Derval does it again

[Lisa W.]

Wow, I love your log!! My favorite things to peruse are pictures of real food that real people make and yours are beautiful!!

So ratatouille is basically diced up veggies sauted up on the stove? Those pictures looked really good.

[jhmomi]

Hi Derval. Reading the forum while I do my morning walk. A leisurely 5 miles outside this morning. I wanted to say I enjoy reading your posts and your food log. I smile when your pic pops up on a forum. You are a great supporter to so many.

I hope you had an awesome day!

[Adagio]

Looks good!

I buy parchment paper in bulk on amazon. I am addicted to baking with it!

[Derval]

Parchment paper! That's a good idea! I haven't tried it with our sweet potato oven fries but I will next time. Good thinking!

I'm still loving your photos. Here is a weird phenomenon. I've noticed that egg photos look so much more appetizing to me when the eggs are fried/intact and yet I don't like to eat eggs that way (I have issues with yolk unless it's scrambled in). What is wrong with me? ;-)

I used to have an issue with egg whites, not so much now though. Though I'd never eat an egg white omelette bleurgh.

The paper was paleomg's idea , not mine I just followed the instructions (apart from the avo oil, don't have any...way too spendy)

Wow, I love your log!! My favorite things to peruse are pictures of real food that real people make and yours are beautiful!!

So ratatouille is basically diced up veggies sauted up on the stove? Those pictures looked really good.

Why thank you! I used red onion , garlic, zuchinni, red & yellow peppers, cook down with lots of olive oil, then I added chopped cherry tomatoes & cooked some more. I'm sure you could find a proper recipe online though.

Hi Derval. Reading the forum while I do my morning walk. A leisurely 5 miles outside this morning. I wanted to say I enjoy reading your posts and your food log. I smile when your pic pops up on a forum. You are a great supporter to so many.

I hope you had an awesome day!

Thanks so much, hope you don't bump into anything while walking/reading!

[Derval]

Skived off my workout again today, oh well 'twas only cardio

8am asparagus wrapped in smoked salmon w'mayo and a large boiled egg

12.30pm - salad, chicken thigh meat & asparagus (stinky pee alert!) in mayo. With crispy prusciuotto on top.

I actually didn't have my "desert" last night so had hlaf of it after lunch & will have the rest this evening.

3pm - a friend was over so I made us some Melissa coconut chips

5.30 meatza (as per Well Fed rrecipe, but I made tomato sauce from fresh cherry tomatoes) & sweet potato fries, chipotle mayo. Big hit with the family - theirs had melted cheese on top though

Off to play tennis with my 5 year old shortly, I will be surpised if we can get a ralley of 2!

[Lyn1]

I also dislike tuna. I substitute canned salmon with good results. Also, I can't wait to try the parchment paper thing. I do love crisp chips!

[Liam]

Derval all of your food pictures look EPIC!! Glad I had some fresh coconut before I started reading (another benefit of living in Hawaii ) or I'd be drooling on my keyboard. Wife just went to the farmers market to get some fresh veg. I'm trying to fend off the whapping hands of our 8 mo. old as she tries to "help" daddy type... LOL!

[Derval]

8am - chorizo, veg (broc, pepper & spinach) and egg scramble

9am - Chalean Extreme Burn Circuit 3. No pws

12.15pm - cinema with the kids. I went to supermarket to try get something as I had nothing in at home. Very little compliant items But they (M&S Dundrum for Irish readers) did open a new deli counter recently so I got a 2 thin of slices of smoked duck breast and 2 of bresaola and a beetroot & leaves salad (couldn't use the dressing though) . An apple wile the kids had their magnum (Dove?) icecreams ....bah...

2pm - 70g snackpot of mixed nuts

5.30pm - mashed cauliflower (first time trying well fed recipe), slow roast pork belly & green beans. The rest of the family seriously disliked the mash, I was so ticked off. And then dh offers them ketchup to put on it!! Believe me I had words after. I liked it! need ideas for the leftovers now though...btw I had seconds so ate another bit than shown below. Followed by berries & coconut milk + flakes

[faithb63]

Hi Derval,

I think you are awesome to be so strong while the rest of your family is eating differently. I am sorry they did not like the mashed cauliflower. I am going to try a new Salisbury steak recipe tonight from www.thefoodee.com. I bet that mashed cauliflower would be good with Salisbury steak. I will let you know how it came out on my log tomorrow.

I think your roast pork belly dinner looks yummy.

Also, thanks for always cheering everyone on!

Have an awesome and fabulous day!

[Derval]

Thanks faith. I am trying to get away from making them potatoes/pasta/rice as an accompaniment to our evening meal but sometimes it falls flat! The meat was great though - 2.5 hours in a low oven.

[GLC1968]

Wow, your cauliflower looks just like the photos in the book! I haven't tried that recipe because I've not had luck with mashed cauliflower in the past, but perhaps I should give Melissa's version a shot. Everything else I've tried from her book has come out perfect so I don't know why I hesitate.

My husband loves the stuff, so I don't think we'll have any leftovers!

[Derval]

Thanks! It did taste coconutty which is a bit odd, but when I just use ghee the texture is wrong. Hmmm.

[jhmomi]

Derval - my husband will eat potatoes, rice, and pasta but thankfully doesn't expect one of them at every meal. Usually if I do a small salad for him (either a caesar salad or one with nuts and cheese on top to make it more appealing), one or two cooked veggies, plus fresh fruit, then everyone is happy. And of course a protien. I give fruit with every meal even if I don't eat it myself and my family is usually happy to get that instead of rice or pasta or more veggies. Plus its easier for me than yet another side dish. They may eat a lot of fruit but they could certainly do worse with other choices.

I would have eaten your mashed cauli...

[Derval]

Thanks jhmomi, I'd happily feed you

[areldi]

Hi Derval, I've only just discovered these Whole 30 logs and your meals look gorgeous.

Your cinnamon coffee with coconut milk photo looks good. How do you make it? And do you use a particular brand of coconut milk?

I've been experimenting but I always seem to end up with icky looking bits floating on top of the coffee whereas yours looks more frothy and cappuccino-like.

Love the strawberry cocktail too. Definitely going to try that!

[Derval]

I'm in Ireland and we have a great brand of organic Thai food called Thai Gold. He imports products directly and takes great pride in his selection - no watered down low fat muck in this range!

I usually don't photograph my coffee as it looks pretty ordinary but this occasion was a happy accident. I tried whisking the coconut milk to see if it would thicken. It didn't really so I put the failed experiment back in the fridge - prob half an inch in a shallow Tupperware box. The next day the froth had kind of set (note, the thermostat in my fridge is broken and it's way too cold! ) and I spooned this on my coffee.

Day to day I just slowly pour the milk in , fo not stir, and a thin layer if white rises back up to the top. I'll take a pic later. Eta a little home movie

Quite the essay!!

[areldi]

Thanks for your speedy reply Derval! I'll give both those methods a try.

I figured it was worth asking about the brand in case it was Tesco/Aldi/etc (I'm in the UK). I've tried a few different ones and they seem to vary a lot in consistency.

[Derval]

Ah right, I checked your profile to see where you were based but it didn't say.

Amoy and blue dragon both have lower % of coconut than my one. That's how I decided, and the lack of weird ingredients of course!

[Colleen Roy]

Derval (and anyone else interested!) I make the mashed cauliflower too, but I add a clove (or two or three...) of roasted garlic. Roasting the garlic makes it so sweet and mellow and it goes well with the cauliflower mash. I use some coconut milk and finish it with a little ghee. Yum.

[Derval]

Thanks Coleen , love roasted garlic in mayo too

So today's goings-ons

8.30am - boiled egg, 1 piece of leftover pork belly, apple & almond butter

11.30am - Chalene Extreme Burn it Off + Abs Burner, pws - hardboiled egg

1pm - leftover cauli mash, rest of pork belly (re-fried in ghee) and wilted spinach (in ghee)

6pm - zoodles, last of the un-loved mash, and bolegnase. Followed by a very juicy mango with lemon juice (no limes!) and seasalt. Prob too much fruit but it was "reduced to clear" in the shops as it was sooo ripe so had to be used up post haste.

After dinner I prepped a hoooooge egg bake - pork mince seasoned with well fed seaosning, grated sweet potato, red onion, zucchinni, spinach & 8 eggs. I hope it turns out well!

[Derval]

Happy Sunday all

Exercise rest day for me...

9am - egg loaf I made yesterday evening, it's ok, a bit bland , thus the dollop of chipotle mayo

1pm - big salad generously dressed with evoo & balsamic, smoked salmon mixed with mayo, celery, capers. Bowl of raspberries & blueberries with coconut flakes (couldn't finish the fruit, had 2nd half at 4pm)

6pm - fillet steak (dissapointing, pretty flavourless ) sweet potato mash, green beans.

cd1 today, so carbing up to prevent cravings, crankiness & crying

[Derval]

Woke up with horrible cramps, wtf? I haven't had menstrual cramping in years!

Anyway, up-side was that dh took kids out for the day and I got to spend hours at home alone, heaven! I did constructive stuff like read magazines, catch up on online tv (Design Star & Project Runway) etc, all with lavendar heatpack applied

Was no way I could face Chalene Extreme today though

9am - egg loaf, same as yesterday

1pm - BIG lunch, sausage, bacon, fried egg, sweet potato, spinach, tomato & mushrooms.

3pm - banana & almond butter

6pm - zoodles & spinach (in ghee & garlic) with bolegnase

7pm - about 30g mixed nuts.

[Derval]

Greeting w30'ers

Not a good nights sleep - the house alarm went off at 3.40am (cortisol injection anyone?!), took me a while to get back to sleep and then it went off again at 5.20am!! Next door flippin' cat jumping on to the kitchen window sill. Grrr I hate that cat, always coming in to poop in our garden & generally sneaking up on me and scaring the crap out of me.

Luckily the kids slept a little later this morning.

9.30am - egg loaf & coffee

10.30 - Chalene Extreme Burn Circuit 1 (missed yesterdays workout because of cramps and was tempted to skip today but persevered). PWS - chicken mini fillet

1pm - Green salad + BEAT salad except I messed up & thought I had seen mayo in the recipe so it was very rich, but nice enough, the lemon juice lifted it a bit. I used crispy fried prosciutto instead of bacon.

3.30pm - mandarin orange

5.45pm - Damn Fine Chicken except nobody thought it was all that fine, a bit meh after the effort - and the w30 rule bending - as I couldn't get sugar free fish sauce.

With sweet potato fries and green salad

I discovered today that if you pour cold coconut milk in to your coffee over the back of a spoon (like you would when making an Irish coffee) the cc just sits of the top - delicous contrast of hot & cold

[Rho]

Oh maaaaan your food looks so delicious! Now I am counting down the minutes 'til lunchtime. Sorry the Damn Fine Chicken didn't turn out how you'd hoped. Is it worth trying the recipe?

[Derval]

Thanks Rho, my chicken didn't look like it did in her pic so maybe my pan was overcrowded as the skin didn't crisp/char much.But the flavour wasn't all that, sad as I used some of my precious as gold dust (I have to order it from u.s) coconut aminos.

Oh well,can't win em all.