Busy couple weeks!

Gahhh! Sorry to leave you all hanging for so long. I know you have been checking your computers and phones everyday waiting to hear from me. Well, it has been a busy couple of weeks! We had company for a couple weeks, we did some hiking, went to the beach, I cut off all my hair, and I started tending to a little 5 month old baby, baby L, who O and I are so in love with. I thought it would help my baby hunger, but it has only made it worse!
Bad news.. I didn't finish my second whole30, I made it over half way and then since then I have been eating 80-90% paleo and I have been very happy with how little thinking and will power it has taken. Don't get me wrong, I really tried to reason with myself as to why I would need to eat BBQ wings, but I didn't have any so that's a WIN!
 I lost 4 pounds on my second unfinished W30, and I have stayed off the scale for the last couple weeks so hopefully I am pleasantly surprised when I step back on.
I have these awesome pink pants that I have not fit into in a while and they fit again! The waist is WAY to big, and the legs are tight, so I either have a tiny waist or fat legs.. unfortunately I think it's the latter, but hey they are skinny jeans!
I have this really awesome new friend of just a couple weeks, and we are heading on our first vacation together. Yeah guys, it is that serious. We are heading to the beach, just a few hours south. I really want to lose 10 more pounds before I go, so I am buckling down and upping the cardio, and going 100% paleo/W30 at least until we head to ocean.
I have been decluttering my house this last week, and have gotten rid of so much stuff which is huge to me because I love stuff, and I love knickknacks! I got rid of pallets I have been meaning to do stuff with, I dumped all my thousands of coupons because it is impossible to coupon and eat healthy. My house looks neater and my family is happy.
"You know you're crunchy...when you don't bother cutting coupons because all the coupons are for food that isn't real."
 I have lots of recipes I have tried and loved that I will share on here, and I also have jotted down some ideas and ingredients that I think would be freaking amazing together so keep an eye on those recipes and I will share some new ones this weekend!

How is YOUR fitness, and diet going? Are you doing Whole30? How is it going for you? What are you doing to workout? Tell me!! Tell me!!

Eating Organic, Grass-Fed, and Pastured

Guys. One of the biggest worries I have heard from people who are not sure about starting Whole30 is the expense of organic and pastured meats, and veggies.
Yes. Those things can be expensive. Let me let you in on a little secret.. you don't HAVE to eat strictly organic!
Wheewww! What a relief!
Here is the deal, all meat and eggs are so much better for you when they are grass fed, pastured, organic proteins. Large companies such as Tyson's add so many artificial ingredients, and hormones into your meat. I don't know about you but I am not real crazy about growing extra boobs ;)
Also, not all organic veggies are necessarily better than non-organic. Some are. Some aren't, Some just don't matter.
Would it be better for you to eat fully organic, grass-fed, pastured foods. Yeah. Probably.
Would it be better for you to eat a Tyson chicken breast than a box of preservatives. Yeah. definitely.
When it comes to eating there are bad choices, good choices, and better choices. Tyson chicken fits in the good category, while grass fed fits in the better, and frozen pizza fits in the bad. See where I am going with this?
Just because it is NOT in your budget to eat fully organic, is not a reason to not eat Paleo/Whole30.
I always stalk the meat section at my local Walmart's because they carry organic beef, but I don't think people know they do? Because seriously guys, who goes to Walmart for healthy grass fed beef? Well, apparently no one does because they are always clearanced out "Buy this meat today for half price or we will throw it away" okay, no sign REALLY says that but you get it. So I stock up on it when I can. I watch Publix, Earthfare, Walmart, Kroger, etc for sales on organic meats (which is not often..) so I can fill my freezer. If there are no sales, and I need meat, and it fits no where in the budget to buy a cut for twice as much I choose non-organic. I check what options I have price wise and choose what I believe is the best one health wise for the buck.
There you go. Do not let the expense of organic meats and veggies turn you off!
Here is a shopping list that is very helpful when you are trying to make good choices at the store, and with the bank!


SHOPPING LIST LINKgood.better.best
SEASONAL LIST LINK organic veggies
 Check out all the other great downloads Whole30 has to offer HERE

The end of Whole30

Okay. Here is the scoop on my first Whole30..
I started June 23rd and ended July 23rd.
In those 30 days I ate
No sugar
No grains
No alcohol
No legumes
No dairy
No preservatives
No processed foods
Lots of organic and pastured meat
Lots of fresh local eggs, veggies, and fruits
Healthy fats, etc.

!!I lost 18 pounds!!
Many, many inches
I tightened my belts up 2-3 notches, and my fitbit up 2 notches
My fat clothes are too big (yes!)
my skinny clothes are still a little tight though..
It is awkward to be in the middle stage!
My hair is shiny
my skin is softer, and not dry

I feel like I have finally learned how to cook! I have tried tons of new recipes and ingredients.
My pantry staples went from
flour, sugar, premixed mixes
to
Vinegar's, ghee, coconut aminos, coconut flour, dates, tomatoes in every way they come, and more spices than I have room for!

I am so happy with my new paleo lifestyle. I have finally found a community of paleo people that I can fit in with. It feels so awesome. I am comfortable, I am at home with this all.

I started another round of Whole30 again this week, if you want to join in and keep up with us it is never too late to join! I am happy to help you stay on track, I am here for questions and support!

Lets Have a Baby la la la

Guys. Let me start off by saying I am so grateful for my Owen. He is so rotten, and so awesome, I love him to pieces!! But, I am so frustrated. I'll just cut straight to the problem. I have been trying to get pregnant for ten months. TEN. I feel like a spoiled rotten brat being mad, worried, and frustrated because I know there are people who try for a lot longer, or people who can't conceive at all. But now I don't mind being a little selfish because I am hurt, and no matter what there will always be someone who has it worse than me, so when is the appropriate time to share? I have been wanting a baby since Owen turned one, so I was just waiting for my cutie husband to be on the same page. Finally he was so we literally got busy right away, if you know what I mean ;) When we found out I was pregnant with Owen we were surprised because we had not been trying, so this whole trying thing is new to me!
I have been tracking my cycle, and ovulation times long before we started trying to get pregnant. I wanted to be familiar with my body, and timing because I wanted to get pregnant when I wanted to get pregnant. When David decided he was ready for another baby he said he didn't want this to be a chore, and still wanted it to be fun so not to talk to him about cycles and ovulation because that's a big turn off to talk about lady stuff I guess? I don't blame him! So I have kept my lips zipped. I have not been on birth control for over 4 years, I have had a plethora of ovulation kits, and pregnancy tests in the bathroom so surely he has seen them.
People are always asking me when I am going to have another baby and I joke with them about how Owen is enough for me, but it's a lie. I have always hated when people made comments about how Owen is almost 3 it's time for another because I have always felt like trying to conceive and being early in pregnancy is a very intimate thing and should be kept a secret between two people, and sometimes with parents, or a close friend. Why though? Why can't people know? I have always heard that you should not say anything just in case of a miscarriage. But if I ever miscarry I want people I am friends with to know, It would be so heartbreaking and so I would want people to know why I was sad so they could just let me be sad for a little while, and maybe give me a hug. I don't want to pretend to be okay when I am not, so that's why I am sharing this post. I am not okay with NOT having another baby. Owen needs a brother (or sister! I won't be picky!).
I have talked to my doctor about my concerns and she wanted me to wait until I had been trying for 6 months, so I waited, then I decided to clean up my eating a lot, and lose some weight to see if that would help my body before bringing it back up with her. That was the #1 reason I started Whole30. I have done so much reading on how to tell the minute your body is ovulating (with out tests), ovulating in general, cycles, tips and wives-tales to help, and so far it's been a bust. Whole30 has not let me down so far I lost 18 pounds, haven't had problems with IBS or geographical tongue, and just feel better. It is supposed to help in a lot of cases of infertility and so many other health problems. This is the last thing to check off of my Whole30 list. If anyone has any tips, thoughts, stories, or anything I would love to hear them.

Ahhhh...I think it's time to go to the sea.

Whole30 Helpful Guides and Sources

Here are some papers that I find super handy to have around all the time! I keep copies in my purse so if I am stumped at the grocery store I can pull them out and double check, or if someone is curious about Whole30 I can just pull them out and let them have a look! At the very least keep the links where you can easily access them.

Just click the photo to enlarge, or click the title to open the document up from its original source.

Good Meat Guide

Sneaky Sugar Guide

Helpful Pantry Staples Guide

Fresh Produce Guide

Budget Guide

Meal Planning Guide

Shopping List

Travel Help

Travel Help 2

Dining Out Guide

Other Guides:
Low Histamine
Low FODMAP
AIP
Vegetarian & Vegan

All of these documents were created by Whole9 http://whole30.com/pdf-downloads/

Organization

When I first started reading up on the Whole30 one of the things they want you to do to prep for the lifestyle was clean and organize your house. I really try to be a good house keeper, but it can be hard sometimes! The older Owen gets (or is it the older I get?) the easier it seems to be to keep up on house chores.
A couple years ago I created a list of house chores, and what day to complete them on. I had it written in pen on a lined piece of paper, and then stuck it in a plastic sleeve. It was far from fashionable but it was so helpful!

This is the chart I created for my home. It has changed in design, but the chores are the same, although there are more chores that are not on this list ( yes, I know how to spell furniture ;).

Having a good chore list and actually doing them helps you stick to your meal plans, it helps you eat your meals at a good time, and even the same time everyday.
Schedules are important. My counters are clean, my dishes are done and I don't have to spend and hour cleaning before I can start chopping up veggies.

Seriously, I am not saying my house is clean 24/7 because it is not. Other things that have helped me keep a cleaner house are
scheduling semi- regular pick ups from the local donation center. If something does not have a place, junk it! I always had this laundry basket in my room with matchless socks, random articles of clothing that I didn't wear, much less have a place for. Just throw it out and start clean!
Set aside days once a week, or twice a month to DEEP clean, and put everything where it belongs!
I keep my alarm set for 7:00 am every morning, except Mondays I wake up at 5:00am. When I don't sleep in, and laze about I get so much more done. I also try to be in bed by 10:00pm..sometimes it's earlier, sometimes it's later. Such is life.
I write down everything. I mean everything, even if it already happened or was last minute. I keep a very detailed planner, and it works wonders.
Keep a grocery list going on the fridge, when something runs out write it down.
We have some super awesome stores here that are full of amazing bargains, but guess what? Every time I go I buy useless cheap stuff that clutters my house! It might be a good deal, but if you don't need it, it's really not a good deal at all. I stay clear of those stores now to prevent my house from filling up with junk!

Be optimistic, set goals and fulfill them!

I want to know what you do that helps you stay clean, organized, set goals, and all in all be a better spouse/parent/friend/etc.

News from Whole9

Ahhhh! Whole9 shared some exciting news today.

How cool is that?
Potatoes are now allowed on future Whole30's. I am not going to have any while I finish up the challenge I am on (my Whole30 is over on Tuesday! Whooop!), But Thursday (24th) when I start my next Whole30 I will be incorporating a little bit of white potatoes in. White potatoes are very starchy so I don't think I will be eating a lot of these, but I am excited to add some potatoes to my Sunday Crockpot.
Enjoy the exciting news!


To read the full guidelines on the new Whole30 rules read ~HERE~