Whole30 Round 2: Wrap Up (For Real This Time)

So here's the thing, I told myself I was going to do a Whole60 or Whole90. This was an autoimmune protocol experiment. And I'm going to be honest with you, after 30 days, I was ready to quit. And I did. Well...I went a little longer than 30 days, but let's just say I did a Whole30®.

Now, at 20ish days since I ended this second Whole30, I haven't introduced any gluten. But guess what I did have?

Whole30 Round 2: Wrap Up (Sort of...) and Reintroduction

(Well, sort of...I'm not really finished with mine just yet.)

But I wanted to write this post for those of you that have been following along during my Whole30® and maybe doing your own as well.  


How did it go for you? Good, bad, ugly. No judgment here.

Whole30 Meals: Breakfast

Whole30 Round 2: Halfway There

Today is Day 15 of my second Whole30®. I just wanted to give an update for those of you following along and/or doing the Whole30 yourself.

How's everyone doing?

I must say, this Whole30 has been much easier for me than last time. I actually began my Whole30 Day 1 being sick. For the first 3 days, I mostly ate chicken soup. By the time I was feeling completely better, I realized that I wasn't missing sugar or coffee at all. (I'm doing the autoimmune protocol so I'm also eliminating eggs, nuts/seeds, nightshades, coffee, and NSAIDS. Read more here.)

Whole30: The Results of my Whole45

Wooooooooo! I am not a Woo Girl, but this calls for a woo or two. Wooooooo! (No HIMYM fans? Okay...)

I finished the Whole30® -- well, a Whole45 for me! If you have been following along, you know exactly what the Whole30 involves. You can go back and read from the beginning here.

Besides a minor, unintentional slip up which prompted an extension, I was 100% complaint. Later, because of my issues with sugar, I decided to go for a whole 45 days.

It has now been a week since I completed my Whole45. So far, I've only introduced sugar and corn (in the form of popcorn). For the first few days, I remained mostly Whole30 compliant. I ate a small piece of dark chocolate from an opened bar that sat in the refrigerator, untouched, for over 45 days. A few days in, I decided to add sugar (coconut sugar) to my coffee. Then on the weekend after ending my Whole30, I made pancakes.

Whole30 Days 21 - 45: Why am I doing this?

Last week, I almost added sugar to my coffee. I’m actually enjoying coffee with just coconut milk and cinnamon which is a huge deal for me. One morning though, as I was severely lacking in sleep, I longed for a comforting, steaming sip . And of course, nothing is comforting without sugar.

At that point, I was 38 days in. 38 days without sugar. Absolutely no form of added sugar. I figured that since I already did 30 days that a little sugar in my coffee wouldn’t hurt. Oh how my mind likes to rationalize thoughts involving sugar. But, with my much clearer, sugar-free mind, I pushed back. I said I'm going for 45 days! A whole 45 and I'm not stopping now. 

Whole30 Meals: Improvement

 


My first post of meal pictures was, well, full of eggs. Eggs and boring meals. Boring salads. Okay, I enjoyed the food. It wasn't that bad. Until now.

Do you remember when I said I cooked up some ground beef for the week? Half of it was used to make a bolognese sauce and I heated up the other half with some homemade taco seasoning to make this deconstructed taco. Topped with jicama chips because I like crunchy tacos. By the way, this was only the second time I've purchased that weird root vegetable called jicama. I like it. I like it a lot.

I found this recipe courtesy of The Clothes Make the Girl. I have to get to her book, but for now, I will just stalk her site for paleo recipe ideas. I found this site about midway though my Whole30. Not soon enough. Just look at that eggplant stack. I made it slightly different with only one layer and used my bolognese sauce. I have an idea though. Must buy another eggplant soon. Standby for that.

By far, my favorite meal lately. In case you haven't noticed yet, I'm obsessed with turmeric. But I have a love for all Indian spices. Tandoori chicken, Indian saag (made with mustard and turnip greens), and these cumin roasted carrots. I have never liked cooked carrots. These are addicting. I want to make them all the time.

Remember that bacon I bought? My last of the bacon during my Whole30 was for this. Lettuce, tomato, bacon, avocado, topped with a runny egg. Normally, I would enjoy my BLT with toasted bread slathered in mayo. Slathered, I tell you. I plan to make homemade mayo soon, but right now I'm mourning the loss of perfectly good eggs and olive oil from my first attempt.

Pan fried salmon with an avocado remoulade. See, who needs mayonnaise? The salmon is accompanied by some roasted brussel sprouts and those cumin roasted carrots again. Now you want to make those carrots, don't you?

Sometimes, you just want something simple. Leftover chicken wings baked with just salt and pepper. There was probably turmeric involved too. I don't remember but knowing me, it was there. Salad of baby spinach with farmers market tomatoes and some other chopped veggies on the side.

Indian saag, cucumber, tomato, boiled egg, bone broth

Tandoori chicken, avocado, raw veggies

Curried cauliflower soup, grilled chicken, cucumbers

Curry roasted cauliflower, grilled chicken, carrots and celery

Those last pictures are some other meals I've eaten in the last few weeks of my Whole30. In case you didn't notice, I spared you the hundreds of egg pictures this time. I still eat eggs for breakfast, but let's be honest - we've all seen eggs and we don't need to see another egg picture. (Unless of course, it involves a runny yolk. Because that is beautiful.) If you are interested in recipes that weren't included for any of the above, let me know in the comments. I will put them at the top of my list to share.

Now, look at these pictures compared to my first few weeks of my Whole30. What a difference! Ready to join me yet? :)



Coming up: Just two more Whole30 posts planned. One involving why I am doing this program. Or why I decided to do it. And why I'm going for 45 days. The second will be my results post once I complete the full Whole45 (today is day 34).

Whole30 Days 21 - 25: One day (or meal) at a time

 

Have you ever had one of those days when it feels as if someone punched you in the gut? You know, the same kind of feeling you get after eating a burrito from Taco Bell.

Whole45 Diary

Day 21

I was sitting on the living room floor on a Sunday afternoon eating some leftover turnip/mustard green saag with cucumbers, tomatoes, a boiled egg, and a cup of bone broth (Yep, I’m drinking this stuff now. Weird.) I was almost finished enjoying my thrown together meal when the phone rang. I hung up, threw my mostly empty dishes in the sink, and began to pack. I am very thankful I had prepared some food for a week or so. I packed a to-go dinner, some cooked veggies for breakfast, and was out the door.

Day 22

I had a good day. Mostly. I ate well. Boiled eggs, just a few almonds, eggs with veggies, a deconstructed taco, more veggies and chicken. All in all, this way of eating is getting easier. All that food I prepared definitely came in handy. But by the end of the day, when I was alone with my thoughts, I wanted something sweet. Though I had access to a quick banana ice cream, I didn’t go for that. Instead, I made coffee. I blended up a few dates for the sweetness and comfort I desired. I mixed the date paste in coconut milk and made myself a guilt-filled (technically compliant) latte.

We’ve all had something happen to us at some point in our lives, something that brings our whole world crashing down. How we handle it can make all the difference. But mostly, what we learn from it can completely change our lives. It can bring us to our knees or make us stand taller and stronger. Sometimes, it does both.

I drank my slightly sweetened coffee with pleasure. I allowed it to decrease the weight on my chest, if only for a moment. I thought about what is said when someone is going through a divorce or faced with a death in the family. One day at a time. As I finally began to doze off (don’t drink coffee at night, people - just don’t), I reminded myself to take this sugar addiction, as we have to do with life at times – one day at a time. 

In the morning, I ate a big plate of cold chicken, avocado, and tons of veggies. My lunch of eggplant stacks with a bolognese sauce with more vegetables was already planned. I had control. I was fully aware of what happened, but I chose to learn from it. I have a choice. I choose to stop and think about the implications of my choices. I’m not saying I will never enjoy my coffee sweetened with sugar or dates or whatever I may choose. But I will ask myself why I am doing it - if it’s because I need it to fulfill a perceived purpose or because I just enjoy coffee. Once I complete my Whole30 (or Whole45), I plan to enjoy my homemade lattes once again. But it won’t be for the reasons that I would sometimes drink three a day or would feel a need to go to Starbucks every time I drove by. It will be for pure enjoyment of my life. No overdoing it, no feeling guilty, and no more Starbucks (well, maybe on the rare occasion).

Sometimes we go through life in a monotonous trance. It isn’t until we are dropped to our knees that we really know what we are made of. Focusing on one day, one choice, or one meal doesn’t make us weaker. And even with those moments when we curl up in a ball and cry or we add that sweetener to our coffee, we don’t let it destroy everything we have worked to accomplish. Everything that we live for. We wake up and face the next day. One day at a time.

A sneak peak at the next Whole30 meals post...

While the Whole30 is nowhere near as difficult as some of the things we have to face in life, we can follow the same philosophy. One day at a time. One meal at a time. Don't focus on the end point or how much longer you have to go. Don't think about how hard tomorrow will be or if you can survive without sugar for two more weeks. Focus on one meal. One day.
 

A note: This blog is about real food (and living naturally and unprocessed). I never intended for it to be about more. But what doing the Whole30 has made me focus on (among many things) is that the emotions we deal with in our daily life have direct impact on our food choices. Maybe you are just tired and stressed, so you succumb to eating fast food for lunch every day. Maybe you mindlessly munch on chips when you think about the loss of your mother. Maybe you reach for that chocolate bar when your kids are throwing twenty questions at you and you’re not sure how to answer any of them. Switching to real food, whether you take baby steps or jump right in, is about being aware of what’s in your food. But it’s also about being aware of those habits or choices that might hold us back. So if you just came for the food and natural products, and not for the tales of my Whole30, stick around. There will be food, there will be homemade cleaners, and when I can drink my coffee with sugar once again, there will be witty and sarcastic humor.

Whole30 Days 16 - 20: Preparation

 

I launched myself over the sugar hill without falling face first in it, but I definitely scraped up my knees along the way. It’s not over for me, not by a long shot. But I’m on Day 24 of my Whole30. Twenty-four days without sugar. That, my friends, is a big deal. 

That sugar demon (what do we call this thing? Dragon, demon, monster?) revisited though. Just when I least expected it. For now, let’s explore another aspect of the Whole30 – preparation.

Whole45 Diary (Yep, going for 45. More on that later)

Day 17 

I love going to the farmers market. I can take 20 bucks and load up on fruits and vegetables. On this day, it was just vegetables. For less than $20, I found bell peppers, cucumbers, tomatoes, eggplant, a large bag of mustard and turnip greens, and a cookie. Oh, that cookie. Not something you want to buy during your Whole30. But on this particular trip, my young nephew was with me. He came for the view of gigantic pumpkins and the lure of the treats. I felt bad about the cookie on the way back to the house, so stopped for some bacon. Yes, (sugar-free) bacon. Everyone needs a little bacon now and then. I made some eggs and bacon and pulled a few homemade pancakes out of the freezer (for him, not me), plated it with a few strawberries and we ate picnic-style in the living room (Oops, his mom may not have known that...sorry.)

Yes, I am the aunt that will buy your kid a cookie at the farmers market if he wants one. Now, I will not choose treats that I know are not parent approved. I knew my nephew could have an occasional cookie. I told myself it was not from a box so it was better. I did try to convince him later to get a kiwi from the grocery store. After his refusal, I bought him some Goldfish crackers, the colored ones. I’m certainly not advocating that you bring your kid or nephew to the market or grocery store so you can eat vicariously through them. Sugar and processed foods are everywhere. Everywhere. How do they expect us to say no or pass by without grabbing that sugar-induced happiness in a box? As I watched my nephew eat half of his cookie (saving the other for his little brother), then later as he went Cookie monster-style on the Goldfish crackers, I vowed that next time I would be prepared. I would bring food with me, even for him. I’ll take Whole30 approved foods that I know he will eat like seaweed snacks or boiled eggs. I'll bring fruit he likes instead of the bland almonds I munched on as he threw brightly colored fish-shaped crackers in his mouth. 

Preparation is key if you are trying to eat more real food, especially on the Whole30 program. Who wants to slave over the stove creating a nutritious and hopefully delicious meal every night? Certainly not me. I actually enjoy cooking and creating meals, but until I have my dream kitchen and plenty of money and the time to cook every night, I will stick with simplicity. I will make things ahead of time. I have to keep telling myself that, because I’m not good at it. I am a fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants kind of girl, even when it comes to food.

But not anymore. Carve out a few hours of a day or immediately after grocery shopping, even when you don’t even feel like putting your groceries away. I know, I know…there’s no time, little Amy has gymnastics, big Joey has soccer (I don't know who these kids are. I made them up), and you have a report due yesterday. Life is busy and there are many days where I would rather run through the closest drive thru and grab a quick meal. Or just not eat. But, food is more than that. The food you put in your body is not just to satisfy cravings and you get very little out of shoving those highly processed foods down in zero to sixty. Food is for nourishment. As we know, the Whole30 founders say that food "...makes you more healthy or less healthy." Think about that when you eat.

So, let’s prepare (and you don't have to be doing the Whole30 for this)!

1. Boil some eggs. I only boiled 6, but if you or your family will eat these often, go ahead and boil a carton or more.

2. Cut up veggies for the week – carrots, celery, red peppers, or whatever else you like to munch on.

3. Blanched kale and other vegetables. Freeze as necessary (I like to keep frozen kale, spinach, broccoli, and zucchini on hand for quick stir-fried veggies and such).

4. Sauté veggies for eggs. This is what I like to do. When I don't feel like leftovers or making another Whole30 breakfast, my go-to is eggs. When I cook my veggies, I make enough for 3-4 days. I use coconut oil and a combination of kale, onion, garlic, and bell peppers and sometimes I mix it up with eggplant or another vegetable. Besides salt and pepper, I always add turmeric. Go ahead and throw sausage or other ground meat in there if you want. To eat, I put the precooked veggies in my pan, heat slightly, and add a few eggs, either scrambling them or covering pan for sunny side up. Takes about 5 minutes.

5. Make a bone broth. I threw in leftover onion, carrot, celery, etc in a slow cooker with some reserved chicken bones (leave the bones out for a vegetable broth). This was the first time I made it with bones and I don't think I will ever stop. Now if I could just find some better chicken around here. Broths are easy to make, the slow cooker does all the work, but if you need a recipe, a good one is here. Feel free to be creative though. I like to add a little seaweed to mine. Plus turmeric, of course. I freeze half or more depending on my plans for the week.

6. Prep or cook some meat ahead of time. I decided to throw together sausages (ground meat and spices) and freeze them, I cooked up ground beef with onion and garlic and I threw chicken in the oven with Indian spices (I will share the two ways I make this tandoori-style chicken later).

Make a list. Get out everything you need. Wash and prep and knock it out. I promise it doesn't take as long as it seems. Reuse pans and dishes if possible (unless raw meat is involved). Clean up then come on over to my place and clean up for me. I'll pay you with chicken. Or boiled eggs.

I began eating real and unprocessed foods about a year ago and if any of you are putting off the transition, then make a goal and prepare. Make a list or menu plan. It doesn't have to be as long or involved as mine. Start by just cutting up vegetables as you bring them home. Save your time and your sanity for when you need it. Like when you're stuck in traffic. If anyone reading wants to join the Whole30 craziness, plan and prep now! Don't wait until the halfway point like I did. 

Next post, we will see just how successful preparing food was, especially during unpredictable times.