Whole30 Day 30 - I Made It!!

It's Day 30 of my Whole30 experiment and I am happy to say I not only survived it but am feeling fantastic and optimistic about maintaining most of the habits I picked up over the past month.  My energy is great, my stomach feels great, I'm not hungry all the time, and my sweet tooth seems to have lost its hold on me.  I am really hoping that outcome sticks!  30 days of absolutely no sweeteners, real or artificial, and I gotta admit, even though I'm be "allowed" to eat sweets again tomorrow, it's not the first thing I'll be reaching for.  I'm hoping to save those splurges for special occasions worthy of the splurge.  I absolutely recommend the Whole30 challenge to everyone.  Out of all the eating plans I've tried, it seems to be the easiest to sustain and the healthiest way to recharge your system.  Stick out the first couple weeks and you'll be glad you did.

Our day was pretty ordinary yesterday, but wonderful all the same.  It started out with a typical breakfast these days...

(Eggs, avocaado, sauteed onions, and some roasted red peppers.)

Then, the boys were off for some fun with friends at camp...

I'm pretty sure someone did the coloring for Mason on this one :-)

While they were at camp, I did my usual Tuesday thing starting with Story time.  It was pretty weird to run the show without my little sidekicks.  Our featured stories were...

I just had to do one last week with Tony Mitton and Ant Parker :-)  

My next stop was the gym for some upper body work and some time on the treadmill aka dreadmill...

...it's too darn hot to run outside unless I get out there early.

I ran some errands and before I knew it, it was time to get the boys and head home for lunch...

(Chicken and shrimp curry...leftovers.  Actually even better reheated.)

The rest of our day was pretty lazy and we spent most of our night cuddling on the couch, reading books and playing...

Not a bad way at all to spend the evening.  Oh, and dinner was pretty yummy too...

(Blackened halibut, sweet potato with cinnamon, and some kale salad.)

We all went to bed early and slept in a little longer than usual this morning.  Guess we're all tired.  We got to chat with Mickey and eat breakfast...

(Eggs, broccoli, and avocado.)

...before hitting the road for day 3 of camp.  Colton maintained his rebel status, apparently and refused to color and decorate the bricks...

While the boys did their thing, I hit up the elliptical for a bit before heading to the beach again...

Having my toes in the sand never gets old.  It was a gorgeous morning for the beach.  I made some serious progress in my book this morning.  It's a good one!  I'm excited to see how it turns out.  

I left just in time...it started raining on me on my way to get the boys.  I tried out this yummy bar when my growling stomach called to me in the car...

I can't believe this is the first time I've tried this flavor.  It's my favorite larabar by far.  Check out the simple ingredients...

I might have to try making those myself in my vitamix.  YUM!

With the boys in tow, we headed home for lunch...

Last night my plans to go get wings fell through but I still had wings on the brain so I made some for myself this afternoon.  I just hit them with some salt and pepper, baked them for 45 minutes at 400 degrees, and then added hot sauce mixed with coconut oil and baked them for an additional 10 minutes.  Craving satisfied and whole30 approved!  I actually ended up eat double that amount of broccoli and dipping them in guacamole was a nice alternative to blue cheese...not the same but good nonetheless.    

I hope the weather cooperates and we can get in our bedtime stories story time tonight.  I have some good books to share...

...and a new bubble machine too!!

Time to tackle the rest of my to-do list.  Almost everything is crossed off.  Woo-hoo!!!  Happy Wednesday everyone.

 

Sunday Recharge and A Great Start to the Week

We had a lovely lazy Sunday that left us ready to tackle the week today.  There's something truly wonderful about setting the tone for the week with church and family time on Sundays.  Our pastor gave a great message on being teachable.  He kicked it off with this hysterical video...

I was dying laughing.  He had some real wisdom to share with us about not letting things get in the way of learning.  Some stumbling blocks include...

• always having to be right
• desires that are more important than knowledge...knowing you should do something but choosing not to
• fear of what's outside the box
• being prideful
• being competitive

He reminded us that we need to get rid of our stumbling blocks so that wisdom can be revealed to us through His word, the Holy Spirit, and people of God.  I know I have some areas I can work on and  I love that I left the service feeling inspired rather than defeated.  It's cool how the messages in church have been aligning with my Bible study I've been doing on my own in relation to this fantastic book...

He also presented us with the idea of reading the Proverb of the day - so on the first read Proverbs 1, on the second read Proverbs 2, etc.  I want to give it a shot next month.  Hopefully I remember...

We spent the rest of our day around the house which was totally fine with me.  

Day 28 of my whole30 experiment got off to a delicious start...

Eggs, sauteed spinach and roasted red peppers, caramelized onions, and avocado.  

The boys had some fun to tackle today at camp while I tackled some fun myself.  I hit up the gym and then headed to the beach to soak up some sun while enjoying my iced Americano while reading...

Thankfully, we all had a great time and the boys are excited for more fun activities like these...

Colton, the rebel, apparently didn't want a wooly sheep :-)

We came home ready for lunch.  Today's feature was a giant salad...

Romaine topped with roasted red peppers, olives, shrimp, and avocado dressing.  I also ate most of the container of blueberries.  They were like candy...I couldn't stop!

I got some serious work done while the boys napped and once they were awake,  we headed out to check out a little tucked away playground I noticed on my way home from the beach today.  The shade and lack of sand really caught my attention...

It was nothing extraordinary but we had a nice time and the boys got some exercise...a necessity in their lives just like it is in mine.  

We came home with hungry bellies ready to enjoy a yummy, simple dinner...

Seared steak along with sauteed spinach and a sweet potato with cinnamon and almond butter.  I ate every last bite.

Now this tired momma is heading to bed so I'm ready to tackle tomorrow.  Only 2 more days of my little experiment.  I can't believe I'm almost done...

Starting Off the Weekend Right

We hit the road running last night to start our weekend off right and the fun hasn't stopped...

Slow and easy...needed to work out some muscle soreness.  It felt good.  

It was gorgeous out for a change so we took advantage of it and included a stop at the park...

The boys get more and more adventurous every time we go.  They're also getting more adventurous in the pool...still cautious, but having more fun finally...

It was the perfect way to cool down after that run.  How cute are their little speedos??  

Since it was way more fun to be outside than in the kitchen, I stuck with the lazy theme of the day and enjoyed leftover chili and pineapple picked fresh from our yard. 

The whole pineapple is already gone...YUM!!!!  It's like candy in this house :-)

We finished our night with the Tigger Movie...

...what a sweet little movie.  I highly recommend it if you've got little ones.

Our morning got off to a bit of a lazy start, perfect for a Saturday.  It included two lazy cups of coffee, one black and one with coconut milk...I prefer the coconut milk version but I keep trying to convince myself I like it black.  Then it was breakfast time.  My breakfast on Day 26 of my Whole30 experiment looks pretty much like every other breakfast I've eaten this month...

  

Eggs over easy with LOTS of hot sauce, some sauteed spinach and 1/2 an avocado...I had some grapes and pineapple too.  

Once we got ourselves out the door, it was go time.  Our first stop was Lowes for a little building project...

The boys are pretty darn proud of their boxes and have been playing with them all morning.  Of course we had to stop by the tractors on the way out of the store...

Our next stop was the library for a fantastic drum circle...

Once again, the library made us smile!  What a great event...and FREE too!!  Once the boys tired of drumming, they moved on to dancing...

After a quick stop at Publix for the juice we forgot to buy yesterday, we headed home for lunch...the chili is finally gone.  :-)  

Now the boys are napping, my curry is simmering...

...and I'm heading out to relax by the pool with my kindle.  I have a feeling we'll be spending the rest of the day out there.  Good thing dinner is done and ready when we are...

Happy Summer

Happy First Day of Summer!!!  Living in Florida, I think it's kind of anticlimactic, but it's worth acknowledging nonetheless.  I do love the laid-back ease of summer.  It gives me a little extra time to do the things I love, like read...

...paint my nails crazy colors...

...take the boys to art class...Check out today's jellyfish project...

Colton

Mason

...buy pool noodles at Target and knock things off the shelves while Mommy tries to shop...

...and eat Vidalia onions with almost every meal.  Haha!  I've finally figured out the secret to perfect juicy pork chops every time...seer then bake.  They turn out perfectly every time.  YUM!!!

I just seasoned them with salt and pepper, topped it with caramelized onions and served it alongside some avocado dip and butternut squash.  Delish!!!

Summer's apparently a good time for learning lessons, like maybe that giant green drink yesterday wasn't such a great idea.  Apparently there is such a thing as too much kale.  I certainly won't be juicing the entire bunch ever again.  Yikes!! We got off to a VERY slow start this morning but after some chill time and a cup of coffee, I started to feel like myself again and decided to give breakfast a try...

Day 25 of my whole30 experiment started off with fried eggs with lots of hot sauce (even with a queasy stomach I love things spicy...weird), wilted spinach with garlic, and a little avocado.  Looks like I need to caramelize some more onions...haha.

This morning I also learned there aren't a lot of rumbly-tummy-friendly options when you're on the whole30...no bread, sprite, crackers, etc.   I actually felt better after eating and decided to enjoy a pear as well.  Thank goodness, since I don't do parenting well when I'm not feeling well.

In addition to those crazy pool noodles, we also purchased some travel goodies while we were at Target...

We're planning to bring the dvd player (charged this time...woops!) and some books too.  Any other suggestions???

Of course this was a must on the way out of the store...

Iced Americanos are my new fave... so much better than regular iced coffee.

I had hoped to squeeze in a walk once we got home but it started raining so we decided to have lunch instead...

Can you tell I get lazy when I'm tired??...romaine topped with tuna, leftover roasted carrots, some olives and avocado dressing...it got the job done but was pretty lame.  I need to step it up for dinner tonight.  

Since I missed Spring cleaning, and now it's summer, I guess I'll forgo the major clean-up til next year.  Haha!  I did manage to finally get my weekly cleaning session done right after I put the boys down for their nap.  Since I didn't get a  run in, at least I got the house clean.  

Here's to hoping this weekend is another relaxing, gorgeous one like last weekend. It's my last official weekend on the Whole30.  You better believe there will be a glass or two of wine enjoyed next weekend.  I've actually dreamt about it.  It's the only thing I've really craved/missed through this whole experience, I think more for the forced relaxation that seems to accompany adult beverages than anything else.  I definitely see this way of eating as a new lifestyle for me, with a few splurges here and there, of course...and a little less kale.  :-)

A Little Bragging And Such

Mommy brag moment...check out what the boys did all by themselves yesterday while I was cooking in the kitchen...

I kept peeking in to check on them and they kept blowing my mind.  Check out their process...

Mason seemed to be running the show and Colton was his sidekick...

We had to move it to the floor when it got too big for the table...

Mason puts in the last piece...

They've always been puzzle fans but this is the first "big" one I've seen them tackle completely on their own.  Now they're begging for more puzzles.  I love how they love a challenge and it was fun to watch them work together and see the task through til the end.  They make me smile!

You know what else makes me smile, our new Bedtime Stories Story Time.  Last night was a success.  I'm so thrilled by the great turnouts we've been having.  Keep spreading the word....and imagine how lovely it's going to be in that courtyard come fall.    The cooler temps are definitely something to look forward to...got a few months to get through first though...we can do it!!!

It was nice to come home to dinner ready and waiting for me thanks to a little forethought...

Whole30 chili served over wilted kale and topped with avocado...YUM!

This morning kicked off bright and early.  I love how I've been waking up ready to go rather than feeling sluggish.  I still love my coffee but I love that I'm not desperate for it the moment my eyes open. I've even scaled back to just one cup most days...I used to drink 3.  Speaking of energy, now that my energy is back in full force, I might have gotten a little carried away at the gym yesterday...I'm SUPER sore today from yesterday's leg workout.  Oh well!  Gotta seize the moment, right??  And it's good to be sore every once in a while.  I spent my time in the gym today focusing on back and chest.  I also spent a little time on the elliptical to try to work out some of the soreness in my legs.

Day 24 of my whole30 experiment kicked off with a pretty uninspired breakfast...

Eggs over easy, leftover steamed broccoli and sauteed onions with half an avocado and a side of coffee with coconut milk.   Lunch was eaten while sorting the a huge delivery of produce.  It included leftover chicken, some roasted carrots, a steamed artichoke, and a big spoonful of coconut cashew butter for some healthy fats...random, but got the job done.

The boys gave organic corn dogs another try today for lunch...

They still only care about the ketchup...we've definitely entered the "choosey" phase when it comes to eating.  I'm having a hard time figuring out what they like besides pretzels, bread, cheese sticks, grapes and cookies...my good eaters are throwing me a major curveball.  I'm trying not to make it into a big deal but it's kind of driving me nuts... 

We were more than ready for our fresh delivery of produce today...this girl needs more greens!!!  Check out the first thing I made once everyone's shares were picked up...

...a big yummy green drink made with kale, lemon, and cucumber...just what the doctor ordered!!

There's some nasty weather rolling in so I'm thinking it's a good night to cuddle on the couch and watch a movie with my boys...ok maybe they'll watch a movie while I read a magazine, but we'll all be on the couch together.  That's my kind of Thursday night....looking forward to squeezing the entire family onto the couch soon.