21 Day Sugar Detox: Day One

Today started off really well. It was my first day back to work after a really long winter break. I actually was excited to start this challenge on the first day back into a routine.

I actually woke up when my alarm went off the first time. Nothing short of a miracle.

I got up and made breakfast (plus I drank the first bottle of water), and I packed my lunch before I settled down to enjoy breakfast with a nice hot cup of coffee. My days always go better when I start without rushing to get out the door!

Funny story about cravings at work - we had 3 little chocolate bears left over from the holiday party we had. Those little bears were staring me down this morning! Daring me to eat them!! When our 5th period boys came in, I asked them to do me a huge favor and eat those bears! Hehee. THey laughed (at me or with me?) when I told them the bears were begging me to eat them and I wasn't going to give in!

I ran a bunch of errands after school today - and I was definitely beginning to get a bit hungry and tempted when I passed yumminess on the shelves. I stayed strong and came home to make a yummy dinner.

I also made almond milk tonight - It was absolutely delicious. However, it's a lot of work (and a lot of mess) for just one little pint jar of milk! But it was really creamy and delicious.

Tomorrow we are off school for extreme cold - I'm a little nervous about the munchies setting in tomorrow.. I have prepped by getting the junk (leftover Christmas cookies and candy especially) out of this house!

 

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Planning for the first week - 21 day Sugar Detox

So this morning I took my yes foods list and no foods list to the grocery store and did our shopping for the week. I don't do very well choosing exactly what I will cook on each day of the week, so instead I plan general ideas and then make what I feel like eating from that list through the week.

*One additional goal I have is to drink more water this week. I didn't do so well on water during break!

I went to two stores and used some meat I have in my freezer for my meal planning purposes.

Costco:

• 5 lbs of red/yellow/orange bell peppers
• Large bag of raw almonds
• bag of brussel sprouts
• bag of sweet kale salad (throw the cranberries and dressing away) plus I have a 1/2 bag of this leftover from last week

Aldi:

• 2 12 oz bags of salted roasted almonds (watch for added ingredients like oils)
• 4 cans of tomato paste (again, watch for added ingredients...just tomatoes and a citric acid for preservative)
• green beans
• brussel sprouts (these are big ones in a box, not a mini bag)
• bag of lemons
• head of cauliflower
• 2 stalks of celery
• hearts of romaine
• 4 small zucchini
• 1 package of nitrate free bacon
• 2 dozen eggs
• green bell peppers

In my freezer or pantry:

• sausage with no additives (I have a 1/2 lb thawed that needs to be used this week)
• steak (not thawed yet, so I'm not sure if I'll use this for week 1)
• ground meat (use beef, but I have deer and elk right now to use up!)
• homemade turkey broth
• I still have 5 Aidell's Chicken Apple Sausage to use up this week
• Turkey breast (not thawed yet, so I'm not sure if I'll use this for week 1)
• pints of home-canned tomatoes
• lots of herbs and spices

Now, for my plan for food.

Today I cooked a big crock pot of chili/sloppy joes.

• 2 pints of tomatoes
• 2 cans of clean tomato paste
• 3 TBSP chili powder
• 5 bell peppers (finely chopped)
• 2 lbs of ground meat (I used deer meat)

Brown the meat in a skillet (deer is very lean, so no grease to drain off. If you cook beef you might need to drain some of the fat if there really is a lot). Add the beef to the large crockpot. Add in the chili powder, pints of tomatoes, cans of tomato sauce and chili powder. I used my new food processor to finely chop up 3 of my bell peppers. I left two of them a little less finely processed to give it a little more "body" and crunch. Cook on medium heat for a few hours.

I will eat this on lettuce wraps, with eggs as huevos rancheros for breakfast and even on salad as a "taco salad." This is my go-to meal for the week that I will eat most of the week.

Almond Milk

I also started to make almond milk. If you read the labels in the store, they add all kinds of sweeteners and preservatives and thickeners to the almond milk. True almond milk should be almonds and water. That's it. To start it off today I put 1 cup of raw almonds in a glass measuring cup and covered them with cold water. They will soak overnight tonight and after work tomorrow I will make the almond milk.

Also on the menu this week (I'll post recipes and pictures as I go through the week).

• cauliflower rice
  
• mashed cauliflower
  
• stuffed peppers (stuffed with a mix of riced cauliflower, sausage and ground beef plus tomatoes)
  
• breakfast scrambles
  
• lots of brussel sprouts (oven roasted and pan sauteed with bacon)
  
• carrots and celery plus salted, roasted almonds for snacks
  
• grapefruits (one allowed per day) when I need something sweet. These are really good warmed up under the broiler for a few minutes.

I feel pretty ready to take on this challenge! What did you do to prepare?

 

 

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Show off your corks!

So on this wining adventure I've become a bit of a collector. I have this china cabinet filled with the wine glasses we have collected, one from each winery we visit (that has a logo glass. Some are so new or small that they haven't invested in the logo glasses yet).

 

And I have been collecting corks. Any bottle that we open and drink, I put the cork into the dish and save it. Some of them are from wineries around here, others are from gifts, and still others are from grocery store wines. Recently, I realized how many corks I had when I put them away to make room for Christmas decorations..

So I decided to make a cork board. After scouring the internet, I found that I basically had two options: frame or no frame. The framed version seems to be most popular - buy or reuse a picture frame or mirror and fill with corks. I liked the unframed version better - less formal and a little more relaxed.

I chose to use cardboard for the backing. My design is square. It's a 13x13 square and I used a cardboard box that I cut apart to make the background.

Next I laid out all the corks to start to make a pattern. I knew I had a ton of corks from a few of our favorite wineries and I needed to figure out how to spread them out. I had a bunch of synthetic corks, which have a very different texture than natural, so I needed to space them out.

After I decided on my pattern, I cleared them off and started hot-gluing them onto the cardboard. I started at one end and worked up..

It went faster than I anticipated. I put a row of glue, and placed the cork carefully on the board. I chose to make the words and designs on the corks all facing the same direction. I found that if I wiggled the cork a bit on the glue as I pressed it down, it stuck better.

Most of the corks are exactly the same size, but there are some that are shorter. I cut one of my Rappahannock corks into small slices to fill in those spaces.

It's very neat to see how the corks make a pattern, how I can pick out the wine bottles that we enjoyed here and there. And it is wonderful to see how the places we spend the most time have the most corks on the boards - Quattro Goombas and Rappahannock Cellars and Leaves of Grass.

 

 

 

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Another Challenge - Starting a 21 Day Sugar Detox

Over the past few holiday weeks my 80/20 way of eating Paleo has slipped more than a bit. I'm finding myself indulging in more and more things that make me feel not so hot. Corn (corn chips, chex mix) makes me feel bloated and slow. Sweets just make me want more and more sweet things. Some of the gluten free substitutions I've made are filled with other options (rice, tapioca flour, etc) that make me feel tired later.

So instead of a Whole30, this time I'm challenging myself to complete the 21 Day Sugar Detox that Diane Sanfilipo has created. It is said to reset my cravings, clear my system of the junk I've been eating.

I know that I need to do is prepare ahead of time. A plan, step by step, shopping lists, etc. Here is what I've done so far!

• First step - buy the book. Downloaded to my Kindle app (only $9.99 from Amazon for the digital copy).
• Second step - read it! Cover to cover. Done! I worked on reading this on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.
• Third step - make a shopping list, fridge list, download the resources and create a google drive folder to have access to the resources from my phone, anyplace I need a reminder. I wrote out my own list of YES foods, limited foods and NO foods to help it stick in my brain.

One thing I really like about this program is that there are lots of options. Diane has a quiz that will lead you to the level that is right for you. Some people will do level 1, level 2 or level 3. AND there are addtional modifications for those training for endurance events, with very active jobs or lifestyles, and with immune disorders.

I'll be completing Level 3 (set up for those who are already following the Paleo lifestyle) with no modifications.

Next step - shopping trip (when it warms up above 20 degrees!) and menu planning. I'm also going to pre-pack some snacks and lunches so I can grab-and-go this week.

I will start on Monday, January 6th!

Stay tuned for more recipes, lessons learned and reflections!

 

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2013 in Review - What I've Learned About Me!!

Looking back, 2012 was incredible.  I set goals and blew them out of the water.  I met challenges head on and went into 2013 with even loftier goals.  And I learned a TON about myself while I worked toward those goals.

I learned 

• Goals are great to have, but listening to my body and learning to adjust the goals I have for myself is more important.  Sticking to an artificial goal and hurting myself further by pushing and pushing is not worth hurting myself.  I set a mileage goal last year.   With the hurty hip I've been dealing with since spring, I wasn't able to meet that goal, but I kept myself healthy.
• I am stronger than I ever thought - I finished a half marathon!  And I blew my old time out of the water.  I got faster and stronger week to week.  
• To listen to my body and REST when I need it - this might be the HARDEST lesson of the year that I learned. 
• To take a risk - and try for a new job that was beyond my comfort zone and away from my Brookfield family.   Change is tough - but I did it!  And I love the challenge and the new job!
• To balance work and play a little better in the second half of this year.   
• To declutter and do more with less.  Moving this year was a fabulous experience for me.  I learned to let go of much of the stuff that was filling up my life.  Selling, donating and letting go.  Still working on this.
• That I like to try new things.  It takes a while to feel brave enough and sure enough, but I like to try them!  I tried Gravity class and Bikram hot yoga.  Both are way out of my comfort zone. And I did both of them more than a few times!
• To make fabulous choices when it comes to food, most of the time.   I met a goal in my weightloss and maintained it.  I learned new habits and ways of eating that will be with me for the rest of my life. 
• How much friends mean to me.  I've learned much more about assessing the friendships. 

2013 was a great year of growth for me.  I'm looking forward to 2014 and so many new lessons!  I can't wait to see 2014 is ready to teach me!  I'm open and ready to learn and grow!

What lies behind you and what lies in front of you, pales in comparison to what lies inside of you." ~Emerson

30 Days of Gratitude

In November I participated in a challenge to recognize all the things in my life I have to be thankful for. It was a great feeling to lead up to the holidays to help me realize just how truly blessed I really am. It also helped me realize I didn't need much as headed into the giving season.

 

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