turbo+paleo

paleo pizza

So, my sister and I have signed up for a TurboFire 90 Day Challenge. You can win prizes, but I thought that would be a good way to motivate myself to work out like a crazy person before going to the beach and getting married. Plus if I am going to spend $100 on the new bathing suit I want from Anthropologie, I sure as hell want to look good in it. You know what doesn't make you look good? Standing in weird positions wearing tight clothes for the "before" pictures you have to send in for the contest. That shiz makes you wanna cry.

Anyway...

I feel like I'm finally back on track. I didn't totally disregard what I was eating and stop working out, but I definitely wasn't doing as much as before, and I was back to talking myself into believing that two(hundred) bowls of Frosted Flakes wouldn't kill me. Bad. News. Bears.

In the last few weeks, I've eased myself back into a routine, then Taylor and I decided to sign up for the contest, and I started reading about Paleo eating. All of these things happened in a relatively short span of time. I mentioned Paleo to my dad a few weeks ago, and he seemed super interested, which was a surprise to me, because normally he's all "Where are the Little Debbies?" But he had me print out some things for him about what to eat/what not to eat, and then a week or so later, he was reading a book all about Paleo. Whaa??

I think what sold him were all the stories of how people turned their health around by giving up processed foods. That and the fact that it gives you a long list of meat my dad can eat. It's not just salads and tiny portions, it's stuff he already likes and will enjoy just as much without the bread or cheese. 

Eating this way makes sense to me. I'm not going to say that I'm never going to eat bread or dairy again, because I know that I will, but if I don't buy it, I won't eat it. Kyle and I don't buy a lot of bread, anyway, but we do buy processed stuff and dairy. Just cutting out the processed stuff for the last few weeks has made me feel so much better. Like it's weird how much better I feel. It might take my dad a little longer to feel it, because like he said "I've been eating like this for 54 years. I think my body is going to do some weird stuff," but I think he will be surprised at how good he feels by not eating so many things from a package. 

My mom has been a little hesitant about "the changes that are gonna happen around here," (my dad's words) but I think she's looking at it from a financial perspective at this point. "Coconut oil is NINE DOLLARS!" she told me. Yes, mom. I know. But Crisco can fix squeaky door handles, just like Minny says in The Help. I also think she's worried that my dad is going to change his tune whenever he REALLY wants a sleeve of Oreos, but I told her that he'll get over it. Eventually.

I think she's also worried about having to re-learn everything she's known her whole like about cooking. But really, all that has to change is the ingredients. Plus, my mom grew up in a generation that believed cigarettes and diet pop made you skinny. Which may be true, but they don't make you healthy, and that's the difference. As I (and my parents) get older, I worry about them more, and this is one way they can help themselves. I told my dad I don't care if he loses one pound from changing the way he eats, but I just want to know that they are eating good things that are actual foods instead of packaged products with things they can't pronounce. 

Anyway, she's coming around. She told me she bought the coconut oil and fresh deli meat, not from a package. I don't think my family is going to be able to stop bread and dairy forever, either, but I think if they could just get rid of the cereals called "Marshmallow Mateys" and not buy so many frozen, pre-cooked things and learn to read labels, then I think they will feel a lot better. I'm definitely not blaming them. It's just how we have learned to live. Thanks to the wonderful Sara Queen, I read an article in the New York Times Magazine about how processed foods are designed to be addictive, and that just added to my list of reasons why I should give that crap up. The information is there, we just have to take it into account and really think about what we're eating.

So, that's what's up on 106 Rose Drive. I'm sorry this has been a little rambl-y.

Let me know what (if any) Paleo recipes you like! Here's to the next 84 days of Turbo! ouch.

love.

krq.

west virginia cowboy: part four

Today is one of my favorite holidays, because it encourages you to really appreciate the people in your life who love you. When things are crazy and you're so busy you barely have time to think, it's easy to forget to tell your people you love them. So, this year is a little different than previous Valentine's Days I've had. Kyle and I are busy with life things, neither of us have each other's gifts prepared, and I've traveled a lot during the last few days for something that isn't fun at all.

By now, you know about Corey, but I haven't spent enough time talking about the people he left behind. His sister, his mother, and his daddy.

Corey was a cowboy because his dad taught him to be. Kelsey is a good-hearted, smart, strong woman, because her daddy taught her to be. And Tina is a wonderful mother because Jeff was there beside her to be her babies' father.

On Sunday morning, Jeff died of a broken heart. I really believe that. Kelsey wrote on Corey's Facebook wall that she guessed it was only fair that he get a parent in heaven and she get one on earth, but I know that doesn't make losing her daddy and her brother any easier.

I'm not sure why bad (read "really freaking awful") things happen to good (read "amazing, strong, loving") people. I don't know what "plan" could possibly be in play with this, but I do know that Tina and Kelsey Queen are two of the strongest women I've ever met.

I know this isn't my typical V-day post, but my point is that today is about the people you love, and these two women are missing the two people they love the most. 

While I'm so heartbroken for my family and friends, I am also incredibly thankful for the people in my life who love me. It's weird being so sad and so grateful at the same time. 

So, please go hug the people you love. Hug them really freaking tight. If you can't hug them, call them. Don't use Valentine's Day as an excuse, either. Hug them all the time. Hold onto the moments with them for as long as you can. I promise, you won't regret it.  

love.

krq.