Whole30 - day 30!!!

Oh and by the way...

{this moment}

{this moment} - A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

grain-free banana nut muffins

So, I can't believe I'm at Whole30 day 21! It comes so easily now. I don't have to try not to put honey in my tea it just doesn't need it. Really getting over my need for honey was my goal with this Whole30.
Because they serve grains for snacks in Waldorf kindergarten I have to send snacks with Magoo. I started by sending things like carrots and almond butter or hard boiled eggs. It was really hard on Magoo to be so different from her classmates so I started baking grain-free muffins. I was really going through a lot of honey baking muffins. Well, this month I've been making mostly fruit-sweetened muffins for her. I wondered what she would think and she loves it. In fact she told me it is her new favorite. 

Grain-free Banana Nut Muffins

1/4 cup coconut flour
2 tablespoons arrowroot powder
1/4 teaspoon Celtic sea salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3 large pastured eggs
1/4 cup melted coconut oil
1 cup ripe banana (about 3)
10 pitted dates
1 cup raw pecans pieces

Preheat oven to 350. Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners.

In a small bowl, combine coconut flour, arrowroot powder, salt, and baking soda. In the food processor, blend dates and bananas. Pulse in coconut oil and eggs, pulse in the dry ingredients, and finally pulse in the pecan pieces to combine.

Scoop 1/4 cup of batter into each muffin cup. I use a Pampered Chef large scoop.

Bake for about 20 minutes until the muffins are golden and the centers spring back when touched. Let the muffins cool completely in the pan. Enjoy!

{this moment}

{this moment} - A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

clean desk

Monday was "clean off you desk day" and I managed to get that checked off my organization wish list. I don't actually have a desk, although I wish I did. I have a corner of the counter next to the stove so I can have my laptop open for recipes and banking and such. This corner becomes the catch-all for books, bills, hair clips, and pencils (an unreasonable number of pencils).

Before


Now, I've cleaned it up and organized it so I can find and pay my bills. I no longer have to worry about everything falling over on me when I open up my laptop. This is a space I'd like to keep organized. This will be a challenge for the coming year.

After


This Mom Loves all the clean spaces that are showing up around the house. I've been working hard to get things in order around here. I'm the person who runs the household. This challenge is important to me. This week I cleaned my desk, two kitchen drawers, one kitchen cupboard, the hat/mitten bin, and I bagged up some of Junior's diapers to pass on to another little one. I got three bags of garbage out of the house, two bins of clothes for a couple of foster parents I'm friends with, and the diapers for a friend's littlest. Challenge for this week will be going through the girls' books. I want some of them downstairs and out of the way and some of them they've outgrown and I'm sure there is some other little buddy who'd love to read their old board books. This week my organization and simplification continues.

{this moment}

{this moment} - A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

I love my mom

My mom is great. She's such a supportive person. When I wanted to move to Michigan to live with my boyfriend she was sad but helped move me there. Five years later after that boyfriend and I were married and had our first baby, my mom helped us move to back to Wisconsin. Since our house wasn't quite set up we were able to stay with my parents for a couple of weeks. When I had postpartum depression Mom was there supporting me by watching the kids so I could get out and helping around the house. When Magoo started Waldorf school she was right on board with no branding and trying to get the girls natural toys. This Christmas she even made them a little felt dog and kitty for their doll house. A year ago when we started eating Paleo she was very quick to make sure the treats she brought for the girls were okay to eat and when we'd come over for dinner she'd always run the menu by me first. She is really a blessing.

So after Magoo was diagnosed on the Autism spectrum, I asked my parents if they could watch the kids so I could attend a series of workshops from a local Autism therapy center and they marked all the workshop dates out on their calendar because it was a priority for them. Tonight I went to one of those workshops so Mom came to watch the kids. I picked up a lot of really good ideas at the workshop and got to chat with others who care for kids with Autism. While I was gone, Mom got both the kids right to sleep, washed ALL the dishes that were on my counter (there were a lot!), and folded a basket of laundry. I love her.

This Mom Loves her mom. I love her, I love her, I love her.

(PS This really goes for you too Dad!)


Mom reading to the girls at Christmas time

W30 day 8 - Taco night

I had a pretty great day today. Magoo was excited to be back to school and she was very agreeable. Her Occupational Therapy appointment went well. Julia was in a good mood and even took a nice nap. The girls got along well today; they laughed and played all afternoon. What better way to end the day than with a family favorite dinner. Tonight I made tacos but not the kind you're thinking of. Usually we see tacos wrapped in flour tortillas or stuffed in crispy corn shells and of course they're piled high with cheese. Well, you won't see those in our house. I brown up some grassfed beef and season with homemade taco seasoning. I started making my own when I went Paleo because it's hard to find seasoning in the store without added junk we shouldn't be eating. Now, tonight I went light on the seasoning for the girls and added extra to mine. Add as much as you like. I like mine spicy. I use a couple leaves of romaine for each taco. It helps hold all the deliciousness in. Then add your toppings. Tonight I added yellow bell peppers, avocado, and salsa. In the summer when the pickins are good I'll add tomato. As my sister recently pointed out, not all tomatoes are created equal. For that reason I just skip the tomato in the off season. Are there leftovers? Yep. I'm thinking I'll toss it all together for a quick salad when we get home from school and playgroup tomorrow. What could be better?

This Mom Loves a quick, easy recipe that the whole family can enjoy.




Taco Seasoning
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
(I usually double or triple the recipe and store the extras in a glass jar.)

W30 day 7 - the end of the first week

I'm so glad to be done with this week. Seriously, this was rough. I was so run down and crabby all week. Week one is NOT the best advertisement for a Whole 30. Detox is ugly.

Tomorrow I start a new week. I'm working on my menu plan and putting together a shopping list to get some extras that I forgot this weekend. Anyawy, I'm ready for another fresh start. Tomorrow is another day. We start our school routine and maybe the worst of this detox is over. I'm ready. I'm ready for bed.

{this moment}

{this moment} - A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

January organization

I'm on a mission to simplify my life. I've cut the crap from my diet and now I just need to cut the crap from my life. It's so easy to collect things. I've collected so many things that I can't even find the things I actually want or need. Along with the followers of Clean. I've taken on the challenge of simplifying and beautifying my living space. The above are pictures of what I'd like to start with. After this weekend I hope to post at lease a couple of lovely "after" pictures. Who's in this challege with me? You know I can't just focus on one thing at a time. That would be too easy. This Mom Loves the idea of a simple home. My goal is to get there and I'm working on a plan to get started. Wish me luck...and focus.

W30 - Day 3

I WANT SUGAR!

Seriously, it's all I can think about today. As I told my sis, maybe it's the bottle of wine in the refrigerator that wasn't emptied out before my Whole 30, maybe it was that the kids were crazy today, or MAYBE it's just that I'm detoxing. UGH! On top of that the kids have been getting up at 4ish each morning and Junior has not been napping. On that note, I'm finishing up here and heading to bed. This Mom Loves my bed. I really should spend more time there.

One more time: Whole 30 - day 1

So today I started my Whole 30 again. I want this to go well. I need to reset my tastes again. Already after one day I'm craving sugar like crazy. See, although I eat fairly well, I still have a thing for sugar and find it sneaking into my diet every time I loosen up a bit. I add honey to my tea, bake muffins everyday for my daughters' snacks, I snitch dark chocolate, drink a glass of wine, and munch on fruit. Of course the holidays were worse. I didn't or wouldn't cheat and eat grains or dairy but I definitely ate more sugar than usual - wine, macaroons, brownies... *sigh*

Not only do I want this to go well for me but I've got two really important people doing their first Whole 30 with me this time. I want to be successful so that I can be supportive and a good role model. I can do this. I will do this. You'd think it would be easier this time. We'll see. Today was not so easy.

On top of dropping the sugar, I've also started my January organizing. I have a plan to hit the kitchen first - get rid of any old spices or random non-Paleo items that are hiding in the cupboards. Then I'm on to the bathroom closet. It should be fairly easy. I'll take a trash bag in and get rid of any old lotions or potions that I no longer use and I'll make sure I don't have any expired meds. The best part is that I can work on the bathroom while the girlies are taking their bath at night. Easy-peasy.

One more goal is to get more sleep so I'm signing off so I can be well rested when the kids bound out of bed in the morning. This Mom Loves a challenge...or three.