A question of willpower...

So this morning started off great! I got dinner in the crockpot, got breakfast for the kids (oatmeal) and was prepared my own breakfast bonanza.  The Mr. is taking the oatmeal to work, and I am thinking that while I am home another 1 1/2  weeks I can still stay Whole 30.  Right? Good plan, but poorly executed today.  This morning's breakfast was delish. Two eggs scrambled up in coconut oil, and some cherry tomatoes from  the garden sauted in balsamic vinegar.  Yum!

Well then during lunch, there was a problem. I had to take my computer to the tech center, since my awesome 3 year old broke the screen...grrrr.  So we drove 30 minutes there, had to wait in town for over an hour, and wouldn't you know it's lunch time.  It was already 130 and I was totally pushing my luck holding off the kids.  So here is my willpower- lack there of.  I was to lazy, I admit it, lazy to find a place or run into the grocery store and grab something more nutritionally sound.  What a mistake!! God, I am such a victim of guilt, or remorseful shopping syndrome.  Taco Bell, really, that is what we had.  It's not even food- real food, good food, meat for crying out loud!! 

It was a poorly made decision in a moment of total weakness and laziness.  It was one I will not make again. Here is one thing I know about myself- once I mess up and feel the guilt associated with it- I never make the mistake again.
Dinner was back on track- boring- but on track.

I have also discovered LaCroix waters. I got a pack of the lime flavored ones at Costco and they are awesome! Totally take care of any soda cravings I may get. 

A New Start

So we have begun this week, again, with modified paleo/clean eating plan. The weekdays we are staying mostly palea (2/3 at the least), with occasional cheese/dairy if needed.  The weekends are a bit more flexible and are more of what you would classify as clean eating, where we allow for grains, beans, and alcohol.  So on the menu for this week:
--Dinners--
Monday: Crockpot Chicken Taco salads
Tuesday: Leftovers
Wednesday: Paleosagna
Thursday: Paleosagna
Friday: Lemon Orange Chicken 
Saturday: Leftovers
Sunday: Cabbage rolls

--Lunches--
Monday & Tuesday: Salmon Cakes, carrots, avocado, fruit
Wednesday: leftover chicken taco salad, fruit
Thursday & Friday- Rotisserie Chicken, steamed veggies, fruit

--Breakfast--
Monday-Wednesday: Crockpot Apple Oatmeal 
Thursday & Friday: Egg Scramble
Saturday: Waffles & homemade sausage 

Day 21- Epic Fail

So having mixed feelings today- disappointment and then also relief.  More disappointment or even guilt than anything. We had been doing so great- despite the difficulty of vacation and cooking separate for the kids we were rocking it.  Then...I don't know we had a moment of weakness that neither one of us pulled the other out of.  So after eating a stellar breakfast and lunch we went out to dinner. Burgers and a beer kind of dinner.  And you know what... it wasn't even that good!  But as I have reflected the past few days that is alright.  We have gained some serious insight into what food does and has done to our bodies.  Even though we were a few days short I am not going to have us start over, we are just going to end there and transition into a more sustainable lifestyle for us.

I have done a TON of reading, even prior to this about food, and what's in food, and what we should avoid an on and on so I am pretty squared away on what will be in our kitchen. If anything I have certainly learned ways to cook with veggies in a myriad of ways.  So that new trend is totally sticking with us.  So here it is our "new" plan for what will hopefully be the rest of our and our children's lives.

We are going to go about an 85/15 paleo/clean and then what I will call a "US" diet.
I am a huge fan of Food Babe and 100 Days of Real Food.  Both have such supreme knowledge of what is in our food and how to realistically take your family to a whole foods or clean eating approach.  For us we will all be eating paleo for breakfast and lunch meaning low carb and lots of meats and veggies. When I say us I mean my husband and I, as for the the kids the big guy usually eats school lunch, the middle man takes a lunch and breakfast to school but his will be a bit more different.  And well, little Miss? Well she'll just eat whatever Nana fixes her, usually oatmeal and fruit.


I am going to add back in grains, specifically whole wheat and corn. For baking and bread purposes it is the more feasible option and heck we like a good sandwich or waffle now and then. But, I am picky about my bread- we get ours at Great Harvest Bread Company. Yeah it's a bit more, but you know what? They actually only have 5 ingredients!! Wheat flour (that they grind there), water, honey, yeast and salt- just like Grandma used to make.  As for corn- this is more for our mexican dishes- we love mexican!! Give me some grilled fish tacos and habanero mango sauce any day- delicioso! And, after reading Food Babe I have decided to stick with sprouted corn tortillas- or make my own- as that is the one way to avoid GMO produced corn- blech.


We will also add back in beans (when necessary) and dairy.  We used to be big yogurt people, well my kids still are, but after the Whole 30 I learned I didn't need the dairy to help me stay full- so why keep it.  Cheese- well you can't really have enchiladas without it- well you can, but who'd want to?

Lastly- alcohol. Yep- I said we will add that in.  Nothing wrong with a few drinks in moderation or a glass of wine on a cold winter's night- better yet Bailey's and coffee.  If you want to learn more about what is really in that beer you just cracked or how to make smarter choices when it comes to what you partake in check out Food Babe's investigation into just what is in that beer.  You'd be surprised!!


Other than the few grains, beans now and then, and cheese now and then- we are pretty much on track.  I liked the way  I felt physically on the paleo- I was not hungry between meals- I was not bloated- and I was losing body fat, maybe not a lot of pounds, but it was certainly a change in the way my clothes fit!  You can't ask for much more than that!!

I will be posting our menu plans and more of what we are actually eating and doing on the post Whole 30 or in our case "Whole 21".

Adventureland

So as I stated in previous post we had spent the weekend in Adventureland. Now I didn't stop, nor am I going to start over on day 1 (that is just crazy!) but I am not counting those days on vacation. I did the best that I could while at the parks and out in a new town, but since I am not 100% certain on the ingredients I am not counting those days into our Whole 30.  I can share what we ate or did to help make it easier.

The morning of we cooked breakfast as per usual. I made sure to bring some extra snacks with us into the park (sneak them in I mean) in case of emergency.  I had checked online before leaving and found a diner that offered a great selection of food for paleo and non-paleo alike, and a few craft beers for the old man.

So lunch consisted of a grilled chicken breast with mustard...boring...but filling. There were none, I mean no veggies in the park except for fries. So I just skipped this.  Note for travelers, I found the park's eateries online and surprisingly enough they listed every ingredient in every food they served right down to the funnel cake batter! I was quite thrilled to see that, not so much the actual ingredients, but they at least were forthright in what was being served.

Dinner was at the Raccoon River Brewing company. It had an excellent menu for paleo people- great choice of sides. I got the sesame crusted tuna and sauteed spinach. Very good if I do say so myself.

We only stayed on night and the next day was at the park- same meal for lunch. The hotel offered a continental breakfast that had scrambled eggs and fruit.  So all in all pretty good paleolithic excursion.  Definitely would need to think ahead about bringing veggies..

Day 20

We spent the past few days at a nearby amusement park with the kids. Man did we have fun!! My middle man, and most fearless rode his first coaster and was hooked, the older one (my little adult) did not enjoy them nearly as much.  But, needless to say there were plenty of other rides that they enjoyed.  I did learn that rides I loved when I was younger, you know the spinny ones that made you feel like you'd be sick after, those no longer hold the same appeal... hmmm wonder why that is?  I also realized that children have no sense of self preservation- anything in the name of adrenaline!!

It was a great get away and came at a great time-I obviously needed a break, even just this tiny one.

Breakfast: egg and banana scramble- no pic, I'm sure you get the point of what it is we are eating.

Lunch- rotisserie chicken with steamed veggies- there really was more there than it looks. I am always quite satisfied when I'm done eating.

Dinner- delicious, albeit spicy Chicken/ Turkey Chili Lime Burgers.  I made half with turkey and half with chicken just to see the taste, I also added half a lime (juiced) We were trying to find a recipe that mimicked Trader Joe's Chicken Chili Lime burger.  This one was pretty close, just a little too spicy for my kids- but we loved it.  I also made broccoli slaw and a couple dressings, one was a strawberry vinaigarette and the other...well I don't really know just threw some things together and called it good.
The other dressing in case you're wondering was:
2 cloves of garlic minced
1/2 in piece of ginger minced
1 TBL sesame seeds
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp salt
2 TBL EVOO
1 TBL Rice vinegar
1 TBL White wine vinegar
mixed all up and serve.

Wasn't my cup of tea- but the Mr. liked it.

Day 19

So I am playing catch-up today.  I've been away and didn't get on to post or even check email- ahhh the serenity of no technology!

So here we go-
Breakfast was...sweet potato and banana mash with scrambled egg

Lunch- we were at the zoo today- did I mention we have the coolest zoo ever!! I packed in my lunch of leftover fajita chicken salad with cilantro lime dressing and a banana.  Totally perfect for this gorgeous day!! We ate outside the desert dome.  Seriously, if you're in Omaha you have to go to the zoo!!

Dinner: was hamburger and veggies - no pic 

Exercise- uh...how about walking the zoo for nearly 4.5 hours.  I'm good! 

Day 18

Good lord I was crabby today. I was totally wanting to fall off the wagon, good thing the Mr talked me out of it.  I'm just gonna barf it all out here just so I get it out and can move on!
1. This eating plan is expensive- I don't like spending all my money on food, I like to spend it on quality food- but not just meat and veggies and fat..
2. I don't see what is wrong with legumes or bread. Neither of us had any sort of affliction or problems before and darn it I just wanted some toast with my eggs!  Or homemade (clean) "refried" beans with my fajitas tonight.
3.  There is no way to replicate mashed potatoes, tortillas, chips, or any other old staple with any type of flour- No. Doesn't happen.  I don't care what you say it is not decadent or delicious or whatever. Blah...
4. And, I think that doing all this restriction to my diet is messing with all my systems (some good, some bad) especially the hormones. (obviously)

Can ya tell I am crabby. There I got it out and am moving on. I know this reset is what we need to get back to our clean eating habits and I am definitely eating more veggies then ever before! I've lost 8lbs and feel better physically.  I'm not usually a whiner about our eating, but all I wanted today was a real fajita.

Breakfast: apple and peanut butter and banana (don't look at my breakfast as a good example)

Lunch: chicken fajita meat and a giant bowl of steamed veggies

Dinner: Deconstructed fajita.  I tried a paleo wrap from coconut..uh no thanks.  My one year old liked it though.

And now I am putting my crabby ass to bed! Tomorrow is a new day and today my motto was one meal at a time.  Some days are like that.