Georgia Kaye's first Whole30

[Georgia Kaye]

You don't have to drizzle, just dump everything in the jar, then blend. You don't even have to wait for your egg to be room temperature.

I wonder why mine was completely liquid.  Maybe the blender whizzed it too fast?  I'll the jar and immersion blender technique.  Thanks!

[ArtFossil]

I wonder why mine was completely liquid.  Maybe the blender whizzed it too fast?  I'll the jar and immersion blender technique.  Thanks!

You must start blending with the stick blender at the bottom of the jar. That's what creates the vortex that brings the oil down and pushes the emulsion up. After its mostly emulsified you can raise the blender to finish it off.

I still think the Serious Eats recipe and video is the best. But use compliant Dijon mustard! Or regular mustard.

http://www.seriouseats.com/2011/10/the-food-lab-homemade-mayo-in-2-minutes-or-le.html

And the oil makes all the difference. I only use Filippo Berio Extra Light:

http://www.amazon.com/Filippo-Berio-Extra-Light-Olive/dp/B004ZK6I4I/ref=sr_1_sc_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1453765189&sr=8-2-spell&keywords=Berlio+light+olive+oil

[Georgia Kaye]

Monday, January 25, 2016

 

Heading into week three.

 

Breakfast is hash browns with prosciutto, scrambled eggs, and broccoli.  I heated the broccoli separately from the eggs, and babysat the eggs appropriately so that I had a nice, tender, moist scramble.  Yay.  I'm trying to get used to the flavor of coconut milk in things where I would have used a splash of dairy milk, but it's hard.  I'm not a fan of sweet flavors in my savory dishes.  I may try just a splash of water in the eggs tomorrow.

 

For lunch I had leftovers from last night's dinner.

 

For dinner I sauteed some shrimp in coconut oil, did the same with some green beans, and baked a sweet potato.  

[Georgia Kaye]

Tuesday, January 26, 2016

 

Halfway there!!

 

Breakfast was scrambled eggs, hash browns, and broccoli.  Today I lightened my eggs with just a splash of water, and they were perfect. 

 

I haven't yet jumped on the grass-fed bandwagon, so when I saw some today at Aldi, I picked up a pound of ground beef.  I'm curious to see if it tastes better than the cheap stuff;  I'm sure it's better for me.  I've never eaten my burgers with a bun, so that won't be a sacrifice.

 

Back to tuna for lunch.

 

I'm struggling with my feelings that I can't possibly be losing weight.  My clothes don't really feel any different, and it's been two weeks.  I find it hard to believe that I can eat as much as I am and still lose weight.  I'm not going to quit, but I'm already thinking about what I'll do if I get to the end and haven't lost, or worse, have gained.  Add to that the horrendous headache I've had all day today, and I'm not really a happy camper right now.

 

For dinner I fixed some Aidell's chicken and apple sausage with some cabbage and roasted butternut squash.  The squash and cabbage tasted sooo sweet to me;  I wonder if that's the result of cutting out all sweeteners.  I really don't enjoy sweet flavors in my savory foods, so may be adding some more salt and spice to my veggies to counter that.

[NorthernLilly]

Now that I've looked at that recipe, it's the same as the one I used.  Maybe I drizzled my oil in too quickly.  When you make yours in the Mason jar, Lilly, do you put all the ingredients in at once and then just whiz it up with the immersion blender, or do you still drizzle the oil in?

I put all ingredients in the bottom. Typically I start with 1/2 cup ofoil, stick the immersion blender in to the bottom and start working my way up. Once I see thee emulsion starting, I add the rest of the oil on top and continue working up the jar - sometimes work it up and down to get it all mixed and thick.

Hopefully the immersion blender works for you. I was oddly giddy the first time I made the mayo (I've lost count how many times I've already made it this month).

[foodlovenotfoodwar]

I'm enjoying reading your log!  I just started today myself, and it's helpful and inspirational to see how people are putting meals together and making it work!

 

You eat stuff that I would definitely eat.  I'm going to look up that ceviche.  And can I ask you what kind of pan that is you have for the chicken?  That sounds amazing.

 

Thanks for sharing here, I'm looking forward to hearing more.  And how are you feeling so far?

[Georgia Kaye]

Thank you FoodLove!

 

Here is a link to a photo of the chicken roaster I have, but without the rack.  I don't think they sell it any more, as I tried to find it on the Williams-Sonoma page, and there's a new model out there.

 

https://www.google.com/search?q=all+clad+chicken+roaster+arm&sa=X&espv=2&biw=1093&bih=545&tbm=isch&imgil=PU0NAwxz7H7RQM%253A%253BXe-ls_9ypeijxM%253Bhttp%25253A%25252F%25252Fwww.estore.all-clad.com%25252FProduct%25252FChicken-Roasters%25252FCHICKEN-ROASTER-500854%25252F0%25252F&source=iu&pf=m&fir=PU0NAwxz7H7RQM%253A%252CXe-ls_9ypeijxM%252C_&usg=__YB7_VuYmfQs19PATe7TSmTCct8g%3D&ved=0ahUKEwifzZ-O-8nKAhWGsYMKHQ-GBpYQyjcIXg&ei=0bOoVt8ghuOOBI-MmrAJ#imgrc=PU0NAwxz7H7RQM%3A

 

I'm feeling good;  yesterday I had a headache all day, but when I finally broke down and took some Advil it went away.  I don't have Tiger Blood yet, but am hopeful I'll feel like that soon!  Regardless of the results (weight loss or not), I'm happy I made this decision, and feel much better than I did before I started.  Good luck with your Whole30!

[foodlovenotfoodwar]

Thank you!  I will definitely be on the lookout for that pan.  I've always disliked how the back part of the chicken and even the thighs are always sitting in goo while the rest of the chicken gets crispy!

 

I'm glad it's working well for you.

[Georgia Kaye]

Wednesday, January 27, 2016

 

One thing for sure:  I'm sleeping much better than I did pre-Whole 30!  I went to bed around 10:15 last night, and didn't get up until after 6:30 this morning.  I woke up a few times during the night, but wasn't even awake long enough to look at the clock.

 

For breakfast I had three eggs steamed on top of a pile of fresh sauteed veggies and a slice of prosciutto.

 

For the first time in a long time, I actually felt like walking today, so headed outdoors with my music.  I sure am out of shape!  I walked for less than half an hour, but you gotta start somewhere!  I used to walk five miles a day, but it's been a couple of years since I did that.

 

Lunch is tuna...again.  I'm still not tired of it, and just put the Genova Italian tuna on subscribe and save with Amazon.

 

Enjoying Gingerade kombucha while I fix dinner.  I swear, it's almost better than wine. 

 

I made burgers with grass-fed ground beef for dinner, and I'm sold;  it was delicious!  I seasoned the meat with Badia Sazon Tropicale (in the Mexican food section), and mixed in some caramelized onions before I formed the patties.  I sauteed some zoodles in olive oil that I had flavored with some garlic, and roasted some radishes for alongside.  Not crazy about roasted radishes, but it sounded interesting so I tried it.

[Georgia Kaye]

Thursday, January 28, 2016

 

Breakfast this morning was leftovers:  a chicken and apple sausage and some cabbage.  I added more olive oil while it was warming up to get my fat.

 

I feel like walking again, but it's raining outside.  These are those times when I think about a treadmill, but I've had three, and hate them with a passion, so there's really no point. 

 

Apparently, as tired as I am of eggs, they're the best choice for me for breakfast, as I'm already feeling hungry at 10:30.  I'm not hungry enough to eat fish and steamed broccoli, so I'll power through.

 

Today will be my first foray into the morass of restaurant eating.  I did some research on the mall where we'll be having lunch, and decided that McCormick and Schmidt is the best choice for me there.  They have steaks and seafood, and I'm pretty sure I can get a compliant meal there by asking the right questions.  The hardest part will be saying, "water with lemon" when the waiter comes around for the drink order.  But I am strong, and I'm over halfway through!  No way I'm going to do something stupid now!!

 

For lunch I ordered the grilled salmon salad.  I told the waitress I couldn't have dairy, and asked if the salmon was grilled in butter.  She said no, but that the salad had cheese on it, and came with their house vinaigrette.  I asked her if the vinaigrette contained sugar, and she said it didn't taste like it did, but she would check.  It did, so I had oil and vinegar instead, and of course, no cheese.  It was delicious!  It was nice to know I can have an enjoyable meal at a restaurant and stay true to my goals.

 

Dinner was leftover hamburger patties, cabbage, butternut squash, and cauliflower/potato mash.

 

Day 17 is in the books!

[foodlovenotfoodwar]

I feel so silly.  I must have subconsciously been thinking of your log when I got the idea to put Aidell's chicken sausages with cabbage.  I sliced the sausages and sauteed them with about half a head of cabbage cut small.  I had to take it with me for food today as I have had zero luck discovering anything I can have in public.  This was my first time eating them, though I've probably had one of their non-compliant types in the past.  I was surprised how well they went with the cabbage!

[Georgia Kaye]

I feel so silly.  I must have subconsciously been thinking of your log when I got the idea to put Aidell's chicken sausages with cabbage.  I sliced the sausages and sauteed them with about half a head of cabbage cut small.  I had to take it with me for food today as I have had zero luck discovering anything I can have in public.  This was my first time eating them, though I've probably had one of their non-compliant types in the past.  I was surprised how well they went with the cabbage!

Don't feel silly;  there must have been a chicken sausage vibe going on!  My best friend, who lives on the opposite coast, had chicken and apple sausages for dinner the same night I did, lol!  I almost always pair sausages with cabbage.

[NorthernLilly]

Did you try making mayo again yet? I hope it worked out for you!

[Georgia Kaye]

Did you try making mayo again yet? I hope it worked out for you!

Not yet.  I used the leftover chicken I was going to make chicken salad from in another recipe, so don't have a need yet.  But thanks for asking!!

[Georgia Kaye]

Friday, January 29, 2016

 

I couldn't stay awake past 9:30 last night, and slept really well until 5 AM when I woke and never went back to sleep.  I finally broke down and got up at 5:30.

 

For breakfast I took an idea from Oprah and sauteed some fresh baby spinach in olive oil, then fried three eggs, sunny side up, and served them on top of the spinach.  It was very good, especially with a few shakes of hot sauce on the spinach.  Of course, I didn't include the bread that Oprah so looooves, lol.  Bread is not a favorite of mine, so that's no sacrifice for me.

 

For lunch I had my usual tuna ceviche.

 

For dinner I had hoped to have Halibut Veracruz, but I can never find halibut around here.  When we were at Costco on Wednesday, I saw Corvina, which I had never heard of, so I looked it up and it was described as similar to sea bass.  It's wild caught, so I bought some and made Corvina Veracruz.  It was extremely good, and I'm happy I found this new (to me) fish.  The recipe calls for white wine, but I substituted chicken stock and didn't notice any difference at all in the flavor.  I served that with a big pile of sauteed baby spinach.

[Georgia Kaye]

Saturday, January 30, 2016

 

It's hard to believe that January's almost over!

 

Breakfast this morning is three fried eggs over a bed of baby spinach, topped with some leftover sauce from last night's fish, and with some hash browns and prosciutto on the side.  It looks like a restaurant meal!

 

When I started making my tuna ceviche, I realized that my avocados weren't ripe enough, so I tried a trick I had read about online.  You wrap the avocado in foil and put it in a 200 degree oven for ten minutes.  It didn't work, and I didn't want to leave it in there any longer because I don't think I'd like cooked avocado, so I chopped up a serving of olives and mixed those in instead.  It lacked the creamy texture of the avocado, but is a reasonable substitution in a pinch.

 

For dinner I poached salmon fillets in coconut milk that I infused with garlic and ginger.  I spiralized a sweet potato, and sauteed that with some crimini mushrooms and sliced onions.  This was very good, and I have lots of leftovers to use as a base for eggs at breakfast.  I also had some green beans with dinner, and a couple of dried figs.

[Georgia Kaye]

Sunday, January 31, 2016

 

For breakfast I reheated some of the sweet potatoes, mushrooms, and onions from last night's dinner, and topped that with three sunny side up eggs.

 

Lunch again was tuna ceviche on a bed of greens. 

 

For dinner I sauteed chicken breasts in olive oil, and topped them with some compliant roasted red pepper and artichoke tapanade I found at Aldi.  Roasted brussels sprouts and mashed rutabaga completed the meal.  My fat for this meal is the clarified butter I put in the rutabaga and the olive oil on the brussels sprouts.

[Georgia Kaye]

Monday, February 1, 2016

 

Ten.  More.  Days!

 

I'm already thinking about my second Whole 30.  Because we have vacation planned beginning very shortly after the end of this one, I won't be able to do a proper reintroduction.  My plans are to be mindful of what I eat and drink while on this vacation, which is a 10-day road trip, with three restaurant meals each day.  When we get home, I'll start my second Whole 30, and this one will be done with a proper reintroduction.

 

I noticed yesterday that my hip doesn't seem to be hurting as much as it used to.  I don't know whether to attribute that to reduced inflammation because of W30, or the fact that I'm still not walking regularly.  I really do need to get back out and walk, but am finding it hard to be motivated to do that. 

 

Breakfast, after another great night's sleep, was leftover sweet potatoes, onions, and mushrooms,  topped with three eggs.  I bought some nutrional yeast, and am planning on mixing that in with my scrambled eggs one day, but I don't think that will go well with the sweet potatoes, so will wait until those are gone before I try the yeast.  I tasted a dab of it yesterday, and it does have a somewhat cheddary flavor.

 

After breakfast, I felt the motivation to walk, so I headed outside and walked a mile and a half.  I was winded after a very short time, so I know that I need to get out there regularly and get my lungs back into shape!  My goal is to add about ten minutes each day until I'm up to an hour.  That should be 3+ miles at the pace I walk.

 

For lunch I had my tuna ceviche.  I was out of jalapenos, so I added some hot sauce, and it's just not the same.  I'll be heading to the grocery store before lunch tomorrow. 

 

Dinner was Thai chicken curry over zoodles.  I found some little round Thai eggplants at the grocery store, and they were very good in this curry.  Other veggies were snow peas, bamboo shoots, and scallions.  When I served it, hubby got most of the chicken, so I was probably a little low on the protein in this meal;  it's hard to distribute the components evenly when you have a meal that's all in one.

[Georgia Kaye]

Tuesday, February 2, 2016

 

I wasn't at all sleepy last night (stomach was doing some crazy, and not particularly pleasant, stuff), so I didn't go to bed until 11.  It took me a long time to fall asleep and I didn't sleep well at all.  I love spicy foods, and they've never been a problem for me, so I can't figure out what caused the distress.  My husband ate the same dinner and had no problems (his was on rice).  It's a mystery, but I sure hope it's run its course!

 

For breakfast I cleaned out the fridge of leftovers.  Sweet potatoes with mushrooms and onions, roasted brussels sprouts, and green beans were heated in one bowl, and two eggs were scrambled with a piece of salmon.  Pretty good for a change, and now I have plenty of empty little dishes to store more leftovers!

 

Friends have invited us to a super bowl party, so I'm working on a compliant dish to bring so that I'll have something to eat.  It will probably be chili, as that's easy, good, and filling.  I'm sure someone will bring a veggie platter, and perhaps there will be a salad.  I'll bring some nice toppings for the chili, like avocado and olives.  I'll also bring some kombucha, so that doing without beer won't be so bad.  If this had happened at the beginning of my W30, I would be freaked out, but at this point I'm confident that I'll have no problems navigating the party and having a great time.

 

Lunch is tuna again. 

 

I bought some avocado oil the other day, and decided to take another stab at making mayonnaise.  This time I used an immersion blender in a wide-mouthed jar, and it worked perfectly.  I just threw everything, still cold from the fridge, into the jar, stuck the blender in the jar, and in about ten seconds I had a beautiful emulsion.  The flavor is ok, I'm not as crazy about it as some folks are.  So now I need to figure out what to do with it.  Guess I'll look up some recipes on the forum.

 

For dinner I sautéed some chicken and apple sausages in olive oil, then some sliced cabbage in the same pan to pick up the brown flavor from the bottom of the pan.  I roasted some sweet potatoes, adding a bit of hot Hungarian paprika to those for some zip.

 

Sleepy and in bed around 9:30.

[Georgia Kaye]

Wednesday, February 3, 2016

 

One.  More.  Week. 

 

I'm not really counting the days until I'm finished, but marveling at how quickly the time has gone!  This has really been easy, in particular because most of the foods are ones I love anyway.

 

I slept really well last night;  didn't get up until almost 7.

 

I'm kind of tired of eggs, so had leftover sausage and cabbage for breakfast.

 

I'm having some digestive issues that I want to record here so that I have the timing of them, and the foods I ate that may have caused them, for review during my next W30.  For others reading, this may be TMI.  I was diagnosed with IBS-D about 30 years ago.  I've always thought that was a cop-out diagnosis, as my symptoms don't completely mimic those of IBS, and I've tried just about everything with no relief.  I was hoping that W30 would resolve those issues, and identify a food that was causing them, but it seems that is not to be.  For the first few days, I actually thought it was solved, but then it went in the other direction.  Then suddenly things turned back with a vengeance.   So I went from too much, to not enough, to way too much.  Today I seem to be back to my old, not so normal, normal.

 

I'm also not experiencing the different stages that others seem to have, as I should be in the Tiger Blood stage by now.  I realize that everyone is different, but since solving the IBS was one of the major reasons for doing this, it's a bit disappointing that I seem to be getting nowhere.  Yes, I do feel good, and yes, I am sleeping well;  but I don't feel like I'm losing weight (my clothes really don't feel different at all).  I'm not going to quit, as I committed to this and I'm not a quitter.  However, writing this down has made me aware that my hip bursitis is definitely improved.  Not gone, but improved for sure.

 

Tuna ceviche again for lunch.

 

For dinner I fixed sesame-ginger salmon en papillotte.  The recipe calls for soy sauce, so I bought some coconut aminos to substitute for that.    It didn't taste as salty as soy sauce, so I salted the veggies and salmon.  It was just as good as it is with the soy, although I definitely prefer it with some pasta to sop up the excess sauce.  I had mine with zoodles, and while they're good;  it's just not quite the same.

[Georgia Kaye]

I forgot to add to my log yesterday that I felt hungry around 4.  Usually my green tea at that time will satisfy the urge to eat something, but it didn't, so I had about half a serving of olives.  That filled the void until dinnertime.

[Georgia Kaye]

Thursday, February 4, 2016

 

Breakfast this morning was three scrambled eggs, seasoned with some herbs and nutritional yeast.  It was my first time trying the yeast, so I was conservative;  next time I'll use more, as I didn't get much flavor from it.  I accompanied the eggs with a hash made from leftover veggies (potato, onion, bell pepper, and cabbage) and a slice of prosciutto. 

 

I was reading a blog the other day, where someone who has been eating paleo for a while decided to try Whole 30.  She was ranting on about the rules, and what difference did it make whether you made a compliant version of a favorite treat, or when you ate your fruit (an initial peeve of mine).  A particular problem I have had is that it's not OK to call a piece of fruit dessert, or to eat it after your meal.  You must eat it "as a part" of your meal, and not "treat it as a dessert".  What I've come to understand is that these rules (or maybe they're just guidelines;  I tend to get those two mixed up) are designed for the vast majority of people who apparently have a problem with sugar.  The other thing I've learned is that it's only 30 days, and if that's what the folks who designed this program feel is important, then I'll follow it, even if I don't think it applies to me.  And if I really think about it, that habit of having a piece (or two or three) of dark chocolate with a glass (or two) of red wine after dinner might be a sugar problem.  Hmmmm.

 

Another thing:  I didn't think I was losing weight, as my clothes didn't feel any different.  But yesterday I put on a pair of jeans that I haven't worn in over a month, and they fit, albeit very tightly;  they fit well enough that I wore them to the grocery store.  Today I tried on some skirts that had gotten tight while on vacation last November, and they fit about the same as they did at the end of that trip;  I gained another five pounds over the holidays, so something has changed.  I wish now I'd taken some measurements before I started;  must remember to do that before I begin my second W30.

 

Lunch was tuna ceviche.

 

For dinner I made a simple cole slaw with homemade mayo sweetened with a bit of the fruit juice from a mandarin orange cup.  I had bought a huge box of the fruit cups before I understood that snacking wasn't something we were supposed to do, so I've only eaten one of them.  I stuffed half a baked sweet potato with that and some home-smoked salmon.  A huge helping of steamed broccoli on the side completed this meal.  No one can say I'm not eating my veggies!  I coated the potato with coconut oil and sprinkled it with kosher salt before I baked it, so the skin was nice and crispy.

[hungrybruno]

Thursday, February 4, 2016

 

 I wish now I'd taken some measurements before I started;  must remember to do that before I begin my second W30.

 

 

Wow, already planning a second one?! That's great! Also I'm loving the idea of coconut oil and salt on the sweet potato before baking it - I put some coconut cream on my sweet potato with breakfast this morning and it was DELICIOUS. 

[Georgia Kaye]

Wow, already planning a second one?! That's great! Also I'm loving the idea of coconut oil and salt on the sweet potato before baking it - I put some coconut cream on my sweet potato with breakfast this morning and it was DELICIOUS. 

Yes, I am!  I actually planned the second as soon as I realized that this road trip was coming right after the first, so I wouldn't be able to do a proper reintroduction.  It has not been bad at all;  I actually enjoy eating this way.  I just hope the scale shows some results, lol.

[Georgia Kaye]

Friday, February 5, 2016

 

Breakfast was two eggs, some leftover salmon, celery, bell pepper, and leftover rutabaga. 

 

Around 10:30 I felt hungry, and realize that I get hungry before lunch if I substitute a different type of protein for my third egg, or eat protein other than eggs for breakfast.  This is the second time that's happened, so lesson learned.  Since it's real hunger (I actually would eat fish and broccoli right now),  I have a few olives. 

 

Tuna ceviche for lunch.

 

Dinner was "breaded" pork chops in dijon sauce, roasted brussels sprouts, and roasted mushrooms.