Keep Calm & Paddle On

May 30, 2016

Truth be told, I kind of hate these, “Keep Calm & _____” fill in the blank posters that were going around Facebook last year, but when looking back on our trip the sentiment was just about perfect and I couldn’t think of a better title for our trip report!

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Pre-Day Friday May 20:

Technically, this is pre-entry date, so I will call it pre-day. My husband took the day off, we shuttled the kid off to school for half a morning, and I did some final work for my employer before “shuffling off to buffalo“. We blazed out of the Twin Cities around noon on Friday the 20th and began our 3.5 hour journey up to Ely, MN. Saw lots of “Flying Moose” stickers on cars, and swung into Spirit of the Wilderness to talk with Steve! His enthusiasm is always infectious!

Realized we forgot the kennel so my dreams for eating at Insula that night were completely dashed since we didn’t trust our dogs in the Bunkhouse by themselves. To say I was not disappointed would be a lie, but decided to eat on the patio deck at the Chocolate Moose and the dogs could be just off the deck next to us. The food was alright. I had Thai Lettuce Wraps trying to be GF still. Husband had a burger, and MiniMN had a hot dog. The wine was lovely on the deck along with the pleasantly warm weather, which really elevated the place and experience.

The waitress even gave us some water bowls for the dogs! A nice touch indeed.

After dinner I convinced Mr.MN to head out to Kawishiwi Falls for a night hike. We brought the fishing stuff with us, but had no luck. The waterfall was bursting with water, and my heart was set in the right spot.

It was very hot out. Unfortunately we packed a lot of long sleeves, and pants, but I did have a tank top on – so I wore that most of the night, and now I think I actually have a sunburn! ha.

Later on I talked with Lynn at VNO. She has to be one of the nicest ladies I’ve ever encountered. She gave us lots of great tips, and recommended the longer 40 rod portage from Upper to Lower Pauness. She also practically assured us we’d hear wolves howling in the area. This terrified me, but I knew they don’t eat humans… 😉

The dogs slept like rocks,and I was kept awake by bunkhouse neighbors who were all excited for what laid ahead of them on their trip. Around 11pm there was a stampeede of people upstairs of us. It was highly annoying, but I knew that VNO was housing several Hot Shots for the Foss/Crab Lake fire – so I tried not to be too mad.

Saturday May 21 – Day 1:
I’m no dummy, I know the Spirit of the Lord is everywhere, but oh how I feel it so much stronger in these pine stands, balsam, granite outcroppings, and tannic waters. A combination of no cell service – so the phone goes instantly into airplane mode to conserve batteries, and Gods amazing creation so immersed in your every being its hard to not recognize the Spirit of the Lord directly in front of you.

We had a quick and easy breakfast in the car this time of cereal bars, coffee from the gas station, and donuts, and blazed up the Echo Trail. We passed by the Mudro access and I remembered fondly our trip last year. This time we had a much longer treck up the Echo Trail to the Little Indian Sioux River – North.

I thought of my bwca.com friend Kanoes. He died suddenly in his sleep at the age of 57. I thought how weird life is. How we’re here one minute, and just like water flowing over the rocks with rapids – gone the next. I couldn’t help but think about my dad dying suddenly at 64.

Tomorrow is not guaranteed, but today I get to witness creation in the flesh.

Told Mr.MN about this trip report I head read on bwca.com and how they had forgotten their paddles and life jackets had to drive all the way back to Ely! We both agreed that would be maddening!

Got unloaded quite a bit quicker than last year despite having more things. The morning was a little chilly, and realize I had forgotten a regular coat for MiniMN but had an extra coat myself – so I gave her that, and it wasn’t too too big.

Saw another van pull in of 3 soloists. Suddenly heard a loud F bomb. Followed quickly by several more F bombs…. Apparently they too had mis-matched solo paddles and had to drive all the way back to Ely!! I would be irate.

Grabbed the Frost River pack and headed down to the river. This FR pack is decidedly not fun to carry. Its heavy, and my pots and stove are gouging my back. The dog is pulling me on the leash, despite having the gentle leader, and he keeps stoping to try to shake it off. I’m already annoyed and we’re not even on the river yet.

Paddle up the LIS is a nice, quiet, meandering river .Saw lots of Red Wing Blackbirdsd and a pair of Trumpeter Swans. Settled in and my mood brightened!

Saw the Elm Portage clear across the river. The entry for it was very obvious. Walked the first treck over and Crosby is constantly pulling on the leash ripping my arm off or stops abruptly as we’re going downhill.

We are double portaging this time, which I wasn’t too excited about, but everyone assured me, the walk back is usually pretty nice.

Saw a man on the portage, Crosby stared at him incredulously. I noticed this, but thought the man seemed really nice so I wasn’t sure why in the world he was so freaked out. Suddenly, Crosby bolted backwards nearly tearing my arm or dislocating my shoulder in the process. Now my mood is soured again.

Grab my CCS pack, which is decidedly more comfortable, but all that it has in it is clothes, and sleeping bags etc, so its a treat to portage. Crosby continues to be a pain on this portage, and I ended up having a bloody nose on the portage. Of course I don’t have a kleenex on me, and the last thing I’m going to do is wipe my nose on my sleeve.

So I try to tip my face upward and keep it in. The waterfall on Elm portage is gorgeous and stunning. Trying to look on the bright side of things.

At end of Elm portage we were met by couple of guys daytripping that told us about the shorter portage to LP and some beaver dams ahead that we have to strong arm across.

We decide, even if we have to tripple portage, the shorter portage was the way to go. I hadn’t really researched this one, so I didn’t know if the portage was on the right or the left. They both looked plausable, but we chose the left. We hiked up a steep hill and at the top saw a campsite that was unoccupied. The treck back down to the lake was like a billy goat portage! Short, but really steep. I kept Crosby on a short leash, and we all did okay. We didn’t have MiniMN portage anything on this one, since it was technically difficult.

The paddle through Lower Pauness was pleasant. Saw a husband/wife that were camped at the lower site just north of the short portage. It looked nice, and they gave us a wave.

Began looking for Shell portage on our right. The guys we met on the Elm Portage said it was a sandy landing, but kind of tucked behind some trees. We didn’t see it. Kept consulting the map, but didn’t see anything that resembled the portage.

Someone had a red canoe and we found it! Praise Jesus! Thank you Red Canoe man for helping us spot the portage!

This portage was beastly. The entrance was a total muck field. Lost of people on it, so we all shared glances of misery and “oh yay – downhill now” commentaries. We passed the Sioux Hustler Trail (SHT) and MiniMN announced how badly she had to go to the bathroom. Her and I hiked down the SHT a bit and took an off trail potty break.

Finally came to the Beaver pond very annoying. Second part was nice but longer than I thought.

Guys from the parking lot (that had to drive all the way back to Ely) caught us. WTF. Made me feel like we are the slowest people in the world, but they don’t have two dogs and a kid with them right? 😉 One of the guys were impressed with MiniMN as she did the 220 rod portage and stoked her up a little bit. He then asked how much longer and I said just over the hill….

Mr.MN went back for last pack & I rewarded K with Thin Mints.

Shell is a beautiful lake. Lots of people were paddling around, and we decided to try and make it to Lynx.

Passed between Con Island and the smaller island and made our way East. Consulted the map but didn’t know exactly which way to go. Suddenly this floating rock appeared and I knew after watching all of the SHUG videos that this was the way to go. It was now referred to as the Shug Rock.

Just to the left of this rock you come to a little bay with a campsite, and the portage is directly at the end of the bay. We saw a group camped there of 6 in Hawaiian shirts, swimming having fun. They paddled out to the glacier rock and were jumping into the lake. They said it was slightly warmer than Lake Superior.

Found the Little shell portage easily. The portage itself is not hard, and probably our favorite. This would be the last portage we’d have to do before arriving at our camp on Lynx.

Passed the Sioux Hustler Trail again on this portage.

Little Shell is beautiful! Very clear water. Would consider camping on this lake in the future. The pathway was open to paddle to Lynx so we didn’t have to do the 4 rod portage. Took the lower east campsite after knowing it had good reviews. Lots of folks said it was a beach site, but I’m not sure what “beach” they were talking about. Slight sandy bottom so maybe that’s what people were talking about? Sprawling multi-level site with a grand view of the lake. Fished a bit off shore, drank 2 gallons of water.

We made the mistake of not having full water bottles and were practically dying of thirst. Definitely were dehydrated. Saw a crayfish swimming right by our boat landing.

Got things set up lazily, and found the toilet. This one had no lid, but there was a nice tree next to it to bungee our toilet paper to.

For the size of this site, there was really not many level root free tent pads available, but it would more than do for our family of three.

Entertainment for kiddos in the northwoods:

Eventually decided to get dinner out. Tonight was supposed to be Steak, baby red potatoes, and asparagus. Opened the stuff sack and dinner was an absolute mess. Potatoes and asparagus were dripping in blood, our lemon for fish was burst open, and ruined. The steak bled over everything. I’ll never do this again. I was very parinoid, but we got things cleaned up, or burned some of our food. It was sad. Had just steak for dinner.

I definitely want heliniox chairs, or some kind of chair option.

Compared to last year’s trip, the bugs are horrible! These little black flies are mean. They land on you and bite you!

We are the only ones on Lynx from what we can tell which is odd for the size of the lake.

After we got our steak mess cleaned up, we went to hang the rest of our food. Couldn’t find any good places to hang our bag. MiniMN had an idea so we let her try to help us find a tree. Had to walk 1/4 mile away from camp, but alas, this would do. Now I want URSACK bags too with odor proof stuff sacks so we don’t have to worry about hanging our food.

Enjoyed our fire and the sunset. Even at dusk it was still hot out.

Mr.MN leaned into me…. “What does it do for you…tripping in the BWCA?” One look over the lake said it all. Part of it is the planning which I absolutely love, and part of it is the challenge and learning to overcome. Not having any cell phone service, and relying on what is right in front of you. Plus it is so darn quiet.

After we had enough of the night sky, we retreated to our tent. MiniMN begged us to play yatzhee, so we did. Mr.MN won.

Head lamps went off, and the wheels started turning. Suddenly looked around the perimiter of our tent and began worrying about bears and wild life. Dreamed a pack of Lynx (who are solitary animals) would tear into the tent as well.

Tossed/turned in my 5 degree bag. Definitely too hot for this trip. I was in a full body sweat around midnight/1am as the full moon rose across tent.

A nearby Loon couple was going absolutely berserk in the moonlight for over 20 minutes. Prayed I wouldn’t hear any howling wolves, and drifted off to sleep.

Sunday May 22 – Day 2:

Woke up to a quiet world. Sadie snuggling MiniMN in a deep sleep.

Arose to no Mr.MN. I climbed out of the tent and looked around. He must be out fishing. Wrote in my journal on the rocks. MiniMN really sleeping in. About 45 minutes later spotted Mr.MN by the Little Shell portage/path fishing in peace.

It was a quiet beautiful morning on Lynx.

I was in much better spirits today.

Didn’t want to leave camp to get the food bag and have MiniMN to awake to nobody in camp, so I waited. She finally woke up, we got bag down from tree to get breakfast. Hot Cocoa/Coffee/Oatmeal. It was good. Instead of the regular Instant Quaker Oats we did last year, I made up these packs from this website. I even added raw almonds to mine which gave it a nice crunch.

Here is a quick video from the perspective of a child in the BWCA:

Cleaned camp. Went fishing in E. Bay just north of the southern campsite. Forgot our anchor bags, so we paddled back to camp get them as there was a nice breeze on the lake. Thanks Ducks for the tip! Works wonderfully!

Fished nearly the whole bay with all that we had, topwater, spoons, Gulp on bobbers, nothing. Had a snack in canoe, and just sat for a while and enjoyed each others company.

We were going to fish the west side of lynx but the wind was getting so bad, and the dogs were growing restless, so we decided to head back to camp and make up Mac & Cheese. Relaxed under my CCS tarp & listened to pair of loons romance each other and MiniMN entertain herself. She was talking to her imaginary friends and pretending she was a singer song writer at a book store. She announced to everyone said she had to sing about “The Strawberry Patch” because her manager already promoted the song…then said, “alright everyone, will you help me sing this next song?” and proceeded to make up some words to the Strawberry Patch song. MR.MN took our rainfly off the tent and took a nap in there, and the dogs were splattered about camp in a mid-afternoon slumber.

I studied the map for a bit to see about possible ideas for moving or day trips. Definitely want to eat a little more before we move to lighten the load. Maybe Tuesday…. We will discuss once Mr.MN wakes up. The girl and I try fishing off shore and not a bite.

Mr.MN wakes up, we discuss going out to Lake Agawato for some SMB fishing. The water is still way too whipped up to go anywhere so we decide to prepare dinner which is Tacos tonight. We get to lighten the load of jalapeños and onions at least. We make the tacos, which was freeze dried chicken & Trader Joes seasoning. One bite & MiniMN’s mouth is on fire! We had never used TJs taco seasoning before and it was hot hot hot.

Luckily I packed extra freeze dried chicken and its super easy to reconstitute. I could just kick myself for trying something new in the boundary waters.

The wind settles down so I go to get some water & check out the portage to Lake Agawato. I sat backwards in the bow seat and paddled to the middle of the bay – but man I got hit by the wind at the front of my canoe and started swinging and came dangerously close to tipping.

I paddled & dug deep with all my might. Finally scooped up some water & abandoned checking out the portage. Kept trying to get to camp, but I could not get back to the landing so I shouted for MiniMN to get Dad… he comes to shore with a puzzled look and says, what do you want me to do and I say I don’t know but I’m getting blown all over the place.

Eventually a small path away from camp before some huge boulders I spot a landing & dig. Mr. & Mini run over and got me safe. Mr. paddled back to the real landing just fine.

We will defnitely want to wait until aflter dinner to go anywhere.

Later after didnner the lake was like glass. A strong contrast to the whipping waters of earlier.

We paddled south from our campsite all along to the western shore of Lynx .We tried wounded minnow, spinners, fishin’ off the bottom & fishing with a bobber and not a single bite! A gorgeous sunset was painted on the night sky!

The dogs were getting restless which interrupted the peace however. Once we got back we had a roaring fire as the moon rose. Went down to the boat landing and went hunting for crayfish. Saw frogs, toads and a wolf spider. That sucker was HUGE! Eventually fell asleep. Sadie (Our Jack Russell Terrier) was snuggled in with MiniMN in her sleeping bag, laying on her back and snoring logs!

Monday May 23 – Day 3:

Arose to the sound of the wind and the sweet elixer of sleep tempted me to rest longer, but once I’m awake I find it tricky to fall back to sleep. Across the lake the sky fell grey and threatened our chance of moving. Mr.MN wanted to stay put, but we were giving this lake all that we had without even a nibble. The clouds blew north and Mr.MN made the announcement, “Pack this shit up – lets move.”.

We got camp busted down & ready to go in 1.5 hours and we were off. The wind had really picked up and we were paddling directly into the wind. Like my friend Canoearoo said of her biggest pet-peves, no being a fake paddler today! We were digging hard but made it over to Little Shell unscathed. We found the portage and made it over. Shell looked pretty darn wavy but no whitecaps we were hoping and praying one of the Con Island sites were available but nobody else was paddling today so we weren’t too hopeful.

As we rounded the corner near the glacier erratic to the right towards Con Island our hearts sank as we saw the south site was taken. Almost assuredly the north site would be taken as well since that’s often noted the best site on the lake.

The waves really kicked in and soon we were paddling white caps! I prayed so hard to make land safe and thought how dumb it was to move at that moment. Father keep us safe. Do not let us tip and oh Lord let one of the other two island sites be open or we have a strong paddle into the wind and waves.

Phew, the middle site was free – in a pinch we could stay there, but it didn’t look very nice. As we paddled north, I prayed fervently the north site wouldn’t be taken. I kept expecting to see a tarp or tent, but never did. We docked the canoe to get a look & I jumped ashore to ensure it really was free and sure enough, it was ours for the taking! PTL Thank you Jesus! Its free! its ours!

The site was gorgeous and tucked back into a little cove making the lake feel small.

We got set up.

After some searching found the toilet, which the FS really needs to address as it is almost full. At least to ground level!

Lunch, was summer sausage, nuts & cheese, but we were still hungry so I made up some Cous Cous & Vegetables with soy sauce. That hit the spot!

Fished from shore and saw a whole nest of frog eggs in the water!

The water on Shell is dirty and more tannic, but not as much as I expected.

A lovely bench seat by the fire

Saw a few wrapapers of tootsie rolls/tea bags by the fire, so that lost a little of its magic. Packed them up in our own garbage bag.

Under the bench we found matches & cigars which Mr.MN helped himself to.

Got our tarp hung beautifully over old an log.

It was much cooler today but still in tank top. I’m noticing that I’m getting sunburned I look like I spent a week in Mexico instead of the Northwoods of Minnesota.

Saw storm clouds rolling in to the west so we decided we better get dinner going. Pad Thai. It was very good!

Got in a panic trying to find a tree as the storm pushed in Con Island N has zero trees for bags. The rain came in huge drops, just as we finished and darted for the tarp as we watched the rain pour down.

Decidedly at this point in our lives 6-7 day trips aren’t for us. We think a 4 day or 4 night trip is about perfect and will plan for that in the future. After the storm passes we get out in canoe & fish the ^ shoreline near Heritage. Crosby lost his balance sitting up in the canoe, and almost tipped us over. Hearts are pumping.

MiniMN is working on casting lures and has a spoon she likes casting.

The lake was like glass. Jason gets a huge fat northern,but I can’t figure out the net so it gets away! I did get a video on the GoPro though.

We came back to camp & got a fire roaring. We tell stories about Elanore the man who sells coconuts…. as we grow tired.

We cozied up in the tent and fell fast asleep.

Tuesday May 24 – Day 4:

Felt like we really slept in today. Mr. MN woke up with a horrible headache, and burning eyes. Took some advil and slowly felt better.

Crosby ran off into the woods, and had to hike around looking for him. Trip has been stressful and not too relaxing with him. He is officially uninvited from future trips. His food is heavy, pulls on the leash too much, running off, restless in canoe.

Try to hike the trails on the island with Sadie, but they all peter out. We have a lazy morning to try and recapture our spirits.

We decide to cut our trip short and leave tomorrow to meet up with our friends and family for dispersed camping in the Chippewa National Forest. (CNF)

I definitely want to hit up Heritage Lake before we leave though and on our way out tomorrow I want to see Devils Cascade.

Portaged into Heritage. Portage was pretty flat, rocky in some spots. Landing kind of tricky. Muddy, but not too bad. 3/10. Heritage lake is beautiful. One of the most beautiful lakes I’ve seen. Fished like heck with NOTHING. Storm clouds rolled in and we headed back to camp.

Noted some guys fishing on Peninsula next to our campsite. Said they’ve been skunked on the fishing too.

Read BWJ under the tarp and watched the rain fall. Garbanzo Bean size hail. The CCS tarp held up like champ though.

Had Mac & Cheese for lunch. Sorted out our dinners/food bags for CNF.

More relaxing around the tent & look at maps & plan future trips. Definitely want to plan shorter trips, and less portaging. Snowbank to Parent & Disappointment, or Little Gabro to Gabro to base all look like good options, but also really looking forward to going to the Gunflint, or Sawbill.

Got everything packed for the hike/paddle out. Everything loaded into Frost River Pack much smarter and it is so much more comfortable now without my pots & stove gouging my lower back. Dare I even say I really like this pack now!

Had Tuna Alfredo Parmesan with Frenches Fried Onions. Thought of Kanoes from bwca.com as it was his tip to make this and was one of his favorites.

Head to the tent and play 2 games of yahtzee. I got 222 on the first round, and MiniMN got 307 with a bonus Yahtzee on round 2.

Alarm is set for 5:30 a.m. for an early morning break down since we want to make a quick pitstop to Devils Cascade on the way out.

I’m excited to get to the 220 rod beast portage out of the way right away! After that we’ll do the 40 rod to Upper Pauness, and back down the LIS to the car where I have an entire roll of Thin Mints waiting for us as a reward!

Wednesday May 25 – Day 5:

Alarm goes off and everyone wants to stay asleep. I read the Falls Chain article in the Spring 2016 issue of BWJ while I wait for my family to arise.

After I finish reading I woke them up and we got on the water by 7:30 a.m.

The paddle to Shell was uneventful. We didn’t have the strong waters, but there was a light breeze.

The portage sucked as bad as ever. Its very very muddy on both ends, and the beaver dam is damn annoying. MiniMN had a positive attitude on it, and carried her pack, and the Thwart Bag/Map Case across.

We swung to the right to check out Devils Cascade. We could hear the rushing water, but the landing was very obvious. The landing was a beautiful sandy beach landing, which was nice. We pulled everything up on shore, and left lots of room for others if they were going to be arriving or taking out.

The hike/portage was very well maintained and had a few ups and downs. Maybe because we weren’t carying anything I thought it was pretty easy. We hiked to the campsite that over looks the cascade and the rest of the LIS to the North. It was a gorgeous campsite, but had a severe drop off which would make me nervous with exploratory dogs and kids.

Back to the canoe we went. The peninsula campsite was occupied but looked very nice on Lower Pauness. It had a great view, and just across was another campsite. It didn’t look too special, but would do if you needed to.

We found the portage over to Upper Pauness and it looked steeper than my notes had made it sound. It really wans’t bad though, and we were across in no time. Rocky on both sides. We were exited to get paddling for a little while instead of portaging.

As we came towards the Little Indian Sioux River though the wind picked up from the south, and the current seemed much stronger than before. We paddled like the dickens, and within 15 minutes I thought my arms were going to fall right off.

We paddled with all of our might over the beaver dams, and only rubbed the bottom on one once.

The wind picked up and we were digging! The way the sun was shining on the river though we missed a big submerged boulder and before we knew it we were stuck right over the top of it like a teeter totter! I prayed so hard that the dogs, and kiddo would be calm….. keep calm I kept thinking, keep calm. Slow, and calculated movements were key. The river was about 10 feet deep in this location, and we could not push off the rock which as best we could surmise – was right below the bow seat.

We had MiniMN move to the packs behind her seat, and tried to carefully wiggle backwards… nothing. Finally, I too moved on the packs behind me and we gently wiggled backwards, and we were FREE!!!!!!

I was never so thankful in all of my life.

I was actually happy to see the Elm Portage so I could give my sad arms a rest. The portage was met with happy spirits, and we commented that Elm Falls looked like Root Beer bursting over the brink!

Back into the canoe we went, but I knew there weren’t rocks south of Elm Portage that we had to be concerned about. The wind settled some, but it was still a paddle. Finally as we came close to the LIS entry portage the wind died, and the river was glass. Figures.

We hauled everything up to the car, and left the Little Indian Siox River behind us.

Got a shower at VNO which felt like royal spa treatment,and loaded up on some groceries for the CNF.

Post:

Spent the next 5 days over in the CNF with our family and friends. Caught lots of crappie, sunnies, and LMB on topewater lures. It almost wasn’t fair how much fish we were catching.

We enjoyed our time with them, but we were also excited to get home. Sunday we finally crawled into our own beds. I was never so thankful to get off my Exped, and see running water!

Sunday night, I booked our BWCAW trip #2 of this season! We’ll head up to the Lizz | Swamp entry point, and basecamp on Caribou Lake, taking day trips into Horseshoe, and Vista. All of the portages are short, and easy, and it should only take us 2 hours or so to get to our campsite.

Looking on the horizon to the next trip!

Linds

Living the Paleo Dream

May 10, 2016

Hey Guys,

Now that I’ve officially finished my Whole30 its time to re-introduce some of those foods to:

a.) see if it has any effect on me
b.) loosen the reigns a little bit.

I really wanted to give this section its due honor and not kick off my heels to much. I wanted to take each food group I spent the last month avoiding and evaluate it slowly. So that’s what I did over the past 10 days. Here are the categories, and how they affected me.

Wine:
As a glass + of wine per night girl, I was excited to jump back into a world of wine… My first wine back I had a Pinot Nior by Erath and it was DELICIOUS! A sleep disturbance was definitely noticed. After just one glass of wine I was BUZZIN’! I also had a bad headache and felt crappy. Over the next week and half I enjoyed more wine on the weekends, and while I can say, I enjoy wine… I can also honestly say I no longer WANT wine every day… Definitely part sugar, and part alcohol, this “food group” did a number on me, and this is why I’m limiting my wine consumption to just Friday-Saturday or special occasions! In some ways I felt like I was breaking up with wine, but we can still hang out… just on a limited basis… which is what I would want anyways. I was very shocked that I could no longer “handle” my wine – even after abstaining for 9 months while pregnant with my daughter – after just 30 days I really experienced a major tolerance set back.. but I did some serious changes within my system detoxing of sugar, and my body definitely took notice. With that almost assuredly adding to (gulp) slightly tighter pants, and general feeling of sluggishness, brain fog etc, I do not want to affect my daily life anymore!

Additives:
Additives with too much sugar are definitely impacting my sleep. While I feel I can loosen the reigns a little bit with this one, its best to avoid when I can, and purchase (sugar free) when available… but I don’t think I’ll make homemade ketchup anymore. (Though I did find an amazing avocado mayo that is to die for!)

Peanut Butter | Legumes:
I enjoyed some PB with some apples, and tried some beans. The PB tasted creamy and almost chocolaty. I made a bean salad and noticed that I felt extremely full (uncomfortably so) after eating these. For this reason, I will skip beans in the future. On occasion I may have some peanut butter, but since I really do love my apples and almond butter it won’t be a common indulgence.

Non-Gluten Grains:
– CORN: Finally – Taco Tuesday with the taco shell! But an hour or two after dinner I had knots in my tummy that didn’t feel good. Several days later I had a corn shell tortilla with no ill effect, so perhaps I will just limit them. I’m in the process of deciding to NOT do Tacos every Tuesday anymore!

– QUIONA:
I hit this one with dairy for Sunday night homemade pizzas! Read below in my dairy response! Seemingly went alright!

Dairy: Had some homemade pizza on a quiona crust and I didn’t notice any side effects. I did end up with a bloody nose though later that night. Coincidence? I’ll have to play around occasionally with this one some more.

Gluten:
Dun-Dun-Dun – oh the “dreaded” gluten! I wasn’t even going to add this one back based off several symptoms that have mysteriously disappeared over the past 40 days – that haven’t returned with adding in dairy, non-gluten grains, sugar etc I’m convinced now, more than ever that gluten was definitely a culprit to several of these symptoms! I won’t bore you with all of the details, but here are a few…

Daily nosebleeds
Keratosis Pilaris (which has gotten significantly better)
Iron-Deficiency anemia
Reflux
Dental issues, including canker sores
Extreme fatigue
Brain Fog (I would be in the middle of a sentence and forget what I was saying)
Scary dizzy spells
Dry Hair

Okay – that last one seems silly, but my hair was always extremely dry! I didn’t even realize this was abnormal until I went gluten free for 40 + days! So one of our planned meals out in the BWCA will have gluten in it… so I decided to jump back into gluten to make sure I didn’t have any ill effects…. no lie. Within 30-40 minutes I had searing pain in my neck and shoulder blades. Did a google search and found this, and this, and this,and this!

Now, I’m not claiming to be celiac, or even say I’m “gluten intolerant” at all – I haven’t had any tests done, or gone to the doctor whatsoever besides a 40 day elimination diet, and betterment of my Keratosis Pilaris which has plagued me for my entire life, no more dizziness or reflux, no canker sores, more energy and no shoulder/neck pain (that almost hurts with breathing) and then suddenly blearing shoulder/neck pain, bloating and complete brain fog? I’m not sayin’ – I’m just saying I think I can break up with the gluten.

The opposite of Addle’s Hello.

Goodbye Gluten….Its no longer me…..

They say that time’s supposed to heal yah – and I have DONE some healin’.

Sweets & Treats: I didn’t really hit this as hard as I thought I would. After loosing some weight, and returning to pre-baby weight, and a noticeably smaller tummy – I just don’t want to go back! With that said… an indulgence here and there (not daily) is something I don’t want to have handcuffs on for the rest of my life though. I’m glad to know I can exercise self control in this department!

Friday the 6th I had my first dabble in a pure sugary treat which was a mini s’more on a gluten free graham cracker. The marshmallow sent me in to sugar overdrive and I felt like I was going to puke! Haha. It was delicious though. This will definitely help with a “one bite” is enough. I guess technically with the milk chocolate I had dairy but didn’t notice any ill effects.

Final Conclusion? Have you tried the Whole30? If not, I definitely recommend that you give it a go. All in all it was a neat experience. It helped that I am a maniacal food planner to begin with. You don’t want to find yourself in the morning, staring down the fridge wondering what you’re going to eat for breakfast, or lunch, or dinner for that matter.

Plus – everyone complains about the amount of dishes they will now have to do, but I always go all out on my dinners, so that didn’t change one iota.

Find your grooves. I found I really, really LOVE baked eggs, or over hard eggs with cut up mini-peppers in them – EVERY DAY! I love this so much, that I don’t mind eating eggs every single day! I’m slightly cringing for our BWCA trip when I’ll be eating oatmeal every day, but it’s just 6-7 days and then I can go back to my beloved eggs! :). — Good thing I have my own chickens!

I also found a few favorites I made several times, such as this delicious shrimp skillet, that you’ll see I Instagramed several times, and Cracklin’ Chicken, which might take over as a weekly menu item like Taco Tuesday did!

It also helped that we butcher our own chickens, and deer/venison,and have purchased 1/4 cow, and 1/2 pig… and oh yeah did I mention we have our own chickens for my daily egg breakfast? Oh – okay… so I guess these things make Whole30 and a Paleo Lifestyle MUCH easier to obtain. I used to sell 75-80% of my eggs, and now I sell only 20%!

Without going overboard and developing orthorexia, I do plan to follow a “fairly strict” paleo diet. It honestly seems to suit me, and I’m working on finding my groove without breaking the bank! All of these amazing cookbooks I’ve come across like Nom Nom Paleo, Against All Grain, and Well Fed have me wanting to try all kinds of new recipes, but I know now I can make a simple yet delicious dinner with the very simple, meat, and two veggie side! Can you believe that my food budget has actually decreased?

While I won’t be as hardcore as the “Whole30” rules, and I may have wine DURING the week, and the occasional GF grain, I realized in these 30 days that it IS possible to have self control, feel better, and gain perspective.

Whole30 – Week 4 and Conclusion

May 4, 2016

Hey Guys!
I am officially done with Whole30!

Firstly, I found out I could give up my beloved wine for an entire month, and don’t even miss pasta or rice, which was a mainstay (and definite over-consumption) in all of my meals!

Here’s how the final days went…

Friday April 22
B Two Eggs, baked over hard with peppers & coffee
L – Cold Tuna Salad
D – Sausage, Pepper & Onion

Finally got a good dose of Tiger Blood today! I had so much energy it was as if I had drank at least 2 pots of coffee! I think my co-workers were wondering….

Capture

Saturday April 23
B – Skillet Breakfast
L – Snacks of Lara Bars, Cashews & Mango Jerkey
D – Apple Sausage, Pepper & Onion.

Tonight we got invited over to our friends house for dinner. Being so close on my journey I decided to bring my own dinner! I felt slightly awkward about it, but I didn’t get teased as much as I thought I would. The meal itself would have been fine on a regular “paleo” diet, but the spice rub did have some brown sugar in it, so for obvious reasons – its not Whole30 compliant.

Sunday April 24
B – Sweet Potato, Apple, Sausage & Egg Skillet
L – Snacks of Lara Bars, Cashews & Mango Jerkey
D – Hamburgers on the skillet

Spent the afternoon today (and yesterday) at seminars, so my lunches have been less than amazing, but I’m excited that I’ll have a nice clean paleo lunch for when we go up to the BWCA!

I’m in Love with lettuce wraps on hamburgers! I’m also becoming a total pro at making hamburgers on the cast iron skillet, (since i’m not hugely confident on our gas grill). I’m glad I’m able to make “grill” food without the hassle!

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Monday April 25
B: Two Eggs, baked over hard with peppers & coffee
L: Salad
D – Mexican Monday: Tacos

Decided to revert back to Tacos on Monday for this week! I’m excited to finally try corn-shells next week once I’m off Whole30!

Tuesday April 26
B – Two Eggs, baked over hard with peppers & coffee
L – Salad
D – Slow Cooker Beef Stew

Walking through the house this afternoon smelled amazing! The parsnips were a good alternative to the standard potatoes that accompany most stews! I used sugar free chicken broth and thickened with some arrowroot.

Wednesday April 27
B – Coffee & Tea & my 2 eggs.
L – Frozen Vegetables, Orange, Mango Jerky & Cashews
D – Spice Thai Zoodle Salad

My zoodle salad sauce didn’t set quite right this time. It was strangely thick, but I did skip adding in the lime juice. I will definitely add that in next time!

I completely forgot my lunch at home today, but my co-worker surprised me with an Admin Professionals day including my FAVORITE Mango jerky!

Thursday April 28
B – Two Eggs, baked over hard with peppers & coffee
L – Left over slow cooker beef stew
D – Shrimp & Sweet Potato Skillet

This is definitely a new family favorite! Its so quick and easy to make too! Comfort food at its best!

Friday April 29
B – Two Eggs, baked over hard with peppers & coffee
L – Cold Tuna Salad
D – Cold Tuna Salad

I’m loving my new Cold Tuna Salad! Its so delicious, that I don’t even miss the pasta in this dish!

Saturday April 30 – FINAL DAY
B – Fried eggs over hard with peppers & coffee
L – Cold Tuna Salad
D – Cracklin’ Chicken

I made it – I made it – I made it!!!!! I feel like a kitty cat grabbin’ the unicorn by the neck with guns blazing!!!!

Final Thoughts –
1. It was easier than I thought
2. It helped that I’m an obsessive meal planner to begin with
3. It helps that I cook huge meals and dirty my kitchen anyways
4. I plan to keep MOST of the “rules”/best practices of a Paleo lifestyle!
5. I lost 8lbs! This was awesome! I’m back down to my pre-kid weight and on the cusp of just out of the Navy weight.

I will add back in wine, but just on weekends. Strictly Friday-Sunday I’m very glad I can live without it for a month. I love the taste of wine, and wanted to make sure that it didn’t have a stronghold over my life. Sure… there were some meals along the way I thought, wow, this paired with a buttery chardonnay…. or sauv. blanc, cab… you get the idea… but I’m glad I can strongly say – I enjoy wine but not for emotional purposes

I do not plan to add back in gluten, specifically bread and pasta, since I absolutely LOVE my Zoodles. Maybe it was the lack of daily wine or bread, or pasta, rice and processed foods, but I’m definitely starting to see my “muffin top” fade away and I’ve been very pleased with that.

Re-Introduction….

Stay tuned for my next blog post!

Thanks for all the support. Have you tried a Whole30 yet? What are your thoughts on the whole processes?

Whole30 – Week 3

Apr 21, 2016

I can see clearly now, the rain is gone….

Friday April 15, 2016

Breakfast – Two eggs cracked, with peppers & onions and baked till done
Lunch – Final batch of left over chili
Dinner – The most amazing Spicy Thai Zoodle Salad

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I absolutely adore Pad Thai! The flavors and umami involved tantalize my taste buds, so when I found this recipe from Nom Nom Paleo I was very eager to try it! Since I’m now half way thru I treated myself to… the Nom Nom Paleo cookbook written by Michelle Tam & Henry Fong!

Saturday April 16, 2016

Breakfast – Adele Sausage over some Kale, onions & salsa
Lunch – Trail Snacks
Dinner – Pan Seared Salmon

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I’ve never really liked salmon, but a trip to Whole Foods to find dried porchini mushrooms had me passing by some yummy looking salmon so I decided to give it a final try! I’ve tried salmon on several occasions, but never really LOVED it. Today I found a yummy marinade involving balsamic vinegar, and rosemary. First I noticed the skin was still on the one side, so I decided to filet that off! I know some people cook with it on, but I was creeped out by it. My daughter wanted me to save the scales and sew her a mermaid costume, but I told her that wasn’t going to happen! HA. I pan seared it in some ghee to get a nice crust! I also whipped up a nice kale salad and some roasted tomatoes. It was fairly good, but I think my [short stayed] love affair with salmon has come to a close. There are so many other species of fish that I enjoy so much more!

Sunday April 17, 2016

Breakfast – Sweet Potato, Apple & Sausage skillet
Lunch – Salad
Dinner – Cracklin’ Chicken

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After subscribing to the Nom Nom Paleo podcast (do you see a trend here folks?) and hearing that Lil’ O started out not wanting to eat paleo I needed to find a POW WOW dinner to get my daughter on board! (She is for sure a sugar addict and I’m trying to help her quit that!) So I made Lil’ O’s favorite Cracklin’ Chicken! It is now also Lil’ K’s favorite as well! My daughter exclaimed, “Mom, I want you to make this again soon! But not regular soon – VERY VERY soon!” She also demanded that I pack it for her lunch the next day! I call that a win.

I also was so excited to eat this – that I forgot to snap a photo until after my meal was over, but I found this hilarious e-card which has described my relationship with Whole30 so far!

Monday April 18, 2016

Breakfast – Left over Sweet Potato, Apple & Sausage skillet
Lunch – Left over Cracklin’ Chicken
Dinner – Egg Drop Soup

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Tonight I had a meeting that would go from 6pm-8 or 9pm, so I threw a Lara Bar in my bag knowing I was going to make the ever so quick Egg Drop Soup. Last summer I was going through our freezer chest and found 5 chicken backs. For those of you who are new to my blog, our friends raise our chickens for us, and we help process them. They are humanely raised, and humanely processed, abx free {ranging} chickens! So what to do with chicken backs? They don’t really provide a lot of meat, so I took 5 days, my crockpot and lots of yummy herbs and veggies from my garden and made bone broth! Froze them into little batch bags, and forgot about them until today!

I ran down stairs, thawed a bag out real quick, whipped up some eggs, sliced a scallion, and jalapeno to crank up the heat, and topped with a little cilantro for a Thai tasting Egg Drop Soup! From start to finish I think it took me 10 minutes to whip this up. That’s what I call a week night or emergency dinner!

Tuesday April 19, 2016

Breakfast – Left over Sweet Potato, Apple & Sausage skillet
Lunch – Left over Egg Drop Soup
Dinner – Taco Tuesday of course on Romaine Boats

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Wednesday April 20, 2016

Breakfast – Two Eggs baked with peppers and scallions
Lunch – Taco Salad
Dinner – Tacos

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Thursday April 21, 2016

Breakfast – Two Eggs baked with peppers and scallions
Lunch – Two Eggs baked with peppers and scallions
Dinner – Cauliflower Pizza Bites & then Sausage in Marinara

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How I feel!

Mind – My mind is pretty clear. Gone away is the brain fog that plagued me. I used to joke [shame on me] around pretty heavily that I probably had early onset Alzheimer’s because I could be in the middle of a conversation and completely forget what I was talking about. Or I would forget to do stuff that was pretty routine stuff.

Body – Do you know the muffin man? Well – for a long while (since my mid 20s at least) I’ve slowly been developing the dreaded “muffin top”! I’m noticing finally this week that ever so slowly that is trimming itself up! Its true what they say, “Abs are made in the kitchen”. Recent studies show that nutrition is nearly 90% important when it comes to maintaining a healthy weight vs. 10% exercise! While I don’t plan to be a strict “WholeLifer” I do plan (as of now) to maintain a fairly strict Paleo diet as my body seems to really like being treated this way.

I’ve also been sleeping like a ROCK! Gone is my nighttime sugar rush rollercoaster which would ALWAYS wake me up nearly every night around 2-3 a.m. I now sleep soundly into the morning. I do still wake up tired, but that’s because I’m an infotainment addict, and love reading, and catching up on my social media outlets. I’m slowly getting better at that as well! My new bedtime is usually around 10:30pm!

Soul – My soul is refreshed right now! Nearly 10 days ago I attended Outcry a Christian Worship concert that renewed the Holy Spirit in me and refreshed any parts of me that were growing dull, or complacent. My annual trip into the BWCA is coming up soon, and I’m looking forward to attending that as well! Obviously I know that God exists outside of the BWCA but something about really getting out into the wilderness amps up His energy in my life. When I tune out the static I can actually hear from Him! Funny how that works!

Overall things are good. Life is good! Its now coming into the last week on Whole30! I will wait to post until the 30^th instead of next Thursday/Friday and close out this series. I will continue to post my journey, and I’m already thinking about how I want to carry these new healthy behaviors into my daily lifestyle. Towards the beginning I mentioned something to my husband about, “Well once this is over I can have xyz… “ and he says, “Wait a minute… after 30 days you’re just going to go back to what you used to do?…”

Even if I don’t have any yucky reactions to certain foods I think I’m going to carry most of this lifestyle on. After all if I’m feeling this good on the program, why go back to unhealthy behaviors if I’m thriving without?

Until nextime.

Whole30 – Week 2

Apr 15, 2016

I’m pretty sure week 2 was supposed to be the hardest week, and I was like screw that – I’m going to make the most delicious food in the universe so that I can fly right thru this phase!

After all – I’m looking forward to the Tiger Blood phase which will be coming up in a few more days!

Friday April 8, 2016
Breakfast – Mini Fritatas
Lunch – Chicken Salad
Dinner – Sweet Potato Kale & Shrimp Skillet

Friday

Saturday April 9, 2016
Breakfast – Fruit, almond butter & Black Coffee
Lunch – Meatloaf
Dinner – This AMAZING Chocolate Chili!

I did miss my standard cheese on top, and saltine crackers, but made it crunchy by adding raw onions and jalapenos to it! Not bad! Not bad.

Saturday

Sunday April 10, 2016
Breakfast – AMAZING Potato & Italian Sausage skillet
Lunch – Left over Chili
Dinner – Pork Ribs with potato and italian sausage and a side salad.

Sunday

Pan seared the pork ribs in some ghee for a nice crunch, and finished in the oven. These were so good, I only wish we had more.

Monday April 11, 2016
Breakfast – Left over Potato/Sausage skillet & Black Coffee
Lunch – Chili
Dinner – Whole Chicken in Crockpot, with multi-color carrots & salad

Monday

Added just a pinch of sugar free chicken broth to the bottom of my crock-pot, sprinkled both sides of the chicken with cinnamon, and zested some lemon over the top. The chicken was out of this world!

Tuesday April 12, 2016
Breakfast – Left over Potato/Sausage skillet & Black Coffee
Lunch – Chicken Salad
Dinner – My first meal out in the world!

Tuesday

I was really concerned how I was going to handle this. My friend and I were headed to a concert, so I didn’t have time to go home and eat, and didn’t want to just bring my dinner to work, so I called ahead to Rusty Taco after seeing the ingredients on the Picadillo Taco – I was confident I could make it Whole30 compliant. I spoke to the chef about what ingredients they use in their seasoning for the beef/potatoes, and what if any oil they cook the beef in. To my delight all I had to do was ask for it sans taco shell, and I was good to go! I did sneak in my own salsa though.

Wednesday April 13, 2016
Breakfast – Eggs, peppers, black coffee
Lunch – Left over chili
Dinner – Chicken Stir Fry

Wednesday

Can you tell I love jalapenos? I threw all of this into a skillet (left over chicken from Monday) along with my favorite veggies, and stir fried them in some coconut aminos, and garlic. Topped with my favorite cilantro over cauliflower rice!

Thursday April 14, 2016
Breakfast -Eggs, peppers, black coffee
Lunch – Left over stir fry
Dinner –Sweet Potato Kale & Shrimp Skillet

Thursday

Made the Sweet Potato, Kale & Shrimp skillet again! This photo is so much better than last Friday’s photo! But I swear it was the same food, and looked the same in real life. This is a super quick and easy meal that is from fridge to plate in about 20 minutes! That’s what I call a week night meal!

All in all – week 2 went amazing. So far I’m digging this. Of course there are nights when I think a nice glass of wine would really compliment my meal, but I am also enjoying life with no alcohol. My sleep is certainly improved without the sugar peeks and crashes.

Finally on April 14th I was hungry for breakfast, which I never am… so that was pleasant. I’m thinking my cortisol levels are finally normalizing.

I tried my first two Lara Bars in life. Cashew Cookie, which was okay, and Carrot Cake which was much better and tastier. In the evening before bed while watching shows sometimes I have a little bowl of cashews, blackberries and apple slices. I think that also has been helping me too!

Excited for the Tiger Blood now!

Tiger

Whole30 – Week 1

Apr 7, 2016

So! I’ve been on Whole30 for an entire week!

The 30-Day Guide to Total Health and Food Freedom

So far so good! I didn’t want to post prior to my one week milestone, or announce to anyone besides my husband really that I was going to do Whole30 during the month of April. Firstly… I didn’t want the pressure, and I wanted to make sure that I would actually make it a whole week!

My friend Abbey lent me her book, “It Starts with Food“, by Dallas & Melissa Hartwig, which is the axel of my eating style for the next month. Eventually I’d like to get the book that is pictured above, but there are so many resources available on the internet (especially Pinterest).

The lead up I say would have to be the worst! I agonized for months about this – debating if I should or should not… after all my other co-worker eats whatever she wants and is really not much younger than I am, and is in fabulous shape! (Although she runs about 20-25 miles per week)…. but I needed a slap in the face wake up style approach to eating!

After two of my co-workers did Whole30 back in February and March I knew April would be my best shot to really give this a go and be ultimately successful!

I was worried though that I wouldn’t be able to give up my evening wine, or easy week night evening ingredients that are laced with sugar and potentially harmful chemicals. But its 30 days right? I can suck it up for THIRTY DAYS!

My co-worker Sara (a former Whole30 Survivor and champ) was headed to Trader Joes on Thursday March 31, so I told her if she see’s this awesome cauliflower rice (which is notoriously out of stock at the Shoreview, MN location) to pick me up a few bags!

I was in luck, and since it was only $1.99 I told her to get me 5 bags. Between mine and her own, she said she looked like a total addict at the checkout lane! I can imagine.

I decided to start on April 1 – which was a Friday – which seems like a weird day to start a diet/challenge, but I say – why save everything for Mondays? Any day is a good day for change – so I started on Friday April 1.

Afterwork I headed over to said Shoreview TJs and picked up some ingredients for the week, including Ghee!

Here’s what I ate:

April 1, 2016
Friday Breakfast: Scrambled Eggs & Black Coffee
Friday Lunch: Taco Salad
Friday Dinner: A spicy asian fusion – ground beef/pepper/onion/pineapple mix, over riced cauliflower.

Tonight was a little tricky! Tonight was my nieces play so I didn’t leave their city until 8:45pm and it’s a 20 minute ride home, so tonight I ate late!

When I arrived I had seen my daughter and husband had gotten Dominos pizza, and I LOVE pizza, but I forged ahead and kept on keeping on! I snapped a photo of my food because I thought it looked so yummy and posted it on Instragram… I guess the cats out of the bag!

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April 2, 2016
Saturday Breakfast: Mango Jerkey from Trader Joes, Cashews, strawberries & black coffee
Saturday Lunch: Left over ground beef/pepper/onion etc meal
Saturday Dinner: Easy Homestyle Meatloaf

I was at the SD Convention [Politics] in my district (I sound like I live in the Hunger Games) all day so I brought with a travel snacky type breakfast, and packed a thermos of my left over dinner from the night before for lunch, since I knew my options were going to be severely limited!

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April 3, 2016
Sunday Breakfast: Chicken Sausage/Peppers & Onions & Black Coffee
Sunday Lunch: Chicken Sausage, Peppers & Onions
Sunday Dinner: Hamburgers (Mine of course with a lettuce wrap for the bun)

Ran: 4.01 Miles

Hamburger

April 4, 2016
Monday Breakfast: Hamburger, mashed sweet potatoes & Black Coffee
Monday Lunch: Finished off the rest of my Friday dinner left overs
Monday Dinner: Thai Basil Chicken

ThaiBasilChicken

April 5, 2016
Tuesday Breakfast: Mixed Fruit, cashews, sweet potato & Black Coffee
Tuesday Lunch: Chicken, Strawberry & Almond Salad
Tuesday Dinner: Since it was Taco Tuesday – I kept things mostly the same for my family, but just stocked up on Lettuce, Tomato, Onion, Jalapeno, Cilantro, and homemade salsa.

Ran: 3.15 Miles

Tacos

Ran with co-workers over lunch! This was much needed. Though it was only 35 degrees and raining I went out in shorts anyways, and got some more mileage tucked under my belt!

Stayed up a little later tonight to prep a few things (Mini Fritatas and Spaghetti Squash) for the week!

April 6, 2016
Wednesday Breakfast: Mini Fritatas & Black Coffee
Wednesday Lunch: The most AMAZING spicy spagetti squash rosa
Wednesday Dinner: More Spaghetti Squash Rosa

I can’t even begin to explain how delicious my meals were today!

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April 7, 2016
Thursday Breakfast: Mini Fritatas & Black Coffee
Thursday Lunch: Meatloaf & fingerling potatoes
Thursday Dinner: Zoodle Bolognese

Ran: 3.15 Miles

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Thus far – I’m doing pretty good! I’ve only gotten hangry once, when my lunch was lacking seriously needed protien, but otherwise I am thriving so far!

So cheers [with my REI stainless steel cup full of ice water] to good health, and 24 days to go, perhaps next week I’ll make some stews for the weekend since its supposed to be chilly, and grill during the week since the weather should be a pinch warmer!

Winter Camping Review

Mar 14, 2016

Last Friday my co-worker and I blazed up I-35 to Tettegouche State Park north of Beaver Bay, MN, near Illgen City, MN.

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We wanted to get into cold tenting, lengthier hiking/snowshoeing and adventuring that perhaps our husbands, and children may not be up for, but chose March to ease into the scene. Well – here was the weekend forecast!

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So as you can see, it was hardly winter camping, and much closer to the temps I experienced on our Spring BWCA trip!

Upon arrival I was instantly impressed with the Tettegouche visitor center as it is pretty fancy boasting a gift shop as well as coffee cafe for your morning needs! (I did pack in Starbucks VIA, but just in case, it was comforting to know I could get a hot cup of Joe in a pinch!)

The campsite we reserved was approximately 400 feet from where we parked our car -or 25 rods for you canoeists on my reading list! My friend Breanne stopped and said, “Oh Lindsey… oh… is this going to be okay….?”

wolf print

It was so obviously a wolf print… which I am notoriously terrified of (even though it is my favorite animal… ) but I sucked it up and forged on.

There was quite a bit more snow than I was anticipating, so while the temps cooperated in the high 30’s’s-50’s during sunlight, we still had loads of snow to contend with!

yellow tent

After we got the basics of camp set up we hiked out to the High Falls of Tettegouche!

It was probably a a 1.0 mile hike or so from camp, but with the ice and slippery conditions, it felt much further. We had left our snowshoes behind, so the going was very very slow and slippery. The falls were amazing though!

Unfortunately my phone had died due to the cold temps and the listening to Spotify on the way up… so I didn’t get a nice shot. Perhaps I’ll add one of Breanne’s photos in the future!

That night we cooked up some macaroni & cheese, and I heated a brat for some protien. I made sure to buy plenty of wood, so we had a nice fire going as we embraced the stars of the Big Dipper and Orions Belt! As always it was so amazing to see Gods creation on full display in the north woods!

That night I had a hard time falling asleep thinking – “Two girls – alone in the woods on the north shore…” – makings of a horror movie, or the wolf print I had seen earlier in the day sent me into qualms of wolf packs surrounding our tent waiting to devour us!

After much tribulation I finally fell asleep and was ready for a full day of hiking on Saturday!

I happily slept in until 7:30 or so with the sun blasting on the tent!

Though it was in the 30’s the sun made all the difference in the world, and it was utterly pleasant and amazing waking up!

morning tent

Breanne and I had each pre-made breakfast burritos wrapped in tinfoil that we were able to heat up over the fire for a super amazing breakfast. She had her chilled espresso, and I heated up some hot water to add to my Starbucks Italian Blend coffee! YUM!

After we got everything cleared from breakfast after pouring over maps we headed north on Hwy 61 to the Caribou River wayside rest parking lot which meets up with the SHT and Caribou Falls!

We definitely opted for snowshoes and I was happy to also have my ski-poles.

Hiking on the SHT was a new “bucket list” item for me, so I was super pumped after reading Wild & A Walk in the Woods! We hiked up some fairly icy conditions fully trusting in our crampons on our snowshoes to Caribou Falls and were instantly impressed with the sights!

The photo below doesn’t even slightly do a justice! The elevation on the rocks was impressive, and the water shooting out of the snow/ice was full of strength! I just stared in wonder and awe at God’s creation wondering how on earth I was so lucky to see it first hand!

We snowshoed on for another hour or so north on the SHT until we were blazing our own trail for quite a time, and making little to no forward progress. When we fell through with our snowshoes it was at least knee + deep so we decided to turn back as there was much more hiking right at Tettegouche and we wanted to check out Coho Cafe in Tofte!

After our coffee – etc we headed back to Tettecoughe and headed out to Shovel Point, and down to the confluence of the Baptism River & Lake Superior!

Watching the river hit the lake was absolutely mesmerizing, and if i had a more comfortable chair I could have easily spent hours there.

After some time we decided to head back and hike up to the SHT out of Tettegouch to an overlook. We were very glad we had our snowshoes as hiking was ridiculously difficult, and the hike up to the overlook seemed impossible in the winter conditions. We figured in non-snow conditions it would be a quick jaunt up the hill, but we weren’t able to make it, so we headed north on a Tettegoughe path – but we were narrowing in on 8.5+ miles and I was growing increasingly tired, so we gave up on anymore lookouts and headed back to camp for a fire, wine, and yellow split pea soup over the fire!

Unfortunately due to the very warm temps our campfire was 1/2 flooded with water/snow melt. We had to build up an island of sorts to get a fire going. After some time, we were able to get a fire going to heat up our food, but we lost hope for an evening burn and retired to the tent around 7:30 for reading and camaraderie.

After lamps were turned off I was able to sleep until about midnight or so… then I woke up with a terrible urge to ahem – use the ladies room… but the wind was howling fierce, and I grew ridiculously terrified of the elements.

My campmate was fast asleep so I tried with all my might to rest.

3:50 I woke again terrified at the sounds around me. The tent was flapping in the wind Blair Witch style, and I could hear branches falling around me. This was not good.

I tried to fall asleep again, but couldn’t so I turned to the Psalms for some comfort.

Psalms 3:3 – But you, O LORD are a shield around me; you are my glory, the one who holds my head high.

Psalms 3:5 – I lay down and slept, yet I woke up in safety for the LORD was watching over me.

Psalm 4:8 – In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, O LORD will keep me safe.

And I drifted back to sleep.

5:00 a.m. rolled around and the wind was whipped up again racketeering in our camp, and we were both up now, so we were able to complain and kvetch in solidarity. She gave me a few tips on falling back to sleep such as playing the alphabet game.

So for example… Name activities to do on the north shore that end in ing- A-Z”…

So I tried it and it did work! I named all (except one or two) lakes in the bwca twice and things to pack/bring with/encounter on a BWCA trip. It definitely did help to fall asleep.

We woke up for the finality around 8:00 am (so 7am pre-daylights savings time) busted down camp, and headed for the car.

I loved our winter camping experience during the sunlight hours- but the evenings were a bit of a struggle for me.

We had a 4 man tent for the two of us, which I thought was adequate for co-worker friends. Perhaps if it was my sister I would opt for a smaller tent, but we had quite a bit of stuff between us that it seemed to fit the two of us perfectly!

Pre-cooked meals or maintenance free meals seemed to be key! I loved the breakfast burrito that was fully cooked and only needed re-heating in the fire- same goes for the soup.

I think in the future – I may opt for a more “in-camp” experience so if I have to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night – I might actually get up and go. There was no way I was going out in the “wilderness” to pee with the howling wind and wolf tracks. No way!

Had zero degree sleeping bags with an extra one to spare if I got too cold, but just used the one. Temps were down to 25 or so… much colder than that and I would need a more robust system.

Slept on a Thermarest closed cell mat, with my Exped 7 on top of that. I was very cozy.

Would I do it again? Probably!

The sights and sounds during the day were such a blessing though – that they combated any fear I had at night! I would make some tweeks I’m sure – such as perhaps staying “in camp” or in a camper cabin… but all in all it was an amazing experience!

A Few of My Favorite Things! #1

Mar 7, 2016

Happy Monday! I hope you are all having an amazing start to spring! I realize that the first day of spring isn’t until March 20th, but the weather is in the 60’s, humming birds have returned to the office near my building, and running OUTSIDE has re-ensued.

In this first addition of “A Few of My Favorite Things!” I wanted to share a few things that are some of my favorites! Perhaps it will be a restaurant or store review, a favorite recipe I found on Pinterest, or new fun ideas that I’d love to have if all the cards were stacked right.

1.) Trader Joe’s – Went full on grocery (& wine) shopping at Trader Joe’s last Friday! I’ve been in there before, but never really got meals for a whole week or needed assistance. Well let me tell you! The employees there are the most amazing people in customer service! When asking someone where something was, they weren’t annoyed that they had to walk me half way over the store to help me find something, but acted as if it were their mission to make me feel like the most important person in the store. I was impressed so much that I may call the store tomorrow and ask to speak to the manager to rave about the Friday PM crew! Plus their $5 wine is actually really quite amazing! (coming from a “wine snob”)

2.) Sauna time – If all of the cards are stacked right, I’m crossing my fingers that my husband can build us a sauna this summer! Health benefits aside I’ve enjoyed drooling over photos of saunas on Pinterest, but realize there has to be a bit of practicality as well!

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3.) Taco Tuesday – We have full on implemented this on Tuesdays in our family! The three of us absolutely LOVE Tacos, and with the many variations of taco we felt we would never get bored! Besides shaking it up in the protein department (e.g. Venison, Beef or Chicken) we generally stick to the tired and true taco!

4.) Homemade Tortilla Chips – In addition to Taco Tuesday – I may or may not have a full blown obsession with tortilla chips. We almost always have various salsa laying around, but inevitably we run out of chips. Now – I do prefer my brand of chips, but when I’m running low, I was blown away by how unbelievably easy it was to whip up some! The good news, though this particular chip I linked to is thicker (I prefer the thinner chips) it is very sturdy when making nachos! (A great meal for left over taco fixin’s)

5.) A Lent to repent printables by Ann Voskamp. I absolutely love these printables that Ann Voskamp made available to her viewers. You do have to sign up on her website, but it’s pretty easy, and you can choose if you want to be mailed each day, or less often. Its like a little fortune cookie of faith each day with some amazing, and practical ways to move closer to God this Lenten season.

Thanks for stopping by today!

Sitting all day is the new smoking

Feb 25, 2016

The first time I walked past my co-workers office a year or so ago I knew immediately something was different, but I couldn’t quite put my finger on it. A second pass told me she had some strange contraption on her desk. After inquiring with her I learned that she was joining the Standing Desk Movement! I was really intrigued, but thought, a.) I could never do that [stand all day], and b.) could not afford it.

We have three kinds of people at my work.

* The standing desk types
* The ones that use exercise balls for chairs
* The rest of us who sit all day on regular chairs.

After another co-worker of mine joined the standing desk fad I grew increasingly more curious.

My back had been killing me, and I am incredibly inflexible to say the least. I am ALWAYS at my desk, and after some over the cubical banter about how sitting is the new smoking I began to question myself if maybe I too should join the movement.

I joked with my husband that Monday night last February (2015) that “half my co-workers” (two of them to be exact) now had standing desks, and how sitting was the new smoking, and being the health conscience person I was/am I found this absurd. My “goal in life” is to live until I’m 104. No – seriously… I have no idea why this particular number, but since a very young age I’ve wanted to live until I’m 104, so with the research out there stating that this sedentary life style (but wait I run… (sometimes…. occasionally) isn’t that good?

Research says no.

So after the last person set up their new standing desk I wanted one too on a day that I had terrible back pain, and fashioned my standing desk with a few boxes to see if I would like it.

For FIVE hours I worked like this and was instantly hooked. My handy husband had gotten off early due to a snow storm and told him that I desperately wanted one too, and could he maybe make me one? I was honestly hoping for a wooden box at most. I sent him some measurements, and what he spent the afternoon making me, made my heart swoon!

My test run to see if I’d like it….

I had gotten home like usual and discovered my husband in the kitchen with a brand new saw working away like a busy bee!

After using my standing desk for a year or so now… I would say I use it 70% of the time. There are certainly days where I want to wear my high heels and by 1pm my feet are SCREAMING at me. So then I just take everything down, and put my lifted desk on my back credenza and sit for the next week or so.

This model while 100% custom built does require about 5 minutes of arranging my desk when going between sitting and standing and vis- versa.. I don’t really mind though. I usually place my monitor(s) (I now have two) on the actual standing desk, as I forgot that I had placed them on the upper portion of my desk. I may have to go back to this as I’m running out of room with the two monitors!

Like Breanne (my super talented friend,blogger and co-worker), I also learned a few things.

My high heels aren’t always going to cut it! On these days I often resort back to sitting.
While taking a Twitter break – I can also take a 100-up break to improve on my running!
I notice that mundane things such as standing at an expo for 8 hours, or waiting in lines at Valley Fair are no longer painful since I’m quite used to standing now.
I feel overall healthier when standing.
Like Breanne, when walking to the printer, or kitchen for a refill on water I feel more power to just go.

So would I recommend a standing desk?

Absolutely! I feel personally, that it is beneficial to have the option to switch back to a sitting desk. There are days that I just want to sit. Call it old habits, or laziness, but there are just days that I’m going to be more productive sitting down.

I just put my desk back to standing? Perhaps I’ll try to streak from now through April! We shall see, but either way… if you have the option to get up… stand up… I highly encourage you to try!

Eat your heart out diet

Feb 18, 2016

I had found this cleanse/diet on Pinterest several weeks ago, and I thought – It sounded so crazy that I had to try it!

While it does promise to help you loose weight fast – I was using it more as a cleanse and a jump start to healthier eating.

Currently two of my co-workers are on the Whole 30 Diet, and many others are making healthy choices as well, so I started feeling a little with guilty as I shoved my face full of tacos at warp speed and so much pasta and rice that could feed a whole slew of marathon runners.

While I would never consider myself “old” my metabolism has definitely slowed down to a snails pace… and while I wouldn’t consider myself “fat” I could definitely tell you that I could be more toned… so here I am jumping in with two feet.

Day One – Only fruit.
So far, this day has been easier than I thought considering I’m not a fruit person. I actually tried to do this cleanse a few weeks ago, but didn’t plan well enough so I ended up with fruits I barely like (sorry melons) so I grew bored and tired very quickly and quit by dinner time.

I did have some coffee with a tiny bit of creamer today, but wanted to avoid the inevitable headache that would come without. So – I figure I’ll slowly wean myself off that too.

Lunch included heated apples in cinnamon and nutmeg, and some starfruit with crushed pepper on it.

For dinner I was dying for something more savory. So I scoured Pinterest with sadly no ideas. For some reason however the spice Curry and Cumin kept coming to mind… so I peeled and chopped up some apple, and sautéed with a tiny drizzle of olive oil, and a bit of cumin and curry, topped again with a tiny drizzle of sesame oil and some crushed red pepper!

Not even kidding…its delicious. I would definitely make this again with some chicken next time!

After dinner I was still a bit hungry so I made a smoothie with two oranges, strawberries, grapes, and a kiwi. It was so good, reminded me of a dreamsicle. I can’t wait to have this again on day three!

Later on in the evening by 8:30-9:00 p.m. I was dreaming of cookies, and crackers, and OMG – I was going to raid my pantry… but instead I went to bed and checked some Twitter!

Day Two – Veggie Day + a potato with butter?
Well let me tell you! Today was SIGNIFICANTLY more exciting than yesterday! Yesterday I felt like I had been eating candy ALL day long, so I was very happy and excited to switch over to veggies since I love nearly all of them.

I actually took no photos today – which is odd… but I’ll recap.

For Breakfast I had some spaghetti Squash that I had made the night before, and topped with a little seasoning (which is allowed). It was surprisingly filling, and delicious.

Lunch was some more spaghetti squash with Japanese stir fry vegetables, with the slightest sprittzle of sesame oil, and crushed red peppers. This too was actually quite good and left me feeling satisfied.

For dinner – we had tacos. I made my tacos with bib lettuce as the shell, and added on tomatoes, onions, cilantro, jalapeños and La Victoria taco sauce. I looked on with sheer envy about the cheese. I realized out of all things taco… the cheese is my kryptonite.

After dinner I had my potato, and then made rutabaga fries. I’m feeling full tonight, and my crazy passion for raiding the pantry has left me.

Day Three – Veggies + Fruit (no potato)
Today went really really well! For breakfast I enjoyed some BLACK coffee and some grapes.

Lunch I had spaghetti squash and stir fried vegetables

Dinner I made up some pineapple cauliflower fried rice! It was absolutely amazing, and with some chicken & eggs I’d absolutely make that again and again!

I was so full that I didn’t even have an evening snack.

Day Four – Banana’s + Milk (I told you it sounded crazy)
I had been dreading this day since the inception of this crazy adventure. I mean… I like bananas… but ALL DAY? Common!

Strangely though, I felt rather satisfied! I had two bananas early in the day and 3 cups of milk. I was feeling pretty darn well.

Then I was sharing this crazy diet/cleanse with a co-worker and she let me know about one ingredient banana pancakes and ice cream, but I couldn’t find it online or on Pinterest. Everything required eggs too. I was feeling annoyed and demoralized! This diet could not be healthy!!!

I finally gave in and straight up quit the craziness on the spot!

After contemplation I decided I would implement a paleo-esque, PFC approach to eating.

For dinner I had some quesadillas, but made with corn shells NOT drenched in canola oil. Yes. I had cheese… that’s why I call it paleo-esque!

Day Five – ~~Chicken + Tomatoes~~

Breakfast:Had some grapes. I failed at adding any protien or fat on this go -round :(

Lunch: Had a “taco” salad. Lettuce, black beans (I know… not paleo), tomato, onion, jalapeno, and La Victoria taco sauce which IMHO is very good/healthy!

Dinner: For dinner I made banana pancakes and some chicken sausage! Oh my word to have some REAL PROTIEN!!!!!! To make the banana pancakes it takes one banana and two eggs.

I did find they were very difficult to “flip” but they did taste just like banana bread… so that was delicious!

Day Six – ~~Chicken + Veggies~~

Breakfast: Very sadly missed breakfast as I had to work. Had plain black coffee.

Lunch: Quesadilla (same as day 4 dinner). YES I KNOW. Not a strict paleo. 🙂

Dinner: Tacos, pulled pork, serrano peppers, onions, and cilantro! YUM!

Day Seven – ~~Miracle Soup~~

In Summation

Firstly, did I loose the weight? Well… actually I have no idea… I did weigh myself mid-week and had lost 3lbs, but I believe that to be all water weight. I haven’t weighted myself since, and don’t plan to for a while. To me, it wasn’t about the weight. It was about feeling better.

Though in my mind I knew I could do it… I really couldn’t believe I didn’t eat any junk food (which had quite frankly probably gotten out of hand at work), any grains, or overly processed dairy for four days(see ya soon Cheese).

It taught me a lot about my actual needs, and what I crave, and when I crave it.

I’ve hardly had any heartburn, which I usually have quite regularly… so perhaps this has something to do with bread/pasta or something in a processed food, since I regularly drench my food in crushed red pepper, and still have tomatoes with no effect.

Where from here you may ask? While I won’t lead it strictly (because… um hello Cheese… and hello corn shell tortillas, and hello wine….) I plan to go mostly Paleo/paleo-esque as I’d like to call it. As of February 8th, I’ve been creamer free in my coffee drinking only BLACK coffee…. and have enjoyed very little wheat products… I mostly plan to eat meat, veggies & fruits with few grains or dairy…. We shall see how this goes, and I will check in from time to time. I’d really like to give it a go for the long haul to see what kind of long term results will ensue.

I don’t plan on ever repeating the original ‘diet/cleanse’. I think its absolute RUBBISH to avoid healthy fats and protiens for an entire week. I was basically getting all of my calories from SUGAR and that’s what broke me on day 4. The sheer insanity of it!

I couldn’t believe I had hardly any protein or fat for four days, and I really don’t believe in eliminating macro-nutrients from my diet.

I found that I can create really unique dishes or combinations I would have never thought of! One of my new favorites is Star fruit and hot cayenne pepper…. and apples lightly sauteed in EVOO with some curry and cumin! I’ll for sure make that again but with some chicken and onion!!! WOAH!

I will replace cauliflower rice for regular rice as I absolutely loved my tropical fried “rice” i had made, and will really read the labels on my sauces. If I have “pasta” I will try to use spaghetti squash or zoodles which are to die for by the way!!!

While I’m sure I’ll slip up from time to time, or indulge here and there, I plan to follow an 80/20 rule as much as possible. Eat this way 80% of the time, and if there is a meal or two, or snack that contains dairy, or wheat, or rotten ingredients – so be it.

I’m still going to live life… but try through a healthier lens to eating!

Little Blessed Life

Extraordinary Moments from Ordinary Living

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