it’s not brain surgery, and i like it.

Do you hear that?

Listen carefully.

That, my friends, is the sound of two kids sleeping.

It was a bit of a mission, and one that I nearly lost, but I got there in the end. MissC was easy for once. She fell asleep at the table while she was eating lunch. I transferred her to her bed, grubby hands and face and all, and there she remains. MasterL on the other hand… Just because his big sister was asleep didn’t mean he fancied the same. I gave him another half an hour and then lay down beside him til he fell asleep. No sooner had his eyes closed I jumped up and grabbed the lap top, drafted words pinging around my head just itching to get out. Turns out I got up just a little prematurely. As I walked past him he opened both eyes and grinned at me.

Nice try, mum.

{image from pinterest}

But I won in the end.

And now I sit. I’ve had a crazy urge to write for the last week or so and now that I have ten, maybe twenty minutes up my sleeve I’m not sure I can do this. Not sure that I want to do it. Not sure that I know why, all of a sudden, I’ve been nearly obsessed with blogging again. I say “nearly” obsessed because of course I had to make the blog look pretty first, which took, what? Eleven million hours? But here I am. Sitting. Writing.

Waffling. Let’s call it what it is.

I returned to work a few weeks ago. Not nursing, which is strange. I’m doing editorial research and coordination, social media management and advertising stuff for an Australian blogger. It’s a three-day a week gig and I enjoy it. One day a week in the city, two days a week spread out at home. Great work-life balance, nice to get out of the house, nice to be with like-minded individuals. Like I said though, strange not to be nursing.

Yesterday I got myself into a tizz. I miss-timed a deadline and felt as though I was going to make a mess of things. I’ve recently taken over the electronic newsletter at work and I’m still pretty slow with it, so it took way longer than I thought it would. I had emails from my boss wondering where it was, was it ready, and I got myself into a bit of a funk, certain that I had stuffed up.

Although I hadn’t ‘gotten in trouble’ I felt like a little girl who had been scalded and I was just waiting to be subjected to a talking-to when I walked into the office. What am I? Five years old?

It occurred to me, as I walked along, that I was worrying about AN EMAIL NEWSLETTER.

I hadn’t mis-timed a treatment that would have detrimental effects on someone’s health. I hadn’t forgotten to press ‘approve’ on an order that would distribute food to thousands of starving kids in Africa. I hadn’t lost track of time and left a kid in a hot car. I hadn’t even missed an antibiotic dose for my pooch. Whilst there was a potential risk of my boss looking un-professional on some level, there was still time before it was to be sent out and at the end of the day it was still *just* a newsletter.

So I dusted myself off, high-tailed it to the office, put my head down and finished the job. In time. With no detrimental effects. No starving kids. No worries.

My new job is different to my old. I have much to learn and am enjoying the change. It’s not brain surgery, but I like it.

Jenn x

PS, I got 30 minutes before the kiddies woke, in unison, and climbed all over me, demanding attention while I finished. Back to my other, most important job xxx

(nearly) Niçoise salad

When we lived in the mountains we belonged to a fresh food co-op and got 1.5-2kg of fresh seafood for $40 every fortnight. The selection was seasonal and varied; whatever was swimming that week that could be bought for a decent price. I admit there were times when we had a backlog of fish in the freezer but for the most part we enjoyed trying a bunch of different types of seafood and preparation styles.

Since moving to the river we’ve had fish & chips far too many times, but I can count the number of times that we’ve purchased fresh local fish on one hand (with fingers to spare).

Doing the Whole 30 may add a bit to your fruit and veg bill expenses, but in our case it has drastically cut the amount of moolah that we throw away on eating out . Don’t get me wrong, eating out can be a wonderful sensory experience, but when your sensory experience consists of hearing your baby bang on the table, seeing your toddler escape from her seat more times than you can count, smelling your meal for far too long because you are too busy feeding/entertaining/wrangling to taste it, tasting the bitter disdain that fellow diners have for you and feeling like none of it was really worth the $50 you just dropped on two coffees and a couple of steak sangas… Well, it’s not really worth it!! And now that I’m not eating grains/dairy/sugar/alcohol, finding a suitable eatery is near impossible.

So the other day we splurged and bought some fresh salmon. It’s been far too long since we’ve had fresh fish and whilst I baulked at the $35/kg price tag, I knew it was 100 times better value for money than a stressful meal out. I bought three fillets for dinner but we only ate two, leaving one lonely salmon steak for three of us the next day.

How do you make one piece of salmon serve three people? Turn it in to a salad of course! Based loosely on this recipe, we were all three satisfied and satiated. I give you my (nearly) Niçoise salad.

Ingredients

• 1 large salmon steak
• 2 eggs, hard-boiled, peeled, and sliced
• 2 small sweet potatoes, soft but not mushy (mine were baked whole that morning)
• 3 handfuls baby spinach
• 2 ripe Roma tomatoes, cut into eighths
• 2 good handfuls of green beans, stem ends trimmed, blanched
• 1-2 mini capsicums, sliced
• 1 tbsp. capers, rinsed
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• Vinaigrette
• 1/2 cup lemon juice
• 3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 medium shallot, finely chopped
• 1 Tbsp. fresh thyme leaves, finely chopped
• 2 Tbsp. fresh basil leaves, finely chopped
• 2 tsp. fresh oregano leaves, finely chopped (or 1 tsp dried)
• 1 tsp. Dijon mustard
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Method
Preheat the oven or your BBQ (we used our weber) to 200C. Rub the salmon steak with a wee bit of oil and season with salt and pepper, then cook on a lined tray for 10 minutes. Let it rest for 5-10 minutes then slice it up. Arrange all the ingredients for the salad on a plate. Sprinkle some capers all over the salad, drizzle the vinegarette and you’re good to go.

Jenn xx

things i know :: the Whole 30 edition

On Tuesday I completed my first Whole 30 Challenge.

I feel so great, so on top of my eating, so much like I need to share a few things I know about my little one-gal, whole-food eating experiment.

Which is handy, because today I’m linking up with Ann from Help! I’m Stuck! for Things I Know… A weekly blog link up about, well, things you know. Funny that!

So here goes.

I KNOW that eating this way (real, whole foods for 30 days – no sugar, no legumes, no dairy, no grains) has made me feel better than I have in months.

I KNOW that for the first time in living memory, I went looking for a new pair of swimmers the other day and almost left the store with three pairs! It was actually a pleasant surprise to try on several pairs and have to pick the best of a good bunch, rather than the best of a bad bunch.

Speaking of appearance, I KNOW that my face likes the way I am eating.

I KNOW that I am far less sick than I would have been if I’d been eating as I used to when this bloody flu hit our household like a ton of bricks (though sadly I haven’t escaped the lurgy all together – much to my disappointment, but I am faaaaar better off than the rest of my clan).

I KNOW that I can now fit into both of my pairs of size 10, pre-pregnancy jeans.

I KNOW that I’m no longer constipated, no longer bloated, no longer unhappy in the belly.

I KNOW that I have kicked my coffee habit.

I KNOW that I have far fewer energy slumps during the day and no longer crave high-energy foods to ‘get me through the day’. In fact, despite the fact that Master L seems to be waking far more often overnight than he ever has before, I can function well during the day… yep, even without coffee!! … and I sleep well at night (around the waking).

I KNOW that I still have some food connections that aren’t great. On day 31 I tried one rolled oat cookie that T made for Miss C. They were healthy (so healthy that she didn’t go back for seconds, which is saying something for her!) – oats, dates, nuts, spices  and coconut oil I think – and even though I didn’t particularly enjoy the first mouthful I still somehow ate the whole thing. I know that oats do not fall under the ‘Foods With No Brakes’ category, which means it was the mere biscuit factor that had me going back for more (and more and more).

I KNOW that the above cookie incident was enough for me to not rush out and try any other foods that have been off limits for the last 30-odd days! I want to finish reading It Starts With Food first and then figure out how best to test drive some of my old foods!

I KNOW that said cookie incident is completely overshadowed by the massive food win that I had last week when I realised that I don’t actually have to eat everything on my plate – even if it is delicious.

I KNOW that eating this way is sustainable for me. I simply have no desire to slide back into my old habits.

I KNOW that I am super glad that I get Rhianna’s blog updates in my email, because without her I wouldn’t have known that TIK is now being hosted by Ann. Thanks Rhi x

Have a fabulous weekend!

Jenn xx

whole 30 days 22-28

I’m almost finished my first Whole 30!!

I had a couple of food wins this week.

Number 1:  I no longer feel compelled to eat everything on my plate.

Not even if I’ve made it. Not even if it’s delicious. This week I sat down to a scrumptious breakfast of parsnip, pumpkin and apple hash (inspired by this recipe) and I was enjoying every mouthful… Until all of a sudden I wasn’t. I realised that I was no longer hungry, put my fork down and stopped eating. It was like the  **i’m full**  light switch in my head was finally flicked.

What is satiation? Here’s a run-down about satiety and satiation from It Starts With Food by Melissa and Dallas Hartwig:

Satiety occurs in your digestive tract – specifically, in your intestines. When you’ve digested and absorbed enough calories and nutrients to satisfy your body’s needs, hormones signal to your brain that “I am well-nourished now”, which decreases your desire for more food.

This is based on actual nutrition and how long the food takes to be digested though so can take several hours for the message to get through.

Satiation is regulated in the brain and is based on the taste, smell and texture of food and the perception of “fullness”. As you eat, you perceive various sensations all of which send your brain status updates to help you determine whether you still want more… It is an estimate dependent on your perceptions, not an absolute measurement.

On Wednesday my satiety/satiation functions worked beautifully and I simply stopped. eating. when. i. was. done.

This is a massive breakthrough for me.

I don’t think that I’ve EVER stopped eating something delicious before; certainly not something that’s delicious AND healthy.

Amazing.

Number 2: Food is medicine.

{image from here}

No, I’m not suggesting that medicine is redundant, but after this week I believe that what you eat certainly impacts your health… for better or worse. There has been sickness in our house for over two weeks now. T had a cold a couple of weeks ago before going to QLD for a tv shoot. He returned a few days later even worse for wear. The following weekend we had friends stay and their slightly-snotty toddler woke in the middle of the night moaning and grabbing her ears and was a total wreck the next day. The day after that both C & L started to display cold and flu symptoms. For the last seven days our house has been a bit of a snot factory. T’s been sleeping for hours every day, supplementing and medicating by the handful and the kids have been dosed up on panadol, neurofen and homeopathic symptom relief. Yesterday the three of them saw a doctor and the little ones are continuing to throw temps and leak grossness.

I’ve been largely unaffected.

I honestly believe that my lack of inflammatory foods (think sugar, legumes, grains, dairy) and the wide variety of vegetables, proteins, fats and fruits that I have been consuming has boosted my immune system significantly.

I have been a little scratchy of throat the last few mornings, and a little watery of eye the last couple of nights when L wakes for a feed, but if you knew how sick this household has been – and how hands on I have had to be with our little snot monsters, whilst T is out of action – I am very well, thank you! Not out of the woods by a long shot, but doing just fine!

How amazing is that? Imagine what illnesses and diseases could be drastically minimised if we all just ate real food?

So there you go. Two very exciting food wins as I enter the last few days of Whole 30.

Happy Monday!

Jenn xx

whole 30 days 22-28

I’m almost finished my first Whole 30!!

I had a couple of food wins this week.

Number 1:  I no longer feel compelled to eat everything on my plate.

Not even if I’ve made it. Not even if it’s delicious. This week I sat down to a scrumptious breakfast of parsnip, pumpkin and apple hash (inspired by this recipe) and I was enjoying every mouthful… Until all of a sudden I wasn’t. I realised that I was no longer hungry, put my fork down and stopped eating. It was like the  **i’m full**  light switch in my head was finally flicked.

What is satiation? Here’s a run-down about satiety and satiation from It Starts With Food by Melissa and Dallas Hartwig:

Satiety occurs in your digestive tract – specifically, in your intestines. When you’ve digested and absorbed enough calories and nutrients to satisfy your body’s needs, hormones signal to your brain that “I am well-nourished now”, which decreases your desire for more food.

This is based on actual nutrition and how long the food takes to be digested though so can take several hours for the message to get through.

Satiation is regulated in the brain and is based on the taste, smell and texture of food and the perception of “fullness”. As you eat, you perceive various sensations all of which send your brain status updates to help you determine whether you still want more… It is an estimate dependent on your perceptions, not an absolute measurement.

On Wednesday my satiety/satiation functions worked beautifully and I simply stopped. eating. when. i. was. done.

This is a massive breakthrough for me.

I don’t think that I’ve EVER stopped eating something delicious before; certainly not something that’s delicious AND healthy.

Amazing.

Number 2: Food is medicine.

{image from here}

No, I’m not suggesting that medicine is redundant, but after this week I believe that what you eat certainly impacts your health… for better or worse. There has been sickness in our house for over two weeks now. T had a cold a couple of weeks ago before going to QLD for a tv shoot. He returned a few days later even worse for wear. The following weekend we had friends stay and their slightly-snotty toddler woke in the middle of the night moaning and grabbing her ears and was a total wreck the next day. The day after that both C & L started to display cold and flu symptoms. For the last seven days our house has been a bit of a snot factory. T’s been sleeping for hours every day, supplementing and medicating by the handful and the kids have been dosed up on panadol, neurofen and homeopathic symptom relief. Yesterday the three of them saw a doctor and the little ones are continuing to throw temps and leak grossness.

I’ve been largely unaffected.

I honestly believe that my lack of inflammatory foods (think sugar, legumes, grains, dairy) and the wide variety of vegetables, proteins, fats and fruits that I have been consuming has boosted my immune system significantly.

I have been a little scratchy of throat the last few mornings, and a little watery of eye the last couple of nights when L wakes for a feed, but if you knew how sick this household has been – and how hands on I have had to be with our little snot monsters, whilst T is out of action – I am very well, thank you! Not out of the woods by a long shot, but doing just fine!

How amazing is that? Imagine what illnesses and diseases could be drastically minimised if we all just ate real food?

So there you go. Two very exciting food wins as I enter the last few days of Whole 30.

Happy Monday!

Jenn xx

it’s Spring Day! (and Whole 30 days 15-21)

Happy Spring Day!

September 1st is my favourite day of the year, and I especially love it when it falls on a Monday. First day of the week, first day of the month, first day of the season (and my favourite season at that). If there was a Most Inspiring Day of the Year award, today would win hands down.

Two years ago today the lovely Kate (who also loves Spring Day) started OperationMOVE: a challenge for herself and her readers to pledge a certain number of minutes that they would commit to movement for the month. Such a great idea and one that has taken off faster and wider than I’m sure she ever imagined it would. I’m not an active Operation Mover anymore but I love to check in with the team from time to time and see the great success that have taken place as a result of Kate’s little challenge.

The thing that I loved most about OpMOVE was that it wasn’t about busting any great records or committing yourself up to your eyeballs (though both ok if so desired!) but rather about just committing to moving x number of minutes a month; just getting out there and doing something. It’s gentle but encouraging, it allows you to challenge and compete against yourself if you wish, and it’s been amazing to see so many women become empowered and take control of their health and fitness.

Bravo Kate.

Spring has always been about health and fitness for me. I’ve historically been a bit of a sedentary winter person and then, spurred by glossy magazine covers (GET YOUR BEST BIKINI BODY EVER!), upcoming softball season and warm, sunny days I get my mojo back from September 1 and start the annual ‘health’ kick of low fat, calorie restricted foods and do my darnedest to work my butt off.

For the last couple of years I’ve been in the sugar-free, full-fat camp so dietary changes have been less drastic (though still a bit of a tighten up), I’ve been having babies, so the desire to get My Best Bikini Body Ever has dwindled somewhat, and due to where we have lived I’ve not been playing softball. Still I see Spring Day as a chance to pull my socks up a little higher and set some Big Hairy Audacious Goals and cut the crap that inevitably still seeps into my winter diet.

In Health and Fitness Land, this year Spring Day has actually been a little bit of an anti climax. I’ve been running every week for the last couple of months and am now at 7km. I’m on day 22 of the Whole 30 and feel as though this is something I will be able to maintain (albeit perhaps with some dairy if I don’t have any problems when I start eating it again!). I’ve not done anything different today because I’ve already been treating my body well… And it feels good to already Be the Change.

In general Jenn Land it’s been a BRILLIANT Spring Day. After weeks of rainy days, today has been spectacular. The sun is shining, the flowers are opening up to soak in the rays. We took an earlyish walk to the station to drop off some visitors and continued on around the bay. We had a wee birthday party at the river-beach for one of C’s little friends, in and out of the water in and out of the sun. We’ve eaten delicious, wholesome, nourishing food. Life is good! We’ve got rain predicted again for much of the week to come so I just love that today has been so perfect.

It wouldn’t be Spring Day without at least thinking about my exercise and nutrition. Last week was week three of my first Whole 30 and I’m still glad to report that I’ve been going really well. As I mentioned, I feel as though this is a foodie lifestyle that I feel like I can maintain. My energy levels are good (except for the fatigue that comes with a frequently waking nine month old – and even then I’m surprisingly on top of things), my gut seems to be pretty happy, I can fit into my pre-pregnancy jeans (woot!!), my skin seems brighter, my nails less brittle, my mood pretty stable. All good things! I’m still snacking a couple of times per day, which isn’t strictly Whole 30 but I think since I’m feeding a monster baby that’s ok. I’m still not drinking enough water, which probably also contributes to the desire to snack.

I had a food realisation today. I crave sweets when I’m hot. After a few hours in the sun today I came home and stared straight into the pantry and then the fridge, looking for something – ANYTHING – that would satisfy my sweet craving. I’d eaten a bit of mixed fruit at the birthday party so didn’t want to eat another orange (though the semi frozen fruit at the bottom of. Y fridge screamed my name!) and for some silly reason I just didn’t fancy water. I ate a carrot and a couple of teaspoons of almond, Brazil and cashew nut spread and a cup of tea with coconut milk, all of which kind sorta didn’t really do the trick but at least made me aware of my previous habit which would have been ice cream/yoghurt/milk then failing that peanut butter toast… Because that fixes everything right!?

Did I mention that I need to drink more water!?!?

I’ve been really proud of my running over the last few weeks, running 6km two Fridays ago and 7km this Friday just gone. That’s by far the furthest I’ve run in… I don’t know how long! Possibly since the 8km Mothers Day Classic last year. What I need to improve on is stretching, resistance training and looking after my legs with more gradual increases in distance. I just really wanna complete the 10k run in three weeks time! I think so long as I do a couple of shorter runs throughout the week and love the foam roller like I know I should, then my knees should feel less shock and more like contributing to a comfortable longer run.

So… Goals for this week:

• Drink 2L water a day, ON TOP OF tea
• Before reaching for a snack, have a glass of water
• Roll out my ITB before and after each of three runs (2 x 3km, 1 x 8km)
• Do at least one yoga class, plus stretch for 10 mins every day
• Do some resistance leg work!

Do you love Spring? Have you made any health and fitness goals?

it’s Spring Day! (and Whole 30 days 15-21)

Happy Spring Day!

September 1st is my favourite day of the year, and I especially love it when it falls on a Monday. First day of the week, first day of the month, first day of the season (and my favourite season at that). If there was a Most Inspiring Day of the Year award, today would win hands down.

Two years ago today the lovely Kate (who also loves Spring Day) started OperationMOVE: a challenge for herself and her readers to pledge a certain number of minutes that they would commit to movement for the month. Such a great idea and one that has taken off faster and wider than I'm sure she ever imagined it would. I'm not an active Operation Mover anymore but I love to check in with the team from time to time and see the great success that have taken place as a result of Kate's little challenge.

The thing that I loved most about Opmove was that it wasn't about busting any great records or committing yourself up to your eyeballs (though both ok if so desired!) but rather about just committing to moving x number of minutes a month; just getting out there and doing something. It's gentle but encouraging, it allows you to challenge and compete against yourself if you wish, and it's been amazing to see so many women become empowered and take control of their health and fitness.

Bravo Kate.

Spring has always been about health and fitness for me. I've historically been a bit of a sedentary winter person and then, spurred by glossy magazine covers (GET YOUR BEST BIKINI BODY EVER!), upcoming softball season and warm, sunny days I get my mojo back from September 1 and start the annual 'health' kick of low fat, calorie restricted foods and do my darnedest to work my butt off.

For the last couple of years I've been in the sugar-free, full-fat camp so dietary changes have been less drastic (though still a bit of a tighten up), I've been having babies, so the desire to get My Best Bikini Body Ever has dwindled somewhat, and due to where we have lived I've not been playing softball. Still I see Spring Day as a chance to pull my socks up a little higher and set some Big Hairy Audacious Goals and cut the crap that inevitably still seeps into my winter diet.

In Health and Fitness Land, this year Spring Day has actually been a little bit of an anti climax. I've been running every week for the last couple of months and am now at 7km. I'm on day 22 of the Whole 30 and feel as though this is something I will be able to maintain (albeit perhaps with some dairy if I don't have any problems when I start eating it again!). I've not done anything different today because I've already been treating my body well… And it feels good to already Be the Change.

In general Jenn Land it's been a BRILLIANT Spring Day. After weeks of rainy days, today has been spectacular. The sun is shining, the flowers are opening up to soak in the rays. We took an earlyish walk to the station to drop off some visitors and continued on around the bay. We had a wee birthday party at the river-beach for one of C's little friends, in and out of the water in and out of the sun. We've eaten delicious, wholesome, nourishing food. Life is good! We've got rain predicted again for much of the week to come so I just love that today has been so perfect.

It wouldn't be Spring Day without at least thinking about my exercise and nutrition. Last week was week three of my first Whole 30 and I'm still glad to report that I've been going really well. As I mentioned, I feel as though this is a foodie lifestyle that I feel like I can maintain. My energy levels are good (except for the fatigue that comes with a frequently waking nine month old – and even then I'm surprisingly on top of things), my gut seems to be pretty happy, I can fit into my pre-pregnancy jeans (woot!!), my skin seems brighter, my nails less brittle, my mood pretty stable. All good things! I'm still snacking a couple of times per day, which isn't strictly Whole 30 but I think since I'm feeding a monster baby that's ok. I'm still not drinking enough water, which probably also contributes to the desire to snack.

I had a food realisation today. I crave sweets when I'm hot. After a few hours in the sun today I came home and stared straight into the pantry and then the fridge, looking for something – ANYTHING – that would satisfy my sweet craving. I'd eaten a bit of mixed fruit at the birthday party so didn't want to eat another orange (though the semi frozen fruit at the bottom of. Y fridge screamed my name!) and for some silly reason I just didn't fancy water. I ate a carrot and a couple of teaspoons of almond, Brazil and cashew nut spread and a cup of tea with coconut milk, all of which kind sorta didn't really do the trick but at least made me aware of my previous habit which would have been ice cream/yoghurt/milk then failing that peanut butter toast… Because that fixes everything right!?

Did I mention that I need to drink more water!?!?

I've been really proud of my running over the last few weeks, running 6km two Fridays ago and 7km this Friday just gone. That's by far the furthest I've run in… I don't know how long! Possibly since the 8km Mothers Day Classic last year. What I need to improve on is stretching, resistance training and looking after my legs with more gradual increases in distance. I just really wanna complete the 10k run in three weeks time! I think so long as I do a couple of shorter runs throughout the week and love the foam roller like I know I should, then my knees should feel less shock and more like contributing to a comfortable longer run.

So… Goals for this week:

• Drink 2L water a day, ON TOP OF tea
• Before reaching for a snack, have a glass of water
• Roll out my ITB before and after each of three runs (2 x 3km, 1 x 8km)
• Do at least one yoga class, plus stretch for 10 mins every day
• Do some resistance leg work!

Do you love Spring? Have you made any health and fitness goals?

 

 

Posted with Blogsy

Whole 30 :: days 8-14

I lost my draft for this post… Waaaah! Truth be known it's probably a blessing; I'm pretty sure my week one log was the most boring post I've ever written in my entire life. I thought that journaling my food and impressions might be a nice way to keep track of my Whole 30 experience but to be honest it's actually not been THAT difficult a transition for me. I've certainly noticed physical and mental changes since the beginning, but I've not experienced some of the wild ups and downs that many people face when transitioning to a whole foods diet, largely I assume because I already ate sugar-free most of the time.

Now that I've finished week two of the Whole 30 program, I'm starting to think this is a lifestyle that I might be able to maintain. I'm feeling good. I don't have energy dips, my snacking is decreasing, I'm rarely hungry between meals, I've had no further hypoglycaemic mornings, I've managed a few runs and a gym strength class, I'm sleeping more soundly (though L is still waking me at least once overnight for a feed).

I've had two social outings in the last week, the first of which was hard but surprisingly successful! We went to Newcastle for a friend's birthday and they were beautifully tolerant of my choice, offering a delicious chicken and corn soup (serving rice and bread on the side) and fruit salad as well as cake for dessert. I didn't feel left out in the slightest. It was the travel that was hard; even though I had a very hearty and nutritionally dense breakfast before we left I just didn't have enough snacks on hand to boost my meal while we were away. A good thing to remember for next time!

The second outing was a catch up with a friend and our kids at our local cafe. I ordered a pot of tea, no milk, no honey… And added a good schlook of coconut milk that I brought along. Too easy! And no judgement/questions/eyebrow raising. I love my friends!

Oh! And I've been largely coffee free since starting too. I had my first… and last… when we went to Newy. I'd taken my trusty coconut milk bottle with me and poured some in. Yuck! Hahahah. I'm loving coconut milk in a variety of teas but I just cannot. do. coconut. coffee. No siree.

Today I had my first real moment of weakness when T and MissC made some cookies. That smell… Lordy.

So that's week two! Feeling really good, loving my energy levels.

 

Jenn xx

Posted with Blogsy

Whole 30 :: days 8-14

I lost my draft for this post… Waaaah! Truth be known it’s probably a blessing; I’m pretty sure my week one log was the most boring post I’ve ever written in my entire life. I thought that journaling my food and impressions might be a nice way to keep track of my Whole 30 experience but to be honest it’s actually not been THAT difficult a transition for me. I’ve certainly noticed physical and mental changes since the beginning, but I’ve not experienced some of the wild ups and downs that many people face when transitioning to a whole foods diet, largely I assume because I already ate sugar-free most of the time.

Now that I’ve finished week two of the Whole 30 program, I’m starting to think this is a lifestyle that I might be able to maintain. I’m feeling good. I don’t have energy dips, my snacking is decreasing, I’m rarely hungry between meals, I’ve had no further hypoglycaemic mornings, I’ve managed a few runs and a gym strength class, I’m sleeping more soundly (though L is still waking me at least once overnight for a feed).

I’ve had two social outings in the last week, the first of which was hard but surprisingly successful! We went to Newcastle for a friend’s birthday and they were beautifully tolerant of my choice, offering a delicious chicken and corn soup (serving rice and bread on the side) and fruit salad as well as cake for dessert. I didn’t feel left out in the slightest. It was the travel that was hard; even though I had a very hearty and nutritionally dense breakfast before we left I just didn’t have enough snacks on hand to boost my meal while we were away. A good thing to remember for next time!

The second outing was a catch up with a friend and our kids at our local cafe. I ordered a pot of tea, no milk, no honey… And added a good schlook of coconut milk that I brought along. Too easy! And no judgement/questions/eyebrow raising. I love my friends!

Oh! And I’ve been largely coffee free since starting too. I had my first… and last… when we went to Newy. I’d taken my trusty coconut milk bottle with me and poured some in. Yuck! Hahahah. I’m loving coconut milk in a variety of teas but I just cannot. do. coconut. coffee. No siree.

Today I had my first real moment of weakness when T and MissC made some cookies. That smell… Lordy.

So that’s week two! Feeling really good, loving my energy levels.

Jenn xx

(nearly) Niçoise salad

When we lived in the mountains we belonged to a fresh food co-op and got 1.5-2kg of fresh seafood for $40 every fortnight. The selection was seasonal and varied; whatever was swimming that week that could be bought for a decent price. I admit there were times when we had a backlog of fish in the freezer but for the most part we enjoyed trying a bunch of different types of seafood and preparation styles.

Since moving to the river we’ve had fish & chips far too many times, but I can count the number of times that we’ve purchased fresh local fish on one hand (with fingers to spare).

Doing the Whole 30 may add a bit to your fruit and veg bill expenses, but in our case it has drastically cut the amount of moolah that we throw away on eating out . Don’t get me wrong, eating out can be a wonderful sensory experience, but when your sensory experience consists of hearing your baby bang on the table, seeing your toddler escape from her seat more times than you can count, smelling your meal for far too long because you are too busy feeding/entertaining/wrangling to taste it, tasting the bitter disdain that fellow diners have for you and feeling like none of it was really worth the $50 you just dropped on two coffees and a couple of steak sangas… Well, it’s not really worth it!! And now that I’m not eating grains/dairy/sugar/alcohol, finding a suitable eatery is near impossible.

So the other day we splurged and bought some fresh salmon. It’s been far too long since we’ve had fresh fish and whilst I baulked at the $35/kg price tag, I knew it was 100 times better value for money than a stressful meal out. I bought three fillets for dinner but we only ate two, leaving one lonely salmon steak for three of us the next day.

How do you make one piece of salmon serve three people? Turn it in to a salad of course! Based loosely on this recipe, we were all three satisfied and satiated. I give you my (nearly) Niçoise salad.

Ingredients

• 1 large salmon steak
• 2 eggs, hard-boiled, peeled, and sliced
• 2 small sweet potatoes, soft but not mushy (mine were baked whole that morning)
• 3 handfuls baby spinach
• 2 ripe Roma tomatoes, cut into eighths
• 2 good handfuls of green beans, stem ends trimmed, blanched
• 1-2 mini capsicums, sliced
• 1 tbsp. capers, rinsed
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• Vinaigrette
• 1/2 cup lemon juice
• 3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 medium shallot, finely chopped
• 1 Tbsp. fresh thyme leaves, finely chopped
• 2 Tbsp. fresh basil leaves, finely chopped
• 2 tsp. fresh oregano leaves, finely chopped (or 1 tsp dried)
• 1 tsp. Dijon mustard
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Method
Preheat the oven or your BBQ (we used our weber) to 200C. Rub the salmon steak with a wee bit of oil and season with salt and pepper, then cook on a lined tray for 10 minutes. Let it rest for 5-10 minutes then slice it up. Arrange all the ingredients for the salad on a plate. Sprinkle some capers all over the salad, drizzle the vinegarette and you’re good to go.

Jenn xx