take something as soon as I feel a twinge because I cannot cope with headache pain. 

My skin has somehow gotten WORSE! I am hoping it's a case of "it'll get worse before it gets better" and is just the nasties leaving for good.

Falling asleep has gotten super easy and enjoyable. I read every night, no matter what time it is or where we are, to fall asleep and sometimes if I am really into the book I will stay up 3 or 4 hours reading (Gone With the Wind had me up til 4 two night in a row!)...to my detriment. But even now I am reading something I really enjoy (Bonhoeffer biography) and I am passing out and dropping the book (scaring myself to death) like 2 paragraphs in. Dietrich shall live forever this way.

Have you broken any program guidelines at all? NO! Okay well, just one tiny one, but I have a divine excuse. It was communion on Easter Sunday. So help me, I will not turn down the body of Christ on His rebirthday. I think the juice is 100% grape so whatever (also it's just a thimbleful), and then the eensy wafer has like 3 gluten particles in it, and whatever, I think Jesus can supernaturally protect me and my Whole30 program from "harm" in celebrating the Lord's supper.

How is Jesse doing? He is great. His yearly 3 day full-on fast (nothing but water and black coffee) in preparation for Easter was the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th of April, so he got one day of Whole 30 and then nothing for 72 hours so when he started eating again, the Whole30 meals felt downright indulgent. He went to a birthday party with Judah that had cookie cake, and was actually thankful that he had double accountability with the fast AND whole30, because no man is that strong!

How much weight have you lost? Get behind me, satan! I am A) not doing this to lose weight and B) not allowed to weigh myself the entire 30 days. I did grab a before weight and will weight after I suppose, but I am doing this to retrain my mind and my mouth and my stomach into eating like someone who has plans to live beyond 45. Don't get me wrong, I'd be thrilled if that also happened, and will actively try to lose weight after I wean Noa (whenever that may be), but nothing is going to stick and become a lifestyle if I just aim for a number on the scale. Amen.

Is it horrible? No! it really isn't. I was nervous about Easter with Jesse's family but they grill porkchops which were so scrumptious, and we brought our own dressing and diced sweet potatoes. I was seriously shocked by how satisfying our meal was, even alongside the rolls and creamy mashed potatoes with butter that we couldn't enjoy. 

There are definitely times when I have wanted something in a moment that wasn't a craving or an emotional eating response, like a cocktail with Jesse, and that has felt like a bit of a bummer, but, at least for now, the benefits on the horizon that I am working towards have outweighed any inconvenience or craving.

Okay I think that covers all the questions I've been getting a lot. It feels good to be 25% finished. please do not disturb me as I nap on my spacebar now.

Whole on 1

Ok, let's do this.

I am starting my Whole30 in April. I got Jesse to join me and want as many people who are interested to join us, and to do this together--for support, accountability, encouragement, and general funtimes dreaming of frosting and bread....until we are free from their carby chains (that's a pun because carbohydrates are just long chains of the molecules strung together...SCIENCE!).

The Official Whole30 graphic they suggest for publicizing your participation...a little tame for my taste.

There now. That's more my speed. 

Y'alls feedback on my post asking for opinions of experienced Whole30-ers was ever so helpful! I was already leaning towards doing the program, but your firsthand stories tipped the scales into the territory of "HELLS YEAH." And April seemed perfect because it's already 30 days and it gives me (and you!) enough time to research, prepare, shop, purge the naughty things from your house, psych yourself up before 4/1 hits.

I did go ahead and order the book. Like most of the commenters said, it's definitely not necessary, and is more useful for understanding the nitty-gritty sciencey whys behind a lot of the plan--which I am enjoying already--but is certainly not essential because the Whole30 website is packed with everything you need for free (start here).

Here's what we have done so far to prepare (and we still have 2 weeks before starting, so there is plenty of time for you still, obviously):

1. Fact-finding missions to our local grocery store to find out if they carry certain items that we will want or if we will need to plan substitutes or find them at a more specialized store or online. Example: my Publix doesn't carry any bacon that doesn't have sugar in the ingredients. So we are deciding to substitute prosciutto instead.

2. Warming up: rather than just doing our normal (re: wretched) eating routine right up through 3/31 and going cold turkey on 4/1, we are heeding the advice we've been given and sort of building up it so that (hopefully) the shock/withdrawls won't be as intense. Example: I'm already drinking nothing but water, and avoiding grains/legumes/dairy/obvious sugar about 75-90% of the time. Not strict at all like it will be, but just like DEFCON 3 awareness and effort into compliance.

3. Bookmarking and screen shotting the helpful info from the Whole 30 site for easy access on my phone when I am shopping or meal planning or think of a new question. Example: their list of Sneaky Sugars to look for (and avoid!) on labels and their handy Shopping List. (Googling "whole30 _____" for any ingredient or product I am wondering about is happening often too).

4. Curating a Pinterest board for Whole30 approved recipes, products, tips and strategies. I also borrowed a Paleo cookbook from a friend and am enjoying going through that (though we will probably keep things very simple most of the time with just grilling a meat and not messing with elaborate recipes). Example: How to make my own Ghee (whole30 approved butter)

What we need to get done in the next week or so:

1. Stock the house with items that we will need/use and will last the entire challenge (as opposed to things we'll need to replenish) and may have to make a special trip to locate. I only want to have to specialty shop once for this endeavor.  Example: Coconut Aminos (Soy sauce substitute), Sugar free broth (amazingly difficult to find).

2. Find inspiring Whole30 folks on Instagram who post their meals. Many of you said this was a great resource! I am following litte Hip Squeak's special Whoe30 account @WholeAmy already but need more!

3. Start a hashtag for our own Whole30 group (assuming any of you want to join me!) so that we can easily find each other.  Everything I have thought of so far combining "Putapure" and "Whole" end up sounding like a porno, so I am still brainstorming. Example #PutapureWhole. Um no.  Ideas please! Okay the hashtag is officially  #April15Whole30 I like neat numbers. It's April15 as in 2015, btw...the start date is April 1st.  *If your instagram/FB/twitter is private, you will have to @mention me and anyone else in the posts for us to be able to see/search it.

4. Make ahead some whole30 freezer meals for when we get in a time crunch or haven't gotten to the store.Example: things we can just pull out of the freezer, thaw and dump into a pot/pan and have no more to think about. We already have a few boxes of Trader Joe's Chili Lime Chicken Burgers in the freezer to be a parachute option (and we know they are VERY yummy) when we can't even get it together enough to thaw something.

5. Learn to drink black coffee. UGH. not looking forward to this. We can add unsweetened coconut milk, but something tells me it's not the same as my typical milked-and-sugared-beyond-recognition cup of coffee. I actually wondered about breast milk in coffee (I hear it's naturally sweet!) but so far that is the ONLY thing I cant find a Whole30 answer about on Google. Better learn to love plain old beanwater!

6. Take before pics/info. One of the things I love about the program is that you are required to hide your scale during the 30 days. You should weigh yourself before the start of it, but not again until after. So I will need to weigh myself , and additionally I will take some pics of how I look and record how I typically feel as well.

I know this doesn't sound like a trip to the carnival. It doesn't to me either. It's not supposed to be. It's supposed to crazy restrictive and as far to one side of the food spectrum as you will ever get in your life--for only 30 days--so you will hopefully realize how crappy the other side of the spectrum was making you feel and then decide where you want to fall in between the two for the rest of your life.

It's not supposed to be a weight loss endeavor--but I'm hoping for me it will wake me up and help inspire me to break habits I've formed that will in turn change my lifestyle permanently, and THEN get me to a healthier weight. All while still allowing me to eat pizza and cupcakes every blue moon (rather than every blue Tuesday). I need to recalibrate my brain as to what food is and how I use it.

One friend of mine who didnt comment here on the blog  but emailed me instead had a lot of excellent points and gave me permission to share her experience AND her photos of her journey. She also played Volleyball for Georgia Tech (though not overlapping with me...she's a youngin'). Here's the lovely Allie.

1. Have you done a Whole30? How did it go? If not, have you done a dairy/sugar fast? How was that?

I have done the whole 30 twice and i've also attempted the 21 day sugar detox (a stricter version than whole 30 which i did not successfully complete).

After graduating from Tech it took me a few years to realize I couldn't continue to eat like I did in college when I was practicing for 3 or 4 hours everyday. I gradually put on 20 - 30lb. 

So the past few years i've been slowly adjusting my diet to resemble the paleo diet. I had already somewhat adjusted to having limited amounts of bread, dairy, unnatural sugar and processed food when I did the whole 30 for the first time last Aug. But I did and still do allow myself to have junk food from time to time. Even eating somewhat clean leading up to the whole 30 it was HARD. It will be hard regardless but the best way is just to fully commit and jump in. Thankfully my boyfriend and I did it together so there was no non-compliant food in the house. If you do the whole 30 you can't have junk around. You will literally steal food out of your kids mouths, your cravings will be so strong.

After doing the whole 30 i realized what I eat impacts me in a million ways I never would have imagined. Obviously weight but emotions, sleep, acne, headaches, allergies, inflammation... the list goes on. I think doing an elimination diet like whole 30 and identifying foods that impact you by gradually reintroducing them after a month is really impactful. Most people find that there are benefits to continuing to follow most of the principles of whole 30 after they finish it.  

2. Would you say that reading the book beforehand is crucial? Cheepo McBeepo here is wondering if I can [vegan coconut] fudge it.

Yes! I have actually read the book a few times. For me understanding why i'm doing something helps me stay committed. It starts with food takes some really complicated information and puts it into a context that is easy to understand and I thought it was a quick read. You obviously don't have to read it to complete the whole 30 but I got a lot out of it.

3. Specific followups to #1: Did you see noticeable changes in your energy level/mood/skin/weight?

If you can make it through the first 7-10 days you will really start to see and feel the benefits of the changes. Your taste buds start to change and fruits and vegetables actually start to taste way better than they ever did. I couldn't believe how good a honey crisp apple tasted. And it was almost too sweet for my stomach to handle. You will be much more in tune with your body and what its telling you it needs. Sleep generally improves and you have more energy. You may not know just how might lighter you feel until you try to each something off the diet again and your body doesn't like it.

I lost weight and gained muscle (I had more energy in my workouts). The picture I attached is from a few years ago and I didn't see all those results from 1 month but it does show where I started and what changing my eating habits has been able to help me get back to. I loved like it isn't about restricting calories. I've always had a big appetite and I can eat a ton... its just a ton of the right food that is nutrient dense. One of my friends did whole 30 with me in Jan about 5 months after she had a baby and she lost 15 lbs.

4. Was it hard as mess to stick to? Was it worth it? Did you go back to your same habits or did it change anything permanently for you?

It is hard to stick to. You will be very tempted to go crazy on day 31 and once you break the seal its easy to revert back. But its also an emotional process and when you go off sugar you realize that most of the time you are eating its not actually because you are hungry. Gaining that awareness has helped me continue to limit foods that I don't want in my diet regularly. And only splurging if its something I love and tastes amazing. For me meal prep and cooking are critical. I have to have food prepared so I dont have a reason to get fast food or stop at the vending machine and that takes time and effort. I generally make a fritta on Sunday with a bunch of veggies and then i can heat it up in the mornings. And on Sundays we cook a few big meals so we have food to eat for lunch during the week and freeze anything we don't want that week. Most people are good about doing meal prep the first week but then don't spend that same time in later weeks and that's where most people fall off the wagon. There is nothing worse then being really hungry and there being NOTHING around you can eat.

5. What was harder: giving up the foods you had to or planning ahead to not get caught in a bind?

I've started to really enjoy cooking so the meal prep isn't terrible its just time consuming. I buy veggies, eggs and meat in bulk from Costco and whenever I do cook I make a lot so I don't have to cook everyday. Some days you just don't have time. I think its definitely harder giving up the foods. I'm an emotional eater and not going to comfort food when I was stressed and upset was a challenge and still is.

Tips

1. Do it with other people

2. Follow whole 30 and whole30 food bloggers on instagram

3. Drink lots of water

4. Breakfast will be your favorite meal of the day

5. Dont be afraid of fats and protein. Feeling full is critical to avoiding temptation

6. Let me know if you need recipes!

Good luck!

Keight here again.

Okay so, there's my deal. It has a hashtag and will involve hash (sweet potato, specifically). Won't you join us Dukes? I'm so nervous and excited and wiggly (that might be all the water though). I know how helpful group accountability is to succeeding at new hard thing so PLEASE think it over! For me, my initial panicked thoughts of "Oh I could never do that!" were the first red flags that told me I probably have some unhealthy bonds with food and need a change. The parts of my brain that are addicted to Cap'n Crunch and 5 squares of dark chocolate at bedtime (for dental health!) are still putting up a fight for survival and are not going quietly. I shall smother them with kale (that's a plant, right?).

Let's do this.

Whole(30). Lotta Love?

I need advice. 

Whenever anyone starts a social media post like that, I swear I can hear the floodgates slam open and the water start its torrential rush toward the inquirer. "SHE IS SOLICITING ADVICE! WE MUST MAKE OUR VOICES KNOWN."

I love it when my friends crowd-source information, advice, and recommendations this way. As a reader, I make sure to throw my two cents around like I'm allergic to copper (sweet joke, right?). On the other side of that coin [which I just made an excellent joke about],  I have previously chosen a pediatrician, paint colors, clothing, restaurants, movies and a dentist based on the advice that I have asked folks for over the internet.

Today I need y'alls advice on a new topic...

BUT!!!

And it's a very big but that I need you to keep in touch with. Haha, she said  "touch" and "but."

BUT I really only want the advice of folks who have actually tried the exact thing I am wondering about.

That thing is the Whole30 eating plan/diet/program/reset/detox whatever you call it.

I love all your brains out, but please oh please don't get tangential here and start recommending OTHER stuff (supplements/lifestyles/books). I'm really only wanting to hear from folks who have actually tried and/or completed a Whole30 round or more or who have gone off sugar/dairy. 

I am so late to this party, I know, which I am taking as a good thing since there should be lots of experience to draw from.

Basically I eat crap. Wait, not literally--excepting this one time when I thought I had mustard on my arm and I licked it off and then was like, "Hey, it's 10am and I havent had mustard today," and realized it was my five-day-old-baby Judah's poop stain. #winning--I just eat garbage food MUCHLY of the time.

I eat a lot of processed, refined, sugar-laden, fake food food. I know this isn't good for me, uh-doy. No American can honestly say they don't know what a healthy plate of food should look like. But it's just easier in the small moments to make the fast/easy/unhealthy choice.

From what I gather (haven't read the book yet), Whole30 is about cutting all the processed garbage out (and legumes and whole grains too, weirdly) cold turkey for a month.  I hear it's like drug rehab and the first few days SUCK as your body is craving all the turd-food you are used to shoving in i

But hopefully you feel such a huge positive change in energy/mood/skin/BMs/overall once you are clean of those little addictions that it convinces you that you don't need that stuff. Not forever. I'm  liking that it isn't a lifestyle plan you do forever (because no I could not), nor is it a "diet," but rather just a temporary rehab program where you get rid of everything that could be causing issues and then afterward if you like where you are, you start adding back in food groups to see what the real culprit may be.

Am I describing that right? That's my brain's idea of Whole30

Reasons I'm considering it:

-I've never eaten real food for that long of a span. That is depressing. I wanna see what I feel like on things that didn't need too much messing with to become food.

-I just feel crappy. Tired, moody, sluggish, bloated, BLAH. Granted, I do have a 5 month old who is nursing around the clock and am adjusting to working life with 3 kids, so some of this stuff might be just a fact of life for this phase I'm in. But maybe not. (I also have hypothyroidism and have since 8th grade, and supposedly diet can really help that too).

-Like I mentioned before--I lost all my pregnancy weight the first week home from the hospital and gained it all back inactual fat in the next three months. That sucks and I do want to lose a few pounds (not rushing anything weight-related though because like I have also mentioned: I hold 10-15 lbs until I stop nursing which I am hanging on strong to this time around).

-FACE FACE FACE This last pregnancy and ever since having Noa my skin has been dreadful. Literally: full of the dreads. I've always had a hateful complexion (so bad that I wrote a one act screenplay about it one time), but this is beyond even teenage levels. It's not acne...it's ACKne! (Yall--Noa was up from 1-4am last night and I had two coffees today and I can see my eyeballs pulsing...forgive me these jokes). I hear sugar and dairy can have an adverse affect on zit levels in some people and at this point I'm ready to try anything.

-I have a girl crush on @LittleHipSqueaks and she is doing her second Whole30 and I think I got ensorcelled (best word ever) by her Instagram feed and want to pose he. #KeepinItReal

Ok so here's me cracking open a single floodgate just a smidgling to ask these questions of folks who've been there:

0. If you HAVENT done one and are interested, might you want to do one along with me? Because accountability and group shame-avoidance can be useful.

1. Have you done a Whole30? How did it go? If not, have you done a dairy/sugar fast? How was that?

2. Would you say that reading the book beforehand is crucial? Cheepo McBeepo here is wondering if I can [vegan coconut] fudge it.

3. Specific followups to #1: Did you see noticeable changes in your energy level/mood/skin/weight? 

4. Was it hard as mess to stick to? Was it worth it? Did you go back to your same habits or did it change anything permanently for you?

5. What was harder: giving up the foods you had to or planning ahead to not get caught in a bind?

Alright ye gates, FLOOD! Please give me the brutal truth of your experiences! (PS I changed the comment section...hopefully this works better for the many of you who have told me you had issues. Let me know.)

GE Appliances Owning the Weeknights (Giveaway)

as i have emerged from the first trimester tummy-death-funk, i am peeking cautiously around the corner and looking forward to my full return to the kitchen. one of my least favorite parts about early pregnancy is how much it turns me off to cooking (smell/see/touch my food before it's time to eat it?!? NEVER!) and just all things kitchen in general. opening the refrigerator can be a game of russian roulette. loading the dishwasher? a minefield! there's no telling what unexpected sights/smells i might encounter that will explode me.

but like i said, that's over now. i recently i cooked a real meal for the first time in about 10 weeks. 

i was surprised by how much i had missed it! the kids had gone to bed (because when you're pregnant and want poppy seed chicken as your second dinner at 9 pm, you just go for it!), but jesse was up and sat at the bar as i made the magic. 

and it really was magic. my hands and eyes were mixing and measuring, but all my attention was still somehow on my conversation and catching up with jesse. it sounds hokey, but it really felt like a homecoming (and i am not a lady who typically says "the kitchen is my home") to be spending time making something fresh and delicious while having an uninterrupted impromptu little reconnect-date with my husband. 

it made me realize that, as domesticated as i pretend not to be, our kitchen really is the heart of our home. sure we have wrestlemania in our bed, and insane "Frozen" scream-a-longs in the living room, but the touchstone that our crazy busy family always returns to is the kitchen. it's where we steal an hour after naps and before soccer or small group to scarf a quick meal, and more importantly to catch up with each other. the kids get to update us on their soap opera preschool friendships, at least one item of food or drink is spilled, jesse and i try to tell each other about our grown up days while fielding insane questions from the children--and without even realizing it, we're in the middle of the best part of our day.

GE Appliances knows it's all about the kitchen as has designed their line to help make the kitchen a relaxed and inviting space. every step of their design is driven by what the consumer (that's me!) needs. their dishwasher philosophy is “We know the only thing worse than prewashing is rewashing.” YES! GE Appliances calculated that if i spend just 20 minutes a day pre-washing dishes before putting them into the dishwasher, that is 5 full days every year spent on pre-washing, and they decided to design a dishwasher that would return those 5 days to me. hence 102 jets that do their job: washing dishes FOR me!

another way GE Appliances wants to give you more time with your family: their hands-free auto-fill refrigerator which will fill your glass with water and knows just when to stop. because moms know how valuable one hand can be when it's not tied up in a task that her fridge could be doing for her.

By the way, GE Applainces is also offering rebates and promotions (GE Artistry begins 5/15/2014 - 5/28/2014). 

GIVEAWAY : Leave a comment below letting me know how you own your weeknights for a chance to win a $100 Visa gift card!

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bacon peas

how about a super quick and easy recipe that will have your family members arguing over the last scoop of veggies (the actually happened last week. it was me versus judah, and i won out when i played the "the baby needs them!" card.)

judah is who i tried this recipe for the first time. he is our fussy eater. layla is down to party with whatever weird thing crosses her plate, but i have seen judah gag himself to barfing over a single mac n' cheese elbow (what child is this?!?!).

so imagine my surprise when he fell HARD for an english pea dish. the first time i had made these was last summer, and for some reason i forgot their huge success and didnt really make them again. and then judah joined a little pee-wee soccer league this spring and on his first day of practice they went around and said their name and their favorite food. i was shocked and thrilled when judah chirped out "bacon peas!" i couldnt believe that he remembered them from that long ago OR that i hadnt made them a part of the regular rotation since then.

they are now back in play enough that i was able to take a few pics so that i could share the love in hopes of reaching other families with VAC (vegetable averse children) syndrome.

BACON PEAS:

INGREDIENTS  (can you guess?) 

-center cut bacon (4-6 slices, depending on how much you love it)
-a bag of frozen english peas (our family of 4 can take down a whole bag in one sitting, less aggessive folks may have leftovers)

DIRECTIONS:

1. cook the peas according to directions, set aside
2. start cooking your bacon in a skillet (not on a flat griddle)
3. when bacon is alllllllmost cooked crisp, pull it out and set aside to cool/drain on paper towels.
4. pour your cooked peas into the bacon pan (you should have a nice lil' puddle of bacon grease)
5. stir peas so that everyone gets a little greased up.
6. crumble your bacon strips into bits and toss in with the peas
7. stir a few times and then remove from heat, drain any extra grease, and serve. salt to taste.

am i a little embarrassed that my family would not eat green peas until i started cooking them in bacon fat? maybe. but mostly i'm just loving plowing through these myself. and when you think about it it's barely one slice of bacon (and, yes, its fat) per person. 

the bacon taste doesnt completely take over the peas; so it isnt like you're just eating hot, bacon-flavored dippin' dots. you still definitely taste the yummy green peas primarily, but they just seem so much more happy with their delicious, meaty partner in there with them giving them a charred, smoky taste rather than just the "boiled veggie" vibe they were giving off before.

blendsday

hows about a nice random brain-shrapnel post today?

-i recently received the best spam comment ever: After reading your book, I've been hemorrhoid-free for almost two years. 

um, congratulations! my heart's cry is to write to relieve rectal arterial swelling.

-my son miiiiiight be a literalist:

Judah: "we did a fire drill today"

Jesse: "oh yeah? How'd it go?"

Judah: "wooo-oooo woooo-ooooo" 

#thatshowitgoes

-i have been running SO behind on my etsy orders lately. like always getting them out at the last possible day in my "will ship by" window. so monday night i woefully skipped my girls small group and toiled like a house elf to finish up and actually get ahead.

this afforded me the unknown (for a few months at least) pleasure of sewing for fun last night! i used an Oliver + S pattern i bought forever ago and made layla an easter outfit last night. 

i didnt start until 11 pm (brilliant) and then i shocked myself by staying up until 2:30 am (without really noticing) working on these and was not even tired this morning. as i woke and realized i could finally fit it on my lil' peep herself, all desire to keep snoozing left me. creativity and passion do wonders for work-ethic.

 the buttons arent sewn on because i think i'm gonna get another color. what color do yall think would be best? i like the light blue and the pink in the floral patter, but am notoriously bad at these decisions.

-jesse and i went to a wonderful friend's wedding recently and they had the coolest programs i have ever seen. john, the groom, is one of only 5 males i know who read the blog, so naturally he is cool like ovaltine and was on board with these bad boys:

i would be a little nervous that they would have to requisition a "full figured gal" silhouette for me!

-so in my recent weight loss adventures i had been noticing that my scale was acting weird. like i would weight myself on the way to the bathroom (for mathtime funs...you know) and then weight right after. sometimes my scale would say i had GAINED 1-1.5 lbs during the interval. 

our scale was like $10 from rite aid, purchased in 2007 and has been subject to myriad drops, stomps, kicks and jumpings on-and-off by the kids. so i decided to retire her and get a decent one. this baby had crazy good reviews and looks slick and was not bananas expensive my any means

it arrived last night and i was excited to get my new spiffy weight in .2lb increments and to see if maybe the old clunker had been shorting me some lost pounds.

well, well, well. turns out the old scale was actually quite friendly and had been reporting me 4 lbs less than i actually am. 

so all aboard the wambulance. i KNOW the number doesnt matter. i KNOW the differential of total loss is still the same. but even so i am struggling against big-time discouragement to find out this unhappy little surprise that i was heavier to begin with and heavier now than i had realized. 

-but on the uptick of that emotional spiral: i am on level 3 of jillian's 30 day shred. i started it right after my scale debacle and it was great to have a new routine to focus on. i am still doing the beginner moves for the most part, but even still level 3 is haaaaaard and it felt good to thrash myself...especially my secret 4 lbs.

-my boudreaux post on must-haves for baby has a $100 visa card giveaway at the bottom. getcha odds on!

-i am eating these two dishes like a ravenous monster lately. i seriously cant get enough: arugula and (optional) avocado with the DELICIOUS mustard herb dressing here. 

and then a family staple that we eat once a week (yet a pinterest pariah since no one EVER repins it...only one repin in 26 weeks!): mushroom and farro salad. yall. EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAT IT!

from whatsgabycooking

if farro scares you, just think of it as rice or pasta...though it is so much yummier and healthier than both. it is SO GOOD. we get ours from amazon and cook it in our rice steamer for this recipe. the kids even love it (judah once pitched a fit for farro...hilarious!) and it's great reheated the next day. go the distance and get real fontina from the deli counter.

and with that, my mind grapes are sufficiently squozen. i'm off to judah's class easter party!

ATL--->ATX

Jesse and I are in Austin for the next approx 50 hours. He's at a Jesus conference and i'm tagging along on skymiles, a dream and the miracle of free childcare (love you Dukes/Vincents!!!)

Okay so people who know, what must we see/eat/do?

Note: we're staying downtown and don't have a car while here. We must get our walk on.

So far: i have all day to myself and have binged (responsibly) on fabric and food trucks. In an ironic or perfectly hilarious followup post to the previous one, nothing about this is WW approved.  but this is our first trip in 3 years...ill eat raw cabbage all next week...worth it.

I didn't wake up at 5 am to fly 12 parsecs to order grilled chicken. PLUS I've already walked 4 miles today and thrashed my abs during a coughing fit on the flight, soooo yeah...I'm committed.

{if the pic won't show it's bc the phone posting is so flipping persnickety...you can see the pic on my Instagram here: http://instagr.am/p/WSWwZGIYjH/}

1. Getting my fab on at StitchLab // 2. Torchy's taco truck...OMG // 3. Gourdough's ($5!!!) doughnut...not overpriced, FTR // 4. Pretty history or something

in #4 I cropped out the jolly bum that was in this pic and proceeded to follow me basketball-defender style for a half mile (I have a wicked swim move pivot step and evaded like whoa). He thought I was the funniest person alive when I called him "Texan" in response to him calling me "Georgian." He was also fantastically intoxicated and wanted to be bar buddies.

So far Austin is as perfect as everyone says. Give me more reasons to believe in the city that Stone Cold Steve founded!

my not so sweet 16

.

i'd rather not talk about it because i'd rather it not be true. but since it IS true, i'm gonna talk about it.

when i went for my insurance physical i asked my doctor how much weight i had gained. i have never really cared about numbers, but i knew i had gained just because of how my clothes were(n't) fitting lately.

she looks at my chart and gets this squinty-pained look on her face and goes, "are you sure you really want to know?" 

and i'm like, WTF!?!?! youre my doctor! if youre playing the "ignorance is bliss, maybe you DONT want to know" card on me, it must really be brutal.

and it was. since the last time i had been there (6 months prior) i had gained 16 pounds.

um yeah. that is embarrassing as all to even type. because there's no baby, no injury, no sickness, no depression to explain it away. its just a big old ugly number (although it is a perfect square, i'll give it that) that sits there unflinchingly berating me.*

remember last spring when i first started caring about how i presented myself? even back then, i was struggling with a healthy body image (and this is pre-16). when i started being more intentional about my clothes and hair and makeup, i decided to let go of hating the parts of me that i found imperfect.

awesome, right? yeah it so was. 

but in typical keight all-or-nothing fashion, this quickly went from "i love me just how i am and wont be anorexic!!" to, "i deserve a lapful of PB m&m's, popcorn and milk after dinner NIGHTLY because i love me, yall!" and now here we are.*

so i joined the hive mind of resolutions and started weight watchers on new years. i had done weight watchers after giving birth to judah and within 3 months i was back to pre-pregnancy and feelin' fine. i wont lie, jennifer hudson is an awesome choice for spokesperson and her commercials really did motivate me.

even still, i did NOT want to talk about it. i think in the first month i maybe told 2 people total. i HATE giving off the impression that i need a fad diet or professional help in solving the non-mystery of weight. i hate that in my head i am still an uber-athlete but i'm signing up for a weight management program. that doesnt jibe with the stud i feel like i should be. 

you know how far feeling like a stud but acting like a slob will get you? about 16 lbs far. 

so i decided to live in reality, even though it hasnt been fun. better than deluding myself and still feeling miserable.

but i still planned to never ever blog about this thing. because of shame. because of, ugh, arent ladies on the internet supposed to have their mess together? to keep it tight no problem?

i made it almost 60 days of keeping a secret like this from the internet. thats a record for me. and it helps that i have had some success already so i can distance myself from that "before" chick so that it doesnt sting as bad (though after v1.0 is still bigger than i am in my head).

it's not been super fun. when youre losing weight youre supposed to feel hungry. this was not an easy lesson for me to learn. hunger is not an impulse i have a lot of practice suppressing or denying and millions of years of evolution have bred me to have a panic response to hunger and to stuff my face in times of plenty. thanks a NOT, darwin. 

but i am really committed to this. we are absolutely not having (or at least TRYING to have...jesus is captain) another baby until i can honestly say i am happy with my weight, fitness and overall image. that's a tall order right now, but i know that assuming you'll deal with it afterwards never works out as planned.

and i realized that a lot of the heart-yuckiness i talked about here was coming up as a response to how i felt about my own body. that i was becoming bitter when i saw my fit or hot-looking friends or even just a random pinterest lady looking good.  16 lbs is one thing, but when my weight starts interfering with how i show the love of jesus (even in my own silent thoughts) then its time to do some soul searching and probably make some changes.

so that is where i am now. i have a whole set of BEFORE pics in various outfits (mega password protected for the skimpier ones) and am working daily of crafting my new afters.

 let's be clear: skinny isnt the answer. living fully with what jesus has given me is. all the resolutions and works in the world dont matter if there isnt a heart change sustaining them (thats bible AND biggest loser, so you can believe it!). i already talked about the heart change i'm experiencing and 1/1 felt like the right time to start the outward work too.

i'll try to keep yall updated on how this process is going. these pics were taken at -9 lbs at the beginning of february. my realistic goal is -25 and then my super goal is -40. dang those look like insanely huge numbers when i write them on the internet.

 if i look happier in the BEFORE pics, it probably because i just ate a whole pizza.

yikes. putting this out there is terrifying. truth.

finding the balance between healthy self-love and constant self-indulgence is extremely difficult for me. anyone been here before? (not necessarily a weight-specific issue!) verses, wisdom, experience to share?

*also, i have a theory that when i turned 30 on october 2, my metabolism downshifted by 20% and now i am fighting an even tougher battle.