Day 10: Is salsa a vegetable?

[melyhegedu]

So far I'm 10 days into my 2nd Whole 30. After my first one I eliminated dairy, legumes and wheat completely so the only difference is being diligent about added sugars etc. and following the meal template.

 

Today I had a plan for a meal of ground beef on zucchini noodles with sunshine sauce. Instead I succumbed to a Larabar, threw my ingredients back into the refrigerator and almost got in the car to go get a burger and fries. I stopped myself just in time and got out the rest of the kalua pork I made the other day (nom nom paleo!) and made tacos on lettuce leaves with avocado. I had some compliant salsa in a jar so put that on top and called it good. I'm not hungry, just a little concerned that I haven't eaten enough veggies today. Lunch was a can of tuna with homemade mayo and 3 stalks of celery chopped up in it. I was out of eggs so made sausage and peppers for breakfast.

 

On top of everything, cranky, impatient and basically out of it. I know this too shall pass, but needed to vent. Any words of encouragement are welcome! Tired of broccoli. Tired of doing dishes. And 20 days to go!!!!

[ShannonM816]

You're probably cranky because you haven't eaten enough. You would probably also feel better if you include at least one serving of starchy vegetable each day. And give away any Larabars you still have in the house, you don't need them. If you need to keep emergency food, try canned tuna or salmon or sardines, or hard boiled eggs for protein, packets of olives or individually packed Wholly Guacamole (double check labels, but last time I looked the original and the spicy were ok) for fat, and cut up carrots and celery or other hardy vegetables.

 

For vegetables, aim for 1-3 cups per meal. Salsa might count toward that, but I doubt you ate a whole cup of that, and you probably didn't have enough lettuce leaves to count as a serving either, unless you used a whole bunch of lettuce.

 

If you're tired of broccoli, find some new vegetables. There are a ton of them out there. Go to the store, pick out some that look interesting, then come home and look up how to prepare them. Most vegetables are best roasted (notable exceptions include zucchini or yellow/summer/crookneck squash -- those are not good roasted, but you could use them to make comfort noodles.)

 

So tomorrow, you'll eat breakfast within an hour of waking up, and then eat two more big, satisfying meals. You won't have a Larabar. You'll drink at least half your weight in ounces of water (if you weigh 120 lbs, drink at least 60 oz). And maybe have a sweet potato at some point. Sound like a plan?

[ultrarunnergirl]

Kudos on dropping those keys and sticking to Whole30!

 

Though raw veggies can be a little harder to digest, when I am sick of cooking I stock up on baby carrots, sliced cucumbers, sugar snap peas, bell pepper strips, jicama -- whatever sounds good. Dip in a homemade mayo-based sauce for extra yumminess.

 

I also rely a lot on frozen veggies. Toss in a hot pan to cook/thaw, add fat after a few minutes and finish. Whole Foods has some interesting, compliant veggie blends like Mediterranean, Stir Fry, California. Seek them out!

 

You can do this!

[melyhegedu]

Somehow I have made it to day 14. Even had a delicious compliant salmon lunch in Downtown Portland on Friday while looking out over the dozens of food trucks with fabulous non-compliant options. Thanks for the tough love, Shannon. I really had not been eating enough. If I have made it this far I can keep going.