Just Let Me Pack My Pic-a-nic Basket~

In my head I figured September to mid October was the perfect time to do Whole30, just the right amount of time between Labor Day and my birthday, no Anchorage temptations to get in the way, controlled village kitchen.  I seem to have forgotten my job calls for travel.  To seven villages.  Preferably all before November.  Whoops.

Normally this wouldn't be an issue in the least - I generally bring all my own food anyway when I do site visits - but making sure I pack enough is always a bit of a worry.  That and the very real chance of getting flight delays and cancellations can wreak havoc on my carefully coordinated meal plans.

So, like underwear, I'll pack a bit extra.  Make a whole other entree to pack into my wonderful insulated picnic basket and my little frog lunch bag which is still just the cutest damn thing.

I ended up spending all of Sunday food prepping - again, not out of the ordinary for my Whole 30 - and made a grand sum of seven different food-stuffs.

1. Hardboiled eggs
2. Salmon patties (to the surprise of literally no one)
3. Buffalo chicken dip
4. Spaghetti squash and meatball casserole
5. Buffalo chicken drumsticks
6. Roasted red pepper and cauliflower soup
7. Ranch dressing

As well as picking up some grapes to throw into a spinach salad with pecans and some olive oil dressing.  

I am thoroughly exhausted, but hopefully also thoroughly prepared for the next few days and then some (popping some of these bad boys in the freezer for next week, when I'll be traveling again.  And then again the next week.  And then-).  

Here's hoping the skies are favorable and get me there and back again in a smooth and fashionable manner!  Atqasuk, here I come!  

Round 3 - FIGHT!

I don't know if this makes me a certified devotee, but I am legitimately excited for my third round of Whole30.  I love how it makes me feel, how my bloat goes away, and, honestly, I love the challenge of it.  Because no matter how 'good' I am at it, it's still a challenge to navigate through your average, everyday life and consistently make good choices.  There are distractions and temptations everywhere, and people with hearts of gold who mean well can destroy your progress in the most loving way possible.

Which is why I bring up my most important and powerful tool in successfully completing a round of Whole 30: the ability to say "no thank you."

Because in the long run, it's easy to say no to yourself while you're shopping, or driving past them Arches, or even pawing through your fridge.  It's much harder when the office darling makes an amaaaazing crumb cake and offers you a slice.  And you have to look that doll baby in the face and say, "Oh, no thank you." OR, conversely, you take the slice, eat it, enjoy it for 5 minutes, then feel guilty about it for the REST OF YOUR LIFE!  Or the next few days, when you decide if you're going to restart or just scrap the whole thing.

I know, it's hard.  And yes, they might be hurt for that brief moment in time.  But ultimately you have to make the best decisions for yourself.  And that means perfecting the art of saying no, and often the art of quickly and concisely explaining what Whole 30 is.  Maybe I should just make up little pamphlets.

Oh no, I am a devotee...

But seriously, it's 30 days.  30 days of saying "yes" to you and "no" to things that would derail your progress.  30 days in your WHOLE life where you take a pass on the crumb cake and hunker down with your breakfast casserole instead.  30 days where you patiently explain to your friends what you're doing and why you're doing it.  30 days.

Let's do this thing.