Whole33- final thoughts

Weight loss-
7 pounds- this didn’t change from day 15 until the end, but the scale does not tell the whole story. 

Motivation- a 6 week health challenge with some women from church. Each woman is putting in $10 and there will be 3 winners. The first time I attempted a Whole 30, I just wanted to try it and see if I was disciplined enough to finish. I lasted 12 days. 

Desire to undo the damage of the past year. I had gained about 20 pounds and did not recognize the body I had. The number on the scale didn't bother me as much as how foreign I felt in my body and how depressing it was to look in the mirror. I also wanted to lose weight in order to feel more comfortable in the warmer weather and be able to wear shorts, tank tops, etc.

Feeling- energy, energy, energy, as early as week 1. No mid-afternoon slumps, felt well-rested most nights. I still got a couple of migraines and caught a cold that my whole family passed around.
Only a couple of times did I feel super-hungry between meals, and only ONCE did I feel overly full. You can certainly still overeat on the Whole 30, and you feel it, though it’s much different than the usual bloated gut-bomb feeling.
Lightness. Less sluggish, less heavy. I don’t know how else to describe it. 

Physical changes- Fat melted off my body, making it easier/more doable to exercise. I could see that I did in fact have muscles left, they had just been hidden for quite some time. 

Deprivation- Food was delicious, very few disappointing meals or misses. Sometimes I felt high-maintenance and like I was just constantly thinking about food. Sometimes I felt left out and sorry for myself. I didn’t get to participate fully in a few special occasions. I sometimes ate lunch or dinner long after my family was finished because I didn’t have very many quick options and was taking care of their meals first. 

Emotions- PMS is real, y’all, and I didn’t get to eat my way through it.
Mindfulness, no emotional eating. A few days I had STRONG desires to cheat and comfort myself with food. Old habits are very hard to break. 

Life after Whole33-
I was encouraged to read in the Whole 30 book, It Starts with Food, that it’s not a Whole 365, nor is it supposed to be. They call this program a reset, and encourage you to simply try it, fully commit to it, and just experience the tremendous changes in the way you feel. It really speaks for itself. 

Tomorrow, and for the next week or so, I will reintroduce foods that I’ve cut out (one group at a time- non-gluten grains, legumes, dairy, and gluten) to see if I have any issues. I have never had food issues/reactions/sensitivities before. (And I’m praying I don’t discover any!!)
I feel free and empowered to make good choices but will make a conscious effort to pay attention to how food makes me feel.
I don’t feel like I can’t enjoy my favorite foods or special foods or even comfort foods, but I’ll do it mindfully, only eat what I must to satisfy the craving, and really savor it. (You know, ideally.)

Helpful tips-
Make a plan! Try to gather at least a weeks’ worth of recipes (or sit down and map out every dinner, or every day’s worth!)
Make a chart, or fill in some bubbles, or cross days off on a calendar. It’s actually pretty satisfying. 

Prepare yourself for the reality that you will spend more time in the kitchen. You are cooking three meals a day. Keep your cutting board right next to the stove and your favorite skillet washed and ready to go. 

Shop at Sprouts or Crest (or your equivalent local grocery store) for meat and produce. I always spent more on the weeks I shopped at Target/Walmart.

Keep nuts and fruit with you at all times. If you love raw veggies, more power to you.
Hard-boiled eggs were a huge life-saver on busy mornings and some lunches, when I just added them to salads. 

Don’t put food “in a box”- some of my favorite breakfasts included meat and veg instead of eggs. My burger breakfast on Day 20 was amazing. 

Big batch cooking is helpful, as long as you don’t get bored eating the same thing for a while. I did Steak Pizzaiola (froze half), shredded beef, chili, and meatballs. I’m not a big fan of cooking chicken ahead of time, but that’s just me. 

Prep your veggies- wash them, slice/chop onions, peppers, wash lettuce, make a vinaigrette and store it in the fridge. My favorite is just olive oil (1 1/2 parts), balsamic vinegar (1 part), salt and pepper, all shaken up in a jar. 

Pick your favorite veggies and eat a ton of them- for me those were onions, red peppers, kale, spinach, sweet potatoes and yukon gold potatoes. 

My food was pretty simple and I ate a handful of meals over and over. You might get completely bored doing that. There are TONS of recipes out there and even other daily Whole 30 meal plans for you. Do what works for you.

Loaded Hash Browns

I became obsessed with these hash browns toward the end of my Whole33. They're easy/quick enough to make whenever the desire strikes. (Daily, in my case.)

Loaded Hash Browns

2-3 tbs olive oil
1/4 onion, chopped
1/2 red pepper, chopped
1 medium (2 small) yukon gold potatoes, grated and squeezed of excess water
2 big handfuls of baby spinach, chopped
salt and pepper to taste

In a large non-stick skillet, heat 2 tbs olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and red pepper, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally until softened, about 5 minutes. Add grated potato, season with salt and pepper, and stir together. Let cook and brown, stirring every few minutes, until nicely browned, about 7-10 minutes. Stir in spinach and wilt slightly. Turn out onto a plate and devour with scrambled or fried eggs.

Chicken and Zucchini

This is another Whole30 favorite. It's super simple, but super delicious. 

Chicken and Zucchini

3-4 tbs olive oil

1 lb chicken (breasts, thighs, or tenders) cut into bite sized pieces

1/2 onion, sliced

2 medium zucchini, cut into circles or half-moons

salt

pepper

cayenne pepper (optional)

Heat 2 tbs olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion, salt and pepper. When onion starts to soften, but not brown, add chicken. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until chicken just starts to brown. Add zucchini, more oil, if neccessary, and season with salt, pepper, and cayenne, if using. Cook until chicken and zucchini are nicely browned and chicken is cooked through, about 5 minutes. 

Whole30 Meatballs

Whole30 Meatballs

1 lb ground beef
1 egg
2 tbs finely ground almonds (ground in the food processor)
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/8 tsp garlic powder

Preheat oven to 350. In a bowl, combine egg, almonds, and seasonings and mix well. Add ground beef and mix just until everything is incorporated. Roll into uniform sized meatballs and place on a baking sheet. Place in freezer for about 15 minutes. Drizzle meatballs with olive oil and bake for about 20-25 minutes, until well browned and cooked through.

Whole30- Whole12, to be exact.

It will be hard to fully articulate how it's possible that I failed to reach my goal and yet I don't feel like a failure. I've been trying to write this post in my head for a few days now. 

On Tuesday of last week, I set aside Whole30 for a good part of the afternoon and evening. Our family business turned 1, and we were having an open house celebration. See that brie in the picture? That brie was so worth the "cheating." The high quality cheeses, wine, and homemade shortbread were cheat-worthy. The tater tot I swiped from my daughter that evening? Not worth it! It was a simple but profound lesson and I am thankful to have learned it. 

So I cheated on Tuesday. All hope was not lost. I was back on the straight and narrow on Wednesday. But then I had the chance to catch up with a dear friend while our boys were at Vacation Bible School. And yes, we could have just gone for coffee and I could have stayed within the Whole30 parameters. But we both wanted chips and guacamole and margaritas. Cheat-worthy. (Even though she and I make much better guacamole at home!)

So two days of cheating in a row eventually became tossing in my towel, but not in defeat or surrender. I simply didn't want to obsess over all this anymore. Life is short, food is good, and I want to enjoy both. I think that Whole30 has given me some fresh perspective and motivation to change my relationship with food. I make better choices now than I did 18 days ago. I'm not the emotional eater that I was 18 days ago. 

I'm seven pounds lighter than I was 18 days ago. Areas of my body that I thought could only change when I become a runner (read, NEVER) have changed. My shorts that were tight at the beginning of summer are baggy now. My coffee tastes better without sugar (but oh mama, I missed half-and-half!). We're making better choices as a family. My oldest son has been motivated to eat more healthfully. My PVC's, which I was getting nightly, only occurred twice while I was on the program. I never got to "tiger's blood," but I did experience an increase in energy.

And beyond the physical changes, I can understand why my cousin called this the most important thing he's ever done for his spiritual life. On day 13, in the middle of a particularly trying day, all I wanted was to check out and have it easy for 10 minutes. But the two things I turn to when I'm stressed- food, and mindless Facebooking, weren't there. It was so tempting to let my mind and my flesh take over. But God was gracious to me. He met me in my weakness and gave me perspective.

So do you see why it's hard to feel like a failure?

What has this series been like for you? Are you motivated to give Whole30 a try?
I hope you've seen that if I can do this (for 12 days!), so can you.

A Different Kind of Fast

Right in the middle of this captivating series, I'm taking a media break.

As a gift to myself and my children (especially my children), I'm taking Monday-Saturday off of the computer completely. We've got pools to swim in, Lego creations to make (tall, tall sky scrapers, for me), closets to de-clutter, library books to read, and summer fun to be had.

Whole30 will continue, but you will have to survive your week without hearing about my sweet potato hash brown eating. Be strong, friends.

See you on Day 18!!!

Whole30- Day 10

A very sweet friend and her husband are adopting a baby. Her shower was today, and I was making a couple of dishes to bring: good, old-fashioned sausage balls, and sugar cookies. I knew what the other dishes were going to be (Bread Pudding with Caramel Sauce!!!), as well, and knew I would be surrounded by stuff I couldn't eat. So I had 3 eggs for breakfast instead of just 2, along with my sweet potato hash brown (are you sick of hearing about how good those are?).

Sweet, sweet Jordan, who was in charge of making the quiche, was thoughtful enough to make me some individual "quiches" in a cupcake tin- just eggs, sausage, and spinach. So with that and fruit, I didn't feel like the high-maintenance guest that I have become. Thanks, Jordan!

The shower was a brunch, from 11-1, so I wasn't quite hungry enough for lunch when I got home, but I needed something. At times like that, 2 p.m./no-man's land, I would usually grab a cheese stick or some peanut butter on a spoon (or something much less healthy, if it's available), but of course, those are out for now. I sought help from Facebook friends (apparently I need to get myself some almond butter!) but eventually got hungry enough to cook up some onion, zucchini, and leftover chicken. Yum.

After spending the afternoon outside while the kids swam, I was unmotivated to make dinner. They had peanut butter sandwiches, and I warmed up some leftover spaghetti sauce. It's kind of like a bowl of chili, right? That's not that weird...

I need to get the grocery store again. I'm running low on all my go-to's and toast is way too tempting.

Whole30- Day 9

Game-changer: unlike russets, sweet potatoes don't oxidize right away, so you can grate them beforehand and make your hash browns later. Love.

Breakfast: Scrambled eggs, sweet potato hash brown (made in the skillet because my waffle iron is in need of repair after so much use), iced coffee.

The kids and I went shopping with Grannie and she bought them Happy Meals on the way home. After I dropped her off, I made myself a chicken and sweet potato hash. It was a delicious way to use up a bunch of stuff in the fridge. I even tossed in some prepped cauliflower and didn't even know it was there.

For dinner, we headed to a friend's' house for a cookout. Lots of people, lots of food, but plenty of options for me. I had a burger topped with guacamole wrapped in lettuce. It was awesome! Baby carrots and watermelon kept me from even desiring a s'more. (Lie. That's a lie. I wanted six.)

Of course, it's somewhat easy to stay motivated when multiple people there read my blog and were asking questions (and watching!).

Chicken and Sweet Potato Hash

cooked chicken (I was out of leftovers, but I had chicken cutlets that I cut into bite-sized pieces, seasoned with salt and pepper, and cooked through in olive oil. I removed it from the pan before I moved on to the veggies.)
1/2 small onion, chopped
1/4 red bell pepper, chopped
1 sweet potato, grated
kale or spinach

In a large non-stick skillet heat 2 tbs olive oil over medium heat. Cook chicken through and remove from pan, or, if using cooked chicken, start with veggies. Add onion and pepper, season with salt and pepper, and cook until softened, about 3 minutes. Add sweet potato and another tbs of olive oil if necessary, season with salt and pepper, and cook until softened and lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add kale or spinach and cook slightly, about 2-3 minutes. Add chicken back into pan to warm through. Check for seasoning.

Whole30- Day 8

Confession time- last night I told my husband that I want to quit. Not because it's too hard (it's really not!), not because I'm tired of the food, not because I miss crackers and cheese. I wanted to quit...just because. It would just be easier to not do this anymore.

I've been at this for a week now. And I feel like I've learned a lot in one week- about my eating habits, the mindless eating I wasn't completely aware of before, my problem areas and triggers. Why do it for a month? He lovingly reminded me that I wanted to do this mainly to see if I would stick with it.
For 30 days. Not 7. Then he encouraged me to think about how much I've learned in this week and then multiply that by 3, as I've got 3 weeks to go.

And just like that, I'm back in the game.

(Confession 2- I stepped on the scale today. I'm not supposed to do that until the 30 days are over. I've lost 5 pounds.)

This morning, I just didn't want to put forth the effort of eggs and hash browns, so I had a banana with coconut cream, cinnamon, and almonds. (Notice I didn't call it a banana split. Not for breakfast!) I drank my coffee black. I knew that sweet breakfast wouldn't tide me over until lunch, and I was right. We spent a good 2 hours at the library and I was very hungry when we got home.

So lunch became a plate of piles. A pile of sweet potato hash browns, a pile of veggies, a pile of spaghetti sauce. Hearty and satisfying and it cleaned out the fridge a bit. Win, win.

Immediately after I finished lunch, I felt light-headed and had a headache coming on. I assumed I hadn't had enough protein today. So instead of popping some Advil, I grabbed some cold chicken from the fridge. Between that and lying down with my daughter, I hoped to catch it before my headache got bad.

It got bad. I tried some afternoon coffee. I tried more protein (chicken and avocado dressing lettuce wrap). I tried lots of water. I ate more lettuce wraps for dinner, heavy on the chicken. Eventually, I gave up and took an Imitrex, which worked, thankfully.

I want Whole30 to be a magic pill that makes my headaches go away forever. That's probably too much to expect at all, but especially 8 days in.

I found myself seeking comfort (?) in something sweet, so I whipped up some "ice cream." (I tried again with that whipped sorbet and it worked, after the berries thawed out a bit!) It was delicious, but I think I need to start paying more attention to the food I'm seeking out. (Obvious statement.)

Berry Coconut "Ice Cream"

frozen blueberries, slightly thawed

frozen strawberries, slightly thawed

coconut cream

Combine berries in food processor and blend well. Add coconut cream, mix well and serve immediately. 

Whole30- Day 7

I have knocked it out of the park today. My food has been so good. So no more talking, here's what I've eaten.

Breakfast- fried eggs (a la yesterday's) and a sweet potato hash brown. A match made in heaven.

After breakfast, while the kids played Wii, I prepped the stir-fry ingredients for dinner. It will be such a relief to be able to just throw everything in the skillet when the time comes. I'm learning that preparation is key with Whole30. If I get hungry, I want to grab something immediately. 

Lunch- I knew it would be a salad. I bought a lot of lettuce and have yet to use it. But I'm really not a salad fan. When I saw my avocados threatening to over-ripen on the counter, I remembered this salad with avocado dressing. Perfect! But with no cheese and no chips, would it be anything more than chicken on lettuce? No. That's boring. So I didn't go tex-mex with this salad. I went classic chicken salad. I added some halved grapes and a handful of chopped almonds. Delicious!!

Dinner- Chicken stir-fry with lots of veggies and cauliflower "rice." I'm not going to lie- I was scared of this. When I prepped it this morning, my son kept complaining about how smelly his sister was. He was begging me to change her diaper. I assured him that it wasn't her, it was mommy's dinner. That didn't bode well.

Let me say this- cauliflower rice is not rice. However, in the context of a stir-fry, it's not bad. The texture was more like couscous, and it didn't taste overwhelmingly like cauliflower. I ate every last bite. I sauteed mine with onion and red pepper, then stir-fried chicken thighs, onion, carrot, garlic, ginger, and snap peas in another pan. I made a sauce with clementine zest and juice, salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, and a bit of water. I expected both my husband and I to miss the soy sauce, but neither of us did. 

I didn't actually cook all of the cauliflower, and have more "rice" to use later in the week. A couple of friends mentioned cauliflower garlic "mashed potatoes," so I might try that another night. 

Chicken Salad for the Mayo-Hater (like me)

lettuce
cooked chicken
halved grapes
sliced celery
chopped green onions
chopped roasted almonds
salt and pepper

Avocado Dressing

1 large avocado
juice of 1 small lemon
2 tbs olive oil
salt and pepper
water

In a blender, puree avocado with lemon juice, olive oil and enough water to make a creamy consistency. Season to taste with salt and pepper (and cayenne, if desired) and blend well.

Combine all ingredients (adjust the amounts accordingly, you might not need all the dressing.)  and toss. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

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.