Delays and Construction

Hi, folks!

I just wanted to pop in to say a couple things.

First, I'm sorry for the delay in posting the weekly Whole30 menus. I've been trying to get the photos edited, though with not much success. I'll get it all up soon!

Good news...I'm trying to make the blog look more professional! I started the blog because we had started selling at our local farmer's market and I wanted to include a website on my jam and jelly labels. I've decided that it's high time to turn my blog into a more professional-looking site. I'm working with a very talented artist friend to create a business logo and banner.

Happy Spring!

Whole30 = Conquered

It's over! What's over? The Whole30! 

 Two-thirds of the faculty of Pumpkin Rose Farm recently finished their first Whole30! Princess Me and the Queen Mother decided that we would try the Whole30 program, beginning February 2. 

First things first: about the Whole30. Basically, it's a reset for your body, achieved by cutting out dairy, grains, legumes, alcohol and sugar. Also off-limits are carrageenan, MSG, and sulfites (which are found in processed foods). The last big rule is not to recreate baked goods, junk food, or treats (such as Paleo pancakes, etc).

Yes, it's hard. No, it's not impossible. If you're interested, you can find all the information at whole30.com.

I feel the need to share a disclaimer concerning my food photography. I started out by taking pictures on my point-and-shoot camera, then ended up taking the rest of the photos with my phone. After about the first week and a half, I didn't try very hard to make the pictures look professional (or even semi-professional). This was mostly due to the fact that by the time the food was ready, I didn't want to try to have to "pose" it and take beautiful pictures. I just wanted to eat it. Then, I looked back at the pictures and discovered that some were blurry. Too late...the food was already a distant memory. I won't be posting all of the pictures that I took, partly because of aforementioned blur. Hindsight is 20/20....

Although we didn't see much improvement in health conditions, I did notice that digestive disturbances were fewer than before. Also, some pounds and inches were lost.

I think the biggest benefit that I've seen is the mental change. We've better learned how to plan meals and how to make healthier substitutions and wiser food choices.

It also makes me want to work harder on the farm gardens this year. I can think of no better place to get vegetables than from one's own garden (if possible). 

I learned that you can overcome food temptations (even though at the time it felt like the hardest thing in the world). One afternoon, everyone around me was eating some pizza from a local pizza place that makes delectable, unique pizzas. Once I smelled the dessert pizzas, I thought that I was done for! However, I made it through with two plates of salad. I was thankful for the green olives and sunflower seeds on the salad bar because they amped up the taste and made dressing unnecessary. 

My favorite moment of the month was on Day One, when we sat down to breakfast and the Queen exclaimed, "I forgot the monkey salad!" We began the program knowing that a monkey salad would probably make many appearances and, sure enough, it did.

Another disclaimer: I know that smoothies are somewhat of a bone of contention in the health community and that the Whole30 program generally frowns upon the making of such beverages which, quite often, turn into sugar bombs. However, I do believe that when in had in moderation (everything in moderation!) and when made with proper ingredients in proper ratios, smoothies are fine.

Things I liked about the Whole30  

• The new perspective on food and nutrition. Mindless snacking became a thing of the past because, if I wanted to eat something, more often than not I had to make it. Meals had to have protein, fat, and vegetables and really needed to be able to keep us satiated for a while. As a result, I looked for ways to bulk up meals.
• I was forced to make foods that I probably would have never gotten around to making. Last year I tried my hand at making homemade mayonnaise and the result made me never want to attempt to make mayo again. Then, I found instructions for making it with an immersion blender; no slower-than-slow drizzling of oil or room-temperature ingredients required. This mayo changed my life, or at least my food life. I now make the mayo almost weekly and use it in many ways that I would have never used store-bought to make. We didn't even eat mayo before. Another food-prep obstacle that I overcame was making coconut butter and Larabars.
• We learned to think ahead so that the microwave didn't have to be used. Since most of our meals had to be eaten over two or three days, we started each meal's reheating process sooner and were able to use the oven or the stove.

Things I didn't like about the Whole30

• I started out feeling too controlled by it. I was so scared that I would accidentally eat something that was off limits and then all my efforts would be ruined. In the first couple of weeks, we learned how easily we would grab something and pop it into our mouths, just because it was there. I spent my nights dreaming that I'd accidentally eaten something that was off-limits. Thankfully, those dreams stopped about halfway through the month.
• Snacking was discouraged, therefore, I always felt bad if I ate just a Larabar or something in between meals. There weren't many convenient snack options, since there are very few Whole30-compliant packaged foods. That's all fine and dandy, but I didn't always want to make something and I sure didn't want to have to come up with a mini meal, with the protein-vegetable-fat rules.  

Tips for Your First Whole30

• If you like sweet potatoes, make them one of your closest friends during the Whole30 (and beyond). For us, they appeared in almost every form imaginable and at every meal. The best way to eat them, in my opinion, is to bake them and spoon some extra virgin coconut oil on top, with salt and pepper. You can also add cinnamon or a homemade spice mix. 
• Coconut, in all forms, is a must in your Whole30 pantry. Coconut milk in a can makes a great substitute for milk in many recipes!
• Add as much food (preferably vegetables) as you can to each meal. I changed my plan of attack during the last half of the month and started eating more at meals. Instead of having a monkey salad or some fruit a couple hours after a meal, I added it to my meal. Most of the time, I ate everything on my plate and, occasionally, I finished off the Queen's food, too.
• BE PREPARED! This might seriously be the most important thing you can do in order to succeed. Have at least a week's worth of meals and snacks planned and the ingredients on hand, if possible. I'm so grateful for all of the other Whole30 participants who have shared their recipes and menus! Lindsay from The Lean Green Bean has some excellent tips for food prep. I highly recommend checking it out.

Best Recipes

Carnitas

Deconstructed Gyro 

Creamed Spinach 

Simple Chicken No-Tortilla Soup 

Chicken Patties 

Chocolate Chili 

BBQ Beef meat or Carnita meat over a sweet potato with homemade BBQ sauce drizzled over. Seriously, this is one of the best meals I've ever had.

That's all I can think of...for now. I'll share the menu, pictures, and some recipes in my next posts. I hope to get those up this week. Please check back!

Things to Come

Hi, all!

Just wanted to pop in to say I haven't forgotten about the blog and that we're in the midst of a Whole30 program. Since blogging from my phone it's a difficult task, I will make this post short.
However, I plan to do a review at the end of the 30 days, complete with photos!

Tune in at the beginning of March!

Elf 4 Health Recap

Hello, all!
I said that I would try to do a summary of week 1 of the Elf 4 Health. That didn't work.
Then, I said that I would do a summary of each round. That didn't work, either.
I have now decided to just do a summary of the entire program. I didn't have any other options left.

Round 1, Week 1
Day 1: Go meatless -- I almost accomplished this one, but, as it turns out, sick chickens have the ability to mess up all of one's plans.
Day 2: Unsubscribe from unnecessary emails and printed publications -- I manually unsubscribed from several emails and still am unsubscribing when more pop up in my inbox.
Day 3: Try a new workout -- I tried a new workout that included bursts of jumping rope so I had fun trying to take a picture of my shadow while jumping.
Day 4: Share a new book, blog, etc. -- Thanksgiving Day! Shared several of my favorite blogs and recommended a book that I haven't actually read yet
Day 5: New veggie smoothie -- Okay, so it was a new smoothie recipe that only had spinach as a vegetable.
Day 6: Treat yourself -- Got to sleep in and watch some movies.That's a treat in my book!
Day 7: Meal plan & prep -- I love meal planning, especially planning new uses for Thanksgiving leftovers.

Round 1, Week 2
Day 1: Handwritten note -- sent a little package to my Elfie and a card to another friend. My Elf sent me the best package! You can read about it here: http://pumpkinrosefarm.blogspot.com/2014/12/best-elf-ever.html
Day 2: Eat the Rainbow -- My birthday! And my dog's birthday, so we "ate the rainbow" by having rainbow-colored birthday candles.
Day 3: Go makeup free -- Did this so easily...since I am pretty much makeup-free every day.
Day 4: Do a buddy workout -- I was going to do yoga with a dog, but instead did it with Yoga Cat.
Day 5: Leave an Operation Beautiful Note -- Planned for this one, but my sticky notes weren't sticking. However, I'll be leaving notes from now on!
Day 6: Pantry and fridge purge -- This had (somewhat) happened recently, so I didn't do it.
Day 7: 20 things gratitude list -- I made the list in my head, so that will have to count. On the list was my new Elf friend, which brings me to...

There is a winner at the end of each round and I was so excited to read who it was, because it was going to be my Elf, of course. I was certain that no other Elf could have been as fantastic as mine. I was in for quite a surprise when I read that I HAD WON! HOLD THE PHONE! ME? THE WINNER? I honestly am not yet over the shock. This shock will surely increase exponentially when I receive the prize pack from the sponsors.

Round 2, Week 1
Day 1: Fastest mile challenge -- I was looking forward to seeing how fast I could do a mile, but when this challenge came around, a painful shoulder kept me from running. This challenge will happen, though.
Day 2: Pay it forward -- I did a couple things here and there for people--some for strangers, some for family and friends.
Day 3: Pack a healthy snack -- I didn't go anywhere on this day, so there was no need to pack a snack!
Day 4: Take some you time -- I took a little bit of "me time", but not as much as I would have liked. ;)
Day 5: Do a circuit workout -- Didn't accomplish this one because I still was dealing with pain in my shoulder area of my back..yuck!
Day 6: 3 food groups per meal -- This was fairly easy since most of my meals contain at least three food groups.
Day 7: Clean out your closet -- I had already done the bulk of this a while back, but I pulled out a few more things. I also rounded up several coats and we dropped them off at a local coat drive.

Round 2, Week 2
Day 1: Read, write or meditate -- I got up early and read Psalm 119; yes, it's a bit lengthy, but it's a beautiful chapter and very encouraging, especially when you're just starting out your day.
Day 2: Push-up challenge -- I prefer super-slow pushups, where you take ten seconds to go down and ten seconds to go back up. However, I decided to only do one of this, the first pushup of the day. Then, I proceeded to 149 more pushups during the day; I did regular pushups and pike pushups and some pushups that I accidentally made up and a few modified pushups when my arms got tired. I even did one diamond pushup...whew! Pushup total = 150
Day 3: Share your expertise -- I'm not really an expert at anything, but an opportunity arose to share some of the knowledge that I've learned about Vitamin D3 and Vitamin K2. (Long story short: you need to take D3 and then have K2 with it; the vitamin K gets the vitamin D where it needs to go!)
Day 4: Veggies with breakfast -- Breakfast juice/smoothie with kale and carrots, plus a few other ingredients.
Day 5: What you love about you -- Eep! I was supposed to share 6 things that I love about myself, but instead I opted for making a list in my head that only contained four things.
Day 6: 2015 fitness goal -- My goal for 2015 is to become healthy (two words: adrenal burnout). Unfortunately, my fitness plans will be limited to mostly yoga for a while. Fortunately, I love yoga and so does my cat, hence the nickname, "Yoga Cat."
Day 7: Make a donation -- This was one of my favorite daily challenges. Earlier in the week, I got thirteen inches of hair cut off. I sent it to Pantene's Beautiful Lengths Foundation and so that was part of accomplishing this day's challenge.


This Elf 4 Health program was so much fun! I have a new buddy (hi, new buddy!) and am about to have some awesome prizes (thanks mostly to my new buddy).
Thanks to Elle and Lindsay for hosting this program!

Happy holidays from Pumpkin Rose Farm!

Best Elf Ever

Buddy the elf must now assume the title of Second Best Elf Ever, because there's now someone in first place: my Elf for the Elf4Health program, Stefanie.
Stefanie fooled me into thinking that she was going to send me a birthday card, but she sent a whole package, full of goodies--and care.

She even sent an elf hat.
Hey, Stefanie? You rock. Thanks

Apologies

Hello!
Week 1 of the Elf 4 Health challenge is over, but I can't write about it right now. (Blogging from my phone is just too difficult!)
Maybe I'll just do a post for each Round...

Happy Turkey Day

Happy Thanksgiving!