Too much?

[nikkilmm]

Ok so I only made it 3 days the last time I tried this - I should have waited until after my vacation - but here I am now back on day 1. I spent most of my day yesterday (last day of vacation) cooking. I have a lot of  meals frozen for the next 30 days so I feel like I'm ok on the planning, but I am concerned about portion/calorie overload. I have the guidelines on my fridge, but if feels . . . wrong. Like too much food.

 

I wish that the guidelines went by ounce/cup/teaspoon/ instead of handfull/palm/thumb. When the protine is ground beef palm is kinda hard to know.

 

So here is my day so far:

 

For breakfast I had 1 soft boiled egg, a handful of berries and cashews (a couple strawberries, some blue and blackberries and a spash of cashews) and for lunch I had a cashew stri fry with boiled cauliflower. It was a pretty good sized potion. The receipe served 4 so I froze it in fouths, but it might have been bigger than my palm.  I brought onion/cucumber salad, but didn't eat it 'cause I was full.

 

I've snacked a bit before lunch on some cashews too  but I was hungry. Plus I'm drinking some Tazo passion fruit tea which seems like it's ok based on ingredient - but I'm not overly sure since its kinda sweet.

 

I really want to do this well and have invested a lot of time and money on prep so I don't want to find out in a  week that  I'm not doing it right and then fizzle . . . does this seem right?

 

Also - night time and my kids snacks prove difficult for me. Any suggestions on how to get past the cravings (I am a single mother of 2 toddles so I can't always just go do something to keep my mind off it. I need some way I can beat back cravings while at home with my kiddos). Ideas?  

 

 

Thanks for any helpful hints!

 

[msssjenna]

more at breakfast - eat 2 or 3 eggs, add at least 2 cups of vegetables.  This will help the hunger later in the day.  As afar as the stirfry, did it have chicken in it? 

 

i know it sounds like a lot at first but it does get easier.  make sure you are getting at least 2 cups of vegetables at each meal. 

 

as far as the tea i wouldnt keep drinking it - the only issue is see is the 'natural flavors' as an ingredient.

 

and for  the kids, what are the snacking on?  Why are they snacking?  I also have 3 of my own and when I get home we all eat dinner and thats about it.  They rarely have snacks at night.

[GFChris]

I would ease up on the cashews. Focus on meat, seafood and eggs first as your meal protein sources. Nuts should be at the bottom of your list for healthy fat sources.

Snacks should be mini meals including a protein and fat.

Also, have more eggs in your meal. Shoot for the equivalent of the number of eggs you can hold in your hand.

Instead of having fruit at your breakfast meal, have a starchy vegetable instead.  Save your 1-2 fruit servings (each the size of your fist) for meals later in the day.  That may help with your cravings.

[nikkilmm]

The stir fry was beef actually -grass fed - and my kids get to snack. They are 2 and 3 and little and full ofenergy and if they want a bed time snack then that's ok - they don't over eat and they are healthy. Plus thier regular meals are off limits to me to so . . . that can be tough.

 

What kind of starchy veggie would you have at breakfast? Most of my cooking (except for the berry salad thingy I made) was for lunch  and dinner. I figured on my lil bit of fruit and egss for breakfast.

 

I thought I might being doing too much with the cashews today. I should have brought carrots to snack instead.

[GFChris]

What kind of starchy veggie would you have at breakfast? Most of my cooking (except for the berry salad thingy I made) was for lunch  and dinner. I figured on my lil bit of fruit and egss for breakfast.

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Sweet potato would be by first choice. You can have it on its own or I like it as part of a frittata. Other possibilities include acorn and butternut squash, beets, carrots, onions and parsnips.

[msssjenna]

My boys are 9months, 3, and 5.  I found it was easiest for me to have them eat what I eat.  I am the type of person that if bad food is in the house, I will eat it.  Plus I cant afford to buy/make seperate meals for everyone.  Just something to think about - trying to switch them over to eat more foods like Mommy. 

 

sweet potatoes at breakfast - you can eat them like a hash, or baked.  I usually bake up a bunch on Sunday and just reheat them every morning. 

[nikkilmm]

Sadly, i truly dislike sweet potatos.  But I'll look into the frittata and what about a veggie organic egg omlette. Is that allowed?

 

My kids don't eat much meat - other than chicken - I know it's weird, but it would be hard to switch them to this at this point. Plus, I'm lucky enough that my oldest doesn't have much of a sweet tooth - he honestly prefers fruit though sadly dislikes most veggies except corn and carrots.

 

I always made them differnt dinners anyway so this isn't much differnt. I hate chix nuggets and mac and cheese

I try to expand thier horizens but am sadly out numbered.

[GFChris]

Sadly, i truly dislike sweet potatos.  But I'll look into the frittata and what about a veggie organic egg omlette. Is that allowed?

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Yup, a veggie organic egg omelette works.  Just cook it in a compliant cooking fat. Maybe you can incorporate some other good veggie carb?

[SpinSpin]

My son is 2 and he eats what we eat. I do give him a snack mid morning--usually because he takes his nap right around lunch time--and he does still get some dairy--full fat greek yogurt, whole milk, and some cheese (thanks papa! My hubby is more primal than I so we do have some dairy in the house). 

 

What about picking up a copy of Eat Like a Dinosaur? it is a wonderful book, geared towards kids and paleo. One of my son's favorite meals is 'Fools Gold' which is chicken nuggets with an almond flour crust and he ADORES them... seriously! He also loves meat balls, mushrooms, spinach, curries--that I grind up for him in his baby bullet--pork, cranberries, shrimp, pretty much, you name it, he loves it--his dr is amazed at what he eats. 

 

I highly suggest picking up ELaD and let the kids pick out some dishes and then let them help you make them--that is really what that book is about--getting the kids involved. It will help you and help them in the long run by improving their health and it will save you money as well, because you are not cooking twice. 

 

Tazo Passion Fruit tea is a-ok! Tom (one of the mods) drinks it frequently and it is ok--so enjoy!

[Beets]

Following the template is your best bet. One egg and some berries is not enough food. If you are just eating eggs as your protein the rec is three egs, or as many as you can hold in your hand. It seems cliche but breakfast really does set the tone for the day. The reason for a "palm-sized" amount of protein is that a person with a big palm needs more protein than a person with a small palm.

http://whole9life.com/book/ISWF-Meal-Planning-Template.pdf

I couldn't handle switching my whole fam to W30. Bravo to ppl who do it but the food struggles with the kids plus my own struggles were too much. I started focusing on having them eat more good things (like grass-fed beef, wider variety of veg) and fewer processed carbs, but I didn't switch them 100%. I figure down the road we'll gradually all be on board but we moms all do the best we can!

I'm home with my 2 and 5 yo and they definitely snack between breakfast and lunch and sometimes late in the afternoon. Pre dinner hunger is a great way to get some veggies in them. Homemade Larabars are a big hit. And of course fruit. I also give my kids full fat grassfed dairy. We do a lot of "meat cakes" (burger patties, beef or lamb--they both love the lamb) and veg meals.