Recovering Vegan goes Primal! page 9

[avocadogirl]

So, I re-read what I wrote in regards to only having to kids. Sigh. Made my heart ache. I always imagined having more, or at least also one girl.

I won't get too sappy. Let's look at this recipe:


artichoke ceviche

dairy, soy, and gluten free

1 6 ounce jar artichoke hearts, chopped
1/2 head cauliflower, chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, seeds removed, diced
5 shiitake mushrooms,diced
1 avocado, diced
1/3 red onion, diced
1/4 – 1/3 cup arame
juice of 1 grapefruit*

Chop all ingredients (except arame and grapefruit) in uniform size (a small dice), combine in bowl. Add arame and grapefruit juice, toss to combine. Cover and store in refrigerator to marinate.

Yum!! Sounds refreshing. I love artichokes, and have some cauliflower and mushrooms to use up. I think it would be lovely alongside some fish.

And I found a recipe to make your own Almond Joys. Wooohoo! Primal enough I think. I might tweak it, it's mostly coconut meat, coconut milk, almonds and melting dark chocolate over it all. Yes, please, I'll have another. I'll post if I make it!

[Betorq]

So, I re-read what I wrote in regards to only having two kids. Sigh. Made my heart ache. I always imagined having more, or at least also one girl.

I won't get too sappy.

My family, paternally, tends to have all boys, for several generations. I always wanted a daughter(since I was a boy wanting a younger sibling to come along- a sister, but instead my parents divorced...). Later as an adult, I figgered if I had a girl, I could (hopefully) have or try to raise her a bit of tomboy & well coz, I just adore girls, especially girls who embrace their sweet natures & their toughness. My then pregnant gf also wanted a girl but alas, the fates/G-d had other plans... But my son, Stone, was & still is mistaken for a girl, coz he's so sweet natured & pretty, with long curly locks! So, yes, though I joke that I only want 1 kid, Stone, since I/we got it right the 1st time, I actually would be open to "doing it" again & shooting for a girl(I already have a cool name, Shoshanna Irie, named for my brother Stephen & grandmother Ida)...

It's never too late, for a guy, at least... Tony Randall, Anthony Quinn & Clint Eastwood, all had children in their later years. But I feel for ya...And getting sappy is ok if you're a maple tree. Try getting weepy, that works better...

Let's look at this recipe:artichoke ceviche
dairy, soy, and gluten free
1 6 ounce jar artichoke hearts, chopped
1/2 head cauliflower, chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, seeds removed, diced
5 shiitake mushrooms,diced
1 avocado, diced
1/3 red onion, diced
1/4 – 1/3 cup arame
juice of 1 grapefruit*
Chop all ingredients (except arame and grapefruit) in uniform size (a small dice), combine in bowl. Add arame and grapefruit juice, toss to combine. Cover and store in refrigerator to marinate.
Yum!! Sounds refreshing. I love artichokes, and have some cauliflower and mushrooms to use up. I think it would be lovely alongside some fish.

I love artichoke too, particularly marinated(I always get some of it when I have lunch @ WholeFoods' salad bar). Thanks, will try this recipe, maybe substituting the grapefruit for another citrus fruit like lime or lemon. Just bought a few packets of more seaweeds, stocking up on my dwindling supplies...

And I found a recipe to make your own Almond Joys. Wooohoo! Primal enough I think. I might tweak it, it's mostly coconut meat, coconut milk, almonds and melting dark chocolate over it all. Yes, please, I'll have another. I'll post if I make it!

Almond Joy primal recipe link when you make it, please... Doing it soon? Hehe...

[avocadogirl]

Oh, I'm making those Almond Joys by the end of the week.

This morning's tally:

2 eggs, 1/2 avocado, chicken sausage
Coffee with coconut milk

3 mile walk with kids and dog
Play at the playground
A rousing game of checkers and Chutes and Ladders
Yoga at home with my oldest while the baby slept
Yoga turned into a dance party after about 4 poses

Tonight's dinner plans:
Gluten free individual pizza crusts topped with everyone's favorite toppings
I have some spinach, artichokes, and onions for mine

Kindergarten starts for my oldest in less than a month, and I feel completely unprepared, both physically and emotionally. Kindergarten? Already? Tempus fugit. We have a few weeks of unstructured time stretching in front of us, but I'm still trying to sort out work and childcare and manage getting ready for kindergarten. And hubby has to travel to NYC and San Jose for work. Deep breaths.

[avocadogirl]

Ahhhh. The kidlets are asleep. A long day for us all.

The pizzas turned out just okay. The rice-tapioca crusts were not great, and I'm thinking I could probably make them better by baking them myself. Though the caramelized onions on mine were fantastic, my oldest whined about every detail: too much sauce, too little cheese, so on. He begged for some take-out pizza next week. Poor kid with a mom that won't let him eat Papa John's.

It was a whiny evening I had to cope with by myself as hubby is traveling. The only upside now is that I can stretch myself out on the couch and watch my favorite schlock: True Blood.

I have some dark chocolate and water and two weeks' worth of catching up to do. That actor fella that plays Alcide turns avocadogirl into a hot puddle of guacamole.

[avocadogirl]

My evening of indulgence with my boyfriend, Alcide, and dark chocolate turned into a sleepless night. Part of it was staying up too late, a couple of extra pieces of dark chocolate and then a teething baby. I think I slept about 4-5 hours.

Despite the indulgence and the lack of sleep, I somehow weigh less this morning. Go figure. It's probably due to a loss of brain cells, or dehydration.

It's another day ahead alone with my boys. We are headed back to the playground and then the library before lunch and nap time. I had some yogurt and berries this morning as I had to juggle the kids and pets by myself, and the thought of having to wash a dish or pan was a little to much to deal with at 8 am.

I think we will improvise the rest of the day, it's too hot to worry about making meals. I have plenty of canned salmon for myself and almond butter for the kids to keep us sustained until the reinforcements arrive.

[PrimalWithKids]

I love reading about your food, it all sounds delicious! Reminded me Inhave an avocado in the fridge I can eat w my eggs later, shrimp in the pantry I can make a delightful little salad with... Yum! Hope you have a good day with your kids despite the lack of sleep - a trip to the park always helps us on those days.

[avocadogirl]

We went to the playground and it rained.

The baby is getting his first molars and is so fussy he struggled to get down for a nap and then napped for only 1 hour.

It's already a long day. I'm trying to figure out how to keep the oldest active while keeping the baby comforted. I'm letting them watch "Cars", the first TV time since Monday, while I have a second cup of coffee (with butter because I need all the baddasss-ness I can muster) and think up a plan. I might head to an indoor playground, but that usually means a mall and the oldest begging for junk food at the mall. Le sigh. I'm only going to worry about one battle at a time.

Maybe the sunshine will come back and we can go for a hike. I think making my older one hike while I wear the fussy babe would be ideal. Rain, rain, thunder, go away!!!!

[avocadogirl]

Today marks one month since I officially changed my WOE. I had been reading several books and shifting things around in my diet, but it was 7/9 when I really took the plunge and cut out all the grains.

Highlights:

I've lost 2.5 lbs in that time. Not too dramatic and perfectly sane. I don't have that much too lose so a reasonable loss. I'm about 5 lbs away from my goal weight. My size 6 shorts are falling off my hips, my size 4s are comfy and I slipped into a size 2 Athleta skort yesterday so woot, or whoosh?

I haven't had an RA flare-up even though I'm eating meat. CW has linked RA with red meat so I was curious. I don't eat as much red meat as many other people, but significantly more than in the last 10 years. I had a few days where my joints hurt, but I'm not sure why. Perhaps too much sugar? The weather? Lack of sleep?

I have figured out there are some primal foods that don't agree with me: fatty meat like ribs/short ribs are yummy but I felt terrible after eating them twice. Cheese also seems to slow me down. I'm ok with butter and yogurt. Macadamia nuts also seem to pose an issue. I can't figure out why, maybe their fatty acid profile or I haven't found ones good enough. Almonds and most other nuts are okay, though I'm sure I eat more than suggested.

I still need to eat at least three meals a day to sate my hunger. No IF for me yet. I'm sure it's due to nursing. I have tried skipping breakfast or lunch when I don't feel hungry, but I've ended up crashing 2 hours later and eating too much at my next meal.

The areas that still need work: LHT and sprinting. I get plenty of slow movement, but I did before this WOE. My small step goals to reach by 9/9 is at least 2 LHT workouts a week, and at least one sprint. Right now I do my sprints in the pool by swimming as fast as I can, but I'd like to run, too. My joint issues make me fearful of running again. I have to sort through and maybe test it out. Last time I ran, before my last pregnancy, I ended up with swollen joints and a week of excruciating pain. I'm hopeful as my WOE changes, other changes are so possible.

[Betorq]

A very nice synopsis!

[avocadogirl]

Courtesy of my 5-year-old, a picture of me 1 month into primal. I don't really have a before, there aren't a lot of pictures of me being taken except when in the hands of kidlets. I'm also usually the one pointing the phone or camera.

downloadme.jpg

The thing that I notice first is that I'm pretty tan. I'm fair and usually don't tan, or try not to get too much sun. But this past month, I've tried to get 30 minutes in the morning while walking the dog without sunscreen. I've also laid off reapplying it so religiously. I haven't burned and I don't think I'm frying to a crisp, but I can tan apparently.

Also, I'm feeling better about my arms. I've never liked my arms very much, but you know, not so bad. I swear they look so much better than they did 30 days ago.

Anyway, I should get a more full-body shot and compare every 30 days or so. Though I really want to focus on the health aspect and the exercise, but what can I say? I'm human and vain, too.

Today's lunch was so awesome I could have eaten two servings:

Dandelion and mixed greens with tomatoes, onions, olives, fresh mozzerella, and a super juicy, extremely tender skewer of marinated steak

The only reason I didn't was that it was at a restaurant during a quick business lunch meeting and I didn't want to be scarfing food the whole time.

Dinner was what I call "cold dinner":

Pickles, sauerkraut, slices of turkey and chicken breast, slices of cucumbers and tomatoes, and some almonds

And speaking of almonds. Yes, uh-huh, I have all the ingredients to make the Almond joys.

Here's a link to the recipe:
http://chowvida.wordpress.com/2012/0...n-gluten-free/

I substituting the rice milk with coconut milk, the agave nectar for some raw honey. Otherwise, I think it's pretty straightforward. Wish me luck.