Day 2 - Dunzo!

Okay...Day 2 of the Whole 30 Challenge. The day was actually really great. I ate sweet potato hash and a banana for brunch and was surprisingly full the rest of the day. I made sure to drink my 3rd and last cup of coffee before 1300 and was mindful to also drink plenty of water. I was happily surprised at how great my day was, and even more impressed I didn't feel the need to snack or eat lunch at 1100.

I relaxed for a bit after getting home by eating an apple, reading The Whole 30 book and then I started thinking of dinner ideas. My inner creative genius decided to make spaghetti squash (for the first time ever!) with homemade sauce. I read Hilarie's sauce recipe and decided I didn't have that kind of energy. As a substitute, I made my own version. The preparation went something like this. 

Ask BF to cut squash in half. Mission accomplished. Scoop seeds and stringy flesh. Done. Start gathering all the sauce ingredients - yellow and red peppers, tomatoes, garlic, dried basil from our garden, and an onion. Check, check check. The oven had preheated at this point so I put the squash in a pan, face down, covered it with foil and into the oven it went. I washed and prepared all the veggies at this time and after 20 minutes, put them all in the oven with their long lost friend, the squash. After being in the oven 40 minutes, the squash was still pretty hard so I put it back in for another hour. 

At this point, it looked like a bomb went off in the kitchen (again) - how does this happen?! I digress. I take the tomatoes out of the oven (they were heating up in some foil with garlic), and added them oh so gently to the blender, where they were promptly blended into a delicious base. To be honest, it was getting late in the evening, the tomatoes were a little more runny than I thought, and my dog was staring at me with sad eyes because he hadn't yet been for a walk. I felt my soul starting to wither. 

The other veggies came out of the oven and were put into the food processor, which decided not to work. Cue the anger / frustration / tears. I ended up aggressively chopping the oven roasted peps and onions and put them all together with the tomato deliciousness, and all into a saucepan with chicken meatballs, onion and mushrooms. Back to the oven to check the squash....success! It was perfectly cooked. 

By now, I was tired, angry, frustrated, and sad. All over dinner. Oh, and the sad look on my dog's face. I turned the oven off, covered everything and brought him for a walk, figuring it would make him happy and calm me down. That was probably the best decision of the night. Once we were back home, I realized I had zero appetite. ZERO. There was no way I was going through all of that just to put it away so out of spite (apparently, towards the offending squash), I ate a small bowl, packed the leftovers up, and sat on the couch. For exactly 10 minutes. I felt completed drained and defeated (but also impressed with the dinner - it was so tasty) and so at 2100 I called it a day. Successful? Yes. Mixed emotions? Definitely. I feel there should have been a sign somewhere saying "Buckle the seat belt and keep all hands and arms in at all times", because I was not at all prepared for the roller coaster of emotions. 

(Note: this was written on day 3 because of the aforementioned maniacal behavior and feelings.) 

New Post....WHAAAT?!?

The Whole 30 Challenge

Day 1

Feeling exhausted, but good. I’m not sure if the bacon used (Publix, low sodium, hickory smoked, no sugar) is 'Whole 30' compliant. I’ll have to look further into this. Dinner seemed to take forever and it was like a bomb went off in the kitchen.  I suspect this was due to a Dobby-like house elf that snuck into the kitchen and destroyed tiny sections one by one so I wouldn’t notice, since it clearly wasn’t me. Well, it worked. I didn’t notice until it was time to clean up, and holy cow! Talk about F-5 tornado zone…jeez. This made me momentarily reconsider the Whole 30. Kidding (sort of). I convinced myself it was so messy because I was making additional meals, as well as dinner. Trying to get ahead of the game, you could say. 

Breakfast: black coffee

Lunch: McIntosh apple

Dinner: Cabbage sautéed with a little olive oil, fresh lemon juice and HI seasoning (garlic, salt, pepper), topped with fresh-from-the-dock shrimp and red peppers.  Heated it all up on the stovetop and it was done in about 15 minutes.  Verdict? YUM! (BF and Hershey also seemed pleased with dinner so I’m going to mark this one a success.)

Breakfast for tomorrow prepared. It’ll be a tasty concoction of cooked up sweet potato homefries with no-sugar bacon (again, add’l research is needed to ensure this is compliant), onion and about 2tbsp bacon fat. Sprinkle with cinnamon and a bit of nutmeg, tossed in the oven for about 15 to add crunchy-ness and voila! Dunzo.

Ready to go snacks…stocked up on raspberries, bananas, apples and avocados. Oh! And, I also learned to make hard boiled eggs! I know, it’s a little ridiculous that I’ve made the ripe ol’ age of 3-4 and haven’t made hard-boiled eggs before. Consider that ‘to-do’ crossed off my bucket list.

Day 8 - 30 Days of Gratitude / Compliments.... Finally Continued!

My favorite number is 8. My favorite person is Joe, and so it's only fitting my favorite person is thanked on day 8...a mere 30 days late on the 30 days of gratitude. Joe is my everything, really. He's my best friend, my boyfriend, baby daddy to our 2 fur babies, you know, all the importants. He is the most thoughtful and caring person.

Unlike Brad Pitt and Jennifer Anniston, he did not promise to make me my favorite banana shakes for the rest of my life. If I want a banana shake, I'll hit up Zaxby's on the way home. Joe doesn't have to promise things - he just does them. Actions speak louder than words.

Joe is extraordinary because he puts others needs before himself. If someone needs help, he helps. If someone wants to go for Italian food instead of chicken wings, he will go for Italian food (most of the time). I love this man because he pushes me harder to be a better person, gives me courage when I have none, makes me laugh when I'm sad (or mad), snuggles with me while I'm watching ridiculously terrible tv shows (Alias, Roswell), indulges my even more ridiculous obsessions (Harry Potter - usually marathons), brings me back down to Earth when my imagination gets away from me, proves that optimism IS better than pessimism and, lastly, he's a fine piece of eye candy!

I wish there was enough time to list all the reasons why I love this man, and why I am grateful every day that I get to share my life with him, but there's not. And even if there was, I tend to be more private about him than most other aspects of my life. We have our silly couple secrets, our own silly language, and we laugh about the most ridiculous stuff...and, I love it. I want to keep those things private, because otherwise they wouldn't be special and just ours. That said, anyone who knows me knows I love this man more than life itself. There is nothing I wouldn't do for him. I'm the luckiest girl in the world to share my life with my best friend. Thank you for everything you do and for being you, Joe. Dixie, Hershey and I love you so much, and yet we always love you more with every passing day.

30 Days of Compliments / Gratitude - Day 7

VAL!! My very best friend in the whole world - we were born into separate families but through life and experiences, we've chosen to become family. I love you. You're kind, courageous, determined and stunningly beautiful. Honestly, how can so much awesome fit into such a tiny package!? You are an amazing mother and wife; I am so proud of the life you have built, and am honored to be part of it. I think we've done pretty well holding on to our friendship, after all these years and all the miles between us. One day we will go to Hawaii together and I'll show you all my favorite spots. Right now, the countdown is on (T-2days) and I cannot wait to see you!! The world seems to calm down and go at a slower pace when we're together, even if it's only because we're watching MMISWD or Oprah. Honestly, it's the best, and I cherish those memories (and can't wait to make more!)! I will see you soon, my bestie.

30 Days of Compliments / Gratitude - Day 6

El Duan (aka Duane), you are my day 6 tribute. Like our brother, Jeff, you are truly an amazing and dedicated father. There is no doubt you love Abbo more than life itself. She is a lucky girl to have you as a dad - even if her bedtime is a little early for my liking. You've also got the twisted Egner sense of humor, and that's a pretty great thread that ties the 4 of us together. You and Jeff give me crap when it's necessary and you both always get wrangled into helping me pack and/ove move, whether it be across town or 1000+ miles away. I love that you and Jeff aren't afraid to rock the mullets or the 'staches. It's no wonder people can't tell you two apart! So for all the times you've helped me with household projects, packing and transporting, and being a designated driver...thank you. Turns out, you're actually pretty awesome.

30 Days of Compliments / Gratitude - Day 5

Day 5 is for my brother Jeffrey. You're sense of humor is is often crude and wrong on so many levels, but that's what makes it yours. You don't apologize for it; you own it, and I love that about you. You're also one of the most loyal, caring fathers I've ever known. To watch you with Bowdyn warms my heart. He is 100% your child, and he adores you as much as you adore him. You are a man to look up to, a brother to cherish and friend to appreciate. I love that you take part in drag day, mullet night with the Monarchs and the annual Oktoberfest and rock them all equally. Which reminds me...I think I owe you a new hit list of awesome tunes. And by awesome, I mean 80s, of course. So yeah, we don't talk as much as we probably should, but I hope you know how much I love and admire you.

30 Days of Gratitude / Compliments - Day 4

Day 4 goes out to my sister, Penny. You are the best sister and friend a girl could ask for. You're an amazing mother and wife and I feel so blessed to have you in my life. You're always there to offer words of comfort and encouragement. I love that we have sister secrets, laugh like hyenas at some of the dumbest stuff, have a mild obsession with all things British, and work together to complete the People Puzzler. Like our mother, you love unconditionally and are always there to support others when they're having a tough time. You have created a beautiful life for yourself and I'm so proud to be part of it. I don't say it enough, but I love you. (And I can't wait to see you!)