In The End

I did it.  I survived 30 days of eating healthy.  This last week was the hardest and I didn't help myself by thinking of all the wonderful things I would be able to eat and drink again.  Ironically, even though I could (if I wanted to) eat absolutely anything and everything today, I only strayed from the Whole30 diet to have a mocha in the morning made by my favorite barista (I have no idea if I spelled that right, much like I have no idea how to order a coffee in that special lingo they all use).  

I was so scared that the second I put something non-Whole30 in my mouth, I would get sick and my special dinner tonight wouldn't be as much fun.  I ordered an 8 ounce cup and took it back to my class (I'm being educated this week at work) where it sat on my desk for at least a half hour before I summoned the courage to take the first sip.  It was good, but it really didn't get me excited.  I'm hoping I get more excited about the tortilla chips in just a few short minutes.

Day 30 - I wandered the aisle at the store thinking of something special to buy myself as a treat yet nothing jumped out at me.  Spaghetti for lunch, curry for dinner, scrambled eggs for a late night snack after Roller Derby practice.  Seems like 30 days of eating better and reading labels really did change my habits.   I'd just be careful if you try to take my chocolate/peanut butter combo candy away from me.  You might just lose those fingers.

WCotD = Nothing.  I was more interested in taking a nap.

It's the Final Countdown

10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1....

This is it folks.  Today is my last day on the Whole30 diet.  I have less than 10 hours to go.

It probably seems like I'm super anxious to get off the diet but in reality I'm not.  I'm looking forward to having Jenni make me a mocha in the morning over our coffee stand conversations instead of that black Americano.  I'm looking forward to wine tasting at Taste Buds next week as part of the Wenatchee Wine Week.  I'm looking forward to a host of other little things that I took for granted prior to February 8, 2011 (the official start of Whole30 for me).  But, since I've actually enjoyed all of the various meals and snacks that I've made for myself over the past 30 days, I don't see myself straying too far off of the Whole30 path for the foreseeable future.

There's been a few disasters along the way.  I have to mention the mustard green debacle again because it really was gross.  Last night, Chelsea and I tried to make a Whole30 PB&J sans peanut butter and bread.  I basically dumped some almond butter into a bowl and mushed in some fresh blueberries.  Not quite the miracle that is a normal PB&J - there's just something about almond butter.  Cutting my finger pretty bad during the first week and burning my kale chips (which I did a couple of times last week - must remember to set the timer!!).

There's been some amazing successes.  Getting comfortable in the kitchen.  Cooking yummy stuff that other people wouldn't realize is really healthy for them unless I told them.  Losing nearly 10lbs.  Feeling healthy.

Tomorrow, I'm celebrating Day 31 with a group of good friends and that is what I'm looking forward to the most.  Not the tortilla chips (mmm.....) but all of us heading up to Leavenworth for good food and good conversation.

I would definitely do the diet again.  I'd actually like to do it again and cut out caffeine entirely since that is most likely the reason that I did not see the change in my energy levels that other individuals reported.  But that is probably going to have to wait until after the big projects at work are over and done with.

Here's to healthy eating and feeling good about yourself!  And to tortilla chips.  It's the simple pleasures in life.

Day 28 - I had homemade spaghetti for lunch and a bunch of fruit for snacks throughout the day.  Red curry for dinner with wilted mustard greens (GROSS) and kale chips (YUM).

Day 29 - More of the same, leftover spaghetti for lunch, fruit, almonds and curry for dinner tonight.

WCotD = PB&J.  My coworker busted out a PB&J Lara Bar and I started drooling immediately.

Simple Garlic Greens

(from the Clothes Make the Girl)

You need: greens, olive oil, fresh garlic, salt, pepper, a lemon wedge

Directions:
1. Wash the greens. Remove any tough and/or thick ribs, then roughly chop or tear the leaves. Don't dry the leaves; you want that water for steaming.

2. Heat a large skillet and throw in about half the greens. Stir 'til starting to wilt, then add the rest. Put a lid on it! During this process, you may need to add more water – bonus! beef or chicken broth – to convince the leaves to mellow out. Kale takes a while; beet tops are a little more willing to give it up.

3. When the leaves are dark green and as wilted as you like them – as all things, I like mine very well-done, which means quite wilted – take off the lid and let any remaining water evaporate.

4. Turn off the heat and drizzle some olive oil over the greens. Crush a clove or two of garlic into the pan. Stir.

5. Sprinkle with a little sea salt and pepper, then, if you like, a squeeze of fresh lemon juice

My Thoughts:  I used Mustard Greens.  Yuck.  Wait, I need to say it again. Yuck.  I might even need to yell it since my mouth is still not happy with me.  I have no doubt that if I made this with Kale I would have fallen in love with the recipe but mustard greens are not my friend.  Very easy recipe to make and I'd probably try it again with a different green because, as we all know, I like my garlic.

Why Can't We Not Be Sober?

A long, long time ago in a galaxy far, far away (and a lot warmer), I had the pleasure of being introduced to the phenomenon that is fine wine by a rather spectacular friend of mine (MICHY!!!).  I don't doubt we were drinking anything more than Two Buck Chuck at the time but it was delicious and started me down a long twisty road of wine tasting and collecting.  Together we've wine tasted in Napa Valley and Temecula and I've gone up to Chelan several times to check out what Washington has to offer.  Which makes it surprising that the one item I really have NOT craved or desired while doing the Whole30 diet is wine (or beer).  Not that I was a huge drinker prior to the diet but I just figured I'd miss the occasional glass of wine with dinner. 

This past weekend, I checked out a punk show put on by a couple of local bands up in Cashmere.  It was at the Pioneer House and, once the music got going and the kids started dancing, really reminded me of my college days and nights spent at the Nile. (Which is apparently now "world famous" - I can be proud to say I was there when it all started.)  So even though nearly everyone in attendance had a beer or two in hand, I didn't ever think once that I really wanted a drink.  (Unlike when someone eats pizza in front of me and it takes all of my willpower not to kick him in the kneecaps and steal the pizza....)  The even stranger thing is that although tomorrow is my very last day on the diet, it's not a glass of wine that I'm looking forward to the most.  In fact, if someone said you can either (1) eat tortilla chips or (2) have a Hop, Skip n Go Naked, I'd totally pick Option 1.  I just don't have the urge to drink.  But, um...   tortilla chips.  Mmm......

I'm working on getting a bunch of my recipes and resources put together since my diet has generated a little bit of buzz through the hospital and friends on Facebook.  I basically talked to other friends and Googled the crap out of the diet.  Some of it is already here on the blog, some of it is tucked away in that special place that is my brain and I ought to get it out of there before it goes missing.

Day 25 - I put my new found cooking skills to the test by having company over.  I made the spicy beef lettuce wraps but turned it into a salad instead of wraps.  I didn't poison TB so I guess it was a success.  Checked out the Eastmont High School's production of Little Shop of Horrors after dinner and it was awesome.  There's some serious talent at that school. 

Days 26, 27 - Nothing exciting to eat on these days although I made a double batch of curry using the red curry paste for the first time. I also used my mini cookie cutters when I chopped up my bell peppers so I had little red hearts and green trees in the curry.  Sometimes I just amaze myself with my awesomeness.  Ha!

WCotD = Definitely NOT Mustard Greens.  Whoever thought it'd be a good idea to eat that crap, ought to be shot.  Pizza.  Definitely pizza. 

This video reminds me of the Friday and Saturday nights spent at the Atomic Cafe. 

Thai Beef with Basil

(from The Clothes Make the Girl)

I made another version with chicken

The basic ingredients:

• steamed green beans
• 1 lb. extra-lean ground beef
• a handful of fresh basil leaves
• 1-2 garlic cloves, crushed
• a lime
• coconut aminos

 Get cooking:

1. Heat some fat in a pan over medium-high. I like coconut oil.

2. Sprinkle ground beef with salt and pepper, then brown in the pan.

3. When the meat is browned, add green beans, basil leaves, and the crushed garlic (If you don't have fresh garlic, use garlic powder or leave it out).

4. When everything is cooked the way you like it, add a few splashes of coconut aminos and stir-fry another minute.

5. Pile on a plate and squeeze the lime juice over the top.

You can earn bonus points by garnishing with a few curls of carrot (scrape a carrot with a veg peeler) or a sprinkling of finely-chopped scallions.

Now... make it fancy:

• To make it spicy: Add some chili-garlic paste.
• To add more veg: Toss slices of Japanese eggplant into the stir-fry step.
• To make it sweeter: Replace green beans with snow peas or snap peas.
• To make it souper: Throw it in a bowl and add beef broth and chopped fresh scallions.
• To make it seem exotic: Cut a hard-boiled egg in half and use as garnish on the plate. (Also delicious dropped into the soup version.)
• To incorporate more healthy fats: Sprinkle the top with crushed nuts or add more coconut oil to the stir-fry step.
• To make it fusion: Skip the nuts and add fat with slices of fresh avocado.
• To make it a complete meal: Add fruit for dessert. Strawberries, raspberries, and pineapple are a great complement.

My Thoughts:  OMG, this has to be one of my newest favorite dishes.  It really is so easy and fast to make and it is really, really tasty.  Even the leftovers are awesome (especially since the lime juice has had a chance to seep in really good).  To make it Whole30, I substituted sliced zucchini for the green beans in the basic ingredients.  I also added chilies to give it a kick.  This literally took me 10 minutes max to prepare and cook.  Another awesome recipe from Melissa Joulwan.  I need to figure out some sides to work with this dish.


Edited 5/8/2012 - Over the summer we made this almost once week with chicken.  Just as delicious as the beef version.

Spicy Beef Lettuce Wraps

Serves 2-4
(from The Clothes Make the Girl)

 

Ingredients:

The Beef:

• favorite fat for sautéing
• 1/2 onion, diced fine
• 2-3 fresh chili peppers, washed, seeded, and sliced thin
• 1-2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 lb. happy cow ground beef
• a handful of fresh basil leaves (optional)

The Sauce:

• 1/4 cup Sunbutter
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 2 teaspoons coconut aminos
• 1/4 cup coconut milk
• 1/4 cup water
• pinch dried ginger

 The Go-Alongs:

• 1 red onion, thinly sliced
• 1 head lettuce: red, green, butter, or a mix, leaves washed and separated
• 1 cucumber, thinly sliced
• 2 carrots, shredded
• a handful of snap peas, slivered

 

Directions:
1. Prepare the go-along vegetables. Wash and slice the vegetables. Place on a plate and cover with a damp paper towel. Put in the fridge 'til you're ready to eat.

2. Make the sauce. Place all ingredients in a food processor/blender and blend until smooth. Set aside.

3. Make the beef. Heat 1-2 tablespoons of your favorite fat in a sauté pan over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add onions and peppers, sauté until vegetables are slightly softened, about 3-5 minutes. Add the ground beef and crushed garlic. Stir fry until the meat is cooked through. To make it really sing, throw in the basil leaves and cook just until the basil is wilted.

4. Serve and eat! Serve everything family style so your fellow foodies can make their own wraps to order. I like to start with a lettuce leaf, add a few slivers of onion and cucumber and some carrots, then top with the meat mixture, and drizzle that with some of the Sunbutter sauce. Just roll up and eat!

 

My thoughts:  Really yummy even though the first time I made the dish, I totally skipped the go alongs and just chucked the meat on a plate of romaine lettuce and drizzled my sauce over the top.  The second time I made the dish was for company so I went all out and cut up cucumbers and carrots and threw those on top of the romaine lettuce as well. 

I substituted almond butter for the sun butter since I didn't have any but other than that I didn't change much.  I wonder if that changed the flavor a lot of the sauce?  I could definitely taste the almond flavor and since I'm a little burned out on almonds, I didn't really get all excited about it.

 



The first attempt



 

I Have Become Cumbersome

Anybody else hear those crickets that have been hanging out here on the blog?  Yeah, me neither.  Pretty much, I hit the halfway point of Whole30 and stopped blogging about my experience.  I had some pretty epic ideas for posts which mainly centered around the song that I wanted to use for the title/video.  With all the cooking I've been doing, I've been checking out a lot of gadgets so I was going to write a "review" of what I'd be using and use the Inspector Gadget theme song (I know you all have that stuck in your head now).  Another idea was to write a post about what I liked about the diet and what I didn't like (song choice:  You Suck by the Murmurs).  But as usual time and my mind got away from me so you'll just have to imagine the awesomeness of my posts.

It is official though.  I have become one of those people.  You know, the ones who refuse to go to a specific restaurant because they "just can't eat anything there".  That's so not true.  I don't care what kind of diet you're on or picky an eater you are, there is ALWAYS something on the menu.  I was invited to a Women's Resource Center's breakfast the other morning.  Me being the absentminded individual that I am didn't even think about that breakfast = food I might not be able to eat.  We were served little cups of fruit and then a plate of some sort of quiche (I think), sausage, biscuits and some other stuff.  My solution?  I just asked for a bigger bowl of fruit.  Yum!  I've gone out to dinner a few times since I started this diet and each time I've managed to find something on the menu that passed for Whole30.  So I'm not really one of those people but I am a little cumbersome to feed. 

I'm on the downhill stretch though.  It seems like this last week has been the toughest out of the entire month.  Food that I don't normally crave suddenly looks like manna from heaven.  Pizza?  Please!! Ice cream?  Yes!!  I am sick of nuts though.  I really don't want any more almonds or walnuts.  Still addicted to kale though. 

Days 17-24:  Such a slacker!!  Ha!  Dinner out on the 17th day (spinach and strawberry salad from McGlinn's), sledding on the 19th (no special cocoa for me) and the Women's Resource Center breakfast on the 24th day.  Lots of Thai beef lettuce wraps, spicy basil beef and spaghetti for dinner.

WCotD = pizza, ice cream and more pizza

With a Little Help from my Friends

I just have to say, I love my friends.  I've truly been blessed with the greatest bunch of ladies who get my weird humor, place bets on when various important events in my life will occur and basically give me a hard time while they live vicariously through me.

Piggybacking on the conversation regarding my Domestic Disaster status, Sara found it pretty hilarious that my spaghetti squash cooking experience didn't quite pan out.  The conversation went a little like this:

S-  "How did you cook it?"
K-  "Uh, sliced it and grilled it?"
S-  "Oh dear."
K-  ::silence::
S-  "Do you need a lesson"
K-  "Duh."
S-  ::proceeds to instruct me on the proper preparation::
S-  "Make sense?"
K-  "PICTURES!!!"
S-  "Stay tuned.  This is going to be good."
K-  ::sits down and prepares to be "blown away by [Sara's] mad skillz"::


© Sara Deason, 2011


Really, it couldn't be any easier?  Right?!  In fact, I got so excited about making the spaghetti "noodles" and documenting my progress that I actually forgot to make the spaghetti sauce.  Oops.  I stuck the "noodles" in a baggie and froze them thinking that I could defrost them after I made my sauce the next day.  Turns out they're kind of bland but that might have been due to the heating-freezing-melting than the actual squash.  I made the actual spaghetti sauce from scratch, and while tasty, it didn't quite have the zing I like (read that as vampire fighting quantities of garlic). 

My "noodles" up close

The finished product!

I might try making spaghetti squash "noodles" again but for the time being, I'll stick to grilling slices of zucchini. Yummy!!

Day 16:  I tried to stick to a no fruit diet for the day.  Used my new French Press for two HUGE cups of coffee in the morning, snacked on toasted sunflower seeds throughout the day, piece of garlic salted steak for lunch, spaghetti and squash for dinner and cantaloupe for a midnight snack after Roller Derby practice. 

WCotD = Pepsi

Meet Me Halfway

Yesterday, February 22, 2010, marked Day 15 of the Whole30 diet.  I kind of expected a parade, but that didn't happen.  Perhaps for Day 30?  (hint, hint)  I did get a mini blizzard (snow, not DQ) that morning which was  pretty awesome even if it did melt rather quickly.  Sledding this weekend?  I think so.  Since I'm halfway through the diet, I thought I'd take some time to chatter on about why I'm doing this and what I've discovered so far.

WHO:  Me!!  I'm getting older, more active and basically want to be healthier.  I've got a few little weird things going on with me (hello, night terrors!!) that I'd like to see if a change in my diet and what I'm putting in my body has any sort of affect.

WHAT:    The Whole30 diet.  In basic terms, it's an elimination diet of extreme proportions.  Take 30 days and remove all the crap we typically eat on any given day.  Once you've made it through the 30 days of "clean" eating, you can add back in some basics (like dairy, wheat, sweet fruit) and see how it affects you.  Get sick?  You probably have an intolerance to whatever you just added back into your diet.  The diet is supposed to change the way you live, the food items you crave and perhaps jump start weight loss.  This of course, is just my little interpretation of the Whole30 diet... Cruise on over to their website if you really want to read more. 

WHEN:  I had several friends do this diet last year.  Some have done it more than one time.  Some continue the diet past the initial 30 days.  A small group of friends started the diet for the first time at the beginning of January.  I should have done the diet with them but I wasn't prepared.  I don't cook.  I know nothing of whole foods, nutrition.  I go to the grocery store only under dire circumstances (starvation being one but since I've got crap in my cupboards that expired in 2005, it's highly unlikely I'll starve to death and my cats will eat me).  I watched my friends work through the diet and mentally cursed them because they couldn't go for sushi with me.  Longest 30 days.  Ever!!  I kept saying I'd start in February but I never really planned to start.  Flash forward to the Saturday before the Super Bowl.  Not sure if it was food poisoning or what, but I got sick.  The idea of eating (or drinking) made my stomach cringe and the following Tuesday (2/8/2011), I started my Whole30 journey with zero planning or shopping ahead of time. 

WHERE: 

• My kitchen (previously unused area of my house)
• My refrigerator (that nice, cool, place where my various juices and not much else hung out)
• My oven/stove (mostly a large paperweight and/or dust collector)
• The store (Safeway, Fred Meyer, Lemongrass Natural Foods, Wenatchee Natural Foods)
• My friends (who've patiently explained the most basic nutritional things to me, provided recipes, and encouragement)

WHY:  Back in my early 20s, I had bad headaches.  When I say bad, I mean debilitating, send me to the ground in tears type of badness.  I went to various doctors, who sent me for various tests, gave me various medications and assigned all sorts of various diagnoses to me.  None of that helped.  I still had the headaches, a huge medical bill and an aversion to medications.  A family friends suggested going organic and seeing how well I did on that.  She loaned us a juicer, I bought a juicing recipe book (I can't remember the title and it's packed away somewhere otherwise I'd link to the book.  It was really well written, had tons of options) and started to change my diet.  As a college student and full-time employee, I was surviving off microwave meals and sodas and my mom's dinners.  Once I cut out the sodas and the microwave meals, it was amazing how quickly the headaches stopped.  This sort of proved that I had a sensitivity to over-processed things and the chemicals in those processed foods.  I don't eat many microwave meals any more and I also limit the number of things that I eat out of a can.  Mostly frozen veggies for me.  I haven't juiced in years but I'd like to get back to that.  My favorite juice is still a combination of Granny Smith apples and celery.  I dislike making my own tomato juice.  It's yucky looking. 

Now that I'm in my 30s, I get the occasional headache but have different weird little ailments that no doctor has been able to successfully identify.  Seriously poor circulation.  My fingers will turn shocking white.  I freeze all the time.  My feet and legs tingle.  I must have Restless Leg Syndrome!  No, wait.  It's got to be Raynauds Disease.  Cue more pills, more tests and more discomfort.  I also experience Night Terrors, something none of my doctors are familiar with.  Their solution was (1) drugs and (2) behavior modification.  It's been happening for over a year now and I think it might be related to a sleep disorder since night terrors typically do not occur in adults.  It's a frightening experience (for me and the animals), especially since it usually occurs when I'm alone.  My house is scary.  I don't want to take drugs for the rest of my life.  I have little to no energy even with all the exercise and training I've been doing.

The Whole30 diet is supposed to help cleanse your system of pollutants that might be causing all these various ailments.  It's just for 30 days.  I can do anything for 30 days and since it didn't cost me anything but thoughts, planning ahead and being creative, it's definitely worth a shot.

THE DIET:  I've unintentionally cheated twice, but in small doses.  The curry that I made the first couple of days uses fish sauce which contains soy (a no-no on Whole30) and the jarred spaghetti sauce I used last week used agave nectar (a naturally occurring sugar) which is also forbidden during the first 30 days.  Since these were in really small amounts, I didn't bother starting over but I won't use the spaghetti sauce again.  I found a recipe to make my own marinara so I'll try that.  I'll keep using the fish sauce because it really is a minuscule amount.  I've also probably eaten way too much fruit.  According to the diet, you should be eating mostly protein (meats) and vegetables and limited amounts of fruit.  That's because they are sweet and you're supposed to be curbing your body's cravings for sweets.  For the next two weeks, I'll try laying off the fruits a bit more (once I finish off the jar of Apple Butter - that stuff is the $h!t). 

It wasn't as hard to stick to the diet as I thought it would be.  I was kind of a healthy eater before and mostly I just had to cut out a few of my favorite things (wine, popcorn, potatoes, raindrops on roses, whiskers on kittens) and learn to substitute in some other things (coconut oil).  I've started cooking more, I love looking at recipes and figuring out how to make them Whole30 compliant.  I get to be creative, JOY!!  I just started taking pictures of my culinary adventures (makes the blog posts a little more interesting, I think).  My friends have been AWESOME in providing advice, recipes and encouragement.  I don't think I would have made it this far without them.  I would like to see what it would be like doing the Whole30 completely without any cheats but I might wait a while to try that.  I felt a bit of energy returning around Day 8-10 but now I'm at Day 15 and feeling sluggish.  I caught the crud, ate a lot of fruit and it is a lot colder so I don't know if that's the cause. 

I have roughly 15 days left on Whole30.  I'll probably stick to the diet fairly close even after the 30 days.  I will be celebrating Day 31 (Thursday, March 10), with the reintroduction of Sushi Thursday but I'll bring my bottle of Coconut Aminos (a Whole30 approved substitute for soy sauce).  I'm going to be one of those people. 

Toasted Sunflower Seeds

(from www.NourishingMeals.com)



1 cup raw sunflower seeds
1 tablespoon coconut aminos


Heat a large skillet over medium heat for a few minutes, or until the pan is hot. Add the sunflower seeds and keep them moving in the pan, using a spatula. Toast them for about 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. Turn off heat and add coconut aminos. Immediately stir the aminos with the seeds. Let cool in the pan (off of your heat source) then transfer to a glass jar for storage.

My thoughts:  Yummy!!  I was having trouble finding sunflower seeds in the store that were Whole30 but found this recipe online.  You can buy Coconut Aminos online or here in town at either Lemongrass (where I got the raw sunflower seeds) or at Wenatchee Natural Foods (where I bought the coconut aminos since Lemongrass was out of stock).  Coconut aminos is a Whole30 approved substitute for soy sauce and is pretty tasty!!  The sunflower seeds tended to stick together after putting in the coconut aminos but they'll break apart once you put them in the jar.  I toasted my sunflower seeds for nearly a full two minutes on high heat.  I might have burnt them just a little.

Easy to make, not too many items needed!

Raw sunflower seeds ready to be toasted

After being toasted and with the coconut aminos added

Tasty Toasted Sunflower Seeds ready to eat!!

Baked Bananas

(from The Paleo Diet by Loren Cordain and Joe Friel, p256)
Serves 4


4 bananas
¼ cup olive oil
Juice and grated rind of 2 lemons
1 tbs vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Cut the bananas in half lengthwise and place cut side down in a baking dish greased with the oil. Drizzle the bananas with the lemon juice and vanilla and sprinkle with grated lemon rind and cinnamon. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes.


My thoughts:  Delicious!!  I wasn't sure about lemon juice and bananas but it really was tasty with the cinnamon and vanilla mixed in.  A bit of tart and sweet.  I ended up with nearly a 1/2 cup of lemon juice by the time I was done squeezing two lemons - I'm not sure if this was too much or just right.  When I poured it into the pan, there was quite a bit of liquid but it didn't seem to hurt the dish much.  Maybe made the lemon a bit stronger than intended?  I didn't sprinkle any grated lemon rind on the bananas either since I couldn't get my rinds to grate.  Grr.  I shaved a cinnamon stick so my dish looked like it had little twigs in it but since I didn't have any ground cinnamon at the time, it worked.  I think this would be delicious all mashed up and stuck in something. 

Walking Contradiction

I've always maintained that I can't cook.  There are very few occasions that I have not managed to set off the fire alarm when "cooking".  I've set a stove (and the kitchen wall) on fire making popcorn.  I've sliced and diced various parts of my body with sharp knives.  I've dumped a can of hot oil down the front of me.  I'm sure there's quite a few other disasters but I seem to have blocked them from my memory to protect the innocent. 

That all seems to have changed with the Whole30 diet.  No, not the disasters...  Those still happen (sliced my finger on Day 1, burnt my kale chips on Day 15).  The ability to cook.  I am actually enjoying cooking.  Alert the media!!  I find myself in the kitchen aisle looking at gadgets to make my culinary experience that much more enjoyable.  I bought an apple corer - not the slick corer/peeler/slicer that my mom has, just a manual shove-it-down-on-the-apple thing (it's in Kitchen-Aid red, one of my favorite colors).  Those straws I bought at IKEA three years ago are now finally getting used with the slushies and smoothies I'm making using the Magic Bullet blending system.  I learned what a Dutch Oven is - can't find one cheap to buy but I know what it is!!  I'm copying recipes out of magazines and books.  I've bought a WHOLE chicken. 

Perhaps after a while of cooking and spending time in the kitchen, I'll learn to pay attention to where my fingers are at all times and remember that there's something cooking on the stove before I wander off and ...  squirrel!!  I am the Domestic Disaster. Bwahahahaha!!

Just don't let the guys know I enjoy cooking now... I'll never get out of the kitchen!!

Day 10 - nothing exciting here... I didn't actually eat much last week due to being sick.  I did make a baked banana dish to take to the Bling Session.  I wasn't sure about mixing lemons and bananas but it was tasty.  I imagine mushing it up and using it as a filling in a cupcake or a layer in a cake.

Day 11 - Date night included dinner out at a lovely little Mexican restaurant.  I had chicken fajitas without the tortillas and sour cream.  Poor waitress probably thought I was crazy.  We went to the movies (saw I Am Number Four) and I didn't even have a craving for Red Vines or nachos.

Day 12 - I made a meat spaghetti sauce using a bottle of organic, Whole30 approved, Italian Herb sauce, threw in some minced garlic, chopped onions and organic meat.  For "noodles", I sliced up some zucchini and grilled it on the George Foreman grill.  Turned out yummy and filling.  Kept me going through the disaster that was me snowboarding Saturday night.  TB was brave enough to head to the Ridge with me.  Out of the 6 or seven runs we did, I only managed to get off the lift once without falling at some point.  The 5th or 6th fall was rather spectacular and I managed to take TB out with me much to Chels and Mistaya's amusement.  I have a collection of bruises and cuts to remember the evening by.  I struggled a bit when we were in the Lodge listening to music and hanging out.  The girls had Bailey's and coco and a huge amount of whipped cream while TB had a bacon cheeseburger.  I ate grapes and walnuts and sipped on my chamomile tea.  Mmm....  Or not.

Day 13 - Leftovers for lunch/dinner of the spaghetti sauce (even more delicious on Day 2) and a Whole30 smoothie made by Carrie which prompted me to buy the Magic Bullet blending system.  To be fair, I've been eyeing one of these for ages and finally decided to take the plunge since I'm having all this cooking fun.  Used my new apple corer to take apple slices to the Volleyball game with me where I proceeded to get hit in the nose, the chin and the knee.  Domestic Disaster, indeed.

Day 14 - I finally went back to work and faithfully packed a sack lunch only to be sent back home again.  I bought a spaghetti squash thinking it would be kind of like a zucchini but it was not.  Really was not.  So my attempt at having big slices of "noodles" with the very last of the spaghetti sauce didn't really pan out but now I know.  I also ate half of a HUGE red grapefruit.  The sucker cost me $3 and was a real b!#ch to peel but very tasty, not as sour as the little ones. 

WCotD = bread and okra.  Finally at least one of my cravings is for something that I can actually eat.  Sadly, okra is not in season right now.  I bet if I was near a Trader Joe's, they'd have some okra.  Bring a Trader Joe's to Wenatchee, WA!!!

Raspberry-Lime Slushie

Something I came up with this afternoon... would be great when it isn't 20 degrees outside!!

Ingredients:
Handful of frozen raspberries
1 packet of True Lime
Handful of ice
Water

Directions:
Put the raspberries into one of the Magic Bullet party mugs, add handful of ice and fill mug to the top with water.  Blend to a nice slushie texture.  Enjoy!

Kale Chips

(from The Clothes Make the Girl blog)

Ingredients:

4 cups raw kale, washed, dried, torn into 2-inch pieces
1 tablespoon coconut oil, melted, or olive oil
salt


Directions:
1. Place kale in a bowl and toss with oil.

2. Spread the kale on a baking sheet in a single layer and sprinkle generously with salt. (For a BBQ chip flavor, add a sprinkle of chili powder and paprika.)

3. Bake in a 350F oven for 7-10 minutes – keep an eye on them!

My thoughts:  Delicious!!  Yummy!!  I like!!  My interpretation of "generously" didn't match up with Melissa's and the first batch ended up being way too salty for me.  It also could be attributed to using a bulk size bottle of sea salt instead of an actual shaker...  Second batch today was much better, I even used fresh ground garlic & sea salt combo (bought at Costco).  I ended up baking my kale for 15 minutes, 10 minutes didn't make it crispy enough for me.  I didn't see much of a difference in taste between using coconut oil (first batch) or olive oil (second batch).  Storage is an issue... do you keep it in a paper bag so it doesn't get soggy or just eat it all at once?  I've got it in a plastic tub right now that has one of those vent things for the microwave.

I'm So Sick

Day 8 & 9 of Whole30.

Well, healthy eating apparently doesn't keep the creepy crud away.  Nothing spectacular, just a little virus that is spreading like wildfire through the area.  Another few days and I should be right as rain.  Sara had it first (thanks!!) and suggested I take Wellness Formula.  She swears by them.  My first thoughts after I got over the sticker shock were (1) good golly, horse pills!!! and (2) What.Is.That.Smell?!  I bought the tablet version so I only have to take three of these suckers every three hours.  There are a lot of things in the ingredient list that aren't Whole30 but in the interest of getting healthy again in time for the weekend, I'm going to view this as a necessary evil and not technically cheating.

Last night, I baked up some of the Kale Chips I mentioned a few days ago.  I might have a new favorite crispy treat.  It reminded me so much of the crispy seaweed dish that I used to get every time my roommate Natalie and I went and ate at the noodle shop in Greenwich (UK).  Yummy and quick to make.  I might have to find some seaweed...

Nothing exciting on the food front since my appetite has gone the way of the wind with the sickness.  Eating mostly fruit and drinking lots of fluids.

WCotD = PB&J - just couldn't stop thinking about it!

Basil Tomatoes

(from the Paleo Diet by Loren Cordain and Joe Friel, p247)


serves 4

4 medium tomatoes, sliced
¼ cup flaxseed oil
1½ tbs lemon juice
½ tsp onion powder
½ tsp dried basil
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1 clove garlic, minced


Place the tomatoes in a shallow dish. Combine the remaining ingredients and pour the dressing over the tomatoes. Cover and refrigerate before serving.


My thoughts:  Skip the flaxseed oil and go straight to olive oil.  There's not a pleasent aftertaste with the flaxseed oil.  Other than that, this was delicious and really fast/easy to make.

Girl With the Most Cake

Day 7 - one week down, three more to go!!

I finished up my first week on the Whole30 diet on Valentine's Day. Nothing like a sea of heart-shaped boxes full of chocolate and Valentine's candy to keep my sweet tooth en pointe. I did really well until I went to the grocery store after work to get more veggies. Everything, and I mean EVERYTHING, looked so good. Stuff I would have never, ever eaten even if I wasn't trying to eat whole looked absolutely fabulous. Note to self: Stay out of the grocery store when you're hungry. It doesn't help.


I didn't make breakfast for myself but I wasn't really hungry so I just had a banana. For lunch, I had a new recipe to try, Basil Tomatoes, along with some left over cold pork chops and my usual almonds. Dinner was the remainder of the pork chops and I've officially gone off pork. Just the thought of making another pork chop sends shivers down my spine.


A suggestion for natural sources of calcium was kale. I picked up a bunch at Safeway and will try to make Melicious' "Kale Chips" when I'm feeling a bit better. I seemed to have caught the crud that is going around the hospital. Again. Never fails, get the flu shot, get sick. Don't get the flu shot, don't get sick.


The tutus are coming along quite well. I broke my sewing machine needle last night sewing my tulle ruffles onto the waist band. Oops. Guess I don't know my own (machine) strength. Or it might have been because I sewed over one of the 1, 204 straight pins I had in there holding it all together. I calculated the square footage of tulle in my tutu. If my math skills are up to snuff, I have 2,508 square feet of emerald green tulle all snugged up into a puffy skirt.


WCotD = Candy.Cake.Chocolate.

Stir-Fried Garlic Asparagus

(from the Paleo Diet by Loren Cordain and Joe Friel)

1 clove garlic, minced
2 tbs olive oil
1 lb fresh asparagus spears
1 tbs lemon juice

Cook the garlic in the oil until soft, stirring frequently.  Add the asparagus spears.  Cook until tender, 3 to 5 minutes.  Pour the lemon juice over the asparagus.

My thoughts:  I substituted coconut oil for the olive oil which made cooking the garlic and the asparagus a little tricky but I'm happy with the way it turned out.  Amazingly tasty.  I liked the tartness of the lemon mixed with the garlic flavor.  I probably should have cooked the asparagus a little longer since it was rather crunchy.  But yummy.  Definitely make this again.

Put the Lime in the Coconut

Today (Day 6) had to be the yummiest day of all (so far).  I have to tell you, I'm absolutely in love with coconut oil.  That stuff is just tasty and it doesn't make things all greasy.  If I fall off the Whole30 wagon, I'm pretty sure I'll stick to cooking with coconut oil.  Makes me feel all tropically.

Foods for the day - I started off with eggs, chopped up onions and tomatoes, a clove of garlic and a handful of baby spinach all scrambled up with the coconut oil.  Delicious.  I didn't even need to dose it up with pepper and salt, it was so tasty.

Lunch/Dinner was stir-fried garlic asparagus and more of the garlic fried pork chops.  Anyone sensing a trend?  I'm loving me some garlic.  No sparkly boys will be watching me sleep, that's for sure.  Ha!

Snacked during our volleyball game on some home made ice tea and walnuts/almonds.

I'm definitely feeling better, not as woozy/dizzy, since I've upped my calorie intake.  Still need to work on getting more calcium in the diet.  I'm not having the weird cravings as much and my appetite is a little more under control.  I made it through the day without craving something sweet as well.  So looks like I'm well on my way.  Now I just need to get some more running in.  Maybe instead of spending the afternoon sewing 27 yards of sequin trim onto 27 yards of tulle?  But it was fun and my tutu is going to be pretty bad a$$.  I should be ready for Thursday's Bling Session with the girls. 

WCotD = Pepperoni Chips

My knife injury from Day 2 has not healed, or begun to heal.  I suppose that I (1) should have gone to see a doctor when I first did the slice n dice and (2) if I could stop smacking my finger into things so it bleeds more would also be beneficial.  Nurse Carrie says I have to cut the skin flap off...  Yuck.

I'm not really sure why there are gorilla's playing the guitar and the piano but it somehow seemed appropriate.

That Funny Feeling in my Tummy

Day 4 (Friday):  Unorganized Me didn't pack a lunch so made do with leftover salad from Thursday and let me tell you, those onions didn't weaken overnight.  Ha!  Good thing I didn't have any meetings... For dinner, I threw some pork chops in a pan with some fresh garlic and coconut oil and it was pretty tasty.  I ended up babysitting for a friend Friday night, so I took my snacks and my tulle and very nearly finished up Bretnie's St. Patrick's Day dash tutu. WCotD = Milk.  Saw a guy in Safeway with a jug of milk and it took all my effort not to tackle him and steal his milk.  Yes, I know there's probably 40 other gallons of milk at the rear of the store but I betcha it wouldn't have been as tasty as the jug of milk I "won".

Day 5 (Saturday):  Woke up sick to my stomach.  I think all these veggies are wrecking havoc with my tummy.  Because I finally remembered to get eggs from the grocery store (very nearly checked out with out them), I had scrabbled eggs with zucchini, bell peppers and onions for breakfast, left over pork chops for lunch and then packed up my usual snacks of green grapes, oranges, walnuts and almonds for a trip out to Soap Lake for some roller skating.  They didn't want us to bring in outside food so I felt a bit like a fugitive sneaking grapes in the back corner of the skating rink.  Look at this rebel!!  WCotD = gummy worms.  The Roy kids were having a ball in the backseat eating gummy worms on the way back from Soap Lake and now I. Need. Gummy. Worms!!

Greek Cucumber-Tomato Salad

(Recipe from The PaleoDiet by Loren Cordain and Joe Friel, p248)
Serves 6

• 1 large cucumber, cut into half slices 
• 2 medium tomatoes, cut into eighths
• ¼ red onion, very thinly sliced
• ½ green bell pepper, sliced thinly
• ¼ cup lemon juice
• 2 tbs extra-virgin olive oil
• Freshly ground black pepper

Mix the cucumber, tomatoes, onion, and bell pepper in a bowl. Toss with the lemon juice and oil. Add black pepper to taste.

My thoughts:  Very tasty, simple/fast to make.  Next time I will put less red onion in since it kind of overpowered the rest of the salad (especially after sitting over night in the fridge).  More green pepper. 

Ingredients:

You Spin My Head Right Round

I was too busy last night making fabulous tutus and taking ridiculous photos to post about Day 3 of the Whole30 diet last night so you're just going to get the highlights.

1.  Nearly passed out in Panther Circuit (need more calories!!)
2.  Nearly sliced my left pinky off (need proper supervision in the kitchen!!)
3.  Survived my first "meal" out (packed my own sack dinner)
4.  Made a tomato/cucumber/pepper/onion salad (yummy if not a little onion-heavy)
5.  Made  a tutu for the St. Patrick's Day Dash (started, next week is the Bling Session)
6.  WCotD = Salami (it was just sitting there, in front of me saying "Eat Me!!")

I could have provided Flo Rida's version but figured the Chipmunks version added a little bit extra to the occasion (plus, I spent Super Bowl Sunday watching animated movies so I'm sort of in the mood).

Healthy Body, Sick Mind?

Day two on the Island (aka the diet) and the natives are getting restless.  I could have cheerfully chewed off a couple of fingers and toes (protein, right?!) around 11pm last night when I woke up absolutely ravenous with nothing in the house to eat.  Luckily, Stella and Quinn were willing to share their carrot stick treats so I could eat and go back to sleep.  Stella paid me back with four ice cold feet to the lower back.  Good thing she's cute...

Today's food choices consisted of banana and apple slices for breakfast, plain water, a banana pre-run, rest of the curry for lunch, an orange for an afternoon snack, a lightly peppered piece of beef for dinner before heading out to derby practice, a banana and some walnuts for my evening snack.  I felt pretty good all day, even slogged out a 2 mile run (first time since November).  Managed to make it through the afternoon without dying for something sweet and sugary.  But that doesn't mean there wasn't a weird craving.  It just hit later in the day.  Weird Craving of the Day (WCotD) was for Easy Cheese.  You know that awful yet oh so delicious stuff in a can?  Yeah.  That.  Anyone who shows up at my front door on Day 31 with a can of that $h!t will be mine FOREVER. 

Would go great with Bacon Vodka.  Just saying.

I've been looking at recipes out of the Paleo Diet book (the original, not the cookbook) and some of the recipes look pretty tasty!! Lemon Pepper Pork Steaks - I'm looking at you.  I've also ordered a couple other books from the library based on recommendations from friends.  Bought a tub of coconut oil.  Chunky.  Different.  We'll see how that goes...

I'm pretty sure I'll dream of cheese again tonight.  Yummy, nasty stuff from a can.  What can I say, healthy body...sick, sick mind.  I'll leave you with Operation Ivy singing the song of the day - the lyrics are pretty accurate:

Expensive vitamin pills and wheat germ on your windowsill

Schedule's hectic and you got no time to kill

Earning money and you're spending it the right way

Just in such a rush

You don't know if it's night or day

5:30 get up, run run run

Then you work eight hours slaving under the gun

Your little world's based on lies lies lies

Always rushing but you're never ever satisfied...

Healthy body sick mind

Working overtime

Healthy body sick mind

Too hectic, too hectic

Healthy body sick mind

Why don't you justify

It's just a matter of time

Sick body sick mind

The money you spend on running shoes could feed me for a week

Your plans are laid so well you can't even sleep

Pursuit of happiness got your life locked under martial law

You got everything to lose so you're paranoid about some fatal flaw

You Could Make Me Whole Again

Today's blog post is brought to you by the number 30.  As in Whole 30.  Today I started the Whole30 diet, which according to the website, is supposed to "Push the “reset” button with your metabolism, systemic inflammation, and the downstream effects of the food choices you’ve been making" by "Cut[ing] out all the inflammatory, insulin-spiking, calorie-dense but nutritionally sparse food groups for a full 30 days."  You may interpret this as eating nothing but protein, vegetables and fruits for a whole month.  No dairy, no grains, no alcohol...  I interpret this is as "Holy crap, what have I gotten myself into?!"

Day 1:  Mmm....Bananas and Apples for breakfast followed by a nice big cup of plain black coffee.  It has never taken me so long to finish a cup of coffee before in my entire life.  Lunch was a delicious bowl of my second attempt at making a Thai curry (recipe courtesy of my favorite "Curie").  My mouth was on fire!!  (which was probably better than my eyebrow being on fire but that's a whole different story....).  I thought I was doing pretty good but two o'clock rolled around and I was DYING!  I knew for sure I wasn't going to make it 30 days.  I needed chocolate.  And Peanut Butter.  Or anything!!  Off to the cafeteria for a banana and an orange.  Please to say that I survived the first attempt to sabotage myself.  Add another cup of plain black coffee for my evening date and another bowl of my curry for dinner.  A nice big tall glass of water is my nightcap.

I'm going to definitely have to work on some of the other recipes since I don't see myself eating curry (no matter how delicious) twice a day for 30 days straight. 

In other news, the indoor soccer season is now over.  We might not have finished first but we didn't finish last.  I [finally] scored a goal, and it was within the first minute of the game so Go Me!!  I also ended up with a rather sexy bruise on my left thigh courtesy of some young high school whipper snapper kicking the ball and me being in its direct path.  Little bit of limping the following day...  I've healed up just in time for indoor volleyball to begin.  Looking forward to the season... It's the first time any of us have played with the Eastmont Parks and Recreation organization so we'll see how it all goes.  I'm making team jerseys because I'm a nerd and I like to do crafty things.

Speaking of crafty things, this coming Thursday marks the first offical "She's Crafty" night.  We're making tutus for the St. Patty's Day Dash that is coming up awfully soon (I really should start running...).  I have 360 yards of sequin trim to put to good use.  I don't think the race will ever be the same.

All this talk of whole foods reminded me of Atomic Kitten.  I prefer their remake of Eternal Flame but since the lyrics didn't really fit in with the post, I'll leave you with their song "Whole Again" which this diet is supposed to do.  I'll let you know how that pans out...

And In Other News...

Has anyone else seen noticeable differences in their brain functions after a morning workout?  Seriously think my brain cells have been catching a ride with all the snot making a very slow exit from my body (I got the flu for Christmas, woo!!) 

Case in point:  I decide to have a slice of cheese.  Get cheese out of the fridge.  Realize it is cold in the house.  Go turn on the heater right that second because if I don't, I'll forget.  Go sit down at the computer.  Surf for a bit.  Jump up and freak out (a little).  I forgot about the cheese.  Check the usual hiding spots for the animals (since surely they stole my cheese).  Can't find it.  Look on the counters.  Not there.  Wonder, did I even get it out of the fridge?  Check fridge.  Not there.  Search the kitchen, living room and entry way.  Again.  Not there.  Go back to the computer.  Bag of cheese sitting right there.  Yes.  Exactly where I started this whole exercise in memory lapse.  Might be time to head to bed (and put down the sharp objects).