Sunday Letters

Health & Fitness

The 20% (aka Thursday, October 4th)

heather

Whenever anyone asks me about the primal diet, I always mention and advocate the 80/20 rule – follow the primal plan 80% of the time, and you’ll be alllll right.

Well, tonight I used up all my 20% in one gluttonous evening!  It started with eating the chips and salsa at Azteca (I usually abstain), progressed to 2 whiskey and sodas and at least 2 cups of popcorn at Pints, escalated to 1/2 a pint of Late Night Snack Ben & Jerry’s, and culminated in a homemade pumpkin bar.  Wow.  Sugar overload.  Why you ask?? Well, I weighed in at 126.5 today, which is about 4 lbs less than where I want to be.  I could either eat copious amounts of sweet potatoes or a whole mess of cheat foods.  I chose the latter.  The ironic thing is that I sent my “primal success story” to Mark Sisson of MarksDailyApple.com, and he actually responded!  He might publish my story some Friday!  But, by the time it gets published, I’ll be all fat and sassy from ice cream and vegetable oil & cream-cheese laden pumpkin bars.  Oh well, it was a nice ride while it lasted…

Take care, and have a wonderful evening!  Here’s hoping that tomorrow is a more moderate day! 😉

Uncategorized

Um…5 Day Sugar Detox?

heather

So, I’m off the no sugar wagon.  The 77 degree sunny day on Saturday was just too much for me.  I was forced by the utter delightfulness of the day to have a couple of hard ciders with my hubby and friend Michael.  That was the beginning of the end.  I also ate corn chips with our Macho Nachos.  And I ate 2 bites of Tim’s Half Baked Ben & Jerrys.  Whoever thought of putting brownie chunks and cookie dough together in ice cream was a genius.

Why did I fall of the wagon, you ask?  Well, honestly it’s due to lack of self control.  But the excuses I tell myself are that 1) I don’t want to lose any more weight.  My teeth already look too big for my head.  I read you can lose 1-10 lbs in the 21 days.  2) It’s TOO HARD!  When we went out to eat, I had to hyper analyze everything.  It was just not fun.  3) I was planning on starting Crossfit this week, and I was concerned about my energy levels on no sugar.  But I reneged on that as well. I only slept about 4 hours last night, and I just didn’t have the energy to not only work out tonight, but to go to a new place by myself with no inkling of what to expect.  That takes a lot of emotional strength on my part, and I just didn’t have it tonight.  But now that I’ve missed this week, I can’t start up again until mid-November, due to trips and junk.  Oh well.  I think the weather will stay good enough over the next 2 months for me to exercise outside, and I can keep doing my body-weight exercises here at home.

So those are my excuses.  I did actually reap some benefits, however.  I’ve kicked my dark chocolate chip evening snack habit!  You have to celebrate the small wins, you know.

I also am lagging in posting my weekly recipes!  Here are the ones I’ve made over the past week or so.

Easy Crockpot Breakfast Pie: I baked this in our Nesco Roaster, and it turned out really tasty!!  I had the heat too high at first, so the edges got scorched, but I was able to salvage most of the insides, and it turned out quite good.  It tasted like a creamy quiche, which was odd since there was no cream or cheese in it.  We ate this for supper and then for breakfast for a couple of days.

Shakshuka (Eggs Poached in Spicy Tomato Sauce):  This recipe was also super tasty.  I made it with a mix of fresh tomatoes and canned tomatoes.   I used serrano peppers from the Farmers Market instead of jalapeno peppers.  They weren’t too too spicy, but when I chopped them up, they aerated the whole kitchen with their spiciness!  Tim and I almost couldn’t breathe!  We ate the leftovers with leftover pork chops.  Muy delicioso.

Garlic Pulled Pork:  I made this on Sunday, and it was super easy and super tasty.  The only thing I would change is I would not put fresh garlic into the meat.  The garlic rub is enough.  Stuffing garlic cloves into the meat just gives certain bites ultra intense garlic flavor.

Moroccan Burgers and Moraccan Beet Salad:  I was going to make this for supper Saturday night for my parents, but Tim dissuaded me.  He eyed the 2 teaspoons of cumin called for in the recipe and was wary.  He thinks cumin smells like feet.  We also noted the inclusion of 2 T of cilantro.   My dad dislikes cilantro, of all things.  He’ll eat almost anything else.  Just no cilantro.  So we made Macho Nachos instead, and they were delicious.  I made these burgers and the beet salad on Sunday night instead.  I used 1 lb of ground pork and 1 lb of ground beef.  At first, the burgers seemed a little bland, but when I ate the leftovers, I thought they were really flavorful.  Tim prefers just a regular hamburger, and I have to say, I think I do too.  Plus, these burgers are VERY, um, aromatic?  When I ate one for lunch at work, my coworker was like, “OMG.  What are you eating??”  And it wasn’t said in a good way.

We ate the beet salad tonight.  Tim liked it, but I thought it was just ok.  I have a running rivalry with beets.  They never turn out well for me.  I had to simmer these beets to cook them, and I didn’t watch the pot closely enough.  When I did chance to look at it, it had squirted blood red beet juice all over our white stove and light grey walls.  Stupid beets.  I guess I just really don’t like the flavor of beets.  I’m probably going to toss this recipe.

So there.  I’ve caught you up.  It’s now Tuesday night at 7:52PM, and I’m ready to go to bed.  Between the sleepless night last night and the shorter days, Hlo is tired and grumpy and depressed.  But tomorrow will be a better day!!  Sunny and 77.  Really can’t beat that.  Timmy Tee and I are running together after work, so that will give me something to look forward to.

Good night!

Cooking/Recipes

Sugar Detox Day 4

heather

Pollen Count: 4.5 out of 12

Allergy symptoms:  Tons o’ nasal drip today, but my head didn’t feel floaty. Yay!

General Feelings:  I ate A LOT of protein today.  I had an egg casserole for breakfast, a burger with a side of brat for lunch, and chicken with veggies and sweet potato for supper.  I had coleslaw with lunch, so I’m sure there was some sugar in there.  I was able to go out with my coworkers after work and not drink any alcohol!  The chips and queso were harder to resist…

My stomach has been feeling a little bloated.  I’m not sure why!  Hopefully it’s my body getting rid of the candida.  I’ve read on other blogs that you can be kind of messed up through day 3 or 4.  So tomorrow I should feel fantastic, right??  My mood and energy are MUCH better today than yesterday, so that’s good. I’ll keep at this for another 1.5 weeks and see what happens!

Uncategorized

Sugar Detox Day 3

heather

Pollen count: 4.9 out of 12

Allergy symptoms: My nose was running like a banshee this morning!  Is it because of the sugar and corn tortillas yesterday?  It is because the detox has no effect on my allergies, so my allergies are worse because I’m not taking Allegra?  Who knows??  It’s only day 3.  I gotta give it more time.

General feelings: I didn’t get hungry today, but my stomach was a little upset/bloated after lunch.  I sauteed veggies in ghee and mixed them up with sardines.  I don’t know if it was too much oil, or if the ghee didn’t set well with me (I don’t really like the taste…), but I felt a little nauseous for awhile after lunch.  Maybe it’s candida die off??

I ran 3.5 miles after work today, and it was a struggle.  My energy was not good, and my knees were hurting.  I don’t know if it’s due to the detox (candida die off can cause joint pain) or because I’m exercising at night now instead of the morning, and I am soooo a morning person!

So today was a struggle.  I felt a little mopey at work today too.  It’s quiet at the office because many people are out, so that’s a part of it.  Maybe got a case of the no-sugar blues too!  Hopefully tomorrow will be better!

Health & Fitness

Sugar Detox Day 2

heather

I fell a little off the wagon today.  At first it was unintentional, and then it became intentional.

I got a salad from the HyVee salad bar and loaded up on veggies, chicken, and pickled herring.  I figured I hardly ever eat fish at home, so I should take advantage of fish on the salad bar.  As I started to chow down, however, I felt my mouth become all phlegmy.  That damned pickled herring was loaded with sugar!  Who knew!?

For supper I met some friends in Muscatine.  We ate at this amazing Mexican restaurant that is totally worth the 40 minute drive to Muscatine (not that meeting my friends wasn’t worth the drive in and of itself, of course).  I just HAD to taste their chips and salsa; I haven’t had it for 1.5 years!  I got chicken tacos with avocado, fully intending to just eat the innards, but the corn tortillas looked too good to resist.  I ate the tortillas on 1 taco, and the insides of the rest of the tacos.  I got my just desserts however, when I went to the bathroom after eating my meal and had to dodge a cockroach to get back out of the bathroom.  Sigh.

Pollen count: 4.10 out of 12

Allergy symptoms:  Still had the head fog and the post nasal drip.  I’ve resisted taking Allegra so far…

General feelings:  I didn’t crave sugar much today at all. When I got home from supper I cut up a bunch of veggies – zucchini, green peppers, radishes, celery, carrots, & onions, so that I’ll have a good medley to cook with eggs tomorrow, as well as some healthy snacks for work.

Tomorrow is another day, as they say, so hopefully I can do better than I did today.

Health & Fitness, Uncategorized

Sugar Detox Day 1

heather

Starting weights and measures:  Weight 129.6.  Bust 34.  Waist 28.25.  Hips 38.5

Pollen count: 5 out of 12

Allergy symptoms:  Head fog today.  No good!

General feelings:  I didn’t crave sugar until after supper.  For snacks I ate 1/2 a green apple and some almonds.  I bought two huge bags of pistachios at Walgreens.  They are calling to me even though I ate a massive amount of food for supper.

I’ve been snapping cracking and popping all over today.  My joints are super loud.  I think all the sugar from the past week has settled into them and crystallized.  It will be interesting to see how this diet affects the achy joints.

Hardest part to date:  NO GUM!  I chew gum constantly.  This sucks.

Health & Fitness

The binge before the purge

heather

So…

I’ve decided to do the 21 Day Sugar Detox.  I’m doing Level 3 since I’ve been eating paleo since January.  What does this mean?  Well, I will tell you.  It means Yes to lots of meat, fish, veggies, nuts, seeds, fats, oils, and water.  It means no to fruits, grains, legumes, refined carbs, dairy, all alcohol, and limited high carb veggies (like sweet potatoes).  Why would I do this to myself, you may ask?  I will tell you.

When I first started eating primally, I noticed almost immediately that my allergies were way better.  I used to wake up in the middle of night sneezing, with tons of disgusting snot just running out of my nose.  Within two weeks, this green fountain abated, only to return when I cheated by drinking wine at our company holiday party.  A light bulb went off – alcohol seemed to trigger/exacerbate my allergies.

Well, my allergies are back in full force.  I can only feel normal by taking Allegra every day.  I hate having to do that.  So, Reason #1 – I want to see if this detox will get my allergies under control.

Reason #2 – I’ve gotten into the habit of drinking regularly over the summer – not copious amounts, mind you – maybe 1-2 an evening or so.  But, it’s still not healthy behavior.  When I drink even 1 or 2 drinks, I am much less likely to make food at home (I feel like going out to eat), and I’m less likely to work out or to do anything productive (like write a blog post or paint).  So, I’m trying to reset my habit of casually drinking regularly.  I also read this great post on The Whole 9, and it just helped solidify my decision.

Reason #3 – I’ve become addicted to an evening snack/dessert of dark chocolate chips mixed with nuts and raisins.  I’ll eat supper and immediately want a bowl of this delectable mixture.  I know to people who are not paleo, this seems like a mild “cheat,” but it’s become a nightly habit, when it should become an occasional treat.  Again, I want to reset this to a healthier habit.  I’m never really HUNGRY after supper, my mind just thinks I want sugar.  I can beat this.  I know I can.

So, those are my 3 main reasons.  I do have some concerns, however.  I don’t want to lose any more weight.  I need to stay at my current weight, lest I have to buy MORE PANTS (FYI  – I still have a size 8-12 wardrobe for sale, if you’re interested!).  Since I’m a fairly heavy exerciser (I run 3-5 times per week and do pushups, pullups, squats, lunges on the off days), I will be following the modification for athletes and supplementing with some sweet potatoes – at least 1/2 cup per day.  I also purchased a Crossfit Daily Deal from our local paper, and I plan on starting that within the next couple of weeks.  I hope that I’ll have all the energy and calories I need to perform well there.

AND, I have a confession.  I’m only doing this for 17 days.  I have a work party on 10-11, and I plan to partake of a few alcoholic beverages that evening.  I know!  I know!  I’m cheating, of course.  But this is the best time of the worst time to do this.  The next few months are full of trips and visits, so I’m just going to go ahead and do it.

If you are interested in doing this as well, DON’T do what I did, which is binge on sugar and bad foods for a week before the Detox.  Yes, this week I ate Snickers, frozen yogurt, ice cream, pizza, heavy cream, etc. etc.  I felt like crap after every bad thing, but I still ate it.  I REALLY need a reset.  😉

I will post updates to let you know how I’m feeling and performing.  Wish me luck!

Uncategorized

Good recipes from the past couple of weeks

heather

I forgot/ran out of time to post the recipes I made last week, and this week was kind of a bust as far as cooking at home goes (massive case of the lazies), so I’m combining two weeks into one post.  Woo!  Look at me!  I crazy!!

Summer Squash Breakfast Bowl – This recipe was suuuuuuuper tasty.  The cauliflower rice actually turned out – for the first time EVER!!  The title is a  little misleading – it’s not necessarily a breakfast meal.  I made it for supper and then ate it for lunch for two more days.  I also didn’t add the eggs because the dish had enough junk in it already.  It was a little spicy, so I think knext time I would cut down on the 3 T of hot sauce (Julie likes spicy food!!).    I also am not a fan of garlic powder; I prefer fresh garlic, so next time I would sub that out too.  I had no bacon fat, so I used coconut oil.  It turned out fantastic.

Heavenly Paleo Meatloaf – This is the second time I’ve made this recipe, and it turned out very tasty both times.  This recipe makes 2 loaves of meatloaf, so I freeze one, and we eat one.  It’s very easy to make, and it’s delicious with baked sweet potatoes.  I like to eat the leftovers sauteed with eggs and veggies.

Honey BBQ Marinade – I had one of my master of conservation classes yesterday, and we had the pleasure of listening to Bill Crandall from Crandall Farms.  He gave a very interesting talk about bees (more on that in a separate post), and he also donated a couple of boxes of honey (and gave us the cutest tiny bottle of honey – check out the pic in my Instagram feed link on the right); the proceeds of which go to Nahant Marsh.  So I bought a pint, of course.  It had a recipe tied to it for Honey BBQ Marinade.  You can find it on page 2 of this pdf.  I had a package of drumsticks defrosted in the fridge, so I gave the recipe the old college try tonight.  I had to cook the chicken for about 15 minutes longer than the recipe said, but I did have 3 lbs of chicken instead of 2.  I was confused that the recipe calls for a “pinch salt/pepper” but also 1/4 tbsp black pepper.  Why a pinch + 1/4 tablespoon?  And that’s a lot of pepper!!  Anyway, the chicken turned out good, but with 1/2 a cup of honey, it’s pretty sweet for my palate.  I’m starting the 21 Day Sugar Detox in a few weeks; however, so I’m front loading a bunch of sugar consumption.  I’m trying to make my first few days of the detox as miserable as possible.

And that’s about it for planned meals.  Outside of that, it’s been Habaneros, Chipotle, HyVee Chinese, Front Street, and random scramblings of eggs, hamburger and veggies.  This week is not boding well either, as it’s 7:52PM, and I have yet to do any meal planning.  I do have pork chops and ground buffalo defrosting in the fridge, so as long as we have some veggies to sautee, we’ll have some fairly balanced and delicious meals this week.

Take care y’all, and I’ll catch you on the flip side.  Whatever the hell that means.

Cooking/Recipes, Health & Fitness

The Week in Recipes

heather

We had some more great meals this week.    I rehashed some old favorites – Asian Pork Meatballs with Dipping Sauce, Sweet Potato Salad, Grilled Eggs with Mexican Chorizo.  They were all absolutely delicious.  I also tried two new recipes:

Moist Chocolate Zucchini Bread – This bread was super tasty.  I used 3/4 cup of almond butter, with a little smidge of macademia nut butter, since I didn’t have any sunbutter.  The title says it all – it was super moist and nice and chocolately.  I think you could even use less honey, and it would still taste great.

Cowboy Steak with Chimichurri Sauce – I used New York Strip steaks for this recipe (the recipe calls for “cowboy steaks.”  I have no idea what that is!!).  I used a fresh parsley and oregano from my garden, and the chimichurri sauce turned out delicious.  We don’t have high -quality olive oil in the house right now (just using the HyVee brand), but the sauce still turned out great.  Make this recipe!  You won’t be sorry!

And that was our week in food.  Now I need to jet to go by groceries for this week.  I think I’m going to try my hand at beet chips.  Wish me luck!

Health & Fitness

Cleaning the Closet

heather

If you are one of the about 5 people who actually read my blog, you will know that I’ve been following the primal/paleo diet/lifestyle since January of this year.  As a result, I’ve lost about 20 pounds and a few dress sizes.  I finally had time to clean out my closet today and found that I have about 30 pieces of clothing I need to get rid of.  I’m ready to commit to being my current size for the foreseeable future.  If I get rid of this stuff, I’ll have to!  I can’t afford to buy another whole new wardrobe!!

Here is a link to the list of clothes I’m getting rid of.  If you are interested in anything or everything, let me know.  I can send pics if needed.  If you want to buy the whole kit and caboodle, I’ll sell it to you for $75.  I think you’ll get a good deal, and I won’t have to deal with the people at the consignment store.

If you or anyone you know is interested, feel free to forward them the link.