July 14-16th

Monday, July 14th

Breakfast- toast with PB and butter
Lunch-  PB sandwiches
Dinner- Noodle stir fry

Tuesday, July 15th

Breakfast
Sally-smoothie and granola
Aaron and kids-granola w/ milk
Lunch-
Sally- noodle stir fry
Aaron and kids - ate at camp reset- subs, chips
Dinner- roast with potatoes and corn


Wednesday, July 16th

Breakfast
Sally- yogurt with granola
Aaron and kids- granola with milk
Lunch-
Sally-Banana, noodle stir fry
Aaron and kids-
Dinner- manicotti and salad with  Trish and Mike (a thanks for Trish watching the kids so Aaron could complete the Camp reset service project)

Confessions- I cheated on Tuesday.  I woke up at 3:30 am to feed Lily and was wide awake after.  So I decided to stay up and get some things done.  I washed dishes, made granola, laundry, and put things away.  It was great.  But around 3:30 pm I could not stay awake.  So I bought a diet coke and drank it.  Man did it taste bad.  But it worked.  I was amazed at how little taste it had and what you could taste was blech!!. 
On Wednesday I made carbonated water with lemon juice.  It was great and filled my carbonation hankering.

July 11-13th

We are almost half way though this journey. I can hardly believe it.  So far everyone is doing well.  This weekend I made some bread and crackers for the kids to enjoy.

Friday

Breakfast-
Sally- Yogurt with cereal - I had some cereal in my drawer that does contain a very small amount of sugar and I ate it.  Our house was depleted of quick meals to grab and I was hungry knowing lunch was going to be lean also.
Aaron and kids- banana pancakes

Lunch-
Sally- quiche, apple
Kids- leftovers, PB sandwiches

Pre dinner snack- I had made 2 quarts of yogurt in my crock pot on Thursday so I wanted to try frozen yogurt.  We decided to work outside on Saturday and didn't start pizza dough till late so I made up a quick batch of frozen yogurt (yogurt + banana+ strawberry) in my blender and we had a nice snack

Dinner-Pizza.  And for dessert Aaron had made some no bake chocolate peanut butter banana oatmeal cookies.  They are very good.

Saturday was a great day that went completely not like we planned. Our plan was to get up, work on some chairs for Nick to have at Camp Reset (youth camp at our church).  Instead...

kids let Mom and Dad sleep in till about 9 am!!!!

Aaron got a call at 10 am from the people doing set design on the stage for camp.  Aaron quickly ran some material down and ended up helping set up the stage and then the sound system.  He got home at 1 pm.
After lunch at 2 pm... it started to rain.  Really hard.  Finally around 3 we decided it was going to rain all day and we really wanted to make these chairs for Nick.  So we all went out in the rain to work/play.  The kids ran around in the rain and played in the mud while Aaron and I experimented on how to make chairs from pallets.  In the end the turned out awesome.  I hope to post pictures on my pinterest blog.

While Aaron was at the church working, I decided to get some work done in the kitchen.  I made bread and crackers for us to enjoy the upcoming week.   The bread looked and smelled amazing.  Everyone enjoyed their sandwiches.

Lunch- PB&banana sandwiches on fresh made bread.

Dinner-
Kids- Macaroni
Parents- salads

Sunday

Breakfast- toast with butter and honey, smoothie (watermelon, strawberries, bananas, and blueberries)
Lunch - we had plans to eat lunch with our friends John and Catherine.  Because John likes to take naps after church we went over around 2pm and had a wonderful late lunch of grilled chicken breasts, salad, potato salad, and fresh pickles.  For dessert she made strawberry banana ice cream in her food processor.  Everything was great.  Catherine was amazing working her menu around of sugar restriction.  We had a great time of talking and hanging out.  They are a wonderful couple that love spending time with.  I am excited I have a sewing date with Catherine so she can teach me how to make clothing using a pattern.

Because lunch was at 3 and dessert around 5, we decided to skip dinner.  When we got home we work on the cable spool chair and took a walk outside.  When we came in at dusk around 8:40, the kids wanted dinner.

Instead they got a snack of apple slices, blueberries Aaron picked off our bush, cheese, and crackers.
Aaron and I make a thing of steak taco nachos to enjoy.

July 10th

Breakfast
Sally- banana
Aaron and Kids- French toast

Lunch
Sally- chips and dip, banana
Aaron and kids-

Dinner- Breakfast food- Quiche

July 8th nd 9th

July 8th

Breakfast
Sally-yogurt and granola
Aaron and kids - French toast

Lunch- leftovers and fruit

Dinner- baked ziti


July 9th

Breakfast
Sally-
Aaron and kids- oatmeal

Lunch-
Sally- leftover baked ziti, apple
Aaron and kids- PBJs and fruit

Dinner- Tacos !!!  I love tacos. And I love Aaron's homemade tortillas.

Aaron gave in and made tea with honey.  Its a little bland but he's drinking it.

July 7th

Well its Monday and I felt great most of the day.  All I wanted in the afternoon was a soda for a quick pick me up but I resisted.

Breakfast
Sally-leftover egg casserole
Aaron and kids- granola with milk

Lunch-
Sally- leftover pizza, pineapple, strawberries
Aaron and kids- leftovers

Dinner- Salads- leftover chicken cut up with veggies, fries and a salad mix from a friend.  We couldn't have the dressing or croutons that came in the kit but we ate the greens mix.  In general, BLECH!!!.  Cabbage, kale, and radish mix were not meant to be eaten without lots, and I mean lots, of creamy dressing.  Instead we ate it with salsa.  We also ate the last mango in our house.  So good.

July 6th

It's Sunday and the kids didn't wake up until after 8:30. Miracles do happen. But because I was planning on being up around 7 with  the kids, Aaron and I scrambled in the kitchen to get an egg casserole in the oven for church. We had a Sunday school brunch planned since or teacher was on vacation today. We made it to church but a little late. Then we found out we were the only ones who showed up to class today.

 

Breakfast-
Titus-granola with milk
Hannah-waffles with strawberries and bananas.
Aaron and sally-egg casserole

 

Lunch-leftover

 

Dinner-more leftovers

 

Observations from the first week

 

Aaron misses tea... a lot.  Or rather Aaron misses drinking anything other than plain water.  Before this fast we would go through 1-2 gallons of tea a day.  Each gallon had around 1/2-3/4 c sugar in it depending on who made it.  That's a lot of sugar per day.

 

The kids are doing so good about it.  I haven't heard one whine or complaint about not getting a dessert or something sweet.  They are super observant and quick to point out something is not an option because it has sugar in it.  And they are loving the fresh fruit all day. 

 

But the kids did cheat.  At church during Sunday school they always pass out snacks.  Hannah told her teacher they were doing a sugar fast and then only ate one Oreo (instead of the 2-4 that is a normal snack).  Why are we feeding out children Oreos as a snack???!!!  That's not a snack.  That's a special dessert.

 

Titus also got a snack in his Sunday school class of nilla wafers and goldfish.  So told me he only had two nilla wafers.  A little better than Oreos but I would sill love to some another alterative to church snacks.

 

They have already asked that next week I pack them a snack so they can eat it instead of the one offered in Sunday school class.  This is where I debate on being super strict about our fast and allowing the kids to eat whatever they want when I'm not feeding them.  I know there has to be a balance between teaching out children how much processed food has unnecessary added sugar while resetting out palates and system with showing graciousness and thankfulness to all the people who help out at the church and provide my children with a snack.

 

Lastly, I still miss my sweet or desserts  at night.  I never realized how much I pick at night until this fast.  I still eat some after dinner but its usually some fruit or a few chips with dip or salsa.  Not they cookie here, chocolate there, like I think I was doing before.  I had also gotten really bad about drinking soda before the fast.  I still miss it a lot.  But I made some soda water the other day and found it very satisfying plain or with a little lemon juice.

 

we'll see.  We still have 25 days to do. 

Day 5

Saturday!!! Today we relaxed at home and worked around the house. We also bought a new power tool and started work on my cable spool chair.

Breakfast- granola with fruit or yogurt
Lunch-leftover (mostly Mac n cheese with corn and fruit)
Dinner-pizza

The kids had a blast playing outside with water while Aaron and I worked on the cable spool chair.

Day 4

Happy 4th of July!!!!

Breakfast - granola with milk or plain yogurt

Lunch- snacks around the house-fresh fruit, chips and hummus, leftovers

Dinner-grilled steaks, kabob mushrooms, peppers, and onions, macaroni and cheese, chips and dip, grapes, cherries, Tex Mex salad, corn on the cob, and baked potatoes. We had planned grilled pineapple with whipped cream for dessert but were too full to eat it.

We had a great 4th working around the house and then having a great dinner with friends.

Week 1 day 3

Well 4th of July is almost here.  At first I was a little nervous about planning a sugar free 4th of July.  no ice cream.  No strawberry blueberry flag cake. No smores.  But I am pretty excited about the menu I have planned for tomorrow.

Today's menu is nice and easy.  For the month of July (and hopefully long after) I am designating Thursdays as breakfast food for dinner nights.  I have a feeling tonight will be quiche since Hannah has been asking for it daily (sometimes hourly).

Breakfast
Sally- plain yogurt with honey
Aaron and kids - oatmeal

Lunch
Sally-leftover spaghetti, apple
Aaron and kids- smacked thru lunch

Dinner- whole wheat honey waffles with fresh fruit and maple syrup.

We also had frozen blueberries and bananas as snack after dinner (and an epic water gun fight)

Sugar Free - Day 2

I feel much better today.  I'm not falling asleep at my desk which is nice (then again the 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep may have something to do with that too).  I am still craving sweet but so far the strawberries and bananas as filled the need.

Breakfast
Sally- Granola bar made by Aaron - oatmeal, raisins, almonds, cashews, honey)
Aaron and Kids- blueberry banana smoothie

Lunch
Sally- leftovers from Sabore, strawberries, triscuits
Aaron and kids- Quesadillas (in homemade tortillas... man my hubby rocks)

Dinner- Spaghetti.  The sauce is homemade so I know that there is no sugar added (that I can remember)

Overall today was better.  The kids were still a bit to handle but not as bad yesterday.  They are amazing me with their willingness to do the sugar free challenge.  Today Titus came up and asked for some tea to drink.  When I told him we weren't drinking tea because it had sugar in it he kind of laughed and said "ha-ha. ohhh yea. I forgot tea had sugar. Ok.  I'll drink my water." and that was it. No sadness.

And they both enjoyed telling me about when they go to Trader Joes and find Buddy (the stuffed hipster alligator) that they would not take a sucker but ask for apiece of fruit instead.  These kids are amazing.  The only thing they are super bummed about is not getting to take vitamins for a month.

Sugar Free Week 1- Day 1

July 1st-  I (Sally) woke up getting ready for work and realized I had nothing for breakfast or lunch that I could grab and I was running late so there was not time to make a smoothie.  I decided to wing it with the snacks at my desk.  When I got here I was severely limited.  I had some almonds and cashews and an apple with peanut butter (Trader Joes does not add sugar).  By noon I was starving and went to Publix and got some bananas, strawberries, apples, yogurt with honey, and triscuits.  I snacked on these items for the test of the day.
The biggest hurdle so far is that I am so tired.  It was all I could do to stay awake at my desk or in the car.  Normally I would have justified buying a bottle of Diet Coke or gotten a coffee (with lots of cream and sugar).  Since I cant drink coffee without cream and sugar, I was out of luck.

When I got home I saw it had been a rough day there too.  I'm not sure if it was because of the sugar fast or just an off day but the kids were at each other and very quick to break down.  Poor Aaron was at his wits end trying to keep them separate and get something accomplished.  In the end, after multiple melt downs, I sent them to bed early, which as you would expected started another series of melt down. Hannah told me " You just made this my worst day ever!" while brushing her teeth because I wouldn't let her have a drink of water before brushing her teeth.

Meals
Breakfast
Sally- almonds, cashews, apple w/ peanut butter
Aaron and kids- scrambled eggs

Lunch
Sally- greek yogurt with honey, triscuits, banana,
Aaron and kids- leftovers (grilled pizza)

Dinner- steak, brown rice, broccoli

Surprise sugar invasion
1) I ate some dried mango (mixed with almonds and cashews).  Later I found out it had sugar added.  Now we know not to eat the mango in our trail mix.
2) Aaron used everglade seasoning on the steaks.  It had sugar in it.  Aaron was shocked when I checked and told him.  Since I'm not about the throw out the steaks because the last ingredient in Everglade seasoning is sugar, we ate them... and they were amazing.

Surprisingly has sugar

Regular triscuits do not but all flavored triscuits do.  I was amazed all the flavored varieties had it.
Publix Greek yogurt with honey (yogurt on one side, honey on another pocket to be added to you liking) did not have sugar.  It only contained cultured yogurt and honey.  All other varieties had sugar added to the yogurt and usually the fruit.  I was amazed that this was the only one that did not have a sweetener and a lot of other chemical added to it. 

Sugar Fasting

I know its been a long time since I blogged on this website but I thought it would be interesting to journal about our family sugar fast during the month of July.


First, why? 

1) I've been wanting to do it for a while and finally got enough energy and enthusiasm
2) June was a big month for eating out, eating processed foods, and eating dessert.  Traveling to IL and back for vacation did my system in.  So July seemed like perfect timing to cleanse our system of the bad  and regulate the good.
3)  I have noticed my sugar addition becoming really bad.  I wanted a way to dial back the sugar need and intake.  Also I have also noticed a growing irritability in the children when a sweet was not part of the meal.  I thought this would be a great way to cut them off from sugars and let their bodies get back into a better mode of needing sugar.

Attitudes?
Sally- Super excited to do it.  I know it will be hard (Goodbye diet coke and DD iced coffees) but I look forward to ridding myself of an addition, even if it is an acceptable one in the US.

Aaron- very reluctant mostly because he feels "we're already doing enough by eating less processed" and "but I'm the one that has to cook for the kids when your at work."  I totally understand his viewpoint.  He has agreed to a week and will think about the full month.  To make things easier I have come up with a dinner menu for the entire month and a list of food options for breakfasts, lunches, snacks, and dessert that we can enjoy this month.

Kids- We didn't tell the kids until dinner on June 30th.  Amazing (and very surprisingly) they are super stoked.  They started volunteering how they would handle situations when people tried to give them candy and pointing out all the foods that they do eat that have sugar in it.  Its amazing how much they realize food has sugar.

Lily- ok so she's 7 months will she really notice?  Maybe.  I noticed when returning from my trip to visit family in IL Lily was starting to get cradle cap again and has a few red/dry spots on her legs. I think it may be from the (obscene) amount of processed foods and sugars I ate while on vacation.  I am very hopeful that it will regulate her system and get rid of these skin issues.

Second, What do you mean by sugar fast?

I have done a lot of reading about people who remove sugar from their diet.  People are all over the spectrum in what and what is not acceptable.  I have decided out family will not be eating any food with added sugars (HFCS, corn syrup, sugar, aspartame, stevia, agave syrup, etc).  You may think that list is a little off.  Yes I have "good/healthy/organic" sugars mixed in with the "death sugars" but I want to remove as many as possible.  I know the black and white of the topic and most of the gray have also been removed.

What my family can have is as much fresh fruit as they want.  And we will be using small amounts of honey and maple syrup.  Small amounts.  We will not be eating pancakes with maple syrup for breakfast every day.  But we will be making bread with a little honey.  Hope you get the idea.

Third, when?

All of July 2014.  We have started July 1st and will end August 1st.  For the next 31 days, I will blog about what we ate and how we are feeling.