Brace Yourself

So, I'm getting braces in Thursday morning. My teeth have been shifting back to their gnarled grin since I lost my retainers years ago, but in the last year or two, it has gotten pretty twistely. I have a slight lisp due to bottom teeth overlapping and sounding like Cindy Brady isn't cute to me at my age. :)

Because if this, I am going to have a hard time eating for a while. I don't think I'm going to post pictures of mashed Sweet Potato or Scrambled Eggs everyday, but I'll update as best I can. 

I really haven't been as gung-ho about blogging anyway. In the new year, though, I'm going to do the strict Whole30 until Valentine's Day. That'll be like 45 days... Until then, I'll be gathering recipes and trying them out to see if they're menu worthy. Suggestions are most welcome.

Today was a weird, gray, gloomy day. I skipped breakfast in a hurry, ate a chicken salad lettuce wrap for lunch and had leftover chicken and "faux"lenta for dinner...

Lord knows when I get the braces, I might start dropping weight like crazy due to being afraid to chew! :)

Eighteen

Day 18

I was running late this morning and had to throw this in a bag then eat at my desk

Meal 1

Turkey, Onion, Sweet Potato & Cherry Frittata

Meal 2

Fruity Chicken Salad Wrap

Meal 3

Lamb Kofta (w/Green Salad)

Ok, so that's not a pic of my actual dinner, but it looked kinda like that and tasted just as good as this looks. I used a recipe that I found on nom nom paleo, which she found from Aarti Paarti's blog...

Resistible

I cannot express enough how much I want to stick my head in a bag of chocolate candies and suffocate on the caramel, coconut, peanut butter, mousse, and crisp rice fillings. I will not do it! Chocolate is a gateway drug that leads to me being buried alive under a mountain of candy wrappers and empty fast food bags. It took two weeks, but I took the unopened bag of Halloween candy back to the store today... VIVA LA RESISTANCE!

As for what I did eat... picture time begins... now...

Meal 1

BLT Frittata 

Meal 2

Not even worth a picture... friggin' Spiced Beef Stew w/friggin' Mashed Cauliflower AGAIN

I'm so over this one... next time I'll halve the recipe and make a savory stew as well so I can alternate.

Meal 3

Say it with me, "Pork Chops & Applesauce" w/Sautéed Butternut Squash... Mmm mmm mmm!

Tomorrow is Friday Eve... and I'm making Lamb Kofta!

Bye bye!

16

Tired!

Meal 1

Steak & Eggs

Meal 2

Asian Chopped Chicken Salad

Meal 3

Lebanese House Salad w/Lamb

Goodnight!!!

Fifteen

Day 15 of tracking my paleo menu plan and I haven't posted in a bit. This is not because I have been slacking. On the contrary, I have stuck with it pretty darn well aside from some bread at one meal for Bryan's sister's birthday, and some cake... I just got kinda bored posting the same thing I ate last week for breakfast/lunch. 

Anyway, I am recommitted to logging everyday, even if only for my benefit. :)

This weekend was exhausting! Starting off, I woke up at 6 on Saturday and that was it... No return to sleep for me. I got going right away and headed out to the store for some food and supplies. I got home, made all my lunches for the week, and made me some breakfast. Then it was time to chill for a sec watching a little tv before putting plastic up in my windows (drafty apartment might have been a part of waking up early). Then lunch and after that, I went over to Bryan's to help clean up the yard... So many leaves... Oh my word... Ran back home to help my friend Sarah load my old dresser/desk thingy

into her van and ran back to Bryan's to put my feet up. 

Sunday was more errands and trying to relax with debilitating back pain... I overdid it while raking, I guess.

Anyhow, today was a typical workday. Here's what my food looked like before I chewed it all up.

Meal 1

Roast Beef & Peppers Scramble

Meal 2

Chocolate Chili w/Onion, Green Olive & Avocado

Meal 3

Oven Roasted Chicken Breast w/Yam Wedges & Fauxlenta 

The Fauxlenta is this cauliflower/egg experiment that turned out the same texture and flavor as creamy polenta. I took two cups of mashed cauliflower and beat one egg into it. Grilled some onions in Ghee in a small skillet over medium heat and carefully poured the mixture over top trying not to move the onions (so it'd look neat like the pic), salted and peppered the top and covered it to let it cook/brown for about 10 minutes before flipping to lightly brown the other side. I split it and froze half for a future meal.

It was gooooood!

I made if halfway through this endeavor and, though much more lax than the Whole30, I have had quite a lot of the benefits of more whole foods. Even though I do seriously want crispy fried chicken or a big ol' cheeseburger, I am finding it more natural to not indulge each little whim. 

I am doing a full on Whole30 beginning January 2nd. Anyone that wants to play along, send me a note and I'll share my meal plan, recipes, and shopping lists with you.

Not Hungry!

I had a "just not hungry" kind of day, but I made myself eat breakfast anyway.

Roast Beef Onion and Peppers Omelet

I also forced lunch down my throat

Leftover Braised Beef and a tossed salad

I couldn't eat dinner today, though. I just wasn't hungry; maybe because I ruined my attempted veal piccata stew by adding roasted radishes, or because fixing it by scrapping the sauce and starting over took too long.

Anyway, I'm beat. Off to bed I go.

Sunday! Sunday! Sunday!

I was right. I woke up at 6/new 7AM... I have a clean house now, but I am pooped! 

I had some grapes and then had gyro and eggs for brunch and it was delicious. I forgot to take a pic though. 

I also forgot to photo archive dinner, but it was tomato based lamb and vegetable soup from a local place. 

It's getting to be natural again. My only hurdle has been going out to eat and not touching any if the extras (bread, chips & salsa, toast, etc.) 

I am pretty sure I will have to remain conscious and vigilant to keep this up long term. No matter what, it really does beat the heck out of counting calories and weighing/measuring food.

Not much else to say today. It did mark day 7 so I've got another week of striving for a more paleo palate under my belt!

How Does One Sleep In?

Well, dinner last night made me feel like a garbage bucket, so maybe I can edit my "no regrets" comment to "only one regret!"

Aside from food choices literally ruining my dreams, I couldn't sleep in if I tried... I woke up at 7AM this morning... on a SATURDAY!!! That's a SIN!!! 

Being that no person that I know is up that early, I headed out to start my day by getting a fancy oil change at the DEALERSHIP!  (I love CAPSLOCK!) 

Then I rolled on to groceries, laundry, making lunches, chores, and catching up on mah stories... (Oh Hart of Dixie,  how I love you so...) After that, I headed over to Bryan's house/my future home to make us some dinner and watch some anime (Kids on the Slope)... After a quick-ish trip to Target, though, I was ridiculously tired.

I feel so old when I start nodding off at 9PM on a Saturday. I used to be a night owl. Going to bed at 2AM was a regular thing and sleeping until 10 or 11 was no oddity. I love sleep, a lot, but this "eight hours" business is starting to take up a bunch of my time. Since I'm becoming a Type A, over-planning, lunatic; I lose hours making all of my lunches for the week, processing the vegetables for all of my dinners, and getting obsessed over rearranging my closets. I either forgot how to let loose and have fun, or I just run out of time way too often. I get a little worried, sometimes, that my ability to adapt to change is lacking...  ("Le sigh" much? Geez!)

Anywhoozle, here's pictures of what I am currently digesting!!! Hooray!

Meal 1:

Spinach, Sweet Potato & Onion Frittata

Meal 2: 

Grilled, Uncured Hot Dog Slices w/Sauerkraut & Mustard

Meal 3:

Lemon Butter Mahi Mahi w/Green Salad & Grilled Zucchini, plus un-pictured grapes for dessert.

I know I'm going to sleep much better tonight with this good food nourishing my body. However, thanks to the end of daylight savings time, I'll still wake up at 7AM... I'm trying my best to stay awake as long as possible to avoid this, but resistance is probably futile! 

Maybe the more I eat clean, the less sleep I'll need, within reason, to feel well rested and refreshed? We shall see.

Goodnight everybody!

54 Days to Christmas

Feliz Día de los Muertos!

I'm starting the countdown to Christmas and I'm already super STOKED!!!

If you didn't know, Christmas is my favorite! Mostly because my birthday is three days before so it's an extra awesome time of year.

This year I will be turning 34... eesh! That's how old Rachel was at the end of Friends! Sounds like such a big number when I still act like a twelve year old. I'm glad I'm getting my butt in gear with cleaning up the food I eat though, because I'm just about at the age where I'm supposed to start obsessing about not looking my age. LOL!

Without further ado... Here are some pictures of my FOOD!!! :)

Meal 1:

Over Easy Eggs with Chili & Onions

Meal 2:

Q'Doba - Chicken w/Pico & Guacamole

Meal 3:

Mexican Fiesta - Steak Milanese

Now, I know this is not 100% Whole30 approved, but this round is not as super strict as the first so I'm not kicking myself for having a little bit of cornmeal breading. Also, it was delicious!

I won't be referring to this round as Whole30 anymore just so I don't mislead anyone that might stumble onto my blog. :)