whole30.

a whole lot and not very much has been happening lately.  these are always the weirdest times for me - when i feel busy (albeit not overwhelmed), but there's not anything specifically going on like an event or a definitive project or whatever.

justin and i decided to start/try/dabble in the whole30/paleo eating this month.  it's been going amazingly well so far.  i don't like diets (duh), but i love food and science and the complex interaction between our bodies and what we put in them.  i'm definitely not the healthiest eater as a general rule.  i am a big over-consumer...i don't really have an off-button, especially when certain foods are involved.  foods like chips and salsa (hello, i live in texas).  bread.  cheese.  butter.  crackers.

but!  there is hope, i think.  because i do love vegetables.  like, i really love them.  more than fruits, for sure.  and you sprinkle a little salt on 'em and saute or roast them in coconut oil and i'm a happy camper.

anyway.  there were a few reasons for us to work on this conscientious eating shift.  first, our energy levels haven't been the greatest.  mine have been better because of the working out, but definitely with the heat of summertime upon us, i need to ward off the lethargy.  second, our kids were pretty good about vegetables, but lately they've been struggling a little bit - preferring toast and cheerios and other low-nutrient foods.  so, this helps have veggies around all the time, which should lead to them eating more of them, ultimately.  third, we were in a pattern of eating out a ton, which is terrible for our health and our wallet.  and finally, there's the whole over-consumption, can't-say-no thing i have with food.  i wanted to see what i could do about breaking the psychological attachment i have to what i eat, so i'm giving it a whirl.

the rules are pretty simple.  real, whole foods.  no grains, legumes, dairy, or booze.  focus on veggies, protein, and healthy fats.  i was most concerned about drinking my coffee black, but it's actually been totally fine!  i brew it a little bit weaker than usual so it's not so intense, but i normally drink it with only cream, so the taste isn't too extremely different.  i was also concerned about cheese, since i adore cheese and find it to be an easy, delicious go-to protein/fat source.  i don't think i have issues tolerating dairy (especially cheese), but so far it hasn't been bad to not have it.  the hardest part so far has been the evenings...my energy levels haven't ramped back up (supposedly, after day 7 or so, your energy levels become amazing...but the detox beforehand is not energy-inducing), so i am sleepy after we get the kidlets down and really want some chocolate or a glass of wine.  or both.  ha.  anyway...i've managed to hold off for now, so that's good.

what we do eat is amazingly delicious, and this week we've eaten breakfast and dinner as a family every day, which is SO nice.  morning meals are eggs and veggies with a little fruit - this morning, we had eggs scrambled in coconut oil with sauteed baby bok choy and half a kiwi.  delicious.  mid-day meals are usually a salad of some sort.  the best one from this week was our tuesday salad: baby spinach and arugula with leftover salmon, roasted peppers, roasted beets, roasted zucchini & squash, avocado, pistachios, and a drizzle of olive oil.  the beets were so tasty!  for the evening meal, it's the same, basically: last night was chicken with a sundried tomato/balsamic/garlic deglaze and carrots, zucchini and yellow squash roasted with garlic olive oil and sea salt.  not too shabby.

i am still offering the kids some grains and cheese sometimes.  for example, they both LOVE fresh mozz, so i keep that around and let them snack on it.  they also love rice cakes, and get those at school during snack a lot, and i'm obviously totally fine with that.

my hope is that after these few weeks/month or so, we are all feeling really great and have tried lots of different foods.  i fully intend to reintroduce some things and see how they work after a while off, but maybe i'll feel so incredible after this time that i'll never need to keep cheezits in the house again!