Whole30 Slacker is more like it....

Is there a label for people like me? Other than "loud" or "excited" or "embarrasses her husband in front of the neighbors" ?
I am a Whole30 flunkie. Here's the thing. I have revolutionized my family's way of eating. And I have discovered that I feel like absolute crap when I have refined sugar and stuff. LIKE FALLING ASLEEP ON THE COUCH TIRED. I just find that I am too easy on myself when it comes down to it. I blame my parents. They were super strict and I always followed the rules and so when I grew up,  I just realized I could break some of them and nothing bad would happen. Ok, I'm kidding about blaming them (though they WERE really strict).

Accountability is something every one needs. Leaders aren't immune. It's important in every aspect of our lives. I know I need accountability when I parent. Curtis and I balance each other with our parenting strengths. (As in, I enforce the rules and he lovingly bends them!) I know I need accountability in my walk with Christ. I know I need accountability with my cupcake addiction. (Guys, I haven't had a cupcake in like 3 months. Though I did have birthday cake in December) So, I am starting a clean eating challenge group and I have set us up for success by making it a 14 day challenge. Sounds much easier to commit to, amiright?

Here's the deal. As the LEADER of the challenge, I will be held to a higher standard. And I can't crap out on all my awesome people who are taking the challenge with me. So, while I won't be forcing the Whole30 req's on them, I will be personally doing a Whole14 and then pushing my way through from there.

Ya know what we all need more than accountability? Grace. It's ok to totally suck and fail miserably. It's a beautiful reminder of the grace freely given to us by our heavenly Father. So, while I am clearly a Whole30 Slacker, I am also completely loved and accepted every time I fail at something bigger than a clean diet. And that is pretty cool, if you ask me.

Recipe Alert! Asian Stir Fry and Cauliflower Fried Rice

I made this last night and the boys ate everything, including the cauliflower rice. And, they don't even like regular rice that much. This was a recipe that was pretty much my own making. I have used stir fry flavor before and I knew I could mimic the recipe in some form and keep it compliant. So, I just grabbed a few of the "popular Chinese spices" I had on hand and worked with those. One of the best investments when you're cooking everything yourself is to make sure you have a nice little spice collection. I love Trader Joe's because they have their spices for $2 in a pretty glass jar.

Anyway, without further ado, here's the (very simple) recipe.

Asian Style Stir Fry Sauce – Whole30 Compliant

¼ cup of Coconut Aminos

½ tsp turmeric

½ tsp smoked paprika

½ tsp ground ginger

1 tsp Pink Himalayan Salt

3 tbsp water

Whisk together and add more salt if needed.

This made enough to flavor 1lb of cubed chicken and then I removed the chicken and steamed broccoli in the sauce as well.

Cauliflower Rice

1 head of cauliflower, cut apart and washed.

I used the food processor to pulse until the consistency of rice. You could use a box grater as well.

Since I was serving with stirfry, I salted and used olive oil to toss/coat the cauliflower rice in a bowl and then cooked like fried rice in the same pan I made the stir fry in.

It’s cooked the exact same way you cook fried rice, and after a couple of minutes I threw some more coconut aminos into the pan for extra flavor.  Taste test to ensure your cauliflower loses its crispness and it will become soft like rice. I cooked the whole head in two batches in the pan so that I could cook it thoroughly. Crunchy rice is just as gross when it’s cauliflower “rice”.

Let me know if you try it and how it turns out for you!

Jodie

Week One and Why I am NEVER taking my kids to the grocery store again

Alright, I kicked off my second attempt at Whole30 this week. I made it 3 days before I caved. Let me explain:

Tuesday I made a SUPER yummy crock pot chicken with carrots and purple potatoes. I found some vegetable broth that was compliant and sorta made a stew with it. I used a whole chicken and I think that was my first time doing a whole chicken in the crock pot. It turned out great and I pulled all the bones out and left the cooker on low after we ate some of it to keep the leftovers. (If you think that's gross, then so be it.) 

Wednesday morning I made an omelette with some leftover chicken. I was planning on feeding Curtis and myself leftovers for dinner and letting the kids off the hook and feeding them chicken nuggets and macaroni and cheese (Annie's Organic). Yeah, I don't force the Whole30 on my kids. They had two compliant dinners in a row and then I usually give them a break if it's been a struggle to get them to eat it. And, let me frank here, getting my children to sit down and eat without a billion distractions is a miracle. Sometimes I need a little help from my friend mac 'n' cheese. (Since I can't get any help from my friend Prosecco right now.) They eat a well rounded diet and it includes dairy and bread. Though neither of them are big on bread. They're protein and fruit/some veggie eaters. And fruit snacks. They eat fruit snacks. 

Sometime during the afternoon, Curtis threw some garlic cloves into the crock pot since he knew the kids weren't eating it. He loves garlic. He insists on putting it into and onto everything remotely savory that I make. He ate mushrooms and garlic cloves (fresh ones he peeled himself) sauteed in olive oil by themselves "as a snack" yesterday while I went to pick up Gage from school. I just asked him to not kiss me immediately after a meal like that. 

What he did not realize was that the jar of peeled garlic cloves in the fridge (read: I am too lazy to peel all the garlic this man requires) apparently had moldy garlic in it! And it's not even past its freshness date. And those are the ones he put in the crock pot. Very annoying. Shockingly, he refused to eat the moldy stew he made, so that was ruined. I ordered pizza, took a shower and cried, and then ate the pizza with my family when it arrived 30 minutes later. FAIL!

I reset and told my accountability group about it and started over on Thursday. I am now on Day 3 and I took my kids to the grocery store to get toilet paper and dog food and whatever other crap we needed. What you need to know is, I am pretty chill about the grocery store. When babies cry and your kid is throwing a tantrum, I am SO NOT judging you. And, I am the mom who will soldier on with my kids who might be a little obnoxious or wound up. They're kids. They are going to ask for crap and whine when I say no. As long as there is no Stage 5, DefCon-1 meltdown happening, I AM GETTING MY GROCERIES. 

So, we're getting bananas and chicken and I stop at the "healthy frozen" foods section and I am looking for Applegate sausages, trying to figure out if they're compliant (the frozen ones are a NO GO). And, the boys are hanging on the cart as they had been riding along when I was pushing it. All of a sudden, I hear it: THEY DUMPED THE CART, GUYS! My 3.5 & 6 year old sons tipped a grocery cart full of groceries on its side in the smack dab middle of the front of Kroger. I have never been embarrassed at the grocery store until now. Obviously, I checked the kids (they were both unharmed) and picked up the cart and put stuff back while hissing and whispering threats of beatings when we get home. You can imagine it was sorta like this, only no bags containing the groceries. Great memories being made here. 

We had two more items to grab, so we did and we left. And I promised my kids they wouldn't be grocery shopping with me again until they're 10. When we got home, I gave them each a spanking for acting too wild at the grocery store and sent them to their rooms. I fed them some lunch, then made them take a nap. They're still napping and I am wishing I had wine. I get why cavemen were fond of using clubs. Whole30 is like Paleo on steroids. Paleo is the "caveman diet". And, no sugar, wine, bread or dairy makes me wanna club someone too.  

Have any grocery store horror stories or any tasty recipes? Comment and let me know!

.......

Can I Get A Do Over?

Everyone starts fresh every day. It's Biblical! We're new every morning. We certainly find it easy to start new things over at the beginning of the year. I kinda get a double dose since my birthday is in December. I find it easy to reset with a new age AND a new year.

If you're here, you can easily read the few posts from November when I attempted my first Whole30 journey. I did OK, but I was pretty much going it alone, and I had no accountability. In fact, my dear husband taunted me with cookies last time! Once I realized no one knew if I was sneaking a pop tart in my pantry, I sort of lost my motivation. I had started at a lower weight because I had been sick the week before I started the 30 days, so I wasn't aiming for weight loss. I also knew the holidays were coming up and we had Thanksgiving, my older son's birthday, my birthday, Christmas and our anniversary all within a 5 week period. And half of that was going to coincide with the Whole30. I made my excuses and gave up.

I noticed my energy levels dropped and all the wonderful things I experienced when I was eating compliant foods were gone! Food is fuel for the machine that is your body. Why wouldn't we want the best kind of fuel?

Anyway, today I started over. I am doing it with an accountability group. And, as a fitness professional, I should have known accountability was the key to success! Good grief. It feels so much easier this time, knowing other people are doing it and posting recipes and asking questions. I mean, I am NO professional Whole30 gal. I only know what I have researched and experienced in one, partially completed round. This time, I am with a group of people who have done it once, or even a few times before. I feel like I will be a whole lot more successful on this round. Having people to support you and encourage you when you get off track is key!

I had my coffee with almond milk, no sugar. I prefer coconut milk, but I didn't want to open the can this morning, because we were rushing off to church. I ate a Larabar on the way so I wouldn't eat my children on the way home from church due to being hangy.

We had lunch at home and I made myself eggs with spinach and slathered it in guacamole. I took the boys to Sprouts and bought ALL THE PRODUCE. I love that place. I topped off my pantry needs with coconut aminos, coconut milk, nuts, lots of fruits and veggies and meat. We had chicken and broccoli stir fry for dinner. Simple foods that I know the origin of. Stuff my body recognizes as food and not overly processed junk.

I am more prepared mentally after having gone through the pains of breaking the sugar addiction once. I also feel like the hold sugar has had on me is a lot less strong this time. I want to feel the best that I can. I know that eating whole foods will be the only way I can do that.

So, what are YOU doing for 2016 that's different?

More Than a Food Diary

I posted a lot last week about what I was eating and I had a ton of fun cooking and learning and I have not felt this good in, like, maybe my whole life. I know that healthy eating is important and I have always enjoyed healthy clean foods. It's not that I don't enjoy broccoli or brussles sprouts. I do.  I just also have allowed myself treats and sugar and pizza and literally, whatever I wanted to eat. Two reasons: I have an excellent natural metabolism (and I'm sorry, and yes, you can hate me a little for it) and I have often lived a very active lifestyle that required a LOT of calories.

Again, I know that food is fuel for our body and that it's important to use quality fuel. But, when you're enjoying pizza and cupcakes without gaining weight, it's hard to care much. I have never "quit sugar" for any period of time and I have certainly never gone nearly two weeks without pizza at any time in the last 4 years. Can I just tell you the one thing that I want you to take away from my Whole30 journey?

YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW MUCH BETTER YOU CAN FEEL.

Really. I've lived with what I thought was normal for so long. Eating Whole30 and cutting sugar and dairy and grains has changed my attitude. It's cleared up my mind. Let me tell you about me before and after this past week.

Moody. Quick to respond and not think about how I may be overreacting. Now, I'm a girl and I can attribute some of that to hormones. And OBVIOUSLY some of that is a heart condition. Out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks. But, about 3 months ago, I started following Michelle Myers Proverbs 31 Bible Study on Periscope and it turned me back towards having a heart that is seeking Christ. My attitude and my heart situation was improving. I was still feeling moody and was frustrated with myself. Why couldn't I stop being so awful sometimes? My patience was thin and I was unhappy.

Fuzzy-headed. Curtis can attest to the fact that I am very bad about starting sentences and getting distracted from the topic and he's standing there waiting for me to complete my train of thought. Part of that comes from what I nicknamed "talking between the 32s". That's basically a side effect of me teaching classes and talking during a 32 count, pausing to give another cue, and then continuing my sentence. So, I may break it up more than I should sometimes. You can't take the group fitness instructor out of me. But, I have lived my life thinking that waking up and feeling UGH about mornings was "just who I am". Now, I am not what anyone would ever call a morning person, but I have always assumed it was just my life.

A few pounds away from what I would consider my ideal weight, This is a topic that I won't stress over much. I had a number in mind that I have always wished I could return to. My before kids weight. There is a range of healthy weights and I won't tell you what's healthy for you, unless you want to privately reach out to me and we can discuss your specifics and I would be happy to guide you with that. Maybe even help you reach towards that goal. However, feeling better has been my main purpose with the Whole30, and boy, howdy, am I getting there!

So, what have I found?

I feel less out of control with my reactions. I feel like I have chilled out. Something inside my brain and body feels better and I feel like I have had more patience dealing with the kids.

The clear minded-ness that I feel is the most stunning result. I almost did not know what to do with myself, feeling so connected and not struggling to find the words to complete a sentence without trailing off. My brain just feels like its functioning more smoothly. Things are clicking faster.

And, lest you think I am being silly, let me tell you how I got confirmation of this clear head: When I had junk last weekend, I woke up feeling like I use to. Fuzzy headed. Groggy. Hard to wake up. And, just last night, we took the kids to the Gaylord Texas ICE! Exhibit and we grabbed Chik-Fil-A for dinner. Guess how I felt when I woke up this morning after having their breaded nuggets and lots of sweet tea and honey mustard? GROGGY.

When I get off the eating plan for Whole30, I don't feel as good! I'm still pinpointing my issues since I had a good combo of sugar, grains and dairy each of those times I went off compliant eating, but it's obvious that something I am eating is robbing me of feeling better.

I could be living this wholly different life if I was fueling my body with the stuff that makes me feel good. Gosh. It sounds so simple, but until I experienced it, it just seemed like "Yeah, whatever. I feel alright." More than fine is what I want to feel. So, I know there's something personal to me about the Whole30 that I need to figure out. It's working to make me feel better than I ever have. Cutting out processed foods and eating the things that God created, just as they are, is making a difference.

And, I had started with some weight loss due to a stomach bug, but I have kept off those 4 lbs and that makes me feel pretty good about sticking with no cupcakes. I will have to figure out how to get my pizza fix soon though! I do love my marinara sauce.

Alright. Later today I will give you my links to recipes I have tried over the past week.


Jodie

Week 1 Round Up: Confession Included

I have spent the past few days cooking like crazy! Days 5, 6, &7 were interesting and I have a confession. Here's the quick break down:

Thursday, I had lunch with my mom at Twisted Root Burger. This was the first time I probably went a bit off the rails. I had a burger salad. Literally a beef patty on spring mix with tomato. I had mustard and I had fries. The fries are cooked in vegetable oil, from what I could find on their website. That's technically a no-no. Vegetable oil is almost always soy based. Unless you look around. I did find some without soy at Aldi. I also had some pickles and the flavorings were unknown, I can only assume there was likely sugar in it. And, I had a tiny bit of their spicy ketchup, that while made in house, likely had sugar in it too. It was the first time I ate away from home and it was a little sad because I realized how much we spend our socializing around the table eating. And the good feelings we get from eating those happy foods that trigger our brains with serotonin, well, they're not there when you're resetting the way you eat and retraining your brain and body to see food as fuel for your machine.

Friday was a bit better,and I ate according to plan. But I ended up crashing and burning and having a slice of pecan pie and some ice cream. I know. I know. I didn't fall off the wagon. I jumped with both feet and I felt tired and fuzzy headed because of it. I realized that the sugar addiction I had really was making me feel worse. I just had accepted that as my "normal". I made some delicious compliant potato soup that even my kids ate, but I made biscuits for the guys along with it and I had two myself. Spoiler: IT WAS NOT WORTH IT.

Saturday, once I woke up feeling less than stellar, I went back on plan and did well. I ended up having a few bites of ice cream since I knew it would be back to business on Sunday. I should have just stuck to eating right instead of "one last hurrah". UGH.

 I am finding that I am eating Larabars a lot, but it's likely because I rely on Clif protein bars a lot prior to Whole30 to get me between meals or to have for breakfast. It's been giving me the sugar fix I need when I wait too long to eat and I would normally grab whatever is around to keep the blood sugar levels decent.

I was also working out a ton before I started the Whole30. I have slowly been cutting back on my classes over the past few months due to school starting and the family garage door repair business getting busier and needing me to be available to answer phones and do more office work. So, this clean eating challenge has definitely kept me from gaining any extra weight that I would have put on with cutting my physical activity and keeping on eating the crappy way I was. I am really enjoying cooking and trying new recipes and I have been cooking all of the normal things we eat around here, but without sugar, dairy, and grains. The kids don't miss their favorite meals and Curtis and I are feeling improved because of it.

Note: my kids are NOT doing the Whole30. They're cutting back on their sugar and junk intake, but I have not cut them off of dairy or grains. They're still drinking their usual fifth of whiskey in the evenings. So don't worry, I am not cutting them off from things their little bodies need to grow. And, I am OBVIOUSLY joking about the whiskey.

I will save you the pics of all of my meals this post and I will share with you some of the recipes I used over the weekend in the next post.

Happy Whole30-ing!

Jodie

Days 3 & 4 - I might just make it!

I skipped out on a separate blog post for day 3 because I was planning on writing this morning, but Curtis ended up having the morning off and I was home til 11, so we spent the morning together talking and relaxing on the couch. He ended up working MUCH later than he normally does though, so I was glad we had the morning to spend together.

Yesterday I basically skipped breakfast because I wasn't feeling it and had a Larabar along with a double shot of espresso from Starbucks. In my defense, Cade asked me to stop for chocolate milk after we dropped off Gage and I felt like we could manage a trip in. Since I had made my compliant coffee with canned coconut milk and date paste and brought it with me, I ended up adding the espresso shots to it and getting a real caffeine fix. It might have affected my outlook for the rest of the day as well. :)

Lunch was sadness. I had leftover chicken from Monday night's dinner on top of baby spring mix. I threw some avocado, broccoli and strawberries on there too. I suddenly wished I had the foresight to make dressing. It was pretty dry as far as salads go. But, I found some organic balsamic vinegar today so tomorrow you'll see a recipe for salad dressing!

Dinner was crockpot beef, potatoes and carrots. Nothing fancy as far as seasonings go. Salt, sage, thyme, paprika, pepper. Afterwards, I smashed the potatoes and put clarified butter on them. Then had a second plate of just potatoes. I really missed bread on Tuesday.


Today, I made us a late breakfast and it wasn't fancy at all. I needed to go to the store so there was no spinach in our eggs. Coincidentally, I still forgot the spinach when I went to the store. So eggs scrambled in a little ghee.

I got my food processor from Amazon last night, so I made some almond butter before I went to bed and had some with a banana in addition. I mushed it all up and it was ridiculously good. Also sorta looked like cat puke.

Lunch was non-existent. I think I had some almond butter and another Larabar. I have hard boiled eggs, but the darn things are so hard to peel for some reason (I believe it has something to do with their freshness?) and I was not in the mood to spend the time getting the food from the shell!

And, I used this delicious recipe for marinara sauce and it was a hit. Unfortunately, I DID use the red pepper flakes and it was too spicy to give to the kids. Curtis and I ate it and I gave them some organic sauce from a jar. I know, I'm the worst mom ever.

We had grass fed ground beef and I made regular organic penne for the guys while I made Zoodles for myself. Basically, a decent sized zucchini in the veggie spiralizer made enough for me and me only. I was hoping to have leftover zoodles for tomorrow, but I can make more I suppose. I boiled them for about 2-3 minutes so they'd be soft like pasta. I threw olives on top of it all, because, well, I love olives.

I felt like I wanted to play with the food processor some more, so I made "pudding" with bananas, cocoa powder, a couple of dates and then mixed some almond butter in once I got myself a serving. I put the rest of it in the fridge, and I am looking forward to trying it cold tomorrow. So, though that was all compliant, it's frowned upon to make treats while on the Whole30.

I have to admit, I do feel better. When I let myself get too hungry, I start wanting to reach for my normal snacks like cheese and crackers. I had a dream last night that I accidentally ate some goldfish crackers and then spit them out on the floor. But, that painful whiney feeling of wanting sugar has pretty much gone. I feel more clear headed. I am a bit moody still because darnit, I do want some delicious bread. So, maybe I have just moved on to jonesing for grains instead of sugar. Ah well. One day at a time, guys,

More tomorrow!

Jodie