Happy New Year!

About a year ago, I was chatting with a friend about how busy our lives were and she was expressing her frustration with trying to make healthy food choices.  I went on to tell her what my favorite lunch was at the time.  Her response to me was, "You have way too much time on your hands".  I was floored and that comment has stuck with me... obviously...!

I didn't know how to take the comment.  I remember counting my blessings that I could be a stay at home Mom, but did that really mean I had too much time?  Was she implying that I sat around eating bon bon's all day?  Even though I do not have a job outside of our home, supporting my husband, raising three children, keeping up on the house, driving kids to and fro, making/keeping appointments, running errands, walking dogs (yes, we have three now!), and keeping myself healthy is a full time job. 

Back in January, 2011, I started working out with a trainer again.  She and her husband work and she would always tell me about these fabulous meals that she made.  Her husband bakes like the best of them too!  I was shocked that they could do that!  Did I mention they have three kids?  The one thing she always told me was that you need to be organized.  If you #haveaplan, you can have healthy meals every day of the week.  KISS!!  So simple!  If you want to read more about her, click here to meet the pint sized paleo's!

When I talk to other parents, I often hear how busy they are running their kids from one event to the next.  Dinner is going through the drive thru. It has become the norm to do this.  I was one of those people for a very long time.  Does "let's just order a pizza" sound familiar? 

We should not be allowed to make these excuses anymore!  If you can't get to a local farmers market, you can order your meat on line!  I order a lot of my meat from US Wellness Meats.  Stock that freezer!  Come on, half of the people in Wisconsin hunt!  Fill it with venison!  If you have meat and vegetables, you have a meal.  That's another line that I will not forget.. thank you PaleoMama!  I have been eating leftover dinners for breakfast this week and it is amazing.  The kids laughed when I asked them who wanted spaghetti this morning for breakfast.  Did she just say spaghetti??  Yes, I did, my noodles were spaghetti squash.  Joy!

Now, I have been really enjoying the holidays.  We kicked it off with our awesome vacation, followed by birthday parties and Christmas dinners.  I am currently typing this while sipping on a glass of wine and my pants unbuttoned!  TMI!  Bill has been bringing home these gift baskets from clients and I have been taste testing them a little bit.  My point is that I need to reset my system.  I need to prepare this week to get back on the Paleo train and detox starting January 2nd.  I challenge you to stop making excuses for "grabbing a bite to eat", take an hour on Sunday's to plan your meals.  I realized after a long time that the comment my friend made to me was because she was doing what the norm seemed to be to her.  I see that I was making myself and my health a priority, you should too!  It all starts with what you eat.  When you eat good, you feel good... when you feel good it trickles into every other part of your life.  It's time to change our perspective or the norm.  If I can do it, anyone can do it!

So, the 21 day sugar detox starts January 2, 2012. This is a link to the Facebook page.  https://www.facebook.com/pages/21-Day-Sugar-DetoxMilwaukee-WI/136811979767013?sk=wall   Like the page to get support from myself and Karina Stuke.  Once you like the page, you can download the sugar detox manual.  The manual was written by Diane Sanfilippo.  Her website is www.balancedbites.com  Many of you have seen me wearing her shirt "Bacon is rad. Gluten is bad"  LOVE IT!!! 

When I was first asked to do this detox back in August, my first thought was heck no!  I imagined unlimited amounts of salad with limited amounts of meat and zero of anything else!  A lot of the men I talk to think they will be hungry the entire 21 days because how can a sugar detox be beneficial to a larger male??  You will see in the manual that if you are hungry... EAT!  There are more "Can foods" than there are "Can't foods".  I have mentioned in a previous blog post that this isn't about counting calories or weighing your food, it is about eating Real Foods.

Let's do this!  Let's detox!  I'll be there with you.  Again, the facebook page is to help be a support system and provide answers to your questions.  Click Like Now!  You will not be disappointed.

Peace!

Vacation... Detox anyone?

We are back from a long week in Paradise.  It was an amazing week!  I think it goes along the lines of having toes in the water and my ass in the sand?  Not much of a country music fan, but that song I could relate to.  Although my ass was in a chair, my ass and sand really don't mix!

I think everyone can relate to going on vacation with the intention of making good food choices and working out.  I had these same feelings.  Our family has been doing so great with what they have been eating and feeling really good.  I also knew that the way we have been eating would be very difficult to do when going to an all inclusive resort on a small island.

The first couple of days were very difficult for me.  Every time we came back with our plates from the buffet, I would look around and cringe at what I saw.  My personal plan of attack was to eat a huge breakfast of eggs and bacon.  I was hoping that would carry me through the majority of the day, and it did.   At dinner, I would try to eat any vegetables available and meat.  I noticed that the "steamed vegetables" did not seem steamed.  When a restaurant claims they are steamed, but there is a saucy/oily look to them, who knows what they are steaming them in.  They did have some good selections of meat whether it was steak or fish.  Who knows where in the heck it came from! They had some great coconut shrimp... non-paleo, more like faileo (yes, it is a word) coconut shrimp.  I limited my dessert intake as much as possible but they had some amazing dark chocolate mousse.  Mmmm!!! 

The kids plates scared me!  They started eating the chicken fingers, grilled cheeses, mac n cheese, french fries and of course dessert.  Again, the first couple of days I wanted to puke because it was so frustrating!  By the second or third day, Courtney and Charlie started telling me how much their tummies hurt.  Is it bad that I was a little excited about this?  I used those opportunities to ask them why they thought their tummies hurt and explained to them that they are not used to eating these things.  I continued to let them make their own food choices because I also came to the conclusion that vacation with family and that their Grandparents were with us is a blessing.  These are awesome memories that are being created!  The last thing I want them to remember is their Mother telling them not to eat certain foods.  I want to teach the kids that the foods we ate there make us feel icky but when you are on vacation it is OK to enjoy those foods if you want. Can you understand why it is so important to control their diets outside of vacations and the junk they get at school?  Don't even get me started on the junk they get at school!

By the third day, I cannot tell you how miserable I felt.  My stomach was so bloated!  I haven't felt like this in a long time and it felt awful.  You don't realize the effect that processed foods, grains, oils and sugar have on your body until they are eliminated from your diet and then eat them again.  I am usually that person that packs the workout clothes and never uses them. To keep myself sane, I worked out more last week than I have in a long time.   I did some intense workouts and even ran one day.  I haven't ran in a long time and was hoping to knock out 3 miles.  Instead I ran almost 6 miles!  This was really eye opening to me.  Starting back in November, I had been averaging  2 times a week of working out.  It is that time of year!  So, to jump on a treadmill and hammer out almost 6 miles was amazing!  It proves to me that when you eat a good diet you can sustain the strength/muscle you have. #Thisshitworks!!!  Sorry, that was hashtagable... yes it is a word!  My point is that in the past, if I was barely working out and eating the way I did, I would have never made it that far!    Work out less + Paleo diet = sustainble cardio strength?!   I can't imagine how much stronger I am going to get when I get back on a regular workout schedule and my detox is over!  I get excited just thinking about it.  I have been reading tons on the Paleo Lifestyle and have heard a lot of these things, so to feel it and experience it is amazing!

Back to life, back to reality... I don't know what's with the lyrics today... I digress...

One week until Christmas, lots to do, and lots of stress coming off of a great vacation with lots of Faileo foods.  My goal this week is to eat 100% Paleo, drink lots of water and get myself feeling better physically by Christmas.  My 100% days by the way are Monday, Tuesday and part of Wednesday.  From there, we have Christmas functions every night through Christmas Day.  I will do the best I can, I hope you will try too.  For those of us that don't, detox is right around the corner.  That's how I am kicking off the New Year..

Detox anyone?  Stayed tuned for details!

What is Paleo you ask

Alright so the question now is "What is Paleo".  The Paleo (Paleolithic) lifestyle is basically eating Whole Foods or foods our bodies are designed to eat.  As my sister likes to call us "Hunters and Gatherers".  We have eliminated grains and wheat, anything processed, alcohol (yeah right... 20% rule.. I'll get to that later because we all know I love my wine!) seed oils, sugar and starches.  Eliminating grains goes as far as eating grass fed, happy animals.    For those of you that dont' know, I grew up in a household of hunters and I fought eating venison all of my life.  This is the first year that I actually cared whether Bill shot a deer.  He unfortunately, did not and now I must mooch off my Father.  #Iheartfamily!  Dairy is also an "eliminatable" (yes, it's a word, maybe...not) food but I do allow full fat raw dairy in the house.  I know, I know... where do your kids get their calcium.  I will address that at a later date.

This transition is a simple one for me but as expected is more difficult for the Bill and the kids.  Charlie is a huge bread lover!  I am thinking that psychologist bills may be in my future.  He actually woke up the other day and said "Mom, I had a dream you bought pancake mix. (heads to pantry and looks in, falls to floor) You didn't buy pancake mix".  My heart broke but it pushed me to open one of my Paleo cookbooks and find a pancake recipe.  The one I found involved pumpkin, but he seemed to enjoy it.  There are ways to still enjoy foods, they just need to be Paleoized. (Yes, it's a word) 

The other part of the Paleo Lifestyle is to commit to regular sleep and to get out and play!  I have no problem with the sleep part.  I have been called a "Sleepwhore!"  No need to mention names, Lucy... The playtime is two parts for me; exercise and play with the kids.  I enjoy running and have always enjoyed strength training.  Playing with the kids has been so rewarding.  When the kids were little, I had no choice but to play with them.  I remember when they were all under the age of 5 and I couldn't wait for them to entertain themselves or play with each other!  Once that happened, I lost sight of spending that type of time with them.  I have made it my goal to try and do something with all of them at least 20 minutes each weeknight, more on the weekends.  It sounds like a little bit of time but between homework and activities, sometimes it is difficult to get in.  I know they enjoy that time too.  My favorite part is seeing their reactions when I ask them to do something.  Last night when it was getting dark, I asked them who wanted to go outside and play football.  They were so excited!  Of course, Charlie went out in his shorts while everyone else had on hats and scarves and we had the best time! 

In a nutshell, that is what the Paleo Lifestyle means to me and my family.  Not only are we all feeling healthier but we are becoming a happier family.  My patience level is the best it has been in years.  My oldest is 10 so I am going to need all of the patience I can get in a few years.  

Lastly, I haven't come up with a Christmas card yet this year... would it be tacky to have each of us hold a letter to spell out PALEO? 

Jen