Easter Sunday is just my favorite. Everyone comes to church energized by the empty tomb and the promise that it gives us. The excitement in the atmosphere is tangible. The ability to face tomorrow, no matter the circumstances, all because He lives! Yes, this is the promise we cling to all year round, I just wish I was better at carrying that same excitement about the resurrection of Christ thats felt on Easter, throughout the rest of the year.
On Saturday our church's children's ministry held an Easter egg hunt. It was inside because of the chilly and windy weather, but it was a fun time. Reaghan was not a fan of the singing puppet show, but enjoyed the egg hunt!
On Saturday our church's children's ministry held an Easter egg hunt. It was inside because of the chilly and windy weather, but it was a fun time. Reaghan was not a fan of the singing puppet show, but enjoyed the egg hunt!
I dare you to try and take this child away from her grammie. Reaghan can't get enough of her grammie and if she's in the room then Reaghan is in her arms. <3
- 2:00:58 -
That was my time as I crossed the finish line of the Shamrock 1/2 Marathon this past Sunday.
Remember how I told you that I really, really, really wanted to finish this race in 2 hours?! A time, which by the way, has been like my life goal of 1/2 marathons finish times?! (Since my first 1/2 in 2009 that is.) And remember how I was super nervous about being so close to getting there but possibly coming up short?! You guys, I made it. I actually met the goal! And it was one of the toughest races that I have ever done.
(In the pre-dawn hours, about to throw on my poncho and get out of my car.)
No chalkboard picture here.... although to be honest, thats not an all together horrible idea ; ) but I still want to write a few things down about what Reaghan has been doing these days since she turned 18 months on St. Patricks Day.
I went to update her baby book a week or so ago, and I realized there weren't really any empty lines for me to fill in about the things she's been doing since her first birthday. Many of her "firsts" have already happened and others are still far in the future. The only blank pages left are for her birthdays so I decided I needed some place to document all the things that I don't want to forget about her early toddler days.
I want to remember...
I went to update her baby book a week or so ago, and I realized there weren't really any empty lines for me to fill in about the things she's been doing since her first birthday. Many of her "firsts" have already happened and others are still far in the future. The only blank pages left are for her birthdays so I decided I needed some place to document all the things that I don't want to forget about her early toddler days.
I want to remember...
The Shamrock 1/2 Marathon is only 9 days away which means I've finished all of my long training runs and I'm officially in "taper" mode!
I'll be honest, in the last 6 years since I started running long distance races, I've rarely if ever actually tapered. I've never trusted my fitness level enough to give myself a week or 2 off from training before a race and I usually just kept building mileage until I was running 2-3 miles less than the race distance only a week before the race. Yes, it goes against every expert training advice but it seemed to be working okay for me. I was running at my usual pace and not suffering injuries so I just kept this same routine.
Okay folks, here is the official announcement I spoke of during the house tour...
We're moving!
We're not exactly sure where yet, but we do know we're staying in our general area.
Why are we moving?
We have some big news we want to share in a couple of days that prompted us to take the following pictures... I'm sure you can probably figure out what we're about to do... but either way, I'm saving that announcement for the official day that it happens. ; )
In the meantime, I thought it would be fun to share some pictures of what our house looks like now... minus some of our pictures that have been taken off the wall and mantel because they needed to go in some boxes. {I know, I know... I'm so good at keeping secrets. This upcoming announcement? Yea, you'll never figure out whats going on.}
We've been in this house about 4 years now and we've done a lot of updating. I'm really proud of all that we've done and as I look at these pictures I get all the feels thinking about the memories we've made and the life we've enjoyed here! The outside is a bit sparse right now because, well, its winter and grass and flowers don't really like to come out and play when its cold outside. So don't spend too much time on those pictures. Instead, feast your eyes on the kitchen, the nursery, and the family room and linger a bit there. I
Enjoy this little tour and a peak inside our home!
In the meantime, I thought it would be fun to share some pictures of what our house looks like now... minus some of our pictures that have been taken off the wall and mantel because they needed to go in some boxes. {I know, I know... I'm so good at keeping secrets. This upcoming announcement? Yea, you'll never figure out whats going on.}
We've been in this house about 4 years now and we've done a lot of updating. I'm really proud of all that we've done and as I look at these pictures I get all the feels thinking about the memories we've made and the life we've enjoyed here! The outside is a bit sparse right now because, well, its winter and grass and flowers don't really like to come out and play when its cold outside. So don't spend too much time on those pictures. Instead, feast your eyes on the kitchen, the nursery, and the family room and linger a bit there. I
Enjoy this little tour and a peak inside our home!
We enter this weekend with Piper being minus 1 front tooth and 1 tumor on her gums and our bank account minus around $900 for the surgery she had yesterday. Oy. Hopefully her post op follow ups at the vet tomorrow {and in 2 weeks} are included in the surgery cost...?! *fingers crossed*
We are waiting for the biopsy results to see if she has cancer or not.
Reaghan was very concerned when we brought her home from the vet. She wasn't too sure why her "daww" was wearing a cone on her head and why she was so sleepy and not her usual playful self. She kept sticking her face in the cone with Piper to try and figure out was going on.
We eat way too much pasta in this house, but I can't help it. Its just that A.) its a meal that I can make with 99% confidence that it's going to come out tasting pretty yummy and B.) I just really love pasta.
These spinach lasagna roll ups are one of my favorite pasta meals to make, but its one that only makes it on our table once every couple of months. I always seem to forget about it! But it just makes it that much more yummy when I remember to make it. ; )
These spinach lasagna roll ups are one of my favorite pasta meals to make, but its one that only makes it on our table once every couple of months. I always seem to forget about it! But it just makes it that much more yummy when I remember to make it. ; )
Reaghan and I have had a fun week doing Valentines Day crafts to share with family and friends and buying some special treats for the main man in our life to tell him how much we love him! Reaghan especially loved helping me pick up some goodies in the candy aisle at Target. I looked down and she had her own little stash of sweets in the bottom of the cart!
We love Handprint and Footprint art around here! In fact, every time we get crayons or paints out to do something fun, Reaghan will put her hand down on the paper and ask me to trace it! This year was soooo so so much easier getting a good print compared to last year! She can actually follow directions now and keep her hand/foot still while mommy puts it on the paper.
My older sister Erin is turning the big 3-0 next month so we wanted to do something fun and special to celebrate with her. She always loved Cinderella growing up and when she heard that Broadways Rodgers + Hammersteins Cinderella was coming to our area she really wanted to go!
We {my sisters, mom and I} decided to gather a group of her favorite ladies together to surprise her with tickets to the show and a nice dinner. We struggled at first to find a way to actually pull off the surprise part. We thought about just picking her up and taking her to dinner and having everyone there waiting, but it was a Broadway show so she'd have to get dressed up nice! Which meant, sure we could tell her to get dressed nice and be ready to be picked up, but sometimes {especially for Erin} part of the fun of going to something like this is getting to purchase a new outfit! We also thought it would be fun for all of us to ride together in a friends large 12 passenger van - my first idea was to get a limo, but I just couldn't afford it, so a 12 passenger homeschool van worked perfectly! And of course, anticipation of an event can be just as fun as being surprised, right? So we decided to let her in on the plans a week before the show!
I found this idea for a surprise box on Pinterest {where else?!} so mom, Mal, Sara and I put it all together for her one day. We found all of our supplies at Michael's Craft store - because they have 50% off coupons so we each buy something for 50% off ;). We had to be careful not to post any pictures on social media of our shopping outing because we didn't want to let Erin know we were out shopping and having a crafting day without her!
Here's how the box turned out:
We {my sisters, mom and I} decided to gather a group of her favorite ladies together to surprise her with tickets to the show and a nice dinner. We struggled at first to find a way to actually pull off the surprise part. We thought about just picking her up and taking her to dinner and having everyone there waiting, but it was a Broadway show so she'd have to get dressed up nice! Which meant, sure we could tell her to get dressed nice and be ready to be picked up, but sometimes {especially for Erin} part of the fun of going to something like this is getting to purchase a new outfit! We also thought it would be fun for all of us to ride together in a friends large 12 passenger van - my first idea was to get a limo, but I just couldn't afford it, so a 12 passenger homeschool van worked perfectly! And of course, anticipation of an event can be just as fun as being surprised, right? So we decided to let her in on the plans a week before the show!
I found this idea for a surprise box on Pinterest {where else?!} so mom, Mal, Sara and I put it all together for her one day. We found all of our supplies at Michael's Craft store - because they have 50% off coupons so we each buy something for 50% off ;). We had to be careful not to post any pictures on social media of our shopping outing because we didn't want to let Erin know we were out shopping and having a crafting day without her!
Here's how the box turned out:
Have you ever heard of The 5 Love Languages by Gary Chapman? It's a great book that provides insight in to how everyone feels love and tries to show love a little differently. It gives 5 general categories that you can fall in to and has a little quiz you can take to help you discover what your love language is.
1.) Words of Affirmation
2.) Acts of Service
3.) Quality Time
4.) Physical Touch
5.) Receiving Gifts
We enjoyed a beautiful 70 degree day today. On February 3rd! It was amazing and felt like spring time. In fact, I think my garden thinks that it is spring time because all of my daffodil bulbs have sprouted and a couple of them have flowered. Its funny but also sad, because now I won't have any daffodils when its actually spring time.
We were up and moving early this morning to take Piper to the vet. It was my first time taking both Piper and Reaghan to the vet, I was a little apprehensive because Piper gets anxious at the vet and needs my full attention to make sure she behaves. So Reaghan and I got some more use out of our ergo carrier that we haven't used in a LONG time. Everything went great until we saw the vet...
We were up and moving early this morning to take Piper to the vet. It was my first time taking both Piper and Reaghan to the vet, I was a little apprehensive because Piper gets anxious at the vet and needs my full attention to make sure she behaves. So Reaghan and I got some more use out of our ergo carrier that we haven't used in a LONG time. Everything went great until we saw the vet...
Our poor pup has a mass on her gums thats caused her to lose one of her front teeth and it needs to be removed to make sure its not cancerous and also to make sure it doesn't keep growing and push all the rest of her teeth out.
This is the bill that we're looking at for the procedure...
Ouch.
Bye, Bye tax refund money.
Enough of that. Back to the warm, sunny day in February!
When we got home we still had lots of morning left so we went on a 3 mile run. Reaghan fell asleep on the run so when we got back I left her sleeping in the stroller while I mowed our side yard. The grass there is different than our front yard so it's been growing like crazy with these mild temperatures. It needed cut! Mark's been wanting to cut it, but won't be able to this weekend because I'll be gone on Saturday and he'll be watching Reaghan, so I decided to do it for him as part of my 14 Random Acts of Kindness I'm doing for him for Valentines. (More on that later!)
Reaghan woke up right as I finished mowing and wanted to play outside. This girl will spend hours playing in the backyard. I love that about her! We went in to the kitchen real quick, gathered up some food for lunch, grabbed a blanket and headed back outside.
It was her first "big girl" picnic and it was so much fun!
She loved sitting on the blanket and sharing food with mommy (and Piper!).
I couldn't get them both to look at the same time.
After our picnic we laid on the blanket and counted acorns in the grass, sang songs, played in her sandbox, climbed the fort and slid down the slide. She was worn out by the time we went inside and took great afternoon nap. : )
I wish I could repeat this day over and over every day.
It was pure delight.
(minus the vet appointment)
Thanks February for the warmth and sunshine!
We can't wait until you're here to stay!
Soooo....
I got back on the Whole30 train after my cheat day the Sunday that ended my 3rd week.
And I stayed on it for 5 days.
And then I decided that I was done. We had a lot planned for this weekend including a baby shower lunch with my coworkers to celebrate a baby-to-be, a girls night shopping trip to cheer up my sis and a birthday party for Mark's little cousin who was our flower girl in our wedding. Could I have gone to all of those things and stayed compliant? Yea, probably. But I thought it over and in the end decided I was okay with being done just 4 days short of the goal.
I completed 26 days of the Whole30 and I lost 5 pounds throughout the process.
I'm sort of disappointed that I only lost 5 pounds. Granted, I had a cheat day, but for the other 25 days I was hardcore not eating sugar or any processed foods. AND working out 5 days a week. So yea, I was hoping to drop more than 5 pounds. Especially since most of that was lost the first week and was probably water/bloat weight. BUT weight loss wasn't the only goal (albeit a big one), it was really about restarting my eating habits to continue working towards a fit and healthy life and help me reach my goal of finishing the upcoming 1/2 Marathon with a new personal record.
Here's what I learned while Whole30ing it up in the Month of January...
Self denial is a good thing. We all have innate selfishness that makes us want what we want when we want it. Self denial is the cure. Or maybe more like a step in the right direction. Being aware of what you want, having the ability to have it, but still saying no is hard. But hard is not the same thing as bad.
Eating healthy is expensive - I spent $600 dollars in groceries alone this past month!!! YIKES! I did cut waaaaayyy back on our eating out expenses as I didn't have fast food at all (until my cheat day) and even going to a restaurant wasn't appealing since I knew I'd be restricted so we always opted to come home and make a meal. So while $600 was truly way too much for groceries, it was rewarding to know we were eating at home more.
Read labels - even things that say natural and organic can be total frauds. There are better options and sometimes they aren't even the more or most expensive options. You just have to watch out for those crazy ingredients.
I need more food education - having limited options made me want to take the time to find out what foods were considered healthy fats, what food would fuel my long runs and how much protein I should eat to stay full. Nutrition is an interesting thing and its amazing the way our body needs different types of foods for optimal energy and performance.
Planning ahead is crucial! You know those snack attack urges where you just want to grab some chips out of the pantry? Or those busy days where you've been running around so you just throw a frozen pizza in the oven for dinner? Not an option on the Whole30! I had to sit and plan out each meal for the week, thaw out the meat needed for dinner the night before and pre-package fruits and veggies for quick snacks during the day. I'm not the best at that, but I got better. Having something already planned cuts back on those urges to order take out on busy nights as well. Mark and I love Chinese food. ;)
I use food as comfort - as previously disclosed I did have a cheat day when the stress got overwhelming, but it was an eye opener. I craved something to make me feel happy and content. The other 25 days I had to find it in other things besides food like my husband, my sweet girl, journaling, and reading.
I eat as a habit - every time I walk in to the kitchen I want to grab something to eat, even if I'm not hungry! Just because it's there, doesn't mean I need to eat it. Especially at night before bed!
Trying new recipes is fun! Mark and I found this baked chicken thigh recipe that gets the skin deliciously crispy and the meat so moist. I definitely had a few fails, but failing is learning, yea?
Food affects your skin - I've been lamenting over the last year or so that the dark circles and bags under my eyes are worsening. I can get very upset about this if I'm in a particularly vain mood and I picture myself in ten years with sagging, drooping skin pockets under my eyeballs. But I actually noticed a big difference in the way they looked this month! I wasn't even thinking about the benefits my skin could see! I don't know if its the sugar or the dairy or what, but it definitely motivates me to be more conscious of what I'm eating.
Sugar is an addiction - on a spiritual note, I realized I am way too judge-mental towards those who can't break a serious addiction like smoking or alcohol. I struggled to give up sugar for 26 days - just SUGAR, and the day after I decided the fast was over, I had ice cream. Just like an addict who is sober for a few weeks but goes right back to whatever his vice is even though he was doing so well without it. This whole experience has changed the way I look at people that I see smoking. (I'm just using that as an example because I admit, I hate smelling the cigarette smoke). Whenever I go out for a run early in the morning, there is always a lady who sits out on her front porch and smoke a cigarette. On Saturday it was 39 degrees out while I was running and sure enough, there she was all bundled up and sitting on her little bench with a cigarette. I'm a little ashamed to admit, but after 2-3 years of seeing this lady off an on when I go running, I prayed for her for the first time. A prayer that she would allow God to loose the chains of her addiction. Not that I know now what its like to be addicted, I'm not trying to make that claim, but I think a log has been removed from my eye.
So there you have it. 10 main things I learned. My overallWhole30 Whole26 experience was challenging, expensive and despite only losing 5 pounds, it really was rewarding.
I do feel motivated to eat healthy through out the week, I'm still staying away from soda at least until after my 1/2 marathon, and I'm settling into a nice pattern of working out during the week. After 4 weeks of consistent exercising I am starting to see more definition in my legs and arms and that is motivating me to continue!
I think doing a cleanse or restricting yourself to a "clean" diet for a specific amount of time is beneficial as it helps refocus your mind and body. You have to be careful not to binge after coming off of something like this and look at it as kickstart to healthier eating overall. There's no way I could stick to the Whole30 every day of my life - but it's helped me take a step back, shake out some of the junk that my body was craving and say going forward we're going to allow some not so good stuff back in but only in moderation. Eventually I would like to get to the point where we're eating clean 75-80% of the time and allowing the other 20-25% to be room for convenience and treats. Healthy living is a lifelong process and I think you need to give yourself grace but also give yourself goals. I don't want to look back at my life and remember how I was always on a dieting/binging cycle trying to achieve unrealistic goals, but I also want to look back and know that I didn't waste a perfectly healthy body by feeding it junk and not taking care of it.
What about you? Have you stuck to your New Years goals of getting healthier? What have you learned along the way?
I got back on the Whole30 train after my cheat day the Sunday that ended my 3rd week.
And I stayed on it for 5 days.
And then I decided that I was done. We had a lot planned for this weekend including a baby shower lunch with my coworkers to celebrate a baby-to-be, a girls night shopping trip to cheer up my sis and a birthday party for Mark's little cousin who was our flower girl in our wedding. Could I have gone to all of those things and stayed compliant? Yea, probably. But I thought it over and in the end decided I was okay with being done just 4 days short of the goal.
I completed 26 days of the Whole30 and I lost 5 pounds throughout the process.
I'm sort of disappointed that I only lost 5 pounds. Granted, I had a cheat day, but for the other 25 days I was hardcore not eating sugar or any processed foods. AND working out 5 days a week. So yea, I was hoping to drop more than 5 pounds. Especially since most of that was lost the first week and was probably water/bloat weight. BUT weight loss wasn't the only goal (albeit a big one), it was really about restarting my eating habits to continue working towards a fit and healthy life and help me reach my goal of finishing the upcoming 1/2 Marathon with a new personal record.
Here's what I learned while Whole30ing it up in the Month of January...
Self denial is a good thing. We all have innate selfishness that makes us want what we want when we want it. Self denial is the cure. Or maybe more like a step in the right direction. Being aware of what you want, having the ability to have it, but still saying no is hard. But hard is not the same thing as bad.
Eating healthy is expensive - I spent $600 dollars in groceries alone this past month!!! YIKES! I did cut waaaaayyy back on our eating out expenses as I didn't have fast food at all (until my cheat day) and even going to a restaurant wasn't appealing since I knew I'd be restricted so we always opted to come home and make a meal. So while $600 was truly way too much for groceries, it was rewarding to know we were eating at home more.
Read labels - even things that say natural and organic can be total frauds. There are better options and sometimes they aren't even the more or most expensive options. You just have to watch out for those crazy ingredients.
I need more food education - having limited options made me want to take the time to find out what foods were considered healthy fats, what food would fuel my long runs and how much protein I should eat to stay full. Nutrition is an interesting thing and its amazing the way our body needs different types of foods for optimal energy and performance.
Planning ahead is crucial! You know those snack attack urges where you just want to grab some chips out of the pantry? Or those busy days where you've been running around so you just throw a frozen pizza in the oven for dinner? Not an option on the Whole30! I had to sit and plan out each meal for the week, thaw out the meat needed for dinner the night before and pre-package fruits and veggies for quick snacks during the day. I'm not the best at that, but I got better. Having something already planned cuts back on those urges to order take out on busy nights as well. Mark and I love Chinese food. ;)
I use food as comfort - as previously disclosed I did have a cheat day when the stress got overwhelming, but it was an eye opener. I craved something to make me feel happy and content. The other 25 days I had to find it in other things besides food like my husband, my sweet girl, journaling, and reading.
I eat as a habit - every time I walk in to the kitchen I want to grab something to eat, even if I'm not hungry! Just because it's there, doesn't mean I need to eat it. Especially at night before bed!
Trying new recipes is fun! Mark and I found this baked chicken thigh recipe that gets the skin deliciously crispy and the meat so moist. I definitely had a few fails, but failing is learning, yea?
Food affects your skin - I've been lamenting over the last year or so that the dark circles and bags under my eyes are worsening. I can get very upset about this if I'm in a particularly vain mood and I picture myself in ten years with sagging, drooping skin pockets under my eyeballs. But I actually noticed a big difference in the way they looked this month! I wasn't even thinking about the benefits my skin could see! I don't know if its the sugar or the dairy or what, but it definitely motivates me to be more conscious of what I'm eating.
Sugar is an addiction - on a spiritual note, I realized I am way too judge-mental towards those who can't break a serious addiction like smoking or alcohol. I struggled to give up sugar for 26 days - just SUGAR, and the day after I decided the fast was over, I had ice cream. Just like an addict who is sober for a few weeks but goes right back to whatever his vice is even though he was doing so well without it. This whole experience has changed the way I look at people that I see smoking. (I'm just using that as an example because I admit, I hate smelling the cigarette smoke). Whenever I go out for a run early in the morning, there is always a lady who sits out on her front porch and smoke a cigarette. On Saturday it was 39 degrees out while I was running and sure enough, there she was all bundled up and sitting on her little bench with a cigarette. I'm a little ashamed to admit, but after 2-3 years of seeing this lady off an on when I go running, I prayed for her for the first time. A prayer that she would allow God to loose the chains of her addiction. Not that I know now what its like to be addicted, I'm not trying to make that claim, but I think a log has been removed from my eye.
So there you have it. 10 main things I learned. My overall
I do feel motivated to eat healthy through out the week, I'm still staying away from soda at least until after my 1/2 marathon, and I'm settling into a nice pattern of working out during the week. After 4 weeks of consistent exercising I am starting to see more definition in my legs and arms and that is motivating me to continue!
I think doing a cleanse or restricting yourself to a "clean" diet for a specific amount of time is beneficial as it helps refocus your mind and body. You have to be careful not to binge after coming off of something like this and look at it as kickstart to healthier eating overall. There's no way I could stick to the Whole30 every day of my life - but it's helped me take a step back, shake out some of the junk that my body was craving and say going forward we're going to allow some not so good stuff back in but only in moderation. Eventually I would like to get to the point where we're eating clean 75-80% of the time and allowing the other 20-25% to be room for convenience and treats. Healthy living is a lifelong process and I think you need to give yourself grace but also give yourself goals. I don't want to look back at my life and remember how I was always on a dieting/binging cycle trying to achieve unrealistic goals, but I also want to look back and know that I didn't waste a perfectly healthy body by feeding it junk and not taking care of it.
What about you? Have you stuck to your New Years goals of getting healthier? What have you learned along the way?
I'm going to come right out and say it. I cheated this week. Actually, I cheated a lot. I had a chic fil a grilled chicken sandwich on Friday and then today we were invited to lunch with my family and dinner with Mark's family so I had spaghetti for lunch and a hot dog for dinner. And cookie dough. And also a brownie. Ha. Soooo.... What now?
Well first, I'm going to give reasons excuses for my cheats.
We've had a very depressing, stressful week. Reaghan had a fever and an ear infection that is still on going which means I'm getting next to no sleep and she is not the happiest tiny person to be around during the day. Mark and I also caught her cold so that has been adding to the general crankiness in the house right now. We spent $$$ at the vet on our dog who has a "suspicious" lump on her leg so she was put on medicine that is making her have to pee every 15 minutes and have accidents if left alone too long and has to go back to the vet in 2 weeks for a re-check. And worst of all my sister received the worstt news possible for her right now - that her baby had stopped growing and they couldn't find a heartbeat.
Why am I sharing? Honestly... it makes me feel better about cheating. I'm not really proud of my decision but when I think back on my week... well, I'm not holding myself to too high of a standard. I was stressed and sad and exhausted and didn't want to think about new recipes or cooking.
Soooo... What now?
I learned that I absolutely use food as a comforter; a way to check out of reality for a second or too and make me feel better for the few minutes that I consume delicious food. One of the things Whole30 is supposed to do is break you of these unhealthy relationships we have with food, so by giving in to the cravings for comfort food, I sort of defeated the purpose of the whole process.
I guess I have 2 options - just end the Whole30 now and be happy with the 20 days that I did complete, or jump back in and finish my LAST week strong. I'm going to go with the latter. I honestly just want to quit, but I don't want to let lousy decisions send me on a downward spiral.
Okay - with that out of the way - I did make it 5/7 days this week without cheating so here were some of my favorite meals of the week:
We've had a very depressing, stressful week. Reaghan had a fever and an ear infection that is still on going which means I'm getting next to no sleep and she is not the happiest tiny person to be around during the day. Mark and I also caught her cold so that has been adding to the general crankiness in the house right now. We spent $$$ at the vet on our dog who has a "suspicious" lump on her leg so she was put on medicine that is making her have to pee every 15 minutes and have accidents if left alone too long and has to go back to the vet in 2 weeks for a re-check. And worst of all my sister received the worstt news possible for her right now - that her baby had stopped growing and they couldn't find a heartbeat.
Why am I sharing? Honestly... it makes me feel better about cheating. I'm not really proud of my decision but when I think back on my week... well, I'm not holding myself to too high of a standard. I was stressed and sad and exhausted and didn't want to think about new recipes or cooking.
Soooo... What now?
I learned that I absolutely use food as a comforter; a way to check out of reality for a second or too and make me feel better for the few minutes that I consume delicious food. One of the things Whole30 is supposed to do is break you of these unhealthy relationships we have with food, so by giving in to the cravings for comfort food, I sort of defeated the purpose of the whole process.
I guess I have 2 options - just end the Whole30 now and be happy with the 20 days that I did complete, or jump back in and finish my LAST week strong. I'm going to go with the latter. I honestly just want to quit, but I don't want to let lousy decisions send me on a downward spiral.
Okay - with that out of the way - I did make it 5/7 days this week without cheating so here were some of my favorite meals of the week:
Banana Pancakes
(Again!)
These turned out a little prettier this time - again its 2 eggs, 1 banana, a dash of baking soda and 1/4 cup almond meal. The flipping part of the cooking is tricky, but doable. So yummy with a slice of banana with each bite.
Carne Asada:
Check out the recipe here. It was supposed to be paired with an Avocado/Tomatillo sauce and I bought the tomatillos only to find out that I had eaten all my avocados when I went to make the sauce. It tasted great just with the marinade and a side of steamed veggies.
Eggs, Apples with Almond Butter and Blueberries:
This has been a breakfast and a dinner for me!
Chicken with Stir Fry Veggies:
Nothing about this is really "stir fry" except that the frozen bag of mixed veggies are supposed to be perfect for using in a stir fry. It had snap peas, broccoli, mushrooms, onions, red peppers and carrots. The chicken was pre-cooked so I just heated it up in coconut oil in a skillet and mixed with the veggies. This was a quick dinner because I was headed out to watch my lil bro and sis play basketball. Mark stayed home with the sickness.
Taco Salad:
Ignore the cracker on my plate, that was gift from Reaghan. She loves to share her food with mommy. This was pre-cheat so I didn't eat it, it just hid on my plate. ; )
If you want to make your own taco seasoning, check out my post here.
Banana "Bread":
One guideline of the Whole30 is that you're not supposed to try and find substitutes for your favorite things and just wholethirtyfy them because this just continues to feed your sweet cravings and doesn't help with re-wiring your brain. At this point in the week I was desperately looking for comfort food while trying to stay compliant so I found this recipe and went for it. It actually looks a lot better than it tasted. The recipe calls for coconut flour and I'm just not a big fan of the taste. However, with that being said, I consumed the entire loaf in 2 days. (I did not put butter on it.)
And I had some fun finds at TJMaxx...
All of these were Whole30 Compliant and a nice change of pace as far as snacking goes.
I'm a huge snacker.
And that was week 3. Praying for motivation to finish strong and to keep my eyes on Him as a source of comfort and not food. : ) Also praying for a healthy family and a healthy dog and more sleep for everyone!
(Also - weigh in - still at 148. I was 147.5 Saturday morning before my big Sunday cheat meals. I was only able to workout 3 times this week and didn't get a long run in.)
