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  1. Good Earth Friday

    Friday, April 22, 2011


    Spring has sprung, Easter is finally here, and the Earth is still hanging on. Since returning from my West Coast Honeymoon life is busy, but great. Here are some links, musings, and other sundries that have been piquing my interest lately. Plus, a pledge honoring this double whammy day.

    • We adults need to play more often, and how fun would it be to go and play here?!?!
    • I'm still holding strong on some of the healthy habits I cultivated during The Whole30 Challenge back in February after a brief break for all the celebratory festivities. I have some REALLY ripe bananas in the freezer and some unused almond flour waiting for a good recipe. I think I found it here.
    • Thanks to a good friend that mailed me a mixed CD of songs inspired by my wedding reception's dance party, I have this song stuck in my head (and it makes me happy)!
    • After reading The Hunger Games recently, I am obsessed with finding more quality young adult fiction. I'm not ashamed to admit I loved the entire Harry Potter series, the Twilight series, and I am currently re-reading that age-old beloved classic, Little Women. [Side note: Amy March is seriously the pits. I would hate having her as a little sister.] This is my new favorite place for book recommendations and literary geek-a-tude.
    • To my brother and sister-in-law living in The Big Apple, I want to go here the next time I am in town. I will have the Pumpkin Spice cupcake paired with the Mandra Rossa Pinot Grigio, please! I just might make it a double.
    • I learned how to do this Olympic lift with an actual barbell (and not a PVC or metal pipe). Three days later, I can still feel this effects of this explosive and technical maneuver.
    • One year ago, the Gulf States region was changed forever. Here's what we were looking at in the news. Today is not only Good Friday, the day Jesus was crucified, it is also Earth Day. Deepwater Horizon taught me that we all have a role in caring for our neighbors and our natural resources. Take a moment today to celebrate how far we have come in protecting our water supply, in improving our air quality, and in our awareness of the human impact on the environment. Take a moment also to recognize how far we have yet to go - individually and collectively; locally, regionally, nationally, and internationally.
    In the spirit of Easter and Earth Day, I pledge to share more and waste less of the wealth of resources (running water, electricity, food, good health, time, income) with which I have been blessed. This means I pledge not to take more than I need, and I pledge to share with others the excesses.

    Easter tells us that life is to be interpreted 
    not simply in terms of things but in terms of ideals.
    ~Charles M. Crowe

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  2. March Madness

    Tuesday, April 5, 2011


    March was a busy month of basketball, family, and fun. Obviously, it included not only busted NCAA Basketball Championship Brackets (oh, UNC, I used to like you), but mawwiage, that blessed event, which made me a Mrs. I'll post more in the coming weeks with the skinny on all the fun, but after the jump you'll see the best wedding photo. EVER. Yes, yes, the one above is very elegant, but dang it, the next one is just so GOOOOOOD :)


    FOR THE RECORD: HE started it!

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  3. Binging, Balancing, and Learning

    Thursday, March 10, 2011

    Well, I'm a week post-Whole30 Challenge and a smidgen more than a week out from my wedding day. Holy canoli. I feel like I have some lessons learned here, especially after last night's visit to the Florida Strawberry Festival. First, the foodie lessons.

    1) You can have too sour watermelon candies, too many candied bacon chocolate chip cookies, too many cupcakes, and too much ice cream; however, they are still incredibly delicious. Because I was denied sweet treats for 30 days, I think I rebounded with a binge. I'm hoping I balance out as my brains rewires itself to understand that sweet treats are not forbidden, nor will they ever be forbidden again.

    2) Pizza makes me feel yucky, and it doesn't let me sleep. I totally loved every bite of my deep dish pizza from Giordano's, but I think that's one food that needs to go into the special occasion bin.

    3) Oatmeal...I love you. You bring variety and fullness into my morning routine.

    4) Paleo pancakes made with butternut squash I love YOU, too.

    5) Sometimes a square of dark chocolate or a glass of wine (or both) really is the ticket to sanity for the day.

    6) The following blog posts pretty much reflect my feelings on how diets (or "food challenges" or "lifestyles") can 1) make a normal person crazy, 2) have beneficial side effects, which consist of more frequent "whole food" choices, and 3) lead to a more balanced perspective on health and wellness. I accomplished 1) and 2), and I'm working toward 3). Below are some good points from each blog. Score 1 for common sense.

    Are Carbohydrates The #1 Health Menace? [Good Calories Bad Calories]
    "Based on all my years of experience, I'm a great believer in moderation when it comes to diet...That's the major difficulty with laying down rigid guidelines - they don't work for everybody and can actually do major harm." [e.g., the feelings of guilt over inanimate sugary objects and the crazy voices in my head]

    "There's a fine line here between learning enough to interpret your body's signals and going so far as to substitute everyone else's judgment for your own." [Solid advice. Find what works for you - what makes you feel sane, healthy, and happy - and stick with it.]
    Girl Heroes 101: Food
    "So I focus on consistency not perfection. I aim to make 90% of the food I eat real food. By real food I mean fresh vegetables, fruit, meat, beans (preferably soaked), nuts, some whole grains (brown not whites and preferably sprouted), and some dairy. If I couldn’t t grow it, raise it, pick it, or make it (with some effort) then I limit it."
    Here's what my Healthy/Eff Off Scale looks like:


    The things on the top left are those that are healthy, necessary, and non-negotiable. The things in the middle? Obviously less healthy than kale, but more healthy than Cinnabon. And the bottom right? These are foods without which I would be a cranky SOB unless I ate them every once and a while!

    --
    Now for the wedding lessons.

    1) Planning a wedding is a considerable suck on one's emotional, financial, and time-management reserves. Be prepared for the rollercoaster because it is *quite* a production.

    2) If one has the means, one should hire a wedding planner/coordinator immediately upon engagement. I would even go so far as recommending that all communications about "the happy day" be routed through the planner/coordinator. Unfortunately, this bride did not have the means - just a really great spreadsheet.

    3) I have REALLY great friends and a VERY generous family. Thank you guys and gals.

    4) I have an AWESOME fiance, soon-to-be husband. I aspire to have your optimism, patience, fortitude, and zip-locked lips in the face of stress.

    5) If there was a Healthy/Eff Off Scale equivalent for weddings, mine would look like this:

    The graph still kind of reads the same in that the things on the top left are totally necessary and non-negotiable, and the things on the bottom-left are things that are completely unnecessary and negotiable. In this case, the completely unnecessary things are those that I would not use much, if any, of my valuable time to make a decision. Guest list? Yes, take the considerable time needed to evaluate who needs to be included. Having a monogrammed light display at the reception? No. The sky could fall on the big day, but I still need my friends and family there. And thank God the buffet is not ruled by The Whole30.

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  4. Target Down

    Wednesday, March 2, 2011

    The


    Yesterday was my last full day complying with the rigorous rules of The Whole30 food challenge. right now, I am enjoying my usual breakfast of berries, almonds, and coconut milk, but I added in some oatmeal. No, no. NOT the instant kind - the 100% no-sugar-added kind in the cardboard cylinder.

    So where does this leave me? How was the experience? Well, if you read any of the previous posts, you know it was an up and down experience. I am definitely feeling better about the food I put into my body. I do sleep more soundly even though I go to bed later. I don't know that I see improvement in my performance of physical challenges; however, I don't know that I can blame it all on the food.

    My recent outing at Tampa's Gasparilla Half-Marathon resulted in my worst finish time ever for a half, but I didn't put in the work. I half-assed my training, and it showed the day of the race. It also didn't help that I had an urgent bathroom stop at Mile 3, and the Port-o-Potty line was a 7-10 minute wait.

    But I digress. I will weigh myself today, but based on the fit of my wardrobe, I haven't lost too much weight. Maybe just bloating and water weight from processed foods. Weight loss definitely was not my goal for this challenge.

    My kitchen is a mess right now, and I am kind of proud of that. It means I am cooking, and eating leftovers out of Tupperware.

    Jacob and I plan on continuing the healthy eating habits we learned while on this challenge; however, we will start incorporating some things we a) just can't love without (e.g., dark chocolate) and b) don't make us feel yucky (e.g., give us a tummy ache). Additionally, if we have a craving for nachos, or a cupcake, or some other bad-for-you food, we'll fulfill it, then return to eating healthily. We just know what the better choices are now. Plus, we'll be able to attend dinner parties, BBQs, and other events without feeling "special" or denied the enjoyment of a non-Paleo treat.

    As I experiment with different food groups (e.g., grains, dairy), I'll be able to post my own version of the Healthy/Eff Off Scale. Stay tuned. And in case you didn't catch it last night (like me), the Paleo Diet was a segment on Nightline last night. Check it out     here.

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  5. 8 Days...and Counting.

    Tuesday, February 22, 2011

    I'm tired of all the rules, Whole30 meanies!! I want to be able to make almond butter pancakes, or add a smidgen of feta cheese to a salad, or even just use BUTTER in a recipe. AND I don't understand what is SO bad about dessert, even desserts with natural sweeteners (e.g., honey, maple syrup). I LIKE ending my meals on a sweet note, even if it is just a square of really dark chocolate. Thus, in a moment of frustration, I broke down and made fudge babies out of dates, cocoa, and vanilla. I generously sent Jacob off to Charleston with the other half of the batch.

    This wasn't a true cheat on the rules of The Whole30, but it certainly toed the line. Too bad. They were DELICIOUS, they satisfied my craving, and I totally ate too many. I am SO ready to be done with this challenge so I can have more flexibility in my cooking. Red wine vinegar would be nice. Or even just a glass of RED WINE while I make dinner. The ability to eat soup. Or sushi. Or non-homemade mayonnaise. Or a spoonful out of the 2-gallon tub of delicious custom ice cream we received as a gift at my bridal shower.

    A local ice cream shop, Old Farmer's Creamery, has the ability to custom order 2-gallon tubs of ice cream. Jacob and I ordered ours last week in anticipation of this challenge ENDING. We decided on mint chip ice cream with french vanilla ice cream swirled in with chunks of Reese's peanut butter cups throughout. The staff wondered if we might want to taste that to be sure it was a good combo, but we held strong. We didn't cheat, and the staff served as our taste-bud proxies. We got a total thumbs up on our choice!

    Dear Lord, I hope The Whole30 didn't spoil our innards for this amazing taste combination. I have no idea what will happen when dairy is re-introduced. Or if any refined sugar will send me into a nutritional death spiral. I guess I should probably start mapping out what my Healthy/F*!$-off scale is going to look like...Check out the example from TheWhole9 below.


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  6. But What CAN You eat??

    Thursday, February 17, 2011


    With all the "forbidden" foods on The Whole30 list, I thought I would round up all of the yummy I eat as well as some of my favorite recipe resources.


    Breakfast:
    • Berries with coconut milk and almond slivers 
    • Black coffee (sometimes I drop in some coconut milk and cinnamon) 
    • Figs with whole roasted almonds and banana

    Lunch:
    • Dinner leftovers
    • Deli meat roll-ups with homemade mayonnaise and lettuce
    • Hard-boiled eggs with baby carrots, whole roasted almonds, and fruit
    • tuna salad over greens or stuffed in a pepper 
    • egg salad on a bed of lettuce with grape tomatoes

    Dinner:
    • pan-seared steaks with spinach, avocado, and bacon salad and homemade dressing
    • roasted whole chicken with spinach, pineapple, and bacon salad and homemade dressing
    • ground beef with peppers, avocado, and tomatoes
    • chicken with steamed frozen veggies or roasted green beans and no-sugar-added applesauce
    • eggplant Parmesan, without the Parmesan or breading (with this recipe, I could have eaten the whole pan in one sitting -- phenomenal!)
    Snacks:
    • pecans, pistachios, or almonds
    • avocado with salt and pepper
    • Larabars or dried fruit
    • baby carrots
    • zucchini and yellow squash slices with homemade dressing or sugar-free dijon mustard
    • apples with sugar-free almond butter
    • post-workout: sweet potato with almond butter or topped with nutmeg, cinnamon, and coconut oil
    Favorite Sites for Recipes:
    • The Clothes Make the Girl - every recipe so far has been FULL of flavor and relatively easy
    • Everyday Paleo - great ideas for snacks and lunch, which are the two "mealtimes" during which I struggle for satisfaction and quelling the sugar craving. Great podcasts, too!
    • The Food Lover's Primal Palate - I cannot WAIT to try the desserts once sweeteners (like honey and maple syrup) can make their way off the forbidden list!

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  7. 2 Down, 2 to Go

    Monday, February 14, 2011


    Week 2 was 180 degrees different than the first. I got a handle on the ingredients I can use, and I found some saving graces - like homemade olive oil mayonnaise. And avocados. And Lara Bars. And cinnamon. It is a whole new world.

    My energy level is more consistent, and I'm better at not feeling like I am starving all the time. I still have a long way to go, though. Over the weekend, Jacob and I were in Orlando and it was tough figuring out breakfast and lunch while on the road. I don't know how he does this every week. It definitely made me cranky.

    Surprisingly, Chili's Restaurant had some great options for us. The grilled salmon and veggies used no butter and were super flavorful. I substituted an extra helping of veggies for the side of rice that usually comes with the dish. Jacob had the fajitas, without the tortillas. When you're not filling up on corn tortillas, you can eat all of the filling provided on the sizzling cast iron platter.

    I am hoping that this week I stop fantasizing about cupcakes. I wasn't a cupcake fiend before The Whole30; however, because I absolutely cannot have one, that is ALL I want. Guess what I'm getting, Day 1, post-Whole30? You got it. A deliciously rich cupcake from The Cupcake Spot. I have two more weeks to decide just which one I want. Then, it is figuring out just what the balance is between a no-holds-barred approach to food and the strict regimen of The Whole30. At this point, I hope that at the end of this, I've learned enough to keep me closer to compliance with The Whole30, while allowing for the occasional treat (like cupcakes, wine, or dark chocolate)     without falling down the rabbit hole of processed food.
    --
    Yummy Eats of the Week:
    Sliced Banana with coconut milk and cinnamon
    Ground beef with green bell peppers, avocado, and tomato
    Tuna salad-stuffed red bell pepper

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