Whole30- Day 6

If you're not quite bored with reading about what I'm eating everyday, then by all means, keep reading! If you just want some new recipes for goodness sake, come back in 23 days.

I went to bed late (for me), around 11:15 so I was surprised to find myself awake and raring to go at 5:30. But I popped right out of bed, got some work done on our church's new website (coming soon!!!!) and then made breakfast.

Breakfast- fried eggs in a combination of olive oil and coconut oil. I went very light on the coconut oil and was pleased with the results.

It was family zoo day so I was curious to see how my new eating habits (and the early wake up call) would affect my energy level while pushing kids up and down some of the largest hills in Oklahoma (I joke) in 85 degree weather. I brought cheese sticks for them and almonds and baby oranges for me.

Fun fact- eating healthfully for 6 days is not enough to make 10+ years of exercise-free life go away.

We went to Chipotle for lunch, which is a far better choice than the usual McDonald's we eat after a zoo trip. They just "happened" to build a McDonald's right by the zoo exit, before you get on the highway. I went with the carnitas salad again but made the mistake of getting hot salsa instead of medium.

Fun fact- their hot salsa is hot.

When we got home, I may have fallen asleep in my living room floor. That may have happened. So maybe we'll try a zoo day again on Day 24 or something and I'll see if I fare any better. When I woke up I did enjoy another banana split. Those are a winner.

I was really looking forward to spaghetti for dinner. I was looking forward to this dinner when I was longing for a cheeseburger the other night. So I was beyond disappointed when I undercooked and under-seasoned my veggies and didn't have my usual spices or herbs on-hand for the sauce. Nothing had flavor. But it was filling. So there's that.

Whole30- Day 5

Day 5!
1/6 of the way there, folks!

Breakfast this morning was coffee with coconut cream and green eggs and bacon. I wanted to add veggies to breakfast but really had to choke these down. Kale chips are one thing, sauteed kale is another kind of beast.

My nephews' joint birthday party is today, and once again I've been recruited to make cupcakes. Temptation at its finest. I survived the baking, but can I resist temptation at the party? (I predict that I can.)

I made myself a sweet potato hash brown for lunch which was so delicious I almost cried. Not really, but it was delicious. I predict that I will make those at some point most days of the week. They'd be perfect topped with a fried egg for breakfast. It was perfect for lunch with chicken and green beans. It will make a perfect bed for meat and veggies at dinner. I.love.the.sweet.potato.hash.brown.

I had some almonds and baby oranges (clementines, to you) before the birthday party and told myself to bring food with me. I forgot. So we got to the pool and swam for a bit and then it was pizza time. Pizza and cupcakes, to be exact. I simply didn't eat so by the time we left I was hungry. Not ravenous, (is this a good sign that my blood sugar is holding steady throughout the day?) but definitely hungry. It was almost 8:00 after all. So I warmed up another bowl of soup, added chicken and was...very unsatisfied. I really wanted a burger. A big, fat, double cheeseburger, to be exact. Instead I thought maybe a little something sweet would satisfy. And oh, I was right.

Banana Split with Coconut Cream

1 banana
1/4 cup coconut cream
sprinkle of cinnamon
handful of dry roasted almonds

Whole30- Day 4

Keri's Coconut Cream was a success for two reasons- it added a bit of sweetness and creaminess to my coffee, and, perhaps even better, my kids didn't like it so they didn't drink the majority of MY COFFEE. Thanks, Ker! I scrambled some eggs for myself and my daughter, and was already scheming what I'd make for lunch with all my goodies from the store.

More than anything else (well, besides cheese), I miss crunch. I miss toast with my eggs and a plate of nachos for lunch (mmm...nachos...). Besides almonds and cashews, I'm not getting much crunch these days. Enter, the lettuce wrap.

 

I'm trying to work out the acronym here, but it was a "California" (isn't that what you call anything when you add avocado? Who decided that?) B.L.T. with Chicken. (B.L.A.C.T.??) Call it what you like, it was delicious. Leftover chicken is a God-send. 

I grabbed almonds and an apple for the car ride to church and wasn't even remotely hungry until dinner, around 7:15. I made the exception for Jesus and feasted on the bread and wine during communion. After church, we went out with some friends to a taco place and I got a salad with steak. It came with chips crushed on top but I managed not to eat more than one more two (that snuck in, totally snuck in). From there, we headed to our pastor's house for a goodbye party for friends and I drank lots of water and bypassed the food.

I have lots of people asking me about this whole gig and I don't really have any complaints. It hasn't been too hard and I'm wondering if that means the hard days are ahead of me or if I'm just a rock-star. Probably the latter. (Pride goes before the fall...)
Day 4, done!

Keri's Coconut Cream

1 egg

2 tbs coconut oil, melted (or, in June in Oklahoma, at room temperature)

1 can full-fat coconut milk

In a blender, whip the egg until frothy. With blender running, slowly add the coconut oil (through the lid) and blend well. Turn off the blender, add the coconut milk and blend well. Pour into a jar and refrigerate overnight. In the morning, you'll have thickened, delicious coconut "whipped cream"! Keri suggested blending the coffee and cream together in the blender, but I just stirred it together well and then added my ice.

I can imagine that this coconut cream will be delicious on top of a bowl of strawberries, but for now I'm dreaming of dipping graham crackers in it. Only dreaming, of course. 

Whole30- Day 3

I knew that today would be a challenge. My sister and I were taking our Dad out for breakfast, for Father's Day. In true diner style, my bacon (I don't think I was supposed to eat bacon) and eggs were accompanied by hash browns (mmmm...hash browns...) and my choice of toast, pancakes, biscuits and gravy, or grits. Oh, mercy. I chugged down my bacon and eggs and simply didn't make "eye contact" with the rest.

I grabbed some berries and drank my iced coffee when I got home and am hitting a wall with black coffee. My Facebook support group tells me that it will get easier, and I'll get used to it. But for now I'm going with my cousin Keri's suggestion of homemade coconut cream. I made it tonight for tomorrow's coffee, so I'll let you know how it turns out.

I was feeling a bit lousy today after yesterday's headache and I took an involuntary nap for about an hour, between breakfast and lunch. When I woke up, I was pretty famished and didn't care to put more effort into lunch than more scrambled eggs with "taco meat." Yeah, eggs are getting old.

I snacked on almonds and blueberries in the afternoon while playing Go-Fish with my son. Then dinner, while delicious, was the final push I needed to get to the grocery store. I simply sauteed chicken thighs in one pan, and onion, carrot, and zucchini in another. It was really good, but I've got a bit more variety planned for next week.

I haven't had too much difficulty so far. I'm already much more mindful of how much emotional/stressed/bored/frustrated/angry/happy/mindless eating I do throughout the day. I'm waiting for the amazing amounts of energy that I keep reading about. Like that elusive second trimester burst of energy, perhaps?
Either way, day 3 is in the books, y'all.

Whole30- Day 2

I hate to waste food. I'm pretty sure that's a trait I picked up from my dad. So when 2 children wasted their buttery delicious, gorgeously browned toast this morning, I threw an internal hissy fit. Then I added "taco meat" to my eggs and all was well with my world. My dad used to make these for me on a regular basis, and I still love them. Thanks, Dad.

A 10:33 a.m. text to friends: "Is this food-induced rage or am I just really sick of my kids?"

In an effort to get away from the house and stop thinking about food constantly (wait, that's nothing new), we met some friends at the splash pad. I ate cashews on the way there and then again 15 minutes later, when my kids decided they were finished playing. I ate almonds while I waited in the drive-thru at Chick-fil-A, where I got my kids nuggets. I felt a headache coming on, so I took some Advil. I watched my kids eat their nuggets while my soup heated up. My friend's suggestion that I add chicken to it made all the difference in the world. I had some leftover from the tacos we had earlier this week. 

A short nap, some iced coffee, and an Imitrex (unfortunately) and my head is significantly better. (Lo and behold, there's another factor to my headache and moodiness. But no one needs to hear about my PMS.)

I tried to make this Whipped Sorbet for an afternoon treat, but it just didn't work out. My guess is that my puny, off-brand "food chopper" wasn't up to the food processing involved. So I ate the frozen blueberries, which were delightful. 

By the time my husband got home, the house was a complete disaster, two of my children were in tears, the thermostat was set on 81 degrees, and I was more than ready to get out of the house. I had done my research (thanks for the link, Aunt Pam!!) and knew exactly what I wanted for dinner. Chipotle. A firm family favorite already, but could I really navigate it and enjoy my meal without the rice, beans, sour cream, cheese, and chips? 

What does this picture tell you? 

I had a salad with carnitas (the only meat option that isn't marinated or cooked in soybean oil, it turns out), and mild and medium salsas. I wanted to add guacamole, but didn't care to spend the extra 2 bucks. It was really, really good. 

So besides the headache (which I'm not blaming on the diet change completely...or maybe even at all), Day 2 is in the books without trouble. 

Whole30- Day 1

So I drank my iced coffee black (and enjoyed it) and fried my eggs in extra-virgin olive oil instead of butter. I missed the taste of butter, but I survived. I usually eat buttered toast with my eggs in the morning, but again, I survived. Praise God that I've been eating eggs for breakfast for the past 5 months instead of my old usual, peanut butter toast with honey. That would have made for a harder transition.

Lunch was a big pot of veggie soup for me. I started with my friend Rachel's Minestrone recipe, using what I had and leaving out what I had to (pasta and beans, for example). I was surprised that eating two big bowls of really hot soup wasn't impossible to do in 90 degree Oklahoma. Triple-digit-degree Oklahoma? That's probably another story.
I had been to Sprout's the day before and got some swiss chard, fully intending to use it up the way I did last summer. Alas, it went into the soup. Sure, I wanted some Parmesan cheese on top and some crusty bread on the side, but the soup was good.

My afternoon snack was a delicious, huge bowl of fresh mixed berries. I am a genius for trying this at the height of berry season. 

Granted, a moment of weakness ensued when I was getting the kids their snacks. I had to force myself to put the peanut-covered spoon straight into the sink instead of licking it clean first. A quick text to a friend and she let me know I had seriously only just begun. 

I knew I was making chicken nuggets for dinner. And I knew that the last few times I made them, I ate the browned and crispy panko bread crumbs left behind in the pan by the fistful. But it wasn't a big deal to make them for everyone else and just saute my unbreaded chicken. I steamed some snap peas for my husband and I, added some brown rice to his plate and more berries to mine. Delicious. 

My food so far has been simple and delicious. Remember, I only just read about this whole plan the day before, so I haven't researched recipes, shopped for ingredients, or planned out the rest of the week. I'm trying not to make this more of a shock to my life-style than it has to be. So taking what I have, using it simply, and enjoying it? I can do that. 

Day 1 was a cinch. 

Veggie Soup

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1/2 onion, chopped

3 carrots, chopped

2 stalks celery, chopped

2 quarts (8 cups) chicken stock 

1 can diced tomatoes

2 bay leaves

1 sprig fresh rosemary

3 medium zucchini, sliced

1 bunch swiss chard, sliced lengthwise and then into ribbons

salt and pepper

olive oil

In a large pot over medium low heat, warm about 1 tbs olive oil. Add garlic and onion and cook until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Add carrot and celery, season with salt and pepper, and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. 

Add chicken stock, tomatoes, bay leaves, and rosemary and increase heat to medium. Bring to a boil, lower the heat back to medium low, and add the zucchini. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes. Add the swiss chard and let wilt slightly. Season with salt and pepper to taste. 

My Whole30 Adventure

I read about it yesterday, I started it today. The Whole30 is supposed to recharge your system by changing your eating habits for 30 days. 

I chatted with my husband about it, because he is always leery of any "diet," "cleanse," "plan," etc. that completely eliminates a food group. He doesn't agree with giving up even whole grains, but he still gave me the stamp of approval, his support, and his guarantee that he won't be joining me in this journey.

I'm okay with that.

More than anything else, my motivation for trying this is simply to see if I can and will do it. I am not known for my discipline. I can be lazy in some areas. I make lists and plans and then forget about them. 

In addition, while I consider myself to be a pretty healthy person, I have a couple of issues that I could live without: migraine headaches, and something called PVC's. (Dad, Grannie, and any other family member who may read that, don't freak out. I've talked to my doctor about them and I'm okay.)

So I'm doing it. 

I'm feasting on food I love and cutting out food I love. 

I will (try) and post my daily meals, thoughts, and results. So at least it will get me blogging again! 

So long, nightly beer with my husband. I WILL miss you.