My June Whole 30 Log (with songs)

[Selene]

WHAT I ATE:

Breakfast:

Cauliflower fried "rice" with cabbage, carrots, snappeas topped with...

Two fried eggs

Broccoli

[all sauteed in coconut oil]

Cherries

Lunch:

Salad of greens, olives, carrots, cabbage, cucumber, pumpkin seeds, tuna, anchovies, lemon/herb/nettle dressing

Seltzer

Dinner:

Burger on lettuce w/lacto-fermented pickles, tomato and this magic substance: http://www.theclothe...-mayo-patience/

Grilled zucchini & shitake

Sliced watermelon radish and red pepper

OBSERVATIONS:

• I'm tired from not drinking my usual never ending stream of decaf (decided to try to break this habit) and from THE HOT MESS that is New England and from buying a bazillion foods. Excited to fall asleep with my kids.
  
• It makes me sad to think about how hard it would be to eat like this on a limited budget, especially if you were trying to focus on organic and/or local foods. Economic justice!
  
• I'm really grateful for the awesome local foodshelf where I live (VT).
  
• I was so well fed today it was insane.
  

EXERCISE:

Run/walk intervals (2:1) for approx. 3 miles

SONG OF THE DAY:

Nina Simone -- Love Me or Leave Me

https://www.youtube....h?v=4sAbW0ONRBU

[hillview]

this is awesome. Thanks for posting! I am starting today and love the photos and menu ideas!

[Selene]

Thanks, hillview. I would love to hear how it's going for you.

[Selene]

Posting now, as we have some friends coming over to dinner in a bit (and ack! house is a slight disaster).

WHAT I ATE:

Breakfast:

Eggs friend in ghee over cauliflower rice/broccoli stir fry in coconut oil

sweet potato with coconut oil

Lunch:

Leftover burgers with & lacto-fermented pickles wrapped in lettuce with the homemade mayo THAT I WANT TO EAT ON MY DEATHBED (see previous post)

Tomato slices with olive oil, fresh thyme, salt & pepper

Radishes & red peppers

Dinner (will be):

Grilled salmon

Sauteed mustard greens with garlic

Tossed greens with lemon/nettle pesto dressing

Celeriac remoulade with the homemade mayo that I CANNOT STOP EATING:

http://www.davidlebovitz.com/2010/04/celery-root-remoulade-celeri-rem/

OBSERVATIONS:

• Oh the so tiredness of mid-afternoon! Tried to take a nap (I am Not a Napper), but was helpfully interrupted by husband and kids who then managed to fall asleep themselves. During the week at work I am going to try to counter this with an afternoon cup of warmed bone broth. Although just the sound of that makes me sleepy, so it may be the worst experiment, like, ever.
  
• I am drinking so many hydrating beverages. Is anyone else crazy thirsty?
  

SONG OF THE DAY:

Rolling Stones -- She's So Cold

[christartist]

The midafternoon slumps will fade. I've fought them with an egg, a spoon of coconut oil, and, a power nap, which won't work at work!

You have great variety for a first whole 30! You rock!

[Selene]

Thanks chrisartist. I feel like I am eating so many eggs already...but if a mid-afternoon egg could be a vehicle for the mayonnaise I WANT TO GET MARRIED TO maybe that would work!

[hillview]

Selene

Thanks! Here is day 2 for me:

Breakfast

Small fruit cup

3 egg omelet with avocado, mushroom and pear

Lunch

½ can of salmon in water (wild)

¼ cup of guacamole

¼ cups of olives

½ bell pepper

¼ apple

Snack

Carrots

Dinner

Grilled salmon

3 pieces of pineapple grilled

½ cup of brussel sprouts (grilled with EVOO and garlic)

Salad: lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, olives, sunflower seeds

Balsamic vinegar dressing (just vinegar)

[malie]

I am drinking so many hydrating beverages. Is anyone else crazy thirsty?

*raises hand* Can't tell if it's due to Whole30, new Invisalign (ugh, the horrible taste of plastic), or both. Also I find spinach (cooked or raw) gives me dry mouth, and we're eating a lot of it over here. I should google that, see if it's a thing or if I'm crazy.

ETA: Googled. Apparently it's a thing, likely caused by the oxalic acid in spinach.

[Selene]

ETA: Googled. Apparently it's a thing, likely caused by the oxalic acid in spinach.

 

Wow! Who knew?

 

I am usually really bad at drinking water/staying hydrated, so I guess my body reminding me to do it isn't such a bad thing. But wow...thirsty all the time.

[Selene]

That's looks amazing hillview. I love the idea of grilled pineapple. Definitely stealing that one.

[Selene]

My song of the day, a little early because I feel exhausted and weepy (was I warned? I seem to recall I was warned this would happen) and I need a song:

 

Boomerang by Lucy Schwartz (used to awesome effect in the Arrested Development Season 4 credits, which I finished last night):

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=ZVq9edB3HcM#!

 

Bonus detail for AD fans (any out there?): the artist is the voice behind "Mr F" and "For British Eyes Only" and her father was a composer on the original series.

 

http://www.motherjones.com/mixed-media/2013/05/lucy-schwartz-arrested-development-song-boomerang

[Selene]

WHAT I ATE:

 

Breakfast:

Leftover burger wrapped in lettuce with homemade mayo, shitakes, tomato

Lacto-fermented pickle

Raw new carrots

Cherries

Red chai masala with coconut milk -- X2 because it was SO FREAKING GOOD

 

 

Lunch:

Salmon with sauteed mustard greens

Zucchini

Roasted turnips

Unsweetened apple sauce

 

 

Dinner:

Chicken sausages

Greens with lemon/nettle dressing

Broccoli

 

 

OBSERVATIONS:

• So tired.
• Heartbroken and weepy for the entire first half of the day. Out of nowhere. Decided to just give in to it and ride it out. Shut my office door and did the best I could.
• Too much information? Ladystuff ALERT! Part of what brought me to Whole 30 was experiencing pretty intense/worsening PMS related depression (possibly related to perimenopause?). I've been working with Julia Ross's theories on amino acid supplementation. I'm hoping, in part, that the Whole 30 will help jump start my restoring balance, so I can rely on these (expensive) supplements for a shorter period of time. It was discouraging to wake up so colossally sad, because overall I've been feeling pretty improved.
• Lay around in the sun reading Buddhist teachings in the afternoon, to prep for my class tonight, while kids ran around in the yard. A nice counter to the morning.

 

 

SONG OF THE DAY:

See above, for Arrested Development fans.

[Selene]

I am so tired today. Blergh. Packed a huge box of approved teas to bring to work so I can keep hydrated.

 

I did the goal setting suggested in the Day 0 email and as a result I'm trying to do is cut back on screen time and get to bed between 9 and 10. Turns out these are much harder than giving up chocolate or cheese or toast or fancy beers. For me, anyway.

 

Excited for lunchtime interval running today. My body is craving this. I'll be curious to see how it actually feels, because so many people are saying their exercise has felt so difficult. I experienced that a little bit with strength training a couple of days ago, but it was also 100,000 degrees out and super muggy, so. Yesterday was the first day that things got hard and I had meditation class in the evening, so took a rest day from exercise. We'll see!

[Beets]

Just read a bit of this (have to grab my son from pre-k) but nap if you feel like it and have the opportunity. I am not a napper either but I for sure napped a few times during my w30. Delicious naps.  I also found the lifestyle changes (meal times, getting to bed, etc.) much harder than the food. I never really mastered eating meals on a regular schedule. Well, BF and lunch were ok but I still eat dinner too late. 

[malie]

I am so tired today. Blergh. Packed a huge box of approved teas to bring to work so I can keep hydrated.

 

I did the goal setting suggested in the Day 0 email and as a result I'm trying to do is cut back on screen time and get to bed between 9 and 10. Turns out these are much harder than giving up chocolate or cheese or toast or fancy beers. For me, anyway.

 

 

I'm brutally tired as well. Barely slept last night and feeling SUPER emo today. Definitely started crying at lunch when my hubby said he was still hungry after eating what I'd made. He is very patient with me. (He's feeling 100% amazing, by the way. UNFAIR.)

 

One of the habits I miss the most is that we used to watch Jeopardy at lunch together every day. Now we are sitting at the table focusing on our meals, but MAN, I miss Jeopardy. I think I crave lunchtime Jeopardy more than gelato and french fries right now.

 

All these crazy-eyed emoticons are really speaking my life right now.

[Selene]

Posting a little early so I can go to sleep with my girls tonight. I want lots and lots and lots of sleep.

 

WHAT I ATE:

 

Breakfast:

Salmon salad w/homemade mayo, capers, scallions

Avocado, tomato, and cucumber with olive oil

A few local strawberries

 

Lunch:

Leftover chicken sausages

Hard boiled egg with mayo

Broccoli, zucchini, roasted turnips

Cherry Larabar (yum!)

 

Dinner (will be):

Grilled chicken wrapped in lettuce with avocado, cucumber, tomato

Maybe an egg/sweet potato fritter if I'm still hungry? I cannot call it a pancake, because I have seen what happens. It's a round thing, that's all.

Seltzer

 

OBSERVATIONS:

• Woke up tired, but ultimately ended up pretty focused most of the day.
• Had a great short run at lunch. I usually run intervals, but forgot my headphones/timer, so decided I'd just run continuously. It felt great -- effortless and fast (for me, which is not fast at all).
• Hoping for early bed after putting girls to sleep.
• I went to sleep feeling a little hungry yesterday, so I've been trying to add in more protein and food in general today. Not interested in feeling hungry! Totally not what this is about for me.
• This morning I was very snappish with my husband for no good reason, but I came out of it quickly (though may owe my balancing of moods to amino acid supplementation?)

SONG OF THE DAY:

Amy Amy Amy by Amy Winehouse

[malie]

Aghh! I forgot about how much I love cucumber, tomato, and avocado chopped up together. YUMMM. Also with some black olives? Even better! Sadly the produce market did not have the kind of cucumbers I wanted today, but I shall try again later in the week.

[Selene]

Whoa. My most tired day so far. So tired!

Just not feeling well at all, but that may be due to hormones and/or fighting off the bug my daughter has. I was able to call in sick today and just stay in bed, so I'm hoping that helps.

Just finally managed to eat lunch and now I'm going to watch a movie with my daughter. Could be worse!

[Emma]

You commented a few days back about how difficult it would be to eat like this on a limited budget.  It's true.  We certainly save money not eating out, but we spend crazy amounts of money on our produce (fifteen dollars for one spaghetti squash).  Grass fed meats need to be shipped in.  Organic produce is shipped in.  On my vision board I have, "Live in a place where organic produce is inexpensive and plentiful"!

 

It saddens me and angers me and frustrates me how the current trend towards addressing diabetes and obesity ignores some of the challenging facing many.   I particularly get angry with the shaming tactics.  Luckily those don't happen where I live. 

 

My kids have had colds. I live in fear that I'll get one too, but so far I'm doing well.  My first Whole30 I was sick for several weeks.  It was a drag, but now I definitely feel more stable in my inner core of energy.  Hope your day goes well and you enjoy that time with your daughter.

[Selene]

You commented a few days back about how difficult it would be to eat like this on a limited budget.  It's true.  We certainly save money not eating out, but we spend crazy amounts of money on our produce (fifteen dollars for one spaghetti squash).  Grass fed meats need to be shipped in.  Organic produce is shipped in.  On my vision board I have, "Live in a place where organic produce is inexpensive and plentiful"!

 

It saddens me and angers me and frustrates me how the current trend towards addressing diabetes and obesity ignores some of the challenging facing many.   I particularly get angry with the shaming tactics.  Luckily those don't happen where I live. 

 

I so appreciate hearing someone else articulate this. I do live in a place where lots of organic produce is plentiful and (relatively) inexpensive and it still feels really pricey. The meat is a big part of that, of course (also plentiful, locally, but not cheap!). I did a food stamp challenge (living off that budget for a week) earlier this year and I really could barely afford vegetables of any kind, let alone organic ones.

[missmunchie]

I absolutely can't afford grass-fed, organic, or the "fancy" stuff where I live. It's a stretch to justify sweet potatoes in my budget, but they're the cheapest starch I've found that I can stomach (tried canned pumpkin and hated it). Pretty much all of my produce is frozen veggies and bagged spinach, with an occasional apple or seasonal berries as a splurge. It can be done, but it's playing major mind games with me and my desire to be "paleo perfect".

[Selene]

Hardest day so far. I have raging PMS, fighting off a cold, and just feel generally yucky.

 

WHAT I ATE:

 

Breakfast:

Hard boiled eggs with mayo

Radishes & cucumbers

Toasted pumpkin seeds

Sweet potato fritters (just sweet potato, egg, a little coconut flour & aminos)

 

Lunch:

Huge salad with grilled chicken

Larabar as I had to leave to pick up kids before finishing (not making a habit of these, I swear!)

 

Dinner:

Spare ribs (http://www.theclothesmakethegirl.com/2012/02/23/5-spice-slow-cooker-pork-ribs/)

Sweet potato with coconut oil

 

OBSERVATIONS:

 

Just, blech.

Also, noticed I was wanting an evening beer. Interesting to see what triggered it (feeling stressed out with my partner and wanting to check out). Drinking a little kombucha instead.

 

SONG OF THE DAY:

Thin Lizzy -- Cowboy Song

Debated merits of this song over breakfast

[Selene]

I absolutely can't afford grass-fed, organic, or the "fancy" stuff where I live. It's a stretch to justify sweet potatoes in my budget, but they're the cheapest starch I've found that I can stomach (tried canned pumpkin and hated it). Pretty much all of my produce is frozen veggies and bagged spinach, with an occasional apple or seasonal berries as a splurge. It can be done, but it's playing major mind games with me and my desire to be "paleo perfect".

It's sound like you are doing amazing with the resources you have. I am basically an enormous socialist and get really frustrated that all people don't have plentiful access to healthful foods. But go easy on yourself! Being able to feel relaxed and proud about what you are eating is probably a lot better for your health than being paleo (or any other kind of) perfect. You probably don't need to hear that from me or anyone else, so I hope my saying so isn't too annoying. Bottom line:  I am so sorry you have to experience that kind of stress.

[Selene]

Day 6

 

WHAT I ATE:

 

Breakfast:

Eggs sauteed in pork fat with asparagus

Sweet potato with coconut oil

Snap pea

Cherries

 

 

Lunch [at health food store deli!]:

Salad with turkey & sardines

Local strawberries

Ginger kombucha

 

 

Dinner:

Shrimp/asparagus/carrot/garlic/ginger stir fry in coconut oil

Avocado with lime

Kale/scallion salad with lemon juice, olive oil, coconut aminos

 

 

OBSERVATIONS:

• Long stressful day: kids sick, a lot of stress at work, had to stay super late to finish a project, but actual feel pretty level, energy-wise.
• Was awesome to come home at 8 and make a quick, super healthy delicious dinner, because I had no choice. Normally I would have grabbed a beer and, like, melted a piece of cheese on toast or something, with the excuse the I was out of time and energy. With just a little more effort I was able to do something much more appropriate, considering the day I've had: take decent care of myself (REALLY not my specialty when I'm tired & stressed).
• Really felt focused and good at the start of today (and was able to stay focused even as things got hard). Maybe the worst is over?

SONG OF THE DAY:

 

I'm a Cuckoo -- Belle and Sebastian

 

Continuing with the Thin Lizzy theme...

[Emma]

I so appreciate hearing someone else articulate this. I do live in a place where lots of organic produce is plentiful and (relatively) inexpensive and it still feels really pricey. The meat is a big part of that, of course (also plentiful, locally, but not cheap!). I did a food stamp challenge (living off that budget for a week) earlier this year and I really could barely afford vegetables of any kind, let alone organic ones.

Oh, a food stamp challenge sounds like a great idea.  Makes me want to do one and then write a letter to our paper bringing up the topic for discussion or to a local grant agency that is trying to prevent diabetes through young skinny chipper women telling everyone to eat well (they just don't connect with the real lives of people who are overweight or from different backgrounds).  But I'm not going to.  My plate is full enough with other projects and directions, however, I'm going to keep it in the back of my head.  One thing I realized many of the young single mothers in our community do need is a good cooking class.  There are a number of young women I work with who live off of take-out and super processed food.  A cooking class is not my skill set to teach.  I never really appreciated how ignorant even I was of cooking until I started Whole30 the first time.