Mile 20.5 (and how to conquer it)

August 10, 2018 by

About three years ago at this time, I was training to run my first (and only) full marathon.

This was DEFINITELY a God thing, kind of another one of those “impossible” experiences He asked me to pursue. I learned A LOT , and some days I still question if I really did finish (I did. And didn’t actually meet Jesus that day. Although it felt a little touch-and-go at times).

Now that I’m back to running again, and it is actually FUN (what?!?!) for me and a form of stress relief, I was remembering that crazy marathon training experience. [Read more…]

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Whole30: Week #6 Reflection

June 12, 2017 by

Another legit week of doing this Whole30 gig… Once again, food was pretty tasty and I had some cool Non-scale victories (Read on for more.)

Weekly Ranking (1-10)
9

Felt pretty good and I was grateful to have time to food prep adequately last week. I tried a couple of new recipes (which were a success) and minus a few moments of tiredness (something about having two kids, doing the ministry/educational things I do and a my hubs continually intense work schedule I think…

On My Menu

I kind of “created” a Cauliflower pizza casserole– and it was uber tasty. I’ve attempted actual cauliflower pizza a few times, but can never get the “crust” correct– so this time I just made it into a casserole since I knew I had to eat it with a fork anyways. Still tastes just as good and a whole lot less time consuming. Also, it converted into a pretty tasty breakfast dish halfway through the week by tossing a couple of over-easy eggs on top if it.

Also, I busted out the avocados this week (for some reason I haven’t been capitalizing on them much.) I had toad-in-a-hole for breakfast one day, then made some guacamole to go with my prosciutto-wrapped beef/veggie egg muffins (don’t be intimidated by the name… I just used the Prosciutto as  the muffin “liner” and scrambled some eggs with part of the cooked ground beef/bell peppers that I was using for Cauliflower pizza casserole. Easy peasy.

Oh, and taco salad– AH-MAZ-ING! I had cilantro-lime cauliflower “rice” for the first time and seriously– I bet if you didn’t tell a non-whole30er about it, they wouldn’t be able to tell the difference.

Victories

I got a chance this week to do some “benchmark” workouts to see if/how I have physically improved since starting Whole30. Well, let’s just say it was super encouraging! I improved my 2-min time limit sit-ups by 8, push-ups by 5 and (get this!) I took a whopping 3 min 4 seconds off my 2 mile run time! I am being realistic knowing that I likely will not be taking that much time off in future months per-chunk, but definitely a (huge!) step in the right direction. Thank you, Jesus.

Struggles

Nothing too major to report here– there were a few nights that I really wanted to just grab something on the way home, but the fact that I had food ready and waiting for me in the fridge was a huge keep-me-accountable factor. (Again, the major importance of food prep!) Also, I had a few anxiety flare ups (Charis briefly had a headache/fever thing going on for like a day and, like a moron, I googled her symptoms. #WhenWillILearn #UG) Brandon’s super intense schedule/long hours/non-sleepingness wasn’t helpful… So I had some lightening cravings of “I WANT SUGAR” or something to make me “feel better” but thankfully, knowing that I needed to remain accountable to our Facebook Group AND Jesus kept me on the straight and narrow.

Tweaks for Next Week

I really don’t think I have much that I am doing differently– Kroger Clicklist is still my BFF in this season and splitting up food prep over a couple of days has been really helpful and less frantic/stressful. Also, I have yet to get sick of Madras Chicken Salad… Pretty sure I’ve eaten 5 out of the last six weeks for lunch.

So friends– until next week– stay strong!

To the Glory of God alone,

 

 

“I spread out my hands to you; I thirst for you like a parched land.” ~Psalm 143:6

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Whole30: Weeks 4 & 5 (Month #1) Reflection

June 3, 2017 by

You know, after all this time of following Jesus, I really shouldn’t be so surprised with Him. But alas, He keeps rocking my world.

I have completed a full month of Whole30 lifestyle (again) and couldn’t be more pleased. Probably the greatest revelation I’ve had in the last couple weeks was this thought: “I am so freaking busy right now. WHY did I decide to do Whole30?!?!” Which was immediately followed by:“I’ve needed more energy, contentment and legit-Jesus attitude more in the last month than I have in a very long time. I don’t NOT have time to keep this up!”  [Read more…]

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Whole30: Week #3 Reflection

May 22, 2017 by

Ah, another week of eating well and chowing down on all of those awesome Whole Foods… And I have to say, I think it’s my best week yet! #ThankYouTigerBlood

Weekly Ranking (1-10)
8.5

Pretty great week! My body is now realizing, “Oh hey… THIS is what we need to function!” and I feel good physically AND emotionally (see below for victories.) Overall, I’ve been less of a jerkface to the people in my life (aka, husband and Tiny Humans) and already experiencing more joy. (Seriously, I still can’t believe that’s a non-scale victory that can come from our food!)  [Read more…]

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Whole30: Week #2 Reflection

May 15, 2017 by

Well, friends– another week of Whole 30 in the bag. It wasn’t quite as awesome as week 1, but I stayed compliant… So that’s a victory in and of itself. Let’s dig in, shall we?

Weekly Ranking (1-10)
7

On My Menu

My menu wasn’t nearly as impressive this week– I don’t know if I had pickier tastes or what. (Or maybe I peaked early with all of my super delicious foods/side dishes in week 1?)

This week for breakfast was a spinach, leek and mushroom frittata casserole. I was very underwhelmed– it didn’t taste bad, but it just really didn’t taste. I choked it down for three days then gave up.

Lunch again wasn’t as substantial as I should have planned– and leftovers weren’t as bountiful either. (I apparently need to start cooking larger quantities of food!) Lunches consisted of broiled seasoned shrimp with pine nut and leftover sweet potatoes and brussel sprouts  with balsamic glaze. (I added random leftovers to it throughout the week too.)

Pork cutlets were ok and the poached ahi tuna was decent too (I think I overcooked it- but raw fish– when not sushi grade– freaks me out!) Best meal this week was spaghetti with zoodles (spiraled zucchini.) It’s the first time I had pre-made Whole30 compliant marinara sauce– and it was delish!

Victories

Emotional and roller-coaster-y week. So my victory: NOT eating a Peanut butter and jelly sandwich or #AllTheSugar when I was feeling stressed. Also, I had spurts of that unspeakable joy I was seeking– I think it will show up in full force soon now that my ahem, post-preggo hormones are FINALLY leveling out. (Sorry if that was TMI. The woman-struggle is real.

My workouts continue to improve. Joint pain is completely gone and I was able to do a pretty legit ruck march on Wednesday (with Tiny Human in tow.) Workouts are also slowly starting to become something that relieves stress and balances things out instead of being such a chore. Hooray!

Struggles

Again, emotional and intermittently grouchy. I really wasn’t super pumped about some of my food options this week and food prep on Sunday was exhausting. (Apparently I really DO need a day of REAL rest.)

Oh. And the coffee I was drinking was apparently headache inducing! (Sad life. Just one cup!) So I ditched that and headaches are chilling out. Might try again next week and see what happens– or switch to a higher quality brand of ‘Joe when we run out.

Tweaks for Next Week

I’m changing up my menu again for next week and re-fixing/adding some of my delicious staples back into the menu rotation (Madras Chicken salad and coleslaw.) I don’t really know why I think I have to cook all completely different things each week. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, right?

Going to also keep drinking more water and try to slow down when eating. (Again, #KidProbs.)

Overall, not too bad of a week– but I am hopeful that Tiger blood will be kicking in soon– so stay tuned!

Friends, if you are doing W30, how did your week go? Leave a comment below and let me know. (Wow. That’s a lot of rhyming.)

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Whole30: Week #1 Reflection

May 8, 2017 by

Well friends, Week #1 of my Whole30-60-who-knows-how-long-I-will-go-on-like-this is complete!  I made it through The Hangover and Kill-All-The-Things stage. (But more on all that in a minute…) Let’s recap, shall we?

Weekly Ranking (1-10)
8.5

[Read more…]

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Whole30: What to Expect (Part 2)

April 21, 2017 by

See, friends… I told you I wouldn’t leave you hanging! Read on for Part 2 of “What to Expect” when doing Whole30. (If you are just joining us, get caught up and read the Part 1 by clicking here.)

[Read more…]

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Whole30: What to Expect (Part 1)

April 20, 2017 by

One of the biggest challenges of starting something new, be it making a new friend, traveling to a new location or participating in a new sport, is the fear or anxiety associated with not knowing what to expect. (That, or with the latter example, the fear of objects flying at my face. I once split my lip open while playing ping-pong, but that’s a story for another day. #NeverSaidIWasGraceful)

So today, as I approach my start date of a new round of Whole60 (and for the first time have legit invited others to join me via Facebook group) I want to share a few points of “What to Expect” should you decide to join me on this journey.

(BTW: If you are just joining us, be sure to get the Whole30 Low-Down and Prep Tips.) [Read more…]

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Whole30: Prep & Getting Started

April 17, 2017 by

Easter is done, my Peeps. (Pun intended.) My new tiny human is 2 months old. So now my brain is (excitedly) shifting to getting in the swing of things with healthy eating choices, which for me, means doing a fresh round of Whole30 starting May 1st. (Actually, it will be a Whole60– at least. If you need to catch up on what it is, check out this post.)

In July of 2015, I did a Whole30. In 2016, I did Whole120 from January 1st to May 1st. And it revolutionized my life. Freed me from emotional eating. I had literally never felt physically/emotionally better in my entire life.  [Read more…]

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The Food Fight

August 17, 2015 by

Have you ever been in a food fight? You know, one of those summer-camp-type-mashed-potato-sloppy-joe-flying-nobody-gets-punished food fights?

If you have, I would love details. (How was clean up? Who got in trouble? What is the correlation between jello consistency and air time?)

I have never been in one of those kinds of food fights. (Perhaps I need to put that on my Bucket List…)

However, I have been engaged in my own kind of food fight for the last two decades.

I talked a lot about my ups, downs and continual breakthroughs over  at Wives of Faith in Fat Free-dom.  I am so grateful for how God is opening my eyes (and heart) to the spiritual holds that food has held over my life.

And friends, the revelations keep on a-coming.  [Read more…]

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