Friday, August 31, 2012

Countdown to the Whole30!

So after another weekend with my husband's family resulted in much cheating and the resulting intestinal distress, it firmed up my resolve: I'm doing a Whole30. My husband will be joining me, along with an online friend of mine. We're starting September 6th, but I'm ramping up to it now.

What is the Whole30? Well, take a look here.  This program, developed by the Hartwigs, is extremely strict. But as they say, it's only for 30 days, so it shouldn't be hard. Not like quitting smoking or beating cancer. So I can absolutely do this. It differs from my normal protocol in a few ways.

1. No weighing myself. This is hard because I use the scale to help me keep track. But health is more than the scale and I need to learn that lesson.

2. No white potatoes. They say it's arbitrary, really, but that avoiding potatoes will help balance hormones, which I need.

3. No artificial sweetener, not even stevia. Back when I was putting heavy cream in my coffee, I was able to forego sweetener. Not so yet with coconut milk.  Either I'll learn, or I'll just drink green tea in the morning. That's fine with me.

4. Ghee!!!! I *love* ghee. It's a dairy product, but since there's no whey or casein left in it, I'm going to trial it to see if I can handle it.

So it should be interesting. As I said, I'm working my way up to it. I'm still weighing myself, but I'm trying to cut out potatoes. I'm still sticking with my stevia, though, for now until the 6th. Wish me luck. When I get there, I plan on blogging about it.

Friday, August 10, 2012

My favorite cookbooks and blogs!

I started eating Paleo-ish sometime last year, fell off the wagon, and then returned to it this year after I was diagnosed with candida and leaky gut. My weight is under 140 for the first time since I was 18 years old (I'm 34 now), and even more importantly, I feel strong! I have a ways to go before I'm at superheroine status, but I am building quite a bit of muscle these days, which has led a few people to think I'm much lighter than I actually am.

Yeah, I guess you can say I'm on a diet, but the last thing I feel is deprived! My Gods, the food I eat feels downright decadent. How on earth do I do that? Well, I have to give props where they are due: to my favorite bloggers and their fabulous cookbooks! I will give you my top 3 bloggers with cookbooks that I use all the time.

Elana Amsterdam at Elana's Pantry was my first introduction to grain free living. I mainly use her recipes for sweet treats, which I use as my cheats. But I've used a few of her more savory recipes also; my favorite is her Matzo Ball Soup! She is currently looking for ideas on a new cookbook, but I love her Gluten Free Cupcakes. Check her out. She is an inspiration, beating back her MS with healthy living.

Melissa Joulwan at The Clothes Make the Girl is a real kick-ass kind of gal. Her recipes are a symphony of flavor. She put out Well Fed, and I'm telling you, my husband is always beyond excited when I make something from this. The only drawback? Sometimes it's a bit much flavor for my little girl, but I'm working on her. The Chocolate Chili is to die for!

Last but not least, Matt & Stacy, the Paleo Parents are fantastic for more kid-friendly fare. They would know how kids eat, since they have three boys! I bought their cookbook, Eat Like a Dinosaur, at the same time I got Well Fed. Elana Amsterdam did the forward! My favorite recipes are the beef and broccoli and the fool's gold nuggets. No links to those, though...you have to go buy the book! But truly, they are real folks. They'll tell you when they fall and when they triumph.

Okay, so that's that. Use these cookbooks and you can eat like me. Know what it's like to have your body truly nourished and feel it sing! You won't regret it, I promise.