Whole30 round #2. Family affair - post surgery Dad and stubborn Mom along for the ride.

[Beets]

Haha. Loved the class description. Swords. I think I would have started laughing.

I'm going to find that cabbage recipe. Love cabbage and always looking for new recipes. And the chowder sounds amazing! I was thinking about doing something similar with mussels. I love a brothy mussel dish (usually with frites...) but I've never made it at home.

[Nadia B]

Haha. Loved the class description. Swords. I think I would have started laughing.

I'm going to find that cabbage recipe. Love cabbage and always looking for new recipes. And the chowder sounds amazing! I was thinking about doing something similar with mussels. I love a brothy mussel dish (usually with frites...) but I've never made it at home.

I am traumatized till the rest if my life with this class.

I thought I've linked the cabagge recipe. Nomnom has two and both are great. This clams/mussels thing takes 10 minutes, fear not it's impossible to spoil it.

[Beets]

Cool. I am on my phone but will find the cabbage recipe tomorrow. And buy some mollusks this weekend.

Also I keep meaning to give you the kale anchovy recipe: http://food52.com/bl...d-anchovy-salad

Given your sardine expertise, you may be disappointed that the anchovy is merely in the dressing. But the flavors are very good. I didn't have any fresh thyme and left it out and it was still good--though I'd like to try it with the thyme as well.

[kb0426]

This meal is on deck for tomorrow. I even have the pancetta and ginger. Thanks for the great idea.

KB, just bottled a mango and jalapeno Kombucha so thanks for that great idea.

Grilled lamb leg a la Alton Brown soon too.

74 degrees here at 5pm. Before you lynch me..rare heat spell for this time of year. Go get warm everyone.

Let me know how it tastes!

[Nadia B]

Given your sardine expertise, you may be disappointed that the anchovy is merely in the dressing. But the flavors are very good. I didn't have any fresh thyme and left it out and it was still good--though I'd like to try it with the thyme as well.

Great, thanks. Pictures look so mouthwatering. Anchovies are great for dressings, true story. Gotta grab a jar during the lunch.

[CraftyCarnivore]

70 here this weekend, too! I'm so stoked. It's been a long "sprinter".

[Nadia B]

Day 21.

Neighbor came back from Brazil and invited me over for a chat/movie. Showed up with my own tea and blanket. "It smells weird here, neighbor!". His face changed and he said - "I made cookies, Nadia, cookies". "Can you make steak next time?". Passed away on the couch half way through the movie. Woke up 2 am and went back home Woke up at 5 and couldn't sleep longer.

Did Yoga in the morning as my muscles are still somewhat stiff. Dear body re-composition, I thought we had it clear last time. T.I.G.H.T.S. Please and thank you.

I didn't get a cold + I felt somehow rested + I had glorious breakfast. Sauteed onions, brussel sprouts+ carrots and daikon (I start to like it a lot) + lettuce with mashed avocado + cod nuggets (cod-container-mustard-shake-almond flour-shake-fry 3 min) = good stuff.

Boring lunch for today. I don't care much for lunches and they are usually the most plain and humble meal of the day. I think it's because I always pack it in a morning rush. I will have smoked red cabbage + bell peppers + oriental liver love.

Sneaking out of the office early to go visit parents. Crazy race to the farmers' market to pick up some goodies for them. You will read a furious post tomorrow, I am sure. I will go to M's class on my way there. Though it is still awkward to see him, his class is something special. I feel I need to close a gestalt of a good workout.

Link share. This is seriously awesome. Foodscapes by Carl Warner. This is mine for today.

UPD. Had a lot (2 oz?!) of macadamia nuts. + no bloat - I feel like a just committed a crime. Called Dad to ask if he needs more kombucha. He said he is making stuffed acorn squash and some other amazing "fake stuff" (remember that paleo sounds like word fake in my native language) for dinner. Jaw drop.

[Jinkse21]

Nadia, I finally got around to reading your posts and I absolutely love how you have introduced your parents to W30 even though there has been some resistance on your mother's end. I hope your dad's digestive issues clear up! Your very adventurous in your cooking and I absolutely love it! Very inspirational to try more outside the box!

Thank you for letting us have a peek into your world!

[Nadia B]

Nadia, I finally got around to reading your posts and I absolutely love how you have introduced your parents to W30 even though there has been some resistance on your mother's end.

Hello and thanks for your kind post. Join the party

You people are funny. Peek into my world. I am just writing here non stop about everything that crosses my monkey mindbecause no one else would talk about it with me. I am happy if you guys find it useful or entertaining. I can't be thankful enough for everything this forum is giving me.

[Susan W]

Wow..very cool about your dad. Congrats for the headway.

I love those foodscapes. My favorite used to be Candy Cottage. The pink one. So very unpaleo of me. :0)

[Nadia B]

So does not match with your image in my head. What about now? He has a bacon pink one!

[Susan W]

I haven't seen that one but I am a little fond of the red hot chili scorpion.

[Nadia B]

Day 21. Family report.

I went to see my parents yesterday after they were doing their version of wh30 for 10 days on their own. I got to inspect the fridge and the kitchen with no one around and to ask same questions to Mom and Dad in private. They gave each other away like kids I have mixed feelings about this visit. Lots of work to do. Overall I saw some progress and will take it for now. It was a great dinner with smiles and good vibes. And my herbs are growing (keeping them at my Moms unless they are ready to be planted in the pots)!

My recap on yesterday's dinner.

Positive:

- Inspected the kitchen while no one was home. Lots of veggies, lots of cooked meat, liver and fish. No milk, no yogurt, no cheese. Sneaked a liver muffin as post WO – yum.

- They have arranged all the supplements (enzymes and magnesium) in a pretty basket on the kitchen table. Mom picked the right ones, I've checked the ingredients. They also have a water jar and a cute reminder to drink it.

- Dad said he doesn't miss bread, cookies or oatmeal at all. He said that the only trouble is that he likes pates/cooking juices, but there is nothing to spread it on/scoop with. I suggested more veggies with not much excitement in response.

- Dad packs lunch for Mom and forces her to take it with her. He complained that she refuses to carry it most of the time, but does it in order to avoid the conflict. He was very proud to tell me how he drove to bring lunch to her when she forgot it. I bought a cute and bright lunchbox for her which she loved. Maybe it will help.

- Mom said that Dad got really inspired by all these veggies and meats. He is less intimidated to try new stuff now and experiment. Granted, a lot of times he fails, but Mom doesn't say anything. Same reason she is eating overcooked veggies or dry chicken he makes. She doesn't want the conflict. I laughed about his ginger dressing experiment. He has just grated fresh ginger into the salad. That was it.

- Mom admitted that her joints pain and leg cramps have reduced.

Negative:

- Dad has lost a lot of weight. Adult 5'9 man and he weights 134 lb. That's 13 lb away from me. I explain over and over again that female modeling career is not for him for several reasons. I tell him like a broken record that he can't JUST eliminate grains and sugar (which were 70% of his carb load). He is not eating nearly enough. Like he would eat a bowl of soup for lunch and be happy. I really don't know HOW to explain it to him so it will click in his head. Eat, please, just eat. Mayo to the rescue…

- His digestion is not improving much. He is not regular. Enzymes, magnesium, kombucha are not helping much. I don't know what to do as I am in the same boat.

- They rely a lot on fruits. Like they will chow down the whole pineapple in 2 days. My reasoning that it's just a way to replace sugar with another sugar and was not taken well. I tried another approach saying that eating this much of a high sugar food is pushing protein and fat for helping their body work properly – didn't work. Third trial was “It is the way of your body to tell you – I desperately need more and it only knows to ask for sugar, as it knows that it's most likely to get itâ€. Fail.

- Mom. Urgh where do I start. I am writing this with the mix of anger and desperation here. First – she bought stevia for Dad and he was NOT asking for it, he was struggling with plain tea (and hating it) but drinking it. “What? Lady at the nutrition store said it's safeâ€. I was looking for a spice in the cupboards and noticed 2 jars (500 ml and 1,5 liter) of my favorite brand of honey (local raw). I asked if I can take a bit home. She said, oh yeah, this stuff is SO GOOD. We've been eating it A LOT lately. I notice that 500 ml jar is almost empty. I ask (knowing the answer) when did they start this jar. Of course she got defensive and was almost yelling “Honey is different! I can't drink my tea plain, I need something. I am sorry that I disappoint you so much.†I said that I understand and I don't blame her. I dared to add that I am disappointed only with her lack of cooperation. Of course I got all kinds of crap in response. She apologized later though. Lesson learned, I will have to be double cautious with my choice of words with my unique snowflake Mom.

Now more about good stuff and about what we had for dinner. Dad has spoiled the side dish he was making (he never told me what it was) and tried to rush out to pick up veggies for the second batch. I said that we can fix it in 5 minutes. I found steamed green beans in the fridge. I showed him how to make a great sauce with ghee/crushed almonds/lots of garlic and sage to dress them. It takes 2 minutes. He was so cute standing near in his glasses taking notes in his recipes pad. Then he confessed that he has spoiled several eggs trying to make mayo “like yoursâ€. He is seriously hooked J We made a batch together. I had to use a whisk (no immersion blender there) and my arms were burning (worked arms a lot at the gym prior)! He was assisting and pouring the oil while I was whisking. It turned out a bit runny, but Dad was happy with the result. I brought three different compliant mustards (fantastic locally crafted brand with no added crap) for him to replace the jar I have thrown away. We were sampling and dipping fingers into the jars like fools. He loved fig and balsamic type and was about to eat it by spoonful I think. We mixed this mustard with mayo to make a dip for veggies. For main Dad has cooked kabocha squash stuffed with chicken hearts and oyster mushrooms. It was damned good, 10 out of 10. I picked a bit on pineapple and ate a pear later. Too sweet. Dad ate a lot and I was happy. He said that I make it so easy and fun. Yea Dad, because I am the biggest believer that eating is fun.

If you read the whole post, you bunch of patient people - gold star for you and thanks. I feel better spelling it all out.

[Derval]

I read it all, gold star for me! No hardship though, I love reading your posts. Continue on your humanitarian mission

[missmary]

You are making SO MUCH PROGRESS with them!! I'm glad for you and your lucky lucky parents.

[kb0426]

Gold star here too!

This story really is awesome. Even though Mom was replacing sugar with stevia and honey, they are successfully Paleo even if not whole30. That is quite an accomplishment!

Does your dad recognize the signs of hunger? Has he talked to the doctors about his constipation?

I can only hope someday that my kids take as good a care of me as you take care of your parents!

[Jinkse21]

I LOVE how your dad is embracing this and trying new things! Now you just need to get him to eat more good fat so he can fatten up! Can't have a father skinnier than the daughter!!

[Nadia B]

I read it all, gold star for me! No hardship though, I love reading your posts. Continue on your humanitarian mission

Two for being first! Maybe I will get good karma points for my paleofying attempts

You are making SO MUCH PROGRESS with them!! I'm glad for you and your lucky lucky parents.

Thanks MM, you were so right when you mentioned about me bonding with Dad more some time ago. I think he just wants to be good to keep me happy. Whatever it takes.

Gold star here too!

This story really is awesome. Even though Mom was replacing sugar with stevia and honey, they are successfully Paleo even if not whole30. That is quite an accomplishment!

Does your dad recognize the signs of hunger? Has he talked to the doctors about his constipation?

I can only hope someday that my kids take as good a care of me as you take care of your parents!

Star, star for the b-day girl! I am getting all emotional here, kb! Stop it.

He swears he is not hungry. Talking about health openly is not a common thing in our family unfortunately. We learned that Dad has been suffering from the symptoms for a year but didn't want to bother anyone. Parents would never tell me if they have any sort of pains. I made him keeping a journal with food/sleep/poop etc and asked him to show it to the doctor.

I LOVE how your dad is embracing this and trying new things! Now you just need to get him to eat more good fat so he can fatten up! Can't have a father skinnier than the daughter!!

Thanks, he is doing way better I would have hoped. I have almost same difference with Mom too (minus tho), but she is our pocket girl at 5'1. She doesn't eat either. But in mayo we trust.

[Nadia B]

Day 22.

Quick update about today and off I go, it's sunny outside and it's Friday!

4 hours sleep, meh. I am very cranky and sore, so not sure I should go to dance today either, maybe a long nice walk.

Breakfast: no too sexy, but yummy. Chicken liver, leeks and mushrooms in mustard and fried turnips.

Lunch: more green beans (damn will I ever finish that bag) + cod with arugula pesto, sundried tomatoes and olives.

Dinner TBD. I think I will steal D's dinner: spinach and chorizo. Maybe I will throw some shrimps in the mix for a paella kinda thing, like here. You can tell I am just jealous of Derval going to Spain. And having hazelnut oil.

[LadyM]

You are such a good doobie sweetheart. Even when your mom gets cross with you she must know that you're really just trying to spread sunshine!

[jlb111]

You are amazing, actually all of you are amazing.

I look at what you folks are eating and preparing

and not quite sure whether I have hit the center

of an existence called "people who eat weirdly"

or if you have found the keys to the kingdom.

Congratulation on your decision to support your parents.

I was blessed with that experience although at times

I would forget I was being blessed and thought I was

a victim of an awful joke.

For me it helped to break down some myths I had been

living out of that were not moving my life where it needed

to be. You might well not need that assistance ,but

for whatever reason you find your self in this place

I salute you for stepping up to the plate.

Have fun, learn heaps and get and give lots of hugs.

[Susan W]

Nadia..you are amazing. I know your Mom is exasperating (what mom isn't; including me) but you really have made so much progress with them. I love the vision of your dad taking notes. The fact that he has a recipe notebook is so cute. They are lucky parents.

[Nadia B]

You are such a good doobie sweetheart. Even when your mom gets cross with you she must know that you're really just trying to spread sunshine!

Doobie is not familiar with the slang and had to google the word doobie. Lauged a lot after I am spreading bacon, kombucha and then sunshine.

You are amazing, actually all of you are amazing.

I look at what you folks are eating and preparing

and not quite sure whether I have hit the center

of an existence called "people who eat weirdly"

or if you have found the keys to the kingdom.

Hello Yes, we are not a bad bunch he at all . Everyone eats weirdly in a way if you really think about it. Thanks for encouragement, it is a growing up moment for sure.

Nadia..you are amazing. I know your Mom is exasperating (what mom isn't; including me) but you really have made so much progress with them. I love the vision of your dad taking notes. The fact that he has a recipe notebook is so cute. They are lucky parents.

Aww thank you. Yes, he is a paleostudent!

[Nadia B]

Day 22. Update.

Got crazy hungry on the way home. Apparently I am not fat adapted yet to be cool with no food for 6 hours. Made quickest dinner ever, no fancy paella as planned. I ended up with giant lettuce/guacomole/bell peppers salad and chorizo/ground beef. Totally hit the spot.

I decided to go to the rehearsal even though I wasn't feeling too good. The more I walked the more weak I felt. Fortunately we practiced tricky moves, so it was a low key rehearsal. Flash mob is 1,5 month away, yaaay! Pooped popped in my Asian supermarket and almost fainted at the fish department. Fresh tuna on sale. Last piece. Little fact about me - if I had to choose one food item to eat till the rest of my life it would be tuna steak. I should have been born in Portugal - tuna and sardines land. Life is unfair

Had swypo moment before bed - warm coconut milk (wated down) with blackberries. Not sure what my mind was trying to request, but it felt like my pants were on me all the time. I think it's the fact that I ate it for pleasure and not for any nutritional purposes. Please, let me finish the WH30.

[kb0426]

Day 22. Update.

Got crazy hungry on the way home. Apparently I am not fat adapted yet to be cool with no food for 6 hours. Made quickest dinner ever, no fancy paella as planned. I ended up with giant lettuce/guacomole/bell peppers salad and chorizo/ground beef. Totally hit the spot.

http://i1287.photobu...zps286fc105.jpg

I decided to go to the rehearsal even though I wasn't feeling too good. The more I walked the more weak I felt. Fortunately we practiced tricky moves, so it was a low key rehearsal. Flash mob is 1,5 month away, yaaay! Pooped in my Asian supermarket and almost fainted at the fish department. Fresh tuna on sale. Last piece. Little fact about me - if I had to choose one food item to eat till the rest of my life it would be tuna steak. I must have been born in Portugal - tuna and sardines land. Life is unfair

Had swypo moment before bed - warm coconut milk (wated down) with blackberries. Not sure what my mind was trying to request, but it felt like my pants were on me all the time. I think it's the fact that I ate it for pleasure and not for any nutritional purposes. Please, let me finish the WH30.

Okay, now that I have stopped laughing, please tell me you popped into the Asian market, not ran in to use their rest room?