180 Degree Change

J   U   N   E

June is my sentimental month.

I have much to say about June. So many things come to mind: my wedding anniversary, our pup's birthday, my high school graduation anniversary and the anniversary of my diagnosis of & surgery for Crohn's disease. 

Each June I reflect on the latter event as a new aspect is revealed to me. Every year God shows me just a little bit more of his plan in my life, and every year I'm just a bit more grateful for my journey that has brought me here.

This past year I've seen the greatest direction in my journey. I wasn't quite sure why some things happened to me, but I accepted it, and I've shared my story with any and everyone. I wasn't quite sure why my younger brother had so many allergies, but when we discovered all of my husband's allergies, I thought it made a little more sense. What I've learned in the past year has completely shaken anything I thought I knew about my life before. It's funny, how one event in your life can just change as the years go on. How much I can learn from a 10 day hospital stay. My original memoirs are located here in which case you will read about my struggles and miraculous healing. Every time I read these words, I am filled again with hope, love, and thanksgiving to a merciful, omnipotent Savior. The truth is, my Crohn's journey and my Faith are so heavily intertwined, I cannot share one without the other.

In 2012 I reflected on the things I had learned since my surgery. That was my 4 year anniversary, and I thought I had learned it all. I thought God had revealed most of the reasons. I was wrong.

6 years ago today I was in a hospital bed recovering from surgery. 

5 years ago I was participating in Fish Camp where I met my husband 

2 years ago I was a newly wed, ecstatic to cook for my new husband, months later only to learn of his food allergies that was a catalyst for our health journey

8 months ago I learned the true meaning of the scripture "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." - Hebrews 11:1


6 years ago, on my hospital bed the day before the surgery, I accepted a healing. In the following days in my talking with my Lord, I accepted a full healing and promise I would never have the pain again. As I've mentioned before, my scar is my rainbow. A little physical reminder to me of my promise from God. I had no idea how or why, but I had Faith in God's healing. I had Faith in a pain free life. As coached by my grandfather, a man of many healings, I cast out all doubt and clung to that promise, having Faith when others had doubts.

For 5 and a half years I held onto that promise.

This year, after we'd adjusted to a gluten-free, semi-paleo lifestyle, I stumbled across a resource from The Paleo Mom. What I learned was there were people with autoimmune diseases, specifically Crohn's, in remission from their disease, largely in part to their food choices and diet, as well as their lifestyle. There were people living with Crohn's who felt better and had reduced inflammation in their intestines by limiting certain foods from their diet by following The Autoimmune Protocol.

The lightbulb. The ah-ha moment. The pot of gold at the end of my rainbow.

For so long I had no idea how, I just believed the Lord had delivered me. This year I learned, all of my husband's food allergies finally forced me to become paleo, gluten free, dairy free, egg free, peanut free and soy free. All of these are suggested in the Autoimmune Protocol (AIP for short).




I was basically almost following the AIP diet; that was no coincidence. For the past few years, I thought my younger brother coached me into knowing how to cook for my future husband.



Ironically, God has actually used my husband to finally force me into a strict paleo lifestyle, for my own health. I have additionally have given up all grains and nuts, and am proud to say I so paleo I could give Wilma Flintstone a run for her money-er...dinosaur?


So where am I going? I'm not done yet learning all God has intended for my life. I know there are more things that will come out of this. There is hope for my future.

  

In general, my life looks completely different now than it did 6 years ago. I realized that when I compiled this comparative picture; there was so much more than the physical "then and now"





There is a 180 degree change in my life. Physically, mentally, spiritually, emotionally, gramatically...


This photo just sums up the self-control, discipline and inner peace I have now found. I'm done just pushing through life; there is a purpose in all I do, witness and have happened to me. There is focus, determination and hope; there is a plan for my future larger than I can imagine and better than I deserve.
What I started as a fun side-by-side comparison of my life and current accomplishments forced me to think about a lot more than the surface differences. I know I have a long road ahead of me; there is much, much more for me to learn. But with my Faith in Christ, a soul mate equally accepting of & excited for OUR life adventures, and supportive friends & family, I know this road will not be hard. I might stumble, I might take a few steps forward & a few steps back, but I am on the right path.

   

As I read earlier today,

"I lift up my eyes to the hills-- where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth. He will not let your foot slip-- he who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The LORD watches over you-- the LORD is your shade at your right hand; the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. The LORD will keep you from all harm-- he will watch over your life; the LORD will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore." -Psalm 121


The inner peace, that's from the Lord.

~@Rachel_Unrefined

21 day Sugar Detox-week 3

Week 3 was probably the hardest for me. Partly because I got tired of cooking and doing dishes every night, and partly because I spent 4 days making flowers for my first wedding weekend of 2014 and I was just straight up exhausted. Knowing my upcoming schedule, however, I was able to properly plan my meals with adequate leftovers and food to eat during the week when I didn't want to cook.

Planning ahead
Cooking beforehand: I made a triple batch of the pork sausage at the beginning of the week. Cooked 2/3 of the batch and froze half of the cooked, then froze the remaining uncooked 1/3 in a sausage roll, like what you'd purchase from the store. James cooked this ready to make sausage Saturday morning when we had friends spend the night after the Friday wedding (that I did flowers for and James was a groomsman for so we attended...more on that below) while I finished the flowers for my Saturday wedding.

Oh you know, just another meal as a florist.

Floral photo props make great food props too!

Large meals: I planned roast for mid week as my last meal that would be cooked among the floral frenzy that explodes in the house for wedding weekends. It was cooked in the crock pot so not a lot to clean up, and I didn't have to take time away from designing to cook dinner.

Comfort foods: We didn't experiment with any new recipes this week; we stuck to the basics. While I followed the 21dsd recipes as compared to my own, the food was about par to our normal meals: chicken thighs, meatballs & spaghetti squash and roast.

Same ol' same ol' breakfasts: Breakfast meals are about the same every day. Meat (bacon or sausage balls), spinach (usually) and an occasional piece of fruit possibly with nut butter. Routine only because I love it so much and I feel so much more energetic during the day!

New adventures for week 4
Mashed Cauliflower: technically this fell on Day 22, but because I ate leftovers for half of week 3, I thought I'd highlight this meal: shepherd's pie. Another comfort food that we have grown to really enjoy but this time I made mashed cauliflower for the top instead of using white potatoes, to remain a 21dsd meal. It was tasty and I honestly couldn't tell the difference. A winner in our books. Need to stock up on cauliflower now.

Chicken Pot pie: I waited until after my initial 21dsd to make this recipe because it contains dairy in form of butter and eggs. I have never made a chicken pot pie before and I'm not so sure how successful the pie part was but it was tasty, warm & filling.

Pumpkin spice smoothie: made with full fat coconut milk (from a can, not the carton "beverage"), this smoothie is the creamiest non-dairy smoothie I have had yet. The spices are those used to bake a pumpkin pie: nutmeg, allspice, ginger, cinnamon, or simply "pumpkin pie spice if you buy the pre-mixed bottle. And I had a Sam's 3 pack of pumpkin I needed to use up, so I have been making this smoothie farely often.

Easy Salad dressing: Olive Oil, juice of a lemon and an herb (I've used oregano and basil). A guilt free salad dressing that has a great texture and taste! Simple to make one serving and is ideal for a dinner salad!

Baked Nutty Apple: I grew up eating a similar treat, made with simply butter and cinnamon. Adding the nuts was a fun twist for me! I create it with coconut oil so it remained dairy free!

The disaster: Wedding food. My problem with not eating at home is the temptation to just throw my hands in the air and just eat any and everything. This happened on the Friday wedding. There was a vegetable platter, in addition to the fruits and cheese. There was shrimp cocktail, in addition to the rest of the Hors d'oeuvres that contained gluten, dairy, eggs and everything else I shouldn't normally eat, let alone while on my detox. And don't get my started on the beverages and cakes. I take full responsibility of my actions (threw self-control out the window when I went back for the second piece of cake-gotta try each type), and so the next part is mere observations rather than complaints. For the first time in my life, I was bloated. I had complained about it before, but no prior situation was as bad or painful as how I felt after the wedding. I believe because I had cut everything out of my diet that my body just went into full rejection of sugars, food allergies and intolerances and everything I ate. Before bed I had a good long look in the mirror- I looked 4 months pregnant and my abdominal muscles were stretched to the max and HURT. That night made this detox worth it and my solidified my permanent lifestyle change. It took me close to 3 days to return to normal. 3. days. Never before had I experienced this, and I hope to never again. This is me being real here; I'm not regretting eating cheese and sweets because of the calories. In fact if you know James and I you are right in the assumption we were burning up the dance floor and probably danced off more calories than we even consumed.

[[Side note- This year's goal is to learn the footloose line dance and the thriller dance so I can obtain the ultimate wedding guest status. Invite us to your wedding or event for a good gift and to guarantee dancing on the dancefloor to any song! Dancing includes but is not limited to two-step routines, Cotton-eyed joe, copper head road, electric slide, cupid shuffle and the macarena, but that's rarely played anymore. ;) We can provide full résumé including references if needed.]] 

This week was the end of my 21 days, so I will follow up with my review which is in the works, as well as a look into what we are continuing to implement even after the detox!

~RR

"Success is the result of perfection, hard work, learning from failure, 

loyalty, and persistence." -Colin Powell

21 Day Sugar Detox week 2

"Cheat Days"

This term is frustrating. I prefer to call it "give into convenience & temptation and suffer from headaches and stomach aches all day while complaining and swearing to never do it again" day, because that's what they end up to be for me.

It started with a quarter of a sandwich mid afternoon on Day 10 and went to Taco Tuesday dinner, morning snack of doughnuts Day 11, uncle Julio's lunch and cheesecake and cookies snack.

Minus the doughnuts and cheesecake, that 24 hours easily resembles my normal food choices and sweets. 

This time though, it hurt.

My brain: mind became foggy by 2pm. I found it really hard to focus on anything let alone have the ability to think all the way through. I started spacing out and felt a sugar crash.

Sinus pressure: I get the worst sinus pressure from allergies on my cheek bones. From there it goes to the temples then eventually at the base of the head/back of neck. Not fun.

Stomach: bloated, loud (I swear they put a microphone in there when they did surgery and adjusted things), & hurt. The worst I've been in awhile.

Energy level: slim to none

Saving redemption: starting the crock pot of a 21dsd recipe at the beginning of Day 11 so I knew I will have a good end of the day.

So basically, my relapse really set me back. I was feeling really well for the most part, enjoying the foods I was making and feeling awesome the days I ate properly. I wasn't really craving the sugar, until I saw the table of doughnuts. Being at work is the worst time for me to want to cheat because I'm not limited to my own foods in the pantry or fridge.

So now that I've finished describing why a "cheat day" isn't as easy as it sounds & straight up not worth it, let me touch-base on the exciting things of the week.

New foods:
-Butternut squash mash: tasted similar to a carrot souffle my mother-in-law makes for Christmas, except it was sugar, egg and dairy free! I really liked it, but I don't think James went back for more.

-Caulirice (grated cauliflower to a rice texture): Once again, I liked, unsure about James. We don't eat a bunch of cauliflower so it was a nice veggie rotation at the very least. Didn't cause discomfort for me the next morning.

Is it rice or is it caulirice? Chicken Abado with Caulirice.

-Zucchini noodles, aka "zoodles" using my new Spiralizing machine: nomz

A pretty nifty machine.

Zoodles! Turned out to be like a Lo Mein

Nomz

-Sunflower seed butter, aka sunbutter (like peanut butter): Cheaper than buying a jar but I'm not patient enough to make it as creamy as the recipe showed or of that we buy. Perhaps it was my food processor? Yeah we'll go with that. But still equivalent taste!!

-Coconut butter: honestly, fail. My food processor isn't powerful enough to make this. When in doubt, blame the food processor. Ended up buying for week 3. Coconut butter was used to create sunbutter, so that might be another reason that wasn't as creamy as recipe showed.

-Tuna steak: though I used it differently than the original recipe for which it was purchased, it turned out well and was a pleasant surprise. A bit expensive to purchase, I will add this meat to my list of "only buy when on sale or super special occasion"

-Brussel sprouts: I have never cooked or even eaten brussel sprouts before but they were exceptionally tastey! A winner in James's book, and I have added them to my mental "frozen veggies to have on hand" list (including spinach and green beans), though I bet fresh tastes better. Sometimes I just prefer having frozen veggies to throw into a meal last minute instead of fresh produce that is normally planned!

-Parsnips: as mentioned in my first blog, I had to google what these even were in order to find them in the produce section. Upon cooking, they had an interesting taste. Unlike carrots which tend to have a sweeter taste, the parsnips tasted...bitter? Different, though I haven't given up on them. Purchased more for week 3. Once again, first time I cooked with and eaten this vegetable.

Recipe flops: 

For the first time I made a recipe that we weren't fond of. In part I blame me not reading it all the way through when I chose to make it. If I make it in the future, Cottage Pie will only have a quarter of the spices for which the recipe called. Just a bit too hot, even for me! (Says a lot, really. I prefer salsa that makes you sweat and buffalo wings that make your mouth burn the remainder of the day.)

Looks similar to shepherd's pie

Used leftover pork shoulder from last week as the meat instead of ground hamburger.

IN LOVE WITH

-The avo-ziki sauce. We used it as a substitute for dip with veggies. Along the lines of guacamole except no cilantro or pico to give it a spicy kick. Who doesn't loved mashed avocados? Best part, it didn't turn brown in the fridge by the next morning. Most likely the lemon juice played here but hey, cool!

The perfect dip for veggies or chips!

-Perfectly grilled chicken. When reading the recipe once through James thought I was crazy for picking it, because it was exactly how we prepare chicken anyways! Marinade in balsamic vinegar (okay we used balsamic vinaigrette before-an easier cheat we discovered last summer) and a few herbs. HOWEVER butterfly cutting the chicken made all the difference when it came to grilling. So yay for learning new techniques more than exciting recipes (though still a good recipe for someone who hasn't tried this way before!)

Perfectly grilled chicken breast with butternut squash mash and brussel sprouts

-Pumpkin spice smoothies made with coconut milk (from a can not beverage from a carton), canned pumpkin, frozen banana and pumpkin pie spices (nutmeg, ginger, cinnamon, allspice).

Breakfast Meals:

Root Hash made with parsnips and carrots. I got inpatient so the parsnips just got chopped.

Brought back the homemade sausage in form of balls. Plus spinach and some apples with sunbutter was a lovely breakfast.

As always I am enjoying trying new recipes, these recipes are awesome in that I really don't have to modify them! Always a nice change of pace to not be googling substitutes and hoping for the best. I still highly recommend this 21dsd!

Week 3 is in the works, sorry I got a bit behind! 

~RR

"People often say that motivation doesn't last. Well, neither does bathing.
That's why we recommend it daily." -Zig Ziglar

What if you woke up 10 years younger...?

I had a thought the other morning: what if you woke up & it was 10 years ago (year 2004 for clarification), BUT knowing everything you had learned and experienced in those 10 years? Would you do things differently? How differently? Besides saving the world, how would you change just your life?

My first few thoughts were health related: start paleo earlier, get allergy blood tested earlier, begin yoga earlier (esp during stressful high school tests I let get to me way too much). Of course this matters to me, because I truly believe a change of diet could have prevented me from losing 3 feet of my intestines.

Next: Focus less on stress & drama and more time with friends.

Also: learn skills and hobbies. College would have been so much better had I been a master chef or gardener or tailor! :p

All of these given where I currently stand in my relationship with the Lord and continuing to trust more in faith.

After I was done fantasizing about sewing pillowcases on weeknights at the age of 15, I realized it's never too late to "start over". What changes can I make now to make for a better me 10 years down the road? I sure could name a few. While I am glad to say some of the things I would change I am in fact changing now, I asked myself why stop there?

The Lord gave me that thought to fantasize my "could be better" life now, though knowing all past events led me to where I am now. If it weren't for my emotional breakdown at Fish Camp over my surgery/diagnosis that led me to want to become a fish camp counselor, how could I have ever met James? Has anyone else wondered how to have met your spouse if one pivotal moment never occurred, and for the sake of the game, you knew he/she was your soulmate? I concluded I would have had to stalk James at the REC in order to meet him.

So the question is, where do I want to go from here? What does 35 year old Rachel want to know how to do? Where does she want to volunteer her time? Who are her friends?

I love the perspective that comes from trying to envision life differently. I also love waking up every day to a clean slate and opportunity to grow! New Year's resolutions come once a year, and most people don't  keep them. Why not change your life...today? It is NEVER too late!

Philosophically yours,

RR

Meal Planning 101

Meal planning isn't something new; for some people what I have to say in this blog is a no-brainer. But for many people living on their own for the first time, whether that's college or thereafter, this is a skill that should be quickly learned and utilized. Your mother is not cooking for you anymore; it is now time for you to create your dinner plan!

For many of us who may lean more Type A, meal planning offers us a small bit of relaxation by planning our lives, even if it just revolves about the week's or month's dinner line up. HOWEVER, this relaxation technique has other benefits that just so happen to fit into our areas of expertise:

1. Dinner is planned, so no stress that night wondering what to cook. (Our FOOD Pillar)
2. As discussed in my crock pot blog, planning=financial saving as well. (Our FINANCES Pillar)
3. You can plan to rotate foods through your diet and aim for proper nutrition. Though a one up from ordering pizza, chicken and rice every night for a month just won't cut it nutritionally. Don't forget about the variety of vitamins and minerals from consuming varying meats, fruits and veggies! (Our FITNESS Pillar)

I personally like to plan a week or two at a time, unless I know I'm in for a crazy month, in which case I do more. Planning in this manner allows me to put like foods semi close together for grocery shopping ease and food optimization. However if I plan a month-long dinner plan, I create a second grocery list for the produce for the latter half of the month so they won't go bad! Essentially, plan asparagus meals within a certain time-frame that balances you not getting tired of asparagus and not letting said asparagus go bad. This being said, I do analyze the produce in the fridge and blanch/quick freeze anything on the verge of going bad.

Questions to ask prior to meal planning:
1. What is your grocery budget for the month?
2. What produce do you have in the fridge you need to use?
3. What meat/veggies do you currently have in the freezer that should or could get eaten?

Things to consider:
1. Travel plans: who will be home that night?
2. Work schedule: should you prepare meals at the beginning of the week?
3. Visitors: do you need to plan to serve more than just the usual one or two people?
4. Weather: what foods pair best with the weather?

Things to research:
1. Foods in season: veggies and fruits not in season are more expensive!!
2. Store specials: advertised online or in those circulars in newspapers you can pick up on your driveway or at the store!
3. Coupons: having a loyalty card with Kroger, they send me coupons every month, plus offer more online via an online card account. These loyalty programs will sometimes offer more personalized coupons in accordance to your actual purchases. Yay for proper marketing & purchase tracking-my college diploma applauds you. Also, coupons are usually in the weekend newspaper! I'm not an extreme couponer but multiple times I have saved about a quarter of my grocery bill by optimizing coupons and store sales. Still working on being better but no shame there!
4. Recipes: time to actually look through that Pinterest recipe board. Dust off those cookbooks and post it mark any & all recipes that look appetizing. This could be a joint effort, often I hand James a stack of recipes, my phone open to Pinterest or a cookbook and tell him to mark which ones appeal to him!

Time to ACTUALLY USE those pretty cookbooks!

Those lists might be intimidating but when sitting down and looking at our January, I knew:
-We would be traveling A LOT (can plan smaller grocery budget or use buy high priced meats or stock up for the future-icemageddon could happen again!)
-I would be home by myself a few evenings, so one meal could probably last 2ish dinners plus lunches, depending on dish. As many individuals agree, it's hard to cook for JUST yourself everynight. So I cook larger meals I can eat for multiple days. If I weren't married, I would still do this then freeze half to pull out later that month to not eat the same thing all week all of the time.
-There was frozen meat we should use from prior Sam's purchases.
-It would be cold; hello roast and hearty meals!
-Any coupons I had on hand would be looked over to help plan dinners.

So this is what our January looked liked:

The plan:
Since we are primarily paleo, we don't do a lot of sandwiches for lunch. This means leftovers from one night's dinner becomes the next day's lunch. If you like having different lunches, this could be one way to spread out how long a meal lasts. Just remember to plan your lunches out too! Same with breakfast!

We cook practically every night. Yes, it gets exhausting. Yes, we have cleaned every cooking dish and utensil multiple times in one week before. Yes, I wear supportive shoes in the kitchen when I'm in for a long haul ;)

I love gathering meal recipes, and planning actually allows me to be creative with dinners and not resort to my comfort food of chicken & veggies EVERY night.

This is literally a whole counter full of clean dishes, and the dishwasher had just ran as well.

HELPFUL HINTS

The List:

Include quantity of items (ex: 3 medium carrots, one 4lb spaghetti squash) as you go through recipes. It'll help when you hit the supermarket and debate prices and quantity! And it stinks to not buy the right amount for your recipe!

Coupons:

Get these organized so you don't forget them when you reach the cashier! Pay attention to brands, but also use them to debate whether that coupon will actually save you money or if you could buy a generic at a cheaper price!

Item ingredients:

This is a HUGE point when dealing with allergies. I read every single ingredient in anything I buy that has a label. Some brands are cleaner or don't contain our allergens so unfortunately some items can throw a wrench in the plan when it comes to shopping by coupons or meals. Start paying attention to which brands you use, when they go on sale and which supermarkets carry them! I stock up when I see a great sale on these approved items!

Sales/organic items:

I know manager special items get added on certain days at my store, so that's the first place I go. Blanch the veggies and use them later or move around your meal plans if there are items there you can use!

As I am starting to learn, there are certain foods that should have a higher priority to be bought organic. Lots of lists out there help you prioritize which produce to buy organically, so keep an eye out for sales!

DON'T GO GROCERY SHOPPING WHEN HUNGRY & ALWAYS BRING A LIST. 

Your budget and checking account will thank you.

Any other helpful meal planning advice to add? Any questions I didn't answer?

Now if you excuse me, I need to finish planning for the month of March!

Financial Peace, Food Love & Joy

RR

“If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail!”
― Benjamin Franklin

21 Day Sugar Detox: Week 1 Recap

I have been posting all over Facebook and Instagram about this Paleo 21dsd I'm doing.

Boy has it been an adventure. Here's the recap:

I'm doing Level 3 with the Autoimmune modification. I chose this level since I already was on paleo, can't handle dairy anyways, and my autoimmune modifications worked best with this level. Specifically I'm staying away from nightshade vegetables & nuts compared to the usual paleo, plus eggs (allergen), all grains (oats included), soy (allergen and non paleo), dairy (allergen/intolerant and nonpaleo). And the list actually DOES go on to limit all fruits except minimal green apples and green tipped bananas, specific to the sugar detox.

The point for my specific level and modifications is to, while I am trying to curb sugar cravings, I am also attempting to try a diet and lifestyle of consuming foods that will not irritate my stomach/intestines and cause inflammation, since this is a HUGE deal for me and Crohn's and my lack of 3 feet of intestines.

So instead of focusing on the bad (this really got me down at one point last week), I'm focusing on what I CAN eat. And that's a whole lot of different meats and veggies!! For example, ground turkey meatballs were something my mother made me pre-surgery and making them again for a different reason has been extremely wonderful. And I like them, a lot.

I bought weird things. Ground bison and ground lamb meats? Kroger actually had those; I was impressed. Parsnips? I legitimately googled from the middle of the produce section what those were so I would even know where to look!! And here I thought I was fairly knowledgeable when it came to plants due to my cooking, gardening and college classes that led to a horticulture minor. Canned coconut milk, as compared to the carton coconut milk beverage, who knew!? Fish sauce?!

Produce

Just the MEAT

These will be fun to cook with!

I have made weird things! Herbal tea gelatin? Check.

It's like jell-o, but not sweet or sugary

Everything has tasted AWESOME though. I love new recipes; they get me outta my groove and I LOVE IT. 

Green Apple Breakfast Sausage
Who knew you actually can make your own sausage using ground pork and spices? blew.my.mind. (Yes, I realize this is how breakfast sausage is made; I have never tried it though.)

Sausage with spinach-best breakfast yet

Carrot-apple skillet breakfast hash

Meatza with a salad

Greek style Turkey Meatballs

Cinnamon & fennel braised pork, prepped

I apparently did not get a close-up of that nice pork dinner. So enjoy this Valentine's day dinner view where you might be able to make out food on a plate.

Lamb Burgers

Artichocke & lemon chicken with capers

 Also not pictured is the spaghetti squash bolognese that I made and substituted canned pumpkin for the tomato paste; it was pretty good, except for me over-cooking the spaghetti squash.

See? Not super hard recipes, and all are paleo!

I have so much energy and stay full longer. No 2 o'clock drowsies (though that went away when I began a paleo diet-goodbye gluten comas and sugar crashes). I WANT more food but I don't feel hungry. Snacks are easy to make though so that helps for times like this! 

I have cheated. I would say failed but I'm not done yet and I haven't given up yet. This being said, I ate more gf/vegan cupcakes and chocolate covered bacon in 3 days this past Valentine's weekend than I normally would have than I wish to admit. I ate hummus with bread and chips for dinner one girl's night. I liberally "taste-tested" the nut mixes I made for James's Valentine's Day gift.

But it's...kinda Paleo right?

Those were painful. Not the kind of pain that's mental of "why do I have no self-control?" Side note: perhaps this is the reason it is the last listed fruit of the Spirit-because it's definitely hardest for me to attain and strengthen. The fruit of the spirit are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness and....I'm coming for ya self-control. (Galatians 5:22)

But we're talking straight up physical pain the next morning from cheating. Perhaps not everyone will experience the same results after cheating when it comes to food. I didn't eat my bloating or sinus pressure causing foods (soy, eggs, gluten), just sugars and grains really. My intestines screamed at me. I'm not sure how to explain it other than being frank, so skip ahead if you just don't want to know. When they sewed my intestines together after removing 3 feet 5 years ago, a pocket occurred at the crime scene. Meaning solids/gases get stuck and occasionally I apply pressure to that region to keep things moving. (Tmi?) Sometimes there are a few moments of pain as things move through this region. It's something I keep an eye out for. Doesn't happen too often lately though.

BUT! It was because of my first successful 5 days of this detox that I realized the latter pain DID NOT occur. At all. For real, honestly, legitimately and seriously, et. al. For me, that has made this detox successful and those cheat days worth it. And that wasn't even the point of this whole detox!

I miss chocolate and sweets but I have found some good alternatives for snacking that are healthier, more nutritious and tastier. So yay for opening horizons!? I also ordered 8lbs of almond flour so I'm definitely looking forward to some serious paleo baking once I get off this detox!

Dipping vegetables into a homemade avocado dip (like guac but without pico really)

So simple. So delicious.

I haven't noticed much change with facial skin, so I'm continuing to lookout for that. That one day will be its own blog post. Maybe even two or three at this rate. However, the bumps on the back of my arms have reduced in numbers. Did some googling and seems as those can be caused by food allergies. Sweet. 

For me, I don't desire a weight change but have noticed a few pounds decrease. Some would find this change beneficial and could see a larger difference depending on the diet pre-detox. Then again, many people say they see weight loss when switching to a paleo diet, so that's not really ground-breaking news.

The hardest times are when I'm at work and someone brings in food (make myself stay busy and not walk past that table full of doughnuts and cookies and candy and sandwiches!) And in the evenings when I'm bored (once again, stay busy. Who knew the study and garage could be so organized and clean? Next up, steam mopping the floors).

I bought way too much food/meal planned for the first 7 days so I still have dinners to make to probably last until day 12, especially now that my vegetable zoodle maker has arrived! :)) But I'm off to plan the remainder of the meals and organize my grocery list! First thing on the list? Bacon. Lots and lots of bacon.

Current kitchen wants:

-Fancy crock pot that has a timer I can set; overcooked spaghetti squash mash is just not the same thing as faux spaghetti noodles.

-Juicer. Oh no, I'm becoming that fanatic! Better just pack the bags and move to Austin!

-Better zester. Or maybe I should just google how to zest without getting most of the zest stuck in the zester itself. Any suggestions?

-Mandolin slicer: after discussing with a friend what this is, it would make things SO much easier.

-Kitchen Food scale: because, I'm not a good judge of how many chicken thighs make up 3lbs after I have already removed said thighs from the package for freezing.

Peace, love & paleo

Cavewoman in the making