Health

Progress

/ Dawn Kasal-Finley / Leave a comment

I have made some huge strides in getting my PCOS under control.  I have stopped thinking that I am on a diet and now talk about the way I eat.  Because it isn’t a diet and if I start to look at it as a diet, that implies that there is an end date.  That there is some finish line.  And in terms of my health there isn’t a finish line.  This isn’t a race.  There is hurry up and lose 20 lbs or hurry up and fit into smaller pants.  This is a take your time and be healthy.  Not get healthy–but be healthy.  There is a difference between those two and I am just not beginning to understand that.

I have cut out about 90% of the gluten from my diet and pretty much all dairy.  I haven’t had a skinny vanilla latte in weeks and I don’t want one.  The thought of it makes me a little sick to my stomach.  I haven’t had a diet soda in over a month.  Again, I don’t even crave it.  When I think about snacking–it isn’t on sugary sweets or salty chips–but veggies and hummus or nuts and dried fruit.  I never thought I would be able to kick my sugar and fake sugar addiction.  Who am I fooling, I didn’t even realize it was an addiction until a few weeks ago.  This doesn’t mean I haven’t had a small sweet here and there–but I can say that it is rare and it’s after I have thought about it.  I hope to get to a place where it happens even less–but I’m not going to beat myself up about it.  I am going to own my choices.

I got rid of my scale.  One of my goals is to not be controlled by the numbers.  It was hard to get rid of it (and in the spirit of full-disclosure it’s just down in the basement).  I am going to limit myself to once a month weigh-ins.  Just to see where I am.  I hope to get to a point that I don’t need those anymore.  We’ll see.

I feel so much better–have more energy and am less crabby, which is really nice.  I always knew food was powerful–but how knew how crappy you could feel eating processed foods–eating whole and mostly fresh foods has been really great.  If you have been wanting to make these types of changes–let me tell you they are worth it and the cravings really do go away.

Sugar Failure

/ Dawn Kasal-Finley / 1 Comment

I have totally failed with my no added sugar challenge. I feel sick and am boring you readers with this info so that I can have a place to go and remember just how disgusting how feel right at this very moment.

I tend to totally self-sabotage my endeavors related to health. I embrace every challenge in my life with success. My health (aka weight) is the one challenge that has beaten my ass. Every. Single. Time. It is my “white whale.”

Call me Ishmael.

Clean Eating Week 2

/ Dawn Kasal-Finley / 3 Comments

I’ll just start off by saying–I don’t have any photos this week.  I meant to take photos of the food–but I didn’t for a number of reasons, like some of the food didn’t turn out too pretty :0.

My favorites food this week was the whole wheat, black bean ravioli, with a pasilla cream sauce and grilled shrimp.  I made the ravioli.  I made the filling and I made the sauce.  The noodles didn’t turn out so pretty (so, I didn’t photograph the process).  I have decided that I really need a ravioli maker, because doing it without the proper equipment is hard, no matter how easy people make it look like on TV.  Mine were ugly and looked like the kids made them–but they were yummy.

The cream sauce and filling were delicious–the filling was simply, black beans, greek yogurt, garlic, onion, cumin and smoked paprika all blended together and it was really really good.  I look forward to making it when I have the right tools (and then I’ll document it).  I also made some whole wheat fettuccine and am looking forward to eating that this week with chicken and more of the pasilla cream sauce–yummy.

I also made some clean banana muffins from The Gracious Pantry. I made her basic recipe but put fresh blueberries in each muffin for a little added texture and I added walnuts to the batter as well.  They are absolutely delicious and the kids love them too–total bonus.

This was a rough clean eating week for me, but was able to pull it off and am really happy with how I feel.  I can certainly tell a difference and I am really liking it.

 

 

Favorite Foods from Week 1 Of Clean Eating

/ Dawn Kasal-Finley / Leave a comment

I eat pretty “clean” as it is–but I am committed to doing it 99% of time (I need wine every once in awhile–and my hubs makes the best chocolate chip cookies).  This week I discovered Pureed Cauliflower and I have to say it was awesome.  I steamed a whole head, then blended it with roasted garlic, salt, pepper, about a 1/4c of Parmesan (maybe less) and then milk as needed for texture.  It was so light and fluffy–next time I take some pictures.  I really enjoyed it and even my husband liked it.

I also made a black bean and feta cheese stuffed turkey burger–which was really awesome and I paired it again with my pureed cauliflower–a whole head made about 3 servings for me.

My final favorite meal of the week was spaghetti squash with a turkey, mushroom and pepper tomato sauce.  It was really good and while I don’t eat a lot of pasta, spaghetti squash is the perfect substitute for pasta.

I am enjoying the clean eating–I stick with protein shake for breakfast–fruit (usually berries), greek yogurt, and whey protein.  I feel a lot better and have a lot more energy. I also am craving a lot less sugar/bad for me things.

This week I am going to attempt to make sweet potato gnocchi (we’ll see how that goes) and some sweet potato ravioli with homemade whole wheat pasta for the ravioli.  I’ll take some pictures and detail their deliciousness here next week for a look back at Week 2 of clean eating.

Oh Pumpkin Spice, I Just Can’t Have You In My Life

/ Dawn Kasal-Finley / Leave a comment

But damn you are good.  I had my first and last Pumpkin Spice Latte of the season.  I am so sad.  So. Very. Sad.  But you have 330 calories and 64 grams of sugar.  Are you freaking kidding me?  Really?  Shit.  I feel sick now that I know.  I kinda want to lick the inside of the cup–knowing that this is the last time I will drink this.  Normally, when I mess up a new way of eating (aka diet), I’d just throw the day away and eat whatever I want.  But, that isn’t the case.  I am realizing that I am not going to be perfect.  I don’t expect to be perfect.  And giving myself that permission is liberating.

When I went shopping  yesterday at the market, I went with new eyes and a new attitude.  I have never paid much attention to the ingredients for the most part–I always look for corn syrup or high fructose corn syrup or modified corn starch and stay away from anything that has those things in it.  Not just for me but especially for my kids.  But now, I am looking for things that don’t have any sugar–okay really don’t have any added sugar.  Do you know it is almost next to impossible to find tomato sauce at the grocery store that doesn’t have added sugar–I read all of the labels and found one from a local restaurant that didn’t have any added sugar.

Also, salad dressing–they all frickin have sugar in them.  All of them.  I know, I know, I’ll just have to make my own–but crap, I don’t have a lot of extra time for that.  Sugar is in everything–no more Chinese sauces for me either–that I don’t make myself.  I am committed to cutting refined sugar out of my diet and all unnatural forms of sugar as well.  I haven’t made a stand on stevia yet, but will do some more research on it and how it might make my body react–in terms of insulin production and processing.

I haven’t decided where I stand on grains–like quiona, Oats, etc.  I am going to avoid eating them in too much quantity but also know that they are good for me in moderation.  This is all a learning process for me and I am truly committed.  I have given myself 10 free-days over the course of the year (you know, thanksgiving, christmas, birthdays) but who knows to what extent I will take them.

I feel really at peace with my decision and it is interesting that after making the decision, I haven’t really been tempted by anything or looked at anything and thought–OMG, I want that.  Well, not unless you count the Pumpkin Spice Latte.