Finding Johanna

The Paleo diet focuses on unprocessed whole foods, lots of healthy fats including saturated fat, grass-fed, free-range meat and eggs, lots of fish and seafood, vegetables, fruit, berries, nuts, seeds and some natural sweeteners. It excludes grains, legumes, processed sugar and most dairy. Some people include healthy dairy foods like kefir, full fat natural yogurt, some aged cheese and butter, but of course it really depends on your sensitivities. Paleo also focuses on local, organic produce and good farming practices. A common misconception about the Paleo diet is that it's a low-carb diet with a focus on meat. While a lower amount of carbohydrates may be consumed compared to the standard diet through the exclusion of grains and refined sugars, plenty of carbs are still consumed from vegetables, fruits and nuts. What's In: Meat and poultry  (including offal): grass-fed, free range meat is not only a kinder and more ethical way to consume animal products but it is...

I DID IT! 30 days  - no sugar (well except for the four iced coffees I got that had hidden sugar in them... thanks starbucks)  -no grains  - no dairy (except once I had fajitas in Austin that I am sure were cooked in butter)  DAY 30 MEALS   Breakfast I made fauxtmeal  I ground almonds  toasted them with coconut flakes  added cinnamon and raisins   and then added mashed banana and coconut milk. It was so good!  Even Emma ate like half of it.  Lunch was truly the best thing ever. I made chicken salad.  I baked a chicken breast with chipotle powder.  Diced mango, avocado, onion, and serrano Mixed it with the diced chicken and lime juice.  WHOA AMAZING  With a coconut la croix it truly tasted like I was in the Caribbean  Dinner  I made chipotle lime salmon with coconut curry snap peas and ...

One of the stipulations of Whole30 is that it's not Whole365, BUT you can do more than 30 days if you feel like your body is not ready to reintroduce the foods you have omitted from it for a month. My 30 days are over tomorrow, but I know that I am not ready to have a plate of pancakes on Wednesday and I plan to do a longer period. I know I am going to have alcohol on my birthday, so I guess I am doing a Whole40. I have to say I actually REALLY like the foods I am eating. I don't really miss anything except the occasional grain. This morning after my walk I really wanted oatmeal for breakfast. I know that I still plan to eat the whole30 acceptable foods 90% of the time. The meals I have been having this month are so good, and you don't have to restrict or count calories you just eat the acceptable foods when you're hungry so it is actually a lot easier for me to maintain than counting calories. So I have ten more days before my birthday and then anniversary trip where ...

So I just saw a number on the scale that I haven't seen since 2012! I am seriously so excited!!!! I decided that with that number I should be able to wear my size 16 pants right? RIGHT! I haven't worn this outfit since December 2012. YYYYEAH  Here I am in 2012  I am totally making progress. My goal is to drop another thirty pounds over the summer.  I have a 5k coming up next Saturday so I got up this morning and did a two mile walk with Emma.  I wore my fancy new pants from Old Navy.  I am really proud of the changes I have made. My body is different from 2012 thanks to the joys of pregnancy, but I know that I am getting healthier and that is my main goal. I am just going to take it day by day and make good choices everyday for the rest of my life and my weight should follow. 

I drip walking from the house to the car. My baby drips in her car seat for a five minute car trip. It. Is. HOT. ENTER THE POPSICLE We had two overly ripe bananas that weren't going to be good for eating and I just bought popsicle makers so I decided banana popsicles would be perfect. I blended both bananas with a heaping tablespoon of almond butter and about 1/2-1 cup of coconut almond milk (I didn't measure I just made it the right thickness). Then just pour and freeze. I found a website called The Hyppo that makes gourmet popsicles near Dallas and they had some really great flavor combos that I am going to experiment with this summer. My favorite options coconut avocado, mango habanero, pineapple cilantro, blueberry lemonade and a ton more. YUMMMM Fresh fruit pops are a much better option than beer and chips which is my typical pool side treat.