Vanessa

Ok, I’ve got another confession to make. I’ve been weighing myself daily.

I know, I know. It’s a big no no.

I’m totally going to throw Kraft under the bus on this one. He has always weighed himself daily. He likes metrics. So on Day 1 I told him not to weigh himself and he did it anyway. (“Just like a man!” for all those Anne of Green Gables lovers out there.) And since he did it, I did it. #peerpressure #justsayno

You know what is so interesting? My weight has been totally stable. Before the Whole30 when I would weigh myself throughout the week (always in the morning before eating), my weight would fluctuate about 7 pounds. But since starting the Whole30, my weight is exactly the most low number of that 7 pound range everyday. It’s kind of amazing. It seems like my body is finally experiencing stability instead of my capricious treat-indulging throughout the week. I can only conclude that this is good.

But I will admit that 11 days in, I’m getting discouraged that I haven’t lost weight. So I’ll have to agree with them and say that you really, really shouldn’t weigh yourself. The last thing you need while doing a Whole30 is discouragement. Especially discouragement that is in your power to avoid. Just don’t step up on the scale.

I’m going to stop. I won’t weigh myself tomorrow or the rest of the Whole30, cross my heart. As they say, I don’t want to be a slave to that hunk of plastic. You don’t own me, scale. *sassy snap*

Breakfast:

• Fried Eggs
• Spinach
• Banana and Almond Butter

Lunch:

• Potato and Buffalo Chicken Casserole – I actually made this for this week’s post-workout meal but I didn’t have anything on hand that was quick for lunch
• 1/2 an Apple with Almond Butter

Dinner:

• Baked Chicken Breast with Chimichurri Sauce – This sauce is so amazing. I hate pesto so I was worried it was going to taste like pesto. It doesn’t. It tastes like awesome. And you can put it on anything: beef, fish, chicken. It makes everything perfect. Before you cook the meat you douse it with this stuff, then after you take it out of oven, you drizzle some more on. Bam. Ship it.
• 1/2 and Avocado
• Spinach

Prep: I actually haven’t prepped for the week which is making each day pretty hard but I did make a few things today to get a head start on tomorrow.

• Post-workout meal for the week – Potato and Buffalo Chicken Casserole (This is really good. I got so sick of that frittata I made last week. I don’t think I’m going to get sick of this.)
• Ginger-Sesame Chicken Salad – made this for the next couple days of lunch

How We Felt:

👍 for the most part. A little 😴.

 

Confession time, friends. We had our first goof up on Whole30 compliance today.

Absentmindedly, I licked a grain of rice off my finger and Kraft licked a tiny drop of yogurt off his hand (both times while serving the kiddos) earlier last week, but we haven’t made a mistake other than that.

Today I made hamburgers topped with avocado and salsa. We used Trader Joe’s Fire Roasted Tomato Salsa. 😱 It is NOT Whole30 compliant! I almost expected sirens to go off and a trap door to open and swallow up this offensive salsa. We didn’t realize it until we were done with dinner. Kraft just happened to be reading the ingredients. At most we ate 2 tablespoons of it.

And you know what? I couldn’t care less. And I am a total rule-follower. I really am. It pains me to not follow the rules.

Whole30 makes a huge deal about no cheating whatsoever. They emphasize it to the point that I was reading through a forum and a poor woman was beside herself. She thought that a certain something she had used was not compliant, but out of the entire casserole, they had only added a tablespoon of the Whole30-illegal substance. This poor scrupulous woman vowed that they had each only eaten a little piece and that it was now in the trashcan and please, please, please don’t tell her that she has to start her Whole30 over.

Ok, people, let’s all just take a deep breath for a sec and remember the big picture here. They are serious about no cheating but to me that means no giving in and having bread slathered in butter because it’s been seducing you all day. I think these tiny little honest mistakes just mean we’re human. Sure, we need to really read and research what is compliant and non-compliant and we need to work hard to make sure everything we are eating is compliant, but I don’t think one pepperoni that contains dextrose is going to make or break your Whole30. And for the love of all that is good and holy, don’t throw out an entire casserole! I’m positive some neighbor, friend, person on the corner would love some homemade food. We might be focusing on our health and our eating, but that doesn’t mean that for 30 days we turn a blind eye to the rest of humanity.

And for the record,
Trader Joe’s Salsa Verde ✅
Trader Joe’s Fire Roasted Tomato Salsa❌

(And if you’re wondering, we gave the rest of the salsa to our neighbor who was only too glad to take it. Being a neighbor of someone doing the Whole30 has great benefits 🙂 )

Breakfast:

• Skillet Eggs
• 1/2 an Apple and Almond Butter
• 1 Breakfast Turkey Sausage Patty

Lunch:

• Sweet Potato Noodle and Apple Spinach Salad – This takes a while to make, especially if you’re like me and new to spiralizing but it is totally worth the time.

Kraft LOVED this salad so much (which makes 2 really huge salads, btw) that at some point during lunch, I looked over at his plate compared to mine and this is what it looked like:

Dinner:

• Hamburger Patty
• 1/2 an Avocado
• Salsa (of death)
• Spinach
• 1/2 a Baked Potato

How We Felt:

Kraft is really doing great. He is getting through the day without any problem. I am still really struggling. Come 3:30pm, I need a nap, like for realsies. Today one of my kiddos had me on the floor playing birthday party and at some point the birthday party included laying down on the ground and pretending to sleep (which I was all too happy to oblige) and I actually dozed off for a second. My head had just touched the ground and I was out. Again, not sure if it’s the bad sleep this week or diet.

I read this really interesting article about weight loss, metabolism, and the Biggest Loser. The conclusions that the study draws might make weight loss seem impossible, but that’s not actually their point. Their point is that metabolism plays a bigger role in weight loss and weight maintenance than we had previously thought and much more research needs to be done.

But what I found most interesting was this:

“We eat about 900,000 to a million calories a year, and burn them all except those annoying 3,000 to 5,000 calories that result in an average annual weight gain of about one to two pounds,” he said. “These very small differences between intake and output average out to only about 10 to 20 calories per day — less than one Starburst candy — but the cumulative consequences over time can be devastating.”

This is a big problem of mine. I’m constantly in the kitchen so I am always wanting to eat even if it’s not mealtime. Those few raisins I pop in my mouth when I’m packing lunches or those couple crackers I eat when I’m making the kiddos a snack add up.

At the beginning of this Whole30, I was really good about not snacking but this weekend I’ve relapsed into constant grazing. At least it has been Whole30 compliant food but it’s still not helping my habits. So I need to get back on the no-snacking bandwagon.

Breakfast:

• Two fried eggs (I should probably look into the exact rules about fried eggs because I eat them a lot.)
• 1/2 a Sweet Potato
• Garlic and Herb Chicken Sausage from Trader Joe’s
• 1/2 Apple with Almond Butter

Lunch: (leftover party!)

• Cauliflower Fried Rice
• Roasted Broccoli and Cherry Tomatoes
• Carrot Sticks
• 1/2 an Apple
• Grapes

Dinner:

• Leftover Tuna Salad with Whole30 Mayo
• 1/2 an avocado
• Handful of Blueberries

How We Felt:

We actually ate all the leftovers from the week. Ok, ok, we have about 1/2 a cup of the Mexican Cauliflower Rice leftover but I just can’t eat it again. But that’s it. We ate everything else. I thought I may have over prepped at the beginning of the week but it worked out really well.

Meal planning for Week 2 is definitely not as fun as last week. I’m not as excited as I was last week and having to plan some separate food for our kids is really not fun. I’ve spent the last 3 hours meal planning and making up a grocery list. But they do say that most people quit the Whole30 on Days 10 and 11 and I get why.

I feel terrible. Achy and sluggish. The babies have been pretty sick the last couple days so I haven’t been sleeping much at all so that might have something to do with it. But I’m feeling pretty crummy.

Watch out y’all, I’m about to get all deep and theological for a sec 😉

Kraft prays Night Prayer (Office of Compline) with our kiddos every night. (It’s adorable to be hear our little three year old chant.) But tonight he is driving back from Wichita Falls with our middle two so I did Night Prayer with Olivia at bedtime. These lines from Psalm 4 struck me:

“What can bring us happiness?” many say.
Let the light of your face shine on us, O Lord.
You have put in my heart a greater joy
than they have from abundance of corn and new wine.

I have felt moments of great joy in my life. And while I can remember several moments of joy that have included food, the joy came from the experience around the food more than the food itself. I can still perfectly remember the most amazing bowl of Frosted Flakes with whole milk I’ve ever had. It was at a hotel on Times Square but it was after the most comically futile trip across the city to try and get SNL tickets. Or I can remember eating this delicious pumpkin tempura at Uchi but it was during our first date out after our first kid was born and it was our first anniversary. Or I can remember this really good seafood meal in New Orleans but it was in one of John Besh’s restaurants and we actually got to meet him and tell him our three year old loves watching him on PBS.

When I think about why I sometimes eat my emotions, it’s because I’m looking for a fast fix. I’m not really wanting to find a solution to my kids acting crazy right when I should be cooking dinner. I’m not really wanting to dig a little deeper to figure out why Kraft and I keep having the same argument. I’m not really wanting to learn how to control my anger better. I know I don’t feel joy at the moment and want a Dr. Pepper and some chocolate to trick myself into feeling better.

But food is not “the” joy that fulfills our deepest longings. The joy great food brings me will never come close to the joy I’ve felt after having a baby, or getting married, or working through a difficult issue with someone, really acing a project at work, or coming out of the confessional.

While I will always LOVE food, I need to remember, I was made for an even greater joy.

Breakfast:

• Fried Eggs
• Pederson Farms (sugar-free) bacon
• Green Monster Smoothie – I know that we’re not really supposed to be having smoothies but I’ve decided we’ll have one a week. And I just couldn’t chew more salad. Instead I blended it.

Lunch: [not pictured]

• Rudy’s Brisket and Turkey – I have no idea what kind of rub they put on their barbecue and they do not list ingredients on their website. If you know, shoot me a comment 🙂
• Lots of fruit – I was at my parents’ neighborhood block party so this is all I could really eat

Dinner:

• Tuna Salad with jalapeños and avocado instead of mayo
• Handful of Almonds

We did it! Week 1 done! Phew. [A roundup of all the meals we ate this week is at the bottom of this post]

Today both Kraft and I had to venture out into the real world for a non-breakfast meal for the first time since starting the Whole30.

Kraft ate at Whataburger. He didn’t have a lot of choices. Brussel sprouts and green beans aren’t really snack-packable. He found out that Whataburger’s grilled chicken contains corn syrup. Isn’t that weird? But their burgers are just meat and spices so he had a burger patty and the lettuce and stuff.

I ate at Kerbey Lane. It was Olivia’s last day of school so I went out with her for a special lunch.

Olivia has a lot of food allergies so I’m used to being “that” person asking the waiter tons of questions and requesting specially cooked food. When I have to do it for her, I don’t mind. I’m a parent advocating for my child and I’m not embarrassed nor do I feel bad taking the time of a busy waiter/waitress. But for me doing the Whole30, I did feel a little silly.

As I searched the menu, I thought about ordering a salad but I didn’t want just oil and vinegar for the dressing and I had forgotten to bring some of my own. I could not bring myself to order the Bacon Cheeseburger without bacon…or cheese. It felt dumb. So I ordered the Jalapeño Bison Burger, bunless, minus bleu cheese (which I would have done anyway because I hate it), and with fruit instead of fries. Man, did I want some of those sweet potato fries.

I will have to say, those Kerbey Lane cooks did a fantastic job not making my meal look like a sad little hunk of meat on a huge empty plate. They folded up the bison patty in lots of lettuce and tomatoes and onions covered in hot sauce (I’m pretty sure it was Frank’s Hot Sauce which is compliant) and a decent pile of pickles on the side. And a little bowl of fruit. It was so pretty. I wish I had remembered to take a picture of it. Thanks Kerbey Lane Cooks!

Breakfast:

• Leftover Breakfast Salad – I decided that I will not make this again, mostly because I think I would enjoy each ingredient that goes into this salad more if I just ate them all separately instead of all mixed up like this.
• 1/2 an Apple with Almond Butter
• Handful of Cruciferous Salad Mix

Lunch: [not pictured]

• Kerbey Lane Bison Burger Patty with lettuce, tomatoes, and onions
• Side of Fruit

Dinner:

• Leftover Campfire Salmon and Veggies
• Carrot Sticks
• Last of the bag of Cruciferous Salad Mix
• Cauliflower Fried Rice – This is another recipe from Nom Nom Paleo and it was really, really good. 👍👍

How We Felt:

I’m still really dragging around 4pm. I’m not sure if it’s the Whole30 thing or just a life thing.

Guess what, guys??? We got through everything in that right crisper drawer (except one bag of Riced Cauliflower that we gave to a neighbor)! And even better, we didn’t turn in to kale. Surprise!

Week 1 Meal Roundup:

Day 1:

• Breakfast: BLT Salad and Cherry Limeade Smoothie
• Lunch: Tuna Salad and Mashed Sweet Potato and Applesauce
• Dinner: Steak and Roasted Broccoli and Cherry Tomatoes

Day 2:

• Breakfast: Kerbey Lane – Harvest Omelette without cheese, home fries, and fruit
• Lunch: Zucchini Noodle Bowl
• Dinner: Sheet Pan Fajitas, Mexican Cauliflower Rice, 1/2 an avocado

Day 3:

• Breakfast: Skillet Eggs and 1/2 an Apple with Almond Butter
• Lunch: Leftover Tuna Salad, Carrot Sticks, Blueberries, Spinach, Hard-boiled Egg, and Sweet Potato and Applesauce Mash
• Dinner: Zoodles with Creamy Avocado Sauce, Whole Roasted Chicken, and Roasted Sweet Potato with coconut oil and cinnamon

Day 4:

• Breakfast: BLT Breakfast Salad
• Lunch: Leftover Sheet Pan Fajitas, Leftover Mexican Cauliflower Rice, and 1/2 an Apple
• Dinner: Asian Meatballs and Power Greens Salad with Almonds and Blueberries

Day 5:

• Breakfast: Zucchini Noodle Bowl
• Lunch: Skillet Eggs, 1/2 an Apple with Almond Butter, 2-3 slices of turkey, handful of Almonds, Small Banana
• Dinner: Apple Cider Pulled Pork, Carrot Sticks, Sautéed Cruciferous Mix with Garlic, 1/2 an Avocado, Grapes

Day 6:

• Breakfast: Breakfast Salad, Handful of Power to the Greens mix, and 1/2 a Grapefruit
• Lunch: Leftover Shredded Pork, Leftover Meatballs, Zoodles, Handful of Blueberries, and 1/2 an Apple with Almond Butter
• Dinner: Campfire Salmon and Watermelon Agua Fresca

Day 7:

• Breakfast: Leftover Breakfast Salad, 1/2 an Apple with Almond Butter, Handful of Cruciferous Salad Mix
• Lunch: Kerbey Lane Bison Burger Patty with lettuce, tomatoes, and onions, and Side of Fruit
• Dinner: Leftover Campfire Salmon and Veggies, Carrot Sticks, Last of the bag of Cruciferous Salad Mix, Cauliflower Fried Rice

 

Kraft’s ongoing joke is that the Whole30 is the anti-KonMari diet. Marie Kondo, from The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, is the author that teaches people to only keep things in their home that bring them joy. The Whole30 is the anti-KonMari method because if a certain food brings us joy, then we can’t eat it. Ha.

I do get a lot of joy out of food which is not the best for my health. It’s amazing to me how much eating is my coping mechanism. I eat my emotions. When the witching hour comes around (you know, that hour before you need to have dinner ready and every child in the house decides to act possessed at the exact same time) all I want to do is eat a whole chocolate cake…alone…hiding in the laundry room. Or at the end of a rough day when everyone, by the grace of God, is still alive, I feel the need to reward myself with something indulgent. Wine, candy, chocolate, ice cream. I’m not picky.

Today was the first day on the program that really tested me. It was long and hard and the kids weren’t the best. I’ve been trying not to give in and eat fruit to satiate my sugar cravings which, according to Whole30, does nothing to slay your “sugar dragon“. But I did give in and make a Watermelon Agua Fresca for dinner (no added sugar). And as much as I was hoping it would give me that pick me up I needed to get me through bedtime routines, it didn’t. Lesson learned.

Breakfast:

• Breakfast Salad – It was really hard to find compliant breakfast sausage but I did find a turkey sausage in the frozen breakfast section.I didn’t use as much lemon as the recipe calls for, I just squeezed a little so the avocado wouldn’t brown.
• Handful of Power to the Greens mix
• 1/2 a Grapefruit

Lunch: [not pictured]

• Leftover Shredded Pork
• Leftover Meatballs
• Zoodles
• Handful of Blueberries
• 1/2 an Apple with Almond Butter

Dinner:

• Campfire Salmon – This is from a cookbook called Simply in Season and is super easy. In a foil packet put salmon sprinkled with salt and pepper, then load up with sliced veggies: green peppers, onions, broccoli, zucchini, cherry tomatoes, whatevs. Pour some dressing (we used a balsamic vinaigrette but recipe calls for Italian dressing) over it, then seal and bake at 450° for 20 minutes.
• Agua Fresca de Sandia – We had a gallon sized bag full of sliced watermelon that was about to go bad so I blended it up with a cup of water, handful of fresh mint, and a squeeze of lime. Very refreshing. Even better, make it ahead of time and refrigerate it.

How we felt:

I had a hard time making it to the end of the day. By about 4:30pm I could have fallen asleep for the night. I was really dragging. Today was also the first day I was really craving sugar.

😴 Goodnight.

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