Favorite Whole30 Items from Costco

This is probably not ground breaking information, but I just thought I'd share in case others are looking for Whole30 compliant foods to buy at Costco. On my first Whole30 shopping trip it took me forever to scan through the ingredients on each product and figure out what was compliant. That store is huge, but if you know what you're looking for, it makes the chore a lot easier!

Whole30: 10 days in

I'm 10 days in and I have to say, eating Whole30 compliant hasn't really made my life all that different. We are eating delicious food, I feel full after a meal, and we're still doing the same things with our day-to-day schedule. Just maybe a little more time spent in the kitchen prepping (on my part anyway...).

Random notes & thoughts:

+ It really isn't that hard to eat well during the week. Every night in the first week I craved bread, a glass of wine, dessert, SOMETHING with sugar in it, but I am slowly getting used to it. This is interesting to me because I'm not that much of a sweets person, but I guess sugar has always been somewhere in my diet, so when I can't have it I crave dessert. We make mocktails if we're feeling weak - seltzer water and fresh lemon juice - or sometimes I'll have some hot raspberry tea. They certainly don't have the flavor that I'm used to in the evenings, but it really helps to be sipping something.

Whole30: The Start

Pardon the radio silence - I know it's been awhile! And I know 2014 was overall sparse... I took some unintentional time off from blogging, simply to have a mental reset. I felt like I needed to reevaluate what I spend my time on and find out what was worth my time. I don't know if I'm fully back to blogging, but I wanted to document my experience through Whole30, just to keep track of this own personal goal of mine.


I started Whole30 yesterday. Thankfully Michael is doing it with me, even if he's already said he wants a "cheat day" on the weekends. I don't blame him - this diet is no joke. It is whole foods only, omitting all grains, dairy, legumes, sugar, and alcohol. It sounds pretty scary when you read that list.

It all started when I read this post by Anna almost a year ago.

Ireland

Sometimes I forget about this ol' blog. Now that it's been over a month since we returned from our trip overseas, I figured it's high time I showed you some photos!

We seriously had the best time. While the trip sure had its share of stress and lack of sleep, we feel so grateful for all that we were able to see and do. Of course we only wish we had more time! Ireland is a beautiful, beautiful country. The neat thing about it is that while there are so many tourists who travel through every year, you can go see the famous spots and they still feel untouched.

Europe!

photo credit

When we got back from our trip up north, it dawned on us that we only had a month left to plan out our trip to Europe in September. That's right, we're going to England and Ireland in just a few weeks! We had been wanting to do a trip to Europe this year, and the fact that my friend moved to a town right outside London just sealed the deal. I cannot wait to see London and walk some cobblestone streets in the Cotswolds. I'm also dying to explore the gorgeous green Irish countryside that I've heard about so much about! We have our flights and hotels booked, but all of our activities are going to be a little flexible, based on what we want to see the most while we're there. If you've ever been to either country, I'd love to hear what your favorite spots are!

Summer vacation: 1000 Islands

Oh Mudlunta, how I love you.

A couple weeks ago we took a long road trip up to the family cottage in the 1000 Islands. It was an incredible week! We had a bit of rain, but that didn't stop us from enjoying our vacation. The best part of the 1000 islands is just being there. Soaking in the peaceful quiet of the river, spending time with family, reading until your heart's content, taking a ride in the kayak whenever you want to (even in when it's raining!), sailing in the open water. There's so much to do all the time, but somehow it's a slow pace too. I don't think I realized how much I needed the island. I needed that week off from work. I needed that quality time with my little family. But I think mostly I needed the break from life - a pause from the normal day-to-day stuff that tends to wear you down after a while. I was able to find some rest for my mind, and that is the best part about vacation no matter where you are.

To the Island we go

Tomorrow (!!) we are headed up north to Canada to stay in Michael's family cabin in the Thousand Islands.

I cannot tell you how excited I am to be up there for a whole week - boating around the St. Lawrence River, enjoying the crisp clear weather, and just simply taking a break from life for a bit. It's been at least 2 years since I've had a full week's vacation from work, and to say I've needed it recently is an understatement.

It's kind of hard to describe how amazing it is up there, but it really is some kind of dreamland. The cabin is super old and rickety (occasionally we see bugs and mice), we shower in the outdoor showers, and we are either wearing a swimsuit or sweatpants 24/7. So I wouldn't exactly call it glamorous, but it is seriously the best vacation from the hustle and bustle of normal life. We will have no wifi or cell service, which I'm about 90% excited / 10% freaking out about. It will be good for me. To go whole days with no email, no instagram, no facebook, and just BE. I have a stack of books to read - The Paris Wife, The Guernsey Potato Peel Literary Society, and The Book Thief, to name a few - and for the most part I'll either be doing that or exploring out on the water. Cooper is going with us, and he is going to have the time of his life exploring the island, swimming, and running around with his favorite buddy Snickers. I. Can't. Wait.

I'll be posting photos on Instagram when I can, but I don't really know how often that will be. I'll for sure be blogging our trip when return!

>> Have you ever been to the Thousand Islands? Do you have any small town recommendations for exploring along the St. Lawrence River? Last time I was up there we went to Clayton, Alexandria, and Gananoque, but I'm open to exploring new places! I even thought about making the 2.5 hour drive up to Montreal since I've never been. Would it be worth it?

Roasted pepper, goat cheese, & basil pasta

Happy Friday! Thank goodness it's the weekend, amiright?! The weather here has suddenly cooled to a beautiful 80-degrees-and-sunny for the last couple days, which is unheard of mid-July in North Carolina. We have been eating out on our back patio in the evenings, exercising outside, and overall just enjoying the lack of humidity. It's been lovely. It also makes it especially hard to sit in an office all day, hence the strong TGIF emotions I've been feeling all day!