Anewknitter Posted September 8, 2013 Share Posted September 8, 2013 Okay, so I started my Whole30 on September 1... one week in I have had to reset twice due to mindless eating kid snack food (partial granola bar one time, left over gold fish the other). So obviously, this is going to be a big deal for me to overcome. I am going to keep trying because I Really want 30 days completely dairy/grain/etc free to see if I see health benefits for a skin auto-immune issue I have. I am not doing the autoimmune regime at this time because it would be too restrictive for me to make work in my family setting. I don' t know what else I plan to say... but parenting while doing this is obviously a challenge for me! I hope to come and post the successes & failures of my days here for me to read (and for any advice people would like to give). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom2A&M Posted September 8, 2013 Share Posted September 8, 2013 I never knew how often I lick my fingers when I feed my kids until W30! Kinda gross but true. I used to be clean up mommy too because I hated wasting food but it is finally sinking in that its not worth it. It takes some reprogramming though. Keep on keeping on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anewknitter Posted September 8, 2013 Author Share Posted September 8, 2013 I never knew how often I lick my fingers when I feed my kids until W30! Kinda gross but true. I used to be clean up mommy too because I hated wasting food but it is finally sinking in that its not worth it. It takes some reprogramming though. Keep on keeping on. yup - me too! Glad to know I am not alone. I am working hard to not do it... but it is tough. And that is why I am on my third attempt in a week. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anewknitter Posted September 9, 2013 Author Share Posted September 9, 2013 No mindless munching for me today - so I will make that a WIN. I did not plan so well in terms of veggie content with breakfast or dinner for whatever reason today. I will need to re-assess for tomorrow. Best wishes all & good night! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anewknitter Posted September 10, 2013 Author Share Posted September 10, 2013 OKay - back after a couple of days. It is still hard to plan meals to fit both Whole30 and my family. I have had two nights in a row where something was missing (one night we missed enough veggies & the other night was something I could not eat since it was the first day of school choice for our middle child). Tonight though will be easy - sausages & eggs. I was going to make an egg bake, but the kids continue to dislike them... so I am going to take the ingredients I had planned for the egg bake and just make them seperately. I don't know why my meal planning for week two was so much less successful than for week one. go figure. If you go by my initial attempt, I am on day 10 and I can see why people quit around this time. It is just feeling tough. But I will try to keep going. At some point I may start paying attention to the e-mails again, since they will be new. On the BIG plus side... my head is not as itchy recently. This might be in response to the antibiotics, to being in the sun less with the end of summer upon up & the re-start of school, or the diet. Who knows... but since my scalp is my big issue I am HAPPY. Less itching implies less hair loss I hope. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anewknitter Posted September 16, 2013 Author Share Posted September 16, 2013 Back again. It is getting harder, not easier. This weekend was especially tough with a big picnic and pizza dinner at a park with friends. So I think I have stuck to the plan (at the picnic I just had 2 hamburgers and water), and I brought left over hamburgers from our dinner to the pizza park date. However, I am starting to hit my PMS week - which is when I get the most cravings usually. I am finding that for the most part, I have still been on target for the "Time Line" with my original start date of Sept 1... even though with the two or three small slip ups I have restarted twice. But I have yet to feel the Tiger blood. The rest of the month is looking unpleasant & daunting. Sorry to whine, but there it is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anewknitter Posted September 17, 2013 Author Share Posted September 17, 2013 Trying to vary the flavors of food I am eating, since I seem to be eating the same things often. It works okay. Feeling meh today, so a bit better than yesterday. Depending on how I am counting it is either day 10 or day 17... no Tiger Blood here yet. Off to read a story... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michele West Posted September 17, 2013 Share Posted September 17, 2013 The weekend was tough for my husband and I also! We almost caved Sunday (we were on Day 13) but stuck it out. After a good dinner it felt easier to keep on going. Today is Day 15 for us. The week is pretty easy going, but already this weekend is looming and I'm nervous again. I do plan on making some compliant "football" type food for Saturday in the hopes it will keep us a bit more satisfied. We'll be having wings, crab cakes, assorted raw veggies with a mayo dip. I'm trying some new meals this week in the hopes that it keeps us interested enough to finish out the month. My daughter eats whatever I make for dinner, so that's been easy. Or I should say I don't make a separate meal for her at night. I don't make her follow the plan for breakfast or lunch. You can do it! Take it one day at a time! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anewknitter Posted September 18, 2013 Author Share Posted September 18, 2013 Thanks Michele - my kids are currently rejecting 90% of the dinners I make. So one of the hard things is not being able to do the fail-safe meals at least 1-3 times per week to eliminate arguing at dinner when we are all already tired. The meals they will always eat are all pasta based. Ah well. What what a non-surprise, I am sick & stressed (my husband is, as we speak, taking out cat to the vet on an emergent basis) and I want to EAT.... sugar, milk, hot chocolate. Plllleeeeeaaaasssseee. I am feeling sick of this Whole30 thing. Ah well. If I am really on day 11, I guess that is normal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pjena Posted September 18, 2013 Share Posted September 18, 2013 Hang in there! How old are your kids? Do they like to experiment in the kitchen? My boys are 11 and 9 and they are not doing Paleo in any way shape or form. I try my best to make dinners that can make everyone happy. My favorite is zoodles. The 9yo LOVES zoodles. He thinks they are hilarious because they are so long. It's one of my favorite school night dinners. I prepare the zoodles the night before so when I get home I can just put the zoodles on a cookie sheet in the oven to warm up, brown some ground beef, add the sauce and some olives to heat and mix it all together. Everyone likes it and it's super fast. My husband and kids usually have toast with it to sop up the sauce. If your family won't do zoodles, you could still make pasta for them and pour the sauce/meat over zoodles or a sweet potato or even spinach. Another easy one is to put a roast in the crockpot with a jar of salsa. At night, I serve it as tacos with guacamole. I just have mine on a salad and skip the tortilla. Maybe those ideas will work for you? Good luck and stay strong! You can make it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michele West Posted September 18, 2013 Share Posted September 18, 2013 It certainly makes it harder when the kiddos don't want to eat what you fix! My daughter loves carbs too! Especially bread and pasta......she's been asking for our weekly pizza night and I've been trying to put her off by fixing other things she likes. We've been doing grilled burgers instead and after awhile she even stopped asking for the bun. I hope your cat is OK!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anewknitter Posted September 19, 2013 Author Share Posted September 19, 2013 Thanks all.... maybe I will explore zoodles. So far, my family does not tend to fall for the "substitutes" (ex. I don' t know who the poster was who said she substituted cauliflower rice for regular rice & her boyfriend didn't notice.... he must have been majorly distracted). Last night I made instant mac & cheese for the kids, I made sausage & sweet potato for myself & my husband picked something up on his way back from the emergency vet late at night. It is not something we eat often, but on a night like last night (mommy sick, daddy out with critically ill cat, etc) it good to have on hand - even though I know it is total processed food. I think it will help if I think more about meals which make leftover protein next week. I have done tacos for the family & just had it over salad for myself. I will try that again next week. My kids are 6, 4 & 2. I am trying to make dinner not a power struggle... we have a "this is dinner, eat it or don't, but this is it" policy. Occasionally they won't eat, but most of the time they will eat something. Yesterday my 4 year old even was throwing a fit about the instant mac & cheese - go figure. I told her it was her choice and she eventually came to the table & ate. I figure we live in a first world country and are blessed with enough food. If my kids choose to skip a meal, it won't hurt them. One of the big challenges with meal planning for me has been the no legumes. We used to do 1-2 meals per week which were bean based, and now I feel like I am sort of at a loss for those. I can't always just substituge egg ( suggested by another poster). Right now I am up at 5:30 (been up for an hour) with a fever... looking forward to my day. I need to get some groceries. I made my meal list with two grocery shops planned for the week - since all the veggies & meat overfill our fridge. But the shopping didn't happen yesterday what with my onset of illness, etc. So today I am going to try and get things done and still take care of myself and still stay Whole30 compliant. I figure if I made it through last night I can make it through a lot. I hope.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pjena Posted September 19, 2013 Share Posted September 19, 2013 I wouldn't try to pass off the zoodles as pasta. Kids are too smart for that. I'd have the kids help you make them. My son thought it was so cool that he couldn't wait to eat them. He even loves the name zoodles! It didn't hurt that I used the zoodler to make spraled sweet potate fries first. They were all a fan of the zoodler by the time I made them eat zoodles. You seem to have a similar philosophy to me. Dinner is dinner and the kids don't have to like it but they have to try it. And, gross noises or faces gets you a second "try"! If it's something that they totally should be able to eat, that's dinner. Period. If it's something new or different, I'm fine with supplementing with crackers or toast (for the kids, not me!) to fill them up as long as they gave the meal a try. For example, I love Indian food. My family not so much. I don't make it often, but every once in a while, Mommy gets to pick something she wants! So, everyone (husband included) has to have some of the curry or whatever and then they fill up on naan, which they adore. They tolerate the curry to get the naan. Most of the time, I make things like the beef tacos and zoodles and chicken and vegetables or burgers or tuna salad or any number of other American foods, so they can suffer curry a few times a year! If I ever try to get the rest of the family off wheat, we'll have an issue, but I kind of doubt that will ever happen. My husband WILL NOT change his eating and my son has food allergies and I don't want to remove yet another food that he isn't actually allergic to. Hang in there. You'll be surprised how quickly you can come up with new go-to meals that everyone loves. It gets easier. Promise! I hope you feel better! Make bone broth. Drink ACV tea. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anewknitter Posted September 19, 2013 Author Share Posted September 19, 2013 Thanks.... what is ACV tea? I will have to google it. I drink tea as my standard, since I don't like the taste of coffee. Do you have to have a mandolin, or spiral cut thingy to make zoodles? We are tight on space in the kitchen & I am loothe to add yet another thing to store... we do have a food processor... would that work? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pjena Posted September 19, 2013 Share Posted September 19, 2013 apple cider vinegar - add about 1T to hot water. you can add honey when not on W30. By sprial cut thingy, do you mean spriralizer? If so,that's what you use to make zoodles. Otherwise, you could use a julienne blade on the mandolin or food processor, though it won't make the really really long zoodles that my son loves. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anewknitter Posted September 19, 2013 Author Share Posted September 19, 2013 Well, still sick here. Managed to keep Whole30 compliant I think. So that is about all I can manage for today. However, I really want hot chocolate to soothe my throat and for comfort. Sigh. Thanks for the input ladies! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anewknitter Posted September 20, 2013 Author Share Posted September 20, 2013 Warning: Vent & Whining Okay - ROUGH start to the day. I am frustrated that I can't have an easy breakfast like the rest of my family. I don't feel I am reaping benefits from this to make all the effort worth while. Kids fighting, mommy trying to cook breakfast... I hope the day gets better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GFChris Posted September 20, 2013 Share Posted September 20, 2013 Warning: Vent & Whining Okay - ROUGH start to the day. I am frustrated that I can't have an easy breakfast like the rest of my family. I don't feel I am reaping benefits from this to make all the effort worth while. Kids fighting, mommy trying to cook breakfast... I hope the day gets better. The best way to make breakfast easy is to make it ahead of time. I have ZERO interest in cooking a meal when I get up in the morning. For me, baked frittatas or breakfast casseroles have been my savior. Since doing my Whole30 in June, I've collected a handful of different fritatta recipes that I rotate through. One recipe makes anywhere from 4-6 servings, so I cook once (usually in the afternoon or evening) and have breakfast for days. I just take a slice or two out of the fridge, microwave for 1 minute 30 seconds while my coffee is brewing. Easy peasy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anewknitter Posted September 25, 2013 Author Share Posted September 25, 2013 It has been a super challenging week here. Our cat became critically ill and we ended up nursing him at home for 3 days insetensely. He passed away yesterday and we are slowly emerging from the fog. The house looks like it has been neglected for a week. I think I managed to stay Whole30 compliant. One night I HAD to eat out... so I went to a burger place that cooks everything in 100% olive oil & has humanely raised beef and had a burger wrapped in lettuce and sweet potato fries. Pricey, but I need to eat and could not stand the thought of cooking eggs again. So, Whole 30 day 18. Upcoming challenges: my son's birthday party on Saturday. We are just serving cake and ice cream.... but I need to make & frost the cake. Making the cake & frosting the cake & not eating the cake may present a MAJOR challenge for me. But making each of my kids a cake is one of the things I like to do for them... so I will do it and just try to NOT lick my fingers while icing the cake. Honestly - I think it will be easier to not eat cake at the party, than to not lick the icing while preparing it. We will see. Maybe I will look at the grocery store today & see if they have a theme appropriate cakes for the birthday boy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pjena Posted September 25, 2013 Share Posted September 25, 2013 I'm sorry about your cat. I hope everyone is done being sick, too. On the cake - think about it this way, making and frosting a cake without eating any of it is WAY easier than making and frosting a cake and only eating a little bit of it. When I bake, it is so tempting to lick fingers, lick spoons, lick bowls. Once I start, I can't easily stop. And, then I feel bad. So, better to not start. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anewknitter Posted September 26, 2013 Author Share Posted September 26, 2013 Good point. No is easier than maybe. I looked at the store, but my son actually has a very clear idea of what "theme" he wants this birthday (sort of a joke, since we don't really do themed parties) and he has held on this idea for longer than either of his older sisters ever have. So I sort of feel I need to go with it. So home made it will probably be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Photo_Mom Posted September 26, 2013 Share Posted September 26, 2013 Have you tried using spaghetti squash for the noodles? The older kids can have fun scraping it out of the shell. I find that I have to prepare a ton of food ahead of time to stay on track. My older daughter, 16, is doing it with me. My husband and other daughter, 14, are eating Whole30 for dinner. We are on day 24. Have you tried the almond chicken fingers? You may want to decrease the spices for your kids but my girls say they are the best chicken tenders they have ever had. I decreased the paprika and left out the red pepper. http://www.generationyfoodie.com/2013/06/paleo-almond-chicken-fingers.html I've been tripling the recipe and the girls have them for lunches and breakfasts as well. You can do this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anewknitter Posted September 26, 2013 Author Share Posted September 26, 2013 Thanks... I actually just made the meal plan for next week (couldn't sleep) and both chicken fingers and spaghetti squash are on the list. Much appreciated! Now if I could just go back to bed for 4 hours before I needed to function. Ha ha. Ah well - might as well get breakfast going, and some tea... then more tea, then more tea I think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anewknitter Posted September 30, 2013 Author Share Posted September 30, 2013 Okay, so I started on Sept 1 and now it is Sept 30th. I am not sure what I am going to do. My thought is to try reintroducing grains first. I have been wanting dairy most, so I figure some more time with it out of my system would not be a bad thing. A friend of mine who has also done a (different) AI protocol suggested a 2 week period of reintroduction, I don' t know is that is what I will do. I sort of feel cheated from my chance to experience Tiger Blood because I have been sick for the past 10 days... and I finally was diagnosed with bronchitis over the weekend... so hopefully I will be feeling better. But it means my motivation to continue remains low since I have not felt great on it at any point. Question: suggestions for ways to reintroduce grains without dairy? I was thinking about oatmeal for breakfast tomorrow. We will see. Then again, if you go by my possible re-set date I have to wait another 5 days or so. We will see. Open to suggestions & thoughts... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amberino21 Posted September 30, 2013 Share Posted September 30, 2013 Gluten without dairy - you could have pasta, some bread, add flour to a sauce to thicken, crumb chicken in breadcrumbs, or some pancakes I would hang out a few more days for the gluten reintro though, considering it was a granola bar you had 5 days in - that likely contained gluten, so being GF for 30 days would be a good idea. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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