Let me explain.
Yesterday, I had the pleasure and privilege to go to the "
I got to blow bubbles, climb a pint sized rock wall, jump rope (I won the contest!), do a crazy photobooth with my friends and siblings, double-dutch, put together a puzzle in the kindergarten room (why did we grownups ever stop playing with blocks???), mess around with water dams and buckets, sit on bird statues and dance the electric slide. It was a top night, one for the record books!
But food-wise, I came SO ridiculously close to breaking the diet, it's not even funny.
So I had a good 6 hour gap between lunch and dinner -- plus a bike ride commute in between -- I was, therefore, hungry when I got to the museum. I had no emergency stash on me, even the granola bar I keep in the car for hunger emergencies has oats and grains in it :-(
At the party, they had a make-your-own-taco bar. Fantastic! It was also literally the only easy food option for miles (not counting precious-time-sucking sit-down restaurants). All the cafes and shops in that area close at business end times. Even Au Bon Pain right next door was closed at 6:30. Their loss, they would have made a killing last night.
Anyway, to the taco line I went. Here were the options, in order:
-- Hard/soft taco shell
-- Chicken/Beef
-- Rice/Chili/Black Beans
-- Tex Mex salad (corn, tomato, cilantro, onions, & who knows what else)
-- Sour Cream/Cheese/Verde Sauce
-- Tomatoes/Onions/Lettuce
Yeah. Delicious, right? The problem is that only the last line and the meat options are Paleo compliant. But I was with a bunch of people, and they were hungry too, so I quickly formulated a master plan.
I built the best taco ever (soft shell, chicken, chili & rice, bit of corn salad, sour cream, cheese), then on the side, I PILED (and I do mean piled) on several scoopfuls of tomatoes, onions, and lettuce. The plan being, I eat the greens and one of my cohorts takes the taco I wish I could eat. Two folks eat for the price of one! Genius, right?
For a bit, I thought my plan backfired! My buddies were horrified that I had built the dream masterpiece and planned NOT to eat it. What a crime! they said. "Go on, just today, it's not that unhealthy!" They were right of course, it really wasn't unhealthy food, but I whined about my streak and how I had 6 days under my belt and really wanted to make it to 30 without having to start all over... It was really hard!
My sister finally stepped up. Just in time, too. I was milliseconds away from caving. I'm not exaggerating, my next forkful was aimed at the chili - beans and all.
Saved thusly from the woeful abyss of failure, I happily enjoyed the rest of the night. The veggies were definitely no dream-taco, but they held me up pretty well :-)
Later on, I won a free drink from the jump rope contest. I really wanted a beer. But I wasn't going to break that easy after my recent willpower win, so I picked the red wine -- the healthiest alcohol "allowed" on Paleo. (Though, question, since Mead is made from honey, can I have that? Short answer - yes! Here's a full list of allowed adult bevies if you're interested.)
After the party, we found a nice place for dinner. One of those places that doesn't serve burgers and where the chef signs the menu.
There came my second challenge! I looked over all the delectable offerings woefully. All of them sounded divine, but most came on a bed of bread or with special cream sauces or cheese spreads...
I wound up ordering a side. The ONLY side that was Paleo friendly was the beets/cauliflower/greens/horseradish dish.
After we all ordered, the wait staff came out to each of us with a specialty roll, warm from the oven, with butter on the side. This was a gourmet mini-bread, specially made for individual consumption. It smelled amazing. It looked really good. I had a hard time saying no. (Don't worry, it definitely got eaten. :-p)
Out came the meals. My side came out in a tiny dish, looking small but smelling like heaven. It was late, I wasn't in the mood for a full meal anyway. My friends shared a bit of their giant chicken with me, too, so I was very soon legitimately stuffed! I was surprised by that :-)
So. Thus ends the thrilling tale of my brush with dietary failure. Yes, readers, I dodged many a bullet yesterday! I am super pleased with the outcome :-) I ate well, I wasn't starved at all, and - most importantly - I hit day 7 today!!! :-)
WOOHOOO!
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