Whole30....Take 2

Remember that crazy 30 days of super clean eating I did in July?

The Whole30 Challenge? 

WELL...I'M DOING IT AGAIN FOLKS!!!!

I felt so awesome after July that I can't think of a better way to start off the year. (Remember THIS blog post? It's only my most read post EVER! Well that sums up WHY I would want to do this again.)

This time I'm leading most of the members of Nomad Fitness and some other friends through it as well!

Misery loves company, right?

This kind of sums up Week 1....

Not like we don't get enough of each other already...all of my friends are already here pretty much every day to workout - and well, now we eat dinner together every night too. 

Some say I've started a CULT....

Hmmm...a cult - I mean we just work out together, live next to each other, celebrate holidays together, see each other every day, and now we are sticking to the same crazy food challenge for 30 days, and eating dinner together every night. 

Awesome...YES!

Cultish? Maybe - I'll let you be the judge. 

But hey - I could think of worse things to build a cult around than CLEAN EATING and WORKING OUT! 

You just wish you were a part of my cult too. Admit it.

In all seriousness though. We did the July Whole30 HORRIBLY WRONG.
We did it all alone, which kind of isolated us from hanging out with friends and being social.

This time though....THIS TIME IS DIFFERENT!

One of my friends suggested we start a Whole30 Supper Club to help us get through the 30 days.

GENIUS.

5 nights a week we go to someone else's house to eat dinner.
1 night a week you host dinner for the group.
1 night a week you're on your own.

One of my biggest complaints about the Whole30 was all of the cooking. Cooking, cooking, cooking...followed by cleaning, cleaning, cleaning...it never ended.

Well, let me tell you - this is SO MUCH EASIER. 5 nights people...5 nights a week I get to walk right down the street, or drive a whole 2 minutes, to a friends house and get treated to a delicious Whole30 approved meal. No prepping, no cooking, no cleaning. AMAZEBALLS.

We are either going to LOVE or HATE each other in 26 more days.

We are 4 days down and I would say we are closer than ever. Especially after last night's episode of someone almost choking to death on a piece of steak.

No joke. That happened.

We are willing to give our LIVES for the Whole30.

So yeah...about that whole cult thing...hmmm, I guess now it's starting to sound suspicious, even to me.

Okay, but for real, I'm sure you want to know what happened. Well, I noticed one of our friends was seriously choking, through everyone else was too busy enjoying their flank steak and chimichurri sauce to notice.

After calling attention to it I told Andrew to give him the Heimlick maneuver. Andrew gave it a few tries...to no avail. It just wasn't working and time was ticking away.

So this is where I REALLY show my absolute confidence in my husband.

I said, "Move over, let Brian do it!"

Brian is one of my strongest best CrossFitters. So of course I was all, GET OUT OF THE WAY YOU WEAKLING...let a CROSSFITTER finish this job and save this man's life!

(I didn't really say that - but I definitely implied that)

(Oh and I'm just kidding Andrew. I think you are strong and sexy as hell - especially when you do things like open the jars I can't open, empty the dishwasher, or get up at 2AM with the baby so I can sleep because I have to coach at 5AM. Sexiest husband EVER)

My husband is a stud.

One of my CrossFitters saw Andrew in his underwear today at 5AM. She was on the porch busting her ass doing the WOD and said, "I just saw Andrew in his underewear."

Nothing breaks your concentration like seeing a real live Sasquatch or Sasq'watts' in his underwear...

I'm pretty sure Andrew was oblivious to all of this....

I said, "Oh yeah...my sexy beast husband? Lucky you."

Her reply, "Well he was making a bottle for Davis...so that's pretty sexy."

Me: "Yes, yes it is"

Taking care of a crying baby so I can work does wonders for Andrew....wonders I tell ya.

Alright enough about my husband.

If you want to join this Whole30 Challenge drop me a note. Day 4 and I'm feeling AWESOME!

If you want to join my "cult"....drop me a line because there aint no other cult as awesome as mine!

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

2013....Where Did You Go?

I'm BAAAACCCKKKK!!!

I know you have all been on the edge of your seats waiting for another blog post from me....and I KNOW you've been faithfully checking in every day for the past 91 days, just to see if I have something awesome and witty to share with you. 

(Yes I just pulled up my calendar and counted that out for you - 91). 

Sadly, I've been disappointing you. But hey - life is busy over here! I can hardly make time to shower.

 That's not a joke. I realized the other day it had been 3 DAYS. Gross, I know. You know you're jealous. My husband loves it. Not really. It's gross. New Years Resolution #1...Shower More.

Back to the point...91 days though - seriously? 91 DAYS?! Time has FLOWN by since I last posted in September. So many things have happened in our lives that I don't know where to begin. 

Honestly - that's one of the reasons I put it off for so long. I didn't know where to start, the beginning, the middle, the end? So many choices. So overwhelming....so I did what any good red blooded procrastinator would do. Absolutely. Nothing.

Now here I am 91 days later - facing the last few precious hours of 2013, and the thing I feel most compelled to do is BLOG. BLOG, seriously? Davis and Andrew are napping, Caden is at a friend's house....and I want to BLOG? I should be sleeping too or else I won't make it until 2014, but I felt it calling my name. 

So here I am folks. December 31, 2013.

On December 31, 2012 I had NO IDEA what a whirlwind of a year was ahead of us. I had no idea how much love, joy, stress, anxiety, sadness, and general awesomeness would be in the following year. But it was all there.

Without a doubt 2013 was UNFORGETTABLE. 

I'll spend some time catching you all up on our lives in the next few days, (New Years Resolution #2 - Blog More) - but for now I just want to take a moment to reflect on the awesomeness of 2013. 

#1: Davis McPherson Watts

  

The year started off right when this amazing stud muffin came into our lives on February 22nd.

This little dude was my hard earned prize for 40 weeks of pregnancy, 9 hours of pitocin, and a DRUG FREE VBAC. I was so proud of his beautiful birth...but that pales in comparison to how much love and joy he has brought into our lives, and how proud I am that I get to be his mommy.

He. Is. Amazing. 

This little guy is so loved by everyone. Friends, family, complete strangers...everyone loved D. He has a gift. Aside from his first 2 months where he gave everyone this face...

AKA "The Stink Eye"...he hasn't really stopped smiling. Now we purposefully try to get a bad picture of him, but every time we bring out a camera, this happens....

Can you say photogenic? I hate to toot my own horn here...but this boy clearly takes after me. Andrew turns into a tall, pale, chubby, Asian in most pictures. It's true. 

Anyways...this boy is something else. Definitely THE highlight of 2013.

#2: BAHRAIN

Let's go back to February 2013....there I am 9 months pregnant talking about our options for our next PCS with Andrew and my Mom...

Kristina: "Well, Japan and San Diego are pretty much the only places on our lists"

Andrew: "There are several jobs in both places, so we'll see, but we should get Japan, maybe San Diego"

My Mom: "What are the chances that they'll send you somewhere that ISN'T on your list?"

Andrew: "Oh, slim to none...that doesn't happen that often"

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!!!!

Fast forward a few weeks...Andrew comes home and says....

"So...yeah....what do you think of Bahrain?"

WHAT?! Bahrain?

Bahrain. 

As in

The. Middle. Freakin'. East.

Yes. Yes, that is what he meant.

So here we are. In the "Land of the Sand" - though it may be more appropriate to call it "Land of the unreal life where we have maids and live on the water and don't pay taxes."

Despite our ups and downs...we love it here. I am not going to want to move home. Ever. 

#3: Kindergarten!!!

My little boy started Kindergarten. I thought for sure I would cry as I left him in his classroom - but due to the amount of tears coming from Caden I essentially had to say,

 "Too bad...you're going - stop crying and get in there." 

and be the tough mommy. I mean, I couldn't cry WITH him, that would have been a disaster.

Can you tell he's trying SO HARD not to cry here? It was tough. 

By the end of the day he LOVED it. So I think it was just some first day jitters. 

Aside from the phase where he had an obsession with drawing penises, it's going pretty well. (No, I'm not kidding...believe me, I'll have more on that story later.)

Lucky Caden got to REPEAT his first day of Kindergarten when we got back to Bahrain. We were visiting Washington when school started so he had 2 Kindergartens! Life of a military child.

I can't believe my baby is so grown up. He's reading and writing, and making friends left and right. He is still the sweetest boy EVER and as if he could get any better....let's add

BEST BIG BROTHER EVER. 

Caden loves Davis and Davis LOVES his brother. He looks for him first thing every morning and calls him "Brov" the love flowing between them is something else. A lot of people tell me that they've never seen such a good and caring big brother. It's true. Caden is the best. As if that was every in question.

#4:  NOMAD FITNESS

  

This is the MAIN reason that I haven't really blogged since we returned to Bahrain.....

So, there aren't a lot of workout options for moms in Bahrain. Before we left for the States I started hosting some simply bodyweight WODS to see if people would even be interested in CrossFitting with me. We had about 5-10 people show interest in the first 2 weeks. After a lot of debate Andrew and I decided that I should pursue opening my own "Box" out of our villa. 

Well, if you know me - you know that once I decide to do something...I. DO. IT. 

So....Nomad Fitness was born. 

I ordered equipment, got a logo, made a rough schedule, put it out there on Facebook and prayed something good would happen. 

I

HAD

NO

IDEA

It exploded. I am so extremely blessed. Nomad has attracted the most awesome group of athletes. About 35 of them to be exact. That may not seem like a lot to you guys...but let me just say, that's my MAX. When we designed Nomad we thought, "let's just aim for 10 athletes...maybe 20 by the end of the year...30 by next October"  Hahah...I went from none to about 25 in a heartbeat. 

Here are some of us after our Turkey Day WOD!

I am proud to say that I have wait lists for my 5AM and 5PM classes, and after I put 4 people through Fundamentals this Saturday I will not really have any more space at all. Like totally booked. No. More. People. I can't handle anymore. I am only one person after all. 

The best part of all...my athletes are SEEING AMAZING RESULTS. 

People who hated running are running 5Ks in under 30 minutes (yes that's you Megan)...

others are getting their first overhead squats after years of trying...

others are getting unassisted pull ups and "real" push ups...

others are losing inches and body fat and weight...

the list goes on and on. 

These people have no idea how much they have enriched my life. I am so lucky. 

Oh, and we are doing a box-wide Whole30 in January. Let the fun begin!!!

The happy juice is flowing at Nomad....love, love, love my little business.

#5: My Dear Sweet Grandma...

Well, not everything can be all rainbows and sunshine. My dear sweet wonderful Grandma, Betty Jean Squire, passed away in November. 

I have no words for what she meant to me and for how I am still struggling to accept that this has happened. I am SO SO SO thankful that I got to see her one last time while I was home. She was so much more than a grandma. She was so feisty and loving and rotten and awesome. 

My unforgettable Grandma. There will be a post for her later - I still can't really handle it. It's so surreal here. Since I'm not in Belfair, faced with it every day, I can conveniently forget it happened. Then BAM I remember and the tears start flowing. Yesterday I got a package in the mail from my mom - it was some of my Grandma's things...they smell like her still. It aches to think about it. 

I am just so lucky to have loved her so very much. I can only hope to mean as much to my grandchildren someday. 

This woman is unforgettable. 

#6: WE SURVIVED!!!

I can't end my final blog post of the year on a sad note....that would be a total downer. So I'm going to end 2013 on a very positive note...WE SURVIVED!!!

We Survived: 

Having a Newborn

Moving Around the World

Breastfeeding

Ramadan

Our First Whole 30

127 Degree Weather and HUMIDITY

Learning to Drive on the Crazy Bahraini Roads

Another Trip Around the World to Visit Home

Visiting Home

A Wedding

Funerals

Teething

Coaching CrossFit and not being able to move for a few weeks from soreness

A Bahraini RAINSTORM (it was like the world was ending!)

A fridge full of rotten rancid meat...who doesn't love that?

Andrew leaving for 4 exercises

Being apart for my birthday, Mothers Day, Andrew's Birthday, our 1st Anniversary

Hosting Christmas for 20 people!

A foot injury

4 mice in our kitchen

A cray cray maid...

The list goes on and on and on...

2013 has been an INSANE year. Crazy insane.

I can only hope 2014 is a little calmer but just as awesome.

I mean...look at my family! How can we NOT dominate another year?!

Adorabe, right? I'm one lucky mama.

So Good Riddance 2013

DEAR 2014,

BRING. IT. ON.

Love, Me

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...

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....

"Mommy, this is NOT a good day for you, is it?"

It feels like FOREVER since my last post and I have to admit...I missed it. 

This blog is like my new addiction. I guess as far as addictions go this is way better than something like drugs, or alcohol, or Oreos. 

We have had a crazy busy and but insanely wonderful past few days. So much has happened, it's not possible to put it all in one post. So I'll just break it up a bit. Believe me, there were WAY too many shit show stories to put in one post. I swear, I am a walking disaster anymore. 

In my quest to throw a great 4th of July BBQ (or 'cookout' as my husband calls it - so weird) I went to 4 different grocery stores! That's right 4 DIFFERENT GROCERY STORES. 

One grocery store is enough of an adventure in this heat with two kids...but I had to really outdo myself and go to 4. 

Yep, that's life in Bahrain. 

I would do just about anything for a Safeway or Giant or Costco right about now! Not to mention what I would do for a Trader Joe's or a Whole Foods. It's sinful, the things I would do. 

There are a handful of different grocery stores here and they all have their pluses and minuses. So to make a specific dish you will most likely end up at several different stores, and you will pay a fortune. It's a good thing you save so much money on gas because you need it to be able to afford food here. (Yep...I have still only spent $15 on gas in the past 3 weeks! Take THAT America!)

I was able to get almost everything for our BBQ. Though it about cost me my sanity and an entire paycheck. 

The Exchange on base has some staples - but the selection is VERY small and the prices are still insane. Do you know what it cost for a half gallon of Organic Milk??? $10!!!!! Insane. And you can't always count on them to have basics like boneless skinless chicken breast. I can't live without that stuff. 

So, after getting what we could at the NEX (Navy Exchange for my non-military readers) I decided to venture WAY out there (8 miles away) to visit GEANT. I had heard that this store was kind of like a Target and a big grocery store all in one and NEEDED to check it out. 

My friend Jessica and I decided to take on this adventure together. So we put GEANT in our GPS and headed out. I guess technically GEANT is in the beginning of the 'Red Zone' AKA that 'we are not allowed to go there zone' but it was completely fine. 

Not only was it fine...it was AMAZING!!!! 

Okay, the grocery selection was amazing. My experience was probably one of my biggest shit shows so far. 

First of all, GEANT is located inside of one of Bahrain's many many malls. So before we went in I decided to be a good mom and get Caden some fresh squeezed orange juice from Starbucks. Well, I ALSO needed Caden to push Davis in his stroller so I could handle the grocery cart. So I ended up placing his orange juice in the bottom of the cart. Well....as I was picking up a new mop for our maid, I plopped it in our cart and SPLASH...orange juice everywhere. 

I imagine that would be what it's like to have your water break in the middle of a store. That was my first thought randomly...did my water just break?! What was that?! Umm..no I'm clearly not pregnant, so this was a totally irrational thought, but I thought it. 

Nope, it was Caden's fresh squeezed orange juice, all over the ground. 

As Jessica put it, "At least we are in the mop aisle" Of course it wasn't an aisle that we were alone in. There were a bunch of other people there to witness my accident. 

Here's Caden cleaning up my mess. 

Just joking, I didn't really make him clean it. By the way...I'm buying a NEW mop because my maid came downstairs and angrily declared, "Madam...I HATE your mop!" I was instructed to buy a new one before she returned. So yes ma'am...here is your new mop. 

Not long after the Great Spill I realized that my shoe felt extremely funny, so I looked at the bottom of it and realized that the heel of my cute new flip flops was breaking off. 

Great...one more thing to worry about, so from then on I kind of slide/stepped my way through the grocery store trying not to make it any worse.

About 5 minutes after the shoe discovery I realized that my new Old Navy linen-cotton blend pants were GROWING. They kept getting bigger and bigger and bigger. 

By the end of the shopping trip I swear I was tucking the waistline up under my bra to try and keep them up. Okay, maybe it wasn't THAT bad...but they are about 2 feet too long and the crotch of them was at my knees.

So imagine, me pushing D in his stroller, slide/stepping behind it trying to keep my pants up and my shoe from breaking while also trying to pull my grocery cart. 

I. Was. A. Mess. 

(Seriously - I can't make this stuff up. This is my real life.)

It got to the point that Caden looked at me and said, "Mommy, this s NOT a good day for you, is it?" 

Poor Caden. He must be so embarrassed by me. Then again...NOT poor Caden. Poor Mommy - guess who once again decided he had to use the potty for #2 in the MIDDLE of our grocery shopping?! AGAIN! What is it with his timing? 

Anyways - while I clumsily made my way through the store Jessica looked effortless wearing her sweet baby in her Baby Bjorn carrier while I schlepped along behind her. Some girls have all the luck. 

We went down nearly every aisle and kept saying, "OH MY GOD!!! They have ______"

Chobani Greek Yogurt

Ezekiel Pasta

Aminos ? I don't know but Jessica was excited...

Daisy Sour Cream

Organic Valley Cage Free Eggs!!!! ($8 for a dozen, but I totally bought them!)

The list goes on and on. 

It was awesome. Almost as awesome as when Jessica pointed out the American Flags to me. I was pretty oblivious at this point, clearly I was just trying to keep my pants up. 

Apparently, GEANT puts American Flags on all of the American products. I just thought they had some 4th of July spirit going on. It was so cool though. 

This wasn't just ANY old cheese aisle!

GEANT is definitely our favorite new grocery store and I can't wait to go back, even though I looked like a total disaster walking through it. 

Oh, and by the way....my slide stepping wasn't working very well. By the end of our shopping trip the heel had totally ripped off of my sandal, and it was flapping away behind me as I walked. Good thing my pants were SO LONG they pretty much hid everything. 

However, you couldn't miss the fact that to get through the parking garage to my car I now had to "Pony Step" to keep my shoe on. Yep, every step with my right foot I had to pick up my leg like a pony or high-knee before putting it back down again. 

I'm going to start a new trend. 

THE shoe. So sad, these were my favorites.....

All in all, it was a success...an EXPENSIVE success, but still a success. 

By the way, I couldn't figure out HOW I had spent so much money at the grocery store....then I saw it. 

BROCCOLI!!

As I started to prep the broccoli for our delicious salad I realized that I paid over 10 Dinar on broccoli alone. That's almost $30 on broccoli!!! Seriously. Insane. 

Good thing everyone LOVED the broccoli salad - or else I would have been super sad. 

Note to self: Find Cheaper Broccoli!!!

I'm not kidding though, groceries are going to be our biggest expense while here. I can' hardly believe it. Not  just expensive but totally inconvenient. After our marathon GEANT shopping trip I still had to go to Al Jazira for pickles (the only place I've found with good pickles) and Alosra for decent lettuce and white onions. No ONE store has everything you need. Heck,  I would settle for 2 stores. I'm just hoping things go smoother once I figure out where all of the good ingredients are (plus maybe next time I'll have pants that fit and shoes that aren't broken). 

OH....and THEN I thought, "I would love to have some fresh flowers out in our new house" I saw these beauties at Alosra and was about to buy them...

Yeah...that price tag...it says $20 Dinar. That's over $50!!!! For 4 hydrangeas...they are FREE out of my mom's garden back home. You've got to be kidding me?! $50. No need for fresh flowers here.

Despite my usual mommy shit show, our 4th of July BBQ was wonderful. We had a ton of food, and a pretty good turnout. It feels wonderful to be making some good friends. I still have to admit, I was definitely sad when I went online on the 5th and saw everyone's 4th of July posts. 

I can't wait for next year....but hey, this little guy had a GREAT 1st 4th of July. Somehow this is the ONLY picture I took all day. 

His cuteness makes it all better. At least I have my boys. 

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