rachdevsam Posted January 2, 2015 Share Posted January 2, 2015 So inspiring to see so many people starting a Whole 30 for the New Year! I'll join in too. My name is Rachel, this is my second Whole 30. I did one last September and it went pretty well, but I fell back into old habits pretty quickly. My mom did a Whole 60 after I introduced her to Whole 30, then my brother and sister in law did one too! It's contagious in our family and we are all doing it again this January. I'm glad my mom and I can support each other, even though we live in different states we still call, email, and text each other throughout the day. Socializing is always an issue for me, my friends and I love craft beer! I am also in a profession that really likes to drink: after work drinks, networking events, etc. I know I don't HAVE to drink when I hang out with friends and colleagues, and I am preparing myself for being in situations where everyone else will be drinking. Getting carry out is a bit of an issue for me too, I work in downtown Chicago and it's just so easy to order food every day during my lunch break, or pick something up on the way home. I do love to cook, and Whole 30 is a great way to focus on that and try new things, I just have to make sure I make time! Other goals I have for this month are to drink enough water, workout consistently, and get enough sleep! I am excited about all the great foods I'm going to eat this month, and also to try and have a better post-Whole 30 time of reintroducing some foods while maintaining healthy habits. Last time around I felt great, had so much energy, and my skin was amazing. I'm looking forward to all that too! Thanks for reading my ramblings if you've gotten this far. Now for the food.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rachdevsam Posted January 2, 2015 Author Share Posted January 2, 2015 1/1/2015: New Years Day! Whole 30 Day 1 Breakfast: I had these grand plans to make steak and eggs this morning to start things off right, but then I didn't have time to go to the grocery store. I made do with groceries I already had, and it was pretty good. My last Whole 30, I ate this just about every morning: eggs, sweet potatoes, avocado. It's easy and I usually have the stuff on hand. The problem is, it gets boring fast when you eat it 30 days in a row! I'm looking forward to trying new things for my breakfasts in the days to come! Lunch: Chicken soup full of lots of fresh, seasonal veggies. I slow cooked this bone broth the past two days and it was totally worth it! And I was also able to package up quite a few to-go bowls of it, some in the fridge and some in the freezer, so I can quickly grab one to bring to work with me for lunch on days I don't have time to pack something up. Dinner: No steak and eggs in the morning, so I made sure to make up for it tonight. I saw that lobster tails were on sale at the grocery store and I couldn't help myself! Surf and turf to celebrate the new year. Doesn't get much better than this! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drjeni Posted January 2, 2015 Share Posted January 2, 2015 What a great first day! Love the pics too - that surf n turf looks scrumptious Happy New Year and best wishes for your journey! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rachdevsam Posted January 3, 2015 Author Share Posted January 3, 2015 Day 2: 1/2/15 I woke up today so excited for cooking. Or maybe I was just excited about eating the leftover lobster for breakfast! My last Whole 30 I didn't buy any special ingredients really, I cooked most my food in olive oil or coconut oil. This time around I've been gathering a lot of the fats/sauces I see mentioned on the forum and in paleo recipes, in order to branch out a bit. On the left is chili infused olive oil, really spicy but that's how I like it! Next is some 18 year balsamic vinegar that I asked for for Christmas. It's so good, I could drink it straight! The next two I've never had to cook for before but picked up today to help my stir frys. And finally some ghee...I could have made it, but was afraid I'd burn it so I decided to start with this. Breakfast Scrambled eggs with lobster (and a whole lot of ghee), steamed brussels sprouts drizzled with that amazing balsamic vinegar, and half a banana. Doesn't make the prettiest picture but it was so good! I was a little worried it wouldn't be enough but it was quite filling, and I didn't take my lunch until after 1 because I wasn't feeling hungry. Lunch I ate at my desk today since I took my lunch hour to walk to the health food store to get coconut aminos and sesame oil for tonight. So no picture, but no picture needed because I just had some of that soup I made yesterday, with half an avocado cut up in it, and a couple dried figs. (But I did not put the figs in the soup!) Dinner Quite eager to use the food processor I got for Christmas (thanks mom!), I chopped up a ton of veggies in it and sauteed them in coconut oil. Dressed the veggies with sesame oil and coconut aminos, mixed with some chopped grilled steak and slivered almonds, and rolled up in romaine lettuce like egg rolls. (Except for that fourth one, which I ate like a taco because the lettuce leaf was too small to roll!) Why would anyone ever want to add anything processed to this? My meals today were all so good and also satisfying! Today's Victories -Slept 8 hours last night! -Drank so much water -Bought some kombucha to have with lunch but didn't look at the label when I bought it. As I was sitting down for lunch, I looked at the label and saw it had cane sugar in it. I briefly considered just drinking it anyway before giving it to a co-worker instead. I'm so glad I didn't give in! Today's Room for Improvement -Didn't work out. I even got up in enough time to work out, but decided against it for no good reason. -I feel like I'm getting sick. I guess that's nothing I can control/improve, but I wanted to put it in the con list! Took some vitamin C and zinc so hopefully I can ward it off. -It's not even 7:30 yet and I'm typing this from bed. I need to do my dishes and I was planning on tidying up my living room tonight too, to have open space to work out tomorrow. But bed is so comfortable! I'll try to rally later. Tomorrow My friends are hosting an all day board game party. She's making chili...VEGAN chili so it'll be full of beans and soy. I already told her I'm bringing my own chili for me, so I need to get up early and go to the grocery store tomorrow morning to get stuff for that. Everyone will be drinking beer, so I'll pick up some kombucha (without sugar!!!) or sparkling water for myself. I think I'll make some baba ganoush too to share, since everyone will be snacking on chips and salsa throughout the day. It will be a fun day, I'm trying to focus on all the fun I have and not the food/drink I can't partake in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rachdevsam Posted January 3, 2015 Author Share Posted January 3, 2015 I am crabby today. It snowing out and slushy and gross and I am supposed to be social but I just want to go back to bed. I walked to the tea shop to get a little exercise and try some new teas, so that's exciting at least. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wulfie Posted January 3, 2015 Share Posted January 3, 2015 Hi, Rachel! It's cool to see so many of your family members joining in! That's gotta be an awesome experience. Your goals sound pretty similar to mine. Water...gym...sleep... lol I hope you have a good Whole30, just remember what worked last time! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rachdevsam Posted January 4, 2015 Author Share Posted January 4, 2015 Today turned out alright.Breakfast Fried eggs in chili infused olive oil over a mashed sweet potato with homemade sausage. The eggs did NOT turn out like the picture in the recipe I was referencing, but still pretty tasty! The sausage was the first time I made it with ground pork, I always used ground turkey before but this way is much better! So much better, in fact, that I ate a patty before taking the picture because I couldn't help myself! Lunch Chicken salad with pecans, snap peas, pears, tomatoes, and carrots. My first time making olive oil and it turned out great! After a couple bites I decided the salad lacked pizzazz so I drizzled some balsamic vinegar over it and it was much better. Dinner 2pm to 10pm was a board game party at my friends house. I knew there would be drinking but I didn't realize it was going to begin at 2! I brought along my mate gourd and just drank tea instead of beer and no one questioned it. There were snacks floating around but I had made some baba ganoush to share, so that was fine for me. My friend, as I mentioned in another post, is vegan and has started to be a little judgmental/preachy to me about Whole 30. There was a bit of tension between us at first, but it got better. It doesn't help that I'm a little testy today anyway! She didn't mention it to me again, except when she was passing out vegan sugar cookies with chocolate frosting on top that was, in HER words, "probably all trans fat," I declined and said I was fine with the blackberries she had, and she said, "Sad." Not really judgmental I guess, but kinda funny. Yeah I'll pass on the trans fat frosting! The chili I brought as an alternative to chili with beans was, however, kinda "sad." It tasted fine but since I wanted it to still be vegan since I was bringing it into her house, it had no meat! On top of no protein, I forgot the avocado I was going to chop up on top. So while it tasted fine, I was so hungry! As soon as I got home I heated up some chicken soup and avocado. Today's Good -Had my first real temptation and I didn't give in. No not the beer, or the chili that would have actually been filling...but chips and salsa! I never realized tortilla chips smelled so good!! -I drank a ton of water Today's Bad -This attitude I have is bad. I don't want to get in the habit of every time I'm grumpy, blaming it on what I'm eating. I do know I'm probably going through a bit of a sugar detox right now, but that's not an excuse! -I didn't work out and I didn't clean Tomorrow Going to the museum with a friend at 6 so I'll probably get hungry again between 6 and bedtime. Will try to eat my dinner at the last minute possible. I REALLY need to clean my apartment!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JessXU00 Posted January 4, 2015 Share Posted January 4, 2015 Your chicken salad is so pretty! I'm planning to make some today; I hope it turns out looking as nice! Good idea on the balsamic, as well. I picked up a few bottles of flavored balsamic in Key West a few weeks ago, so I'll try some of those out on it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rachdevsam Posted January 4, 2015 Author Share Posted January 4, 2015 Woke up this morning later than usual, which I hate. I don't like sleeping in on the weekends because it messes up my schedule during the week, but I don't usually set an alarm either. It was 8:30 when I woke up so not too late, but I don't want to suffer tomorrow morning when I'm back up to 6 a.m. wake up time! I have a splitting headache today and no motivation to make food or eat. Maybe I'll make some coffee and that will give me the kick I need. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rachdevsam Posted January 5, 2015 Author Share Posted January 5, 2015 Day Four: 1/4/15 Well it turned into a most excellent and productive day! I decided to try bulletproof coffee for the first time this morning and it helped with the headache so I soon felt well enough to make breakfast! I'm so used to drinking my coffee black in the mornings that I probably won't do bulletproof again, but it was nice to try! I was picking up my apartment this afternoon and started to feel really lightheaded. I had to sit down and I wasn't sure what was wrong with me. Then I looked at the clock and realized it was almost 3 and I hadn't had lunch. That is very unlike me, but I think the combination of eating breakfast later than usual combined with being in the zone with cleaning my apartment made it slip my mind! After lunch I...err...spent some time getting reacquainted with my bathroom. I hadn't really visited it for THAT since beginning the Whole 30, so I think all that fiber had built up in me! And that might be the most TMI thing I ever shared on the internet so I'll leave it at that. The rest of my day was lovely. Breakfast I felt like eating a traditional breakfast so I made home fries with rainbow fingerlings and a sausage pepper omelet. More exciting, I made my own ketchup! Seeing it next to my homemade mayo in the fridge makes me feel like such a good homemaker. Lunch My lunch was later than usual so I wanted something that wouldn't take much time to make. I reheated the beanless vegan chili from last night, but threw some grilled chicken and avocado on top of it. A great improvement, I must say! Dinner Wasn't feeling incredibly hungry, due to the late lunch, so I wanted a "light" dinner. Just a steak stir fry. Cauliflower rice cooked in chili oil is amazing! I ate a banana and drunk a lot of tea throughout the day too. Today's Victories -I FINALLY cleaned my apartment! Coming home just now to a clean apartment made me feel so great. I need to make sure I take the time to do the dishes after every meal, because cooking like this uses a lot of dishes! -I had my first real temptation when my friends texted about brunch at one of our favorite spots. There's no salvaging that menu so I said I wasn't feeling well, which was kinda true this morning! -I saw Neil Gaiman read a short story he wrote about David Bowie at the Museum of Contemporary Art. Nothing to do with the Whole 30, but it was my best experience of the year so far (har har) so it goes in the victory column! Today's Areas for Improvement -Still no workout. -I think I could still stand to be a more positive in general Tomorrow Ahhhhhhhh I have an interview in the morning for my dream job tomorrow morning! I'm glad my home is uncluttered so I won't be stressed out by that in the morning. I set out my best suit and bought some pork belly to have a good pre-interview breakfast. Good thing I haven't been in a "kill all the things!" mood, I actually feel pretty great tonight and hope that carries over into the morning! The challenge will be to pack two meals in the morning, both lunch and dinner since I'll be working late to make up for coming in late due to the interview. The optimistic challenge will not be guzzling champagne if I get the job! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shelley Posted January 5, 2015 Share Posted January 5, 2015 Your food looks great! I just remembered as I was looking at your home fries that white potatoes are allowed now. I must get baby potatoes and make home fries! And I like the idea of flavoured oil. I'm giving myself a few days to feel like a normal person again before I hit the gym. Good luck with the interview! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rachdevsam Posted January 6, 2015 Author Share Posted January 6, 2015 I think it's a good way to look at it to give yourself a few days to feel like a "normal person" again before working out! I have been exhausted and have a headache and I'm hoping I am almost through it. Maybe I'll shoot for working out on day 8, to give myself a week to adjust first! Day 5, 1/5/15 Today turned out differently than I planned. Up early, drove to the interview, got back later than I planned and just felt so tired that I really didn't feel like heading back out in the cold to downtown to work, so I decided to just take the rest of the day off work. That means 10 hour days for the rest of the week, but the 2 hour nap I took this afternoon was worth it! Breakfast My favorite things! Scrambled eggs, kale, pork belly, blackberries mixed with pecans, and coffee. It was a great start to the day! Lunch I was so hungry that by the time I finished my meal, I didn't even think to take a picture before digging in! It was sauteed chicken and zucchini on top of spaghetti squash with a lemon butter (actually ghee but lemon-butter sounds better!) sauce. It was SO GOOD. For sure making that again! The only thing was it didn't keep me full very long. Maybe next time I'll make a bigger portion, or more ghee for fat. So even though I try not to snack on Whole 30, I was hungry when I got up from my nap so I had a banana and some baby carrots with homemade ranch. I know that it probably should have had protein too but I didn't feel like making anything. Dinner Another one I'll totally make again! Shepherd's pie for one. I don't follow recipes usually but sometimes I look at them for inspiration. If I do make a recipe it just makes way too much food and I'm stuck eating the same thing over and over again all week. Instead I usually just follow whatever I feel like eating based on the ingredients I have on hand. This one I just cooked some ground pork with various chopped veggies in coconut oil, then drizzled some balsamic on top and it made a delicious sauce as it thickened! I wanted to eat it all while I was waiting for the sweet potato to cook, but I held off for the most part. Today's Victories -I did dishes after every meal! Today's Areas for Improvement -I just want to sleep. I slept 8 hours last night, took a 2 hour nap, and now am considering going to bed even though it's only 8:30. Hope to get energy soon! Tomorrow Just a typical Tuesday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rachdevsam Posted January 7, 2015 Author Share Posted January 7, 2015 I had a long day 6 post typed up but accidentally deleted it. Not going to type it again, because I'm ready for bed! So the short summary is: long day, stuck to it, constantly hungry in the afternoon, need to pack more for lunch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rachdevsam Posted January 9, 2015 Author Share Posted January 9, 2015 Day 8 over! Still busy, still sticking with it. Hope to get back to being better about keeping logs this weekend, but for now here's a picture of my dinner. Kale, mashed cauliflower, pork belly Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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