DonnaB's W30 - Round 2 - started Feb 15, 2016

[DonnaB]

Today is the first day of my second Whole30. My first Whole30 I had some NSV's - hot flashes eliminated, and cholesterol reduced and brought into better balance. The one thing I didn't do was lose weight. I'm hoping that will be different this time. I do have some other health issues that I hope to resolve, as well, including candidiasis, and probably metabolic syndrome. My health history includes T2D and heart disease (my dad is a quad-bypass survivor), so I know what my future looks like if I don't find a way to change it. Nutrition seems to me to be the number one way that needs to change. At present, DH and I eat fairly clean, but I know that dairy and wheat have some effect on me. My re-intro after my first W30 was sloppy, at best, so this time I am determined to do the re-intro in a much more disciplined manner. I'm also a certified member of the clean-plate club, and love food, so weight is an issue. If anything - I'm more at risk of over-eating. Since my first W30 in June 2015, my breakfasts and lunches are still mostly compliant, so I'm starting to feel like I learning when my body is actually "full." So, anyway, here goes:

 

M1: scrambled eggs, salsa, 1/2 avocado, 1 C Cranberry probiotic tea

M2: Salmon patty w/ ranch dressing mixed w/ horseradish, 3/4 C. raw sauerkraut, medium apple.

M3: Crockpot rotisserie chicken, sweet potatoes w/ clarified butter, broccoli, olives.

 

* For future reference - if you're following my log, assume that all foods listed on my meal log are compliant. I make my own mayo and salad dressings, and last Fall DH and I preserved quite a bit of food by canning or freezing. ALL of my home-canned food is compliant, with the exception of the pickled beets that I made for DH (I don't care for them, so I don't eat them). We also put up 60 quarts of sauerkraut, which I frequently eat raw in an effort to combat the candida in my gut.

[DonnaB]

W30 - Day 2

 

M1: 2 hard-boiled eggs, 6 olives, small dish of stewed prunes and apricots, glass of orange juice (I know - not supposed to drink our calories, but woke-up with a tickle in my throat this morning. Since the organic no-sugar-added orange juice was available, I drank some), one cup of mint green tea.

M2: 2 C. home-made butternut squash soup, 1/2 C. salmon salad w/home-made mayo, 3/4 C. raw sauerkraut.

M3: Pork spare ribs, sauerkraut, and potatoes in the crockpot.

 

My goal today is to drink at least 4 16-oz bottles of water and two more cups of tea, as I think the tickle in my throat this morning was related to not drinking enough water yesterday.  

 

BTW - I didn't have the olives w/ M3 last night. We had the dark meat from the chicken, and added enough clarified butter on the sweet potatoes and broccoli to account for the fat. I also roasted some garlic for on top of the sweet potatoes. That was quite yummy!

[dhackney]

Love your meal ideas. I just started yesterday and I could use some suggestions on salad dressings. I'm not a fan of oil and vinegar. I have tried the Tessama's ranch dressing not a big fan. Any recipes would be greatly appreciated. 

[ShannonM816]

Love your meal ideas. I just started yesterday and I could use some suggestions on salad dressings. I'm not a fan of oil and vinegar. I have tried the Tessama's ranch dressing not a big fan. Any recipes would be greatly appreciated.

I know this isn't my log, but thought I'd jump in here. I like this salad dressing: http://meljoulwan.com/2014/10/20/zingy-ginger-dressing/

I'm also a fan of just glopping some mayo on a salad, or mushed up avocado -- these are great options when I'm feeling lazy and don't actually want to make something.

[dhackney]

Thank you so much for the ideas, I will get the ingredients tomorrow to make this dressing. thank you again!

[DonnaB]

Love your meal ideas. I just started yesterday and I could use some suggestions on salad dressings. I'm not a fan of oil and vinegar. I have tried the Tessama's ranch dressing not a big fan. Any recipes would be greatly appreciated. 

 

Hi, dhackney. I don't know how much help I can be, as I do tend to gravitate toward vinegar and oil dressings, but I also make a very simple home-made ranch dressing that you might try. Here is the recipe:

 

1 C. Home-made mayo

1 small can coconut cream (this replaces the sour cream that is usually called for in ranch dressing recipes, and surprisingly does NOT influence the flavor significantly)

1/2 to 1 teaspoon granulated garlic (or you could sub garlic powder - but NOT garlic salt, as it will make it too salty)

1/2 to 1 teaspoon onion powder

1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons dried parsley, crushed

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Black pepper to taste

 

Whirl all ingredients in food processor. You can use it right away, but if you want it a little thicker it helps to refrigerate for a couple of hours. This lasts for at least a week to 2 weeks if stored in the fridge. I don't know if it would last longer, as we tend to use it up within two weeks. :-)

[DonnaB]

W30 - Days 3 and 4 (didn't spend much time on the computer yesterday, so didn't take time to do my food log)

 

Day 3

M1: Cauliflower Kedgeree - with some modifications - just coarsely chopped the onion, garlic, ginger and cauliflower, and used canned smoked kippers for the smoked fish. Cauliflower was a 1 qt bag from the freezer, and tomatoes were a pint of diced tomatoes from the pantry.

3 Clementines. Yes - I know the rule about fruit - but DH has a cold and I had one two weeks ago. I prefer eating fruit rather than over-the-counter meds so this is not dessert - it's meds - lol! Oh - and mint green tea

M2: Butternut squash soup, salmon salad, 4 dill pickles, 1 orange

M3: Leftover ribs w/potatoes and sauerkraut, green salad w/ homemade ranch dressing, 1 clementine

 

Four 16 oz bottles of water - Yay!

 

Day 4

M1: Leftover Kedgeree, 1 clementine, small dish of stewed prunes and apricots, Mint green tea

M2: Butternut squash soup, salmon salad, 2/3 C. raw sauerkraut, 2 clementines

M3: Grilled pork chop, boiled white potatoes w/clarified butter, green salad w/ ranch dressing

 

Woke up once in the night with a hot flash, and had three more before I even got out of bed this morning. Thankfully, it's not happening during the day. After my first W30, I went the whole summer without ANY hot-flashes, but they have gradually started to make themselves known, again - hence the motivation to do another W30. At least I'm not at 20-40 a day like last year at this time. Unlike my first W30, this time I'm continuing with my vitamins and supplements, and I already know they are not all compliant, so now I'm starting to wonder if that is one of the contributing factors to the hot flashes. DH and I went out for supper on Valentines Day, and our meal was pretty far from compliant, so I may also still be detoxing from that. I think as I use up the non-compliant vitamins and supplements I will look for brands that are compliant. For the time-being, I think I'm still better off taking them than not.

[DonnaB]

Day 5

 

M1: Approx 1 C. white potatoes w/ garlic, onion, and mushrooms, fried in bacon grease and topped with a soft fried egg. 1/2 grapefruit. 6 black olives. Today is an experiment to see just how much protein I need in a meal to stay full until lunch-time. I have a propensity to overeat, especially savory foods, and protein. During my first W30 I didn't try to limit my food intake at all, though the quantities I was eating did seem to level off toward the end. The good part was I didn't get hungry between meals. However, after years of carbo-loading, I know that I probably have that leptin resistance going on - that thing where your brain says you're still hungry because you haven't given your body the nutrition it needs. I'm starting to sense that is slowly changing, and I'm having times when I actually feel full. Now what I want to do is learn exactly what my body needs to function well without overeating. Hence - only one egg at breakfast this morning. I could have eaten 2, but I'm not sure that I need 2. I feel full, now - the question will be if I make it to lunch without getting hungry. I'm working from home today, so this is a good time to put this to the test.

 

M2: 1 C. Butternut squash soup, 1/2 C. Salmon salad. 3/4 C raw sauerkraut. 2 fresh Mandarin oranges. Again - I'm cutting back on the quantity of soup, as I felt really full yesterday when I finished my lunch. That begged the question if I really needed that much food. 

 

M3: Hamburger(s) topped w/ avocado and salsa. Green salad w/ mushrooms, cauliflower, celery, and beets w/ balsamic vinegar and olive oil dressing.

 

 

**traded in the ranch dressing on last nights salad for 1/2 avocado and some balsamic vinegar and olive oil dressing. It tasted so good I went back for more, but didn't add more avocado to the second bowl of salad.

 

***Yesterday only drank 2 16-oz bottles of water and one cup of passion tea, so not as much fluids as I probably need. Will try to do better on that today. :-)

 

I went grocery shopping yesterday. Made sure to stock up on butter (to clarify), olives, and avocados so I know I have an easy healthy fat available when needed.

[DonnaB]

Day 6

M1: Finished off the Kedgeree. There wasn't quite enough protein left in it, so had a can of sardines w/ a dollop of compliant mustard

M2: 2 C. Chicken soup, 1/2 C. salmon salad, 3 medium pickle spears, 1 mandarin orange

Late afternoon snack (DH works until 7:30 so supper will be late): 2 C chicken soup

M3: Lamb meatballs in red sauce over spaghetti squash. It was delicious!

 

Day 7

M1: 2 scrambled eggs w/ onions, peppers, mushrooms and 3 oz sausage, topped w/ 2 T. salsa and 1/2 avocado

M2: 1/2 C. tuna salad, 3/4 C. raw sauerkraut, small bowl of stewed apricots and prunes.

M3: Kalua pork w/ sauerkraut and white potatoes topped w/ clarified butter

 

My experiment on Friday was enlightening. I started feeling cold around 11 am, and realized that it might be due to lack of protein, so had 1/2 a can of sardines to get me through until lunch time. It appears that my protein amounts when I have eggs for breakfast has been about right with 2 eggs. Good to know! I'm planning to do a little cooking ahead this afternoon so I don't risk not having something available to eat when needed. :-)

[DonnaB]

Add to Day 7 M3: small bowl of cauliflower soup. Was cooking soup for lunches this week, and sampled it to make sure I liked the way it came together. It turned out pretty good!

[DonnaB]

Day 8

M1: 2 sunnyside up eggs, 2 sausage patties, 2/3 C mashed sweet potato w/ clarified butter

M2: 1 3/4 C golden cauliflower soup, 2/3 C raw sauerkraut, 1 chicken thigh

Pre-workout snack: 1 turkeyburger/blueberry muffin (made with hamburger because that is what I had on hand)

M3: Pad thai w/ Sunshine sauce from Well Fed. Yummy!

 

I woke up this morning feeling pretty good, even though the last 2 nights have been short nights for sleeping. I let DH know this morning that I will be getting to bed earlier for the rest of the week. It's tough putting in full days at work when I'm short on sleep. I did get some exercise yesterday, though it wasn't a lot. It's finally warm enough to get outside and run here in Wisconsin (I'm a wuss - I don't go when it's too cold or ice to contend with), so I put my running clothes on and took the dog and went. Being my age, and not in great physical shape, I only did a light run (more like run/walk/run/walk). Including the warm-up and cool-down, I was only gone about 20 minutes, but I did feel better when I got back home. It was less than the Couch to 5K program I have used in the past, but it was still something. 

 

Day 9

M1: scrambled eggs w/ white potatoes, mushrooms and sausage. 2/3 C. sweet potato mashed w/ clarified butter

M2: 1 3/4 C golden cauliflower soup, 2/3 C raw sauerkraut, 1 chicken thigh, 1 orange

M3: Kalua pork lettuce wraps w/ avocado and salsa. Roasted broccoli. 1 apple

[DonnaB]

Day 9 - update: I felt a little bloated after lunch today. I think it might have been the orange, as I had the same lunch sans the orange yesterday and don't recall feeling bloated afterward. Also, I'm wishing I was wearing pants with a more stretchy waist. Timeline says this is where I should be, but I don't remember on my first W30 being so closely on track with the timeline. 

 

Also, I decided last night to back off on the caffeine. The hot flashes are diminishing, but they aren't gone, yet. I did lay off the coffee entirely for this W30, but have still been drinking green tea. I'm on the fence about trying the kombucha that I think is almost ready, thinking of the caffeine. Maybe I will try it for breakfast and see what happens. 

[DonnaB]

Well! So much for backing off on the caffeine! I was in bed by 9 pm last night to try and get a good nights sleep. I even drank some chamomile tea before bedtime in the hope that it would help. 3:30 am - hot flash. No going back to sleep, though I did stay in bed and rested until 5 am. Had to have coffee this morning. Three short nights in a row make for a tired person at work today. My only hope is that tonight will be better.

[DonnaB]

Day 10 - Meals:

M1: Scrambled eggs w/ broccoli and mushrooms, 1/2 C sweet potato, 2 hamburger/blueberry muffins, coffee to drink

M2: Leftover Pad Thai, sauerkraut, chicken thigh

M3: Leftover Kalua pork dipped in ranch dressing (needed the fat), hash browns, sauerkraut, cooked broccoli

 

3 16-oz. bottles of water, 1/2 bottle of home-brewed kombucha

 

Day 11 - Meals:

M1: 2 hard-boiled eggs, one hamburger blueberry muffin, small bowl of stewed apricots and prunes, Tazo Refresh-Mint tea, bottle of kombucha

M2: Golden cauliflower soup w/ some kalua pork added, 8 black olives, fresh apple

M3: 1/2 T-bone steak, sweet potato, green salad w/balsamic vinegar and olive oil dressing, maybe some fruit.

 

After 3 short nights of sleep, I finally got a reasonably good nights sleep last night, barring only the 5 minutes that my little pooch tried to wake me up. If she had persisted, I would have eventually gotten up, but she did settle down and not disturb me for the rest of the night until it was time to get up. Come to find out, she was thirsty. We have two dogs, and big one and a small one, and the big one sometimes hogs the water bowl, so I have to be careful that my little one gets enough to drink. I just didn't think of it last night before bedtime. Note to self: if you want an un-disturbed nights sleep, make sure the dog gets some water BEFORE bedtime. :-)

[DonnaB]

Day 12 - Meals

M1: 2 eggs overeasy, Pork belly, 1/2 grapefruit

M2: Golden cauliflower soup w/ kalua pork added, 8 black olives, fresh apple

M3: Scrambled eggs w/ kalua pig, topped w/ salsa and avocado (had a birthday party to go to, so had to have something quick and easy. Didn't eat anything at the party - the food wasn't W30-friendly - I knew that going in, and it wasn't a big deal. Several of my friends have special dietary needs, so nobody cares if you eat or not.)

 

Day 13 - Meals

M1: 2 boiled eggs, 2 hamburger/blueberry "muffins", 1/2 grapefruit

M2: golden cauliflower soup (1 C), leftovers - broccoli, hashbrowns w/ sauerkraut, some kalua pig (the advantage of having it make so much is that it is available to add to any meal for a protein source - no complaints from me about that!)

M3: Chocolate chili

 

Day 14 - Meals

M1: Scrambled eggs w/ kalua pork, 1/2 grapefruit

M2: Fresh veggies - snap peas in pod, colored peppers, tuna salad

M3: 3 C. Green chili chicken, unsweetened applesauce w/ cinnamon

 

Day 15 - Meals

M1: 2 Fried eggs, 2/3 C Sweet potato topped w/ kalua pig and clarified butter 

M2: 2 C. golden cauliflower soup, 1/2 C. Salmon salad, fresh apple

M3: Baked stuffed sweet potatoes (ala Against All Grain - but with my own choice of veggie toppings), topped w/ clarified butter, chicken, kalua pig, broccoli, and cauliflower - maybe some mushrooms, too, as that's what sounds good to me right now. :-)

 

Took an easy day at home on Saturday. Helped DH w/ a small project for a couple of hours in the morning, goofed around on the computer for a few hours, then made chocolate chili for a late supper. I froze the leftovers for lunches this week - it was quite good! It felt like I needed a lazy day at home, so I took it. Sunday I spent a few hours in the afternoon cooking - made green chicken chili, plus a loaf of fresh bread for the non-W30's in my house. Took some over to the daughters and we watched a movie together. The food was good, but ended up feeling behind the eight-ball this morning, thinking I should have done more cooking to prepare for this week. Oh, well! We will just see how the week progresses. I did make up some salmon salad this morning which will help with lunch preparation this week. It's a good thing I don't mind repetitive lunches. I think I would be in trouble if I had to have variety at every meal.