Day 5

I am so tired! According to the book, most people feel really tired around days 6 or 7. I think I'm on an early schedule, which suits my personality fine.

The kids and I went to ikea with my mom so we could stay out of the heat again. We had lunch in their cafeteria. Lunch was really stressful.

I tried to have a big meal before we went, and I even had a snack in the car on the way there (apple with almond butter) in case there wasn't anything I could eat there. But this did not prevent me from having a meltdown in the food line.

Scrambled eggs with red pepper, shitake mushrooms (nope), and purple onion. Aardvark sauce on top. Sage sausage patties

They had some salads that would have been fine for me if they could make it without cheese or hummus. I asked a lady behind the case if this was possible and she looked at me like I was out of my mind and walked away.

I'm trying to keep my kids on the program too and they didn't have any options available for them either. I was so frustrated trying to figure out what to do for them and for me. I ended up getting them chicken strips and green beans. I know the chicken definitely wasn't okay, but the green beans might have been depending on what they were cooked in. Not that it mattered much since my kids didn't really eat them anyway. After nearly crying in the line, I just got a very dry, very bitter salad from the salad bar.

Worst salad ever and surprisingly not awful black coffee.

I probably won't eat at ikea again for the next several weeks. Not worth the stress.

After Ikea we stopped off at Chipotle so I could get a meal I could actually eat. I love Chipotle.

Guacamole, carnitas, tomato salsa and green salsa over salad greens. SO MUCH BETTER

Other than the extra amount of liquid in the bottom of the bowl, it was so good. I'm finding with eating out that I'm so relieved when there is something I can eat that I'm not even worried about what I shouldn't eat. I hope this sticks.

As for my kids, I'm really torn up about what to do. My son wakes up every morning cranky for hours demanding carbs. Whenever we go out he eats only french fries or beans. He rarely eats a vegetable. My daughter cried like I had cut her when I told her she couldn't have any candy at the parade we're going to (they throw candy into the street from the floats).

I did a bunch of reading about having kids on the program. There was an article about different strategies for getting them started. I didn't think the cold turkey strategy would work - throwing eveyrhting off plan out. I was leaning more towards the strategy where you run out of off-plan food and then you just don't replace it. This is fine as long as you never eat outside of your house.

I know Charlotte does better if she's decided to do it for herself, but she's deciding not to do it. My kids are developing very unhealthy relationships with food and I feel somewhat powerless to do anything about it. They also throw regular tantrums and I'm curious to  if it would be better with their diet.

I really need to nail down what I'm going to do with their program so that I can feel okay about giving them off plan food or feel okay about their hours of whining when I decide to insist on the fruit. I can't know if their eating will help them feel more in control of their emotions unless they completely eliminate these foods from their diets.

Our house was hot when I got home. I had thawed fish in the fridge, but I had no perfect vegetable to go with them. I decided to wane on perfection and ended up making the fish and some wedged sweet potatoes on the grill.

Sole fillets and sweet potatoes all tossed in olive oil and salt. 

I thought the kids would love the sweet potatoes, but they ate the fish up and wouldn't touch them. I never know with them. Also, thanks again to Emily and James for getting me the awesome cast-iron pan! It was perfect on the barbecue!

I was going to also make a salad with my pea greens, but I was so tired, I ate my meat and potatoes and fell asleep on the couch. As soon as I woke up Charlotte kept complaining she was still hungry. She didn't want anything I offered her so I gave up and let her whine.

So the take-away is, I need to let it roll when I can't find food I can eat somewhere, naps are in order, and I need to seriously figure out what to do with my kids and stick to it.