Combo Fast Track and Slow Roll Intros - ENDLESS QUESTIONS!

[Robin R.]

I successfuly finished my first Whole30 on Tuesday and reintroduced a glass of Sauvingnon Blanc on Wednesday with naturally occurring sulfites, none added.  I have felt fine since.  My husband and I are going away for our 28th anniversary tonight, and we will be having 5 meals out.  I am researching and emailing the restaurants/Inn now to see what I can eat to stay W30 compliant.  I have told them that I have dietary restrictions which are no gluten, dairy, rice, soy, peanuts, corn, no added carrageenan, MSG or sulfites.  I can figured I can easily stay away from other grains, legumes.  Have I covered everything?  I have had only one restaurant meal out since I started this adventure so I am not very experienced at this.   Our 28th anniversary is tomorrow and I plan to have wine or champagne with dinner to celebrate!

Since sugar does not need its own day, I am going to enjoy the bacon with my breakfast.  I am assuming that I can have sweet potato or regular fries as long as they are not cooked in soybean oil?  We can relax on the other vegetables oils as needed, correct?  

MY plan going forward is based on what I am missing most and the upcoming meals out that will be happening in the next few weeks.  I plan to wait 3 days from Saturday's consumption of wine to have fresh corn on the cob (with clarified butter).  I will then wait 2-3 days and re-introduce black beans,  butter, brown rice pasta on their own separate days.  I will be eating out at a Mexican restaurant in a few weeks, and want to be able know if I have to not worry about added butter when away that weekend with my cousins.  My husband makes an amazing linguine with clam sauce and I am missing that.  He adds butter to that so I will need to know how that affects me.  I will have mine on brown rice pasta rather than regular pasta so that will probably be my first try with the brown rice.  

Next question:  If I find that I have reintroduced all of the above-mentioned items successfully prior to my weekend away with the cousins, am I able to have them over that weekend with wine?  I am not certain when I will be reintroducing any other items because that depends on what I miss, or what occasions we have to dine out, etc.  so I do not really know when I will be completely finished.   Because I feel so good right now, I do want to eat mostly Whole30 for the rest of my life, but still allow for treats and more relaxed rules while dining out, travelling, etc.  How do other people handle this?

Thank you in advance for your guidance.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Robin R.]

No suggestions, so I flew through our anniversary weekend alone.  I was very successful and learned a lot in the process!   

The restaurant we dined at on Friday night had no answered my email, so I went in with my list of ingredients I needed to steer clear of:   specifically gluten, dairy, rice, soy, peanuts, corn, assuming that I could avoid other grains and legumes.  This was a nice restaurant with linen tablecloths, etc. but it was difficult to figure out what I could have from their menu because many things were in sauces.  The waitress was very kind but came back and told me that I could have only have cod.  And grilled chicken.  I chose the grilled chicken as I figured it would be tastier than the cod.  It was fine, just overcooked.  Instead of the rice, I ordered a double side of their veggies without the snap peas.  I also had a salad with their compliant balsamic viniagrette.  I had seltzer with slices of lemon and lime. Squeezed lemon, lime and orange juice all over the chicken and the veggies.  The broccoli, cauliflower and carrots were very crunchy, and not tasty.  My husband, who is not on the W30 agreed that his meal was only mediocre as well.  It was a disappointing experience.  

I had emailed the Inn ahead of time and discussed breakfast with them.  They were able to make me scrambled eggs, homefries with onios (all cooked in olive oil), bacon with a side of watermelon, kiwi and grapefruit.  They were very kind and accommodating!

I was a bit nervous about lunch which was at a family style restaurant with a lot of fried foods.  However, I was forearmed with the knowledge that I could have a naked burger and a salad.  I brought along avocado and my own Black Cherry Aged Balsamic vinaigrette just to spice things up.  I was hoping for their sweet potatoes fries, but nope, everything was fried in soybean oil.  The 1/2 lb. Angus burger was juicy and perfectly done on top of lettuce and tomato.  After reading the labels, I put ketchup and mustard on the burger.  The garden salad was large, lovely and fresh.  Surprise success here!

The manager at the restaurant for our anniversay dinner very agreeably took my list of foods I needed to avoid over the phone.  When we arrived, we were handed a menu with all of the menu items that I could have circled.  I was very pleased!  Gratefully there was more than one or two bland choices unlike our Friday night experience!  I started with a a Garden Salad with Ginger Honey Vinaigrette Black, followed by Pepper Lime Salmon, Crispy Carrot Cabbage Slaw, Fresh Carrots and Red Pepper and was able to sub Roasted Potatoes for the jasmine rice!  We had a celebratory bottle of sparkling wine. It was a very nice Anniversary dinner.

Two days later and I am feeling just fine!!!