Sometimes I eat poop.

I grabbed a handful of Honey Nut Cheerios and sat down on the couch.

Josiah came over to me and I gave him a couple.

He put his hand up to my mouth like he's giving me one. How sweet.

Well, I didn't get a Cheerio in my mouth and it tasted horrible. What the heck?

I look down at his hands and he's got poop on his fingers. Yay.

I peek down the back of his diaper and nothing. Hmmm.

I look over and notice the toilet brush on the kitchen floor. Oh NO...

There's a little bit of poop on the floor next to it. I guess there was poop clogged in the toilet and he was trying to be a good little boy and help mommy clean.

Nope, no poop in the toilet. Clean as a whistle.

HUH? So the little brush holder has poopy water in it but that's all I can tell. No idea what in the world happened. All I know is,

Today was my first time (and hopefully the last)...

to taste poop.

40 Days of Christmas-- Bible Trivia Giveaways!

This is day 3 of what my husband has deemed "The 40 Days of Christmas." Basically he started with giving away a Dallas Cowboys t-shirt to the first person to answer correctly how many animals Noah brought onto the ark. Then the next morning he got this great idea to make it something bigger. Translation for me: "The 40 days of cleaning-out-a-bunch-of-great-stuff-we-don't-need-and-other-people-would-love!"

Everything we'll be giving away is brand new (unless otherwise indicated) and all you have to do is be my husband's friend on Facebook to participate. (Riley Moore)

Every day he will post a new bible trivia question and the first person to answer correctly wins the daily prize. No cheating! As in, you can't go through your bible or google it or wiki it or ask somebody else. Unless of course nobody gets it after a couple hours then he may allow you to look it up.

Here are a few of the prizes we have coming up-- keep checking back on Riley's page to see if the one you want is up that day! And hey, if you don't want it then it will make a great Christmas gift.

1.5" Photo Frame Egg Rabbit (wine-opener, pre-owned) Handmade Scarf (crocheted by me, you pick color) iPhone case iPhone skin iPad case Thermohygrometer iTouch case + stand Sandisk 4 GB MP3 Player Bob Dylan CD

We have no agenda, this is just a fun idea my brilliant other half came up with. The only thing we'll be gaining out of it is getting to bless others and create more space in our home!

Oh and the best part is, on the 40th day there will be a GRAND PRIZE drawing-- all of the winners from the first 39 days will be entered to win something really awesome-- to be determined!

So what are you waiting for? Hop on over to my hubby's page and get in on the action!

Dear Long Lost Library

Dear Long Lost Library,

I feel guilty. For not taking my daughter to story time until she was 2. For not getting a library card until today.

I'm sorry I didn't return the turtle books from 2004 on time. It's weird that the library I live by has information from Burleson. I really don't remember borrowing them. The fee was only $3.75 so I didn't want to argue with the nice cute librarian girl.

I promise to come more often. Thanks for being free. I'm sure I'll save lots of money on books and movies now. I'm sorry I forgot you existed. I think Julia and Josiah both will learn to love you. She really enjoyed picking out a book about Prancer, Clifford, and Corduroy, and the Dora and Toy Story DVDs. I'm glad I looked at the ones she grabbed before checking them out, or we would've come home with a Ramadan book. I can't believe we'll be able to check out 50 items after this. That seems really crazy. Does anybody really do that? I mean, I guess if you have 3 weeks to return them it's possible. But I could never carry that many things with my munchkins in tow.

I love the kiddie section at the Keller Branch. Y'all did great on making that one so cute and welcoming. It's hard to believe how comfortable I felt with stepping away to the counter while Julia stayed there exploring. But she loves books so it was cool. We won't be able to come to storytime every Wednesday but it will be a nice treat whenever we have to miss bible study. Maybe we can find a good time at another branch.

See you soon!
Love,
Joanna

Post-Cleanse Interview and Fave Recipes

As promised, here are the questions I asked Riley and his responses regarding the cleanse:

1. Are you glad you did it?
Yes.  It was a nice journey, and while it was hard at times, I think I really needed it.
 

2. If so, what tips would you offer to others who are considering it?
Plan a little more than we did… we decided to do it ‘tomorrow’ when we decided.  That’s all good, but I wish we’d thought through all the parties we had to attend and starve!  My grandmother did graciously provide us with a wonderful spread of things we could eat when she hosted some family for lunch.  Thanks Mimi!  You RAWK!
 

3. What was the best part about it?
Sitting on toilet this morning and looking down… ooh, gross… not into the pot- at my jelly roll that used to be my belly.  Now I look like the biggest loser jelly roller!  Now to keep with the healthy stuff and work out more often, maybe I can lose a few more pant sizes!
 

4. What did you hate?

The zucchini meal Joanna attempted.  I did my work and ate a helping, but that was the only real disappointment.  The rest of the meals were all pretty good!  It was also hard saying no to foods we KNOW are healthy, but not part of the plan.  Since when is it not ok to healthy stuff?!  But the reasons are just a little harder to tease out.  Just stick to the plan- it’s there for a reason.
 

[It was a zucchini soup recipe that I did not create myself, btw]

5. Did you make middle of the night trips to fast food joints while I was asleep?
Fast food?  No…. well, not while you were asleep…. But this one time… I snuck downstairs to eat … no, never.
 

6. Favorite new recipe(s)?
A bunch.  Coconut oil is the best!  And I only mildly like coconut.  Squash Apple Soup was good, and a ton of others!
 

7. What food did you miss the most?
Helado [ice cream]! And horchata when I had to make a run to the junk yard for a car part.  I usually get a 32 oz Horchata out there… I’m not big on soda, coffee, or any of that, but I was sure ready for a good waffle this morning!  Mmmm Bread!

8. How have you changed?

I had a bad experience when I tried to reintroduce meat.  I think my mindset about meat has changed a good deal, in part after watching Food, Inc.  As much as I enjoy some restaurants, I am much more wary about what I would consider eating at them.  I have a much greater appreciation for my wife’s cooking, and I think I could manage to eat meat free one week a month or something and still enjoy my diet.  Contemplating a gluten-free diet, and learned that the ‘stalk’ of cauliflower helps it not to smell and aids in digestion and allergies!! (ok, I learned that from a sales pitch on an unrelated matter, but still!)

9. When (if ever) would you want to do this again, or is there a different one you'd like to try next?

Sure.  Kinda expensive, so there is a level of commitment there… would like to continue not eating bread, etc after 4 pm as a general rule.

[I think he means cabbage, but it could be true for cauliflower as well].

Thanks Riley! You rock my socks off.

And now for some of our favorite new meals, snacks and shakes... 

* Holiday Harvest Soup at Souper!Salad! --iirc, it's got wild rice, mushrooms, celery, leeks, carrots, chicken, and parsley. I know it doesn't sound exciting, but it's really delicious. Not sure what they use for broth, so I'll play around with chicken/veggie/creamofsomething.

* Red Curried Lentils and Brown Rice

* Squash Apple Soup

* Dehydrated Sweet Potato Chips-- slice with mandoline on thinnest setting, drizzle with EVOO and sea salt, dehydrate for 6+ hours at 135.

* Chicken Broth made from scratch

* Dehydrated Cinnamon Pear Chips-- slice with mandoline on 2nd thinnest setting, sprinkle cinnamon on top, dehydrate for 4-6 hours at 135.

* Cleanse Cupcakes

* Asian Explosion-- inspiration here; 
 ~What I did was cook a 16oz pkg of brown rice spaghetti, topped with the following mixture sliced/chopped and sauteed in 1/4 c coconut oil:
1 roma tomato
3 leaves red chard
1 red bell pepper
6 radishes
1/2 red onion
2 carrots
1 yellow squash
1/2 bunch broccoli
4 cloves garlic
Add organic tamari to taste.

* Crockpot Lentil/Veggie Stew-- inspiration here;
~What I did differently was only used 1/2 onion, left out the rice, and just threw everything into the crock pot for I can't remember how long. But since there wasn't any meat, probably 2 hours on high.

* Brown Rice Rotini with Basil Pesto

* Brown Rice Spaghetti with Eggplant/Tomato Sauce
~I think I got this recipe from Dr. Cindy, but not 100% sure:
1 medium eggplant, cut into 1" cubes
1 pint cherry tomatoes (I used grape tomatoes because that's all I could find)
3 cloves garlic, whole (I always double the garlic in any given recipe, so we used 6)
3 T EVOO
1 t salt
1 t pepper
1 t red pepper flakes (this is pretty hot, so we left it out)
1/4 c toasted pine nuts (we left this out during the cleanse)
1/4 c torn fresh basil
3 T EVOO
1/2 c grated Parmesan (omitted during cleanse)
- Preheat to 400. Combine 1st 7 ingredients in a bowl, spread onto baking sheet (with parchment paper or oil). Roast 35 min. If you want to toast the pine nuts, do so on another rack for 8 min. Save 1.5 c of the liquid from the pasta you cook. Transfer roasted veggies to food processor/blender. Add basil and EVOO. Transfer mixture to pasta bowl, add parmesan. Stir, adding cooking liquid 1/2 c at a time until pasta is saucy. Sprinkle pine nuts over the top and serve.

* Canyon Ranch Asparagus Guacamole

* Bare Naked Cinnamon Apple Chips (bought at Sprouts)

* Mango Lassi

* Peach Pie Smoothie

* Blueberry Cherry Smoothie- equal parts blueberries and cherries, one banana, 1/2 c coconut milk, powdered supplements.

* Citrus Berry Splash Shake

* Dr. Cindy's Smoothie

* "Gioanali" Original Smoothie

I'm feeling great as of 1 day post cleanse, and looking forward to the next few weeks as we settle into new eating habits! Surprisingly, I've been resisting things that are "permissible but not beneficial." I did make some zucchini oatmeal cookies that were (key word, were) scrumdiddlyumptious! And I've got a surprise homemade dessert waiting for Riley in the freezer. =) 

Tonight's dinner was Pumpkin Chili recommended by Kate Cole, recipe here (I used coconut oil instead of vegetable, doubled the garlic and instead of yellow bell pepper I just did a whole green one). I ate two bowls, then while I was putting Josiah to bed, Riley washed my dish (along with most of the others, thanks babe!) so I had to sit down with the big pot and ladle to eat some more. That's how good it was, even a little cold. Going backwards, for breakfast I made sweet potato waffles (from a mix), my signature easy cheesy eggs (Homestead Farms' eggs, scrambled with a big handful of shredded cheddar), and orange slices. We'll see what tomorrow holds!

Thank you so much for joining me in our journey, and I hope you'll stick around to read more (although I can't promise to blog every day from now on)!

Day 21, Standard Process Cleanse

YES!!!

We did it. We really completed 3 long weeks of grueling really healthy eating. I feel so accomplished! And there's no way I could've done it without my wonderful husband, Riley. Especially because, well, it was his idea.

It would've been so easy to throw in the towel the past couple of days, but that would be like quitting a marathon at the 24th mile just because you already ran "enough". Absolutely not! We had to cross that finish line.

I would have to say I felt my best at the end of the first week, and then the second week I started getting bored with the same old things, and then the third week we started eating out (as rule-abiding as we could be, however) so that really showed me what a big difference "that kind of food" does to my digestive system. So while I've been sooo ready to eat all my old foods again, I think learning how different foods make me feel (something I didn't notice before, because my body was so full of so many toxins it couldn't trigger a signal to my brain) will motivate me to eat in more often, as often as possible actually. Which means I need to kick my meal-planning butt in gear! I really want to get super-organized with our food budget and shopping trips and weekly menus. Like, spreadsheets and all. Because I'm finding it really hard to stay within our budget. But, I'm convinced that with a little lot of work, it can be done. It has to.

There are so many new recipes I've come across the past 3 weeks that I tucked away in my mind for after the cleanse, so I'm sure I'll be making a bunch of yummy goodness real soon!

Alright now, who's motivated to do the cleanse now that you've seen how easy good for you it can be???

Oh, I almost forgot, I'll do one last post tomorrow with links to our favorite recipes during the cleanse, and perhaps a mini-interview with Riley. So stay tuned! =)

Day 19-20, Standard Process Cleanse

I know you all dearly missed my blog post yesterday, ;) so let me apologize for that up front!

Last night I really should've taken that Gymnema stuff (helps with blood sugar and cravings). I haven't had to take any this whole time but I guess I need to start if I really want to cross that finish line Tuesday morning.

We were headed out for dinner with no idea where to go. First mistake. So as we drove toward our non-dinner destination, we just started pulling up nearby restaurants on our phone. Scrolled through so many temptations, and I settled on Boston Market, thinking we could just get chicken and veggies. Well right before we walked in, Riley vetoed and said that it would be too hard to not get the mac-n-cheese, and I knew I'd want a brownie or something. So, starving, we continued on to Souper!Salad!.

Which was a good idea. Couldn't really have any salad because all the good dressings were filled with prohibited ingredients. I just can't stand oil and vinegar, sorry. But, we both found a real winner: Holiday Harvest soup. We had like 7 bowls between the both of us, not including two other bowls of soup, fruit, etc... It had mushrooms, carrots, leeks, garlic, parsley, wild rice, and I don't remember if anything else. SO.GOOD! I'm gonna try to repeat it at home sometime.

As I was devouring the food, I felt like I was eating my first meal in months. Because on our way there, it was really the time that felt most like we were fasting. I wanted to eat what I wanted to eat. I just couldn't wait for this thing to be over so I could have a freaking chalupa and ice cream. Well, after the soup, I felt happy again (must've been my blood sugar rising, not that there was sugar in the soup... don't ask me)!

So we have today and then tomorrow's the last day. I have no idea what's on the menu, so I better figure that out before we have a repeat of last night's agony.

Friday night we planned to go to Cafe at the Modern, but traffic rerouted us to Genghis Grill. Since the museum is free on Sunday, maybe we'll opt for that today instead. Just not sure how that will go with the kiddos...

Julia had a terrible cough all through the night, although she did sleep through most of it, and is still snuggled up in daddy's arms. Love for all my babies to be resting peacefully! Not sure if we can make it to church though. We'll see.

I went to a baby shower yesterday for my friend Juliana, and I was so looking forward to it that I completely forgot about the fact that I was going to have to resist sweets and other stuff. Well, resist I did although difficult. I did have this drink called wassail, which is apple cider with other fruit juices. So yummy! I ignored the fact that it probably had sugar in it. Sue me!

As we near the end of the cleanse, I keep worrying about what's going to happen afterwards. Like are we gonna totally binge on a ton of sweets and bread and cheese and beef after 3 weeks of denying ourselves? Well, I had a revelation of sorts. Hopefully that won't happen, but even if it did, it won't take long before we scale back to a happy medium. A medium closer to the cleanse diet than the one we were on before this whole thing. That's my goal anyway!

Well, happy time change Sunday! Come back tomorrow for the last day of our journey!

Day 18, Standard Process Cleanse

We're off the hook!


...


Well, just a little bit. See, we ran out of SP Complete (the powdered whole food supplement we mix into our morning and bedtime shakes each day) yesterday. I'm not sure why. Actually the container says it only has 30 servings which should've only lasted us a week. But according to the office, it was supposed to last us the whole 21 days. Not sure about all that, but anyway I called them and they said just don't worry about it the last 3 days, continue taking the other supplements and it won't drastically reduce the effectiveness of the cleanse. Cool!

Although I would've much rather been off the hook to eat a sandwich and a cookie. No such luck! Until Tuesday, that is. Muuuahahahaha!

We actually enjoy the shakes (now that I know which ones are good!) so I'll keep making the morning one with SP Whey Pro to start the day off. For lunch we had leftovers and for dinner went to Genghis Grill. Oh. My. Goodness. I'd never been there before. What a place! It was great. All four bowls =) But boy are my innards working out something fierce! It was also nice to just have an evening out alone with Riley... we got my niece to come over on short notice after Riley got off work early-- double score!

Dreams are already filling our palates for Tuesday's meals. What will we eat after this is all over? The same junk we use to? Not as much. The same stuff we're eating now? Moreso, but other things as well.

Riley and I admitted to each other that we've both had some mixed feelings lately about it being the end of the cleanse. With only 3 days left and not having to do any more shakes, why not just call it quits now? After all, we've had a (mostly) fabulous 18 days...

But NO! We did not come this far just to quit now. If for no other reason, I must finish because I need to show myself that I can finish what I started. See, I'm REALLY bad at fasting. I can't remember the last time I didn't bail on a fast. Well, except the 2 month long no-sweets one we did together this past spring. But that was excluding so much less than this is. Anyway, we've resisted so many temptations thus far, another 3 days will be a piece of cake! At least, we hope so, because we had to pass up a really nice one last night!

Well, I did some research on Saladmaster last night after blogging, and I've concluded that it's ridiculously overpriced, no matter how great it is. We may still do the show just for the free gift and free dinner with people over, but I don't plan on shelling out hundreds or thousands of dollars to them when I could get something probably just as good for a fraction of the price. So, those of you who have stainless steel cookware, what kind is it and do you recommend it and why? Anybody have any experience with titanium? SM's stuff is .5% and Riley is interested in looking into similar alternatives. Our plan is to buy some new pots and pans for sure. The old scratched up non-stick cancer-on-my-stove-crap has GOT TO GO ASAP.

It's late, so I'm off to bed... Nite-nite everybody =)

Day 17, Standard Process Cleanse

~I opened a bag of chips today, but they weren't for me.

~I buttered a piece of toast today, but it wasn't for me.

~I scooped a handful of cheerios today, but they weren't for me.

~I made a PBJ sandwich today, but it wasn't for me.

~I sorted through halloween candy today, but it wasn't for me.

~I sliced a piece of chocolate cake today, but it wasn't for me (even though it had veggies in it).

~I changed a few diapers today, but they were definitely not for me!


...Here's what I did do today for me:


*Opened a bag of apple chips (warning: when you first taste "Bare Naked" fruit chips you will be unimpressed if you've ever made your own, but then you will go back for more just because you don't have any homemade kind, and then you will be addicted, and then before you know it, you've finished off the whole bag, crumbs and all.)

*Ate pistachios for the first time in what seems like years.

*Made my own bowl of guacamole and thoroughly enjoyed it, and I don't even like avocados.

*Rejoined yourhealthsource.org.

*Spent some time making fabulous baby gifts.

...And tomorrow, I just might make a batch of cookies that we all can eat!


Dinner tonight was veggies and "fried" chicken at some friends' house for a Saladmaster presentation. Still chewing on everything (well, not the food, the other cookware information and stuff), planning to host a show next Wednesday if any of y'all are interested... If you come we'll get a really cool gift! Basically it is a health and nutrition cooking show, about proper food preparation. The food is delicious (the guy makes everybody dinner and dessert), we had a great time, and nobody has to buy anything!

Of course afterward I started feeling down because of my nasty non-stick cookware. Seems like it kind of defeats the purpose of doing a cleanse. Something must be done to stop welcoming those toxins into all our healthy food ;


Skipping the shakes tonight because we only have enough SP Complete for 2 more, and we'll do those in the morning. Not sure why it didn't last the whole 3 weeks, but hopefully we can get a small container to finish off the cleanse!

Four. More. Days. =)  =)  =) Bring on the cheesy bread and chocolate! The healthy kind, of course.

Day 16, Standard Process Cleanse

I'd like you to meet two of my very best friends. They have a very special place in my heart kitchen.

This is my precious Ninja. It works so hard and I've been using it at the very least twice a day for the last 15 days. It really is like a miracle machine. You can blend, chop, make snow, and more. It's a beautiful thing. If you haven't guessed already, this is what we've been making our shakes in.

This, my beloved readers, is my dear Oxo Mandoline. Without it, there would be no sweet potato chips in our house. And that would be a terrible, terrible thing. It can also julienne, make wavy edges and all sorts of wonderful things. My best non-edible purchase in the last two weeks.

I also spend a lot of time with my cutting boards, several different knives, spatulas, spoons, colanders, pots and pans and such. They're my old pals. Oldies but goodies.

Today we went to Spiral Diner for lunch and I got the Pasta Primavera, which was brown rice fettuccine with pesto and veggies. Delish! Riley got Ramsey's Protein Platter or something like that. We also shared the Tuscany Tomato Soup Special. Besides nibbling on our plates (well, not literally), the kids got all our bread.

Mmmm, I really miss bread. And cheese. When I gave Josiah a slice of cheddar today, I lifted the bag up to my nose and just took in the aroma. Ahhh. I have been forced to get creative with my recipe searches these days. Looking up beet hash browns, brown rice cookies and the like, have become the norm around here.

Dinner was a repeat and a newbie: Squash Apple Soup (left it chunkier this time for Riley, but just like my guacamole, I think I prefer it nice and smooth), and Red Curried Lentils with Wild/Brown Rice mix. The lentils and rice totally took the cake for me tonight. Not what I was expecting, so it was a pleasant surprise! Will definitely be keeping that around. Great source of protein! You can find the recipe here if you're interested.

Tomorrow's lunch will be leftovers (no complaints here) and dinner at Luke & Juliana's with a Saladmaster guy. I hope we're allowed to eat whatever he makes!

Well, I must be going... keep forgetting to sign back up for the organic produce coop so I need to get that email out in time for the next delivery!

See y'all tomorrow! Maybe before the cleanse is over I'll actually get to write the daily post before midnight. Hey, I can dream right?

Day 15, Standard Process Cleanse

Guess what? I have a non-boring full-of-photos blog, starting...

NOW!

This is what I used to snack on a lot and keep wanting to reach for, but I can't. So they're lasting a lot longer now that the kids are the only ones eating them.

This is what I wish there were more of but we finished the bag off last night.

This is what i came thisclose to eating a handful of today, but carefully put them back down. Why? They're covered in sugar.

This is what I wish would stop being advertised on TV for a while.

This is what I've been munching on all day.

This is what I am aching to eat come next Tuesday!

And now for the usual:

I went to the SmoothieKing website to get some shake ideas, and I'm really excited to try some of them out, starting as soon as I'm done typing this post!

We have a beet left in the fridge that I'm needing to come up with a recipe for. The thought "beet hash browns" popped in my head yesterday so I'm totally going to Google it and see what might happen in the kitchen.

Made my original recipe guacamole tonight to go with sweet potato chips, except this time instead of mashing I just stuck everything in the Ninja. Turned out super creamy and I loved it! Even better than before. Riley prefers it chunky though. Guess I'll have to start making separate batches ;)

My tex-mex chicken soup turned out pretty good, using the stock I made. Although I'm looking forward to when I can add cheese and organic blue corn chips again!

Six more days! IthinkicanithinkicanithinkicanIKNOWWECAN!

Anybody got any good tilapia recipes? I'll be making it for the first time ever.

Didn't vote today. Woah, put your stones down! Next time I'm hoping to actually do some serious research into each candidate's voting record so I can make a well-informed decision before November sneaks up on me. My main thing is that they are genuinely going to do things that promote the unborn's right to life, and I'm just not convinced anymore that a straight (R) ticket is the same thing. Ok, enough politics.

I can't stand this cold weather. Got put together a better winter wardrobe if I'm gonna survive the next few months without getting snippy. The good news is, I've got some great soups to make me feel all warm inside!

Alrighty y'all, time to go shake it up!

Day 14, Standard Process Cleanse

I know, it's a terrible photo. But I'm doing whatever I can to avoid those other ones that I just couldn't stand anymore. You probably can't even tell what this is (other than dinner)... so I'll give you the inside scoop (well, not literally, because it's all gone).

We had Salmon with Caramelized Cherries from the Whole Foods website (minus the agave nectar), Salad (lettuce, red onions, red bell pepper, carrots, asparagus tips, tomato, and *drumroll please* a store-bought salad dressing that is cleanse-friendly AND tasty! Got it at Sprouts and it's called Organicville Sun-dried Tomato something-or-another), and dino kale chips. I kept hearing about this other kind of kale and finally found it at Central Market but I think I like the regular kind better.

So I cleaned out my spice rack today... no more soybean oil, sugar, cornstarch, msg, and other nasty additives. Threw away like 9 bottles, so now I have some wiggle room in there to find the good ones =)

Cleaned out my pantry a little too... GMO popcorn, MSG canned soup, chicken bouillon, and a few other things. Felt so good! And what am I doing with all of it? Why, donated it all to a canned food drive at Julia's preschool of course. Is that terrible?

The last couple of days have been really hard as far as cravings and temptation go. I'm starting to get concerned that after the cleanse is over I'm just gonna go crazy eating all the sandwiches and desserts in sight. Hopefully the 21-days-to-make-a-good-habit thing is gonna kick in. I thought I had it going for me after the first week but then it all went downhill. Luckily I have some tried-and-tasty recipes that I plan to repeat the coming week.

Riley and I decided to meet for lunch and go to Spiral Diner today. I had never been before and had heard great things so we thought it'd be great during the cleanse. Well, I didn't know they were closed on Mondays. What a let-down! So, we went to PeiWei. Again. And it kind of felt like cheating, what with all the inevitable soy sauce and wonton this-and-that. I'm trying to keep my head up and not feel like I've failed, because I really do believe that this is going to be a great experience for both of us, even if it's not perfect. I was really proud of the kids though, because they totally devoured the brown rice =)

Yesterday's lunch and dinner were from Central Market and Market Street because we were out and about and didn't have time before we had to leave in the morning to make food for the rest of the day. We had so much fun! Church and two fall festivals! I wanted the free candy and hotdogs so bad though. The good news is I resisted! I hope I will still be strong when all of these foods are "allowed" again. Although my goal is to continue excluding certain things from our diet. Like perhaps, only buying meat that is pastured, buying the majority of our produce from local sources, only eating sweets if it's a special occasion, etc.

My pee has been a lot clearer lately. Sorry, I know that is really out of the blue and maybe more than you wanted to know but, I am after all, documenting facts here. Anyhow, that's a good thing. A little bit surprising though because I have really been slacking on drinking lots of water. Need to step it up Jo!

I made my very first batch of chicken stock this weekend. Super exciting and really easy. But since I didn't already have the canning jars to store it in once it was done, it simmered for 2 whole days. Yikes! Hopefully that just means it'll be better. But, since it might be bad, I only kept 1 quart out of three. After all, I'm used to just throwing away the bones and all when I cook a whole chicken. But no more of that! Can't wait to use it. Might even whip up some tex-mex chicken soup tomorrow =) I was so happy to see the bones just crush right between my fingers like the pictures I saw online when I looked up how to make it (Crushing the bones is NOT how you make it, that's just the afterward evidence that the broth has absorbed all the calcium from the bones). I researched about the benefits of broth and felt healthier just knowing how good it's gonna be for our bodies when we eat (drink) it!

Well, it's technically tomorrow and I need to get some sweet potato slices in the dehydrator for tomorrow so Good Night everybody! I hope you're still enjoying my journey =)