starting fresh

  How was your weekend?  Mine was filled with good things- extra time with my husband, a last shared piece of turtle cheesecake (read below), grocery shopping with my boys (and getting there before the place even opened), and church.  Earnest has been joining us in the church sanctuary for the praise and worship and then he heads down to the church nursery.  It has been a blessing to really focus on the message each Sunday.  I think Ernie enjoys it too; last week, when I dropped him off, he started breathing rapidly and moving his arms excitedly as I handed him off to the nursery worker :).  

  Another good thing we started this weekend is called the "whole 30".  We had heard great things about it and our friends had just finished and really enjoyed the process.  Basically, it's VERY healthy eating for 30 days.  In a nutshell, we won't be eating any type of sugar, grain, dairy, alcohol, or preservative.  We will be eating lots of fresh foods!  It's only been 3 days but I've already been eager to prepare and enjoy our meals.  A few meals we've tried so far: chorizo quiche, chicken salad on a bed of broccoli slaw, grass-fed beef with roasted veggies, grilled salmon, egg salad lettuce wraps, and tonight we had rotisserie chicken with cauliflower, pepper, and onion "cous cous".  

It's definitely taken a TON of planning- huge grocery lists, extensive meal planning, going to several different grocery stores to get the best prices on items, prepping meals at night for the next day.  It also has been pretty expensive because of the new kinds of oils we are cooking with, along with lots of produce, and high quality meat.  All of the food has been very delicious though!  We're hoping next weeks grocery bill will be a little lower now that we've got our basics on hand.  It's funny that it's only been 3 days but I've noticed after meals that I am craving "something sweet", especially after dinner.  I always knew I had a sweet tooth, I just didn't know the extent!  I've found that having fruit at the end of the meal has helped.  Also, I made this delicious "dessert".   I fried apples in coconut oil, added raisins, and then topped that with coconut milk and cinnamon and let heat until melted.  It was so good!  Hopefully I'll be able to post a few other recipes soon.

  Have you heard of the "whole 30"?  What are your thoughts on the "whole 30" or Paleo lifestyle?  I'd love to hear them... :)