Psyching up for a December W30!

[hollysmokes]

Day 10! We made it to double digits and 1/3 of the way there! How did the weekend go for everyone? NSV's? I didn't get anywhere close to the amount of movement done that I intended but I got a lot done, stayed on track and feel great this morning (NSV #1). NSV #2 this weekend involved portion control. We had some beautiful NY strip steaks for dinner Saturday night and, normally, I would have eaten the whole thing and been stuffed but I didn't! I ate half and the extra bonus was that I got to eat it again for lunch on Sunday! NSV #3 was better sleep last night. I hope that's a trend; I could really use it. 

Thanks for the info about the air fryer @kirbz. I was all set to go to Costco to get one but ran across a Cuisinart toaster oven/ convection oven/air fryer on Serious Eats and decided to give it a try. It turns out that the air fryers are essentially convection ovens! We have a toaster oven that my husband says isn't a toaster; it's a burner. I rarely use it but he uses it pretty often so I figured if I got him the Cuisinart combo, I'd decrease the amount of cussing and burnt toast at our house and give him a new toy- win, win! @Elizabeth33 I looked at the Ninja (that's what my husband originally wanted) but it weighs over 20 pounds (!!!) and has two different lids that have to be changed out depending on if you're using it as a pressure cooker or not. I already have a pressure cooker that I should use more often so I didn't think it would fit the bill for me. Let us know if you get it and how you like it. Glad your 'scope went well and the best part is that it's over!

Cook-up this weekend was a big pate (the only way I can tolerate liver), breakfast casserole with pork sausage and kale and the (modified) mustard chicken that @Laura P. mentioned a few days ago. Very delicious BUT I used breasts instead of thighs, coconut milk instead of almond milk (not buying expensive almond milk to use 1/4 cup in one recipe) and doubled the amount and next time I'll use kale instead of spinach. The spinach lost it's texture and I've gotten so used to eating kale that it felt slimy/squishy to me. I got my husband's birthday lasagna made for tonight and put together a crazy eggplant thing for me. I did the cashew "ricotta" and wanted to top off my casserole with it but wasn't sure how it behaves in the oven since I've never had it before so I just layered it in the inside. I also had a cook-up for my cat! I ground up some chicken hearts and mixed them with some ground chicken and a little chicken stock to moisten it. I'm trying to fatten her up and figure out why she's been off & on kinda pukey. She's decided she loves raw meat instead of cat food so I slip some to her when I can. 

Happy Monday!

[kirbz]

Congratulations everyone on reaching Day 10! A huge milestone! 

@hollysmokes It's great to hear about your NSVs and a good reminder to all of us to continually look out for and acknowledge all the victories along the way!

For me, my NSVs are: 

• fewer cravings
• better skin 
• flatter stomach
• more stable energy levels 

I still need to eat more vegetables. I'm overly relying on potatoes. Like, a lot. Because they're filling and delicious! And I'm definitely experiencing some food boredom. I've been skipping some meals recently because I don't know what to cook and I don't want to deal with the hassle. Not a good habit. 

Does anyone have any great vegetables recipes they want to share? Maybe some salsas or something? I'm looking for GREENS!

[hollysmokes]

Hey @kirbz! You should be about halfway now, right? Good for you!

I eat a LOT of greens; never met one I didn't like.

• I tend to include them in other things like the breakfast casserole I mentioned earlier which can also be turned into breakfast muffins so you can freeze some and not have to eat them every day.
• That mustard chicken dish will be a good way to add them in also.
• I had a kale salad today with ginger lime mayo to go with my piece of pate for lunch. Another nice, quick one is just kale (any kind) or collards cut up fairly small (chiffonade's easiest) then massage with enough olive oil to coat, salt, garlic powder, a few red pepper flakes and a drop of sesame oil- apple is really good with that, too.
• You could make a pesto out of spinach to top fish or chicken.
• I also like to make tomato soup with itty bitty meat balls (just simmer them in the soup to cook) then I throw a bunch of chopped up kale in there.
• Have you every stuffed the leaves? I blanch them then make a meatball/meatloaf mixture and wrap it in the blanched leaves. Pour some Italian red gravy over and bake until cooked through.
• "hamburger helper" that winds up being unstuffed peppers or unstuffed cabbage is our quick not-feeling-inspired weeknight dinner. Sauté some onion, peppers if you feel like it, add the ground meat of choice and garlic and brown it. Add a can of tomato sauce plus cabbage, greens &/or whatever veg you have that is looking tired and needs to get cooked. Simmer until it's the consistency you want, dry-ish or juicy. Season w s&p and whatever herbs & spices you're in the mood for like taco seasoning or Italian blend.

Sometime I'll surf through Mel Joulwan or Michelle Tam's websites for inspiration. Half the time it winds up being some kind of ball but there's nothing wrong with that! In fact, I made Michelle's wonton meatballs last week. I got into an Asian and Mexican groove last week so this week is leaning to Italy for variety. That's why I'm terrible at meal planning; I never know what I'm going to be in the mood for next Thursday.

Good luck!

[LadyLisbette]

Hi everyone! Whew, the month is flying by. Congrats to all at different stages! @hollysmokes your bullet list of food is making me hungry! I'm about to rustle up some bison burgers, and for mine, I'll have a side of steamed brussels because that's all I've got on hand for the moment besides frozen peas. Yep, time to get shopping again.

@kirbz often I dress a pile of greens, and use it as a bed for whatever I'm eating. Tossed all together. I don't like things piping hot, so I'll reheat (for example leftover meatballs) a little bit, and it doesn't wilt the greens, but everything ends up being room temp. But if you like your greens wilted, that works, too....this is my fast-n-easy solution to getting greens with my leftovers. Like Holly, I will often chop kale to put in soup, and a favorite regular, hash...if you are interested I could link a recipe as a template. I don't use the recipe anymore, but adlib whatever is in the fridge, usually kale, mushrooms, zucchini, maybe chopped apple, seasoned with Lebanese 7 spice blend, or adlib an Italian combo oregano, s/p, etc...and toss it into browned ground pork or chicken. I add the kale at the end and enjoy watching it wilt and change color, so pretty. And. Yum. I like potatoes, too! In fact...

The his/hers chili was fun, and I will do that again. I used yams in mine, and beans in his.

I loved reading about NSVs, good job @kirbz and @hollysmokes!!

I feel like I'm running a marathon right now. It's a nail biting time choosing a home inspector, a lender, etc....and I am staying compliant! Yay! I continue to get in my morning survival-yoga, though sometimes it is woefully brief, but I'm doing it! I'm enjoying the bath at night to relax and pamper myself. I'm feeling notably lighter in my body, and even in my clothes, a little. Of course there's a lot of adrenaline in my blood these days, but I'm feeling more graceful/less clunky. That is a huge relief...more like myself. I think my stomach is a little bit flatter. Big NSV here: my hips don't hurt. And my feet don't hurt. That has to be reduction of inflammation. Yippee! Solstice is a week from Friday if I'm not mistaken, and my house is turned inside out, but I want to mark the occasion somehow...maybe a nice bath, and no devices from after work until the next day. Maybe some journal writing, too. It's such a rich time, and it's going to be a great new year. Do you guys feel that way, too?

Have a great time tonight @hollysmokes celebrating your husband's birthday! Your lasagna sounds delicious!

How's it going @Elizabeth33?

More soon, all!

[hollysmokes]

14 hours ago, LadyLisbette said:

survival-yoga

Love it!

Solstice is, indeed, next Friday! I think we're going to go see some good music at "the center of the bluegrass universe" AKA The Station Inn. I love to celebrate the beginning of the days getting longer and, thanks to Rudolph Steiner, I enjoy the cold, gray days of winter much more because I think of the Earth inhaling and getting energized, ready to burst forth in the spring. Ahhhhh!

@LadyLisbetteYour chili with yams will always make me laugh (at your husband)! I'm planning on making some soon. I'm running low on vegetables also so I think I'll take advantage of the warmer weather this afternoon and pick some up. Lasagna was a hit and he was surprised and amazed that I made him something I won't eat. I should have put a candle in it! My eggplant concoction was really good. I started getting tired Sunday so I didn't include the butternut squash. I griddled the eggplant slabs with salt & garlic until they were nice and tender. I was afraid it would be crazy greasy if I tried to shallow fry them since they turn into oil sponges. I added a bunch of Kalamata olives, capers and pepper flakes to the meat sauce I already had and layered it up with the cashew "ricotta". Next time I think I'll thin out the cashews a bit more and season it up a little more. It lent some nice texture to the dish but was almost invisible flavor-wise. Lots of leftovers from both dishes so that's a bonus! 

I'm with you feeling less clunky; that's a good way to phrase it. Less achy also. I didn't do as much movement yesterday as I would have liked but I did manage to have several movement "snacks" throughout the day and slept pretty well again. It's very different this time for me because I haven't weighed myself in months so I won't have that metric at the end of the month. Trust the program: your "correct" weight is the one that happens when you fuel your body with nutrient- dense foods and that allows you to do the things you want to do. I'm working on it...

[kirbz]

Thanks for the suggestions on ways to incorporate more greens into my diet. I'll definitely try some of those in the coming weeks! 

With all this talk of lasagna, I think I'm going to try this recipe this weekend: http://www.paleonewbie.com/awesome-paleo-lasagna-recipe/. It actually looks like it would be a pretty decently balanced template meal, and it has rave reviews, so I'm really excited to give it a try. We'll see if the fiance will try it too! :-) Because I'm not as generous as you @hollysmokes and I really don't want to make him his own lasagna! LOL. But, honestly, I will if he wants because I do love him that much! 

I totally forgot the winter solstice is next week! What a lovely idea to mark it with something special. We didn't necessarily plan it this way but we'll be camping and climbing in Bishop, CA for the winter solstice! It will be my first time to Bishop and I'm actually kinda sad I'm doing Whole30 because it sounds like there are some great food places and I won't be able to try any of them, including a highly recommended bakery! But, I'm convincing myself that it's worth it to go without those things. In general, cooking Whole30 while camping should be a "fun" experience! 

Anyway, thanks everyone for checking in so regularly! I enjoy reading your posts and love the highly positive and supportive environment we've created! 

[LadyLisbette]

@kirbz that lasagna recipe looks so good! I printed it and will try it out. Your husband is right @hollysmokes you are awesome for making that dish for him! So glad you took it easy when you got tired instead of pushing through with the squash. It's the balance, right, not doing things to exhaustion. I took note re your treatment of the eggplant. I don't have a lot of experience with eggplant, kind of like your story of "soft eggs" in childhood...a grown up who cooked at our house did some pretty greasy, soggy things with eggplant, but I am learning it doesn't have to be that way...and when I can get some next, I will try what you explained...oven roasted is also good, right? Rubbed with garlic, and roasted? Any other eggplant suggestions you all have are welcome. This is of course such a sweet time to have the oven on at home!

@kirbz your trip to Bishop sounds wonderful - an outdoor adventure for solstice, I love it! I haven't been to Bishop yet, but nearby Lone Pine on a jag to Manzanar before heading out to Death Valley last winter. But I'd love to go to Bishop one day...I'll look for the good eats there. As the crow flies, it's just over the mountains from where I live, so I'll send a raven with greetings! I'd love to know what you're planning to cook/assemble.

Today was potentially wobbly, but I got through it okay. Bearing in mind that I've been running out/officially out of vegetables (I see I'm not the only one here!) I was planning to go to my local village market to tide me over until I could get to town again. That always works. Decent produce, though mostly not organic...and then, like a bad dream, I walked in and the produce aisle was E M P T Y. I'll bet my jaw dropped. I guess the motor konked out and they have to get a new one to keep stuff cold. OH NO. So I went home and had another cold plate of turkey wrapped cucumber spears, olives, and some delicious radishes from my CSA...and that held me until dinner. For dinner I made classic lemon garlic chicken thighs, slightly piccatta'd with capers, and a dusting of minced rosemary. That was super yummy, but cucumbers are getting a tad old! In between those adventures it was otherwise a day off to get caught up on laundry and start packing! It has begun! I was dreading it but now I am enjoying the momentum. The house is an obstacle course of packed and ready to pack boxes. The other exciting news is that my amber goggles came in the mail! To block the blue light at night, and hopefully help me sleep. It's v e r y glamorous, let me tell you, friends. I first learned about these a couple years ago when Michelle Tam was still a graveyard pharmacist and p/t food blogger, she wore these to help with the wonky sleep schedule. Have any of you tried them before?

I will, next up, make that tomato soup with mini meatballs. And then chicken apple cinnamon sliders. And soon, the creamy mustard chicken that @ElizabethG and @hollysmokes made...the capers and chicken tonight reminded me of that. The moral of the story is: don't let the vegetables run out! Aaaahhhrrrrggg. My Whole30 soul could get in trouble that way! Keep the news coming, all!

[LadyLisbette]

PS, how's your cat, Holly?

[hollysmokes]

@kirbz your solstice trip does sound wonderful! I had to look it up; my knowledge of anything west of the Mississippi is sorely lacking. Stay warm; it looks like it's going to be pretty chilly. I just saw that there is a meteor shower that should be visible this weekend and a comet is supposed to be visible the night of 12/16 and will be visible to the naked eye. It should be to the right of Orion. I think we're going to be too cloudy to see it but y'all might be in luck.

 

@LadyLisbette we wobble but we don't fall down! Glad you were able to maintain without vegetables- oh no! I grabbed an emergency bag of broccoli florets at Costco yesterday and I'm still working on my giant bag of kale salad that I scored for $2 at Restaurant Depot last weekend. Your piccatta-ish chicken sounds yummy. I was traumatized by eggplant and okra as a child. My mom likes to stew them down in tomatoes and serve over rice- slimy, yucky, just gross. Still hate them that way. I worked up to liking both of them via frying, then grilling. There is an old blessing that I read somewhere ages ago along the lines of "May you always have enough olive oil for your eggplant" because it will endlessly soak it up. I cut it in 1 inch slabs, salted it and let it sit (I've never known if this is really necessary but I do it just to get rid of some of the moisture), rinse, pat dry, salt and garlic powder. I used tallow because I knew it was going in a beef dish but any fat works and melted a generous amount on my griddle. Every now and then I peeked underneath the slices to see if they looked dry and if they did, I put another dab of tallow under them. Flip and repeat with the fat until they were a little brown and nice and tender. My mom used to boil them when she had her restaurant and we were doing 3 ft X 3 ft pans of moussaka. Baking works, too but it takes some pretty generous brushing w oil. Baking them whole works if you just want the meat for baba ganoush (yum!) or something like that. When my husband's birthday present toaster oven/convection oven/air fryer gets here I'm going to try it out with eggplant. 

Thanks for asking about my crazy cat. It's the little scaredy one; not the disappearing butthead one. She lost weight when butthead disappeared for a few months and has never put it back on. She always seems hungry but I think she's just rejecting dry food in favor of fresh meat. I can't trace kitty puke down to her food; I've tried eliminating stuff and using limited ingredient food but there's never any pattern to when she gets sick. She's only gotten sick once since Thanksgiving. She acts like she feels fine and her coat is nice so I don't know what's up with her. Being spoiled is high on the differential diagnosis list!

Let us know how your blue-light glasses work! They are terribly attractive, yes? I had to get some that fit over my regular glasses so those were even more glamorous.

Yesterday someone that I work with asked me if I was losing weight! Possibly? I definitely feel less...jiggly. I did two segments of Katy Bowman's movement technique videos yesterday. It's like having really good physical therapy at home. It felt SO good.

[Elizabeth33]

Hey everyone, it sounds like you guys are doing great. The colonoscopy went really well but I fell off because of stomach issue. As I went to restart I got a sinus infection with a fever. Fun time. I am day 2 with a low grad fever and it doesn’t want to break. Guess that means it’s killing the little buggers off. The antibiotics are wreaking havoc on my stomach and I think my gastritis has kicked in. This morning I am trying sweet potatoes. I almost lost everything and needed something to coat my stomach more. It worked. I need to search and see how compliant it is. Thanks for everyone checking up on me. 

The weird thing is I have numbness on the right roof of my mouth. I am not sure if it is because of soup burning my mouth or what. Very strange. If it doesn’t go away in a few days I will go back to the Dr. 

@LadyLisbette let me know how those glasses work and how you use them. I may want to get some. 

@kirbz what a great trip you have planned.  

@hollysmokes hope your find the best solution for your cat. I had my cats of raw food for years. Make sure you add some cooked veggies to it to complete the meal of the car will eat them. 

Mall your recipes sound delicious. I will keep you posted on how I am doing. 

[LadyLisbette]

Hi everyone! @hollysmokes your bluegrass solstice sounds heavenly! Thanks also for keeping Rudolph Steiner on my radar. Is there a book you recommend? Maybe your sweet cat is getting better, hope that trend continues. What a lucky feline to have you making all that yummy food for her...if I'm her I'm thinking what's the point of being a domesticated animal if I can't let the mistress feed me chicken hearts I don't have to fight for? As for the amber goggles, yes, me too, fitting over glasses for extra glamour. Hubs is entertained. In the evening he prompts me to put them on, as in, let me see, and we both giggle. Geek love I suppose. It's hard to tell for sure, but I think they are working! I'm sleeping soundly, waking up early before the alarm, and feeling more or less rested. It would be better to get a couple more hours (8 or 9 instead of 6 or 7) but considering all the mayhem right now, I think I'm doin' alright! I'll take it.

@Elizabeth33 good to "see" you again. Sinus infections are the worst! Are you using probiotics during the course of antibiotics? They may not be compliant, but since you would be using them as medicine, for your gut, if I were in your shoes, FWIW, I would cling to them like a life raft.  During my first W30 I had to take antibiotics after a nasty tick bite and I forgot to use probiotics, and I got very sick. Now I know! You are really getting pummeled, and handling it all with grit and determination, it sounds like. Bravo! Also, sometimes numbness can be from a vitamin B deficiency, and one way to know is to add them and see if it goes away. Hope you'll be feeling better soon! As for the glasses, they fit right over the reading glasses, easy peasy!

I finally got to town for a shopping run yesterday, and am all stocked up, ready to make the creamy dijon chicken, and eventually soup with meatballs....I was delighted to find NUTPODS! i was impressed that this area has them. Meanwhile, I've let go of creamy stuff in my cup, and not even drinking coffee anymore. But my nerves have settled down, and I'm feeling like a little compliant mid-W30 treat: so, later, coffee and nutpods with my breakfast! Woo hoo!

Mel Joulwan posted a recipe for roasted carrot caraway soup https://www.paleorunningmomma.com/lemon-garlic-chicken-paleo-whole30/

...that has really piqued my curiosity, and darned if I can find ground caraway anywhere! I have caraway seeds, but will have to add them to my online shopping list, along with a compliant champagne vinegar. That got me wondering, what are some of your favorite spices and flavor combos?

Keep up the great work everyone! I'm grateful for your presence - it does help so much!

[hollysmokes]

Dogs have owners; cats have staff!  Thanks for asking about her. @Elizabeth33 I haven't totally transitioned to raw food so she's still eating canned plus a little dry food. I'm just trying to give her some more calories but if I keep it up I will definitely have to start supplementing. I hope you start feeling better soon; you've really been through the wringer. My mom had some GI issues after her last 'scope, too- one more thing making me drag my feet getting one. They attributed hers to irritation from the miralax prep so that makes me want to steer away from that method but I don't know if I can drink the required volume of the magnesium sulfate prep. Ugh. I like to use fermented food for my probiotics- kombucha, various veg ferments but if your stomach is being queasy, sauerkraut might not be the most comforting choice!

@LadyLisbette I made micro meatballs for my soup but I'm a total glutton for punishment. The last time I did I had to ask myself why but I just turned something on the boob tube, grabbed a sheet pan and rolled away. When it was lunch time and I had all of those cute meatballs, the pain of rolling them vanished! I've only seen ground caraway in places like Penzey's or Spice House. Since it's something I don't use often, I just grind them up when I need them. I've been ordering some spices/herbs in bulk so when I can make my own blends using what I've already purchased, I do that even if it is more trouble. My main one is my own version of Creole seasoning- Tony Chachere's green can is the most well known and I like Tony's but I find it has a distinct flavor that I don't always want so I started making my own years ago. I started with Commander's Palace's recipe then tweaked it a bit here and there. I have an adobo seasoning that's pretty awesome, too and I can't live without an Italian herb blend. BTW, I didn't bother with Champagne vinegar for a recipe that only calls for 1tsp. I used white balsamic but regular would work too and I increased it a bit; 1 tsp didn't seem like enough to matter especially when you're using 3T of Dijon that is loaded with vinegar.

2 hours ago, LadyLisbette said:

Keep up the great work everyone! I'm grateful for your presence - it does help so much!

Here! Here! or is it Hear! Hear!? Whichever it is, thanks.

[LadyLisbette]

I've taken a page out of your book, Holly, and have been lotioning my feet in the morning as an extra portion of self-love and care. Thanks for the reminder! Also, I'm feeling like a queen of delayed responses, but I forgot to congratulate you on getting comments at work - your focus and commitment are evident to others! Yay! That must be so gratifying! Like you, I haven't stepped on a scale to start this W30, so I'm not using it as a comparison. That is a first. I don't think I've weighed myself since the end of the last W30. I just know that looking at the numbers is not a good idea, and doesn't matter, really. My clothes, belt, and overall sense of self tell me everything I need to know. Freedom!

The highlight of the day food-wise was discovering just how delicious the lemon garlic thicken is as a leftover - serious yum. Oh, and the Nutpods was really delicious in my coffee - I brewed decaf to be safe. But seriously, it's so expensive, it will have to be an occasional treat.

 

[hollysmokes]

Sunday Funday! What's everybody up to? Day 15 under our belts for some of us! @Elizabeth33 how are you feeling? 

I need to get moving on my cook-up for today but I'm drawing a blank. The good news is that I only need four breakfasts for this week because my mom decided on a last minute trip to come visit for Christmas and she'll be here Thursday afternoon. I ordered a prime rib for Christmas dinner to celebrate so now we just need to come up with some appropriately celebratory side dishes to go with it and I'm drawing a blank there, too! It'll come to me eventually. Last weekend my cook-up was so successful that I didn't have to cook all week. That was a such a treat! Back to the real world now. 

@LadyLisbette thanks for the link to the lemon garlic chicken; that looks like dinner one night this week. I'll have to sub breasts for thighs so I'll just have to be really careful not to overcook them. While I was on paleorunningmomma's web page I ran across her https://www.paleorunningmomma.com/breakfast-egg-roll-bowl-paleo-whole30/ so I think I'm going to keep that in the back of my mind for my breakfast. This week is Lebanese hash with turnips, kale and broccoli with a couple of fried eggs on top. Now my cook-up plan is coming together; I just needed some inspiration.

After months of neglect, I got some kombucha brewing yesterday and that was at the top of my to-do list this weekend. I've been drinking a little in the afternoons as a vehicle for my collagen peptides. In the mornings I just put the collagen peptides in my coffee so that's easy. Time to do some movement videos, maybe spend some quality time with my favorite rock and, once it's warmed up a little bit more, clean my poor, dirty car (btw, that counts as movement, too). Bonus- we have sunshine and blue sky!!!

 

[LadyLisbette]

Ha ha, I posted the wrong link! But yes, I think you'll love the lemon garlic chicken Holly, whatever cut of chicken you use. I used it as a starting point, and can't wait to do so again. I am going to Paleo Running Momma more and more these days, and the egg roll bowl looks so good, I printed the recipe and will make that soon. Thank you! Today we'll finish up some of the leftovers, and soon I'll get my cook up going, too...the creamy dijon chicken, and I'll use the original nutpods creamer I have on hand. And the apple cinnamon chicken patties finally...Holly, what do you use to grind your spices? I've never done that but I understand you can use a coffee bean grinder? Does that really work?

For fun, here is the Mel Joulwan soup recipe I intended to post earlier: http://meljoulwan.com/2017/10/07/roasted-carrot-caraway-soup/

I thought my nerves were settling lately as we're in a holding pattern until the seller gets through their to-do list, but my stomach disagrees. Yesterday I was too rushed to eat breakfast, so I leaned on an Rx bar and decaf with nutpods, then had a salad with grilled chicken at the Mexican place, and when I got hungry in the evening I ate a cold plate of sliced turkey, some olives, and then dug into the pomegranate on the counter before it went bad...I'm thinking maybe I can store those in the fridge in a plastic bag to keep them fresh like I do with citrus, but they're so pretty I hate to out them out of sight. So it was a weird, kind of hanging on by my fingernails kind of day, plus the nerves, I need to start over and have a good, air-tight, organized week! We're having a staff holiday party on Thursday and I'm getting a sandwich platter from the awesome local deli, and I'll enjoy watching others enjoy it. All parties are being careful about what they eat, and supportive of each other in various approaches, and none are bringing in the usual sweet things with one exception, and my lovelies kindly whisked things out of my sight. Sweet and thoughtful! So come to think of it, it's been the "safest" and most supportive December ever, maybe in my whole life. That is something, eh?

I thought this excerpt from brainpickings.org (the brilliant Maria Popova) may be of interest, on the subject of taking responsibility for our own lives, which is clearly what we are doing here with Whole30:

“Character — the willingness to accept responsibility for one’s own life — is the source from which self-respect springs,” Joan Didion wrote in her timeless essay on self-respect. And yet this willingness does not come naturally to the human animal. We glance left and right, we peer above and below, placing the responsibility for our suffering everywhere but at the center of our own being. We treat the unhandsome consequences of our actions as something that happens to us, at us, by some wretched external causality. In the process, the tick of our self-righteousness grows fatter and fatter on bloodthirsty blame..."

Maria is so generous with links and further reading. Though she starts here with Joan Didion, she's launching into a discussion of Herman Hesse, one of my all time favorite authors and thinkers. If you're interested in the context of the article and reading more, here's the link:

https://www.brainpickings.org/2018/12/12/hermann-hesse-letter-to-a-young-german/?mc_cid=ff1aba8dfe&mc_eid=9730dce241

Besides cooking, I also need to assemble some gift baskets and prepare a few mailers so as not to be later than late. Posting here and reading everyone's news helps keep me grounded. Wherever you are at, do check in when you can!

 

[Elizabeth33]

For those of you using nut pods for your coffee if you have a Trader Joe’s around they have canned coconut milk (I like the fat free best) with nothing added to it and I have used that for my coffee before. I found it delicious and creamy. Any canned coconut milk will do though  just check the ingredients 

For those needing ideas for Christmas meals https://whole30.com/2018/11/thanksgiving-2018/. Don’t see why some can’t work for Christmas. 

I am feeling better but ihas been very hard for me to stay compliant with this aweful cough and congestion. I am wanting to stay with you guys through the duration to help keep me compliant in the ways I can and then start a new one fresh in Jan. Usually I completely disappear but I don’t want to this time. That is a first. Yay. So I am hanging tough and taking all your amazing support to help me along. 

All your recipes sound great. Tonight I am cooking some fish since my brothers not home (he hates the smell of it). I am going to make a  Niçoise salad but use calamari instead of tuna and do a mustard dressing. I have cooked up some Swiss chard, green beans, roasted squash that looks like a small pumpkin but it’s not, mushrooms, and roasted potatoes. Tonight I am going to debone a chicken. 

Hope everyone’s weekend was great. 

[Jim4884]

7 hours ago, LadyLisbette said:

I've never done that but I understand you can use a coffee bean grinder? Does that really work?

I use a coffee bean grinder to grind my spices and it works great.  I have a separate grinder for coffee beans, as I don't really want my coffee to reek of rosemary or whatever other spice I may have ground in it  

- and thanks for that brainpickings link - looks intriguing, going to investigate further! (I read a lot of Herman Hesse as a young man, maybe time to revisit...) (Damian, Siddhartha, Glass Bead Game, Narcissus and Goldmund, Steppenwolf)

[hollysmokes]

Yep! What @Jim4884 said. I use this one and like it: https://www.amazon.com/KitchenAid-BCG211OB-Blade-Coffee-Grinder/dp/B00CT9XZMA/ref=sr_1_8?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1545053318&sr=1-8&keywords=spice+grinder. It's reasonably priced, does a really good job and is easy to clean unlike the ones that grind in the body of the grinder. The only negative thing I have to say about it is that a small amount of whatever you are grinding escapes from the little containers. It's not a big deal but when I was looking at them, some reviewers really harped on it. It is a little annoying since it seems like it would be an easy fix.  I also use a mortar and pestle for small amounts and (a la Katy Bowman) it's incorporating more movement into my day!

@Elizabeth33 it sounds like you're doing a great job in spite of feeling awful. My husband has been coughing and is worried that he's trying to come down with something so he and I both started rinsing our sinuses. Is that something you've tried? We swear by it for prevention, shortening duration of being sick and relieving symptoms. Where do you get your calamari? The only place I've been able to find them is an Asian market but it comes in a 5-lb brick and they're BIG! I love calamari and your Nicoise (how did you get the spelling correct? Spellcheck just want to turn it into "nicotine"!) variation sounds great. I wonder how they would do in the air fryer?

I hope everybody's week gets off to a good start!

 

[kirbz]

Hi everyone! I'm still here and now on Day 22! Phew! 

Honestly this has been a bit of a rocky Whole30 for me. I'm not really eating enough because I am so over planning and prepping and cooking and cleaning. And eating. That's not fun at all. I just haven't much liked the food at all this round! But I tried to change that up this weekend and tried a bunch of new recipes! So, I thought I would share! 

New Recipes from This Weekend 

• Paleo Lasagna (5 STARS): http://www.paleonewbie.com/awesome-paleo-lasagna-recipe/ 
• Golden Cauliflower Soup (5 STARS): http://meljoulwan.com/2012/10/24/golden-cauliflower-soup/
• Chocolate Chili (3.5 STARS): https://meljoulwan.com/2009/02/22/my-favorite-chili-recipe/
• Sweet and Sour Chicken (3 STARS): https://www.paleorunningmomma.com/sweet-and-sour-chicken-instant-pot-paleo-whole30/
• Silky Gingered Zucchini Soup (TBD): https://meljoulwan.com/2012/11/05/silky-gingered-zucchini-soup/

It was a lot of fun to try new recipes and I definitely feel more energized coming into a new week! I will do better! 

@Elizabeth33 I'm so sorry for all the difficulties you've had but we're all so proud of you for sticking with this! You got it! We're here for you! 

@LadyLisbette I wish you the best with the house hunting! It was only a couple of years ago for us so I remember how stressful that is! Way to hang in there through the uncertainty! And thank you for sharing the link to some good reading. I absolutely LOVE Herman Hesse. Siddhartha is one of my very favorite books. Though I admit I haven't ready anything else by the author... 

@hollysmokes I hope your cookup went well yesterday! What are you planning to do with the prime rib? I bought one too but am honestly thinking I might wait until after I finish my Whole30 so I'm not so limited on seasonings... And how awesome that you make your own kombucha. I love the stuff and have thought about making my own but end up feeling a bit intimated and overwhelmed. So I just buy the stuff! :-) 

Anyway, best wishes! You guys are awesome and I love reading your posts!

[kirbz]

Oh, and just give me a moment to rave about that lasagna recipe... It. Was. Amazing. I mean, really and truly amazing! 

I read the reviews. Everyone said it was great. But really, how great can some zucchini and cashews be?

Well, the answer is really, really, really great! LOL. I cooked it and waited a while to eat it because it didn't look all that appetizing. But when I did, it was so delicious. The cashew ricotta really tasted like the real thing! The zucchini tasted like zucchini but it was still a wonderful blend of flavors. I had two heaping servings and didn't even feel bad and I didn't feel boated and awful! 

Win!! Go try it! :-) 

[LadyLisbette]

Thanks @Jim4884 and @hollysmokes for confirming the coffee grinder for spices, and Holly, I've put the one you use in my Amazon cart...it makes so much sense that freshly ground would taste SO much better. Now is the time, yay! Something new to look forward to in the new digs!

@Elizabeth33 what you said about coconut milk instead of nutpods makes an awful lot of sense. I have done that in the past, and always wondered about the nutpods, which seemed like something I could only get online, so finding them was kind of novel and irresistible!...now that I've had both, although I do like the half and half-like consistency of the nutpods, and the convenient packaging, I think that I will skip it and go back to coconut milk, just as you said, when I want creamy stuff in my cup!

@kirbz I loved reading about what you've been cooking, and smiled big about the super yummy lasagna - YES! I have got to try this. Thanks for the attagirls about my situation. If I may say, I am giving myself a lot of credit for doing all this jazz at once, but, I had already committed, and W30 ways could only make things easier, right? In some ways it's a "3d time is the charm" in terms of being second nature, but on the other hand, it is really not easy to keep up the cooking in the whirlwind of activity. I think I might be slimming down a little, but honestly, the absence of joint pain is the real celebrating point.

Tomorrow I'll go to town, and I'll have to be verrrry organized, and eat a good meal before I go because this is when I get into trouble, not wanting to stop and eat, and then feeling way too hungry, leaning on the Rx bar, which I think I need to make verboten.

As our friends across the pond say, I'm knackered. Early to bed tonight. Hope you are all having a great week, and dodging the indulgences!

[Jim4884]

3 hours ago, kirbz said:

Oh, and just give me a moment to rave about that lasagna recipe... It. Was. Amazing. I mean, really and truly amazing! 

I read the reviews. Everyone said it was great. But really, how great can some zucchini and cashews be?

Well, the answer is really, really, really great! LOL. I cooked it and waited a while to eat it because it didn't look all that appetizing. But when I did, it was so delicious. The cashew ricotta really tasted like the real thing! The zucchini tasted like zucchini but it was still a wonderful blend of flavors. I had two heaping servings and didn't even feel bad and I didn't feel boated and awful! 

Win!! Go try it! :-) 

I read the recipe, and my one thought on when I try it (soonish  ) - I will slice my zucchini thinner than what the recipe says, and pre-cook it, I think that will make it taste more neutral, therefore closer to traditional lasagna.  

I would not believe how close cashew cheese could be, had I not once had some cashew ice cream (before I even went paleo actually) and found it pretty close to the real thing.

and Kirbz, the pasta and dairy is what would have made you feel bloated with traditional lasagna (which I used to be famous for, maybe I will be again), so I'm not surprised you felt better.  Thanks for sharing the recipe!

[hollysmokes]

@kirbz, good to hear from you! Wow, that was quite a cook-up! I love that gingered zucc soup but I have to add some crumbled sausage to it or it only holds me for about 30 seconds. One of the many things I've discovered on my W30 journeys is that I need to chew my meals or, no matter how much good stuff is in them, I'm hungry again very quickly. My eggplant "lasagna" was very similar to the one you made and I really liked the cashew cheese, too. I think that really "makes" the dish.

What seasonings are you finding limited for your prime rib? I don't usually do a whole lot to mine because the meat itself is so good. I salt it pretty generously a couple of days in advance then leave it uncovered in the fridge the night before I cook it. I sear it (ideally over an open fire but probably not this time- cast iron skillet) then season with cracked pepper and coriander and bake low and slow until it's medium rare. I'm going to do it a little differently this time after reading an article from Thermoworks, where I buy my thermometers. After spending the night in the fridge, unwrapped, I'm going to put it in the freezer for an hour or so before I sear it. This eliminates the overcooked ring that is typically found around the outside edge and then I think I'm going to season it with a little garlic, pepper and rosemary before doing the low and slow thing (200-225 degrees). 

I was a little intimidated by the whole kombucha process but, once you get started, it really just kinda flows and it's very forgiving. I was worried that I had totally killed my poor scoby from months of total neglect but apparently not. It's already forming a new one on the top of the batch I just started which is normal and good. It's also why anyone that brews regularly has LOTS of scoby babies to share. If you decide you want to dip your toe into the kombucha-making world, I'd be glad to send you a couple along with some tips and links. One of the nice things about brewing your own is that you get to control how sweet the final product is. Playing with the different flavors is fun, too (usually ). 

You go, @LadyLisbette! Absence of pain is amazing and one of the things I regularly give thanks for. I can't keep Rx bars around or I'll rationalize eating one; they're enough like candy that even my husband likes them! That told me right there that it would feed my sugar dragon. I've dropped the ball on keeping up with the cooking this week and I had no idea what I was going to do for lunches. I remembered kirbz mentioned organic, compliant turkey breast at Costco so I got some yesterday when I stopped in for berries and cherry tomatoes. Today I have homemade pickles, turkey breast, cherry toms and broccoli to dip in mayo plus a few berries.

I definitely think it's becoming more second nature! If we hadn't started on the 1st, I don't think I'd realize that today is Day 18; I only know it because it's today's date. I'm sleeping better most of the time and I've been way more conscious about drinking more water. I just thought about reintro for the first time and I think my big challenge is going to be how to keep the self love going. I deserve it all of the time; not just during a W30! 

[LadyLisbette]

1 hour ago, hollysmokes said:

how to keep the self love going. I deserve it all of the time; not just during a W30! 

Yes, you do, yes, yes, yes! I haven't given a lot of thought to re-intros yet, but I continue to remember an acquaintance who at one time did a W30 every season and that really worked for her, and that calls to me a bit. So I'm mentally eyeing the calendar re when to do another one and keep fine tuning. Tempted to continue for another 30 days as we settle into the new house, but that might be totally nuts. I have to learn to trust myself. That just came to me...I'll have to weave that into my mindset.

Also, thanks for the details on the prime rib, I'm going to stash that idea away for the future.

Finally got a good night of sleep last night. Ready to shop for the sausage eggroll bowls, and otherwise stock up in general. I'll have a breakfast of mustard chicken and just out of the oven roasted brussels sprouts.

Anyone have any ideas on what to do with a duck breast that doesn't involve sugar? Hubs is asking for duck, for Christmas dinner, and I've never made it before.

[hollysmokes]

@LadyLisbette I took a quick peek at seriouseats.com and found this: https://www.seriouseats.com/2018/02/for-perfect-duck-breast-get-in-the-zone.html . I'd just leave out the wine and maybe add a couple of drops of lemon juice to add a little acid to the sauce and use ghee instead of butter. Loved the idea of saving the duck fat for potatoes.

I've been wanting to try duck breasts, too, so let me know how it goes.