Christmas Movies

It's December! If you've known me for more than 10 minutes, then you're probably aware that December is my favorite month of the whole year. I've been listening to Christmas music since before Halloween, and my "Griswold Family Christmas" t-shirt has been in regular rotation since November 1st. I started putting up Christmas decorations about a month ago, and my copy of the Martha Stewart Holiday Cookie edition is sitting in it's binder with individual laminated sleeves. One of my favorite things to do over the Holidays is curl up on the couch with a glass of eggnog (sometimes spiked with a bit of Goldschlager) and watch a festive film. Here are some of my favorites: 

Elf: Kevin and I have an annual tradition of watching this movie while we decorate the Christmas tree. 

The Holiday: I have to confess, most people probably like the Jude Law/Cameron Diaz aspects of this movie the best, but I soooo prefer the delightful Kate Winslet/Jack Black storyline. Because really, after a certain point, Cameron Diaz being all "I-can't-cry" and Jude law being like "all I do is cry" gets old. Kate Winslet and Jack Black being hilarious in a Blockbuster? Pure gold.

The Family Stone: So many reasons why I love this movie #1: Diane Keaton's wardrobe. I want to wear everything she wore in that movie #2: Sarah Jessica Parker's character is an actual disaster in that movie, and I love it #3: Luke Wilson is delightful. Also, Rachel McAdams as the sarcastic sister is hilarious.

Christmas Vacation: My favorite part is when Chevy Chase completely loses it towards the end. I also love the Bullwinkle eggnog cups, and Cousin Eddie's green turtleneck. I have been wearing my "Griswold Family Christmas" t-shirt since before Halloween.

Little Women: It has to be the one with Winona Ryder in it. I love the book to pieces, and I love the movie. Spoiler alert: Beth dies, and I sit on the couch and cry every time, even though I know what's coming.

You've Got Mail: It has Christmas in it. It also has Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks, so it is extra awesome.

A Christmas Carol: It has to be the Patrick Stewart one, though, because in addition to the awesome holiday-ness of Dickens, you get to marvel at the fact that Patrick Stewart never ages, and will probably look the same in 20 years as he does now.

The Santa Claus: Did you know that parts of the movie were shot in the town I grew up in? Fun fact. The bank my mom used to work at is in the movie. Plus, this one totally reminds me of my childhood.

It's A Wonderful Life: I shouldn't necessarily put this one on here yet....I haven't actually seen most of it, but I feel like I would love it. This is going to be on my must-watch list this year.

Polar Express: my Auntie Sheryl's favorite, and despite the fact that Tom Hanks is kind of creepy in CGI, I still like the movie.

What's your favorite?

Whole30 Progress: 100 Days

Guys. I'm pretty excited. Why? Because this past Monday marked 100 days since I started Whole30!

100 days. I still can't get over it.

Before I started, I knew I needed to make a change. I rarely stepped on the scale pre-Whole30, because I didn't like the numbers I was seeing. I had it in my head that "I weigh like 140 or something" so to step on the scale in August and see 167 was a hard pill to swallow. 167 (for me) was such an unacceptable number. Not because I felt society was pressuring me to be skinny, but because I knew I just didn't feel healthy. I felt tired and lethargic, and experienced numerous sugar highs and crashes throughout the day eating what I had convinced myself was a "pretty average diet".

This is me pre-Whole30.

100 days later. I can't believe how much better I feel. I am sleeping so much better. My killer night-time heartburn is gone. I have kicked those killer food cravings - the ones that said "oh c'mon, you'd give your left hand for a bowl of Kraft mac & cheese right now, just get some!". I'm down over 28 pounds. I still have about 5-10 pounds left until I hit my goal, but this experience has re-framed everything for me. I'm less focused on the number on the scale, and spending more time being so so thankful for everything that this experience has taught me so far. I'm healthier than ever, and I can't wait to see what the next 100 days bring! A lot of people will do a Whole30 for the traditional 30 days, and afterwards will revert (at least partially) to bad eating habits. I just can't imagine myself ever going back to how I ate before!

And in case you're wondering, here's a picture of me now: 

I'm off work today and about to head out to find a couple of pairs of new pants that fit. If you hear gleeful clapping from the fitting rooms at Old Navy, you'll know why!

Stay tuned for more fun Whole30 and Paleo stuff!

My Best Friend

It's almost the end of October, y'all. Can you believe it? I can't believe it. Christmas is going to be here before you know it, and I am CRAZY excited about it. I listened to my Diana Krall Christmas album on the way to work yesterday. I couldn't help myself. During "Walking in a Winter Wonderland" she changes up the lyrics to say "we'll frolic and play the Canadian way", and it makes me happy every time.

That makes it almost November, which makes it almost my third anniversary being married to Kevin. THAT is crazy. It's crazy because in some ways, I feel like we just met last week. On the other hand, sometimes I think back to before I met him, and it feels like a million years ago. 

I'll never forget our wedding. There was this moment during the ceremony when the whole "I now pronounce you husband and wife" part happened, and I was just so out-of-my-mind happy that I did this awkward hilarious little clap of glee. I sort of remember the audience getting a little chuckle out of it. I love that our sweet photographers captured the moment. I just love the look on Kevin's face. It's just this look of love mixed with "yep, she's clapping". The funny thing is, I never got over that feeling. Sometimes (all the time) I just look at him and sort of marvel at him. He's so smart, and so funny, and so kind. His heart is so big, his wit is so sharp, and I don't know what I ever did before I met him. When I was younger, I'd hear people describe their spouse as their best friend. I don't think I ever believed them. It just sounded so cheesy. I feel like it is true for us, though. He's far and above my very best friend in the whole world. I just relish every minute we have together. I love weekdays, when we get up way before the sun and go for a walk or a run at the park. I love the quiet talks we have in the morning. But even more than that, I hate when we have to be apart. I miss him during the day when we're both at work. I get super over-dramatic when he has to travel for work: "don't they know I need you every day?". He's not perfect, and I'm not either, but every day I am blessed just by being his wife. Most of the little laugh wrinkles I'm starting to get around my mouth are from him, and I couldn't be happier about it. 

Love you, Kev!

Paleo/Whole30 Mythbusters

Sometimes I get a crazy look or two when people find out that I eat Whole30/Paleo. I get some interesting questions, too. I thought it might be fun to clear up some of the myths surrounding Whole30/Paleo eating: 

"So...you can't eat anything good?"

Oh, SO not true! While Whole30 eliminates all grains, dairy, seeds, soy, etc., that still leaves plenty of really amazing things that I can eat. I honestly feel like the food we've been eating for the past couple of months has been a lot more interesting than what we ate before. Eating Whole30-compliant foods has certainly increased my love of cooking, and I feel like I have a whole new appreciation and passion for the fresh amazing ingredients that I've been incorporating into our meals lately. Tonight, for example, I brined some boneless skinless chicken breasts for a bit in a basic salt and spice brine. After a couple hours, I drained the chicken, dried it off, and grilled it after brushing it with a Moroccan spice blend that included cumin, cinnamon, and curry powder. We dipped the grilled and sliced chicken in an incredibly delicious middle-eastern-style dipping sauce of citrus juices fresh herbs, and spices. On the side was a quick salad of cucumber, snap peas, fresh herbs, and a squeeze of lemon juice. It was arguably one of the best meals I've made in quite some time, it was so easy to put together, and I feel so good after eating it (which is something I can't say for the sluggish gross feeling I would get after a big bowl of spaghetti in my pre-Whole30 days). So in a way, if you think about it, all we eat is the good stuff!

"That sounds expensive"

Totally a fair assumption. Eating this way is more expensive. There's really no getting around that. There are ways to do it in a less expensive way (buy frozen veggies, tailor your meat choices to what is currently on special at the grocery store, etc.) but we don't find it prohibitively costly. One perk of eating this way is that we eat out significantly less than we used to. It's just easier for us to know what goes into our food that way, not to mention the fact that I love cooking this way! Before Whole30, I used to eat breakfast very seldom, eat lunch out just about every day, and eat dinner at home. Now, Kevin and I both eat breakfast from home, and eat home-cooked dinners. I always bring my lunch to work with me, and Kevin usually eats out at lunch time. We usually grocery shop once a week, and I find that we spend about $3.20 per meal, which in my books is super reasonable! And yes, while eating this way is arguably more expensive (I mean, a $1.29 box of pasta and a $3 jar of sauce can feed a lot of people on the cheap), we consider eating this way to be a significant investment in our health. 

"Don't you miss things like cookies and beer?"

The short answer? Yes and no. Sure, once in a while I could go for a nice frosty beer, but I usually just reach for a can of LaCroix coconut with a squeeze of fresh lime, and find myself equally satisfied. Will I ever eat a cookie again? Absolutely. But the funny thing is, the longer I eat this way, the more I realize that I never want to go back to the tired, moody, sugar-addicted overweight version of myself that I was before. I know now that I'm putting things into my body that it needs, and I'm seeing the benefits in so many ways. My skin is so healthy and clear that I pretty much just brush on a little mascara each morning before I walk out the door. I'm sleeping like a champion, and the energy I have when it comes time for our Couch to 5K training is incredible. Plus, I am almost 25 pounds lighter than when I started, and you can't argue with those numbers!

79 Days: What to do?

Well, kids, it's been 79 days since I started Whole30. Crazy huh? I can't believe how fast it went. I almost started this post by saying "I'm on day 79 of my Whole30!" but it didn't feel quite right for two reasons:

Reason #1: I haven't been 100% Whole30 compliant for all 76 days! Don't worry, though, I didn't lose my mind and tear into a bag of Doritos like a crazy spider-monkey. More on my wild party weekend later in this post...

Reason #2: Is it dumb to say that I'm on day 79 of a 30-day plan? I don't know...part of me is thinking about just saying "I eat Paleo", but I feel like Paleo can mean different things to different people. I like the structure of W30, I like how easy it is for me to know whether I can eat certain things or not. I feel like my experience has taught me that my body really does work better when I put the right things in it, and I am hesitant to ever go back to eating the way I was pre-W30. I really believe in the ideas behind Whole30. I know that while technically, there may be a way to make a pancake out of Whole30 compliant foods, but I know that mentally, that's not the best choice. There are things about Whole30, though, that I didn't really stick with, though. For example, Whole30 recommends staying off the scale, but I weighed myself consistently from the beginning, and I think that is a huge reason that I've lost so much weight, and a huge reason why I've been able to stick with it for so long. The other consideration I have in my mind is that I started out thinking that I would do this for 30 days. I quickly realized how much it was benefitting me, I decided for myself that I was going to do this for 120 days. Thinking back to the first few days of this process makes me laugh a little. Now that my body is used to eating clean, it's almost funny to think back to my pre-W30 days when I would sit at my desk at work stress-eating fistfuls of Cheez-its and wondering why my pants were so tight. I think I will obnoxiously continue to state that I am on day 76 of my Whole30, at least until I get to day 120!

Now, for more on my crazy party-girl weekend...

Kevin and I went to Savannah last weekend, and I knew while I was there, I would probably want a glass of wine. Or a beer. Or both. As it turned out, I was pretty 'good' while I was on vacation. Kevin and I spent our Honeymoon in Savannah, so part of our trip was spent visiting some of the places we loved when we were there the first time. We took a trip to Moon River Brewing Company, and tried some of their beers. Leave it to a Paleo/Whole30 girl to totally fall in love with a beer that is brewed with sweet potato, and is served out of a glass that is rimmed with pie spices and roasted pumpkin seeds. Kevin and I also ventured to a great little place less than a block from our B&B called Foxy Loxy where I boldly decided I was going to have cheese. "What's the worst that can happen? I'm on vacation!". Let's just say that digging into that creamy Brie, sultry goat cheese, and pungent blue cheese was a delicious departure from my regular eating habits, but the awful stomach cramps I ended up with later that night were less wonderful. Dairy and I don't get along, I realize that now.

Anyway, back from vacation now, loving the cooler fall weather, and while that sweet potato beer was delicious, I feel much better now that I'm back eating Whole30 compliant things!

Have a good weekend, everyone!

The Bigger Yes

I love this quote. I feel like it pretty well sums up so many things I've been reflecting on lately. Today marked exactly 60 days since I started Whole30, and I have to say I'm feeling pretty proud of myself! Part of me can't believe that it's only been 60 days, but at the same time I feel like I've been eating this way for a long time. 

The funny thing is, there's a small part of me that thinks "you won't eat this way, this restrictively, forever". The hard thing is, though, that I'm a little afraid to incorporate non-compliant foods back into my diet, even for a limited amount of time. Christmas will come, and I will probably enjoy a frosty mug of eggnog with a little Goldschlager in it (although by then, I will have gone about 120 days without any dairy or alcohol, so it might do a bit of a number on my stomach). Right now, though, the idea of an adult beverage doesn't tempt me at all. I will probably be baking up a storm in December, the way I usually do. I'll probably enjoy a piece of home-made hazelnut biscotti with a cup of coffee, or maybe a Mexican hot chocolate cookie with a cup of tea, and there's nothing wrong with that. The interesting thing is that every single one of the last 60 days has been made up of me making good choices for what I put in my body. It's been making choices to push my body to do new and great things (5k here I come!). It's been about me proving to myself that I am stronger than any of my excuses, and that I have the discipline to know the difference between what I want in the moment, and what I want most. 

Thai Shrimp Coconut Soup

I'm ready for fall to be here. Don't be deceived - just because they've gone all Pumpkin Spice at Starbucks doesn't make it fall. I'm ready for it, though. I'm ready for leggings, sweater dresses, cozy scarves, boots, spiced tea, and fall leaves. I'm ready for Thanksgiving to be here. I'm ready to go pick a Christmas tree and watch Elf. I'm ready to curl up on the couch on chilly Saturday afternoons wrapped up in my favorite blanket while watching Cameron Diaz fall in love with Jude Law in The Holiday and eating bowlfuls of hot soup. 

I've been getting impatient, though. It's still getting above 80 degrees almost every day, but I couldn't resist making up a batch of hot spicy soup for dinner tonight. I love Thai food, and I can't wait to make spicy, delicious variations on this soup all winter. Want the recipe? Of course you do!

Spicy Thai Shrimp Coconut Soup

adapted from stupideasypaleo.com

You will need:

- 2 cups chicken broth

- 14 ounce can of full-fat unsweetened coconut milk

- 1 inch piece of ginger 

- 1 tablespoon minced garlic

- 2 tablespoons Paleo-friendly fish sauce (Red Boat is my favorite)

- juice from two limes

- 2 to 3 tablespoons Sriracha sauce (omit if you can't handle the heat...)

- 3 cups sliced mushrooms

- 1 pound peeled and de-veined shrimp

- 2 scallions, chopped

- 1/4 cup cilantro

- one carrot, chopped up fine (I used my Kuhn Rikon peeler to make pretty carrot matchsticks, but you can just mince it as well!)

Start by pouring the chicken broth and coconut milk in a heavy pot or dutch oven. Whisk the liquids together, and slice the ginger into a few pieces (you'll be picking it out before serving, so don't slice it too small!). Add the minced garlic, and turn the heat on medium high, and let the mixture come to a gentle boil while you prep the rest of your ingredients. I have to say, I've never cooked with coconut milk before, but it looked so creamy and velvety that I'm almost considering using it in my morning coffee....I feel like it would be deliciously creamy, especially if I added a sprinkle of cinnamon and nutmeg!

Chop your mushrooms. Doesn't need to be super precise. It's just soup! Unless you're making the soup for the Queen or something. In that case, please take the time to chop your mushrooms delicately and precisely, instead of just chopping them up haphazardly. I was dancing around to this song while I was chopping, so I can't be held responsible for my uneven mushrooms. I've decided that cooking is more fun if you're listening to good stuff on Spotify (tonight was a mixture of Paramore with some old-school Will Smith, Destiny's Child, Spice Girls, Counting Crows, and Smashmouth...I was re-living my youth)

Add in your Sriracha, lime juice, and fish sauce. Add a little extra Sriracha if you like it spicy!

Add in your peeled and de-veined shrimp. Keep an eye on them - you'll want to make sure they're opaque before serving. 

Smells heavenly, but let's be honest, it looks sort of....gray. Time to add some color!

Add in your chopped scallions. They add a little flavor, and a little color!

Throw in your cilantro!

Toss in your carrots...

Once everything is cooked and smelling incredible, fish out those ginger pieces, and fill up your favorite bowl, grab a spoon, and dig in!  The best part? It's completely and totally Whole30 friendly! The second best part? It only took me about 20 minutes to throw together. Rachel Ray can keep her 30 minute meals, I'm a busy girl!

Enjoy!

Labor of Love

I always love Labor Day weekend. It always feels like the transition mark from the summer to the fall, and I love the fall! Despite the very Seattle-like weather this weekend, I still sprinkled a little cinnamon and cloves into my coffee this morning to make it feel more like autumn. 

This weekend was spent doing a lot of boring grown-up type stuff like washer/dryer shopping and doing some much-needed laundry at my parents house. Today, though, I was in my element. Today being Labor Day, I took it literally and rolled up my sleeves for an afternoon in the kitchen with John Mayer's new album playing on repeat in the background!

 I work longer hours in the fall and spring semesters, and it makes it tricky to get dinner together at a reasonable time. I took a couple of hours this afternoon to do a bunch of pre-cooking to make my weeknights less hectic! 

Here's a little bit of what I made: 

Bone broth! Just a few pounds of beef bones (I got them for about $0.50 per pound at the local farmers market) tossed in the slow-cooker with a chopped onion, celery, carrots, garlic, a few bay leaves and covered with water. I let the whole pot cook on low for about 8 hours, then poured the broth through a fine-mesh sieve until it was clear. It'll be a nice addition to my breakfast meal - it's great for Whole30 as it contains good fats and plenty of protein! Here's a link to the recipe I used.

Ghee anyone? It's just a fancy word for clarified butter. I buy the good stuff (Kerrygold butter - it's from grass fed cows!) and let a pound of butter simmer in a pot until the milk fats separate and sink to the bottom. I finish up by pouring the liquid through some cheesecloth into a large glass measuring cup (the cheesecloth catches all the milk fats). I love to use this in the pan I cook my eggs in in the morning - it makes the eggs taste downright velvety! Here's the recipe. I like to have some of this around at all times, but today I made it especially for the next recipe I made...

These Chinese five-spice powdered cashews were SO easy. Want the recipe? You can check it out on the Nom Nom Paleo app. I just tossed some raw cashews in a heavy pan with a couple of tablespoons of ghee, sprinkled a little salt and pepper on top, and added about a teaspoon of Chinese five-spice powder. I love that I can enjoy nuts (in moderation), and these are so packed with flavor that you can get a huge amount of enjoyment out of a closed palmful (the Whole30-approved amount!).

This is how you know you're doing Whole30! I keep these five things close at hand: Himalayan salt, black peppercorns, Raw Coconut Aminos, Red Boat Fish Sauce, and the Trader Joe's 21 Seasoning Salute. While part of the point of Whole30 is appreciating the flavors of naturally delicious food, there's nothing to stop you from spicing things up a bit! 

Here's the result of my afternoon in the kitchen! I roasted up 5 big sweet potatoes, and mashed them with a few tablespoons of melted ghee, a sprinkle of cinnamon, and some salt and pepper (to taste). I chopped up some cauliflower, boiled it, pureed it with my stick-blender, and added some garlic, parsley, salt, pepper, and ghee. Both of these things will be easy to add to lunches and dinners for the rest of the week! The cashews will add a nice spicy kick to a few meals as well. The bone broth (middle right) will be a great soup base, and it will be even better on its own warmed up! Lastly I made up a quick egg frittata with mushrooms, spices, grape tomatoes, and topped the whole thing with thin slices of prosciutto. It'll be easy to grab a square or two on the way out the door in the morning.  

Lastly, dinner. A couple of nice (big) steaks seasoned with Montreal steak seasoning, a couple scoops of mashed cauliflower, and a handful of snap peas sauteed in ghee with some salt and pepper. 

It was a lot of work, and I feel like I used just about every pot, pan, and bowl in our kitchen, but I think the result will make for quicker dinners in the evening, and even quicker lunches for the week!

Hope everybody had an awesome Labor Day weekend!

Day 31: The Menu

Hey everybody! As part of my second month of Whole30, I thought I'd do more posts that have to do with what I'm eating. I can't guarantee that I'll post every single day, but hopefully if you are curious about what you can eat on Whole30, it will give you a good idea. If you're already doing Whole30, maybe you'll just get some good recipes out of the deal!

Day 31 Breakfast: Asian meatballs and zucchini noodles

Remember last weekend? I made up a nice batch of Nom Nom Paleo's Asian Meatballs! They're great quick protein, so you'll probably be seeing a bunch of these little cuties in my meals for the next few days. The recipe is here. For the zucchini noodles, I just used my Kuhn Rikon peeler to turn a small zucchini into noodles. I tossed them in a pan on medium heat with a little bit of coconut oil, sautéed them quickly, and added about 1/3 teaspoon of coconut aminos. I tossed them in my handy little Eco Meal Kit with a handful of meatballs, and put a little bit of hot sauce on top. Once I got to work, I just microwaved the whole concoction, and dug right in!

Day 31 Lunch: Grilled chicken and watermelon pico de gallo

I love leftovers! I usually cook about 1/3 more for dinner than we can eat, and stash the rest in tupperware for lunch the next day! Last night we grilled a delicious whole chicken that Kevin brined in his special solution. Lunch today is one of the chicken breasts sliced up and topped with a little Trader Joe's "12 Seasoning Salute". The rest of my plate is watermelon pico de gallo and some coconut flakes. Yum!

Day 31 Dinner: Smashed steak skewers with cherry barbecue sauce

I was SO EXCITED ABOUT DINNER all day. I can't even tell you. I actually whipped up this barbecue sauce last night while the chicken was grilling, and I sort of wanted to just eat it by itself. Since I am doing Whole30, juice is pretty restricted, so I omitted the apple juice and added the same quantity of apple cider vinegar. The result is tangy sweet deliciousness. I just soaked some wooden skewers in water, carefully put the sliced flank steak on the skewers, and then had some fun smashing the skewered meat with my fancy new meat tenderizer. We grilled the tenderized meat, and after letting it sit for a minute, spread some of that delicious sauce over each one. MAN it was good. I served those bad boys up with some snap peas that I sautéed in ghee and topped with salt and pepper.

Before Whole30, I struggled more with snacking, especially at work or in the evening after dinner. Having kicked that habit, I still like to have a nice cup of hot tea after dinner. A hot cup of tea is just a great way to wind down at the end of a long and busy (and delicious) day...

That was it! Whole30 day 31 was pretty tasty, don't you think?

THIRTY!

Okay y'all. It's day 30 of my Whole30.

I did it. And it's been incredible.

To say that I started out Whole30 with limited expectations would be an understatement. I had never been super successful with low-carb 'diets' in the past, and always found myself slipping back into old eating habits.

Reading "It Starts With Food", though, really helped me figure out why I struggled with food so much. More than anything, this experience has changed my mindset in a lot of ways. Whereas I used to think of eating this way as sort of a personal punishment ("but what if I'm having a really crappy day and just want to munch on a packet of Cheez-its?") I've been thinking more in the mindset of "man, there is so much awesome healthy food that I can have". And sure, cruising through the aisles of the grocery store for foods that are full of preservatives (and weird chemical ingredients that you can only pronounce with an advanced chemistry degree) might be cheaper than stocking up on quality meats, good vegetables and fruits from the much-more-Whole-30-friendly perimeter of the store, but knowing how awesome I feel right now, I can't imagine ever going back to where I was a month ago.

Now that's not to say I'll never eat anything non-Whole30 or non-Paleo again. Let's not get crazy. I sort of consider Nom Nom Paleo's Michelle Tam to be sort of my Whole30 godmother, so I was super excited to finally get her Nom Nom Paleo iPad app over the weekend. It's full of super-tasty recipes that I can't WAIT to try, including one for Pumpkin Maple Coconut Custard that I think might have to whip up as a special treat to enjoy the day after Thanksgiving as we put up the Christmas tree.

The most exciting stuff? I'm down over 10 pounds. I wore a pair of pants today that I wouldn't have even attempted to put on before my Whole30, and they are so big I think I need to go buy a belt. I am in the best shape I've been in since I was a kid running track and field. My skin feels incredible, and I have way more energy than I've ever had.

I worked it out today, and if I stick with eating the way I have been (and I plan to because I feel amazing, and YUM everything is just so good) I will be done 150 days of clean Whole30 eating by December 24th....just in time to enjoy a Christmas cookie or two!

Have you been thinking about trying your own Whole30? Tomorrow marks day 31 for me, and I plan to do a whole bunch of recipe and meal recaps throughout the month, so why not join me? You can always leave me comments and ask questions - I'd love to help you get started! Here are a few link resources that you might find helpful:

All About Whole30: a great place to get started!

The Whole30 Timeline: your guide to how you might feel, and how your body might respond as you progress through your Whole30. For me it was pretty spot on! Around day 6, I started to feel super tired and lethargic, but thanks to the timeline, I knew it was just a product of my body getting rid of all the junk in it. I was able to push through and keep on goin'!

Whole30 Shopping List: this was one of the most helpful things for me - a clear list of things I could fill my cart with at the grocery store.

Whole30 Vegetarian Shopping List: you can be a vegetarian and do a Whole30! Honestly I'm not sure why you'd want to, but just in case you are considering it, I wanted to make sure you had a shopping list too!

The Whole30 Meal Planning Template: this is a great guide to help you build your plate at meal time! The right amount of protein, veggies, fruits, and fat in every meal are what helped me kick the wicked snacking habit I had pre-W30.

Paleo Flow Chart: The Paleo diet and the Whole30 program are very similar in a lot of ways. This chart can help you figure out whether a particular food is okay to eat or not. There are slight variations in what is OK by Paleo standards, but not OK for your Whole30, but this will get you started!

PS: BIG thanks to my sweet awesome husband for being so sweet and encouraging, and for eating all the weird stuff I've been cooking up lately! Also big thanks to my friend Lindsay for inspiring me to try the Whole30 lifestyle to begin with...

All Black Everything

Okay so I'm not talking about the Lupe Fiasco song. I'm talking about my outfit today. It's a beautiful day out today, but for some reason instead of grabbing a cute flowy summer dress, I felt like wearing all black. I threw on a light short sleeved black sweater and my favorite pair of black skinny ankle pants, and finished the whole thing off with a set of black beads that belonged to my great-grandmother, and a pair of pointed black flats. It wasn't until I was walking into work that I caught my reflection in a glass door and had a flashback to what is easily my favorite commercial of all time (my second favorite commercial of all time is the camel who is super excited for Hump Day. Nobody can watch that and not laugh). I thought I'd post a link to the video here for your enjoyment, because it has two of my very favorite things: Audrey Hepburn, and AC/DC:

 

Treat yo' self!

Everyone treats themselves once in a while. Some people go out and buy a cute new dress. Some people fill up the bathtub to the brim with hot hot water and bubbles and soak for a while. Before my Whole30, I was the kind of person who treated themselves to food. A pint of Ben & Jerry's after a long week. A box of Cheez-its. A couple of pieces of Ghirardelli chocolate squares with the gooey caramel in the middle. Don't get me wrong, it's not that those things don't sound good to me anymore, but my Whole30 has completely changed my view on food, to the point that (I hope) it would take a serious blow to the head for me to go back to my old eating ways for more than just the rare special occasion.

But I am still the sort of person who believes in treating myself a little. Since the beginning of my Whole30, I've been working really hard on sticking to the program, and using the extra energy that I've gained to push myself in ways I haven't done in a long time. From big things like working out at least once a day, to little things like taking the stairs to the 4th floor kitchen in the building I work in to fill up my water bottle a couple times a day, I've been making some good changes. Kevin and I actually decided over the weekend that we're going to keep doing our walk/run in the morning before we get ready for work, and add a MaxT3 workout in the evening as well.

So this weekend, I treated myself a bit. Not with chocolate or Cheez-its, but in a much different way. I took myself for a much-needed hair cut at the local Beauty College - a hard deal to beat at $5. I treated myself by raiding the super-clearance rack at Sports Authority and scored a cute and comfortable pair of running shorts, and a super-breathable workout t-shirt. Kevin and I went shoe-shopping, and I picked up a great pair of minimalist running shoes that I'm excited to use for my morning runs in conjunction with a set of compression sleeves that I'm hoping will help combat my shin splints and help me recover faster from my runs.

What did you do to treat yourself this weekend?

Whole30 - Day 22

While I work this week on putting together some fun recipe and meal planning Whole30 posts, I thought I'd sit down for a minute tonight and reflect a little on my Whole30 so far.

It's hard to overstate how much my Whole30 so far has changed my view on food. I started out as the girl who thought she could never cut bread out of her diet - even for 30 days. At the beginning of my experience, I spent a little time on Pinterest looking up some motivational quotes. I wrote a bunch down, and have them posted around my office at work, and around the kitchen at home. I think the one that has had the biggest impact on me is this one:

It's just been so true for me, and I feel like this is really the heart of Whole30. Discipline is a huge factor when  you make a decision to dramatically change the way you eat. For me, it was a pretty big lesson because I have always been an emotional eater. I would comfort myself when I was stressed or sad by eating a cookie, or some bread, and thinking "I'm going through something - I deserve this". That was a huge idea to overcome. Once I decided to do my Whole30, that was going to be the end of me having a stressful day at work, eating something I shouldn't to 'comfort' myself, and then ending up feeling even worse. 

Sometimes what I want in the moment is a cookie. Or a big piece of crusty bread with a nice spreading of fresh Irish butter. But all it takes is that moment for me to stop, refocus myself, and think "this is not what I want most". What I want most is to be the healthiest version of myself. I have felt so incredible over the last 22 days, and I can't wait to see what the next few months bring. 

My Favorite Things About My Whole30 (So Far...)

1) I had a few (okay...a lot) of pants hanging in my closet that I kept hanging onto because I was hoping I'd fit into them again someday. 

2) My skin feels incredible! I should start by saying I've always tried to take very very good care of my skin (particularly my face), but cutting out processed foods, most carbs, and sugars has done amazing things for my skin and hair. 

3) Sticking with it! I've never considered myself a real stick-with-it kind of person, and I really did think that my Whole30 was just going to be hard. I had to laugh, though, when I read on the Whole30 site that eating differently isn't hard. Beating a heroin addiction is hard. I can say no to a cookie, because let's face it, there are people out there going through much tougher stuff than just cutting out bad foods. 

4) Learning. I haven't finished "It Starts With Food" yet, but I'm working on it. No pun intended, the book really gives you a lot to chew on. I was reading the chapter yesterday that talks about nut oils and how they can cause inflammatory issues with the digestive tract. It's really interesting stuff, and most of it is completely new (and fascinating) to me. 

5) Cooking! I have loved to cook for years, this has just put a new perspective on it. It's definitely taken more planning, but in some ways it's been a fun challenge. At home on a Saturday, and not sure what to make for lunch? How throwing some kale and canned crab meat into the frying pan with a little Sriracha and coconut oil?

6) So much energy! Cutting out all non-Whole30 compliant foods has dramatically increased my energy levels. I've added a FitBit Flex  to the mix, and it's really helped me get a sense of how I'm sleeping, how much activity I'm getting in during the day, and how my food intake balances out with my activity. 

7) Sleep. I can't remember the last time I've consistently slept this well! My FitBit has helped me get a sense of my sleep habits, which helps me make adjustments in my day-to-day activities. For example, I didn't get much exercise yesterday (I tracked it on my FitBit) and slept terribly last night (also tracked on my FitBit). With more exercise under my belt today, and healthy amounts of good food and plenty of water, I'm expecting a pretty awesome night's sleep tonight!

8) Enjoying food in different ways. I've been taking the advice of the Whole30 meal planning guide and trying hard to really appreciate the food that I'm eating. It's so easy to get caught up in the day-to-day, that it is actually really refreshing to take a minute to realize how delicious portobello mushrooms are when they are sliced and sauteed in clarified butter and balsamic vinegar! 

9) Hydration. It surprised me at first how thirsty I was in the first few days of my Whole30. I have been making a point to take in more water every day, and I think it's had a huge impact on how great I've been feeling. 

10) Attitude is everything. It's so true! I have felt so much more positive and upbeat since I started my Whole30. As someone who used to feel totally at the mercy of stress and anxiety, it's been so much different for the past 22 days. This has easily been the most surprising and awesome thing to come out of my experience!

So what do you think.....have you been thinking about starting your own Whole30? I'll be starting day 1 of my second Whole30 on September 1st! Join me!

A Whole30 Day...

I thought it might be fun today (on day 12) to give you a peek into my Whole30 day in pictures

5:30 a.m. 

The alarm goes off, and we get up to go for our morning walk. This has become one of my favorite things, and we've been doing it pretty consistently for a few months now. It's nice because it's morning, and Kevin and I get to have some time together before the day starts, and we get to give Ruby some exercise while that's happening. Multi-tasking before the sun even comes up? I love it! Obviously this picture can be used as evidence that I don't put a whole lot of thought into my morning walk ensemble. gray and black polka-dot socks with vintage-fabric-patterned Rocket Dog sneakers and workout capri pants? Not my most incredible look.

7:00 a.m. 

Coffee! I haven't always been a huge coffee drinker, but I've grown to enjoy a cup or two in the mornings. The funny thing is that since I've been doing Whole30, I really haven't felt the need for coffee. When my alarm goes off (and sometimes before it goes off), I'm wide awake and super alert and ready to take on the day. This alertness has pretty consistently lasted through the day until I lay down in bed, at which point I pretty much fall asleep immediately. But still. Coffee. I love my morning coffee. I could have coconut milk in my coffee and still be Whole30 compliant, but I like it just black!

9:00 a.m. 

Breakfast is key! I used to be a sort of casual breakfast eater. I was more of a breakfast snacker. On Whole30, though, I'm focusing on making sure I have three well-rounded meals per day. Breakfast on this particular day was sort of a sweet potato hash cooked in coconut oil topped with two fried eggs and a sprinkling of salt and pepper. I also had a few walnuts I ate after the eggs and hash (to make sure I had some healthy fat with my meal).

12:00 p.m. 

I love the simplicity of cooking Whole30 meals! This day's lunch was some tilapia cooked in coconut oil. I had eaten tilapia for dinner the night before, so I just tossed another fillet in the pan to cook for lunch the next day. I paired it up with a salad of chopped cucumber, tomato, and sliced sweet peppers. Afterwards I had a good tea-spoon sized amount of almond butter to make sure my healthy fat was in the mix! That fish was exactly as flaky and tasty as it looks in the picture....

7:00 p.m. 

I have to say, I remember being pretty excited about dinner on this particular night. I seasoned up a few little steaks and Kevin grilled them. I put some sliced mushrooms in a pan with some coconut oil and a little balsamic vinegar, seasoned the whole thing with some salt and pepper, and served the steak sliced up with the mushrooms on top and a fried egg (to make sure my meal had enough protein). I added a few fresh tomato slices, and a little bowl of some tasty whole olives (olives make a great 'fat' component to a meal!)

So there you have it, folks! A whole day of Whole30! When I first started writing this post, I thought I would include recipes for each meal, but everything is just so.....whole! I haven't been doing much mixing or fancy recipes. I've really enjoyed taking time to appreciate the simple good flavors of everything I cook. If you're thinking you might like to do your own Whole30, check here to get started!

Whole30: Week Two

Okay folks. I've officially finished my first week of Whole30, and I am feeling pretty great. This is going to be a pretty detailed recap, but it's worth it I promise! (especially if you're interested in maybe doing your own Whole30 someday)

I'm not gonna lie, it was a little challenging. I made the conscious choice to start last week partly because that was the first week of our Residence Life Resident Assistant training. Since I am a crazy emotional stress eater ("I'm having a stressful day, maybe I should sit at my desk for 5 minutes and eat a few fistfuls of Doritos while I contemplate my many failures") and training week is pretty much a tasty conga-line of awful food (donuts, bags of chips, cookies, fried things, soda, Jolly Ranchers, those tiny mini chocolate bars, etc.), I decided this would be an awesome opportunity to kick up my willpower. Even though I steered clear of temptation, there were a few times when I would have liked to throw a temper-tantrum and eat a few fistfuls of bread. 

So I was the crazy girl who brought a giant lunch cooler full of Whole30-approved food to the off-campus portion of training. I got a few interesting looks as I filled my plate with hard boiled eggs, avocado slices, home-made prosciutto chips, broccoli florets, and assorted nuts, but in the end I felt much better for it. I admit I did have a wistful moment as I glanced at the carrot cake a coworker brought to the table, but I quickly remembered the quote I had memorized for just such a moment: "Discipline is just choosing between what you want NOW, and what you want MOST". In that moment I wanted to jump on that carrot cake like a crazy spider monkey. What I want MOST is to be healthier, feel better, and ideally shed a few pounds in the process. 

The other hidden gem of the off-campus part of training is that I ended up staying in a room that was a pretty good distance from the dining and meeting area where we spent most of our time. Since I'm a pretty early riser (I usually wake up between 5:30 and 6:00), I would wake up, get ready, grab my laptop bag and walk what felt like about a mile to get to breakfast. I'm super thankful that happened - even though I wasn't home to take my morning walk with Kevin and Ruby, I was super glad to sneak in some quiet "me-time" in the midst of some pretty busy days, and get some exercise at the same time. 

To give you an idea of a typical Whole30 day for me, here's what I ate today: 

Breakfast: 

- Black coffee (oh man am I thankful you can have coffee on Whole30)

- Small tupperware container of berries (blackberries, blueberries, raspberries)

- Nitrite-free turkey-jerky

Snack: 

- Small handful of sweet potato chips (I'm not done reading "It Starts With Food" yet, but I've heard it suggests staying away from snacks. In this case I was feeling pretty hungry, and needed a little something)

Lunch: 

- Leftover roasted lamb shank from last night (yum!)

- Mashed sweet potato with coconut oil and salt and pepper

- Almonds

- LaCroix Lime (a great brand of sparkling water that I pretty much always have in the house - it also comes in plain, peach-pear, coconut, grapefruit, lemon, cran-raspberry, and mixed-berry. It's literally zero calories, no sugar, no sodium, so it's essentially just water with a little natural flavoring to make it more drink-able)

Dinner: 

- Tilapia filet and a few shrimp cooked in coconut oil

- A salad of chopped cucumber, tomato, and avocado with a little balsamic vinegar and salt and pepper

- LaCroix Peach-Pear

A super grainy cell phone picture of my dinner! Check out that avocado....who doesn't love it?

Tomorrow's meal plan:

Breakfast:
- Fried egg on top of sweet potato hash cooked in coconut oil
- Black coffee

Lunch:
- Leftover tilapia (cooked in coconut oil)
- Salad of chopped peppers, carrots, cucumbers, and avocado
- raw walnuts

Dinner:

- Grilled steak with salt and pepper
- Grilled zucchini
- Fresh sliced tomato (I just love summer tomato sliced and drizzled with a little bit of vinegar and salt and pepper!)

Apart from feeling pretty awesome, I also stepped on the scale last night and I've lost almost 5 pounds, which in and of itself is pretty exciting (it's only been a week!). I'm going to be keeping an eye on the Whole30 timeline so I can get a better idea of how my body will react as I go through the process. I find it interesting that it suggests that days 6-7 are titled "I just want a nap", since most of the weekend was spent trying to figure out why I was so dang tired. Days 8-15 are titled "Boundless energy! Now give me a d**n Twinkie".

If you're thinking about doing your own Whole30, I highly recommend it! Check out the website. There's also an awesome Shopping List and seasonal produce guide. You can even do Whole30 if you're a Vegetarian!

So....are any of you thinking about starting your own Whole30? If so, let me know! I'd love to keep up with your progress!

Whole30 Challenge

I've been struggling with my weight a lot for the past couple of years. I've never really talked about it on my blog, mostly because I think I've sort of been in denial about the whole thing.

You see, growing up I was a skinny kid. I was always thin, to the point that I remember that whenever I got sick, my grandmother would always take me out when I got better for a milkshake to get my weight back up a bit. I think I just always heard people tell me that I was probably always going to be thin like my mom, and that they envied my ability to just eat whatever I wanted without putting on a single pound.

Like most people, though, all of that eventually caught up with me in the past few years. I've always had a sweet tooth, and always really enjoyed food.

Ultimately I've been getting on the scale lately and realizing that I'm about 30 pounds heavier than I want to be. I decided recently that I was done. I need to make some pretty big changes. I thought back to the dozens of conversations my old co-worker Lindsay used to have in my office in the mornings, and looked up Whole30. She had talked about it many times, and it stuck with me.

The program seems pretty easy to follow. I'm starting with simple things. I went to the grocery store today armed with the Whole30 Shopping List. We picked up a handful of things - here's a sampling of my receipt:

- LaCroix sparking water - Peach Pear, Berry, and Coconut (this stuff is great - no sugar, no sodium, zero calories, etc.)
- sulfite-free turkey jerky
- coconut oil
- sweet potatoes (I only bought three - I just want to have them on hand to eat occasionally)
- cucumbers
- sulfite-free bacon
- omega-3 Organic eggs
- blueberries, blackberries, raspberries
- romaine lettuce
- peppers
- mushrooms
- tilapia
- salami and prosciutto
- pork belly (this was an exciting find - we just had a dish yesterday in Athens that was fried pork belly with deviled egg puree and greens and it was SO. GOOD. I might have to talk the Publix butcher into stocking this for me!)
- avocados

I started the day with a palmful of almonds and a big glass of water (I wasn't very hungry). Lunch was a few pieces of rolled up prosciutto and a salad of avocado, tomatoes, minced garlic, lime juice, and Tapatio hot sauce. Dinner is grilled chicken (Kevin makes excellent grilled chicken) and salad. So far I sort of have the desire to just eat every cookie I can get my hands on, but I don't feel too terrible overall!

I'm pretty excited to do Whole30 this month! I'm going to be sticking with the Whole30 shopping list, and using LoseIt.com to track my weight loss goals (as well as to keep my food journal). My goal is to reach my goal of losing 30 pounds by Christmas....time will tell whether I get there!

Cleaning House: Taking Back the Weekend

Fair warning: you are about to read a blog post about my house cleaning habits.

I am not a big fan of doing housework, but who is? It occurred to me last weekend that I really hate spending part of our weekends trying to keep up with housework.

So I started thinking about why I hate doing housework. What to do? A list to the rescue! I took a little time and put together a pretty comprehensive list of all the cleaning that needs to happen on a weekly basis, and all the things that need to happen monthly:

Weekly items are things like:

- wiping down the kitchen appliances
- dusting
- vacuuming
- combing the shedding hair off of the dog
- straightening up the office
- cleaning the bathroom mirror, faucets, countertops, etc.
- tidying up the bedroom and putting away clothes
- cleaning out the fridge

Monthly items are things like:

- bathing the dog and giving her the monthly dose of medicine
- cleaning the bedroom closet

I picked up a cute (and inexpensive!) 8.5x11 frame from the dollar store, and framed the list to hang in the kitchen. I grabbed a cheap dry-erase marker (that sits conveniently on top of the framed list) and it makes it really easy to keep track of what we've already done, and what else needs to be accomplished.

Here's our list! As you can see, most of our stuff is checked off just from the little bit of time we took to do it while dinner was cooking:

So what was the next thing I hated about housework? I realized I'm really not a big fan of doing it on the weekend. I mean, the weekend is for running fun errands, taking the dog to the park to run around, sleeping in, cooking, reading, and watching endless episodes of TV shows on Netflix. I could do without the tedious house stuff. My solution? Go into the weekend with an already-clean house! It's hard to sit around feeling guilty about the messy bits in the house if it's already clean. So for the next little while, I'm going to try to do our cleaning on Thursday nights. That should leave Friday nights, Saturday, and Sunday wide open for the more relaxing and fun parts of the weekend! This past week, I set aside about 20 minutes, and in our little townhouse, was able (with Kevin's help) to take care of almost everything on our weekly list.

And thanks to our super awesome Thursday night cleaning spree, I got to do some other (significantly more fun) things this weekend:

- go to the chiropractor
- eat some tasty sushi on the back porch while enjoying the sunshine
- start reading A Song of Ice and Fire
- soak in a nice hot bath. I added a half-dozen drops of rosemary essential oil to the water while it was running, and it made it smell heavenly
-cook a delicious dinner: top sirloin steaks with roasted broccoli rabe and sautéed shiitake mushrooms in a balsamic and caramelized shallot glaze, with a touch of goat cheese to make it creamy.
- take a couple nice (short - but nice) naps in the mid afternoon



So much more fun than cleaning....

Fancy Food

So as you know, I've been reading Kitchen Confidential and LOVING it. I'm also right in the middle of reading The Happiness Project. Both books have had me thinking about a lot of things.

One of the things that I get frustrated with myself about is my seeming inability to stick with a hobby for very long. A few years ago, it was making hand-beaded jewelry. That fizzled out and was replaced with sewing. I've kept up the sewing (partly because it's super practical - that super cute dress on the clearance rack at Target for $7 is an XL? Take it home, take it in, and now it's a medium!) but in general I tend to get into things and then lose interest.

One interest I've had pretty consistently for the past 8-10 years or so is food. Can food be a hobby? I guess so. Anyway, reading Kitchen Confidential has me really inspired to cook more creatively, and The Happiness Project sort of has me analyzing my life to figure out what things I could change to help me feel less stressed out and rushed all the time. So I had a bit of a revelation the other day. I like food, and cooking is just one of those every-day things that I have to do. So why not put a little more energy and enthusiasm into it? It started the other night when I was cooking dinner. I'd picked up a salmon fillet for Kevin, and a tilapia fillet for myself. While cooking it slowly in a hunk of Irish butter (worth it, trust me), and cooking some quinoa in chicken broth, I thought "what can I do to make this meal feel a little fancier?". I decided the presentation was lacking. I quickly grabbed a carton of grape tomatoes out of the fridge, and a few wooden skewers. I threw the tomatoes on the skewers, and roasted them over the open flame on the stove until the skin started to blister a little, and they started to sizzle. I pulled out a basting brush, and basted each skewer in a little bit of aged balsamic vinegar. Perfection. I took another minute or so plating the food so it looked pretty, and I have to say I was pretty happy with how everything came out.

Sad blurry iPhone picture of my buttery and flaky tilapia with some yummy quinoa, and those quick-roasted grape tomatoes in balsamic vinegar. 

Yesterday morning, I threw a pot roast into the slow cooker and then realized I was out of onion soup mix to toss in with it. I quickly forgot about it, and went about my day. When I got home, I found a perfectly cooked, but less-flavorful-than-usual pot roast. What to do? I grabbed my laptop and pulled up instructions for a basic red wine reduction, and pulled some fancy horseradish mustard from the fridge. I tossed some boiled baby carrots with some Irish butter and a little bit of dill weed. Again, like the night before, I took just a few more minutes plating the food, and I was really happy with how it came out. Just being a little bit creative with things I already had around the house, and taking a few minutes to make the food look as good as it tasted made a big difference.

Yummy slow-cooked pot roast with a red wine reduction, a sweet and spicy horseradish mustard, and a nice little bunch of baby carrots in butter and dill. 

Easy Summer "Everything" Dressing

OK so I was browsing Pinterest over the weekend, looking for something fun to whip up in the kitchen. I'm trying to get us back to eating healthy, low-carb meals that are well planned out in advance. So when I saw a recipe for a cilantro lime salad dressing, I knew I had to try it. Now I haven't always been a big fan of cilantro. There was a while during my teenage years that cilantro made my skin itch. I'm really glad I got over that, because this dressing is SO tasty and so easy! I made a good-sized mason jar worth of dressing last night, and I'm hoping it lasts a whole week of salads at lunch time. Last night I grabbed a big bowl, tossed in two hand-fulls of lettuce, half a chopped up cucumber, a whole cubed avocado,  and six or seven halved cherry tomatoes, all drizzled with a little of this dressing. It was so good. I had actually made bacon wrapped scallops for dinner, and ended up tossing most of mine onto Kevin's plate so I could save room for more salad. I threw together the same salad for lunch today, but added some bacon chunks that I cooked last night, along with some sweet corn and a little bit of crumbled feta cheese. I was going to take a hipster-Instagram-type picture of my lunch salad, but I gobbled it up before I remembered to pull out my phone. YUM. Avocado and bacon might be the most underrated couple in the food world. Here's the recipe - it's really quick to put together, and I suspect it would also be good on grilled chicken, brushed on grilled corn instead of butter, or even drizzled over baked fish (which I will be trying tonight):

1 small single-serving container of plain Chobani Greek yogurt
1 or two tablespoons of lime juice
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 tablespoons white vinegar
1 big bunch of cilantro, with most of the stems chopped off
1 teaspoon of salt (sea salt if you're feeling fancy)
1/3-1/2 cup of extra virgin olive oil

Toss everything except the olive oil in a blender, or in a tall container if you're planning on using a hand blender (which I did, and it was so much easier than hauling out the big blender). Blend together all the ingredients, but save the olive oil for last. Add the olive oil as needed to loosen the dressing so it's spoon-able or pour-able. Use within a week.

I'm actually in the middle of reading Anthony Bourdain's Kitchen Confidential, and know for a fact that he would turn up his coke-sniffing nose at me for using that minced garlic that comes in a jar. Sorry, Anthony. I feel like he'd enjoy the dressing though. Try it for yourself!

Currently: What I'm Reading

If you'll recall, dear reader, some of the new year's resolutions I made for myself at the start of 2013, you should know that I've mostly fallen off the rails with all of them.

I'm happy to say, though, that I have kept my resolution to read more (yay!). I owe this mostly to my sweet husband who bought me a Kindle for Christmas a few years ago, which means I can have a few dozen books tucked neatly into my purse at all times. Looking for something interesting or new to read over the summer? Check out what I've been reading for the past couple of months:

Jane Eyre by Emily Bronte

I have had this book on my shelf for quite some time now, and have always meant to read it, but never quite got around to it. It took me a couple of chapters to get into the story, I think in part because it starts off in such a bleak and sad setting. Once Jane encounters Mr. Rochester for the first time, however, it's safe to say I was completely hooked. Pride & Prejudice is still safely my favorite piece of fiction from the 1800's, but I feel like it's safe to say that Jane Eyre will be one that I read again over the years.

Cesar's Way by Cesar Millan

This is another one I had been meaning to read for a while. I grabbed it on my Kindle for about $5 or $6, and it was so worth it! It really opened my eyes to the relationship we have with our sweet mutt, Ruby, and some techniques we can be using to change her behavior. I've already tried implementing a few things from the book, but we still have a lot of work to do!

Mornings on Horseback by David McCullough

After reading McCullough's bio on John Adams, which I enjoyed immensely, I checked to see if there were any other biographies he'd written. As soon as I saw that he'd written about Roosevelt, it seemed like a natural to be next on my list of books to read. I loved reading about the day-to-day life of the Roosevelt family, the story of how Theodore Roosevelt Sr. met and married Mittle Bulloch of Roswell, Georgia, and the story of Teddy Jr. and Alice. Though not without its fair share of tragedy, sadness, and loss, I so enjoyed getting lost in the story of the Roosevelt clan, their trips to Europe, their forays into politics, and their role in settling the West.

Those Who Save Us by Jenna Blum

I love historical fiction, so as soon as I heard a few things about this book, I looked it up on my Kindle immediately. I tore through it over the course of a few lunch-hours, and loved every minute. It follows the story of Anna, a German woman who survived World War I, the secrets she kept, and the unthinkable things she did to survive. Her daughter Trudy, born in Germany during the war and now living in America with her mother, is a scholar who has taken an interest in hearing the stories of German citizens and their experiences during the war, has buried herself in research, little knowing that her mother has quite the story of her own to tell.

The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin

I'm only partway through this, and I definitely picked it up on a lark after seeing one of my student assistants at work reading it. Even though I'm not usually one for self-help type books, this one has definitely caught my attention. I like the practical approach Gretchen Rubin has taken - taking time to self-reflect and figure out what things in life frustrate me has been an eye-opening experience, and I'm definitely considering taking on a year-long Happiness Project of my own.

Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain

I should preface this by saying that I am a huge fan of Anthony Bourdain to begin with. My first encounter with him was watching No Reservations, and after seeing a few episodes, I quickly turned to Netflix to try to watch the whole series. I have always enjoyed the narration pieces he does during his show, just the way he describes his experiences. The way he talks about food is both scathingly irreverent - he definitely takes a very non-pretentious, almost crude view on the food world in general - and beautifully reverent - he has a serious and passionate appreciation for good food in all its forms and genres. I'm only a few chapters in, but already I'm loving it. I feel like he and I would get along if we ever met in person.

Someday, Someday, Maybe by Lauren Graham

I should preface this by saying that I'm not usually one to pick up books written by celebrities just because they're written by celebrities. I have a genuine appreciation for a good story, and for good writing. I haven't started this one yet, but I'm excited to get into it and will definitely write more when I am done! I've really enjoyed Lauren Graham ever since the beginning of my infatuation with Gilmore Girls, I'm hoping that my enjoyment of this book translates into a general feeling that LG and I could be secret best friends in the future.

Palo Alto by James Franco

Again with the books by celebrities. This one I picked up on a whim as well because someone I know recommended it as "a quirky read". Good enough for me! And I've always had a soft spot for unusual short stories. I think James Franco, at the very least, is an interesting person who seems to have the same appreciation for good writing as I do.

What have you been reading lately? Any recommendations for a girl who is slowly returning to her roots as a voracious reader? I'd love to hear from you!