Vacationing, part 2

Fox Cove, Newfoundland

Day 20 is coming to a close and I'd be lying if I said this has been a walk in the park this time around. It is easier - I attribute that to the abundance of fresh, local vegetables available now that makes it easy to have colourful, tasty plates at every meal. However, Whole30ing while vacationing is a challenge: not for me are the "salty snacks" my family shares while watching the nightly movie; no thank you to refreshing ice cream after dinner; not indulging in a drizzle of honey or maple syrup over a pumpkin spice waffle at breakfast; no wine or beer to unwind after the kids finally pass out from their full days.


But compared to what I have gained, what I have given up is, well... nothing. I'm not a slave to crap eating that marketers try so desperately to sell us; I am sleeping really well; I feel satiated 99.9% of the time; my body is working as it should, particularly digestive-wise; my energy is really good (despite the broken sleep caused by sharing a bed with a wriggly preschooler or an early-rising two year old toddler, alternately.) It's also nice to feel that pants I couldn't get near last year at this time are getting quite loose: although weight loss is not the driving factor for me, it's a nice little reward.

My food framework has been pretty in-line with Paleo or Primal for the last year, but the Whole30 serves as a break from routine eating that can easily slip back into less healthful patterns, like the aforementioned pumpkin spice waffles four mornings a week (with maple syrup, of course!), or indulging in a few processed treats more frequently (PB m&ms, although just a handful, add up and start to skew the taste buds again). I will never, ever, ever be Paleo perfect, nor do I strive to be (confession: soon after this wraps up I am going to make a wheat-laden killer blueberry pie - my first in a year though), but the Whole30 is a fantastic way to press the reset button, and make me be a conscious eater again. Looking at our dinner table tonight, it gave me great joy to see our vacation food so colourful and flavourful, I should have taken a picture. The whole family and grandparents enjoyed every last bite of that Whole30 spread - and they wouldn't even know what the Whole30 is.

For dinner we had: rib steaks with a smoky paprika rub; cumin dusted roasted cauliflower; local snow peas drizzled with walnut oil and pine nuts; oven roasted cherry tomatoes with bacon and basil. Those tomatoes are dripping with taste - I think they are going to be the topping for my next batch of zucchini noodles.








There is a much more eloquent post I'd like to write about the Whole30/Whole9 and their inspiring and refreshing take on the whole sexiness of media/fitspiration culture, but for right now, suffice is to say that their Whole30 daily today completely rocked. 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. If you are like most and are always trying to measure up to what you think you should be, read the article behind that link. Then go give yourself a big hug and the gift of grace. xo!

The Whole9 get it right again. Total rock stars!