CONGRATS to SWICK and HUBBY for completing their Whole30! Ketchup and GF are close behind with another win!
Ok, another question for everyone. Exercise?? What are you doing or not doing? Honestly, I've done very little exercise since the beginning of September. I've taken a few walks and bike rides (yes, I'm very non-MMM when it comes to biking to work, it's too far). I wanted to focus more on my eating and then start to integrate exercise back in. I'm finding it hard though to get back into the rhythm....something I need to work on.
Thanks Mom22boys!! :D
I made an awesome celebratory dinner last night, wasn't really planned, just when the duck happen to be thawed. But...revelation! I stuffed the duck with apples and prunes (the Danish way) and then I stuffed it in the crockpot! I didn't really have any expectations, other then it is really hard to get a perfectly cooked duck with most of the fat rendered, with moist meat and crispy skin and I was feeling lazy. Guess what!?! That is exactly what I got!
I crock potted the duck on low for 8 or so hours, all the lovely fat melted and sort of confit'd the duck while it cooked, then I popped it out and stuck it under the broiler to crisp the skin. It was seriously the best duck we have ever had! I served it with some mashed rutabaga, roasted purple potatoes and some caper, green peppercorn gravy I made from the duck stock.
Also ended up with 1 1/3 cups of duck fat, plus the bones went back into the crockpot for stock :)
Other random results:Weight - Didn't lose as much weight as I was hoping. 4 lbs according to the scale. Now, this number is slightly skewed because I lost 8 pounds very quickly right before starting because I was so sick and not eating much for a week or two - which definitely wasn't healthy weight loss, so I had some balancing to do. The bottom line is a do feel better and have more energy so I am using that as a measurement of success.
Relationships - This one was kind of unexpected as hubs and I have always been very in-sync but we feel closer to each other than we ever have (didn't know it was possible) Having the shared journey, shared goals, struggles and successes, deep conversations about things you normally wouldn't think to talk about or wouldn't come up in everyday conversations - it seems like it has been a relationship reset as much as a food one.
We are both not tired and exhausted and going through the motions as we have been. We have both been lighter and happier and just having more fun. Definitely more glimpses of hubby's childlike enthusiasm and joy for everything that is awesome in life coming through. I have missed it!
Hubs has more energy and clarity so he is coming home from work (despite it totally sucking right now and having to put in a lot of OT) with excitement and ready to dive into hobbies and projects he hasn't had the energy for - which makes him happier and more energized. It is a GOOD cycle to be in!
Boundaries - This is a bit of a strange one, but it has given me practice with setting and sticking to boundaries, and letting people know what they are. I have historically been not very good at this. Also - making self-care a priority. My working relationship with my clients was starting to get away from me and I found myself slipping back into the horrible space of feeling like I was on call 24-7 since I work from home and get emails all day long. Yesterday, I sent an email to my clients with very firm boundaries about when I will respond to emails and work requests. Now I have carved out specific time in my day to make healthy meals, and get some excercise in, It feels AWESOME!!
Budget - We spent about $580.00 for two people. Our usual budget is $400.00 This includes $100.00 for our Local organic fruit and Veg CSA and $100.00 for an 18 lb Turkey (which I broke down and 1/2 is in the freezer) and 3 dozen local organic duck eggs and 2 Dozen Chicken eggs. We ate some meat from the freezer and put some in the freezer, so I think that pretty much evens out.
We did have to buy some staples - Coconut aminos, Hubs loose leaf tea, coconut oil, coconut flakes, olive oil.
We were also pretty fast and loose with buying fancy stuff like prosciutto (but we did hunt around for the cheapest place) and splurged on some game meat sausages and pepperoni that were compliant. Also, nuts dammit they are expensive! We'll probably look at doing a cross border shop when we need to stock up again.
We did save the 22.00 or so we would have spent on buying a jug of milk each week. And we didn't go out to eat so had some entertainment savings for sure. Ohh and we'll save some money on Christmas gifts! I have a bunch of food items that we are not going to eat now that I can turn into Christmas presents - Make my own spiced bean dip packages and things like that :)
Momm22Boys - to answer your question about exercise - I have been doing very little. Some walks, exploring some trails in our community, not much more than that. Another reason I'm not stressed about the lack of movement on the scale. Since getting sick and starting whole 30 and feeling crappy on that, I haven't been good about making the time - or really having any inclination and energy to exercise. Now that I have my eating habits dialed in, and am feeling more energy, incorporating regular exercise is our next step.
1967mama, So awesome you are doing it with your daughter! Good luck on your dinner tonight! You make me want to clarify some butter! We bought some Ghee beginning of September, but neither of us were really keen on the taste. Hubs said it tasted like old oil.
I have been saving the fat from everything I have been cooking and using that. When you save the fat, make stock from the bones and have the meat, it makes it a little easier on the pocketbook when you are not use to buying so much meat:)