Perfect Choice Foods

A couple weeks ago, I got a call on our land line, which typically means it's some telemarketer or some recording looking for Jeanie Sanders. I checked the caller ID while I was making dinner and saw that it was a 951 area code. I decided to answer because that's the area code from where Bobby works now. Turned out to be a cold call, but this one turns out to be not so much of an annoyance. 

The lady started telling me that she was from a company in Lake Elsinore and that they wanted to bring out samples of grass-fed, antibiotic free, all natural chicken and beef for us to try. My ears immediately perked up. As I mentioned last week, we have converted to an pretty strict Paleo diet and I had been researching on where to get the best deals on this kind of meat cause it's fricken' expensive! Anywho, I decided to take the bait. I set up time for that Saturday to have someone come out with the samples and explain their deal to us. After I hung up the phone, I got a weird feeling. I started to think about how they tell you never to give information to companies that call you. Only to give information to companies that you call. I started thinking....is this a scam?? 

Well, Steve shows up at the door (about ten minutes late - geeze that annoys me!) that Saturday. He starts pulling out his flyers and pictures and brochures and whatnot and explains how great their meat is and that it's the same meat that places like Ruth's Chris get their meat. I had no idea what this whole deal entailed, but it ended up being a grocery delivery service. Kind of. So Steve starts going down a list of different kinds/cuts of meat, fish, and veggies and asking us whether we would ever eat it or want to try it. After going through that list, he handed me another list and asked me to check off things that we use. Stuff like toilet paper, paper towels, dish soap, laundry detergent, olive oil, foil, hand soap, Ziploc bags, trash bags, etc. Then he asked how many times a week I cooked. He took all of the information ran some numbers and told us that he could bring our typical weekly grocery bill down by $60. Now, don't get me wrong. This obviously doesn't include EVERYTHING. There's no fresh produce, no dairy, no spices, etc. BUT, this price did also include the cost of a brand new energy efficient freezer that they would install in the garage. It really seemed too good to be true! So we took the bait again and signed up. Gave a $200 deposit and against my better judgement I practically gave him every bit of personal information they could have ever asked for. I honestly do not know what I was thinking. I know better. And the minute he walked out the door (mind you - no samples were ever given to us or brought into the house!), I got another eerie feeling (I promise this story has a happy ending, so don't get too worried). I pulled out the Mac Book and started Googling. Nothing was coming up. Well, stuff was coming up, but all of the links were going to erroneous sites. Que panic. I looked over all of the paperwork we were left with and there was only an 800 number. No address. No Website. No nothing. So at about 8pm that night, I called the 800 number. Rightfully so, I got an answering machine. It made me feel a bit better, but not a whole lot. I tried not to think about it much the rest of the weekend and come Monday morning, I got a call to set up the delivery. Again, this made me feel a bit better, but not a whole lot. The next day, I spent a good portion of my morning with a knot in my stomach. So completely sick over thinking of the worst possible outcomes of all of this. I was calling the 800 number, calling a 951 number that I found online, attempting every website, or route to try and find some information and all this was giving me ZERO hope. While I was pumping at 11 that day, I found another company that provides the same kind of service in the same area. So I called them. I asked if they knew of another company in their area like them. The guy said yes and that he didn't like to mention names or talk bad about other companies, but there was one. I asked if it was Perfect Choice Foods and he said yes. Instant relief. Kind of. Come to find out, he had an employee leave his business on bad terms and go to them and there was some bad blood there. But as far as he knew, they were in business and were a legit company. 

I called Bobby right after that phone call and he told me to call the 800 number back and leave a message saying that I needed to talk to Steve before I would accept my delivery that evening. So I hung up and dialed the number and guess what happened! Someone answered right away. No joke! Turns out there was a big power outage in their area and their whole system had been down since Monday afternoon! Oh you don't even know what a huge relief that all was. I think I learned my lesson to slow down a bit and not give out my info so easily!

So.....the delivery was made. We have a huge freezer in the garage full of meat and veggies...

and a stash of all kinds of other supplies!

All of that to say.....we're totally stoked on this new little service we have. The meat has been fabulous so far. It's all flash frozen which prevents it from freezer burn and also cuts down on the defrost time tremendously. I never have to worry about having something to cook for dinner and the best part is knowing that the quality we are getting is fabulous! 

There have been a few tweaks that I know need to be made - ie: the chicken sausage and Italian sausage have ingredients in them that we cannot eat, I prefer the Applegate brand of hotdogs (which they are more than happy to provide for us), and I haven't been able to find the Kielbasa that was on the list. So after about 10 weeks, Steve will come back out and take a survey of what we have consumed, make notes of what we like, what we don't like, etc. and our next order will be tweaked accordingly. The price will remain the same for the 8 month contract and will only change on the next 8 month contract if big changes need to be made. So....if anyone is interested in their service, let me know! I was not asked to write this review and am not being paid or supplemented in any way, shape, or form. I'm just excited for this convenience and want to share it with everyone!

Told you there was a happy ending!

Connecting The Dots

I've been feeling like I needed to tie up a few loose ends on here and am finally finding some time to do it!

So, let's connect some dots here......going back to over a year ago, I was pregnant with B and interning at a Bootcamp down in San Diego three times a week. I never fully explained the reasoning or purpose. This all came about because I had applied with Bootique Fitness to be a bootcamp instructor at a location closer to my house. When I explained that I was pregnant, the owner, Jaylin, was very understanding and had me come out to participate in a bootcamp and meet her. I did just that and she explained that it would not be in the best interest of her company to hire me on, train me, get me going, and then have to start all over when I went out on maternity leave. BUT......she offered me a chance to intern with them, to learn the ropes, get to know everyone, and possibly be hired on after I had the baby, if there was another opening. 

Let's stop there. You might be thinking....what about your full time, boring, desk job?? Well, it's just that. A boring desk job. I have been incredibly blessed to have had the job that I have had for the past seven years, but I'm over it. It's nothing more than a paycheck - which is important - but not fulfilling. I need more. I have always wanted to get into personal training and became a Certified Personal Trainer in 2010, but have yet to put it to use. My ultimate goal would be to do personal training and group exercise classes on a part time basis and be able to be home with the girls more than I currently am. Is that financially possible? We're honestly not sure. We live pretty comfortably right now and have high hopes for Bobby's career path [which is the next dot to connect] and we have both agreed that the only way we're going to find out, is to take the leap of faith, cross our fingers, toes, legs, arms, etc., hold our breath, and hope for the best!

Jumping back to the possible job at Bootique Fitness, Jaylin ended up closing the location closest to me because the interest and attendance level was not consistent. I am still in contact with her and some of the other ladies that I met through my internship and I hope to work with them at some point in the future, but for now, I just thank Jaylin for all of her time, knowledge, and acceptance of me into their company. Today, I am schedule to take my Group Exercise Certification exam on Monday. Yup, this coming Monday. I should be studying right now [actually, I should be working right now], but clearly, I'm not. I do not feel prepared for this test in the slightest, but I didn't feel ready for my personal training exam either and I passed that. I plan on spending the weekend cramming every bit of info into my brain and hoping for the best. Other than that, I am submitting my application for a possible job at a gym that a friend of mine works at, as they have a couple openings that I have already talked to the manager about and I also met the Group Exercise Manager at Pure Fitness and she knows about my upcoming test and that I am taking the BarreVite certification workshop in a few weeks. She has mentioned that they always need subs and the BarreVite certification will be very helpful! Cross your fingers for me! I have a lot coming up and need all the support I can get!

Now on to Bobby's new job. Bobby has worked in the golf industry for as long as I've known him [we met at work], plus about 10 years! After his company was bought by PUMA and we no longer worked under the same parent company, his love for his job started dwindling. He spent a couple years putting feelers out and speaking specifically with a vendor of his that was incredibly interested in having him join their team. It took about a year of communication between them to settle on an offer that met Bobby's (and our family's) needs as well as their company's needs. So, at the end of May, Bobby put in his notice of resignation with Cobra PUMA Golf and was an official employee of Impact Canopy as of June 10th. His commute is quite long, [about 55 minutes each way], but he never hits any traffic and he has managed to still make it home for most family dinners and before bedtime each night. On my end, this has helped make the transition much easier than I expected. On his end, he is still trying to learn his way around the company and the industry and is both frustrated and excited about everything there is to absorb. We have tossed around the idea of moving to certain areas of Orange County and have a real estate agent sending us listings daily, but we are also toying with the idea of moving to the Temecula/Murrieta area, or even possibly staying in North County. As you can imagine, there are lots of variables to consider in deciding where we end up.....Bobby's job, my current job, my possible new job, our current childcare situation, preschool, money, my midwives [yes, this is a big factor!], etc. But for now, we're just soaking it all in and count our blessings that we both have jobs, great insurance, a beautiful home, two beyond amazing girls, a poor doggy that needs more attention, and plenty of food in our bellies!

Bobby making an appearance at my office with a new tent and directors chair to show them.

Which brings me to dot #3 - the food that we're putting in our bellies! On July 22nd, Bobby and I made a huge lifestyle change and went Paleo. It's been just over a month and we are loving it and still going strong. I have removed just about every single processed food item from our home [I have not removed them all because some of it I am waiting to give to others, some of it I could not stand to waste if I could still make something semi-healthy with it for the girls - ie: veggie pasta - and some of it I still have in the freezer for Birthday parties - ie: turkey hot dogs]. Other than that, Bobby and I have not had a single processed food item. The girls are getting closer and closer to being strictly paleo as well, but I know that preventing them from having processed foods is going to get harder and harder as they get older [J has already made it be known that she doesn't like her almond milk!]. My intent is to instill in them the knowledge and understanding of why we eat the way we do and cross my fingers that they grow up and make the best decisions that they can. I believe that this lifestyle isn't black and white. Everyone is different and we will learn to find what it takes to make it successful for our family.
 

All that being said, I am incredibly proud of us. I was completely intimidated at first; not knowing much about organic foods, nitrates/nitrites, GMO's, the difference between free-range, grass-fed, vegetarian-fed meats, etc. I am constantly learning and cooking up a storm! Bobby has been a huge help and has stepped up to bust out a quick weekend lunch or dinner when we're in a pinch.
As for the changes that we have noticed so far - I weighed myself the morning I started and I have been teetering around the 5 to 8 pound loss mark for a couple weeks now. I feel great, I feel leaner, and I have had less issues with bloating than I was having since having B. Bobby did not weigh himself prior to starting, but he knows he has lost weight and can feel a difference in the way his clothes fit. The best part for him is that this lifestyle does not leave him feeling deprived. We are both enjoying the food we eat! So, from here on out, I will probably be posting a ton more about paleo recipes and documenting our journey.
One negative that we have encountered was Bobby ending up in the ER a couple weeks in. On August 7th, Bobby woke me up just before 1am and told me that something was wrong. He was having chest pain and upper back pain. I instantly thought it was heartburn/acid reflux/indigestion stuff, but he insisted that it wasn't. I started googling and was only coming up with heartburn/acid reflux/indigestion type answers and that's when Bobby grabbed the phone and said he was calling 911. WHOA! This is serious. So I grabbed the phone and I called and paramedics were sent to the house. He was having trouble breathing and in a ton of pain. I felt so helpless and horrible that I had to stay at the house with the girls as he was taken by ambulance to the hospital. I asked the one fireman where I was supposed to go when I went to the hospital and he told me to hang out at home until Bobby could update me with what was going on and then figure out what to do from there. He updated me when they got there and I kept him company via text as best I could. He then told me that one of the nurses thought it could be a gall stone. So they did an ultrasound and found that he had several gall stones, but one was lodged in the neck of the gallbladder and that's what was causing all of his pain. They were able to get him comfortable with pain meds, gave him a prescription, and said he was good to go. I knew the possibility of getting someone to come to the house in the middle of the night was near impossible [and don't you dare feel the slightest bit bad about not hearing your phone, Meghan!], so after attempting my two neighbor friends when Bobby told me he was ready to be picked up, I woke the girls, threw them in the truck and headed to the hospital.

On our way to get Dada!

I knew the general vicinity of the new hospital, but decided it would be a good idea to pull up directions on my phone since it was 3:30 in the morning and my brain was a bit frazzled. Well, I probably would have been better off without the directions because I got lost anyway, then had cameras flashing at me as I stopped at a red light to turn right ???? [anyone know if that means I'm definitely getting a ticket??], but I eventually made my way and we picked him up. He was still in a decent amount of pain on the drive home and as we exited the freeway to find that the CVS by our house is not 24 hour, we had to make the 15 minute drive back to Escondido to the only 24 hour CVS in the area. Bobby was able to get his prescription filled, throw up in the parking lot, and then we were on our way home again. He crawled into bed, I got both girls back to sleep, crawled into bed, looked at the clock and said to Bobby, "My alarm went off 10  minutes ago!" To which he replied, "That's disgusting!" LOL it was quite a night/morning. Anyway, to tie this all together, we both strongly believe that his prior eating habits are what caused the development of the stones, but our new eating habits are what caused his digestive system to start working properly and trying to rid his body of them. Whether we're right or not, does not matter, but after him meeting with a Comprehensive Health Nutritionist/Chiropractor, it sounds like we're on the right track with our eating habits and a few more changes to his diet will allow his body to dissolve the stones naturally and get him back to 100% health. We are thanking our lucky stars that his incident was not more serious.
Moving on to the last dot....our bathroom remodel. Well, I never really posted a finished product because it still isn't fully finished! It is functioning, but the baseboards aren't complete, I still have a hole in the wall on my side of the sink where the old medicine cabinet used to be, and we have a big box of toiletries on our bedroom floor that have not been put back under our sinks. Klassy, right?

 

The picture above is from a while back, but you get the jist! Once we do get it completely put back together, I'll try to remember to do a before and after post!

For now, I think this post has gone on long enough and all of the loose ends are hopefully tied. All the dots are hopefully connected.