Whole 30 Day 17

I have had another successful day.  It is very tempting to grab a little bit of sugar from the kids' Valentines stash at this point.  When I needed something of a different taste I grabbed a prune today.  I have to say that the longer I go in this the more disappointed I'm becoming.  I don't feel a change in energy and my clothes aren't fitting any looser.  With 13 days left I am wondering if there are any changes that are even happening.  But I will stick with is in case something is just not visible yet.  It doesn't help that my ankle is still not better and it has turned super cold again.  I made an appointment for an injury screening at Athletico tomorrow to see if things are worse than I originally thought.  I continue to have pain at the front of my ankle and could barely walk last night.  Today I have used a combination of the ace bandage and air cast to get me through the day.  If I walk with my ankle nearly locked I don't experience pain.  But this is very difficult to do for any amount of time and the muscles quickly tire.  So we will see what a professional has to say.

Not much exciting went on today.  I didn't have a ton of work, so I nearly finished it before going grocery shopping.  I finished up this afternoon as I was given a new mentor on my team.  I found some time to make sweet potato chips.  They didn't some out as crispy as I had hoped.  So I think I will try baking them in the oven next (I had used the dehydrator.)  I am considering trying to make some dried fruits, maybe some bananas or something.  These could be really good to pack for our plane trip this summer and/or even for the kids to take in their lunches for school.

Breakfast: Eggs fried in coconut oil, beef jerky, orange
Lunch: Leftover offal meatloaf, cauliflower, sweet potato fries
Dinner: Meatball stew new recipe from Frugal Paleo Cookbook over zucchini noodles (kids had corn based pasta).  This meal took a lot longer to prepare than I thought it would, but everyone loved it and both kids have declared they want it for lunch tomorrow.  So this will go into our rotation for days I have more time to prepare a meal.

Time to go put together a library list so Carolyn can have some new things to read!

Whole 30 Days 12-14

This has been a long but fun weekend.  I went to bed early Friday night to snuggle under the covers and read.  Friday was a great day where I had time to do some cleaning around the house which let us enjoy the warm weather even more.  The kids had a good afternoon playing with a balloon after their snack until we went to James' soccer.

Breakfast - Tea with lemon
Lunch - 3 eggs fried in coconut oil, leftover steak, orange
Dinner - leftover sauce with zucchini noodles
Snack - Banana

Saturday we spent the morning at the park. I was hopeful that my ankle was on the mend and was able to kick around with the kids for a little bit.  But as the morning went on I felt some twinges and quickly realized it wasn't as good as I thought.  Carolyn had an indoor soccer game and then we spent the afternoon at a winter carnival at the church where I attend MOPs.  The kids had a blast and we think we'll head back there for their egg hunt in a few weeks.  They'll actually hide the eggs so it should be more fun.  We then went to church and out for dinner before I headed out from my MOPs MNO.  I brought celery and guacamole there so I would have something to munch on.  It was a lot of fun to talk with other moms and just hang out.  It made me miss the moms' group I was a part of before we moved.  I hope that we'll start to make friends with some of the other parents at the kids' school and maybe start to hang out with some other families as our kids get older.

Breakfast - Omelet with avocado, green onion, cilantro, green pepper
Lunch - Apple with almond butter (ground in store, no additives), something else that I can't remember now
Dinner - Meatheads burger on lettuce with tomato, pickle, mushrooms, and mustard
Snack - celery with guacamole

Today was another awesome weather day and we spent nearly the whole morning at the park.  I played catch with Carolyn for a bit.  She can catch!  It was so awesome to be able to play catch and have her actually catching the ball in her mitt consistently.  The kids also took turns hitting and they're both getting pretty good and hitting a live ball.  This Spring should be a lot of fun for both of them.  After lunch we had quiet time and James and I both feel asleep.  Since I was up late last night and we spent the morning outside, it was what I needed.  My ankle has been really hurting for most of the day and I have had to wear the aircast.  So I decided to skip soccer tonight in hopes it'll be fully healed by next week.  It's a weird pain at the front of my ankle and rec soccer isn't worth taking any chances.

Breakfast - 3 eggs friend in coconut oil, bacon, orange
Lunch - 3 hardboiled eggs, celery with guacamole, apple
Dinner - Mahi, new recipe (that Carolyn asked for seconds on) with brocolli

Nearly 2 weeks into this I have to be honest and say I'm a little disappointed.  I don't feel like I've lost any weight or inches.  I don't feel like I have any more energy.  I was hoping to notice some sort of difference at this point.  But I am committed to keep going in hopes that at some point something in my body will reset.  I'm thinking I'm not seeing any major changes yet since I do typically eat pretty healthy and gave up wheat years ago.  We'll see where this takes me!

Whole 30 Days 9 and 10

I'm 1/3 of the way done with this challenge!  I continue to do well on it.  I don't notice any weight coming off though, which is a bit of a bummer.  The good news is that my ankle seems to be healing pretty quickly.  I was able to do all the grocery shopping today with no brace.  I decided to put the air cast back on for the rest of the day though as my knee was starting to bother me.  I must have unconsciously been walking differently but now that I'm using the brace my knee is fine.

It's been snowing here since about 10am, but there's barely a dusting on the grass.  I was hoping this was the big snow we've been waiting for.  With the temperatures forecasted in the 50s this weekend it looks like this snow may be void of any playing in the snow.  I suppose the Spring sports are likely excited about the early warm temperatures!

Day 9
Breakfast: Eggs fried in coconut oil with salsa, Blueberries
Lunch: Leftover chicken stir fry
Dinner: Beef roast, sweet potato "fries", green beans

Day 10
Breakfast: Eggs fried in coconut oil, orange
Snack: Banana (at 12 since I wouldn't get lunch until after 1)
Lunch: Leftover chicken stir fry
Dinner: Tacos - new recipe for the meat from The Frugal Paleo Cookbook which got 5 star reviews from both kids.  Kids had theirs in corn tortillas topped with tomato and cheese, I had mine in romaine lettuce topped with tomato.

Whole 30 Day 8

Another day completed.  I sprained my ankle at soccer last night, so I did not sleep well.  I have kept it wrapped in an ace bandage, under ice, or in my air cast all day.  I spent a chunk  of the morning trying to remember where I put the air cast.  Funny enough, I had put it somewhere I would need it most... in my soccer bag!  I could have put it on last night and probably walked a bit better.  I have wonderful teammates though that helped me to the front desk, where we got a rolling desk chair, and then a teammate drove my car home while someone else followed.  I am feeling significantly better today and will ice one more time before bed.

Despite the pain of my ankle today, it's been a decent day.  I managed to complete all of my work this morning before heading to the school.  So this afternoon I spoke with Doris (my late grandfather's girlfriend) for a while and then worked on Carolyn's scarf.  It was really nice to hear from Doris - so mentally aware for 98, she was working on her taxes!  The scarf is coming along nicely as well, 2 of the letters completed and then it will go more quickly.  I might finish before winter ends.  The kids had their activities this afternoon - acting for James and softball for Carolyn.  Carolyn is really enjoying the classes and the coach has suggested she try out for the fastpitch this fall.  We'll see how things continue to progress.  I did find out about some possible summer opportunities for her to play which actually sound like they fit into our schedule pretty well.

While Carolyn was in her class, I sat with James and read some books.  He picked up one and I asked him to try it.  I had to ask him if it's a book he's read before as he was reading it SO well.  He has progressed so much this school year with his reading it's amazing.  I was shocked to see the words he was able to read without even sounding them out.

I started the kids working a bit on mobymax again.  It's interesting as both seem to love the science portion of the site.  It talks them through some lessons and then has them answer questions.  They are both working through their math facts as well.  Carolyn finished the addition in 2 days and is over 30% of the way through subtraction.  This was kind of expected and she's excited to move on to multiplication soon.  James again has really surprised me is at 52% for the addition already.  I do give him 10 seconds compared to Carolyn's 6 seconds as it takes him longer to find the buttons to push.  Plus I'll probably reset his account at the start of next school year and move the time down then to be sure he knows them all.  I am really interested now in what his NU CTD test results are going to look like.  Both of these kids continue to amaze me on so many levels.

Breakfast - 3.5 eggs fried in coconut oil, green pepper, blueberries
Snack - tea with lemon
Lunch - Leftover chicken stir fry
Snack - cashews and brazil nuts
Dinner - Chicken "nachos" - I pulled my portion out and put the chicken over romaine lettuce then added the avocado, cilantro, and green onions - the rest of the family I put corn tortilla chips into a pan, topped with the chicken and then melted monterey jack cheese on top, topped by the avocado, cilantro, and green onions.  This has become a new family favorite and is quite easy to prepare.

I got a spiralizer in the mail today.  I can't wait to give it a try.  So much so that I think I might change up our meal plan for the weak and do pasta on Thursday, giving myself zuchinni noodles instead.  I am excited to use it for making stir fry as well.  I have a feeling the kids will enjoy use it too.

Enjoying my kitchen!

We have been home with a fully functioning kitchen for about a month now.  With the holidays officially over, I am excited to get back into my kitchen and try some new recipes.  We seem to get caught in eating the same 7-10 things over and over since I'm too tired on Friday nights when to find new ideas and make a list.  So a few days ago I sat down and figured out meals for the next several weeks, tricky only due to gymnastics Tues/Thurs and art class on Mondays.  Since we eat so early I have to do quick to cook or crockpot meals on these days.  But Sunday and Wednesday I can cook whatever I want.  If things get too stressful I might even switch our leftover night to Thursday and cook on Fridays.

I pulled recipes from a list of Whole 30 approved meals.  I'm not doing a Whole 30 as that is really restrictive and our budget won't allow for it.  But it's great to have these guaranteed gluten free meals.  So tonight's main course is Crispy Buffalo Chicken Fingers.  The kids enjoyed helping to crush up the pork rinds and this took about 20 minutes to get into the oven.  I did simply cut up chicken breasts instead of buying chicken strips.  Looking forward to a new taste.  To accompany tonight I made potato fries - baked in the oven for 30 minutes at the same time as the chicken and frozen broccoli. Looking forward to a yummy new taste made from known ingredients.  Hopefully the kids will be a fan.

I also made Energy Balls last night.  I plan to send these in Carolyn's lunch as a "dessert" and use them as a quick breakfast when needed.  Both kids tried and approved them today.  Next time I think I might swap out the flax seed for gelatin.  I wonder if that would work?  It would certainly up the amount of protein in these, something I always seem to be looking to get more of with the kids.

I'm looking forward to trying some snack recipes for the kids as we go into this year.  If I can find a combination of things that need to be baked and that don't we'll have some good things throughout the year, regardless of the weather.

Off to try dinner!

Update:  Two thumbs up by me and Jon.  The kids think it's a bit spicy.  Hopefully with some more exposure to spicier foods they'll not be quite so impacted.  They did eat it by dipping in ketchup though, which they seem to do with most meat.  Which reminds me that I should really get around to making my own ketchup to get the sugar out.  We also discovered that we like the fries cooked at 400 much more than the usual 350.  This produced a nice, crispy outside and soft inside.  Hopefully this good meal will help this nausea and dizziness to go away.

Wonderful Sunday

We had a terrific day today.  Although both kids woke up quite early.  We snuggled in bed for a bit and then read some books until I was ready to make breakfast.  I decided to try out a new recipe and made pancakes today.  Although I think I will add more milk next time to make the batter more runny, the kids devoured these.  I will need to make a double batch next time as well, because I prefer to have leftovers.  Next weekend or perhaps even on Friday this week for my birthday I want to try making waffles.  The blog I've linked to above has some awesome recipes, and if they all turn out like these pancakes it'll be awesome.  With finding these new recipes I've decided to institute baking Fridays with the kids while the weather is cold.  On Friday afternoons we'll pick a recipe and work together for a new creation.  They'll learn some math (James counted to 5 this morning helping with the pancakes!) and we'll get some yummy things to eat.  I'm looking forward to this endeavor and thinking I will end up making some alterations to recipes over time which I'll keep you updated on.  Although I'm really bad at using recipes for cooking, I swear by it for baking.  Can you tell I'm excited to get to bake again with my kids?

My dad treated us to Disney on Ice today.  Both kids loved it and I was taken back to bit of my childhood.  I ice skated to several disney songs and remember listening to the sound tracks all the time.  In particular, the songs from the Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast truck a chord today.  I wish I knew what happened to the CDs I have of those, but they seemed to have disappeared.  I was impressed by some of the skating skills as well, as I don't remember seeing as many actual skating jumps last time we went.  Both kids crashed in the car on the way home and then James fell asleep on me on the couch while waiting for dinner.  When he woke up he got sick, but then ate some dinner so I think it's the - only have sugar in my tummy and am exhausted - rather than being actually sick.  If no further developments we'll still head to gymnastics tomorrow.

Looking forward to a great week ahead, although Tues/Wed will be interesting with trying to get to tutoring after Jon gets home.  I'm thinking about skipping my game on Thursday as well, as I don't want to deal with overtired kids on my birthday Friday.

Odd Behaviors

So Carolyn has been acting, well, different lately.  She's been saying please and thank you less, talking back more, started telling lies, and just generally not acting nice.  We've tried talking to her about it, tried ignoring it, and yesterday we left the park early when she started stomping her feet (I forget what it was about).  She complains about being tired all the time, despite an early bed time (7:30/45) and taking nearly daily naps.  She continues to eat fairly voraciously, asking for multiple helpings of meat loaf tonight and finishing her green beans and having some of her potatoes for dinner.  She continues to devour books, always asking to be read to, and draws on the easel and wants to do her "preschool" worksheets.  Everything she does she excels at, yet her behavior lately has been ugly.  She has even been having a little trouble in gymnastics and soccer as of late.  The only thing that I see that could be a sign of a health issue is her bedwetting.  She'll be 4 in about 2 weeks and she needs a diaper for sleeping.  When she falls asleep in the car she wakes up soaked.  And multiple times a week she's waking up with wet sheets, despite wearing a diaper.  So what's going on here?  Are these 2 things linked?  If anyone has any ideas, I'm interested in hearing them.  Definitely plan to talk with her pediatrician when we go for her 4 year old appointment in a couple weeks.  Saw a glimpse of the old her tonight during dinner and our walk.  But this is all puzzling.

Made a great dinner tonight that had the kids asking for more.  It's a great feeling as a mom to cook a healthy meal and have your 1 and 3 year old children asking for more meatloaf and green beans.  Neither of them ate much of the mashed potatoes (with butter, garlic, and salt), but that's okay by me.  They each had 3 helpings of meatloaf, which I made with almond flour instead of bread crumbs and omitted the worchestershire sauce after seeing "modified food starch" and "wheat" on the label.  Even Jon said it tasted just like normal.  I put some coconut oil on the green beans and couldn't taste it at all.  Will probably start pulling things out for Jon before doing things like that though, as he didn't like it.  But overall a great dinner that will be repeated again, possibly even within the next week or so.  Could become a regular meal if we can continue to find the ground beef and ground pork so cheap at Joseph's.

Meatloaf
0.5lb ground beef
0.5lb ground pork
1 egg beaten
almond flour
1/4 tsp garlic salt, ground mustard, pepper
1/2 tsp salt

Combine ingredients and shape into loaf.  Cover with ketchup.  Place in baking dish and cook for 1 hour at 350. 

Happy St Patrick's Day!

So I'm not Irish, but with a last name of Mahoney, my kids certainly are!  The light blue eyes and blonde hair make them look the part too.  So yesterday we made some cupcakes with green frosting.  I was also trying out a recipe to use for Carolyn's party.  It turned out quite well.  The cake was maybe a tad dry, so I might add a little more coconut oil next time.  Will need to increase the recipe, multiply 3-4 times to get enough for her playdate and then her actual party.  But both kids ate their whole cupcake, which is quite rare.  So I think the recipe is a keeper.  I did sweeten to taste, starting with a big squeeze of honey, then two more.  Each of these squeezes I've found to be about 1T.  It still didn't taste quite right to me, so I added regular sugar, 2t at a time, for a total of 6.  I figure 3T of honey and 6t of sugar is likely a lot less than a typical recipe.  But sweet enough to please everyone.  I made a cream cheese frosting to go on top, but I think I will do regular frosting for Carolyn's birthday so I know I can get it the right consistency to decorate with.

Last night I was still craving sugar, as I have been for a while.  So on the advice of someone on the Wheat Belly facebook page, I made some sugar free chocolate.  I was a little skeptical because I've only ever like milk chocolate.  But I gave it a try anyway.  It was awesome!  So rich, in fact, I almost couldn't eat all of it.  I'm thinking about having this once a week.  Sugar free and onley 2-3g net carbs, mostly due to the almonds!

1T coconut oil
1T butter
1T unsweetened cocoa powder
optional - 10-12 almonds
optional - coconut flakes

We are celebrating tonight by joining the in-laws at Hackney's.  The kids are super excited about it.

I have also lost another 0.5lbs, showing me numbers I can't remember the last time it was I saw them on the scale.  Down 8lbs overall.  Hoping that if James ever decides to be done nursing my weight loss will accelerate.

Spring is in the air!

We have had some wonderfully nice weather this week.  It has been awesome to get the kids outside and we've gone on a nightly walk after dinner.  Led to some great sleep for both kids last night as well as solid naps today.  I'm looking forward to not needing to work tomorrow afternoon so we can head to the park and maybe just take a walk after naps.

Monday was "U" day, a difficult letter for cooking.  We ended up making upside down pizza.  We used the cheese and cream cheese crust.  I baked that, we let it cool for a while.  Then I cooked the sausage while Carolyn cut the mushrooms.  I took the crust out of the dish and put sauce down, James helped poor and spread with a spoon.  Then I sprinkled on the cheese, and the kids put the sausage and mushrooms on top.  Then I put the crust on top of that and baked again for about 20 minutes at 375.  Let cool for 10 minutes and had a wonderful lunch.  Ate the leftovers for lunch today.

Nothing new for dinners lately, had grilled porkchops and hot dogs with veggies on Sunday.  The kids and Jon has quinoa with that.  Did turkey soup last night from last week's turkey bones.  And tonight with did the Irish corned beef and cabbage with red potatoes in the crockpot.  Everyone is eating well and I think the fresh air has something to do with it.  I'm itching to get out garden going!

Both kids are learning amazing things every day.  Carolyn is starting to sound out written words and she won't be 4 for another month!  James is following directions better and beginning to ride a bike.  I love spending time with these kids lately and watching them grow while letting them choose what to learn each day.  I am going to start putting together some preschool lessons to start working on so we can do science, reading/writing, numbers, and history/maps.  I figure if I let her pick which topic she wants to work on, she could learn some really cool things between now and kindergarten.  And James will probably pick up a lot along the way too.  Such sponges at these ages!

Pizza Night!

Tried another new recipe for pizza crust tonight.  Definitely my favorite so far.  Topped with jarred sauce, mozarella cheese, mushrooms, and sausage.  2 pieces and I was quite full.  James wanted seconds and Carolyn ate hers up.  Then they had some grapes for dessert.  Looking forward to a big turkey tomorrow, since it was on sale at Meijer this week.  We have some fresh green beans too.

Pizza Crust #3
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 eggs
¼ cup Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp pizza seasoning (I used Italian seasoning & more than 1/2 tsp)
8 ounces (2 cups) mozzarella cheese, shredded

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease 9 x 13 glass baking dish (metal does not work well; crust will stick) and line with parchment paper.

For crust, in medium bowl, whisk cream cheese until smooth and creamy. Whisk in eggs until mixture is well-blended and smooth. Add the Parmesan cheese and seasonings. Stir in mozzarella until completely moistened. Spread mixture evenly over parchment paper.

Bake at 375 degrees for about 20 minutes, until evenly browned, but not too dark. Let cool for a few minutes on a wire rack. When slightly cool, I “cheat” and lift the crust using the parchment paper and place all in the freezer for about 30 minutes until completely cooled. If you have plenty of time, you can cool the crust on the counter and then leave in the refrigerator for several hours uncovered. The goal is for the crust to dry out enough that it will be crispy/chewy and you can pick up with your hands.

I also made wheat free cookies for the first time.  They turned out okay, not anything spectacular.  We did leave out the coconut since I'm not a huge fan.  Although I haven't been real big on cookies in a while.  What I really would like to do is find a yummy brownie recipe.  Haven't even looked for that yet, perhaps will tonight.  The kids loved the cookies though, so I will probably make them again.  The plan for the next sweet though is cupcakes for St Patrick's Day.  I want to see if I can come up with a recipe that will work for Carolyn's birthday.

More progress!

Weighed in again and I'm down another 1.5lbs.  This includes eating cake at my grandma's party last weekend and some candy this week.  Finally something that agrees with my body!  I'm not hungry all the time, nor do I have to count calories.  This is definitely something I keep up for the long term because it's SO easy.  I'm down 7lbs in 6 weeks, sitting at 187.4lbs right now.  I can see the 170's coming this summer.  Might just fit back into all of my pants by then.  It would be wonderful.  Won't take measurements for another week, but I'm excited to see where the weight is coming off, definitely somewhat from my stomach.  When I've lost 10% of my original weight, I'm going to go buy at least one new outfit.  If I keep up with this average, I'll be there by mid-May!  That would be a wonderful Mother's Day present.

Had a wonderful breakfast this morning and have found a new go to waffle recipe.  I did use heavy whipping cream in place of the honey.  Doubled the recipe so we could have some leftovers.  Topped them with strawberries, a little syrup, and sausage on the side.  Who ever said giving up wheat would be boring?  Not in this house!

Chicken Casserole

Had another wonderful day today.  Eggs and bacon for breakfast with clementines.  I swear, James is going to turn into a banana one of these days the way he eats them.  That, or a piece of cheese!  I had egg salad for lunch, the kids had chicken salad.  Everyone had tons of energy today and were literally bouncing off the walls.  James' new game is to run through the house until he finds a spot to "crash" and then run another direction.  I can only imagine what I might be told if he was in daycare.  But he is already following directions for 75+% of his gymnastics class.  So he'll be fine as he gets older and then we get him into more structured activities as well.  I think he's longing for Spring just as much as I am.  I see 50's on the forecast for next week though!

Dinner tonight was Chicken Casserole
A few minor changes, based on personal preference.  We used all cheddar cheese, except for a touch of grated parmesan on top.  And didn't use the arrowroot.  Also only cooked it for 30 minutes because I got a late start.  Turned out wonderfully after letting it sit for 5 minutes after removing for the oven.  James gobbled it up and Carolyn even said she liked it.  Lately she's been saying she doesn't like anything, so that was good to hear.  So this will definitely be something going on our menu rotation.

Looking forward to another homemade soup tomorrow.  Let the chicken bones from Sunday cook all day yesterday and today in the crockpot for a good broth with lots of calcium able to leach out of the bones.  Added the chicken chunks back in along with zucchini, carrots, celery, onion, brocolli, and potatoes.  Love not buying store bought soup anymore and knowing we're not getting overloaded with salt or MSG.

S is for...

Today we did the letter S.  Watching the minds of both kids develop is so awesome.  We made scrambled eggs for breakfast.  Carolyn helped cut up the mushrooms and then both kids helped put the veggies into the pan.  Then they each even helped stir a little.  They love helping in the kitchen and I think it gets them to eat a little more as well.  While we were eating, Carolyn asked how much bacon I had made.  I took the opportunity to work on her elementary math skills... 3 for mom, 3 for Carolyn, 2 for James = 8 pieces.  She thinks it's so cool to work on things like that.  And as a former physics teacher I love taking simple things and turning them into learning moments.  We then read all 4 of her S books from the library and wrote her S list.  Her vocabulary is quite large.
James has is own development milestones he's working on.  I think he may be ready to get rid of diapers soon.  I'm letting him lead, but hoping that the signs he's showing aren't just a passing interest.  May even have Jon pick up some underwear this weekend when they go shopping.

Dinner tonight was a pork stir-fry.  No real recipe and I have to admit it wasn't a huge hit with the kids.  I wonder if it was too many different items.  Marinated pork pieces all day in terriyaki sauce.  Cooked that in coconut oil and then added red and yellow pepper slices, 1/2 onion slices, 3 mushrooms sliced, and leftover peas and green beans from last night's dinner.  Put the lid on to soften all the veggies.  Served it over quinoa for the kids and Jon, had mine plain.  After dinner each kid had an apple to try and fill their tummies.

We took a look at kindergarten readiness lists tonight.  We do that now and then just to reassure ourselves that Carolyn won't need preschool.  We looked at Wheaton's list, since that's one of the towns we're considering moving to.  Carolyn can do everything on there, except write her name with just the first letter capitalized.  I'm confident we can work on that in the next year.  It's awesome to see her develop and us never have to really teach her anything but be able to do everything.  She's really working hard on reading too, I wouldn't be surprised if she's reading before Kindergarten.  Lately she's been really into writing though.  I need to pull out the letter pages I printed in August.

We also tried the bagel recipe again from a couple days ago.  This I used 5 eggs and coconut oil instead of applesauce.  Came out much better from my view and both kids gobbled them up again.  I assume they'll request them for breakfast as well.  Feels good to feed them things I now is doing good things for their body.  It'll be interesting to see their height and weight growth at the doctor over the next few months.

Bagels

Today was a very productive morning.  Cleaned both kids rooms, did a bunch of laundry and worked for an hour.  All with the kids "helping".  It's so nice to be able to walk through their rooms without tripping over anything!  Tomorrow I will do some more cleaning while they're at the store so our whole house can be clean.  I'm so behind because of my ankle, but with the aircast now I can do much more.  I've been super dizzy all day though, which is frustrating.  I made an appointment with a new doctor for Sunday morning.  What doctor has appointments on Sundays, quite interesting.  They are more into natural remedies though and I'm hoping will be willing to delve a little deeper into perhaps hormonal imbalances or something.  Anything to get to the bottom of this once and for all.

This afternoon I was sick of doing chores, so made bagels with the kids.  We made this recipe.  It turned out different from what's in the pictures, I'm not sure if it's because I used eggs or what.  But next time I will need to change the recipe a little so they don't stick to the pan as much.  Definitely couldn't roll the dough into balls, it was mush.  However, the kids loved them and after each eating a whole one, asked for more.  They'll enjoy them as a snack tomorrow or with breakfast.

I also made the flax wrap from the Wheat Belly book for breakfast.  I cut it in half and cooked on salad plates and I don't think it turned out as it should have.  But, we all really liked it.  End up the consistency of a cracker actually.  Not sure what I did wrong, but it turned out fine.

Busy Week

This was a bit of a crazy week.  Started out with R is for Raisin Bread, which I'll discuss below.  I spent Monday morning at the doctor, finding out it's a 2nd degree sprain so I'm in an air cast but should be good in 3 weeks.  Definitely improvement already, but can only do the theraband exercises 2 of 4 ways at this time.  Hopefully only one more week completely off of soccer, then I should at least be able to play goalie.  Tuesday brought the usual chaos of gymnastics, chasing James with a hurt ankle is not fun.  James got sick Wednesday - pink eye and ear infection.  He's tons better now though. 
I feel like I cheated all week with dinners, all crockpot after Sunday. 

Monday - Chicken Soup
Used bones from previous dinner to make stock, left chicken that feel off.  Added brocolli, zucchini, carrots, onions, potatoes and cooked all day in the crockpot.

Monday - Raisin Bread
I had to leave it for my mother-in-law to take out of the oven, so the middle part was a little underdone.  Will need to split in two as suggested for next time.  It was very yummy though and the kids loved it throughout the week.  Definitely a keeper!

Tuesday - Pork Roast
Jon put this together for me.  Layered potatoes, carrots, onions and garlic on the bottom, roast on top.  Cooked all day.  Wonderful, moist and falling apart meat.  Great dinner and 2 days of lunch as well.

Wednesday - Chili
Not low carb, but meatless for Ash Wednesday.  Lots of beans, some corn, diced tomatoes, salsa, onions and some chili powder.  Jon put this together as well.  Cooked all day (~10hrs).  This was a weird night since Jon took James to urgent care and didn't get home until 6.  But will have for leftovers tomorrow.

I feel like my tummy is getting flatter when I look in the mirror.  So we'll see what the scale says on Saturday.  Now it's time to plan meals for next week, despite practically no real food being on sale at any of the 4 stores we frequent.  Guess we'll pulling out of the freezer some this week!

Eggplant

I can't remember ever having eaten eggplant before.  But it was on sale, so we picked one up.  I was shocked at how light it was.  So I was slightly surprised when I found the inside to be solid.  We had it for dinner tonight though and it was very good.  Did pretty well this weekend in terms of getting more produce and staying within budget.  Looking forward to a variety of foods this week as well.  Soup for tomorrow is already to go.  I also weighed myself yesterday and found I am down 3lbs from when I started this.  Not spectacular, but considering I ate a fair amount of junk for Valentine's Day, it's good.  And for me, 3lbs in 5 weeks is better than I've had for a while.  Might even make it under 190 this weekend!

Tried 2 new things for dinner tonight...
Eggplant Involtini - A LOT of prepwork, but VERY yummy.  Used all mozarella since it's a cheaper cheese, italian seasoning because we're apparently out of basil (oops), used coconut oil instead of butter, and no parchment paper.  But turned out great and the kids were eating it up.
Zuchinni "Pasta" - Not being sure if the kids would eat the eggplant, I cut up some zuchinni into real thin strips.  Drop them into boiling water, bring back to a boil and boil for 1 minute.  Then take them out and rinse with cold water.  If I had cut these real thin, I think it would have felt more like spaghetti.  But I was cooking a bunch of stuff and didn't have the patience.  Topped with a quick homemade marinara - tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, and some spices.  Kids gobbled this up too.
Overall, a good night for dinner and definitely filling.  Leftovers for lunch tomorrow too!

Also tried Kale chips today.  Ended up throwing them away as no one like them.  Oh well, can't win them all I guess.

I'm in the middle of reading "Why We Get Fat" by Gary Taubes.  Combined with "Wheat Belly" by Dr William Davis, so much about food and weight is starting to make sense!  They both tout limiting carbs, increasing fats and protein intake.  And they back up everything they say with history and research.  I'm looking forward to being able to go super low carb for a few weeks this summer to really get my body into fat burning mode.  Just don't want to do it while I'm still nursing, so waiting until after James' 2nd birthday.  Plus then we'll have our garden so it won't be as expensive.  Off to the doctor tomorrow to get my ankle looked at.  I should be able to at least walk normally by now and not be in pain when sitting.  Hopefully we can figure out what's up so I can get back to normal life!

Happy Valentine's Day!

This isn't really a Valentine's Day related post, but I'm taking the night off of work so I have some time to write.  We've tried some new recipes lately that I want to comment on.  I'm feeling better this week, not quite as tired.  I have been trying to track my food using sparkpeople as well, aiming for a low carb count each day.  I've been quite successful, so we'll how things on the scale look this weekend.  No exercise this week since my ankle is still healing.  Gymnastics class was interesting today as walking fast still hurts.  I'm kind of wondering how long it will take for me to get back to running and playing soccer.  I was hoping just a week off, but at this point I'm thinking more like 2-3.  It's weird because it's not real swollen or turning colors, just painful to the touch in certain areas and so stiff it hurts to move it certain ways.

Chicken Fingers 

We had this last night, with veggies and quinoa for the kids/Jon.  I made some small modifications.  First, we haven't been buying boneless, skinless chicken breasts due to cost.  I cut up 2 split chicken breasts.  I also don't use parts of eggs much, so I used 2 whole eggs instead of egg whites.  These turned out great (well, the first batch).  The kids gobbled them up and there were no leftovers.  One word of caution, be careful if you make 2 batches in the same pan.  I must have turned the heat up to melt some more coconut oil for round 2 and forgot to turn it back down.  I burned the second round, although not horribly and we still ate them.  So just a word of warning.  But this will definitely be something that we make again!

Tonight we did our old stand by, "chicken spaghetti" in the crockpot.  I had planned to make spaghetti squash with it, but Jon bought butternut squash.  So we had veggies and everyone else also had more quinoa.  We still have a lot of that left.  It's funny to me how Carolyn loves the sauce.  In case anyone is wondering, here's the super easy recipe:

Chicken Tomato Sauce

1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce

6 to 8 boneless chicken breast halves, skin removed

1 can (6 ounces) tomato paste

3 tablespoons water

3 medium cloves garlic, minced

2 teaspoons dried leaf oregano, crushed

4 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese

Preparation:

If desired, brown the chicken in hot oil; drain. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Arrange chicken in slow cooker. Combine tomato sauce, tomato paste, water, garlic, oregano and sugar; pour over the chicken. Cover and cook on LOW for 6 to 8 hours. Remove chicken and keep warm. Turn cooker to high heat setting, stir mozzarella cheese into sauce. Cook uncovered, till cheese melts and sauce is heated through. Serve chicken and sauce over hot cooked spaghetti. Serve with Parmesan cheese. Serves 6 to 8.

So full!

It's weird how I am barely hungry anymore.  Yet I don't feel like I'm eating that much more, quite possibly even eating less than before.  I know my breakfast and dinner today was less than it used to be.  Breakfast was 2 fried eggs, some mushrooms, 2 pieces of sausage, milk, and a couple orange slices.  Used to add toast into that (but left out the mushrooms, LOL).  Was full on that until lunch - tuna salad on romaine lettuce, 4 pieces of cheese and water.  Was hungry for dinner because we had just done our crossfit workout.  But only ate 2 pieces of pizza, and these were small pieces!  I'm so full I won't get to enjoy one of my cupcakes tonight or have any ice cream.  A little disappointing, but it will be a great way to keep me off of the junk food and from overeating.  Tried a new recipe for pizza tonight...

Cheesy Pizza Crust - Wheat free, grain free crust
I didn't have any parchment paper so I used my large pyrex rectangle.  Still flipped it halfway through, then flipped it back before putting on the toppings.  Used jarred sauce, added mushrooms, sausage, and mozarella cheese. 
Both kids gobbled this up!  Carolyn ate 1 full piece, although she pulled the sausage off.  James happily ate her sausage and most of his piece.  So we will keep this as a possibility.  Still some other crust recipes others swear by that I'd like to try before we settle on one.  Would love to find one that I could make ahead and pull out of the freezer.  I don't think this one would hold up well to that.

Weighed myself on Saturday and didn't lose any weight.  But I ate a lot of junk last week - cupcakes and ice cream - so it's not that surprising, especially since I wasn't feel too.  We will see what things look like this Saturday.  Back to crossfit this week too, so got in a great workout yesterday and today.  New recipe again tomorrow for dinner!

Busy busy Week with new recipes

I keep meaning to post but I've been fighting a cold and so I've gone to bed early each night.  Combined with working some extra hours at the beginning of the week, I just seemed to run out of time to post each day.  But I have made several new recipes that I want to share.  So I'll put them all into one post. 

I did discover yesterday that I love my house.  I was able to let the kids play in the sandbox while I was inside cooking dinner.  Sounds scandolous these days.  But we back up to a marsh, one house next door is vacant, and the other is a retired couple.  Both of my kids are extremely responsible.  They only left the sandbox to come to the door to ask for something.  As the weather gets nicer this is going to be a great thing!  We're definitely in the right place at the right time. 

We've also pretty much decided not to enroll Carolyn in preschool.  She can already count to 20, backwards from 10, and write her name.  She won't be 4 for 2.5 months!  She has some great fine motor skills too, zips her own coat, buckles her car seat, strings beads, "sews", and helps in the kitchen.  After watching her and James play over the last month, I've decided I want to give them the extra year together.  They're only little once and have a great gift of lots of time together to build an awesome relationship.  If I send her to school in the morning, they'll only have maybe 1 day a week to play in the morning.  If Jon gets a new job for next year, I'll be able to spend more time with her while James naps and work on preschool type things each day.  Even 20 minutes together is probably equal to the time she'd get in a classroom once you factor in all of the play time.  So we're going to save our money and just enjoy her last year before she starts Kindergarten.

Yesterday was my birthday, and so I enter into the final year of my 20's.  My goal is to be in the best shape of my life when I turn 30.  Of course, I don't get to use a personal chef, personal trainer, or suddenly get to stop working/taking care of the kids.  As the weather gets nicer, I know I'll be spending less time working out in the basement and more time playing with the kids and gardening.  So for the next 6-7 months I'm going to focus more on eating healthy than working out a ton.  When I'm outside with the kids I'm going to try and get more active with them.  Carolyn will likely enjoy more games of tag, races, and going on longer walks.  So everyone should be happy.  Here's to a great year of health and ending my 20's on a high note!

Monday Dinner - Baked Potato Soup
I have made a few modifications to fit our liking.  I chopped 3-4 large potatoes, enough to fill the crockpot about 2/3 of the way.  I don't peel the potatoes, because there are a lot of nutrients in them.  I used a little less broth because we bought cans (on sale) and in the past 2 quarts has been so much liquid that the pot overflows when putting the cream cheese.  So I used 4 14.5oz cans.  When putting in the cream cheese, be sure to break it up or you'll just end up with chunks.  I use a knife to cut it into 1/5's as I put it in.  Then be sure to stir real well. 
Both kids gobbles this and the bacon served with it right up. 

Tuesday Cupcake Trial
Attempted this recipe on Tuesday.  I should have known that it wasn't going to work out when I tasted the batter.  They looked really nice, but are very bitter to me.  It's been suggested by a few people that I try an alternate brand of Stevia or simply a different sugar alternative.  Interestingly, Carolyn says she likes them.  Although she chose the second batch for dessert last night.

Wednesday Dinner - Grain free Meatloaf with mashed potatoes (butter, cream, garlic salt) and fresh brocolli
First time with the recipe above.  I think next time I would cook it a bit shorter, closer to just 60 minutes.  We found it a bit cheesy for our liking as well.  I think next time I might take my mom's meatloaf recipe and find a replacement for breadcrumbs instead.  Stuck in our old ways, I know, but we really like her recipe.  Might try tomato paste mixed with tomato sauce for the outside of it though.

Cupcakes second try
I gave the same cupcakes a second try, this time tasting the batter before cooking and adding sugar to taste.  I ended up adding nearly 2 cups of sugar.  They turned out very yummy, but the centers caved in.  So I made a cream cheese frosting (cream cheese, cream, butter, and powdered sugar) and filled in the middle.
We had these after dinner and everyone gobbled them up, very yummy!  Will have to keep trying to find a grain free recipe for the cupcakes that holds up.  I'm thinking I might leave the sugar since we really only make these for birthdays.  Have to find something that works for Carolyn's birthday if anyone has any suggestions.  I'll need something that I can spread frosting on without it falling apart so I can put down the frosting base and then decorate.

Tonight is leftovers and then the weekend is here.  So no more new recipes for a couple days.

Relaxing weekend

So we didn't do much this weekend.  Worked out yesterday morning while the kids enjoyed the nice, clean basement.  Jon took the kids to the store in the afternoon, where they bought the ingredients for my special birthday treat I'll make Tues/Wed.  Today they went to church while I worked at home as usual.  Trying to finish up the last of a project for my company.  Hopefully will finish up tomorrow and might even get a night or two of no work before the new month begins! 
Tried 2 new recipes today.  One was great, the other great but not so kid friendly.

Breakfast - Grain and Sugar Free waffles 
The kids really liked these.  Although next time I need to not forget to spray the waffle maker and I bet everyone will like them more.  Probably should double the recipe too to end up with some leftovers.  Should think about something for syrup as well.

Dinner - Wheat Free Stuffed Peppers 

Jon and I thought these were great!  The kids, not so much.  It sure doesn't help that I think James is getting his 2yo molars right now either.  Carolyn ate about 10 bites and then helped herself to a pear, which she ate nearly all of.  James had an apple, I'm still amazed that he's already eating them right off the core.  I think the hard but juicy part helps his mouth a little.

Tomorrow is "O" day and we'll be making Omelets for breakfast.  I'll update on how I get the kids to help me after we do it.  Two more brand new to us recipes coming later this week, so stay tuned!