I like winter.
I like snow.
I like for winter months to be, well…wintery.
I don’t like winter months to be, well…springy…or even summery.
That is all.
P.S. Our header picture above is from a past winter. Isn’t it beautiful? 🙂 *sigh*
Remember that home is where the heart is, and there’s no place like home!
Here in the Midwest, we were hit with the first winter storm of the season…complete with freezing mist and a little snow last night. At my house, we got about 1/2 inch of snow, with the balmy high temperature of 7 degrees. I spent today with Hallmark Christmas Movies, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, and Christmas treats.
But it didn’t start out that way…this weekend was supposed to be our family get-together with Mom’s side of the family. We were going to drive up Friday night; I was going to start the marshmallows and make the dough for a treacle tart. Saturday I was going to make the tart, S cookies, and cut up the marshmallows…and then spend the afternoon celebrating Christmas with my immediate family, aunts and uncles, cousins, and grandma.
Yeah. That didn’t happen. The freezing mist moved into the area Friday afternoon, and my normal 45 minute commute from St. Louis’s Dogtown neighborhood turned into 3 hours of sitting, rolling, and sitting again. By the time I got home Friday night, I had just about cracked up, and even if the roads had really been safe, I was in no condition to even be a passenger – I really, really don’t like driving in icy conditions. And my drive time was peanuts compared to some of my other coworkers and friends! Anyway…
So the travel plans changed to Saturday, and I was going still make the S cookies at the very least. Until the whole family looked at the weather forecast and then the current conditions. Mother Nature cancelled Christmas! Well, okay, that’s dramatic. Steven and I decided to make the most of the day before more freezing rain set in, and we were able to finish our Christmas shopping yesterday instead of today – yay! By the time we went to bed last night, our church had decided to cancel services to keep everyone safe, so I knew I had a very relaxed day ahead of me today.
I woke up early, oh, say 4:30 a.m. and started watching Hallmark movies. Every so often, Lori Laughlin would be featured with a Countdown to Christmas moment (7 days to go, y’all). In it, she talks about holiday baking and how there is one particular apple pie that has to make every year…even if she was stranded on the moon, she’d figure out how to make it. Lori goes on to say that it’s her way of still connecting with her dad, even though he has since passed away.
That simple statement had me thinking. What is the one recipe I have to make every year, no ifs, ands or buts? For me, it’s S cookies, which are a Nelson tradition…come heck, high water, or freezing rain, I will make S cookies. I even made a batch shortly after our wedding (our anniversary is December 23), and mixed them by hand because I didn’t have an electric mixer of any kind.
But just why do I have to make them? I had never really thought about it before…other than it’s just not Christmas without them. But it really resonated with me when Lori said that when she makes the pie, it still connects her to her father. It got me thinking, and I realized it’s one way for me to connect with my Grandma Nelson, Dad’s mother. She passed away when I was two, so I didn’t really get to know her. But she taught my mom how to make them, and in turn, Mom has taught me.
Em & Grandma Nelson, circa 1979
I wish I’d been able to know her…I know she was a great lady, and I would have loved spending time with her in her kitchen. But I am so grateful that the people in my life who did know her tell me and Gregory (and my cousins for that matter) stories about her and my grandfather.
Unfortunately for you, dear reader, I won’t be sharing the recipe with you. You’d have to be part of the Nelson family, either by blood or marriage, in order to learn…Dad doesn’t even know how to make them! Mom and I didn’t teach Jessi until she and Greg were married…and she’s doing a splendid job of keeping it in the family! I don’t know how far back that tradition goes, but I’m not willing to monkey around with tradition!
So now I’m ending this crazy winter-weather weekend with more Hallmark Christmas movies (why does A Royal Christmas have to start at 11 p.m.?? I can’t stay up to finish!) and sharing these thoughts with you. Lori Laughlin shared one of her favorite things about the holidays, and it’s the same as mine: baking and making Christmas cookies and treats! I love the comforting process of mixing the dough, forming the cookies, and sampling the broken ones (all in the name of quality assurance!). And while homemade marshmallows are a new tradition for me, I love watching the sugar syrup and gelatin transform into luxurious marshmallow crème, and knowing that I made the perfect topping for my hot chocolate.
Merry Christmas to you all…and I hope Mother Nature doesn’t interfere with anyone’s Christmas plans from here on out!
Day 7 of the Egg Fast. I did it!
Predictably, I gained 1/2 pound this morning. It’s ok. You always gain at least a little when you come off any kind of fast.
Here’s what I ate on Day 7:
8:30 a.m. – Bullet Proof Coffee with 1 tbls butter and 1 tbls coconut oil
9:00 a.m. – Bullet Proof Coffee with 1 tbls butter and 1 tbls coconut oil
10:30 a.m. – Egg Fast Fettuccine Alfredo
2:00 p.m. – 2 cream cheese pancakes, 2 oz cheese, 2 tbls mayonnaise
4:00 p.m. – 4 oz cheese
5:30 p.m. – 1 avocado with 2 tbls mayonnaise and some Italian flavored ground meat (made with a homemade low carb sauce)
90 – 100 oz of water doesn’t seem so bad anymore. That’s certainly a positive from doing the egg fast!
I’ve been looking at I Breathe I’m Hungry’s Fettuccine Alfredo recipe for two years. Why, oh, why did I wait so long to give it a try? It is really, really good! You need to try it as soon as possible! 🙂
Do you have a favorite egg fast recipe? Let me know in the comments!
Remember that home is where the heart is, and there’s no place like home!
Today was Day 6 on the egg fast. Other foods are gradually added in today and tomorrow to transition to a regular low carb high fat way of eating.
This morning, the scales were nicer to me and said I lost one more pound! I’m looking forward to going back to weighing in no more than once a week.
Here’s what I ate on this first transition day:
7:30 a.m. – Bullet Proof Coffee with 1 tbls butter and 1 tbls coconut oil
8:00 a.m. – Bullet Proof Coffee with 1 tbls heavy whipping cream
10:30 a.m. – 3 egg omelet with 1 oz cheese, cooked in 1 tbls butter
2:00 p.m. – 1/2 recipe of Egg Fast Ice Cream (Egg Fast Frozen Custard & Ice Cream)
3:00 p.m. – 1 oz cheese and 2 slices bacon
4:00 p.m. – 1 slice bacon
5:30 p.m. – 2 grilled chicken thighs, celery sticks, and 2 tbls ranch dressing
By the time I go to bed, I’ll have had about 100 oz of water.
I see that I ate way more often today than any other day this week. I don’t think that has had anything to do with not feeling so great because I woke up that way. Some of the “new” foods I ate aren’t what was on the Egg Fast menu, but I had to go with what we had on hand. I don’t think it was too bad. We’ll see what happens on the scale next time.
M
ay I also just say that, after five days of eggs, cheese, butter, and coconut oil…those chicken thighs tasted so good!
Tomorrow is Day 7! See you then!
Remember that home is where the heart is, and there’s no place like home!
Today was Day 5 on the egg fast.
When I started this, I really had doubts about whether I would finish the full 5 days! The timing was right though and really, it wasn’t that difficult. I do enjoy eggs in all their many forms so I’m sure that helped.
I weighed again today and stayed the same as yesterday. I was a little bummed, and then my dear hubbie reminded me…that’s why I don’t weigh every day! Weight fluctuates and the scales are not really our friend. I mean, there is so much more to this way of eating, to how I feel about myself, to my health, and to life in general than what the no good son of a gun scales say. If you haven’t watched the video by Bob Briggs about the scales, here’s a link to it: That Lying Cheating Dream Crushing Scale. It’s a good one!
Anyway, here’s what I ate:
7:30 a.m. – Bullet Proof Coffee with 1 tbls butter and 1 tbls coconut oil
8:30 a.m. – Bullet Proof Coffee with 1 tbls butter and 1 tbls coconut oil
10:30 a.m. – 2 egg omelet with 1-1/2 oz cheese, cooked in 2 tbls butter
4:00 p.m. – 2 boiled eggs, chopped, with 2 oz shredded cheese and 2 tbls store bought mayonnaise
5:30 p.m. – 1 boiled egg and 1 oz cheese
6:30 p.m. – 1/2 recipe of Egg Fast Ice Cream (both my recipe and the inspiration recipe for frozen custard from I Breathe I’m Hungry are on the attachment)
By the time I go to bed, I’ll have had almost 100 oz of water. Part of it was a bottle of Sparkle Ice lemonade flavored water.
Tomorrow is Day 6! I’m looking forward to gradually adding in some other low carb foods from I Breathe I’m Hungry’s Five Day Egg Fast Days 6 & 7. Everything I’ve read about doing an egg fast says it’s important to come off the fast gradually, so you don’t immediately gain back the weight you’ve lost. I sure don’t want that!
Have you done an egg fast? How did you feel? Did you gain much weight back? I’d love to hear from you in the comments.
Remember that home is where the heart is, and there’s no place like home!
Today was Day 4 on the egg fast.
Four days and I’m still at it! In fact, I feel good today and I’m loving eggs, cheese, butter, and our homemade mayonnaise! AND… I’ve lost 6.5 lbs so far! I do realize that I’ll gain some back, but I’m going to be smart about it to minimize that. 🙂
Here’s what I ate:
7:30 a.m. – Bullet Proof Coffee with 1/2 tbls butter and 1/2 tbls coconut oil
8:30 a.m. – Bullet Proof Coffee with 1/2 tbls butter and 1/2 tbls coconut oil
10:30 a.m. – 2 boiled eggs, chopped, with 2 tbls homemade mayonnaise
2:30 p.m. – 2 cream cheese pancakes, 2 tbls mayo, and 2 oz cheese
5:15 p.m. – 1/2 cream cheese pancake with 1/2 tbls butter
6:15 p.m. – 3 egg omelet with 2 oz cheese, cooked in 1 tbls butter
Getting 90 to 100 ounces of water in isn’t as difficult as I thought it might be. I’m getting used to it. If I can continue to count part of it as iced tea or something similar, I’ll be good for the long term!
In all honesty, I didn’t feel so well yesterday evening. I don’t know, but I think I was having some acid reflux. I haven’t experienced that since starting the LCHF way of eating. It could be that I’m not used to the amount of fat on the egg fast…I don’t know. But that is one reason I cut back a little on the fat today.
Tomorrow is Day 5 already! Yay! I’m almost there! I did want to mention that the guidelines from I Breathe I’m Hungry’s Five Day Egg Fast include Days 6 & 7. Other proteins are gradually added in, as well as some veggie carbs. I’m going to do these too.
Bonus! Today is National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day so I’m going to share my recipe for low carb chocolate chip cookies. I’ve tried many recipes and this is The One! It’s actually called Almond Flour Cookies – My Version. The instructions for adding chocolate chips are there. Dominic loves these cookies! I hope you enjoy them too. Let me know in the comments if you try them. 🙂
Remember that home is where the heart is, and there’s no place like home!
Today was Day 3 on the egg fast.
While I’m really not tired of plain eggs yet, I’m following the plan found on I Breathe I’m Hungry, so we made Cream Cheese Pancakes today. I’ve loved them since starting the low carb high fat way of eating! They certainly were a nice change. 🙂
Dominic enjoyed the these pancakes too! They remind us so much of the (very carby) Egg Pancakes we’ve made in our family for decades. These don’t make you want to take a nap after eating them though! 🙂
Here’s what I ate:
7:30 a.m. – Bullet Proof Coffee with 1 tbls butter and 1 tbls coconut oil
8:15 a.m. – Bullet Proof Coffee with 1 tbls butter only (I’m not totally in love with the flavor of coconut oil)
10:30 a.m. – 2 cream cheese pancakes, one with 1 tbls butter and the other with 1 tbls homemade mayonnaise. Obviously, I took a savory approach with the second one! 🙂
2:30 p.m. – 2 egg omelet with 2 oz cheese cooked in 2 tbls butter
7:00 p.m. – 2 boiled eggs with 2 oz cheese and 2 tbls homemade mayonnaise
Today, I drank a little more than 100 oz water. About two-thirds of it was decaffeinated iced tea. I hope that’s ok. It tasted so good!
Since I started the 30 by Thanksgiving weight loss challenge this week, of course one of my goals is to lose weight! I weighed first thing on Monday, August 1 and I weighed again today, August 3. I’ve lost 3 pounds! Feels good!
Ready for Day 4!
Remember that home is where the heart is, and there’s no place like home!
Today was Day 2 on the egg fast.
Once again, it was a pretty easy day!
Here’s what I ate:
7:30 a.m. – Bullet Proof Coffee with 1 tbls butter and 1 tbls coconut oil
8:15 a.m. – Bullet Proof Coffee with 1 tbls butter and 1 tbls coconut oil
10:30 a.m. – 2 boiled eggs, chopped, with 2 tbls homemade mayonnaise and 2 oz cheese
3:15 p.m. – 2 egg omlet, cooked in 2 tbls butter with 2 oz cheese
6:30 p.m. – 3 boiled eggs, chopped, with 3 tbls homemade mayonnaise
Before bed, I’ll have consumed at least 92 oz water. Still a little short of 100 oz, but I’m not going to stress over it!
I tried to drink my second cup of coffee black, but just don’t like it that way. So I had a second cup of BPC. I don’t seem to be having any unwanted effects today! 🙂
Two years ago, on August 1, 2014, I started a true low carb high fat way of eating. I’m pretty sure I haven’t been eating enough fat. This egg fast is opening my eyes.
Bring on Day 3!
Remember that home is where the heart is, and there’s no place like home!
Today was Day 1 on the egg fast.
It was easy peasy! I wasn’t hungry at all and enjoyed the challenge!
So here’s what I ate:
7:30 a.m. – Bullet Proof Coffee with 1 tbls butter and 1 tbls coconut oil
9:00 a.m. – Bullet Proof Coffee with 1 tbls butter and 1 tbls coconut oil
10:30 a.m. – 2 eggs, pan fried in 2 tbls butter
2:30 p.m. – 1 egg, pan fried in 1 tbls butter with 1 oz cheese
6:30 p.m. – 2 eggs, pan fried in 2 tbls butter with 2 oz cheese
Throughout the day, I drank approximately 80-90 oz water.
I got close on the recommended amount of water, but not quite up to the 100 oz. minimum. I’ll do better tomorrow.
I must say that I’m not sure that 2 cups of BPC in the morning is such a good idea. I mean, it really got things moving…if you know what I mean! :0
Then again, maybe that’s not such a bad thing! 😀
It’s 9:00 p.m. and I’m not hungry at all. I was kind of worried that I would be. This may be easier than I thought!
I’m looking forward to what Day 2 will bring!
Remember that home is where the heart is, and there’s no place like home!
Well, 7 months after making the decision to retire…I did it!
Last Friday was my last day at the Chamber and today is my first day of retirement.
It feels good! It also feels weird. I’m not taking a sick day or a vacation day, but I’m home. Just feels weird.
I still have our grandson here every morning, so that feels the same.
Our two dogs, Lady and Cassie, are happy I’m home! They don’t really care why…they just know that they’re not left alone. That’s a good thing for them…and me too.
So what am I doing on this first afternoon of retirement? I wrote a whole bunch of thank you notes! It feels so good to have that done!
I also started an egg fast. My first ever egg fast. It’s a 5 day egg fast. Why I keep saying 
“egg fast” I don’t know, but I can’t seem to help myself! hehe
The low carb group I’m in on Facebook started a new “30 by Thanksgiving” challenge today. I thought that also starting an egg fast today would be a good way to kickstart the weight loss challenge. It should also keep me busy in this first week of retirement.
I know there are many resources out there about doing an egg fast. I’m going with Mellissa Sevigny’s ideas at I Breathe I’m Hungry. She has developed some of the best low carb recipes out there and I know I can count on her!
From Mellissa’s blog post, “What is an Egg Fast?” – It’s a (short term) diet that consists of primarily eggs, cheese, and butter. For each egg you eat, you should eat a corresponding Tbsp of pure fat in the form of butter, olive oil, or coconut oil. You can also eat a corresponding Tbsp of full fat cheese per egg. Doing this will result in an extremely low carb, high fat, moderate protein intake that will kickstart your body into fat burning mode.
I’m going to post every day this week and let you know what I’m eating and drinking…and how I’m feeling about it. 🙂
If you are already used to being in ketosis, why don’t you join me and do an egg 
fast yourself! Here’s what you should do – just pop over to Mellissa’s blog and get the guidelines, menus, and recipes.
Let’s see how this works! Good luck!
Remember that home is where the heart is, and there’s no place like home!
Aunties M & Em 