Back to Regular Eating, Er, Programming

Our 30 day clean eating was completed at the perfect time, as someone turned 42 2 days later (I won't mention any names as to who *that* would be, but I will say it wasn't me.....:o), and who would want to be dairy/sugar/grain-free when it's your birthday?! 

And it's a good thing we were done so that I could make his favourite cake: ice cream cake!! Oh, and why not enjoy some Cinnamon Roll Cake as well?!

 

Needless to say, the sugar rush was worth it - soooo good!!

But back to the person who turned 42; I won't spell out my love for him......it just is too hard to spell, and I wouldn't want this post make you gag :o), but I will say that my love for him deepens everyday, especially when I see him in his role as a father. Our children are so blessed to have him!! And I am so blessed to watch!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Lord has blessed us with a God-fearing man, who leads and provides for his family to the best of his ability. We pray that we may enjoy this blessing of a man for many more years.

Whole 30 Review and Results

So I promised to write a review of how our 30 days went of eating

Well, as expected, it was H.A.R.D.

It was hard to say no to so many things and to say it so often.

It was hard to see that despite thinking we ate quite well before we did this, we weren't doing as great as we thought we were.

It was hard to deal with the withdrawals.

It was hard to swallow how much money we spent (no pun intended....)

It was hard to be in the grocery store every 3-4 days.

It was hard to have to cook every.single.day and every.single.meal from scratch.

It was hard on our social life. The past long weekend we weren't very busy at all. Partly because we didn't want to book it up with BBQs and having to face one temptation after another.

It was hard to bake and not have a single lick of the beater...or the spoon...or from the bowl. Do you *know* how yummy cookie dough is?! Do you KNOW how YUMMY a fresh and warm homemade chocolate cookie is?!?!?

 

But, it wasn't all hard. It was also amazing!

It was amazing to come face to face with foods that we could actually have, foods that have been around all this time for us to eat!

It was amazing to fight through each temptation and challenge, succeeding!

It was amazing to see how blessed we were with such an abundance of healthy food at our fingertips.

It was amazing to see the changes in our bodies as the days went by.

It was amazing to see how fast a week goes by.

It was amazing to see how long an evening can feel when you can't eat anything.

It was amazing to work together as a team, tackling each and every day.

So, the review? Yup, it's hard, don't fool yourselves. But it is also amazing!

Now as for the results.

Nathan's results:

• lost 8 pounds
• the whites of his eyes have never been whiter or brighter
• lots of energy
• proud of himself for achieving the goal of eating like this for 30 days
• feels great about himself

My results:

• lost 5 pounds
• face is clearer
• sleep at night is waaaaayyyy better
• more energy
• no bloating (flatulence was at an all-time low......pretty much non-existent)
• proud of myself for actually doing this, the cooking, the shopping etc.

We have been off of this now for 3 days. We are loving the lack of rigidity of it all but are still pretty much eating the same as we have been the last 30 days. Because I did this for 30 days, my instinct is there to pack a lunch, including healthy snacks, as opposed to slapping a sandwich together with peanut butter (that's a "healthy" protein, right?! HA), with a container of greek yogurt (15 grams of sugar, people!!!) and a granola bar......what? It's got dark chocolate on it. That's the "good" chocolate, no?

Actually, what's really been neat is that all that stuff we've been craving for 30 days? Yeah, now that we are allowed to have it, we don't want it!! Murphy's Law, eh?! But seriously, the first thing we ate that was off limits before was that homemade chocolate chip cookie we were drooling over a few days earlier. It was rather a letdown - not nearly as tasty as our minds had made them out to be.

Are we glad we did it? Yup! I am!! It felt good to be given a challenge, meet it head on and successfully complete it.

But if you ask Nathan if he would do it again, his response is: I will never, ever do this in my life again.

We shall see, we shall see.

Me? Well, I would do it again.....but for now I am enjoying not having to live in a grocery store for awhile. And I better wait until my debit card has some time to cool down. :)

So How's that Whole 30 Thing Going Anyway?!

So, if you were a betting person (which I really hope you are not).....what would you wager that our Whole 30 turned into a Whole 10? Let me give you a little peek into my week last week: Nathan was at a two-day trade show (i.e. lots of chocolates, candies etc. everywhere), we celebrated Mother's Day with both sides of the families, and then I ended up teaching Gr. 7 a few days, plus was my regular E.A. on the other days, and Nathan and I skipped out of town for two nights to do a bit of relaxing.

Now, knowing those details, that amongst other things, I was crazy-busy PLUS we went on a mini-vacay, I'll ask you again: what would you bet that our clean eating for 30 days turned into clean eating for 10 days?

Well, believe it or not, I learned last week that it *is* possible to have family celebrations, teach 29 fun-loving tweens (albeit stinky at times :o) ) AND eat out for a couple of days and stay on Whole 30!!!

That's right, our Whole 30 is still in full force. In fact, we are just completing Day 16. We are halfway through! I accept your applause graciously :o)

Oh, don't get me wrong. There were (and continue to be) some very, very hard moments, where the temptations to grab some crackers, or a handful of chocolate chips (to, you know, clean my palette), enjoy a sip of milk or a chunk of cheese have left us salivating to the point we almost need to wear bibs, but through each and every temptation, we fought and are fighting through it! Barely at times, but we're doing it!

Although we've had our tough moments, we most certainly have been enjoying some very yummy meals, thanks again to my friend's sister who set this all up. Mmmmmm, we have not been disappointed! The flavours are amazing and I am really enjoying cooking all these new recipes. Here, let me show you some of the meals. Pictures of food aren't always appealing so you'll have to take my word for it - it is very delicious!

We've been enjoying for breakfast some Sweet Potato (with seasonings) topped with hamburger:

If I am not making the potato hash stuff, I am making omelettes (or just fried eggs etc.)

For lunches, we either finish off the leftovers from the night before, or have salads, or have tuna on salad leaves:

Despite teaching so many days last week, I was shown that I don't need to grab a pizza from the freezer, or do a "convenient" meal. The suppers on this Whole 30 are easy to make and result in some very tasty meals. Some of our dinners have been Spicy Almond Pork - scrumptious!!!

So, I mentioned that Nathan and I went away for a few days and still managed to stay on Whole 30. How, you ask? Well, we just let the waitress know our "needs" and we learned that there are some very tasty things on the menu that we would never have chosen if we weren't doing Whole 30.

Our first night we enjoyed shrimp and steak at this place.....a place you don't go to too often due to the impact on the pocketbook.

 We just asked them to hold the bread, and asked to have extra vegetables (sauteed in oil rather than butter) instead of the potato or rice. Yes, we can have potato, but how tasty would a baked potato be without cheese, butter, sour cream and bacon bits?! Yeah, not very tasty. So we passed on the potato. Our meal did not leave us disappointed!!

 

Our next supper out was also incredibly good, thanks to the cooks and great waitress here:

Again, we asked them to keep the "complimentary" bread in the kitchen (we did mourn it, but got over it quickly :o) ). We ordered a salad with avocado, pine nuts, tomotoes and sauteed mushrooms. Due to the avocado spread throughout, there was no need for dressing. No picture as we gobbled it up so quickly!

Then we ordered a pistachio crusted salmon, again asking for more veggies instead of rice or potato. Are you drooling yet?!

For breakfasts out, we had omelettes and lots of fruit. We ate breakfast late, which meant we didn't need a big lunch. I had taken a little cooler of fruits, veggies and nuts for us to munch on during the day.

Overall, we were so proud of ourselves for sticking to it and recognized actually how easy it was to order "special". We were not lacking for anything. Well, maybe a dessert, but still, we survived :o)

As for what we did for the family gatherings, we just brought our own food (leftovers from the week before). We really didn't feel bad or "embarrassed" as really, all we are doing is eating only real food. How can people make you feel guilty for that?! Well, they can.....but I must say, our families were receptive.

If we managed to tackle what last week all involved, we can DO this for 14 more days!! But honestly, we can't wait for the 15th day from now as well. :o)

PS. And yes, our kids are eating all the same dinners as us and are also loving it! That makes it easier as well.

PSS. or is it PPS.? Anyway, you honestly thought my blog was quiet due to the fact that I just had no energy to update, didn't you?! I mean, no refined sugars, grains or dairy? The thought of us wasting away and no longer breathing even crossed your mind, didn't it? Well, shame on you! :o) We are alive and well, enjoying some results already - more energy, clearer skin and a overall great feeling!

We Started What?!

What is this? April is behind us?! How did that happen??

It is so cliche to say but time truly does fly by. May started with a bang though. We have jumped onto the Whole30 bandwagon. What this means is that for 30 days, we are not eating any refined sugars, grains or dairy. Not even a lick off the knife from making the kids a jam sandwich! Nope, nada, nothing that falls into any of those three categories.

We heard about this plan a few months ago and then I ended up talking to a friend last Saturday night about it. Her and her husband were almost done the Whole 30 with great results, and I am not talking weight loss results (although that may be a result if it's necessary). I am talking about much better sleeping, much better skin, more energy, steady moods etc.

I came home that night and told Nathan about it and he says, "We are starting tomorrow. Something needs to change for me. But I'll only do this if you do this with me."

And so we started and today is Day 6 of no refined sugars, grains or dairy.

I can already hear you wondering - so what DO you eat then??

Eggs, meat, eggs, nuts, fish, eggs, lots of fruit and even more veggies, eggs, and well, eggs. What we like about this "fad" is that it brings us completely back to whole foods....meaning, real food. No process stuff at all! We live in a culture where processed food is all around us....food that is filled with preservatives and chemicals to increase shelf life. Sugar is in everything! Even in bacon!!

The marketing out there is so good that we are convinced that if it has the health check mark on the box, well, we must be eating healthy, right?!

Oh how we are so easily fooled. Since starting this, we are learning to read labels/ingredients on everything and knowing what to look out for......so much so that I caught myself in the shower grabbing the shaving cream, turning it to read the label to see if we can eat it ;o)

So we are spending the next 30 days (or 24...but really, who's counting?! :o) ) cleaning out our bodies of all the junk we have put in it, and at the same time learn to reach for the vegetable or fruit instead of the granola bar. We are learning how controlling food is in our lives by going through true withdrawals - headaches and grumpiness etc.

Thankfully the friend that was just completing this has a sister who made a 30 day menu, 3 meals a day, plus a shopping list for each week. If she hadn't done that, I don't think I could have done it. Actually, it would never have started for us. What she has done is amazing and so, so helpful. I am very grateful.

Now that our fridge is stalked, let me tell you, we are eating like royalty!

Salmon with chopped pecans, rosemary and salt, anyone?

How about some spaghetti squash chicken alfredo with a cashew sauce?

Or a yummy breakfast of sweet potatoes and hamburger with lots of spices?

Yes, it does come at a cost. Eating healthy isn't always cheap, especially when you need to use this. I won't tell you what each jar cost :S

But believe me when I say that what we are eating tastes amazing! I am learning about what spices work together and the food is just so full of flavour. I've always loved to cook and, if I can say, my food is usually quite tasty. So it's been fun to push myself even more, working with spices that I've never worked with before.

Has it been hard? Ummmmm, yes. For sure. Part of this also is we are not allowed to step on a weigh scale the whole month - that also has been hard to follow! This program is about learning your body by listening to it, not by using a scale to determine your health.

So yes, the last 6 days have been quite the adjustment....but it's certainly been eye-opening. Here's to 24 more days and then we can introduce sugars, grains and dairy slowly back into our bodies, staying in tuned as to how it affects us - moods, bloating, weight gain, lethargic, wanting more of it.....that's what sugar does, eh? You eat it and it makes you want more.

But hey, for 30 days? It's worth it - we've been given one chance with the body created by God. It is His temple. So really, it is time we treat it with respect by feeding it properly. Yes, we are firm believers of everything in moderation, but by starting this we have learned that we really weren't doing everything in moderation. So it is time to reset our bodies and learn what true moderation will look like once we are done resetting!

Please don't take this as "preaching" and "you should do this, too!" While we are on the bandwagon, we do not think everyone should be on with us. We will not "force" this on anyone. We will answer questions and talk about it, but we will never make anyone guilty for the food they are eating.  You have to be ready to do something drastic like this. It took us years! But with one of us struggling with yo-yoing weight and the other with yo-yoing moods, we felt it was time to take 30 days to reflect on what we are putting into our bodies and the affect it has on us.

The White Stuff

So how was your weekend? As snowy as ours?! Probably if you live anywhere that this big blue blob of a storm traveled:

Early Saturday morning, we welcomed our first snowstorm of the winter season. Wait - isn't Fall still here? You are correct. Winter doesn't officially start until next Saturday, but hey, we'll take the white stuff for now.

By the time the storm was done, it left us with 30 centimeters of snow. That is a foot!! For some of you that may be nothing, and for others, that would be hard to imagine. By the time it was done 24 hours later, everything was covered with a beautiful white blanket of snow.

Like many cars in the area, Lincoln's was no different: snowed in.

We were able to get out late Saturday afternoon to enjoy a gift exchange with some good friends (pictures of this, as well as an explanation as to why and how we got home safely later that night, car-less, next time).

Nathan was busy throughout the storm, helping out his guys wherever he could. I was home for most of the storm, thinking about all of the workers out there, plowing and shoveling. It was a big storm but thankfully the snow was light and fluffy. So plowing/shoveling it was "easy" (I use that term carefully as I can't imagine shoveling snow for hours on end), easy in the fact that it could be pushed. Hard though in the fact that when you plow condominium sites, there isn't a whole lot of room to put the snow. While all of them were out there, sweating away and working, I was busy inside making 2 big pans of chili, another crock pot of spaghetti, and a whole lot of cookies, to feed these hungry workers when they get back after such exhausting work, which must have been enjoyed because hardly anything was left!

While I as busy baking and cooking, someone did spend sometime outside to enjoy all this snow!

Not only did Nathan plow for a few hours to help out, he also did some shoveling, shoveling one of the most important paths ever....the path to our hot tub :o)

And so we now wake up to such a beautiful scene. I can't wait until the sun shines again. Then it'll just be so gorgeous! It just baffles me how much snow is out there when I think of how it takes one snowflake at a time to land on the ground. It also never ceases to amaze me that every. single. snowflake. out there is different from one another. Our Awesome Creator did it again....showing His almighty creativity and power.

"He spreads the snow like wool and scatters the frost like ashes." Psalm 147: 16

Butternut Squash Soup recipe

Some have asked for "my" Butternut Squash soup recipe. I found the recipe a few years ago in a flyer. I cut it out and after a number of uses, I can hardly read it due to the drips and drops of cooking. So it's good to write it out so I will always have it.

I always saw these uniquely formed vegetable in the grocery store but never felt exotic enough to buy one. I was actually scared of them!! Scared? Yes!  Every recipe I found to use it made mention of cutting and peeling the butternut squash first. Have you ever tried to cut a butternut squash, let alone peel one?? Those things are ROCK hard!! Good 'ole Google told me a quick easy trick of how to accomplish that task. Since then, I have bought these things by the armloads!

So here's the recipe in pictures:

Ingredients:
1 Butternut Squash, peeled, de-seeded, chopped (don't worry, I'll share the trick I learned in a minute)
1 can of Evaporated Milk
1 onion, chopped
1 potato, peeled and chopped
2 TBSP of butter
3 cups of Chicken or Vegetable Broth
1 clove of garlic, sliced
1 TBSP of brown sugar
Salt and Pepper to taste.

Here's the trick to peel and cut through a butternut squash: You add it to a large pot of boiling water and let it boil for 5 minutes or more:

While it is boiling, chop the onion and potato:

Once the 5 minutes is up, let the butternut squash cool a minute or two and then peel, de-seed and chop:

Empty large pot from water and add butter:

Once butter is melted (medium-high heat), add the onion, potato and chopped squash:

Cook the above for 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally until it turns a bit brown (like roasted potatoes. Mind you, I hardly waited until they turned brown. Once 10 minutes was up, I moved on). Add garlic and stir for 1 minute longer. Then lower the heat to medium and add the chicken broth. Low boil it for 20-30 minutes or until the squash is soft:

Add brown sugar, salt, pepper and evaporated milk, stirring occasionally for 10 minutes longer on medium-low heat:

Ohhhhh, can't you just smell it??! No??! Scratch your screen then and sniff. I am sure you'll be able to smell it :o)

After the 10 minutes is up, ladle the soup into a blender and puree until smooth:

(if you don't have a blender, just mash it with a potato masher. It'll be just as good, just chunkier).

Serve in a big bowl with a dollop of sour cream (or without):

And in our house, if something tastes good, we are allowed to lick the bowl clean!! For your sake, I used my finger :o)

So all said and done, it'll take about an hour to make this soup, but that includes the 20-30 minutes of where it is just low boiling so you can do some other things.

But if you have a 3 year old and a 9 month old, do count on it taking at least 3 hours. I am sure if I didn't have to put one to bed, clean another's nose (wash hands), help with a toy, give some aid in the bathroom (wash hands), wake up baby, change diaper (wash hands), feed baby a bottle, and whatever else, I would easily have made this soup in under an hour. But it is SOOOO worth it because it is scrumptious and gets you in the Autumn mood, with the added bonus of your house smelling oh so yummy! So go! Try it!! And let me know if you've changed anything to improve on this recipe!