Whole30

I'm participating in the whole30 challenge starting yesterday...

Our eating habits are generally good and generally followed the paleo diet... however overindulging in more unhelahty food, booze, and skipping workouts more frequently over the holidays has left me feeling (and looking) bloated and crappy.  Ready for a change.


It's a month long strict paleo nutritional program... not a weight loss program per se, they call that an added benefit but you really do it for health. I have never followed the no dairy part of the paleo diet before so that will be a challenge. But I like challenges. And no alcohol. Big yikes! However I'm not happy with my body and I exercise so it's obviously what I'm putting in...  There are plenty of healthy, delicious foods on the allowed list :)


"We want you to use the Whole30 as a learning tool to gain awareness of how the foods you used to eat were actually affecting how you look, feel, live and perform."


Basic overview of the program: http://whole9life.com/start/

Dec 29, 2012

Some fun playing in the snow with the barnyard friends

 I run, they follow!

 The house looking warm!

Blueberry Upside Down Cake

We have been (mostly) following the paleolithic diet for a while now... made this for dessert last night and we loved it!  I literally doubled the cake part from this recipe from the Civilized Caveman as I used a bundt pan so there was more volume to fill I suppose.  Below is the recipe with my modifications -

Ingredients:
1/4 Cup Coconut Oil, melted
2 Tbsp 100% Pure Maple Syrup
1 Pint Fresh Blueberries

2 c almond flour

1 c coconut/ almond milk

1/2 c coconut flour

1/2 c honey

4 eggs

2 tbsp cinnamon

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

Preheat the oven to 375
Pour melted coconut oil and maple syrup into a bundt cake pan
Put the pint of blueberries in the pan; they should cover pretty much the entire bottom of the pan
Place this is the preheating oven for about 5 minutes

Combine all remaining ingredients in themixing bowl and mix well -
Take the cake pan out of the oven and then add in the batter.  Use a spoon to ensure an even distribution throughout the cake pan

Bake for about 30 minutes or until a knife comes out clean.
Remove from the oven and let cool
Once cool, place a plate on top of the pan and then flip it over so the blueberries are on top

April 2012

Some updated pics... Chris completed a nice stone path to the barn:

Now we just need some grass :)

I have been on the hunt for the perfect chairs for our new table and I finally found them!!  In love.  Custom made parsons chairs.  They were never used as dining chairs either so they are in brand new condition.

 I was very excited to find them at an estate sale-

And our table is finally done!! 

 First meal at the new table - Asian Spiced Duck Breast with Ginger - Chili Sauce from Alton.  They were amazing!

Finishing the Dining Area

We're working on getting more pics of the completed project up, but trying to furnish the house as well.

We have a nice kitchen table from Chris' family, however we don't think it quite fits in with our farmhouse feel:

Using the old beams on the island for inspiration, we decided to make a table.  We salvaged as many old beams/ lumber as we could from the old addition when we demo'ed it - and I think we found the perfect use for some of them...

Chris and his friend are hard at work now, putting it all together.  We think we'll go with a wax finish so we don't have to plane down the old wood and won't have the yellowish tone of poly.

They are using the Gun Barrel table from Restoration Hardware as their guide (I like the cost of ours better!)

My inspiration for the chairs is this - I love the white chairs against the rustic wood table-

(photo via pinterest from http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/blue-dining-roo-151615)

My search for white chairs lead me to antique stores today, and I found a set of 4 chairs that I'm liking...

I have always loved the look of 2 larger, different chairs at the ends of the table - so these four could work for the chairs along the long sides.  The blue stripe in the burlap-type fabric also would work with our blue island stools...

Moving in!

We got our Certificate of Occupancy (CO) a couple days after Christmas.  We are loving the new house and working on decorating!  A few pics since we have been in -

Hoping to get a lot of cleaning & organizing done this weekend - so more photos to follow of the house a bit more furnished!

December 19, 2011

So much has been done since I last posted... we are just about a week away from getting our CO and moving into the new addition!  Plumbing and electric and finishing touches are pretty much remaining.  The hearth for the woodstove is hopefully being completed today, appliances being hooked up. Some pictures -

The floors were stained

Island put back and granite installed

Loveeeeeeeee

Amazing what some paint can do!