Day 2!

[Guest]

So I made it through Day 1 with no problems, like pretty much everyone else I guess--kind of on a high at the possibilities! Day 2 I'm still hopeful but woke up with a headache that won't quit and worse sinus-y issues than usual. Hoping this is just the adjustment period and will go away soon. My food for Day 1 was all from the Whole30 cookbook. I love to cook so having new recipes makes is a lot of fun for me. I hope to keep it up and do a big cook-up each weekend to be ready for the week. Here's what I had:

• Breakfast--egg-sausage-mushroom frittata. Very good.
• Lunch--Asian Beef Zoodle soup and some berries. Also good. The toppings are essential!
• Dinner--Sweet Potato Beef chili and a banana. Also good, though I added more seasoning--chili without cumin is sacrilege! 

I'm type 2 diabetic and my morning blood sugar was down 30 points on Day 2, so that is an early non-scale victory!

 

[MimiHi]

Ceerock! So happy to hear day1 went well. Sorry to hear about your headache and sinusy issues appearing today.  I have no helpful tips but just offering you some support and empathy. Seriously, headaches are the worst, add sinus pain to it, and I’d be curled up in a ball whimpering like a baby. 

Your bloodsugar being down is awesome news! Wow. Isn’t crazy how quickly our bodies respond to all this healthy eating? 

Hope your head feels better soon. MimiHI

[Guest]

Thanks! Day 3 started well--woke up with zero sinus symptoms and no aches or pains! Food yesterday was all leftovers, though I did indulge a bit too much in some cashews at the end of the day. No champagne for New Year's though! I don't really drink though so that wasn't much of a challenge. Today I plan to make the Pork Posole and Pork, Apple,and Cabbage slaw. Tomorrow it's back to work so I need to have my fridge stocked! Also I found this very inspirational article, and am starting a gratefulness journal to tap into this power! https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/29/opinion/sunday/the-only-way-to-keep-your-resolutions.html

[MimiHi]

What???? Are you kidding me? Zero sinus issues on day 3?? That’s awesome news. Seriously. Just fantastic. Love love love reading this Ceerock! You’re a girl after my own Whole30 heart,  what with your pre-spirilized noodles, a few extra cashews, and the no champagne on New Years. Sounds like you’re living at my house! I’m not much of a drinker either, but there’s something about New Years that begs for cracking open a bottle of champagne to make it officially festive. Unofficially, it was great with out it, and aren’t you so happy to wake up on day 3 with such glorious success as no sinus issues? That’s a win for sure! Well done and Happy New Year!

[CaveMom]

Ceerock, Don’t you just love leftovers?  They have saved me so many times!  I haven’t tried any of the recipes in the book yet.  Would love to hear your review of them.

[Guest]

Back at work today after 11 days off...and 17 degrees outside...and the train was late...and my toes got frozen...but not really craving any foods! Super tired today, though I'm not sure if that's from the 20-min wait in sub-freezing temperatures followed by a 15-min walk to the office in said temperatures. Shock to my system!

Yesterday was Day 3, I had my favorite omelet--one I was making before Whole30, but turns out it's compliant! It's a riff on Spanish Tortilla, and for my version I slice a potato very thin and cover a frying pan with the potatoes and fry in some olive oil until tender, then add chopped scallions on top and let warm a bit, then 6 or so beaten eggs with a bit of salt. Let it set and then flip...could do frittata-style in the oven but I don't care if my eggs are a mess, I just flip it as best i can! It is so delicious, even without the buttered toast I would normally have included!

Lunch was more leftovers, then dinner was Pork Posole with Tostones from the Whole30 Cookbook. Again very good, though required essentially double the seasoning, including garlic. I'm finding all of the recipes there so far to be good structure-wise but badly in need of more seasoning.

Had a snack of some roasted almonds and a banana--surprisingly good combo!

Today is Day 4, and I started with leftover omelet and just ate my lunch of leftover Pork Posole...feeling very full. Tonight is either more leftovers or the Apple, Cabbage, and Pork hash from the cookbook, using leftover pork from the posole. That all depends on how I feel when I get home!

Onward!

[MimiHi]

Ceerock! Wow. I'd be tired too if I had to start my day with a 20 minute wait in sub-freezing temps. Sounds dreadful, especially after 11 days off. The first day back after the holiday season is really rough, but had frigid weather to it, and it's a real buzz killer.

Your frittata sounds like heaven on earth. The recipes from the Whole30 cookbook sure sound good. Lord knows I need another cookbook, like I need another whole in my head, but all the recipes sound good, and hopefully not too time consuming or require too much chopping. We all know how fun that is!

[CaveMom]

Yum!  Can I eat at your house? : )

[Jager07]

I like your omelet idea!  There are so many great uses for a mandolin.

[Guest]

Thanks all! Yesterday was rough at work, at about 2pm I crashed hard and couldn't recover. I was foggy-brained and fatigued and ended up going home a bit early and resting. I still don't have any cravings but am aware of an emotional pull toward food--on the way home, for example, I felt the tug to stop somewhere and get something yummy for dinner. I wasn't going to do it, but i felt it. But weirdly, there also wasn't any food that I really wanted, when I tried to picture it. Pizza? Nah. Baja Fresh quesadillas? Nah. The actual food didn't appeal to me much but something in me wanted that emotional spark, that "high" I guess, of getting a "treat" or being "entertained" by food. I've always known I was an emotional eater, but this really made it apparent. But I went home and had W30 leftovers, and my husband loved them as well, and I went to bed early. All's well.

However today I woke up and realized I forgot to get eggs. No eggs in the house for breakfast! And not really any veggies. I have plenty of leftover chili and Posole but I didn't want that, so I made do with a can of salmon with some scallions and lemon juice and some berries. Today I'll get some eggs and hard-boil a bunch for just this type of emergency! 

[PB&JMAINE]

Day 2 on my second January Whole30.

Sweet potato and eggs this morning... doing good... just sat down at my desk and wammie! Here comes the hangover headache. YUCK!

[Guest]

9 hours ago, PB&JMAINE said:

Day 2 on my second January Whole30.

Sweet potato and eggs this morning... doing good... just sat down at my desk and wammie! Here comes the hangover headache. YUCK!

Hope the headache is gone! Mine lasted one day, and I'm on day 5 now!

[Guest]

Update--made the Pork, Apple, and Cabbage hash from the Whole30 cookbook for dinner finally--it was great! My mom makes a fried cabbage dish that has a lot of butter in it and this reminded me of it a lot, thanks to the ghee--nice to have a meal on plan that reminds me of mom's cooking!

At lunch I was in a rush and had two chicken-apple sausages and a banana and a handful of almonds.

[MimiHi]

Hey Ceerock! How's day 6? Honestly, I can't believe you ate canned salmon for breakfast yesterday. Seriously. If I could give you medal, I would, because that takes some serious commitment to eat that on a frigid cold morning. How many recipes have you made from the Whole30 cookbook? Is it worth buying it? 

[Guest]

Very draggy and foggy-brained again today, day 6...the walk from the train in the bomb cyclone might have something to do with that...also i think i need some fruit.

breakfast was two hard-boiled eggs, 2 slices bacon, and some roasted broccoli.

lunch was leftover hash from last night's dinner...still really good.

tonight i have some chicken breasts marinating, will probably do a quick pan-fry and have more roasted broccoli.

@mimihi--ha the canned salmon was actually one of those foil pouches...same difference though! the whole30 book is pretty good, but the more posts i read here the more i think it would be just as easy getting recipes from the web. also i just discovered the whole30 instagram recipe page--lots of great recipes there! https://www.instagram.com/whole30recipes/?hl=en

[MimiHi]

ceerock, you're hardcore. Can, pouch, whatever, it require some intense commitment on your part. I'd gagged if I ate that first thing in the morning. Sorry but I would. You should change your name to Ceerockstar!

[MimiHi]

Hey Ceerock, I was looking thru my first week's posts, and I reread your initial day 1 post. Just curious how the aches and pains are now? And your sinuses? Are they all still improving? 

[Guest]

@MimiHi sinus issues are still much better than pre-whole30, and i haven't woken up achy at all since i started. i do still get some lower back soreness, not in the morning though--usually after sitting at my office desk all day. but overall it's much improved. today is the first say since starting whole30 that i woke up not feeling horrible--very little sinus issues and not feeling draggy and awful. before whole30, it felt like i was waking with a full-blown sinus infection and achy body every morning. being type 2 diabetic, sinus issues (or any infection) are hard to get rid of unless your sugar is very well-controlled, which mine wasn't pre-whole30. 

how are your aches? has getting rid of broccoli and kale helped? or turmeric?

last night was an interesting challenge. my husband came home with a mcdonald's burger and fries for himself, and for the first time i was VERY tempted to go off-plan.  i was cooking up a sheetpan dinner of chicken and potatoes (thanks for the idea @jager07) which smelled lovely, but that burger was calling to me. i held off, though, and told myself to just get through my dinner. i ate my food, which was quite good, and then once i was full from my healthy food, the craving was gone. it was a good lesson to remember--just hold off until after you can eat your food, and the craving will pass. 

this morning's breakfast was chicken apple sausage and leftover roasted broccoli. lunch will be leftover chicken and potatoes, and i'm not sure about dinner yet. i'm working from home today, though, so will be heading to the grocery store at lunchtime to stock up. i'm thinking a big salad with chicken and (unsweetened) dried cranberries and walnuts. the husband will get blue cheese in his (i did not throw out everything non-compliant, obviously, as my husband has to eat and i think it's wasteful to do so, anyway).

[Guest]

day 8--made it through week 1! so far so good. yesterday i couldn't find dried cranberries (or any other dried fruit) with no added sugar so i abandoned the salad idea and made lemon pepper wings and roasted broccoli. very good! i will be going to wegman's this weekend, though, and will probably find unsweetened dried fruit there and then i can have my favorite salad with cranberries and walnuts. (:

i think i had a bit of tiger blood yesterday--had plenty of energy all day and a good mood, no brain fog and no sinus issues. not so much today, though i don't feel bad. woke up a little stuffy in the head, but nothing major. no aches or pains.

i have a big batch of greens with smoked turkey wings in the slow-cooker for tonight. will probably have it with some leftover lemon pepper chicken wings from last night. breakfast today was chicken apple sausage and leftover roasted broccoli. those aidell's sausages are so great for a quick breakfast! not that eggs are a big ordeal but i didn't feel like dirtying a bowl to scramble eggs. sometimes even on a saturday morning with all the time in the world you just don't feel like making a mess. i plan to make a big egg bake this weekend with a bunch of veg and sausage so that i can just have a slice for a quick breakfast each morning next week. 

for lunch today i'm making another batch of the whole30 cabbage-potato-apple hash but this time with some homemade sausage https://whole30.com/2015/04/bangers-and-mash/. that'll make some nice leftovers, too! quick and easy to make, too (assuming you have a mandolin!).

so far i'm very happy to report i still have no cravings. i guess i am lucky that i never had much of a sweet tooth to begin with--put a cake in front of me and i'll happily enjoy it, of course, but generally i will always prefer something salty. in fact, there have been packages of my two favorite sweets--fig newtons and tastycake butterscotch krumpets--sitting on my counter all week for my husband, and i've never once been tempted. things change, though, and let's hope i'm not eating my words in a few days and dying for those cakes. 

[Guest]

Day 9. Tiger blood gone. Woke up groggy for first time since starting Whole30; I blame the smoked turkey wings. I checked the ingredients and there was no sugar, but immediately after starting to eat them (slow-cooked with kale), I felt my sinuses start to swell and head went a bit foggy. Then this morning I'm back to my pre-Whole30 groggy. Perhaps the ingredient label was wrong, or I'm just sensitive to something about the smoking process. I used to use smoked turkey wings in soup all the time and never noticed this reaction, though. Maybe 8 days of clean eating was enough to reveal this sensitivity.

Anyway, feeling a bit better now.

Yesterday overall was good:

B: chicken apple sausage and broccoli

L: cabbage apple hash w/homemade chicken sausage (this was fantastic!)

D: leftover lemon pepper wings and slow-cooked kale with smoked turkey wings (tasted good but my system didn't respond well)

Today I've only had coffee with coconut cream and a hard-boiled egg so far...no appetite at all for some reason, could barely choke down the egg. 

Lunch will be leftovers, and dinner will be my husband's favorite chicken curry--another recipe I've been making for years that turns out to be compliant! http://www.cookingwithria.com/2011/12/indras-mummy-trinidadian-curried.html  

Typically I'd make roti to go with this but he'll have to do without this time around. Roti is the whole reason for the curry (he's from Trinidad, roti is practically a religion there) so he'll be suffering a bit, but he'll have to settle for half of his favorite meal.

He ordered pizza last night...I wasn't tempted, though the cakes on the counter did start to call to me a bit at the end of the night. But after a good night's sleep that call is silenced.  

I too have started to have some thoughts of "why am I doing this to myself? why not just eat whatever i want but restrict calories?" But something in me knows I won't. 

[MimiHi]

Ceerock, day 9! Can you believe it? I wonder what was in that dinner to make your sinuses swell? So strange how things like this happen. I hope you keep feeling better as the day goes along.

I get it, the wondering why am I doing this? From what the Whole30 timeline shows, this phenomenon happens to nearly everyone. I had it yesterday big-time! I feel much better today, if that’s any help. No tigers blood, but definitely happy I stuck with it, and am not feeling the need, this morning, to focus  on very inconsistency I notice in the rules (hello...NutPods vs. homemade). 

Your Curry recipe looks sinful. Curry is my absolute favorite, so this recipe will be my goal for this week. I’m not one who possesses strong cooking skills, so I’m curious if I need all those chicken parts cut up? I get a bit squimish handling raw poultry, so if you have a shortcut, I’d love to know what it is.

 

[Guest]

@mimihi the curry is bubbling away as i type! smells heavenly. i always use a big jumbo pack of chicken parts because it's so cheap that way, and tonight it's all drumsticks. but doing so does mean you'll have to remove all the skin, which is a slippery pain in the a$$. I've made the curry with boneless skinless thighs before, so you could try that. wouldn't really involve any handling of the chicken other than opening the packet and putting it in the pot at the right time!

[MimiHi]

Ohh! I can taste it now!

When you you say “remove the skin”— is that before it goes in the pot. Or after it’s cooked all up? I’m guessing the skin cooking adds a lot of flavor somehow? 

[MimiHi]

Ok...looked at the recipe a bit longer, but can’t quite see if the skin was removed before it was put in the pot.

[Guest]

yeah it's removed when the chicken is raw, before it goes in the pot. if you kept it on, the curry would be verrrrrry greasy! and boiled chicken skin has a very unappetizing texture. after removing it I put it in a bag in the fridge and use it with bones etc. to make stock at a later date. also note that the cooking times listed in the recipe are off--i typically double all of the times she lists in order to make sure the chicken is nice and tender.