My dear 6 year old Tyler has been eating better over the past few months. We've seen improvement but we still have a ways to go.
Last week we signed Tyler up for football for the upcoming fall. At the sign up we were reminded to eat right and lay off the junk food this summer. He needs to do push-ups and sit-ups and condition himself for running in the heat. Tyler loves sports and being outside. I think the workout will be easy for him but he needs to improve his diet. While we were signing up I looked him in the eyes and told him that he has to eat right if he's going to play football.
A few days later I took the kids to the drive-thru at McDonald's for our weekly fast food pick up and visit with the great-grandparents. As I'm pulling in Tyler says, "What about my football?" I said "What?" What was he talking about? We don't have a football in the car, practice doesn't start for 2 months. Tyler said, "I can't eat McDonald's because of football." I almost cried I was so proud of him. He gets it. He does listen to me.
As I sat there in the McDonald's line smiling and telling him how proud I was of him, I realized I was still in the McDonald's line. What should I do? I've already called the grandparents and I have their order ready to go for McDonald's. We were in a hurry. So I first looked at the menu with Tyler and tried to find something he would eat that was maybe a little healthier than his normal fries and chicken nuggets. No luck. All of the other fast food options in our town are not any better. So this was my chance to teach "everything in moderation", which is one of my biggest weaknesses. I told him that it's ok to have junk food once a week if we are eating properly the majority of time. I think he understood.
What amazes me about this is that a 6 year old is capable of being motivated and driven. As adults we search for our motivation. My current motivation is that I don't want to gain weight while I've got this boot on my foot. I can't do cardio and I'm motivated to not blow away my weight loss progress I've made. To my surprise a 6 year old is old enough to be motivated. So no matter what your age - young and old - go find your motivation!
Thursday, May 24, 2012
Thursday, May 17, 2012
The Boot
The last few weeks I revved up my cardio ...just a bit too much. My body was accustomed to my 3.8 mile walk but I decided to run/walk 5 to 5.5 miles 3 times a week. I was loving it! My heart rate monitor read 700 calories burned on these excursions. I was looking forward to pushing myself even more... until the foot pain started.
I was previously showing signs of plantar fasciitis in my left foot. It wasn't too bad and I kept running. This was causing me to put extra weight on my right foot. My right foot said enough and I now have a stress fracture in my right foot. I was given the oh so glorious boot to wear. I can only remove it to sleep, shower & drive!
At first I was devastated. 30 days in a boot. No cardio. How will I burn calories? What about my workouts? Will I gain weight? I've worked so hard to lose weight I can't gain weight! So what did I do? As soon as I walked out of the doctors office I found the nearest fast food restaurant - got a burger & fries and called my Mom and cried. (No, I'm not an emotional eater. Ha!) So many things were racing through my head. How will I keep up with the kids and their activities? What if Olivia runs from me when we are in a parking lot? How will I chase her? What about the upcoming wedding that both of my kids are in and how will I help get them to walk down the isle?
This self pity party lasted about 2 days. Then I realized the cookies and junk food were making me feel like crap! I thought about the people that don't have use of their legs and how difficult life must be. How stupid of me to feel so bad about my set-back. I have many reasons to be thankful!
I'm thankful I'm healthy. At least my injury is the result of trying to do something good for myself.
I'm thankful it's just a little stress fracture. I will run again.
I'm thankful I have family and friends to help me.
I've also learned a few things.
Gradually increase mileage when running.
Listen to your body when you have any sort of pain.
Time seems to pass quickly and so will my time in this boot. I'll be back at it soon!
I was previously showing signs of plantar fasciitis in my left foot. It wasn't too bad and I kept running. This was causing me to put extra weight on my right foot. My right foot said enough and I now have a stress fracture in my right foot. I was given the oh so glorious boot to wear. I can only remove it to sleep, shower & drive!
At first I was devastated. 30 days in a boot. No cardio. How will I burn calories? What about my workouts? Will I gain weight? I've worked so hard to lose weight I can't gain weight! So what did I do? As soon as I walked out of the doctors office I found the nearest fast food restaurant - got a burger & fries and called my Mom and cried. (No, I'm not an emotional eater. Ha!) So many things were racing through my head. How will I keep up with the kids and their activities? What if Olivia runs from me when we are in a parking lot? How will I chase her? What about the upcoming wedding that both of my kids are in and how will I help get them to walk down the isle?
This self pity party lasted about 2 days. Then I realized the cookies and junk food were making me feel like crap! I thought about the people that don't have use of their legs and how difficult life must be. How stupid of me to feel so bad about my set-back. I have many reasons to be thankful!
I'm thankful I'm healthy. At least my injury is the result of trying to do something good for myself.
I'm thankful it's just a little stress fracture. I will run again.
I'm thankful I have family and friends to help me.
I've also learned a few things.
Gradually increase mileage when running.
Listen to your body when you have any sort of pain.
Time seems to pass quickly and so will my time in this boot. I'll be back at it soon!
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
I Need Cardio
For the last few weeks I've been trying to figure out how to squeeze more cardio in my life. I make it to my workout sessions with my trainer 3 times a week during my lunch break on Monday, Wednesday & Fridays and I am supposed to do cardio on my own 3 times a week. But lately with my side business keeping me extra busy I have failed to do any cardio on my own. My only free time without my kids are my lunch breaks.
Cardio and diet are essential to continue on my weight loss journey. So what's a busy girl to do?
Sure I can try to walk with the kids on some nights. But my walks with a 6 year old and a 2 year old are very discouraging. Tyler can only ride his bike for so long & Olivia doesn't want to stay in the stroller very long anymore. I need to run, I need to sweat. I need it to be scheduled in my day. I need to use my time efficiently.
Here's my idea. I spend approximately 20 minutes in the morning making breakfast. What if I make my breakfast in advance and get up 10-15 minutes earlier than normal? That would give me a 30-35 minute workout every morning.
Here we go...Dust off my treadmill...
Week 1 Results...
Monday - Stayed up too late finishing up side business work on Sunday night. Then Olivia was up 3 or 4 times in the night starting at 2 am to 6 am. Power went out at 4 am. Baby monitors started beeping, clock and alarm had to be reset. Had trouble falling back asleep thinking about getting up to workout. Alarm goes off at 5:45. It's time. I'm exhausted. I hit snooze and I lay in bed an try to count the hours of sleep I've had. Went to bed at 11:30, up with Olivia...hum.. I've had under 6 hours of sleep. Reset the alarm for 6:20. CARDIO FAILED
Tuesday - On Monday night I made sure to go to bed immediately after Tyler went to sleep. Started kids bedtime routine at 8:30. Got Tyler to sleep by 9:45 pm. Some nights it takes him forever to fall asleep. I'm asleep for sure by 10:15. Yes, sleep. Olivia starts getting up at 12 am. What? Why so early? She asks for milk. About 3 weeks ago we broke her of night wakings asking for milk. Why all of a sudden is she asking for milk again? I tell her she can have it in the morning. She gets up 2 more times. Then at 5 am Tyler is up with bad dreams. I'm glad I went to bed early. I reset the alarm for 6:00 instead of 5:45. I'll shoot for a 20 minute workout today. 6:00 alarms goes off. I can do this. I don't want to-but I will. I make my way to my treadmill. I start with a 5 minute slow warm-up. After about 4 minutes I start to feel awake and good. I can do this. I turn up the speed-let's do a little running. After 1 1/2 minutes of running-Olivia is sitting in the doorway crying for me. By the time I get her settled down and back in bed it's time to get myself ready for work. Should we round up and count this as a 2 minute workout?
Wednesday - Up with Olivia a few times during night. Tyler up 7 minutes before my alarm goes off. No morning workout. I'm starting to think my morning workout is not going to work. However, after my workout today with my trainer I hopped on the elliptical machine and did 32 minutes. Woohoo!
Thursday - I've given up on mornings! So instead I went to a boot camp at lunch!
Friday - Normal workout with trainer. No extra cardio.
Once Olivia is a little older I'll try this morning workout again. For now, I'm going to add cardio to my MWF workouts and do my best to get some sort of cardio on Tuesdays and Thursdays. All I can do is keep trying!
Cardio and diet are essential to continue on my weight loss journey. So what's a busy girl to do?
Sure I can try to walk with the kids on some nights. But my walks with a 6 year old and a 2 year old are very discouraging. Tyler can only ride his bike for so long & Olivia doesn't want to stay in the stroller very long anymore. I need to run, I need to sweat. I need it to be scheduled in my day. I need to use my time efficiently.
Here's my idea. I spend approximately 20 minutes in the morning making breakfast. What if I make my breakfast in advance and get up 10-15 minutes earlier than normal? That would give me a 30-35 minute workout every morning.
Here we go...Dust off my treadmill...
Week 1 Results...
Monday - Stayed up too late finishing up side business work on Sunday night. Then Olivia was up 3 or 4 times in the night starting at 2 am to 6 am. Power went out at 4 am. Baby monitors started beeping, clock and alarm had to be reset. Had trouble falling back asleep thinking about getting up to workout. Alarm goes off at 5:45. It's time. I'm exhausted. I hit snooze and I lay in bed an try to count the hours of sleep I've had. Went to bed at 11:30, up with Olivia...hum.. I've had under 6 hours of sleep. Reset the alarm for 6:20. CARDIO FAILED
Tuesday - On Monday night I made sure to go to bed immediately after Tyler went to sleep. Started kids bedtime routine at 8:30. Got Tyler to sleep by 9:45 pm. Some nights it takes him forever to fall asleep. I'm asleep for sure by 10:15. Yes, sleep. Olivia starts getting up at 12 am. What? Why so early? She asks for milk. About 3 weeks ago we broke her of night wakings asking for milk. Why all of a sudden is she asking for milk again? I tell her she can have it in the morning. She gets up 2 more times. Then at 5 am Tyler is up with bad dreams. I'm glad I went to bed early. I reset the alarm for 6:00 instead of 5:45. I'll shoot for a 20 minute workout today. 6:00 alarms goes off. I can do this. I don't want to-but I will. I make my way to my treadmill. I start with a 5 minute slow warm-up. After about 4 minutes I start to feel awake and good. I can do this. I turn up the speed-let's do a little running. After 1 1/2 minutes of running-Olivia is sitting in the doorway crying for me. By the time I get her settled down and back in bed it's time to get myself ready for work. Should we round up and count this as a 2 minute workout?
Wednesday - Up with Olivia a few times during night. Tyler up 7 minutes before my alarm goes off. No morning workout. I'm starting to think my morning workout is not going to work. However, after my workout today with my trainer I hopped on the elliptical machine and did 32 minutes. Woohoo!
Thursday - I've given up on mornings! So instead I went to a boot camp at lunch!
Friday - Normal workout with trainer. No extra cardio.
Once Olivia is a little older I'll try this morning workout again. For now, I'm going to add cardio to my MWF workouts and do my best to get some sort of cardio on Tuesdays and Thursdays. All I can do is keep trying!
Monday, April 16, 2012
Croutons
It was one of those days...
Your stomach growls
you realize it's lunch time
you have failed to prepare meals in advance,
and you find yourself at the fast food drive-thru.
You choose the salad.
Not too bad you are thinking. You choose the grilled chicken. You'll only eat a little bit of the salad dressing. It's going to be okay....until...you open the bag and see CROUTONS!
First instinct is to rip the bag open and chow down on the croutons while you are driving. You are really hungry. (Done this plenty of times.) But here is the correct answer.
Take the bag in your hands and squeeze. Yes, squeeze & crush those happy little croutons into dust.. They are way less appealing when they look like saw dust.
Your stomach growls
you realize it's lunch time
you have failed to prepare meals in advance,
and you find yourself at the fast food drive-thru.
You choose the salad.
Not too bad you are thinking. You choose the grilled chicken. You'll only eat a little bit of the salad dressing. It's going to be okay....until...you open the bag and see CROUTONS!
First instinct is to rip the bag open and chow down on the croutons while you are driving. You are really hungry. (Done this plenty of times.) But here is the correct answer.
Take the bag in your hands and squeeze. Yes, squeeze & crush those happy little croutons into dust.. They are way less appealing when they look like saw dust.
and then put them in the trash!!!
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Just Do Something
When I think about fitting in my cardio for the day I feel overwhelmed. Simply because there are not enough hours in the day to do everything I want to do. A good cardio workout for me has always been 1 hour of my time. But does it have to be?
First, if my trainer Claire is reading this...she is shaking her head telling me that I should know better. She has always told me to "just do something" no matter how much time I have. 10 minutes here and 10 minutes there. Just do what you can. I believe her but I have such a hard time making myself workout out for 10 minutes. It just doesn't seem like enough. So what do I do? I end up not doing any cardio for the day.
A few things I've observed this week might help me change my mentality on this one! First, at one of my workouts I did a fitness test. After push-ups, squats, situps, burpees, etc., etc., there was a 2 mile run. We only had time for a 1 mile run. (which was good because I don't know if I could have ran much more since my cardio has been slacking lately) That afternoon I started thinking how great I felt after that run. I had to push myself (actually my trainer Claire had to push me-mentally not physically...ha ha-You are such a great cheerleader, Claire!). My body had to work-Even though it was only 1 mile and only 10 minutes I was doing something to better myself and my heart.
Something else that opened my eyes this week is the "calories burned" results on my heart rate monitor. Check this out. Claire prepared a 24 minute high intensity workout for me. It was circuits of 45 seconds of work and 15 seconds of rest. When I finished this workout my heart rate monitor showed I burned 400 calories. Later that day I went for a 3.8 mile walk with the girls from the office. We were gone 55 minutes and I burned 450 calories.
24 minutes high intensity = 400 calories burned (16.7 calories per minute)
55 minutes low intensity = 450 calories burned (8.2 calories per minute)
So a 24 minute workout burned twice as many calories per minute than a 55 minute workout. If I push myself and work hard any small amount of time will be good for me. If I only have a 10 minute window to squeeze some exercise in I just need to make the most of it. I could jump rope, run, do push-ups or burpees. Just Do Something.
Let's Go! Everyone join me.....Get up and JUST DO SOMETHING!!!
First, if my trainer Claire is reading this...she is shaking her head telling me that I should know better. She has always told me to "just do something" no matter how much time I have. 10 minutes here and 10 minutes there. Just do what you can. I believe her but I have such a hard time making myself workout out for 10 minutes. It just doesn't seem like enough. So what do I do? I end up not doing any cardio for the day.
A few things I've observed this week might help me change my mentality on this one! First, at one of my workouts I did a fitness test. After push-ups, squats, situps, burpees, etc., etc., there was a 2 mile run. We only had time for a 1 mile run. (which was good because I don't know if I could have ran much more since my cardio has been slacking lately) That afternoon I started thinking how great I felt after that run. I had to push myself (actually my trainer Claire had to push me-mentally not physically...ha ha-You are such a great cheerleader, Claire!). My body had to work-Even though it was only 1 mile and only 10 minutes I was doing something to better myself and my heart.
Something else that opened my eyes this week is the "calories burned" results on my heart rate monitor. Check this out. Claire prepared a 24 minute high intensity workout for me. It was circuits of 45 seconds of work and 15 seconds of rest. When I finished this workout my heart rate monitor showed I burned 400 calories. Later that day I went for a 3.8 mile walk with the girls from the office. We were gone 55 minutes and I burned 450 calories.
24 minutes high intensity = 400 calories burned (16.7 calories per minute)
55 minutes low intensity = 450 calories burned (8.2 calories per minute)
So a 24 minute workout burned twice as many calories per minute than a 55 minute workout. If I push myself and work hard any small amount of time will be good for me. If I only have a 10 minute window to squeeze some exercise in I just need to make the most of it. I could jump rope, run, do push-ups or burpees. Just Do Something.
Let's Go! Everyone join me.....Get up and JUST DO SOMETHING!!!
Friday, March 23, 2012
This Week's Menu
I haven't had much time to grocery shop or plan meals lately. It's so easy to make bad food choices when I don't have fresh food at home. I'm excited to have time to cook this weekend. Here's what I have planned.
Chili - I'm going to make a big pot of crock pot chili. At work this week there was a chili cook-off and I missed it because it was during my workout!! The smells of chili in the office makes me crave chili. The chili will be my lunch next week. I plan to eat it with avocado, jalapenos and onions. I'll probably take a break from chili one day and pick up a grilled chicken salad from a restaurant.
I usually buy groceries on Friday so I'll start with Friday dinner. I'm just outlining our dinners below. We usually make enough for leftovers so we will eat those for lunch on the weekends. As for lunch during the week Tyler & Olivia eat at school and Dad eats lunch out.
Dinner:
Friday - Hamburgers. Bunless for Olivia and me-Grilled patty served on lettuce, mushrooms, tomatoes & cheese. Dad & Tyler will probably eat the bun.
Saturday - Grilled Sirloin Steak & Squash pan fried in olive oil & Green Beans
Sunday - Grilled Fish & Broccoli (The kids and Dad will have oven baked fries too.)
Monday - Taco Salads
Tuesday - Chicken Fajita meat cooked in my NuWave Oven, Salad & another vegetable
Wednesday - Dinner at Grandparents
Thursday - Hot Dogs (Bunless for Olivia & me)
Breakfast: During the work week I cook scrambled eggs & breakfast sausage. On weekends I will fry the eggs, make bacon and sometimes paleo pancakes. This weekend I will make either a Paleo Breakfast Casserole or Mexican Omelet-both are new recipes I found online.
Fruit - Each afternoon when I pick up the kids we have another 20 minute commute until we are home. They are always hungry. I have bought some little containers. I will cut up fresh fruit for them to eat each day on the way home. One day they'll have apples & grapes, then maybe a banana the next day and then finally strawberries. Then we'll repeat. I'm going to try to get Tyler involved in the process each night of preparing the fruit for the next day. Wish me Luck!
I'm excited about this week's menu!!
Chili - I'm going to make a big pot of crock pot chili. At work this week there was a chili cook-off and I missed it because it was during my workout!! The smells of chili in the office makes me crave chili. The chili will be my lunch next week. I plan to eat it with avocado, jalapenos and onions. I'll probably take a break from chili one day and pick up a grilled chicken salad from a restaurant.
I usually buy groceries on Friday so I'll start with Friday dinner. I'm just outlining our dinners below. We usually make enough for leftovers so we will eat those for lunch on the weekends. As for lunch during the week Tyler & Olivia eat at school and Dad eats lunch out.
Dinner:
Friday - Hamburgers. Bunless for Olivia and me-Grilled patty served on lettuce, mushrooms, tomatoes & cheese. Dad & Tyler will probably eat the bun.
Saturday - Grilled Sirloin Steak & Squash pan fried in olive oil & Green Beans
Sunday - Grilled Fish & Broccoli (The kids and Dad will have oven baked fries too.)
Monday - Taco Salads
Tuesday - Chicken Fajita meat cooked in my NuWave Oven, Salad & another vegetable
Wednesday - Dinner at Grandparents
Thursday - Hot Dogs (Bunless for Olivia & me)
Breakfast: During the work week I cook scrambled eggs & breakfast sausage. On weekends I will fry the eggs, make bacon and sometimes paleo pancakes. This weekend I will make either a Paleo Breakfast Casserole or Mexican Omelet-both are new recipes I found online.
Fruit - Each afternoon when I pick up the kids we have another 20 minute commute until we are home. They are always hungry. I have bought some little containers. I will cut up fresh fruit for them to eat each day on the way home. One day they'll have apples & grapes, then maybe a banana the next day and then finally strawberries. Then we'll repeat. I'm going to try to get Tyler involved in the process each night of preparing the fruit for the next day. Wish me Luck!
I'm excited about this week's menu!!
Monday, February 27, 2012
Fried Squash
Dad grilled some pork sirloins last night and we needed a side dish. I had some squash but wanted something different than my usual method of fixing squash (which is roasting it in the oven.) Growing up my Mom always battered squash in flour dipped in egg and fried it in shortening or vegetable oil. So I decided to Paleo-tize that recipe.
Fried Squash
2 squash - sliced
1 egg
Almond Milk
Coconut Flour
Almond Flour
Coconut Oil
I beat my egg and mixed it with a little almond milk in a bowl for my wet mix. Then in a separate bowl I mixed half coconut flour and half almond flour for my dry mix. I heated some coconut oil in a skillet (just enough to cover the bottom). I dipped my sliced squash in the wet mix, then dipped in dry mix and fried in the pan. I flipped the squash after the first side had browned. I had to wash my pan and start with fresh oil for each new batch-2 squash took me 3 batches to fry. It was so yummy!
Fried Squash
2 squash - sliced
1 egg
Almond Milk
Coconut Flour
Almond Flour
Coconut Oil
I beat my egg and mixed it with a little almond milk in a bowl for my wet mix. Then in a separate bowl I mixed half coconut flour and half almond flour for my dry mix. I heated some coconut oil in a skillet (just enough to cover the bottom). I dipped my sliced squash in the wet mix, then dipped in dry mix and fried in the pan. I flipped the squash after the first side had browned. I had to wash my pan and start with fresh oil for each new batch-2 squash took me 3 batches to fry. It was so yummy!
Here's a pic after we ate half of it!
A Nice Little Break
I took a break from stressing about food and my family. It was a nice little break and I learned a few things.
As we all know by now...I obsess and over-analyze everything. As I plan and execute each meal for my kids I have a score board in my head. Imagine an angel on one side and a devil on the other. My brain tallies up the healthy foods verses processed junk and it keeps score. It even keeps note of how many bites each child eats of each thing. Instead of letting go and erasing the board after the game (meal) this score board is perpetual. This score board torments me and then judges me as a parent. Then I get mad and want to give up.
So what did I do the last few weeks? I rebooted and unplugged the score board. There was no score, nobody won. We ate really healthy meals and we ate really bad meals. And guess what? Everyone is still just fine. I'm still a good parent. I may not have transformed my children into healthy little eaters but I am making small changes to their eating habits. How do I know I am making progress? I looked in my pantry. Prior to Paleo/Primal my pantry was full of rice packets, mac-n-cheese, beans, gold fish, multiple kinds of fruit snacks, granola bars, cookies, crackers, candy, bread, fruit in a can (sweetened), cereals, chips, and oatmeal.
Today, I can actually see what I have in my pantry. There's lots of empty spots. There are 2 bags of goldfish that are opened that have been in there at least a month. I used to buy gold fish every week. There's no more of the multiple flavors of rice packets. Just some ol' plain white that has probably been there for year. We eat fresh fruit instead of fruit snacks or fruit in a can. There's no oatmeal or bread or cookies. I threw out half a bag of molded hot dog buns yesterday. You can still find cereal, one particular kind of granola bars that Tyler eats and chips in our pantry. But instead of eight kinds of chips there are only three. Our eating habits HAVE changed I just don't realize it at every meal.
And I have also learned Tyler will eat beef steak, pork steak, and chicken. He just needs someone to cook it for him!
As we all know by now...I obsess and over-analyze everything. As I plan and execute each meal for my kids I have a score board in my head. Imagine an angel on one side and a devil on the other. My brain tallies up the healthy foods verses processed junk and it keeps score. It even keeps note of how many bites each child eats of each thing. Instead of letting go and erasing the board after the game (meal) this score board is perpetual. This score board torments me and then judges me as a parent. Then I get mad and want to give up.
So what did I do the last few weeks? I rebooted and unplugged the score board. There was no score, nobody won. We ate really healthy meals and we ate really bad meals. And guess what? Everyone is still just fine. I'm still a good parent. I may not have transformed my children into healthy little eaters but I am making small changes to their eating habits. How do I know I am making progress? I looked in my pantry. Prior to Paleo/Primal my pantry was full of rice packets, mac-n-cheese, beans, gold fish, multiple kinds of fruit snacks, granola bars, cookies, crackers, candy, bread, fruit in a can (sweetened), cereals, chips, and oatmeal.
Today, I can actually see what I have in my pantry. There's lots of empty spots. There are 2 bags of goldfish that are opened that have been in there at least a month. I used to buy gold fish every week. There's no more of the multiple flavors of rice packets. Just some ol' plain white that has probably been there for year. We eat fresh fruit instead of fruit snacks or fruit in a can. There's no oatmeal or bread or cookies. I threw out half a bag of molded hot dog buns yesterday. You can still find cereal, one particular kind of granola bars that Tyler eats and chips in our pantry. But instead of eight kinds of chips there are only three. Our eating habits HAVE changed I just don't realize it at every meal.
And I have also learned Tyler will eat beef steak, pork steak, and chicken. He just needs someone to cook it for him!
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Me & Food & Family & Weekly Updates
The last few weeks I have been struggling with the temptations of sweets, cereal and chips. I've indulged too many times lately--Super Bowl, Date Night (1st date night in 2 years at our favorite mexican restaurant) and a funeral with lots of sweets. I haven't figured out exactly what's happening...but I have a few ideas.
1. I have been stressing about Tyler's eating and his weekly blog updates. I want so bad for him to eat more protein and vegetables but I just can't seem to get him where I think he needs to be. Yes, we have made progress but it's slow. It's been a roller coaster for me- one great day followed by 2 bad days. I am going to take a break from trying so hard. Maybe I'm over thinking it. I tend to do that.
Solution: I'm going to accept the fact we are making progress. I'm not going to document every little thing Tyler eats. Baby Steps.
2. Dad's eating is bothering me too. He is trying to eat Paleo but dinner seems to be a challenge. I want to cook the right meals for him every evening. Each night we all eat something different and when Dad gets home he is left to figure something out to eat. I haven't been preparing in advance lately. I'm stressing about everyone else and I'm neglecting myself.
Solution: Plan my meals and cook in advance on the weekend. Stop worrying about everyone else-take care of myself again. Before the holidays I was successful at taking care of my family AND myself. I can do both. STOP WORRYING. (The caps were for me--just trying to convince myself.)
3. I have not been sleeping well. At the beginning of the year the kids were sick for a few weeks and they didn't sleep well. Olivia was getting up every night at 2 am. She has since made this her new routine. For the last 6 weeks we get up every night. I have also stayed up too late a few nights working on my side business. It's crazy how just one late night can make you tired for days. I just don't feel like myself. I'm more tired than normal.
Solution: I'm going to go to bed early a few nights a week and let my To Do List sit idle.
4. Christmas. Yes, Christmas is still bothering me. This is February 8th and I am still hung up on my Christmas indulgence"s". I am really hard on myself and I can't let things go. (It's amazing the things you learn about yourself as you get older.) I feel like a failure even though my success story and pictures are on the wall at the gym and people have good things to say about it. I feel like a failure even though I'm wearing fitted clothes instead of baggie clothes. I feel like a failure even though I'm still working out. Go Ahead...Call me Crazy. I admit. I am.
Solution: I'm going to start documenting everything I eat into a food journal for my trainer, Claire to read (her idea). I have to be held accountable again. I have to SEE what I am eating.
1. I have been stressing about Tyler's eating and his weekly blog updates. I want so bad for him to eat more protein and vegetables but I just can't seem to get him where I think he needs to be. Yes, we have made progress but it's slow. It's been a roller coaster for me- one great day followed by 2 bad days. I am going to take a break from trying so hard. Maybe I'm over thinking it. I tend to do that.
Solution: I'm going to accept the fact we are making progress. I'm not going to document every little thing Tyler eats. Baby Steps.
2. Dad's eating is bothering me too. He is trying to eat Paleo but dinner seems to be a challenge. I want to cook the right meals for him every evening. Each night we all eat something different and when Dad gets home he is left to figure something out to eat. I haven't been preparing in advance lately. I'm stressing about everyone else and I'm neglecting myself.
Solution: Plan my meals and cook in advance on the weekend. Stop worrying about everyone else-take care of myself again. Before the holidays I was successful at taking care of my family AND myself. I can do both. STOP WORRYING. (The caps were for me--just trying to convince myself.)
3. I have not been sleeping well. At the beginning of the year the kids were sick for a few weeks and they didn't sleep well. Olivia was getting up every night at 2 am. She has since made this her new routine. For the last 6 weeks we get up every night. I have also stayed up too late a few nights working on my side business. It's crazy how just one late night can make you tired for days. I just don't feel like myself. I'm more tired than normal.
Solution: I'm going to go to bed early a few nights a week and let my To Do List sit idle.
4. Christmas. Yes, Christmas is still bothering me. This is February 8th and I am still hung up on my Christmas indulgence"s". I am really hard on myself and I can't let things go. (It's amazing the things you learn about yourself as you get older.) I feel like a failure even though my success story and pictures are on the wall at the gym and people have good things to say about it. I feel like a failure even though I'm wearing fitted clothes instead of baggie clothes. I feel like a failure even though I'm still working out. Go Ahead...Call me Crazy. I admit. I am.
Solution: I'm going to start documenting everything I eat into a food journal for my trainer, Claire to read (her idea). I have to be held accountable again. I have to SEE what I am eating.
TODAY IS A NEW DAY!
I WILL DO THIS!
I WILL EAT HEALTHY & WORKOUT!
So maybe I wasn't perfect and things didn't go my way the last few weeks. But everyday is a new opportunity to change my life. I can do anything I set my mind to. I completely believe these things. I must now live it!
My Relationship with My Scale
I'm accountant. I like to analyze everything. Even my weight. I have 3 scales. Yes, that's right 3 scales.
Scale #1 - needs to go in the trash. It doesn't work anymore.
Scale #2 - I use this scale sometimes 3 times a day. When I use it I have to weigh myself about 3 or 4 times because the number changes each time I get on it. So if you do that math--I step on a scale 12 times a day. I know that's not healthy.
Scale #3 - My brand new body fat scale that I received for Christmas. This is the accurate scale in the house but I keep it put up so the kids don't break it. (That's funny-I just realized I asked for a scale for Christmas.)
I know that my mood changes with the number on the scale. I also know that weighing everyday is not an accurate measure due to water weight, food weight, that time of the month, etc. I also know that body fat is the only number that matters-not weight. I know that using an inaccurate scale is even worse. I know all of these things and I have continued to weigh myself.....
Until my trainer found out about my secret scale addition. I have been instructed to bring her my scales or get them put away out of my reach. The scales are put away now!
Update: The first 3 days were "weird." It's such a habit. It's part of my day, my routine. The next few days I didn't think about it everyday, only a few times randomly. After over-eating the last few weekends I have wanted to get the scale out & just see how "bad" it is. I could try to sneak a weigh-in when my husband isn't looking. But I haven't. I can't. I can't lie to those around me or myself.
But I do wonder what that number is...
Clothing & Weekends
Question: Does our eating and workout for the day depend on the clothes we wear that day?
I eat really well during the week. I fight off temptations much easier than the weekend. I know part of that is because my weekdays are structured. I know where I will be every minute of the weekday. While at work I can't go to the pantry and sneak some of the kids grains (goldfish-yes, I'm still buying them goldfish.)
But I started thinking about something. When I'm at home on the weekends I am usually wearing my lounge pants that are 2 sizes too big, my t-shirt that is old and stretched. No make-up, hair pulled out of my face. If I run to the store or to my parents or sisters house I change out of my lounge clothes..but I don't fix myself up. I don't do my hair or makeup.
Am I telling myself that I don't care when I dress like that? Am I telling myself that I'm lazy when I walk past my mirror in my bathroom and I see myself looking 20 lbs heavier than I am just because of my clothing? Hum. Is this why I over-eat and snack on crap when I am at home on the weekends? Is this affecting my workouts... or lack of workouts on the weekend?
I think it's time for a challenge. Starting this weekend I will put on my nice workout clothes that are fitted and make me feel good. I will wear a little makeup. I will attempt something with my hair. I'll keep you posted!
I eat really well during the week. I fight off temptations much easier than the weekend. I know part of that is because my weekdays are structured. I know where I will be every minute of the weekday. While at work I can't go to the pantry and sneak some of the kids grains (goldfish-yes, I'm still buying them goldfish.)
But I started thinking about something. When I'm at home on the weekends I am usually wearing my lounge pants that are 2 sizes too big, my t-shirt that is old and stretched. No make-up, hair pulled out of my face. If I run to the store or to my parents or sisters house I change out of my lounge clothes..but I don't fix myself up. I don't do my hair or makeup.
Am I telling myself that I don't care when I dress like that? Am I telling myself that I'm lazy when I walk past my mirror in my bathroom and I see myself looking 20 lbs heavier than I am just because of my clothing? Hum. Is this why I over-eat and snack on crap when I am at home on the weekends? Is this affecting my workouts... or lack of workouts on the weekend?
I think it's time for a challenge. Starting this weekend I will put on my nice workout clothes that are fitted and make me feel good. I will wear a little makeup. I will attempt something with my hair. I'll keep you posted!
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Tyler & Olivia - Week 8
A new week.
Monday - Hamburger Patties & Gluten Free Bread. I'm excited to try gluten free bread for the kids. It does contain some rice flour but no wheat. I'm really hoping the kids will like it. I made these cute little hamburgers and neither Tyler or Olivia ate them. Tyler said the bread didn't taste right. I knew Olivia wouldn't eat the bread but I was hoping she would eat the meat. No-go. Tyler ended up eating pepperonis and Olivia had sandwich meat.
Tuesday - I made the kids hot dogs minus the buns. I served a plate to Tyler and he asked where the bun was. I told him we were out and he thought that was okay and he ate the hot dog. Both kids ate their hot dogs, apples, strawberries and chips.
Wednesday - Our weekly visit with the great grandparents. Instead of McDonald's nuggets this week we picked up chicken tenders from a chicken restaurant. It may have been fried but at least it was actual chicken breasts instead of chicken parts. I felt a little better about that.
Thursday - Karate night. Running late. McDonald's.
Friday, Saturday & Sunday - Some good & some bad. We made paleo chicken strips this weekend with chicken breasts, egg, almond meal & coconut flour. Dad & I loved them. Tyler said he didn't like them-but I made a deal with him that I would play more that evening with him if he ate an entire chicken strip. He ate it! WooHoo. He said it was good but he didn't want anymore.
I've found that I am starting to stress myself out worrying about the kid's meals. I have made progress-I have to stop being so hard on myself. I've noticed my grocery bill is less because I'm not buying all of the processed foods I was buying before. The kids are eating more fresh foods than before and I'm more aware of what I'm feeding them.
Monday - Hamburger Patties & Gluten Free Bread. I'm excited to try gluten free bread for the kids. It does contain some rice flour but no wheat. I'm really hoping the kids will like it. I made these cute little hamburgers and neither Tyler or Olivia ate them. Tyler said the bread didn't taste right. I knew Olivia wouldn't eat the bread but I was hoping she would eat the meat. No-go. Tyler ended up eating pepperonis and Olivia had sandwich meat.
Tuesday - I made the kids hot dogs minus the buns. I served a plate to Tyler and he asked where the bun was. I told him we were out and he thought that was okay and he ate the hot dog. Both kids ate their hot dogs, apples, strawberries and chips.
Wednesday - Our weekly visit with the great grandparents. Instead of McDonald's nuggets this week we picked up chicken tenders from a chicken restaurant. It may have been fried but at least it was actual chicken breasts instead of chicken parts. I felt a little better about that.
Thursday - Karate night. Running late. McDonald's.
Friday, Saturday & Sunday - Some good & some bad. We made paleo chicken strips this weekend with chicken breasts, egg, almond meal & coconut flour. Dad & I loved them. Tyler said he didn't like them-but I made a deal with him that I would play more that evening with him if he ate an entire chicken strip. He ate it! WooHoo. He said it was good but he didn't want anymore.
I've found that I am starting to stress myself out worrying about the kid's meals. I have made progress-I have to stop being so hard on myself. I've noticed my grocery bill is less because I'm not buying all of the processed foods I was buying before. The kids are eating more fresh foods than before and I'm more aware of what I'm feeding them.
Thursday, January 26, 2012
My Sister & Pizza
My sister has always been the thin one. She's never struggled with her weight. She always looks good. She's a barrel racer and she stays very active taking care of her horses and always on the go.
There's a new Italian restaurant in the small town my sister lives in and she really wanted us to try it out. She eats there several times a week! I scanned the menu before we went and I couldn't find anything with vegetables. I thought surely we could get some meat & veggies. Not on this menu. Dad and I debated if we should go or not. And after much peer pressure we said we would go. Our eating throughout the week was fairly good so we figured we could splurge. We decided we would eat a bunch of salad and then get a pizza to share with the kids. The salad and pizza were both really good. They were fairly large pieces (New York style) of pizza. I had about 1 1/2 pieces and Dad had 3 pieces. We really enjoyed the pizza until we arrived home an hour later. We both barely made it to the bathroom with stomach troubles. We were better after that but just felt really full and bloated all afternoon.
I told my sister about our tummy issues and she said that happened the first time she ate there too. But isn't that a signal from our bodies telling us that this is not good for us? If your stomach feels the urge to get rid of it immediately it surely can't be good for you. I've read plenty of articles about listening to your body and I fully believe my body was trying to tell me something. Don't get me wrong--I'm sure I'll eat it again someday..but not anytime too soon.
There's a new Italian restaurant in the small town my sister lives in and she really wanted us to try it out. She eats there several times a week! I scanned the menu before we went and I couldn't find anything with vegetables. I thought surely we could get some meat & veggies. Not on this menu. Dad and I debated if we should go or not. And after much peer pressure we said we would go. Our eating throughout the week was fairly good so we figured we could splurge. We decided we would eat a bunch of salad and then get a pizza to share with the kids. The salad and pizza were both really good. They were fairly large pieces (New York style) of pizza. I had about 1 1/2 pieces and Dad had 3 pieces. We really enjoyed the pizza until we arrived home an hour later. We both barely made it to the bathroom with stomach troubles. We were better after that but just felt really full and bloated all afternoon.
I told my sister about our tummy issues and she said that happened the first time she ate there too. But isn't that a signal from our bodies telling us that this is not good for us? If your stomach feels the urge to get rid of it immediately it surely can't be good for you. I've read plenty of articles about listening to your body and I fully believe my body was trying to tell me something. Don't get me wrong--I'm sure I'll eat it again someday..but not anytime too soon.
Tyler & Olivia - Week 7
Week 7 - How on earth did we get to week 7 and I don't feel like I've accomplished anything with Tyler and his healthy eating habits! Olivia is a little rock star. She loves meat, veggies, fruit. She doesn't like bread.
Wednesday - We picked up McDonald's and visited the great grandparents. Nothing positive to say about dinner. Oh wait...the kids had apples with their meal.
Thursday - Karate night. Rush, Rush, Rush. Get home, get kids fed, get to karate practice. I left work a little early in order to feed the kids at home instead of getting fast food. I made them sausage, warmed up left over squash & served with fruit. Tyler didn't eat since he had gold fish when I picked him up because he was starving. I tried to give him bananas or beef jerky but he didn't want those.
Friday - Success!!! Tyler ate venison sausage. A very good sized piece. He had it with a tortilla. He did eat meat!!!!! Yeah!!!!
Saturday - Running on little sleep-went to visit family in the ER Friday night at midnight. My food choices are not logical today. We went to eat Italian with my sister. Pizza. We snacked on food around the house for dinner.
Sunday - I'm starting to stress out about Tyler's eating. I'm making bad food choices for myself this weekend and I'm not trying very hard with the kids. I start to feel sorry for myself. How can I get Tyler healthy when I spend so much time traveling each day back and forth to work? We don't get home until after 6 pm. I can't get everything done that I want to. I don't have time to cook meals in advance. I don't take time to play with my kids. I'm always busy. My grandparents want to eat healthier-I want to make meals for them. I want to spend time with them. I want to spend time with my kids. They are growing up so fast. I want to workout with my parents and teach them to make it a habit. I want to have cooking days with my Mom. My sister wants us to take the trips with the kids. When am I going to have time for all of this? My irritation is interrupted by dinner. Dad cooked sirloins and green beans. And guess what? Tyler ate steak and a bunch of it. He didn't eat the green beans but he did eat apples. I have to remember baby steps. I can't change Tyler's entire diet over night. Very slow small changes. That's all I can do. Tomorrow is a new day.
This week I've shifted my concentration to dinner rather than breakfast.
Monday - We baked a ham over the weekend to eat this week. We ate ham for dinner. We let Tyler have his with ketsup. He ate some but not enough. He also had apples, strawberries and chips. He was hungry at bed time and we let him have yogurt.
Tuesday - I made Tyler a smoothie for breakfast. All I had on hand was strawberries, bananas & almond milk. He doesn't like any banana chunks in the smoothie so I had to blend a lot. What is with kids and texture, sight and smell of food? He only drank half of it. If I can get him drinking smoothies I can sneak in spinach. Tyler also had a sausage biscuit. Olivia had sausage. She's so good.
For dinner on Tuesday we had Rotisserie chicken. Tyler ate 1 1/2 chicken legs, apples and I forced him to taste squash. Dad did an excellent job getting Tyler to eat the chicken. Tyler tried to get up from the table several times but Dad told him that if he didn't eat his "healthy" chicken then he would not get anything else before bedtime. (He is always hungry before bedtime. I think its because he's not eating much meat at dinner.) He had 2 small cookies and his yogurt for snack before bedtime.
Wednesday - We picked up McDonald's and visited the great grandparents. Nothing positive to say about dinner. Oh wait...the kids had apples with their meal.
Thursday - Karate night. Rush, Rush, Rush. Get home, get kids fed, get to karate practice. I left work a little early in order to feed the kids at home instead of getting fast food. I made them sausage, warmed up left over squash & served with fruit. Tyler didn't eat since he had gold fish when I picked him up because he was starving. I tried to give him bananas or beef jerky but he didn't want those.
Friday - Success!!! Tyler ate venison sausage. A very good sized piece. He had it with a tortilla. He did eat meat!!!!! Yeah!!!!
Saturday - Running on little sleep-went to visit family in the ER Friday night at midnight. My food choices are not logical today. We went to eat Italian with my sister. Pizza. We snacked on food around the house for dinner.
Sunday - I'm starting to stress out about Tyler's eating. I'm making bad food choices for myself this weekend and I'm not trying very hard with the kids. I start to feel sorry for myself. How can I get Tyler healthy when I spend so much time traveling each day back and forth to work? We don't get home until after 6 pm. I can't get everything done that I want to. I don't have time to cook meals in advance. I don't take time to play with my kids. I'm always busy. My grandparents want to eat healthier-I want to make meals for them. I want to spend time with them. I want to spend time with my kids. They are growing up so fast. I want to workout with my parents and teach them to make it a habit. I want to have cooking days with my Mom. My sister wants us to take the trips with the kids. When am I going to have time for all of this? My irritation is interrupted by dinner. Dad cooked sirloins and green beans. And guess what? Tyler ate steak and a bunch of it. He didn't eat the green beans but he did eat apples. I have to remember baby steps. I can't change Tyler's entire diet over night. Very slow small changes. That's all I can do. Tomorrow is a new day.
Saturday, January 21, 2012
The Dinner Roll
The hubby and I attended a wedding this past weekend. I had been exceptionally good this week with my eating and I was planning on splurging with a glass of red wine and cake. I wasn't sure what the menu would be. When I walked up to the serving line I saw- Prime Rib, Vegetables, Salad and then a few Non-Paleo foods. I was excited to have plenty of healthy options since I knew I would be eating cake.
At the end of the serving line I did what I have always done when attending these type of functions with hubby. I grab a dinner roll for him. See, normally I would get 2 (1 for him and 1 for me) and he would get 2 for him. We have been married 13 years and that's our routine. So out of habit I did the same.
We sat down at our table and I noticed he didn't have any rolls on his plate (I didn't notice this before because he was behind me in the serving line)! Wow-I'm impressed. I completely forgot he was eating healthy. I was tempted to eat the roll myself. There was butter on the table as well. But I didn't! I passed it over to my Non-Paleo Friends.
In case you are wondering I did have that cake and wine!! It was good and I didn't feel guilty!!
At the end of the serving line I did what I have always done when attending these type of functions with hubby. I grab a dinner roll for him. See, normally I would get 2 (1 for him and 1 for me) and he would get 2 for him. We have been married 13 years and that's our routine. So out of habit I did the same.
We sat down at our table and I noticed he didn't have any rolls on his plate (I didn't notice this before because he was behind me in the serving line)! Wow-I'm impressed. I completely forgot he was eating healthy. I was tempted to eat the roll myself. There was butter on the table as well. But I didn't! I passed it over to my Non-Paleo Friends.
In case you are wondering I did have that cake and wine!! It was good and I didn't feel guilty!!
Sunday, January 15, 2012
Tyler - The End of Week 6
We have made it to the end of our crazy sick week. In 2 weeks each kid has been to the doctor twice. They are both finally feeling better and I think we will be back to our normal (whatever that is) schedule next week.
As I think back about their eating this past week it has been easy to give them processed foods. No prep work involved, no thinking, no planning. It was easy. Do I really want them eating Paleo? It's so much work. I have to be prepared, start planning meals and convince Tyler to eat things he doesn't want to. As I thought about this I remembered how great I felt when I finally gave up grains and dairy. I want my kids to feel the same-I want them healthy. It's going to be a long, difficult road but we are going to do it!!
As I think back about their eating this past week it has been easy to give them processed foods. No prep work involved, no thinking, no planning. It was easy. Do I really want them eating Paleo? It's so much work. I have to be prepared, start planning meals and convince Tyler to eat things he doesn't want to. As I thought about this I remembered how great I felt when I finally gave up grains and dairy. I want my kids to feel the same-I want them healthy. It's going to be a long, difficult road but we are going to do it!!
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Dad's Going Paleo/Primal - Sirloins & Squash
I'm so excited!!! I knew my husband would eventually want to get healthy. He has done it before. When he decides to do something then he does it.
This is so good for me for many reasons. Of course the obvious-someone to share in my paleo journey. I won't be tempted by the foods he is eating anymore. And last...he is a fantastic cook. We can eat more meals together instead of us all eating different things. That brings me to tonight's dinner.
With the kids still sick and our schedule not back in place yet...Dad got home from work earlier than normal because he had to pick-up Olivia. That meant he was able to help with dinner. Here's what he cooked....he cut a sirloin steak into strips and pan fried with onions. We called them "steak fingers". So yummy.
While he was working on that I cut up squash, onion, mushrooms and baby carrots and baked them in the oven on a cookie sheet with bacon grease. Yummy too!
It was so nice to have Dad back in the kitchen with me. Normally, he grills outside on weekends..but this was a nice treat to have his cooking "inside" during the week. Hopefully, more cooking together to come.
This is so good for me for many reasons. Of course the obvious-someone to share in my paleo journey. I won't be tempted by the foods he is eating anymore. And last...he is a fantastic cook. We can eat more meals together instead of us all eating different things. That brings me to tonight's dinner.
With the kids still sick and our schedule not back in place yet...Dad got home from work earlier than normal because he had to pick-up Olivia. That meant he was able to help with dinner. Here's what he cooked....he cut a sirloin steak into strips and pan fried with onions. We called them "steak fingers". So yummy.
While he was working on that I cut up squash, onion, mushrooms and baby carrots and baked them in the oven on a cookie sheet with bacon grease. Yummy too!
It was so nice to have Dad back in the kitchen with me. Normally, he grills outside on weekends..but this was a nice treat to have his cooking "inside" during the week. Hopefully, more cooking together to come.
Tyler - Week 6-Monday, Strep & Ice Cream
New Week, Again.
Monday - Tyler is still running fever and now his throat looks really bad. We go to the doctor and he has strep. Here's all the things that go through my mind.
1. Poor Kid - His throat hurts so bad.
2. I'm going to miss more work - I missed 2 days last week with Olivia.
3. This is going to keep me off schedule and hinder my good eating habits.
4. He is so contagious!! I'm so worried the rest of us are going to get it!
5. Are we ever going to get any sleep again?
Then at the doctor's office - The doctor tells us that Tyler probably can't eat much with his throat as swollen as it is. But she did recommend ice cream, yogurt or anything cold. All the unhealthy things we were trying to avoid. So what did I do? I took Tyler to the store and let him pick out whatever ice cream(s) he wanted. Here's what we came home with...
Monday - Tyler is still running fever and now his throat looks really bad. We go to the doctor and he has strep. Here's all the things that go through my mind.
1. Poor Kid - His throat hurts so bad.
2. I'm going to miss more work - I missed 2 days last week with Olivia.
3. This is going to keep me off schedule and hinder my good eating habits.
4. He is so contagious!! I'm so worried the rest of us are going to get it!
5. Are we ever going to get any sleep again?
Then at the doctor's office - The doctor tells us that Tyler probably can't eat much with his throat as swollen as it is. But she did recommend ice cream, yogurt or anything cold. All the unhealthy things we were trying to avoid. So what did I do? I took Tyler to the store and let him pick out whatever ice cream(s) he wanted. Here's what we came home with...
I know...that's way too much ice cream. It will be in our freezer to tempt us the next few weeks. Why did I let him get so much?
Monday was quite the day. But let me add a few more issues I dealt with. First, at my workout-my 1st-I'm not sick anymore-beginning of the year-workout with my trainer...I couldn't finish my workout because I felt like I was going to pass out and throw up! I guess my allergies or whatever I have are not gone. My head was spinning. I was so excited to get back to my routine--working out and eating right. Only to be delayed again.
Then...are you ready for this... My husband is now ready...Ready to eat right and get healthy. What?
Today? Are you kidding me? I've wanted him to do this with me for the past year. I knew not to push him. I knew that on his time he would eventually get there. I just didn't expect it to be today. The day I am falling apart.
Tyler - Week 5 & Sick
Here we go. New Year - Let's get these kids healthy!
Monday - Home for New Year's Holiday. Lots of unhealthy leftovers. Still eating the leftovers.
Created a "Healthy Eating" chart for Tyler. Tyler must eat healthy and drink more water for 6 days and then he gets a prize. Yes, it's time to try bribery.
At this point-I'm basically trying to get Tyler to eat more meat and vegetables. If we can determine that he ate a reasonable amount of meat and veggies for the day then I'll give him a check mark for the day. He is excited about the prizes.
Tuesday - I didn't sleep much the night before. Olivia sick with fever. I made eggs and sausage for Tyler for breakfast. Instead he had a granola bar. I was so tired.
For dinner I pan cooked some beef round steak and pan cooked green beans in bacon grease. I served to the kids with fruit. Olivia loved it and ate a bunch. Tyler tried it but didn't like it. I didn't realize he helped himself to the pantry while I was cooking. He had chips and granola bars. He wasn't even hungry. At bedtime he was hungry. A normal recurrence in our house. Dad gave him 2 choices-beef jerky or pepperonis. The kid ate the beef jerky! Yeah!
Wednesday - Up all night with Olivia. Served Tyler cereal. Olivia's not eating-only drinking milk. I'm getting sick too!
Thursday - Tyler to the doctor with ear pain. I'm still sick.
Friday - I'm feeling bad - don't know if it's allergies or what the kids have. Olivia seems to be well.
Saturday - Tyler starts feeling bad with sore throat.
Sunday - Tyler runs fever all day. I start to feel much better.
I gave up on the healthy eating for now. The kids didn't eat much and when they did it was difficult to find things they would eat. And me--well--I fell into the old comfort foods. I hate to confess this...but I think I had toast for lunch one day. Yes, just toast. That did nothing for me. Probably made me worse.
Let's see what happens next week.
Monday - Home for New Year's Holiday. Lots of unhealthy leftovers. Still eating the leftovers.
Created a "Healthy Eating" chart for Tyler. Tyler must eat healthy and drink more water for 6 days and then he gets a prize. Yes, it's time to try bribery.
At this point-I'm basically trying to get Tyler to eat more meat and vegetables. If we can determine that he ate a reasonable amount of meat and veggies for the day then I'll give him a check mark for the day. He is excited about the prizes.
Tuesday - I didn't sleep much the night before. Olivia sick with fever. I made eggs and sausage for Tyler for breakfast. Instead he had a granola bar. I was so tired.
For dinner I pan cooked some beef round steak and pan cooked green beans in bacon grease. I served to the kids with fruit. Olivia loved it and ate a bunch. Tyler tried it but didn't like it. I didn't realize he helped himself to the pantry while I was cooking. He had chips and granola bars. He wasn't even hungry. At bedtime he was hungry. A normal recurrence in our house. Dad gave him 2 choices-beef jerky or pepperonis. The kid ate the beef jerky! Yeah!
Wednesday - Up all night with Olivia. Served Tyler cereal. Olivia's not eating-only drinking milk. I'm getting sick too!
Thursday - Tyler to the doctor with ear pain. I'm still sick.
Friday - I'm feeling bad - don't know if it's allergies or what the kids have. Olivia seems to be well.
Saturday - Tyler starts feeling bad with sore throat.
Sunday - Tyler runs fever all day. I start to feel much better.
I gave up on the healthy eating for now. The kids didn't eat much and when they did it was difficult to find things they would eat. And me--well--I fell into the old comfort foods. I hate to confess this...but I think I had toast for lunch one day. Yes, just toast. That did nothing for me. Probably made me worse.
Let's see what happens next week.
Pulled Pork - Caveman Style
I had never eaten wild hog before. Not that I can remember anyways. This New Year's Eve was my first experience.
My husband's friend gave us 2 small wild hogs to cook. My husband slow cooked them on the wood smoker, removed from bone and served with homemade BBQ sauce as pulled pork. I don't think the sauce was Paleo (it was leftovers in the freezer) but we can work on that for next time.
I tried the pork right off the bone (without sauce) and "OH MY" it was GOOD! We have to get more wild hog!!!
My husband's friend gave us 2 small wild hogs to cook. My husband slow cooked them on the wood smoker, removed from bone and served with homemade BBQ sauce as pulled pork. I don't think the sauce was Paleo (it was leftovers in the freezer) but we can work on that for next time.
I tried the pork right off the bone (without sauce) and "OH MY" it was GOOD! We have to get more wild hog!!!
On the Grill
Done
Yummy!
Bacon Squash
I have to share (what I like to call) a success recipe. At Christmas I made a squash dish that everyone loved.
First I cooked a package of bacon in the oven on a cookie sheet. I removed the bacon and set aside. I then drained half of the bacon grease onto another cookie sheet so that I could make 2 pans of squash.
I cut up
yellow squash,
zucchini,
onion,
bell pepper (both green & red-it was Christmas)
I spread the veggies onto the pans, drizzled with olive oil and seasonings and baked in the oven. Just as the veggies on the edge of the pan were beginning to burn I pulled the pans out. I moved the veggies to a bowl and crumbled the bacon on top. This was so easy & I received so many compliments!
First I cooked a package of bacon in the oven on a cookie sheet. I removed the bacon and set aside. I then drained half of the bacon grease onto another cookie sheet so that I could make 2 pans of squash.
I cut up
yellow squash,
zucchini,
onion,
bell pepper (both green & red-it was Christmas)
I spread the veggies onto the pans, drizzled with olive oil and seasonings and baked in the oven. Just as the veggies on the edge of the pan were beginning to burn I pulled the pans out. I moved the veggies to a bowl and crumbled the bacon on top. This was so easy & I received so many compliments!
Baking Day 2011
For the past 13 years I have always hosted a Baking Day. I pick a day the week before Christmas-invite some family (Mom, Grandma's, Sister, Cousins, etc.) over to bake all day long. We start early, we drink, bake, eat until the sun goes down. I bake all kinds of sweets. I use tons of sugar and flour. I always attempt a family recipe of kolaches. Then I usually send everyone home with sweets, take some to Christmas and over-stuff myself on the leftovers.
But this year was different. I committed to cook ONLY PALEO/PRIMAL foods! Here's the yummies I made:
Paleo Brownies
http://www.health-bent.com/treats/paleo-fudgy-brownies
Chocolate Chip Cookies
http://cavegirlinthekitchen.blogspot.com/2011/11/chocolate-chip-cookies.html
Candied Pecans
http://paleomama.com/?p=563
Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
http://cavegirlinthekitchen.blogspot.com/2011/11/chocolate-chip-banana-bread.html
Carrot Cake
http://www.primal-palate.com/2011/04/carrot-cake.html
My chocolate chip banana bread wasn't sweet enough but everything else was delicious. I learned something-we don't really need a lot of sweets. I made 5 recipes (normally I would make 10). I had so much left over with just 5 recipes that I ended up freezing alot of it. I had a much more enjoyable day cooking less and visiting more.
My family was impressed with the paleo foods. They thought the sweets tasted different without the sugar and flour but they were really good. A successful day!!
But this year was different. I committed to cook ONLY PALEO/PRIMAL foods! Here's the yummies I made:
Paleo Brownies
http://www.health-bent.com/treats/paleo-fudgy-brownies
Chocolate Chip Cookies
http://cavegirlinthekitchen.blogspot.com/2011/11/chocolate-chip-cookies.html
Candied Pecans
http://paleomama.com/?p=563
Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
http://cavegirlinthekitchen.blogspot.com/2011/11/chocolate-chip-banana-bread.html
Carrot Cake
http://www.primal-palate.com/2011/04/carrot-cake.html
My chocolate chip banana bread wasn't sweet enough but everything else was delicious. I learned something-we don't really need a lot of sweets. I made 5 recipes (normally I would make 10). I had so much left over with just 5 recipes that I ended up freezing alot of it. I had a much more enjoyable day cooking less and visiting more.
My family was impressed with the paleo foods. They thought the sweets tasted different without the sugar and flour but they were really good. A successful day!!
Friday, January 6, 2012
Tyler - Weeks 3 & 4 - Christmas, New Years, & 2 Birthdays
Where do I start?
Tyler's birthday, Christmas, Olivia's birthday & New Year's. That 2 full weeks of temptations and 2 weeks of failures. On Tyler's birthday we ate out twice and had cake. On Olivia's birthday we ate out once, made pizza at home and had cheesecake.
On Christmas Eve/Christmas Day we had 5 celebrations with meals in a 30 hour time period. Lots of presents, lots of food, lots of chaos. I love all of our family and we all love food!
We tried to throw in meats and veggies when we could...but we did indulge in the "bad" stuff too much.
Tyler's birthday, Christmas, Olivia's birthday & New Year's. That 2 full weeks of temptations and 2 weeks of failures. On Tyler's birthday we ate out twice and had cake. On Olivia's birthday we ate out once, made pizza at home and had cheesecake.
On Christmas Eve/Christmas Day we had 5 celebrations with meals in a 30 hour time period. Lots of presents, lots of food, lots of chaos. I love all of our family and we all love food!
We tried to throw in meats and veggies when we could...but we did indulge in the "bad" stuff too much.
Tyler - Dinner & Conversation with Dad
Sunday night dinner. I gave the kids each a plate of food that consisted of sausage, bacon, potato chips, and apples. Tyler ate the apples & potato chips. The kid is not getting any protein. I made Tyler try the foods. He licked them and said gross. Dad and I told him he would not get anything else to eat until he took a real bite of the sausage. He wouldn't.
I tried talking to Tyler about how important it is to eat protein. He wants to be a football player and a navy seal when he grows up. I told him that protein is a very important part of a football player and a navy seal's diet. He still wouldn't eat. I can't get through to him.
Tyler went to his room & Dad went in to have a talk with him. I don't know the details of their conversation but five minutes later Tyler comes out of his room with a different attitude and asks for bacon to eat. And this kid ate bacon. Wow. He ate and ate. Luckily I had fried up 2 packages earlier in the day for our breakfast the following week. He then had his granola bars also. I was pleased that he finally had something in his tummy besides chips and apples.
Now--back to breakfast challenge...
I tried talking to Tyler about how important it is to eat protein. He wants to be a football player and a navy seal when he grows up. I told him that protein is a very important part of a football player and a navy seal's diet. He still wouldn't eat. I can't get through to him.
Tyler went to his room & Dad went in to have a talk with him. I don't know the details of their conversation but five minutes later Tyler comes out of his room with a different attitude and asks for bacon to eat. And this kid ate bacon. Wow. He ate and ate. Luckily I had fried up 2 packages earlier in the day for our breakfast the following week. He then had his granola bars also. I was pleased that he finally had something in his tummy besides chips and apples.
Now--back to breakfast challenge...
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