WholeDave Posted June 20, 2015 Author Share Posted June 20, 2015 Day 20 - celebration day. Zero number - must be important!! Humming along. Big veggie fry up this morning before I went to the markets to load up with fresh produce. Ham hock bubbling away on the stove as a base for a ham and veggie soup. Platter ready for lunch...if only I could work out how to post photos.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WholeDave Posted June 20, 2015 Author Share Posted June 20, 2015 Day 21 - had to go to a birthday party of a family friend last night. Started by cooking a piece of salmon and zucchini as a light dinner before I left. How good are zucchinis in the same pan as the fish??? Wow. As expected the party was full of good food - mini burgers (sliders), pastry cases with filling, mulled wine etc etc. My total? One mini beef pattie without the bun/cheese etc, one fresh fig, and a couple of strawberries. One glass of mineral water. So I'm up early this Sunday morning - had a strong sleep and I'm now firing on all cylinders. Pretty much can't contain my energy levels. Planning to go for a walk when it gets warmer (Canberra the capital of Australia in winter is frosty! -3c (26f for you North American types) at the moment). I'll also finish off my ham hock and veggie soup for the week, and cook a piece of pickled pork for dinner. I'm eating simply but well - fresh produce, nothing fancy, lots of veggies. It's working for me - I've certainly lost weight but as I keep saying, this time I need to make it sustainable, long term. So my Whole30 is becoming my WholeDave program. Trademark pending lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chezjulie Posted June 20, 2015 Share Posted June 20, 2015 Ha ha. I've been calling my post-Whole30 eating style my WholeJulie. Not just a catchy phrase, but a reminder that I can still have a program if I design it myself; it just won't be a Whole30 anymore. Sounds like you're doing great. I was guessing you were British because of your calling your breakfasts "fry-ups" but nope, Austalian. Did you saute the salmon in something and then throw in the zucchini? That sounds like something I'd like to try. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WholeDave Posted June 20, 2015 Author Share Posted June 20, 2015 Thank you! Just a little olive oil, fish first for a bit, then the zucchini. Good squeeze of fresh lemon, salt & pepper at the end. We'll have to co-brand the WholeName program And as to "fry-ups" - we don't really call them that, I just have. Technically I suppose we would call them a stir-fry here in Australia as we have a strong Asian influence to our cuisine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WholeDave Posted June 20, 2015 Author Share Posted June 20, 2015 Day 21 - breakfast update. Something a little different this morning: 1 x clove garlic crushed 1 x rasher of bacon diced 1 x banana chilli (yellow bull chilli) sliced Fry up in a little olive oil on medium heat, don't overcook. Then add: 1 x tomato diced 2 x button mushrooms sliced Cook for a bit , adjusting heat down as needed. Make a well in the middle then: Crack 2 x eggs into the middle, cook for a bit. 1 x bunch English spinach, chopped. Thrown on top Turn up the heat, mix it around a little around the edges. Check the eggs (you can either crack the yolks to get more of an omlette, or leave them intact) Salt & pepper Woohoo!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WholeDave Posted June 21, 2015 Author Share Posted June 21, 2015 Day 21 - post-dinner. Man I needed that. Roast pickled pork, potatoes, pumpkin, echallots and parsnip all baked plus steamed green beans. Ate myself a bit silly. Was feeling a bit headachy - might have something to do with stress and 5 hours sleep! Plus I needed starchy vegetables. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WholeDave Posted June 22, 2015 Author Share Posted June 22, 2015 Day 22 - ham hock & veggie soup for lunch - a bit thin, probably needs a bit more flavour, but packed with goodness. Can of tuna for later if I'm feeling the need for a protein hit. Breakfast was a chicken-egg stir-fry with lots of parsley. Noticed this morning that my business suit, shirt etc are starting to fit much better. It's the little things that count!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WholeDave Posted June 22, 2015 Author Share Posted June 22, 2015 Day 23 - quarter of the way to my Whole90. If I get anywhere near 4 times the results so far I'll be in the promised land! Yeah yeah, sustainability. That's the aim! Dinner was simple - lamb chops and veggies. Afterwards I was craving something sweet, or just SOMETHING! First time that's happened on my WholeJourney this time around - resisted the temptation, drank a glass of water and went to bed! I've belted out a top breakfast this morning - chicken AND some left over pickled pork from the other night plus the obligatory veggies. Another big day ahead - full on meetings all day and then out tonight to a black tie function. Getting pretty experienced at these getups so I'll have some protein, fat & veggies before I go so I can just pick across whatever looks vaguely Whole30 and stick to the magic mineral water. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WholeDave Posted June 23, 2015 Author Share Posted June 23, 2015 Day 24 - gala dinner last night - managed a bit of pork belly and some lamb. They were practically no veggies so I'm a bit "meated" out this morning. Feeling dull and groggy but you get that from less than 6 hours sleep. Working too hard at the moment too and I'm feeling it. Will try to get a little more balance over the next couple of days. Simple breakfast this morning - eggs, bit of bacon, veggies (tomato, mushroom, spinach). I'm out again at lunch - that will be a steak and salad (more meat) and I don't know about dinner. A plate of steamed veggies and a swirl of olive oil? lol Less than a week until my Whole30 finishes but knowing I'm pushing on to a Whole90 is very encouraging. I'm not feeling the tiger blood right now but I know with a little more rest, some air and sun (mmm, heading towards mid-winter, that might be a problem!), that the blood of a tiger will be back quick smart. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WholeDave Posted June 24, 2015 Author Share Posted June 24, 2015 Day 25 - Still feeling positive, although the food is getting a bit dull so I need to find the time to mix things up a bit. Chicken for dinner, chicken for breakfast. Left the eggs out this morning - getting a bit "egged" out. Tiredness receding, more exercise still required. Don't feel like I'm making huge progress at the moment but I suspect that's been because of a feeling of general exhaustion mixed with personal stress. Still working redonkulous hours at work. Taking a bit of time out today so hopefully that will help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmcbn Posted June 25, 2015 Share Posted June 25, 2015 Still working redonkulous hours at work. I have not heard that word in a redonkulous amount of years!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WholeDave Posted June 25, 2015 Author Share Posted June 25, 2015 But it's a word that MUST come into our language Says so much!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WholeDave Posted June 25, 2015 Author Share Posted June 25, 2015 Day 26 - it's amazing the difference between Whole30.01 and Whole30.02. At this time in January I was itching for the end, excited that I was going to achieve my goal, thinking about how I was going to re-introduce foods, scared about falling into bad habits. Ultimately it was a fail because I didn't take accountability post-Whole30 and ended up pretty much in the same place, if not worse, then where I had started. This time I'm much calmer. Knowing that I am extending to Whole90 (well Whole92 to be precise to take me all the way through winter - June, July & August) helps, but it feels much more of a lifestyle choice. That said, it's been hard this week. Food has been dull, work has been intense, I have personal issues I'm trying to deal with... I've craved "something" all week - not sugar but just something different to the taste in my mouth. I had sauerkraut last night with a bit of pork and lots of veggies. That went some way toward fulfilling the "something different" need, but I still need to mix things up. I'll scout for recipes this weekend and see what I can do. I had a positive body image comment from someone on business Skype yesterday: "Dave have you lost weight?" Damn right I have baby! Woohoo!! That helps Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WholeDave Posted June 26, 2015 Author Share Posted June 26, 2015 Day 27 - the weekend. Praise the Lord! The intensity of the past week is a vague memory as I prep for an awesome couple of days. Sun, air, exercise, new recipes, catching up with family and friends. The blur of yesterday included roast chicken marylands with lemon and paprika. Little piggy had to have two of them but man they were good. The ham hock and veggie soup continues to deliver for lunch but next week's batch needs some punch. Stand by for the full flavour explosion! Certainly feeling more energetic this morning - can't sleep past 6am of course but you get that! Sleeping patterns in general have been pretty good - early to bed, awake a few times during the night, up early. Means I'm firing in the mornings but by the time I'm hitting the pillow I'm completely stuffed. The word for the next week is variety. Prep will be important so I will plan carefully today before I hit the markets. More fish is definitely on the agenda - this chicken thing has just about had its day! Need to wind it back a bit and replace with seafood. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WholeDave Posted June 27, 2015 Author Share Posted June 27, 2015 Day 28 - I was looking for different flavours and textures, and I certainly got them. Yesterday I made what I'll call Dave's African Soup. It's not exactly original, borrowing from both Pete Evans (a celeb paleo chef in Australia) and a Mozambican vegetable stew I found on the web. Here we go: Base ingredients: Olive oil 2 x lamb shanks 1 x onion chopped 2 x cloves garlic crushed 1 x chunk of fresh ginger grated 2 x small hot chillies (more if you want to ratchet up the heat) 1 x leek diced 2 x carrots diced 2 x sticks of celery diced plus some of the inner leaves Brown the shanks in some oil in a large soup pan and remove Add more oil if needed and soften the base ingredients over medium heat until translucent and soft Spices: 1 tsp cumin 1 tsp cinnamon 1 tsp tumeric 1 large pinch saffron steeped in a small amount of boiling water 1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg salt & pepper Add dry spices to the softened base veggies and cook until fragrant Add the saffron water Add 1 x tin canned crushed tomatoes and 250ml of low salt chicken stock Place the shanks back in the mix and add 4 cups of water or just enough to cover the shanks Add salt & pepper to taste Cover, bring to the boil, and then cook on a low heat for 2 hours or until the meat is falling off the bone Remove the shanks, leave to cool, then shred the meat off the bones Chop the meat roughly and place back in the soup Add 1 x sweet potato, diced Cook for 10 mins Add a good handful of green beans, chopped into 2.5 cm/1 inch pieces Cook for 10 mins Add 1 x bunch English spinach (or silverbeet or kale) chopped Add a handful each of chopped coriander (cilantro) leaves, parsley and mint Adjust the flavour with salt & pepper if required Turn off the heat and leave to sit for 10-15 mins to finish the cooking. Serve with a fresh glass of cold water Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WholeDave Posted June 27, 2015 Author Share Posted June 27, 2015 Day 28 - plenty of prep yesterday with the soup plus market shopping. Fresh salad platter for lunch, and bacon, eggs, tomato and mushrooms for breakfast. This morning I'm up early again - can't seem to sleep past 5:30am - watching Australia's female football (soccer) team the Matildas play Japan in the quarter final of the World Cup in Canada. Feeling a bit headachy again, with neck stiffness. I suspect it's my bed and pillow although there's not a great deal I can do about it immediately. Noticing the change in my body - abdominal fat is definitely reducing and I'm feeling less inflammation generally. As usual I'm impatient to see change quickly but the matra is "sustainable", so I'll just keep myself focused and not place unreasonable expectations on myself. I'm also noticing my food intake changing - less snacking (or less amounts if I do snack). I'm sensing hunger but not doing anything about it except having another glass of water. And the snacking is only ever some protein, or olives or a date/dried fig. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WholeDave Posted June 28, 2015 Author Share Posted June 28, 2015 Day 29 - focus on fish. Baked salmon for dinner last night with pumpkin with broccollini - reprised this morning for breakfast in my stir-fry with onion, garlic, piperki, chilli, savoy cabbage, tomato, mushroom, paprika, s&p, 2 x eggs and chinese broccoli. Full-on but delicious. I'm going to try to reduce my protein portions - example last night was a salmon steak that was 2-palm size - just need to eat half and save the other. Lunch will be Dave's African Soup (reasonable but not overly large portion size). Whole30 day tomorrow - it's gone so quickly. Definitely made the right decision to go Whole90. Only now do I feel like I'm really getting into the zone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WholeDave Posted June 29, 2015 Author Share Posted June 29, 2015 Whole30 day - wow that has gone so quickly. I'm feeling fantastic, motivated, energetic, the tiger blood is strong in my veins!! But I'm also sooo pleased that I'm continuing on to a Whole90. If this is a third of the way there, I can't imagine how I will feel at the end of 3 months. My life is also about to change significantly with moving into a new place in a few weeks. That will create stress and excitement all at the same time but I'm confidant that my WholeDave program will underpin everything. My new place is close to bike paths and parks so I'm hoping it will give me motivation to get back on my bike as we emerge out of winter. Dinner was simple - a palm size piece of steak, potatoes and greens. I was feeling hungry when I got into bed but after a few slugs of water that soon passed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WholeDave Posted June 30, 2015 Author Share Posted June 30, 2015 Day 31 - fantastic achievement! Now, onwards and upwards!! Yesterday was a very plain food day - stir-fry for brekky, African Soup for lunch, home made chivapis for dinner (pork & veal mince, onion, garlic, paprika, egg, s&p) plus a cabbage salad (savoy cabbage, olives, avocado, small tomatoes, olive oil, vinegar, s&p). Today will be straight forward again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WholeDave Posted July 1, 2015 Author Share Posted July 1, 2015 Day 32 - another work breakfast thing on this morning - probably more squash ball consistency eggs and bacon that you can retread a tyre with! But of course I'm supremely organised Bacon, chilli, piperki, tomato, mushroom, spinach egg, leftover baked pumpkin stir-fry for pre-breakfast-breakast. Now I'm running late but you get that when the thing starts at 7:15am..... Solid day yesterday - snacked too much when I got home from work (while pork & veggies were cooking for dinner) - leftover cevapi from the night before with olives, but I must have needed it and it was still Whole30 stuff. Yadda yadda self-justification is a magnificent thing sometimes Today will be another challenge - offsite business planning session with my team this afternoon, "food-enabled" with drinks after. Better take that emergency can of tuna with me! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WholeDave Posted July 2, 2015 Author Share Posted July 2, 2015 Day 33 - got through the planning session yesterday afternoon with celery and carrot sticks, olives and water. Tick!It's been another tough working week - too many hours, not enough rest, not enough exercise. The end of our financial year hasn't helped. But it's Friday (yayyy!) and I can look forward to a bit of down time on the weekend. I ended up having a steak and salad for lunch yesterday, plus flathead, potatoes & salad for dinner. The last portion of the African Soup can wait until today. Think I might go back to a minestrone next week. Overall I'm feeling far less inflamed, my hands most notably. The feeling of stiffness in them is gone. My body fat has reduced noticeably, particularly in my face, but I'm still impatient for it to come off my torso. It has happening, but not as quickly as I would like. I'm heading over to friends for dinner tonight - another challenge given they are my long time drinking buddies. I've told them I'm back on the Whole30 program so they will be respectful but it will still be hard. I'm sure they will serve a very Whole30 dinner so that shouldn't be a problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WholeDave Posted July 3, 2015 Author Share Posted July 3, 2015 Day 34 - change of plans. Drove down to the coast last night - needed some time out, air, sun, bush walks and surf (yes yes it's July in Australia but the water temp is still about 19C (66F) degrees) with an air temp forecast of 16C (61F). I managed to grab some food from the markets before I left but by the time I arrived and got organised it was too late to cook properly sooooo... dinner was an entree of celery sticks with anchovies & olives, and main was a few pieces of pan fried speck (a double smoked pork), tomatoes and semi-dried figs. Inventive and delicious. I had to duck into a servo (gas station) to get some matches for the fire and I had an insane craving for alcohol - I was actually salivating Managed to ignore it while I was in the danger zone (aka the store) and it passed once I left. That's the first time that has happened in 34 days - I suspect being back down the coast (old habits etc) kicked the craving up, but I'm proud I avoided the situation and kept on the Whole path. This morning I fired up the pot belly (wood fire) and I have sardines and chicken breast thawing. I think I'll have a crack at baking the sardines and then have them with a modified breakfast stir-fry on the side. Then it's prepping for my coast walk - will probably take about 3 hours (the walk, not the prep! ). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WholeDave Posted July 3, 2015 Author Share Posted July 3, 2015 Day 34 - sardine update... OMG! Clean the whole sardines by running your finger down the middle and pulling out the guts, washing under cold water as you go. Crack the backbone at the tail end and remove carefully, wash again. Dry and lay on foil on a baking tray - get the oven up to about 200C (390F). Season with salt, pepper, chilli flakes & olive oil. Bake for 15 mins or until cooked (but not dry). Lift off with an egg lifter and serve with your favourite veggie stir-fry. Delicious!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WholeDave Posted July 4, 2015 Author Share Posted July 4, 2015 Day 34 - Minestrone Cranked out a pot of my version of minestrone tonight - hadn't planned to have it for dinner but it worked so well I couldn't wait until tomorrow to have some. Base Ingredients: 1 x chunk of double smoked speck - rind sliced off whole. Dice the speck 1 x onion chopped 2 x cloves garlic crushed 2 x chillies diced finely 1 x leek sliced in half then chopped 2 x carrots sliced in quarters then diced 2 x sticks celery diced 2 x potatoes - diced (don't worry about taking the skin off) 1 x crushed tomatoes 1 x sachet of tomato paste 2 x bay leaves salt & pepper water to cover 1/4 butternut pumpkin diced A decent handful of green beans, chopped into 1 inch lengths 1 x bunch English spinach - well rinsed and chopped 1/2 bunch parsley chopped Render the speck and rind in some olive oil until you have a bit of colour Throw in all the base ingredients except the potatoes and cook on medium heat until soft and translucent Add the potatoes and cook for 5-10 min Add the crushed tomatoes, tomato paste and bay leaves. Stir to mix Add the water and s&p (add less water for a thicker soup, don't make it too thin) Cook for 10-15 mins on medium heat Add the pumpkin and cook for 10 mins Add the handful of green beans and cook for 10 mins Once the beans are cooked, turn off the heat and add the spinach and parsley Check flavours, adding more s&p if needed and leave to sit for 15-20 before serving. Tiger blood food!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmcbn Posted July 4, 2015 Share Posted July 4, 2015 I had to google 'double smoked speck'.....Your meals sound really interesting - and not a sweet potato in sight! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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