Rubarb's Whole30 Food Log

[rubarb]

Day 15 - Half point! I hesitate to say that though, because it sounds like I can't wait for the 30 days to be over. Far from the truth! I had a wonderful day. Why? I planned and enjoyed the fruit of my work.

Breakfast: 3 eggs scrambled with onions and peppers; 1/2 avocado on the side (I don't know what I would do if I didn't like avocado!)

Lunch: Ground chicken and veggies with a salad. So I'm not really into oil and vinegar and have been wanting to make a dressing of my own. Had no time at all last week to experiment. Today, I wanted some fruit with lunch but had no fresh fruit to pack. I did have some frozen strawberries though and so threw those in a container with my packed lunch. When I sat down to eat, I put them over my salad. Because they were then thawed and had a bit of juice to them, they served as my dressing. Delicious.

Snack: a LaraBar

Dinner: More of the chicken dish and a side of sauteed kale. Oh my - I liked the plate. I'll be making that kale again. It had onions, garlic and sun-dried tomatoes. Easy and so good.

To drink: cold-brewed Bengal Spice tea and a bottle of water with the juice of a lime in it.

I was calmer today because I knew I had a good meal waiting on me. Making a plan made a huge difference in my day.

[maggief]

Congrats on making it so far!! Keep it up

[Nancy H.]

Wow is right. That sounded so good I had that for dinner tonight. Served on a bed of riced cauliflower that I browned in Gee.

So Good.

Lunch: The most amazing curried salmon ever! I made it up as I went along, but need to write the recipe down so I can make again. It was coconut milk, chopped onions, curry powder, smoked paprika, garlic and ginger. Put the salmon in the pan with some baby eggplants, covered the pan for about 15 minutes or so until the salmon was cooked through.

[rubarb]

So glad you tried it out and liked it! The califlower browned in ghee sounds wonderful as well. I used to use ghee on occasion, when making an Indian dish. Now, I think it may become a part of my permanent shopping list. A little ghee makes everything taste good. ;-)

Wow is right. That sounded so good I had that for dinner tonight. Served on a bed of riced cauliflower that I browned in Gee.

So Good.

[rubarb]

Day 16, yes!

Breakfast: shredded a zucchini and let it drain on a paper towel while I browned some chopped onion in a pan. Added beaten eggs (with a little coconut flour) and a few spices to the pan and then the zucchini on top. Mixed it as it cooked until all was firm. Made enough for me and the hubby and we split an avocado. I also had a few sections of my husband's grapefruit.

Lunch: Ate at the Whole Foods salad bar after church. Really had to read those labels to find something compliant! Chicken, cabbage, collards, a couple pieces of plantain and some broccoli and bell peppers. Eh.

Dinner: Back at home, so I could make something yummy. Chicken sausage (with no sugar, nitrates, etc.) with a huge side of sauteed kale (same recipe for kale I made the other day). My husband loved it and so did I.

What's different as of today about my Whole30 adventure? I'm not alone. My husband is on board with me. Yessssss! With his foot injury, it's challenging for him to make his own dishes and he's totally fine with eating what I make. It will be fun to share the experience with him. He is a huge support to me and I so enjoy saying, "Wasn't that delicious?" as I lick my plate. Over the past few months, my family has let me break free and make my own food as I've been trying to figure out exactly what I wanted my eating to look like. My teens are old enough to cook for themselves and, with a little supervision, they do a great job. But... they eat quite a few carbs, even though they are gluten-free. I gave my oldest daughter a copy of ISWF and she has begun to read. Who knows, we may all be "compliant" soon.

[rubarb]

Day 17 - a lovely day. Nothing particularly amazing about the day, but the fact that it was less hectic than this past week made it wonderful. I was able to sit down for all of my meals today. I also got a full 8 hours of sleep and woke feeling refreshed.

Breakfast: 1/2 avocado, a fried mix of 3 eggs with onions and eggplant

Lunch: leftover ground chicken in tomato and veggie sauce, romaine salad with cukes and strawberries

Dinner: 1/2 avocado, pulled chicken meat (from thighs that I boiled yesterday) that was cooked/warmed with ghee and 1/2 head of kale. A sprinkle of salt and garlic powder and it was scrumptious! Also had a side of sliced cucumbers.

Note: My husband had to come to me and ask if we were going to eat dinner. It slipped my mind - I was checking out some squat routines on youtube. Hahahahahaha! This is so crazy funny to me because my body was so contented that I went for more than 5 hours without even thinking of food. Oh my goodness. Really? Once my husband said something, I thought, "Oh yeah, I need to eat dinner." That may be the first time that has ever happened. Fortunately, I was able to pull those boiled chicken thighs out of the fridge, chop up a head of kale and make a quick meal for both of us!

[rubarb]

Day #18 - A bit stressful at work today, but I didn't feel like eating in response to it. LOVE that! I also got some sad news this evening - my best friend in the world lost her sister to a stroke. Many tears, but again, my response wasn't to want to eat something to comfort me. Reading the book ISWF helps me with perspective. The foods I would have turned to before don't love me, so they don't have the same appeal. I do want this feeling to stay. I feel more balanced overall.

Breakfast: 3 egg omelette filled with....crunchy almond butter. I read somewhere that someone tried it and liked it. They had scrambled their eggs and added almond butter. Sounded wierd, but I'd used up all my avocados sharing them with my hubby who is now doing this with me, to a degree. The omelette wasn't bad. Can't say I was in heaven, but it did what was needed - gave me the protein and fat I needed to start the day. Also had some fresh raspberries. I'm enjoying them now before they are gone in the stores.

Lunch: curried tilapia with steamed cabbage, green beans with slivered almonds and a small spring mix salad and a few cherry tomatoes

Snack: Cherry LaraBar

Dinner: Chicken burger on a bed of mashed cauliflower and roasted eggplant. I am so putting that mashed cauliflower on our Thanksgiving menu!

Exericse today: Upper body toning routine with weights. I've missed walking in the morning the past few days. One thing I've run into lately is that I have all this energy in the evening. I'm wide eyed at 11pm and that's not good. I think I need to do something to calm down for bed.

[rubarb]

Day 19 baby, yes!! It's been a good day. Why? I'm learning the benefits of planning. Not sure what it is in me that chafes at sitting down to make the plan and can even not want to do the work to follow the plan. But when I sit down to my plate and eat that food. Oh. My. Goodness. Divine. Pardon me, I'm still reeling from dinner. I would love to eat more but it's satisfying and thankfully, self-limiting.

Breakfast: 3 eggs scrambled, a few grape tomatoes and leftover veggies (brussel sprouts, mashed cauliflower and eggplant)

Lunch: Lamb burgers! (Wow, they were wonderful!) with a huge salad on the side (romaine, tomato, red bell pepper, 1/4 avocado, strawberries, cucumbers) and a few figs (present from my honey, who is W30 compliant )

Dinner: Salmon cakes (from ISWF book) topped with tartar sauce (also from the book) and mustard greens cooked with garlic, onion and ginger. A few more figs to finish off the meal.

So today was a day of firsts...

-homemade mayo

-tartar sauce

-mustard greens (I've always been afraid to try cooking them)

-W30 salmon cakes (My husband does not like sweet potato, but he asked for seconds of these salmon cakes!)

-Lamb burgers (I was so afraid I wouldn't like lamb. I tried pork bacon and didn't like it at all. But the lamb I really enjoyed.)

Also started a new lower body toning routine. Ouchie! But a good, challenging workout.

[rubarb]

Day 20

Breakfast: 3 eggs and a couple figs. Yep. That's it. Didn't have time for and, surprisingly, didn't seem to need much more than that.

Lunch: Soooo gooood! Salmon cake, extra from last night's dinner, roasted eggplants, tartar sauce and although I packed some chopped tomato and 1/2 avo, I couldn't eat it. Too full.

Dinner: Last salmon cake with some mayo on romaine, sandwich style. Finished off the rest of the tomatoes and avo from lunch. Had the rest of the figs my hubby got for me.

Interesting observations:

1. For a few days now, I'm not very hungry when dinner time rolls around. Something small does it. I'm loving that.

2. About 30 - 40 minutes after a meal, I'm crazy thirsty. Realllly need something to drink. And if I do get something to drink, um... peristalsis.

3. And speaking of digestion, when I go for a minimum of five hours of no eating after a meal, it seems to give my body the time it needs to finish the digestions process. It's like my body works like a machine. I'm not there yet, but I could see myself eventually, or at least rom time to time, having only two meals a day.

4. I am happy to say that I've not gotten on the scale, but I have checked my blood pressure a couple times lately. I've been borderline the last few times I've been to the doc but have been hoping to lower it with lifestyle changes. The numbers have settled down to the normal range.

I find myself hoping that the good I've seen won't go away. Almost seems too good to be true. Feels like a honeymoon stage and I so don't want it to go away. There are been several opportunities to eat something made of grains and filled with sugar, but I keep looking at those things and thinking that I don't want to get hooked again. This feels like I'm at rehab and I know what using can do to me. Just yesterday, my best friend's sister died as a result of complications from diabetes. She was a user and the addiction to sugar eventually took her life. That would be me. I feel like I'm at this turning point in my life. I don't have to follow the path I've seen friends and family take. But every day, I've got to make the decision.

[rubarb]

Day 21 - Wow, less than 10 days left to go? Today's Whole Daily email was right on time. It would be so easy to let the change psych me out and jump ship back into a grain-filled plate. Fortunately, today is another day in which I just don't want to go back. And the day was stress-filled. Now, when I'm thinking about whatever the stressor is and how I should take care of myself in response to the stress, eating the foods I used to is not so much an attraction. Something from today's email that spoke to me was the fact that habits don't truly set in in just 30 days. Yep, I know that's true. At the beginning of this year, I did a 60 day hot yoga challenge. Didn't miss a day. I was wiped out, but loved it. Then, because of work, I had to do a ton of travel out of the country. You'd think when I got home I would run back to yoga. Nope. The thought of taking nearly 3 hours out of my day has kept me from returning (30 min to class, 90 min class, 30 min home, time to change, etc). Anyway, the lesson is that sustainability is the call of the hour. And this eating lifestyle is sustainable, or at least seems so thus far.

Breakfast: Omelette with avo and tomato, raspberries

Snack: I was away at an appointment longer than I expected. But the cherry LaraBar in my purse was a big help.

Lunch: After a long morning, I got home and wanted something quick and easy. One can of salmon left. So happy I made that mayo the other day. Chopped up some onion, mixed it all together with a little salt and pepper and ate it on romaine leaves. Yum. Satisfying.

I arrived home to find that the Primal Packs had arrived. Um, had to try one out! Not bad. Makes me want to see if I could make something like that myself. Hmmm.

Dinner: I had a little of the salmon left over from lunch, so that was dinner. Everyone at home asked if surely I wanted more. I was actually fine with that.

Snack: I know it may seem like I had a snack later because my dinner was so puny. But honestly, it was the fact I was prepping my food for tomorrow. A taste of strawberry here, a piece of kale there, of course a quality taste test of the meatloaf. Oh, tomorrow is going to be a good day.

Drinks: Still not great at getting enough water in! Bengal Spice tea though is wonderful. One tea bag in a bottle with water overnight and I'm happy to drink anytime. I've got a few bottles in the fridge tonight for tomorrow.

[rubarb]

Day 22

Breakfast: 2 egg "muffins" (essentially an omelette cooked in a pyrex dish the night before) made of eggs, baby kale and onions; Strawberries and 1/2 avo

Lunch: Mini meatloaf (with 100% grass-fed beef!) and a wonderful salad made of spring mix, strawberries and red onion. Made a dressing of olive oil, lemon juice, ground mustard, salt and pepper. So good!

Dinner: My husband took me out for dinner. We went to Cheesecake Factory. I was worried it might be too much of a temptation for me, but it went just fine. And it helps that my hub, while not officially on a W30, is trying to eat more meat and veggies. He's also cut out the grains. I got chicken tacos made with butter lettuce in place of tortillas. They had avocado, salsa and cabbage on them. I was content after a great day.

I've had a couple late nights in a row. Hopefully, I can get some extra sleep between now and Monday.

[Nancy H.]

Isn't it nice to know that you can go out to eat and still feel confident that you are eating what is good for you?

[LoriLifts]

I'm going to try your Bengal Spice tea water. It sounds delish.

And congratulations, you're doing great!

[rubarb]

Oooo, you've got to tell me how you like it! And thanks for the encouragement.

I'm going to try your Bengal Spice tea water. It sounds delish.

And congratulations, you're doing great!

[rubarb]

Day 23

I've said this before, but I'm totally doing another W30 after this one. And here's an excellent reason why - I woke up this morning and felt stuffy. What in the world? Then, my right eye was very irritated, like something was in it. Hmmm. When have I had these symptoms before? When I've eaten something with dairy. Grrrrrr. Curse you, Cheesecake Factory! And what I chose had no obvious dairy in it. Maybe butter was used? I don't know, but how disappointing. Fortunately, after about an hour, the symptoms were gone and the rest of the day was fine, but still. OK, that's enough of a rant. I told my hubby that maybe we could change up special dates and spend the money at the Whole Foods instead. At this point, I'd rather know what I'm putting in my body and honestly, it tastes better. The restaurant business has some scary practices when it comes to food quality. That's not true of all places, but I think I'd like going out to be more infrequent.

Today's menu -

Breakfast: 2 egg muffins (made with baby kale and onions), 1/2 avo and raspberries

Snack: A few strawberries and dehydrated zucchini slices (got back from church later than usual and needed something before I started making lunch)

Lunch: Mashed cauliflower topped with salmon and broccoli in curried coconut milk (I was so stuffed after this) and a cherry larabar

Dinner: a banana and a Tbsp of almond butter (yeah, not much, but I was not very hungry)

Overall, I'm feeling good. I love that I wore pants today that used to be quite tight on me. yay! And I'm finding that I'm looking through my closet and trying on a few items that I'd put away a while ago. Slow but sure ... Oh yes, and I'm seriously craving lamb meat. After trying it the other day, I really want to get more, but WF was all out. Hopefully this week!

[rubarb]

Day 24, really? Nice.

Breakfast: 3 fried eggs with 1/2 avo and leftover cauliflower mash from last night

Lunch: mini meatloaf and the rest of the cauliflower, pecan larabar

Dinner: a chicken patty (all chicken, nothing else) on top of a huge salad of spring mix, strawberries and thinly sliced onion, homemade dressing

Lonnnng day. I was fortunate to get up and go for a walk this morning - 3 miles. Love that walk with my daughter. Then, did a lower body toning routine with another daughter. Ooh, my buns are burning from those squats! But then, I had one appointment after another and the day was taken. At one point, I had to stop in a store, one I'd not been to in a while, and it seemed like I was surrounded by the foods I used to eat. Still, I didn't want them. It's not an issue of strength, it's that I've been burned by those foods before and I'm not interested, thanks. But here, at the end of the day, I am wanting comfort, just not from food. What I want is my day back, doggonit. I want to take a long shower, do my hair, figure out something to wear that I like and, most importantly, I want to sit and eat my breakfast S.L.O.W.L.Y. without rushing. Tomorrow is my day. You hear me? Tomorrow is my day. And I refuse to spend another day in workout clothes.

[Nancy H.]

Hi Rubard..... I hope today was more relaxing for you.

[rubarb]

Day 25! A better day. There are times when I have shared with someone what I do - I am a counselor for a church and so, am always on call. I also homeschool our three teen daughters. Finally, I test and tutor students who have dyslexia. Yeah, and married to a wonderful man who currently can't drive because of a foot injury. Um, kinda busy. But after 7 hours of sleep last night, it's all looking more managable.

Meal 1: egg salad (I am so loving my homemade mayo!) with a salad of spring greens, onion and strawberries

Meal 2: tilapia with a huge salad that had arugula, romaine, cucumbers, roasted garlic and a side of roasted squash

Snack while I prepped meal 3: a small banana

Meal 3: chicken pattie with sauteed asparagus cooked in ghee with onions and garlic

[rubarb]

Thanks Nancy! Yep, a better day for sure. I realized how much I cherish the little self-care things I do for myself. I hope you had a great day as well.

Hi Rubard..... I hope today was more relaxing for you.

[rubarb]

Day 26 - Today is my twin girls' birthday! Fun day. And yes, there was cake. The nice thing is that they were eager to make and decorate the cake themselves. I didn't have to do anything with it and I was happy for that. They also had frozen yogurt earlier in the day. I dropped them off at the yogurt place and gave them money to get their yogurt while I went around the corner to get the last few spices I needed to make dinner. I told them a few days ago that I would fix anything they liked for dinner. Their response was, "Mom, we like anything you make. You can make anything. We just want you to do the cooking." Oh, I love those girls!! Because they are old enough to do so, they help out with cooking every day and since I've moved away from the grains, etc, I make my own meals (for me and my husband actually) while they make what they have planned. It has made my transition so very much easier. Anyway, need I say that we all had a paleo, Whole30 compliant meal tonight? They loved it. They were full. I was happy.

Meal 1: Egg salad, leftover asparagus and raspberries, all on a bed of spring mix.

Meal 2: Curried salmon cooked with baby kale and bell peppers over a bed of chinese cabbage.

Meal 3: **for the whole family** Paleo chili ladeled over mashed cauliflower.

The girls had their cake after dinner and I fixed myself a cup of herbal tea. So nice to be in an environment in which no one is asking you repeatedly, "Are you SURE you don't want a slice?" Neither I nor my husband had cake. I didn't sneak any later, once everyone got up from the table. I didn't lick the knife that was used to spread the frosting. And I had them put their cake away. Can I just say how happy I am that I'll be going to bed tonight having eaten what I set my mind to eat, and nothing else? Yesssss.

As the chili was simmering tonight, I made lamb burgers. There are now 4 lovely burgers waiting for me in the fridge. One thing I've not embraced on this challenge has been preparing my meals in advance. That's partly due to the fact that it seems a pretty overwhelming task and partly because life has been flying by at a dizzying rate. It's now going to be one of my goals for my next W30. I am determined to make my life much less stressful by being prepared. That brings to mind the goat character from the movie Hoodwinked who sings about being prepared. Love that movie. Here's the words of the chorus:

Be prepared, be prepared,

This lesson must be shared,

This lesson must be shared,

Be prepared!

Be prepared, be prepared,

And unless you got a spare,

You have one life, so handle it with care!

[Nancy H.]

WOW...that chili looks so good.

[Derval]

You're doing awesome! Happy birthday to your girls, they sound like lovely kids.

[rubarb]

Day 27

Meal 1: 3 scrambled eggs with a 1/2 cup of the leftover chili mixed in. Yum!

Meal 2: a lamb burger, an orange, 1/2 avo and 1/2 sliced red bell pepper. Salad of spring mix on the side with oil and vinegar dressing

Meal 3: 1 & 1/2 lamb burgers on top of roasted cabbage slices with a handful of raspberries

After a huge lunch made me so content that I almost forgot to have dinner again. My last meal of the day was a bit too much I think. I'm going to start working on the ideal end-of-the-day meal.

Highlight from the day: picked up an order from a local farmer. I got 2 pounds of unsalted butter (going to make clarified butter!), grass-fed beef, soy-free eggs and... soup bones! I have absolutely NO idea what to do with the the bones. But I'm excited to start searching for a recipe. This is all so unlike me. I can't help but laugh. Over the past 27 days, my diet has changed radically. There are bones from a cow in my freezer. I've been married for 21 years and we have never had soup bones in our freezer. Ha! I'm tickled by this journey.

[Nancy H.]

Hi Rubarb, I got some bones and put them in the crock pot with onions, carrots, celery, salt and pepper and let it go for 24 hours. Then I strained it and strained it again. What was left was 2 pints of beef broth. It is in the freezer right now, but will make the beginnings of a delicious beef soup.

[rubarb]

Sounds good, Nancy! I just got finished looking up a bone broth recipe. I think I like yours better. I also think I need a new crock pot. The one I have is tiny. I guess those bones will wait a bit longer in the freezer.

Hi Rubarb, I got some bones and put them in the crock pot with onions, carrots, celery, salt and pepper and let it go for 24 hours. Then I strained it and strained it again. What was left was 2 pints of beef broth. It is in the freezer right now, but will make the beginnings of a delicious beef soup.