Pre-Holiday 24-Day Challenge

Fresh eggs. Yummy.

Tomorrow I am starting another 24-day nutrition challenge. That means a 10-day cleanse followed by a 14-day diet of paleo/zone eating. I’m not sure if the pre-holiday timing is meant to get me on the right track so that I won’t go crazy over the holidays or to help me not feel guilty for chowing down on turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, and pumpkin pie. Cause I’m just saying right now, that I’m going to—chow down that is. Eating well is great, but so are traditional holiday meals. Food is a huge part of holidays (and any party in general) with my family, so I will be indulging in some good stuff. I mean food is part of the beauty and deliciousness of life for me, and sometimes the traditional holiday food is soooo yummy.

But here is some healthier stuff that is also yummy: fresh eggs. Raising chickens seems to be all the rage these days, and I was genuinely thinking about it. I even took my kids down to IFA to see the newborn chicks last spring. I was on the verge of buying some feathered friends with a coop and all, when my friend told me that she has chickens and sells their eggs. So I’m getting eggs from her. They taste amazing, and I don’t have chicken poop in my yard.

If you look closely, you can see the cream at the top of the fresh milk. That's fresh, baby.

I have also started getting fresh milk from her. (She lives outside town on a little land and has a few cows, chickens, cats, dogs, etc.) My kids have never had fresh milk, and they were surprised by the taste. It is a little bit different—kind of earthy. Or as my first-grader would say, “That milk tastes like the cow’s butt.” Trust kids to be tactful. I have started mixing the fresh milk with the store-bought milk. My two-year old loves it, and the others still think I am a terrible mom for not feeding them twinkies and dino-nuggets.

Here’s a paleo dinner if you want to try one. This is what we had last night and it was yummy:

Chili lime pork tenderloin

Spinach salad with roasted pecans, peppers, and balsamic vinaigrette (I had feta too, not strictly paleo)

Steamed broccoli

PS You can roast the peppers (10 min) and pecans (1 min) on the bbq while the pork cooks.