Two weeks down...

And I feel good. I've lost five pounds, I'm not taking allergy medicine every day anymore, and I feel less irritable most of the time. I also feel more alert and less forgetful. That being said, I'm pretty sleepy today. I'm sure it has nothing to do with staying up late, or being woken up 2-3 times by the baby. ;) Today for breakfast I had a smoothie with cucumber, banana, soy milk, Greek yogurt, green tea ice cubes, chia seeds, parsley, PB, and honey. I've never put cucumber in a smoothie before, but it wasn't bad. Things like chia seeds, cucumber, parsley, cilantro, aloe, and green tea are supposed to be good for detoxing, so I try to add them in. For lunch I had a big plate of raw veggies, dip, and a handful of almonds.

I'm awake.

It's the beginning of day 14, I've been up since 6am, and I feel awake. Anyone who knows me, knows that I'm not really up and mentally ready for the day until 10am and after a travel mug or two of coffee, but not today! Even last week when I was up early and taking Chris to work, I felt drowsy on the way home and took a nap once we got home most days. Today, I got home and did chores. Wait, what!? It's unheard of! I allowed myself/caved last night and had a small bowl of ice cream, and woke up this morning with a headache. Are they related? I have no idea. I thought it might be caffeine withdrawal, so I made coffee, but only drank 1/2 a cup because it tasted too sweet with my usual amount of creamer. I had the same reaction to a fruit Popsicle the other day. It's funny how quickly our tastes can change.  I'm starting off my day with a smoothie instead, made with kale, chia seeds, banana, green tea ice cubes, soy milk, PB, Greek yogurt, and a little honey and vanilla. Tastes great!

Little Victories

I have been eating vegetarian for thirteen days now, and today was the first day I really struggled with cravings. My husband wanted fried chicken for dinner, and the breading smelled so good! After avoiding that, I wanted chocolate, sweets, anything full of sugar. I had almonds and an apple with peanut butter instead. Two victories for me. I also skipped coffee today. Shocking! Despite being up late and waking up with the kids 2-3 times last night, I woke up feeling awake (for a change). How about that?

Sugar-holic to Plant Eater

On June 11, 2014 I began my journey from sugar-dependence to a plant-based, vegetarian diet. I have been addicted to sugar and carbs most of my life, and my body shows it and feels it. Type 2 diabetes runs rampant in my family, and I've been on the verge of it myself (with Insulin Resistance) for the past ten years. I've considered gastric bypass, but I didn't feel that it would solve my problem permenantly. I've tried weight watchers, low carb, Atkins, and  eating a diabetic diet, but I've always gained the weight back. I have been carrying around an extra person for a long time, and I'm tired. Enough is enough. I decided to make a drastic change in my diet, starting with cutting out meat, and weaning off processed foods and sugar. I am eating a diet of mainly fruit, vegetables, seeds, nuts, and a small amount of dairy/eggs and maybe the occasional seafood. My goal is to eventually be full vegan, and in a healthy body. This is my journey to back-to-basics eating.

Kids say the darnedest things, don't they?

 Especially this little boy of mine. The quote of the day at our house is this:

(Wee One shoves his hand under my butt) "Toot on my hand! I like it stinky!" (giggles)

What the...?

Saturday's inappropriate conversation was:

"I love your nipples."
Me: "Thank you, but I still don't want you touching them."

Birthday Traditions & Candy cake

Wee One turned 3 years old in October, and we started a new birthday tradition to celebrate. The night before his birthday I decorated the house with balloons and a banner, and when he woke up on his birthday he got a balloon with a dollar in it for each year old he is.

Score! He thought it was pretty cool to get all those dollars! It was a nice start to a special day.

Later that morning we had a simple brunch birthday party with his friends. The boy loves chocolate and candy, so I made him this chocolate cake with chocolate frosting, Kit Kats and M&Ms. Needless to say, it was a big hit with the kids. 

I got the idea from Recipe Girl. 

Does your family celebrate with any special birthday traditions?

Pants Upcycle

My husband came home from work last week with a lovely rip in the crotch of his Dockers. I couldn't repair them because of where the tear was, so I threw them away. 

Wait!

I remembered that I have a sewing machine, and a toddler that could use more pants, so out of the garbage they came. I used the same concept from this post, and in less than an hour, the wee one had a new pair of pants.

I bribed him with a balloon and candy to try to get him to stand still for a picture.

Clearly, it didn't work.

For these pants I used the thigh areas of the ripped adult pants (because there was little wear to the fabric there), and instead of a cuff, I hemmed the bottom. I also added two pockets to the back, and one on the side of each leg. Save yourself some grief, and remember to sew the pockets on before you assemble the pants!

They are a bit boring, so I used brighter blue thread around the pockets to add some interest.

Apparently they're comfy play pants, and have plenty of pockets for treasures.

Cost: Free 

I used up-cycled fabric, and left-over thread and elastic from previous projects.