If being absent from something means being present with something better, than that's my only excuse for the lack of updates, lately. Being present with, well, life. And of course, with the lack of updates comes a barrage of the "what have we been up to" all in one post for your pleasure (or torture, you call it). I'm presently drinking a cup of coffee brewed with cinnamon and a bit of coconut milk (more on that, in a moment) trying to remember how these last few weeks have been.
A great visit from dad and sue, our nursery furniture coming in (and the debacle that was having to send back the crib and re-order it... waiting patiently still), the last of my baby showers (the one with my family in Maryland, and our shower-palooza weekend here in TN with a stop in Cleveland and then back here in Nashville), and a busy stretch of weeks on the photography front top of the list of the "interesting" stuff. Throw in a little personal album-designing and photo-editing, house-choring, yard-prepping (for Spring), and (almost) total food lifestyle changing here and there, and that about covers it.
But, about the coconut milk. A little over a week ago, Cliff comes in with these pamphlets he got from his Crossfit gym from their nutritional seminar they'd had the weekend before. Whole30 by the Whole9 organization, it says. And I'm like, whaaaa? One booklet with recipes, one with guidelines for the Whole30 challenge, and another with general nutrition information. If there's anything anyone should know about me and food is guidelines and I don't go together well, coming from a cyclical pattern (practically my whole life) of restriction and total free-for-all. I tend to look at guidelines as "rules" and I break food rules (usually on purpose), that's all there is to it.
But I could see this mattered to Cliff, who, has ridden the tides of change that came with my pregnancy, which basically meant food-whims and a total lack of desire to meal-plan and cook as I had in the days of yore. But these pamphlets, and the added motivation of some folks in his gym taking on the challenge the month of October, put something in this guy I've never seen before. He wanted to meal plan, make food sacrifices, cook, and reap the hopeful benefits in his performance in the gym (and life). And while I had my own hang-ups about the challenge for me personally (and have since compromised them by not doing it strictly, seeing as I'm in home stretch of making a baby and I'm not sure how much she or my body would appreciate a complete cut-out of some things they're used to), it mattered to me that it mattered to Cliff. There was little way he could do it without my jumping in full-bore, even with my hanging on to milk and not shutting the door completely on grains (though relying on them much less, especially in processed form, than before).
And so with a handful of new recipes, a trip to the farmer's market, and some time spent thoughtfully reading labels in the grocery store, we've started this week off with a bang. I have cooked everyday this week (GASP!). Thus, I have remembered the joy of throwing things together artfully and tastefully - using my hands and mind in a way that is not just duty but creativity, and discovered the pleasure in food that is so incredibly basic but delicious and fuel for the body. I've also spent so much time looking for new recipes and thinking of how to turn old classics into Whole30-friendly dishes - I forgot how much I love that part of this process.
Here's just a sampling of foods we've eaten (because I find when I've stumbled on blogs about Whole30, actually knowing what people have eaten is helpful): egg kale quiche, carrot-raisin-coconut salad, spinach greens w/ turkey and avocado, chicken sausage-sweet potato-apple hash, egg muffins, "mel's favorite chili" (my favorite of the week!), cinnamon apples w/ sliced almonds, fried eggs w/ sweet potato hash (my go-to comfort food in the morning), red peppers w/ chicken-avocado salad, baked red snapper w/ roasted asparagus & roasted acorn squash stuffed w/ apple-raisin-pecan sauce. And yes, we keep coconut milk around for Cliff's pre-workout snack and other uses, one of which is making my coffee a little creamier (than black) and I must say, it's rather tasty. While I could add the milk I keep around, there's just something unique about the coconut flavor I can't say "no" to!
And I am so proud of Cliff! This would be the week he is presented with food at work EVERY DAY that would normally be right up his alley. But he has quietly made choices out of his available options (sometimes foregoing all that is offered) that he's never thought to do before. And it's just 30 days. 30 days that gives his body (I would say our bodies, but because I'm not doing it strictly I don't think it counts entirely so much as the full challenge, though I can say for sure I am reaping the benefits both nutritionally and mentally of my level participation) a chance to reset and decide what it does and doesn't actually like. Be it dairy, grains, sugars, alcohol, or even just the beans and white potatoes - he can see at the end of this (after cutting them out completely) what his body thinks when (and if!) he chooses to reintroduce them.
We're typically pretty uncomplicated people when it comes to living (and thus, eating), and it will be interesting to see how things go after these 30 days, especially for Cliff. We've become so accustomed to saying no to nothing that saying no to some of the most common and present things around us seems so counter-culture. We believe in moderation, but for 30 days, not even moderation has its place (again, for Cliff). Even now, I know we sound like crazies. But crazy we'll be if that's the price we pay to feel better, have more energy, and hopefully do our temples some good.
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