Death of the Dragon - 30 days of carnage (July 25)

[SugarcubeOD]

20 minutes ago, Jim4884 said:

Yeah that!   I thought I had seen food with no breaks somewhere too, but point made now

Oh you did... Food with no brakes is the term that we use when something is nutritionally void and doesn't have the natural ability to ping your satiety signals to stop you from eating (why we can eat an entire package of oreos and still keep going... that's the example in the book I think).  

[Delicacious]

3 hours ago, SugarcubeOD said:

My favorite food on the planet in my whole life was the Oyster Omlette from.... oh gosh, now I can't remember the food place... starts with an N I think... we took a train to get there... I can picture it vividly... the guy that sold us the chicken sate and the fresh squeezed sugarcane juice and the oyster omlette... please tell me you know the name of it... it's one of the most popular ones... I also went to Maxwell and East Coast (I think they're called)... anyway, when I dream of winning the lottery sometimes I dream of moving there!  I also vividly remember swimming across the Sentosa lagoon and a fish bumping me and nearly drowning from surprise!  GAH! Love it there!

I think it's Newton Food Centre. That place has become rather touristy so the locals avoid it like plague. Let me know if you ever come by again and I'll show you some nice local places.  Compliant Oyster omelette recipe:

Ingredients:
Oil - I would use lard (3-4 tbsp), divided
Slurry - 3.5 tbsp sweet potato flour to 150ml of water
3 eggs, beaten
Oysters
Spring onions
Fish sauce
Cilantro

Method:
1) Defrost the oysters.
2) Make a slurry of sweet potato flour and water.
3) Heat a flat pan and when it is smoking, add 2 tablespoon of oil. Pour the slurry onto the pan. Try to make sure the pan is very hot, and pour the slurry over it in kind of an irregular pattern. Fry the starch for 3 min.
4) Add 3 beaten eggs and spread them over the starch. While it is frying, use your ladle to cut the omelet into a few pieces and lift them up slightly with the ladle so that some of the eggs get under the starch. Add more oil so that it gets under the omelet and it is bubbling away.
5) Once the eggs are almost cooked on top and the starch is brown and crispy, flip them over and fry till briefly till the eggs brown.
6) Push the eggs to one side and add the oyster to the pan together with some chopped spring onions and a few splashes of fish sauce. (You might want to add some chilli sauce at this stage as well). Mix the eggs and the oysters together and add a generous handful of chopped cilantro and serve!

(Adapted from ieatishootipost fb page)

[SugarcubeOD]

Oh thank you so much!  Yes, you're right, it was Newton!  It was already very touristy when I was there... I would love to go where the locals go!  It's funny you post from ieatishoot - I used to follow his blog and interacted with him quite a bit and he also said if I go there he'd take me around... that was a few years ago now... when I come, lets all go on a food tour!

I'm SO making this this weekend!  Thank you so much!

[Delicacious]

38 minutes ago, SugarcubeOD said:

Oh thank you so much!  Yes, you're right, it was Newton!  It was already very touristy when I was there... I would love to go where the locals go!  It's funny you post from ieatishoot - I used to follow his blog and interacted with him quite a bit and he also said if I go there he'd take me around... that was a few years ago now... when I come, lets all go on a food tour!

I'm SO making this this weekend!  Thank you so much!

oooh.. post pictures of your completed oyster omelette! For the slurry, he used a mix of sweet potato flour and rice flour. I just substituted all for sweet potato flour. I think a mix of sweet potato and tapioca flour would work as well.

[emilyelowe]

11 hours ago, Jim4884 said:

The riced broccoli and cauliflower bags at Trader Joes I might die if those became unavailable  

Amen. 

[emilyelowe]

Well now I'm pretty stinking excited about this Meatza thing, let me tell you. Thanks, team!

 

So my husband woke up this morning and says, "I had a nightmare!"

I said, "Oh no! What happened?"

"I ate a cookie."

LOL  Day 15 has officially arrived.

I am still feeling kind of tired and cranky, which is weird, but I think it's related to being bored at work and not food stuff because I wake up alert and ready to go and then peter out when I have to go to work. However, watching my husband have such a successful Whole30 has been super fun. He's feeling really good at the gym, he's coming to bed earlier, he's trying black coffee - like, WHO IS THIS MAN!? It's been really interesting, so trying to suck up some of that joy since mine seems to be lacking. 

Had our final Blue Apron meal last night for dinner - cauliflower rice, ground beef with coconut aminos, zucchini, chile peppers, bird's eye chili pepper? (yum hot!), and pan fried shallots with lime juice. I forgot to figure out how to include fat so I ended up having some banana with coconut flakes, hoping it would help me at the gym this morning. I will say I felt better this morning than I did yesterday morning (despite the GREAT DANE sleeping in my bed last night ) but I obviously don't want to make a habit of that, as it's pretty dessert-y. 

Up today:

Pre-WO - HB egg with guacamole

Post-WO: HB egg white

M1: 2 everything muffins with ghee*, some hash, 3 eggs.

M2: arugala with olive oil, italian sausage, peppers, onions, red sauce.

M3: fajita-style onions, peppers, steak, cauliflower rice, and guacamole. 

*I have to tell you a funny story about this ghee. So I'm in Trader Joe's and I see this yellow/orange-colored "Buffalo Ghee," and I think "Ghee + Buffalo Sauce!?! Genius!" Yeah... It's ghee made from actual buffalo's milk with turmeric added for flavoring/color. #facepalm 

Going to a friends with some other girlfriends this evening (they'll be eating pizza) so I also have some kombucha to sip on there. I'm already looking forward to it! It's like my new favorite thing. I hope I don't crack into it before I get there! Haha.

I'm noticing some bumps on my forehead, kind of break-y out-y, but not pimples, which seems odd. I have a pretty clear complexion, so wondering if it is related to the fish oil supplement? I'm also out of face lotion, though, so have been using coconut oil until I buy some more. I'm afraid I might just be paranoid about the fish oil because I probably wouldn't even have thought of that except that ISWF mentions it. I think it also mentions an alternative to fish oil to get the omega-3's, so I need to look into that. 

I think that's all I have for now! Keep on keepin' on, friends!

[emilyelowe]

Umm... @Delicacious - according to your Instagram, you've been holding out on us. I obviously NEED A LINK TO YOUR BLOG RIGHT NOW so I can eat those chicken wings. 

[diamonds422]

Hello all! The past few days have been tough. Saturday I came down with a terrible sore throat that has morphed into a summer cold. I ate a few cough drops on Saturday out of desperation, even though I knew they probably weren't compliant. I'm still going to complete the 30 days, though. I was desperate and it was for health reasons on hectic day when I had no other options, so I'm fine with it. If this were my first Whole30 and not my third, I'd consider starting over, but nope. I'm still feeling under the weather but I honestly think it would have been a lot worse were I not eating nutrient-dense foods right now. 

My husband and I have packed up most of our apartment and used up most of the food in our fridge/freezer in preparation for the move. Now if the gas company can just install the stupid meters already, we can close on our house!! We would have closed 12 days ago if not for that...

[emilyelowe]

My hubby woke up feeling under the weather this morning, too, @diamonds422! Well wishes to you. I've heard coconut oil, tea, and lots of Vitamin C can help. 

The situation with your house sounds terribly frustrating! I hope you're able to close soon!

[CPerez]

Day 10...I'm in the double digits!  

I've been feeling good, more energy than I used to have.  I have not been going to the gym and I need to get started with that.  I just can't seem to get up early enough to get there.  Open to all suggestions.  

@emilyelowe, I've never heard of  kombucha.  Can you tell me more about it?  What brand do you drink?  Would it help with constipation? 

Have a good evening everyone.  

[Jim4884]

10 hours ago, emilyelowe said:

Well now I'm pretty stinking excited about this Meatza thing, let me tell you. Thanks, team!

 

 

22 hours ago, SugarcubeOD said:

  THanks also for reminding me about the Meatza, I haven't made that since my first Whole30 one million years ago.

The one non-compliant food that was continually looking and sounding good to me, as I progressed through Whole30-dom, was pizza.  Thin crust, deep-dish, pizzeria, delivery, frozen supermarket brand, you name it, it sounded good to me.  Most things that I've read people struggle with during a whole 30 were easy for me (and I am SO grateful!) - I've always drank my coffee black; no carb flu; diet soda stopped sounding good a week in; etc etc etc.  But pizza - damn!  Then I found that meatza recipe, made it, and it is markedly different than traditional pizza, but it satisfied me in the same way.  I make the crusts 4 or 6 at a time and have it at least twice a week    For the record, I am in re-introduction phase (not going to post details here, don't worry mods), and I don't think I will even bring back "old" pizza...

[CPerez]

8 minutes ago, Jim4884 said:

 

The one non-compliant food that was continually looking and sounding good to me, as I progressed through Whole30-dom, was pizza.  Thin crust, deep-dish, pizzeria, delivery, frozen supermarket brand, you name it, it sounded good to me.  Most things that I've read people struggle with during a whole 30 were easy for me (and I am SO grateful!) - I've always drank my coffee black; no carb flu; diet soda stopped sounding good a week in; etc etc etc.  But pizza - damn!  Then I found that meatza recipe, made it, and it is markedly different than traditional pizza, but it satisfied me in the same way.  I make the crusts 4 or 6 at a time and have it at least twice a week    For the record, I am in re-introduction phase (not going to post details here, don't worry mods), and I don't think I will even bring back "old" pizza...

I may have to try this.  It just sounds strange!  Do you have a special recipe?

[Jim4884]

The recipe is Mel Joulwan's - she's a whole 30 cooking genius and entertaining blogger: https://meljoulwan.com/2010/02/16/dinner-and-a-movie™-meatza-pie-and-the-vancouver-olympics/  Enjoy!

 

[jephrystanley]

Howdy pardners... @diamonds422, that really stinks!  When I first started, I had a serious cough and some chest congestion (which I think is related to my recent move from Knoxville, TN to Norfolk, VA...from one serious allergy capital to another but very very different triggers).  The congestion is pretty much gone, but the cough kind of lingers.  It's super annoying to be sick AND doing the W30 AND moving.  Whew!  But you got this...

Day 15 for us.  PS.  Meatza, @Jim4884, is a brilliant idea..thanks for sharing.  Interesting that you should bring up what tempted you during your W30 because Hubs and I had this exact conversation walking to rent a movie tonight (yes, there is a locally owned little jewel of a spot right next to our house in Norfolk that still rent DVDs...it's the coolest!).  One of his colleagues has her last day of work on Friday so they threw her a going away celebration at a local restaurant this afternoon and served all those good, crappy foods that we (he and I, that is) love (used to love?  maybe we're totally out of the woods?  maybe not?), grilled cheese sliders, mac n cheese, fried pickles, the works.  And while we were waiting in line to check out at the video store (PS, the nineties just called), we were looking at our friend Tracy's Instagram; she started a W30 last week.  She posted a picture of cake at a work celebration today and how proud she was that she resisted without feeling tempted.  Hubs was like, "Good for Tracy...I am not there."  So we discussed how his afternoon of fried temptation went and I asked him if it was hard to resist.  And at first he said yes....and then he thought for a second and realized that it wasn't, in fact, really all THAT hard because he'd done it.  He didn't break down, he didn't indulge.  I was so proud of him.  We then discussed the things that we thought we'd miss that we haven't and then some things that we do miss but know we shouldn't.  I am so interested to see where this takes us on Aug 19 (our first non W30 day).  We're going to Aspen to celebrate a friend's 40th over Labor Day weekend and I think THAT will be the ultimate test.  I'd be lying if I said I don't miss any of the food I know are bad for me.  What I am trying to do is really analyze why...why do I miss them?  What did they give me that seemed impossible to obtain from any other source?  Did that work?  (I mean, obvs, no, but if I just landed on that easy answer, what would I talk about with my therapist?) It's thought provoking.  And I'm on a learning kick right now in hopes of not continuing to predict how I am going to feel about something before actually feeling which, to me, translates to living in the moment rather than always just a few steps ahead of myself.  

Today was a bit harried.  I made Melissa's chicken hash for breakfast and repeated it for lunch because the day just got away from me.  But DAMN, it was delicious.  I think I could doctor the recipe around for kicks but it's definitely a post W30 keeper.  We made the garlic shrimp with romanesco sauce and zoodles tonight (first go on the spiralizer...love it) and also delicious (and another keeper). The food definitely doesn't disappoint.  My parents come up from Atlanta the weekend of the 17th...and our norm is eat all the grilled stuff we can, burgers, fish, etc.  It will be...interesting...to see how they react, may dad especially.  My mom is fairly open minded but my dad eats like four things, most of the red meat of some kind.  It will be the weekend heading into our W30 finale...

[22Poodles]

Hello everyone! Has anyone else ever struggled on the third and fourth week of the program? I am on Day 24 and suddenly am hungry all the time! The first two weeks I was so satisfied and "happy" with my food and the freedom from cravings and snacking, but now I am hungry between meals and find myself eating a tiny snack here and there and fear I am returning to old habits even within the Whole30. Was also in an awful mood for the first time...cause I was hungry maybe? I'd appreciate any thoughts on how the last week of the program has felt to folks. I've adored all the wonderful benefits up to now and want them back! 

[Jim4884]

36 minutes ago, jephrystanley said:

 My parents come up from Atlanta the weekend of the 17th...and our norm is eat all the grilled stuff we can, burgers, fish, etc.  It will be...interesting...to see how they react, may dad especially.  My mom is fairly open minded but my dad eats like four things, most of the red meat of some kind.  It will be the weekend heading into our W30 finale...

So grill some kind(s) of red meat and he can skip the accompanying veggies

 

[SugarcubeOD]

51 minutes ago, jephrystanley said:

 on a learning kick right now in hopes of not continuing to predict how I am going to feel about something before actually feeling which, to me, translates to living in the moment rather than always just a few steps ahead of myself.  

This is very interesting that you say this... I've written about it (not here) multiple times... not about food necessarily but about how forecasting feelings into the future just means that you're not able to live in the present... worry and anxiety about something that 'might' happen means that you're living with it 'actually' happening constantly... not nice!  I tried to look in my journal for what I wrote because I remember it was well put but turns out I can't read my own handwriting - great way to secure your thoughts in a journal... if I can't read it, surely no one else ever will... I predict scientists finding it in a thousand years and comparing it to hyrogliphics.  LOL!  I just love all the internal change and psychological discussing that is happening here... its NOT just about food... it starts with food and when you remove the noise from the food, you open up a world of insight!  Love it!

[Delicacious]

Ok need help again. I bought some Thai coconuts and had about half the coconut water from one this morning with breakfast. Probably less than 10 min later I started feeling awfully dizzy and crappy, and then these horrible abdominal cramps started. I'm suspecting coconut more than my breakfast because it's usual stuff, unless grilled eggplants could cause such reaction too? I've never had such reaction from coconut water but I'd to say that this was a very sweet coconut. 

[Delicacious]

12 hours ago, emilyelowe said:

Umm... @Delicacious - according to your Instagram, you've been holding out on us. I obviously NEED A LINK TO YOUR BLOG RIGHT NOW so I can eat those chicken wings. 

I'm working on it!! Trying to type the recipe out by tonight. It's noon for me now. 

[SugarcubeOD]

17 minutes ago, Delicacious said:

Ok need help again. I bought some Thai coconuts and had about half the coconut water from one this morning with breakfast. Probably less than 10 min later I started feeling awfully dizzy and crappy, and then these horrible abdominal cramps started. I'm suspecting coconut more than my breakfast because it's usual stuff, unless grilled eggplants could cause such reaction too? I've never had such reaction from coconut water but I'd to say that this was a very sweet coconut. 

Huh... do you have any eggplant leftover that you can have the same breakfast less the coconut water and see if you get the same reaction?  Or do it the other way around but personally I"d rather know about eggplant than coconut water (which is really only supposed to be used for people doing high exertion work/exercise/sports as it's considered a light fruit juice)

[SugarcubeOD]

1 hour ago, 22Poodles said:

Hello everyone! Has anyone else ever struggled on the third and fourth week of the program? I am on Day 24 and suddenly am hungry all the time! The first two weeks I was so satisfied and "happy" with my food and the freedom from cravings and snacking, but now I am hungry between meals and find myself eating a tiny snack here and there and fear I am returning to old habits even within the Whole30. Was also in an awful mood for the first time...cause I was hungry maybe? I'd appreciate any thoughts on how the last week of the program has felt to folks. I've adored all the wonderful benefits up to now and want them back! 

Are you still eating to the template?  The actual template that you just check right now before you answer, not the one that you think in your head... the reason I say this is sometimes we get comfortable and things go a bit sideways from the template... too much fruit, not enough fat, not enough veggies etc... 

[Delicacious]

10 minutes ago, SugarcubeOD said:

Huh... do you have any eggplant leftover that you can have the same breakfast less the coconut water and see if you get the same reaction?  Or do it the other way around but personally I"d rather know about eggplant than coconut water (which is really only supposed to be used for people doing high exertion work/exercise/sports as it's considered a light fruit juice)

No I don't have any grilled eggplant left but I suppose I can grill some up tomorrow and test. Coconut water was taken probably 15 min after breakfast. I popped a probiotics pill and the bloat and cramps seem to have eased. Really weird. 

Just read that eggplant plus tomatoes are all under the nightshade category. Wonder if that's the reason why. Will test and see. I had roasted tomatoes too. 

 

[SugarcubeOD]

5 minutes ago, Delicacious said:

No I don't have any grilled eggplant left but I suppose I can grill some up tomorrow and test. Coconut water was taken probably 15 min after breakfast. I popped a probiotics pill and the bloat and cramps seem to have eased. Really weird. 

Just read that eggplant plus tomatoes are all under the nightshade category. Wonder if that's the reason why. Will test and see. I had roasted tomatoes too. 

 

Oh ya, could be...you could be one of those people that does okay with 'some' nightshades a day but eggplant AND tomatoes (AND coconut water which can cause bloating) might have just been too much for you... glad you feel better now tho!

[emilyelowe]

14 hours ago, Jim4884 said:

The one non-compliant food that was continually looking and sounding good to me, as I progressed through Whole30-dom, was pizza.  Thin crust, deep-dish, pizzeria, delivery, frozen supermarket brand, you name it, it sounded good to me.  Most things that I've read people struggle with during a whole 30 were easy for me (and I am SO grateful!) - I've always drank my coffee black; no carb flu; diet soda stopped sounding good a week in; etc etc etc.  But pizza - damn!  Then I found that meatza recipe, made it, and it is markedly different than traditional pizza, but it satisfied me in the same way.  I make the crusts 4 or 6 at a time and have it at least twice a week    For the record, I am in re-introduction phase (not going to post details here, don't worry mods), and I don't think I will even bring back "old" pizza...

This is the one food that is a consistent craving for me (and my husband), too, and we have yet to find a way to really satisfy the craving, so I am so excited to try this! The closest thing I've figured out is pan-fried cauliflower+egg with red sauce, meats, and veggies on top. I averted a pizza craving with that once pretty successfully and still enjoy having that as a meal. The cauliflower mixture is really not even remotely like actual pizza crust so I didn't think it was a SWYPO moment. 

[emilyelowe]

14 hours ago, CPerez said:

Day 10...I'm in the double digits!  

I've been feeling good, more energy than I used to have.  I have not been going to the gym and I need to get started with that.  I just can't seem to get up early enough to get there.  Open to all suggestions.  

@emilyelowe, I've never heard of  kombucha.  Can you tell me more about it?  What brand do you drink?  Would it help with constipation? 

Have a good evening everyone.  

My only suggestion for getting up to go the gym is to go to bed earlier.  I go to bed between 8 and 8:30 (the sun is still up) in order to get up around 5:30 for the gym and the sacrifice is totally worth it for me. Not sure what your home situation is like, but if you can swing it, try it out and see. You might be surprised by the habit it becomes even though it sounds weird now. This is definitely the time to try it, though, as you'll likely find yourself having more energy and stamina as you continue to progress in your W30. That has been my experience, at least. 

Regarding kombucha, I believe it is fermented tea. The fermentation naturally creates probiotics that should help make your gut happy. I have been trying to incorporate for about a week or so now and am still having some constipation, but I think it is improving. I'm also not going overboard - I'm only having about 6 oz. per day a couple times per week. I have heard if you jump in too fast, it can result in the opposite of constipation and possibly bloating and other things.

So far, I've tried the Strawberry and Guava flavors from GTS (I'm just looking a picture of it, I'm not really sure), two other brands I can't recall, and one tiny coconut water kefir shot, which was terrible. The GTS is definitely my favorite so far. The trick to finding them while you're on W30 is to make sure there's no ADDED sugar. The fermentation process requires sugar, so it may be listed in the ingredients as part of the original base, but fermentation eats all the sugar so that part is OK. However, because of the fermentation, it's quite sour, so most companies sweeten it with sugar/stevia/honey/whatever. The GTS ones I mention above are sweetened with strawberry and guava puree instead. I've attached a picture.