A Paleo-ified Homecoming Weekend.

Homecoming Weekend is one of my absolute favorite times of year. It is reunions, parades, song and dance, hugs galore, football, scarves and coffees, friends who are family, and copious amounts of green and gold. And at the root of it all, it's about TRADITION. I love the comforting embrace each time my Alma Mater welcomes us home to celebrate together.

So what does this have to do with my journey? Well, as you can imagine, there are some food oriented traditions that come along with this celebratory weekend and a non-stop schedule of events, reunions, and little sleep, make it difficult to stay ahead of my every meal and snack need. One of our traditions is to share in some yummy bread loaves sent from one of the mamas each year. The early morning cold and sunshine mix perfectly with a hot coffee and a slice of zucchini or pumpkin bread as the parade passes by. And let me tell you...that bread is GOOD.

Well I came into the weekend guns loaded. I am not a huge fan of "paleo-ifying" breads, desserts and other treats that still trigger reactions in your body, HOWEVER, there is a time and place for even a clean treat and THIS was just that for me.

I chose to make the Paleo Chai Pumpkin Bread from PaleOMG's awesome blog. This hit two birds with one stone... made for an excellent breakfast companion to my venti Starbucks Red-Eye... AND prevented any fear of missing out on the breads or feeling deprived around my friends. It is a pretty easy recipe and is completely Lurong Paleo Challenge approved....oh and it's pretty. (Especially for my first ever bread making experience...Paleo or the like.)

While conquering the parade munchies was a success, I still had a busy day ahead of me. We were spoiled to get to join a wonderful family in their suite at the new McLane Stadium as the Bears slaughtered the Jayhawks. With that box seating, came a spoiling spread of gourmet foods from ribs and mac n cheese to fried chicken, buffalo salads and slaws, and a dessert bar for days.
In all honesty, my spirit was killed a little when I saw how difficult it would be for me to truly stick to my guns and actually get to EAT anything. Hungry, defeated and frustrated, I walked away from the food. Insert one of my best friends swooping in with loving encouragements and ideas. She literally cut rib meat off the bones for me and helped me load up on some raw veggies which had been masked by a typical dip tray. For a bit, I was able to ignore the popcorn, candies and chips and dips flooding the suite life, downing water and focusing on the game.

 

A couple hours later, Dr Pepper floats (a great tradition of Baylor), were delivered to the box. I once again found frustration as everyone devoured snacks, desserts and continued to munch with freedom through the afternoon. While I have come to a place where I don't mind missing out on treats and choose to cling to my own decision and convictions for what I am personally deciding to do and not do, those rational thoughts become fuzzy when my stomach starts grumbling with no clean eats in sight...

I write this in both confession and celebration. I do not ever want to pretend to have it all together because I can post some great pictures and make a mean meal prep. Dedication, determination, and a goal-oriented mindset keep me from straying, especially while in challenge mode. BUT you need to know, for all of our sanity, some days are just hard and that was one. I survived Homecoming weekend and wrapped up week 7 of clean eating without a cheat. That's the celebration. And I'll keep celebrating the little moments.

Finding Fit,
Lisa