I get people tell me all the time that it is too expensive to eat the way we do. I know I pay more for certain things and less for others, I don't eat out, I don't buy expensive pre made foods or drinks. I think over all I don't really pay much more than I used to. In January (since we will have no TV and lots of time on our hands) I am going to keep track of everything we buy and cook during the month and how much it cost.
I will admit that the way I cook is a bit more time consuming but with some planning it can be super easy. I cook meals and freeze smaller portions for lunches or a supper in a hurry. We don't have a microwave so again I have to plan ahead even for heating up, I am thinking of getting a toaster oven though.
Once a week I will post what I spent on food. It is January so it will cost a bit more since I eat fresh produce and the price isn't so great this time of year. It will just be Wyatt and I most of the month.
I am curious how much it will be. I have not been very organized with our budget lately so I really do not know how much we have been paying for food (which is very odd for me since I am usually pretty on top of the budget).
Friday, December 21, 2012
Unplugged for January
Wow, January is coming up quick! In January we will be going "unplugged". We will be unplugging the televisions for the month and no social media (Facebook, twitter). I have decided to still blog and share what we do with our time without the technology in our faces.
It sounds like a simple thing to just unplug the televisions but really I think it will be hard. I fall asleep to the tv every night, tv is a part of Wyatt's bedtime routine, and it fills our day. We will find other things to do. I am going to have a busy basket with different things in it to keep Wyatt busy. We didn't have cable for 2 years and I loved it then we moved and had free cable for a bit which got me hooked back on tv.
January is kind of a hard month to do this because we are stuck inside more but I am sure we will still have fun with it.
We are continuing our Paleo eating even though this month has been hard. I am still making paleo meals and not buying junk but it is crazy the amount of treats there are everywhere this time of year.
It sounds like a simple thing to just unplug the televisions but really I think it will be hard. I fall asleep to the tv every night, tv is a part of Wyatt's bedtime routine, and it fills our day. We will find other things to do. I am going to have a busy basket with different things in it to keep Wyatt busy. We didn't have cable for 2 years and I loved it then we moved and had free cable for a bit which got me hooked back on tv.
January is kind of a hard month to do this because we are stuck inside more but I am sure we will still have fun with it.
We are continuing our Paleo eating even though this month has been hard. I am still making paleo meals and not buying junk but it is crazy the amount of treats there are everywhere this time of year.
Saturday, December 15, 2012
Why we eat the way we do
I had a great conversation at our local market this morning about eating "Paleo". I have to say that I don't agree with the reasons behind "Paleo" eating. I don't eat the way I do because someone believes that it is the way cave men ate. I believe that what grains have become are not good for you, modern grains are not what they were in the past. It would be hard today to find grains that are not affected by modern farming (GMOs, pesticides, over used soil). Everything is so processed even "whole" grains that you buy in stores. I am still learning about grains and my diet and in the new year we may reintroduce some of the foods but I know I have never felt better and it is only making good changes in Wyatt.
Wyatt's behaviour has changed so drastically and we can see the immediate reaction to certain foods. I think it is so much more real when you actually see it happen in front of you. I don't think it is fair to Wyatt to give him the "treats" when we are out and then have him lose control because of them. This is such a hard time of year to make these changes since candy and treats are everywhere. We have had to take a break from some of the holiday parties and parades but we have done many fun holiday activities without the holiday foods.
The changes in food have made me realize how much we put on food in many of ways. A reward, a punishment, an emotional reaction, a way to celebrate or a way to socialize. I no longer meet a friend in a coffee shop (since I can't eat or drink anything there), I can't bribe the kids that if they are good at the grocery store we will get a cookie before we go, or make our friday game night about "fun" food like pizza and chips. We still make food that the kids find fun and they help me make it (always gives me the opportunity to talk to them about why we eat what we do).
Since we changed we have found new things to do with our time and our focus is no longer on food. I have communicated so much more with the children about their bodies and how we take care of them. The boys are also much more involved in choosing what we eat and why we eat certain foods together. It is more than just our eating it's our way of living and I am so happy that we made the change we did.
Wyatt's behaviour has changed so drastically and we can see the immediate reaction to certain foods. I think it is so much more real when you actually see it happen in front of you. I don't think it is fair to Wyatt to give him the "treats" when we are out and then have him lose control because of them. This is such a hard time of year to make these changes since candy and treats are everywhere. We have had to take a break from some of the holiday parties and parades but we have done many fun holiday activities without the holiday foods.
The changes in food have made me realize how much we put on food in many of ways. A reward, a punishment, an emotional reaction, a way to celebrate or a way to socialize. I no longer meet a friend in a coffee shop (since I can't eat or drink anything there), I can't bribe the kids that if they are good at the grocery store we will get a cookie before we go, or make our friday game night about "fun" food like pizza and chips. We still make food that the kids find fun and they help me make it (always gives me the opportunity to talk to them about why we eat what we do).
Since we changed we have found new things to do with our time and our focus is no longer on food. I have communicated so much more with the children about their bodies and how we take care of them. The boys are also much more involved in choosing what we eat and why we eat certain foods together. It is more than just our eating it's our way of living and I am so happy that we made the change we did.
Monday, December 10, 2012
A 4th birthday party
Yesterday was Wyatt's 4th birthday. It was a fun but busy day :) We had a party for him and hired a magician (Calvin's magic for anyone local). The kids LOVED him and so did the adults. He was so worth the money!
We stayed at the hotel for the night after the party. I am a home body and really prefer to be home in my own bed but the kids love staying at the hotel whenever they get the chance. I had about 2 hours sleep, it is now 6am and I decided to write a blog post :) Mike is taking the boys to an indoor water park today after our photographer meets us to get a picture for our Christmas cards (I know I am late).
Food was a challenge for me at the party. I really wanted to do healthy foods and would have loved to have all Paleo safe foods but as we added up the amount of people we realized it was going to cost us quite a bit. We ended up doing a fruit tray, a veggie tray, pistachios, clementines, cheesies, and fruit bars then we had pizza and cake. I let Wyatt eat whatever he wanted and of course he ate a good portion if cheesies .. Lol. He didn't want any pizza but had some cake. Mike made him real pancakes for breakfast too. He was pretty wired I think part of it was the food (and juice) and part was the excitement of his birthday party and all the friends and family there. I had a piece of pizza, cake and some juice and I have been regretting it since I ate. I love the way I feel when we don't eat things like that but they are everywhere this time of year. We are done with parties for a few weeks then it is Christmas and there will be lots of goodies to get into.
We stayed at the hotel for the night after the party. I am a home body and really prefer to be home in my own bed but the kids love staying at the hotel whenever they get the chance. I had about 2 hours sleep, it is now 6am and I decided to write a blog post :) Mike is taking the boys to an indoor water park today after our photographer meets us to get a picture for our Christmas cards (I know I am late).
Food was a challenge for me at the party. I really wanted to do healthy foods and would have loved to have all Paleo safe foods but as we added up the amount of people we realized it was going to cost us quite a bit. We ended up doing a fruit tray, a veggie tray, pistachios, clementines, cheesies, and fruit bars then we had pizza and cake. I let Wyatt eat whatever he wanted and of course he ate a good portion if cheesies .. Lol. He didn't want any pizza but had some cake. Mike made him real pancakes for breakfast too. He was pretty wired I think part of it was the food (and juice) and part was the excitement of his birthday party and all the friends and family there. I had a piece of pizza, cake and some juice and I have been regretting it since I ate. I love the way I feel when we don't eat things like that but they are everywhere this time of year. We are done with parties for a few weeks then it is Christmas and there will be lots of goodies to get into.
Friday, December 7, 2012
Getting ready for Christmas
Wyatt's birthday is this weekend which means we can decorate for Christmas :) We put our tree up the weekend before Christmas, this year we will be decorating on the 22nd. We wait until after Wyatt's birthday to decorate the inside of the house and I am so excited to get the house all Christmasy :)
We started our advent bags on the first. We do small bags with a nativity magnet in it with an experience and activity to do for the day. Wyatt loves them! This year Alex also got a Lego advent calendar and he is having so much fun with it.
I love Christmas and the feeling it brings. I love how excited my kids are around this time of year and seeing all our family together.
I have some posts in the making about what we have been up to in December so far. One is an amazing photo shoot with Darling Mine Photography. I am so impressed with the photos as always! She came and just hung out with us at home for the afternoon. I am also planning on a post about my crazy weight loss and our advent bags. So much to write at such a busy time of year.
Going to get some sleep for another busy day tomorrow!
We started our advent bags on the first. We do small bags with a nativity magnet in it with an experience and activity to do for the day. Wyatt loves them! This year Alex also got a Lego advent calendar and he is having so much fun with it.
I love Christmas and the feeling it brings. I love how excited my kids are around this time of year and seeing all our family together.
I have some posts in the making about what we have been up to in December so far. One is an amazing photo shoot with Darling Mine Photography. I am so impressed with the photos as always! She came and just hung out with us at home for the afternoon. I am also planning on a post about my crazy weight loss and our advent bags. So much to write at such a busy time of year.
Going to get some sleep for another busy day tomorrow!
Sunday, December 2, 2012
A lazy Sunday afternoon :)
Today was such a great day! We got up and dressed then Wyatt decided he wanted to put pjs back on and have a pajama day. I was ok with that :) we did some Christmas crafts from yesterday's advent bag and we learned to play a new card game with the cards from today's advent bag. Wyatt later decided we should cuddle in bed and watch the Smurfs. It really was such a great relaxing time spent with my boy.
I made a chicken in the crock pot since I needed some chicken stock. I use the recipe from 100 days of real food and I love it. We also made some mashed faux tatoes (cauliflower) with some baked carrots.
I got my 2013 calendar and I love getting a new calendar. I love the organization of writing all the information on it and it is so fresh and new. I know I am weird but I really enjoy a new calendar :)
I made a chicken in the crock pot since I needed some chicken stock. I use the recipe from 100 days of real food and I love it. We also made some mashed faux tatoes (cauliflower) with some baked carrots.
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| Supper |
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| Chicken stock ready to cook, it smells wonderful! |
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| A bear he made from the craft kit |
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| Wyatt's pom pom tree |
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| Wyatt playing with stickers and colouring with breakfast. |
I got my 2013 calendar and I love getting a new calendar. I love the organization of writing all the information on it and it is so fresh and new. I know I am weird but I really enjoy a new calendar :)
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| New calendar :) |
Saturday, December 1, 2012
day 29 and 30 eating Paleo
We have finished our 30 days! In the last 30 days I have gained so much more knowledge and confidence that I can feed my family the way I have been wanting to. We have made a major lifestyle change that turned out to be the best thing we ever did. We found out that Wyatt definitely has a reaction to certain foods (we are still not 100% what yet). I know for sure that food has been causing so many problems in my body (I already knew that I was just not ready to take this step). I think even if we didn't have these reactions to foods that I would make the change anyway. The more research I do on grains the farther I want to get away from them. I have also learned that Wyatt and I are a fan of teas thanks to our naturopath.
Our final numbers from the 30 days are .. I am down 17 lbs and 3.5" .. Wyatt has gained 3lbs. More important than any number on a scale or a measuring tape is how amazing we feel.
I won't be posting what we eat everyday anymore, well maybe it will come up in posts but since I am done the 30 days I won't be specifically writing a post just for what we are eating. I will continue to eat like this. We will start to introduce some foods over the next few months, butter is being introduced this week.
We are going to start a new goal on top of the food for this month. On top of our new foods I will be working out 30 mins a day for the month of December. It can be in the gym, at home or going for a walk. November I really got off track with learning the new way of eating and how to get into a routine with it. We are also doing our advent activities and the holiday traditions we have (I will post about those). January we are unplugging our televisions for the whole month (this will be hardest on my husband when he is home).
Our microwave lit on fire last week and I have not replaced it. The more I think about it I don't think I am going to. I am not saying that the microwave is going to kill us or anything but I just think for our family right now we are going to just use the stove to heat things up. Maybe I will get a small toaster oven just for heating up leftovers since we eat so many.
So 30 days are gone but it is really the start of a new life for our family!
Our final numbers from the 30 days are .. I am down 17 lbs and 3.5" .. Wyatt has gained 3lbs. More important than any number on a scale or a measuring tape is how amazing we feel.
I won't be posting what we eat everyday anymore, well maybe it will come up in posts but since I am done the 30 days I won't be specifically writing a post just for what we are eating. I will continue to eat like this. We will start to introduce some foods over the next few months, butter is being introduced this week.
We are going to start a new goal on top of the food for this month. On top of our new foods I will be working out 30 mins a day for the month of December. It can be in the gym, at home or going for a walk. November I really got off track with learning the new way of eating and how to get into a routine with it. We are also doing our advent activities and the holiday traditions we have (I will post about those). January we are unplugging our televisions for the whole month (this will be hardest on my husband when he is home).
Our microwave lit on fire last week and I have not replaced it. The more I think about it I don't think I am going to. I am not saying that the microwave is going to kill us or anything but I just think for our family right now we are going to just use the stove to heat things up. Maybe I will get a small toaster oven just for heating up leftovers since we eat so many.
So 30 days are gone but it is really the start of a new life for our family!
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