... you lose some

All in All the Paleo diet is going so very very well! The health improvements are monumental and the food is so yummy that it almost feels wrong. LOL

I have also pinpointed some foods that give me inflammation and bloating. Definitively connected cause and effect by first eliminating then introducing the foods.

Not surprising:
Grains/ Sugars give me brain fog, moodiness and slowness.
Dairy gives me immediate pain and bloating! (soft cheeses, milk, ice cream, sour cream, yogurt)

Completely shocked:
Tomatoes give me GI distress and joint pain.
WHAT?! I love tomatoes! L-O-V-E tomatoes... sauced, fresh, dried, stewed.... yum.

How did I learn this terrible news?! Since I cut out pasta, the tomatoes are not served as often (spaghetti was a staple dinner before).  And fresh tomatoes just aren't good around here this time of year so I haven't been adding them to the salads. I was easily able to make a direct correlation between my gastric issues and when I ate the tomatoes. :(  And now the intermittent joint stiffness makes sense too.

I was completely sidelined by that revelation since tomatoes are fine on Paleo. Now, I need to follow this one step further and cut out ALL the nightshades for a month. What if it's not just tomatoes, what if it's the whole family? Potatoes, Peppers, some spices, they could all be affecting me this way making my gut "leaky" and spastic. I have come this far with my food education, I will do this next step too. After the clean month I will try potatoes first and then the spices. HOPEFULLY all will go well and I just have to worry about my beloved tomatoes, why couldn't it be turnips that bugged me, I could easily leave out turnips!

Knowledge is power.

Through this process I have learned so much about my own body. Now I can choose to feel good! Just by knowing which foods make me feel bad and making conscious bites.

Food glorious food!

Feeling good! 

It's so much easier to get things done when you don't feel like a puffy toad, don't you think? 

The bad food cravings are a thing of the past. I am in love with the Paleo whole foods way of life. 

75% veggies + 25% meat = 100% delicious!

(Note 0%  processed foods, sugar, grains)

Sure some days don't go as planned and the crap gets in, but not much and not often! The result is worth the initial hassle of learning the rules. Seriously, I feel so good! And my husband and kids do too.

The extra energy has gone into just naturally moving more (sitting for hours in front of the TV is simply not appealing now). So decluttering is easier, the dog is getting more walks, the laundry gets put away, we are all sleeping better (husband has snored as long as I've known him -that's over 20 years- not snoring anymore!)

I'm gushing like a proud momma because it's just so good. If you are feeling pain, slowness or depression, or tired of acne and bloat, research the "Whole 30" first (it's the best plan for breaking the processed food cycle), then Google all the gorgeous, easy Paleo recipe blogs and pintrest boards. If your first reaction is panic at giving up something, then maybe you aren't ready to feel better. But if you the least bit excited about the food... Give it an honest try for 30 days!

The first 10 days can be a roller coaster of ick with your body panicking and all those things you are trying to fix go into hyper drive (aches, acne, bloat, lethargy, headaches) then the clouds lift, the cravings back off and the healing begins. Slow at first... Depending on haw damaged your system is it can take months to really feel "good", but you should feel "better" by the end of the 30 days, enough to maybe want to keep going! 

I'm not even sure I want to reintroduce some of the foods... They say you can bring back things for a couple days and see how it goes. Legumes, non-gluten grains, dairy, then gluten grains. But at this point I am doing fine without these things.

I'm pretty sure soy is something I can live without forever now that I've found the coconut aminos to replace soy sauce. Everywhere else, it's kind of hidden in processed foods, and my husbands homemade paleo mayonnaise is divine!

But it would be nice to try peanut butter again. If it turns out to disagree with me, oh well, but it is a comfort food for sure, and far less expensive than the nut butters.

Happy Shiny Me has never been a more honest blog name. I feel radiant these days! Thanks to good, honest food and a family that's on board!

Every Day

Every day is full of new challenges and adventures.

Every day I am finding something to declutter from the house and a healthy something to eat from the garden, so every day I find something to be happy about!

Some days are mundane (full of answering work emails) and some are full of small thrills (like harvesting the 24th zucchini) - note just because the thrill is small doesn't make it any less fun!

I have never enjoyed gardening so much! There is something completely wonderful about eating something scratched out of the earth from your own efforts. Sure the lettuce may be a bit "intense" compared to grocery store stuff (more vitamins?) and everything has to be checked over for bug-damage... but that's just proof that it's got no pesticides. I love it.

Pantry Challenge

It's Pantry Challenge time again!

With the garden in full giving of many beautiful veggies, it's time to clear out some space in the freezer in anticipation of more harvests.

We've been very mindful about processed foods since April, so no ugly ingredients have been in the pantry for a while (amazingly easier to shop!), food is eaten more regularly and it's REAL food!

The freezer is fairly full, again, but it's all good stuff.  No "convenience" meals.... have you ever noticed how so-called convenience entrees take just as long to bake as fresh meals that are simply better in every way? The only challenge is being sure that the ingredients are at hand.... mindful shopping and menu planning easily take care of that.

My number one tip for better meals every night of the week:
- Look at the weekly flyer and plan meals around the local, seasonal foods that are on sale.
(I plan for 5 dinners and make enough for leftovers to take for lunches - 2 spontaneous dinners a week either from opportunities provided by meat discounts or other unplanned invitations or cravings)

Little food is spoiled and between the wonders of homemade soups, stir fries and our chickens eating the scraps.

But for now, dinner plans with be made around the freezer's inventory and my garden's yield instead.

Body Clutter Update.

It was month of no wheat (though I once accidentally tested the the kid's pasta for done-ness out of habit) and my refined sugar intake was ALMOST completely removed too. Though I binged on chocolate one day - about 75g of milk chocolate, and felt icky for many hours afterwards.

Unfortunately I have not seen much in the way of success. The initial carb-flu whoas were followed by a bright clarity that was nice, and I thought I might be losing some weight and water retention. But it was different from day to day and I haven't nailed down why. Some days were slim, light and perky, others were puffy, heavy and achy!

The bulk of the experiment is over, 4 weeks was enough for me to get into a habit of whole foods. I will continue to choose real foods and avoiding processed. But I'm not going to be super-stringent about gluten anymore, though I will choose other options if they are available.  Sugar is still a struggle for me, and I will continue to fight that addiction.

Thinking ahead, I will stick with my original plan... real, whole, healthy foods. It can't hurt, right?

Maybe I have it all wrong and it's not food, but some other environmental trigger?

Meanwhile my meals will continue to be beautifully colourful and interesting!

Feeling Good

No surprise here, but eating all that pretty, healthy food has given me more energy... that's after the initial ten day long carb-flu/hangover/withdrawal (complete with achy joints, mood swings, weak muscles, acne break-outs and raging headaches). That's all over now and I feel brand new.

I am trying to "go with it" and get as much moving around in as I can, but I am finding it difficult to stay on task with desk-work. Also hard to stay in bed after 5 am... I don't want to wake the whole house at that hour, so I lay there.... I will have to find a QUIET outlet if this persists.

The brain fog is slowly clearing too. I feel inspired to declutter, clean, go for walks, garden, chat up my friends, and actually STAND at my standing desk (instead of perch on a stool). Now that I think of it, I haven't watched a whole TV program in days (very uncharacteristic).

Best part is I can't even stand the thought of eating sugar right now. The smell of a cookie is enough for me to think "that smells too sweet" and move on. Because it is getting appealing to live like this, and feel like this, it is getting easier to ignore so many of the aisles in the grocery store.

Here are the rules (and there are 2 sets because I'm not enforcing my choices on the whole family):

MY BODY:
No fake ingredients
Real, living food with every meal (fruits, veg)
No refined sugars (occasionally agave, honey, or stevia leaf)
No juices unless they are part of the whole fruit
No wheat (I may try re-introducing whole grains much later)
Limited white starches (white rice, white potatoes, "gluten free" flours, quick oats, corn meal)
Occasional dairy (cream, and cheeses)
Protein with every meal

GROCERY CART for home:
No fake ingredients
Limited sugar
Limited juice - only 100% juice
Whole grain choices for breads, pastas, etc
Real, living food with every meal (fruits, veg)

We are still working through the pantry items that aren't ideal, but there is no junk food in there anymore. The kids are real sports about the slow switch and hubby is over the moon about it (he hates junk food in the house and always has).

******************
DECLUTTERING:
******************
A few books and piles of clothes have left the building

Also... to test the out-of-sight-out-of-mind theory, I am packing beloved items that I'm not quite ready to lose yet into sealed boxes. I will see how I feel about them 6 months from now.

Decluttering Body

Through this journey of letting go, piece by piece, step by step I have discovered a lot about who I really want to be.  It's not exactly what I expected, but that's not all bad.

What is in my immediate surroundings is gradually being pared down to the useful and meaningful. Things that are in the NOW have taken a higher priority than things in the past (with a few exceptions). Liberating!

And as I evaluate and streamline what is on the outside, I have become more reflective and discerning about what goes on the INSIDE as well.

Part of my personal 2014 resolutions is to eat less processed foods. But that is only part of it nowadays. Since having a chest/head/cold/flu thing in February I became acutely aware of the ill effects sugar has on my metabolism. Oh sugar! I love the stuff. Sweet dairy hurts me now and bloat is a daily, constant annoyance making me feel older than I should.

After that flu shed the light on what I could be (my sense of taste was retarded while I was sick so sugar held no power over me... I lost 6 pounds of "water" in a week!) When I recovered I went straight back into old habits and gained it all back in a couple days. Then I made a pact with myself not to buy anymore of it. No more cookies, cakes (except birthdays), chocolate bars, etc... none of it has entered my shopping cart since March. We are still working through the stash I had built up. But not me or my husband, just the kids for lunch treats so it will trickle down slowly.

I'm finally past the point of being tempted by them. A little sniff and I get enough. We were even stuck out on the road well past dinner time and stopped at the national donut coffee shop chain and I found I didn't want a single thing in that whole shop! I was hungry all right, but I wanted a big handful of nuts, not a pastry.

Keeping myself accountable, I have been sending photos of my meals to my sister since April 1. She is trying the same thing.... here is what has been on my plate lately:

You may notice another ingredient that's missing other than refined sugar.... wheat!
Just an experiment at this point, but it has been surprisingly easy to stay away from.... except pasta, pasta is my go-to base for a lot of quick dinner items....

Having priorities shifted away from acquiring stuff has opened up the possibility of being a healthier me.

More Time

One incredible side effect of having less stuff is the time that I seem to be regaining.

It was very subtle at first, but now I am really recognizing the results of these decluttering efforts. It takes less time to put laundry away with less laundry to be washed and stored, there are less piles and trinkets to shift and clean when company is coming.

There is a small hazard though... I recognized this change when I realized I seemed to be spending more and more time watching the TV and searching interesting items on the internet, but the house is not any messier. More time spent, but not less time cleaning?

My newly reclaimed seconds/minutes were being stealthily absorbed by recreation!

Not entirely bad, but not in-line with my fundamental goals for simplifying. My goals are to have a cleaner home and more time for the family... not more time with electronic screens!

I won't share how much time I've been spending wasting in gawking at glowing boxes, but it's a lot longer than is probably healthy.

(Disclaimer: I'm not talking about work time at the computer, I'm talking pure self-indulgence)

Now that I am AWARE of this bonus time, I will be making a conscience effort to keep it for things that I value: home harmony and nurturing relationships.

A fresh year

I had a birthday yesterday. And I feel good about it.

Sure I have been sick for half of 2014 so far (2nd round of antibiotics now) but the end of the cough is within sight. The weather is crazy around here (surprise snowfall time and time again in a place that rarely gets snow) it's certainly not BORING.

But now I am 42 and "42 is the Answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe and Everything" (according to Douglas Adams)! What an awesome excuse to have a terrific year!

What is the plan?

Be accountable.
-health
-nutrition
-education
-parenting
-home

I truly believe a lot of society's problems these days stem from people not taking accountability for their own outcomes. I have fallen into complacency, letting things happen TO me instead of making things happen FOR me. A big no-no in my books.

Two easy questions to ask:

Are my actions in line with my values?
Are the steps I take leading towards my goals?

If the answer is "no" at any point, do a course correction before it gets too late. The trick is to ask the key questions at the right points! BEFORE the chocolate bar,  BEFORE the hours are wasted at TV, BEFORE thrift shopping, BEFORE tempers are lost.... you get the idea.

I know the right things to do. I just have been lazy, really lazy.
NO MORE! 42 is the magic number for me!

Clean Living

January is traditionally a time for resetting the calendar and making promises to be a better person.

I am no exception. After the excess of the holiday I usually suffer a hangover of sorts from the buying frenzy, excess socializing and big foods. I don't want to sound like Scrooge here… I do enjoy it all -- in moderation.

I am keeping a food diary again….   It is a revealing exercise into my habits and encourages me to make better choices if I'm writing it down!

Focussing on the evening family meal, this is what we've done lately:

Moroccan rice stuffed tomatoes
Marinara Spaghetti
Cauliflower Cheese Soup (original Moosewood Cookbook version)
Pork Stirfry on noodles with LOADS of bright veggies)
Homemade Chili
BLT's with tomato soup and green salad
Fish tacos (soft)
Easy Quiche with cheddar, bacon, peppers, tomatoes (affectionate nicknamed "egg pie")
Stinging Nettle Basil Gnocchi
Calamari rings sauteed in garlic lemon served on wilted spinach with a side of brown rice

Sunday was a special event, my Father in Law brought dinner over: Braised lamb shanks with an amazing pureed vegetable sauce, sheeps-cheese & parsley mashed potatoes, herbed cauliflower and greek style green salad.

I prefer to look at my favourite grocery store sales flyer and make meal plans. But often to save a bit of money I will pick up on-date discounted meat and throw it right into the freezer and integrate those items into the menu too. So I have bought and tried some interesting things over the years. Good thing there are no picky eaters in this house!

The grocery store is like travelling the world! Products from around the globe to explore. A few inspirational ingredients and a quick search on the internet for the best recipe is my idea of a good time in the kitchen!