Happy April Fools Day foolish people! I'm not much of a prankster, and not a great sport about being pranked. Although I really can't remember a good trick that's been played on me, so maybe I'd be open to a little creativity? Sorry for the lack of pictures, I'm feeling talky today.
So this is what's going on in my household...we are slow carbing. Have you heard of this? This New York Times article was complete news to me, but we're up for anything. As much as I DO want to lose the rest of the baby weight (can you still call it baby weight when your baby is 2?), this is about so many more issues than weight loss. The crux of the diet is no white food (or anything that can be white...so no brown rice, no wheat pasta, etc.) and no dairy. Protein, veggies and legumes. That's it folks!
1~ We are fairly healthy eaters anyway. I cook 90% of our meals and they are all healthy. We re-focused our everyday 'diet' on Real Food about a year ago and don't eat a lot of junk. But this slow-carb diet is really teaching me how to step that up a notch!
2~ I have a vegetable problem, and always have. In that I don't so much like them. Insert frowny face. Spinach and peas (my two faves) are major staples of our regular diet. I put spinach in absolutely everything that we eat so that I can get the nutrients that I am missing from the rest of the good greens. Slow-carbing is forcing me to learn to like a few other things.
3~ ...like beans. Oh beans, how I loathe thee. BUT, you have to eat beans constantly on the slow-carb diet or you will starve. So I'm doing it even though I'm scared like there is poison or needles in them. What is wrong with me? I'm a 35 year old woman.
4~ So in summary (not sure why I felt I needed to number something that is clearly not a list), this is really working for us! It's helping me as the family cook, I'm absolutely forced to get creative! The Peeps gets plenty of carbs from his snacking and he doesn't eat dairy anyway so he's rolling with it. He gets fruit though, that lucky kid.
Best of....CHILI!!! I keep a big pot of chili on hand at all times, and it's packed with lentils and pureed black beans (because I'm a child). It is stinkin delicious. I make a dang good chili and now I know how to up the health factor a bit. One bowl of chili for lunch (86 the sour cream and cheese- sad face again) and I am full until dinner. Not wanting to devour an entire batch of hummus at 3:00pm is HUGE for me.
Speaking of hummus, I got a little creative last night (before I actually researched and figured out chickpeas are frowned upon on this diet...and again I'm frowning) and mashed up some chickpeas with garlic, olive oil and beef stock. CAN I JUST TELL YOU YUM?! YUMMMMERS. We will still be frequently indulging.
Even my husband was all "This rocks! Who needs potatoes?" This is my husbands first ever restrictive 'diet' (stupid men, so unfair) and he is being a champ. Not that he needs to diet now, but lets just say he's gotten on an ice cream kick in the last year or so and it hasn't been as kind to him as he would like.
Okay, enough of that, but I'll let you know when I have highly successful experiments in the future.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This is the best giveaway going on in the blogosphere right now, check it out! Bryn Alexandra is giving away piles of amazing Waverly fabrics to 5 lucky readers. I'm a FABRIC JUNKIE, I am so not needing to win this thing.
Go enter the giveaway...all you have to do is leave a comment and some of that gorgeousness could be yours. You know you need pillows, we all need more pillows.
------------------------------------------------------
What else is going on in Lauren-town? Oh, I am recreating this amazing idea this weekend in the Big Boy Room. So cute, thanks Emily (and Emily's husband's cousin's child)! Blue pom-pom for the peeps, naturally.
That's all for me, what's going on with y'all?
Baylor has been walking around the last few days clutching my old copy of Catcher in the Rye and calling it his "Bible". Wow.
WEEEELLLLLL, you know I would have a lot to say about this one. Not only do we do one-two carbs a day, my diet has forced me to be creative...rice and taters. There is only so much rice and taters you can eat...even if your pasta is made from rice.
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like your diet is more like the paleo diet, which Rob and I have started (then a vacation can get you totally off tract). Hmmmm, maybe I need to get back on that.
Let me share a couple ideas that I do. Quinoa is my best friend! It can be used as a side dish, pilaf, even breakfast. They even make a pasta that is made from quinoa. It is the best source of protein in the vegetable kingdom.
Ok...we are just going to have to talk :) So exciting.
No quinoa! I know. Love it too. I really can't give you an answer as to why except that Tim Ferriss (the author) says no. He considers it a grain and only eats it on 'cheat' days or to carb-load for training. However, one of his points about this diet is to get to a good plateau once you've paired down your eating and then slowly experiment with different additions to your diet.
ReplyDeleteI knew you would have good tips, so bring them on gluten-free girl!
We also use spagetti squash for pasta. That is great you can eat beans!!! The p90x diet says beans are carbs...not in my book. What about corn and corn meal? Sweet potatoes? Lettace wraps are great. I can make one hardy salad. Have you tried crowder peas? What about oats? I use flax, chia, and hemp seed instead of granola in my yogurt (they make soy yogurt). Have you tried coconut milk? Almond milk?
ReplyDeleteSince I can't handle most dairy, they make great soy cream cheese and sour cream. I wouldn't touch the soy cheese...weird!
Oh and nuts nuts nuts!! filling snack, I'm no longer scared of "good" fat.
You said you like spinach, have you ever sauted kale? crustless quiche? The almond flour I cook with is AWESOME and is a life savor to me! Elena's Pantry has great recipes and NO flour. I make meatloaf, cookies, salmon cakes,biscuits, chicken nuggets, quiche,etc. all with ground almonds.
Girl I could go on...I just a a couple more minutes to conclude from today.
Corn very sparingly and no corn meal. No sweet potatoes, oats or soy. I do use chia (Mila) but really just in a shot or in smoothies previously.
ReplyDeleteBaylor drinks almond milk...I need to do a little further research on this specific diet to see if we can use the almond products. Nuts are also frowned upon. But this is incredible info going forward so I'm excited!
Look at this blog I found, she has amazing paleo recipes http://www.staceyspaleokitchen.com/
Waverly is right up my alley and I'm going there now! Love the diet update.
ReplyDeleteI haven't looked into it but so far...this diet sucks! :)
ReplyDeleteSo basically you can have veggie (green, orange, red), beans, and meat. Right? Isn't that atkins diet?...proven not healthy. ok, ok...I will look it up before I start running my mouth. Take your vitamins girl, something with a little fiber, vitamin D, and iron.
Atkins diet is bacon cheeseburgers with no bun. Gross. Lentils, beans, spinach and eggs (basically all we are eating) are packed with iron, and getting Vitamin D from plenty of fish.
ReplyDeleteDo you know how much fiber is in beans??!! More than I can handle if you know what I mean. :)
Why aren't we just talking on the phone? Ha.