Tuesday, October 25, 2016

Week 1 Whole 30 Review

Week 1 of the Whole 30 is under our belts and we are rocking into Week 2. I won't lie and say it wasn't tough but now that we are on the flip side I'm so proud that we pushed through. One of the things I did before starting was made sure and research what to expect as we started our journey. Thankful the Whole30 website gives a very descriptive timeline as to what to expect and man we're they spot on. Monday was great because well it was Day 1. Tuesday was great all day and then around 7:30pm I had a MONSTROUS migraine I'm talking in tears and still had to lead a conference call BUT I knew it was coming. Jayden didn't experience any headaches be first two days which I was very thankful of and Eric didn't report any either. The babies were a little bit more irritable than normal but I expected that from them since there were no typical goldfish or animal crackers. Wednesday I woke up full of energy and then by 1030 I CRASHED and so did the babies. Jayden crashed when he got home and then had a game that evening. Thurs/Friday I lived in this brain fog just kind of going through the motions AND everyone was EXTREMELY IRRITABLE but we SURVIVED. I took it easy on my workouts last week because I knew it was going to be rough and thankful I am back at it hard now on Day 9 and while weight has absolutely nothing to do with why we are doing this. I'm down a crazy 7lbs from Monday of last week.
Jayden struggled a few days with temptations (mainly when we went to the State Fair which was hard for both of us) but I'm so proud of how far he's come and the improvements I've seen in him. He hasn't reported ANY headaches since we started. He's slept great every night and his eczema is slowly starting to see progress. This week has already started off better and I'm so excited for what's to come. I feel like we have come out of a fog and are making huge progress. We were able to make it through a school lunch together and stayed on track as well.

SOOOOOO WHAT DID WE EAT
I've had a lot of questions about what we've eaten and how the boys have done. Eric has ate and approved of almost everything. Jayden has ate everything and we've been able to try new things and figure out which things he's like and hasn't liked. He's finding lunches he enjoys taking as well. It hasn't all been easy with getting the boys to try new things and I won't lie and say there hasn't been some resistance, but everyone is alive, breathing and growing so I will call that a win. In the grand scheme of things this is only 30 days of or lives and could help A WHOLE LOT.

Here's a look back at some of the meals we've had.

We have found that breakfast pretty much stays the same for us.

Breakfast
Sausage of some sort (either Chicken Sausage or Homemade Sausage I made).
Saturday I made some Banana/Egg Pancakes and while they are not technically Whole 30 approved as in the concept of a pancake. They are Whole30 compliant ingredients and it sufficed our normal Saturday morning ritual of Pancakes for the boys not Eric and I.

Lunch
For lunches I have been either having leftover or a plate of veggies, guac and tuna or my Wholesome Shakeology and Jayden’s been taking a variety of things. He’s found that he likes tuna and salmon, carrots, a variety of fruit and applesauce.

Dinners
Dinners were probably my favorite, I found that I am finding a new love of cooking and every single dinner was something new for all of us except for spaghetti squash.

Here's a look at what we had for dinner each night and you can also click on the name of each meal to get the recipe.

Monday - Roasted Chicken w/Balsamic Roasted Sweet Potatoes (Sidenote: I used the carcass from the whole chicken to make homemade chicken broth.)
Tuesday - Ground Meat w/ Homemade Tomato Sauce and Spaghetti Squash
Friday - Oven Baked Salmon and Veggies with Red Pepper Sauce
Sunday - Perfect seared chicken, potatoes and cabbage slaw


Week 2
We are geared up to start week 2 and ready to hit the ground running. Eric left for Chicago yesterday and is out of town until Wednesday. He has a plan and is working to stay on track while he is out of town. Jayden and the babies and I are holding down the fort at home with a solid plan even with my sister in town. Heres a quick preview of what we are eating. Recipes will be up later this week.

Our Week 2 Whole 30 Meal Plan


I will say 2 days into this week and my energy level is through the roof I am working out every day using Core De Force or Insanity Max 30 and feeling great. I'm going to bed much easier and waking up on my own without an alarm I also feel extremely freeing. It's been a personal struggle in my spirituality over the past several weeks and in experiencing this with my family is allowing me to connect more with God as crazy as that sounds. I am spending more time in prayer and devotion with him and really working to help mold myself and our family in to the best version we can and for that I am extremely happy.



Chicken Bone Broth

If you haven't heard bone broth has AMAZING benefits for you. We have started to incorporate this by drinking a cup a day of it to help with gut issues and give us an extra source of amino acids.

I used the carcass of our roasted chicken recipe and it made for a super easy transition.

Carcass from 3-4lb roasted chicken
2 carrots roughly chopped
3 stalks of celery roughly chopped
2 onions roughly chopped
5-6 parsley stems
1 sprig of thyme
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp pepper
1 tbsp salt

I used my stock pot with a steamer insert. Add all ingredients to the pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil. Cover and reduce to low. Simmer for 12-24 hours (I left mine on for 24 hours.). Strain the broth through a mesh container (I didn't have to since mine already had the strainer). Transfer broth to multiple containers to speed up cooling. Let sit for several hours. I froze several ice cube container trays, left a couple in the fridge and froze several other cups of broth to last. 

Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

This has been used in our family on just about everything; chicken, fish, veggies, eggs. You name it its probably been on top of.

1 jar (16 oz) roasted red peppers drained
1/4 cup EVOO
1/4 onion, roughly chopped
2 cloves garlic
2 tbsp fresh parsley
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper

Combine all in a food processor and pulse 5-10 times to combine, then blend on high until smooth. Stores in fridge for up to 5 days.



Chimichurri Sauce

This recipe is pretty great to go on just about anything. We topped it on roasted chicken and veggies and then I froze several cubed trays as well to toss in with chicken or fish.

1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup lime juice
2 gloves garlic
1/2 shallot minced
1 1/2 cups EVOO
1/4 cup fresh cilantro
1/4 cup parsley leaves
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper

Combine vinegar, lime juice, garlic and shallot in food processor and mix on low speed. Drizzle in olive oil while mixing, the dressing will begin to emulsify. Add cilantro, parsley, salt and pepper and continue to mix on low until dressing is uniform in texture and herb pieces are chopped well. Lasts 2-3 days in fridge or 6 months in freezer.



Perfect Seared Chicken

We looooove chicken in our house. This is a great recipe to make up several ahead of time for salads, lunches, etc.

2-3 skinless boneless chicken breast
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp Italian seasonings
2 tbsp EVOO or coconut oil

Reheat oven to 350.  Season chicken breasts on both sides with salt, pepper, Italian seasoning. In large oven safe skillet, melt cooking fat until hot. Place chicken top side down in pan and sear 3-4 minutes. Chicken should pull off once seared. Using tongs flip over and then put entire skillet into oven to finish cooking.  10-15 mins should be long enough depending on thickness of the chicken. Let chicken rest for 5 minutes. We topped with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce and sautéd veggies.


Oven Baked Salmon

My kiddos loooove salmon and this is a great way for me to pair with veggies and them to have a great source of amino acids.

1 tbsp coconut oil melted
2 salmon filets
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 lemon cut into wedges

Preheat oven to 450.. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Drizzle cooking fat over the paper and spread with brush. Place the salmon skin side down on lined baking sheet. Season the salmon evenly with salt and pepper and top with lemon. Bake 12-15 minutes. Fish is done when you can flake with a fork. We topped with a red pepper sauce found here and paired with fresh veggies.




Chicken Sausage and Veggies

This is a GREAT go to recipe when meal planning fails you or you have an emergency event and need dinner before hand.

1 package of Aidell's Chicken Sausage (I used 1/2 of teriyaki pineapple and 1/2 cajun), sliced
1 yellow squash sliced and quartered
1 zucchini sliced and quartered
1-2 bell peppers cut into strips
2 cloves garlic
salt and pepper to taste
3-4 red potatoes
2 tbsp EVOO


Heat oil in skillet until hot. Add garlic and stir until aromatic. Add in sausage and brown (its already cooked). Remove from skillet but keep skillet going. Add in peppers sauté until translucent. Add in potatoes and cook on medium to high heat until tender (about 8-10min) add in squash and zucchini and cook for an additional 5 min until veggies are tender. Add sausage back to the pan and stir. Top with salt and pepper.

Slow Cooker Beef Brisket

I threw this in the crockpot in the morning and it was ready by dinner time and super moist. We paired it with butternut squash found here and it was amazing.

1 tbsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 1/2lbs beef brisket, trimmed
3 tbsp EVOO
1/2 medium onion peeled and quartered
4 cloves garlic
2 sprigs fresh thyme
5 cups Beef Bone Broth (I actually didn't have any so I used my homemade chicken broth).

Mix salt and pepper in a small bowl and use to season the brisket evenly on both sides. In Skillet or pan melt EVOO over medium high heat. When hot add brisket and sear until golden brown (about 2 min) on each side. Remove and place into slow cooker. Add the beef broth (you won't need all 5 cups) just enough to cover brisket. Add in garlic, thyme, onion and cook on low for 8 hours. Remove from liquid and either shred or cut in slices.

When brisket is done, transfer the liquid (with onion, and garlic) to a blender or food processor and blend completely. Heat on medium high heat in small sauce pan until sauce thickens and coats the back of a wooden spoon. Top brisket with sauce once plated.




Tomato Sauce and Spaghetti Squash

This was a GREAT way for me to sneak in some added veggies with out the kiddos knowing and I knew what went into the sauce since spaghetti is a staple in our house.

1 tbsp of EVOO
1 onion finely chopped
2 celery stalks finely chopped
1 carrot finely chopped
1 zucchini spiralized and then minced
1 yellow squash spiralized and then minced
2 cloves garlic minced
1 can (28oz) crushed tomatoes
1 tsp fresh thyme
1 tsp fresh oregano
1 bay leaf
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper


1-2 Spaghetti Squash halved and with middles scooped out.
EVOO
Italian Seasonings (Oregano, Basil, Thyme, etc)

Preheat oven to 400. Heat EVOO over medium heat. When hot add onion, celery, carrot, stirring until onion becomes translucent. Add garlic and stir until aromatic. Add tomatoes, thyme, oregano, bay leaf, salt and pepper. Sidenote (I don't like chunky sauce so I actually blended the zucchini and squash and crushed tomatoes until smooth and then added them to pan)

Reduce heat to simmer, cover and cook on low heat stiring every 20 minutes until sauce is thick and smooth (about an hour). Discard bay leaf. This is a great recipe to make ahead of time and freeze so that you just need to reheat when necessary

For squash baste in EVOO and sprinkle with seasoning. Put in oven for about an hour on 400. Sides should be soft and middle will flake easily when finished.



Roasted Chicken

This is a SUUUPER easy meal and I used the carcass to actually make homemade chicken broth. You can find the recipe for that here.

1 whole chicken
3 tablespoons Olive Oil
1 teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon Pepper
Fresh Herbs

Preheat oven to 450 or prepare crockpot on low for 8 hours. Remove any inners of the chicken. Rinse inside of chicken under cool water and place breast side up in a roasting pan or in crockpot. Season with salt and pepper and fresh herbs. Roast the chicken for 1 hour and 30 minutes in the oven or cook on low for 7-8 hours in crockpot(if I cook in the crockpot I will usually add about 1 cup of water). You can also add veggies along the side or in the crock pot as well. We topped this of with a chimichurri sauce that you can find here.



Butternut Squash Soup

This was a surprisingly good soup for me. I am not a soup person but both the boys and I enjoyed it. We paired it with a beef brisket.

2 tbsp clarified butter, ghee or coconut oil
1/2 cup diced onion
3 cups seeded peeled butternut squash (I purchased a large tub of this from Costco)
2 cloves garlic
1/2 tsp ground ginger
4 cups chicken broth (I used my homemade)
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

In large pot melt the fat over medium heat. When hot add onion and cook, stirring to translucent. Add squash, garlic and ginger and stir until garlic becomes aromatic (about 1 minute).

Add chicken broth and bring to boil over high heat. Boil until squash is soft (about 10 mina). Remove from heat.

In one or two batches (it took 2 1/2 for me because I have a small blender) transfer to a food processor or blender and blend on high speeds (note IF ITS HOT the lid WILL POP OFF) until smooth in texture. Return puree to pot.

Heat soup over medium high heat until it thickens enough to coat back of wooden spoon (7-10 minutes). Season with salt and pepper (and I added walnuts on top).


Balsamic Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Brussel Sprouts

We paired this with a Roasted Chicken and it was DELICIOUS we had leftovers and actually threw them back in the skillet the next morning and paired with eggs and fruit.

1 cup balsamic vinegar
1 sweet potato peeled and diced (I actually bought the precubed ones from Target)
3 tablespoons of melted ghee, coconut oil, or EVO
1/2 lb Brussel sprouts (I used the sliced Brussel sprouts from Trader Joes; again I'm all about saving time).
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Heat oven to 400. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Bring vinegar to boil in a small saucepan over medium high heat. Turn heat down and simmer until balsamic is reduced by half (20-30 min).  Remove from heat to cool.

Combine the sweet potato and cooking fat in medium bowl and coat evenly. Spread out on prepared baking sheet.

Add 2 tbsp remaining fat to large skillet. When hot add the Brussel sprouts and cook 3-4 min. Add the onion and garlic and continue to cook until aromatic. Season with salt and pepper. Add the Brussel Sprouts mixture to the sweet potatoes and roast 15-18 minutes until sweet potatoes are soft. and sprouts are tender.

Drizzle Balsamic mixture over veggies after plated.



Roasted Potato Hash

This makes for a hearty breakfast addition. I will make a LARGE batch of these on Sunday and then just reheat in the skillet throughout the week.

3-4 Red Potatoes
2 tbsp of cooking fat (I used olive oil or coconut oil)
2 Bell Peppers
1 cup of mushrooms
2-3 cloves of garlic
1 tsp Italian Seasoning


Heat oven to 350. Heat cooking oil in oven safe skillet until hot. Add garlic and sauté until aromatic, add in mushrooms and let them cook down. I will season with salt and pepper as these cook. Mix in Bell Peppers and allow to get translucent, 2-3 minute. Add potatoes and cook for about 8 minutes once the potatoes are almost finished I will throw them in the oven at 350 for about 5-10 min to finish them off.  These are great as a side for scrambled eggs or top with over medium/easy eggs.


Paleo Pancakes

These are a great way to satisfy the kiddos sweet tooth for pancakes and still stay on track.

2 large eggs
1 ripe banana
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp of add ins (I used 100% cocoa)

Mash the banana up and whisk in the eggs. There will be clumps of banana so that is ok. Remember there is nothing really holding them together so keep them smaller. Add the additional flavorings and mix thoroughly. Drop in spoonfuls on to a griddle and flip after about 2-3 min. You can also add additional toppings like fruits and such to make for a yummy treat.

Monday, October 17, 2016

Whole 30 Breakfast Scramble

I get asked all of the time what kind of things we eat for breakfast and this is one of our GO TO. This recipe feeds my family of 5 (2 adults, 1 9yo, 2 toddlers).

Breakfast Egg Scramble

7 Eggs-  I prefer Cage Free, Range Free
4-5 small bell pepper poppers
Handful Spinach
1-2tbsp of Olive Oil
Preferred Spices (I used salt, pepper and an Italian blend)

Prep time: 10 min

For my kiddos in order to get them to eat the veggies in the eggs I have to finely chop up the spinach and peppers. I have some EXTREMELY picky EATERS.

Heat the oil on the stove med to high heat. While that is heating I chop up the veggies; wait for the oil to get HOT and throw them in the skillet. Saute them for a few min.

Whip up the eggs in the bowl and add the seasonings.

Pour over the sauted veggies and scramble. I use a spatula to help keep the eggs from sticking and to mix in all of the veggies.

Add fruit as a side of garnish and my kiddos ate it up and asked for more = WIN


So WHY the Whole 30....What's the Big Deal



So I have had a LOT of questions, comments, concerns, push back for my reasoning in deciding to tackle the Whole 30 as a family. Here's the thing I don't necessarily know if this is going to prove, figure out, decide ANYTHING. What I know is that sometimes we come to a point in our life where we are just FED UP. As moms, as the care takers and the matriarch of our families we want to do what is best for THEM. I have done A LOT of research and I believe in the power of educating myself about how I (we) can do better. At the end of the day I feel and research shows that FOOD is POWER and what we fuel our bodies with has an effect on MANY aspects of the human body. So if we can control what we put in to our bodies and that creates a negative or positive outcome; then its importance we pay attention to them.

So what is Whole 30. Well its essentially a short nutritional reset of our bodies. Its designed to help crave those nasty unhealthy habits and cravings, restore a healthy metabolism and balance our immune systems. If yall have followed me for long you know my kiddos STRUGGLE with weak immune systems; from Jayden's severe allergies/asthma, Kayleb's weakened immune system from heart surgery and Landyn's hasn't been near as bad as his two older brothers but he has definitely struggled. I personally have strong hormonal imbalance, PCOS and Hypothyroidism and depression like symptoms. Research has shown that dairy, sugar, grains and legumes all contribute to some if not all of these things. Over the past 4 years as a health and fitness coach we have come A LONG way. But I also know sometimes some of those unhealthy habits start to creep back in (especially after holidays, vacations, extended family time, etc). We have always focused on the 80/20 rule when it comes to our eating but we felt as a family it was time to dial it up a notch.

The Plan  -

So the awesome thing is that for the next 30 days we will focus on non processed, clean, whole, fruits, vegetables, protein and healthy carbohydrates. Which isn't entirely far off from what we have already been doing. But we are going to be eating foods that promote a healthy psyhological response, healthy hormonal response, foods that support a healthy gut and proper immune function and minimize inflammation.

Here is my Meal Plan for the first week. 

Note: I know that on the Whole30 they say no to Shakeology but I am going to make my own modifications on that. Yes I know that its not laid out that way but I PERSONALLY know and feel strongly about keeping Shakeology as a part of my routine. End of DISCUSSION. 

We hope to not only help promote healthier lifestyle choices for our kiddos; but empower them to make those decisions, opening their minds and more importantly and the bottom line is to heal our bodies from the inside out. 

Tuesday, October 11, 2016

Has your family struggled with this?......

Jayden and I at Sea World this past weekend.
4 Days off Meds and was totally different
little boy
So for the past few months we have started to notice some pretty big changes in Jayden. Things like mood swings, insomnia, bouts of anxiety and depression, irratic behavior, anger and SEVERE migraines (were talking breaking down in tears his head hurt so bad). At first we chucked it up to A LOT of changes in our household and I mean A LOT. Eric returned to work after having been home for almost 4 months not to mention a COMPLETELY different schedule in which he's now working nights and sleeping during the day. I returned to work for a brief stint (more on that later) after working from home for the past 3 years; essentially all of his school years. Plus the stress of 3rd grade and his first official year of grades and the STAAR Test so we figured it was a shift in life. Jayden has ALWAYS been an old soul; very mature for his age, has conversations you wouldn't expect from a 9 year old.

The longer things continued to go on the more concerned I got. My baby boy just wasn't acting like himself. Saying things so out of character (and unsettling) and as a woman who has battled anxiety and depression for the majority of her life the last thing I wanted was my baby boy going through that at 9. So I went mama bear and did what I do best and started to dig.

Backstory
Jayden has suffered from severe allergies and asthma for pretty much his whole life. Before he was officially diagnosed by the time he was 2 he had pneumonia twice and bronchitis 6 times. It wasn't uncommon for us to end up in the ER on steroids and breathing treatments. Around 2 we had him allergy tested both blood and skin testing. He was diagnosed with allergens to dogs, cats, 3 types of molds, lots of trees, Peanuts, and many more. Our BIGGEST STRUGGLE is the fall seasons. From Sept to about January in our home it's a constant cycle of allergy induced asthma attacks, wheezing, coughing and congestion. We're talking every other week; some worse than others. Multiple steroids and constant breathing treatments. Not the life you wish for your child (though I know things could be much worse.)

The Symptoms
- Worsening eczema (we are talking spots not having cleared up in over a year despite a heavy steroid ointment).
- Night Terrors
- Insomnia
- Severe Anxiety
- Depression like symptoms
- In ability to focus
- Loss of Appetite
- Tremendous Appetite
- Always being SICK (like a nagging cough that will never go away we are talking MONTHS).
- Aggressive behavior
- Seemingly unhappy
- Easily Upset
- Unorganized (not like him he's my type A red personality just like his momma)
- pure exhaustion
- falling asleep immediately following school for hours or anywhere for that matter
- severe migraines (were talking multiple a week).

Taken as a separate entity and on an individual basis you could say these were all characteristics of a growing 9 year old little boy but you throw them all together for an extended period of time and then exacerbate them and you have some major red flags.

TREATMENT
After seeing many allergists, pediatricians and pulmonologists everyone pretty much concluded that he needed to be on 2 preventative steroid inhalers daily (Syimbicort/Qvar), a RX antihistamine daily(levizoterozine), a second RX antihistamine as a migraine preventative (proactin), albuterol breathing treatments as needed, a nose spray daily(dymista), plus prednisone EVERY TIME we've had a bad attack of uncontrollable wheezing. These have been pretty consistent since he was 2 with minor tweaks here and there. That's SEVEN YEARS of consistent steroids. Not to mention the immunallergy he's endured the past 8 months. (Basically he's getting 2 shots X 2 times a week of the things he is allergic to in hopes his body builds up to an immunity to them and he no longer struggles. The verdict is till out on this as we haven't concluded one whole round yet). Now I am not an idiot. I understand the repercussions that could come of this (withdrawals, worsening symptoms, etc) which is why I am monitoring him EXTREMELY closely as well as notified his school what we were doing and in constant communication with his teacher and doctors on how he is doing.

Taking things into my own hands.
I am a firm believer in modern medicine. I truly believe that it is for the greater good and Jayden wouldn't be where he is today and that my middle son Kayleb would not be here had it not been for modern medicine. BUT I also believe in the power of research. So that's exactly what I started doing. I started digging and what I was uncovering, and finding was solidifying my hunch. That the prolonged side effects of some of these medicines were the cause of the change in my first born. The side effects that he is experiencing were literally in parentheses (ESPECIALLY IN CHILDREN) on EVERY. SINGLE. ONE. of the medicines he is taking. That's when the red flags started going off and I felt something needed to be done. I also firmly believe that what we fuel our body with has the ability to help or hurt us and I will be the FIRST to admit that while I am a health and fitness coach I ALWAYS have room to grow especially when it comes to my kids and their nutrition. So again to the research I went. Y'all know how much I preach clean eating and we do our best to stay within our 80/20. But with the amount of health concerns, ailments, injuries, that I have seen within my family I decided it's time to take it a step further.

My solution
Much to the dismay of several of his Drs. I pulled Jayden from all of his meds on 10/2 and have started tracking the changes/behavior that I've seen. I've also decided as a family that for 30 Days we are going to follow the Whole 30 program so that I can see which foods help and hurt my boys. My plan is to journal this journey in hopes to help inspire others as well as see first hand for ourselves the differences it makes. Here's what I've seen so far.

10/3 - Allergy shot day. Also the last day he took his levoziterizine. He showed extreme exhaustion (in fact said to me multiple times “mom I'm sooo tired I just want to sleep) coming from the kid who NEVER NAPS. He fell asleep on way home allergist and then again after we saw the chiropractor.

10/4 - No meds PERIOD, early morning wake up was ROUGH walked in I could tell TV had been on (sign of his insomnia) didn't want to get up said he just wanted to sleep. Complained his throat was hurting, sneezing quite a bit, came home from school energy level was up, seemed more alert, said he had a great day, no complaining of being tired. Went to bed at 745 and was out by 8.

10/5 - (2 days off meds) wake up was much easier, didn't appear as tired, said he only woke up twice and was back asleep within 10 min. He was in a great mood. After school was by far the MOST energy and happiness I've seen. Laughing, acting silly (something I haven't seen in a LONG TIME), playing happily with his brothers, running around and just joyful. Minimal sneezing, quite bit of wheezing and complaining his throat hurts but was able to manage it. Was going to do a breathing treatment as I could tell he was wheezing more than normal but he forgot and it calmed down and he went to bed with ease.

10/6 - (3 days off of meds) No big issues today, woke up early and very energetic, complained a little bit of throats hurting but nothing major. Energy level was amazing after school, completely different kiddo.

10/7 - (4 days off meds) Spent most of the day in the car (slept for about ½ of the drive to San Antonio). Was sneezing a little but nothing out of the ordinary. Arrived in San Antonio very energetic and no concerns.

10/8 - (5 days off meds) Spent Saturday at Sea World. Laughed, rode rides, saw animals. Sneezing and coughing some but nothing crazy. Saturday night however was a struggle and did do one breathing treatment of albuterol at around 12:45 am.

10/9- (6 days off meds) - woke up lethargic, not much appetite for normal things he likes (cinnamon rolls) but did eat eggs, French toast and ham for breakfast. Complained of headache on way home and slept literally the entire way home. Did give him some ibu.

10/10 - (7 days off meds!) no school woke up on his own at 6:45. Was awake laughing and joking with brothers, played at the park for several hours, had lunch and scarfed down the entire thing. I did make him lay down and rest in the afternoon as a way of recharging his batteries after a long weekend.


10/11 - (8 days off meds) - woke up at 6:00am with no complaints. Has a slight cough (that sounded kind of deep) but not over the top like this weekend. Says he woke up once around 10ish but went right back to sleep. Will give Claritin and Benadryl as a preventative for his immunoallergy therapt today. Afternoon: Immuno shots went fine; minimal to no sypmptons with this round ( no sneezing, coughing or complaining of soreness) typically I see a pretty strong sneezing episode immediatley following his shots but not today. Attitude was in high spirits but also very feisty with me; not sure if that's him going through withdrawls or just being your typical 9 year old boy. 

So for now I will continue to log the changes I am seeing until Monday when we officially start the Whole 30 as a family. I will journal/blog about our journey and how each family member handles the progress in hopes that maybe our family's journey can some how help yours. Plus tips, tricks and meal plans for how to be successful on the Whole 30 as a family. 


Monday, October 10, 2016

My constant battle with depression

UPDATE: I wrote this blog in May of 2016 and for whatever reason I never posted it.  As I geared up to start blogging something new in our lives I saw it and thought how ironic it is. Some of the very things I wrote in this article I still struggle with today and I hope by incorporating some new and improved lifestyle changes that will change. 

So many of you know that I have suffered from depression and anxiety for well most of my life. Through the years I have learned to really battle it on my own; through the foods I eat, the activities I engage in and the things I filter into my brain. But sometimes LIFE HAPPENS and we just feel like we are in a rut. For the past few weeks I have really really struggled with myself. Thoughts of self doubts ("I am not good enough" "I need to be a better mom" "I am not inspiring anyone" "I can't do it" "I suck at life") kind of attitude. You guys also know that I also struggled with an eating disorder for YEARS in my past and while I will NEVER go down that road again I realize that FOOD is something I have used as a coping mechanism. I am an EMOTIONAL EATER; happy, sad, mad, bored. You name it I will find a reason to EAT.

My job as a health and fitness coach is to give people hope, encouragement, motivation, support, accountablity, the tools to be successful in their own journeys. When I tell you that for the past several weeks I have been feeling like a TOTAL and UTTER failure. Literally I felt like I was just going through the motions of life, my workouts, my poor eating, being a wife, a mother. How can I inspire someone else when I can't even inspire myself to get out of this rut. Not to mention along with my struggle mentally and emotionally I was struggling spiritually. I could see God working through me and using me to help other people but personally I was feeling the most disconnected I had ever felt from him. It truly was a tough place to be in. It's not that I didn't know he was there, its just that I couldn't feel or sense him. I can't describe it other than for the first time in a LONG time I felt really alone.

In my growing faith I have learned that SOMETIMES God puts us in a place to show us how powerful he truly is. When he is putting you in this place of discomfort its because he is PREPARING you for something GREATER. Its taken me many, many years to be ok with being uncomfortable. But I know that no matter what the situation is, no matter how low I may be feeling HE will bring me through.  I know he is preparing me for greatness and I am learning to be more comfortable in a place of discomfort. Over the past week God has laid some special, special things on my heart. I have sensed the need to reFOCUS on ME and my purpose for HIM. In learning to CRAVE him instead of craving food, to worship my body as HIS TEMPLE. So I have recommitted to a new journey not just a physical journey but a spiritual journey as well (I will save that for my next post).