Nico's Whole 30 Log Round 14? Act 3? Scene 7

[Guest]

My husband and I are back for more Whole30.  I feel like giving a little extra context than normal, so thanks for bearing with me.  We rallied with some friends to start on January 1^st for a Whole60.  He and I were going to be compliant aside from a trip to NM to see our families for my mom's birthday.  We had paleo holidays alone in our new home, so we decided to allow a little indulgence for a couple of days.

 

On the Sunday before the first, I received a call that my nephew, who was raised as my little brother, was in ICU in NM.  I hopped in the car to Denver and on a plane to NM.  By the time I arrived, they were waiting for me to be there to turn off all machines.  It was labeled as suspicious.  I stayed in NM for a a little over a week.  My diabetes has gotten worse lately and I struggled to even find veggies there to eat!  The local diet consists of beans, cheese, rice, red and green chile, meat, and tortillas.  My mom was really proud when she bought some frozen Brussels sprouts in a butter sauce so that I could have dinner at her house.  I was proud of her, too, and I washed them and cooked in olive oil.  She even tried one!

 

Anyway, that story will help you all see why I may need support.  My family has asked me to come back for a family event in about ten days.  I am going to try to ship some food from Pre-Made Paleo to help, but I am not sure I can afford it.  I am also freezing a little stuff.  I'm not sure how much time I will have to shop and cook.

 

Now, for an update.  As I said, the diabetes is worse, but I am willing to keep trying.  My tummy troubles from the Summer weren't present in NM.  I think I have made the connection to sitting after meals.  So, I am making a conscious effort not to and have not had the same distress.

 

So, my goals for the next 50-ish days are:  To develop stronger habits with respect to paleo cooking and eating.  I'd like to get to a place of weekly cook-ups and fewer recipes.  I'm thinking Robb Wolf meets Melissa Joulwan.  I want to be nourished without spending as much time cleaning the kitchen so that eating out is no longer a temptation.  Actually, I'd like to spend less time thinking about food! As the cooking becomes more natural, I'd like to focus more on sleep, movement, and hydration.

 

My husband is eating breakfast without trouble these days.  He is having a lot of back pain and trouble sleeping.  He has had some hunger the last few days, so we have started sending him a fourth meal to prevent snacking on the free nuts at work.  His hunger turned to a severe headache and severe stomach pain a few days ago, so we think the extra meal will be a good idea.

[Guest]

So, here are the eats for day 3.

 

Starter: a mini-meal of chorizo hash before cycling, mainly to get food in my system within an hour of waking.

 

Meal 1: deconstructed 3 egg omelet with crispy bacon, roasted veggies, avocado, and grapes.

(Wow, fruit is a luxury I rarely afford myself and I thoroughly enjoyed it.)

 

Meal 2: elk/beef meatball soup, homemade poultry broth, carrots, celery, and a kale salad with creamy balsamic dressing

 

Meal 3: My husband calls this "elk stroganoff."  Made with almond milk and served over cabbage noodles. Grapes.

 

Activity: gentle cycling, puppy walk

 

 

[Guest]

Wow, I had a blood sugar of 94 this afternoon!  My doctor switched my meds a few days ago and I had to consent because all carbs have been raising my sugars.  I really was on the carrot train to crazy town; I can't live on leafy veggies!  I need color.  Anyway, I'm sure Whole30 played a part in the number, too.  Just a few days of eating on a stricter schedule has to help my hormones.

 

Also, the cook-up thing may just work for me.  I did some veggie prep today, but these meals were ready to go, otherwise.  And, I already snuck some veggies into all of the meats when I cooked them.  Also, how cool is it that I know the source of all of the meats on the menu this week?  Whole30 also brought that to my house.  Those daily e-mails are awesome!

 

I placed my first pre-made paleo order today.  Go Whole30 code,  although that didn't show up on my total.  I hope it does.  Mindful meals will be waiting for me when I go back home next week.  On the agenda will be helping my mom remember her mom on the anniversary of her birthday, helping her pack my nephew's stuff, and celebrating my niece's birthday.

 

Day 4 eats:

 

Meal one:

Chorizo hash with kale chips.  I decided there wasn't enough fat so I had some coconut flakes right after.

 

Meal two:

Tako salad with taco meat from cook-up day. (Spelled with a K because my niece calls me Ko and the seasoning is my own blend.)

 

Meal three:

Ground meat in tomato sauce with roasted veggies and kale salad.

 

Hubby didn't eat his fourth meal today.

 

Activity: puppy walk,

 

I may not always post pictures, especially for repeat meals, but I thought it would be good to show sizes to start.  Plus, I enjoy food porn and I find it inspiring. :-)  I might as well keep doing it while I learn how it works.

[Guest]

Day 5:  Kill all the things?  Yes, please!!!

 

On the menu, an extra dose of sweet potatoes and some celery root.

 

Bad news: my hubby always starves during a Whole30.  At 11:30 last night, he told me he hadn't had enough food/veggies at dinner, had eaten a few grapes and a few meatballs in the interim and was going to sleep with a hungry belly.  Ugh.  We have a fridge and two freezers and the veggies were already roasted.  He is a snacker, especially in the evenings, so that may be why he is hungrier on Whole30s.  Most of the food in the house is the same food.  I've asked him to either speak up when he isn't getting enough or serve himself.  We both develop food insecurity during a Whole30, thinking there isn't enough food.  That's part of what this Whole30 is about.

 

Oh, and he can't sleep unless the kitchen is clean, hence needing to cook more efficiently.  I hate ending the day with an epic kitchen scrub down.

 

To help me be even more crabby this morning, I forgot to prep my recovering puppy's soft food last night.  That really slowed things down.  Then, I noticed that he had licked off one bandage, then the other, so we did new bandages before I rode my bike.  Slow start!!!

 

Does it help that I ate Brussell's sprouts at all three meals yesterday?  Nope.  Ugh.  I hate to see them go bad.  I'll roast them today to try to gain a few more days out of them.

 

The good news to start today is a fasting blood sugar of 97!!!

[Guest]

Day 5 continued…

Kill all the things, cook them, eat them, repeat if there are any more things.

 

Today, the food anxiety that has us doing this Whole30 was as evident as ever.  I am sad that my husband feels the need to leave the food that I have cooked in order to make sure we have it for another meal.  How can a family of two, with a healthy income and a larger freezer full of grassfed and pastured meats have such anxiety about our next meal? 

 

With that weighing on me, and the need to relax from the leafy greens, I cooked a ton of veggies.  Half ton, maybe.  I was able to use the same pan!  I cooked up some sweet potato cubes in coconut oil, Brussell's sprouts in pastured bacon fat and coconut oil, cabbage in coconut oil, and a big pile of veggies: onions, carrots, peppers, mushrooms, tomato, and zucchini.

 

I want to say that I feel better, but the kitchen still needs to be cleaned.  Ugh.

 

P.S.  The cook-up thing may be starting to click in my head.  I know flavors well enough that I don't need other people's recipes to repurpose food.  It's not that complicated, after all.  I'll get back to you if I change my mind on that.

 

M1: Taco meat, egg, roasted veggies, sweet potato, olives, grapes, coffee. 

M2: Beef stew with carrots, celery root (!), and mushrooms. Closed handful of pistachios.

Mini-meal: meatball, olives, sweet potato, more olives

M3: Pile o' veg with ground beef, meatballs, and pesto, ½ packet of apple-peach sauce. 

 

Activity: cycling, puppy walk

 

Cracker can't stop licking himself

 

Oh, and sugars were up in late morning (112) and back down by late afternoon (98?).  And, I had starchy veggies and fruit today!

[Guest]

Day 6

 

Today didn't start off feeling as crappy as yesterday.   The headache I had is gone, too.  Getting to bed, getting to sleep, and staying that way have been a challenge.  There have been distractions (like puppies), anxiety, and a mattress that needs to be replaced.

 

I had a normal blood sugar reading a bit before lunch which is nice.  I didn't worry about the carbs in my breakfast at all.  I feel so much less deprived than I did 2 weeks ago.  I have to give the new medication some credit, but I still feel like Whole30 gets credit, too.

 

My husband's earlier starts are my rest days as far as the bike goes.  When the crazy wind goes away, I'll get back out on the trails.  I'm going to be a volunteer ranger assistant!  For now, indoor exercise, at home, is what is happening.  He and I have health goals that we want to meet together.  He has a tighter schedule and his bike isn't on the trainer, so I have asked him to pick an activity (body weight, Kinect, a video online, a hike…) for us to do in the next 48 hours or so.  I don't mind giving a little push since he has set the goals for himself.

 

For lunch, I whipped up a chicken salad with an extra serving for a friend who is helping with a wiring project. (We need more electricity in our basement so we can have another freezer for grassfed and pastured meats!)  They guy was seriously impressed with the homemade mayo and how tasty the salad was in general.  He asked a lot of questions about the meal-prep process in our house.  Then, he dubbed me a chef and suggested that I write a book.  I'm pretty sure I blushed.  How awesome is it to serve a Whole30 meal to a non-paleo person and have them enjoy it without feeling deprived!

 

Oh, and hubby's freezer meal yesterday was a lamb soup, not beef stew.  Hee hee.  Apparently, he finished it and realized right after.

 

Tomorrow I have a triple-crockpot cook-up planned.  I'm getting ready to be away, so I don't want to rest on my laurels too much.  I have a lamb curry, elk stew, and beef arm roast defrosting.

 

That will be tomorrow unless we have a dinner guest.  I have a cousin in Denver.  I haven't seen him since before I moved to CO, but he reached out to me knowing that I have no other family here and have been dealing with my nephew's death without family.  Today was the first time anyone other than my husband and I had a meal in this house, so having a visitor is a big deal.  I'm not sure what I will serve, but I'm thinking short ribs because I love them.  I'd love other suggestions.  I'm not sure about appetizers or drinks, but I'd consider making something.  And, dessert?  Do others serve dessert to non-W30 guests?  I would, but what?

 

I'm getting nervous about my trip home.  I'm probably just nervous about facing the feelings and not about the food.  I don't cave to temptation much, although it does make family situations awkward because my mom and MIL both nurture with food.  It is who they are and they really struggle to feed me.  It's an ongoing issue given my health issues.  And, I don't exactly reach to food for comfort or eat all that mindlessly, but I do find pleasure in my own cooking.  And, there is definitely tons of non-food there.

 

M1: Tako meat, sautéed veggies, sweet potato, egg, bacon.

M2: Chicken salad 

 

M3: Early dinner at Chipotle.  Had salad with carnitas and the red salsa with a few sips of hubby's Izze.  I don't like raw onions, so I skipped the guac and had about two thumbs of cashews.

 

Thinking there's about to be a mini-meal after a pretty busy day and early meals.

[Guest]

Last night I found out that the guy who was helping here yesterday might be back.  While I love our meals, I couldn't think of anything to feed him!  I thought about it all night.  Turns out he has to leave just before lunch.  Whew!

 

I haven't heard from my cousin, but I have a couple of dinners in my back pocket.  He also loves to grill, so I think we will be OK.

 

I started my three crocks of food.  One is a lamb curry with 1.3 lbs of meat.  I'm thinking that will be about 6 palms around here.  Another is some elk stew meat that I want to cover with stir-fry veggies and my version of sunshine sauce.  That one will be 3 to 4 servings.  The last is an arm roast.  I put mire-poix in the bottom to turn into gravy later and carrots on top, because I love them roasted that way and I have a bunch of them.  (Remember carrot train to crazy town?  I really couldn't eat, them, so the big bag my hubby bought has been with us for a while.)  I'll repurpose the beef a few ways, and will need to cook more veggies for it.

 

I usually get really excited about big cook-ups.  I think it would be fun to also use the grill, my 5 burners, toaster oven, and regular oven…oh and pressure cooker…and see what I could come up with.  Storage is a bit of an issue and that is why my husband is adding electricity to our basement!  Anyway, I do find it exciting, but today I got even more frustrated.  Only 6 or 8 meals for two out of three crockpots?  That doesn't seem like much.  At least it isn't much effort or cleanup.

 

Meal 1: plate full of a variety of veggies, bacon slice eaten while crisping kale salad and reheating veggies, three eggs.  I couldn't finish it all and that is rare!  I only wanted the veggies. But I ate about two eggs.  Back to meat protein tomorrow, I think.

[Guest]

So, electricity friend came after all and the day seemed really busy.  I've been grouchy all day and could easily blame sleep.  I decided to keep today a rest day, although it was mostly a cooking day.  For lunch, I made my favorite quickie soup.  This one had turkey, so I added green chile and garnished with bacon and avocado.  It wasn't bad at all. 

 

After lunch, we made a quick trip to the farm down the road to pick up eggs and chorizo.  We decided to visit the pigs and chickens.  We have no idea which half of a pig will be ours, but we picked one out a while back and named her Pinkie Piggie Curly Piggy.  She is named after a duck at another farm where we get some of our food.  Pinkie seems to be growing well and we had a nice visit.  I love this part of Sundays and hope to be able to spend more time on one of the farms soon. 

 

As we were leaving to get more electricity project supplies at Home Depot, I had my first real cravings.  (?)  I remembered that Home Depot has M&M's and Snickers.  WT?  Seriously, Ko?  Anyway, I was in a foul mood after that and remembered that we had a yummy blueberry Larabar in the car.  Not an emergency, so I resisted until we got home and I had some green olives.  They seemed off (if olives can go bad).  I figured it was just a mood and made a cup of Zen tea.  We realized my husband had missed his coffee in the bustle of the morning, so I made him one, too.  I mistook his for mine, took a big gulp, and burned tongue, lips, and, maybe, nose.  Doesn't matter which yummy meal we pick from the crock-pot for dinner because my little tasters are gone. L

 

My sunshine sauce seized.  It's my own recipe…just stir…and I'm not sure what happened.  Turns out, the elk is happy as a stew, so I added a big pile of veggies and defrosted some pork to go with the second batch of sauce I made.  Wow!  Lots of food.  Was hoping to have zero cooking tomorrow, but I'll be stir-frying the pork and veggies.  Otherwise, it should be an easy day.  Monday is the night that we don't clean the kitchen from top to bottom, so it seems like a good day not too cook much.

 

Hubby let me know that the trade-off for not going on the business trip to Italy means that he has to call in to a meeting at 3am starting tomorrow night.  Working on sleep is going to be even more challenging this week.

 

Today's eats:

 

M1: 3 eggs, bacon, and veggies.  Left some behind.

M2: Turkey-bacon-green chile-avocado soup, half banana that refused to ripen

M3: Lamb curry – I tried coconut butter instead of coconut milk this time, half packet applesauce 

[Guest]

Week 1 complete  

 

Veggie report for the week

 

I like to use the shopping guide to track veggie consumption each week.  This week we had 21 veggies and 15 of them were the green "best choices"

[Guest]

Day 8

 

OK, so I couldn't resist cooking something, but it was quick.  I cooked up the pork stir-fry at lunch.  It was a quick clean-up, though.

 

Hubby worked until about 7 and will be leaving at 2:30.  He thinks he may be home by 2pm to go back at 1:00am.  Yikes!

 

Eating was pretty boring today.  I was active without meaning to be.  I was sad, but for a reason.  Sleep was better last night, but could still use some work.  And, I continued planning my niece's fabulous art party for her 7^th b-day.  I'm so excited to have a celebration that has little to do with food.  Fruit kabobs, a book, and a little bookmark project at school, and crazy fun painting at the party.  (Pizza and cake are also planned.)

 

Movement today: watering my lawn by hand was boring so I did some squats and lunges, vacuuming, mopping on hands and knees, and a puppy walk. Our dude is out of his cone and back on dry, grain-free kibble.

 

I really miss my nephew's phone calls at lunch.

 

M1: roast beef, gravy, roasted veggies, and avocado

M2: Pork stir-fry with “sunshine†sauce

M3: Roast beef, gravy, veggies, ½ banana, and coconut flakes

 

There was a Monday-style incident at dinner.  Hubby was microwaving his dinner and the plate cracked under the food.  I thought he would cry at throwing it away, but it was shattered in several places and all of the food could have had glass in it.  Tough week ahead, he's already exhausted, and I can still see the fear of needing to save food for future meals.  That said, the roast beef from yesterday is gone.

[Guest]

Oh no!  My previous posts didn't post.  :-(  I'm already discouraged about the log as it is.  

 

I've just arrived in NM and seen my pre-made meals.  First thoughts, Atticus likely has larger palms!

 

I can make this work, but not sure I'll keep writing about it  Can't believe I lost days 9 - 12.  Strange.

[Guest]

Not sure what day I'm on, but that's no big deal.  Being in NM is tough, but mostly due to differences in grieving styles.  It is nice not to turn to food for comfort.  I'm not currently working on the goals that I started to tackle with the beginning of this W30, but I am getting a ton of practice with family.

 

My mom is doing rather well at preparing proteins for me that the entire family can have.  I made my own little travel tuna salad for a hike with the family on my first day here.  My dad helped talk to a restaurant owner to get me compliant food, as well.  Tonight, I had messed up by saying I could have roast.  I remembered that their broth is not my bone broth and it had MSG, soy, and corn syrup (yuck!), so I didn't eat with them and they understood.  Tomorrow night may be tough because they are making pork chops marinated in red NM chile, which is a food I associate with cheese, tortillas, rice, and beans.  Not sure what veggies I will have to feel me up and help me not to feel deprived.  (I do love my own cooking for this very reason.)

 

Pre-Made Paleo has been helpful.  I find the breakfast portions to be servings that would seem suitable for little Atticus, but they are heavy on protein, so I have been adding frozen veggies to them.  The other entrees are at least twice as large.  Aside from the scare about "butter" as an ingredient (and them not calling back about that), the meals have been yummy, filling, and convenient.  

 

My food anxiety is lessened here.  I am not sleeping enough and not all that active, although I am planning a big birthday party for my niece.  If there is time tomorrow, I will be going to visit the red rocks featured in my profile photo for a small hike with my in-laws.  What I do get to deal with is other people fussing about my menu.  I know that their fussiness about what I eat is theirs and I am doing my best not to let that bother me.  There are some foods here that I rarely see and not reaching for them is not as easy as it is to ignore a bar of nice chocolate in my own pantry.  So, the food with family thing is good practice, even if I am not working on the anxiety and efficiency all that much.

 

My husband is doing awesome at home.  He has had a bear of a week, but has done well with prepping his own meals and staying on track.  His tummy may even be doing a little better.

[Guest]

Here's a little photo of fun without food with my niece.  This is from the family, birthday, hike and picnic.  Oh how I cherish these moments with her.  I always have, but can't help but stop and give a little extra thanks for her these days.

[Physibeth]

It sounds like you are handling yourself quite well while truly enjoying your family. What a fabulous photo of you and your niece! I hope the rest of the trip goes well and that you build beautiful memories.

[Guest]

Today was "the birthday" and I am spent.  The entire week of grieving together and struggling to plan the big painting party has been a roller coaster.  Food has been a minor issue in that people want to feed me and I think my meals were a little small.  Making my own meals gives me a better sense of how much I am getting in relation to the meal template and I can adjust based on my needs.  

 

This week, I've had some jerky, Kit's bars, and a juice box over two meals.  I also had another restaurant meal of a burger cooked on the charco-broiler, house guac, house salsa, and some raw fajita veggies.  I consider that to be a big success for Gallup, NM.

 

My husband is still having stomach pains.  He's becoming afraid to eat again.  Today, he did tell me that he doesn't think any non-W30 foods would make him feel better.

 

My niece spiked a huge fever a couple of days ago.  Apparently, there has been a virus in town that hangs around for several days.  I have had a slightly elevated temp, headaches, and some respiratory stuff. (Take me home to my bone broth, please!) I finally pieced it together and realized that my stuff is probably not viral.  I've been hiding from bright lights and noises for about as long as I've been on this W30 and I started the Januvia about the same time.  These things are the most common side effects.  I'm pretty sure the meds are helping so I'll stick with them for a while.

 

I switched from a mag citrate to a chelated magnesium a few weeks ago and I can report that things are much better with the new stuff.

 

Health, sleep, full meals, knowing where my food comes from... I can not deny that I don't enjoy looking in the mirror from time to time to see how much my body loves Whole30!

[Guest]

OK.  Back in CO and back to the original goals: sleep, movement, hydration, and efficiency.

 

I brought back some pre-made paleo stuff, so I don't have to cook today.  I am going to cook because there are some ingredients in my fridge that are asking to be cooked.  I'm thinking soup so help my husband's tummy.

 

Next up: read a bit more about meal planning and try to come up with something that will make life a little easier while using the freezer full of awesome meats that we own.  (There will soon be another freezer with pork.)  Ooh, the bacon I ordered wasn't ready until after I left town so that means I can have some bacon soon!

 

Movement for today looks like shoveling snow.  Sleep is in order and I think I need to grab my water.

[Physibeth]

Oh to have one freezer much less two! I think every time I'm tempted to overspend I need to ask myself if the purchase is worth further delaying having a place large enough to have a separate freezer.

 

Glad you are home safe and hope you can come up with a good meal planning method. I'm still toying with mine but getting closer and closer to what actually works for me. 

 

Have fun shoveling snow. 

[Guest]

Yesterday, I slept.  Family stress, late nights with my MIL, early mornings with my FIL, travel...all seemed to convene in a version of me that was only awake for meals.  Oh, and the shoveling and a very short, very cold puppy walk.

 

I think my new diabetes med is causing headaches and the sensation of a respiratory infection.  I find myself gravitating towards coffee.  Suddenly, the decaf cafe au lait girl, turned half-caf special organic pressed coffee girl, has turned to any K-cup in a storm girl.  I notice I am very sensitive to light and sound.  I doubt this has anything to do with food, unless I am not getting enough.  If I am hungry, I'm not sure if I need more protein, fat, or veggie, but I guess it could be all of the above.

 

I just posted a question about cook-ups.  I'm planning on doing them on a non-weekend day so as not to lose family time.  Mondays are no clean-up days.  Maybe Friday/Saturday with a special "recipe" kind of meal on one of those days.

 

My husband is having less stomach pain.  I cook with all kinds of spice, peppers, and tomatoes.  He also ate a lot of cabbage and some broccoli while I was gone.  I'm trying to rest his tummy from those things with the more herb-y Pre-Made Paleo meals.  And, he is willingly taking his digestive enzymes.  Less pain for a day and a half with fingers crossed.  Oh, and I challenged him to a day without nuts.  He accepted the challenge.

 

So, I think my current bout of extinction burst came up while I was in NM.  There is so much non-food there.  I caught myself reaching for foods I would never even own on several occasions.  Wow!  What a test.  I have an open chocolate bar in my pantry and never think twice, but that extra fake stuff in other homes really is the stuff that cravings are made of.  Ick.  And, last night was my first cheating dream.  It felt terrible!  Thank goodness I woke up and I am on day 24 and all is well.

[Guest]

So, I haven't posted much lately.

 

1. I was doing an extended cook-up that lasted through getting enough ingredients when the butcher had the meat and the farm stand opened.  I think I have enough proteins for the week and some frozen veg to supplement for the veggies, although I think I may want a salad mix because we just made mayo and creamy dressing is awesome.

 

2.  One of the people who replied to my cook-up thread talked about having one new meal mid-week.  For us, that is going to be crispy chicken thighs.  Aw yeah.  I like the idea of leftovers calling me on day 32, which is a planned day 1.  (Day 31 is going to involved a meal at a Brazilian grill without interrogating the servers.)

 

3.  Not sitting after meals, or even for a leisurely meal, has limited my computer time.  My tummy was more puffy over the last few days.  Overall, not sitting and the chelated magnesium seem to help.  Wow, do I get back pains when the tummy gets aggravated and staying upright seems to help.

 

4.  I have been discouraged.  I know how it all works and help people with their Whole30s often.  I'm even convinced my husband and I lost weight (inched if we had measured).  We are both seriously hungry.  I've tried to get in more of everything, but we remain very snack-y.  I tried to troubleshoot with him, but he felt nagged for snacking when he had decided he was legitimately hungry.  We have a serious case of hanger going on here.  On top of it all, our veggies are cooked, so we can fit in more of them and a lot of them are starchies.  Why are we so hungry?

 

So, I'm finishing this 30 days.  I'm a little better at predicting how much food we need and I think we'll meet our goal of having a cleaner kitchen this week.  I just inventoried our freezer with the elk, beef, chicken, and pork because we got the second freezer in anticipation of the arrival of the side of Pinky Piggy Curly Piggy.  We have a good amount of food and shouldn't need to buy proteins for a good while!!!  With the pig and purchasing our chicken share for the summer, our bank account could use a break.  For cook-ups, I'm not sure how I'll be using things like skirt steaks, flank steaks, and swiss steaks.  I don't have to worry about that this week because my food is cooked!

 

In addition to being hungry, I am not sleeping well.  Pretty much none of what happened during my first 30 days a year ago happened this time.  On the days when I didn't rest, but had planned exercise, I decided not to because my body seems un-rested.  Ugh.  I sort of know that I can't ask food to fix environmental issues like a severe Winter, a seriously stressful job, and the loss of a close loved one.  Let's just assume that I am way better off than I would have been without good food.

 

To finish on a positive note today...let's go for two, I had my favorite chicken salad for dinner and have my favorite flanken style short ribs for dinner.  Two, the farm right down the road is going to offer working shares this year.  I am on a short list to receive one of these shares and work for rabbit, lamb, and pork in addition to our chicken and egg share.  I want nothing more than to help on a farm and being paid in good food is a nice bonus.

 

My life is so different this year than last.

[Physibeth]

On the hungries...you mentioned increasing vegetables but have you tried increasing fat portions a little bit? I'm sorry you are not sleeping well or feeling rested. Are you incorporating any light movement even if you are not getting "real exercise"? Walking everyday? I was reading through an article on Mark's Daily Apple yesterday on sleep. Some things I personally would like to try. http://www.marksdailyapple.com/how-to-manufacture-the-best-night-of-sleep-in-your-life/#axzz2rcCZ8EBN

[Guest]

On the hungries...you mentioned increasing vegetables but have you tried increasing fat portions a little bit?

 

I'm sorry you are not sleeping well or feeling rested. Are you incorporating any light movement even if you are not getting "real exercise"? Walking everyday?

 

I was reading through an article on Mark's Daily Apple yesterday on sleep. Some things I personally would like to try. http://www.marksdailyapple.com/how-to-manufacture-the-best-night-of-sleep-in-your-life/#axzz2rcCZ8EBN

 

So, we tried increasing fat first, then protein, then all three.  Right now, with the cooked veggies, our plates look a little scant in the veggie zone, but that may not be it at all.  Recent meals all had cooking fats and fatty cuts of meat with avocado, may, or pecans added.  Snacking often means nuts for my husband or olives for me.  We also have some fun jerky and sometimes have the meat and a fat.  I really hope to get to being not hungry, though.  Today, I tried an earlier, smaller lunch followed by a large-ish mini-meal right now.  My husband is snacking in addition to three full meals and a mini-meal and a sedentary life due to his injuries.

 

As for activity, the last thre days included bike-riding, walking puppies in snow and ice, building shelves, moving ammo cans full of stored items of different weights, vacuuming while carrying a small hand weight, among other household tasks.  I am on my feet for the better part of most days and sit less now because of the new belly trials.

 

I have had a lot of bad dreams lately.  My food dreams have been the least bad.  Relaxation and affirmations and positive thinking aren't getting me there.  I am going to bed on time, which is an accomplishment.  I don't have much evening screen time, watching 30 to 45 minutes of TV about 4 times a week.  Our bedroom is as dark as my husband feels comfortable with.  Aside from anxiety, our mattress is an issue.  It recently developed issues and we are looking into a new one.  Who knew buying a mattress could be so complicated?  I'll look at the MDA link and see if I am missing anything.  Hmmm....maybe the yoga routine from my AIP last year.

 

One good link deserves another, so here is one for you: http://www.sleeplikethedead.com/mattress-sex.html

[Guest]

Why am I so whiny?  Ugh.

 

Anyway, here are a few meals.  Tonight, I had some cooked chicken and some fresh broth, so I made a soup with celery, zucchini, and leftover veggies.  I also made a curry with some frozen veggies, coconut milk, broth, and meatballs.  The meatballs didn't render when they cooked, but seemed to in the curry while simmering, which is fine because we ate the fat in the sauce.

 

 

A year ago, one of these bowls would have been my entire meal!

 

The mini meatloaves were a fun little aside during last week's cook-up. I had the beef/pork/mushroom mixture for the meatloves and added bacon and sweet potato to them.  Served with roasted root veg that was inspired by PreMade Paleo and crispy kale.

 

I do love how colorful real food is and there is no denying that there is all kinds of flavor, too.

[Guest]

Day 30 ended with cracklin chicken, mashed cauli/celeriac/sweet potato, paleo slaw, and ugli fruit.    I've been upping the bone broth and ginger for my husband and he seems to be doing better.  

 

I'm learning to prepare a lot more food on cook-up days and to accept cook-up style combos instead of fresh, composed meals for every meal.

 

My blood sugar average for the last 30 days is a perfect 100.  Wow!  I can eat good, seasonal carbs again without thinking twice.  I can also eat until I am satisfied.

 

The strange ache that I get in my thumb is gone again.

 

I am down more than 8 pounds and my husband is down twice that.

 

I just cooked up some asparagus, Brussel's sprouts, cauliflower and a big sweet potato.  We're having a Brazilian dinner with no questions about ingredients tonight.  Tomorrow, a new day one with continued cook-up goals and the hope of getting back to three meals a day.  We really want to make these changes become effortless.  Looking forward to leftover chicken tomorrow to get back into the swing.

 

(I had soup for lunch yesterday...sausage, peppers, pumpkin puree, and coconut cream in bone broth whith Zuke's on the side.  I tried to take a nap and thought I would never be able to get back up due to headache, nausea and general ickiness.  I crawled to the kitchen and had some jerky as the start to a mini-meal.  I craved the salt as it touched my lips and felt better quickly.  I am beginning to wonder if my attempts to hydrate due to firm-ish poo may be excessive.  Could I be feeling hungry due to hyponatremia?  Not likely, but I felt better post mini-meal.)