August 1st Group Thread

[EJSmadhatter]

Welcome to all the new people that are posting. I have read a few posts about starting our own Facebook page. I think that is great but don't forget to post here. There may not be any monitors on that page and I have found them indispensable on my journey and they can spot problems or make great suggestions. Also don't for get to post your food also on the food log. There they can also view what you are eating and help with any issues. If you are having problems copying and pasting, which I did the first time around, try using Google chrome as your browser for whole30. This way you can post on Facebook and on this thread. It also allows me to directly respond to someones post by clicking the Quote button. Internet Explorer did not allow me to do any of this. 

[JennP]

Last night's duck roasting plans were postponed until tonight because I didn't want to wait 3 1/2 hours for dinner.

I had some sort of mystery meat curry from the fridge - either lamb or goat. i really need to start labelling things as I'm getting a little tired of meat roulette. Ate a freezer meal last week which could have been chicken, turkey or rabbit. No idea but it tasted ok.

At least I know that everything in my freezer is Whole30 compliant.

I wish my freezer looked like yours. I have not had rabbit, but I considered it many times. Problem is, I used to have Mini-Rex bunnies. I know, not eating bunnies, but I feel bad nonetheless. I LOVE goat. It is super hard to get here though.

[EJSmadhatter]

So one of my main issues is not cheating. Usually by day 3-7 I have really bad cravings and start getting really pissy. So this time I have made a list of 4 things that will help me keep from cheating and going off the program. Here they are:

1. My family’s cooperation’s: asking them to make sure that foods I can’t eat are not laying around. Or ask them to wait to make something (mom’s cookies) until I leave

2. Putting my whole 30 into my to do list so I can check it off everyday as complete

3. Not watching any food network or commercials. I have to stay away from that because it makes me depresses. If a commercial comes on fast forward if it is on DVR, change the channel, or get up and do something.

4. If I am really feeling like cheating I will post on Whole30 or call/text a friend. If I can't contact anyone then I will do something productive like clean a room or take a walk.

 

Please share what your list might be to help you not cheat when you are really craving.

[JennP]

Today has been a hectic day, and I still have several hours to go. I am not doing well with my water, and need to really ramp that up. My digestive tract has informed me of this most of today.

 

Yesterday hubby and I walked to get the CSA box, (took a small folding dolly to pull it back on), and today I have a very sore back. Of course, it could also be because I am at my schoolwork chair again and it is not the softest thing in the world. 

 

I did well on days 1 and 2 in terms of not snacking. I ended up having a snack today. I had mixed nuts and some dried berries. I do limit both. I knew when I finished lunch at 2, I did not have enough fat, but was stuffed (some days I can't eat much) on my W30 compliant roast beef roll ups with pickles and roasted tomatoes. I chose my snack based on the headache developing and lack of fat at lunch.

 

Dinner is pulled pork ribmeat and sauteed onion/cabbage. I need to add something else, but not sure what I want. I really don't want to eat again tonight, but know I need to. Once I got home from church I started canning (curried squash pickles--for post W30) and stood for about 4 hours straight. I haven't done that for a while. In the process, I managed to can all the yellowneck squash I have...this means rethinking my quiche I was supposed to cook today (breakfast for a few days) I think I am going to just sautee some peppers, onion, and tomatoes. These can be used as omelet filler. I also have my root veggies I can make, but the kitchen is hot and that will make it hotter. Oh well.

 

Based on my To Do list for today, I need to either take a walk or cross stitch (if I don't plan the time I won't find the time). What I would prefer to do is rest. I have yet to achieve a descent night's sleep. Last night I woke @12:30 with serious RLS issues. About 1:30 I finally got up and walked the hall a bit. How I didn't wake my husband before I got up, I don't know. That worked and I got back to sleep about 2, only to be awakened by my phone at 4:30. No message, not even a sorry wrong number. UGH!!!! I finally dragged myself out of bed at 8, an hour late so no studying before church. I am hoping to sleep tonight. 

Well, I am trying to convince myself to walk--just a mile today to work my back out--before I start getting my peppers prepped for freezing. I have too many and won't let them go to waste. My spring CSA ends next Saturday, and will be off a week, so I need to put up a few things for the off week. 

Oh, what is your favorite kitchen gadget? I think mine has to be my vacuum sealer. I can pull from my freezer all winter long and have great veggies. If I cook a big meal (one that is 4+ servings each), I bag, seal, and freeze the rest for later. Right now I have some W30 compliant meals in the freezer that I can pull in a pinch. After that, it has to be that I can put foods up through canning. I really need to learn how to pressure can, but my mother was afraid of pressure cookers, and told me why. I have never used one, and am scared to try.

[EJSmadhatter]

I love my vacuum sealer too. I want an emulsifier. 

[LydiaL]

I wish my freezer looked like yours. I have not had rabbit, but I considered it many times. Problem is, I used to have Mini-Rex bunnies. I know, not eating bunnies, but I feel bad nonetheless. I LOVE goat. It is super hard to get here though.

After telling my mother what I had in my freezer, she said she was worried I had a game meat hoarding problem. Right now I have rabbit, elk, bison, duck, pheasant and venison in my freezer so I think she may have a point. I do live in a neighbourhood which is very multicultural so it's pretty easy to find most types of meat here.

I hear you on the bunnies. I used to have pet quails so I do feel a twinge if I eat quail.

[LydiaL]

JennP: Re: favourite kitchen gadget. I love my slow cooker. I try to make 1-2 slow cooked meals every weekend for the week and usually freeze at least 1 portion. So convenient

[leahcarn]

I love my food processor, what other kitchen gadget saves so much chopping or grating time, and also makes cauliflower mash, almond milk and nut butter?

[Ajordin]

In the past three days I have used so many kitchen gadgets that have been sitting in the pantry for a long time! I just used our emulsion blender for mayo, Tatar sauce, and garlic aoili. The slow cooker was used for ribs, and the food processor for shredded zucchini (chicken and zucchini poppers)

I have always made things from scratch but I am learning how to make different things.. Instead of homemade yogurt I am making mayo!

Day 3 was pretty good. I'm having a little trouble adding enough veggies to meal 1.. It still feels a bit odd. My husband is very skeptical of the food but is coming around. This has been a long struggle since he was raised on processed junk.

I did bake some sweet potato fries tonight and was a little afraid they would be SWYPO for me but I enjoyed a small portion and that was it.

[JennP]

Went for a slow walk (25 min for @ 1-1/4 miles). I started thinking about quiche in general. What could I put in one as I used all my squash? What did I have at home? Well, when I got home I looked up paleo quiche on pinterest. I ended up sauteing 1/2 red onion, garlic, shallot, green peppers (CSA), and shredded carrot (kinda wishing I had a shredder now--used my mini mandolin), then adding salt and pepper. I let it cool just a bit, then dumped it in a coconut oiled dish. While it was cooling I whisked up 12 eggs--yup 12--then added them and stirred everything for even distribution. Sliced one of my wonderful CSA tomatoes and laid the slices on top. Finally, I topped with salt, pepper and some CSA basil. It is in the oven now so all we have to do is reheat in the AM. 

If you can't tell, I LOVE my CSA. Just put an order in for 20# of canning tomatoes (seconds that just don't look as pretty). Going to make my own diced tomatoes and such so I can stop spending an arm and a leg at the store. 

I use my emulsion blender a lot, I have an old pampered chef mandolin I use tons, I use my ninja every morning for my bullet proofed coffee. I have a vitamix I need to get back to using. Probably will with the tomatoes. 

Well, seems I have accomplished everything on my To Do list but Cross Stitch. I may use that to relax after I eat. My headache is gone now that I am better hydrated. 

Have a good night everyone!

[dizilizi]

My favorite kitchen gadget has to be either my spice mill (coffee grinder) or my food processor. A couple of gadgets I'd like to buy are a noodler, use it to make noodles out of veggies, and either a vacuum sealer or an immersion blender.

I use my processor for so many things including canning. This year is a salsa year. I alternate stewed tomatoes and salsa. I still have tons of W30 compliant stewed tomatoes, but am out of salsa. I can't wait for my tomatoes to come on.

[dizilizi]

Nothing like a good fast to help reset the mind, body, and spirit. No meal 1 today, meal 2 was fruit and emergency protein from nomnompaleo. I love the app and her blog. I keep telling my husband I need to order the book and then forget. My emergency protein consisted of shredded cabbage, sliced bell peppers, and chopped broccoli cooked in some coconut oil. Then I added some of my shredded pork. For seasoning, I used some "taco" seasoning I made up earlier. Yummy! Oh I also ate a handful of black olives. As a snack I had some macadamia nuts. I know I'm not getting enough fat, so I noshed on those too. I'm drinking a lot of water. It's hot out, but not as hot as last week. It's only 97* or so today.

For activity, I'll head out to the garden to weed in a bit, it's still too hot out. I'm very sensitive to heat and get heat exhaustion easily.

Have a great one!

[Kazley]

Morning all,

Day 3! My favourite gadget/s are my food processor and my slow cooker. I'm sure that if I could afford the $1900 price tag, a Thermomix would be my new best friend :-)

Woke up with a bit of a headache this morning, but I've had some water and a black tea and it seems to have gone.

Day 2 went well. Had my first social gathering and Pete and I managed to survive it with sparkling water and taking our own food. The food really was our saviour, as the smell of the food being passed around to everyone else, I think would have undone me! The wine wasn't really an issue, which surprised me :-)

By the time we got home, we were pretty hungry but managed to hold out for dinner...a nice satiating pork belly.

Today is going to be a bit tricky, I feel. We have next to no money left and not much in the house, not even eggs, so that will be a challenge, feeding 4 people. Just have to survive until tomorrow!

Have a great day guys! :-)

[themissus]

Today was a rough one for me. I was tired and cranky all day despite getting plenty of sleep lat night. I only ate twice again.

 

We celebrated my husband's birthday today, and he wanted to go to Best Buy, lunch and then to see Guardian's of the Galaxy. We had lunch at our favorite burger place. I ended up getting a tukery burger salad, with avocado, beets, prosciutto and portobello mushrooms, with their house vin. For dinner I cooked up some breakfast sausages and made some fried eggs, with a side salad of tomatoes, beets and cucumbers. It sounds weird, but was really good.

 

Hopefully I will be less cranky tomorrow. I didn't roast my chicken or do anything with the ground beef I set out, so I will do something with those tomorrow or the next day. I also set out an egg and some lemon to make some compliant mayo in the morning.

[JennyF]

So far so good... this is day 2 for me.  Although a little earlier I had a craving for chocolate after watching a commercial for Hershey's chocolate!  I just walked away and got a glass of water. My new mantra is "It's only 30 days".  Every time I get the urge to indulge in something naughty, I keep reminding myself of what waits for me at the end of the tunnel.  

 

Dinner tonight was interesting.  I made a veggie and meat lasagna.  I layered butternut squash, eggplant, zucchini, mushrooms and swiss chard intermittently with a homemade Italian meat sauce.  Instead of cheese, I ran some cashews through my magic bullet to grind it up and sprinkled it on top of the casserole. It gave it a cheese like flavor and made the topping crispy.  It turned out pretty good.  The only thing is that the veggies cooked down leaving it a bit watery. I just drained it off.  

 

I ordered a few Paleo cookbooks from Amazon.com which should be coming this week sometime, so I'll have more choices.   The food is actually quite good and I'm really not having any critical cravings that can't be handled.  I think for me to succeed, I just have to make sure my meals taste good, yet keeping withing the W30 guidelines.  It's totally doable!

 

Of course this is only day 2, so there may be more difficulty ahead with the cravings.  I'm just gearing up as best as I can.  

 

Tomorrow I'm making Thai curry butternut squash soup with Chicken breast.  I found a great recipe online that looks amazing!

 

Hope everyone is doing well!

 

Jenny

[AJ10]

Finishing up day 6. Have kept it simple. Horrible cold last few days kept me in bed over the weekend. Feeling much better and cooked sirloin steak strips, mashed pot with coc milk and a salad with kale, green peppers, strawberries and strawberry tangy dressing. My big win is that my daughter ate everything I put on her plate and that my husbamd couldnt tell there was coc milk in the potatoes! Eating on plan has been pretty easy so far so my challenge is cleaning up the families diet a bit more and finding things they like! I am using appliances much more since eating paleo. Looooove my paderno noodler. Its the bomb! i love my cuisinart for mayo, so easy. And now with my new frig and freezer - i looove the ice:). Have not had ice in three years! Looking forward to a great nights sleep!

Have a great whole30 week!

[shella]

It feels good to be in good company.

 

This weekend has been difficult for me.  While I haven't had to make quite as many changes as folks new to paleo/primal eating have had to do, it's been an emotional weekend... which in and of itself, has made things tough.  My husband has been out of town since Friday (coming home tomorrow night, thankfully) and as much as I love to cook, I tend to cook more when he's home and then live like a hermit when he's not here.  

 

Knowing that I tend to do this, after he left on Friday I made a beautiful (and large) batch of eggplant, pepper and zucchini casserole with grass-fed lean beef (this is actually a very old Weight Watchers recipe that I have since modified).  I have eaten quite a few of my main meals off of that.  Breakfasts have been eggs, egg whites, sauteed kale and veggie remnants.  This evening I baked up some grouper (and only ate 4.5oz of it, which I am presently realizing is simply not enough). Lunches and two of my dinners have been the aforementioned casserole.  Boring.

 

I did a 16 mile run yesterday, finishing up in a 90F heat index and then did 80 minutes worth of cross-training and strength this morning.  I feel "OK" but I have reached for waaaay too many nuts this weekend b/c my inner hermit refused to take time out and hit the grocery store in order to restock some of my snacking veggies.  I had a container of cashews that I literally tossed in the trash tonight b/c I was eating from it like I was at a bar (and I don't go to bars)!  LOL!  For now, if I want nuts, they are coming from a sealed, pre-portioned package.  I'm also feeling a bit binge-y. If I wasn't typing this I would be trying to figure out what I could make with the unsweetened cocoa powder sitting in my pantry.  Yikes!

 

I do have a morning plan in place which includes a trip to the grocery store!  Yay!

 

themissus, one of my most favorite dishes to eat is a burger salad!  I gave up bread entirely last November and thankfully discovered that a burger is just as tasty when perched upon a boat load of greens and surrounded by all of the normal accouterments (tomatoes, lettuce, mushrooms, etc...).

 

JennyF, which books did you purchase?  I use the books written by the PaleoOMG author (Juli Bauer) a lot.  She's got some super, duper tasty items in there! 

 

JennP, I love frittatas and quiche (crustless quiche these days).  There is nothing better than a frittata doing its thing in the oven, all wrapped up in my beloved cast iron skillet!  Yummy!

[Dilyn61]

Hi Everyone!  Just checking in at the end of Day 3!  Wasn't sure what hit me today, I was extremely tired and allergies kicked into high gear!  When I read the daily email for whole30 it stated today would probably be the day we would feel very tired and sleepy! I really didn't expect to feel this way, I have been living Paleo for about 2 months before starting the Whole30 challenge.  But I have gotten rid of all the processed stuff that I was still eating, like mayo and salad dressings, etc.

 

For dinner tonight I made Paleo stuffed peppers a recipe on www.ourpaleolife.com, they were great! 

 

Well, it's late and I am still tired, so best wishes to everybody on Day 4!

 

Diana

[JennyF]

It feels good to be in good company.

 

This weekend has been difficult for me.  While I haven't had to make quite as many changes as folks new to paleo/primal eating have had to do, it's been an emotional weekend... which in and of itself, has made things tough.  My husband has been out of town since Friday (coming home tomorrow night, thankfully) and as much as I love to cook, I tend to cook more when he's home and then live like a hermit when he's not here.  

 

Knowing that I tend to do this, after he left on Friday I made a beautiful (and large) batch of eggplant, pepper and zucchini casserole with grass-fed lean beef (this is actually a very old Weight Watchers recipe that I have since modified).  I have eaten quite a few of my main meals off of that.  Breakfasts have been eggs, egg whites, sauteed kale and veggie remnants.  This evening I baked up some grouper (and only ate 4.5oz of it, which I am presently realizing is simply not enough). Lunches and two of my dinners have been the aforementioned casserole.  Boring.

 

I did a 16 mile run yesterday, finishing up in a 90F heat index and then did 80 minutes worth of cross-training and strength this morning.  I feel "OK" but I have reached for waaaay too many nuts this weekend b/c my inner hermit refused to take time out and hit the grocery store in order to restock some of my snacking veggies.  I had a container of cashews that I literally tossed in the trash tonight b/c I was eating from it like I was at a bar (and I don't go to bars)!  LOL!  For now, if I want nuts, they are coming from a sealed, pre-portioned package.  I'm also feeling a bit binge-y. If I wasn't typing this I would be trying to figure out what I could make with the unsweetened cocoa powder sitting in my pantry.  Yikes!

 

I do have a morning plan in place which includes a trip to the grocery store!  Yay!

 

themissus, one of my most favorite dishes to eat is a burger salad!  I gave up bread entirely last November and thankfully discovered that a burger is just as tasty when perched upon a boat load of greens and surrounded by all of the normal accouterments (tomatoes, lettuce, mushrooms, etc...).

 

JennyF, which books did you purchase?  I use the books written by the PaleoOMG author (Juli Bauer) a lot.  She's got some super, duper tasty items in there! 

 

JennP, I love frittatas and quiche (crustless quiche these days).  There is nothing better than a frittata doing its thing in the oven, all wrapped up in my beloved cast iron skillet!  Yummy!

I purchased the Well Fed Paleo & Paleo Comfort Foods.  I also subscribed to a couple of Paleo blogs where recipes are posted often and with amazing results!  Just Google "Paleo Recipes" and you'll find a gambit of them out there!

 

Do you have any favorite recipes?

[bwr]

Despite our kitchen still not being done, I managed to get the oven roasting and prepared my meals for the entire week to take the guesswork out of eating

 

I've got a massive batch of roast veggies that I've taken to work to have with (compliant) beef sausages and homemade garlic aioli for lunches. For breakfasts I've got a mince and sweet potato hash with mushrooms and shallots. For dinners I've got a range of meatballs and soups including sweet potato and leek soup made with coconut milk instead of cream.

 

This is the best way for me to organise myself so that I only have to think once a week about what I'm going to eat and spend 3-4 hours preparing it on a Saturday. This way, I only have to use the microwave to heat it up during the week! Perfect.

 

Hope everyone else is going strong and not getting too de-railed by side effects. This too shall pass....

[Jagbug56]

I'm going to restart tomorrow. I'm just having a difficult time giving up the dairy and grains. I love them! I stocked up on them for the beginning of school this week-and I'm the only one in my house! LOL! But, what I'm finding is after eating any bread I'm extremely BLOATED! And I feel yucky! SO- I need to put my big girl pants on and commit to doing the Whole 30--and I am starting tomorrow! 

June 

[Fernandes]

Hi everyone, hope it's all going well.  Today has been a rushed day for me.  Rushing around in body and in mind, which makes the food rushed and unsettling.  I did follow the plan but my mind kept wondering about food and the next thing to eat.  I find I need to be settled and practise mindful eating to fell nourished and fulfilled and not be thinking about more and more food.  Doing this helps not following though with my thoughts which always makes me feel good.  Writing it here also makes me aware of my bad habits and short falls which I hope to get hold of as the days go on.

[kirsten778]

Off to a good start...rounding out Day 1 of round 2  Have all my breakfasts, lunches, and dinners ready to go for the week.

 

I read on one of the posts that there is a food log that we can fill out?  Where can I find that?

 

My yummy lunch today...Lamb Lettuce Boats with Avo-ziki sauce...

 

 

[Tina R]

Kristen 778 there isn't a food log that you fill out, you just need to start a thread in the whole30 log forum and log what you are eating. You may get some suggestions from people on how to improve your meals. Good Luck! http://forum.whole9life.com/forum/24-your-whole30-log/

[Ellie_G]

So far, so good... was incredibly hungry all day yesterday and didn't feel properly full until I'd had my evening meal (am eating huge portions - not trying to lose body fat!).  Hoping I don't end up shouting at anyone today or tomorrow.