Maggie4's remarkable 30 day extravaganza log

[Maggie4]

All righty then...

 

 

Day Zero.

 

I thought I was going to prepare, really I did. And if you count buying and consuming my final pint of Ben & Jerry's, then I guess I have prepared somewhat. But I did begin reading the new W30 book, and I shopped for the ingredients for my W30 compliant breakfast tomorrow, so I'll have 'til noon tomorrow to get my act together. I figure I'll go off of the seven day menu presented in the book for starters until I get into the swing of this whole real-food-that-I-cook-myself thing.

 

Actually I completed a W30 when I was a youngster way back in 2013. But the years since have not been kind to me. Or vice versa perhaps. So I have an idea of what's in store for me. (No pun intended, but nice segue..) I'll go to the grocery store in the morning and stock up on copious amounts of that real food stuff, reread some menus, and locate my stove (I think it's still in the kitchen?) so I can start some food prep. I'm on this!

[SweetTooth63]

I'm starting today, too. I know I CAN cook, I'm just worried about having time to do it right (and still have a chance to sit down and eat it).

[Loulabelle]

You can do this! If you need support there are lots of people here for you.

[Maggie4]

Thanks for the encouragement, Loulabelle. I'm feeling pretty motivated so far, but it is early yet.

 

Day One –

 

I found the stove. It was still in the kitchen, right where I'd left it the last time I cooked. So I hopped right into my plan to follow the 7 day menu outlined in the W30 book. That lasted all of one meal. Almost. But that's okay. I stayed compliant, and will continue to use the menu plan for inspiration. I'm just such a rogue! Or I just have trouble keeping to my intentions, but I think "rogue" sounds better.

 

M1: spinach frittata (W30 p 206). Minor adjustments since I had no avocado. I only ate half the stated serving size. I will need to adjust my appetite. Cold brew coffee (without the usual cream).

M2: more frittata and an apple. I waited too long before going to the grocery store, and by the time I got back home, I didn’t want to take the time to cook something. Poor planning.

Snack: handful of cashews in mid-afternoon. Probably more for the munchy factor than for hunger. I need to get strict on that.

M3: taco salad: ground beef flavored with chili powder, cumin, dried diced onion and garlic powder; lettuce and [guacamole (W30 p 308)]

Drank cran-water throughout the day: 7 parts water to 1 part pure cranberry juice, no sweetener. Gives the water a tart taste that I find more refreshing than plain water.

 

The hardest part today was getting the darn spinach container open. Well, that and the sugar cravings, and the habitual impulse to snack in the afternoon. Still have the evening to go, but I think I will make it through. Was dragging this afternoon so I laid down for a bit of a nap. But that could have been just my par-for-the-course afternoon slump. Now I’m into my post-dinner slump. Am I supposed to be feeling like this already?

[Maggie4]

Day Two

 

Today went well. I probably ate too much, but the food was so good!!! Got some exercise, took Huly to the dog park, then mowed the back yard. About mid-afternoon, I was exhausted, so took another nap. Maybe wouldn't have even got up for the night, but Huly got bored, and I did have to eat again, didn't I?

 

M1: meant to make an omelette, but I was lazy and so had another taco salad and coffee.

M2: got done being lazy, so I made the omelette. Three eggs with spinach, bacon, onion, topped with guac. Tried making bacon in the oven. It kind of turned into charcoal, so I guess I'll cut back a bit on the cooking time in the future. I still ate it, of course... (400 degrees, 12 minutes OR LESS)

Snack, post workout (that would be the lawn mowing -- I have a large yard and a push mower): handful of cashews.

M3: chicken and coleslaw salad. (Basically the recipe in W30 p 282, but I used Tessemae's lemon garlic dressing.)  

 

Cran-water throughout the day.

 

Also cooked up extra chicken breasts, using a method I looked up online -- http://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-cook-the-best-chicken-breasts-in-the-oven-cooking-lessons-from-the-kitchn-211453#.bawljd:fRff

 

Super moist and easy enough that even I could do it. I'm including the link for future reference, although it might take a year or so to make it through all the chicken I pre-cooked today. Oh, wait. With three actual meals a day, it won't last long at all.

[Maggie4]

Day Three

 

Went well today. I used my Dutch oven for the first time ever, with the carnitas recipe (W30 p 254). Turned out really well! I think I like this carnitas recipe better than MJ's (don't tell), but I guess it depends on what you're in the mood for. This is way more food than I am used to eating. And I admit I had a pretty skimpy dinner tonight. Maybe I need to read more of the book. My portions might be too big, or maybe they're not but it's just the volume of healthy food vs. the small amounts of junk that filled me up before.

 

Dog walk and yard work for exercise today.

 

M1: omelette with spinach, bacon and onions, guac. Coffee.

M2: chicken breast and coleslaw salad.

M3: carnitas. Okay, it was more like sampling it after it cooked than actually making a meal of it. Going to slice up a pineapple pretty soon, so maybe that will be my second course of the meal.

[Maggie4]

Day Six

 

My how times flies when all you're doing is eating. Guess I don't need to fill in all the meals I've had in the last 3 days. Suffice it to say that it has been some combination of eggs, coleslaw, carnitas, and chicken breasts. I'm not one who craves a lot of variety in my meals (or my life, for that matter). I like routine. But since I've run out of all those ingredients, I guess it's time to branch out a bit. Like maybe get some beef and seafood into the mix. And different types of veggies.

 

One issue for me is that (according to my naturopath) I am intolerant of potatoes, sweet potatoes, yams and such. With my first W30, sweet potatoes was my go-to veggie. Now that it's off the play list, I have to be more creative.

 

I have enough food in the house to cobble together something healthy and compliant for dinner (and breakfast), but I'm going to have to dedicate tomorrow as another cooking day. So I'm off to delve into the W30 recipes I've got, and see what I want to eat for the next week.

 

Health wise, I am feeling a little less bloated. I'm actually getting hungry between meals, so maybe I'm doing better with portions. My joints might be feeling a little less stiff. I've been taking naps most days, and was definitely dragging yesterday when I skipped the nap and babysat my granddaughter instead. I tried to introduce her to a game called "let's all take a nap," but she didn't fall for it.

 

Okay, now I'm really truly signing off.

[Maggie4]

Day Seven

 

So that whole thing about shopping and cooking for the next week's worth of meals? Yeah, didn't happen. Tweaked my neck and shoulder this morning and couldn't even bear to stand at the stove for very long, let alone go shopping or do a bunch of food prep. So today's meals were small, simple and not well-rounded. But, hey, they were food compliant.

 

M1: three scrambled eggs, cold brew coffee.

M2: leftover curried ground beef, an apple with almond butter.

M3: more leftover curried beef, carrot sticks and a handful of pistachios.

 

Almost caved this evening, though. Ben and Jerry's Half-baked ice cream was calling out to me from the store across the way. I figured as long as I didn't look either way for traffic as I crossed the streets, my neck might feel okay long enough for me to make it there and back. But there was something about that plan that just didn't quite sound safe. So I hunkered down, texted my daughter, and drank a bunch of cran-water. Close call.

 

Hopefully I will feel better tomorrow, or at least have better range of motion, so I can buy some food and be better prepared for the next seven days. My cravings seem to be getting worse.