Hi all! Starting Feb 22nd!

[ksea]

galaxigrl, glad to hear your son seems to be coping well enough.  I'm a little apprehensive about my own baby getting stuff like that.  He's so mellow, I can't help hoping this isn't the calm before the storm.  It seems like he's started teething, do they get mega cranky?  When he does get fussy, he's hanging out with daddy, and that makes daddy all flustered and sweaty.  It rubs off on baby and doesn't help the situation!   We need to work on that, before I turn into a walking pacifier, although I suppose thats my job!

 

ramonax, I know what you mean about the lack of Whole Foods/Trader Joe's in our lives!  I've never been in one, nor seen one, except Whole Foods on Top Chef!  A Natural Pantry just opened in Anchorage recently, but I don't make it up there very often.  I probably won't be making corned beef for St. Patty's day, but I am thinking of corning some moose to have some in the near future.  You just brine a chunk of meat for 5-10 days, and then braise it with some pickling spices and usually beer.  I think its called corned beef because they used to cure it in chunky corn-like salt.  I'm not super crazy about the corned beef itself, but I love reubens.  My dad said they make a reuben soup thats really good at his work up on the north slope, which I want to look into.

 

I've been debating with myself about reintroduction.  The only non-whole30 things I kind of miss are cheeses (like parmesan or feta), yogurt, and maybe some sushi rice.. but I haven't been obsessing about the lack of them by any means.  Been thinking of getting a yogurt maker, and making some coconut yogurt.  I've been feeling incredible, and would like to keep that going.  But at the same time, I am curious about reintroducing to see how different things effect me.  Maybe I'll see how I feel, and do another Whole30 in May-June, when I have a fresh supply of fish, and it's the start of picnic/bonfire season (when I tend to overindulge). 

Have this Mocha-Rubbed Pot Roast in the slow cooker.  Subbed a little date paste for the dried figs.  And I've been drooling over these Salmon Kebabs.  Two more months until fishing season starts, then I'll be knee deep in fresh salmon.  I also made these Marinated Peppers a few days ago, they are super yummy, especially on eggs!

[jen c]

It sounds like everyone is really feeling pretty good, if not great!  My clothes are definitely fitting better.  I have a wedding to attend soon and tried on two of my dresses today . . . one of them is too big!  It's exciting but a little bittersweet because it's one of my favorites.   

 

No corned beef for us.  I love love love BBQ brisket but not corned.  Too salty.  I've not tried the carnitas yet but you've all been raving about them, so that recipe will definitely be happening soon.

 

Because of my tuna/soy mix-up the first week, my W30 will end on Good Friday.  I don't want to chance feeling lousy for Easter, so I'll start my reintroduction process on the 28th.  And because I was having SO MANY digestive issues prior to this, I'm going to break out my grains individually:  rice, oat, corn, wheat.  One of my kids is sensitive to oats and my grandmother was allergic to corn, so you never know.  Reintroduction time will be slow and deliberate and I just need to know what's going to be permanently off limits going forward.  I've been dreading it, but am starting to look forward to gaining new insight.  I guess I've needed this time to process the what-ifs. 

 

Interesting thing about cravings . . . as soon as I admitted to myself that the Girl Scout cookies are a No Brakes Food, the craving stopped!  Guess I just had to put my own foot down.    

[galaxigrl]

ksea: You are lucky to have a mellow little one!  My son would never be described as "mellow."  Ha ha.  More like he came out of the womb ready to raise hell!  We had a really hard 3-4 months and then a semi-difficult 5-6/7 months, but he's gotten a LOT better.  He's 17 months now, and he's a lot of fun.  I definitely don't miss his early months, though.  When he's teething, he does get pretty cranky and doesn't sleep as well as he normally does.  One thing I do have to give him credit for is that he's a really good sleeper (at night).  Sounds like you're breastfeeding?  My son just stopped BFing (his choice), and it's a little bittersweet.

[jen c]

galaxigrl, glad to hear your son seems to be coping well enough.  I'm a little apprehensive about my own baby getting stuff like that.  He's so mellow, I can't help hoping this isn't the calm before the storm.  It seems like he's started teething, do they get mega cranky?  When he does get fussy, he's hanging out with daddy, and that makes daddy all flustered and sweaty.  It rubs off on baby and doesn't help the situation!   We need to work on that, before I turn into a walking pacifier, although I suppose thats my job!

 

ramonax, I know what you mean about the lack of Whole Foods/Trader Joe's in our lives!  I've never been in one, nor seen one, except Whole Foods on Top Chef!  A Natural Pantry just opened in Anchorage recently, but I don't make it up there very often.  I probably won't be making corned beef for St. Patty's day, but I am thinking of corning some moose to have some in the near future.  You just brine a chunk of meat for 5-10 days, and then braise it with some pickling spices and usually beer.  I think its called corned beef because they used to cure it in chunky corn-like salt.  I'm not super crazy about the corned beef itself, but I love reubens.  My dad said they make a reuben soup thats really good at his work up on the north slope, which I want to look into.

 

I've been debating with myself about reintroduction.  The only non-whole30 things I kind of miss are cheeses (like parmesan or feta), yogurt, and maybe some sushi rice.. but I haven't been obsessing about the lack of them by any means.  Been thinking of getting a yogurt maker, and making some coconut yogurt.  I've been feeling incredible, and would like to keep that going.  But at the same time, I am curious about reintroducing to see how different things effect me.  Maybe I'll see how I feel, and do another Whole30 in May-June, when I have a fresh supply of fish, and it's the start of picnic/bonfire season (when I tend to overindulge). 

Have this Mocha-Rubbed Pot Roast in the slow cooker.  Subbed a little date paste for the dried figs.  And I've been drooling over these Salmon Kebabs.  Two more months until fishing season starts, then I'll be knee deep in fresh salmon.  I also made these Marinated Peppers a few days ago, they are super yummy, especially on eggs!

Teething = cranky baby.  Nearly always, and especially if they're working on multiple teeth at the same time.  It's more painful in that case, but gets over faster than if they slowly get one tooth at a time.  Cold teethers are very soothing and sometimes a little massaging of the gums with your finger.  Good luck and remember . . . this too shall pass! 

[TerraZ]

Wendy, I have made cauliflower rice. It tastes great - but is a pain in the ass to make and the whole house smells like cauliflower. Which I don't like. I wish I had an extra hut with a food processor, where I could process the cauliflower and then cook it as needed. I made it for friends, who were all dubious, and then happy as it tasted delicious. I am 3000 miles from a Trader Joe's. I am so jealous of all you city folks!

 

TerraZ - yep. That's the hard thing, not only the having to forego something, but the FOMO (fear of missing out) that goes with it. I love who w30 makes me feel - but I do have to give up a portion of my social life to do it. Hard to find balance. You know your limits - but I wonder if you could go to March Maddness after eating a GIANT meal, so big you almost want to vomit. Tonnes of food, and fat, and yams - eat and eat and eat. Would you still need nachos and beer? in that case, I'm sorry. It sucks. argh! Also, need to state that my above post is just copied and pasted from the w30 website. i realize i didn't reference.

 

And to all of you, what is corned beef? every single one of you is all stoked for St Paddy's Corned Beef? 

FOMO | Fear Of Missing Out  

[katieblue]

ksea, I miss cheese too!! We've agreed that will be our first reintroduction, some feta or goat cheese on a salad at lunch and a nice big slice of cheddar on a pub burger in the evening. :3

Do you fish for yourself? Or do you just get a big supply? I'm so jealous of the abundance of salmon!!

And please let us know how that pot roast turned out!! It looks delicious! (as do most of these recipes!)

 

jen, congrats on your clothes fitting more loosely! Could you maybe get your favorite dress taken in a little? (What an awesome feeling that would be!!)  I wonder if you'll see a difference in yourself when you see photos from the wedding!

Sorry that your Whole30 is gonna stretch a little bit longer, but I'm definitely proud of you for sticking it out after the mix-up! And way to stomp out those cravings!!

 

My pants were actually getting loose on me as I wore them today -- that is SO exciting!!! And I think my face looks a little thinner.

[Ramonax]

Thank you everyone for the corned beef schooling. I’m not sure I’m convinced…but will trust that it is good J

I’m making a roast chicken as I type, with roasted veggies in the pan. I’m using the cooks illustrated recipe and it involves all these stupid steps of flipping the bird on one side, then the other. I’m wrestling it around in the pan feeling ridiculous. But It smells delicious and I am STARVING.. 45 minutes to go.

 

Galaxigrl – I am so sorry for your little one.  Hope it all clears up and life gets back to toddler normal! But if he came out of the womb ready to raise hell, I’m guessing he will get through this. So hard to watch though.

 

CGinDC – Latin Market! That sounds amazing. As do all the meals you describe. I hope you can use up the banana leaves! What a weird thing to have on hand. You can start a pintrest page of w30 banana leaf recipies.

 

ksea – my boy has been pretty mellow too (except for the 3-4 months as galaxigrl experienced), but became possessed when it was teething time! Up all night, refusing to eat, red faced crying. We resorted to baby advil and that helped. He is on his 2-year molars right now. But it would come and pass so quickly! A bunch of hubbub for a day and then poof! A little white tooth poking out. Also, fish! So amazing.

 

Jen c – that is interesting about the cookies. And I appreciate how you are thinking about the reintroduction. It seems like a smart way to approach it.

 

I’m excited that everyone’s pants are looser. My belt went down one notch – I feel things fitting me differently. 

[CGinDC]

I thought my pants felt a little looser this morning, but they definitely don't now after the Kalua pig! It was really good, nice and moist. My husband and stepson made tacos - I had lettuce wraps. Unfortunately the only good quality pork shoulder I could find was a little on the small side, so we don't have many leftovers.

 

I live outside of Washington DC and our entire subway system is shut down tomorrow for emergency safety inspections - kind of frightening that things are so bad they'd shut it down in the middle of a work week! But that means I get to work from home tomorrow and not stress about all the food I have to take with me to the office. I'll be happy for a day in my PJs at home - we've had a busy few nights and our kitchen is a disaster, not to mention the laundry piling up. When you're cooking all the time it's hard to stay on top of the other stuff!

[katieblue]

Ramonax, your chicken sounds delicious! I've been kicking myself for a little while now for not planning a roasted chicken or turkey because it would be so easy to keep it compliant and would have made for a ton of leftovers! (Although I have to say, we literally cannot fit anything else in our freezer right now due to leftover overload). Congrats on the belt notch down!

 

CGinDC, so glad the pig was so good!! I honestly think I could keep eating things in lettuce wraps; I don't really miss the corn tortillas, and I already know I can't do the flour ones. I'll have to give that a try.

Also, yay for working from home!! It's definitely nice to get a day off from the usual crazy (even if you still have to work. I used to work from home 2 days a week and it was amazing). I definitely hear you on the cooking; I'm planning on about 3-4 hours of cooking tomorrow between my breakfast frittata and those reuben rolls and colcannon! (It always seems to take me longer than they say!)

 

My mom stopped by last night and was asking me about the Whole 30, she's thinking she wants to try one, so I'm thinking I'm going to see about officially scheduling another one with her as my partner... I'm really liking where this is going so far but I think I've been so unkind to my body, food-wise, for so long, it's going to take longer than 30 days to heal. So I'm thinking maybe a week or two to slow roll some reintroductions and see how I feel after them, and then jump right back in.

 

Anyway, Day 24! I actually had to look back in the old posts to remember where we were - I think that's a good sign!?

 

I had my first dream about going off-plan last night! I defrosted this stuffed pepper from the freezer and was halfway through eating it before I realized it had beans and corn in it! I was so devastated and kept thinking, "Well, maybe if I don't tell Rob, he won't notice and he'll keep going!"

 

I feel so tired again today. Where is the tiger blood, man!? Maybe the dream was just too stressful!

 

Getting the corned beef in the crock pot today so I can have it ready to chop and put into dinner recipes tomorrow, but aside from that, no real cooking planned for today (yay!!!). Just surviving on carnitas and salsa chicken leftovers - and that is TOTALLY okay with me!

[bwilliams180]

katieblue - I'm so jealous of how long your leftovers last. Ha! We feed five, so I try hard to make leftovers last at least one meal for me and my husband (no one else will eat them) but sometimes it is quite a stretch!

 

ksea - I have been thinking hard about reintroduction too. I want to make this pretty much a lifestyle for my family, esp because my husband has a lot of health issues that we are trying to get under control. But he's the tough one to convince, too - if he doesn't see weight loss, which is his barometer because it's the only thing that he can see - he will assume that it's not working "for him" or something.

 

Day 24!!! I think we are also going through the weekend next week, jen c, because I'm worried about what will happen if we reintroduce on a workday... so you won't be alone.

[katieblue]

They only last so long because it's just the two of us! I can't imagine having to feed five people all the time - we'd never have any left over!

 

Funny, my boyfriend is measuring his success by his weight loss, too (although he did drop at least two belt loops so far, so at least that's something). But there are sssooo many other benefits coming from this!

[CGinDC]

My husband measures success by weight loss too. He has a bit of a belly and really wants to get rid of it, but he keeps going to route of restricting eating at breakfast and lunch, plus intense workouts. And you know what? He sometimes loses a few pounds in the short term, but he has a hard time keeping them off. I keep telling him he should try the W30 but I don't think he's on board yet. His doctor even told him to see a dietitian, which just makes me cringe! I know they'll just tell him he has to restrict eating to some crazy low amount of calories, and I just don't believe that's the way. I watched my mother yo yo diet her way through life, and she has a really messed up relationship with food and massive amount of anxiety about it. I could certainly stand to lose 10-15 pounds, but I refuse to make myself a slave to that way of thinking.

[galaxigrl]

Hi all!  I'm WFH today with my sick kiddo.  I think today is his last day at home, though!  Woo hoo!  Back to daycare tomorrow!  He has a terrible rash, but he hasn't had a fever since yesterday morning, and he's been acting like his normal self playing and having temper tantrums.  Ha ha.  It's a gorgeous day in Charleston today.  Supposed to be 86!  Even though working from home with a sick toddler is a bit of a struggle, I'm enjoying the sunlight and fresh air coming in the windows (definitely don't have that at my office building).  

 

For those of you with access to a Trader Joe's, if you need a quick meal, I HIGHLY recommend the frozen beef burgers.  My husband made them last night on the stovetop.  He just added salt and pepper, and we served them with sauteed red onions and guacamole on sweet potato "buns."  They were REALLY good!  

 

I really don't know that I'm really seeing much differences in anything .  I think I may have a little more energy, but I've been ready to pass out by like 8:30 the last few nights.  I have no idea if I'm losing weight.  I normally wear non-form fitting dresses.  I did try on a couple of pairs of jeans and they maybe seem to be looser, but maybe I'm just willing them to be.  I still feel like my post-baby belly is HUGE, though.  My friends at work are telling me I look like I'm losing weight.  I hope they're not just being nice.  And I have this really dry, icky skin between my fingers, especially in one place on my left hand that I don't think was there pre-Whole30.  I thought this was supposed to make my skin better!  Sorry for being a debbie downer.  I think I was just expecting more at this point.  On the upside, I do think my moods have been better.  And I generally FEEL better, which is a benefit not to be overlooked!

[katieblue]

CGinDC, it's for reasons probably really similar to those of your husband's mindset and nutritionist/dietician mindsets that I wound up restricting myself chronically for years, and now my metabolism is so messed up from it I'm never hungry and if I eat a slice of cheesecake I gain 2 pounds (seriously... it's not even mathematically possible if you follow the calories in/calories out, but I gained two pounds in a day on Thanksgiving when I only consumed about 2,500 calories). It is sort of heartbreaking to see so many people still following this now that I realize how wrong it was.

 

OMG Galaxigrl, SO jealous of the weather by you!! I want to move down to your area (actually, Savannah to be precise) when I'm out of grad school and working a big girl job. It's so gorgeous down there. And even better if you get to work from home!

Also - sweet potato "buns" with burgers are the best. things. ever. Have you ever tried a breakfast sandwich on a sweet potato bun instead of a bagel? Just slap a fried egg and a sausage patty between two of those babies (and cheese, if you're not Whole 30ing/can digest it) and it's ah-maaaaa-zing! (Not sure if this would be technically Whole30 mindset or too close to a SWYPO type of deal... but just for reference. It's awesome.)

 

And hang in there -- we still have a week left! I'm with you, I'm not sure I want to get too excited about maybe possibly fitting in clothes better, but like everyone continues to remind us: This is different for everybody. We might need more than 30 days for different results. I was expecting my skin to look better by now but I'm actually breaking out like crazy. I still get headaches. I'm still ssssooo tired. BUT the feeling better - the relationship with food changing - this is all a really, really good start.

[galaxigrl]

katie: I love the idea of the egg sandwich on a sweet potato roll!  I don't think that's any more SWYPO than a burger on a sweet potato.  I'm definitely not qutting, and I plan to keep eating mostly W30/Paleo when the 30 days are up.  I do feel that, in general, this is a much healthier, better way of eating.  And maybe it will just take longer for us.  My husband and I already talked about doing another W30 in the next few months.  Neither of us have really felt restricted.  I don't even really miss the booze anymore.  I think my husband still misses beer.  

 

I love Savannah!  Such a pretty town!  I love going there to visit.

[ksea]

ksea, I miss cheese too!! We've agreed that will be our first reintroduction, some feta or goat cheese on a salad at lunch and a nice big slice of cheddar on a pub burger in the evening. :3

Do you fish for yourself? Or do you just get a big supply? I'm so jealous of the abundance of salmon!!

And please let us know how that pot roast turned out!! It looks delicious! (as do most of these recipes!)

mmmm goat cheese and beets are one of my favorite combos, with some almonds or hazelnuts on a big salad, yum!  And I must've eaten a billion greek salads last summer when I was pregnant.  That and kiwis were my only real cravings I had!  We were getting these gold kiwis in town that are less acidic/sweeter, and I probably ate at least 5 a day.

My husband is a commercial fisherman, who owns a boat and fishing permit, and is self employed.  They sell their fish to one of a handful of companies in town.   The fishery is regulated to make sure enough salmon get upstream to spawn.  They usually get to fish twice a week, starting with 12 hour openers, then they usually get longer as the season goes on and enough fish are going upstream.  It's pretty exciting around here come May, when the season starts.  I love watching all the boats heading back to town after a fishing period closes!  Here's a look at the little boats they fish.  I used to go fishing with him, up until a few years ago when I started staying in town to work on nets.  He'll bring me in a bunch of fish if I ask him to, but we usually like to wait until the price they get paid per pound goes down.  We always keep one nice fish to grill after every opener though.  I'm planning on smoking a bunch of it this summer, canning it and making lox.

That pot roast turned out really good.  I wasn't sure how much date paste to add instead of figs, I think I used about 1/4 cup? And I had to add more salt towards the end when I checked it for seasoning.  We ate it with some roasted sweet potato and zucchini, and just finished it off for lunch.  I'm glad there was extra rub leftover, I'm adding that recipe to my arsenal. 

 

ksea – my boy has been pretty mellow too (except for the 3-4 months as galaxigrl experienced), but became possessed when it was teething time! Up all night, refusing to eat, red faced crying. We resorted to baby advil and that helped. He is on his 2-year molars right now. But it would come and pass so quickly! A bunch of hubbub for a day and then poof! A little white tooth poking out. Also, fish! So amazing.

Teething = cranky baby.  Nearly always, and especially if they're working on multiple teeth at the same time.  It's more painful in that case, but gets over faster than if they slowly get one tooth at a time.  Cold teethers are very soothing and sometimes a little massaging of the gums with your finger.  Good luck and remember . . . this too shall pass! 

ksea: You are lucky to have a mellow little one!  My son would never be described as "mellow."  Ha ha.  More like he came out of the womb ready to raise hell!  We had a really hard 3-4 months and then a semi-difficult 5-6/7 months, but he's gotten a LOT better.  He's 17 months now, and he's a lot of fun.  I definitely don't miss his early months, though.  When he's teething, he does get pretty cranky and doesn't sleep as well as he normally does.  One thing I do have to give him credit for is that he's a really good sleeper (at night).  Sounds like you're breastfeeding?  My son just stopped BFing (his choice), and it's a little bittersweet.

He likes gnawing on my knuckle, and he's been sleeping through the night for me!  I'm thinking if he's really uncomfortable I'll try pumping and see if feeding off a cold bottle helps any too.  The few times he's drank from a bottle he seemed to really like it cold!  I love breastfeeding though, and wonder if he'll take it the wrong way if I try offering a bottle when he's cranky   Crossing my fingers hoping it's not a long, drawn-out ordeal!!

[CGinDC]

You guys. I just had Mel Joulwan's jalapeño bacon burger balls (except in actual burger form, on the grill). The were SO good. Especially with the Awesome Sauce and herbed parsnip fries:

 

http://meljoulwan.com/2014/03/10/bacon-jalapeno-burger-balls/

http://meljoulwan.com/2015/06/01/herb-parsnip-fries/

 

Highly recommend!

 

I felt pretty good today. I don't think I'm getting to the Tiger Blood stage - just don't have a ton of energy - but I feel better. Sleeping better, fewer mood swings, less brain fog. Also, I haven't had any recurrence of heartburn. It will be interesting to see what triggers it in the reintroductions - I know gluten will do it but I'm wondering about other grains too.

 

Today was a perfect spring day...I missed having a beer while we were grilling! That might be the first thing I have once we're done, but I'll keep it to one...okay maybe two. 

[Ramonax]

OMG you guys. I roasted a chicken and it was good. But I cut up a bunch of veggies - carrots, yams, onions, potatoes - tossed them with olive oil and balsamic vinegar and threw them in the pan. By some alchemy of the oil/balsamic and chicken grease, they sort of caramelized. They came out crispy and sort of sweet but melty in your mouth. It was one of the best things I have ever eaten in my life. Now I'm going to have to roast 3 chickens a week!

[katieblue]

Galaxigrl, I'm really impressed that you guys are going to try and keep this up!! I'm definitely going to, also, although my boyfriend is adamant that he is going to have coffee with milk and sugar like the good old days. I keep telling him it will wake up his sugar dragon again, but he's waving me off. We will see.

Yay another Savannah fan!! It's not very far from you, is it? I've been told i would love Charleston if I love Savannah so much!

 

Ksea, I think that's amazing that your husband can fish for a living - and that you get to reap the benefits!!

Also - goat cheese and beets - to die for!! I love goat cheese with cranberries, too. And balsamic. Ahhh. Definitely hope I can handle goat cheese when this is all over.

I'll have to try the pot roast out! Always looking for big recipes like that which will leave us with a good amount of leftovers!

 

CGinDC - you can NOT go wrong with bacon - thank you for the recipe!! Bacon is one of the things I'm really looking forward to incorporating again, because I absolutely cannot find any without sugar by me.

 

Ramonax - I've done that roasting caramelization with green beans and brussels sprouts, but never thought to do it with just a big tray of assorted veggies! I can imagine it was to die for!!

We just learned that Shop Rite gives out free Easter ham or turkey if you spend a certain amount of money in a certain window, and we've made it, so we're totally going to snag the turkey and do the same sort of thing.

 

DAY 25 EVERYONE! Can you believe it?! Six days left (including today)!

 

And happy St. Patrick's Day to everyone who celebrates!!

 

I'm making this for breakfast and the Reuben rolls and Colcannon for dinner. I love this holiday (even though I'm only 1/3 Irish and I don't drink) because it gives me an excuse to get festive with the cooking.

 

I woke up at 2:30 this morning and lay there wide awake for an hour before I finally got up. Yet, somehow, I'm not really tired (yet). Is this the tiger blood? Do I now only need four hours of sleep? Or am I just anxious as usual? I feel remarkably happy in spite of not getting much sleep. I had a great workout this morning and it's going to be a gorgeous day, and my second job is closed so I have the day off! I'm gonna take the dog to the park in the afternoon.

[galaxigrl]

Happy St. Patty's Day!  And happy day 25!  Where did the time go?!?  I have corned beef cooking in the slow cooker right now.  It's the recipe we've always made (and love!), but with chicken stock instead of the beer and sans brown sugar.  I hope it's still good!  I'm probably only like 1/8th or less Irish, but I LOVE St. Patty's Day!  I'll definitely miss the drinking celebrations this year...but not the hangover afterwards .

 

CGinDC: Those burger balls sound great, but were they a ton of work?  It looks like a lot of steps.  I LOVE parsnip fries.  I just made them for the first time last week, and I'm sad that parsnips are going out of season now .

 

ksea: Fresh salmon sounds so yummy!  Thanks for sharing the video!  That's really funny that you craved kiwis when you were pregnant.  I craved cinnamon rolls.  Everywhere we went, if there was a cinnamon roll, I tried it!  Have you ever heard of breastmilk popsicles?  I never made them, but I think you just get small popsicle molds and freeze breastmilk in them.  You can find Pinterest pins and stuff online about making them.  If your baby likes cold, I would try them.  I've heard they're great for teething.  I would suggest that over a bottle, if you enjoy breastfeeding.  Don't want to mess that up!

 

Ramonax: That sounds so good!  I've never roasted a chicken.  Do you have a recipe?  I'd love to try it.

 

katie: Charleston is only about 2 hours from Savannah.  If you've never been, you have to visit.  You'd love it!  As for continuing, I hope it works out.  I hope I don't have pasta or bread or cheese and fall back into my old bad eating habits.  But I really don't think I'm going to.  I'm not even craving any of those things.  We can do it!  Your breakfast looks SO cute!  How did it turn out?  I'm definitely making those cabbage rolls with our leftover corned beef.  I tell my husband to get a 2-3 lb. corned beef, and he gets a 5.5 lb one!  So I'm sure there will be plenty of leftovers!  Were you able to find complaint sauerkraut?  I haven't looked yet, but my friend bought some, and hers had sulfites.  It was in a bag.  I'm wondering if maybe the stuff in a jar would be better?

 

TerraZ: Are you psyched for the games??  I just filled out my bracket.  I don't pay TOO much attention to college bball, but I like the tournament.  I kind of pay attention by default, because my husband is a huge NC State fan.  Who's your team?

[katieblue]

I made the corned beef yesterday in the crock pot without any beer or brown sugar and it was still good, so don't worry!!

 

The breakfast turned out great, actually!! It was really yummy, and surprisingly filling! I had to bake it longer than it said to, because I don't have a cast iron skillet so I had to just dump it into a baking dish rather than getting the eggs started on the stovetop.

You will DEFINITELY have leftover corned beef, haha! I found compliant sauerkraut in a can, actually! It's B&G brand, and just has sauerkraut, water and salt as ingredients.

And I made the Russian dressing yesterday - holy wow it's good!!

 

When I finish grad school, we are planning on taking another trip down your way - I'll have to pop in and say hi with some Whole 30 food!

[galaxigrl]

I'll have to look for sauerkraut in the can.  I didn't even know you could get it in a can!  The russian dressing sounds SO good.  Did you make the ketchup from the book to use it in, or did you find a compliant store-bought one?  I have the Tessamae's, which I might just use to save a step.

 

If you do come to Charleston, I'd love to meet you!

[katieblue]

I didn't, either, but I stumbled upon it while looking at the canned veggies just out of curiosity - and there it was!

I made this ketchup and used that; it's SO good, I can and do eat it with a spoon! Lol!

I'm staying at my dad's house next week while my boyfriend tears up our only bathroom, and I'm planning on making another batch of it with the Whole 30 chicken fingers to see if he and my stepbrothers like it.

 

I'd love to meet you too! I know people do meet-ups on here but I didn't want to be all creeper-like! I hope we'll all stay in touch after this! I feel like we've been through a lot together! Haha.

[Ramonax]

galxigrl - roasted chickens are the easiest thing to make. I usually cut up an onion, and a lemon or lime and stuff it into the cavity. Turn oven to 375 and heat up the roasting pan. rub oil on the chicken, salt and pepper and whatever you want - sometimes I use rosemary, sometimes I cut a garlic and rub it over..

 

Put chicken on it's side in a roasting pan (it is super creepy, you sort of have to position it so it looks like it's just lounging around). Cook 15 minutes, take out and flip around chicken to other wing, cook 15 minutes then take out, and put breast side up. turn oven to 450 a 3.5 pound bird takes about 60 -65min, a 4 pound bird about 65-70. I like the meat to be 165 degrees. then I take it out and let rest 10 minutes. 

 

Normally I use a rack. But now that I know to throw veggies around the bird, I will just cook it on the bottom of the pan. 

[galaxigrl]

katie: I totally thought the same thing about it maybe being creepy, but I'm glad you don't think it is.  I was kind of hoping we'd all continue posting on this forum even after our Whole 30 to talk about how reintroduction is going.

 

Thanks, Ramonax.  I don't have a roasting pan.  Would a glass baking dish work ok?