Yesterday it was Halloween and now it's time to VegOut!

But honestly, what just happened? Have we had Thanksgiving? And Christmas? What about New Year's Eve? I'm a little in shock that it's going to be March this weekend.

While I was whirlwinding (not a word) myself through the last few months, I let some things slip in my diet. I let some of my old refined sugar habits slip back in, and I feel it. I mean, there is no going back to where I was before, but it's enough to make me feel the difference physically and mentally. So instead of waiting for #notsosweetmay we are going to VegOut this March and NO REFINED SUGAR. For anyone who wasn't around last year, HERE was our kick start to VegOut and there are some follow up posts through March 2014.

So a little recap... VegOut is a "food adventure" created by Recipe for Success Foundation and encourages participants to eat 30 different vegetables in the month of March. I just got done registering for 2015 and checking out the updated VegOut website and there are SO many tools on there. Tons of recipes and my FAVORITE new feature... You can track your veggies online!! So easy.

Here is why I love this challenge:

1. It's turns your meal conversations into family events that can involve even the youngest members.

2. You will try something new (or something old cooked a new way) and you might love it!

3. Give your kids some power in this challenge and they will LOVE it. This year, our daughter is excited to pick out a new vegetable for the family every week. She can decide how we eat it. 

One meal, three vegetables. This challenge is a cinch!

And I could keep on talking about this. This is such a simple concept, but you don't realize how beneficial it is for your family (or your classroom-hello teachers?!) until you get into it. The point isn't to get your family to turn vegetables into their favorite foods, it is to give your kids the power to try new things. And it's ok if they don't like it, you can try something new another day or another meal. It just really sets up this healthy meal environment that makes planning and eating meals with kids fun. 

Here's your call to action... You don't have to give up refined sugar, but you should definitely register for the VegOut Challenge. It's all online so you can do it from anywhere. All you have to do is eat 30 different vegetables in the month of March. Maybe you could finish the challenge in a week, or maybe you want to make it last. Whatever you do, just log on to the site and log your veggies until you hit your goal. Make a fun plan for your family and get your friends involved. You can register the entire month of March, so you have time. The more we all talk about the food we eat, the better it is for everyone! 

You can keep up with our VegOut challenge AND our refined sugar free March by following Raising Texas on Instagram. I'll try to pop in to the blog a few times in March to check in on our food adventure, but micro blogging is the only definite guarantee in this season of my life. I would LOVE to see what everyone else is eating, so use the hashtags #vegoutrfs and #vegout2015 on facebook, twitter, and instagram. 

Looking forward to seeing what everyone is cooking and eating next month! 

Becky

I'll be back a few times in March to check in on our food adventure, bu

Tips on Coping with Picky & Opinionated Eaters

First, I have rarely had the problem of dealing with a TRULY difficult, picky eater. Early on with my kids I adopted certain philosophies to keep me sane, and whether they worked or I am just lucky... I haven't figured out yet. What I know about opinionated eaters is vast, as I have a three year old living in my house right now. 

 I work very hard to purchase the best foods and prepare beautiful meals for my family. When they eat and enjoy something I have made for them it feels good. Here is what has been happening in our house lately: At the store two days ago I found organic blueberries and raspberries. Not very abundant this time of year and my food opinionated daughter's favorites. It sounds lame, but I was excited because I thought she would be SO excited the next morning at breakfast. The next day she gets sprouted grain cinnamon raisin bread with organic butter, the organic berries washed and dried, and a sliced banana. She sits down at the table and sees this beautiful plate of food and says "I don't want this." And for a second I forget that she is three and I get more than a little offended. I think I said something like "This is breakfast. The only breakfast. Now eat it." Different power struggles and additional words ensued and this minor morning affront to my feelings affected the entire day. 

The breakfast in question was not documented, but on any given day this could be completely rejected as well

 I don't know if it bothered me more that I wanted her to be surprised and excited that I had found something she loved... and she clearly was not. Or if I REALLY want to get the point across to her that we should not waste any food, but especially good, wholesome, EXPENSIVE food that we make a priority in our family budget. Then here comes that reminder again... she is three. I am a grown adult. 

What worked with both kids from the first sign of frustration with food was following a lot of the Food Rules from "French Kids Eat Everything." I never finished the actual book, and I didn't have to. The fact is not all french kids eat everything. (And for a nice counterpoint to the francophile parenting movement, please see this hilarious personal essay from Vogue.)

The food rules from French Kids Eat Everything make sense though. Not because they make your kids mini gourmands who instantly appreciate all of the wholesome and beautiful ingredients of the world, while shunning burgers and pizza.... It's because they keep parents sane and create predictable situations. Any time you can apply rules to a part of your life with kids (and stick to them) it lets everyone know what to expect. And when everyone knows the rules it makes life easier. 

You don't have to follow the rules word for word.. Make them work for YOU! Here is the lowdown on the official "French Food Rules" and how we actually apply them to our family life. 

Rule #1: Parents: YOU are in charge of Food Education.

We apply this by making the grocery store/farmer's market a place where we talk about ingredients. With the above mentioned 3 year old we talk about which vegetables and fruits she wants to eat, and she helps with as much cooking as is manageable. 

Rule #2: Avoid emotional eating. Translation: Do not use food as a reward.

This is a hard one. I absolutely dropped this rule while potty training. At the end of a successful grocery store trip I used to swing by the mini cookie cube at Whole Foods or HEB (they both have them now) and let L pick a cookie. This was back in the ideal days of one child shopping. When I saw this rule we switched out the cookie for a Balloon or a piece of fruit from the kids club (whole foods & still a food reward, I know) or a trip to see HEBuddy. It only took a few trips with consistent "no cookie" to get her off of that habit. I work on this rule a lot.

Rule #3: Parents plan and schedule meals. Kids eat what adults eat. No Short Order Cooking.

When I embraced this rule I got a good amount of kitchen sanity back. As the parent fill your child's plate with only items you would be happy if they ate. For example, my kids will always eat sweet potato and avocado, so for most lunch or dinner meals, this is on the plate. Then your child decides what they will eat. And if they don't want what's on the plate then they have to wait until the next scheduled meal time. I will say with the opinionated eater, I often let her know that she has to try one of everything offered before she steps away from the table. More on that in Rule # 6

Rule #4: Eat family meals together with no distractions.

This is a hard one for us given the kids ages and our schedules. The way we make it work for us is that the kids always eat together at the kitchen table for every meal at home and snacks. If I am here I try to sit down with them and eat as well. With a one and three year old, that is just sometimes not feasible. My kids go to bed early and my husband works late. But during any and all home meal times there is no tv. It's about the meal. 

Rule #5: Eat your veggies.

If you have ever done the VegOut Challenge with Recipe for Success then you know how many vegetables there are. We try to make this one fun and try new things or old things in new ways. If you make it a game kids get more interested. That doesn't guarantee they will like it, but it's a start.

Rule #6: You DON'T have to like it, but you DO have to taste it.

I can't tell you how many times I have set down a plate to hear "I don't like (enter something she liked yesterday here)." And like a broken record I say "you might not feel like eating it today, but I still need you to try at least one bite." And sometimes the stubborn little sweetheart will take that one bite and leave the rest. Other times she realizes after tasting it that she does actually like it and eats the rest. This is a fantastic rule. Maybe my favorite. You are giving your kids the power to say they don't like or want something, but you are also giving them the opportunity to change their mind. 

Rule #7: No Snacking! It's ok to feel hungry in between meals.

We follow this in a way that works for the young age of our kids. It's not something I am proud of, but sometimes a young child who is about to spiral into a tantrum can be distracted with a snack. And I prefer light snacking to tantruming (new word) any day. If someone wants a snack in between meals at home, we stick to the following list: a banana, some avocado, some berries, an apple, applesauce, grapes, or raisins. They are things we always have and you be surprised how many times a "hungry" child who wants a snack suddenly decides they can wait until their next meal. 

Rule #8: Slow food is Happy food.

Take you time with meals. Enjoy the taste of your food and teach your children to do the same. There are times when you will need to rush through breakfast to get to school or work, but try to take the time to sit at the table and enjoy your food. I have to remind myself of this one as well, but it's a great one when put into practice.

Rule #9: Eat mostly real food.

This rule notes that treats on special occasions are ok. The problem I fall into with this one is I can pretty much find a special occasion in every day. So we have started making real food "treats" like the whole wheat cinnamon raisin bread and baked apple chips. We do follow a mostly real food diet and love it. 

Rule #10: Remember: Eating is Joyful.... RELAX!

Right... here are nine rules to remember, now relax. But the truth is, when you start implementing some of the above it makes your kitchen less of a battle zone and more of a family space. The relaxation comes naturally because you have a solution to the picky and opinionated eating problems that arise. It's hard to believe (I sometimes have to remind myself) but your kids will not starve. They also know what they can get away with and with whom.

I follow two additional rules of my own. 

1. From first solids to forever is that there is no such thing as not liking something forever. If your child hates peas today, tomorrow and next week, that doesn't mean he won't like them next month. We give our kids lots of opportunities to dislike foods because we continue to feed them to them in a variety of forms. Maybe you don't like white meat chicken, but if I slice it thin and put a little sour cream on top, you'll devour it.

2. If you are throwing food on the floor you are probably no longer hunger and the meal is now over. With a one year old, this rule is like sanity. In rule form. 

The final lesson of the above is as follows: We are all trying to feed our kids the best of what we can provide. Even if they don't appreciate it, your spouse, their grandparents, and their future selves all do. So figure out what kind of kitchen rules work in your house and turn your battle zone into a place to create, taste & explore. And a place to open a bottle of wine when all of that creative exploring doesn't go as planned.

RT

Halloween Recap, a Second Sugar Break, & Why I Don't Work Out

I used my trick or treaters this year. I started to wonder what a non candy Halloween would look like and the next thing I knew I was on Amazon buying mini gliders, spider rings, glow in the dark bugs, glow stick  bracelets, and mini bubbles. And I was excited like a nerd about it. I had a lot of apprehension about the possibility of an old fashioned egging or making small children cry, so on October 30th I went out and bought a mixed bag of mini M&Ms, Snickers, & Skittles. The candy lived inside of the ghost (a decoration my grandmother made with paper mache, a balloon & a milk jug) and the toys were in an open bowl. 

 At the end of the night the candy was gone, but I will have no problem with the possibility of not buying it next year. EVERYONE was nuts over the glow bracelets. I didn't make them into bracelets, just kept them straight like little sticks. Kids were running around with them & when we handed them out the reactions were fantastic. The runner up non candy giveaway was the mini bubbles. Everything else was kind of meh. The reason the candy was gone is because after they picked a toy I was like "and take some candy, too" because I did not want that stuff lying around the house. More on that in a sec. In the mean time, please enjoy Ariel and the Strong Man: 

So back to getting the candy out of the house. I decided sometime last week that I was ready to clean out the refined sugar again. I haven't gained weight, but as sugar has been around once a week (or sometimes twice if I can find an excuse) I'm ready to get it all the way out again and feel really great for the holidays. It's a good reason to resist all of those side treats that seem to be around EVERY DAY of December, and why wait until January 1st to feel and look great? People take pictures during the holidays, so let's all try and look good for the pictures. I am definitely not as concerned about it this time and am actually looking forward to how great I'm going to feel having it totally gone. It all starts tomorrow & will run through December. I'm giving myself Thanksgiving, ending it on Christmas Eve, and adding two free days to throw around. The rules I stick to are: no obvious refined sugar, but yes to wine. I'll stay away from honey, pure maple syrup, & dried fruit for about ten days and then pull them back in. All other natural sugars are in. 

Another item on my feel better list is working out. I haven't worked out since my first pregnancy. That would be... August 2012. There. I said it. I'm not proud of it, but I've never been one of those people who is really intense about it. And if I'm being really honest, I was doing pretty well with running until April 2012 and that's when I really quit. Here are my best reasons for not working out:

Morning sickness

All day sickness

So pregnant right now

So tired

I just had a baby 

Breastfeeding. It's like working out and so I've already really worked out

I JUST had a baby (nine months ago)

It's the summer in Texas... It's too hot for this.

Then I had a brief period of walk running and THEN:

Oh, I thought that was morning sickness before, THIS is actually morning sickness

Constantly

for 27 weeks

So pregnant again

Just had that baby, again

Breastfeeding, again

I'll start working out when the baby is one

The baby is one, it's July. If I start now I will die

Maybe when he drops his morning nap

I JUST had a baby (15 months ago) 

Do you know how hard it is to push a double jogging stroller? against the wind?

With my two most favorite workout excuses

 And here we are, all caught up to present day. While I do believe that somewhere around 80% of what you look like depends on what you eat, it's GOOD to be as healthy as you can be. I am not unhappy with my size, I'm not looking to lose any weight. In fact if I start working out, some of my non muscle is going to turn into muscle so I will likely gain weight. The thing is, I can't stand it when people complain about something and ignore the fact that they could change it. So if I'm still looking for more energy, more tone, more stamina, and I want my kids to enjoy physical activities, it's time to lead by example. It's not going to be intense, I'm going to have to commit to it, but there it is. I'm going to start working out again. Just need that new pair of running shoes. The world is your gym. Thank God Houston is so beautifully flat!

 

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

Not So Sweet May: How I Stayed Away from Sugar

First, wow. I got such a great response from yesterday's post about my month without refined sugar. The low end of that is that most people want to try and kick their sugar habit, but don't think they can. At the risk of sounding more like a motivational speaker, if I can do this for 31 days (two more left) then you can do this. This post is going to be about the foods and products that helped me stick to it. Along with tips and tricks, you have to have some kind of motivation to see it through. For me it was putting myself first and wanting to feel better every day. 

Here is what a normal day of eating used to look like for me:

Breakfast: Organic Chocolate Os with Skim Milk. Weekends were maybe pancakes and syrup.

Lunch: Salad, Sandwich, Leftovers from previous night. Followed by a cookie when I could get my hands on one or something sweet.

Dinner: Grilled chicken or fish, lots of veggies. Followed by ice cream an hour later. Maybe two ice creams.

So essentially I was having sugar for breakfast, lunch and dinner. This is not accounting for the random candy that might be in the kitchen at the office that I would eat in between meals, or the junk snacks I might pick up in the checkout line. THIS is why I had to get it out of my system, and it's also why I know that if you are ready to do this, you can. Not that it is easy, but that you can definitely do it.

During the month of May I also had two and a half weeks of teething, sick kids, causing me to miss work or have to find time in the days or evenings to get work done. And sick babies do not sleep well, especially when they have three new teeth coming in at the exact same time. THREE TEETH. So you could say that stress levels were high in May and sleep levels were low. You can do this even with stress.

This May we had three birthday parties, Mother's Day, a beach weekend, and a three day holiday weekend. Cupcakes, cookies, brownies, candy, cake, ice box pie... you name it, it was there. There is always going to be "something" in life, you just have to decide it's time anyway. 

Please meet my new best sugar free friend:  

When I decided to do this I knew I was going to have to change the way I started my day. I ate cereal mostly because it was fast and easy. I decided Smoothies were the way to go. Since I threw away my last blender in a hormonal pregnant moment 3.5 years ago, I researched and was ready to invest. Lucky for me this little sucker (officially the Ninja Master Prep Pro) was about $125 less than I was ready to spend. It shreds spinach like a pro and is also great at making baby food. Werk.

Every day I have a smoothie, essentially a salad in a cup. Every morning I am having a banana, an apple, a cup of blueberries, and over two cups of spinach or kale. I add in other fruits and mix it with either unsweetened almond milk or coconut water, but that is the base. It is sweet and totally satisfying. And when I add frozen fruits it tastes like ice cream. If you are just starting out there is a great instagram account called @simplegreensmoothies. They post a new green smoothie recipe every day. They also made this handy chart: 

They say the formula serves two, but as far as I am concerned a 32 oz smoothie is all for me. The first two weeks, if my sweet tooth was bad enough, I would have a smoothie for dinner or half of one as a snack. I always add cinnamon, my other best friend these last 31 days. 

Smoothies were my main tool. I didn't limit any other real, unprocessed foods as long as I was staying away from refined sugar. To keep me from feeling hungry I made sure to eat lots of real whole foods. Most foods that are advertised as "fat free" have added sugar or chemicals to make up for the fact that removing fat removes flavor. 

When I was on the go I had lots of Chipotle (I get the veggie bowl with green salsa and no cheese or sour cream), and at home we had our normal grilled dinners and sandwich lunches. We use Ezekiel Bread. It has no sugar.

Speaking of Ezekiel Bread, they also make a Cinnamon Raisin version. After my two weeks without dried fruit were up, I was all over toasted cinnamon raisin bread with unsweetened peanut butter.

Unsweetened peanut butter was a handy tool all month long. Find a peanut butter that has the following ingredient list: dry roasted peanuts. That's it. No sugar, no salt, just peanuts. Good fat that can go on anything. This was another favorite snack when I was back on with dried fruit: 

Never underestimate the power of a good, sweet, apple. An organic Honey Crisp apple can solve just about any sugar craving that came up. Add some peanut butter and you've got extra happies. 

When dried fruit came into the picture, clearly my snack options opened up. I now usually have a Lara Bar on me. They have various bars with different levels of ingredients, but my favorite is Peanut Butter Cookie. Ingredient list: peanuts, dates, sea salt. That's it. It tastes like a peanut butter cookie. 

pic from weelicious.com

If you want to start this now, here is some good news.... It's berry and cherry season! Nature's candy. Sweet Washington cherries, strawberries that smell amazing, raspberries, blueberries... all of it. So great when you need a sweet fix. If you find out which fruits are ripe and in season, they are going to be perfectly sweet and delicious. 

When you have your veggies and a sweet tooth, all you need to know about is caramelization. By cooking veggies the right amount you can bring out the subtle sweet goodness in them. 

Last but not least, DRINK LOTS OF WATER. I would aim for 60 - 80oz a day. On days when I wouldn't have enough water, the cravings were always worse. When I had plenty of water things were much easier.

That's really it. Cooking at home a lot also makes this easier and being prepared for the cravings. 

If any questions are left after the above, I'm happy to answer them. And for lots more smoothie info, as well as what our family is eating, you can follow Raising Texas on Instagram. 

Have a great weekend!

RT

28 Days and No Dessert... The Results are In

I feel confident that I can tell you how Not So Sweet May went, even though I still have three more days left. Technically three days, three hours, and twenty eight minutes. But it will be less by the time I finish this post. Yay!

My May desserts.

 Quick little recap on what I did the last 28 (and next three) days:

*No refined sugar when I was aware of it. The side note is for things like eating other people's cooking. Some people add sugar to the weirdest things... like vegetables. I did my best to guess on my own, but who knows. A lot of time there is sugar in your own products that you don't think about, but I am an ingredient label reader anyway, so I already knew my bread, peanut butter, and jar pasta sauces were without sugar. 

*No processed sugar substitutes (equal, splenda, powdered stevia, etc). This was something I have been doing for a while.

*No "sugar free" products. See above.

*For the first half of the month I stayed away from dried fruits. They are a natural sugar, but they have a really high sugar content and I didn't want to feed my previous demons. 

*I also stayed away from raw honey & pure maple syrup, even though they are natural sugars. 

*I don't normally have any caffeine beyond a cup of tea once or twice a week. This is an always thing for me, not just May. Although before May most of my caffeine probably came from chocolate.

And that's about it. 

Here is what I really wanted to happen this month: 

NOTHING. That might sound weird, because this month was really hard for me. If I'm being honest with myself, I wanted to be able to say, "See, I can eat as much sugar as I was eating and everything is the exact same! Go for dessert!" 

Here is what actually happened this month:

1. I stopped feeling tired all of the time. 

I really didn't get it. Both my kids sleep 11-12 hours a night. Why was I so tired? Why couldn't I fall asleep at night? Even if I did fall asleep and get a good 8 hours, why did I still wake up feeling like my head was glued to my pillow? Apparently the answer to all of the above was: because I eat so much refined sugar.

2. More than not being tired I have energy to burn.

This happened about 7 days in. More energy to actually want to get out of the house and get things done. More energy to prep kid and family meals, be on time to places, to hop out of bed instead of dragging myself out. Of course, normal stress and tiredness happens. We were up a couple hours last night with the "super scary" thunderstorm and I was dragging all day. The new energy cannot defeat a thunderstorm. But it's great and things are getting done in and out of home. 

3. No more bloating.

There is really not a lot of explaining to do here. Even when I was full of fruits and veggies and felt like I should be bloated, I wasn't. Even when I felt bloated, I still wasn't. 

4. Real weight loss.

Not water weight, or crash diet weight. The last four weeks I have watched real pounds go away. I normally don't weigh myself, but I did to see if the no sugar made a difference. One week in my weight range was the same. Two weeks in it was two pounds less. Four weeks in and I'm five pounds down. At this point I can feel the difference in my clothes, which is a good feeling.

5. No more headaches, no more mystery upset stomach.

I don't know if anyone else has ever had this issue. Mid day headaches that come out of nowhere, random stomach upset that can't be traced to anything in particular. But that's been nonexistent the last 28 days. 

6. Setting an example.

My daughter used to think that meals outside of the home meant a cookie or dessert at the end. And that is what I taught her by always having dessert. Now she doesn't think that way anymore. After just the last few weeks. 

7. Food tastes better. 
Sugar covers up the natural sweetness and flavors of food. Things taste better now which makes it easier to eat those tasty sugar free foods.

So that's where we are. And where do we go from here? The tough news for me is that I can't go back. You know that annoying saying "nothing tastes as good as being skinny feels"? Sub out "skinny" for "healthy" and it makes more sense to me. After feeling this good and knowing all of the above, I can't go back to my old norm. 

In June I'm going to try one floating day a week. That way if there is a special occasion, a delectable treat, or a needed half pint of ice cream (a joke!).... I have the flexibility to take a day off. In the mean time, I am going to look for other ways to indulge my sweet tooth that use natural sweeteners. Raw honey, dried fruit, pure maple syrup, things like that.

I know that 31 days is a long time for some people, and it was for me. Especially with the amount of sugar I was regularly consuming and how much I REALLY enjoyed that consumption. If this is something you are interested in doing, I would love to help get you through it. 

Another option is the Fed Up Challenge. If you haven't heard of the movie Fed UP, you can check out the trailer HERE. After you watch the movie they encourage a 10 day challenge that eliminates all sugar and also honey, agave, and all flour products. But it's only ten days long and there is a ton of social media support - check out #fedupchallenge. For more on that, click HERE.

This one is getting a little long, so next post I'll talk about some foods and kitchen items that got me through the cravings. It really took me the last four weeks to see and feel all of the benefits. And outside of taking on this challenge, it has not been an easy or stress free month. I know that if I can do this, you can. Maybe you don't want to, and that's fine. I'm not a judger of the sugar loving people. I was just ready to feel better. 

Now I feel like I'm selling something. 

Buy it. 

To be continued.....

RT

Embrace Your Inner Hippie

Granola... It's not just a fancy word for describing hippies anymore. It's in my kitchen and it's delish. The more I try to stay away from chemical ingredients that I've never heard of and processed food, the more I look into things I can make at home. Let's be more honest... the more I look into EASY things I can make at home. Because buying things at the store is really, really easy, but if I can easily make something at home, then I'm game. 

So at the end of the chicken salad post I told you I was using the chicken carcass to make chicken stock. That is a super easy (you are going to be seeing this word a lot in this post) process and you can use chicken stock in all kinds of ways. I put the cooked stock in the fridge overnight. The fat floats to the top and hardens. You take the stock out, spoon off the fat and trash it, then freeze the stock in whatever portions you want. Mine is laying flat in the freezer in ziplock freezer bags. 

My next move was to try out homemade granola. My husband eats granola for breakfast and my daughter loves it too, and we've never really settled on the perfect granola. Most of the time they are just too sweet. I had been eying a recipe from 100 Days of Real Food for a while and I finally pulled the trigger. I had the spices and a few other things on hand. Everything I didn't have I could find in the bulk section of our HEB. The unsweetened shredded coconut was with the dried fruits. This was a GREAT recipe to make with kids too because it involves dumping things in a bowl. I had a three year old helper who was REALLY excited about making granola. 

Here is the recipe direct from 100 Days of Real Food. It makes 3lbs of granola:

Ingredients

• 3½ cups rolled oats (if you want bars use steel cut oats so it will stick together better)
• 1 cup raw sliced almonds
• 1 cup raw cashew pieces (or walnuts or pecans) - we used pecans
• 1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
• ½ cup raw sunflower seeds
• ½ cup raw pumpkin seeds
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1½ teaspoons ground ginger
• ½ teaspoon grated or ground nutmeg
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
• ½ cup honey
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon salt
• Also need – parchment paper

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 250 degrees. Cover a rectangular baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Mix the dry oats, almonds, cashews, coconut, seeds and spices together in a large mixing bowl.
3. Heat the butter and honey together in a small saucepan over low heat. Once the butter melts stir in the vanilla and salt.
4. Pour the hot liquids over the dry ingredients and stir together with a rubber spatula until evenly coated.
5. Spread mixture onto prepared pan in one even layer. Bake for 75 minutes.
6. The granola will become crisp as it cools at which point you can break into pieces (if making bars) or break it up into small chunks by pounding it in a zip lock bag (if making cereal). Store in air tight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.

Here's the sous chef showing off her dry ingredients. I did a little more stirring after this pic. 

Easy peasy honey and butter on the stove with the vanilla extract:

We mixed the wet and the dry with the spatula and then poured it on the parchment lined cookie sheet. (Look mom, I'm a real grown up who now has parchment paper!)

Seventy five minutes later, this crispy goodness came out:

and we did this to it:

And then packaged it away like this:

Later in the day my inner hippie wasn't done. (She had a big day.) I made my own hummus, which was so easy (there's the word again. Sorry) I was able to make a last minute decision to do it. There are tons of different versions and ways, this is what I did:

Lemon Garlic Hummus

2C Chickpeas (also called Garbanzo Beans) drained and rinsed

1/3 C Extra Virgin Olive Oil

3 Tablespoons of Lemon Juice (I had two really juicy lemons and used them up)

1.5 Tablespoons of Tahini (found usually in the asian food section of your store. It's sesame seed paste)

3 Cloves of Garlic, Minced

Put it all in a food processor (I did mine in the medium sized Ninja Pro canister) like so:

 Then you pulse it and this happens:

BOOM! HUMMUS! And it was SO GOOD. I'm never buying hummus again. 

I have lots of facebook friends who make their own lotion. Hummus, granola & chicken stock are just child's play. You can totally do this. Or you can still buy it all at the store. No judgement here. But this tastes so much better. Just saying. 

Peace, Love & Granola,

RT