#weekendcoffeeshare – An introspective week

~ ~M

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Welcome to this episode of the weekend coffee share.  I hope all of you have had a pleasant week.  Please grab a mug of your favorite hot beverage and sit right down.  This week was fairly uneventful, and yet I still feel compelled to ramble on about the blandness of its nature.  So get comfortable and I’ll try to be quick.

If we were having coffee, I’d tell you that I have been very introspective this week.  I think that’s why I feel like I haven’t much to talk about because I’ve mostly been in seclusion; avoiding people like the plague.  I’ve come to a point in my life where I feel I’m sort of stuck in the muck.  It’s like I’ve been sandwiched between two very tall mountains, stranded in the ugliest looking valley you’ve ever seen, near a never ending river of molasses, and there’s nowhere to go, except up the mountains, or through the syrupy substance.

All of a sudden I’m getting hungry, are you too?  All of this talk about molasses and syrup is making me crave gingerbread cookies and pancakes.  Yum!  Which brings me to a completely different subject.  (See how easily I escaped that last one!  Phew!)

If we were having coffee, I’d tell you that I’m about to start a new diet regime called, The Whole30.  I don’t know if any of you have heard about it, but it’s a 30-day diet program, which allows you to discover which foods are helpful and which foods are harmful to your body.  My poor husband recently discovered that he is allergic to about every food known to man, and so we are in desperate need of figuring out exactly what he can eat and what he can’t.  Preliminary results from his doctor show that he will never be able to eat the majority of boxed or canned foods ever again.  He is allergic to quite a few different preservatives and also nickel, which is found in thousands of different things (not just food).

I will now be able to add to my resume not just wife and mother of four girls, but master chef as well.  The challenge will be to eat as organically as we can, which is still quite a challenge even today.  It will require that we cut out all sugar, alcohol, grains, legumes, dairy, and anything that could be considered a “treat.”  We will only be able to eat meat, seafood, eggs, vegetables, fruit, and natural fats.  And I really love bread, so this is going to be terribly hard.  But I am having enough health issues of my own, so I’m hoping this diet will help me as well.

We live in a climate where it’s very hard to get fresh fruits and vegetables all year long, especially since the growing season is so short here.  And with the cost of organic foods these days, I am not really sure how this will affect us financially.  Yet we have no other choice, if we don’t do this, my hubby will continue to suffer on a daily basis and so we’ve got to get to the bottom of what is ailing him.  Our girls seem more than happy to go along with this crazy experiment.  I wonder what they will be saying after a few days of eating this way.  It’ll be an adventure for sure.

If any of you are struggling with similar issues, I would be happy to have you tag along and partner with me and my family as we do this 30-day challenge.  I won’t try to explain everything to you right now, but for more information, you can find all you need to know here.  Since this sort of challenge requires such a strict and well-laid plan, I won’t be starting this diet until around April 1st.  I have a 421-page book to read through first, and then the meal planning begins!

Well now, I think I’ve rambled on enough for today.  I’m feeling exhausted just thinking about what we are going to be facing next month.  At least I’m at home most of the time.  My oldest daughter was able to do this challenge successfully and she only has a toaster oven and a hot plate where she lives.  So I figure if she can do it without a proper kitchen, than I can too!

Have a lovely week everyone and feel free to DM me on Twitter (@HerWritingHaven) if you want to take part in this challenge.  It’s all about supporting each other through endeavors like these.  I think I would feel even more encouraged, knowing that somebody else wanted to participate as well.

See you next Saturday!  ~M

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Many thanks to Nerd In The Brain for hosting the #WeekendCoffeeShare, a collective of chats over digital coffee among bloggers. To find out more, and to see this weeks posts, go here.

Photo credit: pixabay.com and giphy.com

Published by ~M

“When the weight of the world is upon you and you're left spinning out of control. When you’ve been plunged head first into darkness, and you don’t know where to go. Simply follow that tiny flicker of light, far off in the distance somewhere. It’ll lead you to a place where love abounds and where hope is found everywhere.” ~M

29 thoughts on “#weekendcoffeeshare – An introspective week”

  3. My two cents’ worth is this: If you are not buying all the boxed crap filled with preservatives, there will be more money for the good organic foods – though I totally feel you on the pain of the cost as here in the Montreal area, our growing season is not overly long either. I don’t know if you have a yard or not, but some things you can grow yourself and can yourself (without all those nasty preservatives, which can help with the budget too. (Or, in the fall, go to farmer’s markets and buy the produce to preserve. Lots can be blanched and frozen and other canned in glass, so no nickel either.
    Best of luck to you and keep us posted so we can encourage you on your new adventure!

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    1. Thank you Dale! We actually used to live on quite a bit of land and I had a garden then, but since we’ve moved, there is nowhere to put a garden where we currently live. I have a nice big backyard here, except my two English Mastiffs would destroy anything back there. And the front yard doesn’t have any flat ground for planting a garden. What I may try to do, is get some planter boxes for my front porch, and at least plant some veggies in there. Fresh herbs would be wonderful too. And we have a very pitiful farmers market near us, but I suppose we may be able to find some things there when it begins again in the spring. Thank you for all the wonderful advice. I went through all of the food we currently have in the house, and planned meals with it all for the rest of the month. Whatever is left after that, will be taken to our local food pantry or given to friends. I don’t want to have anything left in the house next month that we can’t eat. It will be too much of a temptation! 😉

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      1. That would have been my next suggestion. You can make quite the garden in pots. I saw something on Facebook where they made what is called a vertical garden in a fenced in – quite small – area. Dang… I should look it up for you!
        I don’t blame you for wanting to get rid of all that temptation! It will be hard enough already 😉

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        1. That would be great if you could find it. I know my grandfather did that once when I was a child, I remember seeing his garden, but I’m not sure how he did it. It was amazing to see everything growing in a tiny little space. Of course he had a green thumb and I do not. That’s another problem I have, I usually kill most of what I try to grow. I think it’s because I try to do everything by the book. I’m too structured and precise. My friends throw a handful of seeds in their gardens and get glorious results. Then there’s me, I do everything by the book, and usually get nothing but weeds. It’s pitiful really….. Lol….. 🙂

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            3. I will for sure! It’ll be interesting to see how it turns out if I do. Pray that God bestows upon me the gift of a green thumb, or it could be a disaster waiting to unfold. lol… 😂

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    1. I think it is too. The reason I decided on the Whole30 diet is because my oldest daughter tried it and had very good results. Thanks for your comment, have a wonderful rest of your weekend! 😉

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  5. You know about two months ago I decided I was just not feeling right. I didn’t really feel sick, just not right. Food did not taste good and I was hungry all the time, so I decided to give up all canned, boxed and processed food and cut back on sugars, carbs, etc. What a difference it has made! I only eat fresh food and really watch the calories there too. I am drinking almond milk and baking with almond flour occasionally. What a difference it has made! Now food tastes fresh and even a small smily orange (40 calories) tastes so juicy and sweet. I am not going back either, this is a goal I can live with! I have also lost 12 pounds and have my energy and spring back! Good luck on your new adventure. I believe you will find it makes a huge difference!

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    1. Thank you…. this is very encouraging and I’m so glad all of this is helping you. I know It’ll be worth it in the long run. 😉

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  6. In the interest of reciprocity, I would just like to share that I continue to enjoy your willingness to connect and invite a sharing meant to lighten our collective and individual loads…realizing we are not alone in our challenges, whatever they may be, is such an amazing relief….you are very engaging and lovely and warm….how refreshing (and that is not coming from a place of cynicism)…my take away comes from your reference to having to navigate the molasses….keep going, you are doing amazing and helping others in the process…thanks for sharing 🙂

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  7. I’m about to give you advice. Be sure to use up all the syrup, molasses and other stuff of that nature before April 1st. You don’t want to be wasteful and have to throw it out! Or, maybe you should pray about the advice from this counselor. 😀 Truthfully, I admire your willingness to make even drastic changes to you diet plan for the sake of your family and yourself.

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    1. Well, I was considering donating a lot of our food to our church food pantry. We have so much that is unopened, as I usually stock up on things. But yes, this is another reason we are waiting a few weeks, because I already have so much food in the pantry. I’m guessing some of my friends will take some of the things that are already open. It’s going to interesting for sure, to see how this all goes.

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  9. I think most people are allergic or intolerant (actually more common than allergies) to most preservatives and other additives to our foods. I know people who feel so much better when visiting 3rd world countries because the food is so much purer. I sometimes try organic, but as you said, it is expensive.

    I often go through those introspective times. As i said on Nerd-in-the Brain’s post, I also do those little “soul-searching” things where I explore where I am, what is important, what it is that I want to do when I grow up (which I hope never to do. grow up, that is). I think it always is a good thing to take some time alone to do things like that.

    Have a great week!

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    1. I think you’re absolutely right about most people having an intolerance to certain additives and foods. And it seems that over time, the issues become worse, as the exposure becomes greater. It can be very helpful to have those soul-searching days, but also exhausting at the same time. I never want to grow up either and I will refuse to until the day I die! Lol…. Take care! 😉

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  10. “…a never ending river of molasses” is a very powerful description. Sorry to hear about your family eating challenges. The good thing is eating of out a box and can really isn’t the best, however it certainly can be the easiest. Oh, yes and cost too can be troublesome. Something worth looking into though (depending on where you live) is that some governments have a tax refund for allergy grocery bills, you of course have to jump through a few hoops to qualify but in the long run it can be very helpful. I would recommend looking in to that. If you find any wonderful dishes I hope you share the recipe. Lots of luck!

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    1. Oh thank you for telling me about the tax refund. I have an appointment coming up to do my taxes, and I will certainly ask about it then. I’m sure that would be very helpful. I will certainly share any recipes that are too good not to share. I purchased one of the Whole30 recipe books, and the meals look delish! Have a wonderful weekend! 🙂

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  11. All the best in your challenge. I hope to start a diet course too but I don’t know when to start. God’s grace to you and your husband as you start the journey. I know it can be quite frustrating trying to find the particular foods to buy, reading labels and all that, but you will find what works for both of you💝

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    1. Thank you… I hope you find something that will work for you. This will be hard, but the silver lining in all of it, is that it’s forcing us to eat healthier. And maybe we’ll live longer lives because of it. 🙂

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