Nag, Nag, NAG

My kids don’t know what the word “nag” means but they know exactly what it feels like I’m afraid.  I have fallen asleep with the same thought this week: Stop Nagging your KIDS!  Then 30 seconds after waking up, I march into their room and tell them to knock off whatever idiotic behavior that I have been listening to for the last 15 minutes and off I go riding the train to Nagville.

I even asked Calista tonight if she felt like I nagged her a lot today and she said, “Mom you don’t nag all of the time.  Just sometimes.”

This sugar fast feels a little bit like I have a nasty fairy flying around my head when I get hungry and she says, “nope, you can’t eat that.”  I read labels, think of my favorite go-to snacks and realize yet again, all of the words that really mean sugar.

It isn’t all bad news.  My sugar free homemade bread turned out last night to perfection and we even made a salty, garlic loaf.  Yum.  Cooking from scratch isn’t a new thing around here and my homemade pasta sauce turned out awesome last night.

I eat natural peanut butter without missing the sugar, rice cakes and veggies until my body tells me it has had enough roughage.

But I am missing the boat in a few areas.  For one, “my” homemade granola.  The recipe came from a camp I lived one summer and it is fantastic.  I tried last night without sweetened coconut, plain peanuts, 1/2 the honey it calls for and it just did NOT taste that great.  Thankfully Calista mowed it down like always and I heard no complaining.

Banana bread is another area I haven’t figured out how to handle. I am sure I could find a fine recipe for it without sugar, but I add chocolate chips.  And although I have found an 88% cocoa dark chocolate bar, it doesn’t come in chip form:(

Finally, it’s the peanut butter energy bites I used to make with the same sweetened coconut, honey and yes, chocolate (or carob) chips.  I miss that mouthful of sweetness when I was about to mow through a bag of (sweetened) kettle chips, pretzels or other easy snack.

Overall, I still am enjoying the center of myself not being jittery.  I haven’t gained (or lost) a pound despite the first 10 days of overeating because I told myself I could since I wasn’t eating the Ben and Jerry’s like before.  I am glad to consider what goes into my body.

Now, it is spilling over to the other Askers.  Brian is trying to stick with me in mealtimes and even thinking about it when out and about.  His favorite waffles and PB/syrup breakfast has been transformed to no sugar added waffles, natural PB and applesauce and fruit for toppings.  He did splurge today with real maple syrup, but it had no added sugar.

(However, this weekend he will be at a college student weekend retreat.  Good luck hubs!)

Now for the kids: they get natural PB under their I’m ashamed to tell you syrup.  They are using up the last flavored yogurt I’ll buy for a while.  We eat applesauce for dessert (no complaints there!).  I haven’t figured out a ketchup replacement, haven’t made homemade ranch dressing for C and me and that syrup might just have to be the one source of corn syrup we allow for them.

Now I just need to get rid of this dumb fairy in my head and enjoy the new things I’m learned and eating – like soup which is perfect for these chilly days and bread which felt like a bunny to Calista the other night while she helped form the dough balls.  What a great image.

Overall, I am amazed at how easy this has actually been.  It’s easier than jumping off the train to Nagville.  I wish I could be as disciplined with what comes out of my mouth as what goes into it.