Whole30- Day 26 and 27

Days of tiger blood and things changing.  Well, I've never been a 'tiger blood' kinda person, meaning I've never been a HIGH energy person. So I don't know what that feel like -even with coffee in me.

As for things changing, yes but it's not drastic because I haven't started exercising yet. Hard to do with pain but as it disappears moving around is much easier and you feel lighter on your feet for certain. Getting out of bed with dread is no more and my mood is better as well.

Day 26

Breakfast: Banana, bacon and raspberries
Lunch: Handful of nuts (was too busy planting in the garden to care)
Dinner: 1/2 Ribeye steak, 1/2 Japanese sweet potato, leftover roasted brocco-flower, grilled nectarines.

Have you ever had a Japanese sweet potato?  I hadn't.  I looks like a Russet but it messes with your mind when you eat it and it's sweet.  Bought a purple sweet potato today....that will appear soon.

Day 27

Breakfast: Eggs and sausage, onion and pepper hash (sooooo good)

Lunch: Leftover ribeye steak and sweet potato dinner
Dinner: Apple Pork Patties, Confetti Cauliflower, Strawberry Spinach salad

I don't know where I was going exactly with the pork patties....didn't want breakfast.  So I shredded one apple, handful of chopped onions and pepper....salt and pepper and cooked it @350 for 30 minutes.  Very tasty and very moist.  Great with some hot sauce on it!

Can't believe the first 30 is almost here...

Whole30 - Day 24 and 25

"Who is this in the mirror?" It's me JennyMac and what are you doing in my mirror? lol I don't think I am quite to THAT point over obsessing what I see or feel by looking in the mirror.....but I am enjoying how I feel....sleep well, moving around better (heels are still hurting but I still have a way to go....so that will go in time, I am not worried), no stomach upsets, no sinus swelling= no allergy meds. Totally feel sated, rarely snack anymore. No cravings. Don't miss sweets and being the sponsor for Cookie Club and rolling dough and baking them doesn't bother me in the least.  Very happy and plan on continuing this, no reason to stop when you feel so good.

Day 24

Breakfast: 2 hard boiled eggs and 2 strips of bacon, banana and almond butter
Lunch: Frittata, mixed greens salad and sugar snap peas
Dinner: Hamburger, sauteed mushrooms and onions, some baked fries and Civilized Caveman's Apple Cranberry Salad (the bomb!)

Day 25

When the day is crazy, the food is too....
 
Breakfast: Two pieces of bacon, Banana, Spicy Beef Stick
Lunch: Leftover Apple Salad
Dinner: Eggs and sausage, roasted brocco-flower

So it's at this time is when the reality sets in that the countdown of the last week begins.  It doesn't really mean anything other than, I begin another phase, nothing radical is happening here.  On Friday morning I will get to weigh myself, and I have purchased some Hard Apple Cider to celebrate.  Thursday is done with the compliant 30 days, Friday will have some non-gluten alcohol at the end of the day.  The food will still be compliant all day but will allow for the celebration.  Then start the cycle of 4 days back on and test one of the foods. This process will take about 25 days of testing one thing and 4 days back on.  I am cool with this.  Because testing some like non-gluten grains, I can have oatmeal for breakfast, corn tortilla chips for lunch and rice for dinner as long as the rest of the foods are compliant, this will eye-opening and fun!


 

Whole30 - Days 22 and 23

"The scale is calling me....my clothes are falling off and I really want to jump on the scale...." quoth the Whole30 bible....JennyMac thinks...Yes, I am dying to see what the scale says but I WISH my clothes were falling off....not me....yet. Well, this is one thing.... that really is different.  I can stick a whole fist in the cup of my bra.  😳 This is good and bad.  LOL

Day 22

Breakfast: Frittata, banana with almond butter
Lunch: Last of the BBQ pork, sugar snap peas, and half avocado.
Dinner: Carnitas with peppers and onions, Mexican mixed greens and cantaloupe and plums

Day 23

Breakfast: 2 hard boiled eggs and 2 strips of bacon
Lunch: Sauteed Chicken breast with sugar snap peas.
Dinner: Leftover roast pork and spinach and zoodles! Not seen cantaloupe.

 

Foodie Notes:

So I was watching a video on The Civilized Caveman FB page and he made this amazing salad using the Inspiralizer.  I have two other "fail" gadgets that do this (or supposed to).  One was a total fail (got one Christmas and threw it out after one use) and the other was the Veggetti.  Meh, I used it twice.  But this gadget?  LOVE!!!! Made noodles a mile long, fast and easy!  Very sharp though, George warned us during the video to not touch the blades or you will get cut.  I was talking to K-man as I picked it up and Zoinks.  Stabbed.  Not too bad but you need a bandaid or you will get blood on your zoodles.  I am going to make the apple and onion salad he made using this gadget marvel tomorrow and tell you how it tastes...It's going to be amazing, I just know it.

This is one spiralized onion and 3 medium zucchinis.  I thought I was going have tons of leftovers but it really cooks down.  If you are cooking for many you may want a BIGGER bowl and a big pot!
By the way, one of you asked about my spinach and zoodles recipe.  It's not much.  1 onion, 3 zucchini, one 5 oz box/bag of baby spinach, heaping tbsp. of ghee (doesn't burn) or olive oil. Saute onions first until translucent, add zoodles and salt and pepper to taste and cook until reduced by half,  add spinach leaves. Turn off heat when leaves are wilted.  Toss with more ghee or butter and serve.

One more week! Really?

Whole30- The Tiger Blood but so over it? Days 20 and 21

You know those steps in your house?  You call to the child or husband to bring down/up the....(enter object needed here)? Yeah, that was me.  Sometimes I'd call to K-man at the top of the basement steps with something for him and either toss it down or call him so he'd walk up and get it....Sad.  But I've noticed lately when I know I need something on another floor, I go to get it now,  no hesitation.  I know some of you may thinking what is wrong WITH her? But when you have no energy and also joint pain, stairs are a debatable issue. ANDDDDD, I couldn't have anything in my hands going down the steps because I had a death grip on the railing.  I can go down the steps without holding the railing to brace myself from the pain. Keep on fading pain....won't miss ya!

So Day 21 is noted by food fatigue or boredom.  Well I guess if you are a lazy person who doesn't like to cook or do any food prep and are eating in a way that avoids cooking, cutting, slicing, mixing, seasoning or creativity, then I can see getting bored. Sucks being them.

Creativity, we all have it in our bones and it manifests itself in many ways,  It's something that should flow with everything you do.  If you put together a lovely home, put your outfits together differently everyday, make faces for your kids pancakes, love notes to your husband then why wouldn't you take the time to make a pretty meal that is pleasing to the eye and varied so you don't get bored?  Um, didn't we even vary our BAD meals? Take my chili that I made a few days back.  It was really good.  But the first day was in a bowl (the traditional way) and the second day was atop a bed of sauteed veggies.  Eat chicken one night for dinner, make the leftovers into chicken salad the next day.

Don't forget doing a plan like this is not hard work....it is the CHANGE of old habits of cooking or eating that is the hard work. Sure you want to have a nice meal in front of you....but you can't have somebody else to make it for you.....that didn't work out for Oprah either.....So, if you invest in the commitment in doing this Whole30...do it right, don't cheat, look for outs. Whining and crying the whole way until day 30 is only torturing yourself...like you are some fat kid camp who only gets celery sticks and water for a month (and you aren't!). Don't sabotage yourself on day 31 and binge out of desperation instead of starting the reintroduction.  Please don't say "DAY 31! I am ENTITLED, I suffered so I will splurge!"   This plan is an investment in your life and health and ARE YOU NOT WORTH IT?

Don't be like me at age 50 (ugh) and say "what the hell were/are you doing?" I know what I was doing....I was acting like I was some Harry Potter character, hoping to find the right magic wand to tap on my butt that would make all my weight and its problems go POOF, off of me. There is no wand, a major change is not instantaneous, be patient with the process and the rest will fall into place. The Whole30 book should have been used to whack me on the head decades ago!

Day 20

Breakfast: Sausage-Tomato-Spinach Frittata, raspberries and banana
Lunch: Leftover slow cooker pork, sugar snap peas and balsamic beets
Dinner: Leftover chicken nuggets and mixed greens

Day 21

Breakfast: STS Frittata, black olives, sugar snap peas
Lunch: Leftoverpalooza: a few nuggets, salad, beets
Dinner: Brats and Sauteed Zucchini/Onions/Peppers, steamed potato with ghee, bacon and green onions, and a roasted nectarine.

By the way:  Please, please....if there is anything recipe-wise you would like to know or any other questions about prep....do. not. hesitate. to ask me.  Really.

To my friend who's put Whole30 on hold for now.....You have a wonderful new baby girl in your family of six to tend to right now, enjoy her! Just keep up the organics...the grass-fed, pastured meats....minimize the sugars as best you can....keeping the family eating cleanly not processed if you can help it...you can worry about the dairy, legumes and grains later....Don't beat yourself up about this Momma Bear!

Must Watch!!!  Stumbled upon a post from Katie Couric on FB, which led to an sugar conspiracy article which led to this fabulous youtube video from Dr. Lustig....it's over an hour....get your coffee and watch! Riveting!

Mind Blown!!!....

Whole30- The Tiger Blood Days 18 and 19

Here you go, wait for it....my tiger blood video!

Hahahahahha! Thought you'd enjoy that....that was many hours of retakes and editing I hope you know! (jk)

Some of you have asked me some questions about this and that....and I am so excited that my silly little food pictures and commentary is of some value to some of you.  Whether entertainment, nosiness or because you are doing whole30 as well....I am glad to know that my work here is not floating in hyperspace on some alien's Facebook page title "what stupid earth people do...."

First: Here is the almond butter I use:

Got it on one of my first whole30 grocery trips. I got the crunchy.  The crunchy bits are cashews! Remember: cashews, macadamia nuts and hazelnuts are the preferred nuts.  Almonds are suggested not as often. Raw is better because the lack of roasting keeps more of the nutrients in the nuts.  So next time I refill my nuts from TJ, I am getting the raw.  Being a rookie who not fully read the books yet,  I got unsalted, roasted, not raw.  But I use this maybe once, twice a week.  Needs to be refrigerated.

Next- Do not walk, RUN and go buy this....from the gods....Raw Cashew Butter....omfg....

 

So, my friend Jessica went to My Organic Market (MOM's -my new home) one day and found some sampler butters to try. She ripped it open and tried it with me,  her eyes rolled into her head and said it tasted like white chocolate. Now, I had to try.  White chocolate isn't my first thought but is it soooo dreamily smooth unlike the coarseness of the other butters.  Because it is raw, it has such a natural sweetness that you keep looking at the ingredients on the jar, swearing it has some kind of sugar in it. I am afraid during a moment of stress I could sit on the kitchen floor with a spoon and do some serious damage here.  Lovely.  MOM's ....it's not located in the thick of the other butters...it's off up a few shelves and to the left....I don't know why ....but it certainly deserves to not be below with those other peon butters HA!  And it doesn't have to be refrigerated!!! I like this because my sensitive teeth doesn't like cold foods anyway and room temperature foods have better flavor I think.

Next: Sugar-free bacon is hard to find!

 

I think I should keep buying these in groups of FIVE, that perhaps if they think it's super popular they will buy more and always have tons of it.  The bad news...there are only 8 slices per package, maybe nine if you won the lottery this week. But the price is $5.49 but if you are the only one doing Whole30, you will become a miserly witch over each 68 cent slice and give the rest of your family the organic uncured, nitrite-free, OTHER bacons WITH sugar and SAVE this stuff for YOU! Strips of gold.  Okaaaayyyyy, if your whole family is doing Whole30 you better buy five packages at once too! I get out my griddle and do two packages at once, put in a ziploc....good for two weeks. Two package for one family for one meal, easy. Personally, I have no desire to being making bacon every day.  But batch frying makes my soul happy to have days off from greasy messes. I should go buy stock in this company....

Last product review for today: GHEEEEEEEEEE!!!! Hello, lovahhhhh. (I visualize Sarah Jessica Parker saying this while she's oogling designer shoes)

GIANT JAR.  At Mom's the largest jar they have is Organic Valley Ghee, 13 oz. jar is $12.99.  At Amazon.com this baby comes 32 fl. oz ...TWO for 35.00 (free shipping if you have PRIME, like me) for a price of 17.00 buck. *take calculator out* ...Unit price of Organic valley- 99 cents per ounce.  Ancient Organics- 53 cents.  No refrigeration unless been open for over 2 months.  Beautifully packaged, all paper, boxes can be repurposed for holiday time. Can be used as lotion but I am afraid that I'd start licking myself like the cats or they'd start on me....

Day 18:

Breakfast: Nuts and Berries, felt like a light day watching the SNOW fall for 1/2 hour on April 9!!! WTH!
Lunch: Leftover sausage, onions & peppers and fried eggs! Few berries...Love!

Dinner: Chicken Nuggets (organic chicken coated in coconut flour, egg wash , coated with seasoned unsweetened coconut and ground almonds), sauteed Kale and roasted carrots in ghee, raspberries and homemade mayo and Tessemae's ketchup to dip. (note: going to try another time with only coconut, by the end of dinner, the coating falls too easily off the nugget).

Day 19:

Breakfast: Cashew butter on bananas with raspberries & lil bit of cinnamon sprinkle. Coconut cream in my coffee.

Lunch: Spinach, bacon and tomato frittata (with enough leftover for next week's breakfasts!)

Dinner: Ribeye steaks, grilled asparagus with ghee, balsamic beets and strawberries (picture to come)

Additional notings: Some of you have asked me "Is K-man doing Whole30 too?" The answer is yes and no.  Kinda, is not a proper answer.  Yes, with me. No, away from home. At dinner he eats whole30 with me and expresses no whining about not having bread/rolls as we used to. During the day away at work, K-man eats what he's craving.  While he is still working his last days before retirement of 35 years from his devoted service to our city, he will enjoy eating what he does with his coworkers at his favorite haunts until the end of this month. 

K-man is a man-boy who likes his peanut butter, sandwiches, oatmeal and ice cream (cakes and cookies too). I'd like him to experience Whole30 to see first hand (not from ME telling him) how food choices (diet) can really have a positive effect and NOT make you pine and crave for crap. (Two hours after dinner he's searching around for treats and snacks- he has a HUGE Sugar Dragon in him and doesn't think it's a problem. 2 hours after dinner I am content and ready for bed. This is still very scary for him because he can't disassociate 30 days of discipline from a lifetime of denial. I try to explain that under Whole30, you go through an amazing change of not CRAVING empty calories foods. But when I start to get on my soap box, he reverts backs to the rebel teen who doesn't want to be told what to do and I begin to feel like that dog owner who is pulling their dog into the bathtub who hates getting wet.

The man who is controlled by his wife either doesn't know it or is okay with it.  The man who free to do whatever he wants, can eat what he wants and has no children to take care of anymore, the moment something new is suggested by their wife they think their freedoms are threatened and they begin to buck. I am willing to admit that I did not help myself at all by having/making tempting things around the house and buying those favorites of my husbands to contribute to his sugar delinquency. I am "fixing me" and when K-man wants to do Whole30 correctly and not partly, I will be here. So all I can do now is keep on truckin'....and me do me!


*clawing gesture* Rawr!

Whole30- The Tiger Blood Days 16 and 17

Tiger Blood! Are any of you familiar with what THIS is in reference to?  Lollolololl. Yes, Charlie Sheen in his whacked out, drug induced manic you-tube posts....WOW....that would be an interesting look on me!  However, I am not sure if I will scare or entertain my middle schoolers with that portrayal. 😸 Sadly, I am not looking, acting or feeling like THAT.  Drat. Maybe I would feel like cleaning the house from top to bottom with THAT energy. But it's all good.  At least I feel good and happy.

Day 16 Menu-

Breakfast: 2 hard boiled eggs and 2 homemade sausage patties (no, I still am not tired of this, it's already made, convenient, I can mix it up on the weekend)
Lunch: Chicken salad, with onions, shredded carrots and peppers with homemade mayo (this was the last of the roasted chicken I made the day before I started-great value of time and energy) and almond butter drizzled banana chunks. Finished a half bottle of kombucha.
Dinner: Leftover chili on a veggie mix, the last of the leftover chicken poppers (sauteed peppers, onions and zucchini in ghee) and orange slices.

Day 17 Menu-

Breakfast: 2 hard boiled eggs and 2 slices of bacon
Lunch: Leftover veggies and chili and romaine salad
Dinner: Sauteed peppers and onions, organic Italian sausages, 1/2 sweet potato with ghee (not seen sliced oranges)

 More notations:

Still no allergy meds. Next, do any of you get those annoying bumps on your upper arms? I did. Gone!  Now, I didn't have the chronic bump problem that were pervasively sand paperish and red....like I have seen or accidentally touched on other girls.  But mine were minor enough, that  I could detect them.  I couldn't loofah enough in the shower or moisturize to get rid of them.  The joint pain is radically diminished but faint disappears over the day. As for the heel pain, it too fades over the day, which I think is more weight related than food reaction. I had this many years ago when I was at my heaviest (365 lbs, yeah, I will own it) although I am not close to that anymore but I really believe the joint and heel pains was my body's way to stop me earlier from getting bigger again.  My body was used to being so much lighter since 2005 that by starting the heel pain again to light a fire under my butt and do something.  And I did, fire lit! Yesterday was the first day that I felt and looked different when I got dressed in the morning and that is awesome.  Nothing worse than getting dressed every morning and by passing the mirror because you don't even wanna look.  Now I do!


 Tiger Blood -Raawwwrrrrr🙀

Whole30 Day 14 and 15

Still no weird dreams but halfway baby!!!

Day 14

Breakfast: 2 hard boiled eggs, 1 bacon slice, sausage patty
Lunch: leftover chicken and confetti cauliflower
Dinner: Homemade chili, half an avocado, sauteed kale and strawberries.

Easy Sauteed Kale!

2 small bunches of lacianto or Dinosaur Kale
2 cloves of garlic
salt and pepper to taste
ghee or olive oil
juice of half a lemon

Wash and tear your Kale leaves, saute garlic in your ghee or olive oil. Add Kale leaves and stir several times and cook for 5-7 minutes, salt and pepper to taste.  Shut off heat, squeeze lemon all over leaves and stir.  Cover and let rest for 5 minutes.  Enjoy!  This was my first try at eating cooked Kale.  Loved it!

Day 15

Breakfast: 2 hard boiled eggs, bacon slices, banana and blackberries
Lunch: chicken salad in a lettuce wrap.
Dinner: Chicken Poppers, guacamole, salsa, mixed greens salad, strawberries

 

 Noteable Notes:  Still feeling great, I think a lot about this new plan and how it's hard to not call it a diet but I am really committed to eating organic and grass-fed, etc from now on....I've been on so many diets and they were mostly torture but this isn't.  So I visualize always, will I stay on whole30 or will I go Paleo....that kinda stuff. Have you tried Kombucha? I highly recommend it.  I had heard much about it but never knew why people were drinking it.  It is fermented tea and many companies sell it and their own flavors.  This is good because for the same reason we want to eat yogurt for the probiotic effect we knew in our tummies that those who can't eat dairy, should drink Kombucha.  Unless you are going to eat sauerkraut and kimchi....drinking is easier. I have only tried this company so far and I am going to stick with it.  I know I have heard others try others and have been disgusted but these are offset with natural juices which is compliant for whole30.  If you want to get fancy and place it in a wine glass and pretend you are getting alcohol (it does have a certain tang.) Start slow with flavors you know you will like like strawberry, citrus or cranberry....one of my friends tried the one with chia seeds and she said it was slimey.....lol.  I think I may skip that one....

Here's Kombucha in your eye! Ouch!

Whole30 - Days 12 and 13

I dream of junk food? No such dreams here....perhaps my work thoughts are more pervasive? I've never been a food dreamer no matter how deprived I have been in the past. I've been on plenty of DIETs in my lifetime....emphasizing the DIE part....clearly they worked but the same old eating habits kicked back in and the weight fell back on....But the whole30 makes so much sense....how could you NOT want this to be a new way to eat, for real? Other than adjusting to not having beans, rice, bread, dessert around....they just aren't needed, they are just calories!  If you do this plan right, you will not even WANT them. But the plan helps us find how these foods impact how our body works or more importantly how we FEEL.  I want to feel good, I am feeling better and loving how this plan is changing me....go to afterthoughts to see what!

Day 12:

Breakfast: Scrambled Eggs with peppers and onions, 3 organic homemade sausage patties and some blackberries.

Lunch: Nuts, beef stick, Veggies.... bunch of snacks....was busy
Dinner: Leftover Pulled Pork, Confetti Cauliflower, Mixed Green salad, and strawberries.

Day 13: 

Breakfast: 2 hard boiled eggs, 2 slices of bacon, cranberry kombucha
Lunch: leftover confetti cauliflower and roasted chicken, cucumber slices and seltzer
Dinner: Burger Night! Bacon Avocado Burger with a portabello bun and mixed green salad.

Second pic just in case you didn't believe there was a burger underneath those avocado slices! LOL
Please excuse the flashlighting.....We were hungry...

 I swear, I didn't miss the bun at all...I did want some cheese though!😪

Afterthoughts....This morning, I was looking at a candy jar that had a leftover mix of candies in it (about 8, some Mary Janes and two chocolate covered wrapped candies) and after looking at them for the past 13 days with no real feeling about them today I went to the jar- my head said 'Not even worth it" and threw them away. Although I walked by them looking at them all 2 weeks into this plan, like they were going to be some reward at the end of whole30....my brain just prompted me to get rid of them because I just have no interest in them at all. Other than a special night out where eating something like grains, cheese or sugar, I really don't miss having them in the house.

I got this!

Whole30 - Day 10 and 11

The hardest days? Feeling the most deprived?  I see my friends eating foods with gooey cheese and it makes me cranky!  I quit this Whole30 plan......APRIL FOOLS! Hahahahaa Yes, how ironic that day 10 (the first of the hardest day) falls on April Fools day and I had committed to make this for our team's pot luck luncheon....April Fool's Spaghetti and Meatball's...full of flour (cake) and tons of SUGAR (frosting, berries and doughnuts)!



I couldn't even eat the mashed raspberries because they were macerated in sugar. Did this absolutely kill me? Was I drooling? Was I squeezing my eyes in pain over this task?  Nope! If anything I hated getting the stuff on my hands because they were sticky and normally we lick them to get rid of the sugary substance off our fingers from time to time. And out of habit, I did once. I had finished a part one of making this cake and had leftover cake batter. When I filled some mini muffin cups a tiny splash of batter hit the muffin tin whose size actually resembled a ! Slightly bigger but small and I usually wipe this away so they don't burn on the pan and in went the barely battered finger onto my tongue!  I FROZE! I was expecting some pulsating pleasure to course through my veins as heroin addict feels as they release the rubber band to allow the forbidden liquid to flow on.  It didn't, so I quickly went over to the sink to wash out any of the .009 grams of sugar on that tiny dot before it had the chance to sink into a taste bud.

However, the oohs and ahhs I got from my co-workers was reward enough than any sugar rush I needed....my bowl was returned to me with only one cake slice and few meatballs left which indicated they enjoyed it!  I took the leftovers and divided it up to my little quartet of sixth graders who adoringly come to hang out with me after school any chance they get...Their eyes became big as those meatballs when I showed them the before picture here.  They were proud that they were able to help with the cake and the spaghetti part but the sauce and meatballs were done right before I left for the lunch so they couldn't see the finished product.

Day 10

Breakfast: 2 hard boiled eggs and 2 slices of bacon
Lunch: Slow Cooker Apple Cider Pulled Pork  and frozen spinach, a few raw carrots and good handful of fresh strawberries.
Dinner: "Bangers and Mash" organic, sugar-free sausages (andouille and bratwurst) mashed potatoes and orange slices (Whole30 guest, my friend Jessica- who didn't REMIND me to snap a picture of dinner for my blog!!!)

So yeah, this is the leftovers heated up before my Brunch transformation.

Day 11

Dark and rainy this morning. I must have been exhausted from the week because my eyes did not pop open until 11:30 this morning!?!?!? That is fine, if sleep is what my body wants and not sugar...I will give in to it.

Br-unch: Dinner leftovers with two fried eggs on top and black coffee.

Dinner: Slow Cooker Apple Cider Pulled Pork (recipe link above), sauteed zucchini, cilantro and dried tomatoes and sliced avocado.

Notations: A long week it seems, always after a vacation from school AND acclimating to a new food plan with work...AND a major milestone birthday....spells STRESSED....and that spelled backward is DESSERTS! Luckily I didn't feel the need to go there, no did I miss having cake on my b-day....(montone mantra...cake will not fall from the earth....it will still be here when you complete the plan Jenny....have faith, there is no last day of cake where it will cease to exist....even the stupid Twinkie reappeared after Hostess closed down -eww).

I figured, making it 1/3 through and not wanting to quit after a long week.  Treat myself with non-food.  It was time to transition to spring by getting the pedicure so I can wear sandals, etc.  So, I talked Jessica into getting the SPA pedicure, which is longer, with massage and special scrubs, etc.  Her legs were hurting....my were feeling tired....we've been doing a great job on this....why not? We deserve it!  BTW, still no allergy medications being taken.

Feeling cheery, deary!

Whole30- Day 8 and 9

NOOOO! my pants are tighter? Due to our body adjusting to new intake of meat and vegetables and the lack of easy-access sugar I am bloated? Since my ankles were looking like grapefruits before Whole30 and they became normal again....I look down to my ankles now at the end of a long day and see that my ankles are a little bloated.  But they aren't the old grapefruits at least. Seems like I am on target then....well, at least for this day.

Day 8-

Breakfast: 2 hard boiled eggs, 1 1/2 pieces of bacon and 1 banana and black coffee.
Lunch: Chicken salad and spinach leaves, some leftover poppers, a few strawberries.
Snack: Nuts, carrots
Dinner: Oven Barbecued Chicken with Tessemae's Barbecue Sauce, sweet potato hash with peppers and onions.

Day 9- Happy Birthday to ME!

Breakfast: 2 hard boiled eggs, 2 pieces of bacon and about 8 cantaloupe pieces and coffee with coconut cream.
Lunch: Leftover sweet potato hash and chicken.
Dinner: Night off from cooking and had a burger from Elevation Burger. Organic, Grass-fed Double burger with tomato, onion, guacamole and mushrooms in a LETTUCE wrap.  Ordered it carryout, so I could use my Tessemae's Ketchup and homemade mayo and add my own side of squash at home.

Coupla Notes: I am hesitant to eat out only because I cannot control knowing what is in the ingredients for something like ketchup.  I had heard from my Whole30 partner in crime Jessica and friend that Elevation Burger was Whole30 compliant by lettuce wrapping their burgers and frying their potatoes in olive oil, that was cool to hear however it's all the things you take for granted like condiments that can contain SUGAR even if they are organic!  We were forced to bring the dinner home because we took off so late that I had forgotten to bring my own Tessemae's Ketchup and homemade mayo with me. I was so distracted by getting my burger order right, that I had forgotten to get a side salad....again, you can't necessarily trust their organic salad dressing unless you go to basic vinegar and oil. BTW, the french fries are NOT compliant. Notice I did not mention that I had any.  The book specifically says that frying a potato stick or chip in olive oil does not make it whole30 compliant just as they say to not blend a banana with an egg to make pancakes.  We are trying to break some of these old habits such as the expectation of when a burger or sandwich happens....then come the fries or chips. My friend Jessica when there last week and ate a burger and fries and was happy how compliant she was....I did this....😳 When you start a plan like this you can just scan a few parts to 'get the jist' you have to commit to reading the whole book to understand how these bad habits start and this plan operates to break them.  I also suggest to also read It Starts with Food because it give all the science background of this plan.  I know I am....my friend Jess, not so much.  I now wear the coach whistle!

Yes, I am experiencing the return of bloating as predicted due to my body adjusting to this different food intake and that is okay only because I am not experiencing any cravings or feelings of quitting.  Especially on a special day like a birthday when I should be drinking wine and eating a big slab of chocolate cake!!! Wine and cake will still be around when I finish the initial 30 days.  I am cool with this.

Tight, ain't right!

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....