Primal Journal **Greensprout** page 150

[Siobhan]

I read your post and almost drooled on the keyboard! Beef, lard, and cracklings! (Hard to believe I was a vegan for six months.)

[Greensprout]

I read your post and almost drooled on the keyboard! Beef, lard, and cracklings! (Hard to believe I was a vegan for six months.)

Hehehe.
Once upon a time, I went vegetarian (ovo lacto) for 4 months, since of course, it's so healthy and all (yeah, right). The whole time, I craved BEEF. Felt so much better when we added back in meat.

And I checked the invoice from the meat order, the it's 7 lbs of lard . Son #2 seems to have more fodder for the "mom's crazy" file, and hubby was surprised to learn that lard comes from pigs and not cows. Seriously . Who is this man??

[Greensprout]

One more day of work before 2 weeks off! Woop Woop . I haven't taken more than a long weekend since Christmas holidays, plus there was that damn 7 weeks away from home in the spring for that damn course. I'm ready for a break. As for the drive and visit with Mom, I think I may leave on Sun, giving myself a day break for a sleep in on Sat to regroup and sort stuff out.

Was planning on lifting at the gym today, but no go. I've had a weird unpleasant kink in my upper back (rhomboid area, I think) since Monday. Tues morning it was actually painful to raise my right arm to pin my hair into a bun for work. That was the worst day, I've done some stretching and foam rolling, but it's still there. Uncomfortable to turn my head to shoulder check to the right when driving even. Maybe I need to convince hubby to give me a massage. Of course, massage to a hubby doesn't just mean massage.

Eats:
black coffee
green tea
L: chicken bone broth, roast beef with horseradish, celery, a plum
2 spoons of nutella, pepperoni stick
D: zucchini "noodles" with tomato sauce/grass fed ground beef & pastured pork, fresh parmesan
red wine
another pepperoni stick. In place of potato chips.

I started reading "It starts with food" tonight. Finished chapter 7 already. An easy read, good summary of what I already know in a very readable format. Great for the layperson, I think I'll encourage hubby to read it. One of his staff had a heart attack last week, emergent angiogram showing one vessel 100% and one 99% blocked, with another at 60% blockage. He had double bypass surgery 2 days ago. Hubby has a strong cardiac family history (mom had a heart attack in her mid 50s, hubby is 46), so still sometimes questions what I'm preaching, though he follows the path. I'm working gently at teaching while reassuring him he's on the correct path. Hell, we managed to get hubby off statins last year with primal. I've told him that if his doctor ever recommends he go back on, he has to say NO and I'll help him with the rationale and evidence to back this up.

[Greensprout]

Hooray for being on vacation! My blackberry & pager have been duly handed off for the next 2 weeks.

I still have the kinked neck thing going on. By the time I got home from work (got to leave 2 hours early ), it had also evolved into a headache. I snacked, then lay down for a long nap. It turned out to be one of those naps filled with what son #1 calls "dream paralysis": you know you're just napping, can hear household sounds, but are dreaming very vividly of disturbing stuff, but are unable to move. And much of the time was having weird muscle twitches in my legs. I dreamed that I burned my hands horribly, among other stuff. Anyway, I woke minus headache but with the kink remaining.

Treated myself to a mani/pedi this evening. I don't normally get manicures, as I can't wear coloured polish on my hands in uniform. Today I chose a pale pink. I feel girly.

Hubby noted that I'm firming up, particularly in the legs.

Eats:
black coffee
3pm: 2 pepperoni sticks, an apple with almond butter
9pm: grass fed ribeye, sauteed mushrooms & peppers, caprese salad. Hard cider, red wine.

Pretty sure I'll do the long drive to Mom's place on Sun. She's looking forward to it, particularly after a funeral of a cousin's son this week due to suicide in his early 30s.

[Greensprout]

A whole week of my 2 week vacation gone already. And it's all been about visiting, today is my first day to really just relax and do my own thing.

I did the 13 hour drive to Mom's last Sunday, stayed an extra day (aunt & uncle were arriving from Nfld on Wed, when I'd planned to leave, so had to stay to see them) and drove another full day on Thurs home. Mom in law plus her husband (remarried 2 years ago) had arrived at our house on Wed, and just left this morning. Damn, those were long driving days. Thank goodness for good weather and downloaded paleo type podcasts! I stopped only for bathrooms and gas, snacking on macadamia nuts and jerky after midday. The neck kink was there for the trip out, but disappeared while at Mom's.

I ate well, though rather heavy on the wine . Only truly off plan foods were some potato chips one night, one small Dairy Queen hot fudge sundae, and of course, the wine. Oh, and maybe some chocolate -mini reeses pb cups and glossette raisens on the way home. And no doubt some bad oils in a restaurant meal and a lunch at a cousin's place. Good, overall.

Mom is doing some downsizing. I came home with a 1 gallon stone crock perfect for pickle making, plus a GIANT 20 gallon stone crock (both with stone lids) that used to belong to a great aunt who used it for sauerkraut. I had no idea before we went to pick it up from a cousin's place that it would be so damn huge! You could fit a small pig or several small children in it!! Hubby is of course concerned what the hell I'm going to do with it. Certainly not making 20 gallons of sauerkraut, but who knows? Mom wants the crock to stay in the family, and several others have been eyeballing it.

Ooh, I also came home with a few bags of fresh cottage cheese, and real farm fresh cream. Pasturized, yes, but very fresh, bought from the dairy farmer. It tastes amazing. I can't get that here.

[Greensprout]

My one gallon stone crock is now filled with $14 of farmer's market cucumbers in the hopes of fresh fermented pickles in a week or so. I used this recipe: Dill Pickles Recipe : Alton Brown : Recipes : Food Network.

A good walk/run this afternoon. Just over an hour, 20 min walk, 25 min slow run, 20 min walk. Very enjoyable.

So where's the scales at? Meh. Kind of floating around the same area, varying a few pounds either way, been perhaps a bit carb and snack heavy the past few days.

Tonight's dinner was great. Grass fed beef burgers, topped with cheddar, tomato, avocado, red onion and salsa.

When MIL was here a few days ago, I made a pesto of my exploding lemon basil from the garden, served with "zucchetti": julienned zucchini lightly sauteed in ghee with salt, pepper & garlic, topped with pine nuts and fresh parmesan. Very nice indeed.

I've been indulging in watching olympic stuff on TV. I realized that I've actually missed the last 2 olympic games: summer of 2008 I was up to my eyeballs in trauma in Kandahar, and for the winter 2010 Vancouver games, I was in Haiti for the post earthquake humanitarian mission. Sorely disappointed tonight in Canada's womens' soccer team defeat to the US, but they played a hell of a game and will still get to play for the bronze.

[Greensprout]

Feeling rather blah today. Mostly due to first day of TOTM, blah. And that there's only the weekend left until I have to return to work on Monday (hubby has one more week off ). Ah well.

My week has been pretty relaxed, though unproductive. I had a few good walks, 5 miles on Wed and 4.5 miles yesterday. Found a new free iPhone app to track routes and save data. Adds some fun to it.

I made a great chili this week; with feeding my 3 "men" plus another teenager, I used 5 lbs of meat: half grass fed ground beef, 1/4 each of pastured pork and grass fed stew beef. I added a tin of chipotle chilis in adobo (new find for me), which added a lot of heat, without going overboard. It was great with a bit of shredded cheddar, diced avocado, cilantro, squeeze of fresh lime plus a spoon of sour cream. The pot fed us for 2 meals for 5 of us, though hubby and my last portions yesterday were kind of small after the boys had grabbed theirs. Very filling, too.

Today I made coconut pancakes for the first time in over a year. I've been thinking about them for quite a while, just never quite got around to making. Cooked in coconut oil, topped with a few fresh raspberries and fresh cream. A fantastic treat type brunch. Satisfied the craving, which I figure was a good thing with cramps and blahs kicking in.

I'm continuing to read "It Starts With Food". I'm actually considering jumping on the Whole30 bandwagon. I know some don't do well with the 'restrictions', but I suppose it can't hurt to see what it does for me. Grains and legumes are obviously a no brainer by this point, but lately more sugar and dairy has been creeping up. And definitely the alcohol intake while on holiday has been higher. I've mentioned it to hubby, he would have a harder time with the sugars for sure, plus he 'needs' cream in his coffee. This might be a good time time for dialing things in for a month, as we have our Vegas trip at the end of Sept. I'll finish the book and make a decision for when I return to work next week.

Oh, and my crock of pickles seems to be pickling. Will probably start sampling them on the weekend to see how they're tasting.

[winencandy]

Finally getting caught up on reading journals! Your's was 1st

A decent 9 hours of sleep, which I can manage quite well, thank you very much on the weekends, with sleep in time readily available, it's getting my ass to bed on work nights when I have to be up early thats the issue.

Yup

I've been reading through "Primal Body, Primal Mind". A hell of a lot of great information in there. She breaks the science/biochemistry components of nutrition into digestible bites. I recommend it.

I'll add it to my list

He talked me into stopping for gelato in the "little Italy" district. I didn't get any, but took a taste of his and then had to eat a few more spoonsful as I was holding it on the way home while he drove and I didn't want it running over the cup as it melted!

But of course!

Turns out the kid has 4 impacted wisdom teeth, so we have a referral to an oral surgeon. Hopefully we can get things done before school starts in Sept.

And the oral surgeon will be able to do it under sedation, which is a good thing.

I had this done. sedation is GOOD

I think he's slowly starting to turn around, it's been a rough year with this boy.

A pair of shorts that felt snug a few weeks ago, then less so 2 weeks later, are feeling "just right" today.

even better!

More amusement with the scale. Today I went out walking for the first time this week. It was very hot, so for an experiment, I weighed before I left, then after an hour and a quarter walk, taking off the sweaty stuff, and before hydrating. Down 2 lbs. Then downed a big glass of coconut water, and back up one pound. Too funny. Sometimes I'm easily amused.

This made me smile

I soon realized that there's a reason not to wear shorter shorts. Can we say chub rub? . Only a small amount of chafing in the end (or rather on the inner thighs), but note to self: remember to avoid stupid mistakes.

I have this problem too

Maybe I need to convince hubby to give me a massage. Of course, massage to a hubby doesn't just mean massage.

I think that is the standard male definition of massage.

I ate well, though rather heavy on the wine

Sounds like my vacation

My one gallon stone crock is now filled with $14 of farmer's market cucumbers in the hopes of fresh fermented pickles in a week or so. I used this recipe: Dill Pickles Recipe : Alton Brown : Recipes : Food Network.

nice!

I'm actually considering jumping on the Whole30 bandwagon.

I'll follow your progress, but I'm not joining you! Although, I WAS considering "getting strict" with myself for a few weeks - after looking at a few vacation photos. Let's just say that I'm NOT wearing a certain pair of shorts until I've lost - about 10 lbs!

[Greensprout]

Finally getting caught up on reading journals! Your's was 1st

I'm honoured

To update son #2s dental surgery, he's booked in for Aug 31, which was the next available appointment, and 5 days before school starts. Pretty good timing.

I'll follow your progress, but I'm not joining you! Although, I WAS considering "getting strict" with myself for a few weeks - after looking at a few vacation photos. Let's just say that I'm NOT wearing a certain pair of shorts until I've lost - about 10 lbs!

Yes, I remember you didn't like the W30 when you did it.

I'm still feeling crampy and bloated today. How lovely . Whatever. Should be not so bad tomorrow. I was going to go out walking, but now it's pretty hot and I'm not sure I'm up for that. Maybe I'll get out later on, maybe not.

Hubby has decided he's in for a W30 month, before the Vegas trip. I gave him the book to read (maybe he'll do that, always better to understand rather than just being told what to eat/not eat). I'm actually pretty surprised. When I was going shopping this morning, he told me to not pick up any yogurt, good cheese, or even more cream, he'll wean himself with what's left in the fridge, and to get lots of different vegetables. He even proudly proclaimed he cooked his scrambled eggs today in ghee, not butter, and used no cheese. Very interesting indeed. So I guess this means I'm committed, as he's bought in and I was the one to suggest it. Not sure if I'll start fully this week or "ease" into it for my first week back to work. I know hubby won't be full on for at least another week or 2, it's 6 weeks before the vacation.

Other random thoughts are if I will be STRICT W30, or allow some minor non approved things in small quantities. Oh my, decisions, decisions. I will miss dairy, I really don't have that much of it, but a lot more the past 2 weeks. Maybe this is why I've had some unexplained nasal congestion, random watery eyes, and sneezing? Or is that just some environmental allergen (I've not had to use seasonal antihistamines for the last 3 years). This may be a good test to find that out.

Speaking of dairy, I found the nicest piece of something called "butter cheese" last week. Creamy texture, sort of like a havarti, rich buttery, almost nut like taste. I have a tiny bit left, which is stashed in the fridge where hubby hasn't seen it .
And there is a bit of the fresh cream left, I used some for an Italian soda the other day, cream, mineral water, vanilla extract, and a couple of drops of stevia. I should have another today before the cream is gone!

Last night's dinner was grass fed striploin steak with the cocoa-coffee-spice rub from the W30 book. Interesting, but I think too much clove & cinnamon for my liking and not what flavour profile I'm looking for in a steak. It was fine, just probably won't repeat it. Perhaps it would work better with a roast, but then I know son #2 wouldn't like it. Along with the steak were roasted sweet potato cubes with cinnamon & cayenne, mushrooms, and sauteed peppers. And more drinks.

The past week I've been having too many wines or other drinks in the evening, which has me staying up far too late, then sleeping in far too long into the day and feeling sluggish in the mornings. This will come to an abrupt halt on Monday.

[winencandy]

Hubby has decided he's in for a W30 month,

So I guess this means I'm committed, as he's bought in and I was the one to suggest it.

Other random thoughts are if I will be STRICT W30, or allow some minor non approved things in small quantities.

Go with what you think helps you the most. OR eliminate that which stalls you or the think that you REALLY don't want to give up. I think the things that we don't want to give up are the ones that we really need to (even if ONLY for 30 days)

Speaking of dairy, I found the nicest piece of something called "butter cheese" last week. Creamy texture, sort of like a havarti, rich buttery, almost nut like taste.

Oohh! Nice

The past week I've been having too many wines or other drinks in the evening,

Me too