Day Thirty

Thirty Whole Days, and yet it seems like we just started yesterday. We went and filed our taxes, made lunch and headed off to work like any other day. We talked about how on Day 31 we will be splurging on Starbucks and a doughnut, but pairing it with some eggs and sausage rather than eating a straight sugar bomb for breakfast. I have been compiling a list of meals that we want to enjoy again and can balance out with compliant sides or other completely compliant meals throughout the day. So our last day, come and gone.

Breakfast: Smoothie of Spinach, Mixed Berries, Almond Milk, Orange Juice and Banana
Lunch: Leftover Pork Roast and Skillet Potatoes for Jason, Blackened Mahi Mahi, Skillet Potatoes and Green Beans with Almonds for me
Snack: Cashews and Pineapple
Dinner: Leftover Mahi Mahi with Green Beans and Almonds


So what all has changed for us over the last 30 days.

- Better Sleep                                                 - Positive Moods
- More Energy                                               - Feeling less pudgy or bloated
- Less Aches and Pains Overall                        - Jeans fitting looser (can be removed without unbuttoning)
- Healthier Nails                                            - New found confidence
- Less Dark Circles under my eyes                  - Ability to share this journey with others
- Clearer Skin                                                - 12 pounds lost for Jason
- Better Bowel Movements                             - No RLS or Plantar Fasciitis symptoms for me
- Jason fitting into clothes from 2 years           - Food Cravings significantly reduced
- Much less boredom eating tendency             - Freedom from the "Sugar Dragon"
- Better focus                                                 - Waking up earlier and easier
- Jason found new foods he likes :)                   - 4.5 pounds lost for me
                                                                       

So by my standards, I would say that's a pretty successful list of victories. And we should also note that our exercise was very minimal over the last 30 days. I walk to work 4-5 days a week, and it's a twenty minute walk each way. I did incorporate a twenty minute routine of abs and lungs once a week, but that was it. Jason spent 90 minutes on the treadmill over the span of the entire month, and only rode his bike for about 32 miles. I realize that sounds like a lot, but he typically rides about 30-40 miles a week during the spring/summer/fall months. I guess what I am getting at here is that the food you put into your bodies is the basis of where health begins. While we do plan to increase our physical activity now that it is starting to warm up, my favorite saying still holds true:

Day Twenty-Nine

Are we really only one day away from having rocked this program?! Yes, yes we are. I feel like now is as good a time as ever to define my feelings on the word "rocked". Did we both experience improved energy, better sleep, and more motivation like we had hoped, yes. Did we both seem to be fitting differently (in a good way) into our clothing, yes. Did we gain an appreciation and better understanding of how much we are capable of and how our bodies process food, yes. Would we both commit to doing this program again, are we happy we did it, and do we fully believe in it? Yes, yes and yes! Is there any such thing as a perfect Whole30 or a perfect diet over the course of an entire lifetime? No. I do not believe so, and that is ok.

Let me explain. Could we have cut back on the amount of fruit we consumed, sourced only local raised meats that were butchered within 40 miles of our home and grown all of our organic produce ourselves? Theoretically, yes. Realistically, no. This article was a comforting read for me on about Day Eight when the "new" factor of the program had started to wear off, my body was having to work harder, and I was not yet experiencing bounds of energy. There are rules to the Whole30, so follow them. They are designed with your best results at heart, but don't kill yourself trying to count out nuts or fruit servings as if eating three too many almonds will completely demolish all that you are working towards. Because the truth is that it won't. It's not about whether you ate bacon too many days each week or whether you chose a banana as a portable snack instead of raw broccoli. Or even about whether you needed fuel in snack form between each meal, like I did. The truth is that each of our lives are different. Our jobs, schedules, transportation and household demands all defer from person to person. And more than anything else, it's the commitment and the mentality that this is worth it that matters far more than anything else. If you are strong enough to make the commitment and follow the rules, you will see results. I can't guarantee that you will loose 20 pounds, but I can guarantee that your body will thank you, and you will find a new found sense of strength that you never knew you had. You are worth it, but you have to believe that yourself in order for great things to happen.

Breakfast: Scrambled Eggs with Green Pepper and Spinach, Sausage and Bacon
Lunch: Spinach Salad with Strawberries and Almonds, Apple with Almond Butter, Skillet Potatoes
Dinner: Balsamic Chicken over Sautéed Mushrooms, Green Beans with Almonds, Sliced Strawberries and Bananas
Snack: Salted Cashews

I have quite a few recipes and posts about grocery budgeting and meal planning in the works for you guys. After tomorrow I will probably still post about what it is we are eating, but on a once a week or so basis rather than daily. This means more posts on things like recipes, meal planning, budgeting and organic living, which I think you guys seem to be even more excited about ;)

Recipe: Almond Crusted Chicken Fingers

This recipe is one you have seen us enjoy a couple times now, and it's so good Jason called them "the best chicken fingers we've ever made!" Without further ado, here's our recipe!

Almond Crusted Chicken Fingers

Ingredients:

1 pound Chicken Breasts or Tenders

2 cups Almond Flour 

Olive Oil Spray

1. Slice the tenders or breast into “fingers” or slices and spray both sides with olive oil.

2. Pour the almond flour onto a plate. If you cannot find almond flour at the store, making your own is very easy! To do so, place a hand full of almonds in a coffee grinder and process into a fine meal consistency. Watch the mixture as it blends, because if it goes too far you’ll end up with almond butter!

3. Press the tenders into the almond flour to coat all sides. Place on a baking sheet that has been lined with parchment, aluminum foil, or a Silpat.

4. Broil for 12-15 minutes, or until the outsides have browned and the chicken is cooked through. Serve with your favorite aioli or ketchup and sides!  

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There are many varieties of cooking sprays on the market nowadays. I recommend always reading the ingredients before buying, like with most items in the grocery store. Just because the front of the bottle says "Olive Oil Spray" doesn't mean there aren't other questionable ingredients inside as well. I love my Misto, which my mom found for me on one of our trips to HomeGoods. They are also available at Target, Costco, Walmart and Amazon I believe. Basically it is an aerosol can that functions under pressure. You just fill the canister with the oil of your choice, place the lid on and pump the top to create pressure a few times, and you're good to go. It's washable and reusable and I know exactly what is inside, plus it's pretty. 

Printable Recipe

Day Twenty-Eight

Can you believe we are two days away from completing this program?! I mean it when I say that the time has flown. Yes, we are ready to relax a little bit from the worry of whether a non-compliant ingredient may be hidden in something, but we are so happy we went through this process together.

Breakfast: Sweet Potatoes, Applesauce, and Scrambled Eggs with Spinach and Green Peppers
Lunch: Seared Scallops, Oven Roasted Cabbage, Side of Strawberries, Bananas and Pineapple
Snack: Homemade LaraBar
Dinner: Crockpot Pork Roast, Roasted Cabbage, Roasted Brussel Sprouts, Sweet Potatoes
Snack: Salted Cashews and Applesauce

Do you remember one of my first posts about why I am doing this blog? Twenty-eight days later those same reasons still apply, and many more have been added. I cannot tell our friends and families enough how much their support through the Whole30 has meant to us. But what means SO much more to me, is that our commitment to this and sharing it all through the blog has influenced some of you to make changes in your eating habits. Our thirty days is almost over, but the blog is just beginning. Your feedback, questions and interaction has been my biggest reward through this journey, and it's something I see no end in sight for. The Hartwig's talk about "non-scale victories" being what should drive you. They want people to break past the mentality that a number on a scale is how you should determine health. And they are right. Health is about so much more. It's about what's going on inside your body, your sleep, your energy levels, how your clothes fit, and most importantly how you feel. I'm not only sleeping better, have more energy, and can take my jeans off without unbuttoning them, but I have a new found sense of confidence, which I think is the best part of all.

Being back home on Day Twenty-Seven and Day Twenty-Eight were a little nerve racking for me. Not because we don't love seeing our families, but because throughout the past month, all of our food and cooking has been within our comfort zone; our kitchen. I was nervous that if I had forgotten to pack something specific from our house that this would throw a huge kink in our plan. I also feared the feeling of being a burden to our families since we were "restricted" in what we could eat. I could not have been more wrong. Jason's parents asked us to come cook breakfast for them on Monday morning, which we ere more than happy to do. His mom complimented the food and spent time in the kitchen with us, and his dad cleared his plate, but felt like corn was missing (which threw everyone for a loop. But hey, he ate it, which is way better than poptarts!)  We made lunch for ourselves, and even though my brother was eating Subway, he still asked a few questions and didn't seem completely turned off to our plates. And my mom had asked me to show her how I made the cabbage and brussel sprouts she had seen on the blog, so we cooked dinner and ate with her before hitting the road.

It was humbling to see how some of our nearest and dearest are not only interested in what we've done, but are taking small steps towards better decisions for themselves as well. For me, that's more than I ever expected to gain, but so very humbling to have gained it.

Day Twenty-Seven

I worked the morning shift again on Day Twenty-Seven, so I had prepped and packed my lunch the night before. For anyone who works mornings or a more consistent 9-5 job, I highly recommend getting in the habit of prepping and packing your next day's lunch the night before while you are already in the kitchen making dinner. The feeling of never ending shopping, prepping, cooking and cleaning up is something that many people struggle to overcome when they are adapting to a more wholesome diet. Setting yourself up for success can make this transition so much easier, and having the right tools for the job is very important. I'll be doing a post about where to get started with some tips and tricks soon!

Breakfast: Banana with Scrambled Eggs and Sausage
Lunch: Spinach, Tomato and Chicken Salad with Sunflower Seeds, Strawberries, Carrots with Guac
Snack: Homemade LaraBar
Dinner: Chipotle Steak Salad with Sautéed Onions and Peppers and Salsa Verde
Snack: Smoothie of Spinach, Mixed Berries, Banana, Almond Milk and Cranberry Juice

We jumped in the car and made an impromptu trip back to our hometown basically as soon as I got off work. I decided to grab Chipotle on my way to pick Jason up, because he had just eaten a few hours prior and I didn't want to have to stop on our drive. I had already read up previously on Chipotle menu items that were compliant, so this was a helpful quick option. I'm adding "Approved Fast-food" as a topic for future discussion. After arriving about 3 hours later, we visited with his mom, sister and aunt prior to heading to my mom's where we stayed for the night.

Day Twenty-Six

Day Twenty-Six, Day Twenty-Six. Not all that eventful, but not too shabby either. I worked the opening shift again today. So I was awake before the sun and Jason made me breakfast while I got ready. The day progressed right along and before I knew it I was walking home in the cold, yet beautiful sunshine. If it had been about 15 degrees warmer you probably would've found me out on the deck with the laptop this afternoon. Can you tell I am ready for summer?

Breakfast: Scrambled Eggs (plain), half an Italian Sausage
Lunch: Chicken Chop Salad, Strawberries, LaraBar
Snack: Carrots with Guac
Dinner: Blackened Chicken, Asparagus, and Pineapple (all grilled), Strawberries
Snack: Banana Chia Pudding

So not only am I ready for summer, but I am so ready to be enjoying affordable organic berries again! This is the first week I have been able to find them in our produce market, and I was able to get them for $1.98 a pound, which is way more manageable than the $4.99 per pound other stores have been charging. I guess fresh strawberries and grilled pineapple today makes up for the fact that Jase made me plain scrambled eggs today for breakfast. I thought you loved me babe. Babe??

Recipe: Crockpot Whole Chicken

First and foremost, let me climb up on my soapbox and rave about how much I love my crockpots. Yes, the word crockpot was plural because we own three. Our largest is a 5 quart I believe, the smaller is a 3 qt. and we also have an individual sized one. If you don't own a slow cooker (doesn't have to be Crockpot brand), I highly recommend investing in one or asking for it as a gift in the future. There are all kinds of models out there, ranging from a dial you simply turn to high, medium, or low, ones with preset hours you can choose from (I.e. high for 4 hours or low for 10) and now a days they even have ones that you can control via Wi-Fi from your phone. Now, I do think the Wi-Fi is a bit much (do people actually use this?) but I do really appreciate the feature of set times on our larger one. The beauty of this is that I can set it for say "8 hours on low" before I leave for work, it cooks for the full 8 hours, and then automatically switches to the "warm" setting. The warm setting keeps the food at a hot enough temperature that it is safe to eat, but doesn't allow the food to become over cooked. I call that a win-win. But really, slow cookers can save you so much time (they virtually do all the work for you), had endless possible uses, are relatively affordable (and often very easy to find at thrift stores in perfect condition for dirt cheap), use very little energy, and in recipes like this, save you lots of money while yielding lots of food! Can you say win-win-win-win-win?!

 I started using this recipe from Lisa Leake's 100 Days of Real Food Cookbook last fall when the book came out. It very quickly became of our favorites (Jason's especially) and is so versatile.

Crockpot Whole Chicken and Overnight Stock

Ingredients:

2 tsp. smoked paprika (unsmoked is fine also)

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. onion powder

1 tsp. dried thyme

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

1/4 tsp. ground black pepper

1 onion, peeled and cut into large pieces

1 whole chicken (approximately 4 pounds)

1. Combine all the spices in a small bowl, mix and set aside.

2. Place the pieces of onion in the bottom of the slow cooker.

3. Remove any giblets from the chicken, and rub the spice mixture over the entire bird.

4. Place the chicken on top of the pieces of onion and place the lid on. There is no need for any liquid to be added.

5. Cook on high for 4 hours or on low for 7, until the chicken is tender enough to nearly fall off the bone.

So when I talk about getting some serious bang for your buck, this is a recipe that does just that. We buy whole organic chickens at Costco for $2.99 per pound. So this bird costs me about $12 (given that it's approximately 4 pounds). The organic onion costs about $0.50 and I'll tack in another $0.50 for spices. So I have $13 invested in this recipe, give or take the weight of the actual chicken. What we do is cook the bird while we are at work, out running errands, etc. and then enjoy the legs (as pictured) when it finishes cooking with a couple of side dishes. Then I pull each breast off the bone, pair it with another side dish or two, and there are our lunches for the next day. But as you can tell from the photos, there is still a lot of meat left. So I shred all the remaining meat and put it into a Tupperware for meals the rest of the week. We use this in things like Chicken and Veggie Soup, Chicken Chop Salad, as the entrée with veggies, and when not on Whole30, things like Chicken Noodle or Chicken Tortilla Soup, Chicken Enchiladas, Quesadillas, Pastas... lots of possibilities. After eating both the legs and reserving the breasts for the next day's lunches, we still get about 4.5 cups of shredded chicken, which will help us build at least 3 additional meals for each of us. Now, that right there is a decent amount of yield for such minimal effort.

But, where we really see significant savings is by using the bones and cooking liquid to make homemade chicken stock. Lisa made this process SO simple with her process, I can't believe it took me this long to do this. All you do is leave the bones, onions and liquid (so everything but the edible meat and any visible fat or skin) in the crockpot and fill it completely with water. You can also throw in other things you might need to use up like celery or fresh parsley. Set it to low, and allow it to cook for 8-12 hours. I let this process happen overnight, then in the morning I take a large mixing bowl and place my mesh strainer over top. I line the strainer with cheesecloth, and filter the stock to remove any of the bones, onions, spices and such. What you're left with is rich, delicious and nutritious stock. I got 12 cups of stock from this past chicken and stored them in my freezer. I'll use this later for soups, rice, quinoa, etc. Considering that a 4 cup carton of organic chicken stock costs $3.99 at the store, I basically used my $13 investment to pay for 3 cartons of chicken stock, and got one carton, plus ALL the meat for our meals for free. And this is when I realized I will never buy chicken stock again. *Steps off of soapbox*

Printable Recipe Here



Day Twenty-Five

Still plenty of Tiger Blood going on here and last night's sleep was wonderful! If you remember, sleeping better and having more energy were two of my top goals through this program. I can truthfully say that both of those are happening, as well as gaining a world of knowledge about what food truly is from our body's standpoint and all that I am truly capable of.

Breakfast: Spinach Omelet with Bacon and Oranges
Snack: Cappuccino LaraBar
Lunch: Leftover Crockpot Chicken with Steamed Broccoli, Veggies with Guac, Applesauce
Dinner: Shaved Brussel Spout Salad, Banana, 1/2 of a LaraBar

Tonight was the first night through the program that I dined out, and it was in honor of a friend/co-worker's birthday. The venue was a small, upscale bar that we have been to before and love, but from a Whole30 perspective, there was only one thing on the menu I could order. The Shaved Brussel Sprout Salad had a tangy lemon vinaigrette, and I had to pass on the (I'm more than certain) deliciously crispy pork belly that would normally be included due to the fact that it had a flour/cornstarch breading. Still a very tasty dish, and I was happy to be able to enjoy it in great company and conversation with my girls from work. However, their bottles of wine, flatbread pizzas, truffle fries and scallops with risotto did make my mouth water.

Day Twenty-Four

Day Twenty-Four was that day that the tiger blood FINALLY kicked in. Granted, I only got about 3/4 of the things on my to-do list done, I added a whole bunch of things as I went. All in all, a very productive day. I had intended to go to bed around 10 or so, and well one thing led to the next and by about 12;45am I was finally down off of my productivity high to actually crawl into bed.

Breakfast: Smoothie of Kale, Almond Milk, Orange Juice, Banana, Mixed Berries
Lunch: Spinach Salad with Egg, Bacon, Oranges, and Almonds
Dinner: Crockpot Chicken with Mashed Sweet Potatoes and Applesauce
Snack: LaraBar

The LaraBars turned out so amazing that I (obviously) had to share them right away. The Crockpot Chicken is a recipe from 100 Days of Real Food that we love for many reasons. I'll be sharing that recipe tomorrow, and I will also be talking about it from a budget and meal planning stand point soon as well. This is one of those meals that really gives you a lot of bang for your buck and it's so simple and hands-off!

Recipe: Homemade Lara Bars

OMG, I kid you not, these were so easy, so delicious and so much cheaper than the ones you buy in the store. It took about 5-10 minutes per flavor, and each flavor yielded 6 bars. So in under 30 minutes, I had 18 delicious, healthy snacks that will hold in the fridge for up to a month. Did I mention that it cost less than $10?!?!

So I started by perusing Pinterest and found that the most common ratio of dates to nuts was 1:1. From there, I used a little bit of experimentation to get the flavors I wanted. Remember, for these to be Whole30 compliant they can't include chocolate, peanuts or sugar of any kind.

Cappuccino:
1 cup Almonds
1 cup Dates
1/2 cup Coffee Beans
1 Vanilla Bean, scraped
4-5 T. Water
 
Pecan Pie:
1/2 cup Almonds
1/2 cup Pecans
1 cup Dates
1/8 tsp. Cinnamon
1/8 tsp. Nutmeg
3-4 T. Water

Coconut Cream Pie:
1 cup Almonds
1 cup Dates
3/4 Unsweetened Coconut
3 Tbs. Coconut Oil
1 T. Water

The process for each flavor is the same: put the nuts and dates in the food processor and blend until course and slightly sticky. Add the flavoring components (i.e. coffee beans and vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg, coconut and coconut oil) and process to combine. Add the water a few tablespoons at a time, just until the mixture is of a consistency that you can roll it into a ball.

Dump the mixture out onto a sheet pan lined with plastic wrap and press it into a large rectangle, about 1/3" thick. Fold the plastic wrap edges over the large bar and refrigerate for at least an hour to firm up. **Be sure to get a little taste before shaping the mixture ;)**

Once set up, use a bench scraper or butter knife to cut into bars approximately 4" by 2". Wrap each bar individually with plastic wrap, and store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a month.

There are all kinds of flavors you could make, like Cherry Pie, Key Lime Pie, Lemon Bar, Banana Bread, Blueberry Muffin and Pumpkin Pie that would also be Whole30 compliant. And then there are flavors like Peanut Butter Cookie, Peanut Butter and Jelly, Chocolate, Chocolate Chip, etc. that you can enjoy when not partaking in Whole30.

This whole batch cost me $9.93 ($4.28 for Cappuccino, $2.56 for Pecan Pie, and $3.09 for Coconut Cream Pie). The lowest price I have ever seen the LaraBars sold in store was for $0.99 each on sale at Whole Foods. Regularly priced at Whole Foods and Jewel they are $1.67 regardless of flavor and at Trader Joe's they have a more limited selection, but I can get them for $1.29 each.

So with that said, if I were to get them on super sale at $0.99 each, it would have cost me $17.82 to buy them in store. If I were forced to pay full price (at any of the stores) it would have cost me $23.22 to $30.06 depending on which store. In other words, making them myself saved us between 44.3% and 67%. Savings like that is something I can TOTALLY get down with!

Day Twenty-Three

Yesterday was a day for repeats. Nothing crazy creative here, but still yummy, fulfilling foods. We repeated the Shrimp "Taco" recipe I shared earlier for lunch, and Jason was very pleased with it as well. I'm already feeling the vibes of summer and wanting to have more tropical items on the menu.

Breakfast: Scrambled Eggs with Spinach
Lunch: Shrimp "Tacos" with Mango Pico de Gallo
Snack: Applesauce
Dinner: Leftover Salmon, Asparagus, Spinach Salad with Apple, Orange, and Almonds
Snack: Apple Chips


I found those Apple Chips at the store last week. They are 100% organic, and only contain one ingredient... Apples. They are baked until they are crispy, versus dehydrated ones that I find to be a bit rubbery in texture. The crunch satisfied my extreme craving for chips and salsa tonight. I can't tell you how ready I am for some delicious house-made chips and salsa from our favorite taco joint. I also have plans to make homemade LaraBars this week, so stay tuned!

Smoothie Tutorial

Shout-out to Miss Brittany Kirk for requesting a smoothie how-to. And even more so for jumping on my healthy life bandwagon. Just chalk that up to another reason we are best friends :)

I need to admit that for most of my cooking I don't actually measure. Note that I said cooking, not baking. Going through pastry school turns you into a lover of metric weights and baker's math, but that's not weird, right? And I also put my knowledge of cost control into effect when I work on budgeting our meals, but more on that later. Since  I don't actually measure anything (I'm trying to be better about that for you all's sake), let's make a smoothie, shall we?



    

1 handful of Kale ---- Approximately 3/4 cup of Liquid

 

   

Blend the Liquid and Kale together ----- Add 2 Bananas and 2-3 Cups of Frozen Berries





    

Blend everything until smooth ----- ENJOY!

 

The beauty of smoothies is that they are totally customizable to your tastes. Today I used Kale, but we often use spinach as well. Prior to Whole30 I made them using orange juice and yogurt, but substituted almond milk for the yogurt to be Whole30 compliant. Always start with your greens and liquid first to avoid larger chunks of greens at the end. We like the sweetness and creaminess of the bananas, and our frozen fruit medley is blackberries, raspberries and blueberries. Feel free to substitute or eliminate things that suite your tastes. Another one I really like is spinach with pineapple, mango, and strawberries with coconut milk/water for a nice tropical twist! You can also adjust the liquid to frozen fruit ratio to get the consistency right. If it is too thick and frozen, add more liquid. If it is too runny, add more frozen fruit!

 



Day Twenty-Two

Yes, my inner Taylor Swift started singing the rejoicing sound of being through Day Twenty-Two. A few times this week my boss has looked at me and said that my jeans are fitting looser and my face looks thinner. Now, if I were the boss, one might think she were sucking up, but considering that's not the case, I'll take the compliment ;)

Breakfast: Omelets with Spinach and Bacon
Lunch: Blackened Salmon with Asparagus
Snack: Apple and an Orange
Dinner: Leftover Salmon, Green Beans with Almonds, Spinach Salad with Oranges, Apples and Almonds

All I did with the salmon was use the Oven Baked Salmon recipe, but sprinkled blackening seasoning over top instead of the salt and pepper. Just as tasty, just a little more Cajun flare. I'm also pretty dang happy that this salmon has been reheating well in the microwave, given that we have neither one finished our filets on most occasions. I won't lie that Day Twenty-Two had some serious cravings for BBQ and all the fixins' like cornbread, garlic mashed potatoes and mac n' cheese.... don't mind me.... I'll just keep dreaming.

Day Twenty-One

On Day Twenty-One the weather was an amazing 72 degrees... 72 degrees on March 16th, who would've guessed! We spent the day together planning and prepping our garden for this spring and summer! There's enough content there to be worthy of it's own entire post, so that will be coming soon. Not only do I enjoy gardening, but when I mentioned yesterday about how our food budget had been significantly increased through this process, well gardening will help cut those expenses in the produce category. Like I said... enough there for a whole post.

Breakfast: Scrambled Eggs with Spinach, Italian Sausage, Apple

Lunch: Almond Crusted Chicken Fingers, Sweet Potato Fries and Pineapple

Snack: Banana

Dinner: Leftover Pork Roast, Green Beans, Oranges

Maybe Day Twenty-One was the start of my "Tiger Blood" Phase... nothing like lots of energy going into the home stretch I guess. We spent about two and a half hours on the deck getting the garden going and it felt phenomenal to get some fresh air and sunshine on my skin. I can't wait to share with you all the awesome fruits and veggies we will be growing this year! Jason gets excited about bike rides, I get excited about this. He is a big help when it comes to the deck and garden, but always tells me he will care a whole lot more when we have a house and an actual garden versus our container garden on the fourth floor deck of our condo. Speaking of things Jason tells me... As we are eating lunch today, I pulled a "mom" move and said, "eat your pineapple" when he had nearly cleared his plate but hadn't touched the fruit bowl. He continues eating and about five minutes later says to me (with a completely straight face) "I've never had it like that before, that's really good!" ---- **baffled** I literally dropped my phone and covered my hands over my face. His words "like that" referred to plain, raw, chunks of pineapple in a bowl. Did this kid grow up under a rock?!?! How on earth does one voluntarily ask for brussel sprouts prior to ever trying plain ole fresh pineapple, I will probably never understand. As all of these thoughts and perplexed questions came spewing out of my mouth, this is what Jason looked like, laughing rather intensely about how he apparently lived under a rock as a child: 

I'm not sure, babe. Was ignorance as blissful as pineapple is?