New In My Kitchen

I had a couple of new things come into my kitchen lately and I thought I would share them with you guys.

1- No more paper towels!

Emily over at The Daily Garnish gave me the idea to get rid of the paper towels.  I used to use paper towels for everything.  I did what Emily did and bought two small trash cans and two 8pk cheap washcloths.  The total was $13 at Target.  $2.99 for each trash can and $3.49 a piece for the wash cloths.  Did I do the math right?

The bins go under my sink.

The left is clean and the right is dirty. 

Every night I empty the dirty ones and throw them in the washer.  I've been doing this for about a month and haven't run out of washcloths.  I use them for everything.  Wiping little faces, counters, floors... I actually like using them better than paper towels!

2-  Gather

This book is wonderful.  I can't wait until my husband gets home so we can cook from it.  The recipes are amazing.  The photography is amazing.  The layout is amazing.  It's a must read.

3-  The Produce Box

I joined a CSA!  It's such a cool experience!  This week I got- strawberries, green onions, red leaf lettuce, arugula, tatsoi, and a big tomato.

4-  Growing green onions

I had never tried this before so when I bought some onions for this recipe I just stuck the ends in some water.

These suckers grow FAST.  

Like that is two days worth of new growth.  Amazing.

What's going on in your kitchen?  Anything new?

Back To It!

So I know I complained about blogging everyday but it sure was nice not to have to think of a title... and I did pretty much use the same layout for every post. That was mindless... and nice.

So right now I'm freestylin' it. Things might be a little rocky because A- I haven't blogged normally in awhile and B- I've had a stomach bug so my eats are all over the place!

So let's get back to it.

Breakfast:

A smoothie is all my belly wanted.  A scoop of SFH vanilla whey, a cup of homemade almond milk, a whole frozen banana, and a big spoonful of sunflower seed butter.

Lunch:

I brought our lunches to the beach today and when I packed mine nothing sounded good.  I ended up with a Larabar, cashews, an applesauce, and a kombucha.

Which LB stole.

That kid loves kombucha.

This afternoon my belly was feeling so much better!

I got my package from Primal Pacs in the mail and immediately tore it open.  I'm pretty honest here on my blog.  If I don't like a product I'll tell ya... (Paleo Treats, Nikki's Coconut Butter...) and if I do like something I will go on and on about how amazing it is.  Primal Pacs y'all.  LOOOOOOVE THEM! I ordered a bunch of the primal pacs and a bunch of the just jerky to send to the husband.  I kept a primal pac for myself to try.  The combination of flavors is SO good.  Like SOOOO good.

After that little snack my belly felt ready to eat some real dinner!

Dinner:

Leftover Thanksgiving sweet potato topped with avocado.  Plus green beans cooked in bacon fat.

And the kids wanted to make banana ice cream for dessert so I had a few bites of that.


What is one product (food wise) that you just LOVE!

Whole30 Thoughts

The past few days have been a whirlwind for me. It feels like its been a month. I've eaten pizza, a rice krispy treat, and a burger... With the bun. I feel bloated, I'm not sleeping well, and I'm craving sugar.  Basically, my relationship with food and my willpower is not quite what I wanted it to be.

I think I ended my Whole30 too soon. I had just got in a good rhythm and just started really listening to my body. I had just stopped the mind battles over sugar and mindless eating. I should have gone a week or so longer.

Maybe I shouldn't have announced I was doing another Whole30 on Instagram.  To me a Whole30 is an all or nothing thing... There's no "well everything but this one thing"...  I was going to say I was going to do the Whole30 but keep paleo pancakes and protein shakes...

No.  There are no "buts".  There are no exceptions.  You either do the Whole30 or you don't.  Right?

So instead of labeling myself and saying I'm doing another Whole30 I'm going to say I'm going to eat super strict and very Whole30-like for the next 30 days (except for protein shakes and pancakes!).  I'm also going to be a super strict blogger.  Did you notice I took a little bloggy break?  Whew blogging for 30 days straight is tough!  I'm a busy mama!  I probably won't post every day but you will see what I eat every day!  Infact, I plan on posting every meal.

So let's start with some paleo meals I've been eating.  

Thanksgiving sweet potatoes (recipe coming soon!), hot dogs with kraut and kale chips, fritatta, and paleo pancakes!

Yesterday I had a serious stomach thing going on.  I woke up so nauseous.  I never threw up but didn't want to eat anything.  I took an hour long nap yesterday if that tells you anything.  I never nap.

I pretty much lived on bananas, cashews, and smoothies yesterday.  I probably at 5 bananas.  It's the only thing I wanted.

This morning I felt much better so I tried eating some frittata...


I ate a good bit of it but my stomach started to hurt again.


Normally when I have a stomach bug I eat crackers and ginger ale.  Not anymore!
What do you eat when you feel sick?

Three Paleo Treats

I'm not going to lie... As soon as it was May 1st I went a little crazy on paleo desserts.  There was no gradually letting them in.  I had a dessert after every meal- LoveBean fudge cream for breakfast, Hail Mary Macaroons for lunch, and Paleo Treats for dinner.  When I went to bed on May 1st I had a terrible stomach ache.  I woke up in the middle of the night with a killer headache.  It definitely was not worth the pain.

I did do a little review though of these popular paleo goodies.

Hail Mary Chocolate Macaroons

I saw these at a local health food store during my Whole30 and picked them up to put in the fridge for later.  These were my favorite of the three desserts I inhaled the other day.  They are super chocolatey and are bite sized.  I want to find the caramel sea salt!

Paleo Treats

I ordered one of each Paleo Treats because I saw Juli rave about the cocao now on her blog- mustang bar, brownie bomb, cocao now, and mac attack.  Honestly, I didn't like any of them!  Juli's desserts are much better.  Plus these were super expensive!

Lovebean Fudge Cream

When I ordered this I bought two jars.  One for me at home and one to send to my husband.  He loves it and so do a bunch of guys in his squadron.  I can only imagine what a couple marines standing around sharing a vegan jar of fudge cream would look like... This stuff tastes like Betty Crocker chocolate fudge icing.  I love it, my husband loves it... and my kids fight over it.

While these paleo desserts were pretty good they were all very expensive.  I'm not quite sure if they are worth the money.

*Just a note- I bought these all myself.  Nothing was given to me to sample or review*

What is your favorite dessert?

Whole30 Recap

First of all... I did not cheat.  I did not eat a single bite of processed food, preservative, sugar... nothing.  I even steered clear of anything with "natural flavor" in it.  I didn't eat out for 30 days in fear of something not being compliant.  I'm an all or nothing kind of person.  Can you tell?

For the entire month of April I barely went to the gym.  I had sick kids most of the time and sick kids equals no kid care for me.  I was really hoping to moderate a fitness side to the Whole30 but I really didn't get the chance.

What I learned about myself:

• I am a stress eater. Anytime I am stressed I want food. Even if it's a banana. I don't think that will change. I might need to let myself just have a banana. It's better than a cookie.

• I missed paleo pancakes from day one to day thirty. I just like them mmmk?

• I had a serious sugar addiction and I feel pretty in control of it now... however, I'm not sure if I'm ready to let sugar back into my diet full force.  It will definitely be moderated closely.

• I noticed my body wanted a special "treat" at certain times of the day.  It was the same times everyday.  Right when I wake up, mid afternoon (usually around 2), and right before bed.  I'm still unsure as to what causes it (it isn't stress) or how to fix it.  Habit?

Weight prior- 147
Weight after- 140

What now?

I'm actually going to pretty much continue doing what I'm doing.  I'm addicted to the compliments on how great I look, how great I feel, and the results.  I am definitely going to incorporate paleo pancakes, bacon, popcorn on Friday, and a couple of sweet treats back in.  I have several sweet paleo products in my house right now and I can't wait to try them- LoveBean Fudge Cream, Hail Mary Macaroons, and Paleo Treats.

It will also be nice to be a little more social.  I didn't eat out at all so there were several times this month where I watched people eat out.  It kinda sucked.

I have no desire to add grains, legumes, or dairy back in to my diet at all.  There's no reason for it.

June will be another Whole30 for me so if you missed April plan on June and I'll do it with you!

Y'all know what I had for breakfast this morning!





Ahhhhhhh.  Finally.

What is one thing you "know" about your body?