Day #22...We made it through the Storm!

The snow just kept on falling today! When Wes went out to snow blow tonight there was 22" in our driveway, with drifts much bigger than that in various parts of our yard. I am sure we will pick up another 4-6 inches overnight. The kids are excited because school has already been called off for tomorrow, and we are going to dust off the snow tubes and hit the hills after lunch! I am proud to say that I survived a snowstorm in true Whole30 style! Of course, that is easier said than done when you have absolutely nothing in your home to sabotage :) I made us a big breakfast of eggs, bacon, homemade ground pork patties (I have some kids who eat bacon and some who eat sausage...so we needed a little bit of everything). I also made a great fruit salad of diced pears, pomegranate, blackberries, kiwi and "halo" oranges and a few diced potatoes "home fries." As I go through this experience I am always taking a mental note of what I will do different on the "other side." When I used to cook I always did so in excess. What that led to was my entire family consuming...in excess! When I made "home fries" in the past I would just fill up a pot of diced potatoes. More is better, right?!?! Yesterday I made special consideration to peel and dice a single potato per person (what a weird concept...sticking to the serving size?!?!) and you know what...it was perfect! We even had a few leftover! Moments like this give me hope that we are learning and growing together as a family.

For lunch I pulled out a couple of pounds of ground venison and made a hearty chili and for dinner I was feeling like I needed more "leafy greens," so I whipped up a salad with some chopped chicken, tomatoes, cucumbers, yellow pepper, slivered almonds, avocado and sliced garlic stuffed green olive. It it the spot!

The key to "keeping it together" today was to just be in the moment. I played Connect Four with Claire, Just Dance with all the kids and went for a walk in the storm with Ethan and Ella (it was a little freaky)! I also had a good meal plan, and starting the day off with a really hearty breakfast helped! I would have loved to have come in to a nice frothy cup of hot chocolate when I came in from outside...but the hot chocolate will be there for many more storms to come! Today I needed to stick with the program to show myself that we can be successful! ~Jen