whole30

It has been 2 weeks since we finished our Whole30.

I have snuck in a few sweet treats. After we finished the Whole30 we went to New Hampshire for one of the most joy-filled, fun-filled, great-people-filled weddings I’ve ever been to. It was so great. The cake came out and I enjoyed both flavors heartily. And then, as if it couldn’t get any better, there were also Franciscan Friar Cookies. And they were soooo good. I ate two of those suckers. It was amazing.

Then we were up at 2am to catch a 5am flight less than four hours after eating that cookie. I didn’t really get to figure out how my body reacted to sugar since we all hated life anyway.

But since then I’ve eaten a few more sweets and I finally figured out how my body reacts to sugar. It shuts down. Like completely.

On Friday, I took the older girls to the Umlauf Sculpture Garden
(Holy cow, what a treasure this place is. I would like to sit and meditate in it every morning). But it was hot and we were near Barton Springs so we stopped by the Sno Cone stand on the way home. I told the girls if I got them each a snow cone, I got a taste of each one. Of course they agreed. Sharing with your sister is the worst, apparently. Got snow cones. Took a spoonful of each one. Got in the car. Got home. Bam. I was done for. I could barely keep my eyes open. I was so sluggish. I barely was able to drag myself off the couch to make dinner a little while after that. Then after the kiddos were asleep, I came downstairs and laid on the couch watching TV. I had zero motivation to do a single thing. It was one of those times when something crummy is on TV but the remote is just out of reach so you try to use telekinesis to no avail. Then I fell asleep so hard that I don’t remember Brandon trying to get me up before going to bed. I woke up at 3am in my clothes with all the lights on.

Whoa. I thought maybe this was a fluke. Maybe I was just tired.

Today I gave in and had my favorite snack: Ritz crackers with strawberry jam. The best. Even better if I had cream cheese and strawberry jam, but I settled for strawberry jam. Immediately I laid down and fell asleep on the couch. Thank God Brandon was around to watch the kiddos. Then I woke up and still could barely muster enough motivation to drag myself to the kitchen to make dinner.

What’s weird is that too-tired, no-motivation, sluggish feeling wasn’t life after all. Here I thought this is what life is supposed to feel like in this season of crazy little kids. But sugar, apparently, plays a big role. Don’t get me wrong, I was still tired when I was on the Whole30 but this feeling like I’m trying to pull myself out of a hole to make myself do daily activities is sugar. Exhaustion is different from total lack of power over my motivation levels. Sleepiness is different from narcoleptic episodes of falling asleep on any horizontal surface nearby.

Hmm. So that dreaded “Sugar Dragon” is real. Total bummer. But it is a nice piece of data to know about my body.

Geez, I’m gonna have to learn how to title my posts again. Numbering them was so easy. I’ll get better. I promise.

Today was our first post-Whole30 day. We still ate Whole30 mostly. Kraft ate a square of chocolate and got a headache within 10 minutes. Our kids spent most of the day saying, “Yay, you can eat bread again!” Ha. But we didn’t. I did lick the oatmeal spoon after I served it to the girls for breakfast. I know, I know, we know how to party around here.

I took a picture of dinner out of habit: Chicken Zucchini Poppers – super good. We couldn’t find chicken so made them with ground turkey.

I have a handful of Whole30 recipes that I’ve been hoarding but haven’t used yet so I thought I’d put them here in case you were looking for something new:

Paleo Pumpkin Coconut Smoothie

Oatless Zucchini Oatmeal

Yam, Celery Root, and Bacon Hash

Herb Balsamic Roasted Potatoes

Meatballs and Marinara

Sweet Coconut Cauliflower Rice

Whole30 Hashbrowns

Jerk Shrimp Stew with Cauliflower Rice

Madras Chicken Salad

Dirty Cauliflower Rice

Here we are. Day 30. I’m not going to say that doing a Whole30 was easy, but I will have to say that it wasn’t as hard as I thought it was going to be. It was plenty difficult to continue making non-Whole30 food for my kiddos the whole time and pass on the birthday cakes and chai lattes. But all the planning and cooking on top of living your regular life takes so much time that it does slip by rather quickly.

Today we ate brunch at Kerbey Lane and then for Father’s Day we ate at Fogo de Chão. First, I would like to draw attention to the fact that at Fogo, kids 6 and under eat free. All 5 of our kids ate free. Isn’t that crazy? Usually having a big family does not pay off in this way but this was an awesome perk.

We ate compliant all day even though my dad was tempting me with the 2 custom cocktails he drank that were made with mint and blueberries and agave nectar. And we had a neighbor selling homemade cinnamon rolls for Father’s Day. Ugh. Gooey cinnamon rolls are my favorite. I want to be buried with a cinnamon roll I love them so much. Sorry, that got weird. But no. I said no.

We’re traveling to a wedding soon so I had decided that I’ll still eat as close to Whole30 as I can but at the wedding I’d decide to either have some wine or some cake and see how it goes. Well, I’m glad we had such a big meal at Fogo. Even though I ate compliant food, I ate a ton of food. All the steak and bacon-wrapped chicken and lamb and pork was sooo good. And the salad bar was great, too. I loaded up on lettuce, fruit, asparagus, olives and some cured meats. But I totally overdid it. My stomach didn’t even wait for us to get home to freak out. It was really upset even before we left the restaurant.

I’m so glad I did this now and not while we’re traveling. I know now that I have to keep my eating in check unless I want to feel like that again. Non-compliant food or non-compliant ways of eating are not so tempting now after seeing what my pre-Whole30 food binging does to my body. It was a good lesson.

Breakfast: [no pictures from the entire day]

• Kerbey Scramble – without cheese but with added spinach and avocado. Really good. Much better than the omelette I’ve been ordering
• Fruit cup

Lunch/Dinner: Binging on complaint food, still no good.

• Steak
• Pork
• Bacon-Wrapped Chicken
• Lamb
• Asparagus
• Salami
• Prosciutto
• Lettuce
• Fruit – blueberries, pineapple
• Tomatoes
• Olives

How We Felt:

Because we’re all wondering, I stepped on the scale again today to see how I’ve done in the weight department. Between Day 1 and Day 10 I lost 5 pounds and since then I’ve lost 3 pounds. So total I’ve lost 8 pounds. Kraft has lost a total of 10 pounds. Not huge numbers but we’re happy with it. We feel really good. Also, I am pretty sure that if we slept better we’d have better weight loss. We get 4-5 hours of sleep every night and that’s just not enough time to let our body properly work things out. So I’m glad our eating has affected our weight loss but I know we have other things to work on if we really want to see some better health.

Kraft and I have been talking quite a bit about what we are going to do post-Whole30. The whole point of doing a Whole30 is to wipe the slate clean so that you can reintroduce all the food you took out one at a time. That way you can see that maybe gluten is what makes you feel like crap but dairy is fine. If on Day 31 you eat pizza, drink a beer, and eat ice cream, well, your tastebuds might be happy but all that work you did for 30 days is down the drain.

They have two ways to reintroduce foods. The slow way and the fast way. They also give you the option of continuing for longer if you think it’s needed. Like if you feel better but you think it you could feel even better. They encourage a Whole45 or longer if this is you.

We’re traveling soon so I kinda want to eat Whole30 until we get back home. I definitely don’t want to introduce dairy while traveling. That just wouldn’t be good for anyone. I don’t know. We still haven’t made a decision but we’re leaning toward the slow way.

If you’ve done a Whole30 or are doing it, what are your thoughts? Which way worked best for you? What did you find you reacted badly to? Inquiring minds want to know 🙂

Breakfast:

• Turkey and Salsa Skillet – This was pretty good and really fast. Apparently this blogger makes a lot of breakfast skillets. I’d be interested in trying more of them.
• Spinach and Baby Kale Mix
• Happy Digestion Smoothie – My kids luuuuuuv this smoothie. My kids hate everything. Everything. But they ask for the smoothie with the ginger in it. My weird kids. But they’re right, this smoothie is really good.

Lunch: (Kraft’s lunch since I was at a Baby Shower)

• Leftover Coconut Curry Meatballs and Sauce – Boo. Kraft wins. He got these leftovers. Big jerk. I guess it is Father’s Day weekend.
• Leftover Broccoli Slaw
• Leftover Salty and Sweet Broccoli Salad
• 2 Egg Muffins

Dinner:

• Slow Cooker Stuffed Cabbage Casserole – This recipe is pretty easy to throw together. Especially if you buy your cauliflower already riced. I did not and just chopped it up on the cutting board really small. I probably shouldn’t have made this recipe because I kind of hate stuffed cabbage rolls. I was not a big fan of this but if you like stuffed cabbage, you’d probably like it.
• Fruit – We had a ton of fruit that needed to be eaten because it was starting to go bad. This is also how we bribed the girls to eat their casserole first.

How We Felt:

Today I went to my first Zumba Master Class. Basically it’s 2 hours of lots of different instructors doing their hardest songs as intensely as they can do them. I think if I wasn’t doing the Whole30 right now I’d be in a lot more pain. It was a fun time, but it was intense. My feet and knees are feeling it a bit but not bad at all.

 

Zoodles. When these first came on the scene, I thought they were ridiculous. Spiralized zucchini, give me a break. Just eat the freakin’ pasta, weirdos. Why do we need to make simple things so complicated. If you don’t want the carbs, just don’t eat pasta.

But then my mom bought me a spiralizer last year for Mother’s Day. I am kinda obsessed with kitchen gadgets and since this was the latest fad, she thought I’d appreciate it.

It sat in a bottom cabinet tucked way back for a solid 6 months. But then I felt bad for not using it so I pulled it out and gave it a spin.

First, the assembly of the thing was not the easiest and I had to study the manual pretty thoroughly before we got a result that somewhat resembled pasta. But once I got the hang of it, I spiralized 4 zucchinis in a jiffy and served it with marinara sauce. The kids loved it and I enjoyed it just about as much as I enjoy regular pasta.

I’ll have to be honest, I don’t love pasta much to begin with. It’s more a vehicle through which to eat yummy sauce. So zoodles acted in the same way and were equally as good as regular noodles. AND you’re eating lots of veggies without it really tasting like veggies. #doublewin

If you’re interested in trying out zoodles, this is the machine we have but I’ve also seen these or these that look less complicated. This blog is really great for all things spiralized. The most helpful thing I’ve read from her is how to store spiralized veggies and how long they last. You can even freeze some kinds. And because some noodles last up to 5 days in fridge, you can just make a bunch at the beginning of the week and not have to mess with the stupid machine for the rest of the week. Yay.

I’ll also say that I think spiralized veggies taste closer to real pasta and are a 100 times better than riced cauliflower. I still eat the caulirice but it is nothing at all like rice. Not even close.

Breakfast:

• Egg Muffins – still going strong
• Peach
• Spinach and Baby Kale Mix
• 1/2 an Avocado

Lunch:

• Leftover Stuffed Pepper Stuffing – Thank God this is the last of it.
• Sweet Potato with Pecans – I know usually sweet potatoes are baked in a casserole with marshmallows and pecans on top. Baked marshmallows always weirded me out, but I think you will find it surprising how good sweet potatoes are with just pecans.
• Spinach and Baby Kale Mix
• 2 Peaches

Dinner:

• Zoodles with Jarred Marinara Sauce + 1 lb of Ground Beef – easy peasy
• 1/2 an Apple with Almond Butter

How We Felt:

Tired but I’m pretty sure it’s from staying up late to paint.

Week 4 Meal Roundup:

Day 22:

• Breakfast: Breakfast Pizza Quiche, Handful of the Trader Joe’s Cruciferous Mix, 1/2 and Avocado, 1/2 an Apple
• Lunch: Leftover Tuna Salad, Bacon, Celery Sticks with Ranch Dressing, 1/2 an Apple with Almond Butter, 2 Hard-Boiled Eggs
• Dinner: Hamburger Patty, Potato and Green Bean Salad, All-Day Breakfast Salad, Grapes, Strawberries, and Pineapple

Day 23:

• Breakfast: Sweet Potato Hash Browns , Trader Joe’s Garlic Herb Chicken Sausage, 2 Fried Eggs, Fruit
• Lunch: Spinach with Cherry Tomatoes and Balsamic Vinaigrette, Hard-boiled Egg, 1/2 an Apple with Almond Butter
• Dinner: Applegate Hot Dog, 1/2 a Hamburger Patty, Grapes, 1/2 an Avocado, Spinach, Hard-Boiled Egg, Leftover Potato and Green Bean Salad

Day 24:

• Breakfast: 2 Fried Eggs, Spinach, 1/2 an Avocado, Handful of Pecans, 1/2 and Apple with Almond Butter
• Lunch: Turkey Roll-Ups, 1/2 an Apple with Almond Butter, Applegate Hot Dog with Mustard, 1/2 an Avocado
• Dinner: Turkey and Riced Cauliflower Stuffed Peppers , Bacon and Veggies

Day 25:

• Breakfast: 2 Fried Eggs, 1/2 an Apple, Spinach, Avocado, 2 Slices of Deli Turkey
• Lunch: Leftover Stuffed Peppers Stuffing, Spinach, 1/2 an Avocado, 1/2 an Apple with Almond Butter, Trader Joe’s Salsa Verde
• Dinner: Crockpot Mexican Chicken , Broccoli Slaw , Spinach, 1/2 an Avocado, Trader Joe’s Salsa Verde

Day 26:

• Breakfast: Egg Muffins , 1/2 an Avocado, Handful of Pecans, 1/2 an Apple with Almond Butter
• Lunch: Leftover Stuffed Pepper Stuffing, Leftover Bacon Veggies, 1/2 an Apple
• Dinner: Round Steak with Leftover Chimichurri Sauce, Leftover Broccoli Slaw, Sweet and Salty Broccoli Salad

Day 27:

• Breakfast: 2 Egg Muffins, Cherries, Spinach and Kale Mix, 1/2 an Avocado, Handful of Pecans
• Lunch: Leftovers. I had crockpot Mexican Chicken and Bacon Veggies with a sweet potato and pecans. Kraft had Broccoli Salad with Stuffed Pepper Stuffing and Bacon Veggies with a sweet potato.
• Dinner: Thai Coconut Curry Meatballs, Zoodles

Day 28:

• Breakfast: Egg Muffins , Peach, Spinach and Baby Kale Mix, 1/2 an Avocado
• Lunch: Leftover Stuffed Pepper Stuffing, Sweet Potato with Pecans, Spinach and Baby Kale Mix, 2 Peaches
• Dinner: Zoodles with Jarred Marinara Sauce + 1 lb of Ground Beef, 1/2 an Apple with Almond Butter

While I was driving home from the gym, I passed a Torchy’s Tacos. I stared longingly, wanting some chips and queso so bad. And then I tried to remember the last time we ate out. It was within the first week or so of our Whole 30. I’m not sure if we’ve ever gone this long without eating out (minus Lent).  I don’t even really miss it since we can’t eat anything I want anyway.

I only really like to eat out if it’s something I can’t make. We could eat at Torchy’s but I don’t want to eat their fajita chicken on a bed of iceberg lettuce. I want chips and queso. Or at Phil’s, I want the whole burger with mushrooms and swiss cheese and the bun. Oh, the magical bun. And I def want to eat their fries. I could just make a hamburger patty at home, I don’t need to go there and torture myself for that. Even brunch on Sunday isn’t that fun. I like my fried eggs the best, so I don’t like ordering them at a restaurant. And I can’t eat their ham or bacon because I don’t know what’s in it. Breakfast really is my favorite meal so I’d rather just make it at home.

For Father’s Day, it was hard to come up with a place that would be worth it to go eat out. But then we though of a Brazilian steakhouse. More steak? Yes, please.

Breakfast:

• 2 Egg Muffins – I feel like I made my feelings about these muffins pretty clear yesterday.
• Cherries
• Spinach and Kale Mix
• 1/2 an Avocado
• Handful of Pecans

Lunch: [not pictured]

• Leftovers. We have lots of leftovers. They don’t even really do well together. I think I had crockpot Mexican Chicken and Bacon Veggies with a sweet potato and pecans. Kraft had Broccoli Salad with Stuffed Pepper Stuffing and Bacon Veggies with a sweet potato.

Dinner:

• Thai Coconut Curry Meatballs – This was not the fastest thing in the world to make but it was worth it. These were delicious. Really delicious. Only if you like that coconut curry taste, though, because it is pretty strong. There is only about one serving leftover. I think Kraft and I might have to rock, paper, scissor it to see who’s going to get to eat it for lunch.
• Zoodles

How We Felt:

I know I’ve already mentioned this before, but it is really becoming a thing. I am sweating so much! During workouts. I start sweating earlier in the workout and I sweat so much more. Like I’m dripping on the floor and have to occasionally get a paper towel to wipe it up. I know that at the beginning of the Whole30 you’re body is detoxing so it’s normal to sweat but we’re on Day 27. And it seems the longer we do this, the more I sweat. I don’t sweat excessively unless I’m working out but I’ve noticed that I do sweat more than I remember if I’m doing a lot of physical chores around the house or if we’re outside in the heat. It’s so weird. Is it because I’m more hydrated? Is my body working better? Am I doing something wrong? Do tell.