Days 18, 19, 20 and 21: Try new things

Sorry for being out of touch the past few days. I did not slip-up, cheat, or go rogue, I just truly enjoyed my weekend at home, to the point that I didn't even think of writing anything. I also spent a fair bit of time working for some of the volunteer work that I do, and attending some meetings. The weekend just kind of got away from me, and yesterday too. Not to mention that this computer is crappy and old and irritating. I've been eating very well the past few days and have even tried a few new things. 


First on Saturday I made spaghetti with spaghetti squash and it was quite tasty! I've had it before but never prepared it myself, and it was easy-peasy. And kind of fun! Then Sunday I roasted a turkey breast in the oven and served it with sweet potatoes, carrots, and beet greens from the garden. The new item there? The turkey breast. I've never cooked just part of a turkey before and I don't often need to cook a full turkey with all the family members who want to cook turkey for us. Yum! And then last night I had to find something that I could make and grab as a snack or quick part of a meal. So I made Whole30 compliant muffins. My first experience baking on the Whole30, or baking anything paleo for that matter. The basic recipe was banana-apple-cinnamon but I made three batches and decided to try some different combinations. The second batch was banana-nut-almond butter, and the third batch was banana-coffee-cocoa. Of all three the original apple ones are my favorite. The coffee cocoa ones are probably the worst, but I'm not sure if it's because I used a much coarser almond flour or if they were just bad to begin with. Anyway, it was worth a try. Barry even took two with him to work, albeit smothered in butter. I think I could continue paleo baking after the Whole30, but I need better quality almond flour and I might just add in some chocolate chips or something. 

Recipe and pic taken from everydaypaleo.com

So overall, the weekend was good, full of awesome Whole30 food and snacks, time to relax, read, and just enjoy. Sound good to you? You should really read Mark's post listing 32 "slow living" inspired ways to savour summer. Then follow it up with a few reasons why you should get outside and enjoy nature. 

Like Nicole, I also really enjoyed the Whole30 Daily post for day 20. All about getting real with yourself and your body. To quote Nicole 

"In essence, they remind us to focus on health, not rock hard abs or sculpted pipes. It affirmed what I feel they really get, that health is comprised of many different things and we should not let the media - or others, however well intentioned - influence how we feel about who we are in our healthy bodies. They remind us to let go of "ideal" and just be real." 

I'd like to let her start the discussion, but I think it is important to realize that we don't need to meet someone else's ideal, we need to break up with our scales, be proud of who we are, and keep forging on in the pursuit of good health, not some crazy body image that we may never come close to reaching. We are all worth the effort it takes to get healthier. But in the meantime, there are a couple of really good sites that you should visit. 

First check out Melissa's post about becoming the best version of yourself.
Then head over to Beauty Redefined to read about the whole fitspiration craze (you know those pictures all your friends have been posting on facebook that have motivational quotes about getting fit), the problems with using BMI as a measure of health, and why you need to take back your beauty! Happy reading! 

Food Diary
Breakfast:  coffee with coconut milk, two muffins (I know it's SWYPO)
Lunch: leftover roasted turkey breast with carrots, an apple.
Supper: sweet potato and carrot hash, the last of the leftover roasted turkey.