Tigers and Turtles - 2016

[C_Cezeaux]

Vozelle, the egg white protein works really well blended into smoothies and soups, that's how I'm getting by with any sort of cold, liquid lunch. :-) I ordered it through Amazon.

[NancyW]

Vozelle, you gotta do what you gotta do! Hope you heal quickly!

 

I also got Bob Warden's Good Food Fast to use with my Instant Pot. I already have 22 recipes tagged to try, and I think there's lots of Paleo possibilities!

[mergthemagnificent]

Well, folks, I dunno what happened, but I had one heck of a time logging in there for awhile. At least I could read your posts and SMILE at the stories, sliding pie crusts, rebellious bread dough, bathtub negotiations, and Crimsann's incredible capacity to be around cupcakes while doing a whole 30!! You are fantastic...all of you!

I am back from joy trip, all 48 hours of it, to NYC with the hubs. We had a great time, once we got through the flying stuff, which sends him to the literal edge...but we had what was almost a second honeymoon, minus the sex ( we are old) and it was very sweet.

I can feel myself getting thick in the middle and a little too loose with the ISH part of whole 30-ish, so I am going to start up July 1...need the next few days to get my mind around it again. I will probably ignore the soy sauce in a few dressings in the fridge that need to be used up...but otherwise, full steam ahead. Help me out, partners, becauseI have sinned while in NYC...so the comedown may be Hard!!

Susan, I get the hubby who never throws things away...and unfortunately, it is about to get worse at our house. While in NYC, we went to an antique book store where they were selling old covers of the New Yorker. My beloved says:" oh my, and I have been giving those away!! I think I will start keeping them ". Time for an addition on the house for the magazine wing. We alread have the old tax returns room, and the files from committees twenty years ago library.

I don't use my Instapot much in the summer except for Bone broth and ghee...am thinking more abut how to make salads and cold proteins easier.

[misslindy]

Hi Everyone, have been busy here in this corner of the world. We are inundated with rain and cold so not moving too fast and feeling the need for more exercise. Tomorrow is MIL's birthday and we are in charge of the cake, beer, juice etc. So it is all waiting in the cooler outside. We will leave early morning and then stagger back late afternoon, hopefully the rain will slow down and we will manage a safe drive.

 

Nothing too exciting to report, the bread continues to challenge those inclined to attempt the making of it. My husband thinks it would be better to just buy some. Am trying another batch this afternoon and then we shall see. 

 

July 1st I am doing a complete AIP for a couple months, I have been on but a bit slack so need to pull back a bit as I notice more pain in my joints and mood alterations, (mood could just be down to *@#@%^& bread), not sleeping as well as I have been. So back to the drawing board or is that 'bored'?

[vozelle]

Vozelle, the egg white protein works really well blended into smoothies and soups, that's how I'm getting by with any sort of cold, liquid lunch. :-) I ordered it through Amazon.

Thank you! : )

[NancyW]

Hi! I'm almost done with vacation, and will be headed back to work on Wednesday. The pile of work to be done will, i'm sure, be GINORMOUS. But it has been totally worth it for 11 days off. I have learned that carbs and I do not mix well (like I didn't know that before...   ). I've had too much in the form of bread, snacks, and beer, and the result has been digestive upset, joint pain, and migraines. So for now, I plan to do a straight low-carb plan. My daughter has been very successful with that, and I will pick her brain when I see her today. I've been stockpiling low carb info on Pinterest, and will peruse it over the next couple of days.

 

Merg, glad you enjoyed your trip with your hubby-that's one of the places on my bucket list!

 

misslindy, "drawing bored" HAHAHAHA!

 

Must head out. Lunch and shopping with my daughter. Maybe we'll throw in a trip to Costco too! 

[Crimsann]

Well, my holiday weekend off was a disaster...sigh.  Oh, it could have been worse I'm sure but I think I took exactly the wrong approach.  I did successfully "buy" the time as proposed earlier but I didn't manage it well. 

 

I kept thinking of a couple of things I wanted that were way off plan, and what I should have done maybe was just pick two or three and go for them.  Instead, I thought I was being smart by avoiding those specific cravings and not going out of my way for off-plan foods but just going with the flow of what came my way.

 

This resulted in a completely unsatisfying weekend where what I ended up eating was entirely NOT worth it.  The only thing I did that was even remotely planned was to bake a batch of cherry sweet rolls (partly to share with my sister) and those were good but also really heavy and just sank like a rock.  I realized this morning that part of my problem was PMS, bad timing all around there...so I'm hit with a double-whammy of fun this morning.  I will definitely need to rethink this if I decide to take a weekend off at the end of this month as well.  If I'm not making good use of that time.... 

 

The worst part of it all is I didn't properly prepare for this week either, even with the added time off to cook.  I can play catch-up a little tonight, but I definitely need to hone my plan for next week and get back in the swing of things!  

[NancyW]

"Completely unsatisfying weekend" - one of the saddest phrases in the English language...Sorry things didn't work out better for you, Crimsann! Trying to pick a limited number/amount of cravey foods is SO much pressure. I've sent myself into spasms of insanity by making the wrong choice. <sigh>

[Crimsann]

It is a lot of pressure on one hand, I agree...but I feel like the ideal way to indulge is to wait on something to come along that is really truly worth it and then eat with no regrets...as outlined in the slow roll reintroduction.

 

The problem with that was, in the scenario I created for myself last weekend, I couldn't just "wait" because it was a limited-time window and I knew I was going right back in to Whole30.  If I was going to step away for awhile, I think I almost needed to plan what I wanted to indulge in the most...or what would have fit with our cookout or whatever...and make sure that I was choosing something that would have been worth it to me.  I don't think I would have regretted the time off if I had taken that approach. 

 

It's kind of a mixed blessing though because what it also highlights is that the food that did come along without me going out of my way for it... WASN'T worth it.  Part of that makes it easier for me to see my way into more clean eating habits.  If I have to work now to bring in off plan foods, why would I?  The next time I take time off it will be more deliberate I think and I need to shake the fear of a craving and let that work for me rather than against me when it comes to picking something that would be worth it to me. 

 

Time to work on next week's menu though.  This last month, since I had meals planned ahead more, I spent time creating a sort of spreadsheet of meals to mix and match from starting with the things I did in June and adding a few things that came to me but I want to add more to it and not just repeat too much.  Need to put my recipe hunter hat back on!  It's a jungle out there!!! 

[vozelle]

It is a lot of pressure on one hand, I agree...but I feel like the ideal way to indulge is to wait on something to come along that is really truly worth it and then eat with no regrets...as outlined in the slow roll reintroduction.

... The next time I take time off it will be more deliberate I think and I need to shake the fear of a craving and let that work for me rather than against me when it comes to picking something that would be worth it to me...

I agree wholeheartedly! Sorry to hear of your weekend debacle, Crimsann. I have had my own ups and downs recently, due to liquid/mushy food diet challenges following gum surgery, and now I'm on a strange 7-day gluten reintro (MD orders, in preparation for a gluten sensitivity the test later this month). It feels like a burden to eat gluten, even though the daily serving size is pretty small. Who knew that this day would ever come!! I used to be totally addicted to sourdough bread! LOL. Anyway, despite my various misadventures (planned and unplanned), returning to template always feels like coming home, which is SO nice. In a way, I think it's pretty darn cool that we are still learning new things about ourselves a whole year later!! This is a lifelong process, after all. Good luck to you. : )

PS I am totally planning a "worth it" moment: my grandmother turns 97 on Monday, and I will definitely eat birthday cake with her (after all, the doctor says I "have to" eat gluten!). I'm sure it will hurt in the morning, so I will just eat the minimum amount though...

[Crimsann]

Kitchen duty done for the day, I ended up doing part of it yesterday after a last minute invite to dinner.  I made up my lunch recipe early so I could take some with me.  I guess I've decided I'm making July a little less than a Whole30, so full disclosure on that...I'm probably going to allow my starter modification list.  These are the few things I think I would want to add to a "lifestyle" plan.  It's a bit more than just my compliant ingredient mode.  My full list is on that spreadsheet which I need to copy to home I guess, but will include my favorite ketchup and fresh corn as the two things I can think of right now that are non-compliant even in ingredients.  I grilled some corn yesterday in my cast-iron grill pan after rubbing them with a bit of olive oil and then grilling until they had bits of black...then cut that off the cob and added it as a topping to my salad along with grilled chicken and a fresh tomato vinaigrette.  The corn is the only thing in that which wouldn't be compliant and it's one of the "vegetables" I miss having this time of year particularly.  I decided to add it while it's in season, I will continue to leave out things like corn chips and all the other myriad of ways to use corn other than eating it straight out of the garden which means I will likely not be eating it year round either.  I'm also trying to stay conscious of it not being the sole veg for a meal, I can't say that won't ever happen as it is a quick meal idea for summer dinner, but I'm going to stay alert to that pushing other veg off my plate routinely and make sure I swap away from it if it starts to become some kind of go-to. 

 

The ketchup is more of a rare thing, I like it occasionally with my turkey meatloaf or with hash browns when I take the time to make those which usually means weekend mornings.  The one I like does contain some raw sugar, but this is exactly the way I personally would be okay with using a little sugar in a nearly W30 lifestyle.  I'm aware of what else is in the ketchup and good with it and I'm not going to start eating it with a spoon at midnight and am entirely unlikely to find it triggering cravings for donuts.  At least, I really don't think that is possible.   

 

So, something else I am going to try this week is a new (to me) app that works with my Apple watch.  I've been exploring some ways to get more out of that and make it something I'm not just wearing but interacting with every day.  This app I'm working on this week is called Commit To Three, the idea is that you pick the three things you want to commit to each morning and check them off when complete.  Pretty simple, but I'm hoping that simplicity will make it effective.  I'm trying to make sure I pick things that I can accomplish no matter how my day works out, but things that I might be tempted to bypass without some accountability or reminders that I wanted to achieve this.  I'm going to also try and make them somewhat diverse and not do the same three things every day.  I want it to be a bit more mindful.  At least one work related commitment, at least one health/fitness, and maybe one more spiritual one though for me that can mean a lot of different things from taking time to do something for someone else or doing something for my own well-being. 

 

An interesting part of this app though is that you can create teams and be motivated by others success so I thought I would throw this idea out there and see if anyone was interested in trying it with me as a team.  If you think you might be interested check it out this week for yourself and see what you think.  There are a couple of factors that would need to be considered for creating a team so we might as well trial it individually before we decide if it's worth doing.  For one thing, I think you would need to private message me your email address to join the team...or at least I have not found another way to share the team with others yet.  There is also a small (2.99) annual fee to use the mobile app version of this for teams.  You can join the team for free using the website version. 

 

Part of me thinks this would be more effective even as a team than as an individual...that "someone will see" accountability again and I thought of this group first but it may not be all that feasible so I'm going to see how it goes for a week. 

[misslindy]

I have been away for a couple reasons this past week. Went to MIL's birthday and survived normal mishaps: food not showing up, wrong food showing up, chasing up the caterers to find food, serving everyone, cleaning up and putting away so MIL didn't have to do it. Exhausted at the end, but she was happy, I had taken my own food which I didn't eat because I was busy with everyone else. Then we had cake sent home with us, hadn't had any there, but couldn't resist and had a small piece at home, also had a bottle of beer which tasted so good I had another. I was up in the night speaking with the great white bowl and have been ill ever since. That was on the 30th of June. I completely lost my voice, OH says the Universe is telling me to be quiet!, and a bit fluey but not real sick. No energy, no will to do anything. Today is the first day I have actually surfaced--won't be having cake and beer again for a long while.

 

So my July month of W30 has been off to a rocky start and I have learned a few more things but still murdering bread--can't make a loaf to save myself. What on earth has happened there? Ten years of making bread every week and beautiful bread, even gluten free beautiful bread, now disaster. Poor birds are breaking their little beaks and telling me off!

 

Okay back to the drawing board, have liverbake ready in the freezer, stocked up on veg, bone broth is waiting patiently and hopefully I will be on track for the next 30 days.

 

Nancy, hope you had a good birthday.

 

Crimsann: I don't have a phone that I can use apps on or a tablet or whatever is needed so won't participate in that team sport. 

 

Vozelle: hope you are feeling better and your poor mouth has healed or is healing well.

 

My we seem to be limping along a bit these days don't we?

xx

[Crimsann]

No worries if the app idea doesn't appeal or doesn't work for you...it didn't work that well for me yesterday on my first trial day either.  One of the things I picked turned out to be harder to accomplish than I thought so even though I took a stab at it, I wasn't able to complete it.  Then I was so tired from trying that I nodded off trying to complete the second...pfffft. 

 

This may be due to my own inability to pick reasonable goals, but it's nearly noon here and I still haven't even picked goals for today.  Can picking goals be a goal and then I'm done?  ::wide smile::

 

I also thought it might send reminders which it didn't, all three of mine were things that would happen at the end of the day or only be checked off at the end of the day too and that seemed sort of pointless since I was going to go all day with no success even if that also meant with no failure yet. 

 

There is another, less group oriented app that I have been using for a week or so now (nearly a record!) that I like better so I think I need to just spend the time to add a few things to that.  This one is called Guroo and it lets you pick a window of time during which you want reminders and then it randomly beeps at me.  I didn't bring this one up earlier because I think it's most effective with the watch where the reminders are a vibration/noise on my wrist and get immediate attention.  If the reminders were just coming to my phone I would miss most of them since I don't keep it with me 24/7.  I set one up to make me get up and get some water, or finish the water I got last time.  That one goes off anywhere from 3-5 times per work day between my normal waking hours it picks the times and the number of times so it's almost like a game to respond to it.  Because the times are entirely random (though so far well paced apart) I react to them better than trying to set up a scheduled time.  It's also made me keep a bottle of water in my bag in case it goes off while I'm driving which is kind of cool.  I set up a second one specifically on weekends to challenge me to stop what I'm doing and take a 10-15 minute walking break.  That's really increased the step count I get on the weekend without committing to a long workout.  I basically just take a few minutes to make laps around the house so it's easy to do and if I happen to be grocery shopping when it goes off...well, that's handy multi-tasking and I get a bit of a break!  If it goes off right after I put the last of the groceries away I get to gripe about it while I'm walking.  The last one I setup is a random time each four weeks where it prompts me to make an extra payment on a credit card, I don't know why I find it easier to make an extra payment rather than an extra large payment but it's been a sort of "fun" way to do that. 

 

I would like to come up with a couple more creative ways to use that because it feels like it's clicked better for me. 

 

Lunch yesterday was fantastic...one of my favorites so far, minor bummer that it's not entirely compliant but it was well worth it and so far no real issues with the corn.  I did have some issues last year with corn syrup so will keep paying attention but so far I'm happy with this add. 

[C_Cezeaux]

MissLindy, maybe you need a new bread machine, lol.  I would have broken than one LONG before now. 

 

I am wishing I was on template and doing a W30 this month.  I don't have a lot that is off plan, but enough additives have crept in during the occasional "convenience" foods that I can feel the difference.  Maybe later in the summer or fall when hopefully our hours slow down.

 

I did finally discover the RX bars while I was searching for a fairly non-perishable emergency snack to keep in my lunchbox.  I have come to love them.  Still hanging on with my smoothies, cold soups, and am thinking veggie dips with yogurt might be nice.  Have discovered that I tolerate the yogurt well, which is odd, since straight milk doesn't really sit well.  Perhaps because the yogurt I buy is much more "user friendly" than the milk.  I'm still using my coconut milk as a staple.

 

Hopefully everyone is feeling better now, through with ailments, injuries, and bad food choices.

[misslindy]

MissLindy, maybe you need a new bread machine, lol.  I would have broken than one LONG before now. 

 

I am wishing I was on template and doing a W30 this month.  I don't have a lot that is off plan, but enough additives have crept in during the occasional "convenience" foods that I can feel the difference.  Maybe later in the summer or fall when hopefully our hours slow down.

 

I did finally discover the RX bars while I was searching for a fairly non-perishable emergency snack to keep in my lunchbox.  I have come to love them.  Still hanging on with my smoothies, cold soups, and am thinking veggie dips with yogurt might be nice.  Have discovered that I tolerate the yogurt well, which is odd, since straight milk doesn't really sit well.  Perhaps because the yogurt I buy is much more "user friendly" than the milk.  I'm still using my coconut milk as a staple.

 

Hopefully everyone is feeling better now, through with ailments, injuries, and bad food choices.

Cynthia you won't believe this: we live in a constant state of a minimum of two of everything. I have four breadmakers and have swapped them out and still manage to ruin it!!! I think the Universe is saying: don't make bread. But OH eats it once a day and I would rather be making it and know what goes in it than buying from the shop.

[misslindy]

Still limping along here, voice much clearer, but achy now and very lethargic, I have decided to go with it and have cancelled several things, napping when I feel like it and working when I feel like it. The huge advantages of working from home--love it. 

 

Freezing cold today and need to huddle by the fire or under the covers. 

[vozelle]

Have discovered that I tolerate the yogurt well, which is odd, since straight milk doesn't really sit well.  Perhaps because the yogurt I buy is much more "user friendly" than the milk. 

Yes! Yogurt is a "cultured" food, often tolerated better then other dairy products. Full of probiotics and gut-healing for some of us. You might also try keifer, buttermilk and other cultured dairy products (or make your own at home) to see how they sit with you. You might also tolerate 100% raw milk well, if you can get it in your area. Many people who can't tolerate regular milk do great with raw milk. : )

[C_Cezeaux]

Yes! Yogurt is a "cultured" food, often tolerated better then other dairy products. Full of probiotics and gut-healing for some of us. You might also try keifer, buttermilk and other cultured dairy products (or make your own at home) to see how they sit with you. You might also tolerate 100% raw milk well, if you can get it in your area. Many people who can't tolerate regular milk do great with raw milk. : )

You know, I don't ever remember having problems with milk as a kid - but we had our own cow and goats (my brother is allergic to cow's milk).  But I am loving the yogurt right now, am hooked on Fage plain greek yogurt.  Must've been running low on calcium.  I have been eyeing the keifer, trying to decide if I was brave enough to try it, lol. 

 

MissLindy, I don't know what has gotten into your bread machines.  Maybe you have an angry house brownie??

[NancyW]

Wow, it seems like it's been a while since I've been here. What brought me back is a conversation I had with a coworker who did a W30 around the same time I did last fall. She started about a week later, so we supported each other through the effort. She asked if I had planned another one. I told her I was thinking maybe September. We eventually decided to do August 15 - September 15. I have an event early in August, and another one in late September, so this puts me between those things. I have been paleo-ish lately, but still eating to much of the starchy stuff. I'm pretty sure that's the cause of my recent migraines... Not enjoying having those again. 

 

Big news on the personal front. I'm moving in a couple of months. One of my BFFs has a house that's too big for just her since her son moved out, and she just isn't ready to sell at this time in her life. So I'll be moving in with her. It's in a nice quiet area, near the lake, so plenty of scenic walking space, and it will save me almost $500 a month in expenses! It's about 20 minutes farther to work, but the savings, even including the extra gas cost, is worth it. It'll be interesting to see how this plays out. We've been friends for over 14 years, and are well aware that moves like this will have stumbling blocks, and are working on ways to deal with whatever comes up. 

 

Crimsann, I might be in for the Commit to Three challenge. I have to be sure I can get it on my Android phone. Will check later.

 

misslindy, I'm sorry your bread machines are giving you fits. Have you swapped out ingredients in case there's been a change to one or the other that you didn't know about? I just can't imagine why something that worked for so long isn't working any longer...

 

Ok, off to wrap up my Friday. Worked till noon, then had drinks/lunch and a pedi with my daughter. It was a great way to end a very stressful work week! I don't have much going on over the weekend, so I'll be starting to go through my stuff and donate a lot of it so I don't have to move it. I will also be digging out my Whole30 book and beginning some prep work for my W30 that starts one month from today. Happy Weekend!

[NancyW]

Also--I am one who has issues with milk, but not so much with yogurt or half and half (which I don't use much of, but have to have it in my coffee!).

[misslindy]

Hello! 

Back again and you won't believe it--made a decent loaf of bread!!!! Now the next question is, what did I do differently? The answer: NOTHING that I know of. I think you are right Cynthia, a house brownie must have been here for awhile and moved recently. I don't like to think of brownies making mischief like that though. I was almost at my wits end and nearly ready to buy store bread. 

 

Congratulations on your move Nancy, hope it works well for you both.

 

I have been struggling with this flu, (bread-making) and some personal issues that keep rearing their ugly heads so haven't paid much attention to my programme. I thought I was familiar enough that I could wing it without being too strict. I am here to tell you it has not been successful--big time. I feel like a slug and move like one as well. So for me, this programme is non-negotiable I must stay on it to stay well, sleep well, and exercise the way I want. There will always be things that interfere and occasions I can't control everything--I decided if I were an insulin dependent diabetic would I eat what I know would harm me? Well probably not, so why do I do things that I know harm me? Mind change and behavior change in place. The occasional cup of coffee or some almonds/cashews are vastly different from the occasional cookie/cake/muffin. Time to put all this in perspective and go with it. Does somehow take the heat out of it for me. 

 

I must say I so miss going in the ocean but it is so cold here I couldn't begin attempt it. Not long now and it will be bearable for me and I will be in there so fast.

 

I make water Kefir and love it. It is so good and even others have tried it and don't know they are being 'healthy'. Easy to do and the problem I have is what to do with all the extra kefir grains that grow by the thousands!

 

Hope you are all having a lovely weekend. xx

[C_Cezeaux]

MissLindy, I am happy for your good bread, what a relief! Good take on the food perspective, I remind myself frequently it doesn't matter that the hubs can graze through the day, drink coffee at night, and eat all manner of things that make me feel bad. MY system doesn't work that way, lol.

 

I had a good day off, if not a whole weekend - got the groceries in and my cucumber soup made for the first two lunches of the week. 

[misslindy]

MissLindy, I am happy for your good bread, what a relief! Good take on the food perspective, I remind myself frequently it doesn't matter that the hubs can graze through the day, drink coffee at night, and eat all manner of things that make me feel bad. MY system doesn't work that way, lol.

 

I had a good day off, if not a whole weekend - got the groceries in and my cucumber soup made for the first two lunches of the week. 

Cucumber soup sounds so good. May have to try that one of these days. I am making the beef cheek soup and both of us are eating that regularly--this programme is rubbing off on OH and he is liking it. He still has bread once a day, one slice--can you fathom anyone so disciplined? 

[NancyW]

Cucumber soup sounds so good. May have to try that one of these days. I am making the beef cheek soup and both of us are eating that regularly--this programme is rubbing off on OH and he is liking it. He still has bread once a day, one slice--can you fathom anyone so disciplined? 

No, misslindy, I cannot fathom anyone who can eat one slice of bread a day. It's either no bread, or ALL THE BREAD. 

[misslindy]

Where is everyone? Seems a long time since I was in here and when I arrived no one else has been for several days. Hope all is going well. Since it is summer in North America you all may be at the beach or in the park.

 

We are experiencing high high winds and belting down rain. More branches of the palm tree are being blown out. We have found several birds nests on the ground so hopefully they are ones that were no longer being used.

 

Am keeping on track with my food and have done some exercise--that's the big thing. Also have finished a project ahead of schedule so am over the moon with that. Now have to drink more water and get more sleep. This work in progress is a one-step forward, one-step side dance constantly. So guess that's where the fun in it is.