Whole30 - Day 9: A Reason for Farmer's Market?

I bought a package of chicken thighs as the commissary and was very excited to roll it in coconut flour and spices...until I saw this. One fourth of the package was fat! They had folded the fat under and had the beautiful meat showing through the top of the package. Talk about irritating! I won't buy that again. It all got me to thinking about farmer's markets and fresh meats. I'm going to have to check out Eastern Market in Washington, DC. They are supposed to have incredible foods. It's gotta be better than this. I don't think I could put myself through this again.

Whole30 - Day 7: Breakfast is My Favorite Meal

Breakfast has become my favorite meal of the day. I think it's quickly becoming that was for my family too. I've been shaking up our boring breakfast routine with some different scrambles.

This has become the favorite...Cabbage and Hot Sausage Scramble.

I saute cabbage, onion, and fresh sliced garlic in coconut or olive oil, toss in my browned homemade hot sausage, pour in my eggs, and it's instant gratification! Arie loves this for breakfast!

Whole30 - Day 5: Chicken Enchilada

After the success of the coconut torillas, and with extra roasted chicken on hand, I decided to try my hand at an egg crepe. Again, it was super easy with my flat, round skillet. I just beat the egg, spread it around, and waited for the sides to spring loose before flipping and calling it good. I stuffed the egg with sauteed chicken, peppers, and onion, in cumin, salt, and black pepper. A little avocado and fresh tomatoes on the side and my mouth was happy. This was a meal I felt really good about. In addition to going to the gym on a more regular basis, the food has been tasting good and I'm not really noticing much of a sweet tooth today.

Whole30 - Day 3: Coconut Tortillas

Today is day 3 of my Whole30 and so far, so good. I've managed to avoid: grains, legumes, dairy, sugar, and alcohol. It's been a little bit of a challenge since I'm not using bread, rice, pasta, or potatoes. Initially, I struggled with how to take up space on my plate. It wasn't until I removed those things that I realized how central they had become to my meals. What in the world do you do for lunch without sandwich bread? Don't make sandwiches. Hm, that was a novel idea! I'm learning as I go.

Since my guys are accustomed to eating their food wrapped in bread or tortillas, I found a recipe for coconut tortillas and tried it out. It was the easiest thing in the world to make: coconut flour, baking powder, eggs, and water. Voila! I had a wrapper to hold the pulled chicken from last night. We wound up with seasoned pulled chicken, avocado, pear tomatoes, and raw salsa. It was pretty yummy. Here's a photo. Next time I will put spices in the tortilla mix to give it more flavor. Everyone seemed to like them, especially the carb-addicted kids. :)

Whole30 - Day 1: First Cup of Black Coffee

Coffee is one of those things that calms me. Historically, since Arie and I came back from our honeymoon thirteen years ago, we've been coffee drinkers. It truly wasn't until having coffee in Europe that we realized how good it could be. American coffee had always tasted like dirty dish water. We were hooked and have had at least one cup nearly daily ever since. We have spent many nights curled up watching a riveting movie, playing full-contact Risk, or reading a good book, all with our cup of joe. With these bits of knowledge then, one would understand that I'm a little attached to my daily grind. We even still drink from the same cups we bought on our honeymoon...awe.

So here I am, blogging this morning about my first cup of black coffee. To say I drank my coffee would be a bit of an overstatement. It was more like a sip, followed by wincing facial pain, over and over and over. Honestly, I didn't like it at all. Where was the long-held emotional connection? If I can't find an appreciation for it without cream and sugar, then I'm going to have to stop drinking it during the next month. I'm sorry coffee, no offense, but without the condiments you're just another cup of hot bitterness. :( I already miss you horribly, but I will not cave and put that stuff in my coffee for thirty days! It might wind up being one of the hardest things I've ever done, but I'm determined not to put sugar in my mouth for the "Whole30" days. :)

Paleo Primer: Time for a Cool Change

It’s been too long since I’ve written on my blog, but, “It’s time for a cool change.”  Since January 2, I’ve been slowly wading through the food in my house, taking stock of the contents of my fridge, pantry, and cabinets.  Nothing has been sacred – even my spices have been gone through with a fine tooth comb, meaning I have read every label to finally see exactly what I’m putting in my mouth.  I’m weary of consuming food that have high fructose corn syrup, caramel color, MSG, and host of other horrid additives that have been show to cause cancer in lab mice.  Why do I have to eat that way?  The short answer: I don’t and now, I won’t.

Here is my refrigerator door before I cleared out all the junk.   

 

Here is what it looked like after…

 

It was shocking to see what all I had in my fridge!  Make no mistake about it, my pantry was just as bad.  The spice cabinet was actually an after-thought, but turned out to have all sorts of sugar, MSG, and soy.  Now it too has had a makeover.

It feels really good to be committed to reclaiming my nutrition.  I’ve talked a good talk before, but walking the walk is another animal entirely.  Starting tomorrow, and for the next thirty days, I’m going to eradicate grains, dairy, and sugar from my menu.  It’s important to see what these things are doing to me, especially since auto-immunity is an issue in my family.  Over the next month, I will document not only what I eat, but any changes I experience in my body.  The goal is not weight loss (although that’ll be a bonus), but I will be weighing and taping my measurements tomorrow morning before putting the scale and tape measure away for the whole month.  I’ll make sure and post how it turns out.

Just so you know, I began this whole thing as a result of a nutrition challenge that was put out by our fitness center.  I will be following the Whole30 plan, which can be found on www.whole9life.com. 

An Evening to Remember

 

My son is a Boy Scout and is therefore called to live by the Boy Scout Law, which states:

“A Scout is:

• Trustworthy,
• Loyal,
• Helpful,
• Friendly,
• Courteous,
• Kind,
• Obedient,
• Cheerful,
• Thrifty,
• Brave,
• Clean,
• and Reverent.”

It is important to us to provide opportunities for him to exercise these virtues and to bear witness to and praise him when he embodies them in his life.  Last night I was present for a beautiful moment where he identified with one of these virtues for the first time.

We participated in a flag retiring ceremony with his scout troop.  The evening was cool as the crowd of boys and adults alike circled the fire.  With the troop band striking a patriotic tone, the scene was set for a solemn observance.  The senior scouts began to describe in detail the meaning behind each aspect of the American flag, including the colors: 

• Red symbolizes Hardiness and Valor.
• White symbolizes Purity and Innocence.
• Blue represents Vigilance, Perseverance and Justice.

With the boys holding a large flag stretched flat, one boy cut away the blue field of stars, saying it would be kept intact signifying the unity of our fifty states.  As the scout then separated each stripe from the flag, another read aloud historic details of each of the original thirteen colonies.  Upon completing each reading, yet another scout would step over to the fire, drop the stripe into the flames and render a scout salute.  Once all the stripes were likewise burned, the blue field of stars was laid across the top of the fire.  As the flames began to consume the cloth, the stars let off a slight glow.

Once the flag was completely consumed, all were invited to participate.  Many flags were being retired after being flown to tatters and we lined up to place our piece of the flags into the fire.  We were asked to pause for respect and reflection upon dropping our piece into the flames.  In those moments, I captured the following photo of my son.

His look was serious, his salute poised.  Something was obviously stirring in his mind.  As he stepped near me, I could see his eyes were moist.  I asked him if anything was wrong, to which he replied, “I don’t know.”  He continued to stare at the fire, watching others in a slow procession.  Then I asked, “Are you feeling quiet?”  He gave me a nod and I asked, “Are you feeling patriotic?”  “Yes,” he replied.  I put my arm around his shoulder and told him, “I think what you’re feeling is reverence.  It’s part of the Boy Scout Law.”  I used my phone to look up the word and handed it over to him.  After reading the definition, he acknowledged that was exactly what he was feeling.

I’m blessed to have been present for that singular moment in his life when being an American came to mean more to him than simple birthright.  It is an evening neither of us will ever forget.

Little Moments that Steal the Heart

I've recently had a string of days that were high stress. There were moments I thought my brain would crack if I heard one more screaming toddler. They seemed to come in one constant wave with no reprieve in sight. Calgon was desperately needed in my house. During times like these it's inevitable that one of the kids will do something that makes me pause long enough to see past the noise and insanity to the blessing. Several nights ago, one such pause caught me by surprise and melted my stress away.

My 20 month-old daughter was running around the living room screaming, while her twin brother did the same. They were wound tight and it was close to bed time. To say I was ready for five minutes to myself was a gross understatement. In what for that day seemed a rare moment of silence, they both stopped screaming long enough for me to hear one of the most beautiful sounds I've ever heard - the sound of my daughter's diaper swishing as she ran through the living room. The innocence of that sound penetrated me; it created an instant calm in my heart.  In spite of all the continued noise, I sat in peace and took in the scene unfolding in front of me. 

Moments later, my son came barreling into the living room and launched himself into my arms.  Leaning into me to lay his head on my lap, he wrapped his little arms as far as he could around my hips.  I bent over to lay my head on top of his and soak up all his love I could.  With my ear so close, I was able to hear the squeaking sound of his pacifier as he set about soothing himself in his nightly ritual.

Shortly afterward, the kids were in bed, leaving me with quiet time to reflect.  I know it won’t be long before these days are gone.  Years are going to pass in a flash and I’ll long for this day again.  Days of diapers and pacifiers are so brief, and in lieu of focusing on the stress, I choose instead to keep my eyes and ears trained for moments like these that I can store away in my heart and in my writings, that I might bring them back out one day when the kids are grown.  First, as a reminder of the many times they stole my heart; second, to be grateful to God for giving me the grace while they were little to recognize these moments in the first place.

The Doppler Effect of “No”

A few mornings ago I was sitting on the kitchen floor with my kids having breakfast.  (Suddenly that seems like something I never would have done as a kid myself.)  Yes, we were throwing etiquette out the window to enjoy our oatmeal and blueberries. 

We were all clearly loving every minute of it, as my son rested peacefully in my lap while my daughter danced playfully beside us.  She was somehow excitedly running in place and dancing simultaneously.  Perhaps she’ll be a famous choreographer one day.  Feeding her was quite a challenge since her mouth was a moving target.  With each bite, she would slow down just long enough for me to get the spoon in her mouth, then she’d be off again doing her unique jig.

Our collective euphoria was making for a beautiful morning, when our bliss was suddenly interrupted by the approaching whine of what sounded like a prop plane.  “Nrrrrrrrr…”  We could hear the Doppler effect as the plane flew away from the house.  Following a stunned moment of silence, my 20 month-old daughter ran to the door and peered up at the sky.  With eyes wide and raised eyebrows she looked several times at me and pointed toward the sky.  After a few moments, she returned to my side and as if to explain the whole situation to me, raised her hand into the air.  With a sweeping motion of her hand above her head, she let out, complete with her own fading Doppler effect, a loud, “Noooooooooooooo…”.  I live for memories like those…  

Echolocation

I’ve always said that one of the reasons I married my husband is because he makes me laugh.  Most people don’t readily believe me when I say how funny he is because they haven’t seen the witty side of him.  Thankfully he reserves that part of himself for those he knows and loves best.  It makes me feel very special that he shares it with me.  On occasion, his wit is so sharp that it would be unfair of me not to share it with the world.  Last night was one such occasion…

We had been in the bathroom preparing for bed and chatting.  All the kids were asleep and the lights had been turned off throughout the house.  He stepped out of the bathroom ahead of me and into our bedroom.  He was halfway across our room when I stepped out, shutting off the bathroom light.  As the room went pitch black he said, “I can’t see anything,” to which I chided, “It’s not my fault you’re blind.”  Suddenly a loud fart cut through the darkness, followed by the sound of my husband’s voice, saying, “Oh, I’ll use echolocation!”  We laughed so hard together that I was surprised the kids slept through it!