Whole30- Day 6 and 7

HI Kids! The book denotes these days as...I just wanna nap.  Not me!

As I return back to work....I began to worry... doing whole30 at home isn't a problem but now I have to eat on my work's schedule  and how will I feel there especially during those times after school when I want to snack???? Happy to report, no problems.

Day 6:

Breakfast: 2 hard boiled eggs, 1 1/2  pieces of sugar free bacon,  1/4 honey crisp apple and black coffee.
Lunch: Kale Salad greens, chicken salad, 1/4 of honey crisp apple, and seltzer
Snack: Rest of apple with almond butter.
Dinner: Leftover dinner! spaghetti squash and ground turkey tomato sauce, slice black olives and mixed greens salad and seltzer water.

Feeling less pain in leg joints and heels.  It's lessening and not debilitating to first walk when getting up from bed or chair.  That is encouraging.

Day 7:

Breakfast: 2 hard boiled eggs, 1 1/2  pieces of sugar free bacon, 1 cantaloupe pieces and a banana  and coffee with coconut cream.
Lunch: Leftover spaghetti squash dinner and seltzer
Snack: Handful of CAM nut mix
Dinner: Turkey Poppers (recipe below), homemade guacamole, sugar free organic salsa, sauteed zucchini and side salad of mixed greens.

 Turkey Poppers (or Chicken)

1 lb ground turkey or chicken (I did turkey only because I wanted to make this recipe badly and the organic market only had ground turkey not chicken.
2 cups shredded zucchini (squeeze out water with dish towel)
3 T. cilantro
1 clove of garlic, minced
3 green onions, chopped
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper

• Mix in a bowl
• Preheat skillet and drizzle olive oil in a circle in the pan.
• Drop with spoon of the size popper you want and flatten slightly with spoon. Cook until golden brown and turn over.  About 8 minutes total.  
• You will have to cook several batches in your frying pan.  I put a piece of parchment paper on a cookie sheet and set the oven to 200 degrees to keep them warm as I kept making them and until dinner was ready.

THESE WERE THE ABSOLUTE BOMB-TASTIC!  Taking a forkful of my homemade guacamole and a piece of the popper...THROW THE ROOF.  I will make these once a week now.  So. Freaking. Awesome.  Well worth the work.

Since I was feeling so ambitious...after dinner I made kale chips.  My organic market didn't have the standard curly kale but they had Lacianto Kale otherwise know as Dinosaur Kale. Long and flat. Washed, dried, stalks removed, tossed with oil, lightly sprinkle salt and baked at 300 degrees for 14 minutes.  Isn't it amazing how this cookie sheet was solid green and they shrink so much? One bunch at the store and five cookie sheets later....

 ....One bag of snacks. I could so easily consume this whole bag!!!  A light and crispy.  I am thinking of making these for some of my classes one day....I wonder how many children will have actually tried a kale chip?

Note of interest:  It is the beginning of spring when everything is trying to bloom and the pollen is starting to coat our cars and I have no taken my usual allergy medication for 5 days now.  I have two reactions from my allergies, I either am sneezing and my nose is running and blowing my nose until I take my Zyrtec D to stop it OR, My sinuses are just plain congested.  I feel like I can't breathe because my nose is clogged and I can't blow anything out because it's just my sinuses are swollen.  I was taking a allergy pill at night so I could breathe at night.  Nope.  No pills for 5 days and awake being to breathe just fine.  Remember now, we have cats so with fur and dander about...this also can exacerbate my allergies too.  So nice!

Feeling on the mend....

Whole30- Day 4 & 5

Day 4- Feeling lucky.  As I read the book for the transition into day 4 and 5, I feel grateful-  It's titled "kill all the things" Yikes! I am glad I don't feel that way today especially on K-man's birthday!  Happy Birthday Sweetheart!

Speaking of birthdays I have a pretty significant one arriving on the 31st of this month, the big 5-0! Kinda sad that I won't be have a big blow out like I did for my 40th but....things happen for a reason and this opportunity to start Whole30 when I did was a jump start I needed. You feel awful, hate your body, can't look in a mirror, look forlornly at the clothes in your closet you can't wear...all the while you know what you need to do but the fight is the same....what diet plan am I going to do this time? when should I start...blah, blah, blah....
When my friend at work talked about doing Whole30 (and I'd had never heard of it) and it made such sense and I was on board.  I didn't even think about my b-day coming up and start the plan after and when I had committed by buying the book and all the food...that is when I decided:

NO! Time to stop dillydallying about this.  I have so many aches and pains that I can't even exercise to lose weight.  Anyone with a brain knows that pains that appear out of nowhere in your back, knees and ankles/heels are their way of saying "YO! Weight overload. Back the EFF off" I know the pain isn't going to go 'BOOP'....and disappear like a switch was flipped. Patience is of the essence here.
Impatient people do not fair well on organized plans sometimes....perhaps someone needs to do a study on sugar intake and it's effects on gratification and patience?

Day 4 Menu: Sorry no pix, they were either a repeat of what I had snapped before or eaten too quickly....

Breakfast: Last Egg Muffin, (shared the last one with K-man) a fruit salad of strawberries, banana & cantaloupe and  drinking black coffee.

Lunch: Leftover carnitas, cauli-rice and sliced avocado.

Dinner: Grilled ribeye steak (omg, that steak marinated in Tessemae's southwestern ranch was awesome) and a Sweet Potato

Day 5: Happy Easter! Still feeling good...no killing vibes.  Two things noted thus far....

1. I was having swelling of the ankles for the past months (I am not a huge salt eater) but since I've started Whole30 my ankles have returned to normal and not taking OTC water pills. YAY!

2. Joint pain when walking...it's starting to diminish!  Getting up in the middle of the night or morning is not as slow or as painful for me to walk down the hallway to the bathroom. This morning I noticed that I walked down the steps normally one step, one foot, not one step, two feet, one step, two feet. This is promising!

Easter Brunch: Fried eggs, sugar free bacon I got at MOM's (My Organic Market), strawberries and black coffee.

Snack: Cantaloupe and a closed handful of CAM's
Dinner: Ground turkey and chicken sausage tomato sauce over roasted spaghetti squash (had Jessica over for dinner and got distracted by her visit and said "OH SNAP! I forgot to get a picture! She told me to snap a pic of what I had.  LOL). Mixed greens with Tessemae's Cracked Pepper dressing. 👍🏼👍🏼

My resolve will be tested next week once I get back to the grind of work and be exposed to more non-compliant foods. Bah, I have done Paleo at school, nutri-system....this shouldn't be any different.

INTERESTING NOTE! So I am preparing my 'sunday sauce' (as I call it because it goes into the crock pot to cook all day) and go to season it up with Italian seasoning, etc. I go to use some garlic salt and read the label...SUGAR? REALLY? You can't just put salt and garlic powder, you have to add freakin' sugar? No wonder we have such issues giving up foods to eat....the sugar just hooks us and reels us in to buy more.  This issue is covered in the documentary movie Fed Up.  The added sugar to all our foods.  I need to watch it again.

Spring Break is over😭wahhhhhhh

Whole30- Day 3

The Whole30 book says that I should still be in the hangover stage for day 3....I didn't have a headache as it predicted but part of my back was aching but I attribute that to sleeping in too long.  Should have gotten out of bed earlier but I was mad that Scooter kept stomping on me 5:30, 7:30 and 8:30am to feed him...so instead of staying up after I fed the kitties I belligerently went back to bed because I could on a Friday. Dammit. Do I sound cranky? I hope this is not a forewarning for tomorrow...lol

Breakfast: Warm egg muffin and bowl of small banana, honey crisp apple and handful of frozen blueberries and black coffee.

Lunch: Chicken Salad Lettuce Wraps (Tessemae's Lemon Pepper dressing and my homemade mayo on roasted chicken, chopped onion and poblano, shredded carrot and small handful of chopped CAM nut mix. Two perfectly hard-boiled eggs (the book directions were not how I normally do it but tried it, yum! no dry center or a green ring!)

 

Dinner: Chipotle Pork Carnitas with peppers and onions on Cilantro Cauliflower Rice! Orange Seltzer to drink.

Whole30 Day 2

Those of you who are saying "who cares that JennyMac is going on a food plan for 30 days, Meh!"

Let me tell you why...this book's author (Melissa) has a great sense of humor (like me😜) and she took the time to include in the book a timeline compiled of thousands of the physical and emotional challenges of people who had underwent the Whole30 plan.  I wanted to blog my journey to see how I compared to those people.  Do I have a big bad sugar dragon lurking within me or is it just a eensie-weensie one?

The book says that most people will be either excited or overwhelmed on day 1 and some people may ask 'what have I gotten myself into?'  My first day (I am on spring break) was uneventful emotionally and physically although I was preparing more foods than normal.

Day Two:
The book says some people will feel headache-y, sore or foggy. Like a hangover.  I don't.  I am more anxious for all my body pains to go away....what day will that start?  I think for a food to really get out of the system will take at least 3-4 days.  I mean, I did eat some chocolate cake 11:45pm the day before I started...lol.  My motto has always been "life is uncertain, eat dessert first." Technically eating that cake at before midnight wasn't first...but it certainly was the last thing I was eating before my big day...

Breakfast: Just a few cantaloupe cubes, small grab of roasted, unsalted CAM (cashews, almonds and Macadamia nuts) mix and black coffee.

I got up late because I can, whilst on spring break....I didn't want too much because I will have to eat lunch earlier due to K-man going to the eye doctor today at 3 and he wants me to go so I cannot have a late lunch (this is probably better because I don't eat a late lunch when I go back to school- we have to gobble it down between 11:30-12 noon!)

The cool thing about this plan is that many of the meals can rollover unto the next day for another meal and that means LESS cooking!

Lunch: On a bed of spinach leaves is my leftover sausage and peppers, and another egg muffin (sauteed peppers and onions, garlic, herbs in ghee placed in a Texas-sized muffin cup with scrambled egg and unsweetened coconut milk) cut up with shredded carrot.

Tonight's dinner will highlight one of my purchases that I purchased beforehand on Amazon.com (same price but I get free shipping from Prime) as an approved product of Whole30 - Tessemae's All Natural (from Baltimore).

From left to right: Buffalo, Lemon Chesapeake, Ketchup, Lemon Garlic, Cracked Pepper, Balsamic, Southwest Ranch, Matty's BBQ Sauce.

Dinner: Bed of mixed organic greens. Drizzled Tessemae's Southwest Ranch onto greens. Added chopped poblano and onion (we always have this chopped in a container in the fridge 24/7) into roasted chicken.  Tablespoon of homemade mayo mixed with tablespoon of Tessemae's Southwest ranch mixed in chicken. Half and avocado and a few black olives. Lemon squeezed all on top and drank lemon water with dinner.

Late night note: So it's been an hour after dinner and you know you are NOT hungry.  You start to listen to your insides and you say things...."something sweet would be good right now"  Just a little candy, a cookie, a COFFEE WITH TRUVIA AND CREAM!  I immediately go look how to stave off a sugar craving....says to eat fruit.  However the Whole30 book says "why are you eating it? If you're reaching for a banana or grapes to prop up your sugar cravings, we'd ask you to rethink that strategy. You don't want to end up with the same cravings after your program, and continuing to feed your brain the sweetest stuff allowed every time it pitches a tantrum isn't really changing your habits." 

So I caved and had a really small banana cut up with a small drop of almond butter on each.  Even though I fed the sugar dragon, I am proud that at least I was compliant. There is chocolate around, Kirk isn't on the plan....he needs to eat up that stuff.  LOL. 
So now I know....although I don't feel hungry or stark raving mad for sugar....THAT was definitely my sugar dragon calling.  I gotta train him to go.....that dinner was huge....I didn't even finish it....Eating when you aren't even hungry is soooo stupid!

I've got this!

Whole30 Plan

So have you heard of this?

I hadn't until a friend mentioned it a few days ago.  Have I been so immersed in my grad studies that I am out of the loop? After all I am studying Health and Wellness so I feel a bit ashamed.

Let me tell you in a nutshell what it is. First of all it is NOT, I repeat, a DIET. It is an eating plan for you to follow for 30 days to help RESET your body.

Why would I need to reset my body, you ask? Because you may have any one of the afflictions listed:

fatigue, joint pain, migraines, asthma, high blood pressure, diabetes, allergies, sinus infections....just to name a few from the book, these issues may disappear if you eliminate the triggering foods from your diet.  The removal of certain foods can and will change your life.

The plan is simple but your reserve must be great.  For those foods like bread, candy and sodas may have such a grip on you that you may experience some 'grumpiness' from the withdrawal.

Bare bones: You eat organic, grass-fed, antibiotic free meats, fresh organic fruits and vegetables.  That's it.  See? Simple.

Of course what makes this hard plan for the typical American eater, is the convenience foods, fast food, snack foods and unhealthy beverages.  This plan is not a HUGE good bye to hearty beans, ooey-gooey cheeses, heart-healthy oatmeal, or crusty, chewy breads...

You are temporarily isolating those foods from your eating for 30 days, including sugar, all processed foods, most food additives and alcohol. For an added bonus you are allowed to eat fat and some salt, you do not need to weight yourself (only once in the beginning if you want to) or count calories.

This book is a great read. It's honest and true.  To quote "it is not hard. Don't you dare tell us this is hard. Beating cancer is hard, birthing a baby is hard, Losing a parent is hard Drinking your coffee black is. not. hard. You've done harder things than this, and you have no excuse to not complete the program as written. It's only 30 days, and it's for the most important health cause on earth, the only physical body you will ever have in this lifetime."

So, I am turning 50 next week.  Yup no cake for me.  Cake is overrated. You never seem to get the really good ones actually on your birthday....so who cares? I don't look fifty but why do I feel like I need a walker? I have all these little things I can list that seem almost annoying to tell a doctor:

"I have knee pain" - Dr. response: so do 80 million other arthritic people....
"I have this pain in my heel" -  Dr. response: read from the long list questions of "acquiring an injury"
"I have back pain" - Dr. response: lose weight

So I decided let me go through the science experiment of testing these foods....see how I feel.  I know I will definitely lose some weight since I will not be eating any crap whatsoever....and my 'sugar dragon' will not be roaring at me to feed it since it will be removed from my eating...I don't plan to wake it either.

Ok, so big deal.  You are going on a PLAN JennyMac....blah, blah, blah.  Good Luck!  Thanks for your vote of confidence but in my 30 days I am going to write each day all 30 days of my journey.
I am going to take pictures of my food perhaps some recipes, tell you how I feel and share with you all how it goes along the way!

Day One: Feeling Excited to something really good for my body.  Hopeful, not surprised but not too scarred from weighing myself this morning.  I envisioned worse...

Breakfast: Black coffee and a terrible gala apple with chunky almond butter (I think the rest should be made into applesauce-went out to get my favorite honey crisp)

 Lunch: Made Homemade Mayonnaise to use for my salad: 1 egg, organic mustard, avocado oil and olive oil and salt

Here is my lunch with two large handful of organic mixed greens, generous cupful of the roasted chicken I cooked last night. The part of the 'closed handful' of roasted unsalted almonds, cashews and macadamia nuts that had in my bag to snack on that I didn't finish. Added a teaspoon of vegan cilantro pesto to mayo to jazz it up. Drank seltzer water with lemon slices.

Dinner: Egg Muffins, sausage and peppers and canteloupe (I didn't finish it all either)

 Day one almost done....not bad at all, I didn't die!

Welcome back Jenny Mac!

Well, well, well....look who's skulking back? 

Where have I been?  Well I didn't win the 1.5 billion lottery that is for sure! Where do I start? First, I went back to school. This was long over due and finally! Working on earning a Master's in Health and Wellness.  YAY!

I've learned to NOT print out all the readings that was eating up ink and paper like crazy and most of the reading were not worth the ink and paper is was on....so the learning curve from online learning is QUICK!

Here is the print out of a normal 5 week class!







Geez, finding the right school and the right degree that worked for me probably took ten years of whining, debating and procrastinating.  Happy to say that I am finishing up my sixth class and have only 4 more to go!!! Started my first class in July 2015 on vacation in Virginia Beach (ironic) and will finish probably in the Fall of October (15 months!).  Oh, the online hell I have been through!  Online learning is a whole different animal and.... I tell you - the personalities of these Professors, unreal.  You think one is bad, they get worse.  You learn their quirks and you find you can deal with them, then you move onto the next class and you get another prof with worse quirks.  OMG.  I don't know how graduate students who actually have to sit with a IRL prof do a quarter.  Five weeks of my wonky profs is enough....Honestly, out of the 6 classes, two were fine. Statistics class, I had no idea is standard for ALL master's degrees.  Crazy...But I am a better person because of it, right? Riiiiighhhtttt!😉


So here is just few highlights of the things that have happened since my last post....

We got new windows for the house.....










Normal people spend money on their children's college education or new car....we got a bay window.









Returned to school and found the ice maker sprung a leak...




 They took off only the ruined tiles so now I have three different colored tiles on my floor. Ratchet!












 Halloween 2014.... Got up at 5am to wear this all day at school.















I created "Wrappapalooza" at my school. Taught the kids how to wrap presents, had the staff to bring in their presents so the kids could practice.  Not too shabby eh?

















Spirit Week before Winter Break...Decades Day...can you guess which decade I was?















We had a Christmas Party after a long stint since our last one....














 Happy New Year 2015!   Corny- I know....









 My Second Semester Showcase highlighting the kids work






 Some student love on a card....




















Tie Dyed Cookies that cookie club made. Those were a lot of work....















 Cheryl Janes- One of my best friends from high school died from lung, colon and liver cancer....Miss you Cheryl!













Yes, our furry kids are still doing crazy things....














 I was told I was going to lose part of my storage room to create a new classroom entrance.  My fellow coworker and art teacher next door lost his entire storage room/office.  I was lucky. If you see the shelving on the right, where it starts is the new entrance.  I lost a 6X6 space.

















End of the year love- left on my whiteboard from my 'lunch bunch.'
















My list of course work in case you are interested....I love seeing the list get smaller...
















 Our young Tech Ed teacher, Adam Nesbitt, suddenly died after playing football with friends this Fall. We still don't know why. We had a lovely memorial service at our school for the staff and kids who wanted to celebrate what he did for our school. Pictured is the tree we planted in his honor.













Halloween 2015- Crazy JennyMac and K-man


















Our first Karaoke at school before the holidays...I think Jessica (the chorus teacher) and I were singing "I got you babe"
















Snowzilla, Snowcation....whatever you called it where you were....we had 7 snow days in a row.  I did 3 weeks of grad work during that time.  And a little shoveling....

Threw a surprise 80's party for my "adopted" 6th grader Abby and her 3 best friends....who all have become like daughters to me this year.  This happened when Mr. Nesbitt died and Abby said at the memorial that she was an 80s nerd and she and Mr. Nesbitt listened to 80s tunes.  I told her at the memorial to come see me that I had 15 CDs of 80s music.... and the rest is history.  They come everyday now after school.

Bit into some toffee and broke off my tooth...got my first crown.

















Walked in my room on a Monday morning a few weeks ago and found a cabinet fell off the wall and everything in it on the floor.  The 7 other cabinet/shelves had to be reinforced just in case they wanted to follow suit.  That is a sewing machine under it if you can tell!

Ok, do you feel all caught up now?  I do. 

Good, now I can get down to the real meat of why I am back posting again. Tomorrow I start....

Stay tuned tomorrow to hear what THAT is all about...


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