Why I Don't Mind Turning 30

Today I'm over on Hello Giggles, talking about why I don't mind turning 30 in a few months. Head on over and see what I have to say, and chime in via the comments on HG about your own "getting older woes!"

 image via ruffled blog

One Week Clean-Eating Challenge

First of all, you might be thinking "what? I thought this was supposed to be a sugar-free challenge!" It was. But as I was writing this post Tuesday night, and after thinking over some of the comments I received, I realized that it would actually be irresponsible of me to ask all of you to do a detox of any sort. I realize there's a tricky line with blogging and giving out unqualified advice. I never want to harm anyone, and in this case I think my excitement just got the best of me, and as I was typing it out I realized I need to be a bit smarter. Although I fully believe that making healthy changes wouldn't do any harm whatsoever, there are tens of thousands of people reading this post, and how am I to know what your medical or nutritional background is? I do believe that cutting out all sugar is a great idea, but if you are going to do so it might be best if you speak with a medical professional. For me the switch was great- and I do think that because I already ate well it was an easy change. But I don't know that everyone who reads this blog is in the same boat, and I would hate to make any assumptions, especially when dealing with someone's health. Thanks to Vanessa and Lindsay for your thoughtful comments on the matter that really got me thinking. You all know that I'm not a doctor or a registered dietician, but I feel comfortable encouraging all of you to just be healthier and eat REAL, whole foods.

So with that said, I thought it would be much safer and a better idea to encourage all of you to eat clean for a week, beginning Monday, January 30th.  This means you would still avoid sugar, but fruit is a-okay. If you want to try this out, you'll be focusing on WHOLE foods, no refined sugars, no processed items, and also cutting things out like white pastas and breads if you'd like.

If you feel this is too much to commit to- maybe you eat fast food everyday or have a sweet tooth- maybe choose one area to focus on throughout this week. Perhaps you want to promise to forgo all processed items, or just not eat any refined sugar. Any way you want to do this is great- it's all about what is best for you.

And what is clean-eating? From my fave clean-eating lady (Tosca Reno's) website: "It is eating the way nature intended. You eat the foods our bodies evolved to function best on, and that makes you feel – and look – fantastic. When you Eat Clean you eat more often. You will eat lean protein, complex carbs, and healthy fats. These practices keep your blood-sugar levels stable and keep you satisfied."

I thought I'd post this well before the weekend so you have enough time to prepare your kitchen for the upcoming week. I'm going to tell that you that it's going to be hard, especially if you're used to eating processed food every day, but I promise you if you stick with it for these seven days you will feel great at the end, and maybe even want to keep it up in some way or another.

On Sunday night I'd recommend preparing some of your base foods so you don't feel stressed during the week. Be sure to make a big pot of quinoa if you can, chop up veggies and put them in easy to access containers in your fridge, and make any of the big items you'll eat each day.  I often will cook some chicken breasts on Sunday evening so I can just grab them and go throughout the week. And If you work you're also going to want to take time each night to pack a healthy lunch and snacks for yourself.

Also- I know it can be hard to do something like this when you have an entire family to feed, or even a partner who may be supportive, but isn't into changing their diet. First of all, remember this is just for a week. A lot of the recipes I've included below are really, really awesome and I believe that all people would be into them, even without an open mind. Also remember that as far as meals go, you aren't that limited. You can eat everything that is whole and natural. Let's say your partner is a meat and white potatoes kind of guy or gal- well, you can do meat and sweet potatoes! Family likes pasta? Try quinoa (see my linked post on it above). Make little changes and I bet your whole family may get on board.

I thought it would be great to round up some recipes around the web for inspiration, followed by quick meal ideas.

Breakfast:

Ricotta and Spinach Frittata (you can make this on Sunday and eat it throughout the week- it will be enough for four breakfasts.)
Veggie Omelette
Zucchini Fritters
Quinoa pancakes- just don't take her sweet topping suggestions! ;)
plain Greek yogurt with sliced almonds
a slice or two of Ezekial bread with almond butter
Wasa crackers with almond butter and a few berries
steel cut oatmeal

Lunch: (this is tough to separate because I eat the same things for lunch and dinner)

Salad with my homemade, favorite salad dressing
Pizza made in the oven/toaster oven on an Ezekial tortilla
beans and avocado with salsa
baked or microwaved sweet potato with broccoli and cheese
bowl of quinoa and steamed veggies
healthy, homemade soups

Dinner:

Portabello mushroom pizzas- be sure if you use tomato sauce try to avoid unnecessary, added sugar- Trader Joe's makes a great one, but you can also just mash up some Roma tomatoes to stand in for the sauce.
big salad topped with protein of choice (chicken, salmon, etc.)
Sweet potato/black bean/quinoa burgers
Chicken Taco Stew (omit the taco seasoning in favor of your own spices- those flavor packets include a lot of nasty additives and preservatives)
Walnut-crusted chicken breasts (be sure to use an Ezekial bread slice rather than the whole wheat specified in the recipe)
Quick Kale and Quinoa Minestrone
veggie stirfry
bean burritos with fresh salsa

Snacks:

Kale chips
Edamame with sea salt (you can buy ready-to-microwave packs at Costco)
Wasa crackers with almond butter and a few mashed up raspberries
hummus and veggies
plain Greek yogurt with sliced almonds
pieces of cheese and meat rolled up
raw nuts (raw means unroasted, no salt, etc.)

To recap, remember you are eating whole foods- fruits, veggies, lean proteins, healthy grains, nuts and seeds. No processed food or refined sugars. No soda! The more colorful your plate the better, so be sure to focus on variety in your meals. The recipes and meals I listed up above are just ideas, so feel free to look around online and get creative.

When it gets tough, remind yourself that this is not a punishment, it's actually a reward. Nothing feels better than being healthy, and I know that at the end of this week you will feel great when you look back and know that you only ate whole, healthy foods for an entire seven days. And if you mess up, do not give up! It's all part of the journey. Just make sure the next thing you choose to eat is on point.

Here are a few clean-eating blogs to check out: one, two and three!  The last one is my most favorite. And here is a large collection of recipes on the Eat-Clean website.

And if you're on Twitter, be sure to keep me updated via @danihampton and use the hashtag #SScleaneating so we can all follow along.  I was going to just use #cleaneating, but it's a well-used tag and wouldn't allow all of our tweets to be in an organized feed.

Oh! And also, if you end up cooking and blogging about an awesome meal, send me the link! I will share it next week so everyone else can get inspired too.

Get ready...Monday will be here before you know it! I'm so excited.

Dear Henry,

Dear Henry,

I am writing this to you while I wait for you to settle back down in your crib for your afternoon nap. Thanks to this video monitor I have propped up next to me I am able to watch you go from lying down, to sitting, to jumping up and down in your crib, and then back to sitting. I'm hoping the next step, you silly boy, is finally falling asleep. And the whole jumping in your crib thing? This is new and something you discovered only last week, along with a million other things you've discovered over the past few days. You're 14 months old now and I feel like now, more than ever, you are growing at an exponential rate. Each morning you talk a little more, walk (run!) a little faster, and and with each of those words and steps, you are changing from our little baby into a toddler.

These past 14 months have absolutely flown by. You don't know how many times during the day I wish so badly I could just stop time for even a moment so I could focus on taking it all in. Last night you ran over to me and gave me the biggest hug, "mamamamama," tiny arms reaching around me, your head pressed into my neck. You wouldn't let go. I flashed back to when you were the tiniest baby and I remember thinking that it couldn't possible get any better than right now. But that right now came and went, and a million more right nows happened, each one a little better than the last. So I'll say it again, as I watch you finally settle down to sleep, I can't imagine it could get any better than this, right here, right now.

But in an hour or two when you wake up, and I open the door to your wild bed head and that big goofy grin, it will already be better. I feel so grateful to live this life with you, I feel so lucky to be your Mom and to spend everyday with that sunshine smile of yours.

I love you Henry!

Mama

Sugar-Free Me

It's been a week and a half since I visited the naturopath for the first time and thanks to her advice it's been just as long since I've had any sugar or processed food.  I knew it was coming- my Mom had told me that my skin and overall blahs could be helped by cutting it out, but it's different when your Mother tells you something versus a doctor.

I think because I was so motivated to see results it wasn't terribly difficult for me to start this new way of eating immediately.  I already didn't drink soda or juice, but I did consume a lot of sugar in the form of fruit. And even though I'd consider myself a very healthy eater, I ate a LOT of processed "health" foods. On any given day I'd find myself eating various Annie's snacks, Lunabars, fake meat products, things like that. At night I'd also occasionally indulge in Skinny Cow treats which I knew all along were bad choices but hey, a whole ice cream sandwich for 120 calories?! Too bad they literally include 50 ingredients. Gross. Once I paid attention I was shocked at how bad my eating really was. For instance, did you know that Quorn products actually have hydrogenated oils and MSG in them? I had no idea and never bothered to look, since I viewed them as "healthy."

So anyway, when I started the first few days were easy. I was motivated, feeling good, and the reasons why I was doing this were fresh in my mind. I saw immediate results in my daily mood. To be honest, I can be quite up and down throughout the day. My naturopath said that this was a result of my body hitting highs and lows, many times a day, due to sugar consumption.  I also noticed that after I drank alcohol I would feel really, really terrible throughout the next week- I would get super depressed and just feel sad. This was one of the reasons I chose to drink only on rare occasions, but now I know why I've always felt the way I did, and why alcohol is just not for me.

On the fourth day of no-sugar I felt like I wanted to give up. I remember telling Hank how it just wasn't fair that I couldn't enjoy frozen yogurt or cupcakes. That MY LIFE WAS NOT WORTH LIVING (yes, all caps because I probably was yelling this in an overly-dramatic way) without sweet treats. But he supported me and reminded me that these 6 weeks were not a punishment for my body, but a reward. So I didn't give in. And now it's been almost two weeks and I've honestly never, ever felt better. Food flavors are so much more vibrant and I'm not as hungry throughout the day. I'm seeing physical changes, as well as emotional. I've lost some extra weight (not the goal but a nice bonus), my skin is clearing up and I've been in a great mood. It's weird because I know most people see me as a very positive person, but it absolutely takes work to stay in this positive place. It's easy for me to slip into depressed thinking or a negative mindset, so every morning I had to make the choice to be happy and positive. But honestly since starting this new way of eating I not only sleep better, but I wake up sincerely pumped to start my day. I don't experience those highs and lows, I feel great all day long, and I'm just in such a good place.

Tonight we met one set of my in-laws at one of our favorite Italian restaurants in town. Typically I eat what I want, and I'd always go for the bread and the pasta. But tonight I ordered a huge salad full of veggies and the formerly "good" stuff didn't even seem appealing. This was huge for me, because I was kind of dreading dinner, knowing I'd be around some of my favorite things. But to be honest, I feel so good and there's no way I'm interested in feeling bad again.  It's just not worth it.

Now, before I get into this, I want all of you to remember that I am NOT a registered dietician, doctor, or in any way qualified to give any health or diet related advice. The information supplied here is simply from my own experience, and I am not suggesting you follow it. Please keep that in mind.

Okay. That's out of the way so let's get to it.

Sugar is sneaky. It's in EVERYTHING. Literally. I mean, it's in ketchup, spaghetti sauce, breads, you name it. It can be hard to look through every ingredient to check for all of the undercover names it goes by (if you're up for it, check out this list), so the easiest way to avoid it is to say no to all processed food and go with natural, whole foods.

My naturopath recommended that I cut out processed foods, breads, pasta, potatoes (sweet potatoes are okay- just no yams), fruit, and refined sugars of any kind for 6 weeks. And why no bread or pasta? They both convert to sugar in your body. She did make allowances for a serving or two of an Ezekial bread product a day (these are sprouted grain products and contain no flour) and 1/4 cup of berries OR a small apple.  Light Rye Wasa crackers are okay too. And remember, this is what was recommended to me, so if you're interested in getting a personalized program, be sure to find a naturopath in your area!

When you give up processed foods at first it seems like the end of the world. "What will I eat?!"

Here's a typical day of eating for me:

Breakfast-
4 egg whites with 1 yolk scrambled with a ton of veggies
1 slice of toasted Ezekial bread

Snack-
handful raw nuts (cashews, pecans, macadamias, Brazil nuts, walnuts)
slices of organic turkey and cheese

Lunch-
big bowl of beans and veggies with an avocado and Greek yogurt (in place of sour cream)
hummus and cucumbers

Snack-
3 Wasa crackers with almond butter with 2 raspberries smashed on top of each cracker

Dinner-
homemade veggie burgers
sweet potato
broccoli

There are a MILLION things I am able to eat, and this break-down is just an example. The internet is a huge resource for me for finding delicious recipes, and my most favorite is the Eat Clean Diet Cookbook and website.  It's all about clean-eating (eating only whole, natural foods) and being healthy.  My favorite magazine is Whole Living, and my most favorite healthy-living blog is My New Roots.

The main thing I keep in mind is how much I CAN eat, rather than how much I can't. Yes, I had cravings at first (especially at night) but I just reminded myself of why I am doing this and it helped me to stay focused.

As for me, although my doctor recommended I do this for 6 weeks, I am looking at this as a permanent change. I will absolutely still partake in the sweet treats of life, but only in small amounts and on special occasions like holidays and birthdays. I will continue to avoid processed foods. I'll probably add in a few more fruits, but overall like I mentioned above, I feel way too good to stop eating how I am now. And plus, the sweet stuff just isn't as appealing.

So, with that said, I'm going to be posting a challenge later this week that will begin on Monday. In it I will include meal ideas and recipes to get you started. In this challenge I'll be encouraging all of you to make healthy changes and eat clean for ONE WEEK with me.* Maybe you'll hate it, maybe you'll love it, but I feel like it's worth a try and we can all do anything for a week, right?  I'll share more info about this later, so keep your eyes peeled.

*edited to change the sugar-free challenge to an healthy change/eat-clean challenge.

I've been getting tons and tons of interest about this, so I hope this post helped to answer some of your questions! Let me know in the comments if you have anything else you'd like to know and I will respond as soon as I can. Thanks for reading, I know this was a long one! :)

xoxo

image via appleaday

Currently.

Currently...

Obsessing over: this no-sugar thing! I LOVE IT and have never, ever felt better in my life. Sounds crazy, and I guess it is a pretty crazy thing to say, but it's true. I can't wait to share more about it in a post tomorrow.

Working on: my fitness. Remember that Fergie song? haha. But really, lately I've had such a fire burning under me to workout. I attribute this to my new way of eating, and I've also been trying out new things at the gym and I'm feeling super motivated to be the healthiest I can be. Don't you love that? Whenever I get myself going to new group classes I always feel this way. And speaking of group classes...

Thinking about: Henry and his freakout this morning at our YMCA's child watch program. About two mornings a week I meet my other Mom friends for Body Pump or random aerobics class. The classes are so hard and the best workout, and I like that Henry is able to interact with different kids and the two caregivers in the room right next to the fitness room. It's a great program and I feel really comfortable having him in there for that hour, but the past three times I've come back the ladies let me know he's been crying and won't stop. When I leave he seems like fine, today he didn't even look up when I left, but it was so upsetting to walk in today after class and see him trying to catch his breath from crying so hard. I don't know what to do- I'm thinking I should just do shorter amounts of time until he is really comfortable- maybe 15 minutes then come back in? I am open to any suggestions. I also am okay with just not going...maybe he's just not ready. But then at the same time I feel like by avoiding situations like this it only reinforces his separation anxiety. Veteran Moms, any ideas?

Anticipating: San Francisco! We are headed to visit one of our dearest friends Alex for the weekend and I'm so excited. I can't wait to be back in one of my favorite cities with some of my favorite people. I anticipate a lot of eating at fabulous restaurants, sightseeing and enjoying being in a different place for a couple of days. It's going to be a short trip but I can't wait! I also feel lucky to have great friends who house and dog sit for us too.

Listening to: Drake's Take Care. Every time I post about listening to rap on Twitter or Instagram people are always shocked. I don't know why but it's funny to me because 75% of the time that's what I'm listening to. Hank often makes fun of me saying that my readers would laugh if they knew that most of the content of Sometimes Sweet has been written to the sounds of hip hop. I remind him that I also love my folk-ish rock and country too, but I think he just gets a kick out of the fact that I know the words to so many of my tough gangsta rap songs.

Eating: Wasa crackers and almond butter. Delicious.

Wishing: That everyone I knew was on Instagram. That's a weird wish, I know, but I really, really love that app. It's probably my favorite thing about my iPhone and the internet. I think it's just so cool to be able to keep in touch with friends via photos of their day, and see what they're up too. It's fascinating.  I think it will be even more fun once Android users can get the app too. My user name on IG is danihampton, find me and say hi!

How about you? What are you up to today?

Tattoo Tuesday V.106

Every once and awhile I like to revisit heavily tattooed Tattoo Tuesday participants and check out what new work they've gotten, and ask them a whole new set of questions! The awesome Nova is here today to talk a little bit more about her tattoos- be sure to check out her original feature also.

Name/blog name: My name is Nova, and my blog’s name is Four Eyes Rella.

Age: 29

Occupation: The person who doesn’t tattoo at the tattoo shop.

Have you gotten any more tattoos since you were first featured on Tattoo Tuesday?

Yes I have! I’m so lucky to work in a tattoo shop with so many cool people... all the tattoos I’m going to tell you about came from Tattoo Zoo in Victoria B.C.

Since my last Tattoo Tuesday interview I’ve gotten a lot of tattoos, actually, now that I think about it. First I got a “party wolf” from Gerry ‘effing’ Kramer on my left foot to match the (Hunter Spanks flash) party panther I have on my right foot.

Cody Walsh tattooed the word “what?” behind my right ear in script and gave me a couple joke tattoos soon after that: the most unconventional spelling possible of the word “awesome” on the side of my finger, and an upside down tattoo on my wrist.




Just above the side of my knee I got a panther head with a moth over its eyes from Kyle Carter. In case you can’t tell by that amazing picture of it, it says “In your face”. Why? Because pretty much all moths do is get up in your face.



Then my sister came to town for a visit. The first day she was here we practically went straight to the shop and got matching Sailor Jerry-ish hearts with “sister sister” in the banners from Gerry and Cody. Aren’t we cute? I got mine on my forearm and hers is on her ankle.



Just recently I got a storm cloud on my shin with a cool banner that says “let it rain” and “let it shine” and it has awesome lightning all flashing out all over the place. This was also a real spur of the moment tattoo, one day at work I asked Gerry (who is my boss) if I could have a tattoo and he said yes and that was pretty much it.



I guess I could describe myself as a tattoo shop vulture. I just lurk around in overhanging branches until I see somebody has some spare time and seems like maybe they’d want to tattoo me and then I swoop down with some great ideas and see what happens.


If you had to pick a favorite tattoo what would it be?

It’s so hard to choose, I like every single tattoo I have for different reasons. I guess right now it’s my chest piece from Colin Wiley. Oh yeah, I also got a chest piece since my last Tattoo Tuesday. Haha.



Anyway there’s not really much to tell, I just really love bees. One of the most interesting jobs I’ve ever had was working on a honey farm, feeding and checking on the bees and basically stealing their honey when they weren't looking. So I’ve wanted a bee tattoo for a while, and when I decided to get one I just kind of went through a book of flower illustrations and liked the poppies the best.

(Insert “boobee” joke here.)

This tattoo took around seven or eight hours, broken up into short two-ish hour sessions before work. Colin and I are both early birds, and usually have two or three hours of quiet time in the mornings before the shop opens, so it worked out well that way. But let me tell you, working a full day while wearing a giant slimy bandage on your chest is not. Fun.

I like this tattoo the most because it’s gorgeous and makes me feel pretty, as lame as that sounds.

Do you have plans to get any more? Do you have any off limits areas?

YES, I definitely have plans for more. In fact my friend/boss Gerry and I have been talking quite a bit about tattooing my kneecaps which is seriously scary to me because my knees are so sensitive. But I really want to have tattoos there so I’m sure I’ll go through with it soon. I tentatively wrote my name in the schedule for next Tuesday. So stay tuned!

I also have a friend in Vancouver who does really cool mandala tattoos and crazy tribal stuff that you can see on his website (Mikel.ca) or his tumblr (http://tattoosangha.tumblr.com/), I just heard from him today actually, and he’s coming to Victoria just to tattoo a few friends (me included!) and hang out really soon.

AND there are a few guest artists coming to the tattoo shop through 2012 who I’m excited about, I’m sure I’ll try and get tattoos from them too if they’re not too busy!

In general I always seem to have a few kind of vague ideas floating around in my head in case an opportunity arises…for example, I want to get a rose tattoo, something with four eyes like a tiger head or a lady head maybe, an angry wisdom tooth, and there’s a Mexican saying I really want to get somehow as well.

My definite off-limits areas are my face, my ears, my breasts, and my other lady parts pretty much, haha. For now I’m also staying away from my neck and the tops of my hands and fingers and anything too crazy because I’m not a hundred percent sure what the future holds…but I really really like the way they look so you never know.



What has your experience been like as a heavily tattooed female?

I feel like in my last Tattoo Tuesday interview I was a little negative when I was talking about interacting with strangers. I could tell you about the craziest stupidest people who force their way into my day sometimes, but honestly being tattooed hardly affects my regular life. I have a great relationship, two sort of step-kids, a house, car, a cool dog and a mean cat, some really great friends… we just do normal stuff and for the most part people leave us alone. Although I’m sure when our group takes the kids to the swimming pool we get a lot more stares than others might.


What's the weirdest thing anyone's ever said to you in regards to your tattoos?

I’m not sure about the weirdest thing actually. I usually just get the standard “why would you do that to yourself your life is ruined forever you’ll never get a job what about when you’re old did that hurt” thing all the time, it’s so funny how predictable people are. Sometimes I feel like they’re reading off a script. Honestly I can see a condescending weirdo coming a mile away and … let’s just say I’m really good at avoiding people when I want to.

Any last thoughts in regards to getting tattooed?

These are the three things I always bring with me when I get tattooed:

1. A hoodie so I can hide my face in it, I can wear it when I get those creepy tattoo adrenaline chills, and I can clench it in my fists when I’m trying to act cool but am dying on the inside of horrible pain. (haha)

2. Snacks and water and pop and whatever I feel like. Treat yo’ self. It’s a big day.

3. A positive attitude. I can do this, I can make it through this, I want to do this.

Asha Guwahati: an update from Kristin

My friend Kristin sent me a great update on her work in India to share with all of you here. If you'd like to read the original post or find out how to donate, visit my post from Thanksgiving.  I firmly believe I have the best readers ever, and to know how much we all contributed makes my heart swell. Thank you, thank you. Here's Kristin- and be sure to follow along on her journey via her blog too!:

Hi lovely readers! It is almost impossible to believe but it has been two months since Danielle shared the story of Asha Guwahati right here on Sometimes Sweet. I knew that her readers were awesome, but the outpouring and support that I have received from you all is more than I ever imagined possible. to put it in perspective, you guys have donated enough money to make 6,000 meals. That is right, six thousand!!!! There are no words I can even say to describe how incredible that is. Never in my wildest dreams did I think that this would stretch around the world as it already has. The amount of support we have received has recently allowed me to expand what we can offer to these kids, and it definitely has me dreaming big. Every penny (or rupee!) that we have received still goes one hundred percent to the children, either through meals or street girls days.

Every week, I head to the same slum with some of my friends and coworkers, though it is the same location it feels different week by week. Things are changing before our very eyes. The slum children are reaching out to one another, helping to pass out meals and doing it with huge smiles on their faces. They hold our hands and guide us through their homes, right down by the tracks as the trains barrel by. One local girl has started inviting me over every Sunday to spend time with her family. Just today we danced, sang, played and laughed and when I went home I couldn't help but cry. I knew when starting this that I was letting them in my heart, but now they have completely let me in theirs. Asha Guwahati continues to provide these meals every week but more importantly, it has become a dependable source of love, happiness and support in a place that rarely (if ever) saw those things.



On behalf of the children of Lakhtokia, thank you from the bottom of my heart. Thank you for supporting me and these children though we have never met. As one of the slum girls, Anjuna, sat next to me a few weeks ago and asked if she could help to give out the meals, the purpose of all of this lit up in her. We have the incredible responsibility to be the living example of self-less giving and compassionate love to the children in our lives. Our smallest of actions impacts them in the biggest of ways and has the potential to change them forever. Thank you so much for providing such incredible inspiration to continue to serve the children here.

With Love,
Kristin