I have GOT to eat better

Last year, I tried the Whole30 Plan. It’s pretty basic. No grains, no dairy, no sugar, no processed foods or additives. No peas or corn (a couple of my fav veggies), no alcohol, no peanuts. I said it was basic, not easy.

But I did it.

I made my own ghee (clarified butter, really) to take out the milk fats. It took me a few cups before I could say I enjoy it, but I learned to drink black coffee. Fortunately, I could have potatoes and sweet potatoes (in moderation), so I was actually able to live without grains. I thought I would have the hardest time with the grains, but really, it was the cheese that got me. I wanted to lose weight, and I did lose some. But mostly, I wanted to learn some new eating habits so could lose weight and keep it off. Well, I have fallen back into some bad habits, so it’s time to work on me again. Harder this time. I am not going to do a strict Whole30 plan this time, but I will use a lot of what I learned and really work to make these changes that I need. I hope.

One thing I learned is that carbs for breakfast are useless for me. Sure, they taste great. But even the “healthy” things like oatmeal or Crispix cereal leave me hungry way before lunchtime. But if I have protein, I am only mildly hungry for lunch. So a protein-rich breakfast it is. I try to have hard boiled eggs, or sometimes I make mini frittatas, crustless quiches, whatever you want to call them. You can fill them with a meat of your choosing. I do try to pick a Whole30 approved one, which means no fake ingredients and no sugar — there is just one brand of bacon that my grocery store carries that does not have sugar. But I would rather cut added sugars out of everything else if it means I can have a cookie or something that actually tastes sweet and will satisfy my craving. For the mini frittatas, I leave out the cheese, and put in veggies, usually red bell peppers because they are one of my favorites in a quiche.

I also learned to love almond butter (a no additive kind, just plain ‘ole roasted and puréed almonds). Like black coffee, this too was an acquired taste. But now I like it more than peanut butter, which tastes overly sweet to me. I can put a couple tablespoons of almond butter on diced strawberries and bananas, or dip a sliced apple. I’m also excited to try a recipe I just saw for sweet potato and zucchini fritters - I think that will make a good breakfast. I am also going to master making poached eggs and serve them over roasted asparagus spears.

Something else I learned is that I can make just about anything for the guys for dinner. They are good sports and will try lots of different things. But while I can, and need to, avoid the carbs at dinner, if they don’t have a starch, they will be trolling through the kitchen an hour after dinner. Just different metabolisms, I guess. So one night, I made a homemade marinara sauce with ground chicken. I served it over portabella mushroom caps for me and big bowls of pasta for the guys. A perfect solution.

I know I won’t stick to a diet. But I can change the way I eat. Wish me luck! And if you have any suggestions, please feel free to share them.

Iced Coffee with Coffee Ice

This is not my idea at all, but it's one I finally decided to try. When I want iced coffee, I usually just make coffee and chill it. With regular ice in it, I end up trying to drink it before the ice cubes melt though, so the coffee won't get too diluted. Enter coffee ice cubes.

They're really as easy as they sound. Just make coffee, pour into ice cube trays and freeze. We added some Bailey's flavored creamer too. After they were frozen, I put them into a freezer bag to keep them fresh. Today I decided to try one, and of course, since I was going to blog about it, I wanted pictures. I tried taking one of the glass with just the ice cubes in the living room with the laptop as the background, but I didn't like the way it looked. So I got up to take it to the kitchen, and I knocked over the glass with the coffee and it all went onto the carpet. Aaaahhhh! Help! Luckily, my fellas are used to this, and John sprang into action with paper towels. He even sacrificed one of his bathroom towels for the cause (it's in the washer now).

With the mess cleaned up, I made another cup of coffee and put it into a plastic cup to chill in the freezer. I wanted to keep my ice cubes on ice too. I was about to put the glass in the freezer too, but I decided I'd better switch them into a plastic cup too. That way, if I drop it later, it won't shatter. Follow my thinking here?

I think I'll get a festive ice cube tray now, like this one especially made for all the geeks out there.

My ridiculously large coffee mug

I love this mug.

I got it on our last trip to Disney, so one reason I love it is that it's a reminder of the wonderful time we had. On a side note, we went in November for my birthday. It's the second time we went to Disney for my birthday, as Jeffrey (of Pooh Sticks blog fame), likes to remind me. We haven't made it to Disney to celebrate his birthday yet. But we will.

Anyway, back to the mug. I also love it because it's Winne the Pooh. And it's a cute cartoon. And did I mention it is ridiculously large? This mug is from the Animal Kingdom park, though I think I actually bought it in the hotel gift shop at Port Orleans French Quarter. True to Disney's attention to detail, there is a Tree of Life in the bottom of the mug.

Jeff and I were talking about it this morning. He doesn't like a huge mug because then the coffee cools more quickly. And that's one more reason why I like it. It means I can drink all of the coffee sooner. I love a mug I have to hold with two hands. It doesn't matter what the temperature outside is. There is something very comforting about a mug filled with hot liquid warming your hands.

As you're reading this fascinating post, I'm sure you're wondering what I like to drink out of my mug. I love a dark roast coffee. It's really weird, but the darker the coffee I drink, the less likely I am to use sugar. Just regular coffee you'd get at a restaurant? Yep. That's getting a good amount of sugar. Espresso? Not so much. We have a Keurig. We usually use an insert and grounds rather than the K-cups. Sometimes, though, I splurge and get Folgers' Black Silk, my favorite K-cups. Jeffrey really enjoyed them this week. I think I had three out of the box. It's ok. As long as I had some....especially this morning. Now -- get your favorite caffeinated beverage and get out there and enjoy the weekend people! And feel free to tell us your favorite coffee and mugs in the Comments below.