DellaNova's Whole30 Log

[Della Nova]

Hello all,

I am 22 years old, 5'1.5", and 110 lbs. I am married to a wonderful man who is 36, 6'1", and 195 lbs. We live in Metro-Detroit, MI. We are starting our Whole30 today.

My Goals:

1. Beat my intense sugar addiction. Going from eating candy everyday at work is going to be my number 1 struggle.
   
2. Beat my need for constant snacking. I have always been a "snacker" of various sorts ("fruit" snacks, granola bars, you name it). It will also be a huge struggle to try to avoid snacks.
   
3. Beat my IBS. After going through a year+ of being sick with gas, bloating, nausea, diarrhea, and sometimes vomiting, I feel like I need this change to my way of eating.
   
4. Clear my acne, which I have been struggling with since I was 12.
   
5. Clear the bags/dark circles under my eyes. Despite a consistent sleep schedule, I still seem to have dark circles
   
6. Learn to cook and love my own cooking, rather than relying on restaurants to provide tasty meals.
   
7. Learn to appreciate the food I eat and eat with patience. I have the American habit of "scarfing down" food and I really need to break that.
   
8. Learn to love vegetables and respect them as an important source of food. I am overcoming an immense aversion to onions, mushrooms, and tomatoes, which limited my vegetable consumption in the past. It is a struggle to make sure I consume enough vegetables and a good variety of them in my meals.
   
9. Become more consistently energized. I'm looking forward to the increased energy-levels everyone seems to talk about.
   

My Resources:

1. Cookbooks:
   
   1. 
      
   2. It Starts With Food (both myself and my husband have read it)
      
   3. Well Fed
      
   4. Practical Paleo
      
   5. NomNomPaleo iPad Cookbook
      
   6. Everyday Paleo
      
   7. Various Blogs (TheFoodee, Chowstalker, etc.)
      

[*]Food sources:

1. "Natural Local Foods Express" - a really neat small-store close to us which prides itself on providing local farm-raised meats. It's our closest option for high-quality protein.
   
2. "Zerbos" - a mid-sized grocery store, a bit further from us, which sells organic vegetables, farm-raised meats, a variety of pantry supplies, and a large amount of various supplements.
   
3. "Westborn Market" - a mid-sized grocery store which is good for more exotic cooking supplies (i.e. special olive oils, vinegars, various seafood, kombucha)
   
4. "Meijer" - large scale groceries very close to us. They are good for some organic vegetables but not for high-quality protein sources.
   
5. "The Vitamin Shoppe" - close to us, sells Coconut Aminos and supplements
   
6. "Whole Foods Market" - much farther from us, but it will be our go-to grocery store for produce and pantry supplies
   
7. The Farmers Market - good prices on produce and grass-fed meats, as well as a seafood vendor
   

My Meal Outline:

1. All Whole30 Outlines (of course)
   
2. Supplement 1,000IU of Vitamin D3.
   
3. A large variety of leafy vegetables as well as root vegetables
   
4. Varied protein sources per week (Chicken, Beef, Lamb, Pork, Bison, Eggs, Fish, etc.)
   
5. A different dinner recipe each night:
   

   [*]At least one sea-vegetable a week (kelp, nori, kombu, etc.)

   [*]At least one seafood meal per week (Salmon, Tuna, Shrimp, etc.)

   [*]At least one Offal meal per week (Duck liver, duck heart, beef heart, chicken liver, etc.)

   [*]Include bone-broth, water (plain, sparkling, infused with fresh-fruit), tea, and kombucha as drink options.

   [*]Make Sunday the "meal-prep" day to prepare needed vegetables, make-ahead breakfasts, make-ahead protein & "emergency protein" and prepare snack options (i.e. hard boil eggs)

   I get bored very easily so my greatest focus when planning ahead was variety. I already have every day's meals (specifically breakfast and dinner) pre-planned until the 31st. I have planned for dinners to have enough leftovers for lunch, but I also have backup lunch ideas.

   Day 1:

   Meal 1: Woke up late because it's our last day of vacation. We got up around 11 and around 11:30 we ate Egg Foo Yung from "Well Fed".

   Snacks: My Husband ate 2 bananas during the day and also 1 apple after dinner. I ate 1 apple and drank bone-broth (also burned my mouth because it was too hot).

   Meal 2: Stir-fry Kelp Noodles from NomNomPaleo's iPad App. It was a very successful stir-fry with ground beef as the protein, coconut oil as the fat, various vegetables, and kelp-noodles as a sea-vegetable. We ate much more than expected, so I hope we'll have enough for tomorrow's lunch (I have already prepped sugar-free kielbasa from the farmer's market and extra veggies in case we do not).

   Due to waking up mid-day, we only ate 2 main meals. It will be interesting to do the 3 meals setup tomorrow when we start work. Neither of us are looking forward to going back to the daily work-drag.

Sunday nights must feed 5 people (because it's our get-together gaming night at our house)
Saturday night will be a fancier meal as an at-home "date night" for myself and my husband, since we don't plan to eat out. I want to try to bring the "restaurant experience" home.
Stir-fries for most nights as quick throw-together meals
Some longer recipe ideas such as chicken wings, seafood meals, etc.

[Della Nova]

Day 2:

1. Meal 1:
   
   1. 
      
   2. Leftover Egg Foo Yung from Well Fed. I didn't mix the spices well enough so some parts were inedibly more spicy than other parts. Unfortunately my husband wasn't able to finish his portion. I packed a lot for lunch so there should be enough to keep us both satiated for the rest of the day.
      

Struggles:

• Got some of the worst sleep last night. I blame a new satin pillowcase (I'm used to sleeping on cotton), new pillow, new duvet cover, too much light getting into the room; my hair was set wet from washing (I only air-dry my hair). I think there was too many changes and I just had an overall choppy sleep. My husband had a choppy sleep as well. I'm drinking Organic Tazo Chai tea for a bit of a caffeine boost since I don't like coffee. Hopefully I'll have enough energy to make it through the day.
  

**EDIT**

I made it through the day! I snacked on 1 apple, half a banana, and some slices of organic, grassfed pastrami (no nitrates/preservatives/sugar).

Meal 2: leftovers, plus kielbasa (no added sugar)

Meal 3: Turkey Sliders and avocado-coleslaw (recipe from PaleOMG blog). It came out well, although my first time eating raw cabbage. Both myself and my husband found it thick and hard to chew, much tougher than lettuce.

After dinner I felt very full and weighed down. Thinking I still need to adjust to the high fat in the avocado. I've also been feeling heartburn after dinners recently. I read in "Practical Paleo" that the heartburn feeling may be due to lack of acid in my stomach. I am going to try her suggestion of adding lemon juice/apple cider vinegar to my water before/during dinner and see if it helps.

I'm excited to bring on day 3 and I'm hoping for a peaceful sleep.

[Derval]

Sounds like you're doing great, love your opening post.

Hope you get a better nights sleep tonight.

[Della Nova]

Sounds like you're doing great, love your opening post.

Hope you get a better nights sleep tonight.

Thank you so much! I'm about to settle in (this time with my normal pillow)! Hoping to get a good rest because I have a job interview tomorrow. Wish me luck!

[Della Nova]

Ohhh and I was very happy to get "Everyday Paleo" in the mail. I did a quick breeze through and it looks like it will be very helpful. I can't wait to get a more in depth read-through sometime tomorrow or Friday.

[Della Nova]

Ugh slept pretty well, but woke up to an upset stomach. I felt queasy and had no appetite at all (this usually happens when I get trapped gas). Passing gas or even just burping usually resolves the feeling, but I'm never sure how much I need to burp to get passed it (and sometimes I end up puking, so I'm never sure).

I've had this issue before the Whole30, so I'm not sure if this is the last go before my body adjusts.

I have no appetite so I'm not sure when I'll get to Meal 1, but I plan on eating unsweetened applesauce when I can.

[Della Nova]

Yep, I ended up puking; I feel all shaky and my stomach is still feeling twisted. I'm not sure if I've been too low on my carb intake (since I did have a small bit of fruit) and am experiencing the "low-carb flu" or what.

Hoping I'll feel better around noon so I can still successfully do my interview at 1:30

**EDIT**

I also feel very achy as well, especially in my back. Perhaps rather than low-carb flu, this could be the onset of gluten-withdrawal? It seems similar, and I'm scared for what the next few days will be like.

I did have gluten on Monday right before the Whole30 (slice of pizza; part of breadroll). But I'm not sure if that would cause this 3 days later.

**EDIT 2**

Puked again, this time it was whatever liquid in me and dry-heaving. Immediately after I decided to try the applesauce (no sugar added; organic). If it's low-carb flu, this should help, but I'm afraid that if my stomach is purging everything, it will come up later.

[kshacklett]

Aw, hope you feel better soon! Try to get something in you - no matter how much you don't want to eat, I find sometimes it's just my empty stomach making everything worse. Maybe something bland, like steamed cauliflower?

[Della Nova]

Aw, hope you feel better soon! Try to get something in you - no matter how much you don't want to eat, I find sometimes it's just my empty stomach making everything worse. Maybe something bland, like steamed cauliflower?

Thank you! Good advice as well! I rested after eating the applesauce and found that I kept it in. After resting a bit, I ate Egg- Drop Soup made with homemade bone-broth, 2 eggs, and lemon juice (fresh squeezed). However, I made a huge portion was only able to finish half of a large mug.

Later, my husband came back from work and we both went back to work (currently working at same building). I felt better and ready to take on this interview. I ate a bit more applesauce and also had the eggs he made this morning. I don't feel nauseous like I did earlier, but I do still have something a "burny" feeling in my stomach.

I'm hoping to get a normal dinner in tonight, especially since I've had a lack of vegetables so far today.

[Della Nova]

Interview went pretty well and I was able to be confident! Woohoo!

My appetite has returned to pretty much normal, which is good, but hard on my Whole30. I already know I snacked too much today, but that's because I didn't have a solid Meal 1 or Meal 2. I ate at least two handfuls of almonds at work.

Hoping to get back on track tonight.

Tonight's dinner:

Coconut Coated Fish (using wild caught Halibut as Flounder wasn't available; making the sauce without white wine. I'm thinking a lemon-ghee sauce may work well) and roasted Green Beans.

I'm excited to try cooking the fish, but I'm a bit worried about the turn-out. Pre-Whole30, every time I've tried to cook fish it always turns out barely palatable to me and I end up not eating enough. Hoping that this recipe will make for delicious fish! (I enjoy fish that my mom cooks or fish at restaurants, so I know it's my cooking/recipe choices that have caused failure in the past, not a distaste for fish in general)

[Tracy Liichow]

Interview went pretty well and I was able to be confident! Woohoo!

My appetite has returned to pretty much normal, which is good, but hard on my Whole30. I already know I snacked too much today, but that's because I didn't have a solid Meal 1 or Meal 2. I ate at least two handfuls of almonds at work.

Hoping to get back on track tonight.

Tonight's dinner:

Coconut Coated Fish (using wild caught Halibut as Flounder wasn't available; making the sauce without white wine. I'm thinking a lemon-ghee sauce may work well) and roasted Green Beans.

I'm excited to try cooking the fish, but I'm a bit worried about the turn-out. Pre-Whole30, every time I've tried to cook fish it always turns out barely palatable to me and I end up not eating enough. Hoping that this recipe will make for delicious fish! (I enjoy fish that my mom cooks or fish at restaurants, so I know it's my cooking/recipe choices that have caused failure in the past, not a distaste for fish in general)

I really hope tomorrow is a much better day for you. Especially since you are my inspiration and I am starting my Whole30 on Monday.

[Della Nova]

I really hope tomorrow is a much better day for you. Especially since you are my inspiration and I am starting my Whole30 on Monday.

Thanks mom!

Tonight's fish was a huge success; it came out like a fancy restaurant dish. I ate a good amount of green beans and around 1/2 lbs of fish. I'm kinda worried that I may have eaten too quickly & over eaten because I felt weighed down afterwards. Hoping that my tummy will digest the food, but it seems gurgly and burnt like it was last night.

I also made duck liver pâté for tomorrow. It will be my first time ever having liver. It looked disgusting and bloody when I was preparing it, but tasted pretty good (texture reminiscent of peanut butter). Hoping pâté over various veggies will make for a good breakfast tomorrow!

[Della Nova]

Woohoo day 4!

Meal One: Prepared duck liver pâté last night and set out a large selection crudités for dipping (baby carrots, broccoli, celery, sliced bell pepper) - unfortunately it looked like mashed poop, smelled like poo, and tasted like cat food. I was thoroughly disgusted and couldn't force myself to eat any of it. As this was all I had, I ended up eating carrots, 2 apples, and a glass of bone-broth.

Meal Two: super hungry. Ate some sliced kielbasa (from the farm, so sugar or other nasties added) with sautéed baby spinach/broccoli-carrot slaw. Lots of good fat from the kielbasa (cooked in coconut oil)

Meal Three: Hot Plate idea from Well Fed. Chinese Hot Plate: 2 scrambled eggs mixed with coconut Aminos over Ground Lamb/Broccoli/Bell Pepper/Cabbage Stir-fry on top of a bed of cauliflower rice

Struggles:

1. Choppy light sleep last night (2nd time of bad sleep after washing my hair)
   
2. No real Meal 1
   
3. Lightheaded feelings, perhaps due to not eating enough (very small portion at lunch) or getting used to a smaller amount of carbs
   
4. Serious craving for ice cream like RIGHT NOW OMG WANTTTTTT (but I am resisting these urges!)
   

[Derval]

Hard luck on the pate, bummer

[Della Nova]

Hard luck on the pate, bummer

Yeah, kinda effed up that meal, lol. But, I was trying to be experimental and didn't plan any backups, so I learned a lesson: when unsure of the meal/recipe, make sure to have emergency protein on hand! This Whole30 is also a food journey from me, because I'm transitioning from a very very picky, limited palate (i.e. only ordering chicken Alfredo at restaurants) to being more of a foodee. I'm looking forwards to more experimenting and being adventurous!

[Della Nova]

Day 5 and still excited!

Meal One: dirty kitchen, so I couldn't do planned meal and thought on the fly - about half cup of sautéed kale, 1 fried egg, small pieces of ham (same for me and my husband; obviously not enough food, but we were in a hurry)

Meal Two: Ate at Chipotle for the first time (and also my first Mexican Restaurant experience, as I never previously at Mexican food) - salad bowl with carnitas, salsa and guacamole. It was surprisingly delicious!!!

Meal Three: Fancy dinner Date Night with my husband. I made the Pad Thai from "Well Fed" with zucchini noodles, almond butter for the sauce, and topped with a garnish of roasted cashews. It turned out really well and we both ate a lot (although I still have leftovers for tomorrow). Afterwards, I felt rather full and sleepy.

Struggles:

1. It's been really difficult to ascertain if I'm eating enough and how "full" really should feel.
   
2. Still struggling earlier in the day-midday with a bit of brain-fog
   

Positive:

1. Went shopping at Farmer's Market and Whole Foods with my mom. I bought tons of great protein for my weekly cookup tomorrow. I am extremely excited to start preparing food for the week. I have a better idea of what to expect and I will try my hardest to prepare for the coming week,
   

[Della Nova]

Good Morning Day 6!

It's early for a Sunday and I'm just barely waking up....technically I woke up (natural body cycle) at 7:15. But I wanted to take advantage of the weekend so I tried forcing myself to sleep in (and had tonssss of weird dreams)... I ended up getting out of bed by 9:15. It's 10:10 now yet I still feel kinda lazy. (Starting to think I'll have to give up weekend late nights and sleeping in)

Meal One: A full leftover plate of Day One's Stir-Fry; I'm proud of myself for finishing a plate's worth. Drinking Chai Tea to give me a morning kick.

Forgot to mention some odd discoveries yesterday:

1. Tried cashews for the first time yesterday and I found them very sweet tasting! Almost like the candy of the Whole30, so I will be sure not to snack on them. Ridiculously good.
   
2. Tried Almond Butter for the first time. We bought a raw kind from Whole Foods. I had one spoonful, "OMG this is orgasmically good" and then another...then I knew I needed to stop myself, lol. Definitely could see myself eating the whole container. It was absolutely delicious!!!
   

Today's Meal Prep:

1. Make Meat-Spinach muffins (should be Meal One for a few days)
   
2. Make Chocolate Chili for game night
   
3. Make Hard Boiled eggs to snack on (NomNomPaleo method)
   
4. Cook Chicken Thighs
   
5. Cook Pork Chops
   
6. Chop and Prep needed veggies
   
7. Possibly make herbal-tea gelatin (if time allows)
   

I'm so excited for all this cooking! I need to wake up and tackle it! Rawrrrrr!!!

[kb0426]

It is exciting to witness you trying foods for the first time. I must say that I am impressed that you even gave the pate a go, when you had never even had almond butter before!

The weekly cooking was one of my favorite parts of the whole30, and I still do it today! By the way, homemade almond butter is amazing and easy!

Have a great day!

[Della Nova]

It is exciting to witness you trying foods for the first time. I must say that I am impressed that you even gave the pate a go, when you had never even had almond butter before!

The weekly cooking was one of my favorite parts of the whole30, and I still do it today! By the way, homemade almond butter is amazing and easy!

Have a great day!

Thank you! This has been a really fun food adventure so far!

I have changed a lot and tried many food I never would've eaten before. I never had cashews before because I always had peanuts (although now, aside from the Whole30, it's clear to me that cashews taste WAY better than peanuts!) I had severe food-phobia of onions, and it's only been in the last 6 months that I cook with garlic, and only the past few weeks for me to cook with onions. I was totally a eat out every week and cook hamburger helper kinda girl. I never even used to like almonds (but then again, only tried them in hershey almond bars or brownies, lol).

I was honestly afraid of having kids and not being able to teach them to eat healthy when I was so unhealthy myself. Now I've broken my food phobia and (when we're ready) will be able to show my future children how to eat well too! This has already been a total life-changer!

I have thought about making my own almond butter in the food processor, but I'm not sure if it's cheaper to buy ($8 a can) or cheaper to buy the almonds themselves. I'll have to look into how much x amount of almonds would yield.

DAY 6!

Meal One: Leftover Stir-Fry (Husband had leftover Pad Thai)

Meal Two: Sauteed Spinach & Broccoli Coleslaw with 2 chopped hardboiled eggs on top (Husband had leftover Chinese Hot Plate)

Meal Three: Chocolate Chili over spinach with avocado on top (friends were not able to make it, but we shared with my Mother-in-Law and Father-in-Law and they really enjoyed it!). This was my first time eating chili and I'm excited to make tons more in the future!

Snacks: 2-3 moderate forkfuls of almond butter (treated myself during cooking prep, but felt guilty afterwards), 1 apple, 1/2 banana, some pork (cut off the bone; ate the meat off the bone - super yum!). Husband has had 3 bananas and 3 hard-boiled eggs

Drinks: 2 cups of Tazo Organic Chai Tea; some GT Strawberry Kombucha

Struggles: Not much, just some random food cravings (i.e. random desire to eat donuts)

Wins:

1. Mother-in-Law tried Duck Liver Pate (really enjoys liver) and liked it! So I may not have the palate for liver, but I didn't screw up in the cooking!
   
2. When we reintroduce dairy, we may be able to buy into a cow-share with my Father-in-Law and get raw milk! (illegal for public sale in Michigan)
   
3. I ate fairly size-able portions all day
   
4. Prepped food for the week!
   

[Derval]

you are winnning indeed!

[Della Nova]

you are winnning indeed!

Yay thank you!~

I was going to post this later, but I'm too happy and excited to wait!

Day 7

• Meal One: 7:05-7:15 AM: Meat and Spinach Muffin from Well Fed. I had only 1 because we were in a rush and I figured they'd be dense enough to tide me over.
  
• Snacks: 10AM: Was still hungry, so I had 4 Macademia nuts and 1 Hard Boiled Egg
  
• Meal Two: 12PM-12:40PM: Really hungry at this point. Had leftover Chocolate Chili over Baby Spinach topped with Avocado. It was super delicious and the best lunch I've ever eaten! The lunch literally made me feel very happy, comforted, and lifted up! I was awesome! I will definitely make it again next week and freeze portions for quick backup lunches. Amazing.
  
• Snacks: 3-4PM: More Macademia Nuts. I think just having them in my desk drawer makes me want to snack on them (this is where I stored previous unhealthy snacks)...I think if they weren't there I wouldn't have had them. Also ate a bit more than half a Meat and Spinach Muffin because I felt a bit foggy-headed near the end of the work day (and to curb temptation at the coming trip to Meijer).
  
• Meal Three: 6:30-7PM: Ate Paleo General Tso's Chicken over cauliflower rice: http://www.health-bent.com/poultry/paleo-general-tsos-cashew-chicken (subbed pineapple chunks for molasses)
  Did some more prep tonight because I'm still adjusting to the amount of food we need to eat. Hardboiling 6 dozen more eggs (plowed through 7 between my husband and I); also making Sweet Potato "chips" to give tomorrow's breakfast a carb boost.
  

[Della Nova]

Good Morning Whole30!

While the day isn't off to a perfect start (slept in late; ate work at the office), I still tried to have a lovely, calm and relaxing breakfast at my desk (no disruptions; just focused on eating). It was really good!

I forgot to mention, on Sunday when my parents-in-law visited, we told them about the Whole30 and they seemed very interested. I gave my Mother-in-Law the book and she said she was excited to read it and would tell me when she's finished it. I'm really happy and I hope they can try a Whole30 someday.

Day 8

• Meal One: 7:45-8:15 AM: 1.5 Meat and Spinach Muffins, 1-2 handfuls of Sweet Potato "chips". After I finished I also had a handful of quickie "trail-mix" (cashews & red and green raisins)
  
• Meal Two: 12:00-12:30PM: Leftover Paleo General Tso's Chicken & Cauli-Rice. So far, lunch seems to be the meal that is the most tasty and satisfying. I appreciated this recipe way more while eating it for a lunch!
  
• Meal Three: 7:00-7:30PM: Make Pork-Fried "rice": http://livinpaleocuisine.com/2012/08/22/pork-fried-cauliflower-rice/ (yeah, cauli-rice two nights in a row, bad planning on my part there)
  
• Snacks: 3:00PM: The most disappointing thing today. I ate all the "trail-mix" (about 1.5 cups packed) that was in my desk. Totally binge-snacked and felt very guilty for it. At least I'm learning, if anything sweet is next to me in my desk, I will consume it. So I won't be bringing it to work for the rest of the Whole30.
  

[kshacklett]

That's exciting that you've found other people who are interested in the program, too! Even if they don't end up following the program, I think just reading ISWF gives us a much better understanding of just how processed much of our "food" is, and how our body responds to it. It can never hurt to know more about your own body!

[Della Nova]

Not so much a great start for Day 9....we slept in (yet again), so I asked my husband to get breakfast ready in an effort to eat within an hour of waking. Then found out he only warmed up 1 Meat & Spinach muffin for both of us (I know he needs to at least put away 2, since even I get hungry if I only have 1). After eating 1 we had to rush out the door to get to work on time, but I packed 2 more to eat at work. At least this brought out a good discussion on how he's not hungry in the morning...but I still kinda feel like if I made really appealing breakfasts he would eat more. Kinda disappointed in the Meat & Spinach muffin turn-out.

I'm also still feeling down on myself because of the snack-thing yesterday. Raisins/Cashews are definitely "food without brakes" for me.

Then again, my down mood could just be my TOM messing with me. **EDIT** I'm pretty sure it is, because it's abnormal for me to feel this sad.

Day 9

• Meal One: 7:15-8:30 AM: 1 Meat & Spinach Muffin early, then another heated up at work. Also drinking Tazo's English Breakfast Tea and hoping it gives me a boost (not sleepy, but I could use some motivation)
  

[Della Nova]

I think my current frustration with the meal plan I created is I'm realizing I still don't get the amount and variety of vegetables that I would like. I see so many other people's meals usually include a large variety of vegetables and/or salads, but I've never been a great vegetable-eater (quite the opposite, really).

My pre-Whole30 idea of a meal would be some sort of meat/poultry, one starch (usually rice/potatoes), and one vegetable (i.e. the microwave boxes of peas/corn).

It's been very difficult to shift this into the stir-fry/salad/multi-veggies meal mindset when I plan out meals. I'm trying to look up more salad recipes and other ways to include various veggies in my future meals (even going past Whole30, because I realize this is a long journey and I want to eat Paleo for the rest of my life).

I also have many vegetables still to try and learn to embrace:

1. Eggplant - never had; don't know how to prepare
   
2. Artichoke/Artichoke hearts - had once when I was about 14 at my grandma's house, but I barely at it then
   
3. Capers - always been put off by the smell & appearance
   
4. Mushrooms - slowly accepting them, but I'd like to try stuffed-mushrooms and portabellos, which I've never had
   
5. Okra - I have a bag of them in my freezer for like 2-3 months, but I have no idea what to do with them (I always only see fried recipes)
   
6. Rutabaga - just never occurred to me to try
   
7. Tomatillos - I have yet to become a tomato person, so still unsure of these
   
8. Pearl Onions
   
9. Deeply Carmelized Onions - I have yet to try eating any onions on their own/not mixed with other veggies
   
10. Sprouts - I've always picked these out of food...no particular reason though, just pickiness
    
11. Turnips - just never bothered to try
    
12. Leeks - I previously avoided as part of the onion-family...but I'd like to give them a try now
    

I hope that I can learn to embrace these vegetables. I hope that once I learn to love vegetables it will become more natural for me to add them into foods.