Meet My Garden - Part Two!

This post won't be quite as wordy as the last Meet My Garden post but what it doesn't have in words, it will have in pictures. I have FIVE tomato plants from non other than our wonderful CSA partners, Sundog Farms and Local Harvest CSA. We got one seedling with our normal share in early June and then I bought the others for $10. I can't remember exactly when I got them but I believe it was a few weeks later. 

What I love is that each one is a different tomato variety. I sure hope that each on produces fruit because I want to be able to see and taste each one! On a random note, one thing I learned that I will do differently next year is to bury the stem further down by a lot. I didn't do that with these and I really should have because they have long stems. 

L: Red Roma  |  M: Indigo Cherry Drop  |  R:  Red Juicer

July 6

L: Black Beauty  |  R: Sun Gold
July 6

Red Roma and her flowers

Indigo Cherry Drop and her berries*

*there were three until I handled one too aggressively :(

Red Juicer and her flowers

Black Beauty and her flowers that are no more;

One day I found the stem these flowers were on down in the dirt. 

I suspect it was the light sabor I saw next to the pot....

Sun Gold Cherry and all the damn flowers! 

I believe at this point she had at least 5-6 tomatoes growing

I've learned a couple of things since I obtained these plants that I will definitely do next year. For one, like I mentioned before, I will plant them deeper so more roots can grow. Secondly, I will use different stakes. I bought the 18" green ones you see above and they are pretty worthless. If these plants get much taller, I'll just use the new ones I got that you'll see below. Lastly, one thing I AM doing right now is clipping off the growth in the "elbows" of the stems. While I've missed a few, you want to take these off because they don't usually bring much to the plant and will take away from the rest of the plant that can produce fruit. 

I'll leave this post with a picture from today so you can see the new stakes as well as how much they've grown since July 6! It's pretty incredible. And Miss Sun Gold has at least 16 tomato babies! The rest are in the flower stage with the exception of Indigo who still has those two remaining babes growing. Oh and you'll notice I moved the plants closer to the house because it is super windy behind our house and it rains quite a bit. This shields them a little bit.

Red Roma  |  Indigo Cherry Drop  |  Red Juicer

July 15

Black Beauty  |  Sun Gold Cherry

July 15

CSA News 2020 {1} - This Year's CSA!

Thank you to everyone who checked out my last blog post about our new mason jar window planters from Back to the Roots. I am so excited to be growing our own tomatoes and herbs but even more excited to be partnered with a local farm for this year's CSA! The rest of my garden friends came from our CSA so be sure to check out Meet My Garden - Part Two coming out later this week!

I started writing this post when I was home sick for about the bajillionth time in January/early February. Did the start of 2020 kick anyone else's butt? At the time I wrote "I CANNOT WAIT for this to be over. I'm so sick of feeling sick!" Given all of the circumstances surrounding COVID-19, rest assured that I am so thankful I was only sick with influenza A or RSV for over a week and then influenza B for another round. Not sure how I got so sick but I think it's because it was the first time for our boys to be in this area during the winter months and I have ALWAYS gotten what they get. 

I am saddened by what COVID-19 has done to this world but also encouraged by how everyone is coming together and supporting one another. I can echo what I said in January - I CANNOT WAIT FOR THIS TO BE OVER but we will all do it together, albeit with at least a 6 foot separation and face masks.

Given all the sickness we normally face day-to-day, one really awesome thing that I love about our boys is that they love fresh, raw vegetables. Carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, cucumbers, green beans, etc. It is such a gift to be able to feed them something so good for their bodies and that they happily accept. I am so excited to continue to introduce vegetables to them and one way we'll be doing that this year is through this year's CSA. It has been a whopping 5+ years since I first blogged about CSAs (aka Community Shared Agriculture) and it's about time to bring it on back!

We supported Patchwork Green Farm in Decorah from 2014-2018. I LOVED working with them and visiting them at the market during the summer and fall. I remember taking Owen there when he was a baby and we'd sneak off to grab my favorite brunch at Restauration/Hotel Winneshiek when they had the smarts to have Chef Tom Skold be their executive chef. 

They always had such a nice variety of produce and I loved being able to pick and choose what we purchased on each trip. That being said, I really stuck to the same types of food. I didn't branch out very much at all. Now that I know my kids like raw foods, I really need to get out of my comfort zone to introduce more to their palettes so that they will grow up enjoying all types of vegetables. In doing so, that will help Gspice and I to eat more too!

You might be wondering why we only worked with Patchwork through 2018. Well, a whole heck of a lot happened in 2019 and between moving three times last year, I honestly didn't think about it. I didn't even make it to the farmer's market at all last year! How crazy is that? We won't get the chance to visit any farmers markets in 2020 but I do know that we WILL still receive fresh produce and eggs from the vendor we've partnered with this year. I'm so happy that this is the case so that they are able to continue their operations and business and so that we can get all those delicious fresh veggies!

Another fun tidbit - this farm is owned and managed by two sisters, Carmen and Maja Black. Coming from a family of four sisters, this was super cool to learn! They also have goats which just ups the cuteness factor.

Photo credit

Without further ado, please meet our CSA vendor, Sundog Farm & Local Harvest CSA! We purchased their spring, summer, and winter shares along with farm fresh eggs so there's plenty of veggies in our future! Pictured below is from an add-on January share and I'll be sure to include a picture from the summer share once we have a table I can spread it out on. There's so much I definitely need that! I'll share some of the recipes I've made then too!

Lastly, please bsure to come back this week for Meet My Garden - Part Two and visit the Sundog Farm & Local Harvest CSA website! Another fun tidbit about them is that they have all been living on the farm together during this time to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. I love their dedication to their farm and community partners and it is a joy every single week to have that brief visit when picking up our share. They recently highlighted all of their team members on Insta so be sure to check that out too!

Meet My Garden -- Part One!

I've been dreaming of a having a raised garden bed ever since we bought our home in Decorah. Did I ever act on that dream? Nope. I'm not a huge plant person so that's what kept me from having a garden, let alone any plants in the house. I never really believed I could keep one alive!

Well, that changed this year because of a company called Back to the Roots. I first saw this company on Instagram and immediately thought it was finally time to give this a try! This company was founded by two men in California that wanted to make gardening more accessible for people. Their mission speaks of that:

We're on a mission to reconnect every family & kid back to where food comes from by helping them experience the magic of growing it themselves - no green thumb or backyard needed. We hope you enjoy our organic gardening products and join us on the journey to get America growing. 

Back to the Roots has a number of products to choose from between windowsill planters of sunflowers, chili peppers, or lavender, to mushroom kits, to microgreens and herb kits. The best part is that they offer zero-risk gardening by offering to provide a replacement kit or your money back! I believe all of their products are also 100% organic and Non-GMO and their kits are either 100% compostable or made with recyclable materials. If you know me, you know I'm a sucker for sustainability!

I bought my first kit back in April but waited until we moved into the new house to plant it. I liked the idea of the kit especially because it came with everything in one package. I simply needed to plant the seeds and water it per their instructions. How simple is that?? I also got my hands on some herbs too and just look at how they've grown!! I planted all of them on June 6 and they had little seedlings by June 11 which just blows my mind. Now, they look pretty hardy and I can see the first semblance of flower buds on the cherry tomato plant which makes me so darn happy!

Back to the Roots Cherry Tomato Planter |  L: June 11  R: June 12

Organic Mint  |  L: June 11  R: June 12

              

Organic Basil  |  L: June 11  R: June 12

  

June 25

 

L: June 28  R: July 6

   

This turned into quite the post about three plants so I decided to do two parts to Meet My Garden. This will also allow me to introduce the CSA we've joined this year so be sure to check that out next week!

What's for Dinner {47} - Lazy Salsa

I was first introduced to this incredibly easy salsa back in October 2017 when I did my first Whole30. I was looking for simple recipes that I could make that month and this one was an instant hit. It was fast to make and only included three ingredients plus s&p. Can't beat that!

I used it mainly for my breakfast during Whole30 but now I use it for tacos, breakfast burritos, and a blended salsa if I'm feeling fancy.

Lazy Salsa

• Tomato
• Cilantro
• Habanero pepper
• s&p, to taste

Instructions

1. Chop everything up to the size you want; I like to make everything pretty small. I also only use the seeds of the habanero. Be careful to use gloves or not touch the inside of the habanero. If you do, anything you touch with burn like crazy!
   
2. Combine in a small bowl
   
3. ENJOY!

I sometimes couldn't find habaneros in any grocery store in Decorah. It was really annoying because I wanted this salsa on so many occasions. Sadly, no other pepper measured up so I often went without my beloved lazy salsa. That's where this next ingredient came to save the day. I simply just pour a teeny tiny amount of the Pickle Creek Prairie Fire Infused Olive Oil into the mixture and it's another show stopper!

What's For Dinner {45} - Detox Immune-Boosting Chicken Soup

Well hey there! It's certainly been more than a hot second since I last posted but this recipe brought me out of the rut! Along with how easy this was to make, it's going to be on my mind quite a bit with the cold weather that is coming our way.

I've been talking with Gspice for some time now about how I wanted to try my hand at soups. I know you know that I don't make soups very often at all and now after making this one and now the one I'll be sharing today, I'm not really sure why. I made it a commitment to try out some new recipes, all broth-based. For some reason, broth-based soups sound e.x.t.r.e.m.e.l.y. appealing to me plus they are most certainly healthier for you! This soup would be a great addition to your fall/winter meal plans to beat the cold/flu season that is coming upon us. I also really liked the warmth/heat this soup brings to the palate so hopefully you'll like that too!


I made this recipe with a few tweaks which I will note in the ingredients/steps below and there are certainly things you could do with this that even I didn't. I made this to be Whole30 compliant but you could add in a small shaped pasta too which the original recipe doesn't call for. Without further adieu - here is the recipe!

Detox Immune-Boosting Chicken Soup adapted from Eat Yourself Skinny

• 2 T extra virgin olive oil
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 3 large celery stalks, chopped (I used 2)
• 2 large carrots, peeled and chopped (I used 3, I think you can tell which one I like better!)
• 10 cloves garlic, minced
• 8 cups chicken stock
• 2 bay leaves
• ½ tsp. turmeric
• ½ tsp. crushed red pepper
• 1½ tsp. sea salt
• 3 cups shredded rotisserie chicken
• 2 cups baby kale leaves
• I also added black pepper which I read aids absorption

**This original recipe calls for 1 cup mushrooms and 1-15oz can of chickpeas but I did not include those products in the soup I made.


In a large pot or dutch oven, heat oil over medium-high heat and sauté onion, celery and carrots, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, cooking another 3 minutes.

Seriously, look at this garlic!!! I LOVE that this recipe used so much!

Stir in the chicken stock, bay leaves, turmeric, crushed red pepper, salt and pepper; bringing to a boil. Mix in shredded chicken, cover and turn down heat to a simmer for 15 to 20 minutes.

Add kale, cover and simmer an additional 5 minutes. Discard bay leaves, serve and enjoy!

I prepped these for my lunches for the week and paired it with a small lettuce salad with cucumbers and green olives. I topped that with a bit of Tessemae's Habanero Ranch. If you are a fan of a little spice (or a lot like me), you HAVE to try this. Not only is it Whole30 approved, which means that it is dairy free, gluten free, soy free and sugar free....it tastes amazing! They have a ton of other products on their website too so if you are looking for healthier alternatives for dressings, marinades or salad kits, CHECK THEM OUT!

I saved the rest of the soup and put it in the freezer. When I decide to pull it out, I'll let you know how it is to see if it's a suitable freezer meal!

Also, I used these glass containers if you are interested. I did have some seepage into my salad if I didn't hold my bag perfectly flat while walking to work so maybe wouldn't recommend them for carrying soup but this could be really good if you like to separate out your food!

What's for Dinner {44} - Homemade One-Pot Chicken Noodle Soup

I've eyeballed this recipe for the last month or two and when I decided to add it to this week's menu, I was a little skeptical that it would be as good as Iowa Girl Eats said. I love a good chicken noodle but am often disappointed with the lack of flavor. Personally, I think that probably has more to do with me than with the soups I've tried but nonetheless, it's always disappointing. To explain, I don't have a great sense of smell which I do think correlates to my inability to fully taste a lot of things. Food needs to be salty or spicy or brine-y for me to realllllllly like it.

The last chicken noodle I tried had a few more ingredients to prep/use and while I did think it tasted good, I haven't made it since.... But this recipe, I really think it'll become one of the more popular menu planning options! All the boys loved it, even my huge skeptic of a husband. He especially loved the chicken and the broth and the carrots, so essentially all of it.

Also, it should be said that when I planned for this week's meals, I didn't account for St. Patrick's Day. Had I done that, I would have DEFINITELY wanted this recipe again. Perhaps, I will make it tomorrow!

Now for this delicious recipe, but first, let's watch the video Kristen created way back in 2014.

Homemade One-Pot Chicken Noodle Soup from iowagirleats.com

1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1 Tablespoon butter (I didn't actually use the recipe when I made this so this got left off by accident)

1 large or 2 medium carrots, peeled then sliced

1 stalk celery, sliced

1 shallot or 1/2 small onion, chopped (I used diced yellow onion but would have preferred a shallot)

salt and pepper

2 cloves garlic, minced

64oz chicken broth, plus more for reheating

1 chicken breast, chopped into bite-sized pieces (I used 2.5)

8oz spaghetti, broken into pieces (or any short-cut pasta)

Heat olive oil and butter in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add carrots, celery, and shallot, season with salt and pepper, and then saute until tender, 10 minutes. Add garlic then saute for 1 more minute. Add chicken broth then bring to a boil. Season chicken with salt and pepper then add to boiling chicken broth along with pasta. Turn heat down to medium then simmer, stirring occasionally until pasta is cooked through. Taste then adjust salt and pepper if necessary and then serve.

Notes

1. Add more chicken broth when reheating as noodles will continue to soak up broth.

2. I marinated the chicken in fresh lemon juice for a couple days before. I added the chicken and the marinade to the soup

It took me a little longer to make the soup so while that was cooking, the boys ate watermelon and a salad. Seriously, this surprises me so much because we don't eat salads at home. I gave them 2-3 romaine lettuce leaves for them to rip up, topped it with a little parmesan and ranch dressing. Owen had seconds. 

2017 Goals {6}

How fitting, that on December 31, I bring you the last 2017 Goals update! 2017 has been a very wild ride but I am overall pleased with the year. Sure, I didn't accomplish nearly as much as I wanted to and slid even far backwards on a few things. That said, I made progress on some surprising things so lets' jump right in!

You can read up on my past 2017 Goals updates here: #1, #2, #3, #4, and #5.

GOAL #1 - Read
Since my last update, I really haven't done much reading at all but I do have one book I will add to my reading list for 2018. This particular book feels to me like it's going to be a fun/inspiring read. I saw an ad for Lovesac on Instagram that had me cracking up, and actually still cracks me up. So, naturally, I did some research to find out more about this person and he has an incredible story. I ended up staying up super late after that just to watch a documentary about him on Netflix. SSG Travis Mills was severely injured after dropping his bag on an IED. He is now one of only five soldiers from the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq to survive a quadruple amputation. If you are looking for an encouraging story from a pretty awesome human being, I suggest checking it out!

I didn't read many of the books that I set out to at the beginning of 2017. However, looking back on the year, I am really happy with my progress. I did more light reading than anything else but reading more than just one book is a win for me. I really should continue this! Will it ever surpass my love for TV?  Let's be honest, probably not.


GOAL #2 - Control Finances Better
I really, really wanted to end the year strong on this one but with holidays, birthdays, birthday parties, family gatherings, extended family photos and actually playing Santa for our kids this year did us in. I do need to pay ourselves back because we WERE smart by setting up a sinking fund. If you don't know what that is, it's really just a way for you to save up for expected bills each month versus trying to pay for large expenses all at once. We use ours to save for our car insurance premium, life insurance premium, travel/vacation fund, birthdays, dates, and Christmas. But even with the sinking fund, we overspent like crazy!

Looking ahead, Gspice and I sat down and talked about what we want 2018 to look like using The Family Playbook from Words of Wisdom. I am definitely that person who strives when goals and expectations are laid out ahead of time. This playbook allowed the both of us to talk about our goals, both personal and for our family that we want to focus on next year, which definitely includes how we handle our money. As such, we will have a weekly budget meeting to talk about our spending and to see what's coming up. One thing I will be interested in looking at more is to track our own personal spending. This is something we both struggle with hardcore so I'm hopeful that tracking will help hone us in. Of course, this will help us pay off all the debts we accumulated this year that much faster.

GOAL #3 - Cook More, Cook SmarterI haven't done too well with this one either, unfortunately. Old habits die hard, man! While I did complete the Whole30 and found a few things I could easily add to my menu rotation, I'm finding a serious lack of motivation these days. I think that with the reinvestment of managing our budget, this will help my meal planning situation because I will HAVE to be frugal to ensure I don't overspend but still get delicious food on the table. I really want to introduce more seafood and vegetables into our diet and less processed food, less carbs and less dairy. I don't want to necessarily cut anything of this out completely because that's not sustainable. I just want us to have a more well-rounded diet that provides better nourishment for minds and bodies. Below are some recipes that I look forward to trying out in 2018!

Pasta - okay, I know I said that I want to eat less carbs but like I said, I'm certainly not going to cut it out. That said, I will be looking to add more vegetables to my pasta dishes. I enjoy eating pasta for my breakfasts and if I can get lots of veggies in there, I've really set myself up for success for the day.

Asparagus-Spinach Pesto Pasta with Blackened Shrimp from  Gimme Some Oven

This pesto looks so bright and delicious! I've never thought about using asparagus but I will definitely do that to change up my pesto routine.

Roasted Tomato Pasta with Garlic and Basil from Cilantro & Citronella

It's no secret that I adore tomatoes, garlic and basil but surprisingly, I have never roasted my tomatoes before. Again, just a different preparation but that's fun to do in the kitchen to keep from getting bored! Also, a good way to use up the CSA ingredients I get that the Farmers Market next summer. Yep, already dreaming of summer!

Roasted Garlic and Red Pepper Fettucine Alfredo from Yellow Bliss Road

I absolutely love alfredo sauce but we all know it's not all that healthy for us. I don't use bell peppers really at all in my diet but I have had a really tasty tomato bisque that had them in it. So, it seems to me that I could definitely try this out too. Also, not a bad way to get some healthy vegetables in an otherwise pretty unhealthy dish.

Seafood - I don't eat much seafood despite the fact that I like many different types of seafood. Because we do eat a lot of red meat and chicken, it's about time to bring in some other types of protein to mix it up.

Firecracker Baked Salmon from  Jo Cooks

I love spice so this seems like a perfectly fitting way to have salmon!

Pesto Salmon and Italian Veggies in Foil from Cooking Classy

I really like to cook foil pack meals because it is so easy. This would be a different way to use up my pesto if I don't feel like eating it with pasta!

Sheet Pan Chili Lime Salmon from Cafe Delites

Yep, another spicy seafood recipe! I cannot get enough spice in my life!

Spicy Shrimp & Sausage Skewers from Iowa Girl Eats

I love a good party bite but have never ventured to use shrimp, let alone andouille sausage. I can't wait to try this because it will remind me of New Orleans with the cajun flavors!

Tilapia Fish Tacos from Eazy Peazy Mealz

We eat our fair share of tacos - chicken, shrimp, beef. Do we ever eat fish tacos? NO! I definitely need to change that because I L.O.V.E. a good fish taco!

Soup - I have been craving certain types of soups lately which is strange because I'm really not a soup person. I've maybe made 2-3 soups during our entire marriage. Call me crazy though because Gspice and I both said randomly that we were craving a soup that had potatoes in it. Since then, I've been looking at a variety of soup recipes and this one seems to fit the bill.

Creamy Potato Kielbasa and White Cheddar Soup from Cooking Classy

GOAL #4 - Form Healthy Habits
As I mentioned above, I progress better and succeed more when I have a plan and measurable goals in place. While I did have goals this year, I think I stretched them way to far out. I had hoped to lose 30 pounds but instead, gained weight. I wanted to integrate exercising into my daily routine but often petered out after a week or two. I clearly needed some micro goals to motivate myself to keep going. For 2018, that is going to be my focus.

That being said, I do think I came out of 2017 with a few things that I DID do well. First, I drink way more water than I ever have before. While I do go days without drinking very much, I see a consistent shift to drinking at least 50-80 oz of water every day. Before, I could go many days drinking as little as 10 oz!

On a surprising note, I decided to make some changes to my hair routine. I was that person who HAD to shower every day, also washing my hair every day. If I didn't, my hair would be insanely greasy the next day and I felt super uncomfortable even with it in a pony tail. Now, I can go up to four days without washing my hair! I do use a dry shampoo but am now only using that on day three and four if needed, which at this point it definitely is. So now, I take a shower on day one and let it air dry. Day two, I don't shower and don't use dry shampoo because I don't need to (YAAAAASSSS!) and with likely straighten it or just put it in a pony tail. On day three, I do shower but 95% of the time not wash my hair. I use dry shampoo and will throw it in a pony tail. I don't often stretch it over to four days but if I do, I don't shower but use dry shampoo. So not only am I making my hair healthier, I'm also using way less water and keeping my skin from drying out as much as it normally does. WIN, WIN, WIN!

GOAL #5 - Travel
I know that I still need to do a post on our New Orleans trip. I have so many fond memories of that trip with Gspice and I cannot wait to incorporate more travel for the whole family. There is talk of doing an extended family trip. This would be really fun if we can all come to an agreement that everyone feels comfortable with. Gary and I also plan to take the boys on a trip or two next year in the opposite season of the extended family trip. Right now, we're thinking Great Wolf Lodge in Minneapolis or Wisconsin Dells because we know the boys love the water and let's be real, we do too! I'd also be interested in taking the boys to the National Balloon Classic in Indianonla, Iowa. Regardless of where we decide to go, I can't wait to make memories in 2018!

Whole30 {Weeks Three & Four - Recap}

Now that we're nearly a month out already, I'm happy to announce that Gspice and I completed the Whole30!

We officially completed Whole30 on October 31. The month went by pretty fast which is no different than the rest of 2017. Seriously, I.can.not.believe.it's.nearly.the.end.of.November!

I want to start off by saying that I am so ridiculously proud of us. We often commit to things but don't always follow through. However, I feel like we both followed the program fairly well and tested our will power for 30 straight days. If you can believe it, I went without pasta for over 30 days and Gspice gave up pop!

The last two weeks of the Whole30 program were not as great at weeks 1 & 2 but we probably followed the "rules" about about 70-80% of the time. I say that number because I did follow breakfast/lunch fairly well and slacked a little bit on dinner and I also ate some chocolate just about every day that week. That is what being lazy did to me. I also had a couple drinks and a slice of pizza. And a few handfuls of peanut butter M&Ms. You can see where this is going!

With that said, I'm still really happy with the fact that we set our sights on a pretty big goal and I feel that we accomplished what we set out to do. Pasta was the biggest thing for me by far and I stayed away for a whole month. Seriously, that blows my mind.

Looking back on the experience, I can definitely say that Whole30 has taught me a lot about my eating habits. I don't necessarily crave anything but I do tend to emotionally eat which is a hard habit for me to break. Throughout the 30 days, though, I feel that I did a pretty good job of not doing that.  Overall, I felt more energized, slept more soundly at night and had better mental clarity. One takeaway from this is that I do really like to go to bed early and I'm totally better off for it!

What I Missed the Most:

Dairy - though it was relatively easy to cut this out for 30 days, it was surprisingly difficult for us to keep this out of our diet 100%. Gary definitely struggled with this more than I, but to go from eating cheese, milk and other forms of dairy on a daily basis to nothing at all was a stretch. A sprinkle of cheese on my eggs or a taco salad would have been nice but we made do.

What Surprisingly Didn't Phase Me:

Everything! - I expected to go through some sort of detox whether that be from sugar, no pasta or alcohol. However, I felt good from the very beginning. I did have a couple random days with a headache but they were in weeks 2 & 3. I do think Gary went through some detox but I was very surprised and grateful that I did not.

Vices - I am still so very shocked that we lasted the whole program without consuming our vices. Mine is most definitely pasta and Gspice's is pop. I literally had no issue whatsoever giving up pasta which tells me that I don't have an addition problem. Thus, my bad habits should be easy to break, right?

What Helped Me the Most:

Preparation - I would not have been successful doing Whole30 without planning the meals in advance, creating the grocery list, going grocery shopping and meal prepping. I never did these steps all in the same day because that would be impossible for me to keep up with. I typically planned on Thursdays/Fridays, went shopping on Saturdays, and prepped on Sundays. Do what works for you and break it down any which way you like, but DO NOT ATTEMPT to do any sort of elimination diet or even just trying to eat better without preparation. It will do wonders and I promise you that!

Tomatoes & the Co-op - I know this is a little silly, but I feel like I was pretty lucky that there were still some good tomatoes left in October. If I got a little hungry in the afternoons, I went for sliced tomatoes with a little salt and pepper. You aren't supposed to snack but this was smart snacking if you ask me. I also would eat an Applegate pepperoni or two because meat was one of the only things I craved all month and it helped to tide me over until dinner. Thankfully, I was able to purchase some of the specialty items like Applegate products, at Oneota Co-op. It was so nice to know I could get Whole30 approved items there that aren't carried by Fareway or Walmart.

Before & After:

I wish I could tell you how many inches I lost or even took photos of the progress, but I didn't go that far with this program. I did hope to lose some weight but I also wanted to focus on changing habits. Now that I'm almost a month out, I can say that though I still struggle with some of the same habits, I do think I'm doing some things differently than before. I drink more water, I'm doing my best to get to bed earlier, I'm not eating pasta for every meal, etc. I'd call that a success :)

I did track, however, the amount of weight I lost. I believe that most of the weight came off in weeks 1 & 2 but a few more pounds did come off in weeks 3 & 4. I'm not surprised by that at all because of my commitment level during those weeks. With that said, I lost a total of 14 pounds!!!

Wrapping It Up:

I was very encourage by doing the Whole30. I surprised myself with my perseverance and will definitely try this again very soon. I didn't do a lot of exercise during this round besides walking to work so the next time I do Whole30, I will definitely make this a part of my routine.