Day 7

By the end of today, I will have completed one week of Whole30. And with having prepared myself on Day 0, today is a big accomplishment!

Some things that I want to look back on as accomplishments are:

1) No chocolate in 7 days. WOW! I am shocked.
2) No mid-afternoon snacking from my desk drawer
3) No late evening snacking (no sneaking food from the kitchen while Ryan wasn't looking)
4) Meal planning and buying groceries
5) No foods with a barcode or microwavable! Everything I ate this week, I cooked (except for the 2 egg omelettes I customized and had made for me for breakfast).
6) Bar Method 4 days a week (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday)

Some things I want to work on:

1) Better pre/post workout meals
2) More variety to breakfast besides eggs
3) Being more considerate of Ryan who is not Whole30
4) Cook with Ryan, not for Ryan
5) Meal plan with Ryan for 3 dinners a week
6) Continue with Bar Method 3-4 days a week (This week will mark my 500th class)!
7) Portion control
8) Don't give up on a weekend!

I have learned a lot in this week, especially about reading labels and eating whole foods so I look forward to the next 3.5 weeks I still have on the program.

This morning I slept in, which felt great. I think I needed it and since starting Whole30, my body feels more regular and my sleep feels deeper. I still feel a little tired mid-day so I need to figure out something to wake me up mid-day besides coffee or a sugar rush.

I made Ryan breakfast (that is one meal he doesn't fight me on - I cook, he eats)! We had chicken and apple sausage omelette. He had a side of bacon and a fresh juice. I used Aidell's sausage which has whole30 compliant ingredients. I plan to also use these sausages to make egg muffins for the week (if I can get myself off of the couch). I put half of the sausage in the omelette and ate the other half on the side. We also had a small bowl of n'oatmeal on the side, but Ryan didn't like it so he swapped it for gluten free chocolate cereal (which I made him get so I wouldn't be tempted to sneak a bite). Now I have some n'oatmeal for for tomorrow's pre workout meal.

After breakfast, I prepped dinner and prepared the ribs for the slow cooker. I adapted a recipe from PaleOMG for Crockpot Coffee Anco Chile Sort Ribs. A few modifications I had to make were for honey that the recipe called for, but is not Whole30 approved and I did not have ancho chiles. I used 2 dates to replace the honey (dates are a natural sugar) and a combination of chile powder and cinnamon for the ancho chile. I also added some 100% cocoa powder. I hope the sauce cooks perfectly with the ribs; I cannot mess up another dinner or Ryan will be upset, and this meal is supposed to be leftover lunch tomorrow! It is cooking for 7 hours on low in the slow cooker and we will make Zucchini fritters and a blood orange salad later. I asked Ryan for his help making the fritters to get him involved. I hope I can be less controlling and let him help because it would be great to make Whole30 and Paleo a family lifestlye!

Coffee Cocoa Slow Cooked Short Ribs
2 pounds short ribs
1/2 cup brewed coffee
2 cloves garlic
2 pitted medjool dates
1/2 tbsp lime juice
1/4 cup vegetable broth
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp 100% cocao powder
1 tbsp cinnamon
1 tbsp chili powder
ghee or fat of choice
salt and pepper

1) In a food processor, combine garlic, coffee, salt, pepper, cinnamon, chili powder, dates olive oil, lime juice, and cacao powder. Puree until smooth

2) Heat a large pan over high heat and add ghee. When pan is hot, sear short ribs for 2 minutes on both sides. You want to caramelize the ribs.

3) In a slow cooker, add vegetable broth, top with ribs and top with coffee mixture.

 

 

4) Cover and cook on low for 7 hours.

Serve and Enjoy!

*Again, I was took quick reading the recipe and combined the broth with the coffee in the food processor - I hope this doesn't effect the recipe! I need to slow down and relax!

Day 6, Feeling Down, But Not Out

Day 6...almost 1 week...and I am feeling a little down, overwhelmed, not enthused...I don't know why though.

I woke up early, texted Ryan to make sure he was up and on his way to the airport and got ready for Bar Method. My pre-workout meal was a small bowl of n'oatmeal, which barely even made a dent in what is still left! It was still sweet and thick and the fat from the nuts is a great start to the day, and more interesting than my usual handful of whole nuts! I took citibike to SoHo and had an absolutely AMAZING class with Amanda. I was shaking, sweating, and feeling so calm and relaxed. We even did pretzel, which if you know me, you know it is my favorite. I took citibike home, waited for my FreshDirect order to arrive and prepared Meal #1. Ryan's flight landed early so he came home an hour earlier than he thought! My post-workout meal was half of a blueberry RxBar. I think this is where my day started to go wrong.

Half an RxBar and then 1 hour until my next meal, I don't think I was full. I think I was fearing I was eating too many calories and that Bar Method is not as intense a workout as spin or heavy lifting so I didn't need as much protein to recover (some Whole30 people do not have a post-workout meal after yoga so I guess I assumed I shouldn't, or have less after Bar). I don't want to rely on Larabars or Rx Bars for post workout meals but right now they are conveneint to eat in the locker room early in the morning or on my commute home. You are supposed to eat 15-20 minutes after working out in order for your muscles to repair so I definetly need to eat something because during the week and on the weekends my Meal #1 is not for an hour after I work out. So I just have to figure out the best amount of protein to eat after Bar Method. I could also play it by ear based on the individual class itself and how hard my body worked.

Breakfast Meal #1 was a hash made with my last 3 salmon cakes, onions and kale topped with 2 fried eggs and half an avocado. It was so delicious! I loved the crumbled salmon cakes - much better than microwaving them whole. That would have been boring. I love finding new ways to eat leftovers through this program besides how they were originally intended to be eaten. You have to get creative!

Soon after I finished eating Ryan came home; Haley ran to the front door crying and let him hold her, which is extremely unusual. Haley hates being touched, unless of course she wants to be! What a New Yorker! He came home and immediately asked what we were eating. Since I had just finished Meal #1, I was not hungry and wanted to not go into the kitchen or tempt myself - he made a ham and cheese sandwich. 30 minutes later had a bowl of cereal - oh man, I knew Week 1 was too good to be true, no wonder I didn't have cravings or any trouble; Ryan wasn't around to eat every hour! At 2pm I prepared Meal #2, a bowl of the last of my vegetable soup with baby carrots, almond butter and cashews on the side (Ryan also had a bowl, so that's Meal #3 in the 2 hours he has been home). I don't think this meal was large enough. It had vegetables, protein and fat but the proportions were off and even though I felt full after eating it, it didn't last long. I was hungry by 4pm but really didn't want to eat Meal #3 early and I wanted to control my snacking, so I had the other half of my Rx Bar. If Meal #2 had been more substantial I think I could have made it to Meal #3 without any problems. I also think I could have gone without the snack but I let hunger win. I can't remember if I was hungry or bored but I ate anyway (Ryan had a rice cracker with nutella and peanut butter).

Meal #3 started of rocky - I was going to make tandoori chicken, but the recipe I had called for 4-8 hours of marinating the chicken. I knew that too, I remember last week telling myself that, but with the excitement of Ryan coming home, I forgot. So I quickly went over the meal plans in my head that I had prepared and decided to make almond-coconut encrusted chicken instead. I still made the prosciutto wrapped dates and broccoli sauteed in ghee. Then Ryan tells me he doesn't like dates...could this meal get any more difficult. Well, I told him we were having dates...and that prompted an argument about me controlling the meals and him being forced to change his diet just because I change mine, but he can't effect mine by offering me chocolate or else I will get mad. And he is right - if he tried to change the way I eat, I would be so mad, yet here I am making him change his diet. I know it's not fair, but I have a really hard time letting go and giving up control, so here I am making dinner plans for the week for us,  knowing full well that he doesn't like spaghetti squash (yet that is what I am planning for one meal this week). We decided to compromise - 3 meals together during the week and 2 on our own so that he can eat whatever he wants, at whatever time he wants and I won't feel bad, and he won't feel useless waiting for me. He was also upset that I bought a lot of groceries for a weeks worth of food but nothing for him like cereal, yogurts, milk (the non-paleo stuff)! I guess I wasn't thinking about him, or I was thinking that he would just adapt to whole30 with me. But that's not fair.

Well, dinner turned out great (Ryan ate the prosciutto but not the dates). My only mistake with the chicken was that I made it in a baking dish instead of on a cookie sheet so the coconut and almond meal didn't get as crispy as it could have, but it was still great and now I know for next time!

 

Almond-Coconut Crusted Chicken
adapted from i.run.on.nutrition

1 lb chicken breasts
3/4 cup almond flour (or make your own with almonds in the food processor)
3/4 cup unsweetened coconut
2 eggs
salt, pepper, chili powder, garlic powder to taste

1. Preheat oven to 400 and grease cookie sheet.

2. Prepare 3 bowls, 1 for the eggs (beaten), coconut and almond flour (mixed with salt, pepper, chili powder and garlic powder).

 

3. Dip 1 piece of chicken in the egg.

4. Dredge chic in the almond flour.

5. Dip chicken in the egg again (this adds crispiness).

 

6. Dredge chicken in coconut.

 

7. Place on a cookie sheet and repeat with remaining chicken.

 

8. Bake for 30-40 minutes.

Serve and Enjoy!

Proscuitto Wrapped Dates

21 medjool dates
7 pieces of proscuitto

1. Preheat oven to 400.

2. Slice each piece of proscuitto into thirds length wise.

3. Cut date in half and remove pit. Put two halves back together.

 

4. Wrap a slice of proscuitto around date and place seam side down in a greased baking dish or cookie sheet.

5. Repeat with all dates.

6. Bake for 30 minutes, or until proscuitto is crispy.

Serve and Enjoy!

Well, lessons learned today

1) Read your labels (refer to the update in "Read Your Labels" post regarding soy in herbal teas)
2) Ryan does not like dates
3) For crispy chicken, use a cookie sheet, not a baking dish
4) Eat larger meals with proportionate fat, protein and vegetables
5) Listen to my body for post-workout meal
6) Compromise with Ryan - he is giving up just as much as I am for whole30 and it wasn't his choice! I can't let my frustration get the better of me because I will take it out on him!

I am glad we ate later though today because I am still full from dinner and do not need a snack. The dates were so sweet that I saved them on my plate until the end because it was just like dessert! I am glad I was able to control my snacking today even though it was really difficult. I am just feeling tired from having to work so hard to eat right. So much cooking, so much planning, so much cleaning; it really is hard to eat well!

Tomorrow I am slow cooking ribs and while they cook I am going to make zucchini fritters and egg frittata muffins for the week. I have to figure out the meal plan so that I can marinate the tandoori chicken while I am at work. The recipe calls for 4-8 hours of marinating (the chicken will absorb the marinade and become mushy if marinating for too long) so it cannot be a day when I do Bar Method. Maybe tandoor chicken on Wednesday? I will have to rework my meal plan for lunches and dinners (lunches are based on leftovers)!

I think today's struggle came from being my first Saturday doing Whole30 - Saturday is usually my "fat" day where I don't count points and I just eat whatever and whenever and it is usually what Ryan eats. This was my first Saturday with restrictions so I think I mentally restricted myself too much so that I wouldn't overeat or go off program. Because I was home most of the day I think I was scared to continually be hungry rather than trust my body. The plan has been great for 5 days so I don't know why I doubted myself. I just need to treat each day as it's own and not worry about what I did in the past. 

Have a good night everyone!

XO

Day 5, Meal 3

What do you do when you can't decide between Japanese or Chinese food for dinner? You have both! I got home and ordered tri-color sashimi (salmon, yellowtail, tuna) and while I waited for the delivery I quickly whipped up broccoli and pork.

 When I got home I still had a headache and rather than sneak some chocolate like I normally would have, I had a small bowl of vegetable soup. Whole30 recommends having a small salad before a meal, so I figured a small soup would be great. It helped fill me up enough so that I could wait for my entree without having something bad for me, even if it is on the program, like apricots or a larabar!  So I ate soup while I ordered dinner!

 

When I finished the soup, I threw some broccoli, red onions and kale into a saucepan and let them cook for about 5 minutes. I wanted to mimic the balsamic sauce the pork was made in so I added some water so the onions would caramelize and then balsamic vinegar. Right at the end, I added the leftover pork ragout just to heat it through. Right as I was finishing my "Chinese" food, my Japanese food arrived!

Unfortunately I ate dinner on the couch watching TV, against my goals, so I ate it really fast and barely thought about what I was eating, but it was so good and I am so glad I got my sushi fix! I always liked sashimi and never needed the rice or the special rolls and special sauces and tobiko so this isn't difficult for me. The few difficult things when ordering sushi though is making sure there is no tobiko, crab or special/say sauce in the dish. Luckily, the miso soup, rice and soy sauce that came with the delivery were at the bottom of the bag, so I took out my platter and closed the bag back up and immedietely threw it out! No temptation! I tried shopping for coconut amino acids as a soy sauce replacement, but I can't find it in stores so I will have to order it online. Luckily, my pork and broccoli was salty enough that I didn't need any sauce with the fish!

Now I am curled up on the couch with Haley about to watch a movie. One more night alone so I have some cleaning to do before Ryan gets home! Cooking every night means lots of dishes and messes!

Have a great night!

XO

Day 5 Struggles

I don't know if the day is slow, I didn't sleep well, or what, but today is a difficult one. I didn't wake up with the greatest energy and felt a pain in my lower left abdomen all morning. I tried my best to stay hydrated but really didn't want water. So I drank a lemon tea and now I am having black coffee just in case I needed caffeine. But I am feeling very tired, very worn out and a little loopy - not a headache but not quite all there. I wonder if my body is feeling weak from the colonic - even though bad bacteria is taken out, so is good bacteria. I wish I had taken a probiotic when I got home but I was feeling so great I didn't think I needed it. I am feeding my body all of the right things so hopefully this is just a 24 Hour thing. I am having a hard time not reverting back to old habits like snacking on days when I feel like this. I didn't work out and I feel not normal and these are days when my chocolate and grazing and snacking habits come alive. I am so tempted to reach in my drawer and grab an apricot or a larabar but I really want to resist. I am really not hungry so this is obviously hungry from HALT. Steamed fish does not sound good right now so I know I do not need to eat. I think I am just ready for the weekend! I want to go home and make dinner (still haven't decided on that yet) and read all of my new Paleo cookbooks that I bought last week.

I made a meal plan for week #2 and did a FreshDirect order. I have to plan ahead otherwise I will want to take the easy way out and microwave something bad for me. I want to use the Paleo cookbooks for Week #3, #4 and #4.5 so that I am ready for the rest of the program. I just have to sift through the recipes for added sugar like honey, maple syrup, agave, etc. Anything with those ingredients will have to be saved for Week #5. I also need to figure out how to handle Passover, which falls on Day #29. I am hosting it at our new home and my mom is going to help me cook but I need to have some recipes on hand that are Whole30 approved. I guess I should have started Whole30 2 days earlier, Passover would have been such a treat for post-Whole30.

Lunch was salmon cakes and salad, nothing fancy, but delicious. Just trying to get through the next 2.5 hours. I would take a walk but I feel lightheaded and weak. So frustrating to have gone 4 days feeling fabulous only to feel horrible again.

Day 5, Meal 1: N'Oatmeal

Wow, N'Oatmeal (recipe adapted from Paleon It Blog) is a real thing and it is really good. So good I forgot all about the egg white and oatmeal pancake I haven't eaten in a week! So good I could have eaten both servings. So good I am thinking about the next time I can make it. But it's also full of nuts, almond butter, coconut milk and bananas and eggs, so high fat content (all good fats) so it is important to portion control this out. This isn't a plate of steamed vegetables that we can over eat and not worry about. Too much of a good thing, is bad for you. I was worried it wouldn't be enough for Meal #1, but I am full and happy. I thought for a long time about nixing the banana from the recipe - it has been a week without bananas and fruit and I feel so much better. And bananas are high in starch and seem to cause my indigestion and bloating. But I figured since I wasn't eating it raw it wouldn't be too bad, and I was only eating half since I was only having half a serving, and if I left out the banana, the almond butter wouldn't be mushy or help the eggs form a custard. So I left it in. My stomach did bloat a little bit after eating but it doesn't hurt and I wasn't in any abdominal pain. I love this meal, but I will have to limit it to once a week (or 2 if Ryan doesn't have the other half a serving).

It's really easy to make but it takes patience, you don't want to end up with scrambled eggs with nuts! I topped mine with pumpkin seeds, goji berries and unsweetened coconut (and a dab of almond butter just for fun; I used Barney & Co. 'bare' almond butter so no sugar, only almonds and palm fruit oil). It was really sweet, surprisingly, and I will add more cinnamon and nutmeg next time. I didn't want to overpower the almond butter, but the extra spices will only make it better. It's a great recipe to experiment with, especially toppings. Oh, and when I ran out to get the real coconut milk, without any preservatives, I grabbed a bag of pecans so I pulsed just a few and added it to my mix that I prepared the night before. I'm not sure it really made a difference, but now I have more nuts in the house!

 N'Oatmeal
Serves 2

3 eggs
1/3 cup coconut milk, unsweetened, full fat
1 banana
1 tbsp almond butter
1/2 cup pecans*
1/2 cup almonds*
2 tbsp flax seed
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger

1. Add pecans, almonds, flax seed and spices to a food processor and pulse until is is a course grain (be careful not to completely grind it to a powder, I left a few larger pieces of nuts for some added crunch).

2. In a medium saucepan (no heat on), whisk together eggs and coconut milk until it thickens.

3. In a separate bowl, mash the banana and almond butter together.

 

4. Add banana/butter mixture to the saucepan and whisk together well. Get out all of the clumps, and it should thicken like a loose custard.

5. Add the nut mixture and mix well.

 

 

6. Heat the saucepan over medium heat and whisk until the oatmeal reaches your desired consistency. Continue to whisk so that you do not end up with scrambled eggs. I allowed mine to thicken a bit, just as I would oatmeal, it took about 5 minutes.

Serve and enjoy with toppings like fresh berries, pumpkin seeds, goji berries and unsweetened coconut flakes!

*I made a 1 cup mixture of almonds, cashews, walnuts and pecans

I brought my salad and 3 salmon cakes for lunch today. I still haven't decided if I am going to order sashimi or make a pork stirfry with the leftover balsamic pork and mixed vegetables. If I can find a good recipe on line, I could easily be tempted to forget about my sashimi, at least for a few more day.

I am a bit more tired today than I was yesterday - this could be from getting home late and staying up to watch Scandal. I really don't go to bed at 11:30pm because it's too late if I am getting up at 5:15am for Bar Method. But that is what happens when Olivia Pope puts on her white hat and the gladiators go to work! I also woke up worried about my coconut milk not being whole30 approved, so I am sure I was thinking about it all night while I slept. I have small stomach pains and I'm not sure if that's from being dehyrdated or the n'oatmeal (the banana? too many nuts in one meal? coconut milk?) I am waiting it out until lunch to see how things go. I had to stop drinking at 4pm yesterday and chugged 2 bottles of water when I got home at 7:30pm but I didn't have anything to drink with breakfast, I just wasn't thirsty, which was a big mistake on my part. Now I am forcing myself to drink my second bottle of water of the day.

I did not go to Bar Method this morning so I decided to walk to work. It was a bit breezy but warmer than usual so it was really enjoyable. I can't wait for when it really warms up and I can do it with a lighter coat! I felt like I was sweating by the end of the 20 minutes!

Have a great day everyone!

XO

Read Your Labels!!

I woke up in a panic this morning...afraid to slip on whole30...but instead I rushed to the grocery store before the sun was even up and caught myself!

Last night, remember, I bought coconut milk for my n'oatmeal this morning. What's the harm in buying full fat coconut milk, it's all the same, right? Well no!!!! After getting home and looking at my Roland's coconut milk, I realized my mistake, there were so many ingredients in this little can besides coconut and water and the word "preservative" was printed right there on the label! How could I be so silly to not have read my labels while I was in the store! 

I got home and looked up "sodium metabisulfite"...who cares what it is, it says sulfite which is a big no no, not just whole30 but in life. It's fake food that is poisoning us!

Well last night after realizing my mistake I said to myself "whatever, it's just 1/3 cup in 1 recipe out of 30 days (about 90-100 meals). Then this morning I woke up at 5:45, jumped out of bed and said "here I am making excuses again, no way!" And I ran to the store and bought Thai Kitchen unsweetened coconut milk! And I feel relieved and guiltless to make meal #1. 

So lesson learned today!! Read and understand your labels! And look how many less ingredients there are, and I can pronounce them all!!!!!

*guar gum is derived from a plant and is whole30 approved. 

Update march 23: read your labels! Lesson learned, herbal teas have soy lechtin! I am in shock. Who would have thought pomegranate green tea could be harmful to my body! I have only had lemon zinger tea once in the past 6 days so it is nothing to start the program over...honestly, whole30 moderators would disagree, but personally I feel that because I didn't eat it that it has less effect on my gut. And it was before the colonic so it would be removed now. But what a lesson to learn! That will be what I get the most out of this program I think, amazing insight into what I feed my body!