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Of Brassica and Bucket Lists


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Today is Day 1 of my third W30.  In late September, I'll cross something very exciting and meaningful off my Bucket List.  I'd love to be able to head into it with a clear head, well-rested body, and much better ability to keep my feelings of freakish overjoy in check.  Right now I really suck at that last thing.

 

My first W30 was a huge success, and posting a daily food log was a major help.  My second wasn't nearly as good, I think because I didn't post a daily food log and lost sight of my goals.

 

Goals for my 3rd round:

  • Post here every day
  • At least 2 servings every day of veggies in the Brassica family (personal faves being kale, broccoli, bok choy, brussels sprouts and cauliflower)
  • Aim for 0-1 servings of fruit per day
  • Nuts no more than 3 times a week
 

DAY 1

Breakfast: Frittata (starring broccoli and also featuring zucchini and tomato paste), coffee with light coconut milk

Lunch: Slow-cooked chicken thighs, raw broccolini with guacamole, an apple

Workout: Lunges, pushups, inverted rows (this is my deload week, so I skipped pre- and post-WO meals)

Dinner: Wilted kale salad with salmon and homemade dressing (EVOO, coconut aminos, chipotle pepper flakes)

Water intake: 8 glasses (128 oz)

What I noticed today: It's hard for me to imagine being any more ready, willing or able to give it my all this time around.  That feels awesome.

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Tonight the salad was just lots of kale braised with garlic, a little olive oil and coconut aminos.  I meant to throw in some tomatoes and onions, but I got distracted by how yummy the kale was all by itself.  By the time I remembered to add the other veggies, the kale was already in my belly.

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TMI/crude humor alert!

 

It's been a while since I've eaten so much raw broccolini at one time.  The result?  Allllllll-night-long fart party.

 

Believe it or not, this is a special event.  My significant other and I have been together since Bush (W, not HW) was in office.  During all this time, he has never, ever, not even once heard me fart.  Boy, did that change last night!

 

So today I'll steam my broccolini and hope for the best.

 

Given my goal of 2 or more servings of Brassicas per day, this could make for a very comical 30 days!

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Day 2 (aka Improv Lunch Day)

PreWO: Coffee with coconut milk

Workout: 20 minutes HIIT cardio

PostWO: Nibble of frittata

Breakfast: Frittata, steamed broccolini with ghee

Lunch: 1/2 serving frittata, cucumbers with guacamole, Larabar

Dinner: Grilled pork loin, grilled brussels sprouts with ghee

Water intake: 7 glasses, 16 oz each

What I noticed: Today was a comedy of errors and, under the circumstances, a success.  Lunch was supposed to include leftover chicken as my protein, but I forgot to pack it in my cooler and didn't have the time or the guts to try my luck with take-out.  I would have grabbed the emergency stash of canned chicken in my car, but I hadn't replenished my supply.  Aside from a Larabar, none of the remaining emergency non-perishables in my car were compliant (whey protein, turkey jerky with tamari, chocolate-covered coffee beans, tea with stevia -- GRRR!).  Thankfully the Kwik-E-Mart near the office had some compliant protein: Cans of tuna!  I bought a couple cans, ran back to the office only to find that someone very naughty had misappropriated the can opener.  So I made do with the least-bad foodstuffs on hand.

 

Lessons:

Make sure you pack your lunch in its entirety, silly!

Replenish your emergency stash of compliant foods, silly!

When stuff doesn't go as planned, panicking is an option, but so is busting your brain to find a creative solution.

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Day 3 (Zzzzzz Day)

Breakfast: 3-egg scramble with steamed broccolini and sauteed zucchini, coffee with coconut milk

Lunch: Sashimi with smuggled-in coconut aminos  :ph34r: , house salad with no dressing, macadamia nuts (that's my 2nd serving of nuts this week counting yesterday's Larabar)

Dinner: 2 Trader Joe's chile lime chicken patties with guacamole, kale braised in olive oil and vinegar, a handful of sungold tomatoes

Water intake: 5 glasses

What I noticed: I feel exactly like this today.  Went to bed super early, woke up super late and still needed a cat nap after lunch.

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Day 4 (Bouncing-Back Day)

Breakfast: Bison patty, steamed broccolini, coffee with coconut milk

Lunch: Chicken, garlicky mashed cauliflower with ghee, kale chips

PreWO: Decaf coffee with coconut milk

Workout: Deloaded deadlifts, chest presses, 1-arm rows

PostWO: Nibble of this week's frittata (chicken, kale, grated zucchini)

Dinner: Leftover slow-cooked chicken, braised chard topped with tomatoes, a side of sweet potato with ghee

Water intake: 7 cups (16 oz each)

What I noticed: I had lots more energy than yesterday, and I put it to good use in the kitchen.  Some recipes didn't turn out as expected, but everything is pretty tasty.

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The braised chard sounds great! I was eyeing some chard in the store the other day but wasn't sure what do with it. Do you think that would work with beet greens, too? I have a lot of extra beet greens that are too beautiful to put straight in the compost.

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Day 5 (Very Hungry Caterpillar Day)

PreWO: Coffee with coconut milk, 1/2 serving frittata

Workout: HIIT cardio session from hell

PostWO: Nothing, since I had doubts it would stay down

Breakfast: 1.5 servings frittata (with roughly 1/2 serving kale), sweet potato with ghee, donut peach

Lunch: Salmon on a big bed of raw kale/chard mix, cauliflower with ghee, 1/2 sweet potato

Dinner: Fragrant Lamb Curry from this book, braised kale, decaf chai with coconut milk

Water intake: 8 glasses (16 oz each)

 

This is the first day I've felt some serious hunger between meals.  I blame the workout.  It damn near killed me.

 

Another thing that damn near kills me is waiting these final 5 minutes till dinner is ready.  The kitchen smells phenomenal and the dining room will probably sound like this tonight.

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Day 6 ("Squats?  F*** squats!" Day)

Breakfast: 1.5 servings frittata (about 1/2 serving kale), sweet potato with ghee

Lunch: Lamb curry leftovers from last night's dinner, mashed cauliflower with ghee

PreWO: Half a Larabar (and there's my third weekly serving of nuts)

Workout: Heavy lunges, overhead presses, pullovers

PostWO: Lamb, sweet potato

Dinner: Grilled salmon, bok choy salad with olive oil

Water intake: 6 glasses (16 oz each)

What I noticed: Energy level and hunger were steady throughout the day, but my mood had this interesting streak of grouchiness and lack of motivation.  Case in point: My workout.  I woke up early and well-rested, put on my workout clothes and then just dawdled until it was time to go to work.  After work I put on my workout clothes again, determined to get it done.  I looked at my workout log and confirmed it's squat day.  Squats are one of my favorite lifts, so it surprised me to hear these words tumble out my mouth: "Squats?  F*** squats!"  To my credit, I ended up doing lunges instead.

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Day 7 (Mama-Said-There'll-Be-Days-Like-This Day, Part I)

Breakfast: 1.5 servings frittata with a little blob of guacamole, coffee with coconut milk

Lunch: Salmon with a big blob of guacamole, an apple

Dinner: Zoodles with shrimp and coconut milk sauce, kale chips

Workout: Active rest.  Walked 1.5 miles at an easy pace carrying a backpack that weighed about 15 pounds.  No pre- or post-workout snacks.

Water intake: 5 glasses (16 oz each)

What I noticed today: Mama said there'd be days when -- surprise! -- you must either eat lunch with one hand while standing up, or not eat lunch at all.  Ugh.  Okay, she didn't warn me about days like this, but that's kinda how the day played out.  I physically couldn't eat my salad at lunch, so it will be for lunch on Day 9.  Despite the day's craziness, I stayed calm, focused and pretty darn happy.

 

Day 8 (Mama-Said-There'll-Be-Days-Like-This Day, Part II)

Breakfast: 1.5 servings frittata with guacamole, cherry tomatoes, coffee with coconut milk

Lunch: Lamb curry, kale chips, cherry tomatoes

Workout: The plan was heavy deadlifts, pushups, inverted rows.  Knee was sore, so gave it TLC it instead,

Dinner: Lamb curry, Brussels sprouts with ghee, sweet potato, cherries

Water intake: 8 glasses (16 oz each)

What I noticed: Today was way less demanding than yesterday.  I slept well last night and think I could have bounced back from chaos pretty easily, but no chaos materialized.  I'm hearing and sometimes feeling the same creaky sound/sensation in my lower gut that I remember from my first W30.  This was a sign of pre-Tiger Blood, so hooray!

 

My supply of cruciferous veggies runs low so quickly!  I want to be better prepared by keeping frozen broccoli and cauliflower on hand.  Sauerkraut has never been my thing, but I think I'll give it another try.

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Hmm ... sounds like frittatas are the thing to have around the house! I should start making them. (Only once I get tired of my daily eggs scrambled in coconut oil, though.)

 

So glad to hear you're feeling good! Days 6 and 7 for me starred cravings and fatigue. You sound like you're doing really well and really on top of things. I guess that's what happens when you're on your third Whole30, huh? That is just awesome. I'm sure I don't have to tell you this, but keep it up! :)

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Day 9 (The Day Mental Fog Lifted)

Breakfast: Frittata, sweet potato with ghee, cherry tomatoes, coffee with coconut milk

Lunch: Salmon, Brussels sprouts, chard salad with olive oil, apple

Dinner: Turkey patties topped with guacamole, kale chips, cherry tomatoes

Workout: Active rest due to knee pain.  Walked about 1.5 miles at easy pace with light backpack.

Water intake: 6 glasses (16 oz each)

What I noticed: Mental sharpness is kicking in big time.  I was at the top of my game in terms of creativity and concentration.  And I was happy-calm throughout the day, but the evening was another story.  This evening I powered down and meditated on someone in my family who means the world to me and is facing serious health issues.  I pictured her face, her smile, her voice, her mannerisms and everything as clearly and intently as I could.  She lives fairly far away and we don't get to see each other nearly as often as we'd like.  Visualizing her with that much concentration and purposefulness felt wonderful, and it also made me feel so vulnerable and scared about the day (hopefully many entertaining years from now) when she'll be gone.  I rarely cry, but, man, that part had me crying buckets.  I wouldn't call it fun, but I do think it's important to let my guard down sometimes and hang out for a little while with thoughts and feelings I habitually push away.

 

I feel much better now, the morning of Day 10.

 

Here's an incomplete list of what makes frittatas so wonderful:

***The flavor and texture of egg aren't as overpowering in a frittata as they are in a scramble.  I burn out quickly on scrambled eggs, but I've yet to burn out on frittatas.  If you're really in an I'm-sick-of-eggs mood, you can increase the meat/veggie ratio in your recipes so the eggs act mainly as the glue that holds everything together.

***Frittatas are super versatile.  Can you refrigerate the leftovers?  Yep!  Can you freeze them?  Yep!  Does it save time throughout the week microwaving leftover frittata vs. cooking up a fresh scramble every day and then washing the @#%# frying pan?  Heck yeah it does!

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You are a rock star!!!  I loved your day one post..."It's hard for me to imagine being any more ready, willing or able to give it my all this time around.  That feels awesome."

 

I'm getting ready to start a second W30.  I hope I feel the same way.

 

I enjoy your writing style.  It's nice to read your log.
 

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Here's my basic formula for 8 generous servings of frittata:

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees

2.  Lightly grease a baking dish (9x13 generally works well)

3.  Stir yummy ingredients together*

4.  Spread yummy ingredients evenly in baking dish

5.  Bake for around 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick poked in the center comes out clean

6.  Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes

7.  Enjoy a serving while it's still warm and refrigerate the leftovers

 

*Below are a few examples of experiments that turned out nicely.  Prepare each ingredient or sets of ingredients, then stir them all together in a big bowl:

 

Happy Thanksgiving

15 oz canned pumpkin and 12 eggs blended together

1.5 lbs ground turkey, browned with ginger and garlic to taste

1 diced red bell pepper

 

'Shroom, Sweet 'Shroom

12 eggs, beaten

1.5 lbs ground beef, browned

2 onions, thinly sliced and caramelized

6 oz sliced mushrooms, sauteed in garlic

 

Green Veggie Curry

10 eggs and 2 cups coconut milk beaten together

1 chopped onion sauteed with 5 cloves of minced garlic and 1 Tbsp of your favorite Thai or Indian spice blend

10 oz frozen spinach, thawed and drained

4 cups broccoli, steamed and chopped

 

Chicken with Kick

12 eggs and 1 small can tomato paste (6 oz, I think?) beaten together

1 can (4 oz) diced mild green chiles

1 tsp chipotle pepper flakes

1 can (12.5 oz) chicken meat, broken into chunks

4 cups kale, chopped

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