Getting back in Gear--January 2nd start date--but working toward good choices before then

[bookluvingbabe]

So, I've done this rodeo a few times.  

 

I feel great, screw up the reintroductions, end up in an 80-20 paleo split, then 70-30, then 50-50.  

 

Lately I had been closer to 75 percent paleo but I managed to get pneumonia just after Thanksgiving.  Goodness--I would not wish that on my worst enemy.  Two rounds of antibiotics, 2 days in the hospital and I'm just now starting to feel human again.  Waiting to see the doctor this week to see when I can start walking and building up endurance again.  I had zero appetite while I was sick and the food at the hospital was dreadful.  I dropped about 15 pounds while I was sick--plenty of room to lose them but not the right way to do it.

 

For now I'm just glad to feel well enough to "cook" anything after my husband's attempts at keeping food in the house.  I pan sauteed a pound of ground veal, added a jar of organic tomato sauce and called it dinner.  The six year old was thrilled--even he was tired of leftover pad see ew and frozen pizzas.  Tonight I ventured into chicken thighs sauteed in lard with a bag of frozen broccoli. 

 

My goal for the rest of the year is to get my strength back, eat 95 percent paleo/Whole 30 while still enjoying a Christmas cookie or two plus wine during the annual holiday visit with family.  Plus I'm working my way through a bottle of goat kefir to get myself back on track after the antibiotics.

 

January 2nd is my start date.  It presents a challenge as my birthday falls within the 30 but I can't keep putting it off and putting it off.  

 

 

 

 

[CFholly]

Hi,

I aim to do the same. Not blow out at Christmas, but also be able to eat some treats. I am aiming for a Jan 1 beginning, hope we can encourage each other along

[bookluvingbabe]

So the pneumonia recovery was slower than I had hoped. And I've been on prednisone which meant no booze and watching my diet like a hawk anyway. I had a lick of my son's ice cream on Saturday, 3 pieces of a nephew's fried calamari on Sunday and two bites of cheese pizza last night. I feel like I'm pretty ready to go though I've been bummed about the lack of chocolate.

Today for my last pre Whole 30 day, I had decaf coffee with cream, I'm going to finish the last of the goat kefir and my dinner will be lamb chops pan fried in butter with asparagus and a baked Yukon gold potato teeming with butter. (I may have a bit of a dairy dragon to slay.)

The house isn't as stocked as I'd like but there will be shopping and cooking the rest of the week.

Looking forward to starting tomorrow.

[bookluvingbabe]

Day One. AM edition:

 

I went to bed last night at 9 pm  I was asleep somewhere around 1 am. I finish my current course of prednisone on Monday and I hope, hope, hope that I can get my sleep back on track after that. DS woke me at 6:20 this am to unlock the iPad and DH woke me again an hour later when he left for work.

 

Breakfast was 2 eggs scrambled in a thumb-sized hunk of coconut oil drizzled with kelp flakes and a dash of chipotle.  I had a bowl of heirloom cherry tomatoes on the side (12 or so) and then finished with komboucha.   I started a batch of crockpot bone broth and realized I had no plan for lunch at all.  I could do a can of tuna with olive oil but I don't have any compliant relish.  If I had a ripe avocado, I wouldn't want the relish but it is a little bland without something.  (I totally need to make mayo soon too.) 

 

Dinner will be chicken thighs sauteed in lard over zoodles and with asparagus on the side.

 

Heading out soon to shop so perhaps I'll be inspired there or find that perfect ripe avocado.

 

I think the area I struggle most is portion control--getting the right balance between protein and veg, especially in the mornings.  I don't like to eat in the morning to begin with and I don't find veg appealing that early at all.  

[bookluvingbabe]

I finished out Day One okay.  Lunch was sashimi and then a load of greens and carrots.  Dinner was divided into two parts--part one was a chicken thigh cooked in lard over 1 1/2 cups of broccoli.   I made rice for the six year old and didn't have any.  Part two of dinner was two slice of proscuttio and a bowl of roasted carrots when DH came home from work.  I didn't "need" the second part of dinner but the house was cold and it takes forever to roast the carrots so they weren't ready when the rest of dinner was.  Lights out was 10 pm and I think I was asleep before 11.  I was lightly sleeping at 6 am when DS woke me up.  Not enough sleep but a start...

 

This am we are snow, ice and wind chill bound for the moment.  I made more eggs for breakfast and had a "salad" of cucumbers and cherry tomatoes lightly tossed in apple cider vinegar to go with.  (Still not like morning veggies...) Having some kombucha to finish up and waiting for the chicken broth to cool enough to put it away.  

 

I bought guacamole last night so lunch will like feature that and some type of canned tuna/salmon.  Still waiting for the avocados to ripen.    I have a pound of ground beef defrosting so dinner will be something with ground beef--maybe I'll tackle meatballs if we really are stuck at home all day.

 

DH lamented we were home on a snow day with no bacon.  I pointed out we hadn't found any Whole 30 bacon locally.  I'm actually not sure if he is Whole 30ing with me or not.  At a minimum he will eat what I cook and he's on his own for lunch.

[bookluvingbabe]

I don't mind the cooking. I just hate the never ending kitchen clean up that comes with the Whole 30.  It just never ends.  

 

Day 2, Meal 2:  canned salmon with guacamole, olive oil, apple cider vinegar and a little salsa.  With a side of asparagus.  The 6 year old ate a good chunk of it and DH had it for lunch after adding move olive oil and the last of the parmesan cheese in the house.  (Thus confirming he isn't Whole 30ing with me right now.)

 

Day 2, Meal 3:  I took a pound of grassfed beef and made meatballs. I added an egg, half an onion, a quarter cup of almond flour and liberally dosed it with garlic powder.  Baked them meatballs for 20 minutes while I simmered a sauce of tomatoes, zucchinis and  the other half of the onion.   Then I let the meatballs simmer in the sauce while I wilted a bag of chard, kale and spinach greens.

 

I served the greens and then the meatballs and covered it was sauce.   DS ate 3 meatballs and asked for more sauce.  He said he loved the sauce after making sure there were no cherry tomatoes in there.  He did not touch the greens.  I ate mine over half the greens and probably should have stopped half a meatball sooner than I did.  (I think I had 4.5) I finished with a small, not quite ripe banana that was perfect.    We have a ton of sauce left and three meatballs left--hiding at the bottom of the container.

 

Turning out the lights shortly and hoping for good sleep.  

 

I have two chicken thighs to cook tomorrow, bison cubes defrosting and a trip to pick up meat planned.   Contemplating poaching the thighs in chicken broth and then adding an egg to the broth and letting that poach too.  But those decisions will wait until morning.

[bookluvingbabe]

Day 3, whiny notes/thoughts edition.

 

The free bagels at the new library were talking to me.  So was the cream cheese.  And these were dried out, nasty, whole wheat bagels from a grocery store, not the ones from the good bagel place.  I blocked them out but I didn't want to.

 

Still not happy with the morning veggie thing.  But I got a cup (or more) of broccoli down with my eggs this am.

 

One of my favorite places is closing next Sunday and we have brunch reservations for tomorrow. I can stay Whole 30 there so no problem.  Except for the freezing rain forecast that may cancel the whole outing.

 

Sleep:  Lights out by 10 last night, asleep by 11 pm.  DS woke me at 6 to unlock the ipad and I went back to sleep until 7:30.  And I wasn't really functional until 8:15 or so when I got up to make my breakfast. That won't work when school/work resumes on Monday.  I really need to be functional by 6:30 am.  Will try to get the lights out earlier tonight.

[bookluvingbabe]

Day 3, Food edition:

 

Meal One:  Kombucha, 2 scrambled eggs in coconut oil, broccoli.  Attempted a cup of decaf with coconut oil but ran out of time before it was cool enough to drink.  Made coffee ice cubes for tomorrow.

 

Meal Two:  Two chicken thighs poached in bone broth, sweet potato with coconut oil.  (Failed to salt the chicken or the broth and was too lazy after I sat down to add it.)

 

Meal Three:  Grassfed ribeye cooked in lard, a handful of defrosted strawberries and lots and lots of asparagus.

 

I really need sometime away from the family and had hoped for a post-bedtime trip to the grocery store but bedtime ran late and I needed to eat dinner.  Considered a trip to Chipotle and decided just to stay home and eat in.  Also realized that the chocolate cake might start talking to me at the store too.  Safer to just not venture out!