Whole 30: One Week Left

 We have 7 days left in the program before reintroduction. Did I feel the legendary "tiger's blood"? Not really, but I did feel pretty productive and wasn't drained after a busy day. The kids also say that they don't feel too much different or better, so perhaps we generally do pretty good. 

Hailey has overall been a joy to be around, which was not the case last month. We found out that she is still pretty allergic to almonds, pistachios and cashews. She may also be sensitive to either strawberries or raw tomatoes. We are going to have to experiment with this some more in the next few days, but I hate to finally have a kid who loves tomatoes, be allergic to them. She gets a red rash around her mouth and her eczema flairs up pretty badly. I think the sugar dragon is still strong in her because she is constantly asking for fruit. I usually will let her have some (unless it's right before meal time) but I know if she had her way, she would eat her weight in fruit. 

Here are the meals we've had since my last post. Tonight's duck may have been my favorite meat. I just seasoned a duck with salt and pepper and roasted it in the oven for 3 hours. The meat was super succulent and the skin perfectly crispy. Bonus: I was able to collect the rendered fat for duck fat potatoes in the future! The mash wasn't a great hit with the kids: it was mashed fresh pumpkin, which just doesn't taste as good as the canned.

A few days ago, I made 5 pounds of chili. You'll see it again. 

Frittatas with leftover veggies from the night before is always yummy. This time I added some left over tikka masala chicken and cauliflower rice, which made a very interesting and yummy flavor. 

Sometimes to get Hailey more excited about her food, I'll make a special arrangement for her. 

Tikka Masala is probably one of our favorite meals. 

I made a chicken soup for a friend who was sick. I ended up tripling the recipe so that we could also have it for lunch. For the most part, you guys liked the soup. 

This is probably the most popular breakfast. You all love the "juicy egg" AKA over easy egg. Sometimes Hailey will scarf down 2 of them. 

Spaghetti squash has never been a hit at our house. I've tried making it al dente, soft, just right, and it seems like you guys prefer it a bit more on the softer side. I made a carbonara out of it, which I thought was really good, but you guys weren't huge fans. 

I used to make shepherd's pie all the time before the kids were born. I love that you can add practically anything (including greens) in the meat filling. 

We kind of cheated one day and made whole 30 compliant, but doesn't follow with the spirit of the program banana pumpkin pancakes. You guys liked them and asked if we could occasionally replace the regular pancakes with this stuff. Sure thing kiddos! 

Tikka masala again (I made a big batch the first time)

More chili. 

The typical left over meal. I usually just pull out all the tupperware containers and put it on the counter for everyone to claim. It's easy and everyone is happy with what they get. 

Pork tenderloin with walnut crust was Steve's favorite meal. The seasoning was a bit intense for the kids, so I'm going to try a milder mixture for next time. 

I attempted to make beef fried rice with riced cauliflower...let's just say you can't beat the original. 

I made a whole 30 compliant version of one of my favorite (kids' too) dishes: chinese lion head meatball soup. Our whole family scarfed down 2 pounds worth of meat in one meal. 

I was also able to make a whole 30 compliant version of Jason's deli chicken salad. To make that, I had to make my own mayonnaise, which I learned is so easy to make (and tastes so much better)! 

We also had roasted chicken one night for dinner. Yum! 

Key lessons learned is plan out everything including main dish and sides. I used to plan the main entree (usually meat) and the sides would come as an afterthought. Also, making double or triple the recipe so that we can have another easy to heat meal later has been a game changer. 

After 23 days, I used up an entire 28 oz. jar of ghee, which is baffling because I feel like I've lost a little bit of weight since my pants are fitting a little looser. 

I'm looking forward to seeing how our body reacts to the reintroduction of tofu/legumes, gluten, grains, and dairy. 

The kids want to go nuts with sugar after whole 30. I've already said, "no" but let's see if you even will want it when the time comes. 

7 more days! 

Enjoying Time Outside

Dear Kiddos, 

We definitely took it on the easy side this week and just spent a lot of time outside. Hannah and Hailey, you two play this adorable game where one of you is the princess and the other is the "go go" who is a seal. The princess makes commands like sing, dance, jump, forward roll, turn, etc. and the "go go" obeys and does the tricks. Hailey, it's your favorite game to play right now. 

One afternoon, Hailey you just wanted to sit and peel garlic. You didn't want to play, go on a walk or anything, just wanted to peel garlic. I remember when Hannah was your age, if she was very frustrated or upset, I would give her a clove of garlic to peel and usually it would calm her down. 

Nathan, you earned your blue belt this week in martial arts. You were working very hard upstairs and just when I thought your fitness challenge was over, I hear sensei's voice, Ok, now let's get ready for the fitness challenge. 

Hailey, you still like helping out with meal prep. One day we were having leftovers and I let you have first pick of what to eat. You still like your chicken, egg, frozen peas, and ketchup. 

Hannah, you took one of our delivery boxes and you turned it into an ice cream machine. Every day you two will go and play ice cream truck for a bit. Hailey is the vendor and Hannah you are the customer. You even have a menu to pick from. Watch out for the spicy ice cream! 

One afternoon we decided to split open of the pumpkins to roast and eat. We ended up also roasting the seeds (big hit with you kids). You two spent a good half hour scooping out the seeds. 

Hannah, you complained that your bangs were getting in your eyes and that you wanted super short bangs. You also had the idea of wearing goggles while getting a trim so that the hair wouldn't get in your eyes. It kind of worked out because I could use the top of the goggles as a guide for the bangs! 

On Sunday you guys got to make a real leather slingshot for church crafts. We are so thankful for the opportunity to continue to learn more about God despite having to be stuck at home. Also thankful for the craft kids that are available. 

This week I met up with a few of my derby friends at a skate park. We arrived early and had the whole park to ourselves for a good while. I really enjoyed the experience, so I planned to go check out another skate park the next day and Hannah you came along. There were lots of kids zooming around and I was very proud that you were not shy or intimidated and chose to stay. The 6 year old me would've been thinking abort! 

We put up some lights in the backyard so we can jump more when the sun goes down. I really like it. 

It's really cool to see Hannah and Hailey's relationship bud and develop. Before Hailey favored Nathan, but now Hailey, you are favoring Hannah more. I'm sure things will go back and forth over time. 

Today Auntie Momo made a surprise visit and dropped off a bunch of gifts for you guys. Since she started teaching in person, we have not been able to see her since she was here in the summertime. She stayed for about an hour and then drove back to Dallas. 

Daddy will be taking some time off between now and the end of the year. He's decided that he will be teaching you guys how to play softball/baseball. We were able to get second hand equipment through our neighborhood garage sale site quickly and you guys have already started practicing after dinner. I think it'll be fun for you guys to be able to hang out with Daddy and learn something new. 

 Nathan and Hannah, since you guys both get extra downstairs time at night, so sometimes to get extra board game time or story time, you two will take showers or baths together. I love hearing the giggles and splashing shared between you and I know that these days will soon become too awkward to continue. You both are now back to sleeping in the same room (Hannah on the top bunk and Nathan on the bottom) and you both love playing legos and Star Dew Valley together. 

At night we are reading the Chronicles of Narnia series together. We've finished the first book and we are now on the second (in the order of publication) book, Prince Caspian. I love sharing these moments with you two and also know that these days of reading to you will also come to an end soon. 

Well, that's about it for this week. 

Love, 

Mommy 

Trampolines, Constellations and Mashed Potato/Service Projects

Dear Kiddos, 

We finally convinced Daddy to let you guys get a trampoline! Of course, we had to first make space for it, so we dug out all of these dwarf palmettos (that I never really liked anyways) and found new homes for them. And then all that was left to do was for us to wait for the magical delivery. 

The weather this past week really has been just perfect! Highs in the 70's and 80's has been calling us to spend as much time outside as possible. 

Now that you've been on your medication for about a week, you seem to be doing ok with it. You are generally more happy and willing work within reason. You still love to help to cook when you can. 

One of your highlights of the week is Chinese storytime (virtually). The teacher sends the recordings of the class after the session and you request a replay of it 2-3 times a week! You get to listen to stories, do crafts, and get encouraged while doing so, I can totally see the draw. 

Well, the trampoline quickly arrived and together, we were able to put it together in basically 1 afternoon. I started with both of you helping, but in the end, only Hannah stuck through it with me. 

I must say that this trampoline has been a blessing in disguise! I feel like I've regained a little bit of time to myself when you guys go outside and jump. I used to get my break when Hailey, you would nap, but since that is a thing of the past, time on the trampoline gives me a little time out for myself. 

This past week, we learned about stars and various constellations. I had you guys create your own night sky map and make up your own constellations. Afterwards I had you guys write a story about one of the constellations that you created. 

Hailey, of course, you were excused from the writing part. 

Hailey, you and I spent one afternoon raking leaves from the front yard. I would load the can up with leaves and stick you inside the can to crush and compact the leaf pile. It was pretty amusing for you. 

Since we've been doing the Whole 30 program, I've been cooking a lot and most days I'm just checked out by the time I sit down for dinner, so if you guys want dessert, you have to make it yourself. You guys have gotten really good at making fruit salads. 

On Monday, Hailey, you got your gut looked at through an ultruasound machine. You did great and followed directions, all on an empty stomach. After the appointment, we went to a nearby park to have a picnic and watched the birds for a bit. 

In art class this week, you guys painted pandas. 

On Monday, you guys helped me make 30 pounds of mashed potatoes. This was for a dinner that we would be serving (through our church) to residents at a foundation community facility. The big kids came a long to help set the food out so that they could be picked up socially distanced. Hannah, you did a great job at not complaining about not being able to eat the desserts that were there. I'm not going to say the same thing for Nathan, but we had a talk and I think you understand. 

You both did a great job and helped transport food from the car to the distribution area and then you guys stood behind the serving line to tell people what foods they were picking up, while replenishing supplies at the same time. 

The past 2 days has been the busiest it has been in a long time. In a way, it's good to have deadlines and people to serve, but now that it's settling for a moment, it's also nice to know that we can just kick our feet up and relax for a bit. 

Until next week, 

Love, 

Mommy