Monday, June 6, 2011

Whole 30 take 2

Day 1 (or 6)

Yesterday is behind me and today is another day. 

Breakfast:

I made a frittata out of last nights left over veggies.  So simple warm the veggies in a large skillet with a little coconut oil.  Add 10 beaten eggs, cook on low for 5-7 minutes.  Place in 400° oven for 15 or until firm in the middle.  This turned out to be a very tasty and filling breakfast and the best part is plenty of leftovers to get me through a good portion of the week!

Coffee 12 oz with 1/2 tbsp coconut milk

Lunch

Can of Wild Alaskan Salmon over cabbage with dressing.  Threw in a diced Roma tomato and kalamata olives.

Dinner

Mahi Mahi marinated in lemon juice, fish sauce, garlic and wheat free tamari.
Roasted Curried Cauliflower courtesy of Everyday Paleo.  These were delicious and my kids loved them

Saturday, June 4, 2011

Whole 30 Day 5

Another day of rain in Nor Cal.  Ugh!  I'm really ready for some 100deg heat that's for sure.  Today my eating felt completely out of wack.  I kept pretty busy getting some detailed cleaning done around the house as we are getting ready to put it up for sale so my "normal" times of eating were WAY off. 

And in the promise of full disclosure, I slipped tonight.  I let my kids have a movie night and I allowed them a small treat while they watched, they picked M&M's which they shared.  This mom with apparently ZERO will power caved for the candy.  Of course I waited until they went to bed then I got them from the hiding place that I had convinced myself I would forget about them there.  As I sat in the chair eating them, I had a "Come to Jesus" talk with myself. 

Self:"What the hell are you doing?!?!?" 

Rationlization Self:  "It's just one slip tomorrow I will be back on track no harm no foul nobody will ever know" 

Self:  "You cannot do this!  YOU CANNOT DO THIS!"

I promptly got up from the chair and dumped the remaining candy into the garbage disposal.  Tomorrow is another day and thankfully there isn't any candy left in my house.  A continuous work in progress.

Todays eats (aside from above)

Breakfast:
2 eggs
2 left over meatballs from last nights dinner

Lunch:
1 avocado with balsamic and olive oil
4 meatballs with remaining dressing from the avocado

Dinner:
Baked chicken with tomato
Roasted veggies (zucchini and eggplant)

Whole 30 Day 4

Day 4
I'm feeling good and definitely less sluggish than I was a day or two ago. I'd like to think that this gets easier each time you do it. My will power seems to be holding up. Today was my sons last day of kindergarten and as I usually do on Fridays I helped out in the class. Today, his teacher supplied root beer floats for all the children and a small cookie. I hope my cringing was something that I kept on the inside but all I could do was shake my head in wonder. Don't get me wrong I love root beer floats and I believe that her intention was good however at 11am 35 minutes before they are dismissed for lunch than home I just don't think that it is the best idea. My sons class has several children with very big behavioral issues and one could only think that giving them junk food can only contribute to this bad behavior. I definitely see a big difference in my own children's behavior based upon the food they eat. I know that when they come back from grandmas house that it will be a miserable few days with tantrums and what not. So anyway, enough of my little rant on to what I ate for day 4.

Breakfast
3 eggs 1/2 avocado. My breakfast doesn't usually vary much. I'm often on the run in the mornings and usually find myself eating in the car-terrible habit but I just can't bring myself to wake us any earlier. This morning I maybe only finished half if what I made as I wasn't very hungry. Late snack of protein and fat caused no morning hunger??  Coffee 12 oz w/2 oz of coconut milk.


Lunch
2 salmon cakes over cabbage slaw same as yesterday however today I added a 1/2 of Roma tomato.


Dinner
Curried Meatballs
Sweet potato fries with tossed in coconut oil, cayenne pepper, smoked paprika and a dash of cinnamon
Green salad with kalamata olives and olive oil balsamic vinegar dressing.

Snack:
Kale Chips

Friday, June 3, 2011

Whole 30 Day 3

Day 3
Thankfully today was just a busy but relatively uneventful day.  I focused on having a little variety in my foods.  I did have a bit of a "cheat" with the Whole 30 plan but all in all I consider it to be pretty minor-butter.  Grassfed butter at that.  So here is Day 3's meals.

Breakfast:  3 eggs scrambled 1/2 avocado  8 oz coffee black

Lunch:  2 salmon cakes over cabbage slaw with homemade creamy olive oil dressing which was really just a spicy mayo with extra apple cider vinegar to thin it out to a dressing consistency.

Dinner:  Better Butter Chicken courtesy of Everyday Paleo.  I had to make a few modifications in the spices but it was delicious.  I served it with zucchini sauteed in coconut oil, herbs de province and onions.

Snack:  At 9:00 I found myself starving so I actually had some leftovers from tonight's dinner.

Thursday, June 2, 2011

Whole 30 Day 2

Yippee for me I survived day 2!!  Today was a challenging day and I made it even though I wanted chocolate something fierce (exactly why I can't keep it in the house).  Between my 5 1/2 year old that changed overnight into a 3 year old and an almost 3 year old well acting like a 3 year old, HVAC people at my house ALL day for a project that was only supposed to take 1 day is now going into 3 days oh and a 7 year old that thought it was great to torment the other kids.  Let me just say I was glad when the day was over.

I kept my meals pretty basic just for the sheer fact that I was tired yesterday (sugar detox?)

Breakfast:  2 eggs, 3 meat balls broken apart and heated and served with the eggs topped with 1/2 an avocado.  8 oz coffee black.

Lunch:  Leftover meatballs cooked the same way as breakfast.

Snack:  Shared an apple with my son and a 1 tbsp of almond butter.

Dinner:  Umm...leftover meatballs and a huge dinner salad with kalamata olives, sundried tomatoes and a very small handful of toasted almonds.  Balsamic vinegar and olive oil dressing.  I pretty much just ate the salad as I wasn't all that hungry. 

I will make day 3 a priority to have a little variety in my meals. 

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Day 1 of the Whole 30

I have been eating clean/paleo for a year and a half now.  I will freely admit that the last several months have been nothing but a struggle for me to maintain the eating lifestyle that I know is the healthiest way for me to live.  My goal is to maintain paleo 80-90% with the occasional splurge.  Unfortunately my splurges have turned into binges.  I will eat clean then completely derail and eat crap and then deal with the physical consequences afterwards.  In fact, while I'm eating this food that manufacturers should just label "crap" I know exactly what it will do to me over the next 24 hours.  Do I like being bloated?  Do I like being gassy? (TMI sorry but full disclosure here).  Do I like feeling sluggish and dehydrated?  I can continue but I think the point is there.  I have determined that I really need to focus on a good healthy relationship with food and finally accept that there is just food that I should never eat again.  Is there a 12 step program out there for unhealthy eaters????  Seriously, I'm not trying to make light of those with addictions because I really feel like sugar and processed food is addictive.  This is where the whole 30 is coming into play.  If you have never been to the Whole 9 's website, check it out and try not to be overwhelmed with the information that they have available. 

My goal for the next 30 days is this:

1.  Say good bye to 10 pounds.  I will not miss you, please don't come back for visits you are no longer welcome.

2.  Work on establishing the self control that I have been lacking which has created a very unhealthy relationship with food.  Food will not make tears and sadness go away.  Food will not ease the daily stresses that is called life.

3.  Ease the aches and pains that have snuck back into my body and aren't being fixed with rest.

4.  Have a plan of how I can reincorporate the occasional splurges back into my life without becoming derailed again.

I'm not going to lie.  This next 30 days may be challenging to me.  I can and have survived well without grains, dairy, legumes and gluten.  I am saying good bye again to sugar in all forms except what is natural in fruit and veggies.  This will also included artificial sweeteners.  No alcohol, sadly I will admit that I will miss the occasional glass of wine over the next 30 days. 

Day 1 is over and tomorrow is a new day.

Sunday, February 20, 2011

BBQ Pulled Pork w/ Coleslaw

I love pulled pork sandwiches.  I mean really what isn't there to love?  Yummy slow cooked pork, drenched in sweet and tangy BBQ sauce add some melted mozzarella cheese and coleslaw and you will end up in what may seem like heaven but for me it will be in a carb and gluten induced belly ache.
The above scenario was my inspiration for this dish and it turned out to be a hit with the entire family.

BBQ Sauce
1/2 purple onion finely chopped
4 cloves garlic minced
1 tbsp coconut oil
1 tbsp oregano
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp ground mustard
Couple twists of fresh ground pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp organic raw honey (optional-I use it because it seems to "cut" the tartness of the tomato sauce)
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
1 tbsp raw apple cider vinegar
2 cans organic tomato sauce
5lb pork shoulder blade roast bone-in

In a sauce pan, heat oil over medium heat.  Cook onions 3-5 minutes until they become translucent.  Add garlic and cook another 1-2 minutes, be careful with the garlic so it doesn't burn.  Add oregano, red pepper, cayenne, ground mustard and cumin.  Mix well and cook another 1-2 minutes.  I like to add the herbs and spices and heat or cook them a bit; it seems to release the flavor a bit more.  Add tomato sauce, mustard, vinegar, honey and pepper.  Simmer approx 10 minutes.  While mine simmered I prepared my meat.  The pork shoulder I bought had quite a bit of fat on it (must have been why it was on sale and so cheap) so I trimmed a good portion of the fat from the meat.  Cut the meat away from the bone and cut in large chunks.  I found that this produces a more tender meat once the cooking is complete.  Add the meat, including the bone (The remaining meat will cook off the bone.  My dogs love to eat the bone afterwards) pour sauce over the top and cook for 8 hours on low.

Coleslaw
1 head green cabbage
4-5 carrots
1 1/2 cups Paleo Mayo (See recipe below)
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
3 tbsp raw apple cider
Splash of pickle juice

Shred cabbage and carrots, I used my food processor which was much quicker.  Mix remaining ingredients, add to cabbage and carrots and blend well.  Serve pork over the cabbage and here is your pulled pork sandwich minus the bun!  Enjoy!!

Paleo Mayo
1 egg
Juice of 1 lemon
1 tsp ground mustard
Olive oil approx 2/3 cup

Add egg, lemon juice and ground mustard to food processor.  Blend for 30 seconds; slowly add olive oil until mixture begins to thicken.  Use within 2-3 days.