Paleo update

Im finishing week 4 of this paleo thing and I feel like I'm doing pretty good. I've lost a solid 5 pounds and if it wasn't for babies refusing to sleep, I think I'd have more energy. I'm certainly fitting into clothes better which is always fun. I've posted some of my meals below which include spaghetti squash spaghetti, homemade kale chips, an urban standard omelette, Cobb salad, my fav milk substitute almond coconut milk, veggie chicken patties with onions, green peppers and mushrooms, and a few breakfast choices. I really try not to cheat but in some eating situations the paleo choices sparse. Hopefully month two will be just as successful!

Ode to a Bachelorette

Last weekend I took a much needed break from life and headed down to the lovely orange beach for my sisters bachelorette party. I took along with me plenty of paleo snacks, two new not so terrible non-bikini swim suits, Tina Fey's audio book of Bossypants, and a good amount of coconut rum. As I expected, the weekend was spectacular. We found time to chill, get some sun, "shower Taylor" and
Of course hit up the Florabama. I've never had a trip there I didn't absolutely love. Kara- remember when I stole that guys quesadilla? Or when matt got a henna tatoo of a dinosaur? Once i saw John Parker Wilson and almost lost it. Love that bar! This trip was certainly no disappointment. We had lots of other bachelorettes, fellow Chivers, a sailing adventure, guys in cat t-Shirts, and full filled runs on the beach. Can't wait for the big day in October!

Train Wreck

Who are we kidding, I would prob watch this.

Paleo Paleo

I am 11 days into one of the hardest things ive ever done. Ive gone Primal. That's right, im officially a hunter gatherer as ive converted to the ways of the Paleo Diet. Something had to give since its been 7 months now and im still holding on to these last 15 pounds. Because of the insane balancing act of job, babies, and life in general, it has been hard till this point to fathom committing 100% to a better diet. I dont like to do things unless im 100% committed, so I knew I had to be at a certain mental place to pull this off. That's another reason I waited 11 days to go "public" with my decision. I had to make sure I didnt go public and then fail a day later. Lucky for me,  I am finally in a place to focus on me and take a go at this.

Without going into the specifics of this diet, the premise is to eat like a primitive human. Meat, veggies and fruit are the main components. Dairy, grains, beans, and sugar are out. This becomes difficult when you consider just how much I love cheese and milk. I had a problem. I also call this the baby food diet as I am eating the same things as the boys. I'm still making their food, so thats actually really helping me to keep with this. If they eat it, I eat it. It makes dinner for both all of us easy. I'm having fun hitting up farmers markets on the weekends and getting meat from the grocery store during the week. I'm attempting to get up and run a few days a week with my sis. So, in order to exercise, eat, shower and prepare bottles, baby food, ect my day usually begins around 4:45am. I call that first hour of the day my "Jeris time." That time slot use to be on Friday nights drinking margs with my ladies, but now I settle for the crack ass of dawn. By 6:00-6:30 the boys are up, and by 8:30 it's work time till 5:00. Then home, dinner, baby time and bed. repeat. Thats my life. I thought i'd share that because I get the "I dont see how you do it" phrase quite a lot. Well, thats how. Clearly, I dont sleep much. 

Ok, back to eating like a brontosaurus who likes red meat. So far ive lost 3.5 pounds. Not bad for 11 days in. Other notable accomplishments: Ive had one diet coke during this tenure and I havent had taco bell in a month (big deal for me). Ive taken my measurements too, but I'll just share the change after 30, 60 and 90 days. I'm lucky to have two girlfriends doing this with me, so we do some recipe sharing, which makes for good accountability. If you have done this diet before and have any good food ideas (besides a scrambled egg dish, im already sick of eggs) then feel free to let me know! So far ive made some pretty cool stuff from ideas on This Blog but im always looking for more. My food pics are attached.

One of my favs. So simply yet so yummy. Sauteed Chinese eggplant, okra, sweet pots, tomatoes, and grilled chicken.

All foods except the chicken were from the Valleydale Farmers Market (saturdays 8-12, across from Jeff State) 

TACO TUESDAY! Ground sirloin, homemade taco seasoning, guac, tomatoes, and lettucs wraps

Champions breakfast. Tomatoes, turkey sausage, hard boiled eggs (done in my steamer, so amazingly easy)

My least fav, but prob the highest in vitamins. Baked Tilapia, acorn squash, and yellow squash and zucchini "pasta" (use a potato peeler and peel veg into strips like fettuccine. Then steam or boil for a few mins just like pasta. 

Tomato salad with okra, onions, green peppers and balsamic vinegar

So, thats my diet. I'm pretty excited about it, especially since ive seem results so quickly. I'm hoping to also have more energy daily and hopefully require less coffee to keep me functioning during the day.  Ok, off to get some sleep until my teething babies come calling...

Cool Kids

Not much else to say at the moment, but that I'm loving this age and these little men.

Inspiration from Abroad

Did anyone ever watch Jamie Olivers' Food Revolution? I was obsessed, and I think the dire state of our school lunches is a real concern to the health of the next generation. Apparently, a little girl on the other side of the pond agrees. This blog is pretty cool.  She has taken it upon herself to take photos of her primary school lunches and rate them based on a system she created which includes how many bites the whole meal took (portion control), the yummy factor, the health rating, the price, and if she found a hair in the meal or not. Highly important factor. I think this little girl is hella cool, so check her out. Did I mention she also raises money for a non profit in Africa? Amazing. Here is her profile for starters:

"My dad says I should call myself Veritas Ex Gustu, truth from tasting in Latin but who knows Latin? 

You can call me Veg."

That First Week

I started this post several months ago, two weeks into both of us working full time without full time childcare. Because of this and the craziness that is our lives, Im just now getting around to finishing the post and sharing the insanity of that first week.

 Hectic isnt the right word to describe the events of that week. Luckily, the boys have some very accommodating grandmommas, so we survived. Many random and crazy things happened that week, but one of them topped the others. On tuesday of that week I had lunch with a coworker and on the way decided since it was such a pretty day, I would roll down my back windows and enjoy the breeze. Unfortunately for me, one of them would not roll back up. I dont use my back windows often, so I guess it was severely out of practice. Since I haul the boys around daily, I couldnt have them exposed to the elements in the back seat. I quickly called my amazing mechanic (shameless plus for Duffy's Garage) and they fit me in after lunch. It just needed a new motor, but they would have to order it. In the meantime, they took the car door apart to find the fallen window, raised it up, and duck taped the hell out of it to get it to stay. This took some time, so in the meanwhile, I chilled out in their office. For a while, I just surfed facebook and minded my own business, until another one of garage's clients came in. He's was an older man, probably 6 foot 6, and at least 300 pounds. He looked like he hadn't bathed in days, and was wearing an over-sized grey t-shirt and flannel pj camo pants. He's also driving a Mercedes. If there is anything ive learned in over five years in the personal finance industry, it's that looks are deceiving, and the millionaire next door doesnt always look like they stepped out of a Brooks Brothers catalog. (See Duck Dynasty)

So, as redneck santa talks about the work done on his car, I step out to call J and let him know where I am. As the phone starts ringing, I glance over at my car and see some reddish looking oil on the ground underneath my door. Then I see a mechanic grabbing his leg, and I quickly realize that there is not oil, but a whole lot of blood not only on the floor, but also all over the inside of my car. WTF. I'm comprehending all of this while starting a conversation with J that quickly ended with, "I'm gonna have to call you back." I ask the guy if he needs some help and he said yes right away. So, I run into the office and let the owner know that some medical attention is definitely needed in the shop. The next thing I know, there are two firetrucks and an ambulance blocking in my car. Apparently, while trying to get my window un-jammed, this guy has accidentally stabbed himself in the leg with his tool. He had to have about 10 staples, but ended up being ok. Things finally calm down and they take the guy to the hospital. Someone else starts working on my car so I can get out of there (its been over an hour at this point).

I went back into the office and sit across from redneck santa as he proceeds to pay for his car repairs. Instead of taking out a wallet he reaches into his pj pants and produces a brown lunch bag full of stacked $100 bills. But he doesnt stop there. For some reason, he also very nonchalantly pulls out a flask and a pistol. WHAT IN THE WORLD. I am now staring down the owner with a "What in the hell is going on" look on my face. He gives me a reassuring nod that this is normal, not to dont panic. I'm pretending to surf facebook now, but all my attention is on this crazy guy and these items. He pays with the cash, and the stuffs the other effects back into the big ass pockets. Wow. That was a first. (was the highlighted for you? it wasn't meant to be, but i cant figure out why its doing this. I digress)

My car finally gets done, and by now three hours have gone by since I left the office for lunch. I get back and unbeknownst to me, the staff had thrown me a "Five years in the business" party (that day was my work anniversary). However, by the time I got there, it had been long over. They told me it was fun and that there were ice cream sandwiches in the fridge. Go figure.

That week we also found our amazing nanny (thank God, I couldn't deal with anymore over the top crazy) that is not allowed to get married or have kids of her own, because I want to keep her forever. So, our weeks are slightly less hectic thanks to her and to our mothers being there for us. Luckily for you, our life is always slightly manic, so good stories are just around the corner...