My Whole30: Days 11 through 20

These days were rough on me. All ten of them. The food was amazing, but I just felt... slow. Like I was walking through cottage cheese. And irritable. I'm sure it didn't help that I had a special ladies only visitor for a portion of these ten days. The timeline said days 11-14 would be hard. All ten of these days were hard on me, which just emphasized the fact that this process is unique and different for everyone. And with that, here is the food from the very middle of my Whole30. 

Day 11: By this point I was finally getting the hang of the food. I was also SUPER bloated. Which was hard to take considering I was working so hard on all this food and washing so many dishes. But I kept on..

Breakfast Day 11: Mixed greens topped with leftover sweet potato
cauliflower mash, and a fried egg.

Lunch Day 11: Apple, yellow bell pepper, & Tuna Salad.

Dinner Day 11: Leftover Chili with avocado and a baby kale salad

 Day 12: The Friday before Memorial Day weekend. This was the first day I had a burst of amazing energy. After breakfast I weeded and mulched the entire back yard. I wasn't even hungry, but when I noticed it was 2pm I forced myself to eat lunch. Then went back out and finished. I felt really great this day.

Breakfast Day 12: fresh baby kale topped with leftover lettuce wrap
filling, scrambled eggs and avocado.

Lunch Day 12: Leftover sweet potato/cauli mash, baby kale salad,
last bit of leftover tuna salad, and celery stuffed with almond butter
and topped with chunks of dates.

Dinner Day 12: Baby spinach and kale tossed with evoo and aged balsamic,
chicken and mushroom sausage on top of chunky tomato sauce.

 Later this night I did some memorial weekend prep. We left town for two nights and so I packed some stuff for meals and for extras.

Included above - Greek salad ingredients, slaw ingredients, thai
zoodles ingredients, and even more tuna salad.

Day 13: was a travel day for us. We woke up, ate breakfast, packed up the kids and the car and headed out. It was a busy day, but a fun one. It was also a really tough day as far as resisting temptations. I ate A LOT of dates and almond butter this day. Without regrets.

Breakfast Day 13: pretty self explanatory.

Lunch Day 13: I had a big greek salad and a hard boiled egg. I was hungry
and didn't take a pic.

Dinner Day 13: Leftover Greek Salad, my whole30 slaw, and corkscrew
bbq brisket and ribs. I am fairly certain these were not compliant. So there's
my confession. There was something in the rub that gave me a headache.

But look at this brisket... I had no choice.

 Day 14: Busy day with the kids in and out of the pool. Still not as convenient being away from home, but I managed just fine. 

Breakfast Day 14: papaya with lime and tuna salad topped with
grapes on a bed of spinach.

Lunch Day 14: Cantaloupe, San Daniele Proscuitto & sauteed spinach

Dinner Day 14: Strip steak, roasted green beans, roasted broccoli &
leftover slaw.

Day 15: Memorial day was a little fast and furious. Quick morning and then loaded up the kids to head back home for lunch with my in laws. I was still feeling the cravings and feeling bloated.. and feeling over it.

Breakfast Day 15: fried eggs over easy, leftover roasted broccoli and
green beans, and a bowl of papaya.

Lunch Day 15: Was not photo worthy. It was leftover slaw, fruit salad and two
hard boiled eggs.

Dinner Day 15: Grilled chicken breast smothered in Whole30 Tomato
Sauce, steamed broccoli with lemon & even more leftover slaw.

 Day 16: This day was a mess. The night of Memorial Day we got 11 inches of rain overnight. We live half a mile from a bayou that came way out of it's banks. We were up all night with the kids (who don't like thunder) and then couldn't go to work the following day because the roads were still flooded. I do remember having lots of energy on this day. And not really being too concerned with feeling sorry for myself because I couldn't have bread.

Breakfast Day 16: Tuna salad with grapes & fresh baby kale and
spinach salad.

Lunch Day 16: Chili with avocado and an apple.

Dinner Day 16: This was one of my absolute favorite dinners so far.
The shrimp is from the Whole30 cookbook. It is tossed in pesto at the
end and is fantastic. With roasted mushrooms and sweet peppers.

 Day 17: Back to work. I was busy and irritable and still bloated. I was actually getting a little fed up with the program on this day. I almost got out the scale, but didn't. I really had to power through. 

Breakfast Day 17: Fried eggs over sauteed spinach. A banana.

Lunch Day 17: At work. We grilled extra chicken Monday and mixed
it up with chicken salad. Exciting, I know. On top of butter lettuce with
avocado and green pepper.

Dinner Day 17: Trying to meet weird cravings. Leftover Chili,
prosciutto and melon.

 Day 18: I was feeling more optimistic. I decided to try and drink 100oz of water a day. It was a game changer. Definitely got me over some kind of invisible hump.

Breakfast Day18: scrambled eggs topped with leftover pesto, tomato
and aged balsamic, watermelon and cantaloupe.

Lunch Day 18: Zoodles topped with chicken sausage and
tomato sauce. This was amaze.

Dinner Day 18: Salmon sweet potato cakes with a mayo based
sauce (with dill, lemon juice, capers, pesto and fresh pepper) and
green onion. roasted green beans and baby bellos. This was AMAZING.

 Day 19: 100oz of water a day was making me a happier person with lots of energy. And so was the Whole30. On this day I noticed my clothes were fitting better. Great fuel for the weekend ahead.

Breakfast Day 19: Chicken and sweet potato hash from the Whole30
cookbook. A great egg alternative for breakfast.

Lunch Day 19: I threw together a spinach salad and topped it with
whatever  I could find. That included sweet potatoes, cherry tomatoes
and a hard boiled egg.

Dinner Day 19: Grilled NY Strip, roasted sweet potatoes and more
spinach salad with a dressing that was made even more awesome with
toasted prosciutto and sauteed green onion.

 Day 20: I threw myself a pity party on Day 20. We had to cancel plans to leave town due to storms and an ear infection. And I also threw a pity party for all of the dishes. I felt like the dishes were never ending. And I wanted them to end. But it was Saturday, I was feeling leaner, and I made my breakfast all in the same pan. Sometimes it's the little things.

Breakfast Day20: fried eggs over sauteed spinach, bacon & blueberries

Lunch Day 20: Chicken salad, apple slices & dates with almond butter.

Dinner Day 20: Grilled fajita steak, homemade guacamole, mashed
sweet potato & roasted sweet peppers.

 These were rough days for me. I was overall pretty over the whole thing and had to talk myself in to "trusting the process". It was a huge game changer for me mood and energy wise when I started drinking more water and added in more starchy vegetables. It's like a little mystery body formula I had to figure out.

It is currently day 30 for me, so I'm hoping to post meals from days 21-30 tomorrow. Then a recap. Haven't decided if I'll actually display before and after pics. Because I love the internet and things... but seeing my midsection on it is a bit much. Maybe. Who knows.

Greetings from a converted Whole30 cult member! 

B

August... I'm coming for you

I kind of accidentally took a summer break from the blog. Oops. But now that I sweat every time someone opens the door, I've sent in L's new school year forms, and I'm getting about 40 "start the school year off right" spam emails a day... It must be August. I also hadn't backed up my iphone since Mother's Day. 956 pictures and videos later, time to get back on track.

Speaking of summer, if you live around Houston or are visiting soon, go to the Museum of Fine Arts and see the Soto Penetrable. It's amazing for all ages and it leaves early in September. That's just one thing I was doing while I was not blogging. 

Sometimes your child asks to take of their shoes in public places and you don't realize until you see pictures that you must have said yes. Entering the penetrable.

  If you're following along on instagram you know that things have not slowed down much. The pace that requires a photo or two per day was right up my alley. Here's a quick catch up:

• I am still only doing refined sugar one day a week. I love it. Best decision I ever made after the month long cut out. The weight has stayed off and I feel SO much better.
  
• I just finished another 30 day green smoothie challenge (one green smoothie a day) and after three months, I am fully converted. Smoothies are just a part of my day now. I don't even have to think about it.
  
• We have a one year old! Officially. After mama and dada, his third word was his sister's name. Landon sounds more like man-men when he says it, but it's a hard name for a baby and I was VERY excited. It's his new favorite word.
   
• The new one year old has spent the entire summer teething. He is the proud owner of 10 teeth. I am the proud owner of large black under eye circles. His top molars are STILL COMING IN. Help me lawd. 

 And... that's about it food and kids wise. 

Now that I'm at a healthy place with my sugar, and my breakfast smoothies are going strong, it's time to work on a few things for August. The first thing is LUNCH. My possible problem meal. When I'm at work I usually have the chance to get away and get something real food & healthy. When I'm home I'll graze on whatever I'm cutting up for the kids (which is good food) but then pull out something with lots of cheese or that I can make quickly and shovel it in while I zone out for a minimum amount of alone time. Turns out I like naps more than my 3 year old. 

MY GOAL: Prepare a lunch for myself that I would be comfortable serving to a guest. Prep it, plate it and (what might be the hardest) sit down at the kitchen table and enjoy it. No phone, no tv, just me and my food. And maybe a magazine... maybe. OH, and a ten minute timer to make sure I am chewing and enjoying. I started this today and it was honestly wonderful. Looking forward to lunch this month.

My second goal for August is kind of simple, but really hard for me to do every day. When I was breast feeding drinking enough water was a no brainer. My anxiety about a drop in supply caused me to constantly be drinking water. Since then I just cannot get enough water a day and I know how much better I will feel if I'm hitting those big water intake numbers. 

MY GOAL: Every day in August I'm aiming for a minimum of 80oz of water a day. There are a few reasons this is going to be tough. One of them is peeking her head around my office door right now. During nap time. The other one is actually sleeping. Not that I'm picking favorites (today). Another reason is bathroom breaks are hard to come by when you are at home with two kids, or having to find a bathroom in public with two kids. More water = more bathroom breaks. My last obstacle is my memory. I always start the day with great water drinking intentions. I try to have a glass of lemon water first thing before my smoothie. And then.... life happens. And at lunch I see a half full glass of lemon water sitting on the counter. 

So here's to August! We've got lots planned. There is a cool front coming!! TO HOUSTON?!?!  In August. I KNOW. We're taking our first family of four flight (more to come on that one) and school is back. Hey there August... I'm coming for you. 

RT

Challenge Traditional Thoughts on Children and Food: VegOut! in March

Hey there! I'm surviving and I am now feeding real food to two little mouths. Now more than ever I am reminded about how passionate I am about telling all of you (and anyone else who will listen) that kids don't have to hate healthy foods. Starting them out on the right path can lead them to a future of loving healthy, easy foods. Having the right mind set can make this easier on everyone. Some days L loves cauliflower. The next day she might not want to eat it. We don't ever take anything off of the menu. And thanks to this handy post from July, meal time is more relaxed in our house. Per point number 4, when it comes to meal time, we decide the what, when, & where and the kids decide the whether and how much. When it can be that easy, it is. Sometimes it isn't. And when you feel like you are wasting uneaten food, you might be. I need sanity right now, not to stress over a half eaten meal.

So to kick off what I am officially calling a blog comeback, our family is going to VegOut! with Recipe for Success. During the month of March we are going to eat 30 vegetables in 30 days. To be honest, we eat a decent amount of vegetables regularly, but we will run out and will then be faced with a challenge. We'll be shopping around for new things we've never had, we'll be hitting up our favorite farmer's market to see what is in season, and I'm giving a decent amount of ownership in this endeavor to my almost three year old. I want to show her how exciting it is to try new things, and then she gets to rate her veggies. So if she doesn't like something, that's fine too. It's all about being open to new foods and new things. 

Who loves charts: scientists, children & me

 Tonight we went over the chart and ran through the veggie suggestions. We highlighted the things we have eaten already and circled items that are new. She is currently most excited about filling out the chart. Kids love charts. So do I. Win on the chart, guys. At the end of this adventure we get to turn in our filled out chart and we might win something. You know, beyond the grand prize of winning a healthy and varied diet.

Here is some more great news... YOU STILL HAVE TIME TO REGISTER! And you should. Of all the food challenges to do for yourself and/or your family, this might be the easiest. You just might not know that yet. Hopefully, if you don't take the challenge now, following along with us will help you realize how easy it is to incorporate vegetables into your daily life. This is a challenge you could take on your own at any time. But if you want to be official, it starts March 1st. I would love for you to join me and let me know what veggies you are trying, and if you are loving or hating them. 

For this comeback we have also started an instagram account. It's a happy medium. You don't want to see the 400 photos of my children on my personal account, and my personal friends might not want to see what vegetables I'm eating every day. Find Raising Texas on instagram @raisingtexas. Post your veggie photos and tag them, or follow along! #VegOutrfs

Here we go! Back again!

RT

For more on Recipe for Success click HERE.

Last time: To Register for VegOut! click HERE.