Month: September 2017

Thoughts on Whole30

Anna Blankenheim Health

Just like that, my first Whole30 experience is over. I am so amazed at what this process has taught me. Here are a few of the things I’ve learned:

  • I actually like healthy food! Who knew Brussels sprouts could be yummy?
  • Until now, I was eating WAY too much sugar.
  • I’ve learned to pay better attention to labels. Is there any reason my blueberry Eggo waffles should have black carrot juice in them?
  • I don’t need Diet Coke nearly as much as I thought I did.
  • Real, restful sleep is amazing. So is not having the 2pm slump.
  • I’m a car snacker, especially on the way home from work. I don’t need to be.

I highly recommend this process to anyone looking to “reset” not only how they eat, but their relationship with food. I had two eye opening experiences – I came down with a cold at the end and when I took my first shot of DayQuil (I’ve always liked the liquid because it coats your throat and just feels like it’s working), all I could taste was sugar. Same thing when I had half a glass of Sprite with lunch – sugar.

Don’t get me wrong… I had a bowl of ice cream and it was wonderful. But I am going to be more mindful about what I eat and when I eat it. I plan on making decisions on when I choose to eat carbs and sugar, not assuming that every meal should include them.

Was it easy? Absolutely not. Was it worth it? For sure!!!

Whole 30 Taco Salad with Cilantro Lime Dressing

Anna Blankenheim Cooking, Recipes , , ,

I promised to share any delicious recipes I found, and I sure am finding some yummy ones! Something that has been really neat about this process is discovering how easy it is to make some of our favorite things. Mayonnaise, for example.

Last night, in honor of taco Tuesday, we had taco salad for dinner. I found the recipe for the taco seasoning at Our Paleo Life and the recipe for the cilantro lime dressing at Stupid Easy Paleo. In about 1/2 an hour, we had the delicious creation below!!!

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Bad Days – Keepin’ It Real

Anna Blankenheim Critters ,

So, if you made it to this post through Facebook, you did so via a really cute picture of my puppy, Tritip.

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There’s a reason for that… the content ahead can and will be used in a court of law for my insanity trial, coming soon to a courthouse near you. No, seriously, there are graphic pictures to follow and it’s dinner time when I’m posting this, so I wanted you to be able to opt out if you so choose. So, if you’re that grossed out person, close the browser now.

I mean it.

Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Here’s the deal. I’ve had a cranky last couple of days. Just various, insignificant things that have been bothering me. In the grand scheme of things, they’re small. I know kids are starving in Africa, people are underwater in Houston, and even in my home state of California, people are in real danger of their homes burning.

The last few days Jenny has been working through her anger issues while Mike and I have been at work on anything she can get her teeth on. Seriously anything. Cardboard boxes, my flip flops, my cowboy boots, a ball point pen, a dish brush, Yahtzee, Cards Against Humanity, and even one of the sofa cushions.

Today, however, was just the icing on the cake… the coup de grâce. We left Jenny and Brady outside in the kennel (ha! take that!) and Tippy in the bathroom. He had a bit of an upset tummy last night, so I wasn’t expecting to come home to nothing. As I peeked into the bathroom, I was met with a bright-eyed, wiggly puppy. So far so good.

Then I saw he had made use of his potty pads and, for the most part, had made it onto said potty pads. I thoroughly praised him and took him outside so that I could come back in and clean up.

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That’s when I noticed it. The art.

Yes, my bright-eyed wiggly puppy decided that just shitting everywhere wasn’t enough. He needed to finger paint. And why not? That’s what everyone does when they have a nice little place to nap, a thousand toys, and some water… they choose to smear their own feces all over the counters, cabinets, door, walls, and floor!!!

After I got done cleaning, I sat down to reflect… and that’s when I began to laugh. There are most definitely worse things that could happen… now I need to go downstairs and see why it just got quiet…