Surviving Parties

July 1st, Day 5: Thursday started off with eggs, apple chicken sausage and fruit, lunch was leftover taco salad and we attempted an eggplant curry for dinner.  We had spent the afternoon with friends at their pool and made the curry before we left, knowing it’d be late and we’d be tired at dinnertime.  A great idea, but somehow we failed execution.  I think we rushed the eggplant and it wasn’t cooked through, which ruined the entire meal.  I can only remember enough times to count on one hand the opportunities my boys have had to eat something else than what was served for dinner, and Thursday became one of those nights.  The boys had leftovers and I had a smoothie (it’s a quick go-to, any other suggestions?) and a cucumber.

July 2nd, Day 6: Friday was spent picking peaches and apricots at the farm.  We packed both a breakfast and lunch picnic.  My breakfast was (shocker here) a smoothie – this time with frozen strawberries, bananas and almond milk.  The boys ate some breakfast bars we had lingering in the pantry, fruit and milk boxes.  For lunch we had tuna wraps with baby spinach (our accepted exception for just such occasions), dried fruit, nuts and coconut flakes as well as some yogurt and Sun Chips (again, lingering in the pantry) for the boys.  We came home in time to prepare a dinner party for out of town guests.  We served roast chicken (on the grill), steamed cauliflower and broccoli with lemon and pepper, corn on the cob and watermelon.  I was shocked at how well we were able to pull off a Paleo meal for guests which was still enjoyed by all.  The flock of children enjoyed root beer floats while the adults finished off Matt’s previously made ice cream.

July 3rd, Day 7: Saturday was spent preparing completely non-Paleo treats for a BBQ party: peach cobbler and ice cream (from the picked fruit on Friday).  Having committed to bring dessert to the party and depending on the farm’s available fruit supply that day, we decided to sacrifice our food ethics in favor of ease.  However, after a healthy scattered breakfast piecemealed together by random snacks of fruit, nuts, etc. our lunch was had at the Old Post Pavilion in downtown Washington, D.C.  I found a chicken gyro salad and used a small amount of taziki as dressing, while the boys indulged in cheeseburgers and a traditional gyro.  Dinner was had at the Independence Day BBQ, where I ate a proper dinner of pulled pork, veggie kabobs, tomato salad.  However, the jello salad and cobbler with ice cream was quite an indulgence for dinner.  It was amazing how much I could taste the butter in food, since we’ve replaced it with healthy oils in our home.

On day 7, I weighed myself and had lost over 3lbs since day 1.  I’m averaging a half-pound a day.  Although I didn’t start eating this way to lose weight, it’s a good indication that my body is responding well to what I’m putting in it.  My baby is thriving and healthy; Paleo works for us.  Moreover, I never have stomach aches or (prepare for TMI here) loose stools anymore.  I’m loving this way of life and how much I’m able to adapt to everyday needs with it. Next week we will be on vacation on a lake house in Massachusetts with my grandparents-in-law; we won’t be cooking or buying food – I look forward to making that work because I’m just not ready to let go for vacation, I feel too good when I eat properly.

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