Ishbel

Back after a 3rd attempt!! I am still in Holland working each day of the week, and back home in Norway for a short weekend. HOWEVER, I am going to join the challenge a bit late, but join I will! Need to get through a 6 week challenge successfully, with sensible goals taking in to consideration all the cr@p going on in my life with work!! We need a Discipline group that can encourage each other!!

I hang my head in shame - I don't think I managed 2 weeks properly, but hey, we start again soon! No chance of Whole30 to start with as I am in a Hotel in the Netherlands for the next 3 week, with very limited access to anything but hotel restaurant or work canteen. Home at weekends though. I will limit my goals to water intake, good food choices and bodyweight exercises! There is always a next time.

Awful, I have to say. I am in Rotterdam all this week with work, was here last week, and going off to London the beginning of next week. I am so t ired that I just get into the hotel room at night and flop onto the bed!!! I have not been eating that well, Breakfast in the hotel is eggs and a little bacon with melon, lunches are just salads with little (processed) cold meats, Evening meals so far this week have been protein bars. A disaster all round really. Rant rant... I will try and get out this evening. I don't sleep well in hotels, so maybe tonight I will just flake out! My aim for the next challenge is to get into the mindset of not having to think about eating real food and exercising regularly - it should just be automatic. Onwards...

I moved office this week, from a lovely harbour site over to the other side of town into the business park area, not as pretty, but the plus being it adds over 2400 steps to my day! I park about a 10 minute walk from the office, and I use the stairs all the time. This means that I am hitting my target of 10 000 steps every day!! (Actually managed 20 000 on Monday as I had an appointment on the other side of town that mean lots of walking!! I made fried fish this evening, I coated herring in egg, and then dessicated coconut (unsweetened) with a little almond meal, salt and pepper. Deeeeelish!!!

OK, now for some traditional Norwegian food (from a Scot!!) Fårikål This is a relly simple lamb strew made with lamb, cabbage, peppercorns and salt. Yup that is all. The lamb should be on the bone (shoulder, neck or shank) and have some fat to flovour the cabbage (we only have grass feed lamb here ) The cabbage should be what I call white cabbage. The recipe I used is here It was really good, maybe a bit too much pepper, but lovely. And that is breakfast tomorrow fixed as well!!

Food has been a bit hit and miss - as in missing meals, and then eating stuff that is paleo, but too much of the carbs side and not enough protein. New week now, so new focus. Any Craig Ballantyne followers would have seen his quot this morning “Is this use of my time, thought, and energy this moment moving me measurably closer to my personal, meaningful goals?†from Dan Kennedy. Mmmm Need to try and remember this when I think about wht to eat and what to do with myself. Should I really be sitting surfing the net reading articles that are of no use to me?

You can buy a pack of spices, but there is thickener in it (cornflower or equivalent). There used to be a take out place called TurboTaco but it was a bit rubbish! So I just make a massive salad with avocado and salsa (which I can´t eat as it has tomatoes) and sour cream (which I don´t eat as it is dairy!!) Kids have it with wraps. I am being a bit sneaky these days and making less and less flour based foods! If there are tons of veggies, then there is no place left for starches and gluten. Mua ha ha !!! - I have the power!!

Legs are a bit sore today, which is nice! Food - meatballs and an apple for breakfast, fish, eggs, salad and a banana for lunch. Kids want taco for dinner, so I will have to find something else. Maybe some samon and sprouts? Tonight I am starting some pilates and stretching. - my day off (see? I´m getting into the lingo again!!). Tomorrow morning is a ciruit with skipping burpies and mountain climbers.

Did a 20 minute circuit this morning and just about killed myself. Lots of rows, squats, kneeling push ups and stuff. Food was OK, had tuna for breakfast, white fish for lunch and paleo nom nom asian meatballs with sprouts (which I actually like). Have a mountain of ironing, so will try and get lots of walking done puting things away in 2s. Hubby of to London tomorrow for 3 days, so will need to be focussed on finding time to exercise. Have a pilates beginner programme I am going to try every second day (off the internet - more underpants being collected, but this time to be used!). Only have 8000 steps so far today, and it is already 8 in the evening!! Need to get up to 10000.

Well done Daisygirl! A good start to the challenge, good luck!

The bulletproof coffee thing is really going around just now. I think you need to whizz it in a mixer or similar to make it frothy. I personally just love the taste of coconut milk in coffee, just need to limit it to one a day. Mind you, having said that, I was really good during the last Whole 30 and cut out coffee at the start, and it kind of lost it´s apeal after that. So one or 2 cups before lunch is enough for me. I just need to focus on drinking loads of water instead!

I always get a "yeeees maaaaam" Needless to say after about an hour they have all forgotten that I still need help! Mustn´t grumble eh?

Yes, that is a good idea, it will have to be before everyone gets up I think, so 5.00 in the morning. I get everyone up usually at 6.45 after I have had shower, emptied dishwasher and made lunchboxes. Evenings are chaos, in, get changed, start evening meal, homework with the kids, football or swimming depending which day and which child!! I usualy get a bit of a break once the kids are in bed at 9, but then it is usually ironing or tidying. Meanwhile hubby practices his guitar.... lets not go there right now. Got to go, kids to bed

Food today... Meals 1 and 2 - lamb and carrots then an apple and banana Meal 3 - chicken kebabs The recipeis actually for turkey, which we don´t have just now, and I skipped the caeynne pepper as it will really screw with my roasacea (apparently) Makes about 12 skewers Ingredients: 2lbs ground chicken 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 egg 1/4 cup almond flour 1 tablespoon cumin 1 teaspoon paprika 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper 3 tablespoons minced parsley 3 tablespoons minced cilantro 2 tablespoons minced mint Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place all items in a bowl and mix well. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Form the meat around the skewers and place on the baking sheet. Bake for approximately 30 minutes then place under broiler for another five minutes to brown. Serve over greens. OK guys, off to finish the dinner, and make a salad to go with the kebabs. I have 3 days this week to fit in 3 traiing sessions of some description. May have to "borrow" a day next week and get 2 sessions in before Monday and then 4 next week. I didn´t get round to exercise last night - no excuses, just went to bed early... Need to work on this.

Hi, ----- just dropped in to say that. I moved to Norway 16 years ago, supposedly for a 2 year contract, but still here. It´s pretty cool most of the time. What is the diet goal? "Are you now, or have you ever been paleo?" Works a treat for providing the body with what it actually needs. Good luck with the challenge.