Egg Free #3!!

[mochuisle]

Holy Snow!! Almost 3 feet in Portland - more than I can remember since I was a little kid. The bank in front of my car is up to my shoulders and at least 5 feet deep. And yes, I mean "is" - because the world's worst property management company hasn't plowed or shoveled yet. At 630pm. 6 hours after the snow stopped. One of my neighbors shoveled the walkway for all of us, thank God!

Despite my plowing frustrations, I put together a kick-ass dinner! Slow-Roasted Crispy Pork Shoulder (http://www.fromaway.com/cooking/super-crispy-skinned-slow-roasted-pork-shoulder) was in the oven all day. My mom makes the best pork roast, where she roasts potatoes in the pork drippings - heaven! So I subbed parsnips for the potatoes, and they were dynamite. Super meal for a cold, epically snowy day!

Day 39 Log

Breakfast - 2 AF Hot Dogs, Prosciutto, Oven-Roasted Sweet Potatoes, Salad Greens w Grapefruit & Avocado

Lunch - Spaghetti Squash w Meatballs & Pasta Sauce, Blood Orange

Dinner - Slow-Roasted Crispy Pork Shoulder, Avocado Lime Sauce, Roasted Parsnips, Green Beans

[nshepardson]

Just caught up with you this morning - thanks for the reminder of smooth move tea. Leaky gut totally sucks, I know, me too. Great job! You've got me thinking about hitting those 105 degree yoga rooms in March . . .

[mochuisle]

Just caught up with you this morning - thanks for the reminder of smooth move tea. Leaky gut totally sucks, I know, me too. Great job! You've got me thinking about hitting those 105 degree yoga rooms in March . . .

After being cooped up in a blizzard the last two days, hot yoga felt amazing this morning!!

[mochuisle]

Wow! Day 40

You know I've been cooped up for the weekend when I decide to clean my oven. To be completely and totally honest, this is the first time I've ever cleaned an oven. Embarrassing when you consider how much I use it, isn't it? Last weekend on Super Bowl Sunday, I roasted some chicken wings in said oven. Did I mention I also have no windows or vent in my kitchen? It got so smoky in my condo that my purse and jacket smelled like smoke & wings into Wednesday. So when things got a little smoky again last night with the pork roast, I decided to tackle the oven with this: http://wandernest.wo...e-oven-cleaner/. I couldn't get it completely spotless, but it's a whole hell of a lot cleaner than it ever has been - fingers crossed that the oven works tomorrow

Breakfast - Breakfast Sausage, Roasted Fennel, Salad w Grapefruit, Nectarine

Lunch - Spaghetti Squash w Meatballs & Pasta Sauce, Blood Oranges

Snack - Apple w Pecan Butter

Dinner - Oven-Roasted Pork Chop, Green Salad w Dates & Prosciutto, Balsamic Vinaigrette

[mochuisle]

Day 41

After almost a week off, I got in 3 miles this morning. I could feel the difference the new shoes made almost immediately - and I realized how completely destroyed my old shoes were! The hip feels better, and the blister is now a callus, but my soleus/Achilles is still really tight. I walked every hill just to be safe - will hit Heidi's class at 6am tomorrow, then see the new chiropractor. Hopefully Casey will work some miracles on me!!

Breakfast - Italian Sausage w Tomato Sauce, Spinach Salad w Blackberries

Lunch - Spaghetti Squash w Meatballs & Pasta Sauce, Blood Oranges

Dinner - Smoked Paprika Chicken Thighs, Roasted Kabocha Squash, Green Beans

BTW - Make the Kabocha Squash right away! Sooooo good!! And if you like spicy, the chicken thighs were dynamite, too. Recipes here:

http://www.primal-palate.com/2011/03/smoked-paprika-chicken-thighs.html?m=1

http://nomnompaleo.com/post/41440300414/whole30-day-25-roasted-kabocha-squash

[mochuisle]

Day 42 I'm dreaming about a cup of coffee w cream & sugar on Saturday....

I went to see the new chiropractor today and am optimistic that she's going to be able to work things out with my legs. Apparently my hips/pelvis are all out of sorts, and I feel like we got a lot accomplished in an hour. She okayed running, so I'll give it another go tomorrow. Fingers crossed!!

We also had an amazing night of bowling!! Can't wait for next Tuesday night & finally being able to tip a few back with my team - woohoo!

Breakfast - Italian Sausage w Tomato Sauce, Spinach Salad w Blackberries

Lunch - Smoked Paprika Chicken Thighs, Roasted Kabocha Squash, Green Beans

Snack - Apple w Pecan Butter

Dinner - Roast Pork, Oven Roasted Parsnips

[mochuisle]

Day 43 Getting excited to jump on the scale on Saturday! I can feel when I've lost weight, but have a tough time seeing it myself. Well, I went get my hair cut yesterday and saw for myself how much weight I've lost in my face. YAY!!!!

Run didn't happen this morning - my wagon was dragging from bowling last night, so I slept in. Tomorrow morning I'll be ready to rock a 3-mile run! And the early morning runs are getting a little easier as I get a little more sunrise each week

I'm scheduled to do a double-red donation for a blood drive tomorrow. I completely prefer giving two pints since they replace your fluids at the same time. But, you need to have higher-than-normal iron levels, so I usually load up on clams, oysters, and leafy greens. I haven't done anything different this week - kind of interested to see how my iron is.

Breakfast - Italian Sausage w Tomato Sauce, Spinach Salad w Blackberries

Lunch - Smoked Paprika Chicken Thigh, Roasted Kabocha Squash, Blood Oranges

Dinner - Butternut Squash Lasagna, Spinach Salad w Figs & Avocado

[mochuisle]

Day 44

I kicked off my day with 3.1 miles in balmy 40 degree weather - definitely did not need my UnderArmour this morning. My calf is still a little wonky so I'm babying the hills, but my time was pretty good (about 30 seconds off my recent best 5K time).

I was showered with love at school today <3 This includes a chocolate rose which hasn't tempted me once (but I might save for the weekend) and the greatest Valentine's Day card I've ever received. High school kids are hilarious, and this is the major reason why I love my job!

I finished off the day with a double-red donation at the Red Cross for SheJAMS, then ran home to make this Sirloin w Fig-Pistachio Butter (with a few modifications) - http://www.theclothe...stachio-butter/

I don't sous-vide, so I pan-seared the steak, then finished it in the oven. And I passed on the Moroccan spice and Sweet Potato Home-Fries, but kept the butter. OMG! Heaven.

Breakfast - Pork, Butternut Squash & Apple Hash w Hot Sauce

Lunch - Butternut Squash Lasagna, Garden Salad, Strawberries

Dinner - Sirloin w Fig-Pistachio Butter, Mashed Golden Cauliflower

[mochuisle]

It's here! It's here! Some highlights of Day 45:

Kicked off the am with a shift at the yoga studio. Namaste.

Seriously tested my Lenten resolution to quit complaining at a before-school meeting. Worked on changing my attitude instead - easier said than done.

Made it through the last day of school before February vacation without screaming at anyone or threatening any bodily harm.

Had a student stick a one-pound bag of Swedish fish (probably my favorite candy ever) in my face and offer me some. I scoffed at those fish.

Bowled for two hours. I'm a degenerate bowler, apparently.

Had an 8-year-old give me finger pistols at the bowling alley. Hilarious!

Feasted on lobster for dinner to celebrate the end of my Whole45

Day 45 Log

Breakfast - Pork, Butternut Squash & Apple Hash, Pomelo

Lunch - Sirloin w Fig-Pistachio Butter, Mashed Golden Cauliflower

Dinner - Lobster w Ghee, Garden Salad

[mochuisle]

Here are the goals I set on January 1st and my self-evaluation:

Nutrition - I will complete the full 10+-day reintroduction schedule after completing this Whole 30. [Although I've had a comprehensive blood panel for food sensitivities, I'd like to experiment on myself to see how my body reacts to reintroducing dairy, gluten, non-gluten grains, and legumes, as well as eggs and yeast.]

Tough to evaluate, since I haven't done the reintroduction schedule. I'm still deliberating about this, and this may be a drawback of going 45 days instead of 30. I'm a little burned out right now. We'll see what tomorrow looks like.

Active Recovery - I will practice yoga at least three days a week, including one restorative practice.

Hit this one! I've been on my mat at least three days a week, and I think I only had one week where I didn't get to a restorative class. Moving closer to my half-marathon, I see a whole lot more yoga in my future, and with vacation this week, I'm going to finally go to the Deep Stretch class I've been eyeing!

Exercise - I'm thinking bigger than W30 here, more like 2013 goals:

1. I will complete the Rock n Roll Half-Marathon on March 16th, preferably under 2:30.

2. I will complete the Polar Bear Triathlon on May 4th in 1:40.

3. I will complete the Tri for a Cure on July 21st in 1:45 (that is, if I win a spot in the lottery at the end of the month!)

4. If I remain injury-free through the half-marathon and the Polar Bear tri, I will register for an Olympic triathlon. I've got my eye on the Lobsterman Tri - 1-mile swim, 25-mile bike, 6.2-mile run - on Sept 14th, and my only goal would be to finish.

I'll get back to you on this For real, though, even with my nagging calf injury, I'm still on pace to complete the half-marathon on March 16th. I'm hoping that a few more weeks of treatment with my new chiropractor make the training a little easier.

I'm not setting a SMART goal for sleep, but.... The Whole 9 encourages an absolutely dark sleeping space, which I tried during my September W30. OMG!! Who knew how much light my alarm clock gives off?!?! I'm continuing to keep things as dark as possible and am trying to somehow keep ambient light from my living room out of my bedroom.

In addition to turning off the alarm clock light, I've added black-out shades in my bedroom and started pulling the bathroom door closed at night to cut down on ambient light. The only other source of light comes in from my living room windows through the bedroom doorway, where there is no actual door, so I open my closet door to cut out as much light as possible.

And?? I have been sleeping like I'm dead. I pass out on my couch, sleep solidly at night and bound out of bed in the morning ready to attack the day. Honest to God! Except for the morning after bowling night.... even without drinking, I want to stay in bed until 8am. Unfortunately, 1st period begins at 8

In addition, my skin is clear, my nails look awesome, and my immune system is firing on all cylinders. I got a little bit of a cold during the blizzard. It disappeared without me ever getting a sinus infection, bronchitis or even a headache. I was sniffly for two days, then it disappeared. I also woke up yesterday with a cold sore I immediately doused it in the miracle cold sore cream I picked up in Argentina - great story there! - and it would normally be a disgusting eye sore and incredibly painful, causing me to want to hibernate for the next 5-7 days. Nope!

And last but not least, here are the numbers:

I lost 12.6 pounds (possibly more - going to check weight again when I'm not retaining water) and a mind-blowing 5.5% body fat!! This has me down 37 pounds since June - the lightest and leanest I've been in at least 8 years. So happy