Day 28 paleo

4 weeks!! Wow it has been 28 days! Today was the first day in a while that I felt like I am getting back into a routine. I am getting used to pre prepping meals and using leftovers. I pre pack snacks so they are easy to grab on our way out the door and I am not as nervous now to be out and have no idea what to give Wyatt as a snack.

We made it to the gym again this morning :) Wyatt is ok with not being able to have any of the sugary treats they have in the cafe there, really I think the fact that they have a whole row of candy at the gym is kind of crazy anyway. I have written on a comment card about it more than once since I believe the Y of all places should be promoting healthy living and the 20 varieties of candy is not healthy.

For breakfast we had some bacon and eggs with a banana nut muffin. Lunch was left over jambalaya and chicken sausage with cauli-rice. Supper was beef stir fry with the left over cauli-rice from last night.  I finally got to use the coconut aminos for the sauce. It was so good and I actually liked it better than soya sauce it was a mix of coconut aminos, garlic, ginger and water. The cauli-rice is super easy to make you just shred raw cauliflower ( I use my food processor because it is fast) then fry it in a pan, I put about a tablespoon of coconut rice in the pan first. Cook until tender (it gets darker in colour as it finishes) add spices if you would like.

While it was cooking

mmm stir fry

 Wyatt and I spent some time in the classroom again this evening having fun painting, colouring, cutting and reading. I know I say it all the time but I LOVE my classroom! I got some prep work done for his next letter lesson which is the letter L. He already knows it really well so it will be an easy week :) We are really starting to use the Raising Rock stars program more which is from 1+1+1=1. I will try to remember to get some pics next week of some of the activities he is doing.

Wyatt would cut all day if I let him

It is shedding season for my shepherd right now and it is driving me crazy! I went out and brushed her today and I can't believe how much hair I got out of her. I love the furminator. My back yard looks like I shaved the dog (Which I have thought of .. lol).

Some of the hair I brushed out of Bonnie today

I have an exciting day tomorrow and I will post all about it tomorrow night with pics :)

Day 27 paleo.

Today was our follow up appointment with the naturopath. Wyatt gained a little over 3 lbs in almost 4 weeks and he is going in for some blood work to make sure his levels are all right (he is anemic). The dr said he is doing good and to keep it up. We will be introducing butter into our diet on the weekend and I am super excited :) He gave us some yummy tea too it is a mixture of Chamomile and holy basil, Wyatt and I both love it. We bought some peppermint tea a couple days ago and Wyatt has been loving that too.

I finally made it to the gym while Wyatt was in nursery school. I really have to make more time to get to the gym. I love the feeling after a workout. I got there and did a run then did a fitness class, I was in the lobby talking to someone and a friend literally hauled me by the arm to go into Zumba. this was my first time trying Zumba and i was not really a fan ( I have NO rhythm at all!) I will try it again just to give it a chance but I like my classes better.

I just found out that a local farm Tree and twig has a winter CSA. I am signed up for a summer CSA with a new small organic farm close to me. I love having one because sometimes you get foods you wouldn't normally eat so you get to look up new recipes :) I am excited to start my garden next year!

Today for breakfast we had crustless quiche with sausage in it. Lunch was salad with salmon on it and mixed veggies. Supper was jambalaya from paleo comfort foods. It was a little too spicy for me and my belly did not approve but Wyatt loved it and I am sure Alex and Mike will eat it right up. we made it with cauli-rice. I am thinking of making a stir fry tomorrow since I finally got coconut aminos and have not used them yet and that gives me a chance to use the cauli-rice.

The reason I should not be allowed to use my husband's sharp knives. If it wasn't for my finger nail I would have lost the tip of my thumb. 

veggies ready to saute 

simmering .. mmmmm

with some cauli-rice I didn't eat much since it was spicy but Wyatt ate 2 servings. 

A homeschool day (day 26 Paleo)

I get asked often what I do with Wyatt at home for learning. We decided to keep him out of full day junior kindergarten that most people in Ontario now have the choice to send their kids to but he still goes to a 3 day morning nursery school program for this year. We have always planned on homeschooling him (I would love to until grade 4 but it might be less or more we will see what happens). At his age we don't really have a curriculum yet. We do play based learning and we work on letters and numbers. I usually do a letter, shape, colour and number for the week and try to bring one of those into whatever we are doing. I pick books, songs, colouring pages, tv shows and games based on those things.

I love the letter of the week from confessions of a homeschooler and Raising rock stars from 1plus1plus1equals1. We also use Handwriting without tears activities and hooked on phonics. There is not really a certain amount of things we do I let Wyatt pick what he would like to do while in the classroom. He almost always picks play-dough and cutting.

doing a letter A do a dot

getting ready to make an A after rolling out the dough

his A :)

This is just a couple of the things he does in a day. I will try to keep track a bit more on what he does in a homeschool day for those asking :) 

Today is day 26 of our Paleo eating. Tomorrow is our follow up appointment with the Dr, I have no idea what happens next but I will let you know tomorrow :) We feel amazing and I am sure this is long term. I am starting to get used to the prep and it is not as overwhelming as it was the first week. I need to get back into routine and start getting back to the gym. 

Breakfast this morning was boiled eggs and grapes. Lunch was mixed greens with chicken, mixed veggies and kale chips. Supper we had leftover stuffed acorn squash with some broccoli and green beans. 

We are reintroducing butter into our diet this weekend and I am excited to have the option of using butter again. I will not use it as much as I did before but having the option will be nice!

Paleo day 25

I was just thinking as I wrote the title that in 5 days I will have to think of something else to write as my title .. lol .. this was originally just to show a couple friends what we were eating for the 30 days of eating Paleo. As most people know I am doing it longer and hopefully long term. I love that people have started changing the way they eat from reading how easy it was for us to change our eating. I know that this way is not for everyone but there are some great healthy recipes even if you are not eating Paleo.

This morning was a rushed morning so we just had a banana on the way out the door and Wyatt had some olives. Lunch was left over cauli-rice with some chicken and raw veggies (I should make a dip for veggies, I will search later for one). Supper tonight was spicy stuffed acorn squash (from paleo comfort foods) I made it with fresh made chicken sausage meat from a local farmer. It turned out so good, Wyatt loved that he could use the squash as a bowl. We also made chocolate chip cookies they taste great but they definitely do not look as yummy as the picture in Eat like a dinosaur which is where I got the recipe.

stuffed acorn squash

mmmmmm!!!

Chocolate chip cookies. They don't look the best but they tasted good.

Wyatt started Awana tonight. He loved it and I got to have a great chat with some of the women in our church :) He said he wants to go back next week so looks like he is now busy on Mondays nights and I have an hour and half free, yay!!

Wyatt tasting the cookies after mixing

He helps me every day in the kitchen and we have been working on safe cutting. He loves it and is getting really good. 

Paleo day 24

Only 6 days left if the 30 day meal plan.

This morning Wyatt woke up and he still has his cold so he got to visit his grandparents while I went to church. I also stopped at the grocery store on my way home, sometimes I forget how fast you can run into a grocery store when you don't have kids with you.

For breakfast we had some banana pancakes and blueberries. Lunch we had chicken on mixed greens with raisins and egg (When I write down our meals sometimes they sound weird but it was good.. lol). Wyatt tried sardines today and LOVED them, he must get it from his dad I took a couple bites and pretended to like it for him but I am not a fan. Supper was Highliner pan seared tilapia (I know a boxed food but it was in the freezer and I forgot to pick up fish for supper) with cauli-rice, butternut squash and baked beets.

Highliner tilapia, butternut squash and cauli-rice

Wyatt eating sardines

Wyatt's behaviour has been amazing since we changed our foods. He has been a normal busy almost 4 yr old and I have not seen any of his out of control behaviour in weeks. He has had a couple treats at the parades and I got a little nervous but he was still good. Tonight about an hour after supper I seen his out of control behaviour back, he started tapping his foot like he used to when he just can't stop moving. It sounds bad but I was kind of disappointed because it meant it had nothing to do with food since we have not had any treats or anything out of the diet today. I then realized we had the boxed fish (this is now 2 hours after supper) I go downstairs and look at the ingredient list, it is pretty long with lots of stuff I can't pronounce. I am sure that something in that food is making him have this reaction again after 3 weeks of not having this issue at all. We go back to the naturopath on Wednesday and I will let him know the reaction.

It is snowing today and Wyatt is so excited to be able to make a snowman. There is not even close to that amount of snow but he keeps waiting for it :)

this is the snow we got today

Day 23 paleo

It is Saturday so market day :) I love going to the market! It was a cold one but we had a great breakfast and got to talk with amazing people like every Saturday. I love getting the fresh local produce but I also love the community part of the market. I learn so much every week :) You get to know the farmers and someone is always giving you a new idea on how to cook something. I am a huge supporter of buying local. I live very close to the american border and I can't tell you how many people I know that shop over there. If I can't afford to buy something local I will go without instead of crossing the border to buy (I will end the rant, that is a whole other post!). The market does not have as much in the winter but it is still a great place to grab what you can locally.

Our goodies from the market :)

Wyatt has been asking me to buy apples to make juice, we get seconds from a local apple farmer and we use our juicer to make fresh apple juice, the best part of our apple juice is I always use different types of apples so it never tastes the same :) We also picked up kale, butternut squash, leeks, carrots, brussels sprouts, beets, broccoli, acorn squash, grape juice and eggs. I always let Wyatt pick a bouquet of flowers too. It is still hard to walk by my favourite bakery without buying my regular strawberry cheese danish. Wyatt did get a piece of a cookie today though since I was talking and the guys gave him one before I noticed (we know these guys and they give him a cookie every week).

Wyatt juicing apples and pears

Our Apple pear juice, it was so good!

Breakfast was eggs and sausage with an apple. Lunch was chicken and fresh cut carrots, celery and broccoli. Supper was chicken sausages from a local chicken farmer (these are so good!!), raw cucumber, butternut squash and baked beets. I have not been following the meal plan as much now but I am way more confident in the meals I can make. I still love the book and use a lot of recipes from it just not necessarily the meal plan.

Supper

We went to another Santa parade tonight and of course Wyatt got another boat load of candy canes but he was so good about it and I let him have one again. Today I was reminded of the "it's only .." way of thinking. Last weekend it was only one candy cane and a cookie at the parade, today at the market it was only a half of a cookie, tonight it was only one more candy cane, next weekend it is only a piece of cake at a birthday party and then it is his birthday. He has not had any other "treats" at all but there just seems to be a lot of "it's only.." times right now.

This is all the candy he got at the parade. He got way more at the one last weekend.  He told me he will give it all to kids that don't get any candy.

Paleo day 22

My weight has stayed the same this week (I am still down 15lbs from when I started). Wyatt gained another pound to make it 3 pounds since we started!

Breakfast was eggs baked in bacon cups, I see it all the time using ham but I didn't have any. They were good! Lunch we had leftovers from supper last night so chicken and brussels sprouts with fennel. Supper was kind of a clean out the fridge night since tomorrow is grocery day. We had salmon, chicken, mixed veggies, broccoli and butternut squash that I made tonight. It was filling and I got the fridge cleaned out.

Wyatt woke up with a cold this morning so we stayed home and just hung out in the house all day. I had to put everything back in it's place after having the house painted so I got to really clean the floors under all the furniture before I put it all back. The main floor feels so clean with nice freshly painted walls. The basement is all cleaned and organized, the main floor is pretty much there now all I have to do is get my vacuumed fixed and clean the upstairs. Oh and clean all 3 bathrooms, I hate doing bathrooms and I would really pay someone to come in once a week and just clean my bathrooms.

baked egg in a bacon cup

supper :)

Paleo day 21

Wow all done week 3! I can not explain how well we feel and how proud I am we have made it this far. I look back to my first post 3 weeks ago and I can't believe how much easier things are now.

Today I made it to the gym.. yay!! I only had 25 minutes while Wyatt was in swim lessons but it did feel good to get out and do something. I am hoping to get there tomorrow morning.

Breakfast this morning was fried eggs and leftover salmon. Lunch was banana muffins, broccoli, ham and leftover salad. The banana muffins were so good, not as good as my recipe (that we can't have right now) but still good! Supper was mustard glazed chicken legs, leftover broccoli and butternut squash, and baked brussels sprouts and fennel.

Wyatt helping me make banana nut muffins

he could not wait for them to be done

He was smelling them and kept telling me they are doing good 

so good! 

mmmmm .. the only thing that would have made it better would have been butter

mustard glazed chicken legs with baked brussel sprouts and fennel and left over broccoli.

Paleo day 20

We were getting our house painted today so I tried to keep Wyatt out of the house as much as possible. We went for a drive and did some errands, went to the bamboo natural food market, stopped at the Harvest Barn, played on a train, went to a park and then stopped at the bank. I thought for sure he would nap but no luck so I spent the afternoon trying to keep him in the basement away from the painters.

I finally got some coconut aminos and some raw dark chocolate today from the Bamboo Market. I also tried some kombucha while there and decided to buy a blueberry one for home. It claims some pretty crazy health benefits check it out here. I tried the lemon and it was such a different taste that I couldn't even explain it, the closest would be like a beer vinegar. 

We stopped at a market (Harvest Barn) on the way home that sold produce and wine :) We got to make our own salad (sold by the pound) the ingredients were awesome! Wyatt loved picking his own food to put in the container. We had to skip most of it because there were quite a few pasta and potato salads and most pre made salads had dressing on them but we had a great selection of fresh foods too. Wyatt also loved playing on the wooden train outside and he told me that his dad will make him one if we move to the new house :)

Breakfast this morning was a banana and some bacon, we snacked shortly after leaving the house on more fruit. Lunch was our make your own salads at the Harvest Barn. Supper was left over salad from yesterday with sweet potato and lobster. 

We have been working with Wyatt on his letters everyday and I love the different activities I have found for him. I really should do 2 posts a day one for the eating and one for Wyatt's homeschool activities. 

It has been a long day and I am hoping Wyatt goes to sleep easily tonight. I would love to have a relaxing bath and then cuddle in bed and read my book. 

Awesome train at the Harvest Barn

This is the salad Wyatt made

Sweet potatoes and lobster (the salad was in a bowl)

Paleo day 19

I got a new cookbook today! That is exciting for me (I know I need a more exciting life). I got Paleo Comfort Foods from a recommendation from another Paleo family and the recipes look delicious! I will be making some of them this week. 

Breakfast today was kiwis and ham (I know kind of an odd pair). Lunch we made a yummy salad with mixed greens, grilled chicken, shrimp, eggs, cucumber, jicima, celery, tomatoes, green peppers and I am sure more but I don't remember. Supper we had Salmon (It was on sale so we got some instead of the scheduled supper tonight) with steamed broccoli and left over yummy salad. 

Salmon with broccoli

yummy salad!

Again I have to say it that I have not been at the gym and I really have to make a point to go out!

Paleo day 18

I am so tired today. I am not really sure why except that I have been staying up late reading and watching tv. I was hungry today too, it was really just an off day. 

Breakfast we had eggs and bacon with pears. Lunch was chicken and salad. Supper was leftover spaghetti squash bolognese, it was just as good tonight as it was last night! 

Sorry no pics today but it was a left over day and a lazy day :)

Paleo Day 17 and a 5k

This morning I had a 5k race and Wyatt came with me in the jogging stroller. He decided about 1/4 of the way through that he wanted to run and I let him. He was so cute he kept running and saying "it looks like I am winning" He lasted about a km running off and on then he asked to get back in the stroller and I got to finish the race. Clearly not my best time or anything but Wyatt loved it so much! It turned out to be a beautiful sunny day for the race.

Breakfast we had a fried egg and some fruit. Lunch we had eggs and sausage with bananas and oranges. We had Spaghetti Squash Bolognese and it was a huge hit!! I can't wait until tomorrow to have some leftovers :)

I had a donut today (I know I cheated but I am fessing up to it) There is something in donuts that my body does not like! I got the stomach cramps again within about an hour. It is crazy because I really didn't think it would happen from eating just one piece of food like that but it did. We will start reintroducing food again in January and I am now a little nervous. Wyatt had a cookie and a candy cane yesterday and I didn't see any difference in him other than that he didn't seem to eat as much yesterday or this morning. Tonight I was thinking about all the years of stomach pains, cramps and problems I have gone through and it is all because of a food that I could have eliminated years ago. It kind of peeves me off that after all the doctors I have seen not one had advised me to eliminate foods (other than spicy food).

My goals for this week is to get  to the gym more. Todays run killed me since I have not been working out much so my body did not want to run.

Day 16 eating paleo

Today we went to a Santa parade :) I did let Wyatt eat one little candy cane and a cookie. He was soooo happy to have the candy cane. It was a beautiful day today and a great day for a parade, Wyatt had a blast dancing and singing.

This morning I knew we were not going to be home for most of the day so I packed a lunch bag full of food. Breakfast we had boiled eggs and fruit. We ate from the lunch bag for the day so lunch was included in that. We got home late so supper was leftover salmon and I made up some butternut squash.

 Wyatt and I at the parade :)

eating leftovers for supper 

Paleo week 3 day 15

Week 3! November is going by so fast!

Today for breakfast we had a banana and some cut up melon and strawberries. For lunch we had banana pancakes (leftover from supper last night) and some apple chips. Supper was steamed mussels, salmon and asparagus. I always forget to write down my snacks but we do snack all day on leftovers, fruits and veggies. I only drink water and Wyatt drinks water and coconut milk.

 steaming mussels (he could not wait to eat them!)

 He ate 3/4 of these!

Rosemary lemon salmon and asparagus with garlic and lemon

Day 14 of eating Paleo

Breakfast today was boiled eggs and left over chicken. Lunch was a mixture of finger foods and snacks. Olives, left over carrots and onions, grapes, boiled eggs and strawberries. We had a late nap and slept until 5:30 so no time to make the salmon I was going to have for supper instead we made Banana pancakes, they were yummy and it was nice not to have to clean up after a big supper :)

The new lunch bag and all the snacks that fit inside. Wyatt was going to his grandparents to have a play date with his cousin so we packed more than usual so he could share. He took flower cut honey dew melon, cucumber slices, bananas, kiwi, boiled eggs, apples slices, leftover chicken & veg, red peppers, meat, and coconut milk.

It has been 2 weeks now since we started and we continue to feel great! Wyatt has gained 2 lbs since we started and I have lost 12! I am still amazed at how well we are doing with it. I am going into wekk 3 with way more confidence :)

Day 13 eating Paleo

This morning was a great day at home. We cleaned and organized the classroom and did some other cleaning all in our PJs :) I love Pj days!! I am so excited to have the classroom more organized. I was going to put some of the stuff in storage since we are selling the house but I decided to just clean it all up instead. 

Breakfast was fruit this morning and some leftover pork from last night. Lunch we had some cut up veggies and boiled eggs. Supper we had baked chicken legs, I used a smokey spice mix and it was spicy, with mixed greens and spinach. Wyatt was not a fan of the spice but he ate all the vegetables. 

Our classroom

When we built this house I always knew I wanted to put a classroom in the basement for homeschooling. Alex has a private tutor that works with him at our home so the class is great for them too actually since Wyatt is only 4 they use it more then we do. I love the classroom! I love the colour, the organization, and just the feeling in there. We just listed our house for sale and I will miss the classroom more than any other part of my house (Mike says he will just build me a new one).

Wyatt playing play-doh this morning in the classroom ( I just had to add this picture in)  

Looking in from the door 

the desks 

Alex loved these chairs and all the colours in the room are based around these chairs. The white board is magnetic too, I just took off all the magnets today (Wyatt has the Melissa and Doug letter and number wooden magnets that he loves to play with on the board).

One of the book shelves, our other one is in the play room and FULL of books! 

I love the closet! It is hard to really get a picture of it but it is 4' deep and 5' wide. 

Alex's tutor always hangs things on the wall for the kids :)

The room is 11x14 and all the furniture was from Ikea. We used a vinyl strip floor in there, it is great! We decided to get a desk top computer for the kids. It is not used often but has come in handy :) It took Mike, my father in law and my brother one week to finish this room, from framing to putting in the furniture. The longest part of the job was waiting for mud to dry on the drywall. Both kids love the room too and it is so nice to have a room that is just for them!

I took all the pictures with my iPhone so sorry if the quality is not the best.