What I Learned in July

How is it possibly already the end of July? How? 

Anyway - it's been a C-R-A-Z-Y month, but here are a few things I learned in July.

Dollywood has an amazing guest assistance program. If you travel with a child with any sort of disability, you know how difficult it can be to face long lines, loud crowds, and staring patrons. We spent two days at Dollywood this month and we were very impressed by their attention and care for their guests with disabilities. A quick stop at the ride accessibility office provided us with a card that gave us easy (and fast) access to all the rides, as well as a phone number we could call if we needed anything, or wanted access to Dollywood's new calming room. The Calming Room was fabulous. Thirty minutes of peace, quiet, books, comfy places to sit, and a break from the crowds. It was just what our girl needed to get through the rest of the day. Who am I kidding…it didn't hurt me, either!

Trader Joe’s Dark Chocolate Cacao Nibs are amazing. They are my new favorite writing snack. They are tiny, it doesn't take much for me to feel like I've had enough (unlike milk chocolate which I can eat in large quanities and still want more), and they have the crunch from the cacao nib that makes them simply delightful. I'm a fan!

Lavender Oil is the BEST thing for burns. I promise I'm not going to turn into an essential oil evangelist, but despite my original skepticism toward them I have been blown away by how well Lavender Oil works on sunburns and kitchen burns (which I have a LOT of experience with). Our youngest managed to get a pretty bad burn after a day at the lake. I slathered him in some coconut oil that I mixed with the lavender. No complaints, no drama, and next morning, no redness. Even my husband was amazed. I keep Lavender in my kitchen for when I splatter myself with grease or attempt to reach into the oven and burn myself on the rack (don't ask). It works every time. 

Chocolate Avocado Smoothie - I can't call this health food because people have checked the calorie/sugar counts and shared them in the comments (just look), but this is way better for me than a milkshake, and it satisfies my sweet tooth. Even better, my kids hate it. :) Probably because of the flax seed, or maybe it's because I don't use as much honey as called for so it's not super sweet. Regardless, I don't have to share! 

Buy the big pot. I have several recipes that are part of our regular meal rotation. I make them often, and I usually double the recipe and freeze whatever is left to save myself some time and trouble later. The problem has been that I haven't had a big enough pot to double the recipe without having to divvy it up into multiple pots or deal with lots of spillovers. I finally broke down and bought a BIG pot. WHY did I wait to do this? It made meal prep so much more enjoyable and cleanup so much easier. Take my advice…by the big pot. 

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What I Learned in January and February

Two of my favorite bloggers (Emily P. Freeman and Modern Mrs. Darcy) do something toward the end of each month that I always look forward to, so I’ve decided to jump on the bandwagon.

I love to learn new things, and I want my kids to be lifelong learners. To help me model this for them, each month I’ll be sharing a “What I Learned in…” post. There are no rules here. The learning can be profound or profoundly ridiculous. The point is to pay attention to it all. 

So, without further ado…

What I Learned in January/February (I’m doubling up)!

1. I prefer cashew butter to almond butter.

I know, it sounds silly, but it’s been a big deal for me. I don’t consume a lot of peanut butter, even though I love it. Most people who make the switch to “healthier nut butters” go straight to almond butter. For the past couple of years, I’ve use almond butter and I like it. I just don’t love it. But cashew butter? Yumminess. 

I think there might be a larger lesson here. Something about not trying to force yourself to love something just because everyone else does? Or maybe about how it’s better to keep trying new things instead of assuming they are all basically the same? Come to think of it, that seems to be a theme for the entire month. Read on. 

2. I do not like e-books.

I don’t hate them. I’m not anti-Kindle or anti-Nook or anti-iPad. But if I have an e-book, there’s a good chance I’ll forget about it and never get it read. It just doesn’t speak to me the way the hardback on my nightstand or the paperback in my purse does.

3. I love going to movies alone.

After a near implosion mid-month, my wise husband sent me to a movie by myself. It was glorious. I may go to another one this month (he doesn’t know this yet). It’s not that I’m anti-social. But I am a highly-sensitive introvert and spending all day, every day with people, even the people I love more than anything in the world, makes me a little seriously crazy. 

That night, I went to dinner with my husband, then drove myself to the theatre where I arrived 45 minutes early (the only appropriate time to arrive for a move in my opinion). I got the best seat in the empty theatre then disappeared into another world (which included Chris Pine and that’s always a good thing) for a couple of hours. It was rejuvenating, both emotionally and creatively.

4. I love coffee. I don’t need the caffeine.

I gave up coffee in January. After 7 straight days of headaches, I finally broke free of the caffeine addiction. The coffee addiction, however, seems to be here to stay. I love a great cup of coffee in the morning, or with friends, but now I’m drinking decaf. Even at 6 a.m.

5. There are thousands of pounds of unexploded ordnance buried in Europe, particularly in Germany.  

I read a fascinating article in The Smithsonian about how/why so many bombs didn’t explode and were lost underground after the Allied bombing raids over Germany. My writer-brain is having a field day with it. I know there’s a way to use this in a story someday!

6. Mental clutter shuts me down and it’s worth the effort to clear it away.

I’m a very visual person and clutter drives me crazy, but I’ve always thought that as long as it was out of sight, it didn’t bother me. So things like cluttered closets or the kids’ messy bedrooms weren’t really an issue. WRONG. I spent a week cleaning out the kids’ rooms and closets and it has been deliciously freeing.

7. These sushi stacks are awesome. 

Try them. I’m not saying you won’t miss your favorite sushi restaurant, but they may help you survive until your next roll. (Random: The fact that I now love sushi is a complete mystery to anyone who knew me as a kid. If you have a picky eater, take heart. They may outgrow it!)

Ok – that’s it for now. I actually have five more things, but this post is already too long. 

I’d love for you to leave a comment and share one, two, or twenty things you’ve learned so far this year.

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Writing Update and Links I Love - April 25th Edition

Covert Justice

Covert Justice goes on sale in just six weeks!

Members of Harlequin's Readers Service have already received their copy, and Covert Justice is starting to get some love. 

My dear friend and mentor, Lynette Eason, has given Covert Justice a fabulous endorsement.

And Leslie R. McKee reviewed it for Romantic Times and gave Covert Justice 4 stars. Here's what she had to say...

Isn't that lovely! 

I'm working on my Fiction Newsletter that will go out to my newsletter subscribers next week. Newsletter subscribers get behind-the-scenes info on my writing, including an exclusive deleted scene from Covert Justice. If you haven't signed up yet, the signup form is in the sidebar. Or you can go here...

Yes, I want to signup for your newsletter!

I'm also hard at work on a new book. I'd so appreciate your prayers for this story. Writing a book while preparing for the release of another book is challenging. It's a little bit (a very little bit!) like having your second child. 

When you had your first baby, you could put all your energy into that little bundle of joy. But when the second one comes along, you need to nurture and feed and stay up late with this new creation, while still giving your firstborn lots of time and attention as well. 

It's a challenge to adjust to the new demands, but eventually, you find your rhythm.

With my books, I'm still in the "challenging" stage, but every now and then I get hints and glimmers of a manageable rhythm, so I'm pressing on.

For your weekend...here are a few finds from the internet that caught my eye!

Faith
My friend, Lori Roeleveld, has been writing some powerful posts about love. Start with this one, What Hope When Murderers Reign, and then be sure to read the next severals posts and allow these truths about LOVE to sink deep.

Fiction and Fun (well, fun might not be the right word...) 
I was so sad to hear about Jonathan Crombie's passing. (I may have watched all of Anne of Green Gables and Anne of Green Gables, the Sequel...in one day...) From Buzzfeed, here are 25 Times Gilbert Blythe from "Anne of Green Gables" Melted Your Heart. 

Family
Loved this perspective from Modern Mrs. Darcy - Balance Isn't a See-Saw. It's a game of Twister.

Food

And another one from Modern Mrs. Darcy - My Favorite Things to Buy at Trader Joe's. 

Fitness
Fitness is more than just hitting the gym. Hitting your pillow and getting a full night of sleep is crucial. I enjoyed this post from Michael Hyatt on Sleep and Your Productivity. 

Grace & peace,
Lynn

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Writing Update and Links I Love

Writing Update

I’m working away on a new novel. A secondary character from Covert Justice just showed up on the front porch and sent things in a very interesting direction. This guy is persistent! I looked at him and thought, “I’m so glad you’re here, but I wish you’d let me know you were coming!” (I realize for those of you who don’t write, this may be a bit disturbing…welcome to my world!)

My author copies of Covert Justice should be arriving soon. I’m insanely excited to see them and hold them and put one on my bookshelf! I’m up to my eyeballs in promotion work for Covert Justice and excited to offer some fun treats for my readers!

For those of you who might not know, my publisher is Love Inspired Suspense and they offer a book club. If you sign up, you receive new releases in your mailbox 2 months before they are released to the public. This means that book club members will start receiving Covert Justice in just a few weeks! AAAGGGHHH!

Be on the lookout for an opportunity to join my prayer team. I’m convinced that there is NO WAY I can do this without having a strong team of prayer warriors behind me. I’ll be giving you the opportunity to commit to praying for me, and for the readers of Covert Justice, in the months ahead.

On Wednesday (April 1), we'll be celebrating the first #KillerVoices book releases on Facebook with an all-day release party. Follow me on Facebook and join in the fun!

Some Links I Love for your Weekend:

Family

I loved this. We’ve all got strengths so let’s stop comparing! No, You're Not More of a Real Mom Because Your House is Messy 

Yes! Yes! Yes! I prefer books over Kindles - this explains it so well. Why Digital Natives Prefer Reading in Print - Yes, You Read that Right 

Faith

Wisdom from my dear friend @LoriRoeleveld The Day God Forgot His Call On My Life 

Fiction

A must read, whether you write or not. The Trajectory Principle 

Useful for all suspense writers. Writing Spies - Which Agency Does What To Who? 

Food and Fitness

We love our foam rollers. Do you have one? 2 Things You Should be Doing on Your Foam Roll (That You Aren't Doing Now) 

I couldn’t decide if I should post this under food or fun! Yeah for coffee! 3 to 5 Cups of Coffee a Day May Lower Heart Attack Risk 

Wanting to give spaghetti squash a try? This recipe is a staple at our house. We add pepperoni! 5 Ingredient Pizza Spaghetti Pie 

Fun

A little bit of salty language. Don’t read this one if you never make snide remarks - it’s high on the snarky scale! 17 Motivational Posters for Sarcastic Parents 

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Links I Love

Happy Sunday Out of the Boat readers!

Today, I'm starting a new weekend post. Let me know how you like it.

1st up - A writing update 

(Because about three of you really want to know)!

Covert Justice has a cover! Stop back by tomorrow for the big reveal!

Book 2 is actually starting to come along. By come along, I mean the characters have decided to talk to me again and I have a good idea of what sort of torture I'm about to inflict upon them. By Tuesday, I will probably be back in the Pit of Despair, convinced I'll never finish another book. EVER. It's a vicious cycle. 

I now have a Goodreads Author Profile. If you are on Goodreads, I'd love for you to stop by and add Covert Justice to your to-be-read shelf and maybe ask me a question about the book. Thanks!

Covert Justice is also available for pre-order on Amazon. Seeing the book, with my name, on Amazon and Goodreads has been C-R-A-Z-Y fun. Until I start thinking about getting reviews. Then I experience shortness of breath and the room starts spinning. (I'm joking. Kinda).

2nd - A little link love. 

Some of my favorite finds this week. Maybe you'll find something that inspires or encourages you. Or maybe it tickles your funny bone. Note: Not all of these posts are from Christian sources. Occasional salty language is possible. 

Faith and Family

The One Question Every Parent Should Quit Asking by Scott Dannemiller @HuffPost Parents - good stuff

Dear Mom Who Refuses to Rest by Ruth Simons @ gracelaced - toe stomping good stuff

7 Ways to Prepare as a Homeschool Mom @ Teachers of Good Things - Yep. We're thinking about heading down this path and this was a great post.

Fiction 

Top Ten Things You Need to Know About the Writing Life from James Scott Bell @ The Kill Zone - JSB always has good advice.

On Becoming a Writer from Jen Hatmaker - Got doubts about writing? Read this.

Write Free by Carla Laureano @ Seriously Write - And this.

7 Days to Less Productivity and More Creativity by Allen Arnold @ Novel Rocket - This totally changed my week. It specifically applies to writers, but it could be just what you need for whatever God has called you to this week.

Fitness, Food, and Fun

Sausage, Potato and Spinach Soup from Damn Delicious - Best recipe find from our recent Whole45. You don't have to eat Paleo or be on a Whole30 to appreciate this soup. It's awesome and reheats beautifully. Comfort food for a cold day. (If you're dairy free, use full-fat coconut milk instead of heavy cream. I promise you can't taste it).

Chalk This One Up - Do CrossFit? Lift heavy? You need some chalk. This cracked me up!

****

That's it for this week.
I'm headed out to stock up for the winter storm that may or may not give us some snow and/or ice tomorrow. This the first real shot we've had all winter. I know my friends up North are sick of the white stuff, but I won't lie...I wouldn't mind a snow day!

May your week be filled with grace and peace,

Lynn

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Resolved, To Trust Him More

It’s resolution time.

Whether we make them or not, we are all thinking about them.

Because deep down, we know something is missing. We aren’t who we want to be. We aren’t living the life we want to live.

We don’t understand it, this need, this desire, we just know we long for more. 

But more what?

We know what it isn’t more of. It isn’t more food, more money, more sex, more stuff, more wine, or more leisure. 

Oh sure, we want some of that. We joke about what we’d do if we won the lottery. We like to imagine what it would be like to never worry about the price tag, the deadline, the calorie count, or the consequences.

We forget, because we are human and easily distracted, that we are immortal beings. Our bodies will die, but not our souls.

We were made for eternity. 

Made for communion with God. 

Made for so very much more.

We want the “more” and we look for it everywhere.

We eat one more piece of pie, because daggumit it tastes great so we don’t think about the headache, weight gain, or intestinal distress that we know is coming.

We go out with one more person who we know will ask for more that we should give and we don’t think about the way the euphoria of the moment will flee and leave us empty, again.

We take one more drink, buy one more outfit, make one more deal under the table because we are addicted to the rush, the thrill, the chase and the last time we got a hit of fulfillment was too long ago.

We keep trying to make ourselves happy.

We keep failing.

But the Creator of our soul, the One who created us with that hole we cannot fill, He told us where satisfaction can be found. 

The only place it can be found.

In Him.

So why do we turn our back on Him?

I can’t answer that for you, but I’ve been thinking about it, and for me, I think it’s because somehow, I’ve bought into the lie that all that other stuff is better than anything God can offer me. 

Or the lie that says that living a life sold out to Him requires too much sacrifice because I’ll have to give up too much of what I want.

I grow blind to how doing it my way is making me miserable. I can’t see that doing life His way, while not easy, leads to a satisfaction and contentment that nothing else offers. 

It’s just like with food (feel free to insert your own vice here). I know certain foods make me feel gross, but sometimes I eat them anyway. I get tired of being “good”, start feeling deprived and then all I can think about is what I’m missing out on. “Why can’t I eat that? Why can other people eat it when I can’t? What does it really matter if I have another donut/cookie/Coke/bagel/piece of fudge?”

I forget how good I feel when I exercise a little self-control. I ignore the fact that when I feast on good things, I don’t feel hungry or stuffed. I feel amazing.

The Bible tells us, “Blessed are they who hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled.” In another passage it says, “Taste, and see that the LORD is good.” And in another, the Psalmist says, “How sweet are Your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth.” (Clearly the Almighty knew that at least some of us would relate to food 

analogies.)

What if we took Him at His Word? What if we believed that the One who CREATED US, longed for us enough to come to earth and BE WITH US, loved us enough to DIE FOR US, might actually be the key to SATISFYING US?

If you don’t know Jesus, and you’re afraid to get to know Him because you think He’s going to ask you to give up everything awesome, can I beg you to reconsider? To think about how He gave His life so that you could have abundant life? To look at that empty place and dare to imagine what it would be like to finally have it filled?

If you do know Jesus, but you’re afraid to give Him everything because you think He’s going to ask you to do something you don’t want to do, can I ask you to trust Him more? You’ve trusted Him with your eternal destiny. Can you not trust Him with your day-to-day? Can you dare to imagine how amazing you could feel when you wake up each morning—not knowing what the day will bring but knowing it will be an adventure worth taking?

What if we made our 2015 resolution this….just this….

To Trust Him More.

What would that look like?

Let’s find out!

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How I Prepped for My First Week of Whole30

I just started my 3^rd Whole30.

The best part about Whole30, Round 3? 

Less Anxiety, More Anticipation

No kidding. My first Whole30, I was a wreck for at least 2 weeks before we started. Partly because I’m a rule-following people-pleaser who lives in fear of “messing up” or “doing something wrong."

**Yes, I am one of those people who dreamed about cheating on my Whole30. I dreamed I drank a Coke. It was awesome, but I woke up in a panic. I also came close to licking peanut butter off my finger while making sandwiches for the boys…that scare probably took a good six-months off my life.**

But this time around? I’m psyched. I’m so psyched we started earlier than we had to. (Our FFCF family isn’t starting until Monday). What? I know! It’s insane. But I feel gross from way too much holiday indulgence and I didn’t want to wait any longer. If you’d told me last summer I would be excited about doing this—for the third time—I’d have laughed, probably hysterically…maybe with a few tears from the stress of it all.

So, if you’re getting ready to embark on your first Whole30 and you’re about to need anxiety meds…I UNDERSTAND.

Take a few deep breaths. Remember that everyone was brand new to this once. Even if you “mess up” you can view it as a learning opportunity and get right back on track. No worries. While this is a rigid plan, it’s not intended to make you miserable. It’s intended to help you feel better. Just ask as many questions as you need to and Whole30 on!

I've already shared my Top 10 Tips to prepare for your Whole30, but people keep asking me exactly what I'm doing, so I thought I'd give you the run down of what I did to prepare for our first week.

I prepared a little bit differently than I did the first time through, and I'm more efficient in the kitchen than I was six months ago, but I’m not gonna lie….I spent most of Saturday afternoon in the kitchen. (Thank goodness for the Harry Potter weekend on ABCFamily!) 

Here’s what I focused on:

1. Making sauces. I’ve already talked about how important Whole30 compliant mayo is. I made 4 batches. I made some Whole30 compliant Hoisin sauce (from Well Fed 2) because I needed it for a salad dressing and I will need it for a recipe later this week. I also whipped up a huge batch of Cilantro Ranch dressing (take this recipe, use cilantro instead of parsley, leave out the paprika and thin it with some water). This stuff will make your veggie intake so much more enjoyable!

2. Making breakfast a breeze. I prefer to have a nice leisurely breakfast with fried eggs, a few pieces of compliant bacon, half my plate filled with peppers and onions and a half an avocado with a splash of salsa. But most mornings, I don’t have time for that. So I made some egg muffins that will get me by in a pinch. I like these because they are loaded with veggies. I had some this morning with salsa (I like Mateo's salsa that I buy at Costco, but it's really not that hard to find compliant salsa), some avocado, and a cup of bone broth. 

3. Experimenting with a new recipe. I found this recipe for spinach, sausage and potato soup on Pinterest and it was awesome. It’s going in the rotation. Pinterest is a great source of Whole30 recipes, but be careful. Just because Pinterest says it's Whole30 doesn't mean it is. With this recipe, I used compliant sausage and full-fat coconut milk in place of the heavy cream to make it fit within the guidelines. 

4. Grilling lots of meat. We grilled chicken wings, a pork tenderloin, some compliant Italian sausages, and eight chicken breasts. It’s always a great idea to grill multiple foods as longs the big green egg is fired up, and it will help our evenings go more smoothly when the kids and I don’t have to wait for Brian to get home, change clothes, start the grill, wait for it to heat up….you get the idea.

5. Making bone broth. I keep reading about how awesome bone broth is, so I’m adding turkey broth and beef broth to my repertoire. So far, I like it.

6. Stocking up on Whole30 staples. I hit Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s and Publix. I bought coconut aminos (great sub for soy sauce), sparkling water, compliant pickles (Trader Joe’s brand has some good ones) and mustards (mustard with horseradish will be a great sub for BBQ sauce with that pork tenderloin), plenty of veggies and some fruit.

I also hopped online and ordered jerky, Primal Pacs and Red Boat fish sauce because I already know I can’t find that stuff around here. Check out Whole30.com for their approved sources and affiliate links if you’re worried about getting something that is non-compliant. 

7. Making sure Day 1 goes off without a hitch. We already knew we would be out of town through late Monday evening. So before we left on Sunday, I made sure we had options to get us through Day 1 without any drama. No scrambling for a compliant lunch or having to cook in order to eat. We’ve got all that grilled meat plus we have a few salads in mason jars, so we are set. 

There's nothing magical about my prep. I've done this several times now, so I know where I'm likely to run into trouble (no time for breakfast, starving at lunch, running out of mayo ...) and my preparation is designed to minimize that. Your prep will look different from mine. Just spend a little time thinking about your week and your life and try to minimize the challenges as much as you can.

If you're gearing up for a Whole30, feel free to ask questions in the comments. I'm not an expert, but I'll be happy to help any way I can! 

Click to Tweet: Gearing up for Whole30? Here's how I prepped for Week 1.

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Top 10 Ways to Prep for Whole30

Top 10 Ways to Prep for Whole30.

So, you’re thinking about doing a Whole30 in January? Great! Here are my top 10 things you should be doing now - yes, now! - to get ready. 

(You can read about my health journey and how Whole30 has played a big part in it here).

1. Learn the program. If you can read It Starts With Food before January, great. But if not, get over to Whole30.com and learn what you can and cannot eat. 

2. Try out some recipes. A quick Whole30 search on Google or Pinterest will return thousands of Whole30 compliant recipes. (You can follow my Whole30 Pinterest board to see what I’ve found so far). December is the time to experiment. There’s nothing worse than being in the middle of a Whole30 and trying a new recipe that flops. 

3. Invest in a new cookbook (or three).  Just because it’s “paleo” doesn’t mean it’s Whole30. But paleo cookbooks are a great place to start. My personal favorite Whole30 cookbooks are Well Fed and Well Fed 2. 

Olives are an awesome source of fat!

4. Prep your pantry. Stock up on Whole30 staples. Whole30 compliant coconut milk, coconut oil, ghee, light olive oil, extra virgin olive oil, diced tomatoes, tuna, olives, nuts and seeds. If you buy all of it on January 1^st, your budget is going to feel it. Once you start searching, you may discover that it’s difficult to source some things. Can you even find compliant coconut milk where you live? You might need to order it online. If you have an Amazon prime membership, online shopping might make your life a lot easier (it does mine).

5. Organize your fridge. Before we start a Whole30, we read labels and move all the non-compliant food to one side. Think ketchup, maple syrup, and barbecue sauce. Then we put the foods that are Whole30 approved on the other side. Buy some compliant pickles and olives. Get the good bacon (no sugar added). Check your mustards and curries. Some will be okay, some won’t. 

Homemade Mayo - A must have!

6. Learn to make mayo. I know. I know. But trust me. Whole30 approved mayo will make your life so much easier. It’s not that hard. You just need some patience and a food processor or blender. And you need to follow the instructions here. The sauces, salad dressings, chicken salads, and tuna salads you’ll be able to enjoy are totally worth the effort.

7. Find Whole30 compliant restaurants in your area. The best way to stay completely compliant is to make your own food. But do you really want to make all 90 meals? I don’t. So ask questions now. Are the eggs cooked in butter? Can you get the chicken cooked in olive oil? Can you get a salad that will work? Does the steak have a rub or can you get it plain? In our area, Tropical Chicken Grille has a couple of Whole30 compliant options. We eat there at least once a week. The Chicken Fresco chop over lettuce with a side of guacamole keeps me sane. Especially around Day 23 when I start thinking if I have to cook another meal I’ll throw my cast iron skillet out the window.

8. Freeze a few favorites. I have Chocolate Chili, Spaghetti Sauce, and Breakfast Sausage (I double the crushed red pepper, skip the brown sugar) in the freezer. There’s nothing like having your day run off the rails and then being faced with having to cook a meal. When you're exhausted (or you have a recipe fail), you can thaw some chocolate chili, dice up some onion and avocado while it’s reheating, and you’ve got supper in ten minutes flat. 

9. Try some new beverages. Your beverage choices will be somewhat limited on Whole30. Coffee? Sure, as long as it’s black. Tea? Go for it. Unsweetened. Juice? Nope. Smoothies. Nada. Water? As much as you can handle, bro! But flat water can get boring, so this month, give sparkling waters a shot. 

LaCroix in Pamplemousse - Love it!

I HATED LaCroix the first time I tried it. By Day 15 of my first Whole30, I’d decided they weren’t awful. Six months later, I actually crave them. Our favorite LaCroix flavor is pamplemousse (grapefruit). We also like the White Rock brand (which we buy at Whole Foods) in pomegranate blueberry. 

If you’re panicked about the coffee situation, I feel your pain. I was a wreck about it. Chameleon Cold Brew Coffee (black) saved the day. (A huge shout out to our coaches at Five Forks CrossFit for stocking it for us while we searched for a local source!) It’s sold refrigerated and concentrated. You mix it with water and it’s good cold or hot. It’s very smooth and not at all bitter. I drank it iced for the first 10 days. By then, I was able to handle my regular coffee black. 

Another option…try your coffee with coconut oil instead of cream. My husband drinks his this way every day. You can buy a mini-aererator like this one (we picked it up at Bed, Bath and Beyond with a coupon for $15) and get a nice frothy, creamy feel to your coffee.

Pistachios make me happy.

10. Find some compliant emergency foods you actually like. Stash them in your car, purse, desk drawer, etc. No, a lunch comprised of beef jerky and a Lara bar isn’t ideal, but it can keep you in compliance until you can get to a salad bar. My emergency stash includes nuts (check what kind of oils are in there), dried fruit (check for added sugar), Lara bars (watch the ingredients), and beef jerky (choose carefully). 

That’s my Top 10 Ways to Prep for your Whole30 list. 

If you've completed a Whole30, what would you add? Do you have any questions about Whole30 you'd like me to answer in a post? Tell me about it in the comments!

My next Whole30 post (coming next week) will include my favorite Whole30 foods. I’ll be talking brand names and where to buy/order, so check it out. 

Planning a #Whole30 in January? Here's what you can be doing now! Top 10 Ways to Prep for Whole30.

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Whole30 and My Health Journey

What You Eat on Whole30

Did you catch Dr. Oz on Thursday?

I don’t watch him often, but I set the DVR because of the segment on Whole30. I’ve done two Whole30s in the past six months and the results have been pretty awesome.

So awesome that I’ve started getting a lot of questions about my health journey.

I’ve hit the point where I’ve lost enough weight that people aren’t afraid to ask me about it. 

They don’t say, “Have you lost weight?” That’s what you ask when you think someone might have lost weight. 

The people who are asking want specifics.
They want to know how much. And they want to know how.
So I’m going to answer that question here. 

In some ways, the answer is B-O-R-I-N-G. In others, it’s A-M-A-Z-I-N-G.

I’m eating clean and training hard.

I’ve lost 30 pounds by eating paleo (and occasionally kicking it up a notch with a Whole30) and doing CrossFit. I’ve written a few blog posts about CrossFit, but I haven’t written much about how I eat. 

Partly because I don’t have any interest in writing a food blog. Partly because I don’t want to bore people.

Mostly because I know that once you start writing about something—fitness, food, faith, fiction—anything you SAY you are passionate about, there comes with that a sense of accountability. 

It’s kind of like the stickers on the back of my car. The ones that tell people in my community where I worship and where I workout…the kind of stickers that make me think twice before giving in to road rage or pulling through the Krispy Kreme drive thru. 

Despite my fear of being busted with a half-eaten sleeve of Thin Mints, I’ve decided to start writing about how I eat and how I exercise because they have become big components of how I do life. 

I’ll still be writing about faith and fiction, but I’ll be adding in posts on food and fitness from time to time. 

While I make no apology for my faith or the fact that I would love to see everyone come to know Jesus as their personal Savior, that’s not how I feel about the way I eat or exercise. I promise I’m not going to try to convert you to paleo or beg you to join a CrossFit—although if you want to, I’ll be happy to help!

I’m not an expert and can only write from my own personal experience. I have a long way to go, but I am convinced that taking care of my body matters for the Kingdom. God has good works for me to do, and if I’m lethargic and exhausted all the time because I’m filling my body and clouding my brain with junk food, then I can’t do what I was put here to do.

There are any number of ways to eliminate junk from your diet. You can count calories, cut out sugar, only eat vegetables, only eat organic. I have friends who’ve gone those routes and have had great success. What’s worked for me is eating paleo, so in general the recipes and tips I’ll be sharing will fit with a paleo lifestyle. 

So what is paleo?

The term “paleo” is shorthand for paleolithic nutrition and gets its basis in the idea that man did not evolve to eat the way modern man eats and that we need to eliminate foods that were unavailable to prehistoric man including grains, dairy, sugar, and chemicals.

Please don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater here. Just because the idea of “eating paleo” is based in evolutionary biology doesn’t mean it’s a crock of dino dung.

For the record, I am a creationist. 

I cannot fathom how anyone can appreciate the intricacy of the world around them and honestly believe all of that came about by chance.

But you don’t have to believe in evolution to know that most of us consume way too much. Too much sugar, too many chemicals, too many calories. Too much stuff that God never intended to go into our bodies.

For me, paleo is the framework for eliminating the junk and cleaning up my diet. It’s worked great! When I eat this way, I’m not hungry. I have a ton of energy. And my body composition is slowly but surely changing.

I’m doing another Whole30 in January, so over the next few weeks I’ll be posting some tips and tricks that I’ve learned from my previous Whole30 experiences, as well as sharing some of my favorite recipes. I’m looking forward to sharing this part of my story with all of you!

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I Blame the Kale

I blame the kale.


All pre-chopped and bagged.
It’s why I took the kids into the store in the first place.

Have you ever been to Trader Joe’s? It’s—interesting. The layout is odd, it’s significantly smaller than I thought it would be, and the shopping carts are tiny.

On this morning, I plopped my three-year-old into the back of the cart and allowed my 5-year-old to ride along on the outside. You know. The way the little diagram on the seat warns against? Yep. That way.

It would have been fine if I hadn’t paused to grab the kale.


That light-weight shopping cart couldn’t handle the combined weight of both boys at one end, and in a flash, it flipped. The three-year-old rode it down and tumbled out with nary a scratch. (I think he enjoyed it). My five-year-old suffered two completely different injuries.

The first was physical. The cart landed on his arm. So minor it never even bruised.

The second was to his heart, and there was nothing minor about that one. He stood there, tears pooling in the eyes he refused to raise from the floor, saying, “I’m sorry, Mama, I’m sorry, Mama” over and over. And because he is so much like me, I knew that his regret had as much to do with causing a scene—with “messing up”—as it did with the trampled flowers and flying strawberries.

Once I’d confirmed no one was bleeding, I sat right there in the middle of Trader Joe’s and whispered, “Baby, it’s fine. You didn't do anything wrong. It was an accident. I’m not upset. I think you’re awesome and I’m so glad you’re okay.”

I want my little man to grow up secure in the knowledge that there is nothing—NOTHING—he can do, that will ever change my feelings for him. He’s going to make messes and he’s going to get hurt, and he needs to know that I am always and forever going to be on his side.

But the truth was that even as I comforted my little guy, I was fighting the voices in my head. You know the ones who point out how everything you just did was W-R-O-N-G. The ones pointing out the workers righting the buggy, the shoppers pausing to see if the kids were okay, someone picking up the kale. All because of my mistake.

By the time we had finished shopping, the voices in my head were screaming. I was replaying the incident from the moment I put the boys in the cart, to the second I turned loose to grab the kale, to the fact that I was so focused on the kids, I never thanked the people who got the buggy back on its wheels or located my strawberries and how rude was that and was I teaching my kids to be ungrateful?

As we approached the cashier, a woman asked if the boys were okay. Then she did the craziest thing. She looked at me and said, “You’re such a great mom. The way you were comforting him . . . you’re doing a great job.”

I wanted to ask her if she’d noticed that I was the “great” mom who’d let her kids be mauled by a red shopping cart, but instead I mumbled something like “Thanks, just glad they weren’t hurt” and moved on before her words made me cry.

It wasn’t until much later that I realized what had happened. That my heavenly Father—who saw the whole thing go down and knows me better than I know myself—chose, in that topsy-turvy moment, to remind me that He thinks I’m awesome. And He used a stranger to say it for Him.

He knows that while I have no trouble believing He loves me when I’m singing praise songs with the kids or volunteering in Sunday school, it’s so much harder to believe when I’ve messed up. Dropped the ball. Blown it.

I don’t know how your Monday has been. How you’ve struggled. Where you’ve failed.
But this I know.
He loves you.
He thinks you’re awesome.

Zephaniah 3:17 - The LORD your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing. (ESV)

I Blame the Kale - What I learned about God's #love in the produce aisle. #motherhood #faith (Click to Tweet)



***I want to apologize for my lengthy absence.  I spent three months frantically writing a novel and I have no idea what happened to the month of June! I'm hoping to be back here on a more regular basis in the weeks ahead.

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