17 days done!!!

So, today was day 17 of our first Whole30. 

17 days!!!! 

That's more than halfway. I'm proud to report that we are doing really well still. Minus the fact that Andrew tried to undo it all tonight by putting rice vinegar in our stir fry....rice vinegar with SUGAR as one of the ingredients.

 I about lost it.

AFTER eating a whole plate of stir fry vegetables over cauliflower rice I complimented Andrew on how delicious it was and asked him what else he put in the veggies. When the last ingredient he listed was Rice Vinegar I freaked.

Don't worry - we are still good. We don't have to start over. I quickly pulled up the Whole30 Forum and asked if it was all over for us - and luckily the response was that it was ok, we just can't let it happen again. Thank God.

 I think starting over would warrant a total breakdown and a good hard cry. Not just any cry...the ugly cry. You know what I'm talking about! Face scrunched up, snot, tears, the whole shebang. I definitely would have ugly cried over this. 

Aside from the rice vinegar disaster we have been showing the Whole30 who's boss. I know I've been slacking on posting but I feel like my evenings (aka blogging time) are totally consumed with cooking, cleaning, or prepping for the next day. Not to mention our awesome Internet issues...yes, I am once again writing this blog on my phone, with my thumbs. Awesome.

So, what have we been eating the past few days? Just assume that breakfast is always eggs of some sort and veggies and bacon, maybe a piece of fruit. Lunch is either leftovers or salad with leftovers. Thrilling, I know.

 So here's the exciting part- our dinners!

We've made the following (and by 'we' I really mean 'I') 

The BEST Pot Roast EVER

This is Andrew's most favorite meal in the world. I stole the recipe from my amazing chef sister and I'm 99% sure that she was inspired by the Pioneer Woman. If you don't know her - go to her blog. She's amazing. Anyways, this Pot Roast is simple and delicious. PLUS, it makes a lot of leftovers!

Moroccan Cauliflower Rice

This dish was surprising delicious. Andrew found this recipe online at thefoodie.com. It was sweet and savory and really fun. The grilled pineapple was my favorite part.

Coconut Chicken Fingers with Sweet Potato Fries 

Aside from the fact that I TOTALLY overcooked the chicken this was a really yummy and fun meal. I can see us making the Coconut Chicken fingers all of the time. The fries had a definite kick - and though I still haven't mastered how to get crispy sweet potato fries WITHOUT frying them, these were knock your socks off good! Plus, these also made great leftovers. After some of my WODS this week I just grabbed a chicken finger and some veggies for a quick meal!

The Best Chicken You Will Ever Eat Ever

with 

Moracan Dipping Sauce

This is no joke - it really truly is the BEST CHICKEN YOU WILL EVER EAT EVER! It was delicious. And that dipping sauce, so simple, yet it added such a great kick to our chicken and the roasted veggies we made to go with it. This is for sure going in our permanent rotation. DELICIOUS. If you try ONE recipe from this post - try this one. 

And....the worst meatballs in the history of mankind with delicious stir fry vegetables (minus the evil rice vinegar!)

I'm not even going to post the link to this one. This was our first FAIL. I'm not sure what happened, Andrew and I both made these together tonight and it just WAS NOT GOOD. Yuck. I'm thinking the coconut flour in the meat mixture is what threw it off.  I threw mine away. It was a shame too, we both really wanted some fantastic leftovers. 

Wow... after the food rundown I am just now realizing that it has been a long time since my last post!

I guess time flies when you are having fun and sweating your butt off wearing long sleeves during Ramadan!

Oh, and I can't go further without a cute picture. So here you go. 

Honestly - the most exciting thing that's going on around here is that Andrew and I have been working out together every day this week. It's a WIN-WIN. We are getting more fit, spending quality time together, and I get to see him more often since we do it during the day. So I guess that's a WIN-WIN-WIN. He takes a break from work to come workout with me for about an hour. The boys have spots at the Childcare Center on base for a drop-off hourly basis and they both LOVE it. Everyone is happy. 

So what workouts have we been doing? Well, I CrossFit and Andrew swims - so we've compromised by creating CrossFit SWIM workouts. While I coach Andrew on squats and form he has been coaching me on becoming a better stronger swimmer. I love it. Andrew has been programming and he's been kicking our butts. It's so phenomenal!  PLUS, the training tank where we swim, is outdoors, so we are getting some sun at the same time. Luckily this pool is cooled down - it isn't the HOT TUB temperatures of our canal. 

What do our WODS look like?! I'm so glad you asked. Here is what we did on our first day

WARMUP: Swim 200 meters, 20 squats, 20 push ups, review Freestyle form

WOD:

Swim 200 meters

30 pool muscle ups. (at edge of pool in deep end, hold onto the edge of pool, push yourself down into water so your arms are straight, propel yourself up like you are climbing out of the pool) these were awesomely brutal!

Swim 200 meters

30 tricep dips using the diving blocks

Swim 200 meters

30 push ups

Swim 200 meters

30 squats

Swim 200 meters

3-30 second plank holds

Swim 200 meters

COOLDOWN: Swim 200 meters and stretch

These are so much fun! It's such a great way to beat the heat but still be outdoors enjoying your workout. Our goal is to do this 3-5 times a week...and to be able to hop in and swim a few miles like it's no big deal. BUT...that's going to take awhile. 

I know this isn't very thrilling or exciting, but this is what our life is lately. Eating good clean quality food, and working out, AND taking care of the boys obviously. We are exhausted by the end of the day. 

To make this post better - here are more pics of the adorable boys.!

So, what do you think? Do you have any recipe or swimming WOD ideas?!

I can use all the help I can get!

and That's 'Watts' She Said...

Home Away From Home...

I'm not talking about Bahrain. I'm talking about the MANY MANY grocery stores I've been frequenting lately. I swear, I spend more time there than ANYWHERE else. This Whole30 is a time-suck. I mean, I'm super grateful to be able to lead my family in this healthy journey...but it's consuming my life! 

I'm either searching for recipes, meal planning, making shopping lists, driving to the grocery store, fighting for a parking spot at said grocery store, actually grocery shopping, cooking, or cleaning up from the meals. Luckily I've been able to make time every day this week to work out - it's helped me keep my sanity and given me a break from the food. 

So....to keep my readers entertained and exposed to the crazy Bahraini world I want to talk about....

drum-roll please....

GROCERY STORES!

Exciting, I know. But, TRUST ME...these aren't your run-of-the-mill grocery stores!

So far the Bahraini grocery stores I frequent the most are: 

GEANT

Carefour

Al Jazira

Alosra

YES...I do go to all 4 of these at least once a week - more likely 2 or 3 times a week. So I'm becoming pretty familiar with them. And so talking about how different the grocery stores are is about as exciting as my life gets right now. Grocery stores, gym, cooking, cleaning...oh and wiping butts and feeding Davis, and constantly telling Caden to stop kissing Davis so much. Glamorous.

Here are a list of the things I find intriguing so far.... 

1. LIQUID CHEESE. They have aisles and aisles of this Kraft, liquid cheese. I'm not sure what else to call it. There are several varieties and sizes. These particular lot was in the "Ramadan Special" selection. I've never seen cheese like this back home. I can only imagine all of the health benefits. But hey...it's KRAFT...must be good? This is just one example of the STRANGE products I've found.

2. AMERICAN PRODUCTS. Most of the stores carry a few American products, which I am grateful for. I'm even more grateful when they slap a big American Flag on the shelf to make sure we notice them. I've still never seen any other country's flag posted. I wonder what makes us so special?

#3 GROCERY CARTS. Not only do you have to PAY to get a grocery cart, but these grocery carts are possessed. I HATE THEM. They don't just roll forward and backwards...no, of course not. They also go side to side or really whatever way you want them to go. Ever tried pushing an office chair down a hallway? Maybe that's a bad example....but because it can go anywhere - IT WILL go anywhere. I've run into a few people. They were not amused. Sorry, silly American coming through - nope, I can't even operate a grocery cart - but hey thanks for the American Flag signs.

 

So, to get a cart out your have to insert 100 Fil (about the size of a nickel and worth about 25 cents USD) into the cart to release it. When you return your cart, you get it back. A lot of people just leave their cart next to their car and don't return it. So, someone can get rich off of gathering them up and cashing in. Then again - it is SO hot outside, who wants to do that? I'll admit, I've ditched a cart or two and left my 100 fil before. Some things just aren't worth it. After loading groceries, Caden, a crying baby and myself in to the care in 110 degree heat, sweat dripping everywhere, the last thing I want to do it return a grocery cart to get about 25 cents back. 

#4 NOT FOR MUSLIMS. In case there is ANY confusion - there are signs all over the place making sure the Muslims are aware of what they are and are not allowed to purchase. 

#5 THE PORK ROOM. AKA - THE BEST ROOM! BACON - YAY! When we first moved here I wasn't even sure if I would be able to buy pork anywhere. Which, in my humble opinion, would have been a tragedy. 2 years without bacon. How un-American. Luck is on our side. The NEX sells pork products and so do most grocery stores. They just have the "Pork Room" set off from everything else. Often they are also labeled with, "NO MUSLIMS ALLOWED" signs as well. They usually have a pretty good selection. I just still laugh every time I enter the "Pork Room". I'm PRETTY sure the last time I bought pork the female cashier was afraid to even touch the package. She picked it up by the corner edge of the package and held it away from her like it was something rancid and disgusting. No my friend...in that package is the best thing in the world. BACON.

#6 PRODUCE. I've never appreciated the produce section of grocery stores back home like I do now. The produce here is difficult. It tends to go bad super quickly, and it's REALLY expensive. I spend an insane amount of money on produce each week. Not only that, but it's just odd sometimes. Like these GIANT green bell peppers we found a few days ago. Or the fact that red onions are teeny tiny. You need 3 or 4 to make up for 1 from back home.

Also - after you select your produce you have to bring it all to a special guy setup in the produce section. He or she, weighs it and tags it all right there. This is a simple, but easily forgotten step. When you are used to just grabbing it having the cashier enter it, it's easy to forget. Believe me, people in line DO NOT like it when they have to wait for someone to run your produce back to the Produce Man to get tagged because you forgot. I'm learning this lesson. 

One cool thing about the produce is that the fruit is usually delicious AND they have some fruit that I've never even heard of. Our goal is to try one new fruit each week. So far, so good. We haven't encountered anything too crazy yet. 

#7 SPICES. Okay, so not everything is bad or weird. Some things are pretty darn awesome. Like the bulk spices section found in the bigger stores. They have any spice you can think of and more. We've started buying all of our spices in bulk, which is a good thing with the Whole30, as we are going through it like water. The only problem is communicating how much I want to the Spice Guy. We pretty much have a system now. I point to the spice and use my hands to show how much or how little. 

They also have different kinds of nuts, different flavors of nuts ie: spicy cashews or honey cashews, all sorts of dried fruit, and things like almond flour, coconut flour...so much to explore here. This area makes me happy.

#8. The MEAT Section. I don't really want to talk about this. If you know me, you know why. I'm not a big fan of meat. I have to convince myself it wasn't once an animal to make myself eat it. My siblings tortured me when I was little. No, I'm not talking about how they convinced me that I was adopted, I'm talking about how they would make animal noises while I ate meat. SCARRED FOR LIFE. I still can't eat meat off of a bone - unless it's a hot wing - and even then, if I get ONE bite that reminds me it's an animal, I'm done. Meanwhile, Andrew picks up my half eaten hot wings and pretty much sucks them dry. That's teamwork.

So - there IS a meat section and they have all sorts of things that you wouldn't find in the meat section back home. I can't even bring myself to write about it. I think I'm going to throw up. 

HOWEVER, I do have to tell you the story of the bones. One day I noticed that they sold packs of "Beef Bones" and "Lamb Bones" at Carefour. I had NEVER seen this in a meat section before and I was pretty much immediately grossed out and had to leave without purchasing our meat. Fast Forward to the Whole30 and me trying to find beef broth without preservatives. Pretty much impossible. Remembering that they sell beef bones at the grocery store I looked up some broth recipes and decided that we had to make our own broth, or rather, that Andrew had to make our broth. I mentally accepted that I would have to go to the store and buy a pack of the beef bones...I had NO IDEA how horrible it would be. 

I bravely set out for Carefour last week. Beef broth was our only missing ingredient for the week, and it was time to make the leap and buy some bones. I COULD DO THIS. 

Well, I walked up to the meat section with confidence. I was going to grab the bones and get out of there. I was a big girl - I could do it. As my luck would have it - they were all out of beef bones that day. 

Damn. I was going to have to ask someone. I drove 25 minutes, parked in the crazy City Center parking garage, and got myself, Caden, and Davis in the store for these bones and we weren't leaving without them. 

So, I walked up to the butcher and said, "Umm, do you have any beef bones?" The butcher said he had to check in the back and came back out holding FLINSTONE STYLE HUGE WHOLE beef bones. These WERE NOT the small cut up bones from the packages out front. These were HUGE in tact leg bones from some poor cow. 

I literally started dry heaving right then and there. The butcher tried to hand them to me and I just kind of waved him off, and turned the other way. I tried to exlain that I needed them to be smaller and he cheerfully said, "OK!" and walked away. I watched him as he walked over to a saw and proceeded to saw them up into little pieces. I can't even tell you the horrible things running through my head at that point. I had to turn around and sing songs in my head. I was seriously about to throw up everywhere. UGH. I can't even write about it anymore. It was horrible. It scarred me even more than I already was. 

When it was all said and done he handed me my package of beef bones, and I carried them through the store like a waitress carrying a tray of food through a restaurant. Above my head where I couldn't see them. Did I look crazy? ABSOLUTELY. But the alternative was to actually puke. So I chose crazy. 

AND...YES - Andrew was the one that made the beef broth. I could not do it. I sat there and stared at the ingredients for about 15 minutes, then just turned and walked away. I may be able to eat the meat right now - but that is one job I still can't do.

That's about it on the Grocery Store front. Exciting?! Yes, I know. I guess I'm still amused by the little things here. 

OH....and a Whole30 update. Day 11 done. Still going strong. I haven't dreamt of food in 2 days! I just am craving peanut butter like nobody's business. Our food the past few days has been pretty boring. Veggies, grilled meat, salads, eggs. That's about it. However, dinner the past two nights has been pretty great. 

DAY 10 DINNER:  Chicken Rogan Josh

Rogan Josh is an Indian dish that Andrew loves. It's traditionally made with lamb, but as you can see from my rant above, I struggle with meat, and lamb is just something I can't do yet. So I made it with Chicken. It was delicious. Next time I am going to halve the amount of cloves she calls for and make it "mild" I did the "medium" version and it was just a touch too spicy. We also made cauliflower rice to put it over. Andrew made it tonight and it was perfect - you could hardly tell that it wasn't real rice! Definitely a keeper though. And I'm loving the blog this recipe came from. Tons of Paleo and Whole30 recipes. www.theclothesmakethegirl.com

DAY 11 DINNER:  Mexican Cottage Pie 

This was a fun one tonight. It definitely helped shake things up a bit. I have to say though, it really reminded me of our favorite Paleo Chili. I even topped mine with some avocado and chopped onion. It was DELICIOUS. Plus we have a ton of leftovers. The sweet potato cauliflower mashed topping was awesome. This is a great way to sneak a ton of vegetables in to your meal. Another keeper for us! 

That's all I've got for tonight. I hope you all enjoy going to the grocery store this week. What I would give to be able to drive up to a store, get out, walk a few feet to get inside, and then find everything I need in one place! You all are spoiled!

and That's 'Watts' She Said...

I Bet Your Mall Doesn't Have This...

1. Prayer Rooms in the Mall

2. GENDER SPECIFIC Prayer Rooms at that...

My newest Bahraini discovery. Yep, prayer rooms in the malls. I got a little lost looking for an elevator at the Seef Mall and found this. Pretty cool. 

The malls also have really great private nursing rooms equipped with changing tables and everything. The malls here are awesome and so interesting at the same time. I could seriously people watch for hours.

My first time going to the mall was both a wonderful and crazy experience. Being surrounded by women in their abayas - it's a sea of black. My first thought was, how can you tell which one is your friend/sister/mom/wife? 

My guess would be by the shoes or purse - what little these women do show is STYLISH. I love it. I especially love that a lot of them wear TOMS with their abayas! Can't miss the blue TOMS tag on the back of their shoes. Also - I have discovered that their abayas aren't just plain black cloth. There are MANY MANY different abayas. Some have embellishments, rhinestones, lace, fringe, ruffles, flowers, the list goes on and on. I love all of the different varieties. One of these days I'll do a post just on the fashion of the Bahraini women. I love it. 

Seriously though,all in all - it really is a sea of black in the mall. I know how easily Caden can wander away from me in crowded places. That's one of my biggest fears. At least he can see ME and the shape of me and my clothes. I saw what happens in the Bahrain City Center when a child loses his mommy. It just about broke my heart. 

Caden and I were sitting in the food court and a little boy started running around yelling "Mama!" and just turning in circles totally lost. Luckily, his mom was within a few feet, she was just turned away from him. But how scary. I can only imagine how often that happens. 

The malls are awesome right now - they are pretty much deserted due to Ramadan. On a busy non-Ramadan day at the mall you can look for parking for 30 minutes. Easily. Right now, I can just drive into the "Car Park" and find a prime spot. I love it. 

Another Whole30-during-Ramadan bonus. All of the restaurants, coffee shops, snack places are CLOSED. So what temptation I would have to grab a quick snack are totally eliminated. Thank goodness!

This is the food court at the City Center Mall. The Food Court isn't just closed - it's gated off. Most food places are. This is no joke people - they seriously don't want you even thinking about eating here. There was actually a Mall Cop guarding the area as well. 

AND...the subject of FOOD. It's seriously haunting me. Last night I could barely sleep. In my dreams I was LITERALLY fighting with food. Brownies, OREOS, chips, pop....but they were huge - all like 5 feet tall. I guess when the folks over at the Whole9 said that you would be dreaming of food and fighting serious cravings, they weren't kidding. 

You'll be glad to know that we are still going strong Day 8 is done. We haven't been cooking as wonderful of meals in the past two days because I am EXHAUSTED. Another awesome Day 7 and 8 side effect of the Whole30. So our meals have been eggs and veggies for breakfast, leftovers for lunch, and the past two nights we had pork chops and roasted veggies and then chicken and roasted veggies. I guess you can use this as poof that you CAN do the Whole30 when you don't have a ton of time.

I'm not so patiently waiting for this energy boost I'm supposed to get in the next few days. I need it. In a BAD way. On that note - I'm off to bed. 

and That's 'Watts' She Said...

What Happens When Your 5 Year Old Has Your Phone...

In case you were wondering what Caden was up to today....

YEP! That last one is my favorite. I was laughing so hard I almost peed my pants when I saw these tonight. 

My son is special. 

I especially love how he was CLEARLY practicing different "looks" - he may not look anything like me, but he's my son for sure. 

Where was I while he was doing this? My best guess is that he took these while Andrew and I were doing our 2nd WOD (workout of the day) together today. 

That family that WODs together stays together. Right?

We decided to forget the Ramadan dress code for a little while and incorporate swimming in the canal in our WOD. It was so awesome. I mean it is WAYYYY too hot to run - so the swim allowed us to get some cardio in, and stay cool-ish. If only the canal wasn't like warm bathwater. Here's what we did

20 minute AMRAP (as many rounds as possible)

Swim to the bulkhead across from us and back

10 Push Ups

10 Squats

10 Pull Ups

After round 2 I looked behind me and saw Andrew on all fours on the lawn. My first thought was that he was having a heart attack. I called out to make sure he was alive and he said, "yeah, I'm just seeing stars"

Wimp. Just kidding. I mean, it's 110 degrees out and we are working out...and this is only his 2nd WOD, and maybe his 4th time working out since January. No wonder he was hurting. He finished strong though - and I'm so so so proud of him. He will be kicking these WODs butts in no time at all.

Also, he made up for last night's kitchen cleaning disaster by thoroughly and quickly cleaning the kitchen after breakfast today. What a man, what a man, what a man, what a mighty good mannnn.....Nothing like a little Salt-N-Pepa for ya!

My awesome friend Katie sent me this gem of a text message today:

Apparently I'm NOT the only one with this problem!!!

Also - Andrew read ALL of my blog posts for the first time yesterday. If you are shocked that he hadn't read them yet...I was too! I may have been giving him a huge guilt trip. He's the king of procrastination - so I knew that the longer he put it off, the less likely he was to read it. He wanted to read it from the beginning, and I pointed out to him that each day his task is getting bigger and bigger. He first said he was going to read it after my 5th post....this is #46. Well, he did it. He read it...and his response was, 

"I love it - I'm kind of the butt of a lot of your jokes"

Poor guy. I told him that was what made it so much fun. This is MY WORLD buddy. And if I want to talk about your bathroom habits I will. Luckily, he's a good sport and doesn't mind at all. 

Our Bahrain world is clearly not very exciting right now. Sorry. 

On to the Whole30 Rundown:

Day 6. Done. We kicked it's arse. Aside from the vivid dreams I had last night about brownies, and bread and butter, and wine, and pasta, I felt great. Though I felt super guilty and panicked this morning when I woke up, I couldn't remember if it was real or not. Thank goodness it was just a dream. 

My energy was either soaring or non-existent today. According to the Whole30 experts this is due to my body trying to get used to burning fat for energy instead of the sugar that it's used to. I'll take the energy highs as a promise that things are getting better.  

So, what did we eat today? 

DAY 6

Leftover Day!

Breakfast:  Leftover Carnitas and Fajita Vegetables with Fried Eggs. 

Caden ate 3 eggs. No joke. This boy is eating like CRAZY lately. Another growth spurt, I'm sure. 

Lunch: Leftover Chicken and Steak with Chopped Broccoli Salad

Dinner: Everyday Paleo Salisbury Steak with Roasted Asparagus

We love this meal - it's one of our favorites. Delicious.

That's it. Not super exciting by any means; but today was a great day. Family, WOD'n with my husband, good food. What else do you need?

and That's 'Watts' She Said....

Whole 30 Day 5 - Kill All The Things

So when I read on the Whole 30 "What to Expect" timeline I kind of laughed about the Days 4-5, "Kill All The Things" description. "Every nerve is lit, temperance is non-existent and the only solution to the problem seems to be to Kill All of the Things." But...now that I've lived through Day 5. 

I KILLED ALL THE THINGS

I was fine on Day 4 and I was fine for most of Day 5. All was good until early on in the day, until around 4:30 when I just lost it. My poor husband, pretty sure he took the brunt of this one. How dare he offer to clean the kitchen for me and not do it fast enough?! The nerve. 

Though, seriously at the time - I was PISSED. How is it that men can always find the most convenient time to camp out in the loo? Clean up time, put the kids to bed time, I need help because both kids are crying time. Always.

This morning I asked Caden where Andrew was. His response, "Where he always is."

I'll give you one guess. 

I remember my Dad and brother doing this when I was growing up too. It's like their PLACE or something. I think it's genetic. It's hardwired into their DNA. 

Must-sit-on-toilet-for-hours....

Caden does the same thing. He even calls to me and asks me to come sit with him and chat. Ugh...no thank you. 

Sorry, I'm over my potty-related rant. It just BLOWS MY MIND. Anyone else have this problem!? 

Before I had to start killing all the things this afternoon we had a ton of fun today. Caden won this cool bow and arrows set at the arcade yesterday. Pretty sure we spent a few hours playing with it today. 

I love his "concentration" face. He was honestly pretty good. We drew a target on the sliding glass door. 

Entertainment. For. Hours.

Caden was awesome. Maybe we should get him some real lessons!

I have much much more to write. But I am still SO EXHAUSTED. I can barely bring myself to type this up - another awesome side effect of the Whole 30. My body is so confused right now. 

Before I forget what we ate today, here's our menu. Today was a great day for food - yum yum yum!

Day 5

Breakfast:  Andrew's Famous Eggs and Bacon

Andrew always makes the best eggs. This mix was eggs, avocado salsa from last night, some sausage, and I can't remember what else. They were great. Plus bacon. Everything is good with bacon. 

Lunch: Chicken Fajita Salad 

I threw this together with stuff we had in the fridge. The avocado salsa leftover from last night was so good, we had to find more uses for it. This lunch was fast, and scrumptious. 

Dinner: Carnitas Stuffed Sweet Potato with Avocado Aioli and Coleslaw With a Kick

I found this recipe on Everyday Paleo and once again we were not disappointed. It was definitely time consuming, but oh so worth it! I put the carnitas on this morning, but I still felt like it took forever to pull together. 

For my Whole 30 friends that don't have a lot of time, I would say to make the carnitas and the sweet potato and do whatever else you have time for. The beauty of this recipe is that we have a ton of delicious pork leftover! Win. Win. 

Andrew decided this was our best "main dish" yet and Caden declared that I am "the best chef ever!" So I would say it's a keeper. 

Though seriously people - I eat, sleep, and breathe cooking right now. 

Literally. All I dreamt about last night as food. Brownies, mashed potatoes, bread and butter, wine....I kept dreaming that I was forgetting about the Whole 30 until I took a bite of the forbidden food. I hope I avoid those dreams tonight. I am craving hard core!

Here's what today's schedule of cooking looked like:

Wake up

Cook breakfast

Eat breakfast

Clean up breakfast

Prep Dinner and get in crockpot

Clean up mess from dinner prep

Sit down on couch and have Andrew ask me what lunch is

Get up and make lunch

Eat lunch

Clean up lunch

*insert few hour break here where we left the house*

Prep dinner

Cook dinner

Eat dinner

Clean up from dinner

Plan Tomorrow's food

This is getting CRAZY! BUT, the food we are eating is wonderful. Day 5, done. Day 6 here we come. I hope I don't kill anyone. 

And one more picture for the road...

and That's 'Watts' She Said...

Rama-lama-ding-dong....

I've decided this is my favorite new term for Ramadan. 

I've also decided that they might as well arrest me now. Come get me Ramadan Cops. 

No, seriously, I suck at Ramadan. I keep forgetting that I'm not supposed to drink or eat in public. Scratch that, I keep forgetting that it's ILLEGAL to eat or drink in public right now. 

This is a picture of my conversation with my friend Jessica. I'm the one on the right...

Yesterday I was driving home from the grocery store and Caden was hungry in the backseat. (Children are allowed to eat and drink as usual). So, I handed him some cashews, and as any good mom would do, I had to make sure they weren't "poisonous" first and ate a few. I stopped mid-chew and froze in place with what I'm sure was a 'scared out of my freaking mind' look on my face. OH CRAP. 

I looked to my left (of course I was at a stoplight) and the Muslim man next to me was given me the look of death, he had caught me mid-chew. I wanted to just open my mouth and spit out the cashews, what else could I do?

 I'll tell you what I did; I just sat there with half-chewed cashew in  my mouth, pretending they weren't there, trying to act as innocent and nonchalant as possible. Not easy to do with half-chewed nuts in your mouth. I could still feel his stink-eye on me...he KNEW. After what felt like for-ev-er the light turned yellow then green (as they do in Bahrain) and as soon as I could, I took off. Initially I couldn't decide if it was better if I sped ahead of him to get away, thus leaving him able to write down my plate number, or just stay right beside him as he glared at me, avoiding showing my plate number. I decided to take off. I couldn't stand the half eaten cashews any longer. Not like I was fooling him anyways.

The Navy has done a good job of scaring the crap out of us about what would/could happen if you violate the laws, so I was PARANOID to say the least. 

A few miles down the road a car sped up and was tailgating me, my heart dropped as I JUST KNEW that it was the Ramadan police coming to get me. 

It wasn't. 

BUT STILL...this is stressful. I definitely spent the rest of the drive home looking over my shoulder. All over a few nuts. 

Today I was SO THIRSTY in my car while running errands, I ducked down to sip some water. FYI: trying to drink water out of a water bottle while hunched over trying to hide in your car is not easy. I felt like a water ninja. I just had to do it. Caden asked me why I was drinking like that. When I explained to him that I'm not allowed to drink water and eat food in public during daytime right now his response was, 

"MAN! THAT IS A PAIN IN THE BUT!"

Yes it is buddy, yes it is.

Also, the whole long pants and long-sleeved shirt thing. Seriously, I might as well paint a BIG AMERICAN FLAG on myself! The clothing rule is mandated by the big kahunas on base....so aside from Muslims, we are the ONLY people dressing like this. In my grocery shopping adventures yesterday Jessica and I were the ONLY non-Muslims wearing long pants and long-sleeved shirts. All of the other ex-pats were in sun dresses and shorts. Even a lot of the shop workers were in short-sleeved shirts. 

Heck, I'm PRETTY sure that the guys jet-skiing in front of my house wearing shorts are Muslims that live across the way. Meanwhile, I'm afraid to go out on my porch without long sleeves.

The story in Andrew's command is that last year one of their guys was sitting on his front porch eating during Ramadan and the police stormed his apartment and arrested him on the spot. Yep...let's avoid that at all costs. I guess, it is what it is, and I'm better safe than sorry. Though I would LOVE to just wear a short-sleeved shirt. Do you know what it's like to sweat ALL THE TIME?! 

In other news....look at how cute my nephew Cash is! He is 3 months older than big D. Steph and I compared notes today, and they are the SAME length, but Cash has a 5 pound advantage. Chunk-a-lunk...or maybe Davis is just long-a-long-a-ding-dong?! . Nevermind, I'll stop trying to rhyme now. 

I can't wait to see this little guy in 2.5 months. Not like I'm counting or anything!

 Here's a picture of D today. I think they look alike. Brothers from another Mother. Sorry - I had to do one more rhyme. Deal with it. 

 

 And YES, he is playing with a whisk. It's his new favorite toy...what else is he supposed to do while I'm in the kitchen cooking ALL DAY LONG. 

Yes, people - we are going strong on our Whole 30! Initially we had decided to do the Whole 30 during Ramadan because we figured that everyone will be miserable for this month anyways, so we might as well be miserable too. Well, now I think we were so smart to make that decision! All of the restaurants and coffee shops, snack places, everything is closed - so that pretty much eliminates temptation. Genius! 

I've been having a pretty easy time with cravings and such so far. Though I've been SO tired. The reason I didn't post anything yesterday is because I was too tired to even think straight. According to the Whole 30 timeline, that meant I was right on track. 

Caden, however - I'm pretty sure he is getting cravings BIG TIME. All day today it's been, 

"Mommy, let's have (insert unhealthy food here)"

Grilled Cheese

Doughnut

Sandwich

Burrito

Candy

As Andrew put it, I'm "knocking it out of the park" with our meals so far. Seriously, it's all been so delicious. I hope I stay motivated to keep cooking such great meals and not fall into a grilled chicken and vegetables every day trap. 

So here is our roundup from the past two days. I'm sharing this as I sincerely hope that some of you join us in our journey or at least try these amazingly delicious and healthy meals!

DAY 3

Breakfast:  Homemade Beef Sausage.

I had a pack of ground beef, or 'mince' as they call it here, and wanted to prep some breakfast meat with it. Andrew found THIS recipe and it was so wonderful. We honestly couldn't tell that it wasn't pork. We made a bunch of little patties and have frozen the rest for the future. I served that up with some roasted veggies. 

Lunch: Salad with left over Bruschetta Chicken, Avocado, and homemade dressing. 

This was really wonderful. The best part was that we used the left over bruschetta mix as a topping on the salad. Oh - So- Good!

Dinner:  Mustard Lime Chicken with Roasted Carrots and Salad

I found the recipe for this HERE

Somehow I didn't get a picture. Sad, sad day. It was beautiful. 

We roasted the carrots in coconut oil and sprinkled some salt, pepper, and parsley on them. 

Day 4

Breakfast: Bacon, Eggs, and Roast Carrots

That's right folks, I've found Whole 30 compliant bacon in Bahrain!!! It was an adventure to find it, a hot, sweaty, miserable adventure. But I found it, and it was so so so worth it! We also ate up the rest of last nights' carrots. 

Lunch:  Salad with Avocado and balsamic vinegar and some of our beef sausage patties. 

Not too exciting here, I realized I didn't have anything quick to make today, so I grabbed a few of the sausage patties. It worked. I got my protein and my veggies in. Andrew had the leftovers from last night and Caden asked for more eggs. Mishmash day. 

Dinner: 

Obviously, I'm not a great food photographer. This dinner was out of this world though!

Thanks to one of my favorite Paleo food blogs, Everyday Paleo, we enjoyed

Steak Dry Rub with an Avocado Salsa and Chopped Broccoli Salad

SO SO SO good. We didn't even miss the mayo in the broccoli salad. This is going to definitely be a go to meal from here on out. 

You are probably sensing a theme with all of the avocados. Well, they are SUPER cheap here. Strangely. Broccoli costs a fortune and avocados are cheap. Of course. 

According to the Whole 30 Timeline tomorrow is the, "Everything Must Die" phase where you hate everyone and everything around you. Wish me luck. Hopefully my husband survives. 

And just because these pictures are WAY too cute to NOT post - and you deserve a reward if you've read this far:

All horribleness aside - at least my boys are cute!

and That's 'Watts' She Said...

Let's Get Ready Toooo....RAMADAN!!!!

Okay, that's as catchy of a title as I could come up with. I'm really trying to force my excitement about the start of Ramadan today. So far, it's not working. 

What is Ramadan you ask? Well...according to trusty Wikipedia:

Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. In this month Muslims observe a time of fasting and is considered to be one of the five Pillars of Islam. The only people that don't have to fast are the ill, diabetic, travelling, pregnant or those with menstrual bleeding. The fasting lasts from sun rise to sun set and during this time they have to refrain from food, liquids (even water), smoking and sexual relations. Supposedly the rewards of fasting during Ramadan are multiplied.

What does that mean for us you ask? Well since we are here with the Navy, it is ordered by the head hauncho that we have to observe their customs and rules during Ramadan to show our respect to our hosts. I get it, I do. It's just interesting, I'll leave it at that. 

Not only are we clean eating for the next 30 days with the Whole 30, but now we are also NOT ALLOWED to eat, drink, or even chew gum in public during daylight. This includes our front porch or in our car. As soon as we step out of the house we have to follow the rules. Oh, and when we DO dare to step out in this intense heat we have to be VERY modestly dressed. I'm talking skirts or pants well below the knee; your knee cannot show when you sit down, and your shirts must go past your elbow. 

SO, imagine this with me. HEAT, I'm talking extreme heat our low is like 90 degrees and the high is near 110, oh and did I mention the HUMIDITY, it feels wet outside...now add in being fully covered. That in itself spells misery. Okay, now add in the fact that when you are parched or starving because it's so f'ing hot out and you are sweating your butt off in your full length pants and shirts it's just too damn bad...you can't do ANYTHING about it. 

Restaurants are closed, shops and malls have crazy hours. Open from 10-4 and then again from 8PM-1AM. Obviously they have to close at sunset so everyone can go eat something. I mean...they must reach a whole new level of HANGRY!!!

How serious is this? Right, I mean what's going to happen if I'm seen in a tank top eating a pork sausage in the middle of the day? Maybe nothing, but also maybe I can get thrown in jail for a year. 

This was a message from the local police's Facebook page. (because you know, everything is on Facebook!)

"POLICE will be on high alert from tomorrow to ensure people do not breach a ban on eating, drinking or smoking in public during the fasting hours of Ramadan. Patrols will be stepped up across the country to catch violators, who could be jailed for up to a year or fined BD100."

So...wish us luck!

We are definitely going to need it. We tried to go on a Family Walk after dinner tonight. 

HA! That was a JOKE!

First of all, my sweet husband is so sore from yesterday's CrossFit WOD that he could barely walk Second of all, IT. IS. HOT!!!!! My long sleeved shirt was drenched in sweat after about 3 minutes. Caden even said, "Mom...you have sweat running down your face" Ummm...yeah, no kidding? It was painful and not nearly the fun I imagined. So Note To Self: No more walks outside until this Fall. 

Pretty much we are all around miserable today. Day 2 of the Whole 30 and WE ARE FEELING IT! I am extremely exhausted and the pounding in my head is out of this world. I am definitely going through some sugar withdrawals. It sucks. Big Time. Yep, I'm ready to start feeling good, but supposedly that won't happen for a while longer. 

Here's our daily roundup!

Whole 30 Day 2

Breakfast:  Mexican Frittata. I used our leftover meat from last night, sauteed up some onions and mushrooms and spinach. Mixed the meat, saute mixture, and 6 eggs together, poured it in a cake pan and baked it. Delicious!

Lunch: Grilled chicken and avocado salad with balsamic vinegar and a little olive oil as dressing. Delicious!

Dinner:  Bruschetta Chicken with Zuchinni "Pasta", recipe from Everyday Paleo. 

IT WAS DELICIOUS!!!

http://everydaypaleo.com/bruschettachicken/ 

I would love to elaborate on Ramadan and such, but honestly, my eyes are closing on their own right now. 

Good night all - and please enjoy those tank tops and shorts....and sitting out in the sun eating...and drinking water. 

I'm jealous. 

AND...this is why we will be spending Ramadan 2014 in the good 'ole USA!!!

and That's 'Watts' She Said....

O-M-Ghee: Whole 30 and Andrew's 1st CrossFit WOD!!!

Sorry folks, no funny 'Life in the Middle East' stories for you today. Just another day spent at the pool swimming, tanning, and spending time with friends. I know, I know...it's a rough life we are leading here in Bahrain. 

The biggest, newest, most exciting news is that our family has committed to the

 WHOLE 30!!!!

We are following the Whole 30 designed by www.whole9life.com and it's awesome!

Pretty much it's 30 days of strict clean eating. No alcohol (you read that right, NO alcohol), no added sugars, no grains, no legumes, no dairy. 

For 30 days....30 DAYS....

This is not for the weak, that's for sure. It's going to be hard, but the benefits are supposed to be oh so good.  It's important to know that the purpose of the Whole 30 is NOT weight loss. The purpose is to reset your body and your relationship with food. An added bonus is that over 90% people also lose a decent amount of weight in the 30 days. 

Andrew and I are always trying to eat as healthy as we can, but all too often things sneak in like noodles, or garlic bread, or take out Chinese, or oreos of course; and before we know it we aren't eating as healthy as we would like to be. It's tie for us to get serious about reaching our optimal health.

We've discussed doing the Whole 30 for a long time. I've always wanted to do it, and Andrew has thought it was a good idea, but he had to think LONG and HARD about giving up his precious milk. Well ladies and gentlemen, the time has finally come - and Andrew is putting down the MILK! YES! I hate milk, and I especially hate when he tries to kiss me after drinking a big glass of milk. Disgust city. Ugh.

With Andrew's busy work schedule he has said that he is happy to do the Whole 30 with me, but I have to have all of the meals prepared and ready for him. I guess I can do that, even though my days are SO busy. Getting a tan is hard work!

So, if you wonder where I am for the next 30 days; chances are I'm either cooking, meal planning, grocery shopping, or doing dishes. How domestic huh?

I'm totally fine with it. I'm just so excited for our family and can't wait to see our results. Hey, I have to focus on the positive that will come out of this because let's face it...I'm not going to be a very nice person for the next few weeks. 

I'm going to reach a whole new level of HANGRY! 

My amazing midwife and dear friend, Brooke, is also doing the Whole 30 with us...from Maryland. So it's been a lot of fun to iMessage with her the past few days and be there for each other and encourage one another. 

Even Caden is on board. He has had this huge bag of Halloween/Christmas/Easter/Birthday candy that we've had around for months. Every now and then we let him pick a treat out of it, and it's presence in our house is a PROBLEM right now. So after a talk with him about making healthy choices he agreed that it wast time to ditch the candy. So it's gone! I was so proud of him. I'll be honest, it didn't take any convincing, all he said was, "Well, can I still play my Kindle?" When I said yes, he just said, "okay, sounds good" and walked away. Priorities.

The first step was to empty out our cupboards....I loved seeing the bad leave our house as I brought in all of the good!

Out with the old...

 In with the new....

Yesterday I spent ALL day going to a million different grocery stores to get our ingredients for the first few meals. We should get extra points for doing this from Bahrain. There are so many things that we don't have that would make this so much better and tastier. ie: sugar-free, nitrate-free bacon.

In the past day I have cooked 6 meals and made my own Ghee!

What's Ghee you ask? Well, it's kind of like butter, but better. According to the Whole 9

 website, Ghee is: 

 Golden colored ghee is prepared by melting and simmering unsalted butter until all the water evaporates and the milk solids settle at the bottom. The milk solids (those problematic milk proteins that make plain old butter a less healthy choice) are then filtered out, leaving only the remaining pure butter fat.  This form of fat (approximately 2/3 saturated) is very stable with a high smoke point, making it an excellent choice to use for frying and sautéing.  In addition, it can be stored without refrigeration for several months.   (Note, ghee and clarified butter are not the same.  Ghee is cooked longer, then browned, giving the butterfat a rich, nutty flavor.)

Ghee is the ONLY allowed dairy on the Whole 30.  

The instructions I used for our Ghee was from Nom Nom Paleo, one of my favorite food blogs. If you are so inclined you can make Ghee too!  Go HERE.  

I have to say, the ONE positive thing about the grocery stores here is the availability of Kerrygold Butter!

Back home I easily spent $7 for one package of Kerrygold's delicious butter made from the milk of grass-fed cows in Ireland. Here, I get a 2-pack for $3. It's amazing! It almost makes up for the $30 I spend on broccoli.

So last night I embarked on my first Ghee experiment using a ton of Kerrygold butter. 

Melting....

Simmering...

And...the finished product! I think I let it simmer a little bit too long as it's darker than I expected. BUT it's delicious! I have already used it a few times and it gives a rich nutty butter flavor. So delicious! 

I plan on posting our daily menu for each day. Just in case one of our friends or family members decides to join us - I'll do all the work and just tell you what to eat!

DAY 1

Breakfast:  Sweet Potato Hash and Fried Eggs

(Andrew LOVED the hash, he even woke me up on his way out the door to tell me how amazing it was)

Recipe from Nom Nom Paleo Here

Lunch:  We had a little bit of sweet potato hash left over so I roasted some broccoli and grilled some chicken breast and served it all together. 

Another WIN - Andrew called me to tell me that he could easily eat that any day.
Caden and I ate ours while sitting in the car on our way to the pool. 

Snack:  Green Apple with a tiny bit of Almond Butter

Dinner:  Tacos served in lettuce cups

I didn't use a recipe here either, I made my own Taco seasoning for the beef that included, garlic, onions, garlic powder, chili powder, cumin, red pepper flakes, paprika, salt and pepper and squeezed some fresh lime over it too. We made our tacos with tomatoes, onions, and avocado on top. DELICIOUS. 

Though I was definitely missing the tortilla chips, shells, and cheese. 

So Day 1 is DONE!! We have survived. Surprisingly I felt pretty great all day. My biggest

challenge is right now. I would love to reach for a little snack...but I WILL NOT DO IT! I am determined for us to be successful in this adventure this month. 

I'm also SUPER SUPER happy that after a year and a half, I have finally convinced my husband to CrossFit with me! After he got home from work today I put him through his first class!

He learned all about the squat, front squat, back squat, push, and push press. He was a natural! I'm so extremely proud. He even got his first double-under today! I was shocked.

Though he was glaring at me A LOT, it was really fun. After the skills instruction I had him do FRAN!!!

FRAN

21-15-9

Thrusters and Pull Ups

I am SO excited to coach him. I truly loved our family time outside working out together. If only it wasn't SO HOT!

I always sweat during CrossFit - but CrossFit in 100 degree humid weather. We were drenched by the end. 

And that's the newest and greatest in our world. I don't plan on turning this blog into a CrossFit/Paleo/Whole 30 blog - so don't worry. I'm sure I'll be back to shit show stories and butt bath pictures in no time. 

Until then - wish us luck! And let me know if you want to join us!!!

and That's 'Watts' She Said....