5 Favorite Products to Help You Survive Your First Whole30

Linking up with Jenna at Call Her Happy today for some Five Favorites!

The most important step to ensuring you have a successful Whole30 experience is being prepared.  Especially during those first crucial few days when all the angry feels are going to be attacking your brain and making you want to punch walls and gobble down bricks of cheese, you'll want to make sure your fridge and pantry are locked and loaded.  Here's a quick list of things that I just couldn't do without during this #holidaywhole30!

(1)

Trader Joe's Coconut Oil

Coconut Oil.  You've heard those weirdo hippy friends of yours talking about it and wondered to yourself, "what's all the hubub, bub?"  I'm no health expert, so I can't break down the scientific data for you here.  However, I do know that this stuff is full of all the "good fats" and is a much healthier alternative to those yucky veggie oils you see lining the shelves.  I keep this stuff on my counter for everything from frying eggs, to sauteing veggies, to plopping a little spoonful in my morning coffee (it's good for your brain, yo!)  I like this Trader Joe's oil because it has a pretty subtle coconut taste, and I'm not the world's biggest fan of that "tropical" vibe.  Ya dig? 

(2)

Trader Joe's Almond Butter

Oooh, almond butter.  How do I love thee?  Let me count the ways: on apples, on bananas, in smoothies, right off the spoon... This stuff is just good, you guys.  I may or may not have developed a slight addiction to this stuff, so I try and keep my intake to a minimum.  Too much of a good thing can be delicious counter-productive.

(3)

Wholly Guacamole Minis

It seems like every time I go to the store, the avocados are in one of two states: they're either hard as rocks or total mush-footballs.  This can be pretty frustrating on it's own, but add to that the fact that I'm really good at leaving avocado in the pantry, forgetting about them until they're completely disintegrated into mealy nothingness... it's a lose-lose situation here in my casa.  Enter these little beauties!  For less than $4 you can get a pack of four little guacamole cups, all seasoned up and ready to be added to a burger, salad, mashed with a hard-boiled egg, mixed with chicken for a quick chicken salad, used as a dip for veggies, or just eaten straight-up with a spoon.  With a super-short list of whole ingredients (and a spicy option, as well!) these things are fantastic to have in the fridge.

(4)

Purity Farms Organic Ghee

When I first started researching the Whole30 plan, I was a little worried about the lack of whole butter.  I've been in the "butter is better" camp for quite a long time, and have always given that weird margarine junk-in-a-tub the side eye at the grocery store.  Olive oil and coconut oil were great and all, but no butter?  Well, guess what?  Ghee is butter.  It's just been clarified, meaning all the milk solids have been removed.  This is great news for people with a lactose sensitivity, as well as for my morning scrambled eggs.  This stuff is delicious in mashed cauliflower, sauteed veggies, used to sear steak or get a nice browning on chicken.  It really can be used in any way you would use regular butter.  I just bought the Purity Farms brand for the first time today and have liked it so far.  I've been buying the Trader Joe's brand up until this point, which is a little cheaper where I live.  You can also make this stuff yourself, but I'm too big of a pansy.  I just know I would waste 8 bucks worth of Kerrygold and be ticked off for a week.  No bueno!

(5)

Evolution Fresh Juices

I was a little hesitant to add these to the list, but I'm doing it anyway.  The Whole30 website discourages people from going nuts with juices and smoothies and recommends you just eat your fruits and vegetables instead.  I totally understand that, and I'm not suggesting you go nuts, either.  However, there are times when I just don't feel like physically eating anything, but I know I need something, and these (like the occasional fruit/greens smoothie) do the trick for me.  That said, here's a warning: stay away from the ones that are super high in sugar!  I saw one at the store this morning with amost 30 GRAMS of sugar - you may as well drink a soda!  The juices that are mostly fruit are the ones that can be astronomically high in sugar, and not only is that just a bad idea in general (no matter if the sugar is from a whole food source) but it can also cause a crazy spike in your blood sugar, which can lead to a nasty crash a little while later.  (Remember Halloween night when you were a kid?  Yeah.  Like that.)  My two favorite juices are Essential Greens (7g carbs, 6g sugar) and Organic V (15g carbs, 14g sugar).  Each bottle is TWO servings, so don't sit down and chug the whole thing.  At $4 a pop, these are definitely an occasional treat during your Whole30, and worth having around for those times chewing and swollowing just doens't sound like fun (trust me - that can and will happen at some point!)

Don't forget to follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest for more about my Whole30! 

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

{RRR} Whole30 Week 2 Update!

How did it get to be Day 16 so quickly?  

I can't believe that I am over that halfway hump already!  For all the headaches, stomach issues, grumpiness, and lustful thoughts about candy bars (and strange dreams about wine), the last 16 days really has flown by.  I am SO proud of my husband and myself - in fact, we were just discussing how we don't really remember the last time we committed to something like this and actually saw it through this far.  Imagine how we'll feel when we hit that glorious Day 30! *fist pump*

What I learned during Week 2:

• I can survive without cheese.  Really.  Before I started this eating plan, I pretty much put cheese on everything I ate.  And when I wasn't melting/shredding/tossing it with my meals, I was snacking on it in cube form.  The first cheeseless week felt like my own personal version of hell.  That second week was much, much easier!
• Being exhausted is part of the process.  I was so tired for about 3-4 days that I thought I might have to turn in my Mom Card (yeah, like you can do that) and just be a professional sleeper.  I did some research to try and figure out why I was going to bed early, getting up late, and still wishing for my fluffy pillow all afternoon, and I found out that my body is literally trying to heal itself from all the damage I'd done to it in the months/years leading up to this experiment.  Yikes!
• My husband is amazing!  For real, though.  I know lots of women who've done the Whole30 solo, while still making separate meals for their hubbies and kids.  That would be so, so hard for me (not to mention a ton of work), and I could totally see myself throwing in the towel after a few days.  Kudos to those ladies who can stick to their guns like that!  Luckily for me and my weak-willed self, Daniel is right there with me.  He yells at Jimmy John's commercials and drools a bit over the girls' snacks, but he's doing it.  He swears he's never doing it again, which is totally fine with me (and makes me laugh hysterically).  I'm just glad I've had him for this first time!
• I have to make myself eat, even when I don't feel like it.  I had a few, ahem, internal issues that second week (if you catch my drift) and there were plenty of times that, especially given my options, I just didn't want to eat.  As a result, my energy levels would plummet, leaving me just feeling all around horrible.  Making myself eat something, even if it was just a hard boiled egg or a bowl of leftover soup, ensured that I had enough juice to get through the day.   
• This is a really fun way to meet a whole new community of friends!  If ya'll didn't notice by now, I really like to share food pics on Instagram.  Using hashtags like #whole30 and #paleo, I've met some really nice people who are either embarking on this journey with me, are right in the middle of it, or are now just maintaining an awesome and inspiring new lifestyle.  Having like-minded and passionate people (even if they do live in my computer) really helps keep me focused and excited about what I'm doing!

Recipe time!  Before I share some links with you guys, I have to come clean: I really dropped the ball on meal planning last week.  Actually, I did my meal plan just like I always do, but then proceeded to not follow it at all.  I was tired, grumpy, and just generally wanted to punch things, so when the time came to feed everyone I kind of adopted a "Here's some food, now leave me alone!" mentality.  Not cool.  Sorry, mi familia.

Links:

1. http://www.rubiesandradishes.com/2013/12/03/easy-slow-cooker-curry-2-ways/ (I made the Green Chicken Curry.)

2.http://lisabranam.com/2014/01/cilantro-lime-cauliflower-rice.html (I added a dash of garam masala and served this with the curry - delish!)

3.http://paleogrubs.com/nacho-recipe

4. Chicken Meatball and Veggie Soup (This one is an original recipe of mine that I'm working on writing up!  Look for it in the next couple of days.  Until then, enjoy this picture and try not to bite the screen.)  ;)

I know, right?  Only three (and a halfish) recipes for a whole week of eating, and only two pictures.  *sigh*  The other nights we ate some variation of what we've had before.  We had turkey meatballs, hamburgers in lettuce wraps with roasted potatoes, leftovers...  I was feeling uninspired folks, what can I say.  I am happy to report that all the new things we did try were delicious!  Those paleo nachos were my personal favorite thing we've eaten so far during this Whole30.  No joke.

I hope to have a lot more new recipes to share and plenty of delicious food pics for you to enjoy next week!  Have an inspiring recipe I just HAVE to hear about?  Share it in the comments!  Better yet, write up a blog post of your own and post the link so I can can check it out.  :)

Don't forget to follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest for more about my Whole30!

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

{7QT} IT'S ALIVE! (and other stuff!)

(1)

I guess blogging about my lack of energy motivated my tired body to get it together, because I popped out of bed this morning like someone had wound me up and my spring finally released!  I got everybody dressed, put makeup on (I even did the winged eyeliner thing.  Yeah, whoa.), and got us all out of the house on time for preschool.  Score one for the Mominator.

So, if you're doing Whole30 and have reached that second week slump, hang in there!  Day 12 could be a much better day. :)

Photographic evidence that I don't feel/look like death-warmed-up today!

(2)

I've never been a big "smoothie drinker", especially those green ones with all the vegetation in them.  I've always maintained that I'd rather eat lawn clippings mixed with water than chug some kinda swampy drank.  What was I thinking??  Thanks to cutting out all the sugar and artificial sweeteners during this Whole30, I can actually taste the natural sweetness from the fruit.  In fact, I can't taste the green stuff at all.  If it weren't for the color, you wouldn't even know that rabbit food was in there.  Here are my favorite combos so far:

- Banana, frozen pineapple, mango, and peaches, spinach & kale blend w/coconut or almond milk

- Banana, frozen strawberries and cherries, spinach & kale blend w/coconut or almond milk

The banana is the key, ya'll.  It makes it creamy (no yogurt on Whole30) and gives it a mellow sweetness.  Deeeelish!

(3)

I complain a lot about the weather down here in the South, but then mid-November rolls around and I'm all, "Oh, yeaaaahhh.  This.  This is awesome."  When the forecast calls for snow in our home state, we're down here hitting up parks and soaking up the sun in glorious high-50's and 60-degree temps.  We met up with some good friends and had a little picnic today after the girls left their Parent's Morning Out program.  Such a lovely day for it! 

Beautiful weather, totally silly kids.

(4)

I am super stoked about this new cookbook!  I've been following Wellness Mama's blog for awhile, and a friend of mine reminded me on Facebook that she had a new cookbook out, so I hopped over to Amazon and here it is! (Isn't Prime amazing?) I can't wait to try out some of these recipes on the family - hooray for new healthy-living resources!

(5)

Ya'll, I have a confession.  I was totally listening to a Christmas album last night.  I downloaded Idina Menzel's new Holiday Wishes, and man... it's good.  I tried to skip around the more traditional religious songs, so they aren't ruined for me when the time comes to really celebrate Our Lord's birth.   She has some really catchy secular songs on there, and gosh - what a voice.  I also threw some Harry Connick, Jr., Frank Sinatra, and Barbra Streisand on my Amazon Playlist while I was at it.  What are some of your favorite Christmas albums to listen to this time of year?  

(6)

We're taking the girls to the North Florida Fair tomorrow.  Despite Daniel's insistence that the fair is full of weird carnies and rides that are about to break and kill us all at any minute, we're going.  The forecast is 61 and sunny, and I can't wait!  Think they have Whole30 compliant food at the fair?  I'm gonna guess no... (Shoves fistfuls of Larabars into her purse.)

(7)

Thanksgiving is coming!  I've been a little worried how this holiday was going to play out, since it's right at the tail end of our Whole30.  We aren't visiting family this year, so the fact that it will just be our little family will make it easier to stick to our guns.  I plan on making some mashed cauliflower, roasted veggies, and roasted turkey breast.  Do you have any ideas or suggestions?  Maybe something that I could pretend is a dessert? (Waaaahh, no pie!) Come at me with them, people!  I really don't want this Thanksgiving to go down in history as "That One When Mom Made Us Eat All That Gross Food Because Of That Weird Whole30".  Amiright?

Linking up with Kelly over at This Ain't the Lyceum for this week's Seven Quick Takes!  

Head over there for more fun QT's. :)

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

A Week 2 Confession & Spaghetti Fake-Out

I have a confession to make.  You ready?

I'm exhausted.  

Like, sleep all day, headache all afternoon, someone-pass-me-the-snickers-bar tired.  For all of you waiting to see if I would eat my "I feel so great!  Look at me!" words... consider them devoured.

Don't get me wrong.  I'm still glad I'm doing this and I really do see some good results.  But, I told you I would be truthful about my experience with Whole30, and right now my truth is that I'm dog-tired and having some pretty gnarly withdrawal headaches.  Any other Whole30-ers out there have this experience?  Ugh.

Some of you are probably wondering if I've cheated and/or wanted to cheat.  The answer?  No, I haven't.  Yes, I do.  But I haven't been tempted by things like a slice of pizza or big plate of pasta (ohemgee, yum) but stupid little things, like almost putting stevia in my coffee or honey in my tea.  Short little moments of weakness where I think, "this can't really hurt anything, those people are nuts" but then snap out of it and drink the stuff black.  Not my favorite, but I'm proud of myself for resisting the sweet temptation.

SO.  Time to stop dwelling on the struggle and focusing on the success.  You ready?  Mmmkay.

SPAGHETTI SQUASH TIIIME!

This scene from "Trading Places" always makes me laugh uncontrollably.  Because I'm smart. 

Have you tried the spaghetti squash/regular spaghetti fake-out that is all the rage yet?  We tried it for the first time a few months ago, and... meh.  The strands were mushy and too short to trick my carb-savvy brain into thinking I was eating anything other than a mushy, stringy, pumpkin-thing.  Ew. 

Enter Whole30, and my very real desire to have meatballs and sauce on SOMETHING.  Anything. So I went to Pinterest in search of new ways to cook this lovely little squash that held so much promise.  The two ways that seemed the most likely to produce good results were these:

1. http://myplantbasedfamily.com/2014/07/17/easiest-way-cook-spaghetti-squash/

2. http://eatwithinyourmeans.com/how-to-cook-spaghetti-squash/

I like the idea of using the my slow-cooker, like in preparation #1.  However, I don't have one of those giant oblong cookers.  Mine is perfectly round and a little smaller.  There's no way I could just cut a spaghetti squash in half and shove the two halves into it.  Ain't happenin'.  Enter preparation #2.  Cutting the whole thing up into slices and baking sounded like it made noodle-harvesting (What else would you call it?  I don't know.) a lot easier.  But I live in North Florida, and it's been in the high-70's some afternoons here lately.  Turn on my oven?  Me no likey that idea. 

What to do?  Well, in a moment of pure Neely genius (hahaha, not) I decided to combine the two methods.  Olivia had ballet at 5:30 Monday night, so I took the spaghetti squash out at around 3:30, cut it into big slices, removed the seeds, sprayed my slow-cooker down with coconut oil, and cranked it to high.  I layered all the slices in the slow-cooker, put the lid on, and walked away at 4:00.  We got home around 6:30, which left me just enough time to make the Tomato-Dijon Turkey Meatballs that everyone around here loves so much, and a quick tomato sauce.  

Here's what makes this the BEST (in my opinion) spaghetti squash preparation:

1. After 3 hours on high, take the spaghetti squash slices out and just go around the inside with a fork, separating all the strands from the middle out to the rind (Is it a rind?  Shell?).  Now, if you've made spaghetti squash the old "cut it in half and roast in the oven" way, you may notice a big difference right off the bat.  The strands are actually long and noodle-like!  That's because they wrap around the inside of the squash.  When you cut a spaghetti squash in half, you're essentially slicing every single noodle in half.  Crazy, right?  With this method, you get long strands that you can twirl around a fork, giggling with glee.  Mucho better, no?

2. Once you have all the strands separated from the squash, heat some ghee and olive oil up in a pan over medium-high heat.  Once it's nice and hot, throw in your squash.  DON'T SKIP THIS PART.  This is your chance to throw in salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, crushed red pepper - anything you want!  The heat will help the squash absorb all those flavors, plus sauteing gives it that bite that you might expect from a good, al dente pasta.

This was soooo good!

So, now you know the secret.  Go forth and make spaghetti squash (and be prepared to have leftovers - I bought what I consider to be a smallish squash and it still made a ton!)  

I'm off to eat some runny eggs and drink copious amounts of coffee and coconut milk, in an attempt to wake up and act semi-human.  Here's hoping this slump lets up soon and I get back to feeling great!  Get it together, body!

Hey, want to keep up with what I'm making in real-time?  Follow Paleo & Pipsqueaks on Facebook!  I'm also all up in Instagram's beeswax all day long, posting pics of dang near everything that goes in my mouth.  If that's your thang, follow me there!  

Like posting imaginary pins to cyberspace corkboards that don't really exist?  Hey - ME TOO!  

Let's totes be besties over on my Whole30 Pinterest Board.

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

{RRR} Whole30 Week 1: Recipe Roundup & Review!

So, leave it to me to set a goal to post everyday and totally skip the next day.

 

Totes classic Neely.  My apologies (get used to it).

 

Ahem, anywho.

 

It's time for my first edition of what I'm calling {RRR}, which stands for Recipe Roundup & Review.  It's my goal to crank out one of these for each week I'm on Whole30 (I'll tack those extra two days onto the last week), and then do one maybe monthly from then. 

 

Sound fun?  Wait - it gets better! 

 

I want you to join in on this, peeps!  Share your favorite new recipes, or maybe warn us of one that's not so bueno.  Whatever the case, I want to hear from ya!  If you have a blog, you can write something up and link it in the comments (feel free to use the graphic below, just link it all back up to this post so everyone knows where to go for more!).  No blog?  No problemo!  Just leave a comment telling us what you ate, what you liked... you get the gist. 

 

SO.  Who's ready for Week 1?  Let's do dis thang.

 

 

 



 

WHOLE 30 WEEK ONE



Dinner:

Monday: SC Steak Taco Lettuce Wraps w/Guacamole

Tuesday: Lemon Rosemary Chicken w/Roasted Carrots & Potatoes

Wednesday: Bacon, Eggs, Potatoes

Thursday: Tomato Dijon Turkey Meatballs w/Roasted Broccoli

Friday: SC Creamy Chicken, Lemon & Kale Soup

 

Breakfast:

Eggs (any prep)

Bacon

Breakfast Sausage

 

Lunch:

Roast Beef Lettuce & Veggie Wraps, Tuna Salad w/Mustard &/or Homemade Mayo, Chipotle Steak w/Guacamole

Snacks:

Fresh Fruit & Veggies, Almonds, Boiled Eggs, Almond Butter, Raisins, Unsweetened Applesauce w/Cinnamon, Smoothies

 

Links:

Steak Taco Lettuce Wraps: http://www.gimmesomeoven.com/slow-cooker-shredded-beef-tacos/#_a5y_p=2052590

Lemon Rosemary Chicken: http://www.food.com/recipe/rachael-rays-garlic-roasted-chicken-with-rosemary-and-lemon-132925

Tomato Dijon Turkey Meatballs: http://peaceloveandlowcarb.com/2013/08/tomato-dijon-turkey-meatballs.html

Creamy Lemon Chicken & Kale Soup: http://aiplifestyle.com/creamy-crockpot-lemon-chicken-kale-soup/

Homemade Mayo (this site has TONS of good recipes for paleo sauces that I'm excited to try!): http://planksloveandguacamole.blogspot.com/2014/08/i-am-all-about-flavor-when-i-prepare.html?m=1

Breakfast Sausage: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/homemade-paleo-style-breakfast-sausage/

Thoughts:

There wasn't really anything we made that first week that was a flop.  Really.  These are all REALLY good recipes!  A few of our favorites were definitely the steak taco wraps (made for great lunch leftovers!), the lemon rosemary chicken (Daniel could've eaten the whole pan... and might've), the turkey meatballs (made them again tonight!), and even the pipsqueaks got down on the soup - kale and all!  Anything else you see on the list was something I just made up as I went along.  Want some pics?  Okay, me too.

 

Lemon Rosemary Chicken w/roasted rainbow carrots and red potatoes.  This was Daniel's favorite, by far.

Chicken salad made with the leftover chicken I could wrangle from Daniel.
 Homemade mayo made this insanely good!



Bake an egg in an avocado half for 20 minutes at 450 degrees.  Add crispy pancetta, chives, and hot sauce. 
Eat.  Then call me and thank me.  (You're welcome, btw.)

 

This was a Neely Original.  I decided to shred up some potatoes and get them nice in crisp in a pan with ghee. 
Then, I sautéed some onion, garlic, orange pepper, spinach, and added them to some scrambled eggs seasoned with
 chili powder and cumin.  Threw that on top of the hashbrowns and topped with avocado and tomato - voila!
 I call them Southwest Scrambles. 'Cause CREATIVITY.

 

This is my all-time favorite breakfast.  Ever.  For all time.  Skillet eggs, ya'll! Basically, you want to sauté
some shallot, garlic, pancetta, and spinach.  Then make two (or one - this was actually Daniel's breakfast.  I can
 only eat one!) wells in the spinach and crack your eggs into them.  Then turn the heat down, cover, and poach
your eggs until your desired doneness.  Don't forget salt & pepper!

 

I LOVE these meatballs.  I could eat, like, a bajillion of them.  As for the veggies, anytime I say
"roasted whatever" it's usually the same drill.  Oven at 400 degrees, toss everything in olive oil, season with
salt and pepper (and whatever else - this night I used Cavender's Greek Seasoning) and then spread on a
sheet pan and roast about 20 minutes, tossing the veggies around every 8 minutes or so. 

 

 

So.  What did you eat last week?  Did you like it?  Hate it?  Want to chuck your casserole dish out the window (been there, yo).  Whatever the case, share it up down yonder in the comments!  Got questions for me?   Want more details about ingredients, preparation, whatever?  Ask away, my friends!

I'll be back tomorrow with a little update on how I'm feeling after one solid week of this business.  I've got some really exciting stuff to share with you, and some "not so fun" times to fess up to.  Yippee!

 

Hey, want to keep up with what I'm making in real-time?  Follow Paleo & Pipsqueaks on Facebook!  I'm also all up in Instagram's beeswax all day long, posting pics of dang near everything that goes in my mouth.  If that's your thang, follow me there!  Like posting imaginary pins to cyberspace corkboards that don't really exist?  Hey - ME TOO!  Let's totes be besties over on my Whole30 Pinterest Board.

 

 

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

New Name, New Look, New Me!

Notice anything ... different around here?

After a long, hard struggle to get this blog thing going, I decided to call it quits.  I didn't know what to write about?  Faith?  Motherhood?  Frugal living?  Food?  

Too many questions, and nothing pointing me in any one certain direction.

So, I stopped trying.  Stopped writing.  (Not that I wrote much to begin with.)

Fast forward to about a week before Halloween.  It had been kind of a rough couple of weeks for me.  I just wasn't feeling good about myself.  I've gained some weight since moving here a little over a year ago and I just wasn't happy with the way I'd let my health and appearance decline.  My husband and kids deserved a better wife and mom.  Heck, I deserved a better ME!  I got online (like you do) and started digging around for some inspiration.  I remembered seeing some of my friends and bloggers I followed doing this thing called "Whole 30".  I was curious. What the heck did that mean and what all did it entail?  All I knew was you could eat bacon, which is alright in my book.  

So, to the Google I went.

And what I found sounded good.  It sounded REALLY good.  It actually reminded me of way back when, in the "Pre-baby Neely" days - back when I forsook all carbs and sugar, and was the thinnest, healthiest, and most energized I'd ever been.  *facepalm* Why hadn't I thought about this before?  It seemed such a simple answer to my problems, and yet I was scared.  No CARBS?  What about my beloved pasta?  No CHEESE?  What was I going to drown my pasta in, for heaven's sake?  NO WINE?  Okay... I don't know about this one, ya'll.  

But I did it.

Monday, November 3rd, I woke up and just ... did it.  I closed my eyes, told myself I was a pansy if I even thought this was hard, and just decided to do the dang thang.  I will admit that I am lucky enough to have an amazing husband who has agreed to go through this with me.  I can't stress enough how important a support system is - even if it's just one person that you can complain to about how much you want that slice of Gouda and would it really hurt if you had that mini snickers left-over from Halloween??  "Yes.  It will hurt.  Put it down, silly." (Said in the voice of my awesome hubster.)

Okay, so what does all this have to do with blogging, you ask?  WELL.  Lemme tell ya.  As I was posting my 1,359,496th food picture to Instagram/Facebook, I found myself thinking, "Wow.  I like to talk about healthy eating.  I like to take pictures of what I make for myself and my family.  I like to share my daily meals, struggles, thoughts, and worries with my internet community.  And I'm probably driving some people insane."  

So instead of just flooding my personal Facebook feed with Whole 30 food pics (some people are weird and don't like looking at bacon all day), conversations about how awesome coconut oil and avocados really are (they're magical, no?) I should come here.  This place that I already have set up to blabber about whatever I want.  And what do I want to blabber about?  

Food.  Good food.  Healthy food.  

So, here I am.  The end of Day 6, about to hit the sack and head into Day 7.  It's been a week and man, oh man ... do I already feel light-years away from where I was the day before I took this plunge!  My goal for the blog is to try and post every day, even if it's just a few food snaps pilfered from my IG account (totally go follow me: @neely_thompson) or a whiny blurb about how I really wish I could have a glass of pinot grigio.  'Cause I totally have those moments.

Come back tomorrow if you're a little wacky and want to see my whole meal plan from Week 1, along with some links and reviews of recipes I found on Pinterest and around the web!  Oh, and pictures!  And maybe some cute little kids!  

So fun. Much excite. Many foods. ;)

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Five Favorites: Vol. 1 {Album Picks}

I'm no good at coming up with topics to blog about.  I seldom have a random thought run through my head and think, "OH!  That's something I should bore the general public of cyberspace with!"  Maybe I underestimate myself, or maybe I'm saving all of you from horrendous writing, who knows?  Either way, I've decided that my best bet is to join in on some link-ups, as they tend to focus my crazy energy and make for better posts.  This week, I'm going to jump right in and join one of my favorite blogs by linking up with Hallie over at Moxie Wife.  She's adorable, smart, and I love any blog that incorporates the term "moxie" (remind me to write a post about my love of mobster movies/TV shows someday.)

For my first installment of "Five Favorites," I decided to share with you a bad habit of mine.  I like to fill online shopping carts with stuff I don't intend to buy (at least not all at once.)  Anyone else?  Yeah, I thought so.  It's so easy to hit "add to cart" because there's no obligation to actually follow through with the purchase, and you don't have to sneakily stash things you decide not to buy among the shelves (like I do at Target ALL. THE. TIME.  Do I need this scarf?  No.  You will now live with the diapers, little scarf!)  One of my favorite carts to fill up is my Amazon cart, and at the moment it is full of CD's (Yes, I'm the only one who still buys them) so I thought I would share with you my current Five Favorite album picks.

-1-


The Black Keys, "Turn Blue"

This album is actually getting some flack from critics, and I've listened to it so I can tell you why.  It's not the Black Keys you think you know - some members of Danger Mouse (who? what?) have joined the pack and taken this dynamic duo in a more electronic direction.  That doesn't necessarily bother me - I can appreciate a good drum machine at times.  I guess it boils down to not being a snob and taking each offering for what it is, and I have really liked what I've heard on this album.

-2-

Beck, "Morning Phase"

Say what you will about Beck, because I just won't listen.  After spending one of the most amazing summers of my life (2006, I'm looking at you!) driving around with the sunroof opening and jamming to "Odelay," Beck has a very special place in my heart. What I've heard of this new album is chill and ambient, which is totally cool with me - that's just the sort of thing I like to turn on to get me going in the morning.

-3-


St. Vincent, self-titled

After seeing her perform on SNL last week, I did a major Google search and listened to as much of her past stuff as possible.  I found out she is a former member of The Polyphonic Spree, who I was obsessed with at one point on time, and I'm really digging her electro-pop vibe spiced with some very precise and thoughtful guitar-work on her part.  I can't wait to get my hands on this one and really see what she's all about.  (About the name: she has stated that it is in reference to the hospital where Dylan Thomas died, as well as a tribute to her great-grandmother, who's middle name was St. Vincent)

-4-


Jack White, "Lazaretto"

If you aren't excited about this album's release in June, I just don't know what else you're looking forward to.  Jack White is THE man.  Which leads me to...

-5-.


Loretta Lynn, "Van Lear Rose"

This is not a new album, by any means.  Actually, I used to own this album.  But my car was stolen in college and my entire life  whole CD collection was stolen out of the backseat, this album included, and I've just never gotten around to buying a new copy.  If you like old country/bluegrass and can appreciate the input of someone like Jack White (who shows a lot of bluegrass influence in his music as well as delta blues - see also, the "Cold Mountain" soundtrack) then this is the album for you.  Just, go buy it.  It will make you happy, which is what music is supposed to do - right?

Go check out more fun Five Favorites over at Moxie Wife!

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Answer Me This! Beards & Bajas

If you've ever poked around on Kendra's Tierney's blog, Catholic All Year, it will come as no surprise that she is one of my all-time favorite bloggers.  Of all-time.  She's funny, stylish, her kids are adorable, she tells it like it is, has great ideas, and is such a wonderful example of what it means to be a Catholic mom living in a society where homemaking, homeschooling, and practicing our faith every day in every way is most definitely NOT the norm.  And she writes about it all so dang well.  Can I just be her when I grow up?  Okay, cool.

All that said, imagine my shock and horror when I saw that she actually tagged me in an "Answer Me This!" post and linked back to my post about Rosie's first birthday ... AND I  MISSED IT.  I had no clue.  One of my favorite bloggers actually mentioned me and I was totally oblivious.  Epic fail.  

So, in an attempt to redeem myself, I'm linking up over at my friend Haley's blog for Kendra's "Answer Me This!" series (she's being all cool and stuff and hanging out in France, so Haley's hosting this Sunday.)

I also promise to never miss another Sunday with Kendra.  

Unless I don't get around to it.  Which is totally possible.

1. What's the scariest thing that's ever been in your yard?

Hmm.  Well, there was a strange man (homeless? drunk? confused?) chilling on the front porch the morning of our wedding.  I wasn't there, but Daniel says he hit bricks pretty fast after seeing a bunch of dudes in tuxes coming out of the house.  Weird.

2. Beards.  Thumbs up or thumbs down?

Daniel has a beard and I love it, BUT he has to maintain it.  The above photo, while glorious in it's manliness, would make me nuts if I was that guy's wife.  Daniel has a little trimmer thingymajiggy and he has to keep that mess in check or it's game-over for me.  

3. If stuff breaks, can you fix it?

I am the resident putter-togetherer, fixer, tinkerer, and general handywoman of our household.  My husband is one of the smartest people I've ever met, but bless his heart he is not the best with "around the house" chores.  It doesn't bother me much, though - I really enjoy the challenge of putting together a new piece of furniture or taking apart the shower to figure out why only cold water is coming out (true story, and I totally figured that one out.  Boom!)

4. What was your first car?

Ahhh... the Baja.  Let's see if I can get through this without tears.  My first car was a white Ford Escort, circa 2000.  I will never forget the cow-print seat covers (with matching steering wheel cover!) and Powerpuff Girl floor mats, or the gnarled mess of mardi gras beads and rosaries hanging from the rear-view mirror.  It was wrecked, rebuilt, stolen then found abandoned on the side of the road and returned to me, then finally bit the dust one hot summer in the middle-of-nowhere-Oklahoma while I was visiting a friend at his lake house.  I had to scrap it for $250.  That was one of the saddest days of my life.  RIP, little Baja.

5. How often do you eat out?

Pretty much never.  Every once in awhile, Daniel will grab us something to-go and we'll eat it here.  We're serious homebodies and would rather eat in the comfort of our own home than go pay a bunch of money to be around other people we don't know while trying to wrangle our two toddlers.  Plus, who wants to be bothered with putting on real clothes and whatnot?  (Don't we sound like fun? You totally wanna be friends with us now, huh?)

6. Why is your hair like that?

My hair is pretty sad right now.  I keep it colored (at home boxed color - classy!) but I haven't had it cut since LAST July.  My friend Andi is an amazing hair dresser and I just haven't worked up the guts to try someone new since we moved to Florida last August.  I'm actually waiting until we go back home for a visit in a few weeks so she can give me a haircut.  Insane?  Maybe.  But my hair will be banging at least once a year.

SO there it is.  6 things you never knew you didn't want to know about me, but now you do anyway. 

You're welcome. ;)

Follow my blog with Bloglovin