YOU GUYS.
We made it! Holy cow! I can't believe the month is over. This has been such an adventure. Such a learning experience- and I honestly couldn't have done it without the support I've gotten from family, friends, and honestly, this blog. In my moments of weakness (or laziness) all I needed to remember was that I was going to tell you all all about it and that kept me on plan. So THANK YOU for reading this, whoever you are.
This journey, however, isn't over. Over then next ten days or so, I will start to reintegrate foods back into my diet. I start tomorrow with beans and legumes. I hope you'll stick with me as I go through that too. And of course, I'm sure you all want to tune in to see what the final stats were on pounds and inches lost!
One of the unexpected joys of this journey was using this blog again. I'd forgotten how nice it was to use this space! If you're using my facebook links to get here every night, I would encourage you to subscribe at this point. I will be continuing to blog as frequently as I can (although my topics will certainly expand!) but I don't know that I will always post about it on facebook. So those of you who have enjoyed this journey, I hope you'll continue to check in now and then!
Today was another really good day. I've apparently had plenty of fiber in the last few days, but my stomach wasn't upset at all. I did have a few moments of a sharp headache pain about midmorning, but that was gone within about 20 minutes. After work and a walk, Penny and I did lay down for about 20 minutes, so no kettlebells today, but that was interesting too. I love to take naps. I'm a good napper- if I have 2 hours. I'm not good at the 20 minute power nap. Or I wasn't. I set an alarm, and after 20 or so minutes, I got up. I didn't really WANT to get up, but I did, and I wasn't groggy or grumpy, nor did I have a headache or feel sick like I used to after a nap. And then I had tons of energy to get me through my rehearsal this evening. Pretty cool, right?
Meal 1: banana nut breakfast porridge & hardboiled egg
Meal 2: baked potato with leftover stuffed pepper filling, salsa & guacamole
Meal 3: really random tonight... some olives, two slices prosciutto, a few black berries, a few raspberries, a banana, 2 hard boiled eggs and the last of the pepper filling wrapped up in a lettuce wrap. All very tasty- I'm calling it a Paleo Lincoln Special (family tradition similar to a home made lunchable)
Well, friends, that's all for now- I hope you'll stick with me in life after my whole30!
Until next time~
xoxo
Thursday, April 30, 2015
Wednesday, April 29, 2015
Whole30 Day 29: closing in on the finish line
This challenge has been absolutely amazing, you guys. I'm starting to think about the long term effects of the Whole30, and I'm so excited to discuss and share that with you over the coming few weeks as I reintegrate other foods again. I really and truly can't believe there's only one day left!
Today was very fulfilling. I'm exhausted, but it's a good, productive exhaustedness, so that's alright.
I nailed focusing at work through the middle of the day, finishing one order and getting another started, finished and shipped out. Then I ran an errand or two, came home, and Penelope and I went for another run. Today we went down next to the river- I LOVE having that as a resource! I'd forgotten how much I like running. Talk about therapeutic! When your body's working that hard, you don't have room in your head to do anything except run- so no thinking!
When we got home, I threw dinner in the oven and started fighting Doldrum Fatigue. This is a very real syndrome that's easily incited by the inbetween times, like prevening. (That's pre-evening). But I managed to get my kettlebell circuit in, showered, dinner eaten, some emails sent, some bills paid, some receipts tracked down and a calendar check. Then Penelope and the cat made an ABSOLUTE nuisance of themselves while I ran lines- now that I think on it, it probably helped after all.
I followed that with a quick night-night walk with my walking buddy, the few dishesI had from today, a ten minute tidy and whew, time for bed!
So, then. Plenty of energy, nothing weird in my digestive tract, no headache. But I am thirsty today. Have been all day- that's really something I need to work on again: water intake. Also, can we just make an official note that I no longer have a chronic headache?! I've had headaches, very low grade, about 75% of the time for YEARS. All of a sudden- no head aches (unless they're caused by loud music or other issues). Thank goodness for that! I'm also feeling pretty ok mentally and emotionally. Like I have a measure of control over how my body feels and thinks, which is a first in a long time, and very welcome.
On the other hand, getting out of bed in the mornings is not any easier. Penelope still drags me out of bed and propels us both around the block before I start feeling even remotely human. I am still having some slight, slight skin issues, especially on my upper arms and the outsides of my thighs. And I'm not sleeping as well now as I was early on. I'm not sleeping poorly by any stretch, but it isn't that out like a log feeling I had during week 2.
Ok, food!
Meal 1: banana nut raisin breakfast porridge & a hard boiled egg. Since I didn't get apples yesterday in my CSA box, I messed with my breakfast recipe a bit- it tasted great! Here's what I did:
1/2 c. walnuts
1/2c. cashews
1 c. almonds
3 bananas
1 egg yolk
cinnamon to taste
ghee (medium spoonful)
raisins
combine nuts in a bowl and fill with water. Cover and let sit for at least 6 hours.
Once the nuts are done soaking, pour them into a nut milk bag or strainer (OVER THE SINK!). Rinse them until water runs clear. Then combine nuts, egg & two of the bananas in the blender. Add enough water to cover nuts. Pulse until smooth.
Pour the mixture back into your nut milk bag and squeeze the milk into a bowl, setting aside both milk and nut meal for a moment when finished.
Then, add remaining banana, half the amount of raisins you like, and the cinnamon in a large saucepan with your ghee. Heat on very low heat until banana chunks (did I say slice it? Well, do!) and raisins are coated in cinnamon. Add about a cup of the milk. Increase heat to about medium. Stir until well mixed, and then heat until it starts a kind of thick, slow simmer. Simmer for 2-5 minutes.
Then add the nut solids (or meal) from your nut milk bag to the saucepan, stirring well to mix.
Finally, add the remaining milk. Bring pot back to simmer, stirring frequently, and then add the remaining milk and allow it to cook down until you like the consistency! I topped with another handful of raisins.
This makes a lot- at least 4, maybe 5 servings, but it refrigerates and reheats BEAUTIFULLY.
Meal 2: Salad with spinach, lettuce, prosciutto, hardboiled egg, olives, blackberries & guacamole.
Meal 3: Baked potato, loaded up with leftover stuffed pepper stuffing, salsa & guacamole. One smallish potato, and I was very full and satisfied. And some grapes.
And can we just take a minute to appreciate the baked potato?! They're good with practically anything on them, and the only dish you get dirty cooking is a for to poke them with! My kind of dinner!
Ok, that's all.
Until next time~
xoxo
Today was very fulfilling. I'm exhausted, but it's a good, productive exhaustedness, so that's alright.
I nailed focusing at work through the middle of the day, finishing one order and getting another started, finished and shipped out. Then I ran an errand or two, came home, and Penelope and I went for another run. Today we went down next to the river- I LOVE having that as a resource! I'd forgotten how much I like running. Talk about therapeutic! When your body's working that hard, you don't have room in your head to do anything except run- so no thinking!
When we got home, I threw dinner in the oven and started fighting Doldrum Fatigue. This is a very real syndrome that's easily incited by the inbetween times, like prevening. (That's pre-evening). But I managed to get my kettlebell circuit in, showered, dinner eaten, some emails sent, some bills paid, some receipts tracked down and a calendar check. Then Penelope and the cat made an ABSOLUTE nuisance of themselves while I ran lines- now that I think on it, it probably helped after all.
I followed that with a quick night-night walk with my walking buddy, the few dishesI had from today, a ten minute tidy and whew, time for bed!
So, then. Plenty of energy, nothing weird in my digestive tract, no headache. But I am thirsty today. Have been all day- that's really something I need to work on again: water intake. Also, can we just make an official note that I no longer have a chronic headache?! I've had headaches, very low grade, about 75% of the time for YEARS. All of a sudden- no head aches (unless they're caused by loud music or other issues). Thank goodness for that! I'm also feeling pretty ok mentally and emotionally. Like I have a measure of control over how my body feels and thinks, which is a first in a long time, and very welcome.
On the other hand, getting out of bed in the mornings is not any easier. Penelope still drags me out of bed and propels us both around the block before I start feeling even remotely human. I am still having some slight, slight skin issues, especially on my upper arms and the outsides of my thighs. And I'm not sleeping as well now as I was early on. I'm not sleeping poorly by any stretch, but it isn't that out like a log feeling I had during week 2.
Ok, food!
Meal 1: banana nut raisin breakfast porridge & a hard boiled egg. Since I didn't get apples yesterday in my CSA box, I messed with my breakfast recipe a bit- it tasted great! Here's what I did:
1/2 c. walnuts
1/2c. cashews
1 c. almonds
3 bananas
1 egg yolk
cinnamon to taste
ghee (medium spoonful)
raisins
combine nuts in a bowl and fill with water. Cover and let sit for at least 6 hours.
Once the nuts are done soaking, pour them into a nut milk bag or strainer (OVER THE SINK!). Rinse them until water runs clear. Then combine nuts, egg & two of the bananas in the blender. Add enough water to cover nuts. Pulse until smooth.
Pour the mixture back into your nut milk bag and squeeze the milk into a bowl, setting aside both milk and nut meal for a moment when finished.
Then, add remaining banana, half the amount of raisins you like, and the cinnamon in a large saucepan with your ghee. Heat on very low heat until banana chunks (did I say slice it? Well, do!) and raisins are coated in cinnamon. Add about a cup of the milk. Increase heat to about medium. Stir until well mixed, and then heat until it starts a kind of thick, slow simmer. Simmer for 2-5 minutes.
Then add the nut solids (or meal) from your nut milk bag to the saucepan, stirring well to mix.
Finally, add the remaining milk. Bring pot back to simmer, stirring frequently, and then add the remaining milk and allow it to cook down until you like the consistency! I topped with another handful of raisins.
This makes a lot- at least 4, maybe 5 servings, but it refrigerates and reheats BEAUTIFULLY.
Meal 2: Salad with spinach, lettuce, prosciutto, hardboiled egg, olives, blackberries & guacamole.
Meal 3: Baked potato, loaded up with leftover stuffed pepper stuffing, salsa & guacamole. One smallish potato, and I was very full and satisfied. And some grapes.
And can we just take a minute to appreciate the baked potato?! They're good with practically anything on them, and the only dish you get dirty cooking is a for to poke them with! My kind of dinner!
Ok, that's all.
Until next time~
xoxo
Tuesday, April 28, 2015
Whole30 Day 28: Checkered flag at the ready.
Wowee, April 28th! Barely. It's 11:20 pm here, and I've had a long (but excellent!) day, so this one will be brief.
I feel good. All of the normal things, of course- energy, weight loss (seriously I'm SO excited to weigh in on Friday morning, you have no idea), skin, body working right and feeling good. But I also feel... confident. More myself than I have been in a long time. Less fearful. I've struggled a lot with fear in my life, but when I like myself best, I'm not afraid; I'm bold. I'm decisive and quick to act. I stand up for myself and others. That's the person the Whole30 seems to be unfurling, which is pretty exciting.
At work today, my boss brought in cookie dough brownies to celebrate someone's birthday. I'm kind of curious to see how I do with the multitudes of baked goods at work after I have less rules governing me. That'll be a real test, because I really think there are baked goods in the break room at LEAST once a week most of the time.
Other than that, work was pretty good. Finished my project, chatted with my boss about shows, etc.
I called my brother on the way home and that was nice too. It's so funny talking to him... those of you who are only children, I really, really feel bad for you. I have friends that I ADORE and think of as family. But no other relationship in my life is like the one I have with my brother. Totally unique and special.
Then Penelope and I went for our w-a-l-k, which it was a GREAT day for. I did my kettlebell set, unpacked the CSA box (NO CABBAGE YAAAAAAY!!!), showered, made my dinner and dashed out the door to my rehearsal. And those dang rehearsals are just SO much fun. I mean, this show is just fun, fun, fun. And it's gonna be so good. And it is SO unbelievably nice to be on stage again. Wow.
And then I came home, made a fresh batch of breakfast porridge, washed all my dishes, took another walk with le pup, did an evening tidy... no wonder I'm tired!
Tomorrow is all about paying bills, learning lines and buying CONTACTS!
Meal 1: apple porridge. I brought an egg to eat... but when I cracked it.... I'd grabbed a raw one instead of a boiled one. Drat.
Snack: grapes. Since my breakfast was incomplete.
Meal 2: stuffed pepper leftovers and grapes
Snack: olives & a handful of almonds
Meal 3: salad! Made from spinach, lettuce, torn up prosciutto, 2 hardboiled eggs, blackberries, green olives & a scoop of guac. I know this sounds like a super weird combo, but it was actually REALLY good. I was very satisfied!
Well, so much for brief! But I'm having to retype every third word now, so I believe I'll get some sleep!
Until next time~
xoxo
I feel good. All of the normal things, of course- energy, weight loss (seriously I'm SO excited to weigh in on Friday morning, you have no idea), skin, body working right and feeling good. But I also feel... confident. More myself than I have been in a long time. Less fearful. I've struggled a lot with fear in my life, but when I like myself best, I'm not afraid; I'm bold. I'm decisive and quick to act. I stand up for myself and others. That's the person the Whole30 seems to be unfurling, which is pretty exciting.
At work today, my boss brought in cookie dough brownies to celebrate someone's birthday. I'm kind of curious to see how I do with the multitudes of baked goods at work after I have less rules governing me. That'll be a real test, because I really think there are baked goods in the break room at LEAST once a week most of the time.
Other than that, work was pretty good. Finished my project, chatted with my boss about shows, etc.
I called my brother on the way home and that was nice too. It's so funny talking to him... those of you who are only children, I really, really feel bad for you. I have friends that I ADORE and think of as family. But no other relationship in my life is like the one I have with my brother. Totally unique and special.
Then Penelope and I went for our w-a-l-k, which it was a GREAT day for. I did my kettlebell set, unpacked the CSA box (NO CABBAGE YAAAAAAY!!!), showered, made my dinner and dashed out the door to my rehearsal. And those dang rehearsals are just SO much fun. I mean, this show is just fun, fun, fun. And it's gonna be so good. And it is SO unbelievably nice to be on stage again. Wow.
And then I came home, made a fresh batch of breakfast porridge, washed all my dishes, took another walk with le pup, did an evening tidy... no wonder I'm tired!
Tomorrow is all about paying bills, learning lines and buying CONTACTS!
Meal 1: apple porridge. I brought an egg to eat... but when I cracked it.... I'd grabbed a raw one instead of a boiled one. Drat.
Snack: grapes. Since my breakfast was incomplete.
Meal 2: stuffed pepper leftovers and grapes
Snack: olives & a handful of almonds
Meal 3: salad! Made from spinach, lettuce, torn up prosciutto, 2 hardboiled eggs, blackberries, green olives & a scoop of guac. I know this sounds like a super weird combo, but it was actually REALLY good. I was very satisfied!
Well, so much for brief! But I'm having to retype every third word now, so I believe I'll get some sleep!
Until next time~
xoxo
Monday, April 27, 2015
Whole30 Day 27: The last long straightaway
Seriously, three more days. When did that happen? Why is it that when you're ten, you blink and 2 seconds go by... when you're 25 you blink and you're missing a whole month?! I'm sure I'm going to get a lot of flack about it getting worse as you get older, but right now that can't possibly be true!
But let's talk about today before it's gone too.
Let's see. My eyes are really bothering me tonight- ordering new contacts just hit number 2 on my todo list, right below "deposit check that will allow the purchase of new contacts". AND I GOT ANOTHER ZIT. Which is frustrating, but probably related more to my failure to wash my face at night than anything food wise. The breakout on my back is just a little pimple too, no dragon wings.
If I haven't already said so, the "dragon wings" are a series of dry scaly patches and big (nickel sized) bumps that I've gotten a few times on my upper back and shoulder blades. I had a pretty bad case of them this spring- until I started the Whole30.
In other news, Penelope and I went for a run this evening! Just a short guy, I started my 5k training app over, but still- it felt pretty good. I do enjoy running. And Penelope is really a pretty good running buddy except sometimes she pulls me down the sidewalk cause she gets excited. And then we did the kettlebell circuit. So all in all, I'm feeling pretty great. I really like that kettlebell- the cycle I'm doing is difficult enough to leave me out of breath and sweating, but really takes about ten minutes, so it's a perfect short and sweet little bit of weight training.
Let's see, food today:
Meal 1: Cinnamon apple porridge. I forgot to hardboil more eggs, so I was pretty hungry at ten o'clock, so...
Snack: grapes. I know, fruit on it's own isn't the Whole30's first choice, but it's what I had, and really, they're grapes, not candy.
Meal 2: leftover meatza with guac and... a few more grapes. The meatza caused quite a stir at the lunch table today. Everyone thought it was pretty funny! But it warmed up pretty nicely and tasted excellent, so they can laugh all they want.
Meal 3: Paleo stuffed peppers. These were great! I got two yellow bell peppers in my CSA last week, so I halved them and filled them up with a mixture of ground pork with some seasonings, onion, garlic, chopped cherry tomatoes, verde salsa and red salsa. I backed the peppers in an oiled casserole dish for 30 minutes at 350, and topped them with some guac and more red salsa. And then ate a handful of berries with one whole pepper for dinner. So tasty! And really very easy, if a bit messy to make and more than a bit messy to eat! That recipe is a keeper- another good one for using up whatever veggies you need to. I bet you could even add leafy greens without much trouble!
I keep thinking of Friday as the end of this, but really, I've got two weeks left of readjusting. I'm kind of nervous about the reintegration process, honestly. I'm afraid I'll feel sick when I start eating things again. I am looking forward to paleo nachos with black beans on Friday, though! The black beans? Totally bought those at the store today and I'm still feeling a little... rebellious.
Until next time~
xoxo
But let's talk about today before it's gone too.
Let's see. My eyes are really bothering me tonight- ordering new contacts just hit number 2 on my todo list, right below "deposit check that will allow the purchase of new contacts". AND I GOT ANOTHER ZIT. Which is frustrating, but probably related more to my failure to wash my face at night than anything food wise. The breakout on my back is just a little pimple too, no dragon wings.
If I haven't already said so, the "dragon wings" are a series of dry scaly patches and big (nickel sized) bumps that I've gotten a few times on my upper back and shoulder blades. I had a pretty bad case of them this spring- until I started the Whole30.
In other news, Penelope and I went for a run this evening! Just a short guy, I started my 5k training app over, but still- it felt pretty good. I do enjoy running. And Penelope is really a pretty good running buddy except sometimes she pulls me down the sidewalk cause she gets excited. And then we did the kettlebell circuit. So all in all, I'm feeling pretty great. I really like that kettlebell- the cycle I'm doing is difficult enough to leave me out of breath and sweating, but really takes about ten minutes, so it's a perfect short and sweet little bit of weight training.
Let's see, food today:
Meal 1: Cinnamon apple porridge. I forgot to hardboil more eggs, so I was pretty hungry at ten o'clock, so...
Snack: grapes. I know, fruit on it's own isn't the Whole30's first choice, but it's what I had, and really, they're grapes, not candy.
Meal 2: leftover meatza with guac and... a few more grapes. The meatza caused quite a stir at the lunch table today. Everyone thought it was pretty funny! But it warmed up pretty nicely and tasted excellent, so they can laugh all they want.
Meal 3: Paleo stuffed peppers. These were great! I got two yellow bell peppers in my CSA last week, so I halved them and filled them up with a mixture of ground pork with some seasonings, onion, garlic, chopped cherry tomatoes, verde salsa and red salsa. I backed the peppers in an oiled casserole dish for 30 minutes at 350, and topped them with some guac and more red salsa. And then ate a handful of berries with one whole pepper for dinner. So tasty! And really very easy, if a bit messy to make and more than a bit messy to eat! That recipe is a keeper- another good one for using up whatever veggies you need to. I bet you could even add leafy greens without much trouble!
I keep thinking of Friday as the end of this, but really, I've got two weeks left of readjusting. I'm kind of nervous about the reintegration process, honestly. I'm afraid I'll feel sick when I start eating things again. I am looking forward to paleo nachos with black beans on Friday, though! The black beans? Totally bought those at the store today and I'm still feeling a little... rebellious.
Until next time~
xoxo
Sunday, April 26, 2015
Whole30 Day 26: coming out of corner four
FOUR MORE DAYS! Crazy. But can I make one thing clear? I am NOT just going back to my old habits after this. I'm excited to be able to make some different (more) choices. Things like paleo-fied baked goods, a little sweetener or a treat now and then, but I don't think I'm going all the way back any time soon. If ever. Most days, especially if I have control over all of my meals, this doesn't bother me at all, and I know I'd only get better at finding recipes. But some days, like today, as we'll soon find out, this is just... inconvenient, and I'm looking forward to being able to choose a salad with balsamic dressing and a small amount of cheese without having to worry about it too much.
Because today was SUPER busy. I got up early, went for my walk with Penelope, and got down to the business of cleaning house. I got my place about half done before I had to get ready to leave. I drove an hour to see a dear, dear friend in a show (as a surprise, which was AWESOME), talked with him for nowhere near long enough afterward, drove home, and went back to cleaning. Then, just as I was almost done with the dishes, my bluetooth speaker flipped out, making the loudest, most OBNOXIOUS noise. Eventually, with a phone call to Dad underway, it turned itself off, because nothing was working to get it to shut up. Then I finished the dishes, took Penelope for our evening ramble, and here we are!
I had a headache for a lot of today, which I think comes from several combined factors. I did a lot of driving today for one, and then I sat in front of a VERY loud stage for two hours (which is the root of this I'm pretty sure), drove home facing west at 6pm (not so good on eyeballs...) and then dealt with a screeching speaker for a solid 30 minutes. So no surprise about the headache, I'm sure! I'm also breaking out a bit- 2 on my chin and one coming in on my mid back. The one on my back is the most annoying (the other two could be a problem of my laziness in removing makeup). However, it could be due to some hormones being weird in my body this week too. But I've been in a pretty great mood all day, thinking clearly, no afternoon slump. So that's pretty great!
Meal 1: 2 egg omelet with red onion, green pepper, salsa & guacamole
Meal 2: This got... tricky. The theatre is a dinner/lunch theatre, but there was not one thing on the menu that was compliant. No, not even the salads. My server was very nice and super helpful and I ended up with a side salad of lettuce, onion, tomato and green pepper, topped with a little beef tenderloin. It was very tasty, but not very filling. So when I left the theatre, I immediately went and found meal 3 at the nearby Kroger.
Meal 3: Chicken leg & quarter (baked), fresh broccoli & cauliflower, mixed berries. I ate this about 5:30 because I was SO hungry after a too-small lunch. Which led to a 7 pm...
Snack: dried green beans with guacamole- a surprisingly tasty combination! The green beans have a good crisp crunch, which is so nice!
Hey, a quick note. I know I'm eating way more fruit than Dallas and Melissa would probably prefer. But ya know, I just feel like that's my line in the sand and I'm sticking to it. I eat my veggies pretty well and I do like them very much, but all nutritional values being equal, I could eat nothing but fruit for the rest of my days and die happy. So I'm letting that be alright. Just so we're all on the same page!
Until next time~
xoxo
Because today was SUPER busy. I got up early, went for my walk with Penelope, and got down to the business of cleaning house. I got my place about half done before I had to get ready to leave. I drove an hour to see a dear, dear friend in a show (as a surprise, which was AWESOME), talked with him for nowhere near long enough afterward, drove home, and went back to cleaning. Then, just as I was almost done with the dishes, my bluetooth speaker flipped out, making the loudest, most OBNOXIOUS noise. Eventually, with a phone call to Dad underway, it turned itself off, because nothing was working to get it to shut up. Then I finished the dishes, took Penelope for our evening ramble, and here we are!
I had a headache for a lot of today, which I think comes from several combined factors. I did a lot of driving today for one, and then I sat in front of a VERY loud stage for two hours (which is the root of this I'm pretty sure), drove home facing west at 6pm (not so good on eyeballs...) and then dealt with a screeching speaker for a solid 30 minutes. So no surprise about the headache, I'm sure! I'm also breaking out a bit- 2 on my chin and one coming in on my mid back. The one on my back is the most annoying (the other two could be a problem of my laziness in removing makeup). However, it could be due to some hormones being weird in my body this week too. But I've been in a pretty great mood all day, thinking clearly, no afternoon slump. So that's pretty great!
Meal 1: 2 egg omelet with red onion, green pepper, salsa & guacamole
Meal 2: This got... tricky. The theatre is a dinner/lunch theatre, but there was not one thing on the menu that was compliant. No, not even the salads. My server was very nice and super helpful and I ended up with a side salad of lettuce, onion, tomato and green pepper, topped with a little beef tenderloin. It was very tasty, but not very filling. So when I left the theatre, I immediately went and found meal 3 at the nearby Kroger.
Meal 3: Chicken leg & quarter (baked), fresh broccoli & cauliflower, mixed berries. I ate this about 5:30 because I was SO hungry after a too-small lunch. Which led to a 7 pm...
Snack: dried green beans with guacamole- a surprisingly tasty combination! The green beans have a good crisp crunch, which is so nice!
Hey, a quick note. I know I'm eating way more fruit than Dallas and Melissa would probably prefer. But ya know, I just feel like that's my line in the sand and I'm sticking to it. I eat my veggies pretty well and I do like them very much, but all nutritional values being equal, I could eat nothing but fruit for the rest of my days and die happy. So I'm letting that be alright. Just so we're all on the same page!
Until next time~
xoxo
Saturday, April 25, 2015
Whole30 Day 25: speeding through
Only 5 more days!
I'm starting to think more and more about life after the Whole30. There's no doubt that this experience has changed the way I think about food. How could it not? And while I'm looking forward to having some more freedom, that's more for the convenience of it then missing those foods- I don't even miss the texture of bread or crackers anymore. And I certainly don't miss feeling bloated, like I tried to eat cement mix or sleepy after meals. On the other hand, I DO miss the sociability of food- and drinks. It will be nice to be able to go out after a show, or grab dinner with a friend. And I AM looking forward to occasional ice cream. However, I have no desire to eat crappy versions of any of those treats. If I'm going to get ice cream, it's going to be the good stuff, you know? No more McDonalds soft serve that really doesn't taste like much.
Physically, I feel really good. It was a long long day today, but I didn't even feel like I needed a break from it. Now that it's bed time, I'm exhausted, but not until I stopped moving!
Meal 1: 2 egg omelet with green pepper, onion and mushroom, plus a spoonful of guacamole and a spoonful of salsa. (SO good. Looking forward to another one tomorrow!)
Meal 2: At momma's! She made mini meatloaves with turkey, beef, zucchini & carrot. They were delicious! Also a bunch of snap peas.
Meal 3: Hot Head Classic. Tonight was hard- I was working, and the school was providing pizza, which of course, is a definite no-no. But honestly, it didn't really look all that great, and my hot head bowl of compliant foods tastes like a treat, so it all worked out!
Tomorrow is crazy too, but hopefully it will be productive too. There's still a lot to do in this apartment, but I guess we'll get it out of the way eventually. Oh! And show 1/3 was tonight, so that's one out of the way- yay! On to numbers 2 and 3- hopefully they are just as smooth!
Until next time~
xoxo
I'm starting to think more and more about life after the Whole30. There's no doubt that this experience has changed the way I think about food. How could it not? And while I'm looking forward to having some more freedom, that's more for the convenience of it then missing those foods- I don't even miss the texture of bread or crackers anymore. And I certainly don't miss feeling bloated, like I tried to eat cement mix or sleepy after meals. On the other hand, I DO miss the sociability of food- and drinks. It will be nice to be able to go out after a show, or grab dinner with a friend. And I AM looking forward to occasional ice cream. However, I have no desire to eat crappy versions of any of those treats. If I'm going to get ice cream, it's going to be the good stuff, you know? No more McDonalds soft serve that really doesn't taste like much.
Physically, I feel really good. It was a long long day today, but I didn't even feel like I needed a break from it. Now that it's bed time, I'm exhausted, but not until I stopped moving!
Meal 1: 2 egg omelet with green pepper, onion and mushroom, plus a spoonful of guacamole and a spoonful of salsa. (SO good. Looking forward to another one tomorrow!)
Meal 2: At momma's! She made mini meatloaves with turkey, beef, zucchini & carrot. They were delicious! Also a bunch of snap peas.
Meal 3: Hot Head Classic. Tonight was hard- I was working, and the school was providing pizza, which of course, is a definite no-no. But honestly, it didn't really look all that great, and my hot head bowl of compliant foods tastes like a treat, so it all worked out!
Tomorrow is crazy too, but hopefully it will be productive too. There's still a lot to do in this apartment, but I guess we'll get it out of the way eventually. Oh! And show 1/3 was tonight, so that's one out of the way- yay! On to numbers 2 and 3- hopefully they are just as smooth!
Until next time~
xoxo
Friday, April 24, 2015
Whole30 Day 24: speeding into turn four
YOU GUYS. This was the last Friday of my whole30! I made a grocery list AND IT INCLUDES A CAN OF BLACK BEANS!
I really can't believe it.
Today was, really, a rather quiet day. Went to work, ran a few errands, came home, made some AWESOME dinner, walked my dog, watched a little tv, made a to do list for the weekend... (can we just say woof in advance, cause... yeah...) and bed early.
And then I found out one of my co workers is in labor, so that's pretty exciting!
So let's see. I feel pretty good. Solid, sustained energy, good mental clarity. I feel pretty strong- I did the kettlebell circuit tonight too and I'm really liking that. Might need to up reps soon!
However, I must admit that I am NOT being as productive as I would like! Definitely need to work on using my extra energy to get some work done! Ah well... I've made a good list for the weekend, so now we'll see if I can follow a schedule.
Today:
Meal 1: Breakfast nut porridge. I was out of hardboiled eggs, so I skipped that. And I was a little bit hungry at about 10:30, but I powered through until 12 when I had...
Meal 2: THE LAST OF THE CABBAGE ROLLS woo! And a grapefruit. I still think it's funny that I can now peel and eat a grapefruit like you do an orange. I grew up on those in FFA boxes at my grandparents... but sliced in half and COVERED in sugar.
Meal 3: Stay with me now... Mexican "meatza". So I was busily thinking fondly of mexican food, so I googled "whole30 mexican recipes" and this popped up. I had most of the ingredients on hand, so I went for it.
Here's what I did:
1 pound ground pork
2 teaspoonss chili powder
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon salt
Garlic salt to taste
salsa
guacamole
green pepper
mushrooms
onion
lemon or lime juice
Mix the first set of ingredients together well. I used my hands, which was effective, but turned my hands orange. Divide the meat into two halves. Press each half into the bottom of a pie pan and bake at 400 for 10 minutes. Remove from oven, but leave oven on. Ditch the grease and let the meat crusts cool for a few more minutes while you finish your kettlebell circuit.
Remove crusts from pans and place on a baking sheet covered in aluminum foil. Spread a couple of large spoonfuls of salsa on each, and then top with thinly sliced veggies. Or fruit, I guess. ( I love pineapple on pizza. And burgers) Really, if you think it goes with tacos and would be good with meat... it's a go. REturn to oven and bake for an additional 10 minutes until the veggies get soft but not soggy.
Remove from oven, top with a squirt of citrus juice, some fresh cilantro if you're fancy, and a spoonful of guacamole. Eat up!
I thought this was pretty easy and very tasty- totally repeatable! It does make me feel a little like a bro-y frat boy or something... I mean, really... a MEAT CRUST?! But it is tasty... and I bet with some adjustments this would make a great italian style meatza too.
Until next time~
xoxo
I really can't believe it.
Today was, really, a rather quiet day. Went to work, ran a few errands, came home, made some AWESOME dinner, walked my dog, watched a little tv, made a to do list for the weekend... (can we just say woof in advance, cause... yeah...) and bed early.
And then I found out one of my co workers is in labor, so that's pretty exciting!
So let's see. I feel pretty good. Solid, sustained energy, good mental clarity. I feel pretty strong- I did the kettlebell circuit tonight too and I'm really liking that. Might need to up reps soon!
However, I must admit that I am NOT being as productive as I would like! Definitely need to work on using my extra energy to get some work done! Ah well... I've made a good list for the weekend, so now we'll see if I can follow a schedule.
Today:
Meal 1: Breakfast nut porridge. I was out of hardboiled eggs, so I skipped that. And I was a little bit hungry at about 10:30, but I powered through until 12 when I had...
Meal 2: THE LAST OF THE CABBAGE ROLLS woo! And a grapefruit. I still think it's funny that I can now peel and eat a grapefruit like you do an orange. I grew up on those in FFA boxes at my grandparents... but sliced in half and COVERED in sugar.
Meal 3: Stay with me now... Mexican "meatza". So I was busily thinking fondly of mexican food, so I googled "whole30 mexican recipes" and this popped up. I had most of the ingredients on hand, so I went for it.
Here's what I did:
1 pound ground pork
2 teaspoonss chili powder
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon salt
Garlic salt to taste
salsa
guacamole
green pepper
mushrooms
onion
lemon or lime juice
Mix the first set of ingredients together well. I used my hands, which was effective, but turned my hands orange. Divide the meat into two halves. Press each half into the bottom of a pie pan and bake at 400 for 10 minutes. Remove from oven, but leave oven on. Ditch the grease and let the meat crusts cool for a few more minutes while you finish your kettlebell circuit.
Remove crusts from pans and place on a baking sheet covered in aluminum foil. Spread a couple of large spoonfuls of salsa on each, and then top with thinly sliced veggies. Or fruit, I guess. ( I love pineapple on pizza. And burgers) Really, if you think it goes with tacos and would be good with meat... it's a go. REturn to oven and bake for an additional 10 minutes until the veggies get soft but not soggy.
Remove from oven, top with a squirt of citrus juice, some fresh cilantro if you're fancy, and a spoonful of guacamole. Eat up!
I thought this was pretty easy and very tasty- totally repeatable! It does make me feel a little like a bro-y frat boy or something... I mean, really... a MEAT CRUST?! But it is tasty... and I bet with some adjustments this would make a great italian style meatza too.
Until next time~
xoxo
Thursday, April 23, 2015
Whole30 Day 23: brake check
A week from now, we'll be all done! Pretty wild!
Today was really busy. Just kind of insane.
I felt pretty good today, all things considered. My early night let me get up a little early, so I made some more nut porridge for breakfast. So good!! I really want to get some raisins this weekend so the next batch can have some of those too. Work was fine- I'm trying really hard to work on focusing, and it is yielding some results.
After work, I stopped home. My landlord was here fixing the kitchen light... again. Hopefully it is fixed permanently this time! He was right in the middle of stuff though... so Penny and I got around and went off to my rehearsal, so it was another Hot head night for me. No complaints here! Rehearsal went very well, and we did a sing thru of the entire show, so that was pretty exciting!
And now it's bed time. Where does the time go?
Meal 1: cinnamon apple porridge and a hardboiled egg
Meal 2: baked sweet potato and a salad with mushrooms and olives and an egg
Meal 3: salad bowl from Hot head with pork, pico de gallo and guacamole
My skin is continuing to clear, which is pretty exciting. I feel strong and pretty energetic. I can't WAIT to weigh and measure myself next week! Which might be the first time I've EVER said that...
On the other hand, I'm also starting to dream about peanut butter next friday... and sushi for dinner on May 4... and a Whit's fix on the 7...
Until next time~
xoxo
Today was really busy. Just kind of insane.
I felt pretty good today, all things considered. My early night let me get up a little early, so I made some more nut porridge for breakfast. So good!! I really want to get some raisins this weekend so the next batch can have some of those too. Work was fine- I'm trying really hard to work on focusing, and it is yielding some results.
After work, I stopped home. My landlord was here fixing the kitchen light... again. Hopefully it is fixed permanently this time! He was right in the middle of stuff though... so Penny and I got around and went off to my rehearsal, so it was another Hot head night for me. No complaints here! Rehearsal went very well, and we did a sing thru of the entire show, so that was pretty exciting!
And now it's bed time. Where does the time go?
Meal 1: cinnamon apple porridge and a hardboiled egg
Meal 2: baked sweet potato and a salad with mushrooms and olives and an egg
Meal 3: salad bowl from Hot head with pork, pico de gallo and guacamole
My skin is continuing to clear, which is pretty exciting. I feel strong and pretty energetic. I can't WAIT to weigh and measure myself next week! Which might be the first time I've EVER said that...
On the other hand, I'm also starting to dream about peanut butter next friday... and sushi for dinner on May 4... and a Whit's fix on the 7...
Until next time~
xoxo
Wednesday, April 22, 2015
Whole30 Day 22: White flag waving
It's the last week officially!
ok, so, REALLY, I'll be done a week from Friday. But I started on Wednesday, so it totally counts!
You ever have one of those days where you have so much to do you... go to bed.
Yeah, that's what I'm doing. It's 9 pm. Ask me how much I care.
It'll bite me- I'll deal with that then. Too tired to care tonight!
Other than tired (which is typically hormonal this time of the month for me) I feel really good. Just kind of wiped out tonight.
Also, sorry if this is WAY too much information for you with all my feeling this or that way stuff- but I'm trying to be as accurate as possible if people ARE interested!
Today was busy, but not as busy as it could have been, I'm sure! It got cold again- high of 50 today and in the 30's tonight- which I'm sure is not helping my energy levels. I got up, went to work, went to the high school for dress rehearsal, came home, walked PennyG, warmed up some more cabbage rolls (I really need some variety soon...) watched Once Upon a Time... and I'm done. Calling it a night. Here's to a more productive tomorrow!
Meal 1: 2 hardboiled eggs, grapefruit
Meal 2: cabbage rolls and strawberries
Meal 3: cabbage rolls (see what I mean about variety...?)
Have a good night, all!
Until next time~
xoxo
ok, so, REALLY, I'll be done a week from Friday. But I started on Wednesday, so it totally counts!
You ever have one of those days where you have so much to do you... go to bed.
Yeah, that's what I'm doing. It's 9 pm. Ask me how much I care.
It'll bite me- I'll deal with that then. Too tired to care tonight!
Other than tired (which is typically hormonal this time of the month for me) I feel really good. Just kind of wiped out tonight.
Also, sorry if this is WAY too much information for you with all my feeling this or that way stuff- but I'm trying to be as accurate as possible if people ARE interested!
Today was busy, but not as busy as it could have been, I'm sure! It got cold again- high of 50 today and in the 30's tonight- which I'm sure is not helping my energy levels. I got up, went to work, went to the high school for dress rehearsal, came home, walked PennyG, warmed up some more cabbage rolls (I really need some variety soon...) watched Once Upon a Time... and I'm done. Calling it a night. Here's to a more productive tomorrow!
Meal 1: 2 hardboiled eggs, grapefruit
Meal 2: cabbage rolls and strawberries
Meal 3: cabbage rolls (see what I mean about variety...?)
Have a good night, all!
Until next time~
xoxo
Tuesday, April 21, 2015
Whole30 Day 21: Final lap!
Can you guys BELIEVE IT?! Yes, I'm probably going to start all of these posts with some exclamation of shock Every time I type the date into the title bar, I freak out all over again. THREE WHOLE WEEKS. Wow.
Today was a roller coaster, emotionally. I mean, I've run the whole gamut: contented, excited, scared, happy, pleased, frustrated, mildly angry, annoyed, furious, nostalgic, and utter sorrow. No wonder I'm wiped out. Don't we just love hormones?
As for physically, I feel better today, so maybe this diet (I hate that word, but you know what I mean) did help the PMS symptoms after all. I usually feel pretty yucky for about 1-3 days and any discomfort today was light and fleeting. I was really, really sleepy this afternoon, but that might have had to do with monotony at work too :)
Penny and I got up a little early this morning. I went to work, stopped at the high school to work on some things and came home. My landlord was trying to fix my kitchen lighting fixture and I had no way into my fridge, so I worked on costume research until he was done at about 8:00. I warmed up my cabbage rolls- very tasty! That's definitely a keeper recipe. I basically steamed the cabbage leaves off and sauteed up a bunch of vegetables and a pound of hamburger, rolled the meat mixture into the cabbage leaves and baked them at 325 for two hours. It made a lot, too. I may make another panful this weekend and freeze them all for simple meals on the go. Then I spent another hour on research before a night night walk with my best girl and now it's already bedtime. I only got about half of the things I needed to do done, but well, that's life sometimes. Especially when your landlord spends all evening "fixing" your kitchen light, but you go back in your kitchen an hour after he leaves and the thing won't turn on at all... no, I don't really want to do dishes by moonlight, athankyaverymuch!
Food log:
Meal 1: Cinnamon apple porridge and a boiled egg. So good.
Meal 2: salad with lettuce, mushrooms, fish filet, olives and lemon juice. some green grapes.
Meal 3: cabbage rolls: mine were cabbage, hamburger, onion, mushroom, green pepper & cucumber Very comforting and tasty.
Until next time~
xoxo
Today was a roller coaster, emotionally. I mean, I've run the whole gamut: contented, excited, scared, happy, pleased, frustrated, mildly angry, annoyed, furious, nostalgic, and utter sorrow. No wonder I'm wiped out. Don't we just love hormones?
As for physically, I feel better today, so maybe this diet (I hate that word, but you know what I mean) did help the PMS symptoms after all. I usually feel pretty yucky for about 1-3 days and any discomfort today was light and fleeting. I was really, really sleepy this afternoon, but that might have had to do with monotony at work too :)
Penny and I got up a little early this morning. I went to work, stopped at the high school to work on some things and came home. My landlord was trying to fix my kitchen lighting fixture and I had no way into my fridge, so I worked on costume research until he was done at about 8:00. I warmed up my cabbage rolls- very tasty! That's definitely a keeper recipe. I basically steamed the cabbage leaves off and sauteed up a bunch of vegetables and a pound of hamburger, rolled the meat mixture into the cabbage leaves and baked them at 325 for two hours. It made a lot, too. I may make another panful this weekend and freeze them all for simple meals on the go. Then I spent another hour on research before a night night walk with my best girl and now it's already bedtime. I only got about half of the things I needed to do done, but well, that's life sometimes. Especially when your landlord spends all evening "fixing" your kitchen light, but you go back in your kitchen an hour after he leaves and the thing won't turn on at all... no, I don't really want to do dishes by moonlight, athankyaverymuch!
Food log:
Meal 1: Cinnamon apple porridge and a boiled egg. So good.
Meal 2: salad with lettuce, mushrooms, fish filet, olives and lemon juice. some green grapes.
Meal 3: cabbage rolls: mine were cabbage, hamburger, onion, mushroom, green pepper & cucumber Very comforting and tasty.
Until next time~
xoxo
Monday, April 20, 2015
Whole30 Day 20: merge
Holy moly, it's only monday!! But hey, you guys!! You GUYS! We're TWO THIRDS of the way done! How did THAT happen??
This is the busiest week yet, and frankly, I'm not sure how we're going to get through it. It's tech at the high school, albeit a very minor one, and we're in three a week rehearsals for my show. Tomorrow I have final fittings at the high school, and then I have to do the research to make the design presentation for the Summer show. Oh, and somehow in there I'm supposed to remember to plan all my meals way in advance!
Luckily, it's week three, and I'm a pretty good meal planner!
OH! OhohohohohohOH! I tried a new breakfast recipe this morning! Well, actually I made it last night and ate it this morning. I'm not kidding- I never want to eat anything else for breakfast ever again!!! I got the recipe here, but I modified it quite a bit. Seriously, you simply must try it, regardless of whether you're grain free or not. It. Is. DIVINE. So good, in fact, that I'm willing to carve out some time tomorrow night to make another batch.
I'm not gonna lie, I'm not feeling so hot today, but I'm fairly sure it's hormonal and not nutrition related. I was hoping that the Whole30 would help with some of my PMS symptoms, but really, it's pretty much the same. Ah, well, I guess you can't have everything. I do have plenty of energy still, which is a bonus! Oh, and the weird patchy dry spots on my skin are almost all cleared up. My next skin goal is the little bumps on my arms and legs- and they do seem to be going!
okokok, food log:
Meal 1: Cinnamon apple porridge and a hardboiled egg (have you checked out that recipe yet? seriously, what are you waiting for?!) This also kept me really plenty full until 12:15 lunch- far longer than my smoothie and egg cup combo
Meal 2: cup of cabbage soup and a salad, with some purple grapes
Meal 3: leftover rainbow trout and sunchokes with some green grapes.
And that's about all for tonight, folks!
Until next time~
xoxox
This is the busiest week yet, and frankly, I'm not sure how we're going to get through it. It's tech at the high school, albeit a very minor one, and we're in three a week rehearsals for my show. Tomorrow I have final fittings at the high school, and then I have to do the research to make the design presentation for the Summer show. Oh, and somehow in there I'm supposed to remember to plan all my meals way in advance!
Luckily, it's week three, and I'm a pretty good meal planner!
OH! OhohohohohohOH! I tried a new breakfast recipe this morning! Well, actually I made it last night and ate it this morning. I'm not kidding- I never want to eat anything else for breakfast ever again!!! I got the recipe here, but I modified it quite a bit. Seriously, you simply must try it, regardless of whether you're grain free or not. It. Is. DIVINE. So good, in fact, that I'm willing to carve out some time tomorrow night to make another batch.
I'm not gonna lie, I'm not feeling so hot today, but I'm fairly sure it's hormonal and not nutrition related. I was hoping that the Whole30 would help with some of my PMS symptoms, but really, it's pretty much the same. Ah, well, I guess you can't have everything. I do have plenty of energy still, which is a bonus! Oh, and the weird patchy dry spots on my skin are almost all cleared up. My next skin goal is the little bumps on my arms and legs- and they do seem to be going!
okokok, food log:
Meal 1: Cinnamon apple porridge and a hardboiled egg (have you checked out that recipe yet? seriously, what are you waiting for?!) This also kept me really plenty full until 12:15 lunch- far longer than my smoothie and egg cup combo
Meal 2: cup of cabbage soup and a salad, with some purple grapes
Meal 3: leftover rainbow trout and sunchokes with some green grapes.
And that's about all for tonight, folks!
Until next time~
xoxox
Sunday, April 19, 2015
Whole30 Day 19: Fender bender
You guys. I'm so disappointed in myself. SO mad. But let me start from the beginning.
The weather is not very pretty today, but I had plenty of indoor work to do, so I didn't complain. Penelope and I slept until 8:30, went for a walk, had breakfast and I showered. Then I set about food prepping and cleaning up. I spent most of the day doing that, but then I changed, got my stuff rounded up and Penelope and I went to my rehearsal. I got into town (the theatre is about 30 minutes north of me) and realized I was hungry- I had thought I wasn't. So I stopped at Kroger and got some fresh fruit and veg at the salad bar. Decided I wanted a tonic water, and grabbed one with white grape flavor. Got to rehearsal, ate my snack, got halfway through rehearsal... my belly is feeling kind of weird. It's hard to describe. Not painful, exactly. Not bloated, exactly. Just uncomfortable. Then I realized: I FORGOT TO CHECK THE INGREDIENTS ON THE WATER!!!
Sure enough, the last ingredient on the bottle is Sucralose. I didn't even think about it! Tonic water my behind! That's soda at that point, y'all. I only drank a small amount of it, and of course didn't finish it. But doggone it! I was doing so well...
Other than that, though, I feel pretty good. Some digestional distress, but it's ladytime, so that's pretty normal for me.
Food log:
Meal 1: 2 fried eggs & grapefruit
Meal 2: leftover rainbow trout with sunchokes and grapes
Meal 3: hard boiled eggs, pinepple, strawberries, grapes, raspberries & blackberries and carrots (small amounts of each fruit!) And the dreaded "tonic" water. Bah.
Better luck tomorrow.
The weather is not very pretty today, but I had plenty of indoor work to do, so I didn't complain. Penelope and I slept until 8:30, went for a walk, had breakfast and I showered. Then I set about food prepping and cleaning up. I spent most of the day doing that, but then I changed, got my stuff rounded up and Penelope and I went to my rehearsal. I got into town (the theatre is about 30 minutes north of me) and realized I was hungry- I had thought I wasn't. So I stopped at Kroger and got some fresh fruit and veg at the salad bar. Decided I wanted a tonic water, and grabbed one with white grape flavor. Got to rehearsal, ate my snack, got halfway through rehearsal... my belly is feeling kind of weird. It's hard to describe. Not painful, exactly. Not bloated, exactly. Just uncomfortable. Then I realized: I FORGOT TO CHECK THE INGREDIENTS ON THE WATER!!!
Sure enough, the last ingredient on the bottle is Sucralose. I didn't even think about it! Tonic water my behind! That's soda at that point, y'all. I only drank a small amount of it, and of course didn't finish it. But doggone it! I was doing so well...
Other than that, though, I feel pretty good. Some digestional distress, but it's ladytime, so that's pretty normal for me.
Food log:
Meal 1: 2 fried eggs & grapefruit
Meal 2: leftover rainbow trout with sunchokes and grapes
Meal 3: hard boiled eggs, pinepple, strawberries, grapes, raspberries & blackberries and carrots (small amounts of each fruit!) And the dreaded "tonic" water. Bah.
Better luck tomorrow.
Saturday, April 18, 2015
Whole30 Day 18: Turn 3!
What a glorious, glorious day! I hope you all got the chance to be outside today. Around here, at least, it was absolutely incredible. A perfect, perfect spring day. And very productive, if I do say so!
Late last night, I got word that the only real appointment I had for the day, from about 9-11am, had been cancelled. Although I was disappointed- I have measurements to take!- it did give me two extra hours of viable time to get other things done. So! Penelope let me sleep in (reluctantly) until 9:00. We got up, went for our morning meander, and had breakfast while I made a shopping list. Then I showered, got dressed and then had lunch. No, I wasn't all that hungry, but I knew we'd be gone for a while and didn't want to get caught hungry! Then, we went over to a park, sort of on the way to the grocery. And we walked for an hour and a half! This specific park is called Hills and Dales, and boy, is it! Penelope absolutely loved it, of course, and I did too- but it was a bit warmer than I had expected and I forgot to bring water. But a quick car ride cooled us off, and I went to the grocery. Don't worry, I left windows down! Then, a quick stop at the pet store yielded collapsible bowls for Penelope and cat litter for Little Bit. With the amount that dog is riding around with me these days, I figure a pair of bowls we can just leave in the car is probably a pretty good idea- I'm always grabbing some random piece of tupperware, either from my cupboard or someone else's, so hopefully this will help her out some! An even briefer stop at the library to pick up a few things, and we came home. Groceries away, I sat down and finished the project I started late last night- it turned out pretty cute! Then I made and ate my dinner, and did some alterations for the high school, paid the rest of the bills for the month, ordered next week's "you made it!" prize, and bought a ticket to see a friend in a show. Then I did my kettlebell workout, Penelope and I went for a final walk, and now we're in bed! Whew!
How am I feeling, you ask?
I had bad dreams last night. I don't really think this is anything nutrition related, although I know they can be. I have pretty vivid bad dreams fairly regularly. But it did kind of throw my morning off. Other than that, the only issue I'm having is some slight digestional, gastro-intestinal trouble. Nothing too bad, and that may have to do with things other than food too, but that's how I'm doing today. Side note: it's really weird to be this open and honest about some of this stuff with the entirety of the internet.
Anyway, I had plenty of energy, and I was in a good mood all day as well. Oh! I'm also noticing some calf cramping in the mornings and if I wake up at night, which happens sometimes, especially around this time of year. No idea what that's about, but I'm seeing it.
Food Log:
Meal 1: two fried eggs and a grapefruit. You know, even grapefruits taste sweet now? I mean, I just ate it, no sugar (obviously) or anything! Very strange, but it was SO so good.
Meal 2: leftover steak and sunchokes from yesterday.
Meal 3: baked rainbow trout and roasted sunchokes. The newsletter from my CSA says that we're almost done getting sunchokes, and you know, I have to admit I'm ok with that. I really, really like them a lot... but they're have been a lot of them this spring! Also, I got rainbow trout at the store- they were a little expensive- I think something like $7 for two filets? But that's four meals, which seems like a bargain to me.
I also snacked on some grapes today, and then had a glass of fruit juice this evening. Which I almost couldn't finish, it was so incredibly sweet! Mm, such a treat!
Until next time~
xoxo
Late last night, I got word that the only real appointment I had for the day, from about 9-11am, had been cancelled. Although I was disappointed- I have measurements to take!- it did give me two extra hours of viable time to get other things done. So! Penelope let me sleep in (reluctantly) until 9:00. We got up, went for our morning meander, and had breakfast while I made a shopping list. Then I showered, got dressed and then had lunch. No, I wasn't all that hungry, but I knew we'd be gone for a while and didn't want to get caught hungry! Then, we went over to a park, sort of on the way to the grocery. And we walked for an hour and a half! This specific park is called Hills and Dales, and boy, is it! Penelope absolutely loved it, of course, and I did too- but it was a bit warmer than I had expected and I forgot to bring water. But a quick car ride cooled us off, and I went to the grocery. Don't worry, I left windows down! Then, a quick stop at the pet store yielded collapsible bowls for Penelope and cat litter for Little Bit. With the amount that dog is riding around with me these days, I figure a pair of bowls we can just leave in the car is probably a pretty good idea- I'm always grabbing some random piece of tupperware, either from my cupboard or someone else's, so hopefully this will help her out some! An even briefer stop at the library to pick up a few things, and we came home. Groceries away, I sat down and finished the project I started late last night- it turned out pretty cute! Then I made and ate my dinner, and did some alterations for the high school, paid the rest of the bills for the month, ordered next week's "you made it!" prize, and bought a ticket to see a friend in a show. Then I did my kettlebell workout, Penelope and I went for a final walk, and now we're in bed! Whew!
How am I feeling, you ask?
I had bad dreams last night. I don't really think this is anything nutrition related, although I know they can be. I have pretty vivid bad dreams fairly regularly. But it did kind of throw my morning off. Other than that, the only issue I'm having is some slight digestional, gastro-intestinal trouble. Nothing too bad, and that may have to do with things other than food too, but that's how I'm doing today. Side note: it's really weird to be this open and honest about some of this stuff with the entirety of the internet.
Anyway, I had plenty of energy, and I was in a good mood all day as well. Oh! I'm also noticing some calf cramping in the mornings and if I wake up at night, which happens sometimes, especially around this time of year. No idea what that's about, but I'm seeing it.
Food Log:
Meal 1: two fried eggs and a grapefruit. You know, even grapefruits taste sweet now? I mean, I just ate it, no sugar (obviously) or anything! Very strange, but it was SO so good.
Meal 2: leftover steak and sunchokes from yesterday.
Meal 3: baked rainbow trout and roasted sunchokes. The newsletter from my CSA says that we're almost done getting sunchokes, and you know, I have to admit I'm ok with that. I really, really like them a lot... but they're have been a lot of them this spring! Also, I got rainbow trout at the store- they were a little expensive- I think something like $7 for two filets? But that's four meals, which seems like a bargain to me.
I also snacked on some grapes today, and then had a glass of fruit juice this evening. Which I almost couldn't finish, it was so incredibly sweet! Mm, such a treat!
Until next time~
xoxo
Friday, April 17, 2015
Whole30 Day 17: easing into turn 3
You know what there aren't enough of? Hours in the day! It's amazing how much energy I have now- I had to stop myself from working because I can't be lazy tomorrow either and my body needs rest. But I feel like I could keep working!
Today was very, very busy. Let's see. Work was work, nothing special. We left an hour early due to Friday blues, but I had plenty to fill my evening with, so that didn't bother me too much. When I left work, I was on the hunt for black leggings. I know, I know... they're for a costume. Granted, yes, it's MY costume, but still. So I wander into teenage-girl mecca: Forever21. I girded my loins and marched over to the plus sizes (which, really, is anything over about a size 10/12 in their books). I found one pair- they were patterned, but black...but a 2x. So I went back to the giant display of leggings in the main part of the store... which only goes up to Large. Well. I took my two pairs of leggings in.... and... drumroll... the Larges fit! Woo! Plus they were only $4 a pair! So I went ahead and bought two pairs, due to a slight translucency, and sashayed my way off to my favorite thrifting joint. I had some costume shopping to do, which was fine, but I also tried on a couple pairs of jeans. I grabbed a 12 Levi 515 pair, a 12 Sweetheart Old Navy Pair, and a size 10 Eddie Bauer pair. The Eddie Bauer's were brand new, tags still on, otherwise I wouldn't have bothered. Those didn't fit at ALL. (No surprise) The Levi's were close, but no cigar. But the Old Navy ones fit just fine. This is the problem with women's clothing. I mean, seriously?? A 12 should just be a freaking 12. Ahem.
So I bought the Old Navy ones, which is exactly what I would have bought brand new, so that's perfect.
Then I stopped by the High school and picked up my work load for the weekend. And THEN I came home. Penelope and I went for a nice long walk, and then we came home and made dinner. Well, she had kibble while I cooked mine.
Then I did a craft project that I'm super pleased with. (Tutorial coming soon- look out for it!)
Finally, I started in on a couple of gifts for friends. I'm super pleased with the progress on that, too- so maybe a coming tutorial on that as well!
But I didn't finish the second project, only got about a quarter way through. And I din't get my kettlebelling done, which I'm disappointed about. But! My first morning commitment tomorrow got cancelled, so I can sleep in a tiny amount and still get everything accomplished.
Anyway, I'm blathering... FOOD LOG:
Meal 1: smoothie with spinach, strawberries and orange. I just really couldn't do another egg cup. Really, just could not. So on my list of things for the weekend is to come up with a better breakfast choice, because by 10am, I was STARVING.
Snack: kale chips. I'm still surprised by how much I like these. I'm planning on making some more for next week!
Lunch: hamburger cabbage soup. Because of my dinner out last night, I had no leftovers, so I grabbed a container out of the freezer, let it defrost overnight, and it was ready to go at lunch time- there's even enough to have on Monday, particularly if I bring some salad to go with!
Meal 3: Steak and sauteed sunchokes.
Let's see... I feel great. Tons of energy. A small amount of irregularity is starting to pop up, but that could be about anything. I was super thirsty today. I really need to try to drink more water again. I was doing so well there for a while!
Until next time~
xoxo
Today was very, very busy. Let's see. Work was work, nothing special. We left an hour early due to Friday blues, but I had plenty to fill my evening with, so that didn't bother me too much. When I left work, I was on the hunt for black leggings. I know, I know... they're for a costume. Granted, yes, it's MY costume, but still. So I wander into teenage-girl mecca: Forever21. I girded my loins and marched over to the plus sizes (which, really, is anything over about a size 10/12 in their books). I found one pair- they were patterned, but black...but a 2x. So I went back to the giant display of leggings in the main part of the store... which only goes up to Large. Well. I took my two pairs of leggings in.... and... drumroll... the Larges fit! Woo! Plus they were only $4 a pair! So I went ahead and bought two pairs, due to a slight translucency, and sashayed my way off to my favorite thrifting joint. I had some costume shopping to do, which was fine, but I also tried on a couple pairs of jeans. I grabbed a 12 Levi 515 pair, a 12 Sweetheart Old Navy Pair, and a size 10 Eddie Bauer pair. The Eddie Bauer's were brand new, tags still on, otherwise I wouldn't have bothered. Those didn't fit at ALL. (No surprise) The Levi's were close, but no cigar. But the Old Navy ones fit just fine. This is the problem with women's clothing. I mean, seriously?? A 12 should just be a freaking 12. Ahem.
So I bought the Old Navy ones, which is exactly what I would have bought brand new, so that's perfect.
Then I stopped by the High school and picked up my work load for the weekend. And THEN I came home. Penelope and I went for a nice long walk, and then we came home and made dinner. Well, she had kibble while I cooked mine.
Then I did a craft project that I'm super pleased with. (Tutorial coming soon- look out for it!)
Finally, I started in on a couple of gifts for friends. I'm super pleased with the progress on that, too- so maybe a coming tutorial on that as well!
But I didn't finish the second project, only got about a quarter way through. And I din't get my kettlebelling done, which I'm disappointed about. But! My first morning commitment tomorrow got cancelled, so I can sleep in a tiny amount and still get everything accomplished.
Anyway, I'm blathering... FOOD LOG:
Meal 1: smoothie with spinach, strawberries and orange. I just really couldn't do another egg cup. Really, just could not. So on my list of things for the weekend is to come up with a better breakfast choice, because by 10am, I was STARVING.
Snack: kale chips. I'm still surprised by how much I like these. I'm planning on making some more for next week!
Lunch: hamburger cabbage soup. Because of my dinner out last night, I had no leftovers, so I grabbed a container out of the freezer, let it defrost overnight, and it was ready to go at lunch time- there's even enough to have on Monday, particularly if I bring some salad to go with!
Meal 3: Steak and sauteed sunchokes.
Let's see... I feel great. Tons of energy. A small amount of irregularity is starting to pop up, but that could be about anything. I was super thirsty today. I really need to try to drink more water again. I was doing so well there for a while!
Until next time~
xoxo
Thursday, April 16, 2015
Whole30 Day 16: coast
Hello everyone!
What. A. DAY! What a day. For reference, it's 10:15 pm and this is the first time I've been home for more than 10 minutes since 7:30 am! Just a day in the life! I worked all day, went to CJ, the school I work for, and met with my amazing, wonderful, hard working students who are blowing me away with their costume designs for the One Acts we're working on. (And bonus, the one act that's mine to design is looking pretty swell too!)
Then I came home, threw stuff together, dashed around the block with Penelope, and flew off to my rehearsal, which was just so great. I've missed singing and performing! But I'm ready for a good rest now.
I feel pretty good today. Plenty of energy, no noticeable mood swings or anything. Not overly hungry between meals. Focused. My hair and skin are looking better than ever- in fact, I think the stress spots I was struggling with are almost all cleared up. And I can't break out, even if I'm trying. (Not that I am!)
The biggest struggle right now, still, is to avoid weighing or measuring myself. It seems incredible that the body I fought so incredibly hard for in 2012 is peeking through again- and this time, I feel really great getting there! So very excited for those results.
Let's see:
Meal 1: one egg cup and a small amount of smoothie. Breakfast really, really didn't taste good to me this morning. I'm out of egg cups and due for a new smoothie tomorrow, so that gives me a chance to switch it up somehow for next week!
Meal 2: Leftover zoodles and meatballs. So tasty! I'm discovering, though, that the key here is to have less zoodles than toppings. It was a lot of zucchini today. Also it definitely needs to cook some more- I might try sautéing it in some oil and garlic next time. But that sauce and those meatballs- amazing.
Meal 3: I WENT OUT FOR DINNER! IT WAS AMAZING. I went to Hot Head Burrito (similar to Chipotle) tonight. I checked their website ahead of time, so I was prepared. I had a bowl with lettuce, pork, guacamole & pico de gallo. And it was just so good. Fantastically good. And I got to sit outside at a picnic table with my pup and enjoy it in the fresh spring sunshine. Perfection.
And now I'm home, ready for a slightly early night. I've got some things to add to my to-do list for the weekend, which was already long, but that's alright- it's two and a half whole days, after all!
Until next time~
xoxo
What. A. DAY! What a day. For reference, it's 10:15 pm and this is the first time I've been home for more than 10 minutes since 7:30 am! Just a day in the life! I worked all day, went to CJ, the school I work for, and met with my amazing, wonderful, hard working students who are blowing me away with their costume designs for the One Acts we're working on. (And bonus, the one act that's mine to design is looking pretty swell too!)
Then I came home, threw stuff together, dashed around the block with Penelope, and flew off to my rehearsal, which was just so great. I've missed singing and performing! But I'm ready for a good rest now.
I feel pretty good today. Plenty of energy, no noticeable mood swings or anything. Not overly hungry between meals. Focused. My hair and skin are looking better than ever- in fact, I think the stress spots I was struggling with are almost all cleared up. And I can't break out, even if I'm trying. (Not that I am!)
The biggest struggle right now, still, is to avoid weighing or measuring myself. It seems incredible that the body I fought so incredibly hard for in 2012 is peeking through again- and this time, I feel really great getting there! So very excited for those results.
Let's see:
Meal 1: one egg cup and a small amount of smoothie. Breakfast really, really didn't taste good to me this morning. I'm out of egg cups and due for a new smoothie tomorrow, so that gives me a chance to switch it up somehow for next week!
Meal 2: Leftover zoodles and meatballs. So tasty! I'm discovering, though, that the key here is to have less zoodles than toppings. It was a lot of zucchini today. Also it definitely needs to cook some more- I might try sautéing it in some oil and garlic next time. But that sauce and those meatballs- amazing.
Meal 3: I WENT OUT FOR DINNER! IT WAS AMAZING. I went to Hot Head Burrito (similar to Chipotle) tonight. I checked their website ahead of time, so I was prepared. I had a bowl with lettuce, pork, guacamole & pico de gallo. And it was just so good. Fantastically good. And I got to sit outside at a picnic table with my pup and enjoy it in the fresh spring sunshine. Perfection.
And now I'm home, ready for a slightly early night. I've got some things to add to my to-do list for the weekend, which was already long, but that's alright- it's two and a half whole days, after all!
Until next time~
xoxo
Wednesday, April 15, 2015
Whole30 Day 15: That's the halfway mark!
WE'RE HALFWAY DONE! Can you believe it?? I kind of can't believe it, but on the other hand, sometimes I feel like it's taking forever, you know?
But let me tell you, I needed a day like today. I just... feel good. Not overly anxious- which is a first. Not overly emotional, generally happy. My body doesn't hurt, comparatively at least. I don't have as much energy as I did last week, but it's more than adequate. And seriously, you guys, I had to re-tie my sweatpants tonight lest the keys in my pocket pull them right down off my hips. I have to stop myself at least once a day from trying to find a way around the no weighing or measuring rule. That might seriously be the hardest part right now.
Let's see...
today, as I've mentioned, was very affirming to this process. Yesterday this felt interminable. Today, I could go for a year. What a process.
ok, let's get to the food log, eh?
Meal 1: one egg cup and a smoothie with spinach, apple & banana
Meal 2: salad of mixed greens, carrots, apple, a small can of tuna, olives, and a squeeze of lemon juice. An orange. Some kale chips.
Meal 3: Hold on to your hats, kids. SPAGHETTI AND MEATBALLS. Yep. Yep you read that right. SPAGHETTI AND MEATBALLS. BEHOLD:
And seriously, I wanted to cry it tasted so good. There are a lot of delicious, delicious things on the plan. I enjoy most meals I eat. But until today, there was very little comfort food. Nothing gooey, nothing warm and savory and tasting of my grandmother and home.
And then there was spaghetti and meatballs. So let's walk through this picture. First of all, I'm not a food blogger, nor a photographer. So yes, that is a bad phone picture. Sorry, I was hungry. Ok, now that that's out of the way: yes, those are zucchini noodles. Yes, they DO taste like pasta (once they're cooked enough to lose that veggie crunch). The sauce is very chunky and full of veggies, and yes I made it myself. Including chopping up all the veggies, it probably took me 45 minutes to make. Yes, I also made the meatballs. No, they aren't hard. They took slightly less time than the sauce. I've included the recipe below. Keep in mind, I based this on a recipe in my Paleo cookbook that I'm working through, but it is very much altered! I also basically just threw the things I had in. Do you have some mushrooms? They'd probably be awesome. Basil? Definitely. Think the vinegar and lemon make it too tangy? Add some dates, apple juice, or honey (if you're not on your whole30!) You get the idea. This is a great use up what we've got recipe!
For the meatballs:
1/2 lb. ground pork
1 egg
liberal sprinkle salt
3 generous shakes of garlic salt
For the sauce:
5 tomatoes, roughly chopped/diced
3/4 red onion, roughly chopped/diced
2 green garlic sprigs
fresh parsley (to taste)
1 spoonful minced garlic
sprinkle red pepper flakes
salt
pepper
garlic salt
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
2 Tb. lemon juice
2/3 cup water
For the spaghetti:
3 small zucchini
start by mixing the first four ingredients together. REALLY well. The better they're mixed, the better your meatballs will turn out. Roll the mixture into 8 small balls or 6 medium, or whatever. I know, they feel soupy. Mine weren't perfectly round. A whole egg is a tiny bit too much. Place them in a flat bottomed skillet- don't crowd them! Add a splash of olive oil and heat to medium high. Brown the meatballs on two sides at least. Yes, they're still very raw on the inside. I browned mine for about 2 minutes per side.
Leaving the meatballs be for a minute, prep your veggies (except zuccchini)and add them all to a bowl. Slide your meatballs onto a plate for a few minutes and add more olive oil to your pan. Add prepped veggies to skillet, cook for a minute or so, until fragrant. Then add the spices and the vinegar and lemon juice. Add meatballs back in, stir to mix well, cover and let simmer 15 minutes.
While the sauce is coming together, wash your zucchini and get your spiralizer out. (I got mine for $15 on amazon). Make your zoodles, place in the bowl you just emptied.
After your 15 minutes are up on the sauce, uncover and give it a good healthy stir. Make sure nobody is sticking to the bottom of the pan. At this point, a lot of the liquid will have cooked off. Mine was starting (just barely!) to stick and turn colors on the bottom, so I added some water, which offset it perfectly. Then cover and let simmer another 15 minutes.
When THAT 15 minutes is up, open up your pan and add your zoodles to the top of it. I didn't stir them up at all, just set them on top. I covered the whole meal up and let the zoodles steam for about 2 minutes. I think, next time I would do about 4.
Then, I just dished it up! Plenty for leftovers tomorrow- although I'm very tempted to eat the whole pan!
The zoodles were still quite crisp, although they softened as I ate. And when soft, they really are like spaghetti! I was amazed!
The sauce and meatballs were tangy and flavorful, balanced by the sweetness of the tomatoes. If I only had a facsimile for garlic bread!
Seriously, this meal was absolutely AMAZING. If you never take me seriously on anything, do it this once. YOU SHOULD EAT THIS. FEED IT TO YOUR FAMILY AND FRIENDS. IT IS AWESOME! This is the kind of meal that makes me believe in the sustainablility of the paleo diet. This is real home cooking- just made healthier. How great is that?
And now I'm off to bed before a busy, busy Thursday. I'll tell you all about it tomorrow but
Until next time~
xoxo
But let me tell you, I needed a day like today. I just... feel good. Not overly anxious- which is a first. Not overly emotional, generally happy. My body doesn't hurt, comparatively at least. I don't have as much energy as I did last week, but it's more than adequate. And seriously, you guys, I had to re-tie my sweatpants tonight lest the keys in my pocket pull them right down off my hips. I have to stop myself at least once a day from trying to find a way around the no weighing or measuring rule. That might seriously be the hardest part right now.
Let's see...
today, as I've mentioned, was very affirming to this process. Yesterday this felt interminable. Today, I could go for a year. What a process.
ok, let's get to the food log, eh?
Meal 1: one egg cup and a smoothie with spinach, apple & banana
Meal 2: salad of mixed greens, carrots, apple, a small can of tuna, olives, and a squeeze of lemon juice. An orange. Some kale chips.
Meal 3: Hold on to your hats, kids. SPAGHETTI AND MEATBALLS. Yep. Yep you read that right. SPAGHETTI AND MEATBALLS. BEHOLD:
And seriously, I wanted to cry it tasted so good. There are a lot of delicious, delicious things on the plan. I enjoy most meals I eat. But until today, there was very little comfort food. Nothing gooey, nothing warm and savory and tasting of my grandmother and home.
And then there was spaghetti and meatballs. So let's walk through this picture. First of all, I'm not a food blogger, nor a photographer. So yes, that is a bad phone picture. Sorry, I was hungry. Ok, now that that's out of the way: yes, those are zucchini noodles. Yes, they DO taste like pasta (once they're cooked enough to lose that veggie crunch). The sauce is very chunky and full of veggies, and yes I made it myself. Including chopping up all the veggies, it probably took me 45 minutes to make. Yes, I also made the meatballs. No, they aren't hard. They took slightly less time than the sauce. I've included the recipe below. Keep in mind, I based this on a recipe in my Paleo cookbook that I'm working through, but it is very much altered! I also basically just threw the things I had in. Do you have some mushrooms? They'd probably be awesome. Basil? Definitely. Think the vinegar and lemon make it too tangy? Add some dates, apple juice, or honey (if you're not on your whole30!) You get the idea. This is a great use up what we've got recipe!
For the meatballs:
1/2 lb. ground pork
1 egg
liberal sprinkle salt
3 generous shakes of garlic salt
For the sauce:
5 tomatoes, roughly chopped/diced
3/4 red onion, roughly chopped/diced
2 green garlic sprigs
fresh parsley (to taste)
1 spoonful minced garlic
sprinkle red pepper flakes
salt
pepper
garlic salt
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
2 Tb. lemon juice
2/3 cup water
For the spaghetti:
3 small zucchini
start by mixing the first four ingredients together. REALLY well. The better they're mixed, the better your meatballs will turn out. Roll the mixture into 8 small balls or 6 medium, or whatever. I know, they feel soupy. Mine weren't perfectly round. A whole egg is a tiny bit too much. Place them in a flat bottomed skillet- don't crowd them! Add a splash of olive oil and heat to medium high. Brown the meatballs on two sides at least. Yes, they're still very raw on the inside. I browned mine for about 2 minutes per side.
Leaving the meatballs be for a minute, prep your veggies (except zuccchini)and add them all to a bowl. Slide your meatballs onto a plate for a few minutes and add more olive oil to your pan. Add prepped veggies to skillet, cook for a minute or so, until fragrant. Then add the spices and the vinegar and lemon juice. Add meatballs back in, stir to mix well, cover and let simmer 15 minutes.
While the sauce is coming together, wash your zucchini and get your spiralizer out. (I got mine for $15 on amazon). Make your zoodles, place in the bowl you just emptied.
After your 15 minutes are up on the sauce, uncover and give it a good healthy stir. Make sure nobody is sticking to the bottom of the pan. At this point, a lot of the liquid will have cooked off. Mine was starting (just barely!) to stick and turn colors on the bottom, so I added some water, which offset it perfectly. Then cover and let simmer another 15 minutes.
When THAT 15 minutes is up, open up your pan and add your zoodles to the top of it. I didn't stir them up at all, just set them on top. I covered the whole meal up and let the zoodles steam for about 2 minutes. I think, next time I would do about 4.
Then, I just dished it up! Plenty for leftovers tomorrow- although I'm very tempted to eat the whole pan!
The zoodles were still quite crisp, although they softened as I ate. And when soft, they really are like spaghetti! I was amazed!
The sauce and meatballs were tangy and flavorful, balanced by the sweetness of the tomatoes. If I only had a facsimile for garlic bread!
Seriously, this meal was absolutely AMAZING. If you never take me seriously on anything, do it this once. YOU SHOULD EAT THIS. FEED IT TO YOUR FAMILY AND FRIENDS. IT IS AWESOME! This is the kind of meal that makes me believe in the sustainablility of the paleo diet. This is real home cooking- just made healthier. How great is that?
And now I'm off to bed before a busy, busy Thursday. I'll tell you all about it tomorrow but
Until next time~
xoxo
Tuesday, April 14, 2015
Whole30: Day(s) 13&14: SPEED BUMP
Y'all, my bad. I really don't have an excuse for missing Monday... I just... forgot. So, now it's a twofer! So to begin with Monday...
I had a pretty good day, although activity levels are becoming an issue. I was doing really well at hitting my 10k steps, but not so much the last few days! Let's see... work, quick stop by the high school I work with, home. Quick walk due to Penelope HATING the rain and a torrential downpour at Walk o'clock, dinner, an immense amount of computer laziness, taxes, emails, cleaning, etc, etc, bed. Oh! I did finish my body weight challenges yesterday, which means I get to start with my kettlebell next! I'm looking for good circuits- I'll keep you posted. The challenges I just finished, though, were for squats, pushups, double leg lifts, tricep dips and box pose (or supported handstand). I'm so pleased! I finished out yesterday at 250 squats, 40 pushups, 100 leg lifts, 15 tricep dips and a good long time (a minute? maybe?) in box pose. Felt pretty great- very much looking forward to kettlebell training now!
Overall, I just feel tired. I'm pretty sure I'm just not getting enough hours of sleep- although what I'm getting is very high quality. I'm sleeping like a rock these days. However, no mood swings, no crashing, just... tired. I have to admit I'm looking forward to being able to add spark back in in a few weeks!
Monday food log:
Meal 1: half a smoothie with spinach, an apple, some strawberries and a banana. One egg cup muffin quiche
Snack: kale chips! Pretty tasty, really. I wish there was a way to lay them together when baking to thicken them up, but I do like them!
Meal 2: leftover steak and sauteed sunchokes, some strawberries. I'm very much afraid the I'm having trouble digesting strawberries. I hate to admit it, but they seem to run through me much quicker than I would like. I refuse to cut strawberries. I absolutely refuse.
Meal 3: ground pork, onion, sunchoke & egg scramble. This was very easy and pretty quick, but if I do it again, I think more spices are in order! A little bland.
Tuesday:
Today is really similar to yesterday, of course. Here are some things I'm noticing:
-I REALLY REALLY REALLY want to measure my waist and hips. I know I'm shrinking. Sometimes it feels like there's a noticeable difference in the morning from the night before! AND I WANT TO QUANTIFY THAT. Ah, well
-I'm bored. I just... I dunno. Consistency, I know. It's important, I know. But occasionally I'd love some comfort foods.
-and I'm super tired.
Tuesday food log:
Meal 1: half a smoothie with spinach, an apple, some strawberries and a banana. One egg cup muffin quiche
Meal 2: leftover egg scramble from last night. At lunch, I desperately wanted an Arby's roast beef sandwhich, which I obviously didn't eat. And I forgot to take a piece of fruit, so my mouth tasted pretty funny this afternoon.
Meal 3: Big salad with apple, carrots, onion, olives and a squirt of lemon juice. Very tasty!
Sorry again about Monday, everyone!
And now I'm about half asleep, so-
Until next time ~
xoxo
I had a pretty good day, although activity levels are becoming an issue. I was doing really well at hitting my 10k steps, but not so much the last few days! Let's see... work, quick stop by the high school I work with, home. Quick walk due to Penelope HATING the rain and a torrential downpour at Walk o'clock, dinner, an immense amount of computer laziness, taxes, emails, cleaning, etc, etc, bed. Oh! I did finish my body weight challenges yesterday, which means I get to start with my kettlebell next! I'm looking for good circuits- I'll keep you posted. The challenges I just finished, though, were for squats, pushups, double leg lifts, tricep dips and box pose (or supported handstand). I'm so pleased! I finished out yesterday at 250 squats, 40 pushups, 100 leg lifts, 15 tricep dips and a good long time (a minute? maybe?) in box pose. Felt pretty great- very much looking forward to kettlebell training now!
Overall, I just feel tired. I'm pretty sure I'm just not getting enough hours of sleep- although what I'm getting is very high quality. I'm sleeping like a rock these days. However, no mood swings, no crashing, just... tired. I have to admit I'm looking forward to being able to add spark back in in a few weeks!
Monday food log:
Meal 1: half a smoothie with spinach, an apple, some strawberries and a banana. One egg cup muffin quiche
Snack: kale chips! Pretty tasty, really. I wish there was a way to lay them together when baking to thicken them up, but I do like them!
Meal 2: leftover steak and sauteed sunchokes, some strawberries. I'm very much afraid the I'm having trouble digesting strawberries. I hate to admit it, but they seem to run through me much quicker than I would like. I refuse to cut strawberries. I absolutely refuse.
Meal 3: ground pork, onion, sunchoke & egg scramble. This was very easy and pretty quick, but if I do it again, I think more spices are in order! A little bland.
Tuesday:
Today is really similar to yesterday, of course. Here are some things I'm noticing:
-I REALLY REALLY REALLY want to measure my waist and hips. I know I'm shrinking. Sometimes it feels like there's a noticeable difference in the morning from the night before! AND I WANT TO QUANTIFY THAT. Ah, well
-I'm bored. I just... I dunno. Consistency, I know. It's important, I know. But occasionally I'd love some comfort foods.
-and I'm super tired.
Tuesday food log:
Meal 1: half a smoothie with spinach, an apple, some strawberries and a banana. One egg cup muffin quiche
Meal 2: leftover egg scramble from last night. At lunch, I desperately wanted an Arby's roast beef sandwhich, which I obviously didn't eat. And I forgot to take a piece of fruit, so my mouth tasted pretty funny this afternoon.
Meal 3: Big salad with apple, carrots, onion, olives and a squirt of lemon juice. Very tasty!
Sorry again about Monday, everyone!
And now I'm about half asleep, so-
Until next time ~
xoxo
Sunday, April 12, 2015
Whole30 Day 12: Cruise control
Happy Sunday!
What a day, what a day! Busy! But great overall. Let's see...
Penelope and I got up early and went for our morning w-a-l-k. Came home, had breakfast, showered, and went off to momma's. A load of laundry started, Mom and I went off to pull some costumes out of storage. Got back to Mom's, had some lunch, pulled the laundry down, left to drive home. Annnnnd then I realized my phone was back in the costume storage barn. Drive back to Mom's, get the key, go back to the barn, there's the phone! Hooray! Turn around, drop the key off, whoo. Tired. Should've done some meal prep, took a short nap instead. Got up, walked Penny Grace (yes, she has a middle name), got myself around and drove to the read through for the show I'm actually in (magical, I know!) Read through was great, so I came home, ate some dinner, made some kale chips, cleaned up a bit, went on our night-night walk and made some lists. Whoo. No wonder I'm tired!
And thirsty! I really, really need to up my water intake some. That's hard! I mean, I already do so much thinking about food, it seems crazy to try to deal with water too. But I'll try this next week.
Other than that, I feel good. No digestive problems of any kind, no breakouts, no real aches to speak of.
So, food log:
Meal 1: Two hardboiled eggs, and a glass of fresh, home made orange-lemon juice. Holy moly that tasted good! Felt like such a treat!
Meal 2: leftover ground beef with spinach and red pepper wrapped in romaine lettuce
Meal 3: the last barbecue chop and beet combo!
It's really interesting how little I'm eating but yet, I feel so satisfied. There are foods I miss, but from a comfort level, not a need level. It's a nice change- I used to be the girl that could easily finish a half a pizza. Now I can eat one small pork chop and a little less than one roasted beet and I'm full and content for hours. Love it!
Until next time~
xoxo
What a day, what a day! Busy! But great overall. Let's see...
Penelope and I got up early and went for our morning w-a-l-k. Came home, had breakfast, showered, and went off to momma's. A load of laundry started, Mom and I went off to pull some costumes out of storage. Got back to Mom's, had some lunch, pulled the laundry down, left to drive home. Annnnnd then I realized my phone was back in the costume storage barn. Drive back to Mom's, get the key, go back to the barn, there's the phone! Hooray! Turn around, drop the key off, whoo. Tired. Should've done some meal prep, took a short nap instead. Got up, walked Penny Grace (yes, she has a middle name), got myself around and drove to the read through for the show I'm actually in (magical, I know!) Read through was great, so I came home, ate some dinner, made some kale chips, cleaned up a bit, went on our night-night walk and made some lists. Whoo. No wonder I'm tired!
And thirsty! I really, really need to up my water intake some. That's hard! I mean, I already do so much thinking about food, it seems crazy to try to deal with water too. But I'll try this next week.
Other than that, I feel good. No digestive problems of any kind, no breakouts, no real aches to speak of.
So, food log:
Meal 1: Two hardboiled eggs, and a glass of fresh, home made orange-lemon juice. Holy moly that tasted good! Felt like such a treat!
Meal 2: leftover ground beef with spinach and red pepper wrapped in romaine lettuce
Meal 3: the last barbecue chop and beet combo!
It's really interesting how little I'm eating but yet, I feel so satisfied. There are foods I miss, but from a comfort level, not a need level. It's a nice change- I used to be the girl that could easily finish a half a pizza. Now I can eat one small pork chop and a little less than one roasted beet and I'm full and content for hours. Love it!
Until next time~
xoxo
Saturday, April 11, 2015
Whole30 Day 11: Corner two
Saturdays are hard, y'all.
If you haven't noticed, I like my routines. And weekends make that more difficult. I have trouble getting enough things done, and as a consequence, my eating suffers a little bit- not much, but just enough.
On the whole, I had a really good day, though! Lots of yummy foods, full (except then I didn't have dinner until like 9:30 so I was super hungry...see what I mean about Saturdays?). I didn't get quite enough done, but, well, you can only do what you can do. I got up this morning and went to go get some new measurements for my summer show. I came home then, and, well... took a nap. A long one. Oh well. I got up, put clothes away in my dresser (yaaaaaay!), took my dog for a nice long walk, then did my meal planning for the week. Made my grocery list, loaded Penelope in the car and went to run some errands. I picked up a few things at Target, a couple things at the JoAnn, and then Penelope and I went into PetSmart. Let me tell you, that dog is SO POPULAR. Everyone wants to pet her and say hi, and she just butters right up to them. She is really getting some manners going now though. We've been working on them really hard. She still pulls really hard if she wants to go visit a dog friend, and she has a tendency to bark occasionally at people (which is really fearsome sounding, so it usually scares them) but progress is being made! After Petsmart, I went into Kroger. I needed 4 things. Unfortunately, one of them was at the pharmacy, and MAN were they slow. Eventually though, we came home, I made some dinner (which was awesome!), put my new prizes away and then shifted my to-do list. Tomorrow is going to be a long day, and I have a feeling Monday will be right on its heels!
So, food log:
Meal 1: 2 hardboiled eggs, banana Part of my food prep tomorrow afternoon is going to be cutting up some fresh veggies to go and I'm going to try some kale chips (I have so much fresh kale right now). I'm hoping that will help me add veggies to quicker meals!
Meal 2: leftover chicken veggie stirfry from last night
Snack: fresh strawberries and a handful of almonds
Meal 3: steak and sauteed sunchokes. Steaks were on sale! It was awesome! And I'm getting better about cooking them, which has not historically been my strong suit.
I noticed I did ache a bit today, but it was at the end of the day mostly and I didn't wear my best shoes (another thing about weekends, I can dress up more! But then I don't wear good shoes...). I was also REALLY thirsty. I really need to get back to drinking enough water, but honestly, one thing at a time! Other than that, though, I feel really good. I'm sleeping really well, on the whole- as in apparently there was a GIANT thunderstorm the other night and I never even rolled over-I don't feel bloated or over-full ever, but I also don't feel hungry most of the time. My skin is looking really good, I have lots of energy for the most part (I need to go to bed earlier, but I get busy at night and then it's late before I know it!) And I really don't miss my non-plan foods... much. I am still missing the texture of baked goods, but not enough to really be tempted to stop now! And I can tell my palette is changing. My strawberries this afternoon? Tasted like candy. SO sweet. Fruit is starting to even feel like a treat. Ooh! Maybe I'll juice some oranges tomorrow- a change in drinkables would be awesome!
Ok, ok.
Until next time~
xoxo
If you haven't noticed, I like my routines. And weekends make that more difficult. I have trouble getting enough things done, and as a consequence, my eating suffers a little bit- not much, but just enough.
On the whole, I had a really good day, though! Lots of yummy foods, full (except then I didn't have dinner until like 9:30 so I was super hungry...see what I mean about Saturdays?). I didn't get quite enough done, but, well, you can only do what you can do. I got up this morning and went to go get some new measurements for my summer show. I came home then, and, well... took a nap. A long one. Oh well. I got up, put clothes away in my dresser (yaaaaaay!), took my dog for a nice long walk, then did my meal planning for the week. Made my grocery list, loaded Penelope in the car and went to run some errands. I picked up a few things at Target, a couple things at the JoAnn, and then Penelope and I went into PetSmart. Let me tell you, that dog is SO POPULAR. Everyone wants to pet her and say hi, and she just butters right up to them. She is really getting some manners going now though. We've been working on them really hard. She still pulls really hard if she wants to go visit a dog friend, and she has a tendency to bark occasionally at people (which is really fearsome sounding, so it usually scares them) but progress is being made! After Petsmart, I went into Kroger. I needed 4 things. Unfortunately, one of them was at the pharmacy, and MAN were they slow. Eventually though, we came home, I made some dinner (which was awesome!), put my new prizes away and then shifted my to-do list. Tomorrow is going to be a long day, and I have a feeling Monday will be right on its heels!
So, food log:
Meal 1: 2 hardboiled eggs, banana Part of my food prep tomorrow afternoon is going to be cutting up some fresh veggies to go and I'm going to try some kale chips (I have so much fresh kale right now). I'm hoping that will help me add veggies to quicker meals!
Meal 2: leftover chicken veggie stirfry from last night
Snack: fresh strawberries and a handful of almonds
Meal 3: steak and sauteed sunchokes. Steaks were on sale! It was awesome! And I'm getting better about cooking them, which has not historically been my strong suit.
I noticed I did ache a bit today, but it was at the end of the day mostly and I didn't wear my best shoes (another thing about weekends, I can dress up more! But then I don't wear good shoes...). I was also REALLY thirsty. I really need to get back to drinking enough water, but honestly, one thing at a time! Other than that, though, I feel really good. I'm sleeping really well, on the whole- as in apparently there was a GIANT thunderstorm the other night and I never even rolled over-I don't feel bloated or over-full ever, but I also don't feel hungry most of the time. My skin is looking really good, I have lots of energy for the most part (I need to go to bed earlier, but I get busy at night and then it's late before I know it!) And I really don't miss my non-plan foods... much. I am still missing the texture of baked goods, but not enough to really be tempted to stop now! And I can tell my palette is changing. My strawberries this afternoon? Tasted like candy. SO sweet. Fruit is starting to even feel like a treat. Ooh! Maybe I'll juice some oranges tomorrow- a change in drinkables would be awesome!
Ok, ok.
Until next time~
xoxo
Friday, April 10, 2015
Whole30 Day 10: One third down!
Don't worry, I have more race metaphors. But this was just too good to not announce!One third of the way done already!
Today was so so SO much better than yesterday! My aches are pretty much gone today, or at least much more acceptable levels. I had more energy and a bit more focus- that's something I'm working very hard and trying to be very intentional about.
This evening, I finally got my dresser dealt with and moved! So that's good news- I can get it filled up and get clothes off the floor!
Unfortunately, I didn't get all my steps in, but oh well. I was busy.
Meal log for today:
Meal 1: one egg cup and a little smoothie. The smoothie just didn't taste very good to me today for some reason, so I didn't eat most of it.
Meal 2: Say it with me now! Pork chop and roasted beets with coooooooooleslaw! (One more meal of that and I think I'm getting rid of the slaw )
Meal 3: Went to get my dresser and Dad and I made dinner together! Chicken stirfry: just chicken breasts with some seasoning, carrots, broccoli, sweet peas & mushrooms. It was super tasty and pretty fun to make dinner with my dad-o.
Oh! Two more things:
1: I was really hungry today. Could be a function of not eating enough, cause my meals were kind of small. But all day long, I felt like I could eat. Also I'm really missing the texture of bread products. Nothing is chewy that way.
2: I SWEAR I'm not trying to measure or weigh myself but, I own two pairs of denim capris. One I bought a year ago at my heaviest point (boo) and one I bought several years ago that are much smaller. It was warm today, so I reached for the bigger pair today. They. Were. HUGE. Like, laughably large. So I grabbed the smaller pair and they fit! HA! They're a smidge snug, but not really bad at all, especially as they've loosened up while I'm wearing them. I was pretty excited!
Ok, that's all
Until next time ~
xoxo
Today was so so SO much better than yesterday! My aches are pretty much gone today, or at least much more acceptable levels. I had more energy and a bit more focus- that's something I'm working very hard and trying to be very intentional about.
This evening, I finally got my dresser dealt with and moved! So that's good news- I can get it filled up and get clothes off the floor!
Unfortunately, I didn't get all my steps in, but oh well. I was busy.
Meal log for today:
Meal 1: one egg cup and a little smoothie. The smoothie just didn't taste very good to me today for some reason, so I didn't eat most of it.
Meal 2: Say it with me now! Pork chop and roasted beets with coooooooooleslaw! (One more meal of that and I think I'm getting rid of the slaw )
Meal 3: Went to get my dresser and Dad and I made dinner together! Chicken stirfry: just chicken breasts with some seasoning, carrots, broccoli, sweet peas & mushrooms. It was super tasty and pretty fun to make dinner with my dad-o.
Oh! Two more things:
1: I was really hungry today. Could be a function of not eating enough, cause my meals were kind of small. But all day long, I felt like I could eat. Also I'm really missing the texture of bread products. Nothing is chewy that way.
2: I SWEAR I'm not trying to measure or weigh myself but, I own two pairs of denim capris. One I bought a year ago at my heaviest point (boo) and one I bought several years ago that are much smaller. It was warm today, so I reached for the bigger pair today. They. Were. HUGE. Like, laughably large. So I grabbed the smaller pair and they fit! HA! They're a smidge snug, but not really bad at all, especially as they've loosened up while I'm wearing them. I was pretty excited!
Ok, that's all
Until next time ~
xoxo
Thursday, April 9, 2015
Whole30 Day 9: no brakes
Ironically, that's what Dallas and Melissa call junk food: food with no brakes.
Well, today, I have no brakes. But my food did.
I hurt today. Joints, ankles, knees, hips. Badly. This happens to me sometimes, been happening for years. It's the first day I haven't felt completely awesome on my whole30 journey, and I have to admit, it was a bummer. I feel better now- it's been storming for several days, and I am sure its the pressure changes. I feel better now this evening. Tonight, I suppose I should say.
Other than that, I am tired. That probably has more to do with not getting enough sleep than anything.
Enough blathering tonight!
Today's food intake:
Meal 1: half a green smoothie made of spinach, half a grapefruit, a banana and a handful of strawberries. I forgot my egg cup, which was sad. But I made it to lunch (albeit an early one)
Meal 2: Leftovers from last night's dinner. Barbecue spiced pork chop with roasted beets. Coleslaw. I'm super tired of the slaw, but I really want to finish it, so I keep munching on it.
Meal 3: Big salad! Lettuce, mushrooms, 2 hardboiled eggs, some red onion, a carrot and a red apple. A weird thing happened when I started eating it. I almost never, never get sick to my stomach, but I did tonight. Two bites in and I headed to the bathroom, convinced I was going to throw up. After about 5 minutes, my stomach settled, I went back to my dinner, ate slowly and carefully and felt fine. I must have gotten a bite of something weird or off. Who knows.
It was kind of an off day- between the achy joints, the tiredness and the weird stomach thing- all of which did nothing for my focus.
Ah well, tomorrow is a new day.
Until next time ~
xoxo
Well, today, I have no brakes. But my food did.
I hurt today. Joints, ankles, knees, hips. Badly. This happens to me sometimes, been happening for years. It's the first day I haven't felt completely awesome on my whole30 journey, and I have to admit, it was a bummer. I feel better now- it's been storming for several days, and I am sure its the pressure changes. I feel better now this evening. Tonight, I suppose I should say.
Other than that, I am tired. That probably has more to do with not getting enough sleep than anything.
Enough blathering tonight!
Today's food intake:
Meal 1: half a green smoothie made of spinach, half a grapefruit, a banana and a handful of strawberries. I forgot my egg cup, which was sad. But I made it to lunch (albeit an early one)
Meal 2: Leftovers from last night's dinner. Barbecue spiced pork chop with roasted beets. Coleslaw. I'm super tired of the slaw, but I really want to finish it, so I keep munching on it.
Meal 3: Big salad! Lettuce, mushrooms, 2 hardboiled eggs, some red onion, a carrot and a red apple. A weird thing happened when I started eating it. I almost never, never get sick to my stomach, but I did tonight. Two bites in and I headed to the bathroom, convinced I was going to throw up. After about 5 minutes, my stomach settled, I went back to my dinner, ate slowly and carefully and felt fine. I must have gotten a bite of something weird or off. Who knows.
It was kind of an off day- between the achy joints, the tiredness and the weird stomach thing- all of which did nothing for my focus.
Ah well, tomorrow is a new day.
Until next time ~
xoxo
Wednesday, April 8, 2015
Whole30 Day 8: One Lap down, three to go
I know, I'm sort of mixing some title metaphors. Give me a break, eh?
So... I filled in calendars tonight. My next day off? Memorial Day. Yes, that does include weekends. Woof.
So, that's not totally encouraging...
But! On the plus side, I have a ton of energy right now, I feel good, and I can totally tell my body is changing shape. I'm trying not to put my eggs all in a basket, but seriously, if this keeps up I'll have no desire to go back to any other way of living. Yes, seriously. It isn't that hard and the payoff is incredible so far.
I am noticing my skin is acting a little funny. My face is clear as a bell, but my elbows and the back of my ankles are looking a little... well... patchy. My back (which had a lot of weird patchy, lumpy dry spots on it) seems to be clearing up too. So I'm assuming I'm still oozing some wacky stuff out through my skin and it'll clear itself up.
Digestive issues are still pretty much nil. A tiny bit grumbly, but nothing too bad.
AND I'm just saying... I can totally tell my belly is shrinking. I can see some muscle definition in my thighs again. Just a tiny bit, but its there. Today, I looked at my face and its definitely less round. I know there are a TON of health benefits to this, but its also pretty awesome to see the internal stuff reflected where it's so easy to see.
Anyway, today's food:
Meal 1: one egg cup, half a smoothie (same as yesterday, yah)
Snack: coleslaw (which I'm getting tired of... but you know, I'll just keep eating it till it's gone)
Meal 2: cabbage soup, the last of the potato sunchoke mash
Meal 3: BBQ rubbed porkchop, roasted beets, small salad, banana in almond milk (The pork chop was a recipe out of my frugal cookbook. It was AWESOME. Definitely keeping that recipe. It was super simple- I prepped the spices ahead of time so all I had to do was put them on the meat and pop them in the oven. I got golden beets last week in my box, so I peeled them, chopped them into pieces, toseed some olive oil, salt and a light dusting of red pepper flakes, baked them for a half hour.
AND I MADE ALMOND MILK!! My reward to myself after week one was a nut milk bag. Being allergic to coconut, I can't do coconut milk and store almond milk has soy in it as a preservative, I think. It was super easy to make, but it was super thick. I'll definitely put more water in next time. It was tasty to soak a banana in though!
Bonus: 3 meals worth of porkchop & beet leftovers! Guess what'll be listed as meal 2 tomorrow :). I put the rest of the cabbage soup (4 or so servings) in the freezer for when the upcoming calendar bowls me over. So with 3 meals of porkchops and my fridge exploding with produce, I oughta be able to get through the next several days, no sweat. Might be time for a "no grocery" week. I do that occasionally, and you'd be surprised how well you can go without buying a thing. Anyhow, that's enough for tonight!
Until next time~
xoxo
So... I filled in calendars tonight. My next day off? Memorial Day. Yes, that does include weekends. Woof.
So, that's not totally encouraging...
But! On the plus side, I have a ton of energy right now, I feel good, and I can totally tell my body is changing shape. I'm trying not to put my eggs all in a basket, but seriously, if this keeps up I'll have no desire to go back to any other way of living. Yes, seriously. It isn't that hard and the payoff is incredible so far.
I am noticing my skin is acting a little funny. My face is clear as a bell, but my elbows and the back of my ankles are looking a little... well... patchy. My back (which had a lot of weird patchy, lumpy dry spots on it) seems to be clearing up too. So I'm assuming I'm still oozing some wacky stuff out through my skin and it'll clear itself up.
Digestive issues are still pretty much nil. A tiny bit grumbly, but nothing too bad.
AND I'm just saying... I can totally tell my belly is shrinking. I can see some muscle definition in my thighs again. Just a tiny bit, but its there. Today, I looked at my face and its definitely less round. I know there are a TON of health benefits to this, but its also pretty awesome to see the internal stuff reflected where it's so easy to see.
Anyway, today's food:
Meal 1: one egg cup, half a smoothie (same as yesterday, yah)
Snack: coleslaw (which I'm getting tired of... but you know, I'll just keep eating it till it's gone)
Meal 2: cabbage soup, the last of the potato sunchoke mash
Meal 3: BBQ rubbed porkchop, roasted beets, small salad, banana in almond milk (The pork chop was a recipe out of my frugal cookbook. It was AWESOME. Definitely keeping that recipe. It was super simple- I prepped the spices ahead of time so all I had to do was put them on the meat and pop them in the oven. I got golden beets last week in my box, so I peeled them, chopped them into pieces, toseed some olive oil, salt and a light dusting of red pepper flakes, baked them for a half hour.
AND I MADE ALMOND MILK!! My reward to myself after week one was a nut milk bag. Being allergic to coconut, I can't do coconut milk and store almond milk has soy in it as a preservative, I think. It was super easy to make, but it was super thick. I'll definitely put more water in next time. It was tasty to soak a banana in though!
Bonus: 3 meals worth of porkchop & beet leftovers! Guess what'll be listed as meal 2 tomorrow :). I put the rest of the cabbage soup (4 or so servings) in the freezer for when the upcoming calendar bowls me over. So with 3 meals of porkchops and my fridge exploding with produce, I oughta be able to get through the next several days, no sweat. Might be time for a "no grocery" week. I do that occasionally, and you'd be surprised how well you can go without buying a thing. Anyhow, that's enough for tonight!
Until next time~
xoxo
Tuesday, April 7, 2015
Whole30 Day 7: Follow the pace car
Hi friends!
It was a really pretty great day. Steady-type busy at work, then a whirlwind evening. Penelope and I went to the park and walked around (potentially wrecking a pair of my shoes, but oh well.)
We're headed into week two already! Woo! Today I could tell boredom was starting to set in. Like, great, got it, eat healthy... I'm not really craving, I'm just bored with food. That means, I'm sure, that it's time to spice it up somehow, so I'll work on that! I'm really afraid that forgetting about my whole30 will wreck it. So far, though, so good.
An interesting thing happened this evening. I got some good news, and immediately, I wanted to celebrate... with food. A milkshake, an order of breadsticks, some Arby's curly fries. And that got me wondering... why is that? My family never did a lot of that growing up. I was always jealous of my friends who got to go out for ice cream after every concert, sports game and sometimes just because. We didn't eat out much at all, and very, very, VERY rarely went somewhere for dessert. So it wasn't there. But somewhere along the line, I learned that a celebration means a treat, which means food. Interesting. I'm going to try to save the well deserved treat and come up with something small and non-food. I did buy myself a small reward for making it through Week One: A nut milk bag. I'm soaking some almonds right now, so they'll be ready tomorrow evening- I'm very curious. Since I'm allergic to coconuts, being able to add almond milk back in will give me a lot of options to play with!
I had trouble getting to sleep last night, so I was tired today, but otherwise, felt pretty good. Only a small amount of soreness and aches, relatively good, solid energy levels, good mood. Here's the food log:
Meal One: Half a green smoothie made of kale, mango & banana, one egg quiche cup
Meal Two: Leftover turkey, sunchoke and potato mash, coleslaw
Meal Three: bowl of hamburger-cabbage soup, handful almonds
Reward snack: 6 or seven fresh strawberries
You know what else I'm noticing? I'm not eating as much. I used to eat breakfast, then need a 10:00 snack, eat lunch, need a 2:00 snack, eat dinner (or a 5:00 snack), and munch on something before bed. But now I'm only eating small, healthy meals and I'm not hungry in between (too much). I'm getting behind on my CSA, in fact, so I definitely need to get some things cooked up and frozen this weekend. I also want to cook up a pound or so of some meat so I can use it as a salad topping- help me eat those vegetables up!
Until next time~
xoxox
It was a really pretty great day. Steady-type busy at work, then a whirlwind evening. Penelope and I went to the park and walked around (potentially wrecking a pair of my shoes, but oh well.)
We're headed into week two already! Woo! Today I could tell boredom was starting to set in. Like, great, got it, eat healthy... I'm not really craving, I'm just bored with food. That means, I'm sure, that it's time to spice it up somehow, so I'll work on that! I'm really afraid that forgetting about my whole30 will wreck it. So far, though, so good.
An interesting thing happened this evening. I got some good news, and immediately, I wanted to celebrate... with food. A milkshake, an order of breadsticks, some Arby's curly fries. And that got me wondering... why is that? My family never did a lot of that growing up. I was always jealous of my friends who got to go out for ice cream after every concert, sports game and sometimes just because. We didn't eat out much at all, and very, very, VERY rarely went somewhere for dessert. So it wasn't there. But somewhere along the line, I learned that a celebration means a treat, which means food. Interesting. I'm going to try to save the well deserved treat and come up with something small and non-food. I did buy myself a small reward for making it through Week One: A nut milk bag. I'm soaking some almonds right now, so they'll be ready tomorrow evening- I'm very curious. Since I'm allergic to coconuts, being able to add almond milk back in will give me a lot of options to play with!
I had trouble getting to sleep last night, so I was tired today, but otherwise, felt pretty good. Only a small amount of soreness and aches, relatively good, solid energy levels, good mood. Here's the food log:
Meal One: Half a green smoothie made of kale, mango & banana, one egg quiche cup
Meal Two: Leftover turkey, sunchoke and potato mash, coleslaw
Meal Three: bowl of hamburger-cabbage soup, handful almonds
Reward snack: 6 or seven fresh strawberries
You know what else I'm noticing? I'm not eating as much. I used to eat breakfast, then need a 10:00 snack, eat lunch, need a 2:00 snack, eat dinner (or a 5:00 snack), and munch on something before bed. But now I'm only eating small, healthy meals and I'm not hungry in between (too much). I'm getting behind on my CSA, in fact, so I definitely need to get some things cooked up and frozen this weekend. I also want to cook up a pound or so of some meat so I can use it as a salad topping- help me eat those vegetables up!
Until next time~
xoxox
Monday, April 6, 2015
Whole30 day 6: Don't get lapped!
Whew. Y'all, I'm tired tonight! Not like, no energy tired, just its-been-a-long-day tired. Mondays always seem long, don't they? It was a 7250 step day at work, so that would have been about enough, but I still went to the grocery and the pet store, came home, walked le pooch, worked out, warmed up some dinner (see below), did about a half hour's worth of work, made cabbage soup (way, way tastier than it sounds!), made new prosciutto quiches, showered waxed my eyebrows, endured a terrifying minute when I thought I'd broken my microwave, blow-dryed my hair... and now it's blog writing time.
I'm wondering if my hormones will ever adjust to the point that I feel rested in the morning. Every morning it's a knock- down drag me out of bed fight. In "It Starts With Food" Dallas and Melissa assert that changing your hormones (by way of food) will change that- so far, no different if you ask me.
Other than that, i feel pretty good. Plenty of energy, and I'm pretty focused, too. I'm working hard on my focus at work, and it seems to be pretty good right now. My joints also seem to be easing up. A lot of you know that I suffer from lots of joint pain- but today, even with all of the rain, I really felt pretty good.
But today, for just about the first time, really, a craving struck. Just before lunchtime, I managed to think about pizza. I adore pizza. Pizza is everything junk food should be: greasy-cheesy-doughy-gooet-sociable-good-for-any-meal-with-pretty-much-anything-on-it food. It wasn't all that bad, but I did have to stop myself from thinking about ways to make technically approved pizza. While I'm sure I could come up with something sort of approximating pizza, I'm also sure it would be unsatisfying at best, and defeat the point of the whole30 experiment. After work , at the grocery, I was starting to get fairly hungry, and boy oh boy did jerky sound good! I even looked at a couple packages. SO FULL OF PRESERVATIVES. I put them back and staunchly ignored the chocolate bars.
On the other hand, I'm almost wondering if I'm doing something wrong. It seems so much easier than I thought it would be. I'm not cranky, I have no carb-flu, the cravings are light-moderate AT WORST, and really, I'm not missing any of the foods I'm not eating too badly. I wish I could have crackers or something for the crunch mostly- it's different from a veggie crunch. BUt I'm not too upset about any of it. It feels like this should be more difficult, doesn't it? This first week is ssupposed to be the hardest part...?
Oh well, definitely not complaining. Here's the food log:
Meal 1: Half of the smoothie from yesterday (kale, orange, grapefruit, mango), and one egg cup
Meal 2: Leftovers consisting of the last pork patty, cabbage steak and a few roasted sunchokes, and a small scoop of yesterday's coleslaw. A few strawberries.
snack: 3 baby carrots from the sample stand at the grocery
Meal 3: leftovers from yesterday, consisting of turkey breast meat, leftover sunchoke mash and a small salad with lettuce, mushrooms and a serving of pitted green olives
Is it against the rules to calorie count? I can't remember. I'll look it up and let you know, but
until next time~
xoxoxo
I'm wondering if my hormones will ever adjust to the point that I feel rested in the morning. Every morning it's a knock- down drag me out of bed fight. In "It Starts With Food" Dallas and Melissa assert that changing your hormones (by way of food) will change that- so far, no different if you ask me.
Other than that, i feel pretty good. Plenty of energy, and I'm pretty focused, too. I'm working hard on my focus at work, and it seems to be pretty good right now. My joints also seem to be easing up. A lot of you know that I suffer from lots of joint pain- but today, even with all of the rain, I really felt pretty good.
But today, for just about the first time, really, a craving struck. Just before lunchtime, I managed to think about pizza. I adore pizza. Pizza is everything junk food should be: greasy-cheesy-doughy-gooet-sociable-good-for-any-meal-with-pretty-much-anything-on-it food. It wasn't all that bad, but I did have to stop myself from thinking about ways to make technically approved pizza. While I'm sure I could come up with something sort of approximating pizza, I'm also sure it would be unsatisfying at best, and defeat the point of the whole30 experiment. After work , at the grocery, I was starting to get fairly hungry, and boy oh boy did jerky sound good! I even looked at a couple packages. SO FULL OF PRESERVATIVES. I put them back and staunchly ignored the chocolate bars.
On the other hand, I'm almost wondering if I'm doing something wrong. It seems so much easier than I thought it would be. I'm not cranky, I have no carb-flu, the cravings are light-moderate AT WORST, and really, I'm not missing any of the foods I'm not eating too badly. I wish I could have crackers or something for the crunch mostly- it's different from a veggie crunch. BUt I'm not too upset about any of it. It feels like this should be more difficult, doesn't it? This first week is ssupposed to be the hardest part...?
Oh well, definitely not complaining. Here's the food log:
Meal 1: Half of the smoothie from yesterday (kale, orange, grapefruit, mango), and one egg cup
Meal 2: Leftovers consisting of the last pork patty, cabbage steak and a few roasted sunchokes, and a small scoop of yesterday's coleslaw. A few strawberries.
snack: 3 baby carrots from the sample stand at the grocery
Meal 3: leftovers from yesterday, consisting of turkey breast meat, leftover sunchoke mash and a small salad with lettuce, mushrooms and a serving of pitted green olives
Is it against the rules to calorie count? I can't remember. I'll look it up and let you know, but
until next time~
xoxoxo
Sunday, April 5, 2015
Whole30 Day 5: Swerve!
Hi, y'all! And Happy Easter! I hope you all had wonderful days, whatever that means to you. I sure did! Slept in a little, walked along the river, lots of cooking, lunch with family, then a nice long, long walk on the river, some cleaning... a lovely, simple day.
Today was my toughest day so far, which isn't surprising. Although my family has been awesome about being supportive with this process, there were plenty of temptations today. Ham, Angel Food Cake (which is a personal favorite!), Au Gratin Potatoes... But I am pleased to report that not a single bite of it made it in my mouth. I had a lovely lunch and all on plan! Woo!
Still didn't sleep well last night, but I realized about 3 am that the humidifier was dead. Today I made sure I got all my 10,000 steps in, my humidifier is full, and it's my normal bed time so hopefully that will solve that problem!
I also noticed some pretty significant digestive distress in the early evening. I think this can be blamed on too many carrots and then, really, WAY too many fresh strawberries. They're just so freaking tasty.
Anyway, food log:
Breakfast: about half of a green smoothie made of kale, an orange, half a grapefruit and a banana. (I know, smoothies aren't our favorite option, but oh well :))
Easter dinner (about 2:00 pm): Roasted turkey, lettuce salad with carrots and broccoli, dressed with rosemary infused olive oil, some home made coleslaw made by yours truly, so I know it was clean- and VERY tasty!! Roasted asparagus, sunchoke &potato mash (again by me!). We gnoshed on fresh veggies, olives and dill pickles for a while before lunch, and I had a lot of fresh strawberries for dessert.
All in all, the only reason I felt slightly (and I do mean only a tiny bit!) unsatisfied today was because there were other delicious options available to me if I chose to eat them. The ham was especially difficult to turn down. I mean, I ADORE angel food cake and ice cream, but it's easier to give up dessert. That ham, though- especially how it smelled! That was rather an act of will. But we made it through, AND I have leftovers to eat for part of the week!
Until next time~
xoxo
Today was my toughest day so far, which isn't surprising. Although my family has been awesome about being supportive with this process, there were plenty of temptations today. Ham, Angel Food Cake (which is a personal favorite!), Au Gratin Potatoes... But I am pleased to report that not a single bite of it made it in my mouth. I had a lovely lunch and all on plan! Woo!
Still didn't sleep well last night, but I realized about 3 am that the humidifier was dead. Today I made sure I got all my 10,000 steps in, my humidifier is full, and it's my normal bed time so hopefully that will solve that problem!
I also noticed some pretty significant digestive distress in the early evening. I think this can be blamed on too many carrots and then, really, WAY too many fresh strawberries. They're just so freaking tasty.
Anyway, food log:
Breakfast: about half of a green smoothie made of kale, an orange, half a grapefruit and a banana. (I know, smoothies aren't our favorite option, but oh well :))
Easter dinner (about 2:00 pm): Roasted turkey, lettuce salad with carrots and broccoli, dressed with rosemary infused olive oil, some home made coleslaw made by yours truly, so I know it was clean- and VERY tasty!! Roasted asparagus, sunchoke &potato mash (again by me!). We gnoshed on fresh veggies, olives and dill pickles for a while before lunch, and I had a lot of fresh strawberries for dessert.
All in all, the only reason I felt slightly (and I do mean only a tiny bit!) unsatisfied today was because there were other delicious options available to me if I chose to eat them. The ham was especially difficult to turn down. I mean, I ADORE angel food cake and ice cream, but it's easier to give up dessert. That ham, though- especially how it smelled! That was rather an act of will. But we made it through, AND I have leftovers to eat for part of the week!
Until next time~
xoxo
Saturday, April 4, 2015
Whole30 day 4: Corner one
Welcome back! I had another great day today! Plenty of food, plenty of energy (for the most part, as we'll see), and another day in a pretty fantastic mood. So! Let's see:
I will say, I slept pretty poorly last night. In fact, I dreamed that I forgot I was on my Whole30, and THAT I FORGOT ABOUT IT, so I bought myself a strawberry milkshake. My mom made a comment about it, and then I remembered. Dream Charis was FURIOUS. I woke up angry and had to remind myself that I hadn't actually drank it. So while I don't really think that counts as a craving, it was amusing. Other than that, yes, I slept pretty poorly, which is probably due to so much sleeping yesterday morning. But I got up this morning, walked Penelope, got around and left and went up to a rehearsal. I ate breakfast when I got up there, sat in meetings and measurements for 5 hours, came home, grabbed lunch, laundry and Penelope and went out to Mom's. We did some easter egg dyeing, and then my bad night's sleep caught up with me. I didn't really sleep that long, but man laying there quietly was nice. Then, this evening, I had dinner with my dad and brother, came home, put away laundry, put clean sheets on my bed and climbed in.
So today's food log:
Meal one: 2 egg prosciutto veggie quiches, orange. you know, the egg cups are tasty, really, they are! But I'm gonna need to find something other than eggs, I think. At some point soon-ish.
Meal 2: leftover pork patty, 2 hardboiled eggs, large serving baby carrots. This was more spread out than it probably "should" have been, but it was a busy day! Oh well.
Meal 3: Dad, Levi and I went to Bob Evans. This turned out to be pretty easy (terrible service aside). I ordered the choice sirloin, which comes with mushrooms and onions (and says it comes with melted cheese, but of course I ordered it without that!), steamed broccoli and a plain baked sweet potato. I will say, never been a super huge fan of sweet potato (except as a delicious fry!) but this one tasted great! Somehow I doubt it was Bob's... tastebuds starting to shift? Anyway, the hardest part was turning down the delicious bread that comes with dinner at Bob's, but I managed it, and made sure I got no butter, brown sugar, etc. It was tasty!
Also, I feel skinny. Like my body is already less bloated, etc. I suppose its possible, although I'm sure part of it is psychological too :)
I am noticing though that my fingernails are in pretty bad shape right now. Who knows, but they were peeling really badly until I gave them some attention tonight. Again, I find it pretty unlikely that the tips of my fingernails could be affected already, but I'm just trying to take note of things I'm noticing as I notice them.
Until next time ~
xoxo
I will say, I slept pretty poorly last night. In fact, I dreamed that I forgot I was on my Whole30, and THAT I FORGOT ABOUT IT, so I bought myself a strawberry milkshake. My mom made a comment about it, and then I remembered. Dream Charis was FURIOUS. I woke up angry and had to remind myself that I hadn't actually drank it. So while I don't really think that counts as a craving, it was amusing. Other than that, yes, I slept pretty poorly, which is probably due to so much sleeping yesterday morning. But I got up this morning, walked Penelope, got around and left and went up to a rehearsal. I ate breakfast when I got up there, sat in meetings and measurements for 5 hours, came home, grabbed lunch, laundry and Penelope and went out to Mom's. We did some easter egg dyeing, and then my bad night's sleep caught up with me. I didn't really sleep that long, but man laying there quietly was nice. Then, this evening, I had dinner with my dad and brother, came home, put away laundry, put clean sheets on my bed and climbed in.
So today's food log:
Meal one: 2 egg prosciutto veggie quiches, orange. you know, the egg cups are tasty, really, they are! But I'm gonna need to find something other than eggs, I think. At some point soon-ish.
Meal 2: leftover pork patty, 2 hardboiled eggs, large serving baby carrots. This was more spread out than it probably "should" have been, but it was a busy day! Oh well.
Meal 3: Dad, Levi and I went to Bob Evans. This turned out to be pretty easy (terrible service aside). I ordered the choice sirloin, which comes with mushrooms and onions (and says it comes with melted cheese, but of course I ordered it without that!), steamed broccoli and a plain baked sweet potato. I will say, never been a super huge fan of sweet potato (except as a delicious fry!) but this one tasted great! Somehow I doubt it was Bob's... tastebuds starting to shift? Anyway, the hardest part was turning down the delicious bread that comes with dinner at Bob's, but I managed it, and made sure I got no butter, brown sugar, etc. It was tasty!
Also, I feel skinny. Like my body is already less bloated, etc. I suppose its possible, although I'm sure part of it is psychological too :)
I am noticing though that my fingernails are in pretty bad shape right now. Who knows, but they were peeling really badly until I gave them some attention tonight. Again, I find it pretty unlikely that the tips of my fingernails could be affected already, but I'm just trying to take note of things I'm noticing as I notice them.
Until next time ~
xoxo
Friday, April 3, 2015
Whole30 Day 3: Heading into the first turn
Well, here we are again, another successful day of my Whole30! Today, I had a MUCH longed for day off work. And not only off work, but I did a minimum of freelance work. I haven't had a complete day off in months- early February? Late January? Anywho, I at least got the entire morning with absolutely no work, which was great. I slept.
Penelope woke me up about 8:30, and when we came home from our walk, I grabbed breakfast, and when I was done with it, I went back to bed and slept until 11:30. I made some lists, did the stack of dishes, cleaned up my apartment, and then sat down and did a small amount of work. I then left the house, Penelope in tow, and drove to see my brand spanking new almost-niece! She is simply beautiful, and her momma is doing great. Love it that such wonderful things are happening to my friends! Then I went and had family dinner tonight with my mom and her beau, my aunt and my grandmother. My aunt cooked, and they were so so sweet and supportive about this! My aunt very carefully cooked things so that I had plenty to eat, and it was all SO delicious.
I'm still in a really great mood- no crankiness at all, and I have pretty good energy. I mean, I slept most of the morning, but I think that had more to do with pushing myself too hard than with food. In short, everything seems pretty great right now. I did, this afternoon, kind of wish for a snack of some kind, but I dismissed it quickly, without much thought. Yay!
Here's today's food log:
Meal 1: Leftover pork patty and banana. Not a great combination. I think the pork made the banana taste a little weird. And I probably should have had some veggies with it, but I just couldn't stomach salad at 9:00 am. I should have roasted some sunchokes or something, but well, I didn't. Oh well.
Snack: Handful of almonds
Meal 2: Since I slept so long, I didn't really find myself hungry at meal time. So when I got to the hospital about three, I ate 2 hard boiled eggs and a baggie of strawberries. Again, should have had veggies, but didn't have anything prepped. Need to make that happen for this next week when I prepare for the work week.
Meal 3: Baked porkchop with roasted butternut squash, spinach salad with sunflower seeds, red onion, apple & olive oil and lemon juice dressing. Cut up strawberries, blueberries and pineapple for dessert. This was SO tasty!! I need to get a broiler pan, what a great substitute for some things since I don't have access to a grill. And I'm not usually a huge fan of squash, but this was DELICIOUS! A little goes a long way, in my opinion, so one serving was exactly the right amount. The Sunflower seeds I wasn't totally sure about, but decided they were probably safe, and I ate around a lot of them as I don't much care for the flavor anyway.
All in all, another great day. You know, the best part about this is that I can eat as much of anything as I want, as long as it's compliant. I was just telling a friend today that I really CANNOT count calories or points, or whatever, but this, I just eat until I'm full, which happens quickly because I'm not stuffed full of crap. AND best of all, I stay full for several hours. I'm telling you, this better get hard or I'm really not going to see why people think it is so difficult to get through!
until next time~
xoxox
Penelope woke me up about 8:30, and when we came home from our walk, I grabbed breakfast, and when I was done with it, I went back to bed and slept until 11:30. I made some lists, did the stack of dishes, cleaned up my apartment, and then sat down and did a small amount of work. I then left the house, Penelope in tow, and drove to see my brand spanking new almost-niece! She is simply beautiful, and her momma is doing great. Love it that such wonderful things are happening to my friends! Then I went and had family dinner tonight with my mom and her beau, my aunt and my grandmother. My aunt cooked, and they were so so sweet and supportive about this! My aunt very carefully cooked things so that I had plenty to eat, and it was all SO delicious.
I'm still in a really great mood- no crankiness at all, and I have pretty good energy. I mean, I slept most of the morning, but I think that had more to do with pushing myself too hard than with food. In short, everything seems pretty great right now. I did, this afternoon, kind of wish for a snack of some kind, but I dismissed it quickly, without much thought. Yay!
Here's today's food log:
Meal 1: Leftover pork patty and banana. Not a great combination. I think the pork made the banana taste a little weird. And I probably should have had some veggies with it, but I just couldn't stomach salad at 9:00 am. I should have roasted some sunchokes or something, but well, I didn't. Oh well.
Snack: Handful of almonds
Meal 2: Since I slept so long, I didn't really find myself hungry at meal time. So when I got to the hospital about three, I ate 2 hard boiled eggs and a baggie of strawberries. Again, should have had veggies, but didn't have anything prepped. Need to make that happen for this next week when I prepare for the work week.
Meal 3: Baked porkchop with roasted butternut squash, spinach salad with sunflower seeds, red onion, apple & olive oil and lemon juice dressing. Cut up strawberries, blueberries and pineapple for dessert. This was SO tasty!! I need to get a broiler pan, what a great substitute for some things since I don't have access to a grill. And I'm not usually a huge fan of squash, but this was DELICIOUS! A little goes a long way, in my opinion, so one serving was exactly the right amount. The Sunflower seeds I wasn't totally sure about, but decided they were probably safe, and I ate around a lot of them as I don't much care for the flavor anyway.
All in all, another great day. You know, the best part about this is that I can eat as much of anything as I want, as long as it's compliant. I was just telling a friend today that I really CANNOT count calories or points, or whatever, but this, I just eat until I'm full, which happens quickly because I'm not stuffed full of crap. AND best of all, I stay full for several hours. I'm telling you, this better get hard or I'm really not going to see why people think it is so difficult to get through!
until next time~
xoxox
Thursday, April 2, 2015
Whole30 Day 2: And we're off!
I wonder how long I can keep up the race metaphors...?
A few days more, at least.
Another successful day! Today, I got to prepare everything I ate myself, which, I have to admit, was kind of a relief. I mean, I'm sure my "unwhich" was complaint yesterday, but well, call me a control freak, I like to know.
I feel good, very good. It was another RIDICULOUSLY busy day at work, but I had plenty of energy, I wasn't overly hungry, and I was in a relatively good mood. I am noticing some... uh, digestive irregularity, but not discomfort. And honestly, at this early in the game, that could be pretty much anything still.
Also, I'm dreaming a LOT this week, and very vividly too. I have no idea if that's tied to my food, but if it is, I could do without it, honestly.
Anyway, here's what I ate today:
Meal 1: 2 prosciutto-egg-veggie quiches
Meal 2: half a chicken breast with roasted sunchokes, half a grapefruit. See the note below about sunchokes! The grapefruit I was worried about. I love grapefruit, but I usually douse mine in sugar because they're so tart. However, it really wasn't bad!I have one left in my fridge, so I'm looking forward to it now as a potential breakfast add on.
Meal 3: ground pork slider on a baked cabbage steak with oven roasted sunchokes. This was very tasty. I'm telling you, these sunchokes are awesome! They're so good roasted. The pork slider is a recipe from my new cookbook- she serves them with a great looking pineapple relish, but I didn't want to buy a bunch MORE produce when I already get a bunch in my CSA. However, I would love to try the relish at some point- it sounds absolutely awesome! But the pork patty was good on it's own, and very easy. Best of all, it makes 4, so now I have a lot of left over protein servings! The cabbage steak needs a little bit of tweaking. It was good, but kind of bland. A little lemon juice and some salt worked wonders, but I think if I make these again, I'll try to come up with some kind of compliant sauce or marinade type thingy that I can cook them in, other than olive oil which I could still taste as I was eating it.
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I know it's not a very good photo- maybe this challenge will help me with some of my blogging skills too-, but that's what dinner looked like! I didn't even miss the bun.
Today's toughest moment was this afternoon, about an hour and a half after meal 2. Like I said, it was crazy at work, so my boss asked me to run and get lunch for her and one of my coworkers, who is (very) pregnant. I, of course, agreed- everyone knows you don't get in between a pregnant lady and her food- so, boss's credit card in one hand and a list in the other, I went to Wendy's. The whole way there, I thought to myself, "there has to be SOMETHING I can eat!" And probably, I could eat a baked potato, or a side salad with no dressing. But what I wanted was french fries and a chocolate frosty.
Especially after they put both of those items into my car and I drove back to work with the smell of fresh salty fries filling up my car.
BUT! I didn't eat a single one. No fries, no taste of frosty, no nothing, just a big ole drink of water when I got back to work. Whew!
Oh, and about sunchokes: they're also known as Jerusalem Artichokes, but they aren't part of the artichoke family. They're a root vegetable! The above ground plant apparently looks like a sunflower, which is where they get their name. The vegetable itself looks like a less knobby ginger root. The flesh inside is white, kind of like a more vegetable-y potato. You can eat them raw, but my preference is to roast them. They're sweet , kind of like carrots or sweet potatoes! I've gotten a ton of them in my CSA boxes, so be prepared to hear about them now and then.
Till next time-
xoxo
A few days more, at least.
Another successful day! Today, I got to prepare everything I ate myself, which, I have to admit, was kind of a relief. I mean, I'm sure my "unwhich" was complaint yesterday, but well, call me a control freak, I like to know.
I feel good, very good. It was another RIDICULOUSLY busy day at work, but I had plenty of energy, I wasn't overly hungry, and I was in a relatively good mood. I am noticing some... uh, digestive irregularity, but not discomfort. And honestly, at this early in the game, that could be pretty much anything still.
Also, I'm dreaming a LOT this week, and very vividly too. I have no idea if that's tied to my food, but if it is, I could do without it, honestly.
Anyway, here's what I ate today:
Meal 1: 2 prosciutto-egg-veggie quiches
Meal 2: half a chicken breast with roasted sunchokes, half a grapefruit. See the note below about sunchokes! The grapefruit I was worried about. I love grapefruit, but I usually douse mine in sugar because they're so tart. However, it really wasn't bad!I have one left in my fridge, so I'm looking forward to it now as a potential breakfast add on.
Meal 3: ground pork slider on a baked cabbage steak with oven roasted sunchokes. This was very tasty. I'm telling you, these sunchokes are awesome! They're so good roasted. The pork slider is a recipe from my new cookbook- she serves them with a great looking pineapple relish, but I didn't want to buy a bunch MORE produce when I already get a bunch in my CSA. However, I would love to try the relish at some point- it sounds absolutely awesome! But the pork patty was good on it's own, and very easy. Best of all, it makes 4, so now I have a lot of left over protein servings! The cabbage steak needs a little bit of tweaking. It was good, but kind of bland. A little lemon juice and some salt worked wonders, but I think if I make these again, I'll try to come up with some kind of compliant sauce or marinade type thingy that I can cook them in, other than olive oil which I could still taste as I was eating it.
I know it's not a very good photo- maybe this challenge will help me with some of my blogging skills too-, but that's what dinner looked like! I didn't even miss the bun.
Today's toughest moment was this afternoon, about an hour and a half after meal 2. Like I said, it was crazy at work, so my boss asked me to run and get lunch for her and one of my coworkers, who is (very) pregnant. I, of course, agreed- everyone knows you don't get in between a pregnant lady and her food- so, boss's credit card in one hand and a list in the other, I went to Wendy's. The whole way there, I thought to myself, "there has to be SOMETHING I can eat!" And probably, I could eat a baked potato, or a side salad with no dressing. But what I wanted was french fries and a chocolate frosty.
Especially after they put both of those items into my car and I drove back to work with the smell of fresh salty fries filling up my car.
BUT! I didn't eat a single one. No fries, no taste of frosty, no nothing, just a big ole drink of water when I got back to work. Whew!
Oh, and about sunchokes: they're also known as Jerusalem Artichokes, but they aren't part of the artichoke family. They're a root vegetable! The above ground plant apparently looks like a sunflower, which is where they get their name. The vegetable itself looks like a less knobby ginger root. The flesh inside is white, kind of like a more vegetable-y potato. You can eat them raw, but my preference is to roast them. They're sweet , kind of like carrots or sweet potatoes! I've gotten a ton of them in my CSA boxes, so be prepared to hear about them now and then.
Till next time-
xoxo
Wednesday, April 1, 2015
Whole30 Day one: GO!
Well, I think it is safe to say I made it. I feel pretty good, had plenty of energy, and I wasn't even very hungry!
Today's meals:
Meal 1: 2 muffin sized quiches with prosciutto, spinach, mushrooms, egg, olives and cherry tomatoes
morning snack: banana ( I know it says not to eat fruit alone, but, well, I wasn't hungry for more.)
Meal 2: salad with two different lettuces, half an avocado, mushrooms, lemon juice 2 hardboiled eggs with a little lemon juice squeezed on top, a few strawberries.
Meal 3: This is where it got tricky. I ended up having to work until after 7, and my co workers (and I) were very hungry. So we ordered Jimmy Johns. Here's what I got. A vegetarian unwhich (lettuce wrap) with: avocado spread, tomato, cucumber, onion and bean sprouts. Also a pickle. I wanted meat for protein pretty badly, but I've already learned that deli meats come with a LOT of forbidden additives- everything from sugar to carageenan to MSG to who knows what else. So I opted for no meat. Although it was a bit like (another) salad, it was tasty. But it wasn't super filling. And so...
Meal 4: Since I didn't cook "dinner" tonight (my primary source of lunches because I don't halve recipes) I needed something to take for tomorrow- and after two salads today I was ready to skip on that tomorrow. So I baked a large chicken breast and cut up 3-4 sunchokes to roast. I ate about half of that this evening after my walk with Penelope (my furbaby) and the two sets of bodyweight exercises.
Honestly, I kind of forgot a few times that I had started today. I didn't crave anything, or feel weird, or have digestive issues. I'm pretty achy today, but it is supposed to rain tomorrow, so that's not surprising. All in all, I had a nice (if very busy) day at work, and I felt like my body was fueled and up for it. Success!!
Today's meals:
Meal 1: 2 muffin sized quiches with prosciutto, spinach, mushrooms, egg, olives and cherry tomatoes
morning snack: banana ( I know it says not to eat fruit alone, but, well, I wasn't hungry for more.)
Meal 2: salad with two different lettuces, half an avocado, mushrooms, lemon juice 2 hardboiled eggs with a little lemon juice squeezed on top, a few strawberries.
Meal 3: This is where it got tricky. I ended up having to work until after 7, and my co workers (and I) were very hungry. So we ordered Jimmy Johns. Here's what I got. A vegetarian unwhich (lettuce wrap) with: avocado spread, tomato, cucumber, onion and bean sprouts. Also a pickle. I wanted meat for protein pretty badly, but I've already learned that deli meats come with a LOT of forbidden additives- everything from sugar to carageenan to MSG to who knows what else. So I opted for no meat. Although it was a bit like (another) salad, it was tasty. But it wasn't super filling. And so...
Meal 4: Since I didn't cook "dinner" tonight (my primary source of lunches because I don't halve recipes) I needed something to take for tomorrow- and after two salads today I was ready to skip on that tomorrow. So I baked a large chicken breast and cut up 3-4 sunchokes to roast. I ate about half of that this evening after my walk with Penelope (my furbaby) and the two sets of bodyweight exercises.
Honestly, I kind of forgot a few times that I had started today. I didn't crave anything, or feel weird, or have digestive issues. I'm pretty achy today, but it is supposed to rain tomorrow, so that's not surprising. All in all, I had a nice (if very busy) day at work, and I felt like my body was fueled and up for it. Success!!
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