The 30-day “traditional foods” food challenge is still going well in that we’re all on course (well, Scott ate one hard candy, but we won’t hold it against him… he also had me buy tortilla chips and salsa – but he hasn’t eaten any yet.)
I have been having major cravings too, to be fair. All for usual stuff I crave – sub sandwiches, chocolate, and the most horrible – Pasta Roni Shells and White Cheddar :p Talk about processed! They’re all passing cravings, and I’ve been able to get rid of most of them by having a hearty snack, like a slice of raw milk cheese and a glass of milk, or an avocado half or something of that nature. It’s the fattier and protein rich snacks that seem to help with the sugar/carb cravings (which is what I have).
Burnout
The other huge challenge encountered…on Friday to be precise… was burnout from being in the kitchen. I found myself completely and utterly tired of being in there, of cooking, preparing, and more than anything else, serving it all out.
I already wrote that I planned to do all my weekly soaking at one time. With the exception of our rice I’m going to soak everything for the week tonight and put it in the bottom of the fridge to await its turn to be cooked.
I’ve also been calling the children into the kitchen to help carry plates and cups out. Scott helps with that for many meals as well. It’s strange that I find serving so overwhelming but I do. Maybe it’s time to let the kids learn to serve out salads and veggie sides onto their own plates too.
Today I feel absolutely exhausted which I believe is due much more to the fact I was up past midnight lats night than it is to anything with our diet.
Thinking of Solutions
I’ve still been pleasantly full most of the time. The only drawbacks so far have been spending so much time in the kitchen and the cravings. But I think cravings are to be expected when my body is getting completely weaned from processed foods. And I’m working on the kitchen time.
I need to come up with some “quick meals” for when I can’t make the planned meal for whatever reason. I did well last night, when we got home quite late. I simply pan-cooked a steak and some mushrooms then used beef stock and cream to make a quick sauce and served it over leftover soaked and cooked rice. I had leftover salad that I served on the side.
Normally I rely on stocks to make soups in a pinch but I didn’t get my chicken stock started, nor did I have any of the beans I normally make soups with. So that brings up another thing – I absolutely can’t miss anything I’m supposed to prep on a day or else we’re really out of luck.
Or I need to make sure there’s always back-ups. That’s probably most prudent. I should plan to get several quarts of stock up in the freezer and I think I’ll freeze cooked beans in cup-sized portions that could easily be added to a soup. I’m also planning a huge batch of chili this week which I should be able to put two meals up into the freezer for.
A Need for Planning
So this takes a lot of planning, and I’m still working out how to be most efficient so I’m not getting overwhelmed with kitchen time – and I don’t run out of good food so we end up eating junk.
I’m hoping to learn some good “quick meal” recipes too. This week’s Real Food Wednesday is going to feature real “fast food” – I can’t wait.
On Kids and Milk
On the kid front the kids are doing great – and I’m thrilled that Cassidy couldn’t button a pair of pants this week! Upon trying on some pants that she’s been unable to wear (because they’d fall off) she found they fit nicely. The kids have all been pretty cheerful and content.
My milk supply is more generous than ever. I have never had a problem with supply but this is just ridiculous – showers of milk anytime Galen nurses and it’s thick and creamy. It’s a bit annoying to me because I get flooded constantly (Galen still nurses pretty much every hour), however, I can’t really complain about so much milk of good quality!
Hopefully this week I’ll get things more streamlined and figured out. I’m also hoping I”ll have more energy. It’s going to be interesting to see how things go as we enter week 2 of our challenge!
