Whole30 Day 19. And Yolandi Visser.

Source: google.co.nz via K. on Pinterest

I have long wanted to dress up as Yolandi Vi$$er from Die Antwoord for Halloween. I would need a very special wig to do it. I should probably also lose about 40 pounds because girl is tiny. And also borrow a white rat for the evening.

Source: oldmantriple.tumblr.com via K. on Pinterest

Wouldn't she be an AWESOME costume?

But the Whole30! Oh yes! It is day 19. After today there are "just" 10 days left. Maybe it sounds better to say we're almost two-thirds done. No. I like just 10 days left.

Today's interesting medical discovery is that I don't have to breathe as hard when I'm running. I don't huff and puff. Is my endurance improving? My VO2 max or whatever? My energy still seems up and down, so this is a separate thing.

Burned breakfast: sweet potato, sausage, kale

BLACK COFFEE

INSERT MENTAL IMAGE OF SALAD. 

I ate it during a meeting at work, forgot to take a pic. 

Amazingly juicy apple--I think it was a Zestar

Dinner: crockpot Thai curry thing over acorn squash with green beans

Day 19 reflections: Everyone at work ordered Chinese food except for me. I ate my salad.

It's Friday night and I'm drinking seltzer again. One more dry Friday to go.

This is the last day of summer! I think we had an OK summer. I got to travel a tiny bit. I feel like I'm in good shape. Work is going well. My family is doing OK. We are, as they say, "all good."

Fall goals: Clean out the garage. Fix the front hallway. Clean up my sewing station. Keep running until the snow flies. Maybe get a date night or two in there.

What's on your plate for fall?

Whole30 Day 18, Total 3pm Crash

Interesting phenomenon today--I had a sugar crash experience at 3pm, just like in the old days... except I'm not eating sugar. Here's what I think happened: the toddler was teething and woke up screaming at 2am. I didn't get back to sleep until after 4, then had to get up at 5:30 for my bootcamp class. The class was just extended to a full hour, so I did an intense workout from 6-7 which was hard but felt great. Then I went for my 10 minute run right when I got home because I was already all warmed up. So I was basically starting my day with a huge calorie & energy deficit to fill. I'll show my food and then continue this fascinating story.

First breakfast: egg, kale, coffee

Second breakfast: sweet potatoes!

iCOFFEE

Apple snack

Leftover lamb kebabs and acorn squash. Twice.

Salmon with mustard sauce & cauliflower rice

Day 18 reflections: So anyway, my eating partner thoughtfully made me breakfast, but I knew I needed more carbs or something to help recover from the workout. So I fried up a plate of assorted sweet potatoes. But I was hungry all day. I had my apple snack early and could hardly wait for lunch. Then at about 3 o'clock I thought I was coming down with the flu because I felt awful. Nauseated, dizzy, weak, achey. I decided to treat it like a sugar crash and feed the problem... by having lunch all over again. (I'd eaten half of my leftovers and was saving half for tomorrow.) And it worked!

So the lesson learned is to Feed the Workout. So far my energy reserves during this program are very brittle--I get drained quickly and easily. Even though I felt fine this morning, I need to overcompensate afterward with lots of food.

I figure that tonight's dinner is the 54th meal I've made in a row. We have not eaten out or had any pre-made food since Day 1. I know I could interrogate servers or vendors about what's in their products so I can get some selections. But honestly, if I'm going to pay for something like that, I want to get the Real Thing. So we'll probably end up cooking/assembling every single meal this month. It's interesting! I'm using my Cuisinart a lot more. And can I say again how September seems to be the perfect month for this program? Not only is there great produce and local meat copiously available, but there are no major eating holidays in September to be sad about. A Paleo Halloween would be not good.

Off to catch up on my sleep. Thanks for reading and hope you are well.

Whole 30 Day 17, The Sweet Spot

You guys, I think this Whole30 thing might be working! We've been eating nothing but meat, seafood, veggies, fruit, healthy oils, nuts & seeds for the past 17 days (and a few allowed condiments and coffee). Lately we have been feeling OK I think! Today at dinnertime we were dancing around the kitchen improvising a song about pickles in Ethel Merman voices until the children begged us to stop.

Eating this way is also starting to feel so normal that I almost feel silly posting my food every day, because it's just... my food. I'm starting to forget this is all a mad experiment. It's starting to feel like life. (Another part of my mind is very keen on October 3rd though, and already planning what sort of "reintroductions" will occur first. I think it is fair to say that fermented grape beverages are ranking high on the reintroduction list.)

So here's today's photo documentation:

Stick-to-your-ribs breakfast: salsa avocado omelette, kale, sweet potatoes, yummy black tea

BLACK COFFEE, 1 of 2

Lunch: salad, apple

BLACK COFFEE, 2 of 2

Burger with mustard & pickle & fried onions, green beans, carrots

Day 17 reflections: So yeah, I'm feeling good. Lots of ideas flowing through my brain. My 10-minute run today (actually tonight, I ran in the dark at 8pm) felt stronger than I was expecting. My body is probably happy not to be dealing with all the garbage I usually consume, which is pretty much pale ale, sharp cheddar, and Cheerios if I recall. (I am not usually big on things like vegetables. Or fruit.) Also the meal planning--or the need to have a plan--is not as intense now. I think I'm understanding how to put meals together effectively. Having a huge breakfast definitely helps. Having a well-stocked fridge full of many options and pre-cooked stuff is also essential.

On a totally separate topic, is there a name for the phenomenon where you think you're one day ahead (or behind)? That keeps happening to me lately. I thought it was Thursday for ages today. Then I thought it was Tuesday. For the record, it is actually Wednesday. I think.

Whole30 Day 16, I think

It's getting hard to keep track of what day it is in our 30-day eating program. Good thing I signed up for the Whole30 daily emails, which help confirm exactly where we're at. Day 16.

Today's food? Oh yes. It will probably look familiar:

Eggs! Also jicama "home fries"

That's no moon. That's BLACK COFFEE.

Lunch: assorted sweet potatoes, rice-less sushi
Not pictured: Apple for snack

Lamb kebabs, asparagus, acorn squash

Day 16 reflections: It occurs to me that I haven't opened a package of food in days. I mean a box or container or can (other than coconut milk). Everything is either a fresh vegetable or some kind of meat. (Yes, everything is wrapped in plastic, but that's not what I mean.) I take it out of the fridge in its close-to-harvested state, cook it up, and that's what we eat. Plus random oils and Seasnax I guess.

I had a cheating dream last night. My eating partner and I ordered delicious pints of beer, and right before downing mine I realized I was going to break my Whole30. Then I had some cheese and bread and salami. Then I started to worry--how will I explain to my blog readers that I just ditched the whole thing halfway through? Although it was a delicious dream, I was glad to wake up this and learn that I had not, in fact, ruined my whole plan in a single impetuous sweep.

I don't think I like jicama. I've tried it sliced and raw with dip, and cooked and fried with eggs. It is just not my bag. I did like the rice-less sushi I made for lunch, based on a Well Fed recipe naturally. It's made with avocado, smoked salmon, and pepper strips. It could also have daikon and/or carrot strips, maybe cucumber, and lots more avocado in each roll. I'd probably make this again. Finally the sweet potatoes--we got some different kinds at the coop this week and some are almost potato-y. Not too sweet, nice starchy mouthfeel. I could make decent scalloped sweet potatoes with them. If I were able to have milk and cheese, HA HA.

Have you tried other sweet potatoes than just those orange Thanksgiving-y ones? Any recommendations?

Whole30 Day 15, Halfway Done

Today was another pretty OK day. Maybe we're getting used to this Whole30 thing at last. Things seem to be evening out and settling down, which is a great relief.

Today's exciting food selections were:

Breakfast: Carrot+burdock "strengthener," egg, kale, yummy black tea

Find the BLACK COFFEE

Lunch salad

Apple

Afternoon tea

Chicken Slaw & green beans

Day 15 reflections: I can't say I feel amazing or anything while doing this "eating clean" thing for 30 days, at least not yet. But I don't feel any worse! I'm definitely feeling a bit leaner. (You're not supposed to weigh yourself during the Whole30, so I just go by how my clothes fit.) My eating partner seems to be feeling better today at least. And he picked out a delicious dinner selection for us from the Everyday Paleo cookbook. He gently urged me to Actually Follow the Recipe instead of doing my usual crazy improv. I did and was so glad--this was a yummy dinner! It's basically coleslaw with apple and sundried tomato, plus cooked chicken and slivered almonds. I wasn't expecting much, but the way it all came together was fresh, crunchy, sweet, salty, lots of nice complex flavors and textures going on. The whole family ate at least some, and our first-grader asked for seconds. We'll definitely make this again.

So since we've been doing this for 15 days, we figure we just have to do it all over again and then we'll be done. Fifteen more days. Will we try the horrible sounding "Meatza" (cheeseless pizza on a crust made of meat) as a "When in Rome" experiment? How much more ghee and coconut oil will we need to purchase to get through until October 2? Will blueberries finally go out of season? Will I buy a new coffee mug to replace my Barn Owl one that gets water stuck between the layers? Will I ever cave and put coconut milk in my cup of joe? Stay tuned as these and other questions unfold in real time...

Whole30 Day 14, A Good Day

One of my favorite recipes, Turkey Shawarma, is ALLOWED! Happy happy.

Today was a good day, oh my goodness! Got up early with the kids, made them waffles they didn't eat, went shopping with the whole family, found my daughter some good resale pants, read Richard Scarry with both children, visited my mother, went for a run, played outside. No major cravings. No major meltdowns. Today was just like a lovely, normal life!

Here's today's food:

More "granola" (blueberries, almond butter, coconut flakes)
and BLACK COFFEE

Guacamole and carrot sticks

Random scramble (leftover veggies + 1 egg)

Tea & Seasnax

AWESOME dinner: Turkey Shawarma with requisite tomato relish, tahini sauce & pickles

Day 14 Reflections: I happened to look up one of my fave grill recipes (from my treasured Bon Appetit BBQ 2009 issue) for Turkey Shawarma with Tomato Relish & Tahini Sauce. I was thrilled to find it was completely Paleo compliant except for the pita bread. So we had it for dinner sans pita--deconstructed you might say. If you like Middle Eastern flavors AT ALL, you must make this dish. It's not hard, and it's SO worth it. Being able to eat this yummy food during our Whole30 makes me so happy... because I like nothing better right now than having something "normal" that is not spaghetti squash or yet another egg invention.

It occurred to me this morning that this is not the first time I've had whiny thoughts like "Not only can I not go without this forever, I don't even want to go without it for a DAY." This used to happen back when I was a bit of a smoker. The thought of having to Not Smoke would throw me into a panic. It was very depressing to consider a life without cigarettes, even though I knew that's what I had to do. I couldn't believe I'd gotten myself into a situation where even though my habits were unhealthy, I so WANTED to do them anyway. But that is how addiction works, right? Now, I'm not sure one can be addicted to a food category like white flour or sugar or whatever. Can one? But I find it interesting that I've run across this addictive thought pattern before. I recognize the voice of my inner drama queen who just can't handle not getting what she wants for more than a few hours. Now just you hush, lady. Only 16 more days to go.

Whole30 Day 13, 5K & Apple Picking

I ran the Brattleboro Walk-In Clinic Walk, Run & Roll 5K this morning. I came in 3rd woman (or however you say that). For a while I was 2nd woman, but I totally ran out of gas in the second half and let second place go. That's OK, I was just glad to run and SO excited that my family came out to see me finish. That made it awesome!

Here's today's food:

Invented "Granola": Blueberries, almond butter, shredded coconut.
Also BLACK COFFEE

Yummy black tea. Not pictured: post-race snack of apples & almond butter

Lunch=salad

mid-afternoon snack=sausage+egg+herbs

Apple picking! I ate 2 juicy Cortlands

Stirfry (beef+peppers) over cauliflower rice with side of spaghetti squash

Today was the weekly farmer's market so I sent my eating partner off with a list and $90. He brought home $7 and the following items. (I would love to do a panorama but no idea how..)

Golden beets, kale, salad mix, lettuce, jalapeños, tomatoes

Sweet peppers, black tomatoes, purple beans, eggs, fat carrots, onions

cabbages, yellow carrots, sweet carrots, purple carrots, acorn squash

another squash, burdock, cucumbers, apples

Day 13 reflections: The feeling of "What's the point of this" still remains today. I just really enjoy eating food that I enjoy. I also enjoy relaxing with wine or beer. Not having these things to enjoy is both annoying and boring. We've discussed this a lot and are going to keep on with the program just to see what happens. I also totally understand that this whole concept of the Whole30, and then complaining about the Whole30, is a ridiculous first world problem that I am pretty much wallowing in right now. And for that I apologize--my whining is totally out of line from a global perspective. I am thanking the god & goddess that I'm able to even try things like this.

Apart from the 5K this morning we also went apple picking. It was a perfect day. Fall is in the air. It was cool and windy, the sky was that particular September blue, and we found ourselves covering up shorts and T-shirts with pants and hoodies. Come to think of it, apples are a very necessary part of our Whole30. (I also think that September is very necessary--harvest is in full bounty and it's amazing. This would be truly awful in, say, February.) There is one thread of the Whole30 forum about naming your top 10 necessary foods during the 30 days. So far mine would be (not in order):

1. apples
2. garlic
3. ghee
4. acorn squash
5. avocado
6. eggs
7. sweet potatoes
8. blueberries
9. lettuce
10. cauliflower

Whether or not you're trying a particular eating program, what are your top foods that you couldn't live without?

Whole 30 Day 12, Eeyore Day

Said in my Eeyore voice, "What's the point of all this. If there is a point."

It's Friday and I have no junky snack or ice cream to enjoy with my movie. No interesting mix-pack of craft beers. Just a boring movie and boring squash. I think I'll go to bed early again--at least I am getting lots of sleep on the Whole30, eh?

Today's fud:

Omelette with salsa & avocado, yummy black tea

Today's BLACK COFFEE portrait is brilliant

Picked-this-morning Cortland apple

Jicama & baba ganoush. So tired of this.

I ate the 1.5 scotch eggs before I remembered to take a picture

Spaghetti squash, random kale, and "Sunshine Sauce"

Day 12 reflections: So, blah. I'm starting to think that if eating this way is what it takes to be healthy, I don't want to be that healthy. But I'm not going to give up now. I want to see this through and find out what the middle and end of the story are. But 18 more days seems sooo loooong. (I keep telling myself that I carried two children for 9 months each, so this is no biggie.)

One interesting note is that I don't feel as hungry as I used to. But is that because all my food choices are so complicated I can't be bothered? Or am I turning into a fat burning machine?

Sorry to be whiny. Things are fine really. But this proves that changing one's lifestyle is HARD! I dislike change and/but I am extremely stubborn, so the Whole30 is an interesting test for me.

Have you ever resolved to overhaul your diet or exercise or decor or some other major scheme? How did it go?

Whole30 Day 11, Running Out of Veg

While we're doing the Whole30 program, we seem to need cups and cups of all different kinds of vegetables ready and available in order to patch together what feels like a meal. Right now the fridge contains 1 whole cauliflower, 1 cooked spaghetti squash, 1 bag of fresh green beans, a container of "ready-to-cook" baby kale, a few carrots & celery stalks, 3 small radishes, a tiny purple cabbage, 1/4 jicama, and a container of washed lettuce. And it feels like we're just scraping by! (Not to mention a partial bag of frozen green beans, a mix of frozen broccoli & cauliflower, and a bag of frozen shiitake mushrooms.) Here's the food for today:

Breakfast: sweet potato, scrambled eggs, pork sausage

BLACK COFFEE

Lunch salad

Afternoon tea

celery & almond butter

Dinner: ground beef on lettuce with salsa & avocado. Repeat. Repeat.

Day 11 reflections: I feel pretty much normal again, except my clothes fit a little better. I did not end up breaking my running streak, but have been taking easy runs of 10 minutes instead. I am wondering if I can get away without an afternoon snack. Today I just ate the celery & almond butter because it was there, not because I was starving as usual. One claim of the Whole30 is more even energy. (That's different than "even more" energy, though that may also be a claim.) They also say you should just eat 3 meals if possible without snacking.

I'm getting burned out on meal planning, but when I try to think what I would "normally" have, I can't remember. I'm in an in-between zone of not quite understanding my new food, and not quite remembering my old food. It reminds me of that Martin Amis book where the woman with amnesia was making a meal for someone and she didn't know what people ate or how to cook, so she just tried to assemble things that were all the same color. Beige.