Whole30: Day 4

Bear has been having a rough go, so I’ve been slightly stressed out today.  We’re also starting to experience the effects of the hurricane.  Here’s hoping to keeping our power!

 

Breakfast:  Smoothies and a few nuts.

Snack:  I had like 3 almonds.  I was on a crazy cooking and dishwashing adventure to get a lot finished incase we lose power.

Lunch:  I ate WAY too late.  I was famished.  I ate 2 eggs and a handful of mixed nuts.

Dinner:  Salad (mushrooms, tomatoes, green onion, etc) with balsamic vinagrette

 

I also managed to exercise.  After we put Bear down for a nap (Hubs was home today because of the hurricane, his work closed) I put in a DVD workout and went to town.  I was hot and sweaty, but I made it through the whole thing!!! I think that’s pretty impressive for me considering I had a baby 4 months ago and I haven’t done a thing in the way of exercise in about 6 months.  Outside of lifting a chunky baby.

 

As for how I feel, I’ve got a LOT of energy.  Hubs is noting that he has a ton too.  He used to get REALLY tired and need to take a nap, but now he says he’s not even sure he could take a nap.  TMI: He’s also noticed a huge decrease in his gas and his breath is much better.  He’s also starting to get THE COLD.  Monkey and I are on the mend, Bear is in the thick of it and Hubs is just starting to get it. 

 

I never really experienced any of the headaches that usually goes along with a huge diet change.  Maybe it’s because I was gluten-free before so my body was used to not having a lot of grains.  I haven’t really experienced a ton of cravings.  I’ve had some mild fleeting ones, where I think “mmm…gummi bears” but they it passes.

Whole30: Day 3

 

Breakfast:  Maybe 5 almonds while I got Bear his medicine just to get my metabolism going.  About an hour later I made Hubs and I smoothies… YUM!  I used 2 oranges, 1 frozen banana, 1/2 avocado, frozen strawberries, blueberries and raspberries and a handful of spinach.  However, if we’re going to keep this diet up I’m not sure my blender will be able to make it.

I also made a 2nd batch and froze them so we could thaw them out and have them anytime.

Snack:  mixed nuts on my way to the store

Lunch:  2 eggs

Dinner:  bison steak with horseradish, mashed cauliflower with garlic, horseradish and parsley.  Hubs also finished up the mashed butternut squash from last night.

Dessert:  Banana Cinnamon Nutmeg Ice Cream…Yummy!!!!

Snack:  I was so hungry and so was Hubs.  I didn’t have much dinner so we had a Gala apple with Almond Butter.

Today went really well except the evening hunger.  We’re still getting prepped for Hurricane Sandy but all is going well. 

I am planning to start exercising but I’m still fighting off this cold and tonight I felt pretty crummy.

Bear is having a tough week.  Lots of head slamming and I just cannot keep calm.  It’s really getting me frustrated.  I’m getting to the point of “Why are we bothering with all this therapy every week if he’s just going to slam his head into the floor, wall, door, crib rails, toys, etc?  He could do that on his own without 8 hours of therapy.”

Whole30: Day 2

Day 2 started off much better. I was able to get a full night of sleep and while I’m still sick, my throat didn’t feel like I swallowed a flaming match.

Breakfast:  Frittata
Snack:  nuts and a banana
Lunch:  Sweet Potato Fries with avocado dip
Dinner:  Grilled Chicken, broccoli and mashed butternut squash (I added lemon dressing and arugula to my plate)

Tonight we didn’t end our day with anything sweet!  Victory 1!!!

Today was tough though.  We’re getting ready for Sandy the Superstorm so we spent hours at the grocery store and Target.  I had to buy fruit snacks and juice for my Mom and pick up stuff for Bear, formula for Monkey and some stuff for us incase we lose power.  I also managed to find Almond Butter and Macadamia Butter.  I found it plenty of places but it all had cane sugar in it.  We found this awesome health food store a few towns over (right by where I take Bear for sign language class) and they had a GREAT assortment.

I am overwhelmed at the thought of keeping up this diet without any power.  Not sure why, it should be easy.  But perhaps because I’m just not used to it.  I did pick us up a box of Luna Bars just incase we need them.  I cannot stand them.  They have such a strange texture being based off of dates and I just do not like the flavor. But I figured, if I'm starving I'll eat them.

I did have cravings at the store today when we walked past the Gummy Bears.  But I just kept going.  It seems while I still have a ton of cravings they’re not hitting with any intensity and if I just keep going or think about something else they pass. 

I have felt strange today.  I’m not hungry but I feel strangely light-headed at times.  It seems my body is still re-learning how to use protein for energy instead of sugar and carbs.

But overall today was a good day.

Whole30: Day 1

Welp…It was a lot harder than I anticipated.  And not for the “OH MY GOSH THERE IS A JAR OF NUTELLA IN THERE” reasons.

More like the, I’m fighting a nasty cold and had such a sore throat ALL day reason.  My brother had a cold can of ginger ale and all I could think of was the cold syrupy drink and how soothing it is on the way down.

Or just a darn cough drop. 

Bear and Monkey had a rough night.  I think Hubs and I both only got about 2 hours of broken sleep.  I needed caffeine so badly, but I HATE HATE HATE the taste of coffee.

I usually drink it mixed 50/50 with flavored coffee creamer.  So the thought of drinking it black or with just coconut milk was enough to turn my stomach.  I did end up having a cup of hot tea around 3PM to help soothe my throat.  It helped until  I sneezed.  My throat is on fire.

Hopefully, tonight I’ll get more sleep and start beating this cold.

Onto the rest of the program.

I have had no headaches or cravings for sugar, but I don’t usually everyday. For me that random and intense.  I can’t just have a teensy bit of Nutella every day and be okay, for me it’s 1 or 2 times a month I want to eat half the jar.

Today’s food is as follows:
Breakfast:  Frittata with Mushrooms, Onion, Red Bell Pepper, Ground Turkey, Tarragon and Parsley, 2/3 of Bear’s Banana
Snack:  Almonds on the way out the door to Bear’s sign language class
Lunch:  Chili (I made this recipe up, but I have a few improvements before I post it)
Snack:  Apple
Dinner:  Chicken Limone (chicken, arugula, mushrooms, brussel sprouts and lemon dressing)
Dessert:  Strawberries

At the end of the day I feel less bloated.  Hubs even noticed it compared to how I looked last night.  I thought eating all this fiber would give me a stomach ache but I haven’t felt one at all.  For now I’m trying to end the day with something sweet to kind of give me that dessert feel but I may try eliminating it in a few days. 

Tomorrow I’m excited to make smoothies and try some other produce I bought.

Whole30: Chicken Limone

This came out even better than I imagined.  However, word of warning…I LOVE lemon.

Basically, this is chicken, sautéed mushrooms and Brussel sprouts served over arugula, covered in a lemon vinaigrette.
INGREDIENTS
Precooked chicken breast
3-4 oz. white mushrooms
1/2 cup olive oil
1 lemon
Arugula
Salt
Fresh or frozen brussel sprouts


First I sliced up 1/2 of a 6.5 oz. pack of white mushrooms.
I added them to a hot fry pan with 2 Tbsp. Olive Oil.

While mushrooms are sautéing, prep your brussel sprouts.  I used fresh ones and washed them and then chopped off the ends.  (You can also use frozen ones, or the ones that come in steamer bags for more convenience.)

Place in steamer basket in 3/4” of water in a sauce pot.  Cover and steam for about 15 minutes.

Make sure to keep stirring the mushrooms occasionally to make sure they cook evenly.
Using a zester, zest the lemon.  I’m not a great zester so I showed a finished picture of how much I took off.  Make sure only to take the yellow part of skin and not the white bitter rind.

At this point, my mushrooms were finished.  I took them off the burner and let them sit.

I juiced and strained the whole lemon.

Combine zest, lemon juice, a pinch of salt and 1/2 cup of olive oil in mixing bowl and whisk well.  It will make this creamy yellow dressing.

I used a precooked chicken breast, I sliced it long ways to make it thin because I baked it in the toaster oven.

Put a nice handful of fresh arugula on a plate.

Top with chicken strips, sautéed mushrooms and spread brussel sprouts around.  Drizzle with lemon dressing.


RESULTS:
Fantastic.  Even if after the 30 days we went back to our old eating habits, I would still make this.  The lemon dressing is fantastic. 

Other Options:
If you wanted to add more variety of color you could add tomatoes to this.  I was planning on adding grape tomatoes but didn’t have any.
If you’re unsure of brussel sprouts either try a different veggie or be experimental.  Use half the brussel sprouts and precook them.  Allow them to cool.  Cut them into quarters, and spread the leaves off the stems. This will pull all the leaves apart of the brussel sprouts and you can mix it in with the arugula.  Arugula has such a strong taste that you would never notice a few cabbage leaves in there. 

Whole30 to a whole new me!

Have you heard of Whole30?  I hadn’t. 

It’s basically a 30 day pledge to eat clean.  What’s clean you ask? 

No sugar, no beans, no imitation sugar, no grains and no dairy.

That’s a lot to lose, but I’m trying to focus on what I’ll gain.

I’m hoping to gain a lot from this program:
A better relationship with food
A new clothing size
A healthier appearance
More self esteem
More energy
More years on my life

Even though I’ve been gluten-free my postpartum weight loss has stopped.  I’m 15 lbs under my prepregnancy weight, which is fine and dandy except I’m still 35 lbs over my prepregnancy weight with Bear.  (Maybe if I had the stomachs of my boys and threw up half of everything I eat, that could change, or not.)

I’m still addicted to gluten-free junk food (Can we say NUTELLA?)

Isn’t the first step to fighting an addiction, to acknowledge it?  Well, here I am.  I’m going to just come out and say it.  I love all things junk, especially gluten-free ones. 

Ice cream, Cool Ranch Doritos, Nutella, Peanut Butter, Nutella, Nutella on Ice Cream….and so on.

I’m a little nervous about the first week of clean eating (although usually the first week of any life improvement is easy, it’s the sustaining that I struggle with).  So I way overspent on groceries, part in fear, and part in motivation to do this the right way.

I spent $160 on groceries, for one week of clean eating.  But, I think I can make it stretch further.  We got 2 huge Butternut Squash, a large Spaghetti Squash, 5 large yams, 2 quarts of strawberries, a pint of blackberries, 8 avocados, 2 packs of arugula, spinach, red peppers, Gala apples, bananas, almonds, walnuts, pecans, sunflower seeds, and a bunch of frozen fruits and veggies from Trader Joe’s and the farmer’s market. 

And a bunch of other stuff, including my favorite….BRUSSEL SPROUTS.

I know, how can someone addicted to Nutella also love Brussel Sprouts.  But I truly love those little cabbages, always have.  Even as a kid in elementary school, but I was too afraid to voice my loner opinion.

I’m hoping to journal my 30 day journey (and include some pictures and recipes) for a realistic look at whether this diet change is the right one.

And don’t worry, Hubs is doing it right along side me.   I also plan (for personal possession to take pictures of us to compare before and after to see if there really is a difference).

Bear will not be joining unless I make this a permanent change.  He struggles so much with the oral motor skills of eating and is so skinny that I can’t jeopardize his calorie intake.

TOMORROW IS DAY ONE!!!

Sometimes you can’t pick up where you left off.

Recently Hubs, Bear, Monkey and I moved back to my hometown.  After receiving Monkey’s diagnosis we just knew we needed more daily support.

 

It was the right move for us, but I do miss our home in the Midwest.  I miss our friends and the location.  But we’re back home and we have our high school and college friends back and family just on the other side of the door.

 

Tonight we decided to have an inaugural dinner with friends to celebrate our homecoming (and my belated birthday).  I was excited.  There was an energy in our kitchen as I prepared a home-cooked meal.  There was a constant buzz in the air as we set up the table and chairs, made some orange iced tea, and readied ourselves. 

 

Dinner was great, food was tasty and conversation was lusciously flowing.  And then dinner and dessert were over and another group of friends joined us.  Soon we traded the table and chairs for comfy couches and recliners.  We mixed up and sat next to people we hadn’t seen in months.  I kept checking on Bear and Monkey (who were graciously being babysat by Grandma and Granddad next door).  I sat in this circle of friends and tried to take it in.  I tried to feel the camaraderie that I once had with all of them.  Sure, I laughed at the funny tales we had of old teachers, or the silly stunts that we all once took part in. 

 

And then one friend said it.  The R word.  Retarded.  Then he said it a second time and I told him that he better lose that word in this house.  Then another friend said it.

 

My heart literally shattered.  I looked at their faces differently than I once had.  Hubs and I had been gone for 5 years.  5 years is a lifetime when you’ve been married, bought and sold 2 houses and had 2 children with special needs before your friends were even married (some still aren’t).

 

The R word is not tolerated in this house.  My children have intellectual disabilities.  They are legitimately, medically retarded.  I will not let them live their daily lives pushing themselves as hard as they can to accomplish all they can just to have someone demean it.  Using the word retarded to describe an action or someone else is making my children second class citizens.  You are instantly writing them into the category of “less than good”.  It makes them into invaluable members of society. 

 

In the past 2 years my life has taken a drastically different turn.  I became much more devoted to my faith and I gave birth to my first son.  My first son, who happens to be intellectually and physically disabled.  It forced me to focus on love and what my son is truly about. I can scream to the world about his milestones and I can cry into his shoulder because he pulled up to stand.  I have a bond with him that lets me know when he’s hungry, thirsty or just needs snuggles because he has no ability to communicate with us.  It’s forced me to slow down and try to stop time.  We spent so much time in and out of hospitals that first year of Bear’s life that all time spent at home was sipped.  I didn’t dare try to take to big of a drink for fear that it would make time go by too quickly. 

 

And then Monkey joined us.  With the same challenges as Bear.  Thankfully, with Bear’s diagnosis in hand it saved us from a lot of hospital time with Monkey and he doesn’t have the same feeding challenges as Bear did.  However, I still relish in everything about it.  I trace every fat roll with my fingers and try to memorize them.  I try to burn into my brain how he fits in my arm.  I close my eyes and envision his big juicy cheeks jiggling in the carseat when he falls asleep.   I try to forget how stiff his arms are, or how fisted his hands are or that he’s not yet rolling over or grabbing toys.  I’m mentally recording his baby giggles and I wish I could bottle that sensation I get when his whole face lights up with his big baby grin.

 

I see others and I don’t see their shortcomings.  I don’t care if the grocery store clerk is slow to check my items out.  I don’t care if the waitress gets my order wrong.  Maybe that’s the fast the clerk can go, or maybe it’s the first job s/he held.  Maybe they have their own physical or mental challenges.  Maybe the waitress had a bad day.  Maybe her baby is home sick, or in daycare, or in the NICU and she’s just managing to keep it together.  I’ve been there.  I am there.  Bear works so hard on a daily basis just to do what comes so naturally to others.  I know he will never be as fast, as smart, or as physically skilled as a typical child.  While it’s AMAZING to me that he’s pulling up to stand, most people just ask when he’s going to walk.  They don’t see what he has accomplished, only what he is lacking.  But who he is, is the best Bear he can be.  And that is enough for me.

 

And this house, this house is retard free.