What Happened Thursday...

 

Today I worked hard.
I walked and ran on the treadmill for an hour.
It has gotten much easier as the weeks have fallen away.
It was skanky whore day on that treadmill :)
I ran to some terribly dirty System Of A Down songs, and then cooled down to MGMT's Electric Feel. I got my wind back and ran again to Silvertide's Maryjane and some super skanky Buckcherry songs. Cooled down again to Robin Thicke and some great Passion Pit songs.
I worked out with hand weights for a few minutes because my upper arms are still the size of Easter hams :(
I cleaned my son's room out...completely.
Boys are gross...just sayin'.
He is coming home from college for the first time on this long holiday weekend, so I wanted him to walk into a clean room with fresh sheets. Just to remind him what he's missing.
I'm not kidding myself...he's not missing anything!
It took forever to get that room spic and span, and I was sweating as much as when I had run on the treadmill by the time I was done.
Tonight was volley ball night.
Truthfully, I have not played since junior high.
So I might have misrepresented myself when I said I could play well.
Sorry ladies, but this mom needed to get out of the house, hopefully my team mates will be patient as I get into the swing of the game again.
After a few hours of trying to push my bod around in that deep sand in the heat and sun, I'm pretty sure a good deal of calories were burned!
Today I ate a burger without bun, bowl of spinach leafs, some pistachios, and a small hunk of Kerrygold Dunbliner cheese.

I hope you had a good day too!

Coming Farther Than I Ever Thought

It has been a wonderful summer.
My son's graduation party went very well, and was a blast.

I was forced to take my son to college...and leave him there.
His choice, not mine.

 

I had a bit of a break down after he left and went back to being a brunette after almost two decades of being a bottle blond.
The biggest change out of all this is that I have gone from a 3x top to a size large.
Dropped ten more pounds, and found the strength inside myself to start exercising.
I really had hoped deep inside myself that it would not come to this...because I hated exercising!!
Eeeewwww!
To be sweaty, sore, and have absolutely no results is how it always was in the past.
This time I have noticed some interesting things that make it all quite different.
1. My joints, knees, wrists, and ankles don't hurt anymore when I work out. (no grains, or packaged foods makes this possible)
2. Even the next day, my soreness is minimal. (see...no grains...no inflammation!)
3. I don't feel gross while I'm doing it, just stronger.
4. For the first time ever...I look forward to it.


I have not been a great blogger.
I have slacked off, not because I was too busy (even though I kind of was) or uninspired.
I have found a new place inside of me and it does not jive with what I wanted my blog to be in the beginning.
I most likely will not post recipes on here anymore.
I don't feel like trying out new things, cooking constantly, or even full meal planning.
I am not hungry.
I found that sometimes eating every other day works better for me.
I am hungry when I smell food being cooked, but if I walk away from it, the feeling goes away.
I only want a small piece of meat, some spinach, an apple, and some nuts.
That makes me feel good and satisfied.
So from now on I am going to post pictures of what I ate that day, exercises that I did, and progress photos.
Progress photos...that is a tricky thing.
I want to see them of other people...but slapping one out on the Internet for all to see...my huge...everything...well that might take me a few more weeks of progress.
Thank you to everyone who has viewed my blog and not made fun of me!

Have a wonderful day...and ditch the grains!!

Primal Creamy Pork Chops and a Return To Reality

I'm back!
I've been back from vacation for a while but have been slacking on blogging, mostly because I make us the same old things to eat. Nothing fun to share with you all.
Our vacation was amazing.
Hawaii was gorgeous, and stunning.
Everyday we saw something new, and had great adventures together as a family.
My kids bonded a little bit again since they were stuck with each other for two weeks, which was nice to see.

We hiked, swam, and were Primal everyday.
It was easy and convinient to be this way in Hawaii, where food and restaurants are very expensive.
Right after our plane landed on The Big Island we made our way over to the Kona Costco to pick up our food for the first week.
The prices were a little higher than here in Ohio, but not terrible.
My biggest downfall of the whole trip was the amount of dark chocolate macadamia nut products I consumed.
We all were in love with them.
Most days we would pack a cooler of veggies, fruits, chicken, and nuts. We would throw in some waters and be set for a day of exploring.
I would have coffee in the morning on our lani, watching the wild goat family eat grass on the golf coarse and then have a snack from the cooler in the middle of the day. When we would get back in the evenings we would grill out and watch the sun set.
Heaven.
It was nice not to worry about reservations and waiting for a table some place every night.
We spent our money on wild adventures instead.

We took an ATV tour one day for six hours, over hills and jungle that even most Hawaiians don't get to see because it is private land. The trip was very exciting, and the sights were stunning.

It was something none of us will forget!

One day we hiked straight down a mountain into that gorgeous valley. It was hard! But amazing.

Another day we drove to the top of Mauna Kea Volcano to watch the sunset.
It is 14,000 feet above sea level. Now...it is a super weird thing to go from the actual sea to the top of a mountain...and believe me...you notice the difference in your body right away.
we drank lots of water and popped our ears constantly while we made the trek up, but it still did a number on us. By the time the sun had set and we made our way down to the visitor center to watch the stars, we were loopy, short of breath, and freezing!!

The top of the world is spectacular.

After the first week my husband had to go home, the kids and I stayed one more week.
It was a time of swimming and chilling out.
My favorite thing to do was to make a huge cup of coffee and head out to a different beach each morning. I would sit and drink in the beauty of the sea while enjoying my brew and then head out to snorkel before the waves kicked up. I swam with sea turtles at least three times and saw some really large fish that made me a little nervous.

This was my absolute favorite beach. I came to swim here more than once because of just how pretty it was.

The wild Hawaiian kitties were alays happy to see me in the morning.

But now I'm home, and planning my son's graduation party.
So you will have to hear waaaaaay too much about that before it even happens ;)

The other day I decided to use up some pork chops that were sitting in the fridge, but didnt want to make them the same old way.
All the recipes that I found on Pinterest had bread crumbs or some other carb filled thing.
So I made up my own version of Creamy Baked Pork Chops.

Primal Creamy Baked Pork Chops

• 6 boneless pork chops
• 16 ounce sour cream
• 1/2 cup of crushed Primal crackers
• 1 teaspoon of garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon of rosemary
• salt and pepper

Mix the ingredients together in a large bowl
Pat dry the pork chops with paper towels
Dip each chop into the mixture and coat it heavily on all sides
Place onto a foil lined baking pan
Bake at 350 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes until their internal temperature reaches 145 to 150 degrees to be safe

We enjoyed these with pan roasted brussel sprouts with mushrooms and bacon.
It was an easy and yummy dinner.

I hope you try these amazingly tasty chops and enjoy them too.

Gluten Free Low Carb Bread...Primaly Delicious!

I have been craving a sandwich.
Since we shun the overly processed-wheat-belly hurting-grain type stuff, I didn't know what to do.
I could have made one of the coconut flour biscuits and flattened it out, but they still are a bit crumbly at times.
I knew there had to be a way.
I turned to Pinterest, my favorite all time web site these days.
I finally found a few recipes that suited what I was looking for.
I fiddled around with them and added the spices I was looking for...and voila!
I had a low carb-gluten free-primal-paleo bread to make a sandwich with.
It was perfect and quite yummy.
The texture was firm enough to hold and not break apart like coconut flour breads tend to do (no GLUE-ten in them to hold it all together).

Isn't that a lovely sandwich?
Fresh turkey with Kerrygold grass fed sharp cheddar cheese...mmmm.
I would have dolled it up with lettuce, tomatoes, and other good things but I had no idea if it would taste very good at all?!
I wanted to still be able to get a good taste of this type of Primal bread.

The ingredients were mixed up, poured into a glass storage dish, and microwaved.

I tipped it out of the dish and cut it across the middle with a long serrated knife.

Here it is getting roasty-toasty on the griddle.

A glass mixing bowl got the heat and steam going to melt that thick tangy cheese to molten goodness.

Here is the recipe;

• 1 tablespoon butter melted
• 2 tablespoons water
• 2 tablespoons of coconut flour
• 2 eggs mixed
• dash of aluminum free baking powder
• dash of salt and pepper
• I added a few extra spices I enjoy

Mix everything up in a bowl
Let it set for a few minutes and mix again (this gives the coconut flour time to absorb the liquids and mix up smoothly)
Scrape into a glass bowl (mine was square making it perfect for sandwich bread making)
Microwave on high for three minutes
Let rest for a minute or two and then loosen from the bowl onto a cutting board
I used a long serrated knife to separate into a top and bottom.
Grill it up with your favorite sandwich fixings!

I made this into an egg, bacon, cheese, and avocado sandwich for my husband this morning.

Our recent graduate was very pleased with this new bread.
I hope you try the recipe and enjoy it too!

Primal Chicken Pizza Casserole Saves The Band

The Stone Bunnies Rocking The House

My husband's band had a gig this weekend.
They are THE premiere benefit band.
If you need to raise money for a worthy cause...just give them a shout...they will be there.
My husband met these great guys when our boys were all in cub scouts together.
Sitting around a campfire one night Matt brought out a guitar and began to play, my husband knew the song and began to sing...thus The Stone Bunnies were born.
Soon they cajoled and shamed their other friend Scott into playing the drums and he dragged Jeff who knew the bass along too.
Seven years later they are still rockin' strong.

Charles on the violin adds a haunting beauty to many of the bands originals and covers.

The crowd was light at the beginning of the show, but appreciated the ROCK in this band's ROLL!

The wives of the band love to come to the benefit shows, Laura won one of the Split-The-Pots!

Sheila won the MUCH coveted huge basket of boozes in the raffles, she is now our favorite friend!

Before we left that night I made sure we had some good Primal eats, so that the husband would have the energy to give a good show.
I made us a Primal Chicken Pizza Casserole.
Comfort food at it's best.

Primal Chicken Pizza Casserole

• 8 ounces of cream cheese
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup of grated Parmesan cheese
• handful of your favorite spices

Toppings;

• 1 cup of cooked chopped chicken and any other pizza meat you enjoy
• 1 cup of pizza sauce
• 1 cup of veggies, mushrooms or whatever you enjoy
• 1 cup of cheese (we used a combo of our favorites)

Pre heat the oven to 350 degrees
For the crust, mix the cream cheese with the eggs and spices in a large bowl with a hand mixer
Scrape the sides occasionally and mix until it is a loose liquid mixture
Pour into a greased 9x13 glass pan and bake for 15 minutes
When baked, top with the pizza sauce, chicken, cheeses, and veggies of your choice
Return to the oven and bake for 15 more minutes
When it is hot and bubbly remove from the oven and let cool for 5-10 minutes before slicing and serving

My son enjoyed this for breakfast the next day!
I hope you try this yummy Primal Chicken Pizza Casserole and enjoy it too.

Primal Artichoke & Chicken Casserole Goes To Graduation

My Graduate

Our son graduated yesterday.
Sigh...what a wonderful and bittersweet day it was.
He has made us so very proud.
It has not been easy to keep great grades while taking some of the hardest classes, but he's done it and graduated with honors.
We really enjoy the man he is turning into, and miss the sweet little boy he was.

How does a little boy like this turn into a man like this...

In the blink of an eye, that is what it seemed like.
I never thought it would go so quickly.
Now we turn our thoughts to the next big adventure...college!
He has decided on THE Ohio State University as his choice and has made it into the Honors Program.
Again we are amazingly proud of him.


It was a hectic week leading up to the big day.
There were exams to finish, graduation practice, and my husband's band had a gig this weekend also.
Time was tight so I decided to stock the fridge with a few things Primal that we could grab on the go.
I made my standards...coconut grilled chicken, veggies and fruit cut up and bagged, primal crackers, and a new casserole.
Artichoke Chicken Casserole, it was as good reheated as it was the day I made it!
Here is the recipe...

• 2 cups of cooked chicken, diced
• 8 ounces of cream cheese
• 1 cup of chopped marinated artichoke hearts
• 1/2 cup of grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup of grated sharp white cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup of marinated mushrooms
• 1/4 cup dry white wine (optional)
• 1 teaspoon of garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon of Penzeys chip and dip spice (you can use what you like)
• 1/2 teaspoon of pepper

Mix all ingredients together till blended.
Place in a greased baking dish and bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes till warm and bubbly.

This could be used like a dip in other circumstances, I would use large carrot or celery slices to eat it with.
We enjoyed it as the main dish with a nice salad and some fresh strawberries.
Primal comfort food at it's best!
I hope you try this Artichoke Chicken Casserole and enjoy it too.

Prom Has Come and Gone...What a Blast!

My son and my mom before prom dinner

My son is a handsome and very kind man.
He knows how much I enjoy decorating and parties, and once again I was able to have prom dinner at our home.
Since this was senior prom I went all out, making an eight foot wall of hand cut flowers for them to stand in front of in pictures, The tables were decorated to the nines, and there was a canopy of hand cut flowers, birds, and butterflies floating above their heads at dinner.
I had a blast!!!
My mom was so great through all of this. She came down to help me several times in the month leading up to the big day, and the day of prom she helped me make all the desserts and with the final set up.

The big wall of flowers was made by using a 8x4 foam insulation board from Lowes (cost $8) and a pack of copy paper (cost $2.50) scissors, and clear tape.
I used straight pins to place the flowers on the board so that in the future I could add color or a different style of flower if I wanted to.

Here are close ups of the different flowers.

I looked at Pinterest for ideas to make different kinds of paper flowers.

If you live in Cincinnati and would like to borrow the wall...feel free to ask! I hate to think of it sitting doing nothing!

I made paper fan flowers to decorate the drink station from old scrapbook paper and tape. (whew...we need a new counter top!)

The flowers, birds and butterflies were strung on fishing line, and look static from this angle, but sitting under them was very pretty.

The dessert table was not Primal at all. It was pretty! Even though it was only jello, pudding, oreos, rice krispy treats, and brownie bites the kids were oohing and ahhing over it.

Oreos covered in white chocolate and sprinkles along with strawberry marshmallows dipped the same way, were simple but pretty to see.

Jello was poured into tall glasses and set slanted in the fridge. I mixed the remaining jello into cool whip and added it when the first layer was set. More cool whip and a strawberry completed the look.

I cut a circle of poster board and then cut out the middle of that to make the base for this paper wreath. It is copy paper and left over scrapbook paper cut into a leaf shape. I folded the bottom of the leaf together and taped it to the circle. A pretty welcome as the guests arrived.

I made large tissue paper flowers for the girls to hold as a fun extra. I was worried that they would think it was silly, but everyone seemed to love it.

All 20 kids had a great time and made it home safe the next morning, and that is what matters most.