Shadow’s May 2020 Whole30

[kirbz]

Oh. My. Goodness. How were those In N Out burgers!? I looked up her recipe after seeing your reference here and they look amazing! Please, please tell me they are! LOL. 

I also saw that she has a recreation of P.F. Chang's Lettuce Wraps! I am so making those this week too! 

It sounds like you're doing great! Keep up the good work. I love seeing your list of NSVs each day! 

[ShadowInTheKitchen]

@kirbz the burgers really were delicious!  I’ve only ever had burgers with ketchup sauce and veg, bacon and/or cheese, never mayo, but this combo... sooo good! And I  felt great after eating them too, not stuffed and groggy from the wheat bun.  Yes, I recommend!

Shadow

[ShadowInTheKitchen]

M1: German bratwurst sausage, two fried eggs, lots of spinach pan-fried in ghee with leftover carmelized onions, a few pecans to tide me over as breakfast was cooking

M2: 2/3 cup potato egg salad with a side of green beans

Snack: apple

M3: bbq’d sausage, roasted potatoes and onions, lemon asparagus 

NSV: my mayo broke as I was making it, but I googled a fix and it turned out better than ever before

NSV: despite having cravings today, I remained compliant

Plan for tomorrow: I’m going to make some more ghee

My family had a bonfire last night, complete with s’mores.  Argh. I really wanted a roasted marshmallow, and the chocolate that didn’t get eaten has made its way back into the pantry.  I hate to throw out food, but I’m having trouble knowing that those sweets are in reach.  Remaining compliant is taking a lot of willpower.  I guess I haven’t overcome the cravings yet so I may need to throw that junk food out.

I realize that I like to eat a lot of the same meals, and that I like to try something completely new about once a week.  

[Blueautumn]

41 minutes ago, ShadowInTheKitchen said:

My family had a bonfire last night, complete with s’mores.  Argh. I really wanted a roasted marshmallow, and the chocolate that didn’t get eaten has made its way back into the pantry.  I hate to throw out food, but I’m having trouble knowing that those sweets are in reach.  Remaining compliant is taking a lot of willpower.  I guess I haven’t overcome the cravings yet so I may need to throw that junk food out.

Time to just grab it and stuff it down a family members throat so they can eat it for you  LOL 
I have huge cravings and know this will be a problem for me when I start so im doing everything I can to make sure that nothing too tempting makes its way into the house. Luckily I only have my hubby and then 8 animals (the furries dont grocery shop which is probably for the best)

I have been following your posts and I love the NSV items that you add everyday. Do you find that they help to keep you motivated along the process?
And thank you @kirbz for the recipes you suggested to shadow lol. Ive been looking at so many of the recipes nom nom nom nom

[ShadowInTheKitchen]

I purged.  This is what I threw out:

wheat and graham flour, sugar, soybean canola and palm oil, honey, salt, sodium bicarbonate, soya lecithin, calcium phosphate, artificial flavour, sulphites;

corn syrup, sugar, dextrose, modified corn starch, water, gelatin, natural and artificial flavour, tetrasodium phosphate;

cacao, organic cane sugar, organic cocoa butter, cinnamon, nutmeg, chili (may contain nuts, peanuts and milk).

So, other than flour that I suspect doesn’t agree with me, some sustainably sourced cacao, a bit of salt, baking soda, water, gelatin and traces of nuts, I just threw out junk that doesn’t do my body any good.  
 

I feel better.  I didn’t throw out food, I threw out some chemical experiments that are marketed and sold as food and just happen to taste good.  My breakfast salad tasted good too!

@Blueautumn I document my NSV’s so that I can look back on my journal and see how far I’ve come.  Changes can be so subtle that after a few weeks I stop noticing that I really am making progress in a lot of different ways.  So, yes, they really do help to keep me motivated. Thanks for reading!

[kirbz]

@ShadowInTheKitchen This might just be the best sentence I've ever read on this forum: "I didn’t throw out food, I threw out some chemical experiments that are marketed and sold as food and just happen to taste good." So sad, but so true. 

Hahahaha.... 

[ShadowInTheKitchen]

Day 19, Tuesday May 19

M1: romaine and spinach salad tossed w/ mix of PK green goddess and PK ranch dressing, topped with chicken, celery and mayo salad, tomato, 1/2 avocado, black pepper

M2: potato-egg salad with green onion mixed through, carrot and celery sticks on the side

Snack: banana 

M3: 1/4 roasted spaghetti squash, topped with homemade tomato sauce and ground beef, very small romaine salad on the side

Hack to Habit: chop all salad greens into bite sized pieces and toss them with dressing in a large bowl before plating, even when it’s just a salad for one. This way the dressing blends and mixes much better than if I add it after it’s on my plate, and it tastes better IMO 

NSV: I felt sooo accomplished today b/c I made my own tomato sauce from scratch- first time ever- and it was delish:
https://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/basic_tomato_sauce/

NSV: I threw out some junk I was craving (graham crackers, marshmallows and chocolate for s’mores), and realized by the ingredient list that none of it was real food, just a bunch of chemicals mixed together.  I thought I knew how to read labels, but today I realized that I’ve learned to understand them

NSV: I cleaned and organized my fridge again, cleaned the bbq, and auto cleaned my oven

Reflection: my body is the best gift I have ever or will ever receive, and I’m feeling like I want to look after it as well as or better than I would look after anything special

I’m hoping this works- this is my fridge today.  I’m proud of it, it’s colourful and clean and makes me feel good:

 

[Blueautumn]

Oooooo that fridge!! Wanna come organize mine  <3 Great job on throwing out all that trash

[ShadowInTheKitchen]

Day 20, Wednesday May 20

M1: 2 english banger sausages, 2 fried eggs, 1 cup fried green beans with toasted almonds

M2: leftover spaghetti squash with leftover homemade tomato sauce

M3: one 1/8 lb homemade meatball aus jus, 1/2 cup of sweet potato, 1 1/2 cups veggie confetti cauli-rice, apple sauce

NSV: I made a sugary sweet dessert tonight for the family, but I didn't sample any of it.  I divided the leftovers for lunches with the warning that if they forget to take it on their lunch tomorrow I will throw it out.  I just don't want the temptation in the house.

Plan for tomorrow: I'm going to bake a small shepherd's pie with some ground beef I held back from supper tonight, with leftover veg and potatoes.  Looking forward to it.

Reflection: I think that I prefer to eat bigger meals at breakfast and lunch, and a small dinner, although looking at my dinner tonight it was by no means small, but it wasn't super heavy either.  I've known for a long time that I don't sleep well on a full stomach.  I continue to think that I am eating too much food, but I don't plan to experiment with smaller portions until my W30 and reintroduction are completed.

I am beginning to consider which kinds of foods I will reintroduce first.  Probably wine will be the first.  I've got to get dairy into the reintro soon too.  The hot weather has arrived and for our family, ice cream is a big thing.  I'm not sure how long I can avoid it, although I did tonight but it wasn't super easy.  I'm also considering extending my W30 because I'm not hitting the milestones - especially Tiger Blood - yet.  I have ten more days to consider these things more deeply.  Wow, I'm 2/3 of the way through!

[BabyBear]

2/3 of the way through, that is awesome.  Keep up the good work!

[Blueautumn]

AWESOME SAUCE!!! 2/3 done you got this *high five*

I am so glad you mentioned shepherds pie! I literally hadnt even considered it and my hubby loves making it. Just gotta make sure he doesnt add any nono ingredients to the mashed taters. Just added it to my go to list  
Every time you mention meatballs i want them so bad. Do you follow a recipe or is it your own?

[ShadowInTheKitchen]

@BabyBear and @Blueautumn thanks, I didn’t even realize how far I’d come until the end of the day yesterday!

@Blueautumn the shepherd’s pie recipe I use is from the Whole 30 book. I don’t use the coconut milk (I just omit it) but today I’m going to try it with a bit of tomato paste instead of the coconut milk. I love it topped with mashed sweet potato.   You can make your own clarified butter or ghee to mash into the potatoes, it’s much cheaper than buying it but you need cheesecloth to sieve the milk solids out of the fat. It’s easy to do, and I use a lot of ghee so I make it about once a week using 1/2 pound of salted butter. 

@Blueautumn my meatballs are a bit on the unusual side of the norm.  I make them the way my mom used to make them. I love them and when I have them I always go back in my mind to my youth, at the big farm house kitchen table, all eight of us, with Mom setting the meatballs on the table.  It happens every time.  This is how they’re done:

Mix a pound of ground beef with an egg and salt to taste.  Mom used to add a bit of rolled oats too, but I’m skipping this for W30. 
Form them into 1/3 cup sized balls. 
Fry in a non stick pan or cast iron skillet in some kind of oil over medium to medium high heat. I use ghee but Mom used bacon grease, which I use too when I have it.  When the meatballs have a nice brown crust on the outside, turn the heat down, add some water to the pan, 1/2 cup or so, cover them and either finish them on the stove on low heat or in the oven, 325 degrees.  
When they’re done, remove them from the pan, there shouldn’t be much water left in the pan so add a wee bit more to deglaze the pan, or deglaze it with the water that is still there.  You will end up with about 1/2 cup of liquid, fat, and bits of beef.  This gets poured over plain white mashed potatoes and the meatballs.  The potatoes then taste like the meat, and silky from the fat.  Mom always served applesauce on the side, and whatever veg was going that night. It’s def nothing fancy, and you end up eating all the beef fat which maybe is good or maybe isn’t - but we ate this once or twice a week all year long and nobody in my family has cholesterol problems. Just so simple and so tasty.  Yum.   
 

Shadow

[ShadowInTheKitchen]

Day 21, Thursday May 21

M1: spinach and romaine salad with celery, green onion, chicken, red grapes, Primal Kitchen ranch dressing

M2: leftover salad from breakfast today, banana, two roasted chestnuts

Snack: carrot

M3: shepherd's pie from the W30 cookbook, topped with white potatoes and ghee, with the leftover cauli-rice, kale and some homemade ketchup stirred in

NSV: I woke up at 6:30, early for me and I felt totally rested

NSV: I tried a new food, roasted chestnuts

NSV: I bought 12 potted herbs to plant outside, and I'm looking forward to using them instead of dried herbs.  I used fresh thyme and oregano tonight in the shepherd's pie

NSV: I was craving a carrot tonight as I was preparing dinner, and I definitely did not want something sweet like the orange I was planning to have

Plan for tomorrow: if I wake up early again, I'll get up and do some research about herbs, which ones like sun, shade, etc and how much space they will need so that I can plant them asap because they are just such tiny little things right now ;-)

Plan for tomorrow: I hope to make some potato-egg salad and also some devilled eggs using @BabyBear's recipe, sans the spicy brown mustard until I can find some that is compliant

I made my M1 salad way too big, and it was dressed so I needed to eat it today, but didn't mind one bit eating the same salad twice in a row.  I really could eat this salad almost every day I think.  I was also glad that it was in the fridge when I came in hungry for lunch, because there weren't any other ready to eat meals for me in the fridge 

[ShadowInTheKitchen]

Hey I'm just having a really tough time right now with cravings.  Its hot and sunny but I'm working and usually I'd have a sweet treat right about now but I can't distract myself and go for a walk for another hour...

I just thought I'd pop by and check the logs because y'all make me feel better, knowing that I'm not alone in this.  

Happy Friday everyone!  Let's all get through this day together :-) and chalk up another success!

Shadow

[Blueautumn]

3 hours ago, ShadowInTheKitchen said:

Hey I'm just having a really tough time right now with cravings.  Its hot and sunny but I'm working and usually I'd have a sweet treat right about now but I can't distract myself and go for a walk for another hour...

I just thought I'd pop by and check the logs because y'all make me feel better, knowing that I'm not alone in this.  

Happy Friday everyone!  Let's all get through this day together :-) and chalk up another success!

Shadow

This is why I think the forums are a such great thing to try and keep up with during the process- at least thats my plan rofl

<3 you can make those cravings your biatch .

[ShadowInTheKitchen]

Day 22, Friday May 22

M1: 2 english banger sausages, 1/2 medium sweet potato, a handful of spinach and a handful of kale, 2 eggs sunny-side-up, all pan fried in ghee

M2: romaine and spinach salad with celery, green onion, avocado, chicken and red grapes, tossed with Primal Kitchen Green Goddess dressing

Snack: carrot, apple

M3: the rest of the salad leftover from lunch

NSV: I woke up at 5am, and was treated to a lovely chorus by the songbirds.  I got up at 5:45 and got a good start on planning my herb garden

NSV: I ate all of my meals outdoors today, and was mindful as I ate (no devices).  I was rewarded at breakfast with a visit from a hummingbird!  It visits the flowers on the strawberry plant I have growing on the back deck

NSV: I made sunny side up eggs, the first time in either a seriously long time or maybe the first time ever.  Perfect!  Having patience is rewarding

NSV: I noticed how different flavours didn't complement each other at breakfast, and I'm beginning to understand why.  The sausage was too savoury to go with the sweet potatoes and the mild eggs. I either need a milder sausage or I need to ramp up the spices with the eggs.  Am I a budding foodie LOL

NSV: My belly feels flabbier, not as solidly fat, and I'm thinking that perhaps I may have lost a bit of fat from my stomach

NSV: I was having some seriously huge cravings today, at 3pm, but I powered through and didn't give in 

NSV: I knew that I was going to have a busy afternoon, so I intentionally made an extra large salad at lunch time.  I planned to have a second helping at supper because I didn't have time to prepare any other meals before dinner, which ended up being pizza and wings ordered in

Plan for tomorrow: prepare devilled eggs and egg salad

Plan for tomorrow: prepare the beds for my herbs, plant my herb garden

Thanks to anyone reading here for sharing your struggles in this forum. Reading through the forum today really was a big help to me during my cravings, it helps to know that I'm not alone in this. Hugs to all...

[ShadowInTheKitchen]

Day 23, Saturday May 23

M1: leftover shepherds pie

M2: the last of the shepherds pie and some potato egg salad

Snack: carrot

M3: potato egg salad, banana 

NSV: I worked all morning we on my food gardens (herbs, raspberries and rhubarb) today and I’m looking forward the goodies they will yield

NSV: I baked cinnamon rolls this morning and didn’t sample any. I delivered them to DD17’s work place, and totally savoured the compliments. That was waaay better than the rolls  IMO

NSV: I pushed back when I was encouraged to have an alcoholic beverage this aft when visiting friends, I chose to drink ice water

NSV: I remained compliant when family ordered dinner in, and I know that I feel better than I would have if I ate the greasy chicken and fries 

Plan for tomorrow: the herb garden is full, so finish planting the rest of the herbs into the vegetable garden and into pots 

Plan for tomorrow: add compost that I bought today to the raspberries and rhubarb

Plan for tomorrow: search online for a raised bed to move some of my raspberries to a full sun location

Plan for tomorrow: plan meals for this week and pick up groceries

Today‘s meals weren’t very interesting, I felt I was just eating to get it done so I could get back to gardening. But I’m super excited to see my herb garden taking shape, and I’m searching for some (any) Whole30 rhubarb recipes that don’t call for sugar.

I always tend to go all in with all of my energy when I start a new project, but I have to be super careful right now that my habits don’t lapse. Today I didn’t do any work in the kitchen until supper time, needless to say the kitchen was a total mess.  Then it was tough to find something to cook because I didn’t have any meat thawed, let alone have a plan.  Luckily I had some protein salad on hand, and luckier still that my family wanted take out.   I plan to keep my habits in check tomorrow and only work on my new gardening hobby when my W30 work is done.  

[Blueautumn]

One of my cats is named rhubarb! Lol

Awesome job staying compliant. I have an instant pot and I never use the pressure cook function. Instead I always use the slow cook but I hear it's super good for cooking frozen meat in case I forget to plan so I'm planning to learn pressure cooking lol.

And that right there is why its so good to have something always ready in the fridge like protein salad!

[ShadowInTheKitchen]

Oh my.  I have an instant pot and didn't even think about using it tonight.  

I use the pressure cook function for chicken breasts. They turn out perfect and it makes some chicken stock at the same time.

I hope you had a good Day 1.

Shadow

[ShadowInTheKitchen]

Day 24, Sunday May 24

M1: german brat sausage, ~4 cups or more of chopped spinach and kale pan-fried in ghee, some potato-egg salad

M2: boneless skinless chicken thighs, asparagus & a clove of garlic bbq'd, smashed skin-on boiled potatoes

Snack: carrot sticks

M3: a large iceberg and spinach salad with sweet peppers, chicken, Primal Kitchen ranch dressing

NSV: I enjoyed working in my herb and vegetable gardens today.  I ran out of potting soil, so need to finish potting those herbs when I get more soil

NSV: I didn't have any food cravings today

NSV: I've been getting up early these past three days, and I hope this trend continues.  I seem to have some good energy and am getting lots of stuff done

Plan for tomorrow: plan meals and pick up groceries.  

[ShadowInTheKitchen]

Day 25, Monday May 25

M1: 1/3 cup potato-egg salad, salty sliced cucumbers

M2: leftover chicken thigh reheated, and freshly roasted cauliflower, carrots and sweet pepper tossed in olive oil and salt

Snack: fruit salad (banana, pineapple, strawberries)

M3: romaine and spinach salad with chicken and avocado, green goddess dressing

NSV: I shopped for groceries today, bought lots of healthy foods and I didn't have any temptations to buy junk, or chemical concoctions as I see them now.

NSV: I'm feeling very pleased with myself for eating well, and notice that I no longer have those guilty feelings that I always had after eating something trashy.

NSV: I realized tonight after finally getting more avocado, that I've grown to love those exotic green bundles of fatty goodness in my salads.

Plan for tomorrow: Nothing extra.  Just focus on eating well.

 

[ShadowInTheKitchen]

Day 26, Tuesday May 26

M:1 green beans, bratwurst sausage, potato-egg salad

M2: romaine spinach salad with avocado, celery, chicken, strawberries, PK ranch

M3: roasted strawberry rhubarb salsa chicken with cauliflower base: https://thecastawaykitchen.com/2017/05/roasted-strawberry-rhubarb-salsa-chicken-whole30-keto-paleo/

NSV: I know its probs against the rules, but I measured my food today because I was sure that I was eating too much. I used My Fitness Pal, and was pleasantly surprised that I came in under MFP's recommended calories for me.  Total calories was 1209, goal calories is 1360 to lose 1 lb per week.  And I was full all day.  So I'm happy now, and I won't continue to measure.  I know that I'm on a good track.  I think that because I'm 55 and post menopausal that my caloric needs are changing.  I'm looking so forward to having the W30 baseline of "feel good-y-ness," and not having to count and weigh and measure to get the healthy body I want.  

NSV: I tried another new food - almond butter.  Yum! I'll have to be careful with this though, I can see it being a food with no brakes for me.

NSV: I tried another new recipe, and liked it.  I made Hawaiian pizza for the family for supper, because I had to use up some ham, along with the chicken casserole.  Of course everyone chose the pizza tonight rather than saving it for lunches tomorrow.  So there is lots of chicken leftover.  Dinner tomorrow night will be leftover chicken.  Easy Peasy.  Oh, and I didn't crave any pizza.  :-)

I'm coming down the home stretch now.  Tomorrow will be Day 27, but I don't feel I'm ready to begin reintroductions yet.  My energy levels are steady, but I'm still not consistently getting out of bed early in the morning, despite going to bed at 10 and getting lots of good quality sleep. I really want this to change.  I may need my meds tweaked, but I want to see if staying W30 a bit longer will help before I put a call in to my Doctor.  When I do get up early, I enjoy spending time in the garden that I would otherwise spend snoozing in bed. So consistently getting out of bed at 7am is going to be my target after I have completed 30 days.  I'm hoping that by ~ June 10, after 40 days of W30, I can begin reintros. 

[Blueautumn]

mmm pizza - this is not the time for me to be reading ppls logs ROFL all the food is just making me crave other food right blah

I bet its comforting to know that just listening to your body is getting you in where you need to be without you actively doing any counting/restrictions. That sleep must also be amazing <3 im jealous. 

[ShadowInTheKitchen]

@Blueautumn I still remember on my first W30, the first time I woke up totally refreshed after a solid sleep.  I knew then that I wanted more of that.  It’s def something for you to look forward to!

I’m sorry about naming the off-plan food.  I try not to do that, especially for myself when I re-read my posts because it can trigger me to want it.  Fun fact though, I prepped it, cooked it, sliced it and served it and NOT ONCE did I crave it.   WOW. Just wow. A big NSV. This too is something you can look forward to.  

Shadow

[RachelR]

1 hour ago, ShadowInTheKitchen said:

 @ShadowInTheKitchen "I'm looking so forward to having the W30 baseline of "feel good-y-ness," and not having to count and weigh and measure to get the healthy body I want."

I really like this about Whole30.  I've tried things like weight watchers before and found the counting calories, etc to be too stressful.  I enjoy that with Whole30 as long as it is compliant- I can eat it.  (And learning a bit about including fats or proteins with things like fruit, etc to help sustain fullness longer).  It takes a lot of pressure off!