My Whole30 Continues

My Whole90 a 63 year old Gramma on the Mend.

Over the course of the last 4 months I have completed a Whole30 and continued it into a Whole90.  Ninty days of eating as explained in the best selling book It Starts With Food. 
In August (the 4th month) I reintroduced dairy and have not had any problem with it.  My segue into adding grains (brown rice and then wheat) was not as successful resulting in a feeling of having a stone in my stomach.  My free fall into a sugar/chocolate experiment resulted in full on misery. One escapade with the vile sugar left me with a migraine headache and becoming one with the bathroom as I swore never again.  I have been taking it slow and steady.  Panic hit when I wanted to try and eat some sugar.  I decided I had to try it and I learned an important lesson. This Whole30 experience and the reintroduction of food groups clearly shows me what my body needs to feel good.  Real healthy proteins, Whole 30 vegetables, healthy fats and oils, water. 

September 2nd I started a new Whole30.  I have come along way and feel much better. My blood pressure is lower. My arthritis and joint pain is no longer keeping me from being active. I have a long way to go. I learned I wasn't ready to stop Whole30 eating.  The reintroduction of foods had hit me on the head with how badly I need to keep doing this. I read the The Conservative Reintroduction by Melissa Hartwig and found some sound advise. Go slow do what works for me.
These little guys need their Gramma. 

The park in Florida in summer is one hot place, but this Gramma pushed her grandkids on the swings, took them home made their dinner, played, gave baths, and got them to bed.  
~ Anne~

Summer In The Whole30

Having lots of summertime fun and my Whole30 Paleo diet has turned into a Whole90. 

 The weight is still coming off slow but sure and I am shopping in my closet finding smaller sizes to wear. 

The Avocado is my favorite summertime treat.  I think they are perfect in every way possible.

So glad to be getting fit and taking care of the grands this summer. 
We have stayed busy.

modeling Wooden Shoes

Playing in the suds

Visiting the beach

Looking out for Water Spouts over the Gulf

I have been knitting and the kids always have requests.

Susan B. Anderson Itty Bitty Toys

Slither the Snake has returned this time in green.
Now I have a to make a pink one. In between knitting pigs and Hippos.  
What are you up to this summer?
Anne

Pig In A Basket

Make Me A Pig Gramma!

Susan B Anderson's Pig from itty-bitty toys

I made a little change to the pig this time. I made the legs the same as the arms

instead of shaping the foot separately and having to sew it onto the leg. I consider it a minor cheat!

Vintage Sewing Knitting Basket
from my Etsy shop.

I have so many project bags and baskets. There is always a need for more.  Any seamstress or knitter will tell you that!

Beautiful Antique Basket from LakesideCottage

Pigs have the cutest tails!

Petunia The Pink Pig

I got some knitting done this weekend while watching the  Grands play.

Marigold Eyelet Anklet Sock

My Whole30 turned Whole60 is still in full swing.

There is a whole lot of weekend vegetable cooking going on.  

Roasting eggplant and winter squash

 I plan ahead and roast enough staples like eggplant, squash, sweet potatoes, and any other veggies that happen to be looking good at the market .  Once they are all cooked and in the fridge in their containers I have no excuse not to grab them for easy fix meals.
I am feeling better and better.  I celebrated that little boys (pool picture) 2nd birthday this year with a Lara Bar ~ I felt wonderful about it.  I don't want any sugar for the first time in my life.

Pretty much sums up my week. Whole30 eating, knitting, listings for my Etsy shop and watching the Grands on the weekends. If they would just let me knit at my day job life would be perfect!

~Anne~

Making Mayo in My Vintage Kitchen

I did it I made my very own mayonnaise for my Whole30 Paleo diet.
It was easy.  So Easy!
You just need a couple of things.
A pretty apron of course!

The Cottage Workroom Barkcloth Apron

 First the recipe.

Simple Whole30 Compliant Mayo

1 1/4 Cups Extra Light olive oil (you don't want a strong tasting oil)
1 egg
1/2 tsp salt 
1/2 tsp Colman's Mustard powder
2 Tbsp fresh squeezed lemon juice

 A blender or food processor. 

Oceanside Castle  Vintage Waring Blender

STEPS:
1. Plan ahead everything NEEDS to be room temperature so leave an egg out overnight.
2. In the blender whiz together the egg, 1/4 Cup of the olive oil, the salt, mustard powder and lemon juice until it is all mixed up.
3. Add the 1 Cup of Olive Oil. Slowly and I mean as slow as Molasses in January drizzle a very tiny stream of Olive oil into the mixture while the blender is whizzing away. This is a very important step and cannot be rushed if you want a nice thick mayo. It will take several minutes to trickle all the oil in.  
4. It will become thick as the last of the oil is going in. You can stop mixing when all the oil is in and it has thickened up.

Pour a very tiny drizzle of oil into the blender and really take your time with this step. I made mine in a shake blender.

So thick and creamy. I was AMAZED !

Store your mayo in the fridge in a glass jar. 

Vintageer  1930's Ball Mason Jar

Why make your own Mayo? Make it because it is so fresh, delicious, full of a healthy oil, a fresh egg and has no sugar, no starch, no artificial anythings to mess up your Whole30. It is next to impossible to find this even in the best health food store. The cost is much less too. Plus you get to dance around your own kitchen shouting I did it, I made it, It's Amazing!

Since you're being all healthy and caring about what you eat, how it's processed and where it came from I thought you'd love to shop some of my favorite Etsy shops for vintage kitchen ware. Enjoy!
~ Anne

My Whole30 ~ Day 30

Day 30

When I embarked on my Whole30 I knew I could do it.  Now I am so glad that I did it.
I am going to continue and make it a Whole60.
I have lost 15 pounds and gained confidence, more mobility and the energy needed to take care of those two little munchkins on the weekends.  Family life changes from time to time and my precious little grands need a gramma that can keep up with them while Mama goes to work for them.  So thanks to Whole30 I have been physically and mentally able to take on this new challenge while still working as a nurse during the week.

Angie has been keeping up with them too.
~Anne

Planters & Paleo

My little succulents that I planted  almost a year ago are still thriving.

 

I love my vintage snail planter.

Finding vintage planters has become a passion for me. I am always on the lookout for them and love featuring them in my Etsy shop WeelambieVintage.

Cottage Country Planter White Roses

I also found some pretty vintage wire baskets that look great with plants in them.

Chippy White Fleur De Lis

French Provencal 

My Whole30 update ~

Paleo is starting to roll off my tongue like it is a normal word for me to be saying and not some crazy fad diet.  I still haven't gotten very adventurous in the cooking department. I have found that while I am on my Whole30 it is better to keep things simple.  If I start experimenting I might find myself eating a whole bagful of trouble.  There are wonderful recipes out there Nom Nom Paleo is a perfect example of eating extraordinary food. 

My go to easy does it favorites~

Veggies~ spinach, baby greens, radishes, sweet potatoes, peppers, eggplant, olives and zucchini.  

Proteins~ chicken, pork loin, steak, salmon, cod fish, scallops, shrimp, eggs

Fats~ EVOO, Coconut oil, avocado 

Fruits~ bananas, oranges sweet section by section a treat, Georgia peaches, berries.

Other things I love but have in moderation~ cashews, raw almonds, flaked coconut, once in a while a date or two for my sweet tooth. I have to buy dates just 4 at a time out of the bin at the health food store. They are that yummy. Food without breaks for me.

I drink water by the gallon all day long and black coffee in the mornings.

My breakfasts are usually steamed spinach and eggs. Lunches are baby greens and I cook enough chicken on Sundays to shred some to take in a packet to work for my salad.  I also put other left over meats on my salads. Salmon or pork loin are favorites. I make my own dressing with EVOO, lemon juice or cider vinegar, sea salt, pepper and some dried mustard . I have a bottle of it at work and one on my kitchen counter at home. I pack my Monkey Salad and have that at work either mid morning or mid afternoon if I am hungry.

Dinners are easy throw together meals. I roast sweet potatoes on the weekends so I can heat them up on weeknights.  I have salad a grilled meat and what ever veggies I have ready to cook or left overs.  On Sundays when I am cooking all that chicken I also roast a big pan of veggies drizzled with EVOO, salt and pepper and roast the sweet potatoes.  Thus all these ingredients are ready to divvy out during the week at lunches and dinners.  I am telling you I don't miss my old Lean Cuisines at work one stinking bit.  This is more work but so worth it and makes the weekdays easier.  

These radishes are the bomb-diggity!
Colander is here

 I have not been having cravings!  Having sugar and grains out of my system has gotten me off the merry-go-round of eating  and then being a starving hungry run to the kitchen shove it in my face lunatic binge eater.

a simple Whole30 meal. 

That has been my week. Vintage planters, Whole30 challenge, meal planning and of course a little knitting.

I tried on several blue nail polishes at Big Lots today while I was picking up that swimming pool.  Here I am knitting and waiting for it to fill. Tomorrow the grands will be playing in it.  

Thanks to everyone for your kind comments and cheering me on during my Whole30!

~ Anne

My Favorite Salad

More on my Whole30 and a little knitting.

Questions asked at work.

So Anne, What are you eating?

I am eating Monkey Salad.

Monkey Salad

Shaved unsweetened coconut, cashews, banana = Bliss and a filling, nourishing addition to breakfast. This really gets me through the work day.

Newest benefit from eating my way through my Whole30.

I have had a tremor in my hands for years. It is almost gone.

Next benefit the energy to knit.

I finished these dang socks. I only had to do the kitchener.

Misi Alpaca Hand Paint Sock Yarns

It is to hot to wear wool socks in FL. so I hung them in the garden for the day. More on the garden later.

  

Anne

My Fish Dinner ~ Paleo Diet

Whole30
Week1

Doing well with my Whole30. Tonight's dinner was wild caught salmon and steamed swiss chard.
It was yummy.
The first week was interesting. For several days my tummy was out of control.  I had headaches, my brain left me in a muddled fog for one whole day.  I knew from reading the book It Starts With Food that this was part of the detox and more or less of it to be expected.  I expected the full whammy as I am in such crappy shape going into this.  I began feeling better toward the end of the week. I am still having headaches in the evening, but they are mild and go away when I drink a couple glasses of water.  So maybe I am just thirsty.
Surprises I have had.
*   I like my coffee black.
*   I love my greens at breakfast
*   I am thinking those greens need some hot pepper flakes (yes at 7am I thought this)
*   I have survived without eating late at night
*   I have not been shove it in my face hungry. No not once.
*   I have not had hypoglycemia in days.
*   I have not missed dairy as much as I thought I would.
I have learned that I have to watch the nuts. Food without breaks for me.  It pays to be attentive and listen to my body.

While all this was going on this week a very special patient of mine gave me my annual gift of Marmalade.

He is now 92 years old and he makes this himself from the citrus fruits that grow in his yard.  He said this time he has a special surprise in it!  Not sure what that is. He likes to mix a variety of oranges, lemons, grapefruits.  I know I can't taste it while I am on the Whole30 but if I do reintroduce sugar into my diet at some point I will give it a taste.  I am just happy to have his gift and look at how pretty it is.
~Anne

Whole30 Yes

I can eat this way.

Okay so I over cooked it a bit.... It was yummy.

I have been MIA while I contemplated for a long time what it is I need to do with my life to make it better, less painful, more active and live (I hope) longer or at least healthier.
I read this book. It Starts With Food and found so many answers to decades of questions I have had about my relationship with food/eating. There are many blogs on the Whole30 and I have found inspiration in them.  My little blog is simply to speak up and say, "this is me... I need this.... I can do this... I have started this Whole 30."
Thanks go to friends Gail, Shelley, Kim, Anila, Nikki and  brother Chip, nieces Sarah and Kelly for showing me all along that it is the food you eat.
Today I am Whole30
my other reasons for needing to do this are here.

How could I not want to try.