Day 7: One Week Complete!

Wow! I can't believe today is Day 7 of my Paleo Challenge. The week has gone by pretty quickly. We had a very busy morning getting many items together (clothes, blankets, accessories) to take some professional pictures of the kids and family. It was great that we had the Frittata in the fridge from last night. Did I mention that the Frittata was one of my absolute favorite meals so far this week? Check out the picture that I just added to my Day 6 post. Since we were going to be away from home for the morning I grabbed some nuts and one of my kid's veggie pouches (the squeezeable ones). I know they are not low in fructose, but they are an easy pick me up if I need it. I also packed some water. I find that between nursing and eating this way I am in a constant struggle to stay optimally hydrated. T

he pictures were fun and our kids (and the photographer) did a great job. One of our friends is a professional photographer so she took them for us. It was a fairly stress-free situation and she was fabulous with the kids. After the pictures, all of us went to Whole Foods Market-Lincoln Park. It was the biggest Whole Foods I have been in. There is even a food court in it with a ton of options. It would have been nice to walk around and check everything out but nap time was getting close so we just got our food and ate upstairs in the seating area. I went straight for the salad bars and food areas that have all the ingredients labeled. I found a ton of options that looked fabulous and filled quickly filled my container. The only questionable item in some of the salads was Canola Oil, which is not recommended in the Paleo template that I am using. I decided not to worry about it and enjoyed my food, my friends and family knowing that I still had a very Paleo lunch.

My son has been asked for mac and cheese lately, so AJ and Alexis had gluten free mac and cheese for dinner and Scott and I had Spice It Up Salmon (Everyday Paleo, 100). The fillets contained quite a few spices mixed in that gave them quite the kick. There was a little too much cayenne for my liking (my husband's pinch was a little more like a handful). We also had some steamed veggies, which the kids absolutely love. We tried to make kale chips, but once again we lost track of time and they were burnt (this time Scott did it). I think we will try again today. They are so worth it if we could just figure out the timing of them.

I also sat down and created a meal plan for next week. It does take a lot of work and planning, but it is worth it. This week was easier than I thought. I have cooked more than I ever have and I have been paying attention to how Scott cooks. I even cooked raw chicken for the first time. I have eaten a better variety and quantity of vegetables than I have in my whole life. I am not looking at the scales, but I know that weight wise I am feeling good. I will feel even better now that I can start working out. I feel like I have more energy overall and don't feel bloated and uncomfortable around bed time like I used to (a week without dairy may have helped with that). I hope to continue to see great results (like my blood pressure stabilizing) in the next couple weeks.

Week 2 here I come!