SuperJ's Whole30 Journey

[superj5976]

I need a change.  A big change.  My relationship with food is not good.  I know all the right things to do and yet, I ignore most of them.  I overeat a lot.  

Physically, I...

• am obese. (180 lbs and I'm 4'11'')
• have high cholesterol (250!)
• am tired and yet don't sleep well.  
• have thinning hair.
• have stomach/digestion issues.
• have frequent headaches.

Mentally, I...

• am grouchy.  A lot. 
• am angry.  A lot. 
• have no patience for my kids. 
• yell at my kids a lot.  
• feel anxious a lot. 
• feel unmotivated/depressed.

Basically, I feel like things are out of control and getting a handle on what goes into my body may help.  My kids are also crabby, whiny, grouchy, sassy, etc.  So I've got the whole family on board with this plan.  Works out nicely since I do all the shopping and cooking.

Wish me luck!

 

[superj5976]

Day 1:

I asked my 10yo daughter to pick out some recipes from The W30 Cookbook.  I went shopping yesterday and spent nearly $500 stocking the pantry and buying food for the first few days.  

Breakfast: http://www.denverpost.com/2017/03/15/whole30-mushroom-leek-spinach-frittata/

• Kids and husband loved it!  I doubled it to have a few extra servings. Took a lot longer than I anticipated. Started cooking around 9:30, ate around 10:30.  Will prep better next time and definitely make again.

Coffee:  Mid-morning I had a cup of coffee with some coconut cream in it.  I drank it.  No one died.  And the headache I had been nursing on and off for a few days went away all day/night.  

Lunch:  Whipped up some homemade mayo for the first time ever:  https://whole30.com/2014/05/mayo/ 

• Kids had tuna salad (mayo, pickles), avocado, and cukes.  Plates were cleaned!  I'm lucky though, my kids are very good eaters.  Hubs and I had smoked salmon with capers, onions, dressed kale (evoo and lemon juice), cukes, and dill mayo.  I don't love smoked salmon but wanted to give it a try again since it was on sale.  Ate around 1:30

Snack:  Around 4pm I became ravenous.  This is not all that surprising since I am used to eating an afternoon snack every single day.  I noshed on some olives and a few prunes.  That worked well, though I know I need to eat more at lunch now.  

Dinner:  My husband is a pescatarian so when he is not traveling, we will probably have a good amount of seafood.  Tonight I made this:  http://www.muscleandfitness.com/nutrition/healthy-recipes/pan-seared-scallops-bacon-over-braised-swiss-chard 

• I think it was mostly a win.  Everyone ate it and there are no leftovers.  Scallops are not my favorite but everyone else LOVES them.  Cleaning the swiss chard took a million years.  It was SO dirty from the store.  Tried to find a bag of some already washed and cleaned but they were out.  Will keep an eye out for it in the future!  Didn't eat until 7pm.  Another recipe that took way longer than anticipated.

Snack:  I'm up late tonight and I got hungry.  I ate half a banana and a spoonful of almond butter.  After researching, I realize that this is not the best choice for a snack.  Hopefully I can figure out how to eat more at meals so I can avoid the snacks in the future.  

 

[mamashark5]

1 hour ago, superj5976 said:

I need a change.  A big change.  My relationship with food is not good.  I know all the right things to do and yet, I ignore most of them.  I overeat a lot.  

Physically, I...

• am obese. (180 lbs and I'm 4'11'')
• have high cholesterol (250!)
• am tired and yet don't sleep well.  
• have thinning hair.
• have stomach/digestion issues.
• have frequent headaches.

Mentally, I...

• am grouchy.  A lot. 
• am angry.  A lot. 
• have no patience for my kids. 
• yell at my kids a lot.  
• feel anxious a lot. 
• feel unmotivated/depressed.

Basically, I feel like things are out of control and getting a handle on what goes into my body may help.  My kids are also crabby, whiny, grouchy, sassy, etc.  So I've got the whole family on board with this plan.  Works out nicely since I do all the shopping and cooking.

Wish me luck!

 

Good luck on your jouney SuperJ.  You got this.  You have a lot in common with me.  And your goals and reasons for doing this are great.  I am so glad  your kids are along for the ride.  Mine are all happy with the food changes although if the pepperidge cheese fish and eggo waffles aren't replaced for them, life might be over (and they are 13-19 yo).  Like your husband, I eat a lot of fish when the kids are at their dad's.  Sauteed spinach, salsa with fruit, or broccoli fills up the plate for those meals.  I think that on day 15 we have lost some of the crabbiness in the whole house and I am the only one that is really eating whole 30.  Again, you got this, Good luck.

[superj5976]

20 hours ago, mamashark5 said:

Good luck on your jouney SuperJ.  You got this.  You have a lot in common with me.  And your goals and reasons for doing this are great.  I am so glad  your kids are along for the ride.  Mine are all happy with the food changes although if the pepperidge cheese fish and eggo waffles aren't replaced for them, life might be over (and they are 13-19 yo).  Like your husband, I eat a lot of fish when the kids are at their dad's.  Sauteed spinach, salsa with fruit, or broccoli fills up the plate for those meals.  I think that on day 15 we have lost some of the crabbiness in the whole house and I am the only one that is really eating whole 30.  Again, you got this, Good luck.

Thanks for the kind words.  It's gonna be tough, but I'm making it a priority over other things in my life right now.  

[superj5976]

Day 2:  I prepped dinner in the morning so I wasn't late getting it on the table tonight.  My daughter helped make the sauce and the meatballs.  My son spiralized the veggies.  

Hard part today was leaving the house.  I had to run some errands and pick up some gift cards.  I did not get pizza, ice cream, or a sugar laden coffee!  All of which I would have done and not thought twice about.  That was hard.  I also REALLY wanted cheese on my dinner.  

I also spent a good chunk of my day looking at recipes and meal planners.  This Whole30 could be a big time suck for me and I need to strike a balance soon.  

Breakfast: Had the leftover quiche but I added an Aidell's chicken sausage this morning.  

Coffee:  Mid-morning I had a cup of coffee with some coconut cream in it.  No headache at all today.  

Lunch:  Hardboiled some eggs in my Instant Pot and had some egg salad with the mayo I made yesterday plus capers, and celery.  Ate it off some Endive leaves.  Also added 1/2  peach.

Snack:  Two pieces of deli turkey with mayo and two mini-meatballs.  I just might not ever be able to break the 4 meals a day thing.  

Dinner:  https://penguinrandomhouse.ca/recipe/chicken-and-green-olive-meatballs

• HUGE hit.  The kids helped cook and devoured every last bite save some extra sauce.  I doubled the meatball part to save for another meal.  

I'm going to try to go to bed earlier so I don't want to snack tonight!  I feel like all I am doing is cooking and dishes so I need to adjust.

[superj5976]

Day 3: 

Felt very tired all day but I didn't have my coffee so I could possibly go to bed earlier tonight.  Was tough to feel motivated to do anything or cook, but we soldiered on.  Good part was finalizing my pantry.  My daughter helped and except for the very top shelf, it's all Whole30 compliant!

Breakfast: The kids had made their own breakfast by the time I strolled into the kitchen.  "Mom, we made egg salad and ate it with sugar snap peas and tomatoes!  All Whole30!"  I brainwashed them with podcasts on a recent trip.  I made myself some Brussel's sprouts with bacon (pg.236) and an egg.  

Lunch: https://whole30.com/2017/01/whole30-cookbook-3/

• This was a HUGE hit.  We skipped the egg and opted for extra sausage and a drizzle of lime mayo.  Fantastic, even if we mostly made a "taco salad" out of it.  My husband texted me a picture of his salad covered in cheese.  Then a picture of the empty plate except the cheese.  So the entire family is on board.

Snack:  Had some a few slices of apples, a few baby carrots, and some almond butter. 

Dinner: https://whole30.com/2017/04/whole30-cookbook-4/

• Kids weren't keen on the salsa (need to put less parsley and raw onions next time), but everyone LOVED the salmon cakes.  I was skeptical was they were fabulous.  Definitely had to use a LOT more olive oil than the recipe called for.  

Feels like it's been a week, but it's only been 3 days.  10% done!  ha!  Tomorrow we have friends coming over for dinner.  Finally going to splurge on some white potatoes!  

 

[superj5976]

Day 4: 

Slept late today.  Still felt a bit tired but I knew I would get a coffee while running errands today.  My list was long so I wasn't sure we'd be able to hang on long enough between breakfast and lunch without an emergency snack.  I also really wanted to weigh myself.  I am consumed by the scale.

Breakfast: Kept it simple today!  Scrambled eggs, sautéed mushrooms and tomatoes, and a bit of leftover sausage from yesterday.   

Snack:  As predicted, we had to grocery shop and we didn't even get to the store until 1:15.   We hadn't eaten lunch and I had both kids with me.  I brought them right over to the Larabar section and we each picked out a different Whole30 compliant flavor to try.  I know this isn't the best choice, but I avoided my and the kids grouchy, starving grocery store meltdowns! 

Lunch: Also kept it easy.  Plate with 2 slices of deli turkey (Plainville Farm Organic!), hardboiled egg, dollop of mayo, 10 nuts, and raw peppers, cukes, carrots, and tomatoes.  It was actually exactly what I needed!

Dinner: Okay, this was AMAZING!  I used 3 different recipes from The Whole 30 cookbook to make a Nicoise Salad.  Holy hell, it was amazing!  We had friends over so I went all out.  This was the best meal yet!  So happy for leftovers!

I used the tuna marinade from the Seared Fresh Tuna Recipe (pg. 208), the smashed potatoes from this recipe: http://sarahcooksthebooks.blogspot.com/2017/02/the-whole30-cookbook-strip-steak-with.html, and the vinaigrette from this Nicoise one:  http://people.com/food/whole30-diet-recipes-breakfast-lunch-dinner/

(My 7yo son, however, went to a Parent's Night Out with his friends and had some pizza.  So he needs to start over tomorrow!  LOL!  Hey, If I can keep my 7 yo boy "mostly" Whole30, I'll be delighted!  Ten year old girl still going strong!)

I can't lie: we also had a few fresh berries and a dollop of coconut cream after dinner.  Is that allowed?  Did it satisfy a sweet craving.  Not really.  We had a mini-dinner party.  It came after eating dinner.  I didn't need it but it was yummy!

Overall today was MUCH easier since I kept 2 meals simple!  Need to remember this!  I had to hard boiled another batch of eggs today (THANK YOU, INSTANT POT!)  and I need to make more mayo tomorrow!  The 4 of us blew through the first batch!  Feeling good.

[Rottiegirl2017]

You and your family are doing awesome!  Thank you for sharing your recipes and your journey!

[superj5976]

Day 5: 

I have been sleeping good though my hours are shifted too late: 1am-9am.  This will be horrible when school starts next week and I have to get up at 6am.  

Breakfast: Kept it simple again!  Scrambled eggs, tomatoes, avocado, and more of the leftover sausage.  We ate very late (10:30) so the entire day was shifted which is probably why I didn't need a snack.   

Coffee:  I had what maybe amounted to 5 ounces of iced coffee with a bit of coconut cream whipped in.  I might try this again, but I'm clearly weening myself off.  I imagine next week I'll need more when the alarm goes off at 6.  Ugh

Lunch: This was a breeze for me since I had leftover tuna from the previous night.  Had that with tomatoes over mixed greens with the vinaigrette.  Yum!  The best part was how the kids begged to spiralize some summer squash so they could have leftover meatballs and sauce.  They totally get it.

Dinner:  I planned ahead and marinated some chicken thighs the day before using the Simple Chicken Thighs recipe (pg.121).  Roasted these babies up and served them with the Citrus Cauliflower Rice from Well Fed 2: http://meljoulwan.com/2017/08/07/citrus-cauliflower-rice-paleo-whole30/.  We put a bit of the pan drippings over the "rice" and man, we gobbled it up!  

My 7yo son was out again at a friend's house last night but the mom texted me when he said, "I think the only thing I can eat is carrots since we're doing the the Whole30."  That is super amazing but I didn't want him to starve so I gave him the go ahead to eat dinner with his friend.  He skipped the popcorn, candy, and soda at the movies, but did enjoy pancakes in the morning.  I'm okay if he follows Whole30 only when he's with us.  10yo daughter is still all in.  Pescatarian husband is leaving for a business trip so I think there will be some meats coming at ya!

Had a few girlfriend's over last night but asked them to come later after dinner and I had no drinks or snacks to offer them because I didn't want to deal with it late night.  Eek!  But we had a great night chatting over our water bottles.

I think we will easily hit the 1 week mark!  Though I am kind of hoping my husband weighs himself to give me a barometer...

 

[superj5976]

22 hours ago, Rottiegirl2017 said:

You and your family are doing awesome!  Thank you for sharing your recipes and your journey!

Thanks!  I feel like I need to get is all down if nothing else than to reference the recipes!  

 

[superj5976]

Day 6: 

Writing this one late so trying to remember all the details.  Big thing was skipping ice cream on the way home from the beach.  That has basically never happened.  But it did today!  

Breakfast: Leftover potatoes, ground sausage, tomatoes and, hard boiled eggs.   

Lunch: We were heading to the beach so we ate lunch before we left.  Tuna salad with cukes, carrots, and red peppers.  

Snack:  I brought fruit and nuts to the beach for afternoon snack.  

Dinner:  Had some of the leftover chicken and cauliflower rice from the other day.  But also added in some curried broccoli (ghee, curry powder and raisins) as was suggested in Well Fed 2.   (http://meljoulwan.com/2012/11/13/tuesday-10-dress-up-broccoli/)  My family couldn't get enough!  They love curry!  Next time I will double that!  (Cooked my husband a piece of Mahi-Mahi using this rub: http://www.tasteslovely.com/paleo-blackened-cajun-mahi-mahi/)

Tonight while I was rewatching last week's GoT episode, I prepped breakfast for the next morning!  

Also, I repeat:  WE SKIPPED ICE CREAM!  My kids are being such troopers!  

[superj5976]

Day 7:

Where do I even begin.  Today I took the kids to our new waterpark.  They do not let you bring in ANY outside food unless there is a medical condition.  So I knew I had to pack a cooler and we would need to eat lunch in the parking lot...

Breakfast:  I made these Tex Mex Chicken Frittata Muffins from the Whole30 Cookbook as the suggested follow up recipe for the chicken thighs.  http://www.achieveamazingwithamber.com/2017/02/whole30-breakfast-recipes.html  Made my husband's with extra spinach and no chicken.

Lunch:  Around 1:30 I took my tired sunburned kids to the parking lot to eat.  We had Deli turkey, raw veggies, nuts, olives, mayo, and fruit.  We all ate a lot and drank a bunch of water before heading back in.  

Snack:  Stayed at the water park way longer than expected.  Didn't get beer with friends and didn't get ice cream even though it was 90 degrees out.  Grabbed a black iced coffee on the way our and ate what was left of our raw veggies, nuts, and olives on the drive home.  Kids had some emergency larabars, too.  Because let's face it, I was too tired to whip up dinner as soon as I walked in the door so I knew if they weren't starving when we got home, I could hold them off for a bit.  

Dinner:  OMG, so good!  We didn't eat until 8pm, but it was beyond good.  On a whim, I stopped at the fish market on the way home and grabbed some shrimp.  Made this sauce: https://paleoleap.com/coconut-curry-shrimp-cauliflower-rice/ and it was fantastic!  Thickened up nicely as it sat.  I actually cooked veggies in the sauce (squash, asparagus, peppers, tomatoes) and cooked the shrimp in another pan.  Family LOVED it.  Will definitely make this one again!  

Y'all, one week DONE!

[superj5976]

Day 8:

I meal planned this morning and then headed out to the grocery store.  I basically zeroed out my fridge so that was really cool.  My husband is leaving for a work trip so I won't have to double plan for this protein.  He seems a bit worried about following it.

Breakfast: Sauteed up some bacon with some shredded Brussel's sprouts and 2 fried eggs.  Yum!  Easy.  

Lunch:  Had some rotisserie chicken (plain, just cooked), with mixed greens, tomatoes and Tessemae's Creamy Ranch.  Not bad.

Dinner:  Made this for some friends tonight: http://sarahcooksthebooks.blogspot.com/2017/02/the-whole30-cookbook-strip-steak-with.html  We had the potatoes last week but this time I made a variation of the steak, too.  Served with salad and roasted green beans.  Plus a bit of berries with whipped coconut cream, too!  Was a nice way to end the night!

Today I feel tired and I'm letting things aggravate me.  But I ordered some Nutpods so maybe I'll drink some caffeine that will be enjoyable!  Feeling tired so I may try to sleep earlier tonight.  Last night I shut the light off at 11:15 and didn't fall asleep until after 1.  Ugh!

[superj5976]

Day 9:

Feels like day 1000.  I hated everyone today.  Everyone aggravated the crap out of me.  Granted I spent the day unpacking my room and was constantly interrupted with shit I didn't want to deal with.  I woke up this morning and I was not hungry.  I think I ate too much last night.  I didn't have that bad full feeling but maybe just a bit too much.  I had to force myself to eat breakfast.  I was fine for lunch and then I felt snacky all afternoon.  And I didn't have any coffee because it tasted terrible.  

Breakfast:  Eggs with chicken sausage and tomatoes.

Lunch:  Leftover Steak from last night with greens, tomatoes, cukes, and homemade viniagrette.  

Snack: Nuts, olives, and bits of leftover steak.

Dinner:  GUYS:  If you have not made this yet, do it now!  I was making this long before Whole30 and it's still a family favorite.  

https://www.savorylotus.com/paleo-sweet-potato-chili/#comment-323365

Nutpods arrive tomorrow.  I am really looking forward to that!  

[superj5976]

Day 10:

How is it only day 10?  I feel like I'm writing one of those Captain's Logs after being stranded on an island or something.  Anyway, today was much better attitude wise.  I wore some tight shorts and didn't feel smaller.  Which is weird because out of clothes I DO feel thinner.  Today was also easy because it was the first day I didn't do any NEW cooking! Which means I only ran the dishwasher once!  ha!  

 Breakfast:  One of my faves from even before Whole30:  Sauteed leeks in ghee and served with tomatoes and poached eggs.  YUM!

Lunch:  Used up the leftover chicken and made a quick curried chicken salad (mayo, lemon, curry powder, salt, raisins.).  Ate with endive and red bell pepper.  

Snack:  Stopped at the healthiest store we have and found the Epic meat bars.  We were out school shopping a lot later than we anticipated so we all tried one.  The turkey and beef were best, I'd say.  

Dinner:  Leftover Sweet Potato Chili.  Yum!

Tonight while doing laundry I prepped some breakfast sausage and the Kalua Pork for the Instant Pot tomorrow.  33% DONE!  

[superj5976]

Day 11:

Man, it is so crazy how much meal prep changes your life.  There is really no excuses for me and my time.  I have it and I need to remember to prioritize our meals after this is all over.  Was also thinking how I feel less thinner than I did last week.  I also had white potatoes on Tuesday and then sweet potatoes Wed and Thurs.  These do not sit as light with me.  Will keep that in mind.  

Breakfast:  Cooked up some of the same sausage from a Day 4 recipe, plus the good old stand by of scrambled eggs and tomatoes!  ha.  

Lunch:  We didn't get home until after 2:30 but everyone survived!  Had some deli turkey, mayo, raw veggies, berries, nuts, olives.  Starting to sound like a broken record.  But it works.  

Dinner:  Wow!  http://nomnompaleo.com/post/111934821818/pressure-cooker-kalua-pig   Ridiculously good.  VERY salty (which is a lot coming from me) but AMAZING!  The cabbage cooked in the juices after were out of this world.  When your kids ask for extra cabbage, you know it's good!   

Just had the realization that I have not had a headache since Day 3.  Hope I didn't just jinx myself...

[superj5976]

Behind on my posts!

Day 12:  

It was a good day!  We had to be at the kids' school today from 11-2 but we all held out until we could get home for lunch!  Then we went to water park and didn't get home until almost 8pm for dinner!  But we did it!

Breakfast: You know, leftover leeks, eggs, and tomatoes!

Lunch:  This is amazing:  Mango Coconut Curried Chicken Salad!  Kids begged for more.  Cut up a little big of mango and mixed it with a splash of coconut milk, mayo, lemon, and curry powder.  Ate it with Endive and Cukes.  

Dinner: I had a big piece of steak left from another dinner.  Cubed it and sautéed with some sesame oil.  Then made a killer veggie stir fry with all the veggies I could find in my fridge: carrots, shallots, broccoli, bok choy, yellow squash, green beans.  Seasoned it with coconut aminos, ground ginger, garlic, sesame and olive oils.  Fabulous!

[superj5976]

Day 13:  

Wow, tomorrow marks two weeks.  I can't believe it!  This is amazing!  I feel so accomplished!  I don't really feel like I've had cravings all that much either.  But I have eaten out zero times so far.  Today I had a few obstacles to over come but I did!

Breakfast:  Eggs with leftover Brussel's sprouts and tomatoes.  

Lunch:  Well, I had a meeting from 11:30-2:30 so I knew I would be eating late.  But the cafe sold Rx Bars and I had a Maple Sea Salt one.  I enjoyed it!  And I always google "Is this Whole30?" before I eat anything!  hahaha.  Anyway, after we got home, we had little bowls of leftover pork and cabbage to tide us over for the next big event...

Dinner:  Every year I host a night before school BBQ/swim with friends.  I was worried about it this year, but set to work to make it easier!  In the morning I made another batch of mayo (https://whole30.com/2014/05/mayo/).  I think this is our 3rd batch since starting!  I use it for a lot of things.  And I also made Kickass Ketchup (http://meljoulwan.com/2014/03/06/wf2-recipe-kickass-ketchup/) for our burgers to come later that night.  Finally, my friend helped me make W30 cocktail sauce because she brought over some just caught shrimp!   So appetizers of watermelon, shrimp, and cocktail sauce!  Dinner was grilling meats:  burgers (no cheese fro us on W30), hot dogs (Applegate Uncured Beef), and Sausage (Aidele's Chicken Apple).  My friends brought fresh pineapple and I added a raw veggies platter.  Finally, I made this killer Broccoli Salad from WellFed2: http://meljoulwan.com/2010/12/13/suddenly-im-in-the-mood-for-broccoli/.   

All in all, I feel like I conquered the pool gathering and that was a relief!  

Also, I am now loving the vanilla nut pods.  Today was the first day I school and I need my caffeine!

[superj5976]

19 minutes ago, superj5976 said:

 

Dinner: I had a big piece of steak left from another dinner.  Cubed it and sautéed with some sesame oil.  Then made a killer veggie stir fry with all the veggies I could find in my fridge: carrots, shallots, broccoli, bok choy, yellow squash, green beans.  Seasoned it with coconut aminos, ground ginger, garlic, sesame and olive oils.  Fabulous!

Just reading that sesame oil should be limited and not heated.  I guess it's one of those not great but not banned ones.  Got it!

[superj5976]

Day 14:

Still rolling on but been so busy with the start of school that I have a few days back logged here!  I had what I thought was some serious ovarian pain all day today.  I have had cysts before so this was nothing new.  But I then figured out it was some intestinal issue.  I could feel the gas pains moving through me.  I didn't eat anything different but I looked back on yesterday and saw that I ate broccoli, Brussels sprouts AND cabbage.  Weirdly, I was (and this is kind of TMI) still jammed up after that.  But it all cleared out the next morning and no more pain!  Something was not right in there.  I'm a bit worried honestly.  It was weird.  

Breakfast:  Chicken sausage, egg, avocado salad

Lunch: Turkey slices, Broccoli salad, Avocado salad

Dinner: I made just the meatballs from this recipe: http://meljoulwan.com/2013/03/01/school-italian-meat-sauce/.  Served it over noodles with the Whole30 compliant marinara.  I baked the meatballs and then simmered them a bit in the sauce, but they were very dry.  The meaty sauce over the noodles was FANTASTIC!  Tonight was the first night I salted/sweated the zucchini first.  It really made a difference!  Next time I think I will just make a meat sauce.  

I feel heavier after eating beef.  I'm sure this is true for most people.  But something to think about...  I don't LOVE chicken (unless it's curried!).  But I love red meat and pork!

Still no headaches...

Also:  I went for a run this morning!  I just went and did it.  Not too bad!  Feeling good!

[superj5976]

Day 15:  

Holy cow, half way there!  Today I was VERY sore from my run AND the kids had no school because of the Tropical Storm.  But we soldiered on!

Breakfast:  Eggs, Mushrooms, and tomatoes

Lunch: Tuna salad with tomatoes, carrots, and cukes.

Dinner: Made the same Chicken Things and Cauliflower rice from Day 5.  I love the chicken skin when it comes out of the oven.  This might a dangerous one for me.  

[superj5976]

Day 16:

Today was a weird one.  I feel a bit depressed.  I tried to go for a run and my body was just like, "WALK!"  So that was a bit disappointing.  

Breakfast:  Eggs with peppers and avocado

Lunch:  Tuna Salad with greens and cukes  (Funny, this ALWAYS corrects to cakes.  I wish I was eating cakes every day!  hahaha!)

Dinner: Made a variation of the Chinese Chicken and Bok Choy soup (pg. 122) with the leftover chicken thighs.  But sort of doubled it and used collard greens instead of bok choy  (not recommended as collards need a lot more time to wilt!  Oops!)  Squeezed lemon on top.  Kids gobbled it up, as did I!

Today I felt snackish, too.  And tonight I felt like I wanted a dessert!  Hmmm...over the hump but still so far to go...

My parents arrive this weekend.  They will try to eat what we eat as much as possible.  We are meal planning ahead so it should be great!  

[ShannonM816]

2 hours ago, superj5976 said:

 

Today I felt snackish, too.  And tonight I felt like I wanted a dessert!  Hmmm...over the hump but still so far to go...

 

Are you female? If so, this might be related to hormones. In the week or so leading up to her period, a woman is hungrier than usual and may experience cravings for sweets. This is normal. If that might be what's going on here, eat more. Try adding some extra starchy vegetables and maybe just generally increasing the size of meals for a few days.

[superj5976]

8 hours ago, ShannonM816 said:

Are you female? If so, this might be related to hormones. In the week or so leading up to her period, a woman is hungrier than usual and may experience cravings for sweets. This is normal. If that might be what's going on here, eat more. Try adding some extra starchy vegetables and maybe just generally increasing the size of meals for a few days.

Thanks!  I feel like I eat so much already!  It's crazy.  I also have the Mirena so I don't get my period.  But I will keep track.  

[superj5976]

Day 17:  

I dropped the kids off to school and heading to a local cafe to meal plan for the long weekend.  My parents are coming so food has to be compliant but also delicious.  I looked back over the past few weeks and picked some great recipes.  Had to run some errands in addition to grocery shopping so lunch was WAY late.  

Breakfast:  2 eggs, guacamole, tomatoes at cafe

Snack:  Epic beef bar to make it through the shopping

Lunch: Deli turkey, sliced tomatoes, mayo and a bit of the leftover soup.  Kids had taken most it for school!

Dinner: OMG:  Dinner was soooo easy and soooo worth it!  Sometimes the work to delicious ratio is off.  This was probably the simplest dinner to date:  Roasted veggies in the oven:  butternut squash with ghee, green beans with olive oil.  Veggies were pre washed/cubed so no work involved!  Then grilled two steaks on my grill pan.  Less than a half hour from start to finish and wow!  The crispy bits of the butternut squash were amazing!