As Time Goes By

It has been very interesting to see how my body has reacted to eating non-paleo foods. I can see SO many more differences now than before. I didn't notice the changes while on the whole25 but now that I'm done they are much more evident. Here's the list:

1. My fingers feel swollen now - as well as maybe my ankles. There isn't a big enough difference to change my ring size or anything, but they just feel thick.

2. I can feel a difference in my body as a whole - not more or less pain, but I am much more stiff now than when eating paleo. I feel like I need to stretch all the time! And I am really stiff when I get up from sitting down.

3. I am having some balance issues - I think it is a blood sugar regulation thing, but I feel dizzy when I stand up or bend over and then straighten up again.

4. I definitely feel more bloated - not sure if that is the right word, but my whole body just feels thick...when eating paleo, I never felt that over-stuffed feeling. My stomach always felt flat (or maybe a better way to put it is not sticking out, haha), even after eating. Now, that is most definitely not the case.

5. I am definitely more hungry now. While on the whole25, I hardly ever felt hungry except in the mornings. Now I am hungry much more often, and throughout the day.

6. Two things that I expected to change that have not, is that my digestive track feels more in line now than when I was eating paleo, and my sleeping is much better than when I was eating paleo. Also, my restless leg syndrome is better now that I am eating non-paleo foods. I'm not sure what any of those mean, if anything.

So after having several days being off paleo, I certainly miss some of these things. I haven't decided yet how to proceed...I have considered switching to paleo full time, doing a whole30 every few months, having a flexible paleo-style diet, etc. I need to think through it some more and make a decision soon - I want to get moving on whatever plan I decide to stick with!

Hungry Hungry Hiccups!

There are a few little things I have noticed since starting to eat non-paleo food...first, I am most definitely more hungry. I think it was Jennie that was telling me that it is because certain kinds of foods (i.e., gluten, grains, carbs, sugar, etc.) have a non-filling, addictive quality to them. When you eat them you initially do feel full, but it doesn't last and it leaves you craving more of those kinds of foods rather than more whole foods (veggies, fruit, protein, etc.).

Secondly, and it could be totally non-related, but I have had the hiccups...A LOT! Kinda weird, but it started the day I started eating non-paleo foods. :)

One of the things I thought I might be seeing as a result of being on paleo was that my fingers didn't seem as swollen. I didn't really know they were swollen to begin with, but once I started I could almost promise that my fingers seemed less thick. I think that must have been true now, because they feel thicker again now that I am eating non-paleo foods.

So there you have it, my reactions so far to being off of the strict whole30. Not too bad - nothing major like more joint/body pain or bad digestive reactions. So far so good!

The kiddos are feeling much better too. I snapped a couple of pics of them today, and they are so cute! Harry is chillin' out in some new jeans (oh my word, he is so adorable) and Eden has been wearing her coat since she woke up, hoping that we will get to go outside today. She says the funniest things - I will have to do a whole blog post dedicated to Eden-isms. :D

Happy weekend!

Day 1 Off the Train

Well, after expecting some trouble re-adjusting to non-paleo food, I am happy to announce I feel the same! I had no real adjustment going into paleo and it would seem I have none coming out of it. Granted I am only a day into it, but I haven't had any rushes to the bathroom. I told myself I needed to move slowly and add things back in gradually and in their specific food groups, but then it seems all caution went to the wind (is that the saying? can't quite remember if that is right...).

I started with a teeny piece of pizza yesterday and a few ounces of juice. No problem. So dinner was good ole cheerios - one of the things I missed most was cereal. So cheerios and milk = no problem as well. This morning was a bagel and. . . wait for it. . .diet coke, praise God! It was like manna from heaven. I can feel all of my anti-soda people cringing as you read this, haha.

So on that note, let's have a little side bar: I know that not all of the things I eat/drink are healthy or healthful. But here's the thing, I am doing weight watchers which teaches balance and moderation. Although I am somewhat of an extremist in most things I have found through trial and error that when I try a diet plan that completely eliminates something I don't have near the success rate as with weight watchers that occasionally allows for things outside of the healthy realm.

I need to be successful at weight loss - I have been overweight a long time now, and for the sake of my own body (not to mention my family) I need to be a healthy weight and exercise regularly. If following weight watchers instead of another plan is going to get me there, so be it.

I have the freedom to make decisions for my life, wrong or not. I sincerely appreciate those who are interested in my well-being and give their input out of concern. However, I have decided not to continue justifying the choices I make - I'm an adult, I make my own decisions, end of discussion. My skin is thickened to take the criticism and I refuse to let it hurt my feelings anymore!

Let me say this is not in response to anything about doing paleo - in fact, I appreciate SO much the feedback and comments I have received from those following my experience. I have had nothing but encouragement from everyone! This is just in general to give myself a little kick in the pants to start being a big girl and do what I need to do, regardless of what others are doing or saying. I can only take responsibility for my own actions and just as I want others to let me be, I need to let others be.

So with all that said and off my chest, thank you for continuing to read about our wonderfully blessed life here in the Caranci house. :)

Day 25 = The End

Yesterday was day 25, and I had sweet potatoes for breakfast, some guac-mash for lunch, and some pecans and two tangerines for supper.

With that said, day 25 is the last whole30 day for me. I decided after talking with Jason that the last 4-5 days are not going to make much of a difference in the long run. The truth is, I have seen no major or minor changes in the way I feel since starting paleo. The expectations of lesser body/joint pain, better sleep, and more energy were sadly disappointed for me.

Don't misunderstand, I KNOW that doing a whole30 has changed people's lives! It just didn't change mine...at all. Granted, being aware of the things that are put into our food has definitely been a wake-up call - there are so many added things that simply don't need to be in there. And it is good to know that my original instincts were correct, and that I have a hard time digesting tons of produce. I thought I might have a gluten allergy, but we will see how things go as I slowly add things back into my diet.

Overall I am still glad that I took on this challenge, if for no other reason it was good for my self-discipline. I also had a wonderful time bonding with my paleo pal, Michelle - this has been fun to do with her!

The only real result from the whole30 (or whole25 in my case) was a loss of 10 pounds. I'm not sure how much of that was water weight from simply changing my diet drastically, but time will tell. My plan is to continue my weight loss through weight watchers, which focuses on teaching about balance in your daily food intake. I have done it before and had success until I got pregnant again and had to stop. I am looking forward to finishing this goal and maintaining a healthy weight for life.

Thanks so much to all who have been such an encouragement and help during my paleo challenge! I appreciate all of your kind words and helpful tips/gifts. Keep reading the blog, paleo was just one side to Caranci Chronicles - now there will just be more room for pictures of the kids! :D

Day 24

Quick recap on my recent food: dinner on Monday (day 23) ended up being some guac-mash, made with some sauteed chicken, peppers, and onions. Yesterday (day 24) was a banana and pecans for breakfast and lunch was some turkey meatballs and boiled eggs (not sure why, but this is the first time I boiled eggs while on whole30; surprising because I really like them).

When it came time for dinner, Jason and I decided to have sirloin salads - lettuce, onions, tomatoes, carrots, olives, and grilled sirloin with dressing (balsamic mustard for me, italian for him). It was good!

In other news, the kids went to the doctor and we found out Eden has double ear infections, Harry has one ear infection with a blister inside his ear, and on top of that we still have the RSV (respiratory virus) that will take about 2 more weeks to get over. So both kids are on antibiotics and surely we are on the road to recovery now! Thank you to all those who have been praying for us, we sincerely appreciate it!

Today we are all home, trying to recover and maybe get a few things done. We will see how we feel and what all gets accomplished, but at this point I would be glad just to have some clean laundry. :)

Day 22 - Day 23

Yesterday was...rough. The kids are NOT well, and it has been very stressful. Jason went to church and I stayed home with the kids. Honestly, I cannot remember what I had for breakfast (maybe eggs?), didn't eat lunch (a nap was more important), snacked on some nuts before handbell practice, and had salsa pork chops and leftover sweet potatoes for dinner. I snacked on some grapes through the day too. Basically, we were just trying to survive the day. The kids do love having Jason home though and enjoyed some time playing with him.

We have also been painting in our bedroom over the weekend, so we had to move the twin mattress that stays under our bed into Eden's room temporarily. The kids have enjoyed having it in there, and Eden used it as a new trampoline of sorts. Even Morgan was happy to hang out on it for a while with Harry and catch some TV.

(seriously, how cute is Harry in his little shirt and khakis? That is courtesy of Uncle Pete and Aunt Caty...it is 12 month size! For those of you who know, that means Harry and Eden are now wearing the same size. :)

Today I had eggs for breakfast with some turkey meatballs, nothing for lunch but snacked on some grapes and apple slices, and I'm not sure what we will have for dinner, but probably steaks.

23 days down, 7 to go!

Day 21 and Family Time

Nothing super exciting to report on the paleo side of things, but we had a good dinner last night of steak, green beans, and sweet potatoes. Today I had a salad for breakfast, leftover meatloaf and green beans for lunch, and dinner is probably going to be eggs and turkey meatballs.

In other and more exciting news, we had a great family day today. We were super busy with painting and little projects through the house, but the kids had some fun too. Here is Eden with her baby - I asked her what she was doing and she said taking a walk and singing to her baby. :)

Harry was in his bouncy a lot of the day because he LOVES it - here he is with his head leaning against the front...it's almost naptime. :)

Even the pups found some down time.

Although Harry seems to be better with his cough, Eden is doing a little worse. We are continuing treatments with the nebulizer and I'm hoping that all this sickness will leave our house soon! Thankfully Jason hasn't had much trouble with it and mine was minimal. Harry is on the mend too, so we should be closing in on it.

All in all, a nice day at home with everyone. Got a lot of stuff done in the house too, but nothing enough to post. Maybe on Monday... :D

Day 20

So...I'm not sure what happened to day 18, but I just realized it is not in the archives. Hhmm. I think it is because we have been so sick that I haven't really been eating much and forgot to blog about that day altogether! Sorry about that...best as my memory serves, I probably had eggs for breakfast and no lunch. I'm pretty sure I had sweet potato chips and garlic salsa from TJ's for dinner (because I wasn't hungry when dinner time rolled around and just wanted a little snack before bed). It was my first time tasting the salsa, and it was great! A little spicy, but Jason says I am a spice weenie anyway (in other words, I can't handle it). But still good! Probably will pick some more up on my trip next month.

Speaking of which...I'm super excited about going to Charlotte with my Mom in February to celebrate my 30th birthday! We will be going for 3 days, staying in a nice hotel, shopping, and eating at great places along the way. I can't wait! We are planning to hit IKEA, Trader Joe's, Concord Mills, and a few other spots too. I'm not just looking forward to the fun stuff, but also spending some time with my Mom. :)

Today, I had (SURPRISE!) eggs for breakfast with a banana. I don't know about lunch, but I'm planning on steaks again for dinner with green beans and maybe some more sweet potatoes (I have totally been on a sweet potato kick recently).

I think (hope) that we are maybe starting to feel better now - I definitely have more energy today and Harry was laughing up a storm last night and this morning so I think he is feeling better too. Eden seems a little low-energy, plus she coughed almost all night...but I hope that means it is just working through the next phase and she will be better soon too. We were able to find some ribbon and put up her curtains yesterday too - here she is modeling her new window clothes:

Looking forward to a nice Saturday tomorrow, with Jason home ALL day! No working for him, praise the Lord. Should make for time to check off some of those endless "things to do" in the house. :D

Day 19

Today has not been a good day. Not because of paleo, but just in general has been a really crummy day. Harry had his 9 month check up, so while he was there we had the doctor look at all of the cold-like symptoms he has been having (as well as Eden and me). Turns out we all have a respiratory virus called RSV. Nothing serious, but in kids it can be a little more stressful than adults. We just have flu-like symptoms (oh-so-fun) but the kids have a horrible sounding, deep cough, with wheezing. They gave us a little machine to do breathing treatments with the kids, so I'm hoping that all will be cleared up soon.

His regular appointment went well too, he weighed in at a whopping (almost) 17 pounds (in the 4th percentile) and his length/height was in the 60th percentile. So basically he is long and skinny. :)

Since I am suffering at home, not feeling great, all I have eaten today is eggs for breakfast and a handful of grapes at lunchtime. I am undecided for dinner...maybe nothing. Just not that hungry, probably because we have all been so sick. I think I will probably just go to bed.

To leave you on a happy note, we had a visit from Miss Hollywood. She is just so stylish! :D

Day 17

Actually, I am going to start with dinner from Day 16 (Monday). My friend Megan suggested a recipe with sauteed chicken, zucchini, onions, garlic, and coconut oil. We tried it on Monday and I loved it! Interestingly enough, one of the few recipes I have tried with coconut stuff in it that I thought was actually good. Not just edible, but good. Jason didn't like it as much, but still said he thought it was okay.

Yesterday was day 17, and I started off with my usual, eggs and fruit (grapes).

For lunch I decided to be adventurous and try pancakes again. Eden had a waffle for breakfast and I had really been craving some! If I had to name my recipe I think I would call it "everything but the kitchen sink pancakes." I was determined to make these taste good, so I just kept putting things in that I thought would help. The base recipe I used was from paleospirit.com. The core ingredient was coconut flour, which my dear friend Jennie had given me a week or so ago!

From there, I added applesauce (natural, with no added sugar or preservatives) and mashed up bananas. I also added tons of cinnamon and some coconut milk. Of course it called for the normal baking soda, salt, eggs, etc. And here is how they turned out:

That's right folks, they actually looked like regular pancakes! Which is more than I can say for my first attempt. Although these were definitely edible, I still didn't particularly like them. They were extremely dense (I think because of the applesauce, but I was trying to find something to help with the flavor!). And I'm afraid I need to just admit that I do not like anything with coconut. Kinda stinks since so much of what is in the paleo lifestyle includes that little ingredient. I did like the chicken (as mentioned above, made with coconut oil), but I think that was because it reminded me of sweet and sour chicken. The flavor from the coconut flour I used for these pancakes unfortunately reminded me of the "mud pancakes" I made last week and therefore made these a little hard to swallow...bad memories, haha. I managed to eat one for lunch, which tided me over til dinner.

In the afternoon, I decided to do some painting...got a little into it though and did the entire master bedroom edging and paid for it last night. I was so sore! I guess it counted as a workout though. Yesterday was also my first attempt at using the power drill by myself - VERY COOL! I liked it, made me feel like I could really do something, haha. I actually only used it to remove some nails (from the towel bars hanging in our bathroom), but still, it was on and I was holding it (as Jason instructed through the phone). :)

Dinner last night was wonderful: steak, roasted sweet potatoes, and sauteed zucchini and onions. For whatever reason, it just hit the spot.

So far today I have had leftover coconut chicken with sweet potatoes for breakfast. Not feeling super hungry because the children shared their colds. Hopefully we will all be better in the next few days.

17 down, 13 to go!

Day 15 - Day 16

Yucky. That is how most of us in the Caranci crew have been feeling the last couple of days. The kids have colds and I think they have passed them on to Jas and me. We are both feeling it coming on. Didn't keep them from having a good time playing with Dad yesterday, though!

The food from yesterday was as follows: breakfast was eggs and a banana, lunch was a bit of leftover meatloaf and roasted butternut squash, and dinner was a nice big salad of greens, chicken, olives, and mustard dressing. I don't think I had any snacks yesterday, but I did taste a new sweet potato chip from Aldi (love Aldi!) that is allowed in whole30 that was good!

Today, I had eggs again for breakfast but this time with a couple of turkey meatballs. Didn't have lunch, because I wasn't hungry, but after a quick nap I ate a snack of grapes and walnuts.

Dinner will be sauteed chicken in coconut oil with zucchini, onions and garlic. And maybe a salad too.

It is a bit strange, but I just have simply not been hungry the last few days. I feel hungry when I first wake up in the morning, but that's about it. I can tell I need to eat when I feel a little dizzy or weak, but I'm not having actual hunger pains. Guess that is a good thing?

Over the halfway mark, 16 days down, 14 to go!

Day 14

Just to catch up on yesterday before today's food, my good friend Megan brought me some goodies! First up, this little jar of coconut oil:

I have been wanting to get some since I started my whole30 and just never gotten around to it. This way I can try it before buying (it is kinda expensive). Have I mentioned that Megan is super thoughtful? :)

She also brought me curtains for Harry's room - I have had them for a while but needed a few alterations done - she is much more talented than I am and delivered splendidly! So excited for him to have curtains, it makes his room look so much more cozy! I would have taken a before shot, but I was too excited to get them hung up and forgot.

(Eden was climbing the step ladder while I was taking pictures - she is a natural monkey)

Then last night we were off to Leblon - it was SO good! We had such a good time with our friends, Jennie and Dustin. There were lots of laughs and we enjoyed the time and food immensely!

(does anyone else notice how blaringly white all of us are, except for Dustin?)

Today has been kinda boring, but I had eggs for breakfast with a couple of turkey meatballs. I wasn't hungry at lunch, but had a couple of pieces of turkey with mustard and some pineapple at about 3pm. Dinner was my guac mash (guacamole with grilled chicken added in), which I invented last Saturday when the pancakes were a flop and have had several times since then because it was so good! I finally remembered to snap a picture:

Still feeling the same, but excited about the next week. I have heard that week 3 is when you start to feel awesome! :) 14 days down, 16 to go!

Day 13

Today has been kinda ho-hum: eggs with a banana for breakfast. Lunch hasn't happened yet, but I am planning to have some tomato, avocado, and onions mixed together. Sounds weird, but it's basically like eating guacamole. I don't want to eat too much, because tonight is gonna be stellar - we are eating at LEBLON! Jason works at a Brazilian churrascaria called Leblon, and they serve 10 different kinds of rotisserie meats, including beef, chicken, lamb, pork and sausage. It is one of my favorite places to eat. I have been looking forward to it for weeks! We are going with Jennie (my paleo pal) and her husband Dustin (a friend I have known since high school age). Can't wait for the food and fellowship!

Day 12

This is what I now have to look forward to today:

I went on a cooking rampage this morning, and left my sink full of dirty dishes to tackle...later. :)

The first on my cooking list was a new recipe, paleo bread. This is what it looked like after baking it:

Still looks uncooked, right? I thought so too. But trust me, it is baked through! Overall I think this was a good recipe - super easy, and the bread is certainly edible, unlike the pancakes I made the other day. It has a nice, super-dense texture, but I think a little bit of coconut oil on top would make the difference - GOTTA get some of that stuff!

Next up was turkey meatballs - same ones I made last time, but I switched the seasonings up a bit. I thought they were better this time - not as dry (I didn't cook them quite as long) and the flavor was better since I just dumped in a bunch of stuff instead of following the recipe so closely.

(oh, and I'm not sure why they leak like that when they are baked, but that gooey stuff underneath them stays on the pan when you take the meatballs off)

Last was some roasted butternut squash - I have made mashed before, but never tried roasting it. The verdict? YUM! Really like it this way - although I wish I could get it to be a little crispier on the edges. Maybe not so much oil and longer cook time?

Here is my supply of goodies, all ready to go!

So my lunch was a meatball, small piece of bread, and some of the yummy squash. I am still not feeling very hungry, so this was plenty.

Tonight I will probably just munch on things I have ready, or maybe make another salad like I had last night: greens, avocado, olives, grilled chicken, onions, and mustard/balsamic dressing (it was delicious!). Jason is working late, so I can fend for myself. :)

Still feeling good, not as hungry and certainly more comfortable overall with the plan. I am enjoying the cooking, not so much the dishes. But here's to 12 days down, 18 to go!

Day 10 - Day 11

So...nothing very interesting to report. Yesterday I had the roast for dinner with carrots and onions, but wasn't anything spectacular. Today I haven't really been hungry so I had some apples for breakfast and a little bit of leftover roast for lunch. Dinner will be leftovers as well, since our fridge is ready to burst!

Honestly I feel like I have been eating too much in an effort to keep myself from getting hungry. After our big dinner of meatloaf a couple nights ago, I have just felt stuffed. Not that it is a bad thing because I need to lose a ton of weight and not eating will certainly help, haha! But I figure I will be doing good to eat only when I am truly hungry. Maybe that was part of my problem in the past, is that I was allowed to eat any kind of food I wanted to so I did just because it was there. Now I know there are only certain things I can eat, so if I'm not hungry I don't necessarily want to eat a carrot. If I had a brownie laying around you better bet I would convince myself I was hungry! Does that make sense? It does in my head, so I hope you all can follow it. :)

So there you have it - I feel very settled into this paleo thing now so it is just a matter of time to wait for the great benefits (outside of simply knowing I am eating WAY better choices for my health)!

Day 8 - Day 9

Yesterday ended with a bang - the meatloaf was great! Last night's dinner was the best paleo meal we have had so far - I did the meatloaf, roasted some white sweet potatoes again, and tried some roasted brussels sprouts - YUM! It was so good I am eating again for lunch today.

There were a few tweaks I would make next time, one being to mix the meatloaf better. The grass-fed ground beef I used was a little more difficult to mix, so I need to mix in the other ingredients better next time to make sure the other flavors go throughout the whole pan. The other thing I would do different is not over-salt my brussels sprouts! I went to the store to buy sea salt and didn't realize it was sea salt that needed to be ground until after I dumped half of it on the veggies. Oops! They were definitely a *little* salty. :)

I didn't really eat lunch yesterday, just kinda nibbled on nuts and fruit and veggies. I wanted to have lots of room for supper! Today, so far, I have had eggs and grapes for breakfast and a repeat of last night for lunch. Dinner will be a roast in the crockpot, served with carrots and onions. I might add a salad too. Jason gets a potato with his, of course. :)

Overall, still doing pretty good. Tummy is in and out with it's issues. It has been really interesting to me that I haven't struggled more with cravings - don't get me wrong, there have been a few times where it was difficult, but in general it has almost been...well...easy. I think one of the biggest components of that is that I know this is for 30 days - it is short term. I can do anything for 30 days! Not that I plan on going crazy once I am done, in fact I feel sure I will continue to do many of the things from paleo I have learned...but somehow, just knowing that in 30 days I can have pizza if I want it, or something sweet helps to keep me right on track.

One thing I am disappointed in is that I still haven't seen a difference in how I feel. My paleo partner, Michelle, has already seen a difference in her daily headaches. Me? Zilch. I feel the same as I did before starting. I know I am only a little way into it, but still...I guess I thought going from consuming massive amounts of sugar and carbs to NONE would make a huge difference in how I felt. Not so much...at least not yet. But I do still have 20 days to go! :D

Day 7 - Day 8

The last few days have been...interesting. I won't say bad, but not really stellar either. Saturday night (day 7) I was all set to make some paleo pancakes. Much to my dismay, it was a disaster. I could tell as I was mixing the ingredients that something wasn't right...they were super thick and not runny at all like pancake batter. I had to add water to try and thin it out enough to even pour. Don't let this photo fool you - although they look somewhat normal here, they did not look normal in person!

This is what the looked like when I first poured them on the skillet:

That's right, big fat mudpies. And that is exactly what they tasted like too - pancakes made with dirt. I even tried to force myself to eat them, but two bites in I gave up. I was so mad to have wasted all the ingredients! And bummed not to have pancakes too. I'm still not sure what happened, because I was following a recipe - and one that a friend of mine had done too, so I'm going to try again and make some of my own modifications.

The good thing that came out of this disaster is the impromptu dinner I made since the pancakes didn't work. I was so starved that I just started grabbing stuff out of the refrigerator and putting it together. I ended up with tomatoes, onions, avocado, and grilled chicken in a bowl - kinda like guacamole with chicken on top. It was great! Very basic, but it worked. It was so good I had it again Sunday (day 8) for lunch. I forgot to take pictures either time, I think because I was so excited to eat it. :)

Sunday breakfast was just some eggs and a banana since we were trying to get out the door for church. Dinner was...don't judge me, eggs again. What can I say, I like them and they are easy! The problem was I put salsa verde on top (I had only tried it one other day, the same day I felt so sick) to try it again and I ended up having a tummy ache the rest of the night. :( I'm thinking the salsa verde is gonna have to go - it is now associated with feeling sick!

This morning I had a banana and then a salad. Not sure what I'm going to do for lunch, but dinner is another new recipe - meatloaf. Hopefully this one will turn out! I am planning to do mashed butternut squash and maybe another salad to go with it.

I would say that things are still going well, but my tummy has its moments where it really bothers me. I took tums last night in an effort to calm the stormy seas, and was so disappointed to realize they had sucralose in them! Grrr. I am hoping it wasn't so much to make that big of a difference, but it still irritated me.

Be back tomorrow with details on the new meatloaf! :D

Day Six

After an eventful morning/afternoon, my tummy finally decided to calm down. I was rather hungry, so I decided to make some guacamole to go with some banana chips from Trader Joe's. It was delicious!

(sorry for the weird camera angle)

While getting dinner ready, I decided to throw some apple slices in the oven to try a new recipe. Pretty simple: core and slice an apple, sprinkle with cinnamon, and bake. Here is what they looked like going in:

Unfortunately, there is a learning curve with this recipe, so this tiny plate of apple chips was all that could be redeemed from my 5 apples:

I wrote down some things I will do differently next time, like a lower temp, parchment paper, and shorter baking time. The ones that were salvaged had an almost fruit roll-up texture, which I kinda liked. I definitely like them better a little chewy instead of crisp.

Then came dinner - GLORIOUS dinner! Jason and I had been looking forward to steaks all week, and they were worth it. We sauteed up some yellow squash, zucchini, and onions to go with it. Jason also had mashed potatoes from earlier in the week, but obviously I opted out of those. :)

In other news, Eden decided Harry needed a hairbow like she had in her hair, so while my back was turned, our poor little boy was subjected to this:

Poor little guy. Oh well, I guess that is what happens when you have an older sister who just wants you to play with her! :D

Tonight Jason is working so I am excited to do a little more experimenting in the kitchen - pancakes! I will post all the details tomorrow (or maybe Monday, since Sunday is always super busy for us). Happy weekend!

And this is where it gets bad...

The cravings have hit. Not super hard, but they are definitely more persistent than before. And I think I might know why - it might sound crazy, but hear me out first. I have had digestive issues for a long time now (one of the main reasons I am doing the whole30, to clear everything out and see exactly what bothers me). Usually what would happen is as soon as I would up my intake of produce my tummy would rebel and send me running to the bathroom where I would think I would surely die. I was so sure that the first few days of the whole30 would be just like this, because I was going to be eating a LOT of fruits and veggies. Strangely, it didn't really happen that way - I definitely had some adjusting, but nothing anywhere close to what I normally would have. So I was feeling good!

Then today...WHAM! My stomach decides to hit that rebellion again and I have felt super crummy. The bathroom has been my room of choice today. So this is where it ties in to why I think I am craving stuff today - before whole30, anything with carbs (mostly breads or potato items) helped to sooth my stomach when I would have one of these digestive attack things. Not to mention, I almost always wanted a coke, because that is just what I used to drink when my stomach was upset. So today, I am REALLY wanting some kind (ANY kind!) of bread with a diet coke. I feel sure it is because I just feel so bad, but it still is hard.

Today my meals have been less than exciting, since my tummy is upset - so far a banana, couple pieces of deli meat, and some eggs. I really don't feel like eating, so I'm not going to. Been chugging the water though - I have been WAY thirsty.

Last night at our girls night we had a great time playing games and hanging out. The food all looked yummy, but again it wasn't too hard to resist, especially since we had smoothies. One very important part of my whole30 journey that I haven't mentioned yet is my whole30 partner, Michelle. LOVE HER! She is a dear friend, introduced to me by a mutual friend, and we decided to take this adventure together. She has been an awesome encouragement to me and I am SO thankful to have someone going through the same thing I am at the same time. She was here last night and made us the smoothies with fruit and coconut milk (they were delicious!). Very filling and I didn't have too hard of a time turning down the other yummy goodies on the table.

Hoping I feel better by tonight, when Jason and I are planning to have steaks for Shmoopy night. That's right - Shmoopy night. That is when Jason and I get to hang out together - we don't invite people over, we just eat dinner together and maybe watch a movie or some TV - just be home together. My favorite night of the week! <3

Catching Up

I need to catch up on posts! So I am going to take you through the last day and a half of meals. I'm going to work backwards, so try to keep up!

This is the delicious dinner that Jennie (my paleo inspiration) made for me last night: roast with a coffee bean rub, roasted brussels sprouts, and a yummy salad with avocado, tomato, spinach and balsamic vinegar. We had a great chat and she answered more of my paleo questions - love her! She has been a great help to me on this venture.

Before I went to Jennie's I got a little package - BEEF! Yippee! The grass-fed beef we ordered from LaCenseBeef.com was delivered and here is all the loot.

This was my lunch - tomato slices with balsamic vinegar, sauteed zucchini and onions, and pan fried chicken in almond meal. The chicken didn't turn out so great, but it was alright.

The night before that (Day 3) Jason and I had baked salmon with roasted white sweet potatoes. Looks pretty bland, but I thought it was tasty. Jason, not so much. :)

This was my afternoon snack from Day 3, some blueberries and pecans.

And that brings us current! I am eating this HUMONGOUS salad for lunch today. Had eggs for breakfast and am planning on munching for dinner since some of my girlfriends are getting together for a game night. Smoothies, veggies and guacamole, and fruit are all on the menu!

Just as a side note, I am still feeling pretty good. Not having any cravings I can't overcome, and no major withdrawal symptoms. Day 5 is feeling good so far!