Wednesday, June 29, 2016

Whole30: Day 10

Yo.  What's new with you?

Today was my kids' third day of VBS and my first to have a break this week.  Once I dropped them off I came home, went for a jog, put a pork butt in the crock pot, started laundry and mopped the floors.  I felt like a new woman!

For lunch my friend, Rachael, brought her little girl over to play and my sister-in-law and her girls came too.  The kids played well and I enjoyed the adult conversation.  No, not that type of "adult"!  Get your mind out of the gutter.

Do you want to know what I ate today?  Okay, I'll tell ya.

Breakfast was the same as the rest of the week, bo-ring, but tasty.  For a snack I had my signature smoothie.

Lunch was a salad with leftover taco-ish meat and my afternoon snack was fruit salad.

For dinner I made Slow Cooker Pulled Pork, a recipe from the Whole30 Facebook page, and served it with sweet potato topped with ghee and cinnamon and my mother-in-law's green beans, which were locally grown.  I think that was a run on sentence.

Just prior to writing this I ate two slices of turkey bologna with a Claussen pickle spear (my favorite!) and now I'm debating a spoonful of cashew butter and some almond milk.

I'm not feeling like Day 10, but I'm also not feeling Tiger Blood either.  I feel like I'm just cruising along.  Not missing dairy the way I thought I would and not really having any cravings.

I can't help but wonder if I'm doing it wrong...


Tuesday, June 28, 2016

Whole30:Day 9

Good evening faithful followers!

Scott and I are watching Curb Your Enthusiasm and it's totally ridiculous.  Apparently Larry David is worth $900 million dollars.  The more you know.

Today's menu is almost identical to yesterday...

This morning I ate and drank my usual; frittata and hot lemon water.  Once at work I had a hot cup-a-decaf-joe.

For a morning snack I ate fruit salad and for lunch I ate the same salad I had yesterday.

The salad didn't seem to keep me full for long so I ate trail mix not long afterward.

Later in the afternoon I ate raw celery and carrots with chicken salad, again, and had another hot cup-a-decaf-joe.

No applesauce today, but I probably should have had that for dinner because I had another upset tummy today.  Nothing major and according to the Whole30 it is completely normal as my body adjusts to all of the meat, vegetables, fruit and tree nuts I'm eating.

Dinner was the same as yesterday and I even have some left over for lunch tomorrow.

The past two mornings I haven't hopped outta bed like Tigger, but I also haven't had quite the afternoon lull as last week.

I'm not sure about a night cap of cashew butter and almond milk, but either way, I stayed on track today and am ready for tomorrow!

How was your Tuesday?

Saturday, June 25, 2016

Whole30:Day 6

Greetings!  Today is Saturday, Day 6 of my Whole30 experiment and I feel the best I've felt all week!

Now, don't get me wrong, I don't have Tiger Blood (yet), but today I have felt less hungry and didn't experience my typical afternoon lull.

This morning the kids let me and Scott, my husband, sleep until 8:00!  I could have slept longer.

For breakfast Scott made eggs and side pork.  Side pork was the only bacon-ish meat we could find that didn't have sugar in it.  Turns out it is extremely salty and recommended for cooking vegetables, like greens.  I only ate a few bites and gave the rest to the dog.

My son and I cleaned his room after breakfast and worked up an appetite before lunchtime.  I snacked on fresh pineapple.

Once my blood sugar was stabilized I made mayonnaise.  Word up.  It was simple and yummy! The recipe is in In Starts with Food, but it only contains egg, lemon juice, light tasting olive oil, mustard powder and salt.

While I was making the mayo I boiled chicken for chicken salad.  I like to keep chicken salad simple so that I can use it in various ways.  Mine contains chicken, mayo, celery, dill relish, salt and pepper.  I'll probably dip raw carrots and celery in it or use it as my protein for lunch this week.

For lunch I ate the last pumpkin pancake from yesterday.  I warmed it up and topped it with four slices of deli ham and cubed avocado.  It was delish!

Regarding the deli ham.  It was Scott's and it was natural.  However, it had dextrose in it, which is added sugar.  Technically, this is a cheat.  However, cheating was not my motive.  I was not craving sugar and did not need a fix.  Honestly, there were only four slices left in the container and I was trying to clean out the fridge before going grocery shopping.  Everyone else had already eaten lunch and didn't want it, so I took one for the team.  ;-)

Side note:  There is dextrose in table salt which is allowed on Whole30.  As I've said before, I don't want this "diet" to be about legalistically following arbitrary rules - like dextrose is allowed in salt, but not lunchmeat so if I eat lunchmeat with dextrose then I have to start over.  Some people my not have eaten the lunchmeat and some people might consider that a cheat.  I disagree with some people.

Between lunch and dinner I snacked on raw carrots and celery and made my signature smoothie.

For dinner I ate leftover chicken and asparagus from last night with a half a sweet potato on the side.  I used ghee and cinnamon to flavor the sweet potato and called it good.

Once the kids were in bed I made a cup of decaf coffee and paired it with a Whole30 compliant Larabar while I finished reading The Weight of Water.

What did you do today?  What did you eat?

Friday, June 24, 2016

Whole30:Day Five

Hey.  I'm grumpy.  Maybe I'm just tired.  Worn out from taking care of two kids all day.  Or, maybe it really is a Kill All the Things day.  Also, my phone got wet.

This morning my little red headed alarm clock woke me up around 7, but I snoozed as long as I could.  By 7:45 my other red head was begging for breakfast.  I am so ready for the "Tiger Blood" energy that will (hopefully) get me out of bed without an alarm clock.  I'd really like to be a morning person.

For breakfast I had hot lemon water and pumpkin pancakes.  Pancakes?!  No, not really.  The ingredients are eggs, pumpkin, pure vanilla extract, baking soda, and cinnamon.  All are Whole30 approved, but for some reason, "paleo pancakes" are not allowed on the Whole30. (Actually, the pure vanilla extract has corn syrup in it, but since it's negligible I'm not worried about it.)  (And, why does it have corn syrup in it?!  Come on, Food Industry!)

If you read It Starts with Food and/or Whole30 it is clear that the authors don't want you to cheat.  So, for instance, if you normally eat pancakes in the morning then you shouldn't switch ingredients to try to make them healthy just so you can get your fix.  Instead, you should eat something healthier with fresh ingredients - real food.

But, here's my take on the whole thing (no pun intended).  I don't see any difference in mixing eggs with spinach and spices in order to make a frittata and mixing eggs with pumpkin and spices in order to make pancakes (that aren't really pancakes, by the way).  The only difference is the pan you cook 'em in and whether you use the stove or oven.  Make sense?

So, I went rogue and enjoyed my cinnamon pumpkin eggs, but the rest of the day was on point.

For lunch I had salad greens with tomatoes, avocados and leftover rotisserie chicken.  I nibbled on raw carrots and celery while throwing it together and enjoyed a naturally flavored seltzer water.

After lunch I still felt hungry so I ate another pumpkin pancake.  (The recipe made five. I had three for breakfast and still have one left.)

Around 2 I felt famished and made my signature smoothie which held me over until supper.  Just prior to cooking I ate two slices of turkey bologna and enjoyed a glass of iced tea.  Unsweetened, of course.

I cooked and ate at a friend's house.  My friend roasted asparagus with EVOO, salt and pepper while I made a Whole30 recipe of Creamy Chicken Tarragon.  Ingredients were chicken breasts, mushrooms, salt, pepper, tarragon, garlic, green onion, chicken broth and coconut milk.

We served the chicken over salad greens with the sauce as a dressing.  Meanwhile, my friend, who helped me cook and was supposed to eat it with me, decided to eat pizza and ice cream.  Can you even believe her?!  Geesh.

When we got home I ate a tablespoon of cashew butter, apparently my nightly ritual, and drank a bit of almond milk.

What did you eat today?  Was today your cheat day?  Maybe you cheat all weekend like I used to do...

Thursday, June 23, 2016

Whole30:Day Four

Howdy!  Hey Scott White!

Day Four is supposedly a "Kill All the Things" day, but lemme tell ya (as my four year old would say), I don't feel that way.  Yay!

My little alarm clock woke me up just before 7 this morning.  I was hoping to wake up early and get a move on, but nope, coulda stayed in bed all day.

For breakfast I had my usual hot lemon water (Are you tired of reading that yet?) and the last of the frittata.  Not long after that I ate fresh fruit.

For lunch I had the same salad I've had all week, but you'll be glad to know the pork loin is all gone, which means tomorrow I'll change up breakfast and lunch!

While I was making lunch I nibbled on raw carrots and celery and a couple hours after lunch I made my signature smoothie.  (See yesterday's post for ingredients.)

On Thursday afternoons I work from 3 to 7 and take snacks and supper.  Today I snacked on applesauce.  For supper I ate the ground turkey and sweet potato hash I made last night.

No decisions about potato chips or stevia today, thank goodness!  No cheats and no strong cravings.

I did have an afternoon lull between 2 and 3, but I got through it with water.  I also felt hungry between the applesauce and dinner, and again, I got through it with water.

How do you get through your afternoon lulls?

After dinner I made a hot cup of decaf coffee, you know, 'cause it's not hot enough outside.  ;-)

Once home from work my stomach got a little upset.  I think my body is reacting more like Days 8-9 right now.  But, I ended the day with a spoonful of cashew butter, just like last night, and I'm ready to call it a day.  A successful day.

Hope to see ya again tomorrow for Day Five!

Wednesday, June 22, 2016

Whole30:Day Three

Hola amigos.  Hi Scarlett!

Day three of no added sugar, dairy, legumes or grains and I'm feeling alright.

Today I slept until 8:15!  My four year old normally wakes me up, but since she slept in, Mama got to sleep in.  

One of the potential benefits of Whole30 is waking up without an alarm clock.  I hope that happens for me because I could get so much done in the morning if I felt like getting out of bed!

For breakfast I had my usual hot lemon water and the frittata from Day One.  I was hungry a couple hours later and ate pineapple and strawberries.

Whole30 does not recommend eating sugar right before a workout because your body will burn off that sugar instead of stored fat.  But, I was hungry and knew I needed to eat something before working out, so fresh fruit it was.

After working out I ate lunch, and again, it was the same as Day One and Two.  I didn't feel full afterward so I ate homemade trail mix (almonds, raisins, coconut and pumpkin seeds) which held me over quite a while.

Around 3:00 I started yawning and feeling that afternoon lull.  I also felt a mild headache and hungry so I made my signature smoothie (frozen banana, almond milk, unsweetened cocoa and almond butter).  The headache could have either been hormonal or from hunger.  Since I wasn't sure I went ahead and took Tylenol too.

Dinner tonight was ground turkey and sweet potato hash, a recipe from It Starts With Food.  While preparing it I was craving something other than water (or sparkling water) to drink.  My husband makes sun tea this time of year so I poured myself a small glass.  

After the first sip I remembered that he had sweetened it with stevia, which is not Whole30 compliant, and had to make a decision of whether or not to finish the glass.

What do you think I did?

I decided to finish the glass.  Just like yesterday's dinner, I do not consider this a cheat, as that was not my intention.  My intention was to drink something other than water, something I could sip on and enjoy while I cooked supper.  I was not craving sweets and normally don't drink sweetened tea. And, because I don't want this experiment to be about following arbitrary rules, I made an educated and thoughtful decision to drink the Truvia sweetened glass of tea and move on.  I will not drink it again.

The ground turkey and sweet potato hash was good.  I wouldn't say it was delicious, but it was good enough for a weeknight meal.  I added fresh dill, rosemary and green onion in order to jazz it up.

Just prior to sitting down to write this update I ate a spoonful of cashew butter and that will be it for the day.

All in all, Day Three was just as successful as Day Two, but not quite as successful as Day One.  I'm hopeful that tomorrow I won't have any "decisions" to make about non-compliant ingredients.

What did you eat today?

Tuesday, June 21, 2016

Whole30:Day Two

Welcome back!  Are you ready for the good, the bad and the ugly?

Today it's ugly.  I have had a tummy ache all day.  I probably lost a pound this morning, if you know what I mean.

Not sure if it's all the veggies and fruit I ate yesterday, but I can't imagine what else it could be.  Any ideas?

Meanwhile, my breakfast and lunch were the same as yesterday.

Snacks were the same as yesterday too, except I did not have applesauce and I added pumpkin seeds and coconut to the almonds and raisins for a trail mix.  It was yummy and held me over longer than the almonds and raisins by themselves.

Differences today were that I did not feel as sluggish as I did yesterday afternoon and therefore did not have afternoon coffee.

We ate dinner with extended family tonight and I didn't have any control over the menu.  The options were barbecue pork, rotisserie chicken, potato salad, coleslaw, squash casserole, potato chips, fruit salad and dessert.

The rotisserie chicken and fruit salad were the only things that were Whole30 compliant so I ate those.  But, I also made a conscious decision to eat potato chips.  The ingredients were potatoes, vegetable oil and salt.

Vegetable oil is NOT Whole30 compliant, but I felt like I needed to eat something other than the chicken and fruit, especially with my upset tummy.  In other words, I'm an adult and I gave myself a pass for the following reasons:

I do not think potato chips are healthy.  I did not binge on them. And, I will not buy them or make them a part of my regular diet.

I'd love to hear what you would have done in my situation...

Monday, June 20, 2016

Whole30:Day One

Today is the first day of summer. Summer Solstice. The longest day of the year and my favorite day of the year!

I celebrated by taking my dog for a walk (Literally!  Ewwww.) and pulling weeds until the daylight was gone.

Today I also started the Whole30 and I think it went well.  I did feel hungry quite a bit, but then again, I typically eat every two hours.  Right Stacey?

You wanna know what I ate today?  Okay, I'll tell ya.

This morning I drank hot lemon water, my usual, and ate a frittata.  The frittata consisted of eggs, sausage, spinach and red pepper.  It was very good and I didn't even have to add any seasonings.  I made the frittata last night in order to save time this morning.  And, it should last through Thursday.

When I got to work a couple hours later I was hungry, but drank a hot cup of decaf coffee before eating my snack, a fruit salad consisting of strawberries, blueberries, peaches and pears.  The fruit salad was also previously made so all the fruit had time to soften while the flavors married.  That's a thing, right?  Flavors marrying?

For lunch I ate salad with grape tomatoes, avocado, and leftover pork loin.  I usually don't use any salad dressing because I usually have cottage cheese and it adds the creaminess I crave.  So instead of trying to find or make a Whole30 compliant dressing I just skipped it.  The loin was warm and added chewing satisfaction to each bite and the avocado added some creaminess.  I drank naturally flavored seltzer water, as I typically do.

An hour or two later I felt hungry so I ate a serving of raw almonds and raisins.  I totally forgot that I had pumpkin seeds and coconut pieces at home, so tomorrow I'm going to mix all of that for a trail mix and hope that the protein, carb, fat combo holds me over a little longer.

Stacey, my coworker and I, were both yawning around 3:00 and decided it was time for an afternoon Cup-a-Joe.  While mine was brewing I ate two slices of red pepper and turkey bologna.  I think my afternoon lull was a bit worse than usual, but we were slow at work so that could have been the real culprit.

Just prior to heading home I ate a serving of unsweetened applesauce and it was plenty sweet even for a sugar addict like me.

Since I work on Mondays and Tuesdays my wonderful husband makes dinner those nights.  He gets home before me and usually cooks something Mexican.  It's all Mexican Monday and Taco Tuesday up in here!

Tonight he made taco salad and mine consisted of green leaf lettuce, ground beef with homemade taco seasoning, avocado, olives and jalapenos.  It wasn't until I was building my salad that I realized I hadn't checked the salsa ingredients.  Guess what?  It has sugar in it.  Surprise!  Not.

Since I couldn't have salsa I may have gone a little overboard on the jalapenos.  My mouth was on fire and to put it out I tasted the cashew and almond butters I bought yesterday to replace my legume butter (a.k.a. peanut butter.)

Once the kids were in bed, weeds pulled and mama showered, I made myself a frozen banana, unsweetened cocoa and almond milk smoothie.  It hit the spot and now mama is going to bed.

My thoughts on the first day are that I felt a little more hungry and tired than usual in the afternoon (when I would normally eat dairy) and I snacked more than Dallas and Melissa Hartwig would approve.  I also just finished that smoothie, but they recommend to stop eating a few hours before bed.  I'm guessing they don't eat dinner at 5:30.

What are your thoughts so far?

Sunday, June 19, 2016

Whole30

Howdy!  Thanks for visiting my blog.  It's been over three years since I've written here, but these next thirty days are gonna change all that!

Tomorrow I am starting the Whole30.  This is an experiment I have been thinking about and researching for a while.

It started with seeing #whole30 online, peaked with friends doing it (If everyone jumped off a bridge would you?  Apparently I would.), and ended when I finished the book, It Starts With Food.

I am intrigued with the health benefits people have experienced from eating only meat, vegetables and fruit.  Specifically, I am hoping to reduce my acid reflux, hormonal acne, afternoon lulls, seasonal eczema, hormonal headaches and sugar cravings.

This weekend I spent the majority of my time planning meals for the week and grocery shopping.  I'm not sure how specific I'll get on the blog, mainly because I have no time, but I hope to give you an honest look at the good, the bad, and the ugly of The Whole30 Program.

Yesterday I went to Kroger to do our normal family grocery shopping and tried to get as much Whole30 compliant food there as possible.

I left without bacon, breakfast sausage, lunch meat, tuna, canned chicken, coconut aminos (Don't worry, I don't know what those are either and when I initially typed that, I actually typed AMIGOS!  Coconut Amigos sounds much better to me!), mayonnaise, and beef broth.  All of those items either had sugar or soy in them and those are no-nos on Whole30.

Today I went to Whole Foods and found a few of those items, but not breakfast sausage, mayo, or beef broth.  Thank goodness for Aldi (#amiright?)!  There I found Whole30 approved breakfast sausage and beef broth.  Looks like I'll be making my own mayo.  What?!

Tonight as I was prepping for this week's breakfast and lunch I finished off the white wine and black bean burgers.  Then later I had a snack of extra sharp cheddar cheese and Triscuits.  Now I'm thinking about a brownie in a cup and wondering how in the world I'm gonna make it 30 days without added sugar, dairy, grains, and legumes.  Oy!

Hopefully this blog and you, my followers, will hold me accountable.  Please feel free to comment, ask questions, and/or give me a hard time for doing this to myself.

See ya tomorrow!