Moving right along!

[Wendy and Frankie]

Hello, all! Sorry I've been gone for a while...my daughter was in a high school musical last weekend, and with 3 long performances, that pretty much took up my weekend, and it was a crazy week it work, and I had very little relaxing time in the evenings due to my kids' activities.

 

Kalina, I am SO happy for you!!! I can't imagine dealing with 7 years of trying to have a baby. That would be very hard.  But now you have such a blessing! I join everyone else in hoping for a healthy, happy pregnancy for you!  That is so exciting!

 

galaxigrl,

   One of my co-workers is having a LuLaRoe party after work in few days!  I may go and check it out.  I had never heard of them until a few days ago.  I'm all for cute and comfy! 

 

katieblue,

   I hope the new job gets better. My allergies have been awful this week as well. I don't have food allergies, but my seasonal allergies are terrible.  Congrats to you and Ksea for making it to day 23 (again)!

  

    My husband and I are still planning on starting May 1st on our 2nd W30.  Glad you'll be joining me CG!  

 

Wendy

[Ramonax]

I've been spending the last 3 days listening to Prince and mourning my dream to see him live. It's all I can do to not eat chocolate ice cream as is the protocol with a broken heart. But I have stayed on program. Feel super run down, hard week at work, sort of sick, baby sick. Glad it is the weekend. 

not much to say.. just wanted to check in.

[katieblue]

Kalina, I am still so excited for you!! I think that's absolutely amazing. How are you feeling besides tired? And how was your vacation??

 

Wendy, we missed you!! How was your daughter's musical? I hope your allergies get better soon!! My head is finally starting to feel better, but I still feel spacey. Allergies are the worst!

 

Ramonax, I'm sorry that the loss of Prince hit you so hard. It really is a horrible tragedy, he was an amazing musician and human being. But I am so proud that you were able to stick to eating well and not give in to temptation! Hang in there, it will get better! ::hugs::

[katieblue]

Ksea, the pork shoulder turned out sssoooo yummy!! I used the crushed pineapple and it gave it an awesome slightly sweet aftertaste! Thank you for the idea!!!

[KalinaM]

Yes I have seasonal allergies too and I've heard this will be a rough spring because of the mild winter.

I went grocery shopping yesterday and bought fixings for chicken soup, salad, my favorite one pot meal called Spanish skillet that I have since whole 30fied, and pork carnitas! Yum! Now today I have to Cook it, but I'm feeling better knowing I'm going to be eating more nourishing meals this week instead of eating lots of take out like we were last week. It takes so long to catch up from vacation...

[Wendy and Frankie]

katieblue,

    My daughter's musical was really fun, and I was very impressed.  There was awesome singing and dancing from high schoolers.  She is really into this H.S. theatre thing, and I am proud of her.  She has taken dance since she was a preschooler, and  it has cost me an arm and a leg.  haha But it is finally paying off, as she has gotten some great roles in the musicals, and now she has finally decided to quit taking dance classes after this year.  That will save us a ton of money, and TIME.  She is just going to focus on her grades and school theatre, which we agree is the best choice. Thanks for asking!

 

Ramonax,

    I'm sorry the loss of Prince hit you so hard, too.  I felt that way earlier this year when Glenn Frey passed.  It's especially hard when they pass way too soon...Thank goodness their music will live forever. 

 

Wendy

[katieblue]

Kalina, I hope the predictions are wrong about the allergies, but I'll keep on the Nasacord just in case... I don't want any more headaches like that.

Would you share the Spanish skillet recipe?? It sounds yummy and exotic! And we all know how much everybody loves those carnitas.

Vacations definitely are hard. We're supposed to go away in June for just a few days to Maine while I have a week off between classes and I'm already contemplating how I'm going to manage it. Lol. I don't want to feel all gross and bloaty and yucky again!

 

Wendy, what musical was it? I think it's awesome that she's so into it. Maybe she will have a future in acting/singing! I'm not a fan of musicals myself but my boyfriend works in sound/lighting so he is a big fan, so I have [grudgingly] become familiar with some of them.

Also, credit where credit is due, because I can't sing/dance to save my life!

 

I'm heading into the kitchen now to do my food prep for the week. Marinating some balsamic chicken for salad purposes, making the next round of balsamic vinaigrette, baking some chicken with just some salt and pepper to pull and freeze for later purposes, boiling some turnips to mash up with some clarified butter as a side dish, and making some burger patties with Jerk seasoning to grill for dinner tomorrow with some caramelized plantains.

Does anyone have any suggestions for green/non-starchy veggie side dishes? I feel like I've been so focused on making sure I get my starch in at dinner I've let the other veggies fall by the wayside! I'm still trying to avoid the high-FODMAP ones, so I have been avoiding my go-to steamed broccoli. </3

I have green beans, kale, or spinach with my breakfast every morning, but I just toss them with EVOO or butter, salt, and pepper, and maybe some diced up tomato and/or black olives.

[ksea]

galaxigrl - Hoping you're having a blast on your trip!  LuLaRoe clothes look mega cute.

 

katie - So glad that pork turned out good for you!  Did you crisp it up at the end??  I'd feel like such a turd if it turned out gross and I recommended it!   That sweet potato salad looks yummy, how did it turn out?  I love curry.  That cauliflower looks really flavorful too.

I totally commend you for not turning to food for comfort the other night when you were feeling down!!  It is very liberating to realize that using things like food to make me feel better emotionally was so incredibly temporary, and can lead to being in a worse situation, both mentally and physically.  

Hope things get better for you regarding work.  Hang in there!  I know how hard it can be to turn down the stress, but continue being kind to yourself.  You're working towards a great goal, and it will be here before you know it!

I also can't believe there's just one week left for this round of W30!  I need to figure out what I'm doing for reintro.  Going forward, I want to continue to eat paleo, with an occasional non-compliant treat in the form of sushi rice or a glass of bubbly.  I would like to do a slow roll through all the different groups of foods, just to see how they really affect baby and me.  I'll probably reintro something for two days, and wait 5-6 days to see what happens.  I think the last round of reintro wasn't enough exposure to see how things truly affected me.  I might just continue on for a W45 or 60, because fishing starts in three weeks (!!) and my stress levels tend to go down once it officially starts.  

 

KalinaM - What is in your Spanish Skillet?  I love one pot meals and adore Spanish flavors!

 

Seems like my baby's gums have been bugging him lately, he's been pretty clingy when he's awake, poor little lamb!  Yesterday was a big community clean-up day, and it felt good to accomplish a bunch of cleaning!  

I had my folks over for fish tacos last night (I had a huge taco salad), and I made this Mango Pineapple Salsa.  It turned out SOOO yummy.  I didn't have any bell pepper, and used fresh pineapple and extra mango.  It was wonderful with the fish, and would also be good with pork or chicken.  Summer grilling, here I come!!! 

I have some lettuce seeds sprouting on my windowsill, and plan on continuously planting more so I have fresh greens often.  I also took some mint cuttings and plopped them in some dirt to see if they would take to growing.  I received Well Fed and Well Fed 2 the other day.  I'm excited to gush over them, but haven't had a chance to sit down with them yet.

[jen c]

Hi All,

 

ksea and katie, you're both doing so well!  It's got to feel good to be in the home stretch of your last week. 

 

katie, I'm sorry your first days on the new job were so rough.  It's hard to enjoy the new while grieving the old, but I hope it gets better soon once you adjust to the newness.  Thankfully it sounds like it's short-term.  Kudos for not self-sabotaging and staying strong!!

 

ksea, your eating and reintroduction plans sound good.  It's how I've run my reintroductions this month, although I have to say, I'm pretty dang tired of focusing on the process.  I only have oats and beans left to go, but I'm not going to bother with them until after my second W30 next month.  I need a break from that process.  On Friday I was at the grocery store and saw that Tillamook has some new ice creams that are "cleaner" than the regular.  I thought, "Dadgum, I've been doing so good for 2 months!  I WANT this ice cream!"  I think I finally hit a place where I was feeling angry at being trapped in the restrictions and not feeling the "food freedom" at all.  It's definitely good to allow yourself a treat now and then.  And I did buy the ice cream, and it was worth it, and it felt like a little bit of freedom. 

 

wendy, I love musicals.  Like katie, I'm curious what the production was, and am glad it went so well for your daughter.  I'll also be joining you in a second round beginning May 1.  My husband says he's joining, but I think he's still on the fence a bit when he thinks about no dairy and no sugar.  He quit soda at the end of January, which he's tried to do many times over the years, but this is the longest he's made it without caving in.  I'm really proud of him and am sure he can do the W30 if he focuses on it being only 30 days long. 

 

galaxigrl, I hope you're recovered from Wednesday night and am sorry to hear you got so sick.  We are stubborn creatures of habit, yes?  When will we learn . . . it's probably the hardest part of this whole thing!  Resistance is really hard sometimes.  The fashion show sounds fun!  I'd not heard of LuLaRoe, but looked them up and they do look so comfortable and cozy.  Fun stuff!

 

I went to a dinner meeting last night and the host had made smoked turkey, fresh cranberry sauce, curried cauliflower, baked potatoes, fresh bread, and berry cobbler with ice cream.  The turkey was amazing and the cauliflower, potato, and cranberry sauce were really good too.  I'm sure the cranberry had sugar, but otherwise my meal was compliant.  The bread loaf sat right in front of my plate and while I admired how lovely it looked, I had no desire to eat it.  And it was easy to pass on the cobbler too (maybe because I knew I had ice cream at home if I wanted some later???).  Right now, Rogan Josh is braising on the stovetop, I have baby red potatoes to roast, and a couple of oranges to slice up on the side.  A pork roast is ready for carnitas tomorrow.   

[katieblue]

Ksea, we did crisp the pork but when we added the juices to it, it sort of got wet again, but then it was this mixture of crunchy/chewy and it was just delicious. The sweet potato salad was really excellent, but I think I would leave out the roasted red peppers next time, I'm not really a huge fan of the flavor. But Rob has been devouring it with pretty much every meal since then, so he liked it! Lol.

And thank you so much for all the positivity and support!! I'm feeling better now, just telling myself all this is only temporary, and it will get better with time, and soon I can start doing what I actually WANT to do.

I can't believe there's less than a week left now, either!! I was thinking about reintroductions myself, because my birthday is May 6 and I don't want to go off the rails with it like I did on Easter! I already decided I don't want a cake because I know how crappy I felt after the carrot cake. I think your plan sounds good; I like the slow roll idea and test each specific food so we know just how we feel with it.. what's the rush, right?

Glad that your stress levels will be going down soon, too!!

And that salsa looks SO good - we are going to have tacos on Friday so I think we might try it!! Let us know if Well Fed/Well Fed 2 have fabulous [read: easy] recipes to offer! I was so disappointed to see that my library doesn't own them!

 

Jen, thank you for the positive support, too!! I love this thread and our little group. I feel like you girls are all my friends even though we don't actually see each other! Lol.

Your dinner meeting sounds deeeeelightful, and I'm so happy for you that you weren't even tempted to eat the non-compliant things! Best of luck on your Whole 30 next month, I hope it goes as easily for you as it did for ksea and me!

Sounds like you continue to eat like a queen, too... again, we all know how everyone feels about those carnitas!

 

This is my first full week of the full-time job! I'm nervous, and tired, and didn't get nearly enough homework done this weekend, but I keep reminding myself, only six weeks of this and then I can drop back to part-time with class work and shouldn't have nearly as much to juggle. *fingers crossed* I added an extra ten hours of work each week, but each class, since they're online, is about 10-12 hours per week, so I figure doing the exchange next quarter will probably make it manageable. I just have to get through six weeks of hell first. And hope that I can still find time to cook because even though Rob did volunteer to help, he's doing the guy thing, and just hasn't.

[galaxigrl]

Hi ladies!  Savannah was a lot of fun, but I missed my son so much!  And I was only gone for 28.5 hours!  It's just so hard to leave those little cuties.

 

katie:  I'm sorry your job isn't going super great, but it's good that it's temporary.  I definitely don't envy all of the busyness you have in your life right now, but I know you're going to get through it!  This is a green veggie side I'm making tonight.  I always struggle with sides.  Do you ever try sauteing cabbage?  I like doing that or roasting it in chunks/slices in the oven.  I also love okra this time of year but not sure if you can get that up your way.  Maybe some zucchini sauteed in coconut oil?  Or a tomato/cucumber salad.  Those are my lame side dishes .  If I can't think of anything fun, I usually resort to steamed or roasted broccoli.  Sauted spinach is a good idea, too.  Or a spinach salad with hard boiled eggs, nuts, bacon.  That oven-roasted cauliflower looks amazing.  Was it?

 

katie & ksea: Congrats on having less than a week left of your second W30!  So impressed.

 

Wendy: Congrats on your daughter doing well in the musical.  I used to be in my school musicals in high school.  One year I was Cha Cha DeGregorio in Grease, "the best dancer at St. Bernadette's."

 

Hope you're all having a great Monday!

[Wendy and Frankie]

To everyone who asked, my daughter was in the musical "Anything Goes." (She was one of Reno's angels). Last year, she was a cheerleader in "High School Musical."  I'm with you, katieblue, I couldn't sing or dance to save my soul!  Not sure where she gets her talent from!  

 

katieblue,

    I sure hope your work situation gets better, and hope the next 6 weeks goes fast.  I know what it's like to work full-time and do grad school online at the same time. Very stressful, and very little free time.  I never did it on a W30, though!  Caffeine and sugar got me through 

 

jen c,

   I'm glad you're joining me May 1st.  I'm actually looking forward to eating healthier again, but the only thing I'm dreading is all the food prep.  This is a really busy time of school year for me with lots of end of year paperwork to complete, and I also have 2 graduations this next month, a grad party to plan (in June, post W30), I've kind of gone off the rails the last couple weeks ( I actually had 2 pieces of my daughter's birthday cake yesterday, and have returned to putting sugar (just a teaspoon)in my tea again.  I also made pasta salad for a cookout on Saturday, and have eaten it several times since.  I had some of it for dinner tonight, and just feel so bloated.  

 

I have "It Starts with Food" out from the library, because I want to learn to answer intelligently next time someone asks something like, "Why can't you have beans, they are healthy for you?" Instead of my usual, "Uh, not sure, it's just not allowed on the W30 plan."

 

Wendy

[ksea]

jen c - I am still on the fence about when to start reintros.  The more I think about it, when fishing does start I am usually a nervous wreck, especially if the weather turns nasty or the fishing starts off slow.  We need a big fishing season this year, with a new baby and house-building in progress.  I don't want to do reintroductions with a load of added stress on my shoulders, so I can fully focus on how things are going.

How did the ice cream treat you?  Thats nice you decided it was a "worth it" treat, and was able to pass up on the bread and cobbler no problem.  

I have a roast thawing in the fridge to make some Rogan Josh soon!  And I found a skin on, bone in pork shoulder I need to figure out what to do with.  All the pork shoulders I've gotten in the past have been skinless boneless.

 

katieblue - Like galaxigrl, I was going to suggest tomato and cucumber salad and sautéed or roasted zucchini.  I've been trying to incorporate more dark leafy greens for calcium, but the stores here haven't had a good supply of fresh lately  I've been putting thawed, drained frozen spinach in my veggies and eggs, and bok choy is delicous cooked with some ginger and a drizzle of sesame oil at the end.  Snow peas and sugar snap peas are in season right now too (Yum!!)  If you like Vietnamese spring rolls (the raw kind) I've been making super refreshing salads with the spring roll ingredients.  I toss lettuce with cucumber, avocado, red pepper, shredded carrots, mint and cilantro and top it all with a sunflower/rice vinegar/ginger dressing.  I'm also loving eggplant lately.

I've been doing tons of veggie prep when I come home from the store so it makes tossing together meals a cinch.  Well Fed and Well Fed 2 both talk about food prep and Hot Plates, which I realize I've been eating a lot of.  But she gives some great ideas to change them up and make meals way more interesting.  I'm going to make some of her spice blends to sprinkle on my veggies.  They both have some great, simple recipes.  There's also some that are a little more involved, but nothing too complicated.  I made her Lemon Tagine (a Moroccan braised dish) with chicken thighs yesterday, and the flavor was out of this world!  It involved a couple of steps that were meant to build flavor, like browning the thighs and sautéing a spice mixture to awaken the flavors, but they were so worth it.  I'm planning on making some Zingy Ginger Dressing today.

There's a bunch of recipes for meatballs/sausage in Well Fed 2.  I made the Green Curry meatballs that my husband absolutely devoured, even though there was some cilantro in it, and he fiercely dislikes cilantro.  I read something about how some people have extra taste buds that make cilantro taste soapy to them.  Do you know anyone like that?  I throw handfuls of cilantro on my food and love it.

Can your library borrow the books from another library?  I know mine will get books from elsewhere if someone requests it.  I use the heck out of their online library program too.  I do love having an actual book in my hand, but I always read in bed and use my kindle (set so the background is black and words are white) at night so I don't have to have lights on before sleep.

For your birthday, would you be into making a fruit-based treat topped with some coconut cream?  Rhubarb is in season right now, and it looks like there's lots of other low FODMAP fruits that would make a great dessert!

 

I found some LaCroix at the store the other day!  I got the grapefruit flavor (one of my all time favorite fruits!) and have been pouring it over ice with some mint and grapefruit chunks.  Very refreshing, and feels so fancy!

 

Does anyone have a favorite walking/running shoe?  I have some Dansko shoes that are great for when I'm on my feet all day, but feel like I need something different for walking.

[galaxigrl]

ksea: I had heard that about cilantro, too, but I'm with you.  I love it, especially when I make fresh salsa or pico de gallo.  I've made a few of the recipes from the Well Fed books, but I need to look more into the Hot Plates.  Even though I try to meal plan so it's not too much food prep in the evenings for dinner, it's still making me a little stressed on some days.  I think I still need some help with simplifying.  Thanks for the idea of the spring roll salad.  I LOVE the ingredients in those and could maybe eat them every day!  Do you have a recipe for a good dressing to put on it?  Glad you found the LaCroix and like it!  It's sooooo good!  Any luck with your scoby?  I don't have any recommendations on a walking/running shoe.  I've been wearing the same pair of sneakers for probably 3-4 years, so I really need to get new ones!  I normally just go to this foot store by me, they make me walk on a treadmill, and then they tell me which sneakers are best for my foot/walking style.  But I'm guessing you probably don't have access to a store like that.

 

Wendy: I like your idea of reading "It Starts with Food" to better answer people's questions.  The one about the beans is an especially good one, and I don't know the answer to why they're not on the list of approved foods.

 

I'm thinking my husband and I need to do another Whole 30.  I know I've been saying that we're mostly eating Whole 30, and we definitely are eating pretty much strictly Whole 30 when we prep the meals, but it seems like I've been eating out a lot since we finished our Whole 30, and I end up eating probably 2-3 non-compliant lunches and 2-3 non-compliant dinners each week, which is really more than I want to be.  Just have had lots of social things going on over the past month, and I haven't figured out how to navigate that on Whole 30.  When we did the Whole 30, it was a good time for us, because we didn't have many social gatherings, so we didn't have to worry about how to navigate them.  But now I don't know how, which is bad! 

[jen c]

galaxigrl, jump in with some of us who are starting again on May 1st!  We'd love to have your company!  I wish I had suggestions for how to navigate eating and social gatherings.  I've been thinking ahead to my nephew's upcoming wedding and the catered dinner we're planning for my in-laws 50th anniversary later this summer, and at the moment I'm thinking that I'll just eat prior to the events in case I can't eat most of the food being served.  Those are big events and there will be plenty of people to visit with so I'm hoping that will keep my mind off the food.  Being INTJs, we don't tend to go out to restaurants as our first choice of socializing - the settings are often so loud and distracting.  Many of our friends have food allergies and restrictions too, so it's mostly easiest to gather at someone's home, which tends to offer a pretty laid-back and relaxed atmosphere.  That probably doesn't help much with what you're looking for, but I hope maybe a little?

 

ksea, I found LaCroix last week too.  We tried the berry and loved it.  Since my husband gave up pop but doesn't really like plain water, these would be good for him.  He's picked some more flavors he wants to try. 

 

Yesterday I coated a boneless pork shoulder with Tessamae's bbq sauce and cooked it in the crock pot for 8 hours.  Afterward, I shredded it and then crisped it up in a skillet with just a little EVOO.  Oh. my. goodness.  Simple, EASY, and oh so good.  I bought the bbq sauce a few weeks back but don't like how strong the balsamic vinegar flavor comes through.  I didn't want to throw out a nearly full bottle, so I tried it this way.  Needless to say, this will be in regular meal rotation for us.  I had leftovers for both breakfast and lunch today.  If you're looking for stocking up leftovers to eat on during the week, I highly recommend it. 

[katieblue]

Galaxigrl, so happy you had fun in Savannah! (But how could you not, really!?)

It's so funny you gave me the kale recipe, we just had some sauteed kale with EVOO, lemon juice, salt, pepper, chili powder and garlic powder tonight, and Rob was like, "I bet kale would be really good with some bacon!" So - thank you! It looks delicious!

I do love cabbage, but some lists put it in the high FODMAP category. The Reuben rolls generally left me feeling a little uncomfortable, but I thought they were worth it! But rolled in cabbage and sauerkraut equals lots of cabbage-age. But maybe I'll have to isolate it better and see how I do. Because it is delicious!!

Your ideas are totally not lame, I forgot about cucumber/tomato salad, and I bet you can do awesome things with zucchini. I especially love it grilled! THank you for all the suggestions!!

And yes, the cauliflower was fabulous - I added extra red pepper flakes so it was really spicy! But again, high FODMAP, and I definitely felt it afterward.

I will completely be a cheerleader if you and your hubby decide to undertake another Whole 30! And vouch that the second round is WAY easier!!

 

Wendy, I really appreciate hearing the perspective of someone who's been here and survived!! So thank you!! I'm definitely doing my best not to rely on the caffeine, and to avoid the sugar entirely. I have mostly stopped craving it, but when I get REALLY stressed, I still want to go for the ice cream. So my dragon is not totally slain yet, and I refuse to feed her until I am entirely in control of her!

And I know Anything Goes - we did that when I was in high school, too! Of course, I just built the set, I didn't actually participate in acting. So kudos to your talented lady!!

And It Starts with Food was SO informative - you'll be glad you dug in!!

 

ksea, thank you for all the suggestions, too!! I have never had bok choy, and I totally forgot about snap peas and eggplant as options! And I loooove spring rolls. You're so creative! It does sound like Well Fed would be really helpful for learning how to navigate this food boredom.  The library would do an inter-library loan for it, but it would take a long time for me to get it and I could only keep it for three weeks. So maybe it's just better if I just buy them. Maybe I'll ask for it for my birthday! Lol.

I honestly do NOT want to cook AT ALL on my birthday, I told Rob he is making us breakfast and packing a lunch and we're going out to dinner. I'm so burned out from cooking! Haha. But your fruit and coconut cream idea does sound yummy. Maybe with a little cinnamon sprinkled on it. I bet he could figure out how to do that so I don't have to!

I just use Nikes as my running shoes, but I don't really "run", I more powerwalk and do short jogging bursts.

 

jen, thanks for the tip on the Tessemae's! I tried the zesty ranch dressing and LOVED it. I'm absolutely dying to get back to Whole Foods and see what other options they have.

And best of luck with the events and the food... they were definitely the toughest parts of both Whole 30's. We just ate before we went, too, or had a REALLY yummy dinner cooking in the crock pot for when we got back.

 

I had such a crap day at work today, I need to vent. My new supervisor calls me downstairs with about an hour left in the day and tells me that I can't wear my favorite jacket to work anymore because one of my coworkers approached her about the fact that it has a hood and therefore is inappropriate for the workplace. I was so shocked that someone would go behind my back and bring that to her attention, and it's a leather jacket with a hood that buttons in so I offered to take the hood off, but she said just don't wear the jacket anymore. I was so upset and I've been so stressed that as soon as I got out of her office I just burst into tears (and I don't cry often... I can't even remember the last time I cried). It felt like I've been working so hard to stay positive and take care of myself and then people have to come in and stomp all over it anyway. And then I looked in the dress code policy and NOWHERE does it say ANYTHING about hoods not being allowed - or, for that matter, any other aspect of the jacket. We can't wear hats, or clothing that is ripped or wrinkled, but a nice leather jacket with a hood? I don't understand. I'm so upset and I don't know what to do about it. But the library system says I can wear the jacket, and I love that jacket, and I look damn good in it, and I want to be able to wear it! But I can't just straight up disobey what she says - I'd have to actually make a stink about it, and I don't want to do that, either.

[jen c]

jen c - I am still on the fence about when to start reintros.  The more I think about it, when fishing does start I am usually a nervous wreck, especially if the weather turns nasty or the fishing starts off slow.  We need a big fishing season this year, with a new baby and house-building in progress.  I don't want to do reintroductions with a load of added stress on my shoulders, so I can fully focus on how things are going.

How did the ice cream treat you?  Thats nice you decided it was a "worth it" treat, and was able to pass up on the bread and cobbler no problem.  

I have a roast thawing in the fridge to make some Rogan Josh soon!  And I found a skin on, bone in pork shoulder I need to figure out what to do with.  All the pork shoulders I've gotten in the past have been skinless boneless.

 

Does anyone have a favorite walking/running shoe?  I have some Dansko shoes that are great for when I'm on my feet all day, but feel like I need something different for walking.

I hope the fishing season is a really good one for you this year.  House building too??  Yep, you have plenty of things to keep your mind occupied.

 

The ice cream treated me well.  When I first reintro'd dairy, I had heartburn after drinking a glass of milk and thought it left me a bit bubbly in the gut.  But the ice cream wasn't a problem with either of those at all.  However, the sugar dragon quit snoring and poked an eye open to look around.  I definitely will be cautious of that going forward.  I had a pretty good sized sweet tooth pre-W30 and don't want to go back to that at all. 

 

As for walking/running shoes . . . I don't run, but have worn Nike's for many years for walking.  Last year I got a pair of Saucony's and they are so comfortable, but they're more of a mesh type of material instead of leather like the Nike's, so they're not good in the rain.  And being in Oregon, we get plenty of rain.  But for dry days, the Saucony's are my favorite. 

[Ramonax]

So many posts to read - does anyone else read and read and every post you think of something you want to respond, but then 10 posts later you forget all the things and who said what - so some random thoughts:

 

 Cha Cha DiGregorio! OMG. She was one of the coolest characters. I usually buy Saucony shoes for running. But I've bought other brands. I think it is important to know your pronation (do your feet fall in or out or are they neutral). I've also had some nice trail runners, but those are harder to find. They never have them in the city.  

 

Katie - that is bulls&%t. total bulls%*t. There are so many problems - 1. that someone would complain. 2. that your boss didn't choose to not indulge/engage the complainer. 3. that she addressed you in that way and said it was a coworker who complained. 4. IT ISN'T EVEN THE REAL POLICY. 5. you can't wear your amazing jacket. As a supervisor what this tells me is that you have some toxic people working there, whoever complained is clearly an unhappy and petty person. An unhappy and petty person that doesn't know fashion. My guess is, based on your personality on these boards, you are a happy, energetic, engaged person. You probably have the kind of personality that threatens grumpy, fatigued, long-term employees who are entrenched in their ways. So one thing I think is that time will smooth some of that out as people get to know you and see that you are great.

 

How well do you know and/or trust your boss. I've worked for great fair caring bosses. I've also worked for crazy vindictive evil bosses who would actively try to destroy my career if I crossed them. So sometimes it is safer to let things be and do whatever you need to do to get by. And sometimes it is better to address work issues head on, in a professional way that indicates you cannot be bullied. If you think it won't have negative consequences for you, I would address the fact that you don't like the feeling that other co-workers are taking about you and you feel blindsided by the fact that you are in a new job, you have been careful to follow policy and are not sure how to go forward. Or you could bring the policy and say "I don't see where hoods are included here, are there other dress code items that are not listed that I should know about". 

 

It sucks sucks sucks to not like your workplace. I want to come down there, wearing a leather jacket with a hood, and yell at them.

[jen c]

katie, that sounds absolutely ridiculous!  I can't understand the nerve of some people - and you weren't even breaking dress code!  I'm sorry it's been a long and hard start and certainly hope things improve quickly.  Take some good deep cleansing breaths, even if it takes 100 of them or 1000, and know that you can vent here anytime.  It's a good decision to not make a stink about it since you're the newest on the totem pole and don't know what opportunities might present themselves down the road.  From my experience, even when it gets really really hard, it's best to not burn too many bridges.  Sending wishes for a better day for you tomorrow!! 

[katieblue]

Ramonax, I totally know what you mean about thinking of things you want to say in response to some posts and then forgetting about it later!!

 

You are a really good judge of character over the internet, because the bubbly/energetic is definitely what I'm all about! Lol! I feel like when working in public service you HAVE to stay upbeat because customers are always going to be annoying/rude to you and I've gotten really good at just letting that roll off. But I was really shocked to be attacked in such a childish, passive aggressive way by a coworker. On the bright side, the coworkers who saw me crying and I explained what was wrong, were all very supportive and sweet to me and told me that the whole thing was ridiculous.

 

And thank you girls so much for the encouragement. <3 I'm not really happy to go back there again today. A lot of me WANTS to say something to her, just innocently, like, "Hey, so I was really upset about the incident with the jacket yesterday, and I really wanted to make sure that it didn't happen again, so I went and looked at the dress code policy. But I didn't see anything on there about hoods or jackets at all being forbidden, so can you please explain to me why I can't wear the jacket?" But I don't really know my supervisor yet. I don't know if she would hear me or care or take it as me fighting back aggressively or anything. It's hard because I'm so new and like jen said, I don't want to make people angry at me so early on. :/

[galaxigrl]

jen c: Those suggestions do help.  Part of my problem is that I don't always have time to make something/eat beforehand when I have outings.  I wish it was easier to find compliant foods at restaurants.  I think starting May 1 will be tough for me, because I have my anniversary, two outings with friends that are already planned, my niece's graduation, a weekend away visiting my in-laws in the mountains, Memorial Day weekend.  I think I need to try to do it when I have less going on.  

 

katie: Definitely try the kale with apples and bacon recipe!  It was SOOOOO good!  That situation with the jacket really irks me!  I actually feel bad for the person who complained.  Think how said his/her life must be that she has to resort to complaining about what people wear at work to her boss!  So, so petty.  I would give my opinion on what you should do, but I think Ramona and jen c covered it perfectly!  But feel free to vent anytime.  I'll listen (read ).  Good luck today!  I hope it goes better.  And I'm glad that other coworkers were sympathetic, so you're not working with all crazy people!

 

I had a rare Tuesday date night with my husband last night at our aquarium, and it was so lovely!  It was just a great evening, so I'm in a pretty great mood today!  I definitely ate non-compliant foods, but I'm realizing I need to be easier on myself.  I'm doing the best I can, eating the best I can, and, if I don't ever lose the 10-15 pounds I would like to, my life will go on!

[Ramonax]

galaxigrl - I get what you mean about all the struggle of being complaint with all the eating out/parties etc. I'm trying to shift my thinking from *being complaint* to *making choices that will make me feel better in the long run*. It feels less black and white or like my choice is to deny myself or have fun. I'm trying not to give myself permission to EAT ALL THE THINGS just because I'm at a party. Maybe I'll eat the homemade black forest cake, but I won't eat the store bought baguette or m&ms. Stuff that is generally mindless eating or not special. I don't know if I'm explaining myself well - I just know my thinking about what I get to eat sabotages me all the time. So I'm trying to shift that.

[jen c]

Ramonax, you've explained it perfectly. Moving from the black & white rules into the grey areas and the psychology involved has been a big challenge. I've struggled with self-sabotage in the past and it will be a long process to fully overcome that. I'm trying to focus on non-food "treats/rewards" because it's so easy to allow food rewards to snowball until I'm justifying anything as another treat and then before I know it, all of my positive efforts are gone.

I hit the 20 lb mark this week and putting that non-food reward idea into practice, decided to treat myself by dressing up the front porch a bit. We have a covered porch with a little cafe table and two chairs. It stays well protected from the rain, but has never felt very welcoming. Yesterday I picked up an indoor/outdoor rug from ikea (translate: cheap) and put it under the table and chairs. I took a small pot of pansies from the back deck and put it on the table, and then hung a string of clear round lights under the eaves. Between the rug and the lights, I spent $55. It's spendier than a food treat but cheaper than most date nights and the results benefit more than just me. It's now cozier, inviting to anyone who comes to our door, and I'm looking forward to a cup of hot tea out there after the kids go to bed on many summer evenings to come. This kind of thing is so out of the norm for me! I'm quite frugal and this feels like a real splurge. That's the part I need to keep at the forefront - food splurges don't feel nearly as satisfying and are short-lived.

[ksea]

galaxigrl - Date night at an aquarium?! That sounds wonderful!  I'm jealous. 

I don't have a recipe for the spring roll salad dressing.  I made a kind of modified sunshine sauce, with sunbutter, coconut milk, fresh ginger, minced jalapeño, and rice wine vinegar.  I just used the rest of it last night, I'll make some more soon and measure everything out while I'm mixing and tasting.  I was wanting to throw shrimp on the salad too, but we kept making stir fry with them instead.

 

jen c - I love your non-food reward!  Making memories on a cozy porch will definitely last a long time!

I'm getting to the point on the house to where I need to start kitchen planning!  Which makes me kind of anxious, because I know how much time I like to spend in it, and the choices I make are ones I'll have to live with.  We're counting on a good fishing season because we didn't want to take out any loans to build, and are paying for everything as we can.  There's sheetrock up, and we need to start picking out flooring and fixtures and such.   I always thought this process would be fun but its a little nerve-racking!

 

katieblue - I hope today was better for you at work!  I agree that is total BS.  I love Ramonax's insight from a supervisor's point of view.  Whoever complained obviously has some other issues going on.  It just sucks they would have to take it out on someone like you.  Keep your head up, doll!  

Bok choy is kinda cabbage-y, so I would totally recommend it if cabbage ends up not agreeing with you.  And I agree with the grilled zucchini!  I adore grilled eggplant as well.  They would be good grilled after tossing with that marinade you use for your chicken!  Have you had Chinese or Japanese eggplant?  Tender and yummy.

 

Thanks for the shoe suggestions everyone!  I'll get some next time I make a trip to the big city!  I've never ran before, but was thinking of incorporating some short jogging bursts in my walks when I start letting baby sit in the main stroller part (instead of the carseat that clicks in on top).  This clean eating has changed my energy levels so much, because I've never even considered jogging before!

[Ramonax]

ksea - there are lots of great 'couch to 5 km' or 'couch to 10km" apps you can download on your phone. My husband just started using one - we actually went running together this weekend. has been my dream forever! They make it really easy to start running and get up to 5km (3.12 miles). I am having difficulties running as the bears are out, so I'm afraid to go into the trails alone before work and now with the baby, I'm a bit more tied to the house (ha! 'bit more', more like totally-shackled.. but anyway) I'm trying to get out during lunch, but then I come back to work a gross sweaty mess. All this to say, I need to focus more on what I can do exercise/running wise and just do it. Less on all the reasons it is hard (though it really would be a drag to be eaten by a bear).