Sweet Reward

The Last Supper

Today is Day 29, and this is our last Whole30 supper: kale and butternut squash salad with walnuts and a Thai coconut curry soup with peppers, mushrooms and chicken.  Yum!

Tomorrow night we plan to celebrate having made it the Whole3o days with pizza and a glass of wine (probably a beer for Marcus).  But I have to say, although there were hard days, and things I missed, this last month has taught me a lot.  For the last 30 days, I haven’t had any processed sugar, no alcohol, no beans/legumes/soy or gluten, and no dairy (except for that one day when I messed up and ordered a bowl of tomato soup with cream in it!).  My Whole30 hasn’t been perfect, but this blog made me feel better about snacking on dried fruit and nuts, not following the Whole30 advice for pre and post workout eating, and for being a little less rigid when I was eating out.  But overall we stuck with it, and I am so glad.  Because I feel great!  I am sleeping better. I have more and more consistent energy, my mind is clear and I even think I have lost a few pounds (although that wasn’t my goal, I am not unhappy about that!).  We have tried lots of new food and different recipes (yes, even the kids) and I have become much more aware of what ingredients are in my food and what I am putting into my mouth and why.  I have not been eating or drinking because I am bored/sad/tired, and that is a big change for me.  And I have “slain the sugar dragon,” which is probably the biggest accomplishment of all.  Today I was at a lunch where there were desserts served.  I didn’t get any because I wasn’t eating dessert, and I didn’t give it a second thought.  Whereas pre-Whole30, I would have thought about dessert the whole meeting!  Marcus told me that he found a bag of candy in his desk drawer today, but he had no desire to eat it.  Woo hop!

So after our Friday night celebration, I plan to go back to eating as close to the Whole30/paleo as I can.  It really has made a difference in my life, and I want to continue to feel as healthy and be as mindful about food as I am now thanks to the Whole30.

 

Hitting the Wall

Back when I used to run marathons there was this thing that would sometimes happen right around mile 20 called “hitting the wall.”  And no matter how much you trained or mentally prepared for a race, when you hit the wall, it felt like you just couldn’t go another step.  Well, that’s how I feel right about now.  According to the Whole30 people, it’s Days 10 & 11 where  most people want to quit.  Not me.  Here I am at Day 20, just 10 days to go, and I am about to cave.

Don’t get me wrong, I feel great.  I am sleeping well and my energy is consistent.  We’ve tried lots of new recipes and meals are not boring.  But maybe it’s the three day weekend and all that “together time,” or perhaps it was the home redecorating project we undertook yesterday (see pics below!) or now this f-ing snow day, but all I want to do is bake some brownies and open a bottle of dark, fruity red wine.  You feel me?

According to the Whole30 pros, when you want to quit what you are supposed to do it tell somebody.  So here it is.  I want to quit.  I really want to quit.  But I am not going to.  I will make it through today and the next 9 days.

But it’s not going to be easy.

 

 

Saturday’s dinner: Smashed chicken with mango salsa, broccoli with toasted hazelnuts and sun-dried tomatoes, roasted butternut squash.

 

Yesterday’s Breakfast: “Pizza Eggs” (scrambled eggs with mushrooms, peppers and onions, topped with tomatoes and fresh basil with olive oil)

Our home re-decorating project: We moved kid #1 (AKA “the pre-teen”) into her own room and moved the younger ones in together, getting the baby her own “big girl bed.”  We then cozied up the study with the futon from the nursery, just in time for a work-from-home snow day!

 

Day 12: BYOE, or how did I become the pickiest person at the table?

Today I was invited to a lovely lunch at a friend’s house to celebrate the beginning of her sabbatical.  My friend is a rabbi and since this week is also the “New Year for Trees” or Tu B’Shevat, the meal was a delicious soup that we all made together.  The guests had been informed in advance that we would be eating vegetarian, so I asked if it would be OK if I brought a couple of boiled eggs so that I could get enough protein with this diet I am on.  She was very gracious about my odd request and even said when I arrived, “I should have offered to boil some eggs for you!”  Naw, that’s OK, I BYOE.

But then the soup we made had some ingredients that are not allowed during the Whole30 (corn, hominy and chickpeas), so I had to pick those out of my soup.  And we had a nice salad, but none of the dressings were Whole30 approved, so I just sprinkled some olive oil s&p on top, which was a little boring, but OK, I guess.  I passed on the beautiful bread (even the piece that we shared for the blessing) and the salt caramels we had for dessert.  But I just kept thinking to myself, “how did I become the pickiest person at the table?”  I have always been someone who ate everything and I try to be a gracious guest at other people’s tables, so this was kind of an uncomfortable experience for me.

Tomorrow and Wednesday I am going to be at an all-day meeting (which includes lunch and dinner) and I am wondering what on earth I am going to eat?  I guess I’d better BYOE, just in case.

Day 11: Still sticking with it!

According to the Whole30 Facebook page, Day 10 is the day that most people drop out of the program.  You start to feel somewhat better and think “that’s good enough” or maybe it’s because 10 days is a pretty long time.  But we made it past the 10 day mark, and we’re still going!

But between meal planning, cooking, shopping and work and all that other stuff, I haven’t been blogging much.  So here are the highlights of the last few days:

1. Breakfast is much better since I found a couple new options thanks to my Paleo friends, Diane and Chelsea.  I have alternated “paleo oatmeal” and “butternut squash cereal” with the eggs in the morning, and it’s been a game-changer.

2. I have found another restaurant–Lebanese Taverna–where one can find several menu options that are Whole30 compliant.  I had the lamb kabob with double salad (oil and vinegar instead of dressing) and it was super yummy!

3. We are finding new recipes that are so good we’ll probably keep them post-Whole30.  Like this chicken I made tonight, served with “cauliflower rice” and broccoli.

4. I successfully avoided wine AND dessert at my book group the other night–and enjoyed the conversation, company and a nice grapefruit seltzer.  And it was just fine!

5. However, Friday nights do kind of suck without a glass of wine.

6. But sweet potato fries in coconut oil are the bomb.

 

Days 6 & 7

Yesterday was Marcus’ birthday and although we didn’t have cake or wine, we did have a celebration.  It’s hard to think of birthdays or other special occasions without thinking of the food and drink that we usually have to make it special.  But birthdays really are about the person and about being grateful  about their life.  We had a lovely evening together as a family: we sat around the dinner table and named the things we were grateful for, including Marcus and his life, and then we sang, gave him gifts, and after the kids were in bed he and I sat by the fire (and both worked) but we were together, and happy and grateful.

My meals yesterday, honestly, ranged from unremarkable to disappointing.  For breakfast it was a fried egg over roasted butternut squash.  Lunch was a salad with turkey, tomatoes, avocado and some strawberries and kiwi.  I also ate some almonds, but it was not enough and by late afternoon I was famish and my head hurt.  I really do have to eat a lot on this diet to keep from getting hungry between meals.

For dinner Marcus had requested this tex-mex casserole, which was underwhelming.  It was especially disappointing because it looked so pretty when I had chopped up all the ingredients–like a rainbow of fresh vegetables:

However, I had it for breakfast this morning, with a fried egg on top, and it wasn’t too bad.   I have come to realize that since we’re trying a bunch of new recipes with this program, we’re bound to find some we like, but a lot that are just OK.  But we are trying a lot of new things.

Today was my first experience eating out while on Whole30.  For lunch I went with a colleague to Bus Boys and Poets and I had the vegan tomato bisque soup and a cobb salad (minus the caramelized onions and blue cheese).  It was a pretty satisfying lunch and I was happy to find that there were quite a few things that I could have ordered and with a few modifications stay faithful to the Whole30.

Our wonderful au pair, Rebo, is also doing the Whole30 with us and she has joined a Whole30 group on Instagram and got some meal ideas, so tonight she’s trying a recipe she found for baked salmon with onions and bell peppers. She served it with spinach and cauliflower “rice,” and a salad. It was delicious!
                

My confession is that I have been snacking on these apple chips in the late afternoon and evening today. They are the devil!

The only solution is just not to have them around. But I have successfully avoided the stash of Christmas candy that’s still around, So I guess I can be proud of that.

Day 5

Break fast is probably the hardest meal of this Whole30 program.  It takes more time than I am used to and I am getting a little tired of eggs–and it’s only Day 5!  Monday mornings are always rough at our house, but this one was especially bad due to the long weekend and previous 10 days of vacation.  We are just not back in the swing of things.  So I chopped some onion, red pepper and mushrooms, threw them in the pan with butter, tossed in some spinach and then scrambled it all with four eggs (for both me and Marcus).   Of course there was coffee and some fruit, too. It would make life simpler if the kids would eat this also, but the girls were fine with some cold hard-boiled eggs and G ate a bagel and we were out the door.  No time for a pic.

There’s this little lunch place that I love near my office–Dave’s Cafe–and they have a “Paradise Tuna” wrap that I love, so I for lunch today I tried to reinvent it as a salad.  I tossed a can of salmon with oranges, beets, dried cranberries and a few pistachios, some avocado oil and lemon juice, and then ate it over baby spinach and avocado (usually I get the Paradise Tuna on a spinach wrap).  It was pretty good!  And I was full all afternoon, even through my 5 mile power walk with a friend!

After getting the kids from the bus, we came home and I started dinner. (I love my day off, BTW!)  It’s bitterly cold out tonight, so I had planned to make chocolate chili.  I found the recipe on this great Paleo website, “The Clothes Make the Girl.”  It was a HUGE hit!  Everyone devoured it–the kids dressed it up with cheese and corn chips and the adults added avocado and red onion.  I only wish that I had doubled the recipe so that we could have leftovers for lunch tomorrow.

Day 4

It was another good night of sleep for the whole house last night. I set my alarm for 6:30 and got up feeling well rested, but not hungry at all. I did a few last minute tweaks to the sermon and when Evie and Nora woke up around 7:30 we made coffee, salmon cakes and roasted asparagus, and I poached an egg. Served with some blueberries:

I knew Sunday would be hard because I don’t get to eat on a regular schedule. I had lunch around 2 when I got home from church–leftovers from last night. And then went back to church in the late afternoon for a meeting. I dropped the kids friends home after their afternoon play date, and so we didn’t sit down to dinner until 7:45, which was too late for all of us hungry, cranky people. Dinner was super delicious though!: Sri Lankan style chicken curry with cauliflower “rice” (thanks for the tip Chelsea!) and a salad on the side (power greens, roasted butternut squash and sliced beets. But I ate too much and too fast, and my tummy is kinda cranky now. It’s time for some herbal tea and bed. Good night!

Day 3

Hallelujah! A full night of uninterrupted sleep! I set my alarm for 7am so I could have time to eat a protein snack before yoga. The whole house was still asleep when I got up, ate a hard-boiled egg and went to a lovely class led by the gifted Krista Mason.
I was pretty hungry when I got home and was delighted to find Marcus had made coffee and was cooking up omelets with lamb sausage, red bell peppers and spinach. I ate mine with a power greens, tomato and avocado salad and was quite satisfied!
We spent the morning running errands, including a trip to Costco for more eggs, berries, avocado oil and organic meats. I was excited to also find these pre-cooked whole beets

Which will be a time saver! I do know I am spending larger amounts of time in the kitchen with this diet, which so far I don’t mind, but it could get old.
I am also still trying to figure out if the Whole30 is a wash economically, speaking. We are definitely spending more money on organic meat and larger quantities of meat, eggs, and produce. Nuts and high quality oils are also expensive. But we are not buying dairy in the same amounts (and since organic milk is nearly $7 a gallon, that helps) and no processed or prepared foods which can be expensive. So we’ll have to see.
Lunch was a little disappointing. I roasted Brussel sprouts with a little olive oil, s&p and they smelled revolting while they were cooking, but they didn’t taste bad. Marcus said they are better cooked in butter and bacon, and I have to agree. I poached some wild-caught frozen cod in tomatoes and olives with a little fresh basil on top. It was Ok, but frozen fish just isn’t as good as fresh.

The afternoon sugar craving was in full effect today, so I had a few dried apricots, which seemed to do the trick.
This arrived in the mail today–coconut aminos.

I ordered it from Amazon and it’s supposed to be a lower salt, no sugar, no soy substitute for soy sauce. It tastes pretty much like it, and should work in cooking. Not sure I would want to eat it straight, though.
Dinner tonight was turkey/beef meatballs in tomato sauce over spaghetti squash with broccoli on the side. I am not a huge pasta fan anyway, so the squash was an adequate substitute, in my opinion.

Day 2

Breakfast, Day 2: Butternut squash, ground turkey and yellow bell pepper “hash” with a fried egg on top, half grapefruit and black coffee.

Sleep last night was awful due to children up in the middle of the night.  Also that green tea in the afternoon *might* have made me a little wired before bed.  I’ll try to skip it today.

Lunch time at 1 pm: tried to leave the office by 12, but was unsuccessful. Very hungry now. Warmed up leftover chicken sausage & asparagus frittata and power greens and tomato salad with homemade ranch.
A few strawberries and blackberries gave me the sweet taste I have been craving and now I feel fueled up for an afternoon of sledding!
Marcus had a lunch out with colleagues at a Mexican place and here’s what he ordered (he had to remove the cheese, though):

There was no afternoon headache for either Marcus or me, although I think the fresh air and sunshine while sledding helped me a lot. Dinner was really easy, quick and delicious! Thai red curry with chicken and vegetables (broccoli, red pepper and butternut squash). The curry is just red curry paste and coconut milk (no need to add sugar like the recipe on the label says to do). Garnish with fresh basil, scallions, cilantro and a squeeze of lime. Served with cashews on the side. Yum! And kid-approved, too!