We are still here!

Haha!  Um, yeah.  I do have a family of six that tries to be active in the church and the CrossFit communities.  Not that the daily tasks needed to keep the house flowing smoothly aren't enough to throw us off track quite often... I do apologize for not being more on top of this blog.  I really intended it to be a way for family and friends to keep up and feel a part of our lives and then to also spread the good word of Paleo and CrossFit.  I failed at both!  Here is an attempt to catch you up.  I hope you have time! :o)

There are so many plates in the air I often feel I am not up to the task.  My only desire is to do them all well, yet to do well in one only leads the others to teeter. I'm left to just keep them all from falling, and then occasionally allowing one to crash, only to pick another one up in it's place.

With that in mind we are currently reorganizing the plates, evaluating the value of each one, and attempting to give the most treasured a more stable stick to stand on.

Our budget is one plate that has been teetering very dangerously.  We, like most, have champagne taste on a beer budget.  We try to be responsible in balancing our wants and our needs and not going into debt.  That plate alone takes a lot of attention!  CrossFit and the Paleo diet have been taking a HUGE chunk of our budget.

We aren't flexible on Paleo.  We aren't perfect or 100%, 100% of the time.  We do the best we can with what we have, and I am learning every month new tricks and ways to keep it as affordable as possible for us.  It is just the way we eat now.  We all feel better, look better.  It is a win-win and totally worth the extra bucks.

CrossFit is more flexible.  We were purchasing a family plan so we could all go unlimited.  It was a good deal, if you used it enough.  We weren't using it enough!  Michael was the only one that would make it 5 days a week and even then he would go a week or more without getting to go because of TDY's.  With our changes in homeschooling and daily life obligations, I found it hard to attend 3 days a week, and the kids!  Ha!  Lets just say we are in a difficult time right now trying to teach them responsibility (for schoolwork and chores) and time management. (Yes, I need work in those areas too!)   They only made it twice a month! It also takes a huge chunk of time out of our day (the biggest reason I couldn't get there often enough) at a 2 hour minimum from garage there and back. We were not getting our money's worth and it was hurting our wallet, yet it isn't something we want to give up.  I LONG to go every day.  If I had a different life I would probably be a box rat or CrossFit coach, just so I could workout a lot and help others while I was at it.

We checked out the free gym on post since we heard it had the stuff for CrossFit.   Big money saver right?!  We would lose the company of great fellow CrossFitters and coaches (boo!!) but gain the money we paid the box...  Blah!  It didn't have anything set up for kids and it was a total Globo gym.  I felt hugely uncomfortable there and was still left with the time issue and the added problem of finding something to do with the kids. (They went with me to the box, they have a room upstairs with a TV and couches, it was great!  It was no different then us being home with them upstairs playing while I'm downstairs working.)

So we started researching home gym equipment again.  We had looked into this when we first moved here but it just worked out better to go to the box.  I think I really needed the time and experiences that I gained from there.  Once we added everything up and compared it to the monthly cost of the gym for the remainder of our time on the island, we found we will save $1000's in the long run and still have the equipment to use for the rest of our lives!  The savings will only grow over the years!

Now, I admit that I wasn't going to the box just to experience pain and exhaustion   It was to experience pain and exhaustion with others! Haha! (Yeah, you do have to be a bit nuts to CrossFit).  I also admit that I am still in need of coaching.  Competitions of some kind are something I would like to see in my future and that would require instruction and guidance (and TIME).  These issues are solved by 1) the fact that Michael and I plan to workout together in the am before the kiddos get up,  2) we both have been doing it enough that we have the basic movements down and can watch each other to correct form, at this point it is just working it over and over to get better, and best of all, 3)  the competitions I am most interested in is Olympic weightlifting and the box has recently set up a barbell club that will be working all those movements on a more individual level.  As a now non-member, I will pay more for the club, but that is still cheaper than our monthly fee.  Bonus, it is only once a week!  I can do that!

This is where I will pause for life to have my attention and not overwhelm you all with my rambling.  Michael is TDY this week so I will have more time to continue this catch-up session.  I promise to get to the rest of the 'plates' we are spinning and picking up very soon.  Stay tuned! :o)

President's Day update

So the Paleo challenge is going well.  We are off to a great start.  I will post some picks of some of the things we have all been eating.  Yes, the WHOLE family is participating in this.  The big girls even asked if they can start doing CrossFit.  They had their first class on Saturday and LOVED it!  I am so excited for them! :o)

These are in no particular order.  A couple of the pics are even from before the challenge officially started. There was obviously more but I don't want to bore you with the details.  Just know it was all delicious!  I will post the fish n'chips recipe soon.  

Have a great President's day!

:o)

Paleo/CrossFit Challenge Begins!

Ok, so this is me in '07.  I'm not sure my exact weight, somewhere around 215lb or so. Size 1XL / 20 jeans were comfy.

This is March of 2009.  I was just finishing up my first trimester with the twins.  Around 220-230lb. Size 1XL / 20 Jeans

This is my sister and I summer of 2011.  We had both lost a lot of weight (her more than I).  I had been CrossFitting and dieting for a little less than a year.  Weight was 195-200lb.  Size 14 jeans.

Here is a current pic.  I average around 205lb. My size 14 jeans are now comfy.  I have been back at doing CrossFit at least 3days/week since October 2011 and eating mostly paleo since August 2011.

Today marks the first day of a 50 Day Paleo Challenge at my box.  I am very excited to see the changes that will happen to my body over this time.  I am now getting at least 4days/week at the box, planning on 5-6.  Between these two things I am confident my body will be transformed.  Just the little bit that I have been doing has already done so much.  This increase in dedication is going to pay off big time!

The next couple of months are going to be pretty exciting.  I also signed up for the CrossFit Open and am participating in the Warrior Dash in March.  Are you guys ready??  Watch out!  Here I come! :oD

Lava cakes in a mug! Ohhh yeaaah!

So, as Juli said at PaleOMG, "this idea was not mine".  She is the one who inspired me with her recipe and I too improved up on it to my liking.  So Juli, try this one!

Lava Cake in a mug

2 TBLS Cocoa powder
2 TBLS almond flour
2 TBLS coconut oil (or butter) melted
1-2 TBLS honey (to taste)
1 egg
pinch of cinnamon

Mix all ingredients in a coffee mug with a fork.  (It is best to leave your egg out to come to room temperature if you are using coconut oil before mixing as it will cause the oil to solidify if it is cold.)  Microwave on high for 1 min.  WATCH OUT!! You must control yourself because it will be HOT.  Allow it to cool for a couple minutes then  indulge in a guilt free treat!  If you have to take it up a notch, add some dark chocolate chips (this will up the sugar though!) and whip up some cream to top it with.  Oh come on!  That notch has to be raised on occasion. ;o)

Enjoy! :oD

Oh and Juli, I am totally checking out those Sweet potato brownies!!  Thanks for sharing!

We're workin' it!

Yeah baby!  Here we go!

So, since my last post a lot has happened.  We are no longer in the hotel.  He have and are settled into our new home courtesy of the Army.  I have been doing CrossFit again three days a week at a local box (gym) since October.  We have a schedule!!  And....we have a fully functional paleo kitchen which we have been maintaining very well too!

I cannot express to you just how much moving with four children, living in a downtown condo for two months, unable to establish a routine, dealing with two terrible two year old's and two bickering older sisters, is taxing to the brain of a mother.  Add to that not eating healthfully or exercising, and it gets taxing on the body too!

Needless to say, it was quite a relief when we were able to move into our house and get settled.

My nerves got some relief as well once I got settled back into a routine of going to the gym.  It is amazing what a difference exercise makes for a person's mood!  Really!  EVERYTHING was better; my mood, my outlook, my response to my children and husband, therefore their response to me!  Simply amazing!  Have I mentioned I love CrossFit?!

So given these wonderful changes to our world, I have seen wonderful changes to our health as well!  I am now back into my size 14 jeans!  I have energy again and everyone is looking bright and healthy.

So here is the good stuff.  In January I decided to bump up my workouts to 5 days a week.  (So far, I have only managed to get 4/week.  I am still pressing each week to get at least 5 workouts in. This will be the week!!)  My box (gym) is also starting a 50 day Paleo challenge which is to begin on the 15th of Feb.  I will be posting before pics (some previous and some current) as well as pics of my food.  I will also share some recipes that I feel are goodies.

All this goes in conjunction with our upcoming Warrior dash.  In March Michael and I will be participating in a 5k that has many outrageous obstacles throughout, to include climbing walls, jumping over fire, and crawling through mud under barbed wires.  With the event I have chosen to fund raise for St. Jude as well.  If you would like to donate the link is on the top left of this page.

As you can see, we have a lot going on around here.  I am excited to see how the short term goals turn out and I am excited to share them with you!  As time allows I will be sure to include how we got on this path to begin with, but for now I have to get back to schooling the girls. :o)  I hope to see you back soon!  Please leave a comment and let me know you were here!

P.S. The first recipe is to follow shortly. :o)

Confessions

This is a day for confessing, coming clean, in more ways than one. I have a big huge F on my forehead. F for failure. Given the stressors of traveling and moving, with four children, two of whom have wholeheartedly entered the ever dreaded 'terrible twos' stage, I have most definitely failed at my first attempt to go full Paleo. So much so, I have the evidence around my middle to prove it. I also feel sluggish and unmotivated.

As easy as it was at the time to just "go with it", it is going to be so much harder to start over again. You see, when we set out to visit family it was so much easier (and polite) to just eat what they served us and not ask for special treatment. The food was delicious so it was an easy choice to make. Our reasoning that "it's only for a couple weeks, it won't hurt us", made it even easier. Wrong choice!!!

What happened to that "couple weeks"? It turned into over a month of eating the SAD (standard American Diet) and a struggle to return to our mostly Paleo ways. It combined with a complete lack of exercise also resulted in my gaining back almost all the weight I have lost over the last 2 years!!! I say almost, because I have have lost some of the muscle I had gained and it hasn't resulted in that much of an increase on the scale, just in the way my clothes are fitting. I had finally gotten down into a 14 and now my 16's are getting tight again.

This is what it is all about folks. Not the numbers on the scale, or the # of calories, or even the cost of the food. It is all about the way I feel. When I was even just Paleo-ish I felt SOOOO much better. When I was doing crossfit I had energy. The combination of the two left my clothes loose and comfy! I want that back. I want to get back on track, get CLEAN from the junk I have put into my body, and I want to be healthy, strong, and full of energy!

The time for excuses is gone. We may be living in a hotel, but we have a kitchen. I may not be able to workout the way I want to right now, but my diet is a good place to start on this self made road to success. To ignite this renewed exuberance I am reading: The Primal Blueprint. I highly recommend it! That and the Paleo Solution (but I haven't read it yet just plan to). They will open your eyes to the evils that are whole grains and other "health foods" and turn your idea of healthy eating upside down. It will rock your world!!

Here is to take 2!

Whole30 FTW!

And we're off!!! After about 2 weeks of being 80-90% Paleo today marks the beginning of my Whole30 to official begin our new lifestyle. I am the only one in the family doing the Whole30 since I am the only one in need of shedding a little of my excess body weight. I took pictures and measurements this morning and will not step on the scale again until July 12th, a full 30 days from now. I have to say, I am very excited! All stats and pics will be posted at the end of the 30 days.

So far, after our pseudo-paleo start, I have to say that this is the best 'diet' I have ever tried. I never have been one to jump on any one diet bandwagon. In the past I have just cut back portions and lowered my fat and sugar. (which left me feeling HUNGRY!!) Well, count me in with the crowd on this one, cause I heart REAL food!! This my friends is no 'diet' in the usual use of the word.

For those who are curious, here is a sampling of some of our meals as of late.

Scrambled eggs, pork chops, and berries

fajita salad topped with guac, cheese, and sour cream

Stuffed portabella mushrooms with broccoli on the side

Just a side note: the dairy products are not strict paleo. They are referred to as 'lacto-paleo' which is what we will lean towards. I will not have any for the next 30 days, but as long as it doesn't affect me after that, there is no reason to take it out of my diet. Paleo is all about what works best for your body, so if it ain't broke, don't fix it! :o)

The hardest part of this diet isn't going to be focusing on what we can't have. It is going to be the cost. We just went to the store today and spent about $180 for maybe 5 days worth of food for our family of 6. That is the best trip so far! I have also learned already that it is best to cook big batches with leftovers in order to keep from feeling like all I do is cook. Having the leftovers makes for quick lunches (and sometimes breakfast!). As I type this I have a crockpot full of carnitas cooking away and some kale drip drying so I can make it into kale chips. It's all about the prep-work. You have to put some effort in early to make it easier later. This is definitely going to get me more organized with my meal planning, shopping, and prep.

I am eager to get settled in Hawaii. I am positive that we will be able to bring that cost down to a manageable amount. Not only will we have two large refrigerators to work with instead of one tiny one, we will also be setting up a garden, looking into a CSA for our other produce, and possibly some of our meat as well. With a larger family it does make it more difficult. I am not going to let it get me down. I am stepping up to the challenge and am going to make this work. After all, it's for the good of my family's health!