Day 6 and all is well!

I can hardly believe that it's been almost a whole week on the Whole30! I'm struggling a lot with keeping my kitchen clean and workable. There is SO MUCH COOKING involved. I mean everything is made from scratch...EVERYTHING! Mayonnaise, bbq sauce, ketchup, every condiment. I also have to cook every meal, so there never seems to be a finish line. I feel tethered to my kitchen, really!

Besides all that, the actual cleanse is going great! On Day 4 I woke up with out the foggy brain. I was driving to work out and everything was so much clearer! I was very dizzy during my workout the other day, but that is because I am dehydrated. So more water for me. My skin looks great. It is clearing up very nicely. I think I'm down about 5 lbs.

The family is doing well with the whole30. The boys and Jon have liked everything I've made so far. Jacob is complaining that he is hungry all the time. I told him that's his own fault. There is plenty of food to eat. He's just not taking the responsibility.

I was convinced by Megan to go and buy a good knife, after I was complaining about how hard sweet potatoes are to cut. So I bit the bullet and bought a really nice knife and the difference is amazing! I have made a vow to save up and buy a couple different sized knives and get rid of the rest of the crap in my knife block!

Day 5:
Breakfast: 2 left over egg muffins
lunch: Bacon, scrambled eggs, salad with Nicole's Awesome sauce (yep, I named that!)
Dinner: meatza! Beef/Pork "crust", marinara sauch, bacon, onion, garlic, peppers, spinach

Day 6:
Breakfast: broccoli slaw, two fried eggs, Nicole's Awesome sauce
Lunch: Nicole Meal: Beef chili without beans, greens and plantains
Dinner: Crockpot spare ribs with home made bbq sauce, salad

Day 4!

Day four is just about over and I'm feeling pretty good. I'm having some detox symptoms, which is normal, especially after my two month bender. I have specifically had the following symptoms: lethargy bordering on freaking narcolepsy, brain fog, mild headaches (goodbye caffeine), muscle aches, mild cold symptoms (day 2 and 3), irritability (sorry everyone around me), weakness, and constipation (TMI). I haven't been drinking enough water, which is probably part of the problem. I need to flush all the crap out of my system.

I wanted to make sure to blog about the types of foods I'm cooking during the whole 30 for a couple of reasons: One, I want to people to know what paleo food looks like and how I'm feeding the whole family and Two, I can NEVER remember the things I make and I want a record of it. I have the worst memory ever.

Day 1:
Breakfast: everybody was sleeping
Lunch: scrambled eggs and bacon
Dinner: left over zucchini and eggplant "ricotta" lasagna

Day 2:
Breakfast: scrambled eggs, bacon, sweet potato hash browns
Lunch: raw red pepper halves topped with guacamole and turkey and grapes
Dinner: Enchilada stew

Day 3:
Breakfast: egg muffins (I doubled the recipe)
lunch: Boys wanted the same lunch as the day before. I think we decided to coin this particular meal the Turkpepamole. Yeah, we did that. I also sent apples and almond butter.
Dinner: I took an emergency trip to the beach and packed myself turkey, grapes, apples with almond butter and almonds. Jon cooked the kids steak and broccoli.

Day 4:
Breakfast: Left over egg muffins
Lunch: Mini meatloves with veggies
Dinner: left over enchilada stew

Whole 30 or Penance for the last two months

Happy 2013! I am so excited for the growth that is going to happen this year. I feel a huge shift waiting for me. I have changed so much over the last year and am finally participating in life, rather than letting life happen to me. I'm taking charge of my health and actively seeking healing. This year is going to involve a lot of healing and letting go, as well as learning and having FUN!

In the title I said, "penance". I don't really mean that. I have drastically changed the way I eat and lately have been moving more and more towards a paleo lifestyle. I love the way I feel, perform and I love that my face looks amazing when I eat this way. With that said, in November things took a turn for the worst. My uncle got sick and I got out of my routine and was eating hospital food, which is so unhealthy BTW! (How could a hospital not have gluten free food?!?!) Then I got really sick and had to take antibiotics and steroids, never a good combo for me. Throw in a back and hip injury and it was just down right disasterous! Then it was Christmas and I just let myself eat what I wanted. I didn't punish myself. Everything I ate, I enjoyed. However, now I feel like CRAP! My face is broken out. I gained like 10 lbs. I'm bloated and I just overall feel gross. This leads me to the Whole 30.

What is it? It is basically eating strict paleo (No gluten, no grains, no dairy) for 30 days with no sugar. No Paleo-fying foods either (paleo cupcakes, paleo pizza, etc.), or No Sex With Your Pants On as the whole9 creators like to say! This is a natural detox for your body. I am on day two and starting to deal with some detox symptoms already, but all is well. I know this is GOOD for my body.

The best part about this Whole 30 is that my whole gym is doing it. I have as much support as I could ever need! It is exciting to do this as a group. I love the camaraderie, the recipe sharing, the togetherness, the community!

I forgot to mention my whole family is doing it too. I'm hoping Jon will see a difference in his cholesterol levels, the boys will notice a decrease in their adhd symptoms and their complexions will improve. I've had some opposition, but I'm hoping to make it fun and exciting.