Winding down

We are winding down this 2nd round of Whole 30.  As I sit here tonight, I am feeling grateful for the education I am getting.  As I read recipes, research, blogs,  etc., I find the following to be true:

1.  There is no "perfect beat all, end all" way to lose weight.  For every article I have read about tried and true to brand spankin new trends, there are at least the same number refuting said methods.  What one "expert" believes to be totally healthy and life-giving, another "expert" finds fault with in favor of something different.  Even among my friends, there are differing opinions.

2.  I have a love/hate relationship with exercise but I know I need it.  Eating healthy is great but I simply do not get the same results without also exercising.  Plus, my metabolism at 48 is way different than it was at 28.  Go figure.

3.  The best eating plan is the one you will follow and can stick with as a part of your life.  There are lots of healthy eating plans out there.  They all work as long as you follow them.  Find the one that works for you and live it.

4.  I am more at peace when I am obedient to God's word.   Seriously y'all, I cannot stress this enough.  When I end the day knowing I gave God my best, it makes rest all the sweeter.  The fact is, because I am a follower of Christ, the choices I make are worship.  They show who I serve.  I want to make sure my life is a true reflection of who Jesus is.

So a few more days to go, then we'll see where God leads.  I'll keep ya posted!

Well, Hello there!

It is day 20 of this second round of Whole30 style eating.  Some things have been easier this time.  Knowing what to cook and experimenting with new recipes has been nice and my family has even enjoyed several recipes without too much pain and whining.  Seriously, they have adjusted well to the limits.  They are not as limited in choices as I am, but we are all eating healthier and that's nice.

I have not been as strict with myself this time.  It's really been more of a lifestyle change than a food plan.  I have still lost 12 lbs and I feel better physically - from less pain in my arthritic joints to sleeping more soundly at night and waking up feeling rested rather than rusty!  Win win.

God continues to stay close.  He lets me know when I make wrong choices, but He also shows such grace and patience.  In February, I'll add some things back into my diet but it won't be a whole lot different.  I made that mistake the last time and once you add those things back in on a regular basis, it's easy to fall away from what's healthy.  I want to be a lot more careful this time and pay closer attention to what certain foods do to my body.

I was just listening to "He's been Faithful to me" by Damaris Carbaugh and the Brooklyn Tabernacle choir.  It says so well my feelings in this second round...

"He's been faithful, faithful to me
looking back, His love and mercy I see
Oh in my heart I have questioned
even failed to believe
yet He's been faithful, faithful to me"

I'm so grateful for His never ending faithfulness...My favorite Psalm is Psalm 121

121 I lift up my eyes to the hills.
    From where does my help come?
2 My help comes from the Lord,
    who made heaven and earth.

3 He will not let your foot be moved;
    he who keeps you will not slumber.
4 Behold, he who keeps Israel
    will neither slumber nor sleep.

5 The Lord is your keeper;
    the Lord is your shade on your right hand.
6 The sun shall not strike you by day,
    nor the moon by night.

7 The Lord will keep you from all evil;
    he will keep your life.
8 The Lord will keep
    your going out and your coming in
    from this time forth and forevermore.

Amen and amen...

....and now a word from my kitchen..........

Yummy smashed 'taters

5 large potatoes

almond/coconut milk (unsweetened)

clarified butter or ghee

3 (or more) strips nitrate free bacon

1 TBS minced garlic

1 chopped onion

Chives

parsley

1. peel, cut into chunks and cook potatoes in a large pot with enough water to cover the potatoes

2. While potatoes are cooking, chop garlic and onion and sauté in a little olive or coconut oil. Set aside.

3. When the potatoes are fork tender enough to mash, drain water off

4. add about 1/2 to 3/4 cup of the almond/coconut milk and a couple tablespoons clarified butter or ghee (or more if you want to- I won't judge)

5.  Using a potato masher, smash those taters up coarsely so there are some lumps

6.  Add crumbled, cooked bacon, the sautéd onions and garlic, chives and parsley (to taste and to make it pretty) - don't forget the salt and pepper!

7. Mix all together and eat it up!

Serve as a side dish to any lean meat and some steamed veggies! Oh MY!

** IF you have any leftovers, they might be a little dry but if you add some homemade Paleo ranch dressing (I love the ranch recipe from one of my favorite Paleo websites,  theclothesmakethegirl.com ) and heat it up, it will be nice and creamy and have a little 'zing' to boot! 

Round 2

"Behold, I am doing a new thing....."Isaiah 43:19a

So It's day 3 of my second round of Whole 30 type eating.  After the "feasting" season of Thanksgiving and Christmas, my body is very ready for a change.  My weight has gone up and down and up and down the last couple months, and so has my energy level.  It's time to -as we say in Tennessee - hunker down and get busy.  After 2 days back in the "30" saddle, I already have more energy at the beginning of the day, and I have to say it was not as hard falling back in line with the plan as I thought it would be.  I spent the last few days of December in prep mode.  Egg boiling, menu planning, condiment making, recipe searching, butter clarifying, you name it.  I am excited to try some new sauces and things I have found and adapting my own.

I'm grateful I had somewhat of a knowledge base in my head this time around.  It made shopping easier and it's been easier to figure out what to have for dinner, because I already have ideas from the last time.  So grateful I kept notes too, so I could go back and refer to them.  I even cleaned out my spices and organized them in a drawer - label side up of course- so I can easily see what I need without something falling on my head!  I love to cook and I love to use spices, but if I can't get to them, I am less likely to use them and the food tastes bland and I miss the mixes, prepackaged flavors and such that I definitely DON'T need.

In other news, the holidays were great and time off with the family was wonderful, but I am ready for a normal schedule again.  My little family loves a little laid back leisure, but we so much better when we have a routine.  We had the "first of the year family meeting" yesterday (my man and I had our "meeting" the day before), and talked about some goals to work on for the coming year.  Healthy eating for the whole family is one of those.  The kids were thrilled!  Okay not really but let me have my little fantasy for a minute here.  The boys take after their dad....meat and potatoes and the occasional, "What are those green things called again?" My girl though, she is like her mama and likes to try new things so I have at least one ally.

My husband wants to try out some of this plan this time too.  As a man who has lost large amounts of weight in his young adult hood, he knows the benefits of healthy eating, but he isn't totally sold on the strict nature of Whole30 just yet.  He may be able to incorporate a few changes into his routine and do just fine.  For me, Whole30 is just a good "reset" to remind my body what good food and good health feel like.  That motivates me to move forward and continue doing the right things.  That and the even bigger motivation to be the woman God wants me to be.  Above all else, I want to honor Him.

And now a word from my kitchen:

Favorite meal so far:

-olive oil in the skillet
-saute onions, peppers, mushrooms and garlic till soft then set aside
-make hamburger patties (lean - no add ins- season with salt, pepper and garlic powder), throw in skillet and cook till mostly done
-add veggies back in with meat and cover with coconut aminoes (soy sauce alternative) and a little more olive oil and simmer until the meat is cooked through and the kitchen smells heavenly.

I didn't want to go down to the basement for potatoes ( I was in the middle of several other cooking projects at the same time) so I grabbed a handful of  frozen sweet potato cubes (I buy bags of frozen cubed sweet potatoes at Fresh Market and they are the bomb diggity-no peeling - holla!)  and heated them in the microwave with a little butter (clarified) and cinnamon.

Oh Aunt Bee....it'll make your tongue slap your eyes out!

I made four patties, ate one and put three more in the fridge in a container with the veggies for quick/easy dinners over the next few days.