CSA Life!

Our first week was actually a week late due to crazy rain and flooding of the farm.  But this was the first look at our CSA with an impressive amount of salad greens.  Our first week had popcorn!  Which I now assume is from last year's sweet corn crop that was dried for this year!  I didn't do anything fun this week.

KALE!  This was the first week of kale.  And rainbow chard.  And a garlic scape which I never did anything with but it did interest me.  I think I roasted the the little red potatoes.

Failed to take pictures for a couple weeks.  I think this was our first week of cabbage.  This week had delicious raspberries!  

Our cabbages look like this!! Conical!  I made a slaw with the cabbage, sweet corn, red pepper and parsley.  I also made refrigerator pickles with the little cucumbers from the basket.  They are very garlicky but I liked them anyway.

The sweet corn has been the best part of the CSA week after week.  It is so sweet.  And so delicious.  

I roasted this beet but didn't actually eat it.  I keep forgetting the rosemary in the back of my fridge.  I did make cauliflower pizza crust though.  I need to find a way to make the crust crispy.

Obviously, I love the sweet corn.  

Kohlrabi!  I gave it to Liz.  And pattypan squash!  I accidentally let it get moldy.  I did make strawberry Serrano pepper jam with these peppers.  And it was great.

Whole 30: My thoughts and starting Peak 10 again

My thoughts now that I'm done with my Whole 30

Whole 30 was in the news quite a bit last weekend (The Examiner, Daily Mail UK, ELLE, The Wall Street Journal).  I read through the Elle article and remembered that I was not allowed to cheat even in Paleo ways, for instance with coconut milk ice cream.  So I basically failed my Whole 30 like 2 weeks ago and should have started over then.

It took me 2 weeks for my body to adjust to the lack of processed crap in my diet.  I do feel better now that I've gotten through those first 2 weeks.  HOWEVER, I am still so freaking tired all the time so maybe something else is wrong...

Oh and I lost 8 10 pounds.  So that was nice.  I'm back to my post-Peak 10 weight from the fall so I'm glad to be starting out at this point.

I've decided to go forward on more of a Paleo-plus diet.  I intend to introduce quinoa back into my life as I believe its a healthy grain.  I will use cheese but sparingly.  I do miss cheese but surprisingly not too terribly much.  I had some on my salad today but it wasn't necessary.  I don't know about milk much more than to put it over my granola in the morning, which I also miss so very much.  Greek yogurt is a must.  I ate a lot of crap over the past two days but I don't want to move forward like that.  No more pop.  Limited alcohol.  I'm going to try and stay away from candy.  I am starting Peak 10 again this weekend and have to eat clean for that so yay- I'm already there! 

I forgot to mention that with eating this "normal" food over the past couple days, I have felt full fast but not a good, satisfied full- more of an "I ate too much" full.  And then I'm hungry again faster than when I was just eating fruit, veggies and protein.

I also have been thinking a lot this week after being done that the Whole 30 was just too restrictive.  This was bad because as soon as I was done, I binged.  But it was good because the things I've eaten weren't that good- I have found that I could really do without cheese in my diet.  I finally had my granola the other morning and it just didn't taste as good as I thought it would.  So the Whole 30 was good and bad, I suppose.  

Anyway, for anyone looking to make healthier life decisions with food, I would definitely recommend the Paleo plan.  If you have many health issues that could be attributed to what you're eating, I would try Whole 30 but only if you're really committed and take it seriously.  Let me know if you want to borrow my book.

I did my Peak 10 fit test today.  This is the third Peak I've done since it started in January 2013.  I've basically done every other round.  I was really disappointed by my test today.  My measurements and weight were good but my exercises were not.  I was back to where I was when I did my Peak in the fall, if not worse.  And it turns out one of the exercises we do for the test (sit outs), I have been doing wrong the whole time.  It was funny because halfway through the test for the sit out, Sarah asked how it was so easy for me- then Erin came over and pointed out that I wasn't doing it right.  Oops.  I'm just not pleased with how I did today.  I really do need to work out between Peaks.  And I'm serious about my additional workouts this time.  And about eating clean.  Third time's a charm, right?

Whole 30: Days 21-30

Day 21: I had a headache this afternoon through the evening. I'm not sure if this is because I didn't eat enough today or still because of my damn period. Who knows. I went to buy a plant at Lund's after work and as I went to check out I caught sight of these "veggie chips" made of kale, spinach and carrots. I skimmed the ingredients, thought I could eat them, enjoyed them immensely then thought they must be too good to be true- yup, there's white corn in it. Oh well. They are SO TASTY and I am very happy.

Breakfast- banana with almond butter and cinnamon 

Lunch- salad with blueberries, almonds and blueberry vinaigrette 

Dinner- angus beef burger, mango avocado salsa and veggie chips 

Dessert- zucchini brownie with chocolate coconut milk ice cream 

Day 22: I'm exhausted. I have been since day 1. People told me I would gain energy as I progressed but that seems to not be the case. I slept for 10 hours last night and could barely get up this morning. And it's not like I'm tossing and turning- I sleep through the night pretty regularly. So I got up this morning, made a smoothie with strawberries, raspberries and coconut milk and grabbed a lemon LARABAR to eat on my way to work. Both were gross so I didn't finish either. Our temp receptionist's last day is today and she brought treats- it took everything in me not to eat a donut. She was nice though and also brought bananas. So that was nice of her. 

No picture today- I didn't eat anything I haven't eaten before

Breakfast- banana

Lunch- asparagus, angus burger, strawberries 

Dinner- lamb, potatoes, carrots and turnips with Pom Chipotle sauce from Tastefully Simple

Day 23: Still tired. Nina thinks maybe I'm not eating enough carbs. So hopefully once I work my way back in I will find carbs to give me more energy. 

Breakfast- sumo citrus and Green Machine Naked juice  

Lunch- chicken avocado Cobb from Panera, no cheese  

Dinner- salad with taco meat, avo and mango salsa and veggie chips 

Dessert- mint chocolate coconut milk ice cream 

Day 24: I have a cold today (I refuse to believe ever that I have allergies, even if I might). So I came home and made chicken soup. I bought a rotisserie chicken and tossed it in a pot with chicken stock, sweet potato, carrots, celery, onions, garlic and kale. It was really delicious. I feel a little better. 

Breakfast- strawberries and omelette with tomatoes and sprinkled wth Tastefully Simple Fiesta Party dip

Lunch- Champps' guac burger (no cheese and no bun, I also didn't eat the pico de gallo) with sweet potato waffle fries 

Snack- orange carrot Naked juice 

Dinner- chicken and vegetable soup 

Dessert- zucchini brownie with chocolate coconut milk ice cream

Day 25: More eating out today.  It is tricky but I've managed.  We went to Ruby Tuesday's for dinner and I already wasn't feeling great about our waiter- I asked him if the steak was prepared with butter (it wasn't) and how the coconut crusted shrimp was prepared (he gave me a less than helpful answer) and then I decided what I wanted and he said "wow, I thought you were going to be way more annoying" or something to that affect.  Nice.  I was not amused, even though he thought he was pretty funny.

Breakfast- watermelon, strawberry and kiwi smoothie
Lunch- mango chicken with broccoli from Chili's
Snack- veggie chips and mango/avo salsa
Dinner- petite sirloin, green beans and zucchini at Ruby Tuesday's
Dessert- banana with almond butter

Day 26: I fell off the bandwagon today.  I've been given many opportunities to cheat (a baguette from Panera Bread with my salad the other day was donated to a coworker, the pastries at VB this morning were gazed at but passed by) but then Liz and I went out to dinner before meeting some people at the restaurant and I decided to eat what I wanted.  We were at moto-i and that meant a delicious steamed bun with tempura shrimp and delicious mayo.  IT WAS SO GOOD.  Then I had the bistro steak and sweet potato fries for dinner and that was pretty much Whole 30 compliant.  However, then Liz ordered dessert and I ended up enjoying 2 Japanese donuts and some green tea ice cream (which was smooth and creamy like butter).  It was worth it last night but I told Liz I wouldn't be thanking her if I ended up throwing up the next day (so far so good).  I'm definitely ready for a beer and there were perfect choices last night but I decided to stay away from that until a few weeks from now.  Or maybe until I'm done with Peak 10 again.  We'll see.

Breakfast/lunch (I woke up late)- salad with chicken, blueberries, almonds and blueberry vinaigrette with strawberries on the side
Snack- Life Support juice from Freshii- kale, spinach, avocado, pineapple and banana
Dinner-  shrimp steamed bun, bistro steak with sweet potato fries, sugared donuts with green tea ice cream

Day 27: I actually feel okay after eating off-plan food last night.  Today was tricky for lunch because I was at a birthday party- I figured since I had eaten corn chips already I may as well just keep doing it so I ate chips and guacamole.  I passed on the birthday cake and awesome fresh ice cream from SDSU.

Breakfast- 2 eggs, avocado, mango
Lunch- watermelon, chips and guac at River's birthday party
Snack- salt and pepper pistachios
Dinner- shrimp with chimichurri sauce (parsley, cilantro, lime juice, olive oil and garlic), tomatoes, sugar snap peas
Dessert- banana chips

Day 28: I had a really good day.  Then I went to Vera Bradley to work for the evening and suddenly all I wanted was ice cream.  And at that moment, I did not care how bad it was for me.  So I was going to go to Dairy Queen and get a Blizzard in a waffle cone (I am the target audience for so many commercials) but no one was working at the counter so I went to Smash Burger instead and got a PB&J smoothie that had whipped cream and peanut butter chunks on top.  It was so tasty.  And I downed it in my 15 minute break.  AND I didn't feel sick the next day.  So I win.

Breakfast- Watermelon, kiwi and strawberry smoothie
Lunch- leftover chicken/kale/vegetable soup
Dinner- peanut butter and jelly milk shake from Smash Burger

Day 29: We had a potluck at work today.  I decided to be done with the Whole 30 (well I kind of decided that last night when I drank the milk shake).  I made it many days.  It was good.

Breakfast- banana, Orange Carrot Naked Juice
Lunch- bacon wrapped breadstick, meatballs, caprese skewers, salsa with chips, mediterranean couscous, spinach poppyseed salad with strawberries and avocado, ooey gooey chocolate cake, Buster Bar ice cream cake
Dinner- Domino's
Dessert- banana with almond butter and sweetened coconut flakes
Fourth meal- 1/2 an enchilada (I was forced...)

Day 30: Well today's the day.  Technically I am supposed to start reintroducing foods to my diet tomorrow but since I failed to comply with the rules, I am not going to.  After not eating the best food for the past couple days, I actually don't feel sick like I thought I would.  I'm still exhausted (I need to figure out what's going on there) but otherwise I'm feeling good!

Breakfast- Green Machine Naked Juice
Lunch- spinach poppyseed salad, Buster Bar ice cream cake
Snack- Sumo citrus
Dinner- spinach salad with taco meat, cheese and avocado cilantro dressing with mango on the side

Whole 30: Days 11-20

Day 11: Liz came over after work and we ordered from George & the Dragon through Bite Squad.  The salad on the menu that I knew I could eat was called the Mary so I felt like that was a good sign.  In other news, I was using my new mandoline kitchen cutter tonight and sliced off part of my thumb.  When I bought the mandoline yesterday, I found that the safety piece was not in the box but I wanted to use it anyway so I didn't return it.  This was my first mistake.  So, not surprisingly, my thumb wasn't positioned correctly around a beet and it did not end well.

Breakfast- 3 hard boiled eggs, plantain chips and grapes

Lunch- leftover curry chicken, 1/2 a tomato and an apple
Snacks- herbed cashews
Dinner- arugula salad with asparagus and ginger vinaigrette with salmon

Day 12: I am still hungry after dinner tonight.  I assume that's because I just had juice for lunch.  I also got light headed and almost passed out at VB this afternoon but I quick downed some water and felt better.  Bottom line- I need to eat more today.

Breakfast- 2 eggs, beet chips and Naked Orange Carrot juice
Lunch- "Liquid Sunshine" juice from Freshii at Southdale- pineapple, ginger, golden beets, cilantro and green apple (I took a picture of its lovely color but then I got a new phone and my picture was gone)
Dinner- chicken grilled with Tastefully Simple's seasoned salt, 2 carrots, yellow mango

Day 13: I now have more ailments than I started with.  So here's hoping that works itself out.  The good news is, I don't snack as much and because I eat more and I eat better food at meals.  And I typically don't eat past 8 or 9 so that helps too because you are not supposed to eat 2 hours before sleeping.

Breakfast- OJ, almond butter (I wasn't that hungry)
Lunch- sun-dried tomato/basil sausage, cucumber and tomato salad, turkey and blueberry muffin

Dinner- rosemary garlic chicken (too dried out, my bad) and cucumber/tomato salad. 

Dessert- chocolate and mint chip coconut milk ice cream!!

Day 14: It is tricky not to give in to my favorite treat when I'm at the mall- the Pretzelmaker is just outside Vera Bradley but I am able to resist since Freshii is upstairs in the food court.  Unfortunately, everything at Freshii takes 12390 hours to prepare and there is usually only 2 people there working and its just freaking slow.  But tasty.

Breakfast- 2 turkey blueberry muffins and watermelon, mango and pineapple juice/smoothie 

Lunch- leftover chicken, cucumber/tomato salad, strawberries
Dinner- "Soho" salad from Freshii- spinach, bacon, beets, green apple, cranberries and walnuts with a balsamic vinaigrette

Day 15: I'm halfway through!!  And I'm pretty happy thus far!  This morning I cracked an egg for my scrambled eggs but it turned out to be a hard boiled egg so I knew immediately what I was going to have for lunch!  Then I labeled the rest of my eggs.  Also I got to work and our boss ordered Davanni's for everyone before a big meeting this morning.  WAH WAH WAH (that sounds like this in my head). I was not in the mood for another salad so I just ate the lunch I brought, even though everyone's pizzas and calzones smelled FREAKING DELICIOUS.

Breakfast- 2 eggs scrambled, 1 almost ripe avocado and a Sumo citrus

Lunch- 2 hard boiled eggs, apple, leftover chicken

Dinner- more leftover chicken, strawberries and mashed cauliflower (surprisingly good, Mitch even liked it)

Dessert- coconut milk ice cream :)

Day 16: I gave in and bought mayo from the store today. Trudy and I tried to make Paleo mayo two different times but failed twice because we lack an immersion blender and evidently the Ninja just doesn't cut it.  So I bought Kraft Olive Oil mayonnaise which possesses the least amount of shitty ingredients and may have used soybean oil but I don't care.  I really wanted to make chicken salad and I didn't want to use avocados.

Breakfast- watermelon and strawberry smoothie, 2 hard boiled eggs

Lunch- Chipotle salad with carnitas, tomato salsa and guac 

Dinner- chicken salad

Day 17: Today was a boring day.  Not much to report.

Breakfast- kale, strawberry and cherry smoothie with 3 hard boiled eggs

Lunch- leftover Chipotle, apple 

Dinner- bison burger, fried egg, radishes and mashed cauliflower

Day 18: Today, on the other hand, was a shitty day.  I've been depressed all week and I'm not sure if it was due to my period or my diet.  By the time Friday hit, I was exhausted and sad and pouty and chose to wallow in self pity instead of going to Wits at the Fitz with Matt Nathanson.  I sat on the couch and hid under a blanket during the commercials of the shows I was watching.  It was pathetic.  Then I went to bed and found that Marvel had pooped on my bed under the blanket.  THEN I found out that the friends I knew that went to Wits MET FREAKING MATT NATHANSON.  So after I cried for a while, I decided that I will not let depression keep me down and keep me from going out and doing things, even if I had 2 tickets for the show and couldn't find someone else to go with my so I was sad and lonely about it.  NEVER AGAIN.

Breakfast- bison burger, avocado, grapefruit and OJ

Lunch- chicken salad, apple

Dinner- bacon and eggs baked in avocado (in a sad face because that's how I felt)

Day 19: I was much more energized today after sleeping and deciding to be stronger than my feelings.  I went to Costco with my mom to buy stuff for Easter lunch- it is difficult going to Costco and not being able to try ANY sample.  Same with Whole Foods, where I went on my way home, because they're always sampling delicious cheeses.  I worked at VB tonight and was determined not to eat at Freshii again- after looking at the nutritional facts of the SmashBurger menu, I found that the only item I could legitimately eat were the sweet potato fries.   Everything else contained dairy, soy, wheat or nuts.  Literally everything else.  I cannot tell you how good these fries tasted.

Breakfast- kale, pineapple and strawberry smoothie

Lunch- salmon dill patty, mashed cauliflower and mango

Dinner- 3 deviled eggs and SmashBurger sweet potato fries

Day 20: It is Easter!  Last week I asked my dad if I could make a Paleo Easter lunch and he said yes so I was in charge of cooking today.  I was pretty proud of myself.  I even told my parents they could make their cheesy Easter potatoes if they wanted and I would be okay with it but they refrained (they did not, however, refrain from bringing it up during the meal about how sad they'll be without leftovers all week- boo to them).  I cheated a bit with dessert today- I made these zucchini "brownies" with honey and chocolate chips.  Oh, and today is also Greek Easter and when we got home from church there was baklava on the front step so I had a small piece.  I do not regret it.

Breakfast- bacon, grapefruit, blackberry Izze
(Late) Lunch- deviled eggs, lamb, asparagus, root vegetable medley (carrots, turnips and purple potatoes), strawberries and raspberries, zucchini "brownies" with homemade coconut milk ice cream

Whole 30: Days 1-10

Day 1: I wanted an Altoid after lunch but the number 1 ingredient is sugar.  So boo to that.  And I refuse to buy sugar-free candy types of things because A. that's beside the point and B. they're full of artificial crap that I can't have anyway.  

Breakfast- 2 hard boiled eggs, 1 avocado, 1/2 a grapefruit

Lunch- I didn't think ahead and pack a lunch so I went to Chipotle.  They got my order wrong and I got chicken instead of carnitas but it was delicious nonetheless.  Lettuce, tomato salsa, chicken and guac.

Dinner- zucchini noodles with spaghetti sauce 

Day 2: I had a headache all day.  And I was really hungry between lunch and dinner so I ate a Coconut Cream Pie LARABAR.

Breakfast- Sausage and kale egg bake, blueberries and Green Goodness juice.
Lunch- leftover spaghetti and zucchini noodles
Dinner- roasted asparagus and avocado soup drizzled with olive oil.  Freaking delicious.

Day 3: My GI tract is not my friend today. Stomach cramps are the worst.  I am too busy at work to really think about any ailments I might have.  I'm drinking water, but not more than I usually do so I need to get on top of that. 

Breakfast- 2 hard boiled eggs, banana, almond butter

Lunch- egg bake, salad with blueberries and blueberry vinaigrette 

Dinner- steak with Rick Bayless taco skillet sauce, guac made with Rick Bayless guac starter and mango.  I love Rick Bayless.

Day 4: Still with the cramps and GI business.  Otherwise I feel fine.   I almost made banana and coconut milk "ice cream" for dessert but A. I'm not supposed to make dessert-types of things and B. I actually wasn't hungry after dinner, I just felt the need to eat dessert out of habit.  So yay for that!

Breakfast- egg bake, Naked Carrot & Orange juice

Lunch- Leftover soup

Dinner- chicken with Watkin's Chicken Seasoning (yes please Winona!) and asparagus.

Day 5: Stomach cramps & GI tract stuff still.  If I keep feeling so shitty (literally and figuratively, sorry for the TMI), I don't know how worth it this whole thing is.  I hope this is just the "carb flu" because I definitely feel like when I had the flu but without the body aches.

Breakfast- 3 eggs (will not make them in coconut oil next time because even though people say you can't taste the coconut in the oil, you totally can), guac and Naked Berry Machine

Lunch- OJ and tuna salad from Whole Foods

Snacks- clementine segments, herbed cashews, nut mix (almonds, cashews, walnuts, hazelnuts and raisins)

Dinner- Clementines and I made a soup with curry chicken (that I made in the crock pot last night), lemon juice, lemon rind, chicken broth and 2 scrambled eggs mixed into the hot broth.  Delish.

Day 6: Today was tricky because I went to a birthday party where everyone was eating delicious treats and then they made S'MORES.  I had 2 turkey meatballs with BBQ sauce- I shouldn't have had that because of the ingredients in the sauce but I felt okay about it.  

Breakfast- 3 scrambled eggs, curry chicken and 1/2 a grapefruit, Naked Red Machine 

Lunch- Salad with clementine segments, sunflower seeds and an apple vinaigrette with a sweet potato "waffle" (the idea was to put the tots in the waffle maker and it mostly worked) and raspberry-apple juice

Snacks- herbed cashews, Sumo citrus fruit

Dinner- leftover lemon chicken soup with a mango

Day 7: I went out and bought a probiotic today.  I read up on some Whole 30 forums yesterday about my GI symptoms and it turns out this is normal but I need to add enzymes or probiotics to my diet.  I thought about caving to eat some yogurt (yuuuuuum) but instead I went to the Vitamin Shoppe today and bought a probiotic capsule.  I feel better already!  Today I think my stomach cramps were actually hunger cramps because I didn't eat as much as I should have today...  I also came to the conclusion that I'm dehydrated so I'm almost finished with my 2nd liter of water today.  

Breakfast- 1/2 a grapefruit (bad, I know) and a LARABAR

Lunch- leftover chicken and asparagus, clementine

Snacks- nut mix, a Sumo citrus fruit

Dinner- chipotle chicken lettuce wraps with avocado and the biggest blueberries ever!

Day 8: I made it a week!  I am feeling much better today having figured out the need for a probiotic and drinking more water.

Breakfast- eggs with red pepper and avo, Red Jacket apple juice 

Lunch- leftovers. Can't remember what though

Dinner- Spiral carrots, summer squash and zucinni sautéed in ghee, sun dried tomato basil chicken sausage from Trader Joe's

Day 9: Twas a beautiful day out today!  I ate my dinner on the front step in lovely 65 degree weather.

Breakfast- Green smoothie! Avo, kale, pineapple and banana mixed with Red Jacket apricot-apple juice. Freaking delish. 

Lunch- also leftovers. Not exciting.

Snacks- LARABAR and nut mix

Dinner- Bison burger from Trader Joe's with avo and plantain chips 

Day 10: I'm still really tired. I sleep better at night but I'm still tired.  And because I'm tired, I sleep in a little longer than I should which leads to less time to make lunch... which lead to me going to Byerly's today.

Breakfast- another green smoothie like yesterday 

Lunch- I went to the salad bar at Byerly's and splurged for some bacon which I'm quite sure I can't have (due to the sugar likely used to cure the bacon) but I didn't care. I also think I got more toppins than salad but that included carrot sticks, matchstick beets, golden raisins, cranberries, cherry tomatoes and pepitas. Also a raspberry vinaigrette that I'm sure was full of sugar so I barely used it 

Snacks- Sumo citrus 

Dinner- Lemon and dill salmon burger from Whole Foods and grapes. I was going to eat some beet chips (that I baked while I ate dinner) but I found I wasn't that hungry for more so I passed 

#53: Things I've learned on my vacation

1. It is totally acceptable to wear Crocs. Like not just the cute Crocs that I have but the legit Mario Batali-style old school Crocs. Everyone has them. 

2. The resort has one sign that says you cannot reserve lounge chairs. But no one follows that rule. Except some d-bags I ran into today who mocked me about leaving my towels out on 2 chairs and then were creepy and kind of racist so I took my towels and left. I know that means they "won" but oh well. I couldn't put up with it. 

3. Bring ear plugs. You don't have to hear an alarm- you're on vacation! Plus the walls between your room and the one next door might be paper thin and you can hear their TV and awfully disgusting cough all night. You will be happy you brought the ear plugs. 

4. Pack more sun screen than you think you would ever need. 

5. Also, apply that sunscreen often. More often than you think is necessary or normal. Don't look at your neighbors on chairs next to you as examples. You're a pale white person from Minnesota- make good choices. 

6. Bring more cash too. You don't have to exchange to pesos at the airport because everyone here accepts USD (for souvenirs and such) but not everyone has a credit card machine and once you have to get cash from an ATM but you get there and learn it's only pesos, things get confusing. 

7. Pack light. My dad told my mom before we left all we needed was a swim suit and toothbrush. We scoffed at this suggestion but he was right. All we have done all week is sit in lounge chairs in our suits. No need to bring 5 shirt/short combos like I did. 

8. Learn some Spanish. Conversational stuff to say hello, how are you and thank you. It also helps to know a little more for when the 40-year-old Dominican man on the beach is trying to convince you he loves you when one of his younger employees comes up and introduces himself to you using the Spanish word for "boyfriend" then he speaks to your older lover in Spanish and luckily you know enough to trick them into thinking you understand everything and also not somehow agree to marriage to either of them. 

9. Curse your stupid American upbringing and vow that you will raise your children learning English and Spanish at the same time. Everyone in other countries can do it- why can't we? The first thing I'm going to do someday when I have kids is put them on a waiting list for a Spanish immersion school. This trip has solidified that as my number one priority when the time comes.

10. It is likely that you won't hear a lot of English as people's first language- and if you do, they're probably Canadian. I've heard more French, Spanish and German in the past week than I have ever before. It's awesome. But also weird. 

11. Eat a lot of fruit! I've had more fruit with every meal this week than I probably have in the last month combined. It has been tasty and I tried new weird fruits like a thing that tasted like a very sweet lemon- I asked the waiter what it was and he told me. When I went to Google it that night, it turned out to be a grapefruit. But a delicious Dominican grapefruit.

12. Drink a lot of water. I admit I probably haven't done this enough but I'm trying- also the alcoholic drinks are just so good....

13. If you have a stay overnight between flights at an airport along the way, you will not get your checked bags as they are checked to your final destination. They will sit in the airport and wait to be thrown into your last plane to your final destination, even if your layover is like 14 hours and you have a hotel reservation. This makes sense now but didn't really at 11:30 at night at the Newark International Airport. 

14. Be thankful you have a job that allows you to leave for a week (though I know they would have preferred I didn't), parents who are great and pay half your way for the trip and a mom you want to spend a week doing nothing with. 

Check out this sweet burn! If it doesn't become bronze by the end do the weekend I am going to be so mad. 

Whole 30: What is it and why am I doing it?

The Whole 30 is something I have had my eye on for a few years now after reading about it on a blog I follow. It is a lifestyle changing way of eating- not a diet. For 30 days you essentially follow a Paleo diet with more restrictions to rid your body of the crap you've been eating for years and the bad habits associated with it. After 30 strict days, you go on to reintroduce certain foods in your daily diet to see how your body responds. If it does not respond well, to gluten for example, you would know that you are better off legitimately following a gluten-free lifestyle (unlike everyone doing it now because it's a fad). If you don't respond we'll to dairy products when you reintroduce hem, you know to avoid those as well. The idea is to cut down on snacking, get you to understand your body's signals when it is truly hungry or really full, to reduce the inflammation in your body from food that causes issues like asthma or migraines or diabetes. 

I do not have any major health issues. I just want to be healthier. I want to make changes in my life, even if that means cleaning out the beer fridge or not grabbing that Pizza Hut personal pan pizza when I run to Target at lunch. Mostly I want to do this to show friends and family it can be done. The couple who started this program and who wrote the book are skinny and good looking. 

Still, I somehow trust them. But I want my friends and family to see me do this and know they can do it too. Because I am surrounded by a lot more health issues than those of my own and I truly believe after reading this book that migraines, depression, anxiety, high cholesterol, etc can be alleviated by a change in what people are consuming and how people are eating. 

So here is hopingt that this works. Several testimonials say that they dropped weight by changing their diet only- no exercise boost. I would like to see if that's the case since I don't want to drive to my favorite fitness studio and it's not nice enough yet outside to of anything fitness-related. 

This may seem like another fleeting random fad that I found but I was right about Peak 10 so hopefully I am right about this too. And you will get to join me along the way because I will be posting weekly (maybe daily if the mood hits me right) my journey so you can travel along and them make your decision when I'm done whether it's worth it for you. 

In the mean time if you are at all interested, I would highly recommend reading the book "It Starts With Food" because it not only explains the science behind the Whole 30 but does some meal planning and shares people's stories too. 

Anyway, the journey (and test of my dedication and willpower) begins April 1. And no, this isn't an April Fool's Day joke- it was the closest month coming up with exactly 30 days. :)

A Few of My Favorite Things: New Music

Bastille//Bad Blood

Bastille's "Pompeii" was the first single on this album that was played on the radio.  It is every where now (even in the commercials for the movie Mr. Peabody, if I remember correctly).  The rest of the album is fantastic.  And the additional songs on the extended album "All This Bad Blood" are amazing too.  Download it now.

Ariana Grande//Yours Truly

Ariana plays Cat on Nickelodeon's "Victorious" and now "Sam & Cat".  She was a singer on "Victorious" since it was a school for talented kids.  You never really understand her true talent on TV because she's playing such an unfortunately dumb girl.  This album sounds like an early 90's Mariah Carey album- no joke.  She's got the range and the raspy voice and its so fun to listen to and sing along with.  Plus there is a song called "Popular" that she sings with MIKA that sounds like "Popular" from the musical Wicked- its wonderful.

The Mowgli's//Waiting for the Dawn

The first single off this album is "San Francisco".  I heard it many times on Cities 97 and never really liked it until a month or two after they started playing it.  Then I downloaded the album and fell in love.  I feel like a lot of the music on this list is pretty similar- stuff they play on Cities, kind of alternative until its catches into the mainstream.  I just really want to see The Mowgli's in concert only they're not touring right now.  Hopefully they'll be at the Basilica Block Party...  There is a song on this album called "Hi, Hey There, Hello" with a line in it that I want to get tattooed on my body- "I'm not skin and bones, I am sunshine and snow".  I feel like that's a pretty good description of myself.

Gavin DeGraw//Make a Move

I love Gavin DeGraw.  I attribute this love to my love of One Tree Hill.  Isn't that how most people learned of Gavin?  I would say so.  This, like all his other albums, is great and catchy and reminds me of Tree Hill and some of my favorite characters on TV.  He sings one song on this album about a crazy night out with one of his buddies.  It makes me laugh.

American Authors//Oh, What a Life

This album just came out to round out their EP that I've been listening to quite often since I got it.  "Best Day of My Life" is one of those songs you listen to and hope that it comes true as your day goes on.  I haven't listened to these newer songs too much yet but I know I love them already.

Lizzo//LIZZOBANGERS

Here's a rather random one on my list.  I like Lizzo for many reasons- she's a Minneapolis-based artist, she reminds me of Missy Elliott, she is smart and she's just plain cool.  I mean look at her.  I heard a couple of her songs on The Current and decided to download the album for a change in my normal music routine.  Its just a fun album with intelligent wording and mentions to Minneapolis every once in a while.  She's a badass.

Lucius//Wildewoman

This is also an album that I was introduced to on The Current.  They were just in town and I didn't really care but now that I've been listening to the whole album, I wish I had gone to see them anyway.  They'll be at SXSW next week so you know they're a pretty cool band.  I downloaded it because I realized when I heard the song "Tempest" on the radio I knew most of the words.

The Head & The Heart//Let's Be Still

And finally, this album.  It came out in late 2013 so its not super new to the scene but its new to me.  This is their second album- I didn't feel compelled to buy their debut self-titled album in 2011, though I did download a single from it.  I didn't even realize this album was out until I heard "Shake" on the radio (can't remember if it was Cities or The Current).  I downloaded the album and realized that I had also heard another song from it on the radio.  So far, though I just downloaded it, I love every song.

A Few of My Favorite Things: Beauty Products

Don't hate me (you'll hate me) but this is pretty much all I use for a normal beauty routine.  Just thought I'd share a few of my favorite products.  You can find # 1, 2 and 4 at Sephora.  #3 is at drug stores everywhere and #5 is in hair salons and probably Ulta.  #6 you can find at most grocery stores (Trader Joe's!) and #7 you can buy at Kiehl's stores (MOA) or Nordstrom and Macy's.

1. Benefit "Fake Up" Concealer
For real.  This is the best under-eye concealer ever.  I'm a little biased because I never used a concealer before this but I started because the bags under my eyes were driving me nuts.  This is creamy and soft and pats onto my face so smoothly.  It comes in 3 shades and I use the light because I am so pale.  It definitely brightens my face and doesn't make me look so tired.

2. Soap & Glory "Flake Away" Body Polish
I have always had bumps on my arms that I couldn't figure out how to get rid of.  Trudy actually turned me on to this stuff.  Its an exfoliator that says it will make your scaly legs less reptilian but I've been using it on my arms and it is a miracle worker.  Because it was in the shower at my parents' house, my mom and sister starting using it too and they are having the same amazing effects.  It has a nice scent too that carries throughout the day after I use it in the shower.  If I could use it on my face, I would (but I think its too course for that).

3. Burt's Bees Beeswax Lip Balm
Duh.  Gotta have my Burt's Bees.  I have like 4 versions (honey, pomegranate, grapefruit, sun screen...) but the classic is my favorite.

4. Benefit "They're Real!" Mascara
I love trying new mascara.  I'm really picky about the brush style and size.  I got a sample of this, probably from Sephora, and ended up buying a full tube because its so great.  It is not waterproof but it seems like it and it makes my lashes look awesome.  Plus you can apparently use it horizontally and vertically but I don't totally understand what that means or how to do that.

5. Redken "Outshine 01"Anti-Frizz Polishing Milk
This is the hair product I use the most.  It makes my hair soft and light and not so frizzy.  Of course its good because its Redken, right?

6. Coconut Oil
I use this to shave.  It makes me smell like a coconut macaroon (only while I'm in the shower though, which I guess is good).  I am concerned that one of these days I am going to slip in the shower because it is slippery but so far so good.  It works wonders and smells great.

7. Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream
I bought this 1.7 fl oz jar like 2 years ago and I'm barely halfway through it.  All it takes is a dip in with my finger and I have enough for my face after I shower.  It isn't greasy and it doesn't smell.  It has never made me break out (like other moisturizers have in the past) and it is made by a pretty awesome company.  I love it.

Look forward to more "Favorite Things" posts in the future!  This was the first one I thought of when I was staring at my medicine cabinet the other day and thinking about how much I love my "Fake Up".  Ha.