Just pretend this was written last Monday. I couldn’t write this one last Monday because I HAD to write about Oaks’ ear and repost some blogs lost in a recent hosting switcharoo- thank you Scot! Alas- the timing doesn’t quite fit the title, but the content must still be captured.
Last Monday marked Andi’s 100th day of kindergarten. Since I’m oh-so-experienced as an elementary school parent now (Eli’s 100th day was just 465 days ago), I was excited to celebrate this milestone with Andi. I felt attention needed to be aptly paid for her tenacious walk through 100 days of getting up and going to school.
Kindergarten has not been a super smooth ride for Sister Soo. She does really well at school and has positive and encoraging remarks on her scholastic efforts and social skills. She totes home prizes for picking up puzzle pieces no one else wanted to and writes letters with 3rd grade legibility. She’s learned to tie her own pony tail up on the back of her head, and keeps her front backpack pocket full of traded treasures from friends. However, she also ends lots of evenings in exhaustion, wakes up asking, “Is today a school day again?” on Wednesdays, and sometimes has nothing left to give when she gets home from school. The energy drain of being “on”, sweet, and smart all day at school, sometimes leaves her temper short at home.
Andi has overcome and done wonderfully. She has a wonderful teacher, a caring bus driver, and fun friends. The middle ground of little sister and big sister, of weekend dress-up princess and weekday tangle-haired, jeans and a t-shirt kindergarten girl, has shaken her but she’s hung on. For a full 100 days, Andi has persevered and we are very proud!
Last Monday also marked day 7 of the Crossfit Northland Clean Eating Challenge! Drew and I are on board for an 8-week adventure in eating deliberately. The challenge is a way of eating differently and connecting our diet to our working out and total health; it is not a weight loss program.
Why “challenge?” Because Crossfit uses competition as a motivation and measuring tool. Gym participants (over 50 signed up!) in the challenge receive points for daily and weekly goals. The parameters are as such:
Each participant in the challenge will score daily points for:
This is completely based on the honor system.
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*Clean eating for this challenge is defined as:
~no refined sugar
~no gluten
~no dairy (coconut/almond milk are ok)
~no alcohol
~1-2 pieces of fruit per day (aim for low sugar fruit)
~no peanuts (their lectins resist digestion and cause inflammation)
~no soy (produces phytoestrogens which are recognized in our bodies as female reproductive hormone and provide no real helpful function)
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There is an option for 1 cheat meal (food and beverages of any type consumed in 1 hour of time) per week. The first week’s bonus points were for NOT cheating during week 1. Drew and I pressed on. Cleaning out our system of sugar and rewiring our brains on what, when, and how much we eat.
It’s been a challenge. Some days are harder than others. The first 10 are a detoxing type of state which makes one grumpy, strung out, bloated, tired, listless, or suffering from headaches. We are happily beyond those times and walking with hope that our bodies are enjoying the whole foods, the lack of processed chemicals, and the elbow greases we’ve been putting into prep and meal plans!
I am beyond grateful Drew is in it with me this time around and that the goal is 8 weeks instead of the two clean weeks I endured last February. It’s more work in the kitchen every meal, but really tasty and very freeing as I’m breaking habits of mindless eating and desert dependency.
One of our favorite “clean” and easy recipes is Sausage and Peppers on Cabbage:
Sausage and Cabbage
Ingredients:
- · 1 Head Cabbage
- · 2 Sausage packages (Whichever type you prefer – Kielbasa, Beef Sausage, etc..)
- · 2 Tbsp. Olive Oil
- · 1 bell pepper (I like red)
- · 1 Red Onion
- · Sea Salt
- · Black Pepper
- · Cholula Hot Sauce (to desired heat – approx. 2 tbsp)
- · 3 Tbsp. Water
Cooking Instructions:
- Core and chop cabbage in medium strips, no longer than 1.5″ long
- Slice sausage in 1/2″ pieces
- Heat Olive Oil in Large Sautee pan on medium high heat (need to make sure you have a lid that sits tight on the pan)
- Add onion, pepper and cabbage to the hot oil and sauté for about 5 minutes
- Add sausage, mix well. Add salt, pepper and Cholula. Sauté another 5 minutes
- Add water. Cover. Reduce heat to Medium. Cook about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
When the kids were getting lonesome for something yummy and baked (they too are forgoing desserts at home, drinking more water, getting good sleep, and working on reading aloud!), I made this paleo pumpkin bread successfully. Tonight we’re having spaghetti pie with spaghetti squash “noodes”, pizza sauce (no sugar added), onions, and Italian sausage, with eggs mixed in and baked to form a crispy top crust. Cheese? No. Good and good for us, Yes.
The DAYS are full and we are well fed. Our kids are blessed and leave our house to be a blessing to the world they touch.
Here’s to counting another 100 days of school and 6 more weeks of clean eating!
