Big Brother and Captain Hook

Chippy and I are currently sitting on the couch sharing some rasberries drinking our "coffees". 

Today I used coconut French vanilla in mine instead of the bulletproof coffee I've been drinking. Not because I don't like it, but because I was lazy today.

I only have 5 days left of my sugar detox and I'm starting to think about where to go from here. 

It doesn't make sense to go right back to what I was eating before, that would just be a waste. There are healthy foods that I am really missing though. 

Like fruit, and oatmeal and quinoa. I also miss my morning smoothies. I don't miss sweets as much as when I started which I love. I just miss healthy staples. 

I could probably go without dairy and gluten but I need my fruit. 

I am allowed to have berries and tonight I am taking full advantage of that and making a sugar free, grain free berry cobbler. 

Mabel and I will enjoy it while watching the finale to the most boring season of Big Brother ever. 

Seriously ever. 

That's okay because I am FINALLY caught up on Once Upon a Time and the new season starts Sunday! 

Anyone else love this show?!

Or him... 

I survived week one!

Not only did I make it through the first week of my sugar detox, I made it through the first weekend! 

Weekends are typically where I fall. Hard. Every time I wanted to cheat I just told myself "Its only two weeks, you can do anything for two weeks". 

There were lots of temptations, like my husband nailing a homemade pretzel recipe

My kids eating fresh peaches from a farm stand 

I stood strong though! 

I made some turkey meatballs to have with tomatoe sauce while the fam had regular spaghetti and Sunday we had steak tips and green beans. 

I made another batch of cookies and this time added pumpkin.

 

Still amazing. These were much more moist than the snickerdoodle ones and less sweet I think. 

I want to try a crust less berry pie but I may wait until the weekend. 

We are traveling up north soon so maybe I'll save it for up there! 

This week for my meals I'm only switching it up a little bit. 

I'm doing the breakfast casserole again and I'm going to make Almost Pizza Spaghetti from paleomg.com but with chicken. 

For lunches I'll do grilled chicken salad or tuna over salad. 

Only 7 more days... I got this! 

Coffee and Snickerdoodles.

So yesterday I tried some new things.
Now I'm kind of obsessed with them. For real.
The first was I finally tried Bulletproof coffee... Weird yet somehow insanely satisfying and kept me full forever. I used coconut sugar and coconut oil. I also added a little almond milk and mixed the whole thing in a bullet blender. I tried to sip it, but I think it's best drank fast. I think I will be added it to my morning routine, but I won't lie I still miss my Hood creamer.

The second thing I tried were these little pieces of heaven called
Coconut Sugar Snickerdoodle Bombs.
So easy, so simple. Dairy, grain, sugar, and gluten free.... AND STILL AMAZING.

Recipe: Coconut Sugar Snickerdoodle Bombs (makes about 2 dozen cookies)
2.5 cups almond flour
1/2 cup coconut sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg
1/2 cup coconut oil, melted
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
3 TBSP coconut sugar + 1 tsp cinnamon, mixed together, to roll cookies in
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Sift together the dry ingredients in a large bowl. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg, coconut oil and vanilla. Stir into dry ingredients until combined. Scoop out small portions, roll into a ball, and then roll in the cinnamon/sugar mixture. Place on baking sheet and bake for 9-11 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack for a few minutes before eating!

There's not many words I can use to describe these except for fucking.awesome.
They are kid AND hubby approved. In fact, they are approved by every single person who has tasted them.
Someone shared them in the sugar detox group I'm doing and my neice and I decided to give them a go.
They were originally posted on this blog which also has a million other recipes we want to try, like these Pumpkin Clouds or these Grain Free Lemon "Buttermilk" pancakes.

Day 238796

....at least that's what it feels like.
Sorry for the late post today. Wednesdays are my days off so I get to bring Mabel to school and then have some cuddle time with Chip.
We usually sit on the couch and have our " coffee" together.... I miss my creamer.
I'm still too scared to try "bulletproof coffee", but maybe this afternoon!

After our weekend away it seems like both kids are acting out in there own ways.
I'm just trying to take some deep breaths and let it go (by the way, I hate how Frozen has ruined one of my favorite sayings to myself).

So yesterday was my 12 hour shift and I was freaking out on the inside that I wouldn't have enough food and detox friendly choices, but honestly it went great.
Don't get me wrong there were cravings and temptations (like banana cake in the break room!!!!!), but I felt strong with my choices and didn't cheat at all.

Breakfast was the same, Egg casserole
Morning snack- olives and tomatoes
Lunch- White Chicken Chili over lettece, this time I added an avocado.
Afternoon snack- carrots and almonds
Dinner (which I had at work) was another serving of the Egg casserole.

Usually on Tuesdays when I get home I RAID the kitchen, and the fridge, and the pantry and eat just about everything.
My sweet cravings are typically after meals and before bed. I was honestly surprised that I didn't even open the fridge once.
I think that I tried so hard to stay on top of my cravings and hunger all day that I was full by the time I got home.

I did have a headache towards the end of the day, and I woke up this morning with a super headache, but other than that I feel good.

I forgot to mention that I'm doing couch 2 5k with my niece during the week and keeping up with my long runs on Sundays. I also want to try to do some cross training with biking or yoga on Thursdays.  (Tuesdays I don't have time to think...).

All in all I feel good and I'm doing good. Tomorrow I have a surprise treat for you guys! I am going to post a recipe and review for sugar and dairy free snickerdoodle bites... Joni I know you are excited.

Now please excuse me because I just saw that Netflix added new episodes of Once Upon a Time... goodbye world.

Day 1

I survived day one and I didn't want to punch anyone!! 

I planned my meals for breakfast and lunch, as well as my snacks. 

Heres the breakdown

Breakfast- Egg casserole, which is pretty much a crust less quiche 

Snack- Olives and almonds

Lunch- White chicken chili over lettece 

Snack- Carrots

I even had my coffee black....

Everything was good. I felt full. I was def craving an energy drink and a candybar but I didn't cheat. I was even nice enough to bring two cinnamon buns home for the fam. 

Dinner I didn't really have planned out and for a brief moment I thought it was going to be a disaster. I didn't start making dinner until 6 and what I started was going to take at LEAST an hour. 

I could not wait that long.

So instead I threw a bunch of veggies on a tray with olive oil and sea salt and roasted them in the oven, then cooked some chicken sausage and some chicken breats. I also made a side of rice for the family. 

It came out great and the kids and hubs inhaled it so it was a win. 

Today I work a 12 hour shift so it will be a real test. I'm bringing tons of snacks and hoping for the best! 

These are the 14 Days of My Lives.

The hubs and I just got back from vacation and reality was a quick and swift kick to the face.
For real.
First let me tell you about our vacation.
We stayed in a cabin that we got an INSANE deal on through LivingSocial (I'm obsessed) in Old Orchard Beach, Maine. Not only did our cabin have a queen bed, two tvs, free wifi, a full kitchen, AND a grill, it was located in the most amazing campground. The campground alone had four pools, three hot tubs, mini golf, full laundry rooms, and an aerial course. It was also less than a mile walking to the ocean and a public (but still secluded) beach.
Seriously it was out of the world and I feel like I'm still in shock.
Having the kitchen in the cabin allowed us to buy groceries and make some of our own meals which saved so much money AND stay somewhat healthy!
Thats not to say that many many sweets were not consumed but thats okay because that will all change this week.
That brings me to my next subject.

In a last ditch attempt to get my shit together I signed up to do a 14 day sugar detox. I roped my neice into doing it with me since my last attempt lasted all of 2 hours.
Having another race come up as well as other personal goals I want to accomplish I really really need this.
The next two weeks are going to be hard, and by hard I mean like really fucking hard.

My mantra is, It's Only Two Weeks.
Two weeks, thats it.
It's like I'm quitting my job and I just have to sit through two shitty weeks to have that final moment when I walk out and blow the place up. 
I know I haven't been blogging very much lately but honestly it's because I haven't been doing so well and I feel like I haven't had anything to talk about.
I started this blog for accountablity so thats exactly what I will use it for. I will document every day for the next 14 days, what I eat, how I work out out, how I feel, and how many times I wanted to punch people.

My post will probably be full of lots of pictures of donuts I wish I was eating, and extra light coffee I wish I was drinking, but again
It's Only Two Weeks.

New Entertainment.

Alright everyone I have a little something to tell you about.
First off let me say that I have not been asked to review the site/app in any way shape or form, nor am I receiving any sort of compensation for this.
Okay on to the good stuff.

As you all know I am about half way into my half training for the CHaD hero half, if you haven't donated yet you can with the link on the left, and some of those long runs get boringgggggg.

There are a couple of weekends where we are traveling so I will have new running routes to entertain me, but I am slow as molasses in wintertime so my runs take a long time. While music is nice it gets old quick.
Before going on my long run this weekend I started looking for some other options. I love listening to podcasts, and while I'm running on the treadmill I love getting into other options.

I've heard about audible.com a few times but I was really turned off my the prices of the books. Newer books can cost around $27.99. That's a lot of money for your girl. Like more than I spend on food. So I originally dismissed the idea of running with an audio book.

Then I decided to give it another look and I realized I can get a free 30 day trial which includes a free download AND you can cancel anytime with no extra charges!

Yes, yes and yes.

I signed right up and started searching. This is where another amazing part came out. You can listen to a sample of the audio! This was especially big for me because some voices I can hear without my ears melting and some I just can't. I can't say enough how important this was to me. When I'm out on the road for a few hours I want to listen to something thats going to hold my attention AND be pleasent to listen too.

I originaly wanted to download Outlander but the audio was not for me. It took me a couple of books before I found one I liked but thankfully there were a million options.

I chose Me before You by JoJo Moyes and I got through about 4 chapters on my first run, the run sucked like was really really hard and I wanted to die, but I can't wait til get out there again so I can pick up where I left out.

I don't have any special links for you and like I said I am literally getting nothing from this post, but I was blown away by how much I loved this app so I just wanted to share it with all of you!!

If you choose to keep up with the montly subscription it's just a low monthly fee (14.99 I think) and then you get one download a month. Again you are still saving a lot of money. I'm not sure if I will keep up with it or not. We shall see.

Do any of you use this app/website? What's your favorite audio book?

Roseanne is My Best Friend.

Two posts in a row.. I am on a ROLL.
I used to join in a link up on Friday's called Five Things Friday and it very well could still be a thing, but I'm lazy and don't want to look it up.
But I do want to bring back my Five Things Fridays posts, because I like them, and lets face it I write this blog for me. Just kidding I write it for all you too!!
You don't have to know me for very long to know that I am sassy. Some may call it sarcastic, some may call it bitchy, some people I don't give a fuck about.
Yikes... Maybe I should wait until I finish my coffee for these posts.
Anyway, I am 100% postive that I learned all of my sassyness and 86.5% of my parenting skills from growing up watching the worldest greatest tv show.
So today I bring you.

5 Things I learned from Roseanne

1. Just because you're supposed to be a grown up doesn't mean you have to act like a grown up... at least not all of the time. 

 2. Love your body no matter what it looks like because cake is awesome, and lettece taste like sadness. 

3. Moms are the head of the household period. 

4. Sarcasm is the best way to win an argument. 

5. Women are good at everything, and if they aren't good at something it's because they don't want to be good at it.

There you have it folks. Roseanne is amazing, and I'm still voting for that name if we ever raise $3000 to met our insurance deductible and have another baby.
I have seen every single episode about a million times and yet I still cry when I think about the ending. I can't even talk about it here because I will cry and tell my husband to never build me a writing room in the basement (which he kind of already did).

So you tell me, for next weeks Five Things should I do "Five Things I learned When my Husband Bought me a Bike" or "Five Things the Market Basket Fiasco Showed Me"

Don't forget about me!

Hey everyone remember me? 

Sorry I've been super absent, this past weekend kicked my booty.

I feel like I'm still recovering! Saturday was my bakesale for CHaD where I raised about $370! 

It was great weather and all the baked goods were a hit! 

If I were to do it again I would have more appeling packaging, more signs, and more variety ( a lot of people were asking for fudge!) 

After the bake sale we headed up to our family campground to camp for the week. 

I've been super slacking in my training this go around but I knew I would need to bust out a 6 mile run at some point so I backed my running goodies. 

Somehow I roped my neice into going with me and even though she's only ever run 5ks she did the whole 6 miles. 

I was struggling to keep up with her!! 

Even though after the run I pretty much just wanted to sleep the day away my husband reminded me we were on vacation so I headed down to the beach.

We were all fishing when we spotted the paddle boards.

We rented them for the hour and it was seriously amazing 

We ended up going back after lunch and renting them again. I'm obsessed, they were so fun!!  

I want one so bad. 

Maybe for next summer!! 

I've been trying to incorporate biking into my training routine and that shit is hard! I got two miles in last night and my quads were on fire!! 

Any of you cyclists have a good app?? 

Alright friends I'll try to be better the rest of this week and next week!!