Whole30 Reset Day 10

Today is my Friday!

It's been a crazy week so far.  I had really bad cravings most the week.  It sucks to know how addicted I was to sugar and processed foods.  It feels like withdrawals.  I'm glad to be getting rid of it.  I know there is a balance and the work I am putting in right now is to find that balance.  I had to tip the scale in the other direction first.  Day 10 is the day MOST quitters quit the Whole30 Reset.  Well I AM NOT A QUITTER.

Thank you Ryan.  I feel like myself again on the weekends.  It's odd because I love what I do at work, and the people I work with, but sometimes I think the balance in my life is tipped towards work and that crushes my soul.  I want everyone to have balance when it comes to work and play.  Especially since I know that I will be working longer than most people since I am not on track to retire at 65.  Before I go depressing myself let me remind myself that I am going to 4 countries in the next 60 days.  THAT IS AMAZING.  Sometimes I just need a good hard smack (not literally please) of gratitude for the good I have.  There is plenty of it.

So to log what I fed my body today, here we go.  Breakfast was the usual.  Bacon, Eggs, Spinach, and a side of potato hash (potatoes, red bell pepper, onion, crimini mushroom)
Spices used: Himalayan Salt, Cracked Pepper, Garlic, Parsley

For lunch Lucy made us a salad but I was so lame that I forgot to take a picture.  It was similar to what she made the other day but instead of bacon she used Prosciutto.  I would not combine that prosciutto with avocado again (too fatty together) but I was so hungry I ate it all anyways. lol

For dinner Lucy continued her cooking streak and made us steak and potatoes with a side of sauteed veggies.  She used almond milk and ghee for the mashed potatoes and the veggies were a combo of asparagus, zucchini, crimini mushrooms and onions.

It was quite delicious.  I finished the whole thing.  I feel it is important that I mention that I have failed to log the fact that I HAVE had snacks here in the day throughout the Whole30.  They have been whole30 compliant but it's like... by the time I log them, if I didn't take a picture of it, it doesn't show up on my blog.  So to be honest and set your expectation if you choose to give the Whole30 a go here are the snacks I filled my fridge and pantry with:

FRUIT: I love oranges, apples, grapes, and mango.  I try to limit myself to 2 a day but that is hard, especially through a menstrual cycle.  So most days I had one or two but I did go over board a couple times with 3 fruits.

BEEF STICKS: I love the Chomps beef sticks that you can get at Trader Joe's.  I also found these new ones called Country Archer that Sprouts carries though only the beef and turkey sticks are whole30 compliant.  It definitely helped when I had to run errands before I could come home and cook.

LARABARS:  I really try not to eat these but if I am getting cranky I'll eat one and I just try to have them on hand if I am going to be outside the house for a long period of time, just in case!  My favorite kind are the Lemon, Apple Pie and the Fruits & Green bars with Strawberry Spinach Cashew being my absolute favorite.  This is a list of all Whole30 Compliant Larabars.

So that was today.  I have tomorrow off of work so I am thinking of taking Lucy to Better Buzz so she can try their amazing breakfast sandwich (I will make myself breakfast at home first) and then I was thinking of driving to Julian.  And maybe stopping by Daiso and Tokyo Central...cause it's Lucy's pay day and she requested it!

Whole30 Reset: Day 9

GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOD Morning!

For breakfast today, I had my usual but with a little potatoes and red bell pepper.

I met my wonderful friend Megan for lunch at the park down the street and she made a DELICIOUS avocado and shrimp salad for us.  It was so yummy!  I think she used shrimp, avocado, tomato and cilantro with lime juice but I'm not 100% sure.  I know it was Whole30 compliant as she was sweet enough to look it up to make sure!  What a sweet friend!!! <3

After work I was a super grumpus:  

So Damion rushed me to Chipotle to calm down the hangry.  I'm thinking maybe I didn't eat enough at lunch because I shouldn't have been THAT grumpus.  I had my usual at Chipotle.

After that I came home and had to run in and out to get things from the store that I forgot to buy and my sweet boyfriend bought me these beautiful Ranunculus!

That was my day. <3

Whole30 Reset: Day 8

This morning I woke up later than usual. Damion made Lucy and I breakfast and I was in such a rush to get out that I forgot to take a picture of it! It was just 2 eggs over easy and bacon over mixed greens. Pretty similar to what I've been eating.

For lunch, Lucy made us salads with mixed greens, bacon, mushrooms, tomatoes, guacamole (from Trader Joe's) and boiled eggs. It was yummy and just enough for lunch. There was a healthy amount of guac so we skipped dressing.

Finally for dinner I made Cajun fajitas with a side salad of greens, tomatoes, avocado, salsa and I drizzled a little Caesar dressing (From Tessamae!). For the Cajon Fajitas I used a cajun spice mix from Spicely (Use code: JP61AYNW0EYN for 30% off), red bell peppers, onion, diced tomatoes, crimini mushrooms and chicken breast cut into strips. I use mostly all organic, especially meat.

I felt a little anxious today. I wanted to be focused but I was getting so agitated by any interruption. But a wholesaler made my day by bringing me a black coffee (Blonde Roast) from Starbucks. I needed that last little punch of energy. I've also been excited to work on planning a few trips coming up in the next 2 months. I'm visiting Australia, New Zealand, Iceland, and Ireland. I still can't believe I am a world traveler now. It seems unreal. I really want to get a good camera to take with me. I used to write with much better humor. I need to bring that back into my blog entries. So to start it off I will leave you with this:

Whole30 Reset: Day 7

I accidentally deleted my diary entry today.  :(  But oh well.  Let's see if I can remember the gist of it.

I said YAY I made it to Day 7 and 22% the way there!!

I said...I had the breakfast norm because it tastes delicious and it's filling.

Then for lunch I had Chipotle again because I did not prepare like I should have and I had my niece here with me.  But it was Whole30 compliant.  The carnitas are cooked with sunflower oil.  I order the salad with no rice, no beans, carnitas, tomatoes, red salsa, guacamole and... that's it!  It's super tasty and very filling so it really does fill the need.

For dinner I had a treat!  Lucy cooked Salt and Pepper Pork Loin with Potatoes and veggies (zucchini, onion, and asparagus).  It was DELICIOUS and so very easy to make!  I will have to try to make it again myself soon. 

I do need to adjust the portions on my plate going forward.  I need more veggies!  But I feel full and am still getting over terrible cramps so... I'm glad I've made it this far!  Thank you to everyone (anyone?) reading my entries.  I appreciate your interest in my journey to health and food freedom.  I want to FEEL healthy, I want to be able to outrun a bear!!!  Honestly it is bizarre how the word diet has this negative connotation to it. To some, it is mistakenly understood as a temporary thing when in fact it means the meals or foods one HABITUALLY eats!  Well I want this diet and I want it to be permanent.  Sweet things and nutrientless things TASTE GOOD, but they should be TREATS!  Not something I justify that I deserve every day.  I deserve it, yes, but I also deserve to travel comfortably, I deserve not to be judged and I deserve opportunities.  That is why I am doing this.  I appreciate everyone's love and support.  It means much to me! <3

Whole30 Reset: Day 6

Sunday I didn't log my meals or day but I did take pictures to save for later.  For breakfast I visited my sister and niece and made her my usual breakfast: Spinach, over easy eggs and bacon.  I got a Blonde coffee from Starbucks (black) and it was SO GOOD.

I gave Lucy her Graduation/Turning 18 gift!  And she looked so fly wearing it!

I drove home early with my niece (she is working with me this week to earn a little $) and we made lunch.  It was interesting... Basically it was Potato Spirals with BBQ (I used a Whole30 compliant bbq sauce that I found at Whole Foods.  It's from Tessemae) shrimp, onions and peppers.

And for dinner I made a sort of tomato basil chicken concoction... It was actually pretty delicious!  

LOOK BRENDA!! I HAVE PLATES LIKE YOURS NOW!! hehe.. They were on sale and I couldn't resist! So yeah, today I felt energized and happy.  I had a LOT of stuff to ship out when I got home so I was happy I had the energy to do it.  Day 6 down!

Also, I put this BEAUTIFUL piece of art up that Nancy Elle created.

Whole30 Reset Day 5

Out on the town.

Today I visited a lovely friend of mine in Santa Monica.  The day started with my normal breakfast except this time I added spiralized potatoes. 

For lunch we stopped by Whole Foods and I bought a salad and that juice drink I ordered the other day.  Btw, just FYI... Beet juice will turn everything that leaves you blood red.  No, you are not dying.

We went to the Santa Monica Art Walk in a small airport, it was really neat!  I didn't take too many pictures but I did take this one outside:

Yep, those are wooden bowling pins. hehe.  I wanted to run through them but it would seriously hurt if I did. lol...

For dinner we went to a Japanese spot and I had skewers, so I ordered mushroom skewers, shishito pepper skewers, and scallops on skewer.  

Then we went to world market so I picked up snacks there since lunch was not super filling.  I bought prosciutto, olives and pickles. 

We had a long talk and I was so happy to get to know my new friend.  I mean, we have known each other for a while but we have never KNOWN each other so that made me very happy.  ♡  I didn't catalog too much from this day because I wanted to disconnect and just enjoy my friend and the art and the moments!  It was great!

Whole30 Reset Day 4

I feel a LOT better today.  Though I still feel like a ravenous monster, my energy is better.  I got a LOT of sleep last night as well so I feel pretty rested.  For breakfast I repeated my breakfast from yesterday.  I love bacon and eggs so I don't mind the repetition.  

For lunch I didn't bring anything but I went to Whole Foods with my coworker and made a delicious salad with mixed spring salad and extra spinach, carrots. zucchini, shrimp, tomatoes, eggs, cucumber and onions.  I put one piece of pineapple and one piece of watermelon as a little sweet bite.  When I got to the office I topped the salad (I ate the fruit first) with Caesar dressing from Primal Kitchen (Whole30 approved).  I also ordered a fruit drink from the juice bar and watched them drop in a beet, 2 BIG chunks of celery ribs, a big chunk of orange, 2 carrots, parsley and spinach.  It was SO DELICIOUS!



For dinner I plan on making steak and veggies cause it's Friday dammit!  And this girl needs her protein!  I'm super excited about visiting my gal pal Nancy tomorrow morning but I have to make sure I stay on my Whole30 reset.  But it's good to know that in an emergency i can run over to a wholefoods and be a-ok.  :)  I'll update for dinner later.  Hope you are having a great day!!


UPDATE: Dinner was super easy.  I just put the steak on with onions, green beans and zucchini and a LOT of them.  It was filling and super tasty.  Just used basic old seasonings: Salt, pepper, cayenne, garlic, parsley, onion powder and a little bit of ghee.

Whole30 Reset Day 3

Why didn't I prepare for this.  This is what happens when you don't read the book again before starting the reset.

Last night was a dinner fiasco.  I ate all the leftover ceviche (a considerable amount) and then I ate more things.  An apple, prosciutto, a pickle, grapes.  I mean, I know they are allowed but why did I want to consume EVERYTHING????

I think I figured out that it is PMS.  YEP.  On DAY 3.  (WHY DIDN'T I PLAN THIS BETTER?)

For breakfast I repeated what I had yesterday because it was delicious and simple and easy to make quickly.  Just a black coffee, spinach, two strips of sugar free bacon, 3 organic eggs seasoned with salt, pepper and parsley.  I added avocado and salsa (the salsa is compliant as I checked the ingredients)

So lucky for ME, my gal pal Brenda was kind enough to save my arse by making my lunch at her new beautiful home!  So I'll go visit her for lunch which is timely as I need to pick her brain about an education opportunity that has presented itself.  So this is it for now, I'll update later!

UPDATE: Lunch was awesome!  Brenda made chicken fajitas with peppers, chicken, onions and a side of avocado and lime.  

It was SO GOOD!  And because 1 hour was NOT enough time to pick all the info I needed from her brain she was kind enough to have me over for dinner and I was so hungry I forgot to take a pic of her delicious dinner!!!  It was fantastic.  She oven roasted a chicken and oven roasted sweet potatoes and broccoli.  It was so good!! I don't actually like sweet potatoes but DAMN THESE WERE GOOD!  BTW, you should follow her on Instagram!  She posts amazing delicious easy recipes that will make you feel like a chef!  This is a pic of the chicken from her Instagram Story.  :)

I'll update tomorrow on progress but I feel awesome today and so very grateful for such supportive, wonderful and talented friends!

Whole30 Reset Day 2

So today I woke up ready for breakfast!  I didn't feel the Day 2 Hangover most people feel on their Day 2 of the whole30 so that's good!  No headache or discomfort at all.  But I DO visit the bathroom more which I hear is normal.  In fact it happened last time I did this so I was not surprised. haha...

Like I said in my previous entry, today I am having lunch with a friend and I volunteered to make Mango Ceviche for lunch to share so this morning I woke up with Prep work to do.  I chopped all the ingredients except for the avocado last night so I just had to mix the marinated shrimp in with the chopped ingredients and then add diced avocado.  In hindsight I wish I had remembered to buy jalapeno cause that would have been awesome in it.  So instead I will use salsa to top it with.  I'll take pics of that later. 

For breakfast I threw some spinach on a plate, made 3 over easy eggs ( seasoned them with salt, pepper and parsley) and chopped 2 pieces of Pederson Farms no sugar bacon (I get it at Sprouts or Whole Foods but you can check their website for other locations that sell it).  I wish I had thought to put avocado on there!  But I was hungry and not thinking straight.

This is pretty much my morning every day.  I check ebay and eat breakfast while Netflix or Hulu plays on the other monitor. lol...  Also, look at my cute coffee cup my friend, Brenda gave me!!! Isn't it a beaut! <3

These are the eggs I used this morning.  I haven't seen them before but they had them at Sprouts so I thought I would give them a shot.  They taste really fresh!  Honestly though the difference is so subtle that I would not be able to tell the difference at all in a blind taste test but I FEEL better about eating them and that is important to me.

 This is the coffee I drink on a daily basis.  I drink it black and sometimes will switch to the Breakfast Blend.  I had to convince myself I like coffee black but now I LOVE it black!  No cream, no sugar thank you!  (Unless we go to better buzz...then I want cream and sugar in my coldbrew... omg I miss it so much.)

So for dinner later, I want to try one of these:

I can either do a Tomato Sauce on them or... I don't know.. I need to check the book again for sauces.  I have steak and chicken in the fridge so I need to pick something that will work with that.  Anyways they look interesting so I'm excited to try and get creative with them and hopefully have leftovers for lunch tomorrow.

I'll update later!

UPDATE: So lunch was a hit!  

We paired it with Plantain Chips as a base. 

Now I KNOW you out there that are very familiar with the Whole30 are probably shaking your heads to say 'those plantain chips are not allowed because they are 'store bought CHIPS'.  You are right, they are not allowed.  But keep in mind that I was not looking for chips or a SWYPO substitute for them. It wasn't a food craving, just needed a crunch for texture variety.  And I know Melissa wants those out because they are fried CHIPS and even though they are fried in sunflower oil which is compliant on the whole 30, she wants that habit of eating fried foods/chips to be broken (SLAY THE SNACK DRAGON).  This was my emergency crunch element that will not be repeated so I can be a good little Whole30 girl.  I also crushed them up in a controlled amount.  I would have swapped them for lettuce cups but I didn't have any so...  I will leave them out of my diet going forward but it definitely worked in an emergency for this dish, so THERE. :P

There is enough leftover for dinner, so to make you happy (you know who you are) I will put it over spinach or something else less awesome than plantain chips.  If you have a suggestion leave it in the comments!!!

My Whole30 Reset - Day 1

I figured I should write things down, even if just for myself.  I am going to be travelling quite a bit in April and May and honestly I just want a more comfortable journey which means I need to say goodbye to some of my excess baggage.  So today is Day 1.  This morning I made potatoes with bacon and a little Tessamae ketchup.  I need to go grocery shopping and to throw out all the non-Whole30 approved things in my kitchen.  I think I will be ultimately lazy and use Amazon Prime now to get the groceries delivered to me. hehe... But I have no lunch!!! So I'm thinking I'll swing by Trader Joe's for lunch... we'll see.  I'll miss my Better Buzz coldbrew (I like it sweet and with milk) and their most amazing Breakfast Sandwich.  Ok... I need to stop fantasizing about bad food. lol...

I feel tired today, like I can never get enough sleep.  My face seems swollen and my under eye is a little sunken and dark.  I figured maybe it was because I wasn't feeling my best AND I drank to much on Saturday.  Alcohol always makes me skin sad.  It's a good thing I do not really drink, I'm not sad to give it up at all!

This is what I am giving up (extracted from https://whole30.com/whole30-program-rules/):

The Whole30 Program Rules

Yes: Eat real food.

Eat moderate portions of meat, seafood, and eggs; lots of vegetables; some fruit; plenty of natural fats; and herbs, spices, and seasonings. Eat foods with very few ingredients, all pronounceable ingredients, or better yet, no ingredients listed at all because they’re whole and unprocessed.

No: Avoid for 30 days.

• Do not consume added sugar, real or artificial. No maple syrup, honey, agave nectar, coconut sugar, date syrup, stevia, Splenda, Equal, Nutrasweet, xylitol, etc. Read your labels, because companies sneak sugar into products in ways you might not recognize.

• Do not consume alcohol, in any form, not even for cooking. (And ideally, no tobacco products of any sort, either.)

• Do not eat grains. This includes (but is not limited to) wheat, rye, barley, oats, corn, rice, millet, bulgur, sorghum, sprouted grains, and all gluten-free pseudo-cereals like quinoa, amaranth, and buckwheat. This also includes all the ways we add wheat, corn, and rice into our foods in the form of bran, germ, starch, and so on. Again, read your labels.

• Do not eat legumes. This includes beans of all kinds (black, red, pinto, navy, white, kidney, lima, fava, etc.), peas, chickpeas, lentils, and peanuts. No peanut butter, either. This also includes all forms of soy – soy sauce, miso, tofu, tempeh, edamame, and all the ways we sneak soy into foods (like lecithin).

• Do not eat dairy. This includes cow, goat, or sheep’s milk products like milk, cream, cheese, kefir, yogurt, sour cream, ice cream, or frozen yogurt.

• Do not consume carrageenan, MSG, or sulfites. If these ingredients appear in any form on the label of your processed food or beverage, it’s out for the Whole30.

• Do not consume baked goods, junk foods, or treats with “approved” ingredients. Recreating or buying sweets, treats, and foods-with-no-brakes (even if the ingredients are technically compliant) is totally missing the point of the Whole30, and will compromise your life-changing results. These are the same foods that got you into health-trouble in the first place—and a pancake is still a pancake, even if it’s made with coconut flour.

Some specific foods that fall under this rule include: pancakes, waffles, bread, tortillas, biscuits, muffins, cupcakes, cookies, brownies, pizza crust, cereal, or ice cream. No commercially-prepared chips (potato, tortilla, plantain, etc.) or French fries either. However, this list is not limited strictly to these items—there may be other foods that you find are not psychologically healthy for your Whole30. Use your best judgment with those foods that aren’t on this list, but that you suspect are not helping you change your habits or break those cravings. Our mantra: When in doubt, leave it out. It’s only 30 days.

One last and final rule:

• Do not step on the scale or take any body measurements for 30 days. The Whole30 is about so much more than weight loss, and to focus only on body composition means you’ll overlook all of the other dramatic, lifelong benefits this plan has to offer. So, no weighing yourself, analyzing body fat, or taking comparative measurements during your Whole30. (We do encourage you to weigh yourself before and after, so you can see one of the more tangible results of your efforts when your program is over.)

So yea... shouldn't be hard at home.  Just have to watch myself outside of home!  :)  I'll update later.  

2:36pm UPDATE: I didn't get to go home for lunch so I ordered Chipotle since they have my emergency go to lunch, Carnitas Salad (they cook their carnitas in sunflower oil) which has carnitas, salad, tomato salsa, guacamole and green salsa.  I'm FULL.  Those salads are huge!  But I was starving so I need to remember to bring small bites tomorrow (maybe carrot sticks or grapes...)