Then we spent a week in New Brunswick, Canada with Grandi and Sky’s parents & sister. Another relaxing, do-practically-nothing week of fun (except for the 3 days that Sky was out of commission because he pulled a muscle in his back installing some carpet for Grandi. Oops.).

Finally, we went to southern Illinois this past weekend with several of Sky’s coworkers and their families for a fun week on the Lake of Egypt! (Thanks Stu and Anita and Michael!) Eden loved the jetski, while Averhy’s favorite was going tubing!

Whew! Now it’s August already, and I’m starting to think about school…. after all, it does start in just 15 days! Eek!

Back home and playing catch-up all day, trying to get things done before we head out (again) for the weekend! Laundry, post office, oil change, lunch, bake muffins and breakfast bars, work, whew!

Breakfast : yogurt with fruit, coffee, oj

Lunch : leftover feta-olive burger, carrots

Dinner : fish taco salad (spinach, tilapia, tomato, onion, avocado, cheese), milk, broccoli, snap peas, carrots

Day 19 :

Breakfast : tilapia omelet (2 eggs, leftover tilapia taco meat and toppings), oj, coffee

Lunch : um… kinda skipped it

Snack : 2 almond-flour chocolate chip cookies; oj; a sugar-free popsicle

Dinner : um… can’t remember… probably brats and fruit quickly before we hit the road!

Day 20 :

Together with family for the 4th of July weekend - it’s always lots of fun with the Paydon clan!

Breakfast : yogurt; strawberries; oj

Lunch : BBQ Pork; quinoa salad; lots of other semi-paleo picnic food that I can’t remember… and some definitely not-paleo desserts (persimmon pudding for sure!)

Dinner : repeat of lunch!

Day 21 :

More family fun, by land or by sea… We started the day at the Pranga’s, finishing up our 4th of July gathering with more beanbags and hanging out chatting.  Then we loaded up the caravan to drive over to Racine for a sail… and sail we did!  The kids (all 6 of them at this point) stayed with my mom and Aunt Linda, while the rest of us (Sky, Allyson, Adam, Amanda, Kevin, Carrie, Scott, Rachel, Uncle Greg, Grandma Muehling, and Dad) went for a sail… which was beautiful at first… until we headed back toward land and it got CRAZY.  Like boat-tipping, water-splashing, up-chucking crazy.  But we survived and laughed a lot!

Breakfast : 1 breakfast bar; 1 zucchini muffin; coffee

Lunch : quinoa salad; BBQ pork; deviled egg; lots of other semi-paleo picnic food I can’t remember…

Dinner : oops… Pizza Hut. Definitely not paleo.

Day 22 :

Sailing, sailing, over the ocean waves… this time with much calmer waves, which was a good thing because we had Averhy and Caleb on board too!

Breakfast : 2 breakfast bars; iced coffee; cantaloupe; milk

Lunch : cheese; apples; breakfast bar; green tea; cantaloupe

Dinner : t-bone steak; sweet potato; milk

Day 23 :

Back to reality. And laundry.

Breakfast : omelet with ham, cheese, avocado, tomato, onion; coffee; 1 breakfast bar

Lunch : cottage cheese; 1 apple with natural peanut butter; water; a breakfast bar

Snack : a cheese stick; water

Dinner : brat; corn on the cob (nope, not paleo); green beans; grilled potato; carrots and dip; water

Day 11 :

The girls and I (and Averhy’s friend Lizzie) spent most of the afternoon at Pontious Berry Farm in White Heath - a gorgeous day, just perfect for blueberry picking!! The girls did a great job staying focused for a while (Lizzie counted as she picked, and got up to 404 berries!) and then had fun playing on the little playset there while I finished filling our pails.  We ended up with exactly 6 pounds of berries — about 18 cups!  Then the girls enjoyed feeding the ponies and horses before we headed home.

Breakfast : orange juice and blueberry-pomegranate juice; yogurt with 1 banana, blueberries, and flax seed; coffee with half and half and creamer

Lunch : ham and egg salad (1 egg, 1/2 c. cottage cheese, 1/4 c. chopped ham); leftover sweet potato fries; a handful of Aunt Helen’s New Ginger Cookies; water

Snack : fresh-picked blueberries!

Dinner : jalapeno polish sausage with guacamole; leftover broccoli salad; a handful of Aunt Helen’s New Ginger Cookies; water

Bedtime snack : milk; a few more ginger cookies

Day 12 :

A hot one today… another great day for a visit to the pool I think!

Breakfast : scrambled eggs with ham, cheese, and guacamole; blueberry-pomegranate juice; coffee with creamer and half & half

Lunch : um…. I can’t remember!

Dinner : Paleo Pizza with avocado, garden tomato, sausage, olives

Bedtime cheat : ice cream with natural peanut butter

Day 13 :

We had a great evening with our friends from small group, enjoying a hot and muggy evening and loud fireworks at the Tolono Fun Days!

Breakfast : omelet with avocado, ham, cheese, onion; blueberry-pomegranate juice; coffee

Snack : a delicious peach from the Farmer’s Market!

Lunch : a big bowl of peaches, strawberries, blueberries, and bananas

Dinner : bunless cheeseburger; spinach salad; grapes; strawberries; water; white zinfandel

Tasty Spinach Salad

2 (10 ounce) packages baby spinach, rinsed and dried
1 1/2 cups toasted, chopped pecans
8 ounces crumbled blue cheese
1 1/2 cups balsamic vinegar
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 teaspoons molasses
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
2/3 cup olive oil

Arrange spinach, pecans, and blue cheese in a bowl. In a small saucepan, warm the garlic in the olive oil to allow its flavor to diffuse into the oil. Then add molasses, vinegar and pepper. Whisking constantly, bring almost to a boil, remove from heat and cool until just warm. Pour into a shakeable container, shake and pour over salad. Serve immediately.

Day 14 :

Breakfast : 1 breakfast bar; coffee

Lunch : 1 jalapeno brat; corn on the cob (nope, not paleo); spinach salad; fruit salad (peaches and blueberries); milk

Snack : 1 apple with natural peanut butter

Dinner : a delicious steak filet and sweet potato fries prepared by Sky… yum!

Bedtime cheat : ice cream with natural peanut butter and milk

Day 15 :

The girls and I took a quick trip up to the Chicago area today to visit my parents, and I also visited a good friend and her new son - such a cutie! In the afternoon, the girls had fun playing with their cousins Ethan and Kendall, while I picked some yummy black raspberries at Aunt Di’s house.

Breakfast : 2 breakfast bars; a handful of dried apricots and cashews; coffee

Lunch : a ham & swiss on rye (not paleo, I know); grapes; water

Dinner : Yummy Cakes; boiled zucchini (which was surprisingly good!! Reminds me of corn on the cob…); milk

Bedtime snack : yogurt with blueberries and black raspberries

Day 16 :

At 3:38am, I got the phone call that I’ve been waiting for… for about 2 weeks now… that Megan’s water broke and she was headed to the hospital!  So I loaded up the (sleeping) girls into the van and headed north to the Morris Hospital to meet Megan, Rob, and Vicky (after enjoying the sunrise as we drove, and then dropping off the girls at Julie’s house to play for the day).  It was a long day of waiting, but finally a bouncing baby boy entered the world at 3:39pm!!

Breakfast : 2 cups of coffee, an apple, 2 breakfast bars, green tea

Lunch : salad with chicken, cucumber, pepperoncini, onion, tomato; water

Dinner : pizza (yup, cheated.)

Day 17 :

Knew that today was going to be another day of waiting… this time waiting for Gary to arrive from London so we could get some family pics… so the girls and I decided to head over to the Brookfield Zoo with Mema, where we met Melanie and the cute kiddos she babysits (Gigi and Theo).  It was a gorgeous day and the kids had fun walking around and seeing the animals - especially the seals, gorillas, and elephant.  In the gorilla exhibit, we read about an incident back in 1996 when a little boy fell into the gorilla pen and was “rescued” by a gorilla — and that was on Averhy’s mind the rest of the day. Literally ALL DAY - it was the first thing she told Sky about when we got home around 7:30pm!  Hopefully she won’t have nightmares about it tonight… we just kept reminding her that it was a happy ending!

Breakfast : 1 breakfast bar, strawberries, yogurt, orange juice

Lunch : tuna salad, strawberries, pineapple, cheese, green tea

Dinner : feta-olive burgers topped with avocado on a coconut-flour bun, broccoli, carrots, sugar snap peas, milk

Day 7:

Breakfast : 2 breakfast bars; strawberries; milk

Lunch : summer sausage and cheddar cheese; strawberries; pineapple; black raspberries; grapes; green tea

Dinner : (went out to eat - cheat night for Father’s Day!) 3 grilled chicken sliders (chicken, avocado, cheese, tomato, tried to eat only 1/2 the buns); steamed broccoli with butter; tossed salad with caesar dressing; water; vanilla ice cream and chocolate cake

Snack : green tea

Day 8 :

Breakfast : omelet (2 eggs, 1/4 tomato, ham, cheese, green onion, cilantro); coffee

Lunch : leftover chicken salad; cottage cheese; water

Dinner : Broiled Tilapia Parmesan; sweet potato fries; broccoli salad (broccoli, dried apricots, apples, blueberry yogurt); milk

Day 9 :

Breakfast : yogurt with strawberries, bananas, blueberries, almonds, and flax seed; coffee; orange juice

Lunch : baked catfish; strawberries; water

Dinner : an apple with natural peanut butter; water; handful of Aunt Helen’s (New) Ginger Cookies; milk

WOD : 9 rounds of Cindy (AMRAP 20 mins: 5 pull-ups, 10 push-ups, 15 squats)

Day 10 :

Breakfast : an awesome birthday omelet (2 eggs, 1/2 tomato, 1/2 avocado, 1 green onion, ham, provolone, cilantro); coffee; blueberry-pomegranate juice

Lunch : leftover Tilapia Parmesan and sweet potato fries; milk; ginger cookies

Snack : strawberries

Dinner : Birthday dinner at El Toro… shrimp and white fish with sauteed veggies, black beans, a little rice; water; ice cream with milk and peanut butter (my attempt at a paleo angel food cake was a disaster…)

Great Aunt Helen’s (NEW) Ginger Cookies

1/3 c. coconut oil
1/3 c. butter
2/3 c. agave nectar
1 egg
1/4 c. yacon syrup
2 c. almond flour, packed
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp. ginger
1 tsp. cloves

Cream oil, butter, and agave. Add egg and yacon. Beat well. Sift dry ingredients together, and add to wet ingredients. Mix thoroughly. Spoon onto cookie sheet in SMALL 1″ balls — the dough will spread and flatten to about 2x the size while baking. Bake at 350* for 6 minutes. Makes about 6 dozen thin cookies!

Breakfast : 2 scrambled eggs with cheese; 1/2 banana; 1/2 c. strawberries; 1 breakfast bar; milk

Lunch : 2 breakfast bars; 1 c. raw carrots; 1 cheese stick; 1 c. strawberries; 1 small apple; water

Dinner : grilled pork chop; 1 c. strawberries; 1 breakfast bar; water

Bedtime snack : a bowl full of more strawberries!

WOD : 5 hours of family photo sessions… I’m wiped out!

Snack : 1 c. cottage cheese; dried apples

Lunch : jalapeno brat (w/o a bun); cottage cheese; dried apricots; cashews; water

Dinner : grilled chicken salad (without cherries/craisins or grapes this time); garden green beans; deviled egg; water

Grilled Chicken Salad

3-4 grilled chicken breasts, chopped
1-2 apples, chopped
1 c. grapes, halved
handful of raisins
handful of sugar-free dried cranberries or cherries
3 T. mayo
salt and pepper to taste

Mix it all up and eat it all up!

Lunch : another picnic at the pool… leftover apple-avocado salad with leftover baked pork; 1 cheese stick; 1 almond-flour cookie; water

Snack : a tasty berry yogurt smoothie (blueberries, blackberries, yogurt, whole milk, ice)

Dinner : 1 large grilled chicken breast topped with 2 slices provolone cheese; 1 c. raw broccoli with sugar free ranch dip; water

Bedtime snack : 1 breakfast bar

WOD : playing with the girls at the pool for about 3 hours

Lunch : a perfect day for a picnic at the pool… 1 breakfast bar, 1 cheese stick, 1/3 of a large apple, a small peanut butter and honey sandwich on Flax Focaccia bread, water

Snack : water, 1/2 apple,  3 tasty almond-flour double-chocolate mocha cookies (when cookies are healthy, snacktime is so much more fun…)

Dinner : taco salad (beef with fajita seasoning, tomatoes, avocados, green onions, spinach, cheese); sugar snap peas; almond flour Rosemary Crackers (recipe from elanaspantry.com); water; 3 almond-flour chocolate chip cookies (my recipe is adapted from one at elanaspantry.com)

WOD : 10 mins. running + AMRAP mini-Cindy (as many rounds as possible: 3 pull-ups, 6 push-ups, 9 squats) : I got 9 rounds of running, 7 rounds + 3 pull-ups of mini-Cindy using the red band for pull-ups, and knee pushups

Flax Focaccia Bread

2 cups flax meal
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon cream of tartar
1 teaspoon celtic sea salt
1 tablespoon agave nectar
5 eggs, whisked
½ cup water
1/3 cup olive oil

1. In a large bowl combine flax meal, baking soda, cream of tartar and salt.
2. In a smaller bowl, mix together agave, eggs, water and olive oil.
3. Stir wet ingredients into dry, mixing well, then allow to stand for 2-3 minutes so that batter thickens.
4. Pour batter into an 8×8 pyrex baking dish.
5. Bake at 350° for 20 minutes or so until a knife comes out clean.
6. Remove from oven and cool.

Rosemary Crackers

1 ¾ cups blanched almond flour
½ teaspoon celtic sea salt
2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, finely chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 egg

1. In a large bowl, combine almond flour, salt and rosemary
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together olive oil and egg
3. Stir wet ingredients into almond flour mixture until thoroughly combined
4. Roll the dough into a ball and press between 2 sheets of parchment paper to ? inch thickness
5. Remove top piece of parchment paper
6. Transfer the bottom piece with rolled out dough onto baking sheet
7. Cut dough into 2-inch squares with a knife or pizza cutter
8. Bake at 350° for 12-15 minutes, until lightly golden
9. Let crackers cool on baking sheet for 30 minutes, then serve

Almond flour Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 ½ cups blanched almond flour
¼ teaspoon celtic sea salt
¼ teaspoon baking soda
8 tablespoons butter, melted
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup agave nectar
1/4 cup honey
1 cup shaved unsweetened chocolate

1. Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl
2. Stir together wet ingredients in a smaller bowl
3. Mix wet ingredients into dry
4. Form 1¨ balls and press onto a baking sheet
5. Bake at 350° for 7-10 minutes
6. Cool and serve

Lunch : the rest of the leftover paleo pizza (4 small squares); 1/2 a large apple with 2 Tbsp. natural peanut butter (just peanuts, no sugar or anything else added) and 1 tsp. honey; glass of water; 3 double-chocolate mocha cookies

Dinner : Unbelievable Chicken and Apple-Avocado Salad; handful of sugar snap peas fresh from the garden; glass of water

Bedtime snack : a glass of skim milk and three more tasty paleo cookies!

WOD : entertaining 5 kids inside (when it was raining) and outside (when it was HOT) all afternoon

Unbelievable Chicken

1/4 c. apple cider vinegar
3 Tbsp. brown mustard
3 cloves minced garlic
1 lime juiced
1/2 lemon juiced
1 Tbsp. honey
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
6 Tbsp. olive oil

Mix all and pour most of mixture over 4-6 chicken breasts; marinade 8 hours if possible, then grill. Save the remainder of the marinade (that you didn’t pour on the chicken) to use as dressing for Avocado-Apple salad.

Avocado-Apple Salad

1 bag fresh spinach leaves
1/4 c. chopped green onion
1/2 c. chopped walnuts
1/2 c. grated fresh parmesan
2 small granny smith apples, diced
2 avocados, diced

Toss all ingredients and top with Unbelievable Chicken that has been grilled and diced. Pour remaining marinade over salad.